Swirl Me Around

I found this dress junking in Nebraska with the grandmas. I originally thought it to be a wrap apron and bought it for that purpose but when I got home and did a little research on the tag I found out it was a Swirl wrap dress. I think it is from the late 50's. There were some issues with it. One of the ties was torn clean off and there was a rip in the side. You can see the mess in the photo below. 

I ended up buying some new pink fabric to replace the ties and mending the hole with the super awesome darning stitch on my sewing machine. Excuse my pasty white arms.  

Here she is, all finished and brought back to life. I love the huge front pockets.  

So who wants to take me out on a date so I can wear this lovely frock?

Fruity

All I can think about these days is food. Good, fresh, yummy goodness. Being pregnant and all, and past the sickie days I just want to stuff my face all day long. I guess nursing a babe and growing a babe makes you insanely hungry. 

I was blessed to find this amazing you-pick blueberry place 20 minutes from my house. Fresh, not messed with, not sprayed, local berries. What more can a girl ask for. I went 2 times before they were gone and picked 10 pounds total. 

This is five pounds. I ate a bunch fresh and froze the rest for eating later. Hopefully they will last until winter, when blueberries are hard to come by and cost a bloody fortune. I have been trying to be better at buying what is in season and storing for the rest of the year. It's hard to judge just how much you need but you have to start somewhere. If 10 pounds doesn't do it I guess I will just have to pick 20 next year. 

My little Lilly is a ham. Always in the middle of my photos.  

A Sad Day

It's a sad day when you break a piece of vintage Pyrex. Especially one you never got to use. As a general rule I don't spend so much on my Pyrex or, anything for that matter that I would be devastated if it broke. Most pieces are $5 or less and purchased at Goodwill. I buy things we use and are not afraid of using.

But the sting is still there. So long my friend.  

Chocolate and Bacon

This is one big bowl of deliciousness.

I wanted to learn to make popcorn the good ole fashioned way, in a big pot with some oil. I just learned how many nasty things are in those microwaveable bags of popcorn and figured this had to be better for you, cheaper and just as easy. 

I had a hankering for something salty and sweet and what better for salty than bacon and chocolate for something sweet. So I made the popcorn with a little coconut oil in a big pot. Its not too hard once you get the hang of it. I did burn the first batch to a crisp. Then I threw in some really crispy fried bacon and shaved dark chocolate over the top. Delish. You know you want some. 

Can you see it?

A friend asked me to mend her favorite pair of jeans. How could I say no. It's a matter of life and death when your favorite jeans are on the fritz. 

There was an L shaped tear that started to fray. At first I thought I would slap one of those iron on patches on the inside and sew around the tear leaving the frayed bits, but then I started tinkering with the darning stitch on my machine. Holy smokes, I am in love with this stitch. I cannot believe I have not used it before. It fixed the hole and you can barely even notice.  

Just like Where's Waldo, can you find the mended hole? 

I have big plans for this stitch in the future, very big plans.

Baby Maggie

My cousin is having a little girl in May and her baby shower was this past weekend. I had finished my gifts a while back but didn't want to share for fear of ruining the surprise. I love making things for babies. They are so sweet and adorable. 

I made her a set of Liberty bibs from the free Purl Bee pattern. The butterfly fabric is a vintage sheet I picked up at the thrift store. The skull is an Alexander Henry print and the tiny deer are a Jay McCarroll print. Did you know Jay critiqued my fashion design final? We went to the same design school in Philadelphia. The backs of the bibs are a cotton terry I picked up at Joann's. I had every intention of cutting into my vintage towels for the bib backs but when it came right down to it I couldn't do it. I know, I am a sissy. 

I also made her a set of Maya buckets for little baby things. We have a bunch of these around my house and they are the perfect size for blocks or finger puppets or other little kid do dads. 

I really need to be sewing these days is a bag my friend requested for his glassblowing tools. The pattern has been altered, the muslin cut and halfway sewn. Now I just need to get on the ball and put in the frame so he can approve or change the style of the bag. All I really feel like doing is playing with my fabric or sleeping. I need to get my sewing mojo back. 

Just Like New

This shirt was a freebie from "Back in the Day" in Omaha. I bought some other vintage duds and when I mentioned the tear in the back the owner just threw this one in for free. I knew I could do something to mend it and make it wearable again. Above is the tear before my alterations. It was slightly off center but close enough. I laid the shirt flat and traced the V from the front neck onto the back. Then I rolled the edges 1/8 inch and top stitched. Easy peasy. The little rosettes and tie were just knotted to the tear when I bought the shirt so I tacked them back on to stop the V from flapping open when I wore it.

I love how it turned out. Not to shabby for a free shirt.

Please excuse the pose. I don't know what I was thinking.