Bluebirdbaby

Located In The Same Individual

Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual. ~Arthur Koestler

I spent some time sewing today. I made some more pants for the little one and one pair for the shop, finished a new birthday crown for her preschool, adjusted the fit of her old one, and packed up orders. I am always amazed at how much I learn each time I sew. When I started last year, I knew nothing about it. I remember trying to sew in a straight line and thinking that was so challenging! But I stuck with it and just kept practicing. I still have ways to go and much to learn. Sometimes I wish I could take an actual lesson. Maybe that would decrease my stitch ripper usage?

This picture was taken after I remembered a few readers requested a 365 of me sewing. So there you go! Not terribly thrilling, but at least the green walls look funky.

green week~four

As I was sewing away in the green room, I started to think about what today's green week post would feature. Then it occurred to me...I was sitting in a room of green. And I have to say that finding the white balance adjustment on the actual camera last week has been the greatest thing ever. Anyway, it's a small space and you've probably already seen most of it, but here are some shots that might be new:

We had another stormy day yesterday. I love snow, I won't complain. (As long as it's gone by spring and the enormous piles in our yard don't hang around until June.) But gray days filled with sleet just don't strike my fancy. So the little one and I were feeling a tad housebound and antsy. After numerous attempts to capture her attention with an activity, I had the idea of sorting beans. Our pantry is full of jars containing various dried beans. One pot of dried beans + one wooden container for sorting = at least 20 minutes of fun.

Weekend Work

Sketching

Swatches in the mail (oh, how I love denim chambray)

Making patterns

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Little Things From the Green Room

I had the pleasure of doing a swap with Lizz from ZooLooNaturals. The little one is so incredibly smitten with our dog Macaulay, but due to a slow paralysis of his hind legs, he is not able to join us upstairs very often. I can tell she misses him and it makes our time with him even more special. It's hard to witness the aging of a beloved pet. A big dog going on twelve, he is still like a puppy in every other way. I can tell he is confused and scared about his sudden fight to control his back legs, and it's so hard to sit by and watch knowing I can't do a thing about it. So Lizz agreed to do a custom wooden figure of Macaulay! I think the little one will be very excited about it and I can imagine the play that will ensue.

So for Lizz I made a custom pair of pants for her little one. The yellow print is a heavy cotton and I love the look of it with the brown corduroy. I also included a little something extra, but unfortunately forgot to photograph it before packing it up.

I've been promising an outfit for my niece in Utah. She's going on three now and her mother informed me that she only likes "comfy" clothes. So a soft pair of flannel pants and a matching cotton shirt should do the trick. The little one still loves her "squirrel" pants and insists on wearing them when our little visitor climbs up to the deck to eat the birdseed.

And isn't this shirt lovely? It's made with organic cotton by Speesees with a flock of birds on the front. It came from one of my favorite places: Edith & Edna in Portland. Above is the little one pointing to the birds. She loves it as much as I do. Now if only they came in bigger sizes...

In the Green Room

About two weeks ago I was commissioned by someone in Colorado to make stage curtains. I picked out a beautiful dark green velvet with some gold trim, and have been working on them for a good week now. They are so long and wide that I've had trouble measuring, cutting, and sewing. Above is a picture of me sewing a finished edge, with a mass of fabric in my lap. It's been a good challenge figuring it all out.

I think the end result will look mighty impressive on the stage. They look like the real deal. I wanted the curtains to have a professional look to them in hopes that it will make the children performing feel extra special. They will be finished tonight and shipped out tomorrow to be up and ready for their first performance on Saturday. How exciting...a little bit of Bluebirdbaby on stage!

All of a sudden I've been bombarded with requests for birthday banners. I made one for Elisabeth's first birthday and decided to make an extra one for my shop shortly after. They take a good deal of time to make, so I haven't really had a chance to add anymore, but I've been more than happy to accept custom orders. I finished the one above last night and I think the birthday boy will be pleased with it.

And remember the dress that didn't fit? It's off to a new home, but I still haven't been able to find another one to replace it. I'm so particular now about clothing, so I've decided to make one. The only problem is the event is this Saturday night. I'm thinking that cute dress on the left, only a longer length. I have some light brown linen I picked up this weekend that I plan to use.

And won't these new ballet flats go swell with it? Not entirely practical for a snow and ice covered wintry Maine, but they are very comfortable. Now if I can only finish the dress in time...

A Small Detail

Anyone who has placed a custom order with me knows I am a speedy worker. I'll usually have the finished product mailed the next day. I've always been this way. I remember being in grade school and finishing my tests a full twenty minutes before anyone else. In high school I used to double check, triple check, and fidget around before finally standing up from my seat. Of course, the class would be staring at me with that "how the heck did you do that so quickly?" look, while I started having doubts that I somehow missed a few pages. So when I get e-mails from my much appreciated blog readers asking when the next shop update is, I find myself in an unusual position. You see, I could have updated it long ago if it weren't for a small detail:

My serger. It's been giving me issues from, well, the beginning. Oh, there's that usual serger temperament going on. You know, the one where even if the room is too humid it seems to stop working. But it's gotten to the point where I serge an inch, have to re-thread everything, serge another inch, re-thread, and repeat. It takes me forever to finish something and usually the end result is not that pretty.

So when I sat down to work Friday night feeling mighty good about getting some things done (along with some DMB, G&B, and a good glass of merlot) and found out my serger would not cooperate, I realized that something is going to have to give. I spent an hour re-threading it over and over. I finally gave up. See those tissues next to my serger in the picture above? Yea, those were definitely needed. I had a little meltdown.

So my serger is no longer in use. This means my planned next shop update is either heavily modified or postponed until I figure something out. Remember my sewing machine giving me trouble a while back? That put a large dent in my savings and a new serger is not even in the picture. One step at a time though, right?

I've managed to come up with some other things that will be finished soon for the shop. I worked on them a bit yesterday and felt that old feeling of satisfaction and productivity return. I dipped into my wool felt stash.

Took a look through my vintage buttons.

And am close to finishing a few (okay, more than a few...) accessories for the little ones which will hopefully make an appearance next Monday, the 21st at 11 a.m. EST.

Thank you for your patience. If anyone has suggestions on a good, not-so-pricey serger, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.

And the birds take flight...

The "Big Secret": The Green Room

The unveiling has finally arrived. I'm a bit nervous letting you all peek into my new workspace, and a tad excited too. My holiday week was spent running around to hardware stores, painting three different coats of green (more on that later...), breathing in the awful fumes of floor paint, being splattered with drops of white while painting the ceiling, deciding just where I wanted things to go, and finally moving in.

Remember the room before? It seemed like it would never be finished. We both had so much on our plates and the time to work on my new space was limited. With the help of our great friend and neighbor, my mother who is an excellent babysitter, and the so very multi-talented-handy-man-of-a-husband, the room was finished in a little over two months time. Phew.

So how about the grand tour? Please check out my flickr set for notes and more information about each little corner of my room. For now, I just want to show you. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

It's not quite done. There's lighting fixtures to be added, artwork to put up from Etsy, and of course a small detail: the door. But I love it. I love every minute I spend here. I feel less hurried,  like I'm allowed to take my time. I can breathe and move around my space as I please. There aren't dining room tables or cabinets full of dishes in the way. I can listen to whatever music I want, sing at the top of my lungs, dance, and make a complete fool of myself in the privacy of my own little space. I'm beyond thrilled to have this and feel so lucky my talented husband made it possible. Thanks sweetie. I owe you one...

Now, let the crafting begin!