Recital

I am doing a recital!

it is on 25th of June (Saturday) at 7:00 pm. I am singing with Larry Gray on piano and Luke Hubbard a PHD student on Viola.

It is at the church on the corner of County Rd. E, and the silver lake road in New Brighton (MN)

View Larger Map

we are each performing some solos including works by Bruch, Bach, Debussy, Vaughn-Williams, Mozart and 2 Brahms pieces written for mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano. they are some of the most amazing music ever written. I am not really exaggerating. they are also a lot of work.

we had our 1st rehearsal together today it was fun. I need to practice, but I was not surprised by that revelation. I also feel like if I put in the time we will be fantastic.

I am happy to say that these are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. I am rarely as comfortable making music with people with so much talent.

there is a good chance of refreshments.

boomerang toomerang zoomerang

(that was a nod to Mr. Rogers)

My husband is pretty crafty too, but in a Manly kind of way.

he made some boomerangs! most people think boomerangs are those bent stick things that you get in tourist traps pretending to sell Australian stuff. or even tourist traps in Australia. if you want a boomerang to come back and not shatter to a million pieces the first time it hits anything you have to do it properly. this is 10 ply airplane construction hardwood. it is pretty tough. he once had one winter in a tree in SE Idaho and fall down in the spring as good as new.
here they are



the popular myth around boomerangs is that their was an anthropologist with limited language skill who visited Australia and asked an Aborigine "what are those stick things you use to hunt?" and the Aborigine answered "boomerang" which roughly translated means "what the heck are you talking about?"



he is pretty excited about this one it comes back almost every time. it is the best one he has ever bought or made before.

Kids like them too!


baby R has a very endearing habit of daddy worship more than any of our girls ever has. she was entranced by the boomerangs. she was putting her arms up ad yelling and dada-ing the whole time. it made the whole thing that much more rich.

and the winner is...

first of all I am a liar. I can't pick by my favorite comment. but maybe it made your comments better right? mostly I made the decision to go with random.org because I had friends and family try, and I love you all too much to pick just one.

so without further ado:
the winner is: #16 Chantal who according to her last blog post that I read lied too. it is good to have company. with the comment :heheheh! I love the look of these! What a great give away! Thanks!

in all honesty I want to give some to all who applied.

even random.org seems mean.

thanks for noticing me everyone. lets hope we all get something this time.

Make it Modest : under where?

 

baby tights, Little girl leggings (these are more warm than anything), shorts,and the diaper cover.
unless you have pristine little girls they are going to show off underwear when wearing dresses. there are a few easy things to do about it.

Make it modest: Slips

 

tulle underskirt,built in slip this can be used to make a peek-aboo skirt too. half slips this works for adults too!

Slips are a great way to make a dress not embarrassingly see through. they can also add some thickness and twirl to little girls dresses. they also reduce static cling, and make skirts more comfortable to wear.

and my slip with sleeves tutorial(it can be made sleeveless too)

May Giveaway

join me for May giveaway day!

I am hoping to win something for My birthday this month!

I will be giving away some tweed baby shoes!

see more like them, and my other items at my etsy shop!

Sunday loafers

Size: 12 mos.
Perfect for boys or girls. These versatile shoes are great for dress clothes, and add a touch of class to casual outfits. soft soled baby shoes are Pediatrician Recommend for early walking. The soles are made from genuine leather, and the top is made of vintage wool tweed. These are decorated by a cosmetic strap. The buttons are 1-1/8’’ polished coconut husk. The elastic back makes the shoes easy to put on and hard for baby to take off. These shoes are fully lined with white 100% cotton to add strength and comfort.

all you need to do is tell me what you think, or any suggestions you may have for tutorials, or anything you want!I will choose the winner by my favorite comment.

I will ship internationally

the giveaway will be open until May 25th

Make it Modest: the slip with sleeves Tutorial

L is wearing a patchwork circle skirt
(and the slip backwards)
The slip with sleeves saves the trouble of a slip and a shirt. I like to encourage my kids to dress themselves as soon as they can. This makes it easier. It also makes life easier than trying to add sleeves to all those dresses (I have 3 girls)

supplies:
You need 1 yard of slip fabric (or other fabric like linen if you want it to look more like a shirt)
And all the usual sewing stuff (pins sewing machine etc..)
Lace is nice (I did not use it)

Just a few tips:
It is hard to feel when fabric is being sewn in that you don’t want. Make sure to keep things straight.
Pin this fabric is slippery.
This stuff rolls just be aware.
Things shift adjust regularly as you sew.



Pattern

The pattern for this dress is here please forgive the wonkyness. Tape with no overlap.
This makes a 3T-4T size for a 5T- 6-T size add 2-4 inches to the hem and make the head and sleeve holes bigger.

If you want different sleeves you can use the sleeveless slip option on the pattern and make any of these sleeves you like better. I recommend the flutter sleeve, or even make 2 of different size flutter sleeves and and layer them.

Cut the fabric.

Cut on the fold. One of each piece



And a 24” by 2” strip (for the neck hole)

Sew it

Start by lining up the pieces (right side together)



Pin and sew the shoulders.

Sew the sides below the sleeves.



Try it on.

Cut the arm and head holes for best fit.





It can be hard to pull it over the head when finished if the head is big.. And secure with a little more stitching


For fabric other than slip fabric use bias tape here is how you make it. And here is how you put it on. Make sure to make the neck hole bigger because there is no stretch.

or use lace by pressing the top,and pinning on lace and topstich.

Turn right side out.
Pin strip right sides facing to neck hole.


Line the ends of the strip up and stitch to fit. Sew (this is where you need to watch for sneaky fabric that tries to slip into the seam.)Check the other side for tag alongs and holes in the sewing.

fold up.


fold over edge leaving ¼-1/3 inch on the front showing encase raw edges from attaching the neck band.
Pin in place


...and Sew There is no need to tuck in the raw edge of the unattached side of the strip because this fabric does not fray.


if it looks funny just fold it in and topstitch. trim the extra unattached edge of the strip off (be careful not cut the slip)




Press the edges of the sleeves over. Hem them.
Hem the bottom of the slip.
Tada!

this is a shortish almost 6 year old. I made this for the 3, almost 4 year old.