a cozy robe for a cold june

i am hoping that, as i type this, the universe will do me a solid just to prove me wrong. so far, spring has been rather dismal and rainy - at least lately, and that's all the weather one can report on with accuracy. i have a recollection of a few weeks of really nice weather, but it's kind of hazy. ok, now that i said it and made plans for tomorrow that account for the rain, please switch it up universe/mother nature/local meteorologist from channel x.

since we're rolling around inside while it rains outside, i made cole a new robe. flannel lined with flannel - doesn't get much warmer than that! it's from the serviceable book making children's clothes. the book is one i stumbled upon randomly, and while i recommend it, it's with the caveat that the styling is too cutesy for my taste and there are some improvements to be made overall in the assembly and instructions department. structurally, the clothes are great and sized well, but if you have any kind of sewing intuition, use it when you question the patterns on the first go-round.

cole loves his robe. i made it all, save the waist tie, at a crafternoon on the weekend, and when i came home i was excited to show him. he seriously dropped what he was doing and ran over to try it on. gotta love that. i did have to use a little bribery today to get him to pose straightforwardly in it, hence the chocolate mustache (made locally by the delightful samantha of sam made).

dresses for wee girls

new dresses! i recently made these two sweet dresses for little girls that i know. it was a nice break from all the pants and shorts i've been making for cole.

the first was this quick and easy dress from lotta jansdotter's simple sewing for baby. a size wasn't given, but it looks like it'll fit approximately 12-18 months as a short baby dress (very short - maybe add pants!) and then i think it'll fit for a little while longer as a top. love the heather ross spooky octopii fabric from her mendocino collection.

and the second is the smocked sundress from weekend sewing by heather ross. i've always thought that smocking must be complicated and awkward - not so! it was the easiest thing ever. you simply buy elastic thread and use that in your bobbin. stitch straight lines across a rectangle of fabric and voila - smocking. it could not have been easier. this dress was given to a little girl of two, but because it's elasticized and has adjustable tie-straps i think it'll fit for ages - maybe even as a skirt!

brand new sketchbook

there is nothing - nothing - quiet like the inspiring blankness of a new sketchbook. every time i start a new sketch or notebook it's such a promising feeling - all the potential and the creativity yet to be explored. and all the new lists that will get accomplished, all while writing with lovely, even penmanship... i keep stacks of old ones and love looking back and re experiencing that "aha" moment with fresh eyes.

love these sweet little brand new sketchbooks from the talented folks over at brand new, one of my favourite blogs dedicated to a discussion of rebranding and identity work, and a member of the under consideration network.

at just five bucks a pop they're too good to pass up... the pages are edged with thoughts on logo design from brand new's friendly readers. saw a tweet today saying they only have 100 left!

two new craft books & one seriously adorable hat

oh the happy day that new books arrive in the mail! and even happier when the books exceed your expectations and inspire you.

first up: weekend sewing from fabric designer heather ross. it did not disappoint - chock full of unique ideas and beautiful illustrations it's fantastically photographed and was designed by brooke reynolds of inchmark. can't wait to whip up a wee person smocked sundress for at least one of the five folks i promised to make things for this year. and i need the sweet house slippers, the baby kimono, the gardening gloves, the apron... well, you get the idea. check out several of the project photos here.

also got a copy of lotta jansdotter's simple sewing for baby. it's fantastic! i love her whole minimalist, scandanavian sense of style and conversational writing. i have and love both of her earlier books, but this one is the best of all three, i think. i usually go through a new craft book with a post-it pad and mark the patterns i want to try right away. well, after flagging nearly every page i figured i should just forgo the stickies and get cracking. had, had, to make this right off the bat for cole, despite the fact that it's july:

adorable! micro-fleece and just some random woven ribbonish stuff. it seriously took about half an hour, from cutting the pattern to putting it on cole's head.

for free: printable bookplates!

so adorable, from orange you lucky: free printable bookplates! visit the site to download the high-res files and use them to mark your (or your child's!) fave books, as bookmarks, in loot bags and more. created by helen dardik: amazingly talented designer, illustrator, mom of three.

judging a book by it's cover

sometimes exploring a random subject and it's related links and trails online is much like playing an old-school game of 'telephone'. you start off with one thing and end up with something much different. hopefully you're less likely to be left with a message like "jennifer loves smelling butt" or the other bathroom-related mistranslations that result from a circle of tween girls in girl guide uniforms around an artifical campfire in a church basement. ;-)

yesterday i heard an interview on npr with alissa hamilton, author of squeezed: what you don't know about oj. it was a really intriguing - and disturbing - view into the world of commercial orange juice production. print interview here... that led to me mentioning it on twitter (hey - follow me!) and then a friend recommending i check out banana: the fate of the fruit that changed the world. just to make sure i can't eat anything for breakfast. ;-) and that, in turn, led to me following a link to that author's other book to see every bird on earth: a father, a son, and a lifelong obsession.

long and the short of it - what a lovely cover design, by mike langman. and the story sounds intriguing:

'birding has become one of the most popular outdoor pursuits. what do you get when you combine birding with competition, obsession, and the sheer love of counting? you get a big lister, a person who aspires to see every bird species on earth. the author's father is among the 12 or so birders to have seen 7,000 birds or more, and this is his story." (booklist)

i do tend to be inclined toward a book based on the cover. i am often more likely to buy a beautiful book that i otherwise would enjoy and return to the library if it's cover was less pleasing... that might sound kind of silly, but really, we have very little shelf space.

so there. i've done my duty for the day and warned you about oj, bananas and given you a book to think about. back to either editing photos from our trip to the uk or making felt pins for the upcoming got craft? show next sunday.