A Tisket a tasket

A Tisket a Tasket

For a long time I thought fresh flowers were a luxury I could not afford. However, after drooling over 'Oh Happy Day's posts about flower arranging and a bit of rationalizing, I decided that (as long as they last a week and I buy the inexpensive varieties), they were something I could splurge on. I'm no florist so to the amateur arranger my bouquet must look like a tangled tot's coif but to me, any fresh flowers in the house brightens my day!
NEW!! I had a couple people ask where I bought the chandelier. However, I had something very specific in mind when I was decorating and could not find anything even close to what I was looking for. So I made it myself. The only advice I can give is how I did it. I took a regular extension cord, cut off the plug, striped the wires and hardwired it into the ceiling. I bought a ceiling plate at Lowes and screwed four eyelet screws into it so that I had something to hang the black chandelier chains from (also bought at Lowes). From the chains, I hung two 3' wreath frames together with floral wire, then finally wrapped brown christmas lights (which were the hardest to find) around the frame and plugged them into the extension cord which I hid inside the chain. Complicated? It sounds a little but to be honest it was easier than I had anticipated.

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A Tisket a tasket

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Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

I noticed the first tree of fall in my yard yesterday. Later that day I was getting in my car after a quick grocery run and noticed it was dark but still only 8 PM. Add to that a school bus which drove by my house this morning and Brian's comment about the changing sun angle last week and I became sort of depressed. We haven't had a terribly hot summer. In fact mostly in the 70s which is great! But I guess I'm so used to the heat waves of year's past that it just didn't feel like we had a full 'Summer' this year. That being said, I was feeling sort of 'Autumn'. So to embrace the summer's completion I created this little piece which makes me feel a little better about our approaching season.

The adorable Honeybee and Ladybug Knit fabric was given to me by A World Away. It is available in her store now. She has the most adorable Japanese Fabrics, which you might see again in the future on Grosgrain! See her other online store Maluhia which sells wallets and other accessories using her own fabrics.






The cape is REVERSIBLE! I prefer the orange corduroy on the outside with the Japanese Fabric peaking out on the sides but it could be totally up to your discretion. I added a white pompom trim to the hood which, I thought gave it a sweet touch. At the neck, the hood cinches a with a ropey clasp.

The dress is also a knit material. So soft and comfortable for baby. I wish all material felt this great! It has 3/4 length sleeves that are loosely cinched at the cuffs. The neckline is also loosely cinched so that no zipper or buttons or clasps are needed to put over baby's head. I love the simplicity of that.
Lastly, I made matching tights! I made them first so I didn't get to see the full scope of their cuteness until after I finished all the pieces but paired with the hood and dress they look amazing....if I might say so:)

All put together Molly looked as though she were ready to wander the forest for mushrooms and flowers. She's so lovely:)

I would say that this is made to fit a 12-24 mo. baby. The tights however, are more for a 6-12 mo. I didn't make the best tights pattern but they fit Molly and she's 14 months.

AND, HOLY GUACAMOLE, the silent auction is going great! Thank you to everyone who's been biding!!!! I am beyond grateful by your generosity. I was shocked when it reached $75. I'm so glad that the money will be going towards this fund. The moment I read about their story I wanted to do something and it looks like I wasn't the only one.

Last day for posts is Monday 9/1/08. Winner will be announced Wednesday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this cape, dress and tights just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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Wandering Waif Collection GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

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Fancy Field Frock Silent Auction for NieNie

As you may have noticed, I have tried to take up the effort in raising funds for the recovery of Stephanie and Christian Nielson. If you haven't heard about this tragedy, Stephanie (of the popular blog The NieNie Dialogues) and her husband Christian were in a plane crash about two weeks ago. They remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center. Christian has sustained burns on over 30% of his body. Stephanie’s body was burned over 80%. Family and friends have started a donation fund to aid in their medical bills (which they estimate will be in the millions) as well as the household expenses while they recover.

I was heartbroken when I read about these events. The couple has four very small children and obviously will have months if not years of recovery ahead of them. You can follow her sister, Jane's, journal of their recovery progress. Gabrielle of the popular blog DesignMom and Kirtsy has urged other bloggers to hold silent auctions and donate the proceeds to their recovery fund. I thought this was a fantastic idea. So I decided to hold a silent auction of a dress I made way back when I was keeping them for myself- The Fancy Field Frock. Sad for me, but for a very good cause.

This is a silent auction so to purchase the dress, just leave your bid in the comments section of this post. If you would like to increase the amount, leave a higher bid in the comment section. By the end of the auction on Sunday August 31st, at 11:59pm EST, the comment with the highest amount will win the dress. Postage will be provided by me.

Once the winner is identified, they'll send the money directly to the Stephanie and Christian fund. Oh and one more thing, check out http://katietimothy.blogspot.com for another auction and cute backstory and keep your eyes open around the blogosphere for more 'Donate to NieNie' silent auctions! Even better, host your own! Here's the frock!

Fancy Field Frock Silent Auction
This dress was inspired by a sweater I had seen in the JCrew line for children. If you thought they charged too much for your clothes you haven't seen what they're charging for your kid's. At any rate, this was inspired by them.

It bears a pleated cotton ruffle around the neckline and sleeves. The shape of the neckline was inspired from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. I fell in love with the ornate dresses that looked as though they were meant for adults but were worn by the very young.

To offset the dressy look of the ruffles I left the ends unhemmed which left a sort of casual beachy feel. The sleeves have frayed olive green grosgrain ribbons sewn into the seams that tie at the back of the arm. I also added a long row of handmade fabric buttons fastened by handmade loops sewn into the dress.

I named it the fancy field frock since the image of a wild field reminds me the frayed ruffle- rough and unkempt....but still fancy.

This fits a 3T-5T.


As a side note, the creation of this dress went smoother than any I've done before. I'm attributing this to the fact that I carefully planned and wrote out each step before diving into it. A new task that was well worth the time it took, saving me at least one hour on the sofa with the seam ripper.

One more thing, since I've left the edges rough, I would NOT recommend washing this in the washing machine. Dry Clean Only.


You DON'T have to link to this post to bid on this dress but to get the silent auction word out just click on "Create a Link" below.
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Apple Orchard Overalls GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

I bought this adorable fabric at Purl Soho. It was the first thing I've ever bought from them. I've ogled over their fabrics for a while now but just couldn't bring myself to pay for shipping. I hate shipping. It's often more expensive than the fabric itself. How is that fair? But with these little overalls, I had something very specific in mind. And after many disappointing trips to three local fabric shops, I know better than to waste my time. So after some pre-planning I bought this and I have to say I'm very pleased with the result.

Ideally, I wanted to find a brown fabric with a white swiss dot pattern to contrast. But like I said before, when I have something specific in mind I'll never find it.....never. So I had to settle for this plain brown fabric, however it was fairly expensive, 'organic', and very soft. Instead of white swiss dots I used white trim which created a similar effect.









I used snaps instead of buttons. To attach them I bought a snap pliers. And I must tell you that it was a dream to use! I've tried to attach grommets with those little kits that come in the package and they have come out awful! Just awful! Not to mention difficult. With my new snap plier I just put the pieces in, clamp down, and voila....I'm done! I should be getting paid for this rave review:)

But what I liked best about these little overalls was that I think it could be suitable for both a boy and a girl. So all you moms with boys can enter. I really need to make more of these,right?!

My guess is that it fits a 12-24 month old baby. My molly is 14 months and pretty light for her age.

In my life outside this blog, I've been busy sewing as well, spending all last night helping out my fellow MOPS make miniature circus tents for our table settings. I felt so useful being able to offer my sewing skills for purposes other than Grosgrain. I wish I had taken some photos of us hard at work but the thought didn't even occur to me until admiring the finished tents which looked AWESOME! I do a lot of other things outside this blog which you might have seen from my other blog 'The Tumtum Tree' which I'm sad to say I haven't had any time to keep up. So I have been debating adding a button to the side which would occasionally journal the other things in my life outside Grosgrain. We'll see. I guess it depends on my free time.

And I have to add, I was so thrilled with the response I received from the Garden Party Frock! Thanks to some popular blogs who mentioned me I broke some of my own personal records. I gushed over every comment and checked them every few minutes.


Many of you ask how I can make these little outfits and then just give them away. My answer to you is it's your enthusiasm and support which makes this blog worth my while and a great joy for me! Thank you all!

Last day for posts is Tuesday 8/26/08. Winner will be announced Thursday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win these overalls just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

I am definitely going to be sad when I pack this dress up to be sent off. It is one of my favorites. I'd say packing the Trainstop Shirtdress was difficult but this one is going to be just as painful if not moreso. I think it's partly because I almost wish I had one in my size. If I had made a mother/daughter ensemble I'm sort of wishing this had been it. Que Sera.








I used a green broadcloth material with a crochet trim that runs throughout the dress. The green and crochet together reminded me of a garden. The dress itself looks like something one might wear to a garden party. It's just fancy enough to be something *not* worn everyday.

As for Lily, she enjoyed running at top speed through the rose bushes. She fell over a couple times and I had to kiss the booboos on her knees but otherwise, things were copacetic.

It fits Lily to a tee! So if you have a daughter who has no more than a 21.5 waist, it should be fine.

AND, if the winning post also leaves a comment I will include the matching double banded hair band.

Thanks to everyone who gave me some spandex advice! I had never heard of a stretch needle before so the next time I take on another spandex snafu I will look into it. I'm pretty excited to see how it works so I might just be inspired to give it another go. *Might*

Last day for posts is Saturday 8/23/08. Winner will be announced Monday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this dress just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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Summer by the Lake Swimsuit GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

Believe it or not, this was perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever sewn. No, I take that back. Next to the kindergarten pinafore, this was the most difficult thing I've ever sewn.......due to the fact that spandex was created in the bowels of hell. No kidding. For reals. If you've ever tried to sew spandex together you know what I mean. The material reeked havoc on my sewing machine. Every other time I'd try to start a new line, the bobbin would snag the thread or the thread would fail to catch at all. And when I'd try to stretch the fabric....snap....and I'd have to start all over. UGH. Does anyone know if there is such a thing as spandex thread? That might have helped. Three bag fulls of hell shreds later and this was what emerged.

What I had in mind was a very retro looking bathing suit, the kind you see in sepia photographs. I compromised somewhere between the top and the bottom. And considering the material, it came out surprisingly similar to my original sketch. The era I was going for was "Lake Wobegone" although the setting in my mind was a summer vacation somewhere in the Poconos.



The colors I chose were very classic. Red, blue and a dirty white. The suit is pinched at the waist by a red and white striped belt with an anchor buckle. I was so thrilled to find the buckle in my local sewing outlet which carries these out-of-date oddities but absolutely no spools of thread or any of the normal fabric store staples. It's a strange place that smells funny but I like it. I added a "boy short" bottom to the legs and rouched the red and white striped sides. The straps start out from the outer edges of the top like a lot of retro bathing suits and tie at the neck like a halter.





Okay, but seriously, my favorite part of this swimming suit has nothing to do with the suit itself. It's the darling little head cap that I found online. I have to admit, Lily hated it. She cried when I first put it on her head as it covered her eyes. After I sewed the top to fit her tiny scalp better, she merely tolerated it until I told her she could take it off. Paired with the blow-up ball all things came together like Beach Blanket Bingo.

One more thing, I had Lily wear her underwear underneath the bathing suit so as to keep it *new*. If you know what I mean;)




Seeing as this is a very stretchy material, I'd say it could fit anywhere from a 2T-4T.

And one more thing, for real this time. I noticed someone commented on Lily's shoes in the last post and I was so giddy that someone noticed. It may seem like I have a shoe for every occasion but in reality it's always a dilemma. I never have an appropriate one for the dress and make many fruitful trips to the thrift store. I get quietly thrilled when I find what I'm looking for. So, yes, thanks for noticing:)

Last day for posts is Tuesday 8/19/08. Winner will be announced Thursday morning!


As usual, if you would like a chance to win this swimsuit just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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Nantucket Weekend Shirt and Short GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

I'm so sorry it's taken me until this long to post a new giveaway. This week has been busier than usual for me. I normally finish my sewing projects on a Thursday but I needed to finish some MOPS work which ate up my entire day. Then Saturday we all spent the afternoon at Hersheypark. Fun. Fun. Fun. Lily had a great time. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing and in hindsight I wish I had made an outfit appropriate for the setting to post on Grosgrain. At any rate, I FINALLY finished this new outfit.

The black and white checked pattern and white trimmed shorts reminded me of the classic New England look. Unfortunately, here in Pennsylvania we don't have too many lighthouses. That would have been my ideal setting. My second plan was walking down to the local docks. However, sailboats just aren't practical here so the only watercrafts to photograph were either pontoon or paddle boats. Not very Nantucket.



This giveaway is for the shirt AND the shorts. Around the neckline of the shirt I sewed a ruffled collar. I also sewed a velvet black ribbon into the waist that ties at the front. The shorts are black with two pockets on the side. Both pockets are lined with white trim as well as the ends of the leg holes. Lily looked like she was ready to run to the market with her black and canvas bag. All she needs is a baguette and head of lettuce.

Lily is fairly thin for a four-year old. Case in point, she wore one of Molly's skirts to Hersheypark....A 6-9 month skirt! So I would say that this outfit would fit a child around 2T to 3T.

Last day for posts is Friday 8/15/08. Winner will be announced Sunday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this shirt and shorts just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

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Paperdoll Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

Sometimes simpler is better. I go onto JCrew.com and just drool over their bridesmaid dresses. They're just so clean and simple. I honestly would love to attend a wedding in one of those. The lines are so straight and figure flattering. This is what I was going for with this frock. When I had finished it, the simplicity reminded me of a paperdoll.

If the winner also leaves a comment I will include the charming barrets featured in the photos and at the bottom of this post. I can not take credit for these little beauties. The barrets are offered courtesy of Picture Perfect. She makes the sweetest clips for little hairdos. See a gallery of her photos here. They are also available for sale at a very reasonable price! You can also visit her personal blog at: RiVal Photography




I used a simple white cotton fabric, tightly knit. The neckline is small and hugs the neck. The sleeves fall just above the elbow and the A-line skirt falls just at the knee. I would say it would fit a 3T-4T.I've had a couple people ask if they can enter the contest if they are from another country. Yes, you can! Distance is not an issue.

Last day for posts is Wednesday Saturday 8/09/08. Winner will be announced Monday morning!

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this dress just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati. Also, remember that if anyone thinks that their link is not showing up just let me know where you've blogged in a comment and I will add it to the giveaway that way.

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