Toddler table

Amy seems to like playing at a table — she likes to put things on shelves or chairs or the couch, or mama’s lap. I keep thinking of the little tables the Montessori schools have, just high enough to sit on the floor and have your activity at a reasonable height, or others with matching toddler chairs. Another thing is that they contain the activity, to an extent — helps focus, keep things together, and of course provides a firm level surface for tricky things like blocks.

We took a look at the secondhand stores in the area and found nothing. Wal-mart didn’t have anything I liked. I put in a “wanted” post at our local Freecycle group, but meanwhile this little improvisation works:

The shelf is a board left in our upstate NY house, I believe. I had covered it with fabric and used it with CD boxes (the kind my CDs come in, 30 at a time) to make some shelves in the music room there. When we moved here, it continued as a bookshelf in the music / craft room.

Now its books sit on the floor in tidy piles.

And Amy and I can sit on either side of this table with our legs stretched comfortably under it while we read, play with blocks, play the xylophone, etc.

The downside is that the “legs” aren’t attached, so it’s susceptible to being kicked or otherwise shifted apart, but that’s okay for now.

(Oh, and that’s my block creation… Amy looked at it a few times before knocking it down.)

Preview for Tamara

My friend Tamara is expecting their fourth child.

Lots of folks here have been pregnant, but none of them is interested in cloth diapering. Now that I’ve heard Tamara’s news, I have someone to give Amy’s old items to. She’ll be getting a couple dozen infant diapers, two wool soakers that Amy recently outgrew, a pocket diaper Tamara made for Amy that no longer fits, and these two new newborn soakers I made with sweater fabric leftover after making Amy some new pants and shorts.

Since she’s moving this summer, I’m to wait and send the package once they’re in their new home. Meanwhile I’m posting this picture as a preview:

I love the triangular soaker (the one on top, to the right). I’d never made this kind before (I don’t remember why, but I hadn’t thought it would work well), and I wish I had — sooooo cute! You basically cut a triangle out of the sweater, with the base at the waistline — I cut straight through the waistline before angling the triangle sides, because I wanted a longer rise. Then you bring the three corners together and sew, leaving leg openings. To finish the legs, I cut strips from the sweater body, folded them into cuffs, and sewed them to the leg openings.

Protected: Wool pants and shorts

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Goods4Girls

Here is an organization that supplies reusable menstrual pads to African girls.

Might be a project for some of my flannel stash, although I’d need to get some velcro and some PUL.

If you sew, take a look — you might want to donate a bit, too.

If you don’t sew, you can buy pads to donate.

Protected: New spring outfit

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Shoes — for you?

Anyone out there have a baby with 4″, 4 1/4″ long feet*? I have a pair of denim shoes, with starry linings, that will fit such a baby, boy or girl. Speak up via comment if you want them.

*The soles measure 4 3/4″, leaving 1/2″ wiggle room as recommended.

———

So, I noticed that Amy’s denim shoes were wearing out — not just the trim falling apart, but holes at the toes. It was time to make new ones.

I had Amy stand on a piece of paper while I traced her foot. And carefully. And measured. Also carefully.

I scaled the pattern accordingly and started to work.

I thought maybe it would be a good idea to use two layers of leather for the soles, for better protection. (I no longer think that’s such a great idea, or at least it’s not necessary and it adds not so desirable stiffness and makes it more difficult to sew.) I glued them together, suede sides out, using an iron-on adhesive, then adhered a fabric lining piece to the inner side of each sole.

For the linings, I used cheap eyelet left over from Amy’s baptismal dress.

The outer pieces were more of the same denim I’d used before.

The shoes turned out pretty nice, although the toes were a bit crooked, because I tried to freehand sketch the same pattern adjustments I’d made to the previous pair, and it didn’t work quite as well this time.

Unfortunately, they’re much too big. If they weren’t summery with their light linings, I’d just wait, but a) I was out of leather and b) I needed shoes now.

Then I had a bright idea — the soles of Amy’s existing shoes were fine — why not take off the uppers and sew new ones on?

Here are the new shoes, too big, framed by the old shoes, one picked apart, one showing its wear.

I pinned my pattern pieces on the lining fabric, some stars left over from American flag art I made as hostess gifts for folks in the Czech Republic when I was traveling there. You can make out how I tilted the toes a bit, to make them more like real foot shapes.

The lining came off the soles, so I had to iron on new linings, which meant ironing the leather since it was curly from being in shoes. (Did I notice that ironing the leather shrunk it? No, I did not.) The new uppers went on nicely, and I re-used the elastic. One shoe turned out longer than the other, but I resewed the toe and heel and made it match better. (Did I notice this clue that perhaps the leather had shrunk, more in one piece than the other? No, I did not.)

Here they are — the remade old shoes, and the new shoes.

Here you can see the pretty linings.

Then I found that the remade old shoes barely fit. It occurred to me (finally) that the leather must have shrunk while I ironed it. Something would have to be done.

Here are one new shoe, too big, next to one remade old shoe, too small.

I decided to try sewing new seams inside the existing seams on the new shoes. A quarter inch inside did the trick, I think — Amy only let me put them on for a few seconds while she was on the changing table, so I don’t know for sure yet that they will work. I am nervous that this technique might have taken in too much of the upper fabric.

Here are the remade old shoes — want them? — Amy’s dress shoes, and her remade new shoes.

1. I wore my new pants today, after letting out the hems and notching the curved seams. I love them. They are warm and soft and fit. They are still shorter than I’d like, and I still tug at the back waistband when I sit, but I am mostly very pleased.

2. I dreamed last night that I was doing some work for someone I know from dulcimer festivals. She shows up in my dreams occasionally — it always seems to have something to do with my musical and other ambitions, and with my social awkwardnesses. Anyway, in this dream, she paid me with a margarine tub of cocaine. Which was awkward. I finally had to try to tell her that I didn’t feel right taking it to sell — if I didn’t feel right about using it myself, how could I feel right about selling or even giving it to someone who would use it?

3. I went to the Methodist thrift shop in Culver today, to hunt for more pants. A couple people I know from Culver love this thrift shop, especially compared to the Plymouth Salvation Army which they dislike. It’s nice enough, but I think the Salvation Army, since it’s bigger, is a wiser first choice for me — more selection. The Salvation Army store is not as pretty and tidy, but it’s not bad. Anyway, I did find a pair of dark mossy green corduroys for me and a pink turtleneck for Amy, and spent $1.25, which is nice.

4. I went to the liquor store, too. For a bottle of sherry, for the ginger beef that Mark made for my birthday dinner. The real deal, with real garlic and ginger and fresh veggies. Mmmmm. Anyway, I felt a little funny walking into a liquor store, but it was fine. The two girls working there were much younger than me; perhaps just a few years legal themselves.

5. Amy somehow got hold of the knife Mark was using to cut up her broccoli (brah-kee) and held it up, proclaiming “knife” (nie).

6. A little later she started crying in frustration, saying “help” (hup or hep). Finally we figured out that she was trying to pick up the drops of milk that she had spilled on her tray.

7. She pooped on the potty again (second time) the other night.

8. For a long time she hadn’t peed on her naked time blanket, so I had taken the tarp out from under it — it makes things slippery. But yesterday she let loose buckets three times, so the tarp is back.

Pants

In a tiff about jeans that no longer fit and an old jeans style that became available again but also does not fit, I decided to make some pants.

I had some soft black twill or something like it in my stash, from that yard sale. At first I thought it was a really fine corduroy, but noticed the “wales” are on the diagonal, which makes me think maybe twill. But soft, like corduroy.

I used this “comfy pants” pattern guide (scroll down past the Thai fisherman’s pants) to make a pattern.

I wanted a slightly wider leg, so I made the foot openings a bit wider and adjusted the inseam angle accordingly. All went well until I got the elastic in and tried them on, and found they were not only wider at the bottom, but way too wide at the top, too. Which doesn’t make sense to me, since I didn’t mess with the top width at all. Must have mis-measured something.

I cut off a couple of inches on both sides and redid the side seams, redid the elastic, and hemmed them.

Voila! Pants.

I’m not entirely pleased with how tapered the ankles are, with the fact that the back waistband doesn’t stay at my waist when I sit, and with the apparent bunching at the front. I can’t do anything now about the ankles or the waistband. As for the front, I realize I haven’t finished the seams or notched any curves or pressed anything, so perhaps doing those things will smooth them out a little. If it works, I’ll post another picture.

———

Now that I’ve been sitting here awhile, I’m also not pleased with the length. I may undo the hems and make them as long as I can — not sure if it’ll be enough or not.

Dolls

Here is the doll I made for Amy’s friend Sophia, whose birthday party (two years old) we’re going to this afternoon.

I spent most of the week working on her.

First, penciled a shape on a folded t-shirt and added seam allowance. Cut it out. Embroidered eyes, made them bigger, added a mouth. Ironed light interfacing onto the back of the head, to help with sewing on the hair. (Should have done the same on the face, to help with the embroidery. Oh well.)

Cut up lengths of brown curly yarn for hair, had it knotted and pinned around the top of the head, then decided this yarn falls apart too quickly to use for doll hair. Cut up lengths of red yarn and decided to knot and sew it in horizontal rows. Had one nice thick row in the middle, and a decent row with bangs on top, but not enough for more than a sketchy row at the bottom.

Sewed up the doll and stuffed it. Ran out of stuffing, used cut up t-shirt. Sewed limb joints at shoulders and hips.

Not satisfied.

Bought a similar yarn for more hair and bought more stuffing. Undid the head seam and stuffing seam. Removed stuffing, except from limbs. Added more hair around the sides to cover the gap between top and middle and bottom rows, more along the top for more bangs and to cover the gap between top and middle rows.

Sewed up the doll again. Sewed the limb joints then stuffed the body. (One leg is a bit shorter than the other because the joint seam is a little higher. With prodding, she can still sit against a wall without leaning too much.)

Patched two small holes.

Penciled a bodice and sleeves pattern on an old shirt, saving the button placket. Cut it out. Cut out two long rectangles for the skirt. Sewed the shirt’s shoulder and side seams, turned in the sleeve and neck edges. Stitched together the skirt pieces, gathered and sewed it to the bodice. Hemmed with a ribbon. Ran out of ribbon, had to use another piece. Covered the seam with a bow. Tidied the loose threads.

Tied a ribbon around the hair and dressed the doll.

Whew.

Now go look at Jan Beane’s Waldorf dolls and see what I wish I could make.

Sleeves

Thanks to Vinette at AllExperts.com (found by searching for “alterations” or something like that), who suggested taking up the front of the dress at the neck edge of the shoulder seams, the neckline gaps less than it did at first. I’ve tried on lots of store dresses that did the same thing on me, and Mark says it’s not obvious or bothersome.

Meanwhile, taking up the shoulders so much meant that the sleeves would have to be altered.

One possibility would be to leave them as is but gather them to fit the smaller armholes, which would make them a bit puffy. I pinned one gathered, and didn’t like the look.

I’d seen in Vinette’s archives that someone else had asked about a similar sleeve issue, and her advice was to cut some off the top of the sleeve cap. I was afraid to cut the sleeves, so instead I pinned one where I thought I would want to cut it, and basted it in. It worked, so I matched the other sleeve and stitched them both in.

In order to do all this shoulder and sleeve work, I had to undo the neckline facings — but instead of undoing them completely, I just undid them at the shoulders — so reattaching them wasn’t too big of a problem — they just needed a new shoulder seam and then to be reattached to the neck and re-understitched.

Whew.

Next: some tidying up — tacking the facings at the shoulder seams, taking loose threads to the inside, finishing some seam edges, and then — the hem. Friend Amy G. is going to help me pin it on Monday. Woo-hoo!