Baby Spider Peg

This is Ella the baby spider peg of Bethany.  

I made her by gluing 2 wooden peg heads together and then adding the legs so that it can stand alone horizontally.  The heads I used are smaller than the ones I carry in my shop, which posed a problem for adding the last 2 legs to my baby spider.  I recommend going with the medium and large size heads which will allow enough room for adding all eight legs.  

The texture of Ella's legs come from wrapping the wire in newspaper shreddings.  I like how the black and white text gave her some Nightmare Before Christmas interest to her.  Fun fact...I still haven't seen that movie in it's entirety since my husband can't stand creepiness and my kids get scared walking through Michael's during the Halloween season, so I'm sure that movie is out of the question for them.  

Maybe I'll find some me time this season to see it.  

Cheers,

Jamie

Bethany the spider peg

Fall always makes me want to paint pegs. This is Bethany the black widow.  For Halloween I wanted to paint something cute with a little bit of creepiness to it.  I used acrylic paint and pastels for Bethany's face.  I like how the pastels shaded her hairline and made tiny wispy hairs across her forehead.  Bethany is a mama and I'll introduce you to her daughter soon.

Cheers,

Jamie

Do you speak German?

The current issue of German Burda Style magazine features my Peg Doll Kit!  

Now, if I could only read German.  I'm pretty sure they wrote nice stuff about Miss May and that peculiar librarian Abigail. Or at least I hope they did? 

Jamie

Office space makeover-ish

Before...

After...

A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided it was time to give me an Anthro inspired office space.  Up until that point, my office was in a secluded corner of the house far from the activity of everyone.  I wanted to move my office into the family room, so that I could see people and more importantly my kids. It seemed strange to work from home and never see my kids.  I would be in one corner of the house while they would be playing in another. We would all communicate with loud voices. Good for their lung development, but bad for nurturing intimacy. So, as I already mentioned, a couple of weeks ago we decided to make it happen.  The trick was to have an exposed office that looked good being exposed.  I wanted the office to look more like an art display rather than a file/paperwork display and I knew just the place to find my inspiration... all together now...1...2...3... Anthropologie!  Here's the inspiration image...

I really love the frame around the shelves, but it just wasn't going to work for my particular area, so what I took from the inspiration image was the shelving and the wood table/desk.  To achieve the weathered organic wood shelving look, my husband went to an off the beaten path lumber yard.  He found a 10ft. plank of wood buried in the dusty inventory of the lumber yard.  The plank was cut into 3 separate pieces at the lumber yard before being brought home for me to clean off all the dust and residue spider webs... thanks.  It was my idea after all.

I loved the water stains and chipped parts of the wood planks.  It was important to me to have wood that was naturally distressed.

My husband also found some pea green planks, which we ended up making a table out of.

First, we drilled some brackets into the walls.  Since the planks are heavy and would become working shelves we first located the studs in the walls before we drilled.  My husband used a Black & Decker stud finder to accurately find the studs.  And yes, he would also point it at his chest to locate the "stud." Any of your husbands do that?  Moving on...

After drilling the brackets into the walls, we drilled the planks to the brackets.  

My stud then applied a stain to the fresh cut portion of the planks, which gave it a weathered look that was consistent with the rest of the wood.

Lastly, we decorated.  I tried to weave in work stuff with decor stuff. 

A butterfly knob was added to my desk.

The prima ballerina that I made for my daughter peacefully sits at the end of a shelf and watches me type.  The silhouette is of my husband when he was a little boy.

My mom gave me this vintage pin cushion.

Three little bird candles.  I just don't have it in me to light their little backs on fire.

At night, I light the tea candles that are randomly placed throughout the shelves.

And here is where I write, work, and play.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Jamie

New Aprons

Last week I attended a culinary themed women's luncheon at Azusa Pacific University, which I was asked to be a vendor at.  I had been preparing for the luncheon for some time now, and I figured whatever didn't sell at the luncheon I could list in my shop.  Happily, almost everything sold, which means I won't be having a big shop update.  However, I do have 2 aprons for the shop.

The first apron is made with Echino Quiet Ground in lavender.  And the second apron is made with laminated Echino Quiet Ground fabric.  Both aprons have a corset back and are available in my etsy shop Pretty Ditty.


Cheers,

Jamie

How to go from cardi blah to cardi HOORAH!

This was a lot of fun to make!  All you need is some cute trim, needle, thread, cardigan and about 15 minutes (depending on your hand stitching skills).
Here is my Anthro inspiration (link).

 The before and after...

Materials list:

• Cardigan - I used a Mossimo cardigan that I purchased from Target a few years ago.  That's why I don't throw things away (ahem sweet husband of mine).
• Trim - I used a little more than a 1/2 yard of the Nylon lace (link).  Important note on the trim you choose: Make sure you can cut into the trim to allow the trim to separate along the bottom edge (see step 2)
• Needle and thread

And we're off...

Step 1.  Measure the amount of trim you need by pinning the trim to the neckline.  Do not simply rely on measuring with measuring tape.  You need to see the placement of the pattern.  If you are using the same trim I used, or one similar, make sure you have placed the motifs so that you do not end up with a full circle on one side of the neckline and a half circle on the other side.  If you find that you end up with a half circle on one side, then adjust where you begin the placement of your first motif.  Either move it back or forward to allow for more or less room (cut off excess if less room).  Once you know how much trim is needed, cut off the excess.  Re-pin the trim to the neckline if you unpinned it to cut off the excess.

Step 2.  The trim is not cut as a collar, yet we are sewing it on as a collar, so you will have to cut into the bottom of the trim to allow it to expand with the circumference of the neckline.  However, you do not want to cut all the way through the trim.  Notice below that I cut around the circles and stopped where the larger circles are joined.  I also made sure that each motif had the same amount of small circles (4 small circles).  If desired, you can add fray check to edges that are cut.

Step 3.  Thread your needle (I double threaded it for extra strength) and bring your needle up from underneath the first motif.  Pick up a couple of threads from the trim and insert it back into the trim and through the sweater.  When I brought the needle through the sweater I tried to just grab a few threads making sure I didn't go all the way through the sweater.  I didn't want the beige thread to show on the wrong side of the sweater (sometimes it did).

Step 4.  Continue to stitch the trim to the sweater. Stitch the tops of the circles and continue to stitch down to where the circles join, then back up the circle (see white line path in pic below).

Step 5.  When you get to the last motif, finish it off, tie a knot, and smile.

Enjoy =)

Jamie

Easter Skirt

I made my daughter a skirt for Easter.  I decided to revisit my past pettiskirt experience.  Whoooh!  Sends chills up my spine just thinking about that beast.  Anyways, I wanted to make her a skirt similar to the pettiskirt, but I wanted it to be a much more pleasant experience.  And it was!  I basically gathered strips of fabric to the waistband.  However, the waistband was not sewn together when I gathered the strips of fabric; instead, I gathered the strips to a rectangle which later became the waistband.  Once all of the strips were gathered and sewn together, I then matched and sewed the raw edges of the skirt together making a circle.  Lastly, I made a waistband casing and threaded elastic through the waistband casing.  Next time I will take pics of the process and write up a proper tutorial about it.  I wasn't sure if it was going to work, so I didn't take any pics of the process.  Contrary to my first experience, this skirt was really easy and fast to make.  I think I'm going to make myself a pettiskirt using the same method.

Fabric: Little Honey (skirt) and Froth (under skirt)by Anna Maria Horner at Phat Fabric.

Trim: Shabby Chic Rose trim at Frog Feathers.

The sweater is hand knitted by my cousin Priscilla.  She made it for my daughter's 7th birthday.  I think it's simply beautiful and very thoughtful of her.  It matches my daughters Easter skirt perfectly.

Have a blessed Easter!

Jamie

Tiny Dancer

I've been working on a new little peg doll for my daughter. Little by little I paint her petite features and then set her aside. The other morning, I noticed my little prima ballerina sitting in her usual spot. However, the morning sun had drawn special attention to her. There she sat, doing her morning ballet stretches with the morning light warming her skin.
 I hope she is as special to my daughter as she is to me.

Jamie

Echino laminate apron for a hair cut

Finally, I got a chance to cut into the new Echino laminate fabric for a good cause.  This week I have a hair appointment with my little sis (the hairstylist).  To make sure we get off to a good start, I will come bearing gifts for the lady...

Me like-y the shiny.

Here's the back...

Due to the laminate coating, it was a little difficult to work with.  My feed-dogs and sewing foot had a hard time feeding the fabric through my sewing machine.  However, this was only when I was sewing the pockets to the laminate fabric.  When I stitched the pockets, I folded the raw edge under and therefore was stitching with the laminate side facing up.  My sewing foot just couldn't seem to get a good grip on the laminate fabric.  Normally, when sewing with laminate, you would stitch bias binding to the raw edges.  I thought I could get away with just folding the raw edges under, but I thought wrong. After battling the pockets, I decided to make and stitch bias binding to the apron's raw edges that I had originally intended to turn under. In contrast, when I made the Damask apron, the Michael Miller laminate fabric was a breeze to sew with.  The laminate coating on the Michael Miller fabric is not as sticky (for lack of a better word) as the Echino laminate. I was able to turn the raw edges under and my sewing machine didn't mind stitching with the laminate fabric side facing up.  So, once I figured out that I needed to add bias binding to the raw edges of the Echino laminate, the rest of the apron was a joy to make.  I must say that I love the shininess of the Echino laminate fabric! It's well worth the extra sewing step of adding the bias binding.

Next, we'll see how my hair turns out.  I don't intend to do anything drastic, but sometimes when I'm sitting in the waiting area and I begin to flip through the hair books, I start to get a little delusional in my decision making. I begin to think to myself that I too can look like that really cute blonde European model with the pixie hair cut.  When in fact I can't, because a pixie cut makes me look like a boy, and not a cute boy at that.  I vividly remember 2nd grade and the kid that came up to me on the playground and asked, "Are you a boy or a girl?"  I looked at him and said, "I have earrings in my ears.  Duh!"  Darn that Mary Lou Retton hair style.

Jamie

Update - In the comments section of this post, SilverLining Designs suggested using silicone spray and/or a  teflon foot when sewing with laminates.  Great tip!

Another update - I just got off the phone with a Viking Sewing machine rep (very nice lady I might add) and she recommended taping scotch tape to the bottom of the foot.  

The Hooded Scarf sewing pattern pre-sale

I'm very excited to write that the Hooded Scarf sewing pattern is finished and at the printer's as I type. Yippee! The pattern includes instructions and full size pattern pieces for 5 different Hooded Scarves: Basic Hooded Scarf, Ruffle Hooded Scarf, Drawstring Hooded Scarf, Pleated Hooded Scarf, and Cat Ear Hooded Scarf. I always like to include a lot of illustrations in all of my patterns and this one is no exception. There's also a glossary of terms, a metric conversion chart and tips on how to sew with knits. The sewing tips are written for the sewer who does not have access to a serger, and instead sews with a home sewing machine. I also give tips on how to sew a knit to a woven fabric.

Here's the back cover...

There are two sizes- adult (ages 10 & up) and child (ages 4 to 9).

The pattern is available for pre-sale in my fabric shop Phat Fabric. Here is the link to the pattern. I expect to receive the patterns by next Friday 3/19/10

***Shop Owners***

If you are interested in carrying my sewing patterns and/or Peg Doll Kit in your shop (online or brick & mortar), you can download the wholesale info and order form at www.jamiechristina.com. Go to the wholesale tab and click on the pdf icon.

Thanks for all of your encouragement with the pattern. It's good to know what you want to see as a pattern.

Have a great weekend!

Jamie

Hooded Scarf photo shoot

As previously mentioned, Sunday was the big shoot for the Hooded Scarf pattern. The weather was perfect for the mood I wanted the shoot to have. The natural lighting wasn't too harsh and not too dark. It didn't rain. At least not until the end, and that was only a light drizzle.

Before I share pics from the shoot, let me introduce you to the crew...

Pierre-olivier Briglio was the photographer. He totally caught the vision I wanted for the pattern. If we didn't have to leave by a certain time, he would have shot all day. He was very professional, yet approachable with other ideas. I really enjoyed working with him! Here is the link to his website.

Sellecca was the makeup artist. I told her I wanted a natural look and she nailed it! Her makeup was flawless.

This is Carmel. Carmel and I go way back. I've known her since she was 7. I grew up spending my summer weekends with her and her family at the beach. She was a natural in front of the camera.

This is Christi. She is a friend of my sister's and she's as sweet as they come. She was a total trooper, because it was pretty cold out there and she's just a little drink of water. We had her in a little dress with boots and she was trying so hard to not look cold.

There are a few more pics from the shoot on my flickr page (link).

We did the shoot at my sisters house, which has the charm of a doll house on a farm. I told her to never move, because I will need her house for future shoots.

Then there is my sister. I can't thank her enough for all that she did during the shoot. Not only did she provide the house, she's also my coordinator that linked everyone together that were involved with this shoot. She's awesomeness!

(She's probably going to hate this pic, but I love it. She didn't want me to take her picture, but being a typical big sister, I didn't listen.)

So back to working on the pattern, and putting it all together.

Cheers,

Jamie