Category Archives: kitchen

Fun Sewing and our 12 Days of Christmas

Another CC Lucy--and another kitty cat dress for my kitty cat loving granddaughter.

Another CC Lucy–and another kitty cat outfit for my kitty cat loving granddaughter.  The fabric features Disney’s Aristocats.

Happy 2017 to you all!  I hope yours was the merriest Christmas and holiday season ever because the Ferguson family’s surely was.

I can’t help but rant on and on ad nauseum about our holiday activities and good times, so for those who prefer to stay on topic, which would be SEWING, I will save those details for after the sewing news.  But we really had some great fun and you might glean an idea or two for your family gatherings.

At Thanksgiving, almost 4 yo granddaughter Vivian Rose asked me to please make her another “kitty cat” outfit.  Then as she walked in the door for Christmas, she again pleaded with this wrapped-around-her-little-finger Nana for another kitty cat dress. Please!

After the Too Many Cats dress cat-astrophe, I thought maybe I could talk her into trading the  too big, too worn out and too ugly dress for another better one.  Having this fabric on hand and my go-to CC Lucy pattern at the ready, I worked on it for two evenings after she went to sleep.  Voila’!  A new and improved version of kitty cat dress, though I wish I had taken time to lay out the front so the Eiffel Tower was centered.

 

This puffy pocket is a free pattern at Chidren's Corner website.

This puffy pocket is a free pattern at Children’s Corner website.   It’s a sweet little addition to any number of patterns.

 

The pocket is not piped.  I’ve taken to substituting spaghetti bias for piping.  It is simply butted up to the attached pocket and secured with a tiny zig zag and monofilament thread.  Cover the raw edges with a button.  Easy peasy.

The good news?  Vivian Rose loved it, though she did say that the pockets were too small.  She knew she couldn’t fit in her little hand and a big fat chocolate donut. Granddad ALWAYS has a box of Dunkin Donuts on the counter for easy access.  And he replaces it daily when he goes for his early morning hot latte.  He figures they can eat healthy at home.

The bad news?  No way would she give up Too Many Cats, now demoted to Second Favorite Dress.  Oh, well.  It has been laundered 2-3 times a week since Sept. 1 so how much longer can it last?  Maybe a while…. the fabric is such good quality.

The boys wanted to sew (read “embroider”) as soon as they arrived.  Alastair, 7, yo, is quite competent at threading and running my Brother Quattro machine.  Continue reading

A Small Token of Appreciation

Icolin and our Lab Rastus who adores her.

Icolin and our Lab Rastus who adores her.

 

This is my Jamaican friend Icolin.  I love her and so does our Lab Rastus.  She does my housework and keeps my home as orderly as she can manage while dealing with my untidy habits.   I am so grateful that she frees me up for more time in the sewing room.

More than that, she is a loving, serene presence who goes about her business humming–EVEN when she is trying to make her way through my sewing room.  No mess is too much for her.  Dependable, hard working and sweet as pie, Icolin is a devout Christian woman.   She shares my troubles, lives the gospel and prays faithfully for my family and any friends in need.  Icolin is a genuine treasure.

 

I love this woman.

I love this woman.

 

I wanted to do something to show my appreciation, even something as small as embroidering this apron for her.  When I gave it to her, she flashed her beautiful smile and thanked me in her musical Jamaican accent.  She loved it. I could listen to her lilting, island-girl talk for hours.

 

The crown is from Zundt's Regal collection.

The crown is from Zundt’s Heraldry collection.

 

It made me happy to offer her this small  token of appreciation for her hard work and loyalty.  Now that I think about it, there are many others who deserve some tangible expression of my gratitude.  But Icolin is at the top of my list.

Have you made a “small token of appreciation” for someone special in your life?  I’d love to hear about it.