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My Tula 62

Posted by Carolyn on February 26, 2016 2 Comments

I’m basically a self-taught sewist. My first few quilts were just thrown together squares and strips and triangles. I have used tutorials and videos and my own intuition. I took a class to make Harriet’s “Hoo-Hoo Coat” (it has owls and is still her favorite), and really learned a lot. Having actual instruction was really helpful and beneficial to my sewing.

When I made Alma’s big twin quilt, I bought a pattern, and mostly followed it. I had to change it a bit to make the colors flow the way I wanted.

I’ve been working on a new quilt, a Tula 100 block sampler. Actually, I worked on it a lot a while ago, and it’s been sitting around all winter. I bought Tula Pink’s City Sampler book after seeing some amazing blocks on Instagram.

I love the blocks I’ve made, and I’ve also learned a lot more about the art of quiltmaking. I’ve learned better ways to make triangles. I’ve learned more about piecing and fussy cutting.

I’ve learned that triangles look cool, but are a pain in the butt.

I love these squares because they are so little. The finished size will be 6×6, so all the little pieces are tiny. I’ve been able to use many of the fabrics I’ve had leftover from other projects, and haven’t had to buy much. I’ve bought a few fat quarters of plain colored fabrics because I’ve realized that my tastes tend to be a bit busy and having some solids help balance that little bit.

I love going through the blocks I’ve made. I’ve made 62 so far, so I’ve over halfway there. Working on my Tula 100 quilt is on my Winter To Do List, and I’m really excited to get back into it.

I’m not sure what the finished product will be, but I’m leaning towards using it on our bed. It will be bright and cheerful, and I love that sort of thing.

Matchy Matchy Heart Dresses

Posted by Carolyn on February 12, 2016 Leave a Comment

I still have so much fabric left over from the weekly photos I took of the girls during their first year. Alma and Harriet are outgrowing the dresses I made them last Winter. Valentine’s Day is coming up. So… I made some new dresses for the girls.

I have to admit that I never thought I would be the kind of mom who would dress her daughters in matching dresses. Turns out I am that kind of mom. I am totally that kind of mom. I’ve done it more than I expected, and I love it every single time. So be it. Can you blame me?

I mean, seriously. They are just the two cutest sisters that ever were. Especially when they make the same absurd random expression. Don’t even ask, I have no idea.

Gotta love ’em!

This pattern is my take on Shwin and Shwin’s amazing dress pattern.

Little Red, The Big Bad Wolf, #30daysofgratitude

Posted by Carolyn on October 30, 2015 1 Comment

The end of October brings two things: Halloween and November. First things first, let’s get to Halloween. It was Alma and Harriet’s first time carving pumpkins this year. I have to admit it went much better than I expected! The promise of cinnamon rolls probably helped.

This year my girls are Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf. I made Alma’s dress using the same Shwin and Shwin pattern I’ve used before (here and here and here) for my base, but really altered it. I made a circle skirt and added a petticoat layer. The dress is so fun and twirly. I also did snaps instead of buttons or a zipper. Snaps are my jam these days.

For the cape and hood, I used Oliver + S’s pattern from their Little Things to Sew book. I used a cozy flannel for both the dress and the lining of the cape. The outside of the cape is red velvet because it doesn’t get more Little Red Riding Hood than red velvet.

Harriet’s costume is a little more thrown together. I made the hat with wolf ears (that sort of looks like Yoda ears) using a pattern from the same Oliver+S book. It’s made out of flannel, with a plaid flannel lining. The vest is borrowed from Harriet’s friend Elsa. The makeup is by me and my eyeliner pencil. The tail is just a bunch of yarn I combed and pinned to her pants. She loves growling these days, so a wolf is kind of perfect. Today they got to wear their costumes to school. Hopefully they come home with all the parts and pieces.

So, next up is November! My favorite because we get to anticipate the anticipatory season on Advent, which is my favorite! It’s kind of like how Thursday is fun because you know Friday is coming up.

I’ve been doing the #30daysofgratitude project on Instagram for at least 3 years. I love being mindfully grateful (as evidenced by 2014 and my 365 days of gratitude). During my year of gratitude, I would write down one thing each day – one word only. This November project is more fun because it can be a full sentence, a story, or a word – in addition to the photo.

The thing about these hashtag projects is that they are much more fun when friends play along (thanks for joining me with my #93summerdays, Meredith!), so please join me this year! I know I’ll be joined with hundreds or thousands of strangers, but it’s fun to have friends and readers play along, too. I’ll be using the tried and true #30daysofgratitude hashtag, but I think I’ll add #30daysofgratitudeATT (for And Then They), just to keep things separate.

If you want to practice gratitude next month, please use both #30daysofgratitude and #30daysofgratitudeATT, so I’m sure to see your posts. Also, share your Instagram name in the comments, or comment on my posts so I can follow you! (Mine is carolynfwilliams)

Happy Halloween, and thanks for reading! I’m grateful for YOU!

Another Beatrix Top for Me

Posted by Carolyn on October 13, 2015 1 Comment

I really loved sewing the Beatrix Top, so I decided to make another one. I figured I should jump on the flannel bandwagon and make my new shirt out of two different flannel plaid materials.

Rae designed this top with a couple different variations. I used a different one than the first Beatrix top I made. This one has contrasting fabric for the button placket, and a different hem that uses the same contrasting fabric. I added little cuffs on the short sleeves to tie it all together (and because I saw a top like this at Banana Republic).

I thought about doing the longer sleeves, but I figured that might get too hot. When I’m teaching, I tend to get pretty hot, so short sleeves are helpful. I love this shirt for teaching because it has the higher neckline, and it’s nice and long.

For the buttons, I used bright pink snaps. I love using snaps on clothing because they are so much easier to get right. And they are just plain easier to use and install than button holes.

A Calendar for Alma

Posted by Carolyn on September 29, 2015 Leave a Comment

I got this idea from my friend Jodie (wife of author Anthony St. Clair). Jodie is a beautiful artist of many things. She is always creating, and her Instagram account is totally inspiring. I mean, I never thought I’d want to take up cross-stitch again, but she has me thinking about it. You should totally follow her.

She is homeschooling her son who is Alma’s age. She posted this photo a few weeks back:

I thought this was a great idea, but that Alma didn’t really need it. Then I started listening to Alma. Ever since my parents told her they were taking her camping, she’s been packing and talking all about it. I have to constantly remind her, “No, Alma, not today. Not this weekend… in 7 weeks!” and so on.

Today, on the way home from my mom’s house, I ran through EVERYTHING we’re doing in the next three months… “Okay, on Thursday we’re going apple picking. Then on Saturday you’ll see cousin Liam. Then we’re having friends over…. (etc etc etc)… then it’s Christmas, then dad’s birthday, then new year’s, then your birthday.” I think it might have overwhelmed her a little. Ha!

Anyway, Jodie’s calendar popped into my mind and I asked Alma if she’d like me to make one for her. Of course she said yes. So I did. I’ll add things as they come up, and she can cross off the days. I hope this helps!

We’ll put it on the kitchen door where we have lots of other important lists and stuff. She said she wants it in her room, but her room is crazy town right now, so I know it will get lost or destroyed in there.

Autumn Decor, 2015

Posted by Carolyn on September 25, 2015 1 Comment

Today was the day. While the kids were at school, I came home to clean the living room and decorate for Autumn. How pleasant this task was without little feet underfoot. Plus, I get the added bonus of surprising them with all the new Autumn decor when they come home! andthenthey autumn decor1 This year the mantel is a little more Halloween-y than in the past. I put our vintage Halloween postcards right in the center, and added some more spooky things. I love this sphere my grandpa made out of obsidian that looks like a magical eyeball crystal ball or something. It’s even spookier with my ghostly reflection in this photo… andthenthey autumn decor3 I can’t remember if I ever shared a photo of the fireplace all painted. I ended up painting the inside a charcoal color, and the outside just a plain white, whatever we had in the shed. I love how it brightens up the room. andthenthey autumn decor4 This next decoration cracks me up. I think my mother-in-law gave this to the girls last Autumn, but I couldn’t find the dowel for hanging it. It probably became a sword or a wand and had to be taken away. Anyway, the girls have been playing with this branch and I thought it would a perfectly spooky flagpole. I doubt it will last long, but it’s funny for now. Just watch out as you walk into our garage… andthenthey autumn decor5 Here’s our front porch decorations. The broom is actually my mother-in-law’s; she won it in a raffle and I picked it up for her. I’m sure she’ll agree that it looks really good on our porch, right?!? We’ve been collecting the mini pumpkins each time we go out to the farm. andthenthey autumn decor9 andthenthey autumn decor6 I’ve also meant to post about our new bench! Jesse built it and I stained it! Isn’t it amazing? We used reclaimed lumber from my dad’s old deck. I love the nicks and dings and nail holes. I’m so proud of Jesse, following in his woodworking grandfather’s footsteps. We bought a Kreg Jig for this project and it made the whole thing so easy and perfect. Now Jesse is inspired and motivated to make all sorts of things. I love that this is a new hobby for him because he’s really good at it, and I get awesome things out of it! andthenthey autumn decor8 And of course, I needed to get the fairies some new Autumn decor.

A Beatrix Top For Me

Posted by Carolyn on September 1, 2015 4 Comments

Number 31 on my 35 things to do before I turn 35 was to sew something for myself. I follow this blogger – Made by Rae and she recently released her new pattern – the Beatrix. I thought it looked cute, and she was doing a sew-along, so I thought I’d play along, so I made a Beatrix top for me.

It was really fun and easy to sew. I picked up some fabric and just got started. The directions were great, and I really appreciated Rae’s extra tips on the sew-along.

I always get compliments when I wear this top, and the best part is that it’s crazy comfortable. I want to make more, I just need to get some fabric that would work.

It’s so weird to model for the camera. I obviously took advantage of being at the art museum to model in the lovely courtyard. I do wish I had a good photo of the back of the shirt. I love the buttons that go down the back.

New Summer Dresses for the Girls

Posted by Carolyn on September 1, 2015 Leave a Comment

This is funny! I thought one of the things on my Summer 2015 To Do List was to make new summer dresses for the girls. I just checked that list and my 35 Things to do Before I turn 35 list, and it’s not on either! Oh well!

So…. Guess what! I made new summer dresses for the girls for no reason other than the fact that I love doing it, and they are adorable.

And it was a reason to buy this fabric I have been coveting for months and years and decades. I absolutely love Sarah Jane Studios and we have a couple of her prints in the girls’ rooms. I also used some of her fabric in Alma’s quilt.

This is a ‘pattern’ that I made up last summer for Alma’s lion dress. It’s a really fun, simple dress to make. I’ve even helped a couple friends make them for their daughters this summer. I’m toying with a few ideas about how I could get this pattern out to a broader audience. Maybe a workshop for local sewists, or trying to figure out how to get a pdf pattern put together for download.

Anyhow, I used two different lines of fabric for the dresses. I made Harriet’s using fabric in the same design of a print in her bedroom. The kids on parade are so sweet, and Harriet loves, loves, loves balloons.

We spent the afternoon at the University of Oregon art museum, and I took advantage of the backdrops and lighting to get some photos of the girls in their dresses.

This was post-naptime, so Harriet’s dress is a little wrinkled. But that’s life when you’re always on a parade, right? AndThenThey Sundresses3 The museum has an amazing program where the kids can pick up backpacks full of activities for the kids. They are mostly above our kids’ heads, but it’s fun to go through them and see what we can talk about.

Each backpack has colored pencils and paper, so aspiring artists can copy the art, or draw what they see. It’s sweet to see what other museum goers have drawn in the past. They also each have magnifying glasses which are always a hit.

The backpacks have themes to them. Alma picked one up and the Asian art they have at the museum. She found some little figurines and coins in a bottle.

We love going to the museum anyway, but the backpacks make our visits even more fun. I hope they keep these backpacks so we can watch how our kids grow and change during our museum visits!

Doing, Trying, Beginning. Peter Hollens Told Me To.

Posted by Carolyn on June 15, 2015 2 Comments

Today, Peter Hollens addressed the University of Oregon graduates as the keynote speaker at their commencement ceremony. First of all, how cool is that!?, second of all, he had some amazing things to say.

Just begin. Try. If you don’t try, you will automatically fail. And what’s worse, you will learn nothing. Most people think something to death. Yes, it’s good to dream it, but then do it… I encourage you to experiment and follow your most passionate instincts. Screw that; I demand it. You aren’t here on Earth to just go through the motions. If you love doing something, go after it. And go after it with every part of your being.

– Peter Hollens

June 15, 2015

Peter Hollens UO Commencement — Photo from Peter’s Instagram Account (click photo for link)

What sparks joy in my life? What are my most passionate instincts? Where will my dreams lead me?

I love sewing. Creating something out of nothing is exhilarating. Using something I’ve made is exhilarating. Seeing my daughters wear the dresses I’ve made them is exhilarating.

I love writing. I love sitting down, putting music on, and writing. Organizing my thoughts into words and sentences and paragraphs is exhilarating. Sharing those words on this blog is exhilarating. Knowing that people read them is exhilarating.

When I think about the whole end goal of having a super successful brand, it’s paralyzing. So I stop. I get caught up in having a schedule for my blog posts. I get caught up in trying to make things to put on CaroMade. I don’t feel the passion anymore, so I stop.

This is the problem for me. Where do I find the bridge that connects my desire to create, to actually committing to sitting down and creating? I’ve tried planners, I’ve tried setting aside time. I read about how everyone else does it – wake up early, stay up late, use this planner, use that app. “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to work the hardest,” was (and I might not have gotten it exactly right) another thing that Peter said today.

Comparing myself to everyone else won’t help. Looking at other people’s success might inspire, but it won’t help. The only thing that could help would be trying. Learning. Beginning. Doing.

So, instead of constantly writing about it (or reading about others), and feeling bad when I don’t get to the blog for a few days, I’m going to just go do it. I’ll check in here when I can, but I’m going to take the pressure out of the situation, making more room for the passion. And I’ll go after it with every part of my being, like Peter demands.

On Blogging

Posted by Carolyn on April 21, 2015 1 Comment

What is a blog? Why do I write here? Who is reading this? Who do I want to read this? Why do other people write? Why do I read blogs?

Yesterday, something happened in my little internet world. One of my favorite bloggers (and creative inspirations) was caught up in a blog-drama. Elise is a truly creative blogger. She has a new post every day. She spends her time creating. She is honest and generous. She is dedicated and professional.

Yesterday, as part of her Make/Give30 project, she posted a quilt that she had made. It was open for bidding, and the proceeds would go to Habitat for Humanity. In her post about the quilt, she was honest about her process – that it wasn’t a perfect quilt, that it was never intended to be a perfect quilt (which in my opinion makes it better… quilts are made with love, to be loved, to show love). In the comments, some people attacked her for even posting something imperfect, calling it unprofessional.

First of all, come on. You don’t need to comment if you disagree. Just move on, click the next blog, it doesn’t matter.

But, it got me thinking. One of the comments that defended Elise said something, and I’m paraphrasing here, about how this is Elise’s house, and all of the readers are guests in her house and should act accordingly.

As a blog reader, my lists of blogs is constantly changing. A writer will move away from my interests, or I will get annoyed by something, or they will write something I don’t agree with, or I will find myself feeling jealous of the blogger’s life. And here’s what I do: I unfollow the blog. It’s simple. The world – and the internet – is so full of negative things. I don’t need to add to that. I enjoy my life so much better when I’m being positive. I don’t need to read things that make me mad. I don’t need to read stories that make me feel jealous or insecure. If I’m not comfortable in a blogger’s “house,” I’m going to leave it.

Easy at that.

That is why I read. And why I don’t read.

Why I write is something else entirely.

The last couple weeks I’ve been feeling sort of melancholy. I think it’s a combination of coming home from vacation, being with the kids all the time, cutting way back on nursing Harriet (helllllllo hormones), and just the stress of the past year catching up. I took some time to edit and post the Disneyland photos, and I instantly felt better.

My friend (and inspiration) Sarah, just wrote on Facebook about how a doctor once prescribed that she spend thirty minutes each day creating or meditating.

With this blog, I know that I go in spurts. I will be super inspired for a while, and really keep up with posting on it. Then there will come a time that I’m not inspired and I don’t feel like I have anything to post. And the blog is quiet. And (I know this sounds precious) my soul is quiet. It isn’t that the work of the blog gets overwhelming, it’s more that I’m just not taking the time to create.

When I’m making things, and cooking things, and growing things, I am inspired. I’m inspired to write and share on the blog. Those are the times that I feel the best and the happiest.

I’ve tried many different iterations of this blog – a strict schedule, a flexible schedule, no schedule, no blogging, over-blogging. I have grand ideas that I will be able to make this blog into a wildly successful corner of the internet, and have that success spill over into CaroMade, and I’ll be a super amazing blogger who creates for a living. That’s the dream.

But for now, I’m going to focus on doing it for my happiness, sanity, inspiration, and as a positive place that I can call my internet home. If I don’t blog for a week or two, I won’t beat myself up, but I will remind myself that I usually feel better after I write.

After all, this is my home. And you are all welcome.

And if you are still here, and still reading, after all this, and are wondering how Elise handled her drama, she did it like a pro. Today she came back with a post about sweet potato fries that began with a joke.

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