A Handmade Wardrobe

 

I'll admit that my sewing machine has suffered years of neglect. As we started to outgrow our little farm house, the space to do extra projects just disappeared. Our new house has enough space for me to finally get back to sewing. I used to sew a lot of things for my children but this time I felt motivated to make clothing for myself. I've always been inspired by Meg and her handmade wardrobe so I started with some of her patterns.

I made myself an Estuary skirt, Foraging vest and Strata top. I also made a Schoolhouse tunic and a Metamorphic dress. My size has changed since I last made myself clothing so I'm really glad I never cut my old patterns. I'm also so pleased to see more people offering plus sizes in their patterns. Fabric is just as expensive as ever so I've been working on upcycling bedding and scoring second-hand fabric. 

I also whipped up some of the most comfortable Luna pants ever. I took a chance and used double gauze and I made the ankles extra loose. Oh they are like pjs but better. I want to make all my pants out of double gauze. Another of my most worn handmade items is my Carrie sweater. Before we went camping a few weeks ago I decided I needed an oversized sweater to snuggle up in. The pattern is only 6 simple pieces and it's a breeze to sew. I think I'm going to make a short sleeve Carrie with a lighter knit for the summer.

My favourite part (aside from wearing these creations) is adding little details to my clothing. I used a piece of Liberty fabric that my mom gave me on the inside placket of my School house tunic. On the inside of my Luna pants I marked the back with a piece of my favourite cotton ribbon that is now out of print. And last month a got a package of these wonderful tags by Kylie and the Machine that are so lovely for marking your clothing with; these affirmation tags bring me such joy.

Here Comes the Sun

 

The past couple days we have been enjoying summer-like weather. The skies have been clear and the temperatures in the 20s. We've been making a point of visiting gardens around the city. The cherry blossoms are almost gone but the rhododendrons are starting to bloom. The hillsides are covered in white fawn lily and common cammas. 

We visited Beacon Hill Park a few days ago and found the turtles out sunning themselves. It's also the time of year for peacocks to show off for the ladies. It's a noisy place when this happens. We also came across great blue herons nesting in the trees. In a few months the ground will be littered with turquois egg shells. 

Today the sun was beating down on us again which called for the sprinkler. Our garden and my children loved the cool shower. If it's this hot in April, I fear for the summer months. It's hard sometimes to remember that sunny days aren't necessarily good. Typically April was a cooler month; as the saying goes "April showers bring May flowers". I hope for the sake of our forests we get more rain in the coming weeks, otherwise it could be a difficult season for forest fires. 

Happy Easter

 

Happy Easter indeed! Last Easter was so lonely. We spend Easter weekend outdoors with family and friends. Easter 2019 we spent camping with dear friends and doing our egg hunt in the woods. Last year we did an egg hunt in the backyard with just the 4 of us. This year we were lucky enough to participate in 3 pandemic wise Easter egg hunts. We started our morning doing a street wide egg hunt. The neighbours all hid color-coded eggs in the yards and the children on the street took turns going from house to house to find them all. Have I mentioned how much I love our little neighbourhood?

Next we set out to a large field near a friends house and did another egg hunt. These friends are basically family. We spend more time with this family than some of our blood relatives. The kids were really good about giving each other space. J did some of the hiding and he delighted in making them particularly tricky. Even the tallest of the kids (that would be A) needed a stick to get the eggs out of the tree. It was great fun though.

Finally we ended our day doing an egg hunt in Grandma's garden. By that point the sun had been out all afternoon so many of the chocolates were warm and melting but my kids didn't mind a bit. I think it's safe to say we have enough chocolate to last the rest of the year. And enough love and smiles to fill our cup for another week of pandemic life.