smocked night gown

A couple weeks ago,

I wrote about my smocking experience

with my daughter's dress.

Well I decided to make something

for myself....

at least I know I will wear it....

or at least feel terrible if I do not!

So here it is

A beautiful smocked night gown.

I used the pattern

 from "sew Beautiful" magazine,

number 118 (2008).

I basically followed the directions

and it went well.

I made a shorter version,

and my fabric is a heavier cotton.

It is perfect for hot summer night!

The bullion flowers took some

time and practice.

The back is a little simpler,
without the center flowers.

Overall I am pleased with myself,

and I wear it proudly!

I am posing the best I can,
there are bees in the lavender behind me!
and the sun is setting!

Happy smocking!

flag

Today the kids and I

got ready to celebrate

the 4th of July.

Not being a citizen does not mean

that I do not celebrate the holiday,

it means I do it twice!

I saw a while ago this post

http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheap-home-decor

and I did not get it....

I know, so slow.

Somehow today, I read it again,

and it totally made sense:

making flag out of 2 x4 is a great idea!

and I have plenty on hand!

While the kids decided on the paper,

I did some cutting and sanding.

With one 2 x 4, we did 3 flags.

We used less than half of a sheet of paper in each color.

So a very economical project.

Miss C. did a good job with the gluing,

mod podge is really great!

and after some more sanding,

I wrote the message

(less fancy than in the directions!)

and we glued some stars.

We did not have any ribbon,

but we have plenty of fabric,

some I cut some fabric on the bias

to wrap it all up.

Tomorrow, we will give the 2 extra ones

to some friends!

Happy crafting!

Home for sale

Yesterday we put our house for sale.

For the past few weeks, I have been decluttering

and cleaning the house,

not a great way to enjoy summer!

And shame of it all,

I had to remove my sewing room!

Here in its previous glory.

Apparently it is not a selling feature!

I know, totally shocking!

And neither is a play room instead of a dining room....

some peole have not priority!

 So now we officially have an office,

nice but not as useful!

and a dining room,

we are quite grown-ups!

We transfered everything to the basement,

it is getting a little crowded down there,

but overall, not bad.

And since I just finished installing all that storage,

it would be perfect if we had bigger, real windows!

I am still working on making it to my liking,

so more pictures coming up soon,

after all I have a cool table to go my fancy cabinets!

Happy cleaning day!

Happy crafting day!

happy father's day

Bonne fete Papa

basement metamorphosis

Do you remember my kitchen remodel ?

Well I was not about to discard these cabinets!

Not that they were great, but salvageable!

I brought most of them to the basement,

the few that I did not need were given to Habitat for Humanity.

Perfect recycling.

Mon cheri and I installed the cabinets in the basement,

and slowly I refinished them.

After sanding, painting 2 coats of primer, and 2 coats

of paint, it started to look good!

Up to here, it had been a almost free project.

But I was not able to recycle the countertop,

so I became creative:

I decided to use MDF,

I purchased one sheet (4 x 8) of 3/4 inch MDF,

and installed it.

I added a 1 inch band on the edge, to add some thickness

and finish the top.

After some puttying and sanding, it looked like it was all coming together.

I got my paint out again, and primed a few times.

and painted a 2-3 inch border.

I added a hanging cable from Ikea,

perfect background for all our art work,

the kids and mine!

And to finish the countertop, I used more paint:

chalkboard paint.

I was inspired by

Miss Mustard Seed creations.

and voila!

Perfect storage!

Happy day!

   

sleeping bag

As summer and vacation are here,

it is time to get some gear,

more exactly camping gear

for your dolls and bears!

Well it is required,

after all they are part of the family

and nobody would want them

to be incomfortable!

I found some great directions from Simplicity,

it is a free project, and fast and easy.

http://www.simplicity.com/t-sleeping-bag.aspx

I did not make the carrying bag.

I felt that I did not need a full yard, depending on the directions of

the print, you can just use 1/2 yard.

It works well for boys and girls.

Lego brick master is going to cub scout camp next week,

and his bear is also ready to go!

Snug as a bug!

and it is also the perfect size for all those

build-a-bear friends,

no bunny will be forgotten!

Happy sewing!

for the love of cheese

Cheese, one of my favorite foods,

may be more like a life style!

I know, it is a French thing,

with bread and wine,

we will talk about those some other day!

They are required to enjoy cheese perfectly!

No crackers here!

So on my olive wood cheese tray,

I have Camembert, Roquefort and Comte.

They are all French cheese, purchased at Costco.

(also available at Whole Foods, and some Krogers)

All of them have strong personality,

not mild but not so overpowering that

you cannot enjoy them.

All of the names of the cheese come from their location,

usually their town, or region.

Camembert is from Normandie,

the one in the picture is more specifically from Isigny.

It is made of raw milk and is strong.

If you are interested in purchasing such a cheese,

check the date as it is alive,

and will get stronger with time.

I would recommend to eat it 2-3 weeks

before the date on the back.

I personally do not eat the skin ( the white crust) of camembert

or brie (the Costco Brie is also quite good).

It is best to let it warm up to room temperature,

it will have a tendency to escape....

it will reach full flavor!

Roquefort is from Roquefort,

on the Causse du Larzac in Aveyron (south of France)

It is a sheep milk cheese with "noble" mold.

There are many different "brands".

with Papillon being one of the most expensive one.

This one is a simple Roquefort.

Because of the cost of Roquefort,

a good alternative is the Bleu d'Auvergne.

It is also milder and creamier.

But nothing can replace Roquefort.

It is wonderful with pear.

Comte is from Franche-Comte, eastern region of France.

It is also called Gruyere de Comte.

Gruyere is what we call here Swiss cheese.

It is stronger and has a fruit flavor.

It is easy to eat and very enjoyable.

With such cheeses, it is important to know how strong each cheese is,

so that an order can be established:

starting from the mildest to the strongest,

making it possible to enjoy all of them!

After all, it would be a shame to not try them all!

So I would say first Comte, then Camambert, then Roquefort.

But it always depends on the cheese.

So only one way: pass the baguette,

and let's try and try some more,

more wine please!

all together: a perfect plate!

Bon appetit!

Happy day!

update on the dance outfit for doll

I am done with

the new ballet outfit for the doll

that Miss C. had requested

and just in time since we received the pictures!

I used the same pattern than

my previous dance outfit shown here.

it is simplicity 4364.

I removed the sleeves this time.
I was unable to find aqua stretch velvet,
so I reversed the color of the bodice and the tutu.

I did not want to deal with all the ruffles,
so I just added a pretty flower, with layers of tulle
and fabric.
The tutu is not quite a pancake tutu
but Miss C. is happy with it,
and she can safely play with the outfit....
without me worrying about  her destroying hours of work!

Here is the picture of my darling ballerina

and here is her class all together after the recital!

Happy sewing!

smocked bishop

Last summer I smocked

my first bishop dress.

It was much easier than I thought.

I took a class

and we used this pattern :

the bishop dress by Ellen McCarn
and Aurora smocking plate.

I chose to make mine with angel sleeves,

less hot and more space for growing!

and a little lace to finish them.

The smocking went relatively fast,
and it was a great project for hot summer days.

Here a close up of the smocking,

as close as I have been to picture smocking!

It is on my to-do list,

just not on the top!

The only sad part:

I am finally capable of making them,

but Miss C. does not want to wear them!

She looks good in them!

Perfect for dancing!

 

Happy sewing!