Baskets from Hardware store rope and twine

 I've been experimenting with what I can find for hardware store jute rope and nylon twine.  I made a tote bag out of the twine a few months ago.  The green basket here is jute rope - and it isn't quite as waterproof (I could take a hose to the other if necessary) it is sturdy and rich looking.  In the basket is a big roll of sisal twine, a bit less cohesive but lighter in weight, as well.  I will see what I can get with that.  Mark thinks plant hangers for a project out of it...

And since Esme was saying she was running out of playdresses and summer is on its way - I made this.  The white paisley fabric is heavy denim, but there wasn't enough of it to do much else with... and the other fabrics were the last bits of scraps that made something that 'sort of' went together.  The lining is a green 'hello my friends' fabric from a Japanese pack long ago, and the blue was from a friend years ago when I made matching dresses for Esme and her daughter.  It is open in the back to halfway down with a button at the back neck.  I hope it will fit for a while. 

 

The picture shows my messy studio space.. but that is part of the process lately.  

We had laid down an old piece of underlayment in the kitchen on the concrete floor to keep it warmer.  I had seen some ideas for 'wood rugs' and wanted to add some life and color to the rug.  Mark said go ahead - and some masking tape and craft paint later we get a little bit of 'different' that may not last forever but it is interesting while it does.

 I had told Mark I wasn't just looking at home dec pictures on Pinterest.. but was actually doing some of it.  So he decided I needed a picture of me doing it.. which turned out pretty good :)  This was a fun project, kittens and all...

Minion and her kitten are confused by it all...there was much shooing off of little feet and even a little bit of cover-up of tiny footprints that found their mark.

New blue shorts set and calico puppies growing up

 This is the matching set she asked for the other day... she needed more playclothes and said she wanted them to match each other like the purple set I made a while back.  She is playing Minecraft on the computer.

Caught a shot here with Daddy and the calico puppies Sweetie (left) and Spud (right).  They are growing up, and so is Esme.  She is getting so tall.  She had written a letter to Gw today and begged me to deliver it to her father at my work.  It was the first thing she asked me about this morning.. and the first thing she asked after I got home from work.

Handmade things by KnitOwl - and other bits

The KnitOwl shop is still open, and I will be adding things to it as I can.  There is so much handmade in this house and the 'fall to winter rush' for our own use is almost over - so there is time (I hope) to make some other things.

Scarves being made for the

KnitOwl shop 

 100% wool, basketweave hand knit 

brown variegated and (coming) blue variegated 

Esme talking to me about being out in the frost before we take her to school


Size 6 1960's smock dress with back zipper

Handmade toys in several styles
Bambi toy and blue summer - to - fall dress

Someone at Esme's school said they recognized her 'from the internet, somewhere'... if you made it here then 'Hi!' - this is our little corner, and where I post the clothing I make for Esme,   I was "just" a toymaker, making custom dolls and animals for people at my Etsy shop for five years before I had Esme.  But then I couldn't find anything that fit her right - and I dove into making clothing as well.   Women in my family have made clothes and toys for their families for generations. My mom passed along some general sewing knowledge but not much about clothes - so I had to learn as much as I could by doing, trial-and-error, and seeing what other people were doing on the Internet at the same time.

There are a lot of 'handmade' clothing shops out on the Internet - everyone is different, and my style of making is much more 'old school' than many of those out there now.  I don't know many who would hand work a buttonhole anymore, and my sewing friends think I am nuts to sew in a zipper by hand.  But, I do it because it turns out better for me.   I found out that these handmade clothes actually last a lot longer than storebought knits and were a better investment for our household in the long run.  And, I didn't have to fight dressing rooms and too-tight t-shirt necks.   Each piece takes about an hour to three hours of handwork and sewing machine work, and has zigzagged interior seams, turned and edged facings, handworked buttonholes and zippers sewn in by hand.  The clothes are sewn using 'antique' or vintage patterns (1940s to 1970s collection, size 2 through 10) and given alterations based on what the child needs.  I face with simple cotton fabrics and do not use seam or bias tape.

I do take custom orders - but only for those serious few who want handmade 'old made' things... the results will last a long time, hard washing in the washing machine and hard play outdoors in mud and rain.  However, they do require measurements and sometimes a try on to see where the 'problem areas' are.  For myself, the problem area is my wide shoulders.  For little one, it is also the wide shoulders, long legs and skinny waist.  When things are handmade, allowances can be discovered and made for such things that would require long searching in off-the-rack clothes!

All that said - I still work full time, and sometimes growth spurts here keep me from making much at all otherwise.  Maybe that will change over the next year - we'll see. I'll try to put up a few more things in the shop, and see if there is anyone out there willing to take the dive!

Black Friday, riding in the car in her handknit jacket, helping to take Mom to work

 

Size 5 Blue long sleeved dress and shorts from 1960s McCalls pattern with back ties 

Hobby Horse