Barnyard Days

I hope you all didn't miss me too much on Tuesday. Big Hoot has been working long hours and all this sole-parenting to Lil' Hoot has been wearing me out! Since Big Hoot had to work the weekend Lil' Hoot and I decided to head down to see my family and attend Barnyard Days on Saturday morning.

Barnyard Days is an arts & crafts festival along with entertainment, a petting zoo, horse rides, antique tractors, etc. True to its name, it's held in and around the barns of the Circle R Ranch just north of Neosho, MO. Here's a little peek at our trip:

Petting Horses

Feeding Goats

Balloon Flower
I also discovered that Lil' Hoot isn't so fond of clowns. The Balloon artist was dressed as a clown and she was fine with him from afar. Then he went to give her the flower and tears ensued.
She was quite fond of the flower bracelet though.

And my find of the day...

Blue Mountain Woodworks

It's a father-son venture located in the Ozarks (Timbo, Arkansas). They use native Ozarkian wood to create beautiful pieces - the cutting boards, bowls & cups that you see above as well as custom-made furniture. I am lucky enough to be receiving a beautiful cutting board for Christmas this year. (Thanks Mom!) And guess what else folks - they have an Etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueMtnWoodworks

They are still new to Etsy and I have lobbied Paul to get some bowls and cups in the shop for Christmas purchases, but stop by and show them some handmade-love! And if you are in the area, check them out at the War Eagle Craft Fair in Hindsville, AR next week.

Ottobre Coat for Lil Hoot

I finally finished Lil Hoot's Ottobre coat on Sunday (the last day of KCWC). Well, mostly finished anyway - I didn't have enough buttons but I'll pick those up soon. It is a printed corduroy with a cotton/poly blend for the lining. The bottom skirt is pleated both front and back. There are flap details on the sleeves and a four button closure on the front. I chose to use fabric covered buttons.

Lil Hoot chose this fabric herself - pointing to it clearly of the three choices I gave her.
She also chose the bright green lining.

This was the most challenging project I have taken on to date. With at least 20 pattern pieces and tons of markings on each, it took a long time just to prep the material. I was careful and deliberate and determined not to use my seam ripper. I almost made it - I only had to rip back once and it was a silly, silly mistake. I learned a lot about garment construction and I can't wait to tackle more challenges! Thanks for the inspiration Elsie Marley!

Lady Bug for under $5

An extension of the Lady Bug Tutorial - but how to make it for less than $5.
*Pictures will be posted shortly.

A point regarding materials - check the remnants bin for felt & fleece. You don't need more than half a yard of red fleece for a toddler size lady bug and mere scraps of black felt, or you can get 1 - 12" square for 30 cents, sometimes less. If you don't have elastic scraps on hand, it's cheapest by the yard.

Materials

1/2 yd. red fleece
12" black felt square
1 yd. - 1/2" elastic
12" plate (or circle template)
16" plate (or circle template)
lids/circle templates of various sizes
chalk/marking pen
straight pins
measuring tape
scissors

Follow the Lady Bug Tutorial steps #1-4, skip the zipper installation.

6. Determine the position of your straps. Ideally you can measure the child from armpit to armpit to determine placement. However, if you cannot then I suggest you use a well-fitting article of their clothing and measure from there. I placed the top of the straps approximately 7" apart and 3" from the top of the circle. I placed the lower strap markings 3" below the top markings.

7. Rather than using black mesh, simply make the straps from your red fleece and scraps of elastic. Cut 2 strips - 2"x 10" of red fleece. Sew a tube using a 1/4" seam allowance then flip it right side out.

8. Cut a 7" piece of elastic. (Or measure the child's arms at the shoulder and then add an inch.) Slide the elastic through the tube. Then fold the ends into the tube and stitch shut.

9. Sew straps to back as marked.

10. Place right sides together and sew around the edges. Be sure to leave a hand-size hole through which to turn the case right-side out and then to stuff.

11. Finish as though sewing a pillow - stuff, then slip stitch the opening closed.

Ottobre!

This week has just exploded with Things To Do. Today was the only day Lil Hoot and I have been home all week! So you know that Lady Bug for under $5 that I promised you...I apologize, but she's not ready yet. I will get her to you on Tuesday. I have been plugging away on filling orders and struggling to find time to participate in Kids Clothes Week Challenge. The second pair of pj pants did not go smoothly (teach me to do too much pattern tweaking) so it's on the back burner while I try something new and daring - a coat from Ottobre! Specifically the gray and black dot coat on the upper right.

Only thing that makes me nervous - my copy is in Finnish. It was a gift from a friend in Finland and I LOVE everything in this magazine. So I'm determined to make it regardless of language. And if you all remember...I made this little number for Grace's baby dedication back in the Spring, also from this issue.

KCWC Day One-ish and PJ Pants Giveaway

Last week I took the pledge to participate in Elsie Marley's Kids Clothes Week Challenge. It's pretty straightforward - sew for one hour every day on kid's clothes for one week (7 days). Just because it's straightforward does not make it simple. It sounds simple but after a full day with all its challenges and unplanned issues, finding an hour can be tough. Last night I had some computer issues that took priority, but I didn't shirk my pledge. I did my hour, it just started at 10:30pm - yikes!

Awhile back I did a swap with a friend in Finland and got some fantastic jersey prints to use for Lil' Hoot. I found an awesome One Size Fits Many PJ Pants tutorial over at From An Igloo. Now, Lil' Hoot is much more petite than "Many" so I decided to try out the pattern in its original size before altering it for her small stature. I have been collecting jersey remnants from the half off bins at Jo-Ann's and Hancock Fabrics for just such an occasion.

And this, my friends, is what happens when you sew too far past bed time.
Seams on the outside rather than in. Oops!

No worries - I'm Queen of the Seam Ripper. The cuffs are fixed and the pants are finished! And, since I don't have a little boy to go with these pants - I'm giving them away! *Sizing - the length can be easily altered but is currently ~ 23" waist to bottom of the cuff. The waist is currently at 20" but I can easily take it in for your child. It's VERY stretchy.

Mandatory Entry - Visit Mama Hoot Designs, and choose a favorite item, leave 1 comment telling me which item you chose.

Increase your odds with additional entries:

3 Entries - Blog about this giveaway, leave 3 comments and the link to your blog post

1 Entry - Follow my Blog (current follower is also eligible), leave 1 comment with you user ID or name

This Giveaway is open to residents of the United States and APO/FPO addresses. The giveaway will end on Friday, October 1 at 11:59pm PST. Each entry is assigned a # and the winning # will be drawn by random.org and announced on this blog as well as emailed.