Calder & Company

Citronille Pattern Company...

~I cannot seem to stop myself from acquiring new patterns.  I ordered three patterns from Citronille back in 2010.   The patterns are written in French (and come from France), and appealed to me because they are written for many age brackets.  I have been looking for a top that was a pullover--doesn't look too feminine--to be used for boys. 

Entrer Citronille...

~I made a size 2 ans, and felt the sizing and pattern were well written.  I chose a japanese fabric pattern from superbuzzy(at least I think that is where it originated from), and a red and white striped cotton.  I almost always use wooden buttons for the boys clothes.  Overall, happy with the citronille, but feel just "medium" about this top.  After C.C. has worn it several times, it has grown on me, but not sure if I will jump to make one again...maybe will try one of the other patterns for the big boys.

~I made a personal list (will share if I can find that scrap of paper I jotted it on) a while back about winter loves...Mostly I think it is amazing that we are housebound for a while, and thus can create, create, create...which translates to me:  reboot, reboot, reboot.     ----------Cheerful creating...

Marimekko Throw...

~~~~~Wouldn't it be amazing if I could actually get through all of the projects that I dream up?  I always underestimate the time I need for projects.   Ho hum...Recently, I was given a lovely piece of vintage Marimekko panel fabric.  I adore Marimekko fabric design---what a treasure.  After much deliberation, I decided to create a blanket for the boys (one of my favorite ways to display lovely, large repeat patterns).  I really hated to even cut into the fabric from 1969...

~~~~~I used fleece for the back and wanted a 2 inch overlap band of fabric on the fleece side.  Therefore,the size of the panel dictated the size of the blanket...(I must confess, I am not much of a quilter, so this is my quick way to make up a comfortable throw).  Note:  when you have a large piece of fabric set up on the floor (as seen above)--beware--young ones will insist on dancing on it!

~~~~~This newly constructed throw has been used by all--the fleece underside is the real selling point.  Next is a French pattern by Citronelle which I made for C.C...

                                                                            Adieu!

Sew a little...

~Today I am catching up on some of the sewing I have completed for the boys.  This fabric was perfect for C.C. and was a designer remnant from my mother in law.  Thank goodness for the "snake" on the fabric that she told me made it a hard sell to her clients--perfect for my snake loving boys!

~The bottom green speckled fabric is some batik that I purchased 100 years ago--honestly, it might be some of my oldest fabric--next to some white fabric with stars on it that I made button downs out of in high school--eee gad.  When I purchased it long ago, I didn't recognize how stiff batik fabric was--and thus not very pliable for garments.  Alas, it is so perfect for a wee cuff on a toddler pant.  This pant was made from a personal pattern & is a size 3.

~Pair of shorts for N. that had a side insert of black fabric.  The fabric was design weight fabric from IKEA.  Still looking for a photo of the final project to share...be back with that...He loved those shorts and wore them gobs during the summer.

~French fry pants for the boy who loves french fries--which seem to be the perfect finger food for young ones.  Added red piping and the pants are a size 3. 

~I love to add a little embroidery on the pockets of the boys shirts.  See additional project here.  Actually, I am really into adding sweet initials or small animals to the cuffs or shirt collars--where only the owner will find them.  It makes the garment much more personal--and the boys treat it as sort of an "I Spy" find--will share more on that...

~Another pair of trousers for C.C. made with fabric that my husband picked out for me years ago.  He is such a naturalist, and told me he wanted me to make a skirt out of the fabric.  Needless to say, the skirt never happened--but made some lovely size 3 pants for the little one.  I love my piping foot for my sewing machine--and really love to make my own piping.  Truthfully:  I am crazy about piping...really crazy about it...

 

~And yet another stack of new fabric that I purchased for fall projects.  When out browsing for fabric, I always keep my eyes open for fabric with small patterns--which I need for details on button down shirts and such.  Those understated fabrics are very useful when coordinating fabrics.  I can never have enough fabric...there is always something new that catches my eye...

Catching up....

A while back, we took a holiday to Minneapolis to meet up with family.  We thought it was time for the boys to see the Walker Art Museum.  It was a weird and hot day that we were in the city.  That day, lots of brides were flitting around the sculpture garden nervously waiting to take their vows, so there was magic (and anxiety) in the air.

~Here are a pair of shorts that I made Z. a while back.  He adores Monopoly so much that sometimes he sets it up and plays himself (well he says he is playing me, but I am usually cooking or such)...So when, I found this fabric, I knew exactly what to do with it.

~When I have time, I try to sketch down current, future and past projects with ideas and modifications.  This notebook has alot of my time and ideas down so I can let them go until my time frees up.  It is amazing what my brain forgets if I don't set up a visual. 

I had to share this photo of C.C.  How I adore the 2 year old brain.  In our hotel room on a recent trip, C.C. grabbed my Itouch and quickly ran to the corner. 

I can almost see his thoughts as, "I know this thing is important, because mom always has it.   what does it do?"

Gobs of shorts...

~So as not to completely bore you, I am going to show some of the shorts I have been sewing for the boys this summer in one big post.  I really like to make as many things for the boys as I can.  Now that they are getting older, it takes even more creativity, because there are not as many directions that you can go for boys.  As you may notice, I try to jazz things up with trims and different fabric layouts or anything else I can think of. 

~When getting dressed for the day, I find the boys tend to choose my garments first, over the commercialized clothes that I purchase.  I don't know if they see the shorts in progress, or have some design choice, or if they are simply the most comfortable.  So here goes...

~Here is some fabric from an interior design sample that was given to me by my mother in law (actually I received a whole big bag full of samples--one of the perks when she is a designer).  I added some piping and an additional edge on the bottom.

~This is some fabric that I picked up on sale, and thought it would be fun for the boys with all the zippers and such.  All be told, I am not really crazy about this fabric, but Z. seems to enjoy it. 

 

 

~These have turned out to be my favorite pair of shorts that I constructed for Z this season.  Oh, and all shorts are a size 10 and have side pockets.  Both of my older sons use pockets all the time.  I like the idea of a hidden deep pocket on the side, so they have a spot to hide thier trading cards and bouncy balls.  I think I mostly just like the bold design of these stripes.  Just perfect for him.

 

~I had this fabric in my stash and was planning on making Z. a waistcoat.  I liked the idea of all the newspaper clippings rousing an interest in reading and history.  I try to capitalize on every reading opportunity!   

~This day we were waiting for the parade to begin.  In the background is a pair of shorts (size 6) that I made for N.  He had just turned six when I cut these out, and I think they ended up a tad tight.  I just finished sewing a few more pairs for N. that I cut larger.  When I am working this out in my mind, I assume that they haven't changed, and low and behold, they just keep growing.  (I tell them to 'stop' all the time, but they just don't listen!) 

~You must know, that I am crazy about parades.  I love the heat, the rain, the colors, really just everything about it.  This day, we went to two parades in one day. 

~So I keep meaning to update the books and photo albums on my blog, but I just keep running out of time.  Between the garden, and outdoor lunch times, and many sports, I just can't get it done.  That is my goal in the next few weeks to work on the details.  I plan to organize the many projects into sewing, rug hooking ect. 

~In the end, I do have a few more pairs of shorts that I will post when I get them photographed.  They are from "round 2" of summer sewing for the boys.  

Spaghetti and Meatballs.

~When I found this spaghetti and meatball fabric, I knew I had to make a garment for the boys.  'Spaghetti and meatballs', is the all time favorite (and most requested) home-cooked meal at our house.  We make it even more in the summer when we have fresh parsley and tomatoes.

~So this is a size 2T pattern number 3079 from Kwik Sew.  This pattern does have numerous pieces (as do all button-down collared shirts), so that can be overwhelming.  I would suggest cutting out a few of these, and making it an assembly line type process to speed up the execution steps.  I have made at least 5 of these shirts.

~So here is the spaghetti and meatballs shirt meeting the water hole.  Some days, I have to just let them roll in the mud! 

~The boys are involved in gobs of summer sports and activities.  This day, it was golf and more golf.  Mainly they like to work on their "short game" and use the golf ball washer!  Oh, and I forgot about how they like to talk about all the stray golf balls and tees that they find, and bring home.  It is quite a treat for them to find all this "free" stuff that people lose or discard on the golf course.  I still come-upon old, broken tees in N's pant's pockets when doing the wash.  He does love them.   

New Fabric Designs on Cotton Interlock Knit.

~Once the springtime is upon us, my world seems to speed up.  There are birthday parties, kite flying, sports, and school field trips that all seem to fill our time.  Not to mention, we want to be outside as much as we can. 

~I designed this Rhino fabric a while ago, and just had it sitting around waiting until spring.  I decided to make a shirt for N. once the weather warmed up a tad.

~This is Kwik Sew pattern 2894, size 6.  I was going to add a hood (I had even cut it out), and at the last minute decided to eliminate it from the finished design.  Sometimes, I think the hoods can really pull on ones neck, but I will still consider it for the next shirt.

~N. is my sweet boy who runs around to do the "tulip check" to report if any new ones have opened.

New Bottoms for C.C.

~Well, I have been so overwhelmed in my world that I have not sewn for a whole week!  (I am still knitting some washcloths at night.  Thank goodness for down time!)  I have piles of fabric that have been labeled for this and that, and I can't even find time to do some cutting, so hopefully this weekend.

~Anyhow, here are some cotton bottoms that I designed with the bias trim pocket.  That little pocket sure is handy for all kinds of crazy things.

~Out to tip-toe in the tulips! 

~This is some japanese cotton waffle that I had only half of yard available, so I had to add some length by adding linen bias tape and some scrap fabric that was leftover from another project.  When I ordered the fabric, I only needed half a yard to make his pants, see how time gets away from me?

~These pants are perfect for preventing skinned knees, and trying to keep up with the big boys (which keeps him fully occupied--oh my!)

Final Series: Northern California.

~So as some of you may know, there were a few setbacks on this adventure for our family of five.  After much processing of the trip, I truly feel like we all got something out of this get-a-way. 

~Yes, we did eat at some unsavory places (and even skipped a few meals--egads!), overheated the brakes in our rental car driving in the mountains--in the rain (steep-grades oh my!), and showed up to one of our accommodations only to find out that they only had one bed (cozy-right?). ~Overall, it was worth all the nutty, can't-plan-for-it drama.  What is a trip without delays and setbacks?

 

~Yes, there they were, all three--watching the waves.  Better than television any day!

~A wonderful find--a GIANT GUMBOOT CHITON.  This was a highlight.  I have heard it described as "wandering meatloaf", which makes me smile.

~I spy a starfish.  Hmmm... 

~N.'s daily seashore finds.

~the apple orchards are just perfect to see, when my homeland is covered with ice and snow.

~A visit to the Marsh, we journeyed through this sublime landscape.   Very calming, especially since I thought we were lost because our map did not have enough detail.  We made it...

~Another pair of japanese pants I created that incorporated some wild piping that I was working on (with embroidery).  Not so sure if it is worth the work, but will try on one more pair.

~Sticks and muddy pants.  An ideal day.

~My must have California shoes.  I wore these every day, and mostly with skirts.  These came from Smith and Hawkins a hundred years ago.  I suppose...   

~Goodbye seashore....Goodbye serene green pastures.  Thank you for keeping us for a while.  Adieu.

Series 1: Northern California.

Off to a long Northern California vacation.

Boys and parents held much anticipation.

Up to leave at 4 a.m.-makes it hard for mobilization.

New airplane toys yields much co-operation.   ~Allrighty!

~I will share some of our highlights of the Northern California tour.  I will also include some new projects that were created for the trip.

~If you have ever seen the luggage sculpture at Sacramento International, it is fantastic.  I will admit, we had MAJOR flight delays, which started our holiday about 12 hours later than expected.  ugg!  I'm trying REALLY hard to stay positive...can you tell?

 ~The wonderful Sundial Bridge in Redding which was designed by Santiago Calatrava (who also designed the structure at the Milwaukee Art Museum--which we had just visited and was a nice tie-in for the boys).

~some play time at theTurtle Bay Exploration Park.  ~Is that a pine cone light-saber N.? 

~An insect that the boys and dad were enamored with...

~A new pair of pants for the babe, that I completed hours before we left.  I work well under pressure!

~Mount Shasta is quite the vision.  I had to run down a side road a mile (O.K. so not really that far) in my clogs to snap a shot of the mountain.  Then later as we were driving out of town, I saw this view and snapped an easy picture.  All that hard work for nothing!