Thursday, May 16, 2013

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Remember Those Pants?


Remember how they were supposed to be extra small?  Pattern fail.  

Friday, May 10, 2013

We Saw Some Bikes Last Sunday


We've managed to catch a part of the Five Boro Bike Tour for the past six? seven? years now.  For a time, all we had to do was roll over in bed to see the bikers gasping up the steep hill on the BQE outside our apartment.  At the time, I think it amounted to making us feel really lazy, but now it just sounds wonderful.  Waking up after 10 a.m.?  Watching a bunch of suckers huff and puff up a hill from the comfort of my own bed?  But I digress. . . .

Actually, that hill notwithstanding, I got it into my head that it might be a fun thing to do in the future.  I've seen plenty of kids along for the ride, so maybe one of these years we'll make it a family affair?  Finley liked watching it, anyway, so I think he can be convinced.


But, FYI, whatever you do, don't offer to let him sit on the back of your motorcycle.  That crap will piss him off.

Friday, May 3, 2013

The First Thing Is Admitting That You Have a Problem


I think I took this picture wrong, 'cause this seems a lot more daunting in real life.

I guess you could say that I've got a problem with wishful thinking. I usually go fabric shopping with a specific project in mind and then tack on some I'll do something with this someday purchases. And then a couple of months go by and I do it again. Some things get made, most don't. Lather, rinse, repeat. That smaller pile on the left? That's my most recent shopping spree. But I needed that fabric, you see, because just a few days before I'd gone and bought these:


Ten patterns. I think I've mentioned that Vogue/Butterick/McCall's patterns go on sale from time to time?  They were on super-sale a couple of weeks ago. Practically free. So I had to buy them, see?

And thirty whole dollars of free later, I had ten patterns that I needed to justify owning, so I went and bought  that pile of fabric. Because I have fabric amnesia and forgot that I had eighty-seven pounds of fabric in my closet already. (Actually, more. I didn't bother digging everything out for the picture.)

It seems that I've seriously overestimated the amount of spare time that I have.

Anyway, I've decided to set a goal of making a serious dent in this pile by the end of summer/beginning of fall. It's a vague goal, but I'm hopeful that it'll keep me motivated. Another thing I have going for me is how tired I am of my wardrobe.

So I sorted everything out and settled on this for a start:

the stripes are coincidental
A shirt and a skirt that will come in handy with our recently arrived warm weather. I took a picture to seal the deal and then I sat down at the sewing machine and made baby shoes instead.  And they don't even stay on her feet.  Sad trombone.  I'll have to tell you about it later.

But then--THEN--I sat down and started on the shirt. I'll be honest, it's a little slow going--knits and I may not be on speaking terms after this--but I'm going to try and plow through.  Getting stalled is the worst (says the lady who's had a man shirt all cut up with no markings transferred for two months).

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Sweet Boys Run in the Family

Sorry to have bailed on the blog last week--we were busy.  My kind sister came to provide back up while Andy was away on business.  And since her older son had visited with her a year and a half ago, the younger one came along this time.  

I've always loved this picture from the first visit:


So I was pretty happy to have the chance to re-create it.


And here's a cute one from the Transit Museum while I'm on the subject:

I been working on the railrooooooad