Archive May, 2018 - What The Red Herring
Project Files: Sewing Tank Tops

Project Files: Sewing Tank Tops

I’ve made a few shirts with sleeves, and the one I actually wear may someday make it into a future post. However, the type of top I’ve been most successful with is the tank top. I’ve made 5 so far, using three different patterns. It’s given me the opportunity to work with fabrics I hadn’t tried before, like double gauze and rayon.

I wanted to round up the tops I’ve made so far so I’ll have them all in one place. Also, for people like me who like to see photos of what others have done with patterns and what they look like on actual human beings – hopefully this will help.

The patterns I used were: Lotta Jansdotter’s Kiomi top from Everyday Style, and Rae’s Ruby and Gemma tops.

I Am Not Worthy That You Should Crack My Back

I Am Not Worthy That You Should Crack My Back

When I was pregnant with Seven, I went to the chiropractor regularly. It started before he was born.

I have a lot of responsibilities. Some might say, more responsibilities than I am capable of keeping up with. So in order to get a break, sometimes my body just quits working. This can look like a head cold, a stomach bug, or a sudden, unexpected nap. In this case, I tried to lift my head off of my pillow one Monday morning and it felt like something in my neck had snapped.

Greenglass House, The Prequel

Greenglass House, The Prequel

Before our most recent trip to Tobago, I picked up a few books at the library for pleasure reading. One of them was Ghosts of Greenglass House, by Kate Milford. I didn’t realize till we arrived at our destination that the book I had picked was actually the second in a series. I was already into it, and there were too many characters for me to set it down if I ever hoped to finish it. I kept reading. I planned to get the first book out of the library when I got home.

The Perfect Time

The Perfect Time

This weekend, I lived an introverted homebody’s nightmare: I went to the Bronx Zoo on a beautiful holiday weekend with six kids, and I went to the mall afterward to get new shoes for Two, who is the most indecisive shoe shopper I have ever met. Perhaps that’s one reason why she has only one pair of shoes.

Many times, I get so caught up in needing everything to be just right before I get started, that I never actually do anything meaningful.

Project Files: The Red Pants

Project Files: The Red Pants

Back when I was looking for pants that fit, I did a search for red chinos. I knew exactly what color I was looking for — a faded, orange-red. In fact, I found some online, but only in boys’ sizes. As it turns out, that shade of red isn’t “in” this season for ladies. All I could find for myself was a washed-out pink color. Close enough, I thought. And they were on sale.

I had a boy in mind for the red pants I had found. I didn’t spring for them until I saw them in person in Branson, MO at a Gap outlet. I knew they’d be perfect for Four, and they were. He wears them for days at a time, and I have to peel them off of him to wash them when they get so dingy I can’t take it anymore.

I got my pink pair several months before I got Four his pants in the color I wanted. When I saw our pants side by side, my gears started turning. I thought, I’ve dyed some different items before, maybe I could just match the color.