Tiny Things!

I've always been a strong believer of the concept that everything looks better in miniature, so when I got an invitation to a good friend's baby shower in the mail, I decided it was a great opportunity to make something tiny for the upcoming arrival of their first baby girl. My friend and her husband live in Naples, Florida and love going to the beach, so when I found an adorable teal cotton fabric with little mermaids and sea horses on it, I knew what direction I was headed.

I had originally planned on making a little dress, and then a matching toy or doll, but as per usual when I try something new I got rather carried away. Each time I finished a portion of the gift, it made me want to create another item to go with it, and by the end of the process I had put together that I think is generally referred to as a layette (?), or set of items to welcome the baby home. I deliberately did NOT make a blanket for this one, since I know the new mama lives in a warm climate, and had heard that they were doing just fine in the blanket department. All things considered, I REALLY enjoyed the process of making a whole set of interchangeable mini things, and can't wait for an excuse to do it again!

The full set included four pairs of shoes (in two sizes so they would last longer) a newborn mermaid costume made up of an embellished onesie and a cotton mermaid tail 'skirt' with an elastic waistband, a mermaid print tunic/dress with adjustable straps for ages 6 months and up (fits like a dress for the baby, and works as a tank top as she grows), a lightweight cotton jacket, a mermaid doll, a reversible dress in NB size, and a set of three coordinating elastic headbands.

: A little closer up detail of some of the items.

The adjustable mermaid dress is sized for a 6 month old, but since the straps are just custom bias tape ties, and the bodice is gathered, the garment is loose enough to fit as a tank top later on. I edged it with some white pom pom trim from my stash.

The four pairs of shoes were one of my favorite parts of this process. I made some of them in newborn size, and some a bit larger since some of the clothing was in larger sizes as well. All of the shoes are 'vegan' (made from faux leather marine vinyl) and have reinforced stitching. A lot of the commercial patterns for baby shoes leave the upper edge raw, but I think it looks much cuter trimmed with the brightly colored elastic. The loop at the back of the shoe covers the seam that might have been uncomfortable, and makes it easier to pull the shoe on, while the cross strap helps keep it on the little one's foot. This gold vinyl was one of my favorite fabric finds in LA this past winter, and I wish I had bought more of it! All of the shoes are now available in a full range of sizes in the shop. 

I was REALLY happy with how this little jacket turned out. I used a vintage 1950's pattern for a size 6 months, and made the whole thing out of pre-washed cottons so it would be durable, washable, and not too heavy for the Florida weather. It is a soft sea foam color liked with the mermaid fabric and trimmed with some teal ribbon with gold anchors. I added vintage buttons from my stash for the closure.

This little cotton dress is newborn size and totally reversible. 

It ties at the shoulders and has a little fringy trim along the bottom edge. It took me forever to decide what the two main fabrics should be; since you can see the opposite color when the shoulders are closed, I wanted them to coordinate well.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the swirly pattern on the teal color is actually a shimmery metallic. The striped fabric I used for the pockets on this side was a remnant of the fabric I used for the bias tape straps on the mermaid dress.

I am super excited to hear how the tiny little mermaid costume works out!

I used the same cotton fabric for the tail that I used for the doll, and some scraps of the gold vinyl to make the starfish 'necklace' on the onesie.

I made three little matching elastic headbands, and then gave one of them another little gold starfish.

The icing on the cake was this sweet little mermaid doll. I used scalloped cotton for the tail, and a scrap of stripes for the bikini top. Her skim is an unbleached muslin with machine embroidered facial features (totally baby safe!) and felt hair. I also stitched on one last little gold starfish to mimic the headband I made for the baby. Now I keep hoping for more requests for tiny baby clothes and shoes!

A Colorful Cleveland Engagement Party

My cousin Kim, who also happens to be one of my closest friends, got engaged over Christmas. I knew long before her fiance popped the question that I really wanted to throw her an swanky engagement party, but since we both live in the midwest we decided to hold off on hosting the event until early spring when the weather would be less volatile. It turns out our plan was a good one since both Michigan and Ohio were hit with record breaking low temperatures in the weeks leading up to the event! We lucked out with the weather over the weekend, with highs in the mid 40's and lots of sun.

I always love to have some sort of dramatic photo backdrop at a party, so I hand cut several hundred strips of colorful lame' fabrics that the maid of honor, Erica, then helped me tie onto gold rope to make the garlands we used along with two store-bought banners.

Everything was intended to be vaguely Moroccan themed, so I tried to use as many vibrant colors as possible, using assorted colors and patterns of paper lanterns, and a collection of mercury class candle sticks. 

I intermingled a handful of colored glass apertif' glasses with the candle sticks, and made a table runner out of a beautiful piece of vintage silk fabric.

Since the bride-to-be favors more neutral tones in her home decor, I spiced up her main living areas with colorful pillows, throws and floor poofs from my own home, and a few that I picked up at an estate sale the weekend before the party.

I love the natural light that the couple gets all through the main floor of their home! (For anyone curious, the painting of Lebron James on the dining room wall was done by my cousin Brian, the brother of the bride-to-be.

I am constantly jealous of their working fireplace! This room leads out onto a beautiful screened in porch (that I hope to use for another party someday) and their huge, gorgeous backyard.

The bride made these adorable teacup vases for us to ask us to be her bridesmaids; such a sweet invitation, who could say no?

I'm not a huge fan of being in front of the camera, but here's an action shot of me peeling blood oranges in the kitchen before the party started. 

The salad looked beautiful when it was done! It was a spring mic blend piled with chopped roasted beets, raddichio and blood oranges.

The full menu for the evening was a spiced kettle corn with brown sugar and garam masla, purple carrot sticks with roasted red pepper hummus, the salad mentioned above, baked tandoori chicken, and my favorite moroccan harissa stew with roasted butternut squash and chickpeas, and naan on the side. I also made two pies from my favorite new pie book; a 'salty dog' pie with grapefruit, sea salt and gin, and a vanilla chai pie.

... And here's a picture of the happy couple! I'm so thrilled that my cousin has found the perfect match for her, and was really glad to be a part of helping celebrate their future together! Besides, I always love a good excuse to over decorate and prepare an elaborate meal!

 

New For Spring 2015

Hello friends! 

It's still unbearably cold here in Michigan, but I'm starting to noodle out all of the fun things that will happen in the Woolly Mammoth shop this summer. The two biggest new 'lines' will involve a series of heirloom circus animals made from beautiful vintage fabrics from my stash, and a line of aquatic friends. 

The circus idea is based on a toy I had as a child, that was a quilted drawstring bag that looked like a tent, and had a series of small plush circus animals inside. Sadly, the original disappeared ages ago and I have never been able to locate another one, so I decided to start over and make my own version! 

The tent is a black and white printed cotton, and is fully lined with bright red satin, with a sturdy black denim base. It has stitched 'curtain's across the front, and is large enough to house at least three of any of the animals presented in this line, or could hold a child's sleeping bag rolled up!

The dancing bear is made from a beautiful piece of vintage cream wool, with a denim neck ruffle, and hand embroidered blue silk eyes.

Germaine the giraffe is made from a wonderful piece of printed flannel from the 1950's in bright circus colors. His underbelly is a solid quilting cotton and he has a braided yarn tail, safety eyes, and a fringe-trim mane.

The magpie cuffs are modeled after something I saw at Anthropologie years ago, and couldn't afford. I love sparkly jewelry, and these have been a great way to re-home a lot of the wonderful vintage costume jewelry I've collected over the years that is no longer in functional condition.

Each serene swan is made from a different fabric. They all have plastic safety eyes, weighted bodies to help them sit upright, quilted wings, and feathery beaded trim at the neckline. Each swan comes with its own gold faux leather crown!

The black swan is made from a glossy lightweight vintage brocade with a faint woven feather pattern.

The purple swan is made from a vintage lavender cotton sateen.

The white swan is made from a sturdy vintage cotton velveteen.

I've been having an incredible amount of fun playing with these new sharks! They are both made out of salvage denim from a local supplier here in Kalamazoo. In order to understand their scale, it helps to know that they are photographed in our larger-than-standard bathtub, and lying together they just about fill our full size guest bed!

The hammerhead is made from grey stretch denim with a red satin mouth and vintage button eyes.

The 'mammoth shark' is made of dark blue denim with machine embroidered gills, safety eyes, and a red satin mouth.

I'm having a ton of fun playing with new creatures, and I can't wait to show you more! In the circus line I am working on camels and elephants next, and will also be adding fancy flamingoes, a huge batch os small squids made from recycled sweaters, and hopefully some giant whales made of antique wool!

New for Fall Part One