Bel Esprit

NEW BLOG ADDRESS!!

Yikes, I downgraded my typepad account and got a new, funny background!  Anyway I'm posting at a new address now: 

http://belespritcreates.blogspot.com

It's been a busy few months, but I have lots to share, so stay tuned!  x

little green hat for a big girl!

 
I went to take a picture of Chloe in the hat I just finished... and not only was the hat a little too small for her, but I noticed -- MY god! She's had a growth spurt! She's looking so grown up...

 
 
This hat is for a baby... and my baby is no longer a baby. She's a little girl! I think I'd better jump back into some of my sewing projects soon - or the patterns I've been meaning to use will no longer fit her! I came back from the States with an amazing stash of fabric - my mom and I had a ball at the fabric stores, and raiding her sewing room too. I'll start first thing tomorrow. The only question is, which of these lovely fabrics will I choose?!

 

trick or treat!

 
Or in this case, trick AND treat!

I know, I'm a few days late but I couldn't help myself, it suits today's lunch so well! It's been two months now that Chloe has almost totally refused vegetables along with just about everything else that's not a breakfast food. I was starting to worry, despite everything I've read about how it's "normal" at this age for them to suddenly become picky - even the most hearty eaters (like my little one). She's still eating, but it's down to porridge, toast, beans, and fruit. Everything else gets thrown on the floor with a look of disgust. She went so far as to actually cry when she mistook a mouthful of celeriac mash for porridge - Boy, was I in trouble for that one! I don't mean to make a mountain out of a molehill, it's just that I believe a healthy diet equals a happier disposition and I don't want her to feel yucky and irritable if she doesn't have to.

What to do? Yesterday I had a clever thought. Chloe LOVES the idea of drinking tea. She's used to seeing us grown-ups drink it and now and then I make her a cup of herbal tea so that she can partake in the ritual. She gets very excited about it. One of my cookbooks has a great cold remedy recipe for babies. It's basically home-made veggie broth. I made it, poured it into the ice cube tray for freezing, and I've been mixing the ice cubes with water from the kettle to make warm "tea" for Chloe. Yippeee! She is drinking her vitamins. And I kid you not, I can see the difference already. Ah. Happy happy day!

In case anyone else out there is dealing with this issue, here's the recipe (it's from the Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes):

1 Quart Cold Water, 1 Cup Cauliflower Florets, 1 Cup Broccoli Florets, 1 Cup Carrots (cut into rounds), 1 cup Dandelion Greens (rinsed and roughly chopped)

Place water and veggies in a pot and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 1 hour. Strain out veg and there you have it - veggie broth. (veg can be reserved to use, mash or whatever you like)

note: of course you can substitute. I can't find dandelion greens around here, so I used a bag of baby spinach, and I used parsnip in place of cauliflower, but really just chop up all your random veg and put it in the pot and that'll do!

Oh, and am I a convert, or what?! Look at my lunch today - the only thing missing is the blood puddin'

 

 

 

 

 

chocolate covered cherry cap and mitts

 

...I've been waiting for a chance to try out the pom-pom maker I scored at a yard sale last year for 25 cents! Love it.

Cutie-Pie in the cap:

 

 

 

back in the UK...

I haven't abandoned my blog, it's only that I've been crocheting like a mad-woman! I have totally broken my rule about completing a project before I begin a new one - as a matter of fact, I'm working on about five different crochet projects at once right now - ACK! But Christmas is coming, the weather is chilly and wet - We're all in need of scarves, gloves, hats, and all those adorable, crochetable things, right? I have no choice but to sit back, relax, and crochet! *insert contented sigh*

 

reunited and it feels so good!

 

I didn't realize how much I missed crochet until I came to visit my family in the States this past week and had a chance to hang with my mom at Knit 'n Crochet Night -  where I crocheted for the first time in almost a year! 

  

 

Chloe's new hat...

 

 

And a teeny teddy in progress:

 

 

 

 

tea, anyone?

Let's take a moment to admire the shoes...

Oh so beautiful - found at Junkee Vintage and Antiques in Reno... for six bucks! I nearly tripped over myself trying to get to the counter to pay for them before some other lucky girl took notice. 

The dress still needs hemming and the zipper put in place, but other than that, it's ready to wear and all that I hoped it would be.

 
 
  

attaching the piping to the bodice

I've been at work on the bodice and it's coming out well so far - I just LOVE this fabric so much! 

The seam allowance of the piping and the bodice meet at the edge - on the outside (right side) of the bodice:

Use your zipper foot to sew the piping onto the garment (below: I've pinned piping to the armhole as well as the neck - that's why you see piping running parallel - I'm sewing the shoulder).

Here's what it looks like once the piping is in place - along with the lining (also in pale pink cotton).

 

 

piping for the tea dress

What you need to make your own piping:

• A length of cord
• Your fabric of choice
• Tape measure
• Meter stick or yard stick (or ruler of some sort)
• Fabric pencil
• Rotary blade
• Cutting board
• Sewing machine with zipper foot
• Pins and scissors

You will be cutting strips of fabric to create your piping. To determine how wide your strips of fabric must be, you need to measure the circumference of your cording.

Add to this measurement 2 x seam allowance you need. For instance, the circumference of my cord is 1/2 inch and I want 1/2 inch seam allowance -- so my strips will need to be 1 1/2 inches wide.

The strips of fabric must be cut on the bias. Why cut on the bias? When you cut on the bias (45 degree angle) the fabric has more stretch to it and you want your piping to bend and flow around the curves of your body and the garment. In case you are like me and forget every bit of math you learn the moment you pass the exam, here's what a 45 degree angle looks like.

Lay your fabric evenly on your cutting board (with the selvedges horizontal) and use your rotary blade to cut the strips at the 45 degree angle in the width you calculated. Cut as many strips as (once sewn together) will give you the length of piping you need.  You can use your fabric pencil to mark your lines before you cut. 

 

Once your strips are cut you are going to attach them to one another. Start by squaring off the ends.

Attach the ends at a right angle and sew from corner to corner (pic: I have pins across where you want to sew).

Here is what they look like once the ends are sewn together from corner to corner:

 

Once your pieces are attached to your desired length place the cording inside, fold over evenly, and pin.

Use your zipper foot to sew along side the cording. Be sure not to push or pull on your fabric as it feeds through the machine - it's bias cut and can easily stretch making your stitching uneven.

And that's it!

little pink tea dress

I love this pattern.

 

 

 

I made dress B last summer and, although it needs a little taking in now (I had Chloe just 6 months before I made it), it's still one of my favourite dresses!

 

I made my own piping for this one, and it was so worth it. I checked the shops and they had white and yellow but I really wanted to bring out either the lilac or the gray-blue color in the dress. I ended up using a gray-blue cotton fabric. Here's a close-up of the piping:

I have some beautiful pink vintage fabric I've been waiting for a chance to use

 
and my mom suggested ages ago that dress E from this pattern would be nice in it - I think she's absolutely right - so here I go!

Piping: making my own again - this time in a very pale pink. I'll give a little tutorial on making piping as I go.