Big, Beautiful Spring comments: 138

The weather has been unbelievably gorgeous. This is perfect weather: Sunny, smooth, in the seventies, a bit of a breeze but only in lovely, dress-fluttering way. Mellow-yellow days. This has been the best spring weather I can ever remember. We haven't really had time to clean up the yard, even. And already the hydrangea (that's climbing hydrangea, on my fountain wall) has fully leafed out, and everything else looks fat and lush and happy. I think I actually have to water some of my wine-barrel hydrangeas already. That's unprecedented!

We've had kind of a quiet week, with sore throats and runny noses moving from one of us to the next. I'm last. I've been cooking and knitting generally laying low. Walking around the neighborhood a lot, especially in the mornings and the late afternoons. This morning Amelia and I saw a woman walking a baby (pygmy?) goat on a leash. Down a very busy street. Awesome. Everyone's yard is gushing greens. Everything smells so nice. The scent of cut grass is in the air. Lilac. Roses are starting to bloom already. This little pearly pink one sits on our woodshed. The bush that has probably been here eighty years. I put up a rosebud hair clip tutorial on my web site. Good for using up your extra felt scraps!

I made myself a dinner bowl last night of jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock and coconut water, black beans from this recipe, corn salad (I just used frozen corn) from this recipe, and a whole avocado. I would've added some shrimp but we didn't have any. It was pretty good, not great. Fresh corn would've been a major improvement. I like the concept of a dinner bowl. I think I'm going to start looking for recipes that go in a bowl. (Especially since I just bought myself a really pretty Japanese bowl with a lid on it this morning. Inspiration.) Rice, quinoa, noodles. Those are fast and good. I need a plan . . . that happens in bowls. And is not soup. Do you have any favorite bowl-food recipes?

There's always ice-cream bowl. In a pinch. I've done that.

Spring Mish-Mash comments: 102

Oh, it's been a busy week here. I don't know where the time goes. Amelia is a busy lady these days! Not too interested in napping today. I personally would like nothing better than for someone to zip me into a polar-fleece sleepsack, turn out the lights, and beg me to sleep for two hours in the middle of the day. But. The weather has been cold and cloudy and I am secretly glad — I so much want to finish my indoor chores before the nice weather comes for good. Once it comes, we'll be busy in a different way. An outside, woods-and-water, flower-field way. Out of the house. That's my plan.

I made broken up lasagna noodles with chicken and mushroom ragu from this recipe last night and it was very good. I added a big blob of whole-milk ricotta cheese to mine and I really recommend that. Andy is not down with ricotta. For me, I would say it's in my top-five favorite foods. Along with tapioca pudding, avocados, asparagus, and . . . maybe . . . fish tacos. Or sour-cream apple pie. It has to be whole-milk ricotta, though. The part-skim stuff tastes, to me, like a completely different kind of cheese.

I'm working on the bunny shirt and pants pattern, and the knitting patterns. The yarn is Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport weight, and it's what I am using to design all of the bunny knits (and, eventually, bunny crochets). I've ordered yarn balls so that we can carry this yarn in my web shop. If you got in on the first round of kits, this is the yarn that was in the kit (and it will be in the second round). It's my new favorite yarn. I looked at a lot of different yarns before deciding what to use. I like this one because it's 100% wool, comes in a really nice palette (though I have to say they could use a few more pinks/peaches, in my opinion), has a slight halo, but knits up to have a very matte sort of look to it, which is exactly what I wanted. Rustic. I don't like shiny yarns. After blocking, it's actually really soft but still holds its shape very well. I think we'll have about fifteen colors in the shop. My plan is to make everything available — kits, patterns, yarn, new size #18 needles (which I use for threading the elastic around the neck of the peasant dress) — all at the same time. Not sure yet exactly when that will be but I will keep you posted. Our dress fabric still hasn't come in yet. Greta's pulling floss right now and is about halfway done, and Martha's winding yarn. If these kits don't sell, I'll be making Amelia and myself entire wardrobes made entirely of five Liberty prints and sport-weight-wool. Which I think I could get on board with, but still. Don't leave me.

Isn't that little animal ABCs poster so adorable? Andy's mom got it for me for my birthday from this Etsy shop. Her friend also Brenda made that darling pink hooded sweater that Amelia is wearing. It finally fits her perfectly and . . . oh my dear me . . . how adorable are babies in hoodies????? (***The pattern is here [though she modified it to include the garter button band] and the yarn is Plymouth Encore. Thank you Brenda!!!)

Which also reminds me: The Maggie knits are a dress, a raglan, sweater, and the garter hoodie. Bunny in a hoodie. Now I'm typing with one hand or I would link to the photos I've posted in the past months of the prototypes. As it is I feel fairly accomplished today just spelling prototypes out (now twice, and added parentheses! and spelled parentheses!) with one finger. Some days that feels like miracle enough!

***Have you ever seen a dog look at anyone with more deliberate skepticism than this, by the way? She's like, "Yah, yer nuts." I know. (She's teaching it to the baby.)

***Forgot to say, I'll also have those tiny buttons that are on the little shirt in the shop. I think we're getting ten different colors of those, too.

Spring Things comments: 142

They say there is snow covering 50% of the country right now. Eeeesh. Here in northwest Oregon, I think we're having classic spring weather: one day warm, one day sunny, one day sunny and cold, one day cloudy and warm, one day hail, one day a golden sunset that warms you right through your skin. Amelia and I have been out walking every day. The neighborhood looks so very pretty right now. All of the plums and pear trees are in bloom. The daffodils are out, and many camellias. Grape hyacinths. Magnolias just starting to bud. Today it was chilly and rainy and so we went to the mall. It's warm, it's dry, it has flat surfaces, lots of food and things to drink, big doors (and occasionally people will even hold them for you — you can tell which ones have ever had to maneuver a stroller through a door and which ones haven't), elevators, and cute clothes. On a cloudy March day, what's not to love. Amelia enjoys going anywhere. Everywhere. I love being out with her.

We have ordered all of the supplies we need for the next round of Maggie kits, and the felt has already come in. Greta is back in the studio folding felt as I write. We are making twice as many kits this time, but will only have five dress/yarn options available — four new fabrics, as well as the original Betsy (and by the way, the names of the fabric and yarn that I used? Those are the names the manufacturers [Liberty and Brown Sheep, respectively] gave them, so if you're in love with something you can definitely Google it to find more somewhere). I think the new dress-fabric options are gorgeous. I can't remember the names offhand, but I will take a photo of the samples so you can see the prints. So, Greta is working steadily to put the kits together, but we aren't rushing these. Rushing just doesn't work for me these days. We are going to do them at a more reasonable pace that works for all of us here. So, I'm not sure exactly when they'll be done but it might be about a month. Unfortunately, no, there is no waiting list, and I don't take pre-orders. But I will keep you posted here on our progress and let you know when the new kits will be available!

I have gotten a lot of emails from people who have already finished Maggies, either from the kit or the pattern, and they are seriously ADORABLE. So, so sweet! (My in-box these days is just utter chaos. I'm kind of coming to terms with the idea that I will just never get to it all, which feels weird, but it is the reality, so I really do apologize.) But I have started a Pinterest board for Maggie photos. If you post a photo of your Maggie to your own Pinterest boards, you can send me the Pin and I'll repin it to this board. Or you can send me the link to images on your own blog and I'll pin it for you. Or you can send me the photo and the photo credit/blog info and I'll upload it directly to the board. If you send me a photo but you DON'T want me to Pin it, just tell me, and I won't (of course). But I do love seeing them because they each have their own personalities, and a little gallery would look so cute!

I'm also still working on alternate patterns, and I'll keep you posted on those, too. I'm just trying to do everything at my own pace, so that's kind of a slow pace right now.

(Did you see my Steiff teddy bear on the window seat? I got him when I was a baby. I love him. He's very gorgeous. A true gentleman.)

I made the scarf (and her little navy sweater), but I bought the handwarmers from Sandra Juto last year, and I love them and wear them almost every day.

My mom has a dragonfly tattoo on her wrist. 'Cause she's cool like that.

How I love hanging out with Mimi in her big-girl room. In the afternoons, when the sun starts setting through those windows, sitting on the big bed, with our pets nearby (always nearby), reading stories to this beautiful baby girl . . . well . . . you know . . . nowhere else on earth. Nowhere else in the whole wide world do I ever want to be. My happy place.

Little Leaves and Petals comments: 182

Mimi (that's what we call her at home) is five months old. Five big, beautiful, blessed, extraordinary, wonderful months. Oh how I love this girl, her smiles and her moods, her dimples and chubby hands and chunky thighs, her open-mouthed kisses and her hands on my face, trying to get my nose into her mouth. Her voice and her calls. Her sighs and little snores and her loud hollers and her chuckles when something's funny. Her floppy hair and her big, deep eyes and her big, warm cheeks. Her breath on my chest, her hand flung out, her hand tangled in my hair. I love her wonder, and her pleasure, and her heavy head on my chest as we sit in the window seat and find the sky. Always the sky. Dearest, dearest, dearest, dearest girl. My dream of dreams.

Six-to-twelve-month clothes! We need 'em. I bought a bunch of sewing patterns, both new and vintage, over the weekend. Very excited. The vintage patterns from the '70s make me crazy nostalgic. In looking through them on Etsy and eBay I see so many things that my mother made for me. I bought some of them to make for Amelia someday. Vintage patterns generally don't have several sizes included; they have one size. Maybe when she's six I'll make her the prairie maxi-dress and bonnet in pink calico, just like mine.

There are a lot of really nice designers making very pretty patterns out there right now! This weekend I got patterns from Oliver + S, Sis Boom, Sew Sweet, Lily Bird Studio, and Brownie Goose. And there are a ton more designers on Etsy. It's really fun just looking through everything that's out there. Who else should I check out?

*I made her blouse out of Liberty "Boxford" Tana Lawn and this pattern from Citronille, and her hat is here :)

Thank You comments: 256

Whew! Hello!

How are you?

It's a cold, rainy morning, so dark in the house I need all my little lamps on to see. Andy has the day off and is at the park with Clover Meadow and Miss Amelia. I'm sitting in the studio, eating breakfast and drinking orange juice. The rain is plinking on the skylights. I feel, I am quite sure, quite, quite ready for spring. It seems far off today!

Thank you again for your Miss Maggie orders! It always emotional for me to go through all of the orders and see everyone's names and addresses, and read all of the sweet notes people leave, and think about where all of these kits that we've worked on for months and which have become part of all of our lives here are going. Around the world. It's amazing to me. It brings me so much happiness. More than I probably remember to say. Thank you for that, and for being here all of these years, through many things. Today is actually the fifteenth anniversary of my accident. Posie was just my dream then. I had a lot of dreams then. I cried because I didn't think many of them would come true. Andy always believed that they would. He sees where I am trying to go before I ever do, and is already helping me get there before I even know I'm standing. He's pulled me to my feet more times that I can possibly count, and probably many more times than I've even realized. And then I go forward.

A most amazing man. My love. Greatest partner in life, and the greatest father. Most beautiful, fun, creative, kind, generous person I've ever known. Andy.

Miss Maggie Rabbit comments: 163

***UPDATE, 3/1/13 at 6:53 p.m.: I am so sorry but the kits have just sold out. I know people are going to be really disappointed and I sincerely apologize. They went faster than I ever anticipated and I just really apologize if you didn't get to order one. We will be making more but not in time for you to make them for Easter. Thank you so much to everyone who ordered these kits. I'm truly overwhelmed. Please stay tuned and I will update you as to when we will have more kits (later this spring, hopefully in March)! This is a kit I want to keep permanently in my shop, so although we will need some time to make more, we will make more!!!

If you would like a digital PDF pattern to download, they are available HERE.

Aw, here she is! Miss Maggie Rabbit. Well, her parts and pieces, at least. If you'd like to buy a kit to make her, her dress, her capelet, and her boots that can be arranged. First, though, you must decide which dress fabric (and coordinating yarn) you'd like. There are twelve to choose from:

Pretty, no? I think so.

Now, to make Miss Maggie Rabbit, her dress, her boots, and her capelet, this kit includes:

For Maggie:

• Two 6" x 7" (15cm x 18cm) pieces of National Nonwovens wool-blend felt in color #WCF2612 Sandstone 
• Two 6" x 9" (15cm x 23cm) pieces of National Nonwovens wool-blend felt in color #WCF2612 Sandstone
• One 4" x 5" (10cm x 13cm) piece of Liberty Tana Lawn cotton in Eloise (Pink)

For her dress:

• Two 9" x 14" (23cm x 36cm) pieces of Liberty Tana Lawn cotton
• One yard (91cm) elastic thread

For her boots:

• One 5" x 8" (13cm x 20cm) piece of National Nonwovens wool-blend felt in color #TOY2616 Havana Gold

For her capelet:

• 40 yards (10g) of Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport-weight yarn
• Three colors of 6-ply DMC cotton embroidery floss: #647 (Tan), #3021 (Dark Brown), and #823 (Navy)

 As well as:

• Stitching instructions with photos
• Embroidery tutorial
• Knitting pattern
  
• Pattern templates
  

You will need to have your own:

• Size US5 (3.75mm) knitting needles
• Size #5 embroidery needle for stitching rabbit
• Size #18 darning needle for elastic thread
• Water-erase fabric marker
• Paper scissors, sharp fabric scissors, and sharp-tipped embroidery scissors
• Sewing machine and thread to match dress fabric
• Iron and ironing board
• Wool batting and hemostats for stuffing Maggie
• Pink stamp pad and small, short-bristled paintbrush
• Spray starch, and spray bottle with water

Now that you know all that (I just wanted to make sure you knew all that), here is the link!

MISS MAGGIE RABBIT SOFTIE KIT, $34

And if you have your own supplies and you'd like only a downloadable digital PDF pattern (a link to which will be made immediately available to you upon completion of payment), it is available HERE.

Here are some other things I wanted to tell you:

• Miss Maggie is a special bunny, and not meant to be played with by unsupervised babies or small children who might swallow her boots or her capelet, or chew off an ear or a leg. Please use your judgement and watch your baby or child carefully when they are playing with handmade softies, or any toys with smaller parts.

• As I mentioned last week, there is not nor will there be a separate pattern or a kit for a boy bunny. But you can easily make a boy bunny from this pattern (or the kit) by leaving off the blushy cheeks and lining the ears with a more boyish fabric (stripes, plaid, gingham, polka-dots) of your own. I am developing new patterns for pants, sweaters, shirts, and other garments for both Maggie and her brother bunnies that will be available separately as downloadable PDFs. I'm not promising that they will be available before Easter, though. I'll try, but I can't promise.

• Unfortunately, I cannot make any substitutions for yarn or fabrics included in the kits. They are all completely assembled down to the last piece of fabric, and we are ready to ship immediately. As I develop new knitting patterns, I will be offering skeins of the yarn I've used for the garments in my shop. I'll be carrying over a dozen colors so there will be plenty of choices there. I won't be carrying fabric separately. Only kits, patterns, and yarn.

• The bunny and boots are completely hand-sewn with 2-plies of embroidery floss and blanket stitch (this is a great tutorial). The dress is machine-sewn, with a row of running stitches at the neckline and cuffs to gather. The capelet is knitted in garter stitch with short rows (and for these short rows, I just turn the work and start knitting back — no wrapping or anything else). Very easy. It's hard for me to say whether this is a good project for every beginner, but, you know — it's a softie, not national defense, so my best advice these days is just give it a try and have fun with it! Just relax and practice and enjoy it.

Okay, I think that's it. If there are more questions about bunny kits, please leave them in the comments and I will come back and answer them here. If you have general questions about ordering, shipping, shipping overseas, etc., please check my FAQ page.

Thank you again for all of your sweetness and enthusiasm for this little darling. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Thank you. Xoxoxo

***Please take a few moments to make sure you are putting everything you want to order in your cart, and that you have your correct address listed. The only way I can change your order once it's been placed is to cancel/refund it and have you place a new one with the correct items. My system does not allow me to modify or add to orders once they've been placed. Thank you!!!

 

Making Progress comments: 164

Okay. Hi. How are you guys?

Bread. Make it!

Really, you've gotta make it! It's so easy and so good.

Bunnies. Yay for little bunnies! I'm getting a lot of questions about them which I'll try to answer here. Here's where we are: We (and when I say "we" I mean mostly the amazing Greta) are still in the process of preparing all of the materials that will go into the kits. We're planning to start assembling them next week. The kit will include a printed pattern (with instructions and templates), all the felt you need to make the bunny and the boots, embroidery floss, dress fabric, ear fabric, yarn for knitting the capelet, and elastic (to finish the dress). Once all of the kits are completely assembled (it will probably take the whole week), I will put them in the web shop and make an announcement here on the blog. ***UPDATE, 2/26/13: We are making really good progress on assembling the kits, and I'm hoping to put them on sale in the web shop on Friday, March 1. Thank you! There will be twelve different dress fabrics (with coordinating yarn for capelets). This will probably be a kit that we will try to keep permanently stocked in the web shop, but the dress fabrics will definitely be changing once these particular ones are sold out, so if you want a particular dress, don't wait too long. We do ship overseas. There will be a downloadable PDF pattern released at the same time that the kits are released for those of you that already have materials — and materials lists will be posted in the web shop so you can see what you need before you purchase either the kit or pattern only.

I'm hopelessly in love with this bunny, whose name, by the way, is Maggie Rabbit. This pattern (and kit) that we are working on right now will only include instructions (and supplies) to make the bunny herself, a dress, a capelet (yes, you need to know how to knit, or find someone who can), and the boots (all pictured here). But I have many more clothes planned. Like, a lot of clothes planned. I can't help it. This little blue knitted dress? I designed and made it over the weekend and it made me very happy. I expect it will be the first in a line of items all designed to fit this bunny. Those patterns will all be available (as I design them, one at a time) only as downloadable PDFs, and we will stock the yarn and most likely the fabrics separately, so you can pick and choose just the ones you want. My plan is to have crocheted things, boy-bunny things, more knitted things, and a basic wardrobe of sewn things.

I expect I'll have the blue dress pattern ready in a few weeks. But I want to finish these kits first, and get them out the door.

What is perfect about this for me right now is that I do all the design while sitting on the chaise lounge with Amelia sleeping between my legs. I don't have a lot of time to get into the studio (though she does like to sit in her bouncy seat in there — skylights!!!), so tiny clothes are things to work such great things to work on out in the living room. My sweet muse is just so inspiring! I have a million ideas for things I want to make for her. She already loves to play with Maggie. I bought her a vintage doll closet thing and some tiny hangers on Etsy the other day, because she will need it!!! Anyway, it's so much fun.

We also got her the cutest little play gym (that's what they call them, I guess — this is the one we got) last week. It's kind of amazing, because last week she was just sort of looking at it. And this week she is completely into it. Now she reaches for it, talks to it, calls to it, makes bubbles at it, bats at it, laughs at it, tries to roll over under it, looks at herself in the little "mirror" thing. It happens so fast. Every week, every day, she can do something she couldn't do the day before. It is so exciting. Her favorite toy is still her burp cloth ("burpie"). And her dress. She likes to hold the hem of her shirt or her dress in her hand. Everything she does fascinates me.

Let me know if you have any bunny kit questions and I'll come back and answer them here, okay? Thank you!

*The bunny and boots are completely hand-sewn with 2-plies of embroidery floss and blanket stitch (this is a great tutorial). The dress is machine-sewn, with a row of running stitches at the neckline and cuffs to gather. The capelet is knitted in garter stitch with short rows (and for these short rows, I just turn the work and start knitting back — no wrapping or anything else). Very easy.

*There will not be a separate pattern or kit for a boy bunny, but you can easily make this bunny into a boy bunny by changing the ear fabric (just use something less flowery, like stripes or gingham or polka dots) and leaving off the blushy cheeks. There will be boy clothes — pants and a shirt and a sweater and overalls — coming soon.

***UPDATE, 2/26/13: We are making really good progress on assembling the kits, and I'm hoping to put them on sale in the web shop on Friday, March 1. Thank you!

Wonderful Day comments: 241

Such a nice birthday! The weather was absolutely balmy. We went for a long walk around the neighborhood. I tried to make a cake just like this one, but I used  Cloudburst Frosting instead of the two frostings she recommended, and I think hers was much prettier! It tasted great, though. Andy made dinner for me. My mom and sister came for the morning. I got lots of lovely messages and cards and presents (though I can't imagine any better present than Amelia). Thank you for all of your kind wishes!!! It was a wonderful day.

I'm very tired! We had some construction here last week and through most of the weekend. All of the carpet came out of the stairwell and the upstairs landing and the guest room (which will be Amelia's room when she moves out of her nursery). Under the carpet was beautiful hardwood flooring that had been covered for many years. The contractor (Jozo of Euro Masonry) installed all of this gorgeous wainscoting through the stairwell, as well as trim around the stairs. It was a lot of work but he did an amazing job. I love it so much. Everything still needs to be painted (this white that you see is just the primer), and the stair risers need primer and paint. But it feels like this is how the stairwell was truly meant to be, and that feels really good. I love doing good things for this old house. Construction starts next week on the wall of built-ins and the window seat for Amelia's room. I'm really excited about it. I'll take more photos of the hallway once it's painted properly. The light in the house is incredibly dark — the skies are dark, the clouds are dark, the days feel quite dim from morning until night. I have so many little lamps and electric candles on throughout the day, from early morning until we go up at night. Ah, winter.

*Her bonnet is Little Heaume on Ravelry. I need to make an entry for that — sorry! Here is my link!

Merry Bright comments: 244

*** Wishing you all a peaceful and joyous Christmas, filled with everything and everyone you love. ***

With much love and best wishes from us here,
The Paulson Family: Andy, Alicia, Amelia, Clover Meadow, and the Queen Bee

Early Light comments: 152

Baby Santa Lucia. She is Norwegian by birth, Swedish and Italian by adoption. What a little love. She looks like she's fake sleeping in that last photo, and she is. She was up almost all day yesterday. That's only happened once before — usually she is a very reliable napper. She chuckled out loud to herself at one point. I burst out laughing. I think that's the first time that I've really seen her actually laughing. It was quite fleeting — like a big smile that got so big it made a noise and then turned into something else. It was awesome. I hope she does it again today!

*I made her dress from this pattern (it's in French, sorry!), and her shoes were made by a local designer called Little Deer many years ago (I used to carry them in my shop, when I had it, but I don't think she's making them anymore). I made the chevron blanket from this pattern. I don't know why I never put that on Ravelry. I should do that! :)