handsewn – Page 5 – kelly hogaboom

some bitchin’ stitchin’!

May 8, 2012

by kellyhogaboom sewing journal

(or is it “sumbitchin’ stitchin'”? Depends on our mood I guess!)

I’m teaching a beginning embroidery class at Gray’s General Store!

“May 17 4:00pm to 6:00pm, $30. Learn the versatile skill of embroidery with Kelly. She will cover the basics of embroidery and the class will include a project kit of a tea towel, pattern and your color choice of embroidery floss.”

Skills taught: Selecting fabric, thread, needles, & notions; tracing patterns or making your own; stabilizers and hoops; knotless or knotted construction; 5 stitches: stem, running, backstitch, rice stitch, and French knots; pressing and washing.

For more questions call or text me! 360.500.3287

linen casual for spring/summer, Banyan tutorial

May 7, 2012

by kellyhogaboom sewing journal

I have the honor to work with Shelly and Daniela at Figgy’s Patterns and their wonderful garment pattern designs for children and tweens – in this case one of their latest: the Banyan shirt, tunic, pants and shorts. As of this evening, my tutorial for custom-sizing the trousers is live on Figgy’s site.

the pearls slipping from a broken string

April 20, 2012

by kellyhogaboom dailies sewing journal

My son gets up and dresses daily. He hardly ever forgets his pearls. I love he wears these and his Romeos and runs around outside such attired, not batting an eye.

I’m blue. A bit. My children have increasingly independent lives. YES I KNOW, this is the supposed point of parenthood, right? I mean here I am often talking about how wonderfully the kids are growing up and how amazing it is to watch them –

So yeah, I should be glad they’re out with their grandma, or gardening, or visiting, or buying groceries, or playing at parks, or bike-riding, or playing at the railroad tracks to the tune of FILTHY clothes, or making dates with other people (Nels is currently, at 10 PM, off having a movie night with a friend – after a day spent with a series of other friends), or rolling around with cats outside, or buying candy cigarettes or whatever. Life is as it should be if they only come home during the day to wash up and eat, and in the late evening to get their baths and cuddle.

And yet. I miss them. I am having a hard time letting them go. I do let them go, but I feel uneasy during my day. Like I’m supposed to be doing more, working harder, than I am. Like I’m still stuck in their toddlerhood, which was hard on me because I overworked. Despite the kids being super-happy and figuring their shit out just fine I’m sad or anxious. And let’s face it, a little self-absorbed. Because I let my kids go out and about during school hours and many parents don’t let their kids out and about with so much freedom, so yeah sometimes I wonder if they neighbors think I’m a Bad Mom.

Will I ever, ever, ever be free of the drumbeat of Mommy-shaming in our culture? UGH.

I seriously need to practice my mantra until it is deeply, deeply cemented in my heart:

***

Meanwhile – I soldier on with my work. I have two new collections posted at Homesewn: a pair of adorable toddler travelling suits. One is based in tweed and the other in velveteen.

& here’s a sneak preview of my next item – which should be finished tomorrow.

special just FOR YOUUUUU

April 15, 2012

by kellyhogaboom sewing journal

It’s official – I’d like to make a gift-version of Wollen Jas Blauw for your kid. That’s right, your kid. Or a kid you know. The child should be anywhere from very wee (a baby) up until around five years old.

There’s no catch at all; I need to sew a sample and want an end-destination for it.

Since this is custom sewing there are a few things you should know.

1. Make sure you consider the child’s preferences as the number one factor. Maybe YOU like the coat but the kiddo is like, “meh” about coats in general. If the child is age two or up, they likely have preferences about fabrics, warmth, color, and motifs (i.e. the crest on the arm). These preferences may be stated aloud or you may be able to just notice them (as in the case of warmth). The more details you send me the more likely everyone will be happy. A picture of the kiddo is bonus as I can get a feel for colors and temperament, etc.

2. Colors and materials will be at my discretion but again, any input from you is fabulous. I will likely not make up a wool coat for various reasons (mostly because many kids object to wool), but rather a poly fleece one. I would consider a poly fleece coat of this type to be fairly light, good for layering – depending on where you live.

3. The absolutely best thing you could do for me if you’re selected, is get a good, natural-light photo or two of the kiddo in the coat. But this is not something I require, at all… it just makes my day.

Please send me an email at kelly AT hogaboom DOT org if this is a fit for you!

just fine / bling-blong!

April 14, 2012

by kellyhogaboom dailies sewing journal

Check the coat.

You wanna know more about the coat? You can read about it here. My Flickrstream contains many pictures and construction details. I’m happy to share any tips or advice on making one; the pattern inspiration is originally a size 6 months to 5T and good for beginners (if said beginners are cool with asking questions – the directions are quite sparse). I’m thinking about making up a smaller version in a poly fleece. So if you’ve got a size in the toddler region, and an initial, I can make the test garment up FOR YOUUUUUUUU

***

We had a walk today out at Bowerman Basin, as we’ve done many times before. On the way we got talking about survivalist strategies which of course (because we’re weird) soon got to cannibalism and whose body would be most practical to consume. It was all fun and games and laughs until:

Nels’ eyes fill with tears and his cheeks flush. “Mama isn’t even one pound of delicious MEAT!” he yells, suddenly very upset.

I will not bore you with how many million times Nels and Phoenix wanted us to take pictures of the insect life they found. You can check my Flickrstream for an extremely truncated photo series. Bugs this, bugs that. Hey look I found another bug! REALLY.

(more bugs)

A little time perspective out at the boardwalk. Today, 2012:

2010:

2008:

(That last picture is in August… Nels will be blonding up again accordingly.)

At home, a work station – just before finishing the facing back of bound buttonholes, and sewing on all eleven buttons:

call it free

April 10, 2012

by kellyhogaboom dailies

My life could be a little sitcomish, if you squint. Not the sit-coms I watch – well, I kind of don’t watch any. But, kind of silly and down-homey and provincial. Like, this afternoon my kids came and woke me up and they were so kind. I was taking advantage of the kids’ stay-over with my mother – staying in bed until ten or so after a poor night’s sleep. The kids showed up after movies and breakfast of steak and eggs and suchlike their grandma cooks them. (Um, have I mentioned how much it totally works out to live next door to her? It is really, really working out.)

Anyway some time after I get up and shower and pull my shit together, Phoenix cleans her room and I look around for my son while I make tea. I’m not too serious about finding him, as every day I’m half-resigned to the half-private and independent lives the kids often lead during the day. My mom comes over. She’d put out an artificial white Christmas tree on the corner with a “FREE” sign, and looked out the window an hour later to find it gone. All-pleased like she struts over for coffee, to discover the tree on my porch. Delivered by a very satisfied young man in his little suit jacket, I should say. We’re deciding if we’re keeping it, or putting it back on the corner. Nels admits it’s a little early for Christmas, but perhaps we could store it in the garage.

Nels and Phoenix run about outside mostly, later with friends out of school. And by the way, Nels’ four front teeth were recently lost and the new ones are coming in and it’s about a thousand percent adorable. I’ll have to give him an interview on video, for posterity.

I’m sick today – a sore throat. I’ve been laying low and hand-embroidering while watching the kind of television program I do like to watch, mainly really really grim (well it’s either that, or grim but also slapstick). I took the advice of a friend online and rested, and I’m glad for it now that I’ve discovered I’m sick, and my sister is visiting later in the week. A little red meat for dinner, more tea, and back to handsewing and couch-time with family and friends.

look what I can do!

April 5, 2012

by kellyhogaboom dailies sewing journal

A gift for my son, whose turns 8 this Saturday the 7th:

I made two crayon-rollups a while back – and it was well-received by the children. As in, they loved to take them to restaurants along with a notebook or coloring book. The previous versions were made for your typical 16-pack Crayola-style. Today I designed and stitched this up. This version uses 24 fat and (hopefully) high-quality beeswax crayons, as found at Gray’s General Store here in Hoquiam (speaking of which, check it – I’m going to be teaching classes!).

A crayon roll-up featuring not just robots, but also [ <– (look left) ] cleavage. WHAT COULD BE BETTER?! Not much.

Embroidery … so my Little Guy knows it’s just for him.

Robots (I have a teeny tiny bit of fabric left from the Ready Set Robot shirt):

So what say ye, readers? Should I bust my hump putting together a tutorial? Eh…