a patchwork world

Thrift Thursday - Another Mt. Rainier

2012-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

I found this painting of Mt. Rainier today:

It's a little different than the one I found 3 months ago but I like it just as much. Erik looked at it quizzically and said, "Didn't you already get a painting of Mt. Rainier?" to which I responded, "Yes! And now I have another one." Then he looked at it closely and said "Eh, I think you could paint a better one." Critic! I still like it. In fact, I think I've found a new thing to collect - original oil paintings of Mt. Rainier that end up at thrift stores. The hunt is on...

Save the Owls

2012-01-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

I made this pincushion the other day:

I found the ceramic owl and trunk vase at Value Village and though I try to avoid acquiring knick-knacks at thrift stores, this guy spoke to me. It was something to the effect of , "Whoo whooo... hey yooou... take me home and make me into something newww!" So I did.

It originally held a tiny bouquet of ugly fake flowers which I immediately tossed. I filled the empty trunk with beans and hot glue to give it weight and attached a plush patchwork sphere on the top.

I also made this guy...

Who who whooo needs a place to put their pins? They'll be flying into my Etsy shop soon.

Mosaic Inspiration

2012-01-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight I got elected to our neighborhood's Homeowners Association Board. I also gave an impromptu presentation about a grant I am applying for to build a community-based art installation/mural in our neighborhood park.

"The Children's Park," as it's called, is a small clearing in the wooded area of our neighborhood with a playground, benches, and a picnic table. It's nothing fancy, but we love it. The kids have spent a lot of time on the swings and monkey bars and merry-go-round and I have spent a lot of time on this bench talking to the other moms and dads. It's where we first met the people we now call friends.

In the Renton Reporter last year I saw an article about how our city was offering grants for neighborhood projects. Inspired by a trip we took to Vashon Island where I saw a library playground decorated with brightly colored mosaics, I started talking up an idea to do a similar project in our park in the form of a mural underneath the park bench. The idea has evolved to possibly include marbles, small tiles or pottery pieces, stones, hand prints, and small toys, rocks, or broken dishware from as many people in our neighborhood as we can convince to get involved. The other night I Googled phrases like "park mural," "marble mosaic," "handprints," and "toys in cement" to create a sort of vision board to share with people and send in with my grant proposal. Here it is:

I presented it to our homeowners association meeting tonight, feeling a bit presumptuous being a newbie to the neighborhood and proposing a big colorful change to a place where others in the room have lived for 35+ years. But they seemed to like it! Also, unbeknownst to me, one of the people in charge of determining the grant awards happened to be in the room, and she seemed to LOVE it. I'm starting to think we might actually DO THIS. Every day I walk past that grassy spot and and try to envision a mosaic in it's place. I can't wait to see it for real.

Jack & Jill - Your Favorite Band!

2012-01-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

McKenna told me she wants to be a rock star when she grows up (in addition to pilot, ballet teacher, and hair stylist.) Last month when we were visiting the Experience Music Project at the Seattle Center she saw a recorded performance of Gwen Stefani singing with No Doubt on the the huge screen in the lounge. Her eyes were wide and she looked at me and said, "I want to do that." Yesterday she asked me a profound question, "How do I get people to give me money to sing and dance on a stage?" I told her that's the thing grown ups always try to figure out - how to get people to give you money to do the things you love. That didn't answer her question though, so I told her if she just keeps doing what she loves and never stops, she will find herself in places with stages and she'll sing and dance and people will notice.

She and Erik started a band. It's called Jack & Jill. He's Jack, she's Jill. He plays guitar and she sings and bangs on one of the many instruments we have in our music chest - drums, triangle, kazoo, various shakey things. They perform covers of Three Little Birds by Bob Marley, Day-O by Harry Belafonte, punk versions of Mother Goose rhymes and originals like Flowers Everywhere, a song McKenna made up. Their first album, coming someday, is called Jack & Jill -- Your Favorite Band!

Truth be told, they really just make a bunch of noise that gives me a headache so I usually hightail it outta there and let them have their daddy/daughter time. Every now and then Sage and I are summoned to the rec room for concerts, which often culminates in Erik going off on some screaming guitar riff and McKenna shouting, "JACK! STOP THE MUSIC! STOP THE MUSIC JACK!!"

This summer, I found this circa 1970s sweatshirt for a dollar at a garage sale and had to get it for her.

It was a bit boring though, so this past week I turned it into something more her style.

They're my favorite band.

Even more resolutions...

2012-01-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

Oof! It's been 9 days since I made my blog resolution to write at least 10 blog posts a month this year. Luckily, there are 9 days left in this month, so I still have time to do it. There are lots of things I want to do this year. Here are a few:

1. Focus more on kokoleo custom work - personalized pieces, custom plush, sundresses, monster pants, skirts, special commissions.Although it is a bit more work to custom-make an item on demand, I've found that my favorite kokoleos are those where I've make a connection with the client and involved them in the process.

2. Continue to make random one-of-a-kinds in my downtime.

3. Revamp my website.

4. Update Etsy weekly.

5. Social network better. Offer special monthly sales to Facebook fans. Be a better Twitterer.

5. Seek out new selling venues - shops, shows, etc.

6. Open a new Etsy shop to sell some of the weird and awesome vintage and handmade goodness I find at thrift stores.

7. Become more involved in the Seattle craft scene. I feel like a nobody here and it's my own fault - I haven't applied to many shows or attended many events. I miss the crafty camraderie I had in L.A.

8. Write more, and for other websites and publications.

9. Teach a local craft class for kids.

10. Do all these things wholeheartedly, sincerely, and without apprehension.

My 2012 blog resolution...

2012-01-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! (that started 2 weeks ago). One of my resolutions was to blog at least 10 times a month this year. It didn't seem like too difficult a task when I resolved it but now it's 14 days into January and I haven't blogged a bit. It's not too late to start, right? Let's see if I can do it.

I Am The Eggman

2011-12-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I mentioned I'd have a few more eggs ornaments to share. This afternoon I whipped out the glitter and nail polish and googly eyes and felt and fake fur and went nuts on one little egg. A little too nuts apparently, because I broke it.

It was meant to be a goldfish, complete with a tinier googly-eyed fish inside, but attempting to attach a side fin did him in and my thumb broke through. Oh well, such is the peril of working in a fragile medium. That ornament I made for Sage the other day? Here was first attempt:

D'oh! But my snowman, I'm pleased to say, came out just as I planned. Here's how...

First, I made a felt top hat. Here are the pieces:

Fold the rectangle and stitch up the edge where the two sides meet.

Place the smaller circle on top and stitch it all the way around. If you're not adept on the sewing machine, this part might be better done by hand.

Next, turn your hat top right side out and place on top of your larger circle. Using black thread, stitch it together all the way around.

Cut a hole underneath and stuff it with fiberfill.

You could always just skip that part and have a hatless snowman though. The main things you need for this project are 3 eggs and some hot glue.

I painted the eggs with white iridescent nail polish to add some strength and make them shimmer.

After I stuffed them with some fiberfill (it gives a little extra something for the glue to stick to), I glued the eggs together at the edges.

I covered the first glue ring with a felt scarf for his neck, then painted over the second glue-ring with the white iridescent nail polish.

Then I carefully poked holes in his sides, squirted in some glue, and inserted some sticks from a tree in the yard. I poked a hole in his face for a carrot nose (1/4 of a toothpick painted orange) and with black sequins, gave him eyes, a mouth, and buttons. Behold, Frosty the Eggman!

There must have been some magic in that carton of eggs I found.

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter... wait, what?

2011-12-13T11:28:00.001-08:00

Years ago around Easter I wrote a blog post about artist June Hoffman and the art of Eggeury. In that post I talked about the Christmas ornaments my dad's secretary made for us out of eggs. I always found those fascinating and I think of them every year when we get out our ornaments to hang on the tree. Today I searched for "Christmas Eggs" on Etsy and compiled this treasury:

(Click on the picture to go to Etsy and see the artists' other work.)

I love the painstaking detail in each of them and the fact that they've elevated eggs from compost fodder to fragile keepsake. Since the ornaments my dad's secretary made are all at my parents' house, I decided to make my own for our tree. One of my favorites was an egg that contained a picture of my brother and me, decorated with ribbon and trimmed in pearls. I wanted to do that with pictures of my kids, so here's my attempt:

Here are the supplies I used: an egg, a photo, ribbon and trim, fiberfill, and a hot glue gun.

I carefully poked a hole in the center of a blown-out egg. I'm sure expert use a Dremel or some other tool, but I just used a needle and my fingers, hence the rough edges.

Then I hot glued on some trim to cover it.

Next, I filled the egg with fiberfiill and carefully inserted the photo inside...

then squirted a dollup of hot glue into the hole at the top, inserted the knot of a string of ribbon,

tied it in a bow, and hung it on the tree.

For Sage's ornament, I did it a little differently. I painted the egg with nail polish, glued the photo to the edges of the egg-hole, then glued a ring of beaded wire around the photo.

For the hanging device I squirted some hot glue in the hole on the top and inserted a looped strand of beaded wire. Here it is hanging next to his Shrinky Dink snowman:

And here they are together, two eggs-tra special ornaments for my eggs-eptional kids.

Check back tomorrow to see the Frosty the Eggman I made! and possibly some others. We had scrambled eggs for lunch today so I have a few more empty shells begging to be transformed.

Custom kokoleos

2011-12-10T01:18:00.001-08:00

Whoa! December already? I've been so busy with commissions that I haven't had time to write any Christmas craft tutorials or post holiday photos. It's nice though. After a year of wondering where kokoleo was headed, I'm grateful for a steady stream of commissions that keeps coming my way. I never know what I'm going to make next, and I kind of like it that way. I used to worry about cranking out one-of-a-kinds and hoping they would sell but I'm finding now that custom one-of-a-kinds are where it's at. Here are a few recent commissions:

I have a few smaller Power Puff Girls dresses in my Etsy shop but this customer needed one to fit a 6 year old who loves Bubbles. Since I had some Power Puff fabric in stock, I obliged and even customized it with yellow buttons and trim to match Bubble's blond hair.

Around the same time I was working on this dress, I got an email from a customer who had purchased my Monster Tail pants years ago. She mentioned that her son loved those pants but was outgrowing them and she asked if I could make a larger pair. Luckily, I had some flame fleece on hand, and I was able to whip up these:

I hadn't made a pair of these in years so it was nice to read that the ones I made years ago have been well-loved. I decided I should start making them again, and I'm now offering custom-made Monster Tail Pants on Fire in my Etsy shop.. I love seeing McKenna run around in Sage's old pair - the first I ever made - and they're always her first pick if they're in her pajama drawer.

Around the same time, I got a commission for a custom plush (also now available in my Etsy shop) based on this child's drawing:

and I came up with this:

So that's what I worked on last week. On one of the days when McKenna didn't have preschool, she came into my studio to draw and play with the vintage Little People. After intently sewing for a while, I turned around to find that she had gathered up my scraps and arranged them like this:

I love it because it contains bits and pieces of things I was working on that week, but mostly because it's totally her style. Her smiley faces always have snaggle teeth, so the choice of pom poms for the mouth was perfect. After all the monsters I've made, I've never thought of that.

This week, we put it together in plush form.

and she named it RockMiss, the Lady Rocketship.

Yes, I think I will be handing the kokoleo monster making department over to her very soon.

Thrift Thursday: Vintage Stationary

2011-11-17T00:37:00.001-08:00

I love finding vintage stationary at thrift stores and estate sales. Somewhere, hidden in a drawer for 20-30 years, these papers stayed blank and never sent. Thankfully, at least they were preserved, and when I happen to find them still bold and bright and crisp and blank and often for less than a dollar, I have to get them. Kokoleo customers might recognize some of these prints that I've used for the hand-written thank you notes I include in my packages.

I'm drawn to the kitchier patterns, like day-glow daisies and patchwork,

butterflies and cartoon animals,

scalloped edges and fancy borders,

and unique invitations (Evite be damned!),

or anything offbeat. These notepads reminded me of R. Crumb cartoons:

I tried to write a thank you on one once but it just came across as angry and yelling, so I didn't send it.

And since I don't want to end this blog post with screaming and finger-pointing, I'll leave you with these sweet little girls...

A Giving Tree

2011-11-16T14:14:00.001-08:00

I'm a member of the PTO at Sage's school this year and my job is to create displays for the front hall. This winter we decided to make a "Giving Tree" where people could pluck off paper apples containing classroom material requests submitted by the teachers. The hope is that families will purchase some of these items and donate them to classrooms in need. As a former teacher I know how often I purchased items for my classroom without expecting reimbursement.

Here's the tree (pre-apples) that I made for the hallway:

After I stapled it to the wall I realized it was a little too fat but oh well, the kids didn't notice. I also made a felt banner with hand-cut letters in the style of the hand-drawn font on the title page:

While researching reference material for this project, I came across this animated version of the story I don't think I've ever seen before (though I've heard and/or read the story 100 times or more). It's from 1973 and narrated by Shel Silverstein himself.

A Peek into the Process of a Custom Plush Commission

2011-11-15T00:16:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago I received another custom plush commission and a young girl's "Googly Eyeball Lady" drawing arrived in my inbox:

I have to admit, as adorable and imaginative as she is, I was a bit intimidated by the task of recreating this 32-eyeballed lady. When I do a custom plush commission, it's important to me to stay as true to the child's work as possible. Since this was a very detailed line drawing, I did this custom plush a little different than others I've done - I copied it. Here's how:

First, I enlarged it in Photoshop and printed it out in three parts which I then taped back together:

Then, since the line drawing was faint, I traced it with a Sharpie:

and place it under white fabric and traced it with a pencil:

You can barely see the pencil lines here without the drawing underneath:

First, I ironed on some stabilizer to give it added strength. Next, I referred to the original often as I sewed over the lines with an embroidery stitch on my sewing machine. When the stitching was completed, I ironed another layer of thin stabilizer onto the back to seal it and secure any loose stitches.

Here's a picture in progress I sent to to my customer so she could select a fabric for the back:

She chose this one:

And here's the finished product:

The Googly Eyeball Lady is now a Huggable Cuddly Googly Eyeball Lady.

Custom kokoleo sensory/ fidget accessories for a girl with autism

2011-11-11T22:12:00.001-08:00

Recently, I was asked to create a "sensory skirt" for a young girl with autism. My friend Jen is a special education coordinator for a public school in West Virginia and one of her students was having trouble sitting still on the school bus and was starting to throw things. It was suggested that a "ribbon skirt" might help to keep her hands occupied on the ride so I was commissioned to make one. The reference photo I received was simply ribbons stitched to a ribbon waistband, but Jen and I decided that a variety of textures might be better, so I made this:

It's composed of various ribbon, ric-rac, lace, tulle, grommets, machine-embroidered alphabet ribbon, and elastic - stitched together to make a funky kind of tutu. It was intriguing enough to keep a fidgety child occupied for a while, I thought, but not interesting enough.

I have always been interested autism. When I was teaching I had students who were considered "on the spectrum" and I did some research on the disorder so I could find ways to reach them. One thing I remembered reading was that some people with autism are calmed by weighted clothing. The tutu I made seemed too lightweight and too prone to become a tangled mess, so I looked around my studio for the most heavyweight material I could find. The velvet I got from my friend Jessie's grandmother was perfect. Next, I found a pair of cut-up jeans I'd been using for various projects and I cut out the pockets. Then I needed items of fidgety interest - zippers, ric rac, shiny brass buttons and some super-soft fringe. I assembled all the pieces on the velvet and double-stitched them down securely.

In each pocket, I hid a plaything - a fuzzy pink heart in one and a smooth embroidered vinyl smiley face in the other. Each were attached securely to the inside of the pocket with some ric-rac. Since this girl's problem was throwing things, I figured I'd give her toys that would come back to her when she tossed them.

The waistband is a thick elastic that wraps around like an adjustable belt and secures with a metal double-ring buckle at the hip. The thick fringe trim plus another velvet piece on the back make it substantially weighted, yet soft, like a thick lap quilt.

I envisioned the girl's mother wrapping this apron around her daughter's waist before her bus ride and then the young girl sitting in her seat, comforted by the weight of fabric on her lap, moving the zippers back and forth, up and down, tracing the zig-zag pattern of the ric-rac, seeing her reflection in the shiny brass buttons, running her fingers through the super-soft fringe, and pulling out the fluffy heart and smooth smiley face to play with on the ride to school. That's my hope at least.

I got an email from Jen today. She said the girl like the tutu, but REALLY liked the apron. That makes me happy. I hope it helps.

Are you interested in a custom fidget apron for someone with sensory issues or autism? Send me an email and I'd be happy to discuss a design to fit your needs.

Thrift Thursday... For the Family

2011-11-10T22:51:00.001-08:00

Wait, it's Thursday already? The week went by fast. I had plans of photographing some of my collections of thrifty treasures (vintage mugs, stationary, wrapping paper, fabric) but never got around to it. I've been pretty busy with commissions, which I haven't blogged about either. That's next on the agenda. But this afternoon, instead of doing any of that, I went shopping. It's was half-price day at Value Village and I found some awesome deals. Armed with $58 I made off a recent pillow commission, I got all this:

A Kenneth Cole faux leather jacket in shiny new condition for Sage. 5 bucks (originally $9.99). Even he admitted it was pretty cool, and he's pretty picky when it comes to his clothes. He also got a Shawn White flannel and Mossimo cords for $5. Pants, a shirt and a jacket for $10 - not bad considering they would have gone for about $100 retail.

McKenna got this shirt and embroidered jeans:

for $2.50, and a striped shirt, black velvet Levi's, and these rain boots, which I wish could fit me:

The kids also got to pick out one toy each, the getting of which was dependent upon their behavior in the store (yes, I bribe them). Sage got a Nerf Super Soaker ($4) and McKenna got a Playdough tiki pirate ship playset ($3). Toys weren't on sale but it was a small price to pay for being allowed to shop in relative peace.

McKenna also got these CDs:

because she listens to music every night and I was getting tired of the same old songs. We listened to most of them when we got home and they're great. ($2 each, not on sale) She also asked for this book:

Which freaked me out a bit because I had this book as a kid and loved it. It's a scratch-and-sniffer and though it's lost all it's sniff-ness, for 69 cents I had to get it.

It was slim pickins for kokoleo finds, but I did get this Shakespeare linen:

for 99 cents. I'm envisioning a pillow or tote in the near future, the perfect gift for some Shakespeare nerd. (As a former English major, I know they're out there.)

I also got Erik a pair of Steve Madden shoes for $2.50 but he told me if I post a pic of them on my blog he won't wear them because he doesn't want people commenting on his blogged-about thrift store shoes. But he liked them.

Finally for myself, I found some new-with-tags running pants for $5 and this frilly top and flower pin:

for $5 total. And I, unlike Erik, don't mind if you comment on my thrift store finds.

Thrift Thursday Returns!

2011-11-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a "Thrift Thursday" in a while and I think it's time to revive the tradition. Here's my latest acquisition:

A tiny painting (5" x 7") of the massive Mt. Rainier. At least, I think it's Mt. Rainier. (It looks similar to the pics we took on our visit to Mt. Rainier Park). Purchased at the Goodwill in Kent where, when you stand in the parking lot on a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier in the distance.

It cost me 99¢. The frame is a little worse for wear and I may revamp it, but I'm loving the little window to the outside world it gives to my windowless bathroom.

How to Make an Ice King Mask (and Princess Bubble Gum too)

2011-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last one and then I'm done. These have all been published on Instructables (and featured on their home page - whoo!) but I thought for posterity's sake I'd publish them on my blog too.

I used this pic for all the characters I made:

and came up with this for the Ice King:

White Fleece works well for the beard and eyebrows, but you'll need some sturdy material for the other face pieces. I used vinyl, but you could also use posterboard.

Cut out the face piece as shown.

Before you cut the eye holes, hold it up to the wearer's face and mark where to cut.

Lay the face piece on top of your fleece and cut out the beard. Cut out some eyebrows from the scraps.

Cut out a frowny mouth and pointy teeth.

Cut a crown and 3 red gemstones.

Cut out a space in the beard for the eye holes.

Apply a generous amount of fabric or tacky glue to the back of the mouth and face pieces and attach them to the beard. Do the face first, then lift the nose and insert the mouth underneath.

Glue on the eyebrows and teeth.

Glue the gems on your crown. On the back of the crown, I glued on a thick fusible stabilizer to reinforce the points and make them stand up. You could also use cardboard.

Attach the crown to the face with glue or a sewing machine straight stitch. Measure around the head and secure with a straight stitch or heavy duty glue.

With a sharpie, draw lines on the gemstones and under the eyes.

For the robe, I got a blue graduation gown at the thrift store. To keep the beard in place, I used glue dots on the shoulders.

My husband found it difficult to see while trick-or-treating in the dark, so he simply turned the crown around and wore it backwards. (Also a good tip if you want to drink at a party.)

For Princess Bubblegum, I made a crown out of the same vinyl I used for the Ice King's crown and added a green "gemstone" (cut from an old shower curtain). I reinforced it on the back so it would stand up.

For the outfit, I bought a pink shirt and skirt at the thrift store and made a purple sash to go around the waist. For the hair, I bought a Rapunzel wig and sprayed it hot pink with temporary hair color (which rubs off on anything that touches it).

Whew! That was quite a labor of Halloween costume family love.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

Love, Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, Princess Bubblegum, and the Ice King.

How to Make a Jake from Adventure Time Costume

2011-10-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I showed you how to do a Finn costume. Today I'll show you how to make Jake.

First, measure the wearer's shoulder width plus the length from the top of their head to mid-thigh, then cut 2 pieces of yellow fleece in those dimensions, rounding at the top.

Next, cut a long strip of fleece for the outside edge of the costume and reinforce it with 2 pieces of thick fusible web in the middle. You could also use cardboard. You'll need something sturdy to shape it in a dome above the head instead of letting it drape limply.

Starting at the midpoint of the long fleece piece and the top of one of the body pieces, sew 3/8 inch along the edge.

Next, go back to the top of the head and sew along the other side.

Sew on the back body piece in the same manner.

Next, have the wearer try on the costume and carefully mark where to cut the face and armholes. Have them take it off and cut those holes. Try it back on to adjust.

Hem at the bottom and insert elastic to gather it into a bubble shape.

Now, for the face:

For the ears, cut 2 long oval yellow fleece pieces. Stitch them together and cut an opening on one side. Turn inside-out and stitch or glue it to the top of the head.

For the cheeks, cut 2 U shaped yellow fleece pieces in a size that will fit around your face hole. Stitch together and cut an opening on one side. Turn inside-out and stuff with polyfil. Stitch it around the face hole.

For the nose, cut a black 2 black ovals (I used black vinyl). Place right sides together and sew. Cut an opening in the back, turn inside-out and and stuff with a small amount of polyfil. Stitch or glue it to the cheeks above the face hole.

For the eyes, cut 2 white circles and 2 black crescents. (I used vinyl reinforced with thick fusible webbing). Glue the black crescent to the white eyeball circle. Insert them behind the cheeks and glue.

Hand-stitch black double-folded bias tape around the mouth/face hole and hand-stitch or glue 3 white teeth on top (I used vinyl).

Next, make a pair of yellow fleece pants.

You can leave the armholes open if you have a long-sleeved shirt to wear underneath, or you can sew on some yellow fleece sleeves. My daughter insisted it needed sleeves so I added them at the end. I also stitched some 3-fingered paws to each sleeve cuff.

I planned to leave the armholes open and have McKenna simply wear a yellow long-sleeved shirt,

but after she tried it on she said she thought I should sew on some real arms. Critic! But she was right.

This step would be better to do before you stitch on the face. I also stitched some 3-fingered paws to each sleeve cuff.

Don't forget to add a stubby tail to the back of the body.

And don't forget to BE AWESOME!

How to make a Finn from Adventure Time Costume

2011-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

My kids love Adventure Time on Cartoon Network. Here are the main characters, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human. (If you watch the show, you're probably now singing the theme song.)

A few months ago they decided that's what they wanted to be for Halloween this year. It was a pretty big commission, but they promise to pay it off in candy. Since the cartoon is relatively new, there isn't a lot of commercial reference material (toys, costumes, etc.) so I took pictures along the way so other people could get ideas and help making their Finn and Jake costumes too. Here's Sage as Finn:.

Here's how to make it:

For the backpack, find some light and dark green fabric. Felt holds it's shape best. You could also use fleece or cotton.

Cut 2 light green fabric rectangles 12 inches wide by 6 inches long. Cut 2 dark green rectangles 12 inches wide by 10 inches long. Flod these pieces and round the edges.

For the edge of the backpack: Cut one dark green strip 3 inches wide by approximately 29 inches long. Cut one light green strip 3 inches wide by approximately 20 inches long.

For the straps: Cut 2 dark green strip 5 inches wide by approximately 12 inches long (10 inches long if the backpack is for a child). Cut 2 light green strip 5 inches wide by approximately 10 inches long (8 inches long if the backpack is for a child).

Other things you'll need : One 16 inch zipper and one black button and some polyfil stuffing.

Sew the dark green edge strip to one of the dark green rounded rectangles 3/8 inch from the edge. Trim any excess.

Sew the light green edge strip to one of the light green rounded rectangles 3/8 inch from the edge. Trim any excess.

Pin and sew the dark green backpack piece to a 16 inch zipper. Next, pin and sew the light green fabric piece to the other side of the zipper.

For the straps, sew the light green fabric pieces to the dark green fabric pieces. Fold over and sew 3/8 inch from the edge.

Cut ends at an angle as shown and sew one end closed. Turn the straps inside-out and stuff with polyfil.

Pin edges to the backpack front 3.5 inches from the zipper on either side (3 inches for a child's backpack). Carefully try on and adjust as needed. Sew straps 1/8 inch from the edge.

Next pin the back panel on and sew 3/8 inch from the edge.

Unzip and turn inside-out. Sew on the button and you're done!

Now for the hat:

For an ADULT hat hat, cut a piece of white fleece 13 inches long and 28 inches wide. Fold and trim an angle one inch in from the unfolded edge. For the face hole, cut an oval 3 inches from the top and 3 inches in. For the top, cut a circle 8 inches in diameter. For the ears, cut 4 fleece pieces 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall.

For an CHILD hat, cut a piece of white fleece 12 inches long and 26 inches wide. Fold and trim an angle one inch in from the unfolded edge. For the face hole, cut an oval 2 inches from the top and 2.5 inches in. For the top, cut a circle 7.5 inches in diameter. For the ears, cut 4 fleece pieces 3 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall.

You'll need some polyfil, cotton balls,or tiny fleece bits to stuff the ears.

Sew the back edge of the hat. Next, pin the circle on top. Sew it to the hat 3/8 inch from the edge.

With the hole in front and the seam in the back, fold your circle in half to find the midline.

Mark and cut 2 slits for the ears.

Keep hat inside-out and insert ears.

Sew 1/8 inch from the edge. Repeat with the other ear.

Turn right side -out and fold bottom edge under once and stitch a straight line around the bottom.

WHAT TIME IS IT?!

ADVENTURE TIME!

A kokoleo kind of cupcake

2011-10-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Stephanie mentioned that her 2-year-old daughter wanted to be a cupcake for Halloween and asked if I had any idea how to make one. Immediately my brain began swirling with ideas. They were the kind of ideas, though, that you can't explain to someone else, especially to someone who doesn't sew, so I offered to make it for her. Before I knew it I cupcake commission on my hands.

I spent a week brainstorming and gathering materials... the gorgeous tan velvet my friend Jessie gave me from her grandmother's stash (blogged here) would be perfect for the base... a big wooden embroidery hoop I've been meaning to embroider something in would be just what I need to hold it round in the middle... a toddler tanktop cut up the sides and expanded could allow it to hang perfectly from the shoulders. Luckily I already had all of these in my studio. Sometimes it pays to be an art/craft supply hoarder.

This hung on my clothing rack for a week while I brainstormed how to construct the top and gathered more supplies. Add to it a half a yard of white felt, elastic around the waist and neckline, lace around the neckline, puffballs attached with fabric glue, polyfil to stuff it, and you get this:

Side view...

Back...

Top...

I got the lace at a yard sale for 25 cents the week before. When I held it up and found it was the perfect length around, I had to use it.

I stitched the felt to the tank top around the armhole. It had a wee strip of lace around it which made for a nice fancy finish.

Since Steph's daughter is nearly McKenna's size, I had her try it out...

She didn't really understand why her mom was working on a cupcake costume that was her size but not for her, but she danced around in it anyway.

It was probably her messy hair that made me think there was one more thing it needed...

A cherry on top! (Composed of shiny red vinyl cut in a circle, gathered with elastic, and topped with a naugahyde stem riggged with a wire - all materials I thankfully had on hand.)

* pause to pet the kitty...

pout...

pose...

perfect...

And now it's neatly stuffed into a box and in the hands of the USPS on it's way to the east coast and addressed to a sweet little girl named Esme.

A peek into the process of kokoleo personalized pieces

2011-10-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't done an update on my personalized work lately. Every now and then I take the time to gather photos I took of my personalized pieces from their various sources (the good camera, the small camera, my phone, etc.) and put them in the proper folder to upload to the gallery on my website. I know I've forgotten to photograph a few and sometimes I find a photo of one I don't even remember making. It's like encountering old friends when they pop up in my photo files.

Roman! How's it been? It's been months since I made you. I hope you're enjoying your new home.

Lilly! Lovely Lilly, how could I have forgotten your primary colors?

Dean! It's been weeks since I've seen your blues and greens.

I found these in my phone :

Note to self: Always use the good camera to photograph kokoleos before wrapping them up and shipping them out.

My personalized items have been the backbone of my business since the beginning. I don't advertise my sewing services but thanks to returning customers, word-of-mouth recommendations, and the occasional Googler who finds me, I almost always have a few names on my studio to-do list. It's a manageable amount that lets me give each customer's request the personal attention it deserves.

Finding the perfect color and pattern combination is not as easy as it may seem. After I'm given a color palette to work from, I dive into my bin-o-fabric scraps and mix-and-match various color combinations so I can offer my customers options from which to choose. Sometimes this is the most time-consuming part. The final product comes after several back and forth emails and photos with the customer. Thankfully, camera phones have made the process much easier. I just click and send and suddenly it's as if the customer is right there with me in my studio able to give instant feedback.

For example, given the color combo of yellow, purple and green, I came up with these two options for a customer:

and after a request for some pinks and couple more tweaks, here's the final result:

Here's an Ava Mae banner in progress, given the color combo of orange, lime green, and pink:

I gave two options, vintage florals, or bold contemporary.

The customer opted for bold contemporary.When she mentioned that Ava Mae's parents call her "sweet pea" I mentioned that I just so happened to have some sweet pea fabric and we ended up with this:

Recently, a customer asked if I had any jungle print fabric with elephants and such to incorporate into a personalized pillow. I didn't, but I offered to do the entire pillow in the shape of an elephant and this guy came about:

Sometimes all it takes is a simple suggestion to take a project in a whole new direction. I love when that happens. Collaborating with customers isn't always easy though. It can be frustrating when the right colors and patterns don't come together quickly. Sometimes it takes two or three email exchanges, sometimes it takes 12 or 13. The best part though, is when I read the words, "I love it!" or "It's perfect!" It's then that I know the work was worth it. Having the customer be an integral part of the creative process is what makes a kokoleo personalized piece all the more personal.

Want a kokoleo personalized item delivered before the holidays? Make sure to get your order in soon. And remember, fans of kokoleo on facebook get 15% off all personalized orders (and 20% off items in my Etsy shop).

Sage's Super Mario Birthday Party

2011-09-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

Sage and I like to plan his birthday parties. He begins the day after his birthday, planning what he's going to do for the next one. At first, he thought he wanted a Goosebumps (R.L.Stine) party because that's what he was into a year ago, but shortly after Christmas he changed his mind and decided he wanted a Super Mario Bros. party.

So we did.

The first hour was a pool party, then we served pizza (in honor of Mario and Luigi). Next up, games!

I made these Mario, Luigi, and a Wario hats using a pattern I found here. I made them in a 2-hour sewing frenzy the day before and I can't believe I didn't stop to take any photos of the cutting/sewing process or close-up pics of the finished products. I only had enough yellow felt to make one Princess Peach crown, but luckily only one girl wanted it. The rest wanted to wear the stick-on mustaches!

First, the kids played a game called "Toss the Bob-omb" where they stood around the pool and threw three small balls down the floaty thing and got points based on where it landed (a sneaky way to get them to do math). The winner got a trophy and the 2nd and 3rd place winners got medals.

I was afraid the kids would think the chintzy plastic trophies (bought at the party store) and medals (found 2 days before the party at a thrift store for $1.29) were lame, but they LOVED them and oooed and ahhed over them and carried them around proudly.

Next the kids played "Find Princess Peach." I hid two princess peach figurines in the yard and the kids hunted for them (sadly, no pictures of this). After lots of looking and a few hints, Sage's friend Dylan found both of them and was deemed the Peach hero. He got a trophy and a medal.

The next game was called "Pop the Bob-omb." Before the party, Sage made all these little notes with Mario symbols on them and designated prizes to go with them.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies got, you guessed it, trophies. The star coins won you medals, the power-up mushrooms won chocolate coins, the stars won the star-shaped balloons we had as decorations (gold foil helium balloons with simple eyes hand-drawn on them). I can't remember what the turtle shell got but the flower got a real flower and the GAME OVER got nothing. Next, we rolled the notes up and inserted them into blown-up balloons, tied them, and put them in a safe place for later...

When later arrived, the balloons were scattered in the yard and after I replaced the ones that spontaneously popped in our too-dry grass, each kid ran to a balloon and popped it, then ran to me to redeem their prize. Sage's sweet friend Abby got the GAME OVER and I felt bad so I let her pop the extra one.

Now it's time for water balloons!

Are you exhausted yet? Wait! There's presents and cake!

(Bowser-shell cake instructions blogged in the previous post.)

I love that picture. Everyone looks happy.

The kids ate their cake on quilts on the hill.

and Kali ate their leftovers.

Now for the final hurrah... a pinata! Sage made it in the week before the party, though we'd been brainstorming it for months. We spray painted a Costo Waffle box white (to hide the words) and then yellow, then Sage painted question marks on every side. We filled it with candy, chocolate coins, and medals and folded it closed on the bottom and taped for added security. Then the kids lined up and went at it in an orderly fashion.

One hit each for the first round,

Then two hits. Mild-mannered Simon smacked it like a pro and the candy went flying.

And the kids promptly scooped it up into their hats.

and then the party was over. It was a success! No one got hurt or cried and everyone seemed to have a great time. It's hard to believe that this time last year we had a house full of moving boxes and today we had a yard full of friends.

How to make a Bowser Shell Birthday Cake

2011-09-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't familiar with Super Mario Bros., this is Bowser:

He's the bad guy. After months of deliberation, Sage decided he wanted a Bowser shell-shaped birthday cake. The night before his party I made it. Here's how:

First, I mixed 2 boxes of cake mix and poured the batter into a cake pan, a larger pie pan, and a shallow metal mixing bowl. (Note: Bowl-shaped cakes take longer to bake.) Then I let them cool separately. Here they are before the icing:

Next, I iced the bottom layer with whitie icing...

and the other two with green...

and stacked them again,

and smoothed out the icing.

Now for the spikes. I used sugar cones that I coated with light yellow icing.

It was and experiment that kind of failed at first, but I got the hang of it. (Note: Don't just try to ram the cone in. Carve circle with a spoon first and then slowly push the cone in deep.)

Bower has 10 spikes - 4 down the middle/top and three on each side.

(Note: Have extra cones available, there may be some casualties.)

Next, I filled a freezer bag with orange icing, cut a hole in the corner of the bag,

and squeezed an orange ring around each spike at the base.

I dyed some shaved coconut green and scattered it on the tray to look like grass, and here's the end result:

I defeated Bowser!

DIY Teddy Bear Picnic Birthday Party

2011-09-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Until this year, McKenna had never had a real birthday party. Last summer we were living in a hotel on her birthday. The years before she didn't really have any friends to attend a party, so we just had small family affairs with presents and cake. Luckily no one ever remembers their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd birthdays, so it was no big deal, but this year we were determined to make up for it. After talking her out of a SpongeBob-themed party, and a Strawberry Shortcake-themed party and a few other licensed characters-as-mascots, she decided she wanted a "Teddy Bear Picnic Party", so we ran with that theme.

I spread a few quilts on the hillside in our yard, Erik grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, we had chips and a vegetable plate, pool games and balloons - it was an easy-peasy DIY picnic/party. The morning of the party, I decided we needed a game, so I got out all my felt and put together this felt board:

And then got out my fleece and faux fur and made this bearface blindfold and ears for everyone:

And they played "Pin the Bear on the Blanket."

The night before I made the cake. McKenna requested a "Teddy Bear Carrot Cake," so this is what I came up with:

Made with two carrot cake mixes (my great aunt Betty Crocker's recipe), 2 cake rounds and one rectangle-shaped cake carved and reassembled into a bear body form, then slathered with coconut pecan icing which successfully hid the imperfections and looked kind of like fur, albeit moist and sticky fur. I almost attempted icing eyes and a nose until I realized I had something in my studio that would look way better - the eyes and nose I use in my kokoleo monsters.

The kids were all begging for a piece of the face until I cut into it and they changed their minds and asked for arms and ears and feet instead. I found out later that Sage had told them I used deer eyeballs. Ew!

For gift bags, I made each kid a picnic pack. I wanted to put them on sticks like they do in old timey cartoons, but I didn't have enough sticks, so instead I just stuck a pinwheel in each one. They contained packs of gummie bears, Teddy Grahams, honey sticks from the farmer's market, handmade bumblebee-shaped multi-colored crayons from happy delusions, a jar of ice cream cone-shaped bubbles, and some tiny plastic ants.

Every teddy bear, that's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of wonderful things to eat
And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

Oh summer, I barely blogged you.

2011-09-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

Whoa, where did the summer go? And why did my blogging stop?

I should have blogged about all the camping trips we went on - Deception Pass, the Washington Peninsula, Kachess Lake, Orcas Island.

I should have posted pics of kokoleo projects I've been working on - sundresses! skirts! pillows! and I should have posted pics of my yard sale scores.

I should have posted summer photos of the kids at their swim lessons or riding bikes or plucking garden vegetables or picking berries or making crafts at the dining room table. It all went by so fast and I forgot to stop and blog about it.

Suffice it to say, it was a good summer. Much better than last summer when we spent 6 weeks in a hotel fighting banks to get this house. This summer we simply enjoyed the house we fought so hard to get. Now I know it was worth it.

But I want to get back on the blogging bandwagon, so I'll start tomorrow with a recap of the events that consumed much of our August - planning and throwing birthday parties, plural.

Bathroom Redo - Down with Brown, Up with Glitter!

2011-07-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! This time last year I was still in Los Angeles. I even braved the traffic and took the kids to Hansen Dam to see the fireworks. Erik had been living in Seattle since June 1st and we talked to him on the phone while he watched fireworks explode over Lake Washington. I'm happy to be together for the 4th of July this year.

A little over a year ago was also when we found the house we live in now. I would research houses via the interwebs and send Erik out to check them out after work, then he'd upload the pics and call me to describe the tours. We both fell in love with he house we finally got, but spent all last summer fighting banks and lenders for it. I'm so excited that this summer will have none of that drama. This summer, we're happy to have projects to work on that don't involve uprooting everything. Compared to moving, a little bathroom renovation seems easy.

I love this house, but I've never loved the front bathroom. Here are some pictures Erik took when we first got the house inspected:

It's like a step back in the seventies. Brown town. Welcome to wood grain. The pictures don't do it justice because in some parts it was peeling too. Erik didn't seem too bothered by it but I was. I said, "Mark my words, within a year this will be looking much different."

Peeling wallpaper just begs Rip me down!, so I did. As I ripped, I kept thinking of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, feeling like a crazy lady obsessed with picking at the walls...

... It is stripped off -- the paper -- in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life. /One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.../The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight./ It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others.... Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision!

I even took my clothes steamer to it, which helped with the stickier pieces. Charlotte Perkins Gilman didn't think of that one! It took a few months and resulted in a pathetic looking bathroom that I was embarrassed to let people see. So last Saturday I set out to paint it.

Sage helped... for 5 minutes. The rest was all me. Erik was busy building a staircase in our backyard and the kids, well, they had to entertain themselves for a few days. Thankfully, they're at an age where they can do that.

It must be all the HGTV remodeling shows I've seen that inspired me to try a racing stripe. Here's the tape I used to make it.

And here's the paint, "Navajo Clay" textured with sand...

and glitter!

Here's how it looks on the wall...

The glitter is very subtle. Compared to the semi-gloss "Golden Mushroom", this paint is rough. Erik says it reminds him of an emery board. That stripe didn't come out nearly as perfect as it appears there, I had to spend a day carefully touching it up with a tiny paint brush. One week after I started, I was finished. A room's not done until the art is hung though, so I shopped around the house for art that I thought would work in the room.

I even painted the cabinets, inside and out. I hope I never have to paint another cabinet for as long as I live.
I also organized the heck out of the drawers. Never mind that the rest of the house was being torn apart by my tornado children, all the dental flossers and ponytail holders and band aids are neatly in place.

This is my favorite spot...

It's in the corner by the door and such a cheery way to leave the crapper.

Even George (the frog) and Jelly (the beta fish) like their newly remodeled room. They don't like each other much though.

Whew! It's done! I keep going in there and staring at it, admiring my nice straight racing stripe and remembering how I was up on the top step of the ladder painting the skylight. Occasionally the kids wonder where I am and find me in there and ask, "Why are you just sitting there staring at it?" I guess it's time to obsess over another spot of the house now.

It's Yard Sale Season in Seattle!

2011-06-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

After living in Los Angeles for the past few years and being spoiled by the year-round yard sales, then living without them during the cold and moist Northwest winter, I'm super-excited for the start of Seattle-area yard sales. Last weekend, when we had zero obligations and I saw the forecast predicting sun and mild temperatures, on Friday night I hit up craigslist for local garage sale info and together with Mapquest mapped out a route close to home. Here's what I scored...

Embroidered linens, $2.50:

Various sewing notions including an unused herb-themed Irish linen, $3:

Books for McKenna + handmade barrettes and pony tail ties, $2:

A Henry McKenna whiskey jug, $1:

A shirt, gameboy game and Nerf frisbee/ball for Sage, $3.50:

Handmade hummingbird earrings for me, $1 (she gave me a deal):

And, my favorite deals of the day because they're hard to find and sell for way more on ebay...

Return of the Jedi sheets and pillowcase, $1:

I'm still torn between letting Sage have them and cutting them up for kokoleo clothes.

Also, 3 Butterprint Pyrex nesting bowls, for THIRTY CENTS.

The sweet old lady up the street had no idea they were worth more so I ended up buying a few more things, all priced ridiculously low, and gave her $5 just because seeing those bowls for THIRTY CENTS made my day.

Thrift Thursday - Avon Calling

2011-06-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid we had a frog-themed bathroom. It had frog wallpaper, frog-appliqued hand towels (I mean, frogs didn't applique them but there were frogs appliqued on them), a framed needlepoint frog my mom made, and a dish of frog-shaped soaps that we weren't allowed to use because they were just for decoration. I loved playing with those soaps and smelling them and scratching the bottoms of them to carry their scent around with me under my fingernails. It's funny the weird childhood details that stick in our brains.

I also remember my mom bringing home Avon catalogs from her substitute teaching jobs (the cafeteria ladies sold Avon). I couldn't read, but I liked looking at the pictures of shaped soaps in fancy packaging, eyeshadows and lipsticks (I vividly remember once getting tiny lipstick samples, I loved those), and jewelry like jumbo owls and lockets that held perfume-scented disks. Oh, and the elaborately shaped perfume bottles! My friend Cindy Kellenberger had a shelf full of those perfumes. We would dab a little of each on on our necks and then feel woozy for the rest of the day. I'm pretty sure some of those perfume molecules are still stuck in my nose.

(Photo mosaic by m kashahara in flickr)

Occasionally my mom would let me pick out one thing from the catalog - a bath toy or fancy soap or jewelry from the kids section. Waiting for it to arrive made it all the more special. I coveted the jewelry and took special care of it so I could give it to my daughter. When McKenna was 2 I gave her my frosted glass snowman necklace with a tiny gold top hat. That was a poignant moment, putting my old necklace on her, a moment I'd looked forward to for 30-some years. Less than an hour after I put it on her I noticed all that was hanging from the chain was a tiny gold top hat and the snowman was gone forever. Sigh. I held off giving her my other favorite Avon necklace - the mama and baby ducks - until today when writing this post reminded me of it.

I'm sure she'll lose it soon.

So why am I thinking of all this? Because earlier week at St.Vincent's Charity thrift shop, as I was checking out, these caught my eye:

I would have purchased them for the packaging alone, but after a quick inspection I discovered they still contained the soaps. For only a buck each I immediately bought them and waited to completely unwrap them at home. How cute are these?

Hansel and Gretel!

and these:

Three Little Birds! And a soap dish... shaped like a nest! Be still my thrifty heart.

If you come over to my house you'll find them sitting by my bathroom sink. Don't use them! They're just for decoration. I'll let you scratch their bottoms though.

Oh boy! Shirts!

2011-05-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

I know how it is when you're a mom of a boy and it seems like all the cutest kids clothes are made for girls. When Sage was little it seemed our only options were sports, trucks, and dinosaurs, so when I started kokoleo some of my first items were boy clothes with funkier things like monsters, skulls, and stars. Then I started making sundresses and girlier things and they became my best sellers so pretty soon the boy section on my kokoleo rack dwindled. At the last couple craft shows I've done I've seen that look of disappointment and frustration in the eyes of moms of boys when they look around and say, "All the cutest stuff is for girls! No one ever has boy stuff!" I remember feeling like that and I realized I need to bring back the boy clothes to kokoleo, so I started by uploading these to my Etsy shop:

Skully and Starry Armsies, genuine mechanic patches, and a Department of Corrections embellished shirt (which may or may not be legal to wear, I don't know). Plus I made a few other Sesame Street embellished toddler tops and appliqued tree shirts that could cute on either gender. Heck, skulls and stars and patches and monsters are cute on girls too. McKenna loves wearing her brother's hand-me-downs.

From one patch to another

2011-05-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have something I want to admit. I've been seeing another blog. Please don't be upset with me. A patchwork world will always be my #1 spot to blabber my thoughts. It's just, the opportunity arose to be a part of a new local journalism endeavor and I jumped at it. I'm blogging for the Renton Patch. It's part of the Patch Network of hyper-local on-line journalism run by Arianna Huffington. So you could say I'm kinda sorta writing for the Huffington Post. (Ha, I wish). My posts don't deal with late-breaking hard-hitting news though, just notions of local interest that pop into my head. I've only written a few posts so far and already I've been recognized twice around town. I'm famous! Okay, not really, but it has helped me feel like less of a newbie and more connected to my new found town.

Sometimes, if I think my Patch posts would be of interest to my patchwork world readers, I'll repost them here. Here's my latest, entitled "Musings on happy delusions..."

When I first moved to Renton I was excited to see a downtown that wasn't dying. This is happening to so many smaller cities and towns these days – the businesses migrate to the suburban strip malls and once-active main streets and city centers become ghost towns. When I saw the Piazza, the Farmer's Market, several restaurants, antique and jewelry shops, clothing stores, galleries, and options for coffee on 3^rd Street, I was relieved. But finding happy delusions is what really got me excited. I told my husband, “That means artists live here!” Any town can have a Wal-Mart or a Hallmark store, but a shop that showcases one-of-a-kind handcrafted items by local folk is a sign that a town values its artists.

I have to admit, I'm biased. As someone who makes a modest living off making one-of a kind kids clothes and home décor, I was excited to possibly have a venue for my items (Google “kokoleo” and you will find them). When you're an independent artist or craftsperson it's not like you can simply walk into any Wal-Mart or Hallmark store and show them your work in hopes that they might like to sell it. The idea of doing so is laughable; that's just not how things are done these days. Besides, handmade one-of-a-kinds would look out of place next to their mass produced factory-made (in China, most likely) items anyway. This is why independently owned businesses are so vital a town's unique identity and sense of community. Sure, the prices aren't comparable to what you would find at the Dollar Store, but thankfully, neither is the quality.

The first time I visited happy delusions, I knew I wanted to one day see kokoleo in the shop. When I spoke to the owner Mary Clymer, I casually mentioned that I made things and gave her my card. She looked at it and immediately said, “Kokoleo? I know kokoleo!” It turns out she had seen my booth at one of the first indie craft shows I did in Los Angeles years ago. At the time she was living in the city as well and working at Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks, a shop which later served as the model for happy delusions. Small world, indeed. I took this is a sign that Renton was going to be a good place for me. In fact, my first purchase was a screen printed I Heart Renton t-shirt.

Fast forward six months and I hear my neighbor say, “I saw kokoleo in the window at happy delusions!” This made my heart swell for so many reasons. First, because my stuff is in the window in the coolest store on the most popular street in downtown Renton, and second, because after years of living in a neighborhood where people kept to themselves and didn't so much as wave hello, I now have friends, not just causal neighbor acquaintances, but real friends who know a kokoleo when they see it and are happy to point it out to their friends and family. How often when you're shopping do you come across something and think, “I know who made that!” At happy delusions, you just might.

EtsyRain Spring Show + Space Needles

2011-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been over a week since the EtsyRain Spring Handmade Show at the Intiman Theater but I couldn't let the event pass without posting a little recap. I was busy in my booth for most of it, but I did manage to snap a few pics. Here's the entrance:

and my booth, outside in the corner:

Here I am in my booth with a furry frogmonster peeking out from behind me:

It was great to finally do a well-known Seattle show and get to know some of the local indie crafters. I doubled the money I spent to participate and sent some kokoleos out into the city. I did some great trades - a kokoleo kid dress for a Public Market screen printed tee by tomato-tomato and a plush bunny for a squirrel pillow from Alise's Pieces, plus I bought some delicious gourmet lollipops from This Charming Candy (but don't tell my kids because I ate them all.) Also, the owners of a couple shops in Seattle gave me their cards, so that's encouraging. Still, I felt kind of like the new girl in school, not really knowing the cool crowd and missing my craft friends from L.A. I just need to get out and do more shows and attend more EtsyRain events.

The forecast called for rain but thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful day, if only a tad chilly. I had a view of the courtyard fountain:

and looking out from the entrance I could see the Space Needle:

Speaking of Space Needles, I designed a new Space Needle applique and have been having fun attaching it to things. In addition to the sundress I showed a few posts earlier, I also made some totes:

and pillows:

(I sold this one at the show)

(This one sold at Happy Delusions, but I made another just like it.)

and whatever you would call this:

A skinny pillow? A plush? Whatever it is I probably won't be making any more. It was pretty darn difficult. More pillows and totes and sundresses are in the works though since people seemed to really like them at the show. What can I say? I've got a thing for needles.

(terrible)Tutorial Tuesday: Tin Can Mushroom Pincushion

2011-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is what I made my mom for Mother's Day.

Oops, I just ruined the surprise. Oh well. I think she'll like it even more knowing it once starred on my blog in cyberspace. I meant to write a nice tutorial to share with you, but it was one of those projects that didn't turn out quite the way I thought it would.

For example, when you sew together shapes like these:

They make a shape like this:

Which is not mushroomy at all. I considered turning it into a strawberry or maybe a gnome's hat, but instead, I reworked it into a dome shape. (This is where the tutorial started to fall apart and my photographing became sporadic.)

Next, I went upstairs and got a pickle jar top out of the recycling bin and emptied out a tomato paste can, washed and dried it, and filled it with dried pinto beans (for weight). I then sewed a muslin tube with a flat circle bottom and inserted the can.

Later, Erik questioned why there was a Tupperware container with tomato paste in it in the refrigerator, to which I sheepishly admitted, "Because I needed the can for a craft project."

Next, I stuffed the mushroom top:

then inserted the pickle jar top and stitched it shut.

Then I placed the mushroom cap on top of the tall ribbed can and it looked like a penis so I gave up on it for a while. (Though now that I think of it, there may be a market for penis-shaped pincushions, but not for Mother's Day.) Today, I decided to try to make it less phallic and more whimsical. I ironed some HeatnBond to green fabric, cut it out in the shape of grass,

and ironed it on the the can. It worked, but I wouldn't recommend doing it this way. I warned you this tutorial would be convoluted.

Next, I squirted hot glue on the stalk and attached the cap:

but it wasn't really secure and I didn't want to use more hot glue so I sewed it together around the edge. Stitches are better than hot glue anyway.

Then I pulled a wooden ladybug off an Ikea clothespin and glued it on to the side.

And finally got it kind of how I envisioned it.

I entered this mushroom in a pin cushion blog hop on the Arrow Sewing Cabinets' blog. You may have hopped over here from the Posh Girl Friday blog... next stop on the blog hop is Dustpan Diary. Check out all the cool pin cushions people are making!

Made by Monday - a slew of sundresses

2011-05-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

My sundress stock has dwindled recently (yay sales!) so I thought it was time to stitch up a new slew of them. Here's what I made this week:

Awww, Bambi. I'm getting near the end of this sheet and I'm going to miss it when it's all gone.

But guess who's back! Raggedy Anne!

I made a series of these a few years ago but ran out of the material. I'm saving as much as I can by having contrasting backs.

They're so vibrant and bold. I love it.

Speaking of sheets I love, here's one:

I had these sheets (well, not these in particular, but ones exactly like them) when I was little. They sure do make for a beautiful spring sundress.

I'm working on a series of Space Needle stuff (I'll save them for another post) and came up with this:

Before I got hung up on bedsheet sundresses I used to do lots of applique. I think I need to get back into it.

And finally, something a little different... SpongeBob!

It's rare that I work with a material that's not vintage, but McKenna convinced me that it would be all the rage with her crowd. It was originally a pillowcase and the other side had Patrick Star on it, so there's a Patrick dress in the works too. I added some vintage buttons and trim to make it a true kokoleo. It turned out nearly as obnoxious as his voice.

The Etsy Rain Spring Handmade Craft Show is in 5 days! Back to the sweatshop.

My new kokoleo woven labels have arrived!

2011-04-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Just in time to sew into all the new things I'm working on for the EtsyRain Handmade Spring Craft Show!

I designed it myself too and spent a ridiculous amount of time on those buttons and finding the right style text. I don't fancy myself a great graphic designer or illustrator (I prefer working in the 3-dimensional textural world) but I'm happy with how they came out. I threw the "one-of-a-kinds by KB VanHorn" line in there at the last minute and I'm glad I did. It's exciting to see my name woven into fabric.

(I know lots of people will want to know where I got them. Simply type "custom woven labels" in the "Supplies" section of Etsy and you'll see several options. There. I just saved you several hours that I spent combing the internet. You're welcome.)

In the last 10 years I estimate I've gone through about 8 versions of kokoleo labels (over 1000 labels in all) though I've made many more items that never got a label sewn onto it. That's a a lot of kokoleos! I wish I had saved at least one example of each. Most were different color combinations of this:

purchased from Namemaker.com. I can usually figure out the year I made an item based on the color of the label. When I ran out of those, I sometimes made my own with the computer and printable fabric, or stitched out "kokoleo" on my computerized Janome.

I did manage to save my very first label though. It's pinned on my corkboard-o-craft nostalgia.

I ordered them off ebay way back in 2002. It's poorly printed and plain, but now that I look at it again, it's kinda similar to my new version. I had forgotten about this when I designed it but it must have been in my subconscious. My 2002 self would have been happy to know that after 10 years, kokoleo would still be cranking out the one-of-a-kinds, and with better labels too.

Some recent commissions

2011-04-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

There was a brief time in my blogging past that I did Made By Monday posts where I blogged about whatever I made that week. I'm going to try to revive that tradition. But first, here are a few commissions that I made within the last couple months.

First, this banner, my first-ever black and white one:

The recipient told me her newborn daughter stares at it all the time, which make a lot of sense since babies can't see colors well when they're wee little. No one had ever asked for a black and white one before so I never thought to offer it as an option.

I also made these pillows:

A shopper on Etsy contacted me and told me she loved my Oldskool Sesame Street Sundress, but it was too small for her daughter and could I possibly make another one. Luckily, I had enough of the fabric left to make one, and this is what I made for her:

I also made this dress:

For a Facebook fan and fellow blogger Becky of Chicken Wire and Paper Flowers whose daughter was going to attend a Picasso exhibit in Richmond, Virginia. She had seen my toddler Picasso dress and wondered if I could make one to fit a ten year old. She even blogged about it here and posted this awesome picture of her stylin' girl.

It's customers like this that make me happy to be back in the commission business.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

I just figured out how to update my blog from my phone. This changes everything!

I hope your day is full of fresh air, flowers, and springtime sunshine.

EtsyRain Spring Handmade Craft show

2011-04-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that kokoleo will have a booth at the EtsyRain Spring Handmade Craft Show Saturday, May 7th from 11-5 at the Intiman Thater in the Seattle Center.

It's the day before Mother's Day, so stop by and stock up one some one-of-a-kind creations for the one you love.

Tutorial Tuesday: Embroidered Easter Eggs (the easy way)

2011-04-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, Craft Gossip posted a link to these embroidered eggs featured on the Needle n Thread blog:

and I've been thinking about them ever since. That led me to find this project

posted along with a tutorial by CelineG on Hand Dyed Fibers.com. First you punch the holes, then you stitch the ribbon through and hope to God it doesn't crack.

I also found these on Wikipedia

made by a Ukrainian folk artist named Forostyuk Inna. Amazing!

I just had to try this myself, so last night I whipped up these:

Except I cheated. I let someone else do the embroidery... a long time ago. I simply got out my vintage suitcase full-o-embroidered pieces that I've purchased at estate sales, flea markets, antique shops, etc. over the years and chose a few to (gasp!) cut up. Apologies to the ladies (I'm assuming) who worked so hard on these but remember, I rescued them because I recognized the time and talent that went into each piece and I held on to them for the perfect project. This was it.

Here's how you do it:

First, blow the yolk out of some eggs. If you're not sure how to do this, read this tutorial - How to Decoupage Easter Eggs - which I posted in 2009.

Now, find an embroidered linen, the thinner and more lightweight, the better.

Next, carefully cut out the embroidered part close to, but not clipping the stitches.

Now, coat the backside with Mod Podge.

and carefully press onto an egg. For an all-over shiny look you can Mod Podge over top of the embroidered piece if you like. Let it dry overnight. To add a hanging device, squirt some hot glue into the hole and insert a wire or ribbon.

It's the perfect project for those delicate intricately embroidered hankies you never want to blow your nose into but can't bring yourself to give away. It's nice to see these pieces out of storage and on display.

Thrift Thursday: A Paper Doll (minus the paper)

2011-04-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last week, as I was perusing the fabric aisle at our local Value Village, McKenna found this and asked if she could have it:

It's made of felt and designed by "Story Teller Inc." (1991) for use with felt boards. I tried to explain to her that it was missing an important part - the doll on which to put the clothes, to which she replied, "That's okay, you can just make me one." Smart girl, she knows I cant resist a crafty challenge.

At first I thought I'd make a felt board with a flat felt girl, but then I decided to go the 3-D route and make a real doll. I chronicled the process with my camera phone via TwitPic in Twitter. First the body:

Then hair:

Then...

Eek! That was NOT what I envisioned. I chalked it up to a craftfail and took all the stitches out and started over. Here:

That's better.

It took a few days and some callouses on my fingers to cut out all the clothes, but I was happy to see that they fit well (at least on her front, the backside is a little drafty).

Yes, I am a grown woman and I play dress-up with my daughter's doll at 2 in the morning (when I do my best crafting). I was just making sure everything fit. In the morning I showed McKenna her new toy which she named "Little Sis". She immediately began styling her.

(Speaking of stylin' check out the hand-me-down monster pajamas on McKenna. I made them for Sage when he was her age.)

Here's another outfit she came up with:

I just did a little Google sleuthing a found that the company that made these clothes is now called Story Time Felts and they sell the flat dolls plus ones you can personalize with your child's face, which are pretty cute. I might have ordered one if I had seen them first, but then I would have never made this one, so I'm glad I didn't.

Tutorial Tuesday: Patchwork Carrot Tutorial

2011-04-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

The bunnies I made last week were hungry, so I made them a bunch of patchwork carrots:

If you have hungry handmade bunnies, here's how you can make some too. Here's a pattern:

The 2-3 sided larger carrot is easiest, while the 3-4 sided smaller carrot is more challenging. I worked my way up. Here's the challenging one:

Cut 5 separate pieces and sew one to another 2/8 inch from the edge making sure to meet at a common endpoint at the bottom:

Stitch all sides together leaving an opening at the top:

Trim excess fabric at the tip and turn right-side-out through the hole at the top.

Now stuff it:

For leaves, rip fabric into 1/4 inch strips. Insert into the hole and hand stitch closed.

You can also use string or ribbons or lace:

or ric-rac:

Now your bunnies* won't go hungry.

*Not suitable for real-live bunnies, intended only for the handmade variety.

omg Bunnies!

2011-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I made Baby Petey, the bunny featured in my last post, bunnies have been popping up all over. Yesterday I chased a bunch around my backyard.

Introducing Flora Cordora:

Sounder:

Ofie:

Squinky:

Q.T.

and Relbit:

Luckily I was able to catch them all, name them, and take them down to Happy Delusions in downtown Renton where they are currently awaiting adoption. They're also available in my Etsy shop for any out-of-town adopters.

And then there's this guy:

Who I affectionately call "Ubby" a.k.a. the Ugly Bunny. He was the the first to hop out during my manic bunny-making spree last week. He's soft and sturdy and there's nothing really wrong with him except for the fact that he's different from the other bunnies and doesn't really look right sitting next to them. I know this sounds mean but he's okay with this. He doesn't want to be with them anyway. He wants to be with you!

If you want Ubby to be with you too, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite thing to find in your Easter basket. Peeps? Reese's Eggs? Jelly Beans? Cheetos? I want to know! On Saturday afternoon I'll do the Random.org thing and draw a winner. Maybe someone you love will find Ubby in his or her Easter basket this year.

Tutorial Tuesday: Plush Bunny Pattern

2011-03-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

A few years ago at a church bazaar in North Hollywood, I got McKenna this bunny:

He's a little dingy now and his hand-embroidered eyes and whiskers have snagged but he's still one of her favorite friends. I bought him for six dollars. Six dollars! Being used to indie craft markets where prices tend to reflect the amount of time and effort put into a project, I couldn't believe the price tag said $6.00. That's Made in China sweatshop prices! I've made many a stuffed monster in my day and I would be a fool to sell something that took me 2+ hours to make for only $6.00. Who works for 3 dollars an hour? I didn't argue though, but I did ask the old lady at the checkout how she could sell her handcrafted item so cheaply. She said, "Oh honey, it just makes me happy to know you want it. I don't really care about the money." And the award for sweetest old lady in the world... goes to her.

Inspired by that bunny, I made my own version. And in honor of that generous crafty grandma I included a pattern for you to make your own too.

These are the pieces you'll need:

(Click on the image to enlarge and print.)

Cut 2 bodies, 4 ears, 4 arms, 4 legs, 2 tails, 2 eyeballs, and one nose. First, sew on the tail, eyeballs, nose and mouth using a zig-zag or satin stitch on your machine. Next, sew on button pupils.

Stitch together the arms and legs and (not pictured) ears.

Turn them right-side-out and stuff the extremities half-way.

Straight-stitch a line across the middle and continue stuffing, leaving a half an inch at the end. Rather than stuffing the ears, simply turn them right-side out and iron flat.

Next, stitch all extremities to the front of your bunny body.

Fold the ears and arms inward and place the back of your body on top, tail-side in. Starting at the top of the head, stitch the body parts together down the edge of one side. The other side will be a bit trickier since you have the ears and arms crammed in. Once you have the top and both side stitched, turn it right-side out through the bottom. It should look like this:

Now fold the bottom in and carefully hand-stitch closed. Ta-da!

Finally, give it some whiskers:

Happy Spring!

(psst... next week I'll show you how to make a patchwork carrot. These bunnies get hungry!)

Tutorial Tuesday: How to fix a too-small neck hole

2011-03-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

I got this super-cute embroidered Mexican top for McKenna at a thrift store but when she tried to put it on she couldn't fit her big noggin through the tiny neck hole.

If this ever happens to you, here's what you can do to fix it:

First, cut a slit about 2 or 3 inches long down the center of the neckline in the back (or front, if you think it would look right).

Next, pin some double-folded bias tape around the raw edges of the slit and leave an extra 2 inches of bias tape on one side.

Now, stitch it together making sure to go through the front of the bias tape, the shirt fabric, and the back of the bias tape so you have a nice finished edge all around.

Take your excess bias tape and turn it around to form a loop and stitch it down. On the other side, sew on a button.

Now it will fit!

Sage's Leprechaun Traps

2011-03-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

Last year Sage built this leprechaun trap:

He painted a Sam Adams box to look like a leprechaun hat, built stairs out of blocks, and with Tinker Toys and string, suspended an empty Triscuit box in the air to fall on any leprechaun trying to steal a gold coin. In the morning, we woke to find this:

The leprechaun had busted out of that box and made off with the coin, tricky devil. Sage vowed that next year he'd build a stronger trap.

One day a few months ago Sage was eyeing an old baby wipes box that McKenna kept little toys in and said, "I have an idea! This would make a good leprechaun trap! Can I have it?" He showed us how the slit in the top would make a perfect trap door that he could cover with something... gold coins!... to lure a leprechaun in and CRASH! he'd fall inside.

Yesterday, he made it:

If you were a leprechaun wouldn't you be intrigued enough to check it out? There's a ladder and everything, and a sign that says, "take one!"

Well, while we were sleeping a leprechaun did!

And, it seems, as he was gathering up all the big coins he crashed through just like Sage said he would, leaving behind the outline of his little leprechaun body (it's so weird how they do that.) But! That wee greenie outsmarted us again! He cut a door out of the side and escaped...

leaving only a trail of pennies and this note behind:

That sneaky thief.

Tutorial Tuesday: Shamrock Accessories with Beads and Buttons

2011-03-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I take a break from my sewing machine and bust out my beads and wire and jewelry supplies. Last night I whipped up these shamrock pins and barrettes:

The first one I made was with vintage buttons and large seed beads. Here's the step-by-step process.

Pull the wires tight to form a shamrock and use the excess wire to attach it to a pin or barrette. Or trim and tuck the wires and simply glue it to a pin, barrette, magnet, etc.

I found some heart-shaped plastic glittery pony beads in my bead box and thought they were the perfect shape for shamrock leaves.

I made a barrette for me...

and one for McKenna.

I know, I know. Neither one of us is a very good hair model. Here it is as a pin:

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Stay Green!

Tutorial Tuesday: Vinylized and Lined Patchwork Checkbook Covers

2011-03-09T01:23:00.000-08:00

The other night I made this:

It's a checkbook cover. Do people still use checkbooks? Oh well, it could also be a wallet I suppose, or business card holder. Here are some others I made along with a sunglasses case:

The sunglasses case started out as a checkbook cover trimmed in bias tape, which ended up looking like crap, so I trimmed and stitched it into a glasses case.

The project was an experiment in vinylizing fragile patchwork, inspired by this:

that I got at a thrift store for $2 the week before. It looked like it was hand-sewn together a long time ago, and possibly top-stitched by machine recently. It was spectacular... from far away. Close-up, it was deteriorating in parts, sloppily stitched, and chaotic - definite piecework material, which is why I started with checkbook covers. I liked the process so much I made a new batch tonight, and took pictures along the way to show you how to make them too.

Since I knew the patchwork wouldn't hold up to lots of wear, I had protect it somehow. Years ago, I bought some HeatnBond Iron-on Flexible Vinyl for purse-making but wasn't really happy with the results so I haven't used it since. I thought maybe I'd like it better in smaller doses so I gave it another try.. Here's how it works:

Peel the vinyl off the backing:

then stick it to the patchwork (which should be approximately 15 by 18 inches), place the backing paper over top, and iron it down.

Oooo, shiny!

Now set it aside. For the lining, iron some HeatnBond Lite to another piece of lightweight fabric.

Peel off the backing, place your vinylized piece vinyl-side down and your other fabric on top of it fabric-side up and iron them together like a fabric sandwich with your HeatnBond Lite as the cheese that holds it together. Now cut it down the center vertically and horizontally so you have 4 separate pieces. I flipped two so you could see the front and back:

Now, cut out pieces of vinyl (not the iron-on kind) as wide as your rectangle and 2.5 inches tall.

Right now you're probably thinking, who the heck has random scraps of vinyl, iron-on vinyl, HeatnBond Lite, quilt tops, etc. lying around? I'm a craft/sewing supply hoarder, what can I say? I do it for times like these.

Now, stitch around the edge (I used a zig-zag stitch) about 1/8th of an inch from the edge. Line up the inside vinyl pocket at the bottom, hold it together as you sew and make sure to stitch it to the rectangle.

Now trim your edges close to, but not touching your stitches.

Normally I'm neurotic about straight stitches and finished edges so this was an exercise in accepting imperfection for me. They're a little oddly shaped, but functional and aesthetically interesting nonetheless. This was, after all an experiment. Since I'm running low on labels and wanted to try out some fabric paint pens I got, I simply wrote "kokoleo" on the insides.

Viola! a finished line of shiny patchwork checkbooks...

Spring-Line-O-kokoleo-Sundresses

2011-03-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

I get on these kicks where I manically make a bunch of one thing. This past February my thing was sundresses. Last year at some point I spent a lot of time cutting out sundress parts but never assembled them so I made it a point to tackle that pile and turn them into wearable kokoleos. Here's one, made from my favorite long gone Smokey the Bear fabric:

I even got inspired to seek out some new fabric and cut out and sew some more. One day, during a thrift store adventure, McKenna pulled a Disney princess pillowcase off the rack and said, "Will you make this into a dress for me?" Disney princesses used to make me cringe in feminist horror and though I still try to limit the amount of it that comes into our house, I couldn't deny the fact that graphically, that pillowcase would make a rad dress. So I relented and made her this:

and then made this one to sell.

and then I made a couple of these.

Disney will probably sue me soon, I'm sure, since they seem to have a thing against their clothes and toys being manufactured in America. I can't deny the fact that little girls love princess dresses though, so I want to give them an alternative to the Made in China kind.

When I was McKenna's age, I was into Sesame Street:

(Made from my all-time favorite fabric that I blogged about here.)

and Raggedy Anne:

and Holly Hobbie:

She likes them too, but off all the sundresses I was making in my studio last month, when she saw me sewing these:

she asked if she could have one. Of course I said yes and now she's good to go in the kokoleo sundress department for a while. The rest can go to other little girls.

To see the rest of the dresses, check out my Etsy store I'm in the process of moving all my inventory over there. In the past couple years they've grown by leaps and bounds and created a very user-friendly handmade hub. Don't forget to become a fan of kokoleo on Facebook for sneak peaks, studio news, and discount codes!

Tutorial Tuesday: Upcycle an Outgrown Dress

2011-02-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

I've always liked this dress.

It's made by Gymboree and I got it at a consignment store in Burbank. I liked it so much that even though it was a size 18-24 months, I bought it when McKenna was only 6 months old and it hung in her closet until she was ready to wear it. She wore it when it was too big and she wore it when it fit perfectly and she wore it when it was too small. It's become such a part of her growing up that just couldn't bear to part with it, so I decided to revamp it and eke out a few more years of use.

First, I cut off the top straight across under the armpits.

Next, I folded the waistline fabric over once, did a straight stitch all the way around, left a half-inch opening, and fed some elastic through.

Then I stitched the elastic ends together and stitched the opening closed. In less than 5 minutes, McKenna had a new skirt:

Since I couldn't bear to let the rest of the dress go to waste, I cut off the sleeves.

Then, just like I did for the skirt, I folded the fabric in, straight-stitched it down,

added elastic, stitched the ends together,

and made leg warmers.

Then I found a blank t-shirt in my kokoleo stash, whipped up this mushroom out of scrap fabric, and turned that toddler dress into a hip kid outfit.

Now I can watch her dance around in these mushrooms for a few more years.

It's versatile too, McKenna came up with this way of wearing it on her own:

That's the future creative director of kokoleo right there.

Custom Plush commission - Love-Love

2011-02-05T23:12:00.000-08:00

My latest custom plush commission was based on this drawing by a young girl named Malayna:

It's a character she made up and draws often, so her mom (an artist as well - check out her milkshake crafts) asked me to recreate Love-Love in plush form. Here's the result:

And, I'll probably ruin the surprise here, but since I had some of the fabric left over and because this gift is going to be for Valentine's Day, I whipped up this matching skirt for Malayna:

Just a little extra love-love from kokoleo.

Dear God this was difficult

2011-01-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I was contacted by a seminarian at Church Divinity School of the Pacific and asked to create a banner for the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. Having grown up in the Episcopal Church as the daughter of a priest (now bishop), I'm very familiar with the Episcopal shield so I agreed and got to work making this:

Nice, right? I was pleased with it. The problem though, is that we seemed to have some mis-communication. See, I thought I was being asked to recreate the Episcopal shield in fabric form, but instead, what she was asking for was the Diocesan Seal, which is very different. After boasting to my father that I had nearly completed the banner, he realized my mistake and sent me the image I was supposed to recreate, which was this:

At which point I felt a little sick. No offense Diocese of Southern Ohio, but that is quite a random assortment of symbols you've got there. A bale of wheat? A plow? Is that water flowing through it? And that crown! Those letters! My head was spinning thinking of all the applique and embroidery it was going to entail. So I took some time to think it over, about two years in fact. Although I always had it written on my to-do list, other projects and jobs and moving came up and the seminarian and I lost touch. But, this past November she contacted me again and said she was still interested so I promised I would have it finished by the end of January. On January 2nd I got to work. First, since there was no way I could do this freehand, I blew up the image 450% in photoshop and printed out 18 pieces of paper like a puzzle and taped them together to make this:

to use as my template. Next, I pinned the template to heat-n-bonded fabric and carefully cut out each section.

Then I cut out all the letters and nearly gave myself arthritis.

Then I forgot to take pictures, but I slowly cut out each section and ironed them down onto the banner canvas. It took about two weeks working a few hours every day.

Next it was time to embroider. Unfortunately I don't have a fancy commercial embroidery machine, so I just shoved the whole thing into my Janome and outlined everything with black thread in a wide and close zig-zag stitch. This part took another two weeks working a few hours every night (about 45 hours total so far). Here are some close-ups:

Next, all I had left to do was turn it into a banner, the easiest part by far, though ensuring it will stay flat and hang straight was tricky. I attached the embroidered panel to a rectangle of red canvas, stitched together the edges and made a channel at the top for the rod (with a hidden buttonhole in the center for a hook to attach it to a pole, if needed), then added some decorative trim along the bottom:

And Praise the Lord, it was finished!

Hallelujah!

kokoleo in Croq

2011-01-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

I recently received the Fall 2011 Issue 12 of Croq:

It's an indie craft zine put together by Heather Mann who also heads dollarstorecrafts.com and the always amusing Craft Fail. Croq is chock-full of tutorials, crafty superstar interviews, essays, comics, small business advice, zine reviews, and all sorts of DIY goodness. A while back I submitted a piece I had written after surviving a crazy season of craft shows entitled The Dos and Don'ts of Craft Shows and to my surprise, it was published in this issue.

Sweet! Click on the pic to enlarge, or better yet, purchase a copy to keep from the Croq website.

Kokoleo Personalized Banners and Pillows are back!

2011-01-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

A year and a half ago I announced that I would no longer be making personalized kokoleo items. During my hiatus though, I made a few for some friends and longtime customers. Like these banners:

and these pillows:

and these pillowcases:

One of my kokoleo banners was even on t.v. last fall! My friend Susan and her husband were featured on the show Property Virgins and at the very beginning, for a few seconds you can see the banner I made for their daughter Lily. Cool! Here's a screen shot I took:

Now that I'm settled in a new studio I've decided to start offering them again. I'm not advertising this service so I don't get too swamped with orders and burn out again, but I'm happy to make them for my loyal customers, blog readers, Facebook fans, and friends. (Become a fan of kokoleo on Facebook and I'll give you 15% off your order.) Thanks to everyone who has appreciated my work over the years, I'm happy to be making these again.

Tutorial Tuesday: An Earring Organizer

2011-01-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

Another of my new year's resolutions is to be more organized. Sometimes there are those moments when you suddenly realize that the way you've been doing something for as long as you remember just isn't working well for you, and come to think of it, it really hasn't ever worked well for you. I had one of those moments when we were running late for Erik's work Christmas party. After quickly making dinner and showering and picking up the babysitter and making myself look presentable I needed just one last accessory, earrings, before I could head out the door. I reached in my jewelry box, rummaged around, found the earring I wanted to wear, but not it's mate. I rummaged some more, untangled jumbles of wire and jewels, found other mateless possibilities, and finally gave up and went to the party with naked earlobes.

The next day I decided to make an earring holder. I'd seen them before somewhere, a flea market or craft show display perhaps - they were simply screens in a frame, perfect for keeping dangly earrings organized and easily accessible. I had a big wooden frame left over from the embroidery piece I turned into this doll. I didn't have a screen but I have a ton of fabric so I chose a vintage print with a loose weave that I could poke earrings through.

I ironed on some thin fusible Pellon to make it a little more sturdy.

Then I stapled it to the frame around the inside edges.

and trimmed the fabric and added a hanging wire.

And now, in seconds flat, I can grab my earrings and I'm out the door.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T00:42:00.000-08:00

Man, am I happy to put 2010 behind me. What a year! This time last year was a low point - Erik was getting ready to move to Phoenix for work, Sage was having a rough time in school, and I was working a job that made me miserable. L.A. was quickly losing it's luster for us and our future there looked bleak. So we set our sights on Seattle and simply made it happen. Okay, not simply at all, but we survived months apart, house buying, house selling, moving vans, road trips, six summer weeks in a hotel... and finally, thankfully, here we are!

My #1 new year's resolution is to never take this happiness I feel for granted. I have a feeling 2011 has good things in store for us.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

No Tutorial Tuesday this week, I've been busy getting the house ready for our first Seattle Christmas.

This year we got a LIVE tree. Live trees are HEAVY. Erik and I had a heckuva time getting it from my car into a pot, then another heckuva time trying to get it straight. Seriously, it must weigh 300 pounds. There was no way we were going to be able to lug it up our stairs so we put it in the downstairs rec room instead. After Christmas we're going to plant it in our to always remind us of our first Christmas in this house.

I managed to make a few Christmassy things this year. Our frogs George and Harold and their snail Mr. Krup have their very own Christmas tree, so I made a tree skirt for it:

Our previous stockings had all been made in different years and there was no cohesion whatsoever, so I figured since we have a new house and new mantel, new stockings were in order:

I'm not really fond (or good) at baking, but I did manage to make these with the kids.

(Not pictured, the giant mess we created in the process).

Also, I made these matching Christmas pants for the kids:

But not the dog.

I hope this season finds you warm and happy and surrounded by love. Happy Holidays!

Tutorial Tuesday: New Life for Old Embroidery

2010-12-14T22:14:00.000-08:00

Since McKenna doesn't read my blog I figure I can share this Christmas present I made for her. When I was her age I had this embroidered piece hanging in my bedroom:

I think my mom made it, but I'm not sure since it doesn't have the M.A.P. initials she usually stitches on her work. I remember it in my bedroom in the first house I lived in, but I think it went into storage after that. When I got it back a few years ago it was falling out of it's frame and had a water stain at the top. I won't recommend doing this to your vintage embroidery, but I took it out of the frame and threw it in the washer. Luckily, it held up well. Next, I folded it in half:

and carefully cut around the boy and the girl making sure not to snip any important parts. If you want to do a project like this and don't have two similarly shaped embroidery pieces, you could simply use fabric for the backing.

I machine stitched those pieces together and when it was still inside-out, I cut out a circle of velvet and stitched it around the base leaving a two-inch opening. I then turned it right-side out, stuffed it, and stitched it closed. In a matter of 15 minutes an old embroidered piece became a brand new two-sided doll.

I love that something I used to stare at on my wall when I was a three-year-old is now something my three-year-old can hold.

Tutorial Tuesday: Scientifically Impossible Snowflakes

2010-12-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Nothing says winter like paper snowflakes. I was in my studio the other night playing around with paper and scissors and decided to take this craft one step further and make fabric snowflakes backed with HeatnBond. After a few mangled mishaps, I came up with these:

A wall decoration:

A relatively easy project - just pop it in an embroidery hoop and hang it on the wall.

This shirt for McKenna:

I stitched this one around the edges, which took forever.

This bag:

Vinyl on vinyl. I like the silkscreen effect.

And two-sided this ornament:

If you want to do this project for yourself, the instructions are easy. Simply iron the HeatnBond onto fabric (thinner fabric is best, I used shimmery satin), cut as you would cut a snowflake, peel off the paper backing, and iron it down.

Here are some tips:

1. Practice on paper first. Get a design you like and use it as a template for your fabric snowflake.

2. Don't get too intricate - especially if you plan on stitching around the edges.

3. If you plan on stitching around the edges use HeatnBond Lite. If you aren't going to sew it use HeatnBond UltraHold.

4. When ironing vinyl on vinyl, cover it with a thin piece of cotton so the iron doesn't melt the vinyl.

5. Snowflakes have SIX points, not EIGHT like I made mine. It wasn't until I'd completed most of these projects that I watched Martha Stewart this morning and she was discussing snowflake making and I heard her say, "Remember, your snowflakes should always have SIX points." And I looked down at the snowflake I was ironing and counted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, EIGHT! Crap! I should have paid attention in science class. Damn you Martha Stewart and your crafty perfection.

6. For instructions on how to make a proper snowflake, check out this website. I wish I had.

Even my 8-year old son said when he saw all my snowflake projects, "Um, mom, snowflakes only have 6 points. Everyone knows that." Gahhh! Erik told me he didn't even notice they were snowflakes, he thought they were medieval crosses. Jeez. CraftFAIL. Oh well, they say no two snowflakes are alike. Mine are apparently all the more special since they're scientifically impossible.

Tutu Tutorial Tuesday

2010-11-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I won a contest on my craft-friend Tess's blog. Check out her site here - misstess.com. In addition to being beautiful, she's wildly creative and fun. The prize I won was a tutu kit - 4 colors of tulle pre-cut into long strips, elastic, and tutu-making instructions. Fun!

Since McKenna's the dancer in the family, I decided to make one for her:

It came out very fluffy. I'm afraid she's going to tickle all the dancers around her with her great big tutu. So I made her a more manageable one:

And I still had several strips left over so I started playing with them and ended up making this:

Simply take a strip of tulle (approximately 3" x 40"), fold it in half, cut the loop, fold in half again, cut the loops, and continue until you have a handful of tulle strips approximately 4 inches long. Then take one of the strips and tie all the other strips together with it tightly in the middle. Viola! A tulle ball. Now what? Well, you can stitch a barrette to it:

and wear it in your hair.

or tie a couple to some hair bands:

and make tutus for your pigtails:

or stitch a pin to it:

add a fancy button, and wear it on your chest.

I thought this pin and barrette looked rather Christmassy. It's a cheap and easy present you can make for the funkier ones in your family.

I also made these by going one fold further and ending up with tiny 2 inch tulle balls:

~~I'm not sure what to do with them though.~~ I finally found what they're good for - a cat toy! Now I know why Tess likes tulle so much. The possibilities are endless!

Custom Monster Making

2010-11-29T02:26:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend asked if I was still making kokoleo monsters. I haven't in a while. I used to make and sell them all the time. I stopped partly because of the scary CPSIA that basically makes selling one-of-a-kind handmade toys illegal in America. But shhhhhh, don't turn me in, I made some anyway.

I told my friend, sure, "I'll make a couple monsters for you." and she said, "Great, I'll send you the drawings my nephews did." Ha. I forgot that on my website there's a section called Design Your Own Monster, a service which no one has ever taken advantage of before. (Note to self: Revamp website ASAP.) I accepted the commission anyway, and I'm happy I did.

Here's Bruce's monster drawing:

And here's what I came up with:

I tried to be as true as possible to his artwork. The most difficult part was devising a way to make the extremities sturdy; a problem I solved by reinforcing them inside with 2-ply naugahyde. The next problem was the face since it was drawn in outline form; the mouth wouldn't look the same against a blue background so I added a circle of white fleece and it instantly looked more like the drawing. Here's a view of the back:

Next is Brett's monster:

I wasn't sure if the rocket thingies shooting out the sides were part of the main monster, so I looked to the 3 tiny monsters hanging beside him. They were each drawn similar to the big guy and since they didn't have rocket thingies, I figured the rockets were separate. Having solved the last outline issue with white fleece, I did it again for this monster:

Back view:

Now they're in 3-D form, freed from their papers and ready to fly across bedrooms, fight off evil-doers, scare away bogeymen, and snuggle with two very creative brothers. Bye guys!

Tutorial Tuesday - Freeing the Frankenteddy

2010-11-23T23:39:00.000-08:00

This coming Friday is my birthday. Yesterday, I got a package in the mail from my mother. In it were some nice presents, a few cute Thanksgiving decorations, a birthday table runner, and some questionable clothes. I'm guessing, since the clothes weren't wrapped and they didn't have tags and they looked more her style than mine, that she was donating them to my fabric stash. She knows when she sends me hand-me-downs that they sometimes end up all cut up. As a personal style rule, I steer away from wearing teddy bears and shoulder padded sweaters. I'm all for patchwork too, but in this case the patchwork effect is kinda creepy.

It was almost as if the zombie Frankenteddy was speaking to me asking, "Please get me off this sweater and make me a real teddy bear. I promise I won't eat your children's brains." So I obliged. Here's how you can free any other poor character out there from the confines of their ugly sweaters.

First, turn the sweater inside-out and carefully cut out both sides together. Don't handle it too much or it will start to fray.

You can hand stitch it, but I recommend doing it on the machine for less mess and faster results. Leave an opening in an inconspicuous area (I chose the inside of one of the legs), turn it right side-out, check to make sure there are no gaping holes where the machine missed, and stuff it, then hand-stitch the opening closed. McKenna helped with the stuffing part:

Much better. Now there's one less ugly sweater in the world and one more zombie teddy bear.

Jessie's Tree

2010-11-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

Two summers ago my friend Jessie gave me a box full of gorgeous vintage velvets fabric that had belonged to her grandmother, an artist and quilter.

When her grandmother died and the family cleared out her home, Jessie chose the huge heavy box of fabric as her memento and lugged it on a plane all the way from West Virginia to California. She told me that more than anything, seeing and touching those velvets reminded her of her grandmother - her style, her quilts, and her art. The problem though, was that Jessie doesn't sew, so the fabric stayed in the box in a closet in her house. One day she brought it to me and asked if I could use it. I said, "Yes!" It was the kind of haul that would have cost hundreds of dollars retail, yet it was vintage, impeccably kept, and unlike anything available today. All she asked in return was one of my trees. She told me she had wanted one of my tree wall hangings for a while, but thought she might love it even more if it was made with her grandmother's velvet. She said there was no rush, to take my time and let it happen whenever the inspiration struck.

Then, a year and a half and 800 miles later when I was unpacking the box into my new kokoleo studio, inspiration struck, and a few weeks later it made it's way back to California in the shape of a tree...

rooted in family, friendship, West Virginia, California, Washington, and love.

Peace Out, Turkey!

2010-11-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

Last fall, Sage and I made this peace sign t-shirt.

And it was featured along with a peace-themed tutorial I wrote in the Fall 2009 issue of Kids L.A. magazine.

Since they didn't use these pictures, I thought I'd share the tutorial with you. It's a quick fun project in which your kids can give you a hand... literally. Simply iron some Heat-N-Bond light to the back of some fabric.

Trace your hand.

Cut it out, iron it on, and stitch it down. It's that easy! When Sage tried that shirt on the other day it didn't fit anymore and his hand was bigger than the hand we traced a year ago. Time flies and kids grow fast; every now and then it's good to stop and record the moment.

When I was trying to come up with something to make for this week's Tutorial Tuesday, I thought of that project and decided to combine it with the quintessential Thanksgiving craft - turkey hands! This time McKenna lent me her hand.

I added some felt, a button, and a turkey beak and waddle left over from last week's turkey craft...

and stitched them together like this:

High five... Turkey!

Tutorial Tuesday - Turkeys!

2010-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

In an effort to hop back on the blogging bandwagon I'm designating Tuesdays on a patchwork world as Tutorial Tuesdays where I'll share simple craft tutorials, sewing tips, patterns, and who knows what else. We're finally settled in Seattle and kokoleo is back in craft-action and a tutorial assignment is just what I need to inspire me to share what I'm doing in my studio. In honor of fall and November and Thanksgiving, Tuesday Tutorial #1 was inspired by this turkey...

that McKenna and I made in her Crafty Drop-In class at the Renton Community Center led by Kelly Desimone-Affleck. (Check out her cool custom greetings and design shop tomato-tomato.) It's a finger puppet made from a cut-off glove finger. I'm not sure if Kelly made up the project or found it somewhere, but it's cute.

Now, you might be thinking, "So your first tutorial is going to be a a total knock-off of someone else's idea?" No, because people who write tutorials based on other people's projects are lame, especially when those people claim the projects as their very own and don't give props to those who gave them the idea. Just sayin'.

Months ago, on a whim, I signed up to do a charity craft bazaar at a local church. I figured it would be an easy affordable way (only $25 for a table) to get back into craft show mode after several months hiatus. Last Friday I panicked because I realized I hadn't really prepared for it. I have tons of kokoleo inventory but no holiday wares or cheap crafty trinkets that the type of people who attend charity church bazaars like to buy. So I decided since I had a bunch of leaves left over from McKenna's costume that I would make a bunch of turkeys. And I did.

Instead of using glove fingers and craft foam I used brown, yellow, and red pleather, and then combined all the pieces with hot glue.

And instead of finger puppets, I made magnets:

and pins:

and barrettes:

And I didn't sell a single one. In fact, I only sold two things that day and they were to fellow vendors. Worst show ever. The turnout and venue were so bad I left 4 hours early, and I never do that. Note to self: Never, on a whim, sign up to do random craft bazaars you find on craigslist.

So now I'm stuck with a bunch of goofy turkeys. Want one? Be the first to comment and I'll send you one free of charge. (Spammy robots are not eligible).