brief, but thought provoking

That’s what Teri, my fellow Ottobre and Metallica fan (…find another one of us – I challenge you!!) said about my posts, as she gave me an AWARD…woohooo an award! 

I’m surprised and honored!  Soooo, let’s see, who else has not received this award but fits the “E for Excellent” bill?

Health, Joy, and Liberation are working with all their might and hearts to make Detroit a place in which to LIVE a beautiful life.

Label-Free … not only do I jump to this every time outlook shows me a new post in my feeds, but I always, always enjoy their posts.  Informative, inspirational, and collaborative.

(interjecting here that Ella has chosen “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” to play on the media center and is dancing, and grinning, saying “Ella’s Choice” – clearly it is her choice because I had NO IDEA we owned any Jim Croce!)

Sugar City Journal take the most beautiful photographs and also make wonderful clothes.  I can attest to this first hand, as I have just received a servant dress (to inspire servitude in children ha!) from their shop.  Also, Melissa was kind enough to give me some direction on where to find a child-sized dress form.  (see a future, likely brief, post for more on this treasure!!)

And last but not least, I don’t think I’d know anything at all if I didn’t learn it from Maggicat first!

So, thank you to all of you, and the many, many more blogs I read and enjoy almost daily.

Hem.

Hem.

Originally uploaded by Pranamama.

I’ve been so busy trying out new styles for my shop that I haven’t had a minute to post! Here I’m using up the rest of my Chocolate lollipop stash for a special test garment for my niece….

s o f t

s o f t

Originally uploaded by Pranamama.

how soft is this little back,
sleeping?

i never, ever want to forget this moment.

the sleeping moments are so rare.

So proud of my friend Lisa!

I met Lisa at a Detroit Evolution Lab cooking class, but Peter met her the summer before, when he was participating in the Michigan Humane Society Paw Pals summer camp. Their field trip was to the Detroit Zoo and Lisa was teaching a session…Peter was inspired after his trip to the zoo…and I’m inspired by Lisa, too!

Look here to find out more about her and her wonderful work!

Namaste,
Karen

ready or not, etsy, here i come

One Girl Circus has opened up shop. 

I was going to wait until I had 10 designs completed before posting anything, but I couldn’t wait…and I decided to be done with waiting until things are “perfect” (i.e. according to my arbitrary plans and conditions) to launch. 

So, with a few Lawn Dresses:

 

and a lovely new addition, the Bamboo Blossoms Dress (with ruffle-bum bloomer for sizes smaller than 3):

I’m ready to open.

 

See?  There’s Ellabella in the upper left corner. Yippee!  Now that I’ve started, I’m increasingly motivated to share what I’ve been working on all these months! 

Stay tuned (and go shopping!) for more.

Driving Miss Daddy

Driving Miss Daddy

Originally uploaded by Pranamama.

Ella cannot wait to get her driver’s license. Ella loves to go in the “blue car” and sit. Sits and turns on the radio, and grabs the steering wheel. She asks to sit in the smart every single time we park the Mazda next to it and get her out to go in the house. Every. Single. Time.

Almost 21 months old and she already wants to drive. What’s not to love about this girl?

Run! (Again)

Run! (Again)

Originally uploaded by Pranamama.

It seems I only see her from the back these days. No, that’s not sunburn on her arms…they are red from sticking the in the (cold) watering can and flicking water sprinkles on the plants. I dread the day when she’s too old for ruffles on her bum!

These bloomers are made of bamboo knit, and are my own design. I had to start from scratch because the pattens for Japanese bloomers I have are too narrow for my fluffy girl (or anyone in cloth diapers), and the Ottobre bloomers are a bit “too” poofy…which is nice for stiffer wovens, but extra saggy-looking with knits.

I am learning a lot about pattern drafting (and making a LOT of muslins) from my new book Metric Pattern Cutting for Children’s Wear and Babywear: From Birth to 14 Years.
It’s a bit pricey, as I believe it is actually a textbook, but it has really helped me start from scratch! I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to draft their own patterns.

The fabric drapes beautifully, so next time I’m going to make the ruffles a bit narrower, so they don’t droop!