Ma Petite Chou (or What to Do With All of these Brussels Sprouts?)

When I was a little girl, my mom used that term of endearment with me a lot.

"Ma petite chou?" I would ask.

"My little cabbage head," she would reply.

"Really?" I thought, "that's supposed to be sweet?"

Today Ben and I picked the last of our garden harvest.  These were the only things that have survived the fast freeze that we had.  The freeze that I didn't pay any attention to, and so I missed getting the bell jars over the plants that could have been saved.

So all that was left alive after the freeze were the hardy brussels sprouts.

We picked a bunch. 

Ben eats them raw. 

I wouldn't recommend it, but he says they're good that way.

Seeing them all sitting together in a pile reminded me of my mother's french term of endearment.  

The pile of adorable little green cabbages actually was endearingly adorable. 

(hmm, maybe the reason I took so many pictures of a rather unpopular vegetable?)

I personally love them if they are sauteed with some balsamic vinegar and orange zest. 

But no one else in my family will eat them. 

Well, obviously Ben will chomp on them raw out of the garden, but even my gardening buddy turns his nose up at a cooked brussels sprout.

So perhaps I should make one of these?

image credit

Crazy cool, right?  Reminds me of the wreaths in Williamsburg, VA, all made from winter foodstuffs.  The how to is located here at the lovely blog, Blomsterverkstad.

I'm guessing the general consensus in this household is that I make them into the wreath instead of try and serve the brussels sprouts to them for dinner.

Billy Cardigan

 

I think, when I'm not at work, cardigans are probably what I wear 90% of the time.  (well, cardigans layered over PJs.  Am I the only person who changes into pajamas the minute I get home?)

I've been seeing a bunch of pretty draped cardigans around, but I haven't found any that I love.  

Until I saw Katy  (who has this incredibly understated and elegant aesthetic) from No Big Dill's  tutorial for luvinthemommyhood.  I knew I had to give it a try.  Love the finished product :)

I love the neckline crossed over and pinned.  Sophisticated, but still incredibly comfy. Or...

 

Open and breezy.

Last night I wore it open with a skinny belt. 
But I left the belt at my sister's house. 
Uh-oh. 
Also, those skinny belts aren't the most comfortable.  At least when I sat down I didn't think so... maybe it's time to buy a bigger belt :) 

(also, what in the world kind of pose is that that I'm making??  I think I may have to start cropping my head out of every picture.)

Some How-To Advice for this Project
I am a bit of a completely hasty sewer.  I tend to skim directions and almost always jump right in and then regret it after I screw up something major. 

So a few things to be wary of if you decide to make one of your own...

1. The shoulder seams are sewn wrong sides together, then top-stitched down against the garment.  It makes a beautiful finish.  Here's the part I missed:  Top stitch down first, then trim the seams down to 3/8 inches.  One of my shoulder seams has some really wonky stitching because I trimmed then top stitched.

2. The decorative thread for top-stitching is a bear to work with.  I have a sewing machine that is incredibly temperamental with cheap and/or fancy thread.  It kept breaking and fraying and clogging up the works.

3. The entire garment is NOT sewn with all seams on the outside.  Only the shoulder.  I did the whole thing minus the sleeves with the outside seams, then decided that was far too much decorative stitching.  I ripped the entire thing apart and re-sewed. 

4. This is really an easy project!  Knits really are forgiving, and even with my seam snafu, it probably took me about 2 hours to draft the pattern, cut, and sew.  Then rip apart (sigh.) and re-sew.

It's Tricky to Rock a Rhyme

Inspired by the onesie dress tutorial on Prudent Baby...

I saw this onesie at Gabriel Brothers (I think it is originally an Old Navy onesie?) and HAD to have it for the girl.  But, it was a size 9 months.  Uh-oh.

Never going to fit my very tall 18 month old.  So I cut off the part that snaps between the legs.  Problem was, it kept riding up her belly without something to add some length.

Enter the attached skirt.  I pleated some corduroy fabric in my stash and stitched it to the shirt.  I wanted a paper bag waist effect on the skirt. 

Pretty much want to eat her up every time she wears it :)

Pilgrim's Progress - Thrift Store Refashion

Shopping at my favorite Goodwill store and found this wonderfully well made navy blue wool long pinafore style dress.  But it had a very "dressing as a pilgrim for Halloween" feel. Scroll down to see the before.

Yikes.

Still, it was asking me to buy it. It just wanted to be a short bubble skirt instead.  I love it.  Don't know if I love the purple tights with it or not?  I do have a more subdued dark gray pair.  Maybe a better choice?

My three and half year old was the photographer for these two.  Thanks bud :)

The before...

Eyelet Top and Green Capris

I am in love with the material for this top.  I kind of want one in a grown up girl size... Tacky or cute?  I'm still undecided...

The top is made from a heavy and beautiful creamy eyelet cotton with an antique cream colored ribbon.  I added elastic to the straps and about 2 inches down from the top, in order to create the ruffling.

I think I need to add belt loops to the front, because the ribbon would slide down as the wild woman ran around.  Mostly chasing after the dog's toys...

And balloons that weren't hers.

The green capris were a spur of the moment sew.  Made them up while she was napping using a pair of pants she already owns in order to make a pattern. I adapted the Prudent Baby tutorial on pants. I think I'd like to add some decoration to them, but I didn't have time when I made them originally.  We'll see how they end up :)

And the Winner Is...

Thanks to Random.org, Fan #35 is the winner of the giveaway!
Congratulations, Krystal H.!  Thanks for fanning Liberty's Belle on Facebook! 

Wander on over to the shop, pick out an item you'd like, and then send me a convo on etsy.  I'll ship it out as soon as you've decided what you'd like as your prize :)

Thanks again to everyone who is a fan on facebook!

Favorite Toddler and Preschooler Books

We've been doing a lot of reading and snuggling this week, and I started to think about what our all time favorite books are.  Ben, almost three, has a deep love affair with all things pirate, baseball, and animal.  Josie, almost one, loves anything she can touch or that has a nice cadence when read aloud.  Also, I would be remiss if I didn't say that four of the books that landed in the favorite collection were all chosen and gifted to us by a very dear former teaching colleague of mine.  Much love to the awesome book taste of Ms. T :-)

So what are the most beloved books in your house?