Hello There and Happy Holidays!

I've been absent for a while. We have been busy, doing all the regular pre-holiday stuff. We had a major ice storm a couple of weeks ago! These first two pictures were taken only three days apart. That's how it goes in North Texas. Sunny and seventies one day, ice storm and major gridlock the next day, which lasted for a week.

I live too close to work to not go in. I walked, and Frank was a sweetheart and walked me there and back. When I was home there was lots of snuggling under the down comforter.

And lots of crocheting. Karlie, my four year old niece asked for a new blanket for her baby dolls and of course I obliged. She knows her Aya will make whatever her heart desires!

I hope you are enjoying your own holiday prep and that you get to spend precious time with those you love. My work stresses me out to the max this time of year, and I always over commit and feel stretched too thin. I didn't bake cookies for the Christmas ever, but did make a delicious batch of peppermint bark. I also plan to make Almond brittle. I snuck in a few Christmas crafts and handmade gifts because it just doesn't feel right with out them. Don't stress out too much, and if you do take deep breaths, think of all that you have to be grateful for and eat some chocolate!
xoxo
Ashley

One Happy Lady

I turned 38 last Tuesday. I took three days off work and had the most wonderful of birthday celebrations. My days were filled with friends, food and time with Frank doing my favorite things in Fort Worth.

I made S'mores cupcakes again this year. Homemade and toasted marshmallows on top this time.

We go to the Japanese Gardens in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens every year around my birthday. It is the perfect time to see the leaves changing and the weather was just right.

On Monday we had an "Epic Picnic" and a hike in the Fort Worth Nature Center. It is one of my favorite secluded places in the area. There are hiking trails and they are actually hilly. I had been planning this picnic in my mind since our vacation when we picnicked in Central Park and Great Falls State Park. It lived up to my expectations!

On Tuesday night we had dinner with four of our closest friends. My friend Alley snapped this picture of my and I think I look so happy here. I truly feel honored and blessed to have a life filled with friends and love and to have spent my birthday enjoying delicious food and the beauty of perfect Fall days in Texas. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

*I don't think I shared this but I twisted my ankle jogging about three weeks ago.  It could have been a lot worse, but I had to sit out for three weeks.  I'm finally back at it and do not want to miss any more of these perfect days.  I just need to be outside, especially when the weather is nice.  Not getting to run makes me tense and I'm so glad my ankle has healed.

Heart Knickers for my Favorite Girl

I love sewing for Karlie and these might be the cutest thing I have made for her so far. Denim with tiny hearts? Yes please! Knickers with gathered pockets and tons of cute details? Of course!

It is always hard to get her to model her clothes, but once she starts posing she is a total ham.
I didn't get very good pictures because of the low light, but check out the cute inset pockets, they're my favorite part.



I was so excited for her to wear these that I neglected to get all of my markings off. Oops.
This pattern is McCalls 6540, which is unisex and also includes patterns for a knit and woven top. The pants have so many sweet details, really more like what I would expect from an indie pattern company.

This was my first time making buttonholes on my old Bernina and they came out ok. It was also my first time sewing a fly zip. It was much easier than I expected. This pattern wasn't difficult, but was time consuming. I would definitely make this pattern for her again. Luckily they fit loosely enough that she should be able to wear them into next Summer.

My new favorite dress

Here is my new favorite dress, made with the African wax print that I picked up in NY. I only bought one yard of the print and knew I wanted to use a solid with it to really show it off. I found a Robert Kaufman Linen Cotton denim at a local shop and it is such lovely fabric. I'm really happy with how this dress came together.
 

I used Simplicity 1651, a Project Runway pattern. I did a muslin for the bodice, though I still took it up quite a bit at the shoulders. That caused me to have to trim the armholes down some and I think I went a little too far. I always have a hard time picturing where they will end up after the seam allowance is taken away. I fully lined the bodice with bemberg rayon, and that was a little more tricky than the way the pattern has you do it. It took some thinking and a little hand sewing to finish it up. I used this technique for lining a sleeveless dress, a new and awesome one for me!

I love how the details in the bodice, with the twist and peekaboo portion. I think the linen really frames the African print and makes it pop. The simplicity of this pattern allows the print to not be too overwhelming. I wore this with a black cropped cardigan but have since found a perfect rusty red knit fabric and intend to try to copy that caridgan. I love the dress with this thrifted belt and my new Miz Mooz shoes that I got in New York. I felt so put together in this ensemble and I rarely feel that way.

I wore this to a sewing expo that mom and I went to when she was in town. The best compliment was from a girl running the local quilt shop booth. She asked if I made it and I said yes, but then she told me it didn't look like I made it. I love it when a sewing project comes together so well!

Fabric Shopping in New York

I'm sorry for leaving you with a picture of my face for so long! I know I'm tired of looking at it. I have been a bad blogger and Have not shared our vacation with you. Now I must share at least a little in advance of showing you my newest finished sewing project.

Our vacation had two parts. The first half was visiting friends in Washington, DC and the second half was a whirlwind three days in New York.

One of my main goals in New York was to fabric shop in the garment district. We knocked that out the first day after a picnic in Central Park, which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I love a good picnic! Frank was with me at Mood, which I found completely overwhelming. I didn't go in with a plan or a shopping list but rather just looking for fabric that caught my eye. That was a mistake. I want to go back and spend days in the garment district, with a bigger budget and my mom in tow. Frank was patient but it was still a bust. The first stop I made was at B&J fabrics and it was actually my favorite. I made the mistake there of only buying one piece of fabric, thinking that I would find so much more at all the other stores. Wrong. Oh well, next time I know what to expect.

We also ventured to Purl Soho and though I didn't find anything there to take home I loved the neighborhood and all of it's cute shops.

One of my favorite spots was actually a warehouse type store on Broadway.  I don't remember the name, but the prices were right and I guess the better fabrics stood out much more easily.
 

Here are two of the three pieces of fabric that I came home with. A gorgeous African Wax Print on the left from B&J and silk from Pins and Needles in the Upper East Side.

I recently finished a dress with the African Wax print and will share that soon.

Our trip was really more about visiting friends, walking the city and eating, eating, eating.  I will probably show you more very belated vacation pictures soon.  It was so much fun!

A New Woman

I am a whole new woman. Well, at least I look like one. I finally got a haircut and glasses, both long overdue. I realized on vacation how badly I really needed glasses when I put on Gretchen's and could see so clearly. My hair is one of those things that I put off cutting and just wear in a pony tail for ages til I can't stand it anymore.

I'm loving my new look and it's just in time for the changing season. If you can't find me I will be outside running or in the garden. I ran a 5K on Saturday and did okay. I had just started running again last week and wanted to see how long it would take me to do a 5K. I plan to do at least one more this Fall and hopefully will improve my time. I finished the Rahr Octoberfest 5K in 33:21 with quite a bit of walking.

And wavy.
 

Back in the Swing of Things

It's been a while! We went on vacation at the beginning of the month, came back and had a long week of work and then more adventures. I have a lot to share but I figured I would start where I'm at and try to catch up. It's Fall! I started running again after almost three months hiatus from the heat. With vacation and life we have been slacking on the gym too, so I was really nervous that running would be like starting over. It was great though, I did almost four and half miles yesterday and ran most of it. I'm using Map My Run and love seeing where I've been. I so wish I had used that app from the beginning (it's been a year since I started running) so that I could have tracked my progress.



Our vacation was a wonderful adventure, but we came home tired. We went to DC and New York and were on the go constantly. We walked miles and miles per day, especially in NY. The nice part about that was being able to eat whatever we wanted, and boy did we eat. So much good food. The problem was coming home and still being in vacation mode, eating everything but not walking miles per day. So I'm correcting my eating habits and getting back in the swing of things.  The weather is in line with the calendar for once here in North Texas and it feels like Fall.  Fall is my season, my favorite time of year.  I feel like I'm coming back to life.  For a healthy snack last night I had Noosa Lemon Yogurt wit frozen blueberries.  It was so delish!