Fashionable and free?

I may be the only sewer who didn't know this, but Burda has super cute sewing patterns available for download... for free! Dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, clutches -- all available for download and printing on either your home printer or from a copy shop.

I'm a little bigger than their size range, but with some careful drafting, I could make some of these patterns work (especially in stretchy fabrics).

Of course, I also have a 3 1/2 month old at home, so I don't know when I'm doing all this sewing, but now I have some extra reasons to get stitching!

Whew!

We survived. I went back to work, and both Viv and I survived. I probably had a harder time than she did. I did stop by at lunch to feed her, and she seemed happy and smiley to everyone (but me).

My first day back at work was ok. A lot of people are out at a 3-day meeting, so it was a bit slow, which was good. I can ease back in instead of being slammed. And it went faster than I expected, so all in all, about as good as I could have hoped for.

Several projects under way right now. I'm doing Juliet in Noro Blossom, the Back-to-School Sweater Vest from Fitted Knits (in vintage wool I got at the PCC Flea Market) and a motif sweater for Vivian that is similar in basic construction to Annie Modesitt's Lacy Leaf Cocoon sweater. More details when I get a bit further on any of them.

And here is your gratuitous baby photo:

Isn't that a beautiful smile? I sure think so!

WIP

What is life if not a work in progress? We move forward, like it or not. And here at Chez Reeve/Manfredi, we're moving forward.

This is my last week of maternity leave. I head back to work next week, and Viv heads to daycare. I'm dreading this transition, but it's something that needs to happen. We're a two-income family, and we both work outside the home. Rich is being wonderful -- he tells me that we'll that if I hate leaving her at daycare, we can revisit this. Not that we can really afford to live on 1 salary (at least not in LA), but just the thought that we can revisit this if necessary lifts a bit of the weight off my shoulders.

So, we're getting ready. I decided I needed a new look to help me get into a work frame of mind. So let me present my new haircut:

It's so nice not to need to pull my hair into a ponytail or work to make sure Vivian doesn't grab it. The only bad thing is that my hair seems to have gotten curlier now that it's shorter. So it curls up in funky places. But I still love it. I went to Haas Salon on Larchmont Blvd., just walked right in with my sister Jenny, and got this fab cut for only $45! I've found my new salon!

More works in progress, on the crafty front. I finished Vivian's Christmas stocking! It went really fast, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I do still need to line it and add a hanger, but it turned out just how I pictured it.


I only used 1/3 - 1/2 of each skein of Cascade 220, so I decided to make good use of the leftover yarn by crocheting Vivian a winter vest. Layers work so much better here in LA when it's cold(ish). This is the Pastel Parfait vest from Candy Babies, by Candi Jensen.

It's going really quickly, so it should be done in the next day or so.

And that's that. Change happens, and it's not always bad. I just have to get through this transition and back into routine. Take a deep breath and just move forward.

now that's a sleepy pumpkin

In my life

Guess where I was Wednesday night?

Richard, Vivian and I skipped Pizza Club this week to make a trek out to the LA County Fair and the Professional Bull Rider's Los Angeles circuit event. And it was actually my idea. Never in my life would I have thought I would be whooping and hollering at grown men trying to stay on the back of a very large bull. But it was actually a lot of fun, watching the riders hang on for dear life. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I'm not ashamed, even if this does make my neck a wee bit red...

Being at the Fair, we also enjoyed some deep-fried goodness: deep fried hostess cupcake and a deep fried Snickers. The cupcake was warm, chocolatey, molten heaven: everything that I could hope for and more. The Snickers was a bit disappointing. Too much batter, and just too heavy.

If that snickers was my last deep-fried awesomeness of the year, I'd be even more disappointed, but fear not! More deep-fried happiness is coming on Sunday, when we head back for the last night of the fair. I need to score some deep-fried avocado and some deep-fried oreos. Deep-fried oreos -- I feel a Homer-worthy drool coming on as I type. Pictures to come...