A quick announcement....

If you are in the area, be sure to stop by! I'll be inside the building: just look for the apple green banner with my cool, retro royal-blue "momfetti" logo. I even have some items not available in my online shop for you as an added incentive.

Following the market is my family vacation. My blog will be a bit quiet for the next 10 days, but I will be back on the 10th of May armed with plenty of pictures, stories, and other goodies!

Happy Queen's Day!

Today in the Netherlands is Koninginnedag (Queen's Day).

The former Queen's (the mother of our current queen) birthday is April 30- and early spring when the tulips are in bloom is a fabulous time for a Dutch Queen's birthday, don't you think? However Queen Beatrix's birthday is January 31, when it is freezing cold and everything is covered in snow and ice. She decided it would be much better to celebrate her special day in the spring and chose to keep April 30 as the celebratory day. Instead of the Queen's Birthday, it's just called Queen's Day, but it certainly isn't celebrated with any less enthusiasm.

It is traditionally celebrated by everyone wearing the official color of the Netherlands: orange! One or two selected cities are visited by the royal family, and I admit even I watched the live footage of the royal family leaving the bus and shaking hands with the town's people.

There are special cream cakes made, decorated in orange of course. It is also the official free market day. There is no charge or tax for selling things from a market stall in the city centers. In former times this was a boost to small farms and salesmen, but in our current society the practice has been adopted by individuals. Anyone and everyone who wants to participate brings a blanket and selects a piece of ground for themselves in and around the town centers creating a nation-wide annual flea market. Most items are sold for around a euro, and even kids are allowed to sell "on their own" and are given special and prime locations to sell things.

So, if you aren't over here with us, be sure to celebrate the day "in spirit" by wearing something orange!

Good Lelystad

I suddenly got a bee in my bonnet about getting out more often.

Just a quick bit of history: I live in the capital city of our Province. Our province came into being in 1986, a few years after they drained the sea to create it. In a round about way I live at the bottom of the sea. Because the only man-made structures older than 1950 are the shipwrecks that dot the landscape, everything is new. This extends to our festivals. No "100th" annual events here. We are still in single digits in most cases. Many of these festivals are held in the coastal area of town- which just so happens to be where I live. I am, literally, 4 minutes by bike to the heart of the action.

And living so close, I decided we better take advantage of that fact and actually attend these annual events. Whatever they are. Thus the bee in my bonnet and the dragging of the family to random fairs and shows. So far the dragging of the family to these events has been easy- they happen to be in our current set of likes. Last weekend was the first "used boat" market and show. This past weekend it was for the first "Good Lelystad" Earth Friendly Fair.

There were many displays and booths on buying or building energy efficiency homes, and how to improve your current home's efficiency rating. We got the scoop on solar panels for flat top roofs and radiant wall heat. They had a few electric cars on display. I told my husband I wanted one. Not because it was green, but because the interior's buttons looked like a video game controller.

But my daughter decided the greenest car on display was the wooden cut out, and just had to demonstrate its "use".

Our local second hand store was there having kids decoupage the heck out of anything and everything, showing that even ratty-tatty old items can be fresh and pretty again, and include the kids in the creation process. There were some organic food booths...

.... and of course a carrot forest. Everyone knows you can't have an earth fair without a carrot forest.

I did nickname it the "hanging gardens of beta-carotene" but no one seemed to think my little joke was funny. Not even after I said it a dozen or so times.

The husband sampled the organic wines and since being pregnant means I can't drink, I wandered over to the alternative garden section. Where I found a pocket garden display. It's on my list for Mother's Day. I know I am a black-thumb and the only thing I can successfully grow is mold on the mystery meat at the back of the fridge. But pockets! Surely I can grow things if I had pockets!

Moo-ving right along!

My deliveries for supplies are now coming in! Hooray!

Today I received about a bazillion cards from Moo. Each one has the name, care instructions, fabric content, and price- in one of two languages. Don't you love the new logo my husband created for me?

All that is left to do is perforate the bottom (so the price part can be removed if you want to use the item as a gift), hole-punch it, and attach one of each language to all my finished products. My daughter sweetly volunteered to do most of this grunt work. You give that child a chocolate milk, kid shows in the background, and a stack of work, and you would be amazed at what gets accomplished in one afternoon.

Garment a Month Project: April update....

The guilt not hurrying has been weighing on me. I promised to make the daughter this dress last month as it is. I started this weekend with nothing more than a pile of pieces that I had cut and marked well over a week ago, and a cup of cranberry juice. Now look! Except for the buttons the top is otherwise finished!

I am really loving that bold color combination!

The collar and placket sections on the pattern had very good instructions. Reading "proper" sewing books have also helped. This past week I had read "The Sewing Book" by Alison Smith and in it were step by step photographs- including everything I was doing in this pattern. Between the two, I didn't have to yank out a single seam. I got it right the first time.

The cuffs have a mock-button tab. I have the tab tacked in place but haven't sewn the buttons on yet. I'll put them on when I do the buttons on the front.

I decided to opt out of lining the dress. My daughter layers as it is and adding a sewn-in layer would mean it wouldn't be comfy on warmer days. This meant I didn't have a way of hiding those frayed edges on the seams. I self-sealed each seam. Because of the small pieces and the 1/2" seam allowance, this was incredibly fiddly work. I did each and every seam by hand and only stabbed myself with a pin 4 times. She won't appreciate it, I am sure, but it makes my heart glad to know I did those extra steps for her.

This next weekend will be finishing the project. And not a minute too late. May is almost here!

One small step for a mom, one giant leap for Momfetti.

I am now a proud, confirmed booth space holder at the Sunday Market on May 2. Is it normal for me to be a bit nervous?

So far I have been working as fast and hard as I can. Things are really starting to come together.
There are oodles of new fabrics not yet in the shop, and even some special "available only at the craft fair" items. I discovered that those storage bags really do store well. You can't believe the number of "stacks of 10" I managed to store in a small space. And the number of tea bag cozies already completed is just amazing.

The husband has been an absolute gem translating all my washing instructions into Dutch for me, and sorting out my PIN machine. The daughter has perfected the art of turning bags and poking out the corners for me. It's becoming quite the family affair!

How odd is it that I am so busy, so tired, but every day I wake up wanting to do it all over again? I guess this is exactly what they mean by job satisfaction!

Giveaway..... Storage Bins.

The Crunchy Wife is hosting a giveaway featuring two my storage bins. You should really check out her great blog. Daisy (even her name is earth and people friendly!) is dedicated to being environmentally responsible, but she approaches it in such an easy, relaxed way. I like how she gives sage advice, posts timely articles, and offers solutions that even a green-beginner can follow, yet doesn't lose the attention or zeal of the green-pros. And to reach all audiences is pretty impressive.

She also wrote a great review (see, I am even blushing) which had me tickled pink. One thing that made my day was the fact she loved my packaging. I am rather packaging proud. I make my own parcels out of end cuts of wrapping or Kraft paper. It is more efficient for the mailing system: keeping down postage costs and being greener. Talk about win-win!. And because each one is made-per-order it is one last thing I can do for you to make your package that little bit extra special. And yes, the special "cut knots and pull" opener back is hand-sewn.

The plastic bag insert (to keep your order snug and dry) has been recycled. I joke that junk mail finally has its benefits: it provides me with mini Dutch-vocabulary lessons and the plastic sleeve gets recycled for my shop.

For a chance to win, head over there now.....

How was your Easter weekend?

Normally I am an Easter-fanatic: egg hunts, bunnies, huge meals, new dresses, long church services, and baskets brimming with goodies. Not this year. This year was Easter-light: 30% less activity, 100% less energy required. We started the morning off with a simple breakfast. We had baked Camembert, some sweet buns with jam, a bowl of fresh grapefruit wedges, and orange juices all around. And of course boiled eggs kept warm in a cozy.

After we headed to the Sunday Market in Amsterdam. It was cold, wet, and rainy but we were determined to go anyway. Half the market is outside, and the other half is in the shell of an old gas-works building.

Yes, that DJ really was spinning the original vinyl disco hits. And, yes, we got caught getting our groove on much to the embarrassment of the daughter.

The market is for handmade, vintage, or original art items only. You never know what amazing things you would find. Sometimes it isn't the items being sold, it's the displays that are striking. I fell in love with this VW bug stuffed with twinkly party lights belonging to a mostly 70's vintage clothing stall....

And "made" the husband buy an espresso from this coffee vendor solely because the interior of her 3-wheeled truck had a chandelier, water fountain, and was practically wallpapered with vintage travel postcards from Italy.

We bought a few cute items, chatted with a few people, and ended our day buying 2 kilos of fresh, handmade fudge and a blueberry muffin from this fine cook. I was so enthralled by her goodies I walked away from her stall without even eying up her ribbons and notions tucked in the corner of her booth. Yes, her fudge was that mouth-watering yummy that not even sewing goodies could distract me. Plus, she was such a sport and let me take her picture. She even said "cheese" for me!

After the market my mother- and father-in-law came by for dinner. We ended the night staying up late watching a movie together. It was a quiet, non-egg, non-bunny, non-bonnet kind of Easter, but it certainly was a happy one.

Hoot-ray! We have a winner!

My daughter was incredibly helpful. She surfed on over to random.org to generate the winner, counted carefully down to the correct number, was checked by the official judge (ahem, me), and we both are pleased to announce the winner of the Hoot-ray for Spring Giveaway as.....

Little Treasures

Congratulations, Maya! Please be sure to email your address to me so I can post these right away!

As an added treat, you should check out her blog. She creates some truly beautiful things and is a terrific sewist.

Garment a Month Project: April

I started this year with a simple goal: read one book a month. Since I have found time to accomplish this without much effort, I decided to add a new "one thing a month" goal to the list. I am going to make one new garment a month.

Now, it is relatively a no-brainer to make a "one-day-project" spread out over 30 days. That's not the point. The point is to start making clothes properly, not quickly. I purchased 11 new volumes of dressmaking happiness and as I work my way through them learning new techniques, I can apply these to the garments I am making.

What a perfect way to start my project than with the dress I promised my daughter I would make? In case you would like to recreate this on your own, here is where I purchased my materials and supplies:

• Pattern: Jump Rope Dress, from Oliver + S
• Material: Dandelion in Turquoise (Flora and Fauna Collection, manufactured by Michael Miller) and Fizzy Bubbles in Apricot (Sugar Collection, manufactured by Art Gallery), both purchased from Hawthorne Fabrics
• 100% cotton muslin, purchased from Ikea
• Buttons: retro buttons in apricot, from BigFish
• Thread: I am using a white thread because I love the contrast.

I plan to alter the pattern by adding a layer of muslin to back the cotton (because I am concerned it may be a bit too sheer in the sunlight). The muslin and cotton will be sewn together as one unit- instead of making one dress in cotton, and a second dress of muslin, and layering the two to create outer dress & lining. I will be finishing all the seams.

I have already washed and dried the fabric to prevent shrinkage. Today I plan on cutting the pattern pieces out. I'll be sure to post my progress on and off throughout the month.