Happy birthday to my lovely, strong, amazing, curious, beautiful daughter, Colette Gaelle! She was definitely a surprise 2+ years ago…I had a difficult time after I discovered I was pregnant. I absolutely cannot imagine my life without her and I am so thankful that we are graced by her unique personality & determined spirit. It is really special to see her strong connection to her siblings, especially the bond she has with Frankie. I always wanted a sister and I am touched to see their love for one another.
I just finished sewing myself a dress! I haven’t felt the desire to sew for myself in a long time. Mainly because my body has changed so much in the last 4 years, being pregnant twice and nursing. I have also been so busy designing and sewing for Frankie & Coco PDX that I haven’t had much time. I have been saving 3 yards of the most beautiful vintage silk print, given to me years ago by my dear friend Jen. She has a remarkable eye, is a fantastic seamstress & knitter and inspires me daily. You can check out her projects at Creating Bits of Envy.
I decided to use a Simplicity pattern and switched a few things to make it more my own. I was nervous to cut into this fabric, but I’m so glad I did! It turned out really lovely and fits perfectly. I will have to post a picture of myself wearing it eventually. I absolutely love the pleated sleeves and that it has pockets!
autumn is in full swing and i haven’t posted a single thing since may! one of my great joys these past months has been working in the garden. back in the spring, i was lucky to enlist the help of my friend kyle (who is a great gardener and has a fearless approach) to get me motivated in the garden. our yard is pretty large, but was completely overgrown, wild and overwhelming. my friend sarah, her son and my eldest son helped all day to begin the transformation. we cut down trees, dug up stumps, hacked off branches and cleared the way for a new space!
kyle and ethan taking out branches left and right!
here is the garden space after we finished that day.
our driveway was overflowing with yard debris..
the next weekend, micah pulled out the garden boxes and rototilled the entire area. i worked on creating new garden beds and bordering them with old bricks we found in the yard.
next, we built a third garden box, dug out holes and laid all of them down diagonally.
we had dirt delivered and got 12 yards of wood chips for free! it took forever to wheelbarrow it all!!
finally, it was starting to take shape!
i had such a wonderful time planting seeds with all the kids. we planted a bean teepee, beets, mixed greens, snap peas, cucumbers, carrots, onions, tomatoes, shishito peppers, kabocha, swiss chard, bok choy, hot peppers (for ethan’s hot sauce), japanese eggplant, herbs and a ton of colorful annuals. we bought some perennials too, but tried to get it as lush & colorful as possible without spending money. we were lucky to have great neighbors & friends give us veggie starts and perennials throughout the summer.
as the summer came to a close, the garden was truly magical. we had wonderful dinners with friends, read for hours on the hammock and the girls loved to play amongst the towering sunflowers & exuberant zinnias. can’t wait for next year!
So, since KCW finished up, i haven’t posted a damn thing. I’ve been working like crazy on my next endeavor…Frankie & Coco PDX! My dear friend Sarah and I have launched a new little shop, specializing in beautiful, yet quirky items for women (mainly). We are inspired by color, texture, vintage details and organic elements. The merging of our two distinct styles adds something unexpected to our designs and everything is crafted by hand and one-of-a-kind; functional and beautiful, with a twist. We really enjoy combining modern functionality with unique, vintage elements found on our frequent scavenger hunts…vintage zippers, buttons, fabric, etc. It’s exciting to come across truly unique items and integrate them into our design vision. So far the journey has been great, but the real Frankie & Coco keep it interesting. Designing & sewing with a 3 and a 1 year old is challenging at best.
After three days of sewing for Frankie, I had to switch it up! Aidan requested a hoodie for Day 4, but it ended up taking me two days to get it all done. I downloaded the Urban Hoodie from Heidi & Finn, printed it out, pieced it together and started cutting! Aidan picked out a rad vintage super vibrant knit (picked up at an estate sale) and a coordinating green, super soft knit for the lining (picked up at St Vincent’s for $1.99 years ago). It turned out great and I really like the mismatched vintage buttons too! Aidan loves it.
The KCW challenge is moving along. I ended up cutting out a simple dress and getting it all finished in a little over an hour late last night. I used another vintage pattern and a mod white & gold abstract vintage print. I am absolutely loving the bow! Frankie and I went on an early morning walk and took some cute pics.
Yikes! Tuesday was so busy, I barely finished the dress. The skirt came together pretty easily and the pleating looks really great. I hand finished the neck and sleeves and then was so tired that I decided to roll hem the bottom on the serger. Frankie woke up this morning and was delighted! After dropping off her older brothers at school, we came home and had a little photo shoot.
it’s difficult some days to just feed my 4 kids, let alone sew for them! thank goodness for kcw (kids clothes week), the seasonal challenge that really sparks the creative fire.
for day one i decided to delve into my stash of vintage patterns and found this lovely mccall’s gem to sew for my 3 year old daughter, frankie.
cute pattern, cute dress, strange text…
i decided to use a vintage print with red piping. i was able to cut it out and sew the bodice together in my hour. i really love the cherry red piping & facing. i can’t wait to see it finished tomorrow!
it can be a struggle to focus on the positive, especially with a busy life & four children. at the end of the day, i am often overwhelmed by the plethora of dirty dishes, piles of laundry (clean & dirty both), the remnants of food that coco tossed on the floor, the clods of dirt trailed in by baseball cleats and the various complaints & tantrums. yet, there were many lovely moments today too..
maya mori 
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