Handmade Lilou Cat Dress

I made a dress for myself :) This is the first dress I've ever made for me. And while I would hate for a bonefide seamstress to look it over, from a distance it looks pretty fantastic and I love it. This dress is the Lilou dress from Tilly Walnes' book, Love at First Stitch: Demystifying Dressmaking

I chose a gathered waist instead of the original pleated waist for this Lilou dress because I thought it would better suit this fabric. I also added a trim to the bottom. This dress looks so much nicer with the trim. It took me probably a solid 2 hours to put in my first invisible zipper, and it's not perfect, but perfection will come in time, I'm sure.

As usual, I didn't follow the 'rules' of the book and I'm sure I would have been better off had I started with the easier patterns in the book and progressed to this more difficult one. I just couldn't help myself and I jumped right into the back of the book. I made a few mistakes that I probably could have avoided- like not doing a mock up, so I had to take the straps apart to shorten them after the dress was all done. It was a bit of a hack job to put them back together again, but oh well, it's all a process of learning. All in all, I learned a ton.

I'll be back soon with more project inspiration. I'm almost finished making a bag that I'm excited to show you and I've started cutting up the fur for the batch of hairy beasts I will be releasing later this year.

I'd love to see what you're working on too. Share your projects here in the comments if you like, or connect with me on Instagram (@AndreaTeetoo).

Happy sewing!

♥ Andrea ♥

Handmade Dress

Hello! I just finished making this dress. I'm so thrilled with the way it turned out. My confidence has increased tremendously with this dress and I feel that I will no longer shy away from sewing clothes. In fact, I'm pretty hooked now.

I recently purchased Tilly Walnes' book, Love at First Stitch: Demystifying Dressmaking. This book combined with the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, have helped me a lot in my quest to learn how to sew well. If you are new to sewing or feel you would like more of a helping hand through sewing clothes, I highly recommend these two books.

Tilly's book includes six patterns that increase in difficulty with each project. I've almost completed the first one and have ordered fabric to complete several of the others. This really is a great book. And her blog, Tilly and the Buttons, is fantastic as well. I notice her most recent post is a tutorial on buttonholes- sure could have used that last week...

And apparently I've turned a new leaf... I've fallen in like with binding.

But the true test of a dress is it's twirlability and I am delighted to report it has passed the test. The pattern I used is Butterick 6486 and the fabric is a vintage sheet, both picked up at a thrift store.

Happy sewing!

♥ Andrea ♥

Hello & An Eyeball Pillow DIY

Hello! Long time no see, hey?

Receiving this adorable customer appreciation shot recently, inspired me to write a post. This is Rosie. Isn't she delightful?! I am thrilled to think about the adventures Rosie is going to have with her Furry Beast :)

Truth be told, I miss Teetoo. Over the many iterations of my life, I have found that I have swung back and forth between two loves; natural healing and art making/crafting. But I have yet to find a nice balance between the two. I have always found myself in a position where I felt I had to leave one for the other. At this time, I am very involved in my natural healing life as a homeopath and my full time work at the Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine, but I would very much like to be sewing and drawing more than I have time to.

One thing I've been working up to do, is to make a big batch of Giant Sasquatches. I've had a lot of inquiries about them and I miss making them. I have no idea how long it is going to take me to get them done, but I am planning to do them this year. If you would like one and you want to have a better chance of getting one when the batch is available, you can either send me an email, follow the blog, like my Facebook page or follow me on Intstagram (andreateetoo). I will post to all of these places before I add the Sasquatches to the shop whenever that may be.

I thought I would share some photos from Instagram of a few projects I have worked on over the last year with you today. There aren't very many, but it is nice for me to document them here; for posterity's sake and in hopes of inspiring others to find more time to be creative.

The first two images are of a patchwork pillow I made for our bed several months ago. It was originally going to be a quilt, but I have learned that I am a crafter who likes to do a project that I can start and finish fairly quickly and though I've managed to make a few lap quilts over the years, I have yet to complete a full-sized quilt. In this case, I opted to turn the quilt into a pillowcase so I could feel good about actually completing something :)

The next project is a Halloween bunting I made from this Heidi Kenney Halloween Bunting Spoonflower fabric. This was a fun, quick and easy project. I put a star fabric on the back, so I can reverse it and keep it hung up in the living room the rest of the year. 

The illustration is a tree drawing for some friends who were married in September and wanted to make a Wedding Tree Guest Book. 

Over the summer, I made a lunch bag for my daughter, Winnie. I used the Quilted Lunch Bag pattern from the book, One-Yard Wonders. This is the second project I've made with this book and like the other one, The Folklore Bag, I found the instructions to be easy to follow and I am extremely happy with the final product.

This next project is something I made recently for my son, Eamon's, upcoming birthday in March. I saw an eyeball pillow for sale on ModCloth a while ago and thought he would love it. They don't have it in stock anymore, but I thought it would be fun to make my own anyway. So today, I'm going to give you the how-to so you can make your own eyeball pillow too.

Eyeball Pillow DIY

Materials

I used felt for this project. You will need some white and black felt and whatever colour you want for the iris, white thread, red thread, black thread and thread to match your iris colour, no-sew fabric glue and recycled polyfil.

Cut It Up

You can make this pillow in any dimensions you like. My pillow ended up being 12" around and 3.5" deep. For mine, I just found a top to a wicker basket that was a large circle and traced it for my template. It was approximately 12.5" in diameter and I cut two of these. You can use anything- a large serving plate would be a great option. 

Then I guessed on the proper depth of the pillow for that size of diameter and I went with 3.5", so I measured around the perimeter of my circle to make a strip of white felt that was about 4" x 40". Cut your strip a bit longer than the perimeter of your circle.

I found some other random round items to trace for the iris, pupil and white spot. My iris measures 6" across, my pupil measures 4" across and the white spot is a 1" circle.

Sew It Up

First take your iris and position it in the center of one of your large white circles (or off to one side if you like). Pin it down and sew it on with thread that matches the iris' colour. 

Then take your pupil and pin and sew it to the center of your iris, using black thread.

Now thread your machine with red thread and sew in some random veins. I just used a straight stitch and changed the direction every few stitches and tried to be as random as possible. To make the veins look  more realistic, sew a few of them so they split and make some of them span from the edge of the eyeball all the way to the iris and make some of them only span part way. 

Now take your long white strip and stitch one long side of it to the right side of the front of your eyeball. Your strip will be longer than the perimeter of your white circle, but don't worry about that. Sew right up until you meet the top of the strip and stop. 

Now take the other white circle that will be the back of your pillow and sew the other side of the pillow to the other side of your white strip (with right sides facing). Leave a little opening of about 5 inches before your strip end meets up with the front of the strip. Now clip around the edges of the seam allowance every 1/4" or so and flip right side out. 

At this point, I folded the end of my long strip under and laid the fold down as an edge onto the front of the white strip and with my machine I stitched the fold very close to the edge of the fold onto the front part of the strip so that it made a neat little seam. I left the five inch opening between the back of the pillow and the strip for stuffing. 

Stuff your pillow until it is nice and plump. You may have to do some pressing down and even punching here and there to make the pillow do what you want it to.

Now hand stitch the little opening at the back of your pillow.

Finally, use your no-sew fabric glue to glue your white spot down and you're done!

I hope you enjoy this little project!

If any of my directions are confusing, please leave me a comment and I would be happy to help and/or change my wording here to make it easier to understand.

Happy sewing! And hopefully, I'll post here now and then over the next few months. I've missed you!

♥ Andrea ♥

Appetite for Reduction: Book Review

 Appetite for ReductionIsa Chandra Moskowitz 2011, Da Capo Press

A little while ago, I asked around to see what vegan cookbooks people could recommend. I was hoping to incorporate even more vegan meals into the mix and I asked around because I wanted to get a really good one. Elyica recommended Appetite for Reductionby Isa Chandra Moskowitz and I'm so glad that she did. This book is fantastic. It is full of flavourful recipes that are easy to make, which is just what I was hoping for in a new vegan cookbook. I took a few photos of some of the recipes we've tried so far.


Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos

These tacos are so meaty and flavourful. Everyone really liked them. The filling is great in tortillas and also just on it's own with brown rice. I had to add a bit of regular salsa to these because the salsa verde was too spicy for the kidlets but for anyone who loves heat, the recipe is perfect the way it is. Johnny and I had never tried salsa verde before. It is so good! It's become a staple in our fridge.


Veggie Pot Pie Stew

This stew is the bomb. It's like a stick to your ribs, thick and delicious Irish stew. It's a soup that eats like a meal. Oh, wait a minute, that's another soup's tagline. It totally fits here.


I also made the Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad. Isa says she eats this everyday and I know why. This salad is fresh, light yet filling and really yummy.


Portobello Pepper Steak Stew

This was the latest recipe we tried. Oh man, is it good! I took a taste and then found myself eating a bunch before finally stopping myself to take a photo to share. I wasn't the only one to have more than one bowl for dinner and then I ate two more for lunch the next day.

We've tried a bunch of other recipes from the book also; Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens, Cool Slaw, Spicy Blue Potato & Corn Salad and Buffalo Tempeh. I'm sure there are a couple more that I can't remember right now. Every recipe I've made with this cookbook has been stellar.

If you're looking for a new vegan cookbook, this is so the one to buy.

Buying this book also turned me on to Isa's vegan recipe site, The Post Punk Kitchen. That site is giving me a whole lot of vegan inspiration these days.

♥ Andrea ♥

Crafty Times With Elycia

Many months ago, Elycia and I started some sewing projects together. We thought that we would do the same projects and then model our finished handmade clothes together. But things didn't go exactly how we had planned. During our first visit, we chose a project from the book, Little Green Dressesby Tina Sparkles and then drew and cut out our pattern pieces. On our second visit, we cut out our fabric. The next time we got together, I was a bonehead and I left my project at home. So, we figured we'd start a new project and we spent that next visit making a dress pattern. Things got busy and we didn't have another crafty date for a little while and then Elycia was pregnant and we realized that she shouldn't bother finishing the skirt and dress we started because they wouldn't fit her anymore. Then we decided to start yet another project together, baby bags- one for her and one for my friend. And we worked on those the last couple of time we got together. As I've mentioned before, I've been wrapping up my bag project on my own so that I can get it to my friend who I'm making it for, as it's long overdue. Elycia and I plan to share our bags once we're both done, but I thought I would share these photos from our first crafty day together.



Elycia measuring my hand so my pockets will be the perfect size for my skirt.



Making the skirt pattern.

Other than making our patterns for our first project, we also drank some orange creamsicle shakes, ate some toasted Roma Pizza (if you're from the area, you know how awesome that is) and of course we loved us some cats. Only two of them came out to say hello that day.



Elycia 'Lion Kinging' the Princess.



Handsome Farva. He hisses at me a lot. But once in a while, he comes by to say, 'what's up?'

Do you do crafty things with your friends? I highly recommend that you do. Though I was hoping to be sharing more finished projects, the time spent crafting together is so fun, I don't care that we haven't finished anything.

♥ Andrea ♥

Pure Vegan: Book Review

I took Pure Veganby Joseph Shuldiner out of the library a few weeks ago. This is such a beautiful book. I've returned all of the other books I got out at the same time but this one is so lovely, I want it to be mine forever. I made a bunch of recipes from Pure Vegan and loved them all so I thought I'd share them with you.

A couple of weeks ago when my nephew came to visit I wanted to put out an extra special spread so I chose a few things from the book. For appetizers, I served warm almonds and olives from the vegan tapas plate, curried walnuts and maple-ginger almonds (these were to die for!) and a fig paste along with some crackers and cheese (because we're not vegan).


For the main course, I served nutty mushroom risotto and it was so delicious I couldn't believe it! My nephew was very impressed.



I also made the three bean salad which was a big hit with the whole family. The sweetness of the oven roasted tomatoes was so delicious in this.

And I made the garbanzo bean and tomato soup another night when I didn't feel like making or eating dinner. That stew was perfect- thick, nourishing and comforting. It was loved my the whole family. Everyone, including myself, had at least two helpings.

Every recipe I tried in this book was easy to prepare, flavorful and felt like something a little more special than your average dish. My photos don't even come close to being as beautiful as the photos in the book. There are some great looking recipes for fancy drinks and desserts as well. I can't believe I resisted making one of the desserts actually. In particular, the chocolate sea salt tart looks amazing! I will sadly be taking this book back to the library today but I'll be purchasing it for sure.

I'm kind of in the habit of taking cook books out of the library. I'm always looking for new ones to try. Do you have any favorite recipe books to recommend?

I'm preparing for an exciting weekend. Our wee man turns 6 today! We'll be taking a trip to the Science Centre to celebrate and Johnny and I have tickets to see Nick Cave too! I can't wait!

Have a fun weekend.

♥ Andrea ♥

Coney Island: "The Phantom City of Fire"

I love to watch talks and documentaries while I work. And I've been so busy working lately that I've been watching a number of things. This documentary is such a stand out that I wanted to share it with you. It is fantastic to see all of the old photos and film footage and hear all of the details I never knew of this wondrously strange place. Like many people, I have for a long time been enamored with Coney Island and what a story the story of Coney Island is! It speaks so much to us as a people; the way we dream, play, strive for new, bigger, better things, our fascination with what we don't understand and the many ways we intentionally and unintentionally hurt each other and ourselves. The story of Coney Island seems to me to be a story we hear again and again throughout history and one that everyone can relate to on some level...

At first an innocent spark becomes something and it's a something that is worth holding on to. Then, what is worth holding onto becomes something worth improving upon. Something worth improving upon becomes something beyond what was ever imagined or intended. Then that something beyond the wildest of dreams becomes something that is not sustainable. If we are lucky, once the unsustainable has collapsed, we will see the original spark in the rubble and remember what was truly important. The spark can become for us more brilliant than the fire. But so often in this life I think we are so struck with grief over the death of our dreams that we can't bear to look at the spark again.

I loved this quote from the film:

"Down here at Coney island at the end of the season, I'm made to feel very sad. Mammoth empty buildings created by extraordinarily optimistic architects remind me in an unpleasant manner of my youthful dreams.  There is a mighty pathos in these gaunt and hollow buildings impassively and stolidly suffering from an enormous hunger for the public." - Steven Crane

I just added Harvey Stein's book, Coney Islandto my wishlist.

Have you seen the film? What are your thoughts on it?

Please be forewarned if you haven't seen this documentary that there is a terrible moment in the film when an elephant is killed. It is very upsetting and troubling so if you're like me, you may want to skip through that part.

I've been a bit M.I.A. as of late. I'm finishing off the final Teetoo Christmas orders and preparing for my daughter's birthday and Christmas. I don't mind telling you that I am looking forward to a day when I can sleep a lot more :)

♥ Andrea ♥

Folklore Bag

Check it out! I made myself a new bag last week and I totally love it! This is the folklore bag from the book, One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects. I've been dog-earring this book for a very long time now but this is the first pattern I've made from it.

I veered from the instructions just slightly; I used heavy-weight fusible interfacing instead of medium-weight and I was concerned that the straps would be too floppy and I didn't have anymore interfacing left so I folded them in half twice. This means the straps ended up being narrower than the pattern called for. I'm glad that I made these minor changes as the bag feels extra sturdy (which is good because I tend to always pack my bags to the brim) and I love the weight and the thickness of the straps.

There's a pocket inside just the right size for my phone and lip balm. I didn't do anything fancy like line it with a contrasting fabric though maybe I should have... I'm already making plans for the next time I sew a bag. It was a very satisfying project.

I'm looking forward to making some more things from this great little book! There is another One Yard Wonders book that has been on my wishlist for months, Fabric-by-Fabric One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects Using Cottons, Knits, Voiles, Corduroy, Fleece, Flannel, Home Dec, Oilcloth, Wool, and Beyond This book also looks fantastic and it even contains a pattern for making your own umbrella!

Have you made anything you really love lately?

♥ Andrea ♥

Fairies Wear Boots

We have forest fairies in our beautiful woods and just in case you didn't know, they do in fact wear boots!

I've been wanting to create a forest fairy for the shop for some time now and a new book is giving me the added inspiration I was in need of to finally get her started. The Complete Book of Dollmakingby Pamela Peake arrived at my door last week and I'm really enjoying it.

After the book came, I picked up the last of the pieces I needed for my forest fairy and I worked on her this weekend.

This is how she's looking so far. She still needs some wings and a dress. I'm pretty happy with how she's coming along. What do you think? Hopefully, she turns out nicely and I'll be back shortly to share the finished product with you.



♥ Andrea ♥

Our Favorite Spooky Kids Books

Over the past month or so, we have taken out every spooky or Halloweeny book we could get our hands on at the library. We've all put in our votes and these are the ones that came out on top...


Haunted House Party
Written by Matt Mitter and illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Published by Reader's Digest Children's Books

This first book, Haunted House Party was handed down to us from our cousins and I can't seem to find it anywhere. So unfortuanately, you may never get an opportunity to share our love for this great little book. It is a board book and my kids can recite every word in the story. My son is so inspired by this spooky tale that he has chosen to be the main character, Mr. Bones, for Halloween this year! I just made him a nice big yellow bow tie with red polka dots for his outfit.


Vunce Upon a Time
Written by Siobhan Vivian and illustrated by J. Otto Seibold
Published by Chronicle Books LLC 2008

This one I've written about before. Vunce Upon a Time is a fantastic story about a lovable vegetarian vampire named, Dagmar. It's safe to say that this is one of my all time favorite children's books ever! The story is great and the illustrations are outstanding!


The Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Written and illustrated by Denys Cazet
Published by Atheneum Books for young Readers 2005

Denys Cazet's The Perfect Pumpkin Pie is a tale of a "ghostly fussbudget with an appetite for a good pie". We all love this story and the gruesomely fun illustrations. It's a new family favorite!


Vampire Boy's Good Night
Written and illustrated by Lisa Brown
Published by HarperCollins Children's Books 2010

While we all enjoy this book,Vampire Boy's Good Night is my daughter's choice for favorite spooky book. The illustrations are adorable and the characters are very endearing. The story, about a real vampire boy and witch who don't believe that children are real and then find themselves at a children's Halloween party, is super sweet.


Cake Girl
Written and illustrated by David Lucas
Published by Andersen Press Ltd. 2009

Cake Girl is another favorite of my daughter's. Witch is lonely and makes Cake Girl for herself for her birthday. Cake Girl teaches Witch about friendship and Witch has the best birthday ever with her new friend. This is a very charming book. We love it!


Skelly the Skeleton Girl
Written and illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Published by Simon and Schuster 2007

What a great little story about a skeleton girl who finds a bone and searches her haunted mansion to find the owner and a new friend. We've also read Jimmy Pickering's Skelly & Femur and we loved it too! Now having gone to take a peak at his website, we are excited to read some of his other spooky tales!


The Curious Demise of a Contrary Cat
Written by Lynne Berry and illustrated by Luke LaMarca
Published by Simon and Schuster 2006

This last one was chosen by me. The kids aren't as in to it as I think they should be. It could be that they are just too young yet to appreciate the hilarity of this story. Cat gives Witch attitude one too many times and once she's had enough, well, that's the end of poor cat. The pictures are fantastic and the story is really great! Definitely on my list of favorites.

Have a spooktacular Halloween friends!

♥ Andrea ♥