This time I had the Apricot Cinnamon herbal tea.  It was slightly spicy and nicely refreshing.

I’ve been drinking way to much coffee!  Oh, Trader Joe’s Winter Blend, why are you so yummy?  Is it the coffee or peppercorns or anise?  Why do I want to drink you all day to the point where I run down the stairs to the coffee house to get some calming (cinnamon!!) tea.

Whew!  At least it’s powered me to work several hours today, and I still have some power to go!  Maybe next week I’ll try some coffee here, or not.

Yes my precious Figo has a Japanese twin named Maru.  Maru has his own blog and YouTube Channel.  For reference, here’s a picture of Figo:

Here’s Figo kicking Lily off the bed!

Lily says: Mommy said we had to yield the blog to her today in order to match up with Hoop Skirt (a friend!).  So we gave in, this week only because she said she’d post more pictures of us tomorrow!

Mommy here!   I made a Halloween costume for a friend!  I kept it under wraps until now.  Wordless Wednesday this week was a view of my “sewing cubicle” mid-project.  I sewed the costume at the library I work at part-time in an empty cubicle because I didn’t have a space to do it at the apartment.  The costume was Max from “Where the Wild Things Are” (the book, not the movie).

The project started with an email the first week of October [Lily edited to say "Tocktober!" Geez mom!] requesting a $600 costume for under $100.  No problem!  I found Simplicity pattern 2853 (view B) and a hood from Instrucables.  A few alterations, and it’s Max!

We took a trip to storage to get the sewing machine and notions, then drove to Joanns to get the fabric.  The fabric and thread needed were under $50!  The tail and ear fabric is amazing, but busted a needle on my machine, so they were hand sewn.  And, as I’ve said around the interwebs, “will sew for whiskey” – so the sewing was way cheap.  Total, it took 2 hours to cut and measure (some alterations were needed to make it large but not too large – think full bust alteration); 3 hours to sew the body, hood, and hems; and about 3 hours to sew the buttons, buttonholes, pocket, and attach the hood to the body.  But I did take a lot of breaks and thinking time, so the time estimates are really just a guideline.  And, I didn’t take enough pictures to do this project justice!

Alterations for the sew-ers out there:

• I used the fabric measurements for 1 size larger than needed from the pattern listing for “Body, Hood with Collar and Spats” from the pattern (above), and I used about 1/4 yard of  faux fur for the tail and ears.
• On the body, omit the zipper and add 2-inches to the upper body sections (this allows the room for the fold-over needed for buttons and buttonholes).  Cut the arm and leg length for 2 sizes larger than needed (this gives it the rumpled/too big/pajama look).
• Add 6 buttons.
• Add one package of matching embroidery floss (I used ecru) for the buttonholes and buttons if sewing by hand (see below).
• Omit the bias tape, elastic, and snaps on the pattern.
• Omit the fabric measurements from the pattern for the belly, ears, mitten bottoms, hood, tail tip, hood lining, and neck facings (and, obviously, omit these pattern pieces).
• Add a 6.5-inch square for the pocket from the scraps of the fabric from pattern.
• For the tail: use the pattern with the following changes.  Fold over the fabric so the pattern is cut twice, but use the fold for one long side of the pattern (I’m not sure this makes sense, but it’s so you only have to sew one long side of the tail and it’s folded over for the other long side).  Use the line for the “fur” from the pattern to cut and lengthen the tail by 4-inches.
• Use the hood from the Instructables link above, made from the scraps of the fabric from the pattern.
• For the ears: from the Instructables pattern (above), enlarge the ears by 2-inches on each side and use a coat hanger (each “holdy-side” is the perfect fit for each ear) to prop them up.
• For the whiskers, I used black pipe cleaners not the wires as instructed.
• For the buttons and buttonholes I used ecru embroidery floss and sewed by hand instead of using the machine because the buttons were too big for my buttonhole foot.

Basically, sew the costume as instructed in the pattern.  Sew the front pieces together at the crotch, sew the arm fronts to the front.  Sew the back pieces together from the neck to the crotch, with the tail as noted on the pattern, and sew the arm backs to the back.  

Sew the front to the back, and the arms together.  Sew the arm and leg hems with a simple hem.

Add the pocket (easier to feed through the machine when not sewn together!).  Attach the hood.  Sew the buttons and button holes.  Done!

The oolong today is from Voluto Coffee around the corner from my house.  No pictures because I forgot to bring the camera cord!  I was surprised at the knowledge of the baristas of the tea!  YAY!  Finally, a coffee place that I can get a decent cuppa!

This is a Taiwanese oolong called White Tip Bai Hao.  the liqueur is a golden, almost burnt, yellow.  It is lightly sweet and fruity, without a hint of nuttiness.  The leaves are dark brown, and unfurled to show broken, not full, leaves.  The leaves are mostly roasted, with hints of green.  Overall a good cuppa!

And here’s today’s miscellany – Cherikee Red.  This soda, which a friend introduced me to a few weeks ago is great!  It’s cherry flavored, but not medicinal, rather it tastes like cherry soda should – sweet and bubbly.  Apparently, it’s a regional specialty soda available in PA and OH almost exclusively.

Happy Halloween from Lily:

and Figo!

You woke me up for this?

And Mommy *almost* forgot Tocktober pictures!

Yes, it’s a day early, but I’m already in the spirit!