Like any devoted catlady, I think my kitty is the cutest creature in the entire world and all I really want out of life is to bask in her cuteness. To that end, I had the idea a little while back to make a crochet version of Miss Fifi. (I know that the crafty catladies out there will totally understand this, right?) I just thought it would be funny, but it turns out that Fifi was not amused by her yarny doppleganger. Apparently this apartment ain’t big enough for two smooshy kitties. Who knew?

And, well, crochet Fifi was not too fond of her flesh-and-fur counterpart, either. Sigh.

Seriously you guys, I made this amigurumi Fifi for I Love Yarn Day back in the fall, and all I was really hoping to do was get a cute picture of real Fifi and crochet Fifi together. But real Fifi took one look at crochet Fifi and she did not like what she saw. She stalked crochet Fifi from behind for quite a while, and then attacked her over and over, with particular attention to her tail. It was the funniest thing ever. I knew Fifi liked being an only cat, but this was a more violent reaction than I anticipated!

Point taken, Fifi! We will not be getting another kitty anytime soon, I promise.

But! If you want to make your own crochet Fifi, I have a free pattern for you: Click here to download the free pattern to crochet your own Amigurumi Fifi!

(And PS, if you’re looking for safety eyes like the ones I used, a great place to buy them is Etsy shop 6060.)

Enjoy! xoxo, Brett & Fifi

Just a few glamour shots of little miss fluffyface today… she still hasn’t gotten her hair cut. I’m not naming any names, but someone is procrastinating. (We’ve both been hiding out in the air conditioning 24/7 for the past couple of weeks, so it’s been easy to put off. Soon!)

PS: How much do you love her profile (or lack thereof)?! It kills me. Sweet little smooshyface.

Happy Friday, all! xoxo Brett & Fifi

It’s mid-June and I do believe Fifi has officially reached maximum fluffiness. She is little more than a very tiny, cute face suspended in a giant pom-pom of fur–sometimes her form disappears altogether and I need to search for her little white chin to figure out what part of her is what. So, yes, this means it’s almost time for her annual haircut… but I think we’ll put it off just a little while longer. It still hasn’t gotten really hot here, and I can’t bear to give up my fluffly little ball of cotton candy just yet. Nothing beats scooping this furball up in my arms… it’s like snuggling a purring cloud. With catfood breath.

Happy Friday, all! xoxo

Guess who really loves the new dining room chairs and area rug?

That’s right–this girl.

I think the chair legs make her feel like she’s in the jungle…

…where she can hide…

…and stalk her prey.

She liked this spot a lot even before there was carpet. But now with the carpet?

It’s pure kitty heaven, apparently.

Happy weekend, all! xoxo

Today is Fifi’s birthday! As you can see, she is delighted!

Her friends Mimi and Marty sent her a little birthday bling in the form of this glamorous tiara. It is, of course, fitting of her fabulousness, and I think she knows how good she looks it it. In fact, she slept in it last night!

To celebrate her big day, we had a party last night. And let me tell you, Fifi seems a little… worse for the wear this morning. (I mean, going to bed with your birthday outfit still on? Always a bad sign.)

Today, she’s flat as a pancake.

She does not want to talk about it.

In fact, she would like everyone to please be quiet if you don’t mind, because all that chatter is killing her head. A lady needs her beauty sleep, you know.

(PS: That kitty bling? It’s a mini tiara on a comb, which I believe is a people accessory that you could probably find at a place like Claire’s Boutique. And yes, she just wears it around without complaint. She knows how to accessorize.)

Happy birthday my sweet little friend! You’re gorgeous. xoxo

Wishing you a very cute holiday season and a snuggly new year!

xoxo, Brett & Fifi

I’m so thrilled to have been a guest on today’s episode of The Martha Stewart show! Wooo! It was super fun taping the segment earlier this week, and I can’t say enough thank you’s to the staff and crew at the show. They are truly a gracious group of folks who were lovely and kind to work with, making the whole experience a pleasure from beginning to end.

Sewing alongside Martha was fun and not as freaky as I thought it would be! It’s funny, when you see someone on television so often, you start to feel like you know them in a way. So standing next to her in real life was sort of just like watching her on TV, except that I was in the TV with her, which, well, I guess I was. So it was kind of strange yet totally normal at the same time. Know what I mean?

Anyway! I thought I’d give a little more in-depth information about the project we made together, since we had to move so quickly in the segment. The photo above shows the skirts from the show — the top two are the samples the four-year-old little girls were wearing, and the bottom right is the baby-size version I made during the demo. Martha made an identical baby-size skirt but in a blue snowflake fabric, which isn’t shown here.

And this is the original skirt from the my book, Sewing in a Straight Line–as you can see, it was originally an adult skirt. This pattern is written so that you make the skirt to any body measurements, so you really can make it to fit anyone from a baby to an adult. I’ve actually made almost twenty different versions of this skirt by now, in all different sizes and fabrics, and you really can do almost anything with it, and get a zillion different results. The book sample was made in a cotton-linen blend, which was nice because it was soft and drapey, yet it still had body.

This sample from the show was made in taffeta, which made it a bit more stiff and poufy, for more of a party skirt effect. Then I stitched some metallic gold ric rac along the hem stitch line, and glued on a beaded applique. Instant party! This skirt was for a little girl but I would totally wear it in my size! As you can imagine, you could embellish this skirt in a million ways. I love the idea of adding pom pom trim along the hem or stitching a cluster of jingle bells in a random spot for the holidays. How fun would that be?

This version was made in an Echino fabric, which is an amazing Japanese fabric line that features gorgeous, whimsical prints. Kooky fabrics like these are perfect for this simple skirt–the skirt is so plain that it really allows the fabric to shine. AND an interesting print makes the skirt look really impressive and eye-catching, so it tricks people into thinking you’ve made something really spectacular, even though it was super easy. I love crafty trickery!

And here’s a close-up of the actual skirt I made on the show. It’s made from a simple quilting cotton, which is a good choice for babies because it can stand up to a lot of washing and will get softer and more comfy the more it’s worn. I think this would be so cute over little leggings for the winter, or worn alone or over bloomers in the summer.

So you see, this skirt really can be made in any size and in almost any fabric. And yes, I even went here:

…it can be made in kitty size too. But Fifi wasn’t terribly impressed with it. She is giving me some serious stink-eye in this shot.

The full instructions for this skirt are posted on the Martha site here.

Anyway, if you’re new to my blog today, hello! And if you liked this skirt, please check out my book, Sewing in a Straight Line. The book has over 25 patterns, from clothes and accessories to home decor and gifts, that are all made by sewing straight lines only. You’d be surprised how many great things you can sew even if you only have basic skills!

And if you weren’t able to catch The Martha Show today, I’ll post the clip just as soon as I can! xoxo

I think Fifi is experiencing Project Runway withdrawal since the season ended… she crawled into this Mood Fabrics bag and didn’t want to come out.

Happy weekend, all! xoxo

Reason #932 why I dig Fifi so much: she loves rainy days just as much as I do.

We had a gorgeously gloomy rainy day here this week, and Fifi spent most of it on the window sill by my desk, watching the raindrops slide down the glass and noticing that it’s really starting to look like fall out in the park.

Yep. Time flies. Seasons change.

I think it made her a little melancholy, but in a good way, you know? The way a nice gloomy day just makes you feel so mellow and happy to be inside. Just makes you want to gaze off into the distance and think about life, while your fur glows with 70′s-era back lighting. Sigh.

After that, she helped me organize some fabric. Rainy days are the best.

Hope you had a good week where you are too. Happy Friday, all! xoxo

I’m super excited today to share this little before-and-after video showing the process of painting my living room pink! I teamed up with some friends at the indie paint company Yolo Colorhouse, which is a super cool company dedicated to making paint that is produced in an environmentally conscious way, and which contains no harmful chemicals. When you start leaning about all the gnarly chemicals in normal paint it’s pretty alarming, so I love that Yolo has created a product that’s a healthier choice for our homes.

Big thanks to Natalie, Caitlin, Lauren, and videoman extraordinaire Zach for all their help with this project. And very special thanks to Miss Fifi for making a guest appearance during our taping, and for tracking hot pink kitty tracks all around the apartment.

Music is “Wallpaper“ by Kevin MacLeod – thank you!