I had the inkling to make a cape for Indy probably two years ago, and despite having no real pattern in mind, had picked up these fabrics and quickly stored them away around that time. Some time between then and now I also picked up a copy of Meg McElwee's Growing Up Sew Liberated, and of course I shelved that and quickly forgot about it too. Then, somehow, both the fabric and the book were pulled back out and met their final destiny in the reversible hooded play cape. That's how things so often seem to go, isn't it? I honestly can't remember the fabric content of the red, though it is wool-ish (perhaps a wool and polyester blend?), and the inside (or other side, since it is in fact fully reversible) is a wonderful cotton calico of petite blue flowers. It was a very easy sew, not taking me too much longer than nap time, and Indy loves to wear it everywhere we go, and of course inside the house while she plays. It's a perfect cool-weather weight. The closure is just an elastic and a large button, but I have a feeling that the elastic will wear out and need to be replaced eventually, perhaps with something like this?

Now, it wasn't so very cruel of me to post all those belated snowy pictures last time since I'm making up for it by not posting a single picture of the real March snow that we got in the last several weeks. Instead, look! My kids outside riding bikes! (Ignore the snow piles in the pictures, I promise they were melting.)

Everyone's complaining about the weather, but to be honest I don't mind March's seasonal forgetfulness all that much; sure she's somehow got me shivering in the 50 degrees that saw me wearing flip flops only the week before (thanks to the 70 degree day in between), but I like to see it as little gifts of the spring I've been pining for intermixed with enough cold days to allow me to wrap up the last bit of wintry things I wasn't quite ready to let go. We played outside and went to the park and even ate on the back porch, but we still had days for maple steamers and savory popcorn snacks (with parmesan and dill) and chicken soup and stuck-inside crafts. Maybe March knows me better than I know myself.