Crafternoon II

Forget the Superbowl. This is what's inspiring me...

And last Sunday's crafternoon? I was in desperate need of a desk calendar...but this desperate? Bleh!

With a little help from the back of last year's calendar...now we're talking!

Wahoo! Now there are quilts on my desk. Aren't they beauties???

This Sunday afternoon creativity time is good for my soul.

And my desk.

Crafternoon Project

Bit of indigo fabric, pin-tucked...check.

Little blank book from here...check.

Elmer's glue....check.

White thread...check.

Result? A little calendar/day book that I love.

What are you making lately?

Moments: Creating order

Creating sometimes seems to make only chaos.

(The same bed from yesterday's post on peace...12 hours later.)

Creating sometimes makes delicious order.

(When in doubt for dinner, hubby's omelets are a sure bet! With leftover squash? Yum!)

p.s. Does eating a banana with my ice cream pie make my breakfast healthy? Someone needs to buy cereal...and bread...and T.P. around here. Guess that's me! Bye for now.

On the cutting board and on the needles

Two new projects I've been wanting to do for years:

First, a Christmas tree skirt made from our old pants and skirts.

I'm using:

• pattern paper from a friend to design it
  
• lace from my grandma's stash
• tweedy cotton (that I thought was wool when my honey wore it)
• velvety embroidered fabric from a skirt I wore in high school to our Argo Society activities, like attending the opera (I did not, however, wear it to the hockey game we went to)
• corduroy and khaki fabric from both our work pants
• new trim, yet to be determined, but almost certainly from here (ooooooh! They have free shipping for orders over $25. If can't get to the NY shop, do you want to visit their online one!)
  

Second, a lace shawl. This lace shawl.


It was all the online rage several years ago, but I could never convince myself to fork over the $20+ to buy the Rowan magazine it was in. Amy even kindly checked to see if she had it among her knitting library. It's just been on my brain again this fall.

Then, by a series of coincidences (begun by fabric.com including yarn in the shop), I discovered the pattern is online (here!) at Rowan. FOR FREE!!! That my favorite yarn, was also on sale only sealed the deal. (Yes, several people have told me it looks like I'm knitting with hair...but it's MO-hair ladies and gentlemen!)

I'd been knitting for about a week and a half by the time I finished the first skein. I remembered reading that several people had run out of yarn with this pattern, so I thought I better check to make sure I was on track to finish with enough yarn. (There's some crazy math involved as you start with nearly 300 stitches and knit down to one.) After calculating the thousands of stitches I'd knit and the thousands yet to go, I realized I probably wasn't going to have enough. Aaaaaargh!

(Insert your own version of ensuing debate over whether to order more yarn that is now not on sale and won't qualify for free shipping that you may or may not need, depending on how the rest of your knitting goes. Or start over from the beginning, with only 10-20 fewer stitches, which will add up to thousands over the whole shawl.)

I ripped it out. The whole skein. I felt really calm while I did it, then frustrated and compulsive to get it back on the needles. Oh those first few rows of 300 stitches are soooooooooo long. But they are coming. I certainly hope my math was right!

How do you feel when you start a project? Or when you start it....again?

Playing with layout: Autumn quilt

Inspired by a maple leaf quilt, with rows upon rows of large maple leaves, I started piecing the blocks. Growing bored with the simple repetition, I started appliqued leaves and embroidered words. I imagined something like this, with wind-blown leaves tossed across the quilt top.

But I didn't know where my eye should go. There was no direction. Maybe the original structure isn't such a bad idea?


Some combination of both? Oh dear, this version would take forever.


Balancing movement and structure, chaos and order. Still a work in progress.

Quick sewing projects?

Here are last week's "quick" little projects that turned out to not to be "sew" quick projects due to...

(My block for the Pixiedust Gather at Bumble Beans.)

...drafting curving pattern pieces, then attempting machine curved piecing for the first time and fighting it all the way...

and...


...attempting to figure out my rolled hem foot (anyone? I couldn't get it to work consistently), having threading problems (operator error or my NEW machine??? Argh!), bailing on the rolled hem and then fighting the bulk of the corners even after they were trimmed down (They weren't moving at the start of the seam. Is this normal?).

Shouldn't napkins be an easy sewing project??? Hemming four straight edges? It was a frustrating sewing day to say the least. Guess I will take my sewing machine sales shop on those free lessons soon.

Oh well. I love how the block for the Pixiedust Gather turned out and I love seeing homemade napkins when I open my kitchen drawer.


Good bye paper towels at the table! Yes, we were that high class. Call Martha Stewart if you must. Maybe she could show me how to use my rolled hem foot...

Another doll...

I just finished and mailed this sweet thing as part of Craft Hope's 2nd project. I think I'm figuring out the pattern for these little dolls! Hooray! I mean, her head actually looks round. (First attempt, not so much.)

Off she goes to Eren at VintageChica and then on to Nicaragua. Buen Viaje!

Two ways to help...sewing or bidding

Here are two ways to help orphans in Nicaragua and in China.

1. Make a doll for a child in a Nicaraguan orphanage. I think it's perfect timing that Craft Hope's next project involves doll making since I've recently discovered how much I enjoy it! If you want to make one too, just pop on over for the details and then let Jade know you're in.

2. Bid away on this fabulous 9-patch quilt. All of the money raised in the Love Without Boundaries auction goes toward caring for orphans in China, including providing heart surgeries for those who need them. I contributed blocks to this quilt and when it was finished, it was so cute I wanted to scoop it up and take it home! Thanks to Victoria at Bumblebeans for organizing this project and sewing it all up!

(photo by Victoria at Bumblebeans...how could I forget to give her credit?)

The auction for the quilt is here. Don't you want to take it home??? Please check out their auction store. There are many, many fabulous things to bid on.

New Sewing and Crafting Project: A Doll

Without a little girl at my house, I never thought I'd make a doll, until I saw this adorable one and the ones that inspired it. Then a baby shower for a girl this past weekend made me decide a doll was definitely in order.

Here's the sketch of my own variation (although, as I look back at Molly's, maybe it wasn't much of a "variation"! And if I'd had a fabric doily, you bet I would've used that too.)...


The end result...


I'm already sketching out what I'll change the next round, but I think this one turned out cute enough...even with her slightly odd body-to-head proportions! (Lesson 1: Stuffing changes the dimensions of a softy!)

Have you ever made toys or have a favorite hand made toy of your own?

Current Favorite Necklaces

I just love delicate necklaces. I seem to be wearing one of these almost every day.

This one is just a bit of upcycled bit of hardware I found.

And this one was from my honey for Christmas from lolabean.

Do you have something you wear all the time?

100 Posts Giveaway

aka: the "Wahoo! I want to celebrate the people I've connected with through blogging" giveaway.

After my first giveaway, my thoughts about giveaways changed. That one was part of a quilting giveaway of close to 100 craft bloggers. I was amazed to have so many people stopping by and commenting on my blog, but I found myself hoping that when I drew a name (or the random integer generator did) that it would be someone I knew...someone whose blog I loved, or a friend who reads mine, or a family member back home. I decided that the next time I gave something away on my blog, it would be a celebration of the connections made through blogging.

And so I'm celebrating the community I found here. I'm so grateful for the ideas shared, the beauty exposed, the inspirational thoughts posted, the gratitude expressed, the honoring of details, the insecurities gently revealed and the reassurances so freely given. I'm grateful for my bloggy friends! And while this post may be followed with an "Aack! How do I keep up with all of the wonderful people I've connected with through blogging?" post, it is simply because I consider you, all of you, to be part of my community now.


And so this giveaway is a thank you to YOU for visiting! I am so grateful you are one of the wonderful people who stop by here. Whether you comment often or we've never formally met, whether you've been here before or whether this is a first visit, you are part of my blog. And so to one of you, as an act of "community service" (hee hee!)...I'd love to give away this little scarf. It is a slightly narrower version of this pattern made out of my favorite yarn in the world in color called Meadow. (Isn't that perfect for spring?) Oh, this yarn makes such airy, soft delicacies! I love, love, love it!

Simply comment on this post, say hello if you are commenting for the first time, make sure I have a way to contact you and then wish upon a star. I'll draw (yes, this time I think I'll draw) a name out next Tuesday night. Good luck! And THANK YOU for being part of my blog.

p.s. If the winner wants buttons or ribbon to go with it as shown in the pattern, simply let me know when I contact you. I would be pleased as punch to add them for you.

I am grateful for....

A hike....

Here's what hubby spotted. She wasn't bashful. Watchful, but not bashful. She foraged with a younger deer, used her nose to to satisfy an itch (can you see the little nuzzle mark in her fur?) and watched us watching her. We spotted four deer. They were beautiful to watch!

A new project....

I'm embroidering these as a housewarming gift for a friend who moved into a new apartment.

A bit of green...

After seeing Amy's pic, I had to see if there was any green coming up by me and there was!

My next post will be #100. As part of that celebration, I think I'll give away something green. 'Til then, have a lovely day.

Falling Leaves

This is my current sewing-on-the subway project.


Yes. It's "out of season", but it's my most transportable project and I am glad to be making a little progress on it.

In honor of Molly's question of Inspiration - Imitation - Innovation, here's a little background. The quilt that inspired this was all maple leaf blocks, with very large and orderly rows of leaves filling the center of a scrappy quilt. When I started sewing mine years ago, I wanted it to be just like that! But when I got it back out this year, I decided I want something more free-form, with a variety of wind-blown leaves tossed over the background fabric.

So...I'm adding applique and embroidery and words. What words, especially action words, do you think of when you think of falling leaves? I have twirl and float and fall...What else? Maybe crunch or dance? Can you even think of autumn things when you are dreaming of spring???

Doodling and dawdling...

Made Me Inexplicably Happy...

Working on blocks for Clare over at Quilts for Leukemia yesterday and today did just that!

Clare makes quilts for children who have been diagnosed with Leukemia from blocks made by quilters from around the world. She sends each quilt on to one little person with Leukemia. The blocks are all red and white (symbols of healthy, vibrant blood cells, yes?) and are all so different and beautiful. I initially wrote off the possibility of participating. "Send them to France??? I'll never get around to that."

Then Carol at Giraffe Dreams issued a challenge. Somehow I was hooked. Double charity good? She'll send 'em to France? Use up leftover red and white from my Irish chain? "Done".

Started with one checkerboard block....it was too small so I cut it in half to make two, adding a white background and border. It just needed a bunny hopping up the hill, don't you think?
Makes me think of my sister's bunny from when we were kids.

And this one and the "love" block above. The didn't start out wonky, but with some seam allowance differences and the need for another border, I decided to play with wonky. I like 'em!

Then I had enough strips to make some new checkerboards, but since everything else had embroidery, thought it needed just a touch of embroidery too.

The red work embroidery was so fun to do I think I am going to talk my Grandma into doing a red work quilt with me. (What do you think Grandma??? :) In fact, I was so excited and concerned about getting them to Carol on time, I woke up at 4:45 am Friday morning and thought, maybe I should get up and start working on them NOW to make sure they're finished before work! (I am NOT a morning person. In fact, my father thinks I am completely unaware that the day even exists before 8 am! So you know I was excited.)

So thank you to Clare and Carol for doing something good and giving me the chance to be a part of it! It truly made my day!!!

p.s. What other fun things would go with my bunny if I were to revisit this design in the future? Suggestions anyone?

Another Re-make...

Christina just INSPIRES me with her recycled, repurposed clothes! (Check out her etsy shop if you like her stuff....she restocks from time to time with new fun things!) Here is another project I finished yesterday. It was a quickie!

I started with this dress which I bought a couple of summers ago. After wearing it a few times I decided the big round neckline made it look very little-girly. Not so cute. Yes, I still wore it some, but eh...didn't love it.

But the fabric is fun and breezy...

So I thought that with a little adjustment, this could give me a much needed summer skirt. And Wah-Lah! (authentic French spelling for "check out this fabulous creation)....here she is!

Favorite New T-shirt

I made this! Or more accurately, I re-purposed this! Inspired by Christina and her fun etsy shop, I started thinking about what I could do with this t-shirt in my closet that is just the right color and fabric, but had a crew neckline that never looked right on me. I always thought I should wear it, but when I put it on it screamed into the mirror (and my ear) "BORING" and "BLAND" and never, "Wow! You look cute, girl!" So back in the closet it went almost every time.

After playing around, this is what I came up with! Now, every time it comes out of the wash I want to wear it again. I love it! It is soft in texture and color, now with a flattering neckline and fun buttons. (The buttons are the reverse side of mother of pearl. This way you see the brown texture of the outside of the shell rather than just the shiny inside. What a fun discovery!)

ps. I don't think the buttons are actually uneven as they look here, but maybe I better double check! Even so, I LOVE wearing it, which is what matters most. And I got a "brand new" shirt for FREE, which matters second most! :)