i heart linen

Shop Update!

So I've postponed the shop update to Monday.  I've got some more things to make.  I'm trying my very, very, very best to get a couple calendars done in time (no guarantees on the calendars) and a few other little items.  Some little pouches I managed to crank out yesterday for the update.........

I know....I've been a busy little bee......I'm super tired too.

These remind me of Bonne Maman jars.......mmmmm.....Bonne Maman...yummy.

They're teeny pouches too......4 inches x 4 inches. 

They make me happy. ^_^ I hope they make you happy too.

Well, off I go to sew something else!  Have a super dee duper weekend!

Through the Looking Glass

Huge, huge, huge, tremendous, humongous, colossal, gargantuan (is that big enough? ^_^) thank you to all of you for your comments on my last post about my news!  It really means a lot and you've certainly managed to ease my mind a little, you've definitely given me a boost.  I was feeling a little unsure about it all.  I think it's going to be just great and I'm happy to "bring" you along for this journey with me. So stoked! Woot!

Have a good weekend?  I suppose mine was....hmmm.....enlightening.  Ever have one of those moments standing in front of the mirror, where you're sort of just standing there looking at the reflection, thinking......about.....well.....anything and end up having a sort of revelation?  I had one of those moments a few days ago, looking, thinking, watching, seeing, pondering.......so many thoughts ran through my head in that short moment in the privacy of the bathroom.

"Wow, I need to pluck my eyebrows......huh?! ANOTHER gray hair?!  Uuugh, this  over 30 thing is nuts!  Hmmm....heeeeeeeyy...a pimple....must be nearing that time of the month....I guess I have been a little bitchy the past couple days.....speaking of bitches.....haha.....no, let me not go there.......*sigh* ......I can't believe I'm writing a book.....wow......me the girl who hated to read books or even write book reports in junior high.....haha.....craaazzyyyy......my 8th grade teacher really tried to work with me, she was super cool.  I wonder what she's up to now?"

She was strict sometimes, but also had these funny little sayings.  She used to say, "That dog won't hunt!", whenever we tried to fib about our missing homework or something.  She used to make us show our work on math assignments to prove how we got the answer to a problem.  If we didn't she'd say,"Show me! I'm from Missouri, the 'Show Me' state!".  What the heck does that mean anyway? lol Anyone know the answer to that little bit of trivia? Why is Missouri called "The Show Me State"?  Anyhoo, I digress. She used to help me with my homework after school,  we played tennis sometimes,  I invited her to my confirmation......I had forgotten how much she helped me and how good she was to me.  She was one of those teachers that just really cared about her students and loved to teach.  She really left an impression on me.

Well, it occurred to me, as I stared at myself in the mirror, this person has played a part in helping build who I am today and here I am at a huge turning point in my life.....I need to let her know and say thank you.  So,that's exactly what I did.  I went online and actually Google-d her name and found her.  (Kind of scary that you can find someone via Google, but convenient, especially when you have good intentions.)  I called her and we played phone tag for a while, but I finally got to speak to her yesterday!  I just had to tell her about what I've been up to and how she was such an inspiration to me and just say thanks.   

It felt so good to tell her how I remembered so many of the things she taught me and that she was my most favorite teacher and well........geez louise, she rocks!  Why am I blabbering on about all this you say?  Well, I just think it's important to let someone know when they've really left an impression on you.  That's all. Our time here is so short, so let them know.  I wanted her to know that she was a damn good teacher.  Who knows if she's had other students call her up out of the blue or if I'm the only one.  But at least now she knows that she helped make my life super cool and that I appreciate her.

Go look in your mirror and then let them know.  I'll step down off of my soap box for today. ^_^

The little mirrors will be in the shop in my next update (this Friday?) if anyone is interested.  Happy Monday!

Geez louise!!

Okay, so I've gotten the go ahead and I can finally stop being Secret Squirrel and tell you my little bit of news!  Eeeeeep! I'm still in disbelief and can't even believe that it's happening, but it is!  Okay, okay, okay. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Okay, okay, okay. Here it is, here it is, HERE IT IS! 

I have been given the absolutely, wonderfully, exciting, dream come true privilege of .....*drum roll* .......writing a book! I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!    *faints*  A book!  Nuts right?!  I still can't believe it either, but it's true.  I'm working on a book with Interweave Press all about patchwork(and linen) that will be due out in Fall '09! *backflips*

Yeah, it seems like a long time away, but we all know how fast time flies. 2009 will be here in no time flat and there is a lot of work to be done.  I'll be dragging you all on this journey with me, so I will post updates from time to time.

It's still in the early stages, so the title hasn't been decided on yet.  But we've got a pretty good list of projects that will be featured!  I'm so excited about this!  I feel ever so grateful to be given this opportunity.  I never imagined that starting a blog would lead to such things. There are so many talented crafters out there and it's hard for me to imagine why they chose little old dorky me for this.  But, I'm so thrilled and basically don't have the words to say how I'm feeling inside.   So I'll just shut up about it for now.   So there you have it....my news. ^_^

Oh! I almost forgot!  My bias tape! I was just telling Charlene a little while ago how I basically wake up in the morning thinking about fabric, sewing, and making things. So I got this kooky nutty idea to make some "patchwork" bias tape and put it away for future use and forget about it.  But they turned out too good not to share!

There will be some of these (minus the spools, those are mine, mine, mine, mine ^_^) in my next shop update (I'm thinking next Friday), for those of us who don't feel like making our own.  Trust me, if I wasn't in serious sewing mode like I am now, I wouldn't have bothered making them.  It's more work than I anticipated when I started. Duh.

Here is a green and yellow version that I'm working on. I kind of like how they look before I iron them up and make them all nice and neat.  *sigh*  I just love colors and fabric so much and I have such a hard time deciding which ones to use.....so I choose lots and mash them all together into patchwork.  Is that bad?  I think it's better that way.  Fabric mash.  That's what it should be called. ^_^ Yup, I'm a dork. Okay, I'll stop talking now.  *goes and sits in the corner*

Vintage-y

Shhhhh.......listen.......Do you hear that noise?  You hear nothing you say?  Well of course you don't!  Because I'm home alone!!!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!  That's right, there are no children in this house, they've been away with my mother since Monday!  *does cartwheel*  Mom has come to visit from Miami for a week and decided to take the kids to stay with her at her place while she's here.  Are you kidding me?! A week? For real? *faints*

I've been able to do so many things in the past couple days that I normally don't get to do.  It's been so wonderful.  But alas, I do miss my little ones and the sounds of them padding around the house, getting into mischief, and running me ragged. I really thought I'd be all happy about being alone, but I really miss my babies.  Hubby's pretty bummed too.  The silence has been deafening indeed......but I really needed this break. 

I've finally gotten the chance to cut my sheets for the Vintage Sheet Patchwork Swap over at oh fransson!  I found these on Ebay, since I just didn't have the time to do any real thrifting.  I know, is that cheating?  I feel like it is. Sorry. *hangs head in shame*  But look how pretty they are!  Do I get cool points for that at least?

I had such a hard time cutting into them.  I had to fight the urge to run into my bedroom, yank the duvet cover off of the bed and start putting these sheets on!  Yes, all three sheets at once and I wouldn't think twice about it either.  I just love me some pretty sheets!

I happened upon these awesome vintage handbag handles while I was on my Thrift-Bay shopping adventure.  How could I pass them up?

They're in perfect condition.  The leather is so soft and clean, they look brand new. Believe me the photo doesn't do them justice. Mel even commented on how nice they look and he's so not into my crafty stuff at all. I can't wait to make a bag with these!  The kids will be with their 'Mimi' until Friday, so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze that into my crafting spree. 

I'm hoping to dust the cobwebs off of my Etsy shop and do a little update sometime next week.  It's looooooong overdue!  I may have some fun news to announce this week or the next.  Depends how things pan out.  So excited! Crossing my toes! eep! ^_^

Prairie Girl, Calendar Girl

Hope all you awesome Mom's had an awesome Mother's Day!  Being a mom has to be one of the greatest gifts in the world.  But I think the second greatest gift is being at home by yourself for a couple of hours.  Thanks honey, it was grand! Not exactly what we had planned for the day, but that's how it worked out. The silence was wonderful but almost deafening I must admit.  I spent much of the day watching old movies, finishing a project, and reading this lovely book that my hubby bought for me for Mother's Day.  "The Prairie Girl's Guide To Life" is the title and I absolutely love it!

Right up my alley I must say.  Such a sweet and charming book that I think should be in every crafter's library.  Learn to lay a fire, spin yarn, make candles, make rock candy, knit a shawl, bake a rhubarb pie, braid a rug, and heaps more!  What I love most about this book is that it almost gives me the feeling that I'm getting the chance to chat with my great-great-great grandma and learn all of the wonderful things she knew how to do.  It's a nice little read to say the least, my only problem with it is that there aren't any photos in this book.  I'm guessing the author is trying to stick to the old time charm of the simple pioneer life by doing that, which is wonderful.  But I'm a very visual learner and like to see how things are done.  So if you're like me and like to ooh and aah and pictures, then this book might not be for you.  I still find it so endearing and encourage you to swing by the bookstore and check it out!

So, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do some creating this weekend and managed to crank out this little pretty.  It's one of those ideas that's been in my head for a while and I just had to get it out of me before I popped!  It's a calendar! Weeeeeee!

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now, so I went ahead and got all the supplies that I thought I would need........the stamps, the inkpad, the buttons, the velcro, the glue, etc.  I had everything I needed by Wednesday. 

I actually started making this at 2am Thursday morning!  I was tossing and turning and just couldn't sleep because I had this silly idea dancing in my head, so I got up and started picking fabrics, covering and stamping buttons, pulling the stems off the buttons and gluing velcro coins to the backs like a mad woman.  I finally went back to bed at about 5 am, satisfied that I started something worthwhile.

I finished it all up yesterday and here are the fruits of my crazed and frenzied late night labor!  I know! I'm a nut!  I'm telling you there was steam coming out of my ears from all of the wheels and gears turning in my head! Sometimes you just can't hold yourself back from creating when the notion really hits you!

I made enough buttons for 31 days + 7 blank ones for the "other days" of the calendar and for leap years. 

and then I stamped up some linen ribbon for the months!

I left the back very simple with some waffle fabric and some gentle embellishments.

I like my projects to be things that would be useful and not just sit around a collect dust.  Is this just fun to look at or would you actually use this?  You know I always welcome your feedback!   I love this so much, but I plan to pass it along to someone I know loves red and blue very much.  I hope she finds it useful! I think I'll make one in some colors that are a little more me next round.  I'm off to buy more buttons!! Ciao!

Planning

Hey there, happy Wednesday!  Two more days until the weekend! *does the robot*  I'll be sitting at my little workstation busy being a mad sewing scientist all weekend though. Fun when it's not work, but unfortunately it IS work.  I've got heaps going on right now and I can't talk about any of it!  Isn't that the worst?  I'm absolutely bursting right now, bursting I tell you! *kapow!*  But I'm going to be a good girl.   

I've been doing some planning for some upcoming projects and I think it'll be okay if I share some of that.
Picking fabrics and combining colors is my favorite part of the creative process.  I think I like it even more than the actual creating!

I always tend to combine the colors and such first, and decide on what to make with them after and start making sketches. Maybe it's a little backwards, but it works for me.  I'm usually pleased with the results.

The first two photos are for projects that need to be vibrant and bright.  The last two are needed to have a more "wintery" feel. I'd love to hear your feedback on my color choices. 

I'd also like to hear how everyone else's creative flow works.  Do you make sketches, do you make up a color palette, do you just sit down and start sewing and see what happens?  Tell me, tell me! How do you make your works come to be?

Some Spring Sewing

Been doing some sewing for my little Bella-boo.  She's such a girly girl and loves to wear dresses and skirts, so I just had to add some more to her wardrobe.  The spring has made me a sewing machine!
*sings to the tune of "Dancing Queen"*   "I am a sewing machiiiiiiiiiine, young and sweeeeeet only thirty ooooooooone!"

  Don't you wish you could take your machine outside and sew?  How can I do that?  How can I drag all of my fabric and my tools and notions outside and sew?  Can someone help me figure that out?  Anyhoo, I digress.........where were we oh yes.......Bella, clothes.

I have several Japanese craft books for sewing kids clothing and got some inspiration and a pattern or two from them.  This top, I used a lovely Tana Lawn print that I found on Ebay. I started out with a pattern from one of my books as a base. (Onna No Ko No Oyofuku - ISBN 9784529044370 see below)  I wanted it to have some smocking at the top, so I did that, then it seemed really plain to me so I decided to stitch over it with one of the fancy pants stitches on the machine.  After I did that I tried it on Bella and it was too big!  So I ended up tacking the front and back and made inverted pleats.....added two buttons and voila!  At least I can undo the tacking when she gets older and she can still wear it! Yay! *runnin' man*

Pics of my boo boo smocking and the back.........

A little skirt made with some of the left over Alexander Henry fabric from her dress.  I sorta winged it on this one too.

I used a pattern for this dress from The Clothes of Koharu (ISBN 4579109708)....and I'm sure we all know the fabric used for this. ^_^ (Amy*cough*Butler*cough*)

I love the back of this!  So cute!  You can see her tan line from Miami too...tee!

And this one.....no pattern .....just went for it....this one looks like it could be a nightie or a sun dress....hahaaa.....I can put her bed after she's been playing outside in it.  I know! eeeewwww! haha!   I know. I'm a dork.

If you like making clothes for little girls and you don't have these books in your library, you should. Some really easy to follow patterns and as usual the photos are just wonderful!

Upgrades and the like

I know! two posts in one day! ^_^ *does the runnin' man*

Well, we've been doing a little bit of sprucing up around these parts lately.  We've been painting our living room and I must say it's been quite the adventure.  I actually like painting, it's sorta fun.  Well, when it's your house I guess.....I couldn't imagine doing it as a living.  Ugh.  Anyhoo, we decided to paint each wall in the living room a different color. We're not quite finished but I'll show you the red wall.  It came out so lovely.  I was a little apprehensive at first, red is such a strong color and I just couldn't see painting the whole room this color.  So we did just the one wall. (I'll show you the room as a whole when we're finished.)

As you can see my workstation has had a bit of an upgrade as well! Wooot!  I fell in love with the idea to use the Ikea Asker Series as craft storage.  Where did I see it?  Craftapalooza that's it!

So I made a little Ikea run this weekend and nabbed a couple items to clean up my desk.

Asker series stuff, Rajtan spice jars, some Kassett magazine files and boxes, and  two cutey plants and Billig plant holders for good measure.   

These jars are perfect for holding all those buttons and things that we love so much!

My goal was to make it a little more funtional and have my tools really close to hand.  (Oh and to get rid of my ArtBin toolbox.  It made me feel like I was still at design school.)  Also, my fabric stash has grown so large that I can't store it on the table anymore.  It now resides on three, yes THREE shelves in my linen closet.  The sheets and towels now have a new home. Sorry guys.

Let me also introduce you to my new baby.........

It was time for mama to get a new machine.  My old one has served me well, but it literally was like a no frills sewing machine.  Like it shouldn't have even had "Singer" printed on it......it should have just said..."Sewing Machine".  No cool features or anything, it just did what it was created to do.  Sew. 

But this new machine......*faints*....it's a Janome Memory Craft 4400, computerized, tons of different stitches, drop in bobbin (I had the old fashion bobbin case before...ugh), and it looks super cool when you turn it on in the dark! Tee heeeee!

Can't wait to start cranking out some new projects on this baby. I feel like such a grown up now! ^_^

Coaster-ing

How's everyone's week going?  Mine's pretty good....have some things in the works that I can't talk about just yet.......don't want to jinx it......ya know? teeheee!  Just cross your fingers and toes for me! ^_^
So let's see what can I share with you.....hmmmmmmm.....oh yeah! 
My coasters for the "Coaster Swap"! 

I'm ready for it to be Spring, as if you couldn't tell.  The greens, blues, & yellows make me super dee duper happy!

I thought it would be great to add a little something for my swap partner to hold her coasters.  So I made this little "dish" with matching fabric.

I also finally found a use to use for the flower buttons I bought last year! Yay!

Here's a shot of the back:

I used linen (of course) for the back of the "dish" and some fun waffle fabric for the back of the coasters.  I just love the texture of the waffle fabric!  I hope my partner likes. ^_^

Totes......finally

Did you have a nice long weekend?  I did, nice and quiet, sort of productive as well. Grocery shopping, laundry folding, rearranging the apartment, making homemade low-fat chili, sewing....you know...the normal weekend stuff.

It seems like I mentioned these a year ago, right?  Well, technically it was last year but almost this year. ^_^

Well, I finally got them all finished!  (I just can't seem to get the lead out lately.  I dunno what that's all about. *shrugs*)  Anyway, here they are.  I'll be posting them in the shop as soon as I'm done with this post.  All but the red one, which already has a new home! 

I like the size of these.  They aren't giant totes...just a a nice size for running out to the store really quick or something. Or if you just don't want to schlep a ton of stuff with you.

They have magnetic snaps and matching polka dot lining.  I think I'm totally polka dot obsessed lately.  So if you don't like polka dots, you probably won't want to visit me for a while.... teehee!

I'm shooting to add some more stuff to the shop sometime this week or the following week. I'll keep you posted! ^_^