i heart linen

Bye-bye '08. Hello '09.

Hello!  Happy New Year!  I hope your holiday season was joyful!

I love the holidays but I must admit, I'm so happy that it's over.  It's so much fun, but man are you worn out after it's all over.  It's such a busy time of year, filled with friends and family, parties, shopping, gifts, food, oh and birthdays too!  My birthday was on the 29th. Yup, 32 = Me.

2008.  Sheesh, what a beast you were.  But wonderful none the less.  Such a nutty year.  I think I accomplished a lot. Somehow I still feel like I didn't do all that I could have done, though.  Leave it to me to beat up on myself.  Who better? :P 

Throughout the year I sort of just moved full steam ahead.  I put each project on the shelf and sort of forgot about them.  I went through my archives and files and looked at photos of the things I've made this year.  You forget how much you've done!  The time goes by so quickly and so much happens.  I actually found myself looking at photos of projects and thinking to myself," What? I made that in 2008? *scratches head*  Really? Wow. Cool."  What a whirlwind of a year you were, 2008!

2009 promises to be one of those types of years and I'm so ready for it!  Tons of projects to start and finish, new aquaintances to be made, some new beginnings, some dissappointments and some triumphs and just good ol' life in general.  I hope your year is filled with all of these things and more.  Happy New Year to you! ^_^

In Stitch-es

Yay! They finally arrived!  *does the running man* 
I just got my free issues of 'Stitch' magazine by Interweave Press!  The whole reason I got a book deal in the first place is because of this lovely new magazine!  Tricia (the editor) contacted me back in April to do a couple of projects for her new magazine that they planned to debut this Fall. 

This project turned into an even bigger project!  So it's got a special place in my heart.
I had to be Secret Squirrel about it this whole time and now I can finally talk! *faints*  I can keep a secret....but a secret like this is so hard to shelve! Eee!

This is one of two projects of mine that's been featured ......
It's so weird seeing your work in print! So exciting! *dances the cabbage patch* (Meanwhile, how funny is that link?!?!)

How cute is this tote bag by Susan Wasinger? Can't wait to see her books !

One of Lisa Congdon's awesome pillows!

There's also a great article by Melinda Barta about organizing your sewing space. Oh! and a skirt pattern by Jenny Gordy of Wikstenmade
There are so many wonderful and innovative projects by a lot of wonderful and innovative talented people. I feel so fortunate to be included among them. Thank you Tricia! 'Stitch' looks oh so good!
If you haven't already please, please do pick up a copy! I'm so thrilled!
*dances the Roger Rabbit*
Woot woot! ^_^

One quilt, two quilt, three quilt, four..........

Hello all.  It's bee a while. A month in fact. I know....I keep disappearing.  This has been a busy time for me.  But I never meant to be away so long. Life just took over.  The entire family has been ill......I've got a cold, Bella has a cold, Mel has a cold, Elijah had a terrible case of Roseola.  Four days worth of a fever of 104 F.  We spent a several hours in the ER last Thursday.  No trick or treating for us.  I've also got deadlines hitting me left and right......family issues....the list goes on!  But I'm still here, happily alive and happily kicking. 

So what have I been up to you say? Well besides all of the crazy happenings of that thing called life, I've just been sitting in front of my sewing machine trying to finish all 25 of the projects for my book.  They're due in December (it was originally November but I got an extension....*wipes sweat off of brow*).  Still not biting my nails, but getting close! *faints*  I'm not doing the running man these days though.  Sorry Jennifer. :P  But, I have managed to do some stuff for One Quilt.  It's my month to send the fabrics and such.  So this is what I came up with.

I loved to draw houses when I was a little girl.  My Bella loves to draw and doodle and watching her the other day reminded me how much fun drawing houses was for me. I'm going to make this quilt for my Bella and I thought it would be so nice to see the other 11 talented ladies take on a house.  So that's our theme for the month.  Huizen, maisons, casas, domy, hus, HOUSES! woot! 

I've put together 11 of these sweet little bundles to ship to each of the other participants.  I can't wait to see what they come up with!!!

Here's a peek of what I've done for the previous months:

October - Beth

September - Leah

August - Meg

July - Dorie

Mmmm...Lavender

I've had some lavender sitting in my fabric closet (what used to be the linen closet) for a few months now.  I' bought it with the intent to make little scented sachets with it.  Well, the thought kind of bored me after a while.  I wanted to make something different.  Sooooooo......I pulled out the ole sketchbook and came up with these!  (I know, I know......I have ten billion other things I should be working on.  But sometimes you can't control these types of crafty urges.)

Lavender filled trivets! Yay!  (You can see the backs on my Flickr)

Put a hot pot of tea on it and the heat fills the room with a lovely lavender aroma.

Or you can put it in your linen closet......

Or you can just hang it up somewhere........

Or you can sit at your desk and smell it .......

Or you can.....okay I'll shut up now. ^_^   I doesn't seem right for me to keep six trivets all to myself.  So, these little babies will be in the shop sometime tomorrow. 

I'm back. ^_^

Hey there....I'm back.  *sigh* I really needed that away time. But I missed blogging and I missed all my blog pals.  So here I am!  Did you miss me? ^_^

I can't believe Summer is over.  Did you have a good Summer?  I really didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked.  It's been a really busy season for our household.  There were projects to be finished, websites to be built, books to be written, toys to be played with, bikes to be ridden, etc., etc., etc.  As much as I do love this season I am quite ready for Fall.  My favorite time of year.  I love the sun, but I just can't stand being sweaty. Ick. I'm all about the Fall baby! Baking, apple picking, knitting, hot cocoa, warm fuzzy sweaters.  Loves it.

Well enough about me for the moment.  On a more somber note.  I'm sure you've all heard about the awful accident that happened to Stephanie and her husband. I'm saddened that the first time I visited her blog was because of this tragic event. I was really moved by their story and I decided to donate one of my calendars to an auction to aid in their recovery. 

It will be hosted by Kim at Today's Creative Blog.  I'm not sure which day she will post my calendar. I'll be sure to update you if I find out. *edited* The auction has started! If you're interested, head on over to her site. and keep your eyes peeled for it.

*edited* Huge thank you to all of you who bid on my calendar! And also to Donita! She won! $100 smackers! Woah mama! ^_^  And thank you to Kim for hosting the auction! You all rock!

There will be lots of other goodies to be had as well.  It's for a good cause, please help out if you feel so inclined.

So, I'll be back to posting regularly shortly....woot!  I just have to get my rhythm back.  I feel so out of bloggy, photo taking practice.  How's the saying go? 'Use it or lose it!' Or does that just pertain to your flexible spending account? *shrugs*

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*

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!

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!