Hot Pink Peonies

Springing into March

2012-03-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

Its a new month and that's always a great time to take a look back and to plan ahead! Lily's Quilts has a Fresh Sewing Day at the beginning of each month and I love that idea, so I'm jumping in this month. February was not as productive as I had hoped, but I got a few things accomplished. Some pillows to go in the Etsy shop...

A cute red heart pillow to add a bit of Valentine's cheer to my house ...

And some blocks for do. Good Stitches got finished up and sent off.

That doesn't seem terribly productive at all, now does it?

This week I will be finishing up a cute gnome embroidery project. I've been doing alot of doodling lately, and that turned into embroidery ideas, and that just might turn into a new line of patterns in my Etsy shop. This fella isn't finished yet, and I'm not sure I like the chain stitch for the mushroom top so that may change before you see this in its final form. Its messier in person than this photo shows.

My Orange Waves quilt, based on the New Wave Quilt by Oh, Fransson is also on my list of WIPs to finish up in March. I've got two and a half columns done. The pieces are all cut, so its just a matter of sitting down and sewing it all up.

And recently I stumbled across these Sunbonnet Sue blocks from a few years ago. When I first got into quilting, I wanted to make a Sue quilt for my baby niece. Her nursery was primarily yellow and green so this quilt would have gone nicely. But time passed, and this quilt didn't get finished. I need to finish up the Sues, choose fabric for sashing and get 'er done. I'm going to try to get this into the Etsy shop soon.

And my final task for this month? I think I'd like to change my online identity. I have an idea for the name I'll use, and a super sweet logo to go with it, but I haven't pulled the trigger. It means transferring the blog to its new name, changing the Etsy shop, and changing my Flickr and Twitter accounts too. If you have any advice on recreating your online identity, please share!

I'm linking up with Lily's Quilts Small Blog Meet. Its a great spot to meet new bloggers so be sure to go and check it out!

Friday Is for Sharing

2012-02-24T08:00:00.040-05:00

Its Friday! Even though I've worked weekends for several years, every Friday morning I feel like I'm about to have a break, and that makes me want to plan fun things for my free time. Whether I've got plans in the evenings with friends, or I want to get out in the garden or maybe get cracking on my next craft project, Friday is a day for daydreaming. I've decided Friday posts on Hot Pink Peonies will be for sharing inspiring things found on the web.

Flickr is such a wonderful place to find inspiration, to join groups with your interests, show off your work (be it blankets, babies or blossoming gardens), participate in hobby related swaps and bees, and to socialize through photography. do. Good Stitches is on Flickr and that's how we stay in touch with one another and create the quilts. For quilting and sewing specifically, you can find groups that do swaps of finished items, blocks or fabric itself. You can also join quilt-a-longs, and see what other sewists do with your favorite fabric lines. There's so much fun to be had!

Some days though, its just pure inspiration. I love seeing different color combinations and learning new techniques. Click on the links below to learn more about each photo - many Flickr users will include a link to their blog. And aren't those quilted cupcakes cute? My niece is all about the cupcakes these days, so I was thinking I might surprise her with a cupcake themed doll quilt.

1. Bliss Stars Top by Why Not Quilt 2. Pillow Talk Swap by This Crafty Fox 3. Garden Steps Quiltalong by Clover & Violet 4. Friday Night Sewin Project by Stitched By Me 5. Sparkle Punch Progress by I Dream in Fabric 6. Quilted Cupcakes by Quilted Cupcake 7. Hexagon Quilt by Quarks & Widgets 8. Best Bee Quilt Ever by Kelby Sews 9. Granny Squares by Sew Deerly Loved

Are you on Flickr too? You can find me there as Hot Pink Peonies Sews.

Lovely Finish

2012-02-21T16:46:00.000-05:00

Lovely by Sandy Gervais of Moda has been out for a while now, but it just makes me smile every time I see it! The coral, turquoise and yellows are so cheerful and perky and they scream spring.

This is your basic Dresden plate that I appliqued onto my favorite white on white leafy fabric. I used pinking shears on the center of the plate, which mimics the petals and makes it look alot like a flower. I used coral perle cotton to hand quilt around the plates too. I love that look!

Its available in my Etsy shop. These fabrics are so cheerful I think I'll make a table topper too!

What have you been working on?

A Lovely Dresden

2012-02-16T23:26:00.001-05:00

Dresden plates are a lot of fun and fairly quick, especially if you're only doing one. I've been anxious to cut into my Lovely by Sandy Gervais stash. So perky! Maybe I will make four and turn them into a little wall hanging.

A New Pillow

2012-02-15T16:29:00.006-05:00

This has been a super fun project for me, and its a good skill booster too. Using a load of half square triangles (HSTs) I made a modern pillow cover. It was good practice for the HSTs and I improved my accuracy on quarter inch seams.

Using advice I read somewhere on the internet, I remembered to press the seams on each strip in the opposite direction so that they fit together more neatly. It has an envelope style closure on the back with the most mod looking of the patterned fabrics.

I quilted it with teal thread that is a little darker than the solid teal and I like how it turned out. I did alot of quilting on the teal target band but less on the remaining solid and patterned bands. Its bound in solid teal and I'm just tickled with it! I might do another in a different colorway and create a tutorial.
Any good ideas for a name for this puppy? I'm thinking "Off Center" or "Off Kilter" but those are fairly boring. It will go in my Etsy shop soon.

Linked up with Ruby Jean, Sew Many Ways' Sew Darn Crafty Party, Creation's by Kara's Look What I Made Linky Party, Beyond the Picket Fence's Under $100 Party, Sew Happy Geek's Manic Monday Linky Party and Serenity Now's Weekend Bloggy Reading. Check out all the awesome projects on the links, and thanks for letting me share, ladies!

Catching up with do Good

2012-02-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my recent blocks for do Good Stitches. In November we did Ticker Tape blocks based on Rachel's Bottled Rainbows Tutorial and Quiltalong. I choose dark red and dark green. (Wow my photography needs some serious work. I think I've dropped the camera so many times its focus is off.)

December's plan was called Shades of Grey - and this was a cool idea. We each used grey as the primary color of the block and then added a pop of another color. Lyanna also asked that we try to use geometric shapes and I can't wait to see all the blocks for this quilt. My blocks use hot pink of course, but the only grey I have in the stash is Kona Coal and this circle print that practically matches.

January was tons of fun! We did string blocks and it was an 'anything goes' project, as long as we used a one inch white strip for the center. These are colorful and fun. I'm adding this to my own to-do list. Here's my first attempt, with the paper still on.

And the final four ...

I made five, but something turned out wrong with the center strip on the first one & I didn't feel like picking it apart to fix it. It was recommended that we shorten the stitch length to make the paper easier to rip off once you're done. That worked out really well, but its harder on the eyes to pick apart any mistakes. I'll save that for some bright morning when I'm well rested. ;)

My scrap bin wasn't too big to begin with, but I'm happy to see the pieces and parts become something fun and useful to someone else. Now I need to get cracking on my own projects so I can have more scraps ready for the next assignment!

Back in the Saddle

2012-02-09T20:46:00.001-05:00

My free time has been seriously limited for a couple months so I have had to resign my creative time to portable knitting and hand sewing, but I've gotten back into the sewing room at last. I'm getting caught up on do Good Stitches blocks as quick as I can. My little buddy has finally decided the new pillow I made for the sewing room is acceptable to her. She doesn't look too happy that I'm taking pictures though, does she?

I've been wanting to play with half square triangles (HSTs) in a format other than pinwheels, and decided to seize the day. It took forever to choose a color concept, but eventually I picked out three Anthropology fabrics and two coordinating solids. I was inspired by Jeni's Vintage Sheet Pillow Cover Tutorial at In Color Order. I loved how her placement starts in one corner, rather than creating a diamond bulls eye in the center. I wanted more stripes though, so I went with smaller piecing. These were 3 inch squares, creating 2.5 inch HSTs.

Like the pretty pink tape on my sewing machine? It helps me keep my seam allowances a little more accurate. Chain piecing makes this type of project roll right along fairly quickly once the cutting is done. Leaving the pieces connected makes the second seam on HSTs go super quick! After some trimming you get to arrange them and the fun really begins.

Chocolate and teal! Its very simple, and might be more interesting with more than 3 fabric choices but I like it so far. I'm just not too confident in mixing fabrics yet.

Sorry for the quality of the cell phone photos - my camera was at work.

What are you working on?

Blooming Heart Pillow

2012-02-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

The heart pillow is finished and now available in my Etsy shop! It was a fun project, although it took more petals than I expected. Even though I am in sunny Florida, it felt like a great spring project - I was making blooms no matter the weather!

I'm not so much of a heart person, but I like this alot. Its red and ruffly and sweet for Valentine's Day. It would be cute with a monogram in the middle, or maybe even initials like you'd carve on a tree?

Have you done any projects for Valentine's Day?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Can I make a sound on Wordless Wednesday? If so, that sound is WOO HOOO!

Blooming Progress

2012-01-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

I'm working on a pillow for Valentines Day. I love all those felt flowery wreaths you see online and I thought it would look pretty on a pillow. A huge heart for Valentines Day seemed just the thing. More pictures when I'm all done!

Greyhaven Cowl

2012-01-19T13:07:00.000-05:00

Yay - a finished object! I've had the urge to knit alot lately, mostly since the weather has cooled down a bit. Winter in Florida is not the winter I've experienced in DC, but it gets cooler during the days and downright chilly at night. Snuggling up on my comfy couch under a quilt with some knitting in my lap seems like just the thing! I wanted to knit a gift for a dear friend of mine, and I thought a lacey cowl would be nice. I found Grayhaven on Ravelry and dove into the stash.

I used Misti Alpaca in Cream and boy do I love this yarn. Its soft and cozy and knits up beautifully. The lace pattern on this cowl is really lovely, and she created it with a larger edge on the bottom, so it drapes nicely on your neck. I think this is a perfect size to keep your neck warm and I think I might make another for another friend. Or maybe for me!

My only modification to the pattern was using a US8 needle all the way through because I couldn't find my US7. I had some difficulty with the purl cast off, but I got the hang of it towards the end. I tend to be tight with a knit cast off, so I'll consider this in future projects. The cast off here is still a little tight, but I think I can fix it. I won't see my friend for a couple weeks, so I can re-finish it. No models were available, so I took a shot of the cowl resting on an upside down flower pot.

Do you find you knit more during cold weather? Or maybe hand quilting or embroidery?

Keeping an Easy Resolution

2012-01-17T18:49:00.001-05:00

One of my New Years resolutions is to burn more candles and enjoy them instead of just letting them take up space in a closet. As I was unpacking when I moved, I was astonished at the quantity of candles I have stockpiled.

Let's not talk about my resolution to go running three times a week!

How are you doing with your New Years resolutions?

Last Minute Mary

2011-12-17T19:30:00.002-05:00

My mom used to always call either me or my sister Last Minute Mary. We generally work best under pressure, and getting ready for Christmas is no exception. I'm working on a quick beret for someone on my gift list. This is called Brambles, from Knitty.com Deep Fall 2010. Loving the pattern so far! (also enjoying blogging from my phone!)

Little Project, Big Goal

2011-12-12T22:46:00.001-05:00

My sweet niece has asked for Barbie clothes for Christmas, so I'm making time for some knitting. I found the cutest little suitcase to put them in and I'm hoping to get it filled with lots of cute outfits from Knits for Barbie by Nicky Epstein.

Skinny little yarn, skinny little needles, skinny little swatch looking thing that will soon become a dress!

Stockings for Kids Charity Event

2011-10-09T12:22:00.000-04:00

Have you been to Purple Panda Quilts blog? She's one of the quilters in my circle for do. Good Stitches and she does beautiful work! You can tell she also has a really good heart, because she works with foster kids. This fall, she's organizing a Stockings for Kids drive - all the info is on that link there. She's hoping to get 50 stockings, and I'm hoping she gets even more! There will even be prizes, donated by some great fabric shops.
She's got a tutorial on her blog for a cute stocking that will hold alot of goodies, and I'm going to try one soon. Her instructions look easy to follow, which is great for some of us 'advanced beginners.' You'll want to follow her blog too, because there will be a free stocking tutorial every Tuesday from now until the end of the drive. Stockings are due by December 1st.

Hop on over to her blog to learn more, and get then sewing! There is a flickr group too, so you can see everyone's work.

September do Good Stitches Blocks

2011-10-04T17:48:00.001-04:00

Do you ever think the end of the month sneaks up on you? That happened to me in September with my do. Good Stitches blocks. The lovely Bijou Lovely was our hostess this month, and this was her inspiration for our color scheme.

Great color combo! Orange, a plum purple, grey and white. She requested square in a square blocks with random sizing and a white border. I finally finished on Monday, an embarassing 3 days into October.

These were fun to pull together. Kind of unplanned but with a goal in mind. I started in the center and built my way to the outside with what was available in my stash. Looking at the other photos in our Flickr group, I think this will be a great quilt!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-09-29T19:30:00.001-04:00

I've finished my pumpkin patch of blocks for the second HGTV swap that I joined this summer. Our assignment was to create 9 blocks with a decent sized pumpkin and a fun background. I started off trying to use a log cabin background using what I had at hand, but I decided it was too busy. They pumpkins just didn't stand out as much as I would have liked. So I switched to a simple cream on cream background and a plump appliqued pumpkin. I used blanket stitch around the edge of the pumpkins, but I did needle turn on the colored stripes that are supposed to give a little depth and interest.

The autumn leaves fabric is full of rich color and I wish I'd stashed more of it. After the attempted log cabin blocks, I didn't have enough to sash all nine blocks, so I found another lovely fall colored print. Oranges and rusts and golden yellows. Here's my pumpkin patch full of pumpkin blocks!

The fabrics used for the pumpkins are from Connecting Threads. Its the first time I had ordered from them, and I've been pleased with the quality. Their thread is quite nice too and oh the colors! do Good Stitches blocks are up next!

Red and White Swap Blocks

2011-09-28T14:23:00.000-04:00

I wanted to show you my bounty of Red & White swap blocks! Aren't they marvelous? Every one did such a lovely job and I am so tickled.

I haven't decided if I should stick with the 9 blocks and make a wall hanging, or if I should make a few more and create something larger. Four more blocks would make a bigger quilt, and could be placed in the four corners.

Not all Those Who Wander are Lost - Some are Just Learning to Quilt

2011-09-07T17:41:00.001-04:00

This is my second attempt at free motion quilting. The first time I dropped the feed dogs and changed the foot, and it was quite the work of art. (Insert sarcastic sneer here.) Kind of looked like a baby using a crayon for the first time. Scary! This time, I did nothing different with the machine - I just fed the quilt sandwich under the needle and went to town.

It was easier than I expected, although this is by no means perfect. Its a wide meandering, so its not technically stippling. Wiiiiiiiide meandering, dare I say wandering! My stitches are not even lengths, and some of the curves are a little pointy, but I think its ok for a beginner. You can see the quilting itself better if you click on the photo to enlarge it. I still can't manage to achieve the same quality of photos in blogland as I can in the photo editing software.

You can see the quilting better on the backside of course. Its a small quilt, about 18 x 25, made with a set of disappearing 9 patch blocks. I had intended to get more of the fabric & make it larger, but they were out of stock. Its a cute size that could be used as a doll quilt, or perhaps as a doggie quilt? There are a couple of places in the house that Katie will go to during thunderstorms, but those spots are just hardwood floor. I thought maybe having a little rug to lay on would make her more comfortable. We'll see later this week for sure, because there are storms in the forecast.

The front is fun! I messed up one of the big 9 patches, but I did not catch my mistake until it was too late, so this is a little scrappier than a thoughtfully planned disappearing nine patch!

Any advice for a beginner?

Stashed!

2011-09-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

My order from Burgundy Buttons came quick this week. She's awesome with the quick shipping! Here's the whole fun package.

I got six yards of Sandy Gervais' Grand Finale to add to a charm pack I purchased locally. I don't have anything specific in mind, but I really like this line. My vague plan is to make a fall lap quilt for the shop. I'm also in a Pumpkin block swap on the HGTV board, so if these fabrics coordinate with the blocks I get back that'll be a bonus! Aren't these pretty? I love the teal - it really pops with the traditional fall colors.

Then I got an assortment of fabrics too great to pass up! There is a Terrain by Kate Spain charm pack, the black is the dog bone print from Max & Whiskers which I'm sure I'll use on a quilt for Katie at some point. The green is from Strawberry Fields. Then on the right are two prints from Ballerina Fairies, which I think I'll put into a doll quilt for my sweet niece. She has two much loved Cabbage Patch dolls, an American Girl doll and countless Barbies and other babies so I can't go wrong with that idea!

This isn't an official Stash Report, because I haven't been keeping track since January. Its on my radar for next year though - I think keeping track of using and acquiring will be a good incentive to use what's on hand!

And if you're looking to add to your own stash of upholstery fabrics, I added several items to my Etsy shop. You can click here to go directly to the Fabric Destash category!

First Blocks for do. Good Stitches

2011-09-02T16:24:00.001-04:00

I finished these on Monday. Our quilter called for 8.5 inch blocks in a fadeout like this, and she will put them together in a herringbone pattern. No restrictions on color, so I went with what I had on hand. Who knew I even had 4 colors of purple? ;)

The photo was taken with my new smartphone. I'm loving it. It uses Droid and I have had alot of fun finding apps to use. My current favorite is actually the wall paper - its a 'live' wallpaper with a koi pond. Little fishes swimming around on my cell phone. So cute. Do you have any favorite apps? I never even thought to look for quilting or knitting apps!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I Heart Spray Paint: A DIY Project

2011-08-28T18:28:00.000-04:00

Really, its just amazing what you can do with an hour and 2 cans of spray paint!

Start with an old black wicker chair. Add a really cute dog to keep you company.

Several years ago, this chair was discarded by one of my neighbors in Virginia when she was moving. It used to sit in my entry and it was a great place for putting on winter boots or to put books to return to the library and that sort of thing. Imagine the entry with custom painted stripes in a rich camel color and this chair really popped. Now that I'm in Florida I want bright, cheerful colors - aqua, coral, hot pink, lime green - tropical colors to match my new environment. Enter 2 cans of Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2X spray paint in a gorgeous aqua.

I also bought one of those gun shaped trigger attachments to ease the finger cramps, but these cans have a larger 'comfort fit' nozzle and the attachment didn't fit over the can. It is definitely a nicer nozzle than the traditional spray paint nozzle (at least the cheapo kinds) but after using 2 cans I did have that spray paint finger cramp going on. A small price to pay for a gorgeous new chair!

After one coat, I realized that I was not the only one in the garden with a DIY project. Someone decided to give the back of this flower bed a makeover.

"Mulch, pea gravel and dead leaves are so last year, you need freshly raked dirt!"

She's lucky she's cute! But, I digress. After letting the first coat dry a bit, I tipped up the chair on its back legs to get up underneath with a light coat, and then back over everything with a second coat. I went backwards from how I sprayed it the first time, figuring that as the first can started to run out I used a lighter touch. I just love the braided trim, and I gave that a triple coat along with the toplines of the chair. I presume the arms will get the most wear so I thought some extra attention there wouldn't hurt.

My advice for future projects is to keep a small amount of the paint for use on the feet. I have used up both cans completely, but I see some thinly painted spots on the very base of the back legs that needs better coverage. I can probably mix up a suitable color in craft paint to cover those, and I'll keep that in mind for next time.

This is much better isn't it?

2011-08-27T14:47:00.000-04:00

Have you been sucked into the inspirational vortex yet that is Pinterest? Its this wonderful website / program where you can create mood boards of photos or webpages that you find around the net. You can follow other people's boards either by individual board, or their whole collection. Its just marvelous.

It's like a visual bookmarking system and I'm having a ton of fun. They have a handy toolbar tool so no matter where you are on the web, you can pin something. I think this is going to be great for all kinds of things - quilts that are inspiring, color combinations I want to use, tutorials and recipes I want to return to, even holiday decorating ideas. I know I saw a bundle of cool Halloween decorations last year that I wanted to try, but its so time consuming to open each link in my favorites. So much easier to just go to the Halloween board and gaze at photos!

Find me on Pinterest here. Come and check it out!

A Fabric Sale You Won't Want to Miss!

2011-08-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite online fabric shops, Burgundy Buttons is having a super duper sale that you won't want to miss. (Isn't that a great name for a fabric shop?) She has a fabulous selection of fabrics including Moda, Free Spirit and Westminster. Service is wonderful too! Click on the button below and then hit that cute Giant Clearance Sale graphic once you get there.

The prices on new arrivals are great too! I added a Terrain charm pack to my order this time and I can't wait to see it in person. A couple of weeks ago I bought a Grand Finale charm pack at my LQS to do a fall quilt so I've ordered a few yards to coordinate something. No plan yet, but once they arrive I'm sure I'll be inspired!

Don't forget to check out her blog too! Happy shopping!

I did a little DIY project this week, and after I snap some photos this weekend I'll show you. Its blue. Very blue!

The Ten Minute Block Lap Quilt

2011-08-25T19:09:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the 10-Minute Block? There is a wonderful video by Suzanne McNeill of Design Originals on YouTube with a quick run through of the basic technique, and she also has 2 books with great ideas. I know this has been around for a little while, but I just discovered it and boy, is it fun! Three quick seams and you've created an almost 20 inch block!

I used a Park Avenue layer cake and once I got the hang of how to fiddle with the fabric before sewing that third seam it took less than 10 minutes per block. When you first start out, the pinning is what consumes the bulk of your time but as you get better it will go more quickly. (I've done all of 6 blocks and I feel like I'm an expert!) There are different ways of dealing with the center diamond, and I chose to stitch down both sides of the curved seam, reminiscent of Cathedral Windows. I just love how this turned out kinda scrappy but also cohesive with the rich red centers. It was a fun way of putting together a roughly 40 x 60 lap quilt in no time flat.

She's all basted and ready to be quilted, but I can't decide what to do. I think I might draw a continuous leaf pattern and try to do that. I could echo quilt the red curved center sections but then what else? And I thought choosing fabric combinations was hard! I've stalled out at the quilting phase of this project.

I have yardage in one of the blues, but I've decided it should be bound in red so I've ordered more. So much for my fabric diet! I never would have chosen the cocoa or chocolate colors to go with the pale blue, ivory and red but I really love this collection! I'm considering doing another in just the reds, ivorys & blues from Park Avenue.

Aqua and Red Dresden Pillow Cover

2011-08-24T15:08:00.000-04:00

A while back I bought a Dresden Plate template at a craft store. I finally pulled it out this weekend, and got to work. I've been dreaming of projects in red and aqua, and I thought this would be a great place to start! It was super simple - I just choose my 4 fabrics, cut the fans and sewed them together chain piecing style. After that I played around with the stitches on my machine until I learned how to do a satin stitch.

Next thing I knew, it was all set! I played around with how I wanted to frame it, and decided to go with a simple red border on the front of the pillow color. Since I'm more partial to red than aqua, it just looked better to me. Cut the panels to create the envelope flaps for the back and in under 2 hours I have a new throw pillow. I just love it! Next time though I will be sure to iron the seams to the dark side. The red is faintly visible under the aqua fans and it would look more professional if they didn't show.

After I stage some better quality photos, I think it will go into the Etsy shop. I can always make another! Isn't that apple fabric the cutest?

Red & White Love

2011-08-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

I'm very focused on these red & white blocks. One of the lovely ladies in the swap pointed me to a quicker way to make the square in a square shaped parts of the Love in the Mist block, and that seems to be speeding things along. I have also discovered that chain piecing and doing this assembly line style makes it feel like I'm progressing faster, whether I am or not! Get all the corner sections done ... check! Get all the square in a square sections done ... check! Get all the top rows sewn together ... check!

I am using a second red fabric and I sewed up the cutaway portions as leaders and enders. What to do with all those cute little HST's? Why, make a mug rug of course! Here she is, all quilted and bound.

I really wanted to finish a project, so I snuck this in along with the blocks. Are you getting the impression that I'm a wee bit impatient? Me too! I've got 7 of my 9 blocks all finished and squared off. I've been listening to an audio book as I cut & sew - its Amazonia by James Rollins. Very interesting, and it's almost over. Wouldn't it be funny if I finished the book at the same time I finish the blocks?

March Birdie Block

2011-08-08T14:23:00.001-04:00

Still plugging away on the Birdie Stitches Block of the Month from Little Miss Shabby. Here's March. I love the happy rainbow!

And I whipped up a dragonfly pillow to go on the bench at my shop with the roses pillow. They don't look so hot together, but I thought the dragonfly fabric was a no-brainer. (My shop is called Dragonfly Garden, after all!) I think I'll come up with something else to coordinate with the dragonfly blues and purples.

A couple shoppers have admired the pillows already, so I need to determine a price for them. It looks like there are lots of shops on Etsy that specialize in pillows and pillow covers. Perhaps I'll join them!

A little progress here, a little progress there

2011-08-04T16:25:00.001-04:00

I spent alot of time this weekend working on my Love in a Mist blocks for the Red & White Swap. These bias seams are killing me. Using Best Press is very helpful, and I'm getting better but this block requires some serious concentration and some time. It still takes about 2 hours to get one done. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it! None of these are perfect, but I do think they are swap worthy. I'd love to do a whole quilt in these one day, maybe in 30's fabrics? One of the ladies on the board suggested a short cut for the diamond shaped portions and I'm looking forward to trying that.

After spending so much time on these I thought I needed a break, but not a sewing break! I grabbed a charm pack that I bought at Joanns a while ago (at a great price of course), and thought I'd try the Disappearing 9 Patch that I see all over. Its kinda fun! First you make several of these:

And then you cut it in half both ways and you get to play with these:

It seems that I wasn't paying attention, and I rearranged a row without noticing it until the 9 patch had been cut, so I have 2 different blocks to work with here. There were only enough charms in this little pack to make three 9 patches so I need to get more because this is just not big enough for anything. When I go to add more, I think I'll repeat the mistake so I have a consistent set of blocks. Its fun to play around with these.

And this morning before work I had a fabulous lightbulb moment! My part time lady rearranged part of the store on Monday, and a bench we sell is now facing the front door, surrounded by a display of bird baths. I like where its sitting, but I felt the display needed a pop of color. While I was getting ready this morning, it hit me - I could whip up a little pillow for the bench! So 40 minutes later I had a great little prop for the shop.

And a closeup - I love the fabric. Its from the Robert Kaufman Joie de Vivre collection, which happens to be part of their breast cancer awareness lines. I didn't realize that when I bought it, but I'm really happy I have it.

These pictures look so much better on my computer. What's up with that?

do. Good Stitches

2011-07-29T12:45:00.001-04:00

I was tickled to find out recently that I am now an official member of the do. Good Stitches group! This is a lovely group of quilters who make quilts monthly for various charities. I've been assigned to the Inspire circle and I'm really excited to get started.

Click here to find out more about the group on Flickr. You can see some of their finished projects there too. This is a great group of quilters and I'm really excited to be a part of doing good!

Work in Progress Wednesday

2011-07-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

With two days off in a row, I had lots of time to sew, sew, sew. This past weekend I worked on my Kaleidoscope QAL blocks. I now have 2 whole rows done. This is not my best photography but you can see how far I've gotten. Can you tell which side of the room is all window? And, my design wall is not large enough!

After washing my red fabric with one of those marvelous little Color Catchers, I finished cutting all the pieces for my Love in a Mist blocks for the Red & White Swap. It took me over 2 hours last night to get one block pieced. Oh my goodness, the seams are driving me insane. I played around with the needle position on my machine in an effort to make a more accurate 1/4 inch seam, and I ended up moving it back to the middle where it started. I read a really great tip about using the diagonal line on a ruler to square up HST's, and that has helped tremendously. When I got the top third of the block done it measures 13.5 inches though! I was apparently sewing more of a 1/8 inch seam so I ripped & re-sewed. What a mess. Here's block number one of nine.

It is far from perfect. Hopefully they will get easier, and quicker. At this point, I think I'll probably end up making 10 or 12 and choose the nicest ones to send along to the swap leader. I love the block design though and I'm tickled with my fabrics. I'm also kind of glad I'm challenging myself on this instead of doing a block with fewer or easier seams. A girl should always be learning, shouldn't she?

I also finished 4 other zipper pouches for the Etsy shop. I need to get them listed later today.

So much fun! I also taught myself to crochet this weekend. I did a small washcloth in double crochet, but I forgot to take a photo. I wasn't following any pattern, and learned how to make scalloped edges. Well it wasn't so much that I learned how but I stumbled across how to make scalloped edges because I wasn't counting right. ;)

What are you working on?

Sewin' During the Sew In

2011-07-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

Did you have a good Friday night? Mine was very productive, although it feels like I don't have much to show for it. After dinner, I headed to the sewing room intending to finish a couple red & white Love In the Mist blocks for the HGTV board swap and I cut all the white parts for my nine blocks. Then I pressed the red fabric I planned to use, but I decided it was not a nice enough quality for these blocks. When I first got into sewing, I visited the sale section of G Street Fabrics several times and snatched up a few lengths of cotton at a great price. Now that I've spent more time at the craft, I have learned about the different kinds and qualities of fabrics and some of my stash is just not up to snuff. I have other red fabrics to use, but none are washed and that's required for this swap (if not for any red fabric project!), so I moved on to the next project.

Here's my Kaleidoscope Quiltalong work in progress, which lives in this pretty box. This past week I bought a very cheerful yellow Moda marble to try with my collection of Pop Garden, Bijoux and Nicey Jane. Its a brighter yellow than I thought I wanted, but it seems to coordinate nicely with the shades in most of the prints. I cut a few strips worth and was able to finally decide on my scheme, and then get four blocks pieced. It definitely goes faster with chain piecing, but I was desperate for some instant gratification so I roughly planned these four blocks and went to town sewing.

Its starting to look like a Kaleidoscope! I did some math and determined that I have enough fabric for a quilt that is 5 blocks by 6 blocks, and maybe even enough for one that is 7 by 9. The Moda marble doesn't have any stock number on it, and I bought the end of the bolt at my LQS so I'm not sure if I can get more to match. If I end up loving it, I think I'll try to make it as large as possible to fit on my bed. I haven't done anything larger than a lap quilt, so that is a little scary but I can manage it.

Do you use a spray when you're pressing? I bought this along with my cheerful yellow fabric, and I'm loving it. It seems to put a nicer finish on the fabric than just steaming or spraying water, and gets the creases out better. The citrus version smells yummy too! Not too strong a smell though, and the scent dissipates quickly. Love it!

Did you join the Friday Night Sew In? What are you working on this weekend?

Friday Night Sew In!

2011-07-22T17:40:00.000-04:00

T minus just a short time till the Friday Night Sew In! I'm pysched. Normally I work till 8pm or later on Fridays, but our store hours have changed for the summer (its good to be the boss!) and we close at 6pm.

Click on the button to go over to Handmade by Heidi and check in with everyone!

Growing Inventory

2011-07-19T17:35:00.000-04:00

Glass Frog Beaded Stitch Markers

My little Etsy shop is growing! I've put together a few more sets of stitch markers for knitting and crochet (like these adorable little frogs), added to the fabric de-stash items and I've started making zippered pouches for knitting notions!

Zippered Notions Pouch

I love making these little pouches, and its a great way to enjoy using my fabric stash. I'm in the process of finishing up a few more but I was anxious to get one up and on display. Its tons of fun choosing the fabrics for the exterior and the lining, and then matching up a zipper. Some are classic, some are unexpected. My pouches are about 9 x 4, so they're a great size for dpns, for pens & pencils, cosmetics, a couple toys, electronics, you name it! I've got one with my quilt binding clips and another with the mp3 player and its charger. These are flat pouches, but my next project will be to create a sample with a gusset in the bottom to allow more room for bulky contents. I could add a little strap and make them wristlets too. Oh the possibilities! My goal is to start a 'serger fund' with the proceeds of what I sell.

Click on the Etsy widget at the top right to see more of my shop!

February's Love Birds

2011-07-15T17:57:00.000-04:00

Luckily there are only self-imposed deadlines when it comes to my quilting. Here's the February Birdie Stitches block. The little birdies are just oozing love!

These are such fun designs. I'm really enjoying each one, no matter how far behind I am.

What are you up to?

Love In a Mist Sample

2011-07-05T21:53:00.000-04:00

A little late for the Fourth of July, but here's my sample block for the HGTV discussion board swap. The block is called Love in a Mist, which is a free block from the awesome site Quilters Cache. (It also happens to be a lovely flower in the buttercup family, properly called Nigella damascena. Its a gorgeous star blossom.)

Isn't she pretty? The Swap Hostess had asked for star and star-like blocks and I thought this would be a fun one for me to try. The final blocks will be only in red & white of course, but I thought my sample needn't be restricted. One of the swap participants said she was doing sample blocks in a particular theme, and I thought that was a great idea. I had originally thought to do my sample in 30's fabrics, but since I wanted to get started this past weekend the red, white & blue seemed appropriate.

I'm making progress getting my points tidier, but I still seem to foul up the seams. Must drive slower over all those speedbumps! What a messy back.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T12:51:00.000-04:00

It's our birthday, America and that's cause to celebrate!

This is one of my favorite stepping stones in my shop, and of course we're all out of them right now or I'd give you the link. ;)

I did a little more cutting for the Kaleidoscope QAL this morning, and then to switch gears I started a red, white & blue version of the block I'm going to do for the Red & White Block Swap on the HGTV discussion board. I ran out of time before I had to head off to work, but hopefully I'll get the sample block finished up tonight.

Hope you are having a wonderful Independence weekend. Stay safe & happy!

Trouble starts with D

2011-07-02T17:50:00.000-04:00

DWR that is!

As if I didn't have enough to do, lookie lookie! The Plaid Scottie is hosting a Double Wedding Ring Quilt A Long. Woo hoo! I'd love to do the full quilt, but I think at a minimum I'll do four intersecting rings.

Good thing I like a long to-do list!

Playing with my Kaleidoscope

2011-07-01T13:35:00.000-04:00

Thunderstorms woke me up early this morning, so I found some extra time and got started cutting out my pieces for the Kaleidoscope QAL. I've mentioned before that I'm not sure I've compiled the best collection of values in the fabrics I've chosen, but I think I'm slowly getting a handle on what I want to do. Checking out the Flickr group, you can see there are several ways to go with this pattern. I'm leaning towards the very planned style that uses 2 alternate color value blocks and creates a Cathedral Windows type effect, depending on where your eyes land on the quilt. But then there's scrappy. Or planned. Or scrappy. Or planned. Well, you get the idea. I'm definitely doing the larger size, which is 60 x 72 but I have more fabric than I need so I might even be willing to go bigger. And that sounds both scary and exciting to me!

Anyway, I got a few fabrics ironed & cut this morning and I started playing on the design wall. Here's a coordinated block in a color combo I like to think of as Raspberry Lemonade. I love the Pop Garden Pineapple Brocade in these pieces because you get a completely different part of the overall design with every cut.

And here's a more scrappy look

And just for good measure, here they are side by side.

I still have no clue what I want to use for the 'solids' fabric in this quilt if I go with the scrappy look. I might take a stack of pieces into the LQS and audition some yellows or pinks.

Small projects with quick finishes

2011-06-30T14:01:00.000-04:00

Small projects are a great way to keep your crafty interest going and to feel a sense of accomplishment in the midst of several larger projects. My WIPs at the moment are all fairly sizeable, and some are ongoing like the Birdie BOM and the Kaleidoscope QAL, so having smaller items to finish is keeping things interesting for me. (How's that for a mouthful of crafty acronyms!) I have a couple of recently finished small projects to share though.

This cute little drawstring bag was made from an unidentified fat quarter and with no pattern. I took some notes along the way, and I think I may write up a little tutorial for it, but I need more 'in progress' pictures to really do it justice. It's a great size for many things like knitting projects, a lingerie bag for travel etc. but its current job is to hold plastic bags at the shop. I love the green swirls on this fabric. It makes me think of Ireland, especially the circles at Newgrange.

A mug rug is on my list of things to do, but I wasn't feeling too creative when I realized that I need some kind of coaster for my sewing table. I made a simple 9 patch using pieces from my favorite Mezzanine line by Patty Young / Michael Miller. I've been snatching up bits of the line at some great prices, and I'm going to be terribly sad when its all gone and I've used my stash of it. Its just so fun and perky. The quilting is just a somple crosshatch through the squares. Here's the front and the back, with a beginner binding job. I really need to work on my binding, and small projects like this coaster are a good way to keep improving skills.

I'm also kind of excited that I just learned how to combine photos in PhotoScape. Now if I can just take better photographs to start with, I'll really be on a roll! The lack of natural light inside my house is never so obvious as when I want to take a picture.

Any small projects in the works at your place?

WIP Wednesday

2011-06-29T16:57:00.000-04:00

Not much quilting going on at my house. My works in progress are more organizational than crafty these days and there's nothing terribly interesting to share at this point. Unless you'd like to discuss how many sets of mixing bowls you think a girl needs, and where precisely she should put them in her awkward kitchen cabinets. ;)

I have finished 2 rows of my Orange & Pink Waves, using the New Wave pattern from Oh, Frannsson. I really like the pattern, and I really like the fabrics I've chosen but I'm having a hard time keeping my seems even. Sewing on the diagonal is harder than you'd think for a newbie. I'm finding it difficult to get the triangles matched up evenly on the sashing as I go along.

I was quite tickled to finish the second column, but once I lined them up on my bed I realized that some of the sewing is a little off. I think I used more than the standard 1/4 inch on one or more section of sashing on one column, or perhaps less than 1/4 inch on the other column?

"Houston, we have a problem"

The odd thing is, that when I switch the placement of the two columns, the error doesn't seem quite so bad. In this photo below, I matched the left side of column A to the right side of Column B instead of A-right to B-left.

And the error(s) isn't quite as dreadful. There is definitely still a problem though, and I want to fix it before moving on.

I'm also 'working on' being brave enough to cut into my collection of Pop Garden and Nicey Jane for the Kaleidoscope Quiltalong. I'm just not sure I've chosen the right color values, and I would hate to begin cutting and then end up with a bunch of scraps on the design wall that don't play well together with the pattern. On the knitting front, my nephew requested a Jedi cloak in black and I've been working on that using the Wizard's Robe pattern from Charmed Knits. I don't think I've done any knitting in almost a year, and I'm finding it very relaxing. Plus that allows me to accomplish something while I'm sitting on my tush watching various shows on the DVR. Getting something done while veggin out - gotta love that!

Work in Progress Wednesday

2011-06-08T16:31:00.001-04:00

If variety is the spice of life, its also the spice of creativity. Sometimes I think you need different projects for different moods, and certainly your circumstances create limitations. I'm planning a road trip soon so I'll be bringing along some knitting and probably some embroidery. No hand quilting in the car for me!

Here's the January block for Birdie Stitches. I've got all the fabrics cut and partially sewn for the borders, but I don't have the borders on the blocks all just yet. This requires some planning, so as to be sure I don't end up with certain fabrics right next to one another. I love the January block - I made my birdie red for a winter cardinal, and the snowman is a fairly predictable blue. But I made the snowy swirls pink. I kept thinking about the blizzards in DC two years ago, and walking Katie in the deep, deep snow when there were no cars around. It was so peaceful and truly beautiful, and for me it was food for the soul.

And here's May. Yes, I know its weird to skip months like that, but I wanted to start with May because that's when I joined in and I figured I'd catch up with the other months later. Call me kooky. So May was actually finished first, and I used purple for the field of small flowers because I used to bring my mom violets on May Day when I was a little girl. The larger blooms are all sunny colors to celebrate spring.

I'm finding that even though I take my time sewing, I still end up crooked. What is up with that?

Moving on to a new project, a couple of weeks ago I got a crazy notion that I wanted to do a pink and orange quilt. I decided on the New Wave pattern from Oh, Fransson and found about half what I needed in my stash. A quick trip to the LQS for some additional fat quarters and Bob's your uncle. Or so they say. I've finally gotten everything cut and started sewing the columns this week. I'm really excited about this one!

It's a well written pattern and easy to follow. The time consuming part so far was the cutting. Well, I started off with a brief delay of a few days because I didn't have a large enough piece of quilters template plastic to use for the 6x9 block template, but once I got past that wee hurdle I was on my way!

I thought I had a good shot of my orange & pink fabrics all stacked up but I can't find it. I've been very out of sorts this week for some inexplicable reason. The sewing has helped to center me, and since I've gotten two embroidery blocks done I feel like I've actually accomplished something.

What are you working on?

Jumping into June

2011-06-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Can you believe its June already? I have a couple projects languishing because I've been busy with the shop and with guests for Memorial Day weekend, but now I'm back to getting into the fabric, instead of just daydreaming about it.

I've decided to participate in two group quilty events this summer. One is hosted by the lovely Elizabeth of Don't Call Me Betsy. She's doing a Kaleiscope QuiltALong and I think it will be lots of fun. I love this block, and I'm hoping that having more of a deadline will keep me steadily at work. Self imposed deadlines don't always work for me when it comes to crafty projects.

My current plan is to use a selection of stash fabrics from Pop Garden. They're so cheery and I'm anxious to use them in something bright and fun. I added the top one from Meadowsweet. I think it'll work. I'd like to look for something in blues to add, so I'll have 4 basic colors: yellow, hot pink, green, blue. No clue what the background will be for the blocks. I'm thinking a pale yellow. What do you think?

In addition to the Kaleidoscope QAL, I also signed up for a red & white block swap over on the HGTV Quilting Discussion Board. This is a great group of ladies who like to talk quilts and do swaps. I was a member of the discussion board several years ago, but when I switched crafts I abandoned them for a time. I've joined up again and its fun to chat and see what everyone else is accomplishing. They are full of encouragement, advice and fun! The swap is for 12 blocks due September 1 and I'm really looking forward to it. I've chosen a fairly detailed block that will be a challenge for me, and also great practice. You can never have too many red & white quilts, right?

Are you in any swaps or quilt-a-longs for the next few months?

WIP Wednesday

2011-05-18T13:29:00.001-04:00

There are some wonderful blogs out there who publish "Wordless Wednesdays" with lovely photographs of nature, loved ones, new treasures and whatnot. Personally, I think my photos are not quite up to snuff for that sort of thing, so I've decided to present you with "Work in Progess Wednesday" instead. So here's what I'm working on!

I've been enjoying sewing some pinwheels using the leftover Amy Butler Daisy Chain fabric and a pretty floral white on white. I have no clue what I'll do with them, but they make for some easy sewing when I'm not sure what else to do, or when I just need to sit and stitch unthinkingly for a few minutes. One of the pinwheels here is backwards, but I'll fix it. My points are getting better all the time - practice really helps!

I've started the Birdie Stitches Block of the Month being offered by Little Miss Shabby. Her blog is just wonderfully inspirational, and I've been admiring her BOM all along. I chose about 14 FQ's from my stash in mostly saturated colors with a few lighter ones, and some white on white yardage for the embroidery space. There are so many pretty rainbow quilts out there in blogland and on Flickr, I just had to try to create one myself. I'm gaining confidence in combining fabrics, and I'm looking forward to the embroidery for this project. I haven't done any in about 5 years, but I'm sure it'll come back to me quick. This is the May block.

Finally, a patchy lap quilt of Strawberry Fields is on the design wall. I love the strawberry red, and I'm kicking around the idea of not using the red charms in the main quilt, but creating a red flower applique in a corner or two. I need some yardage too, but I haven't stumbled across any online or in my LQS yet. Does it want sashing or should it just be patchy? I've got 2 charm packs though, so this will likely get larger as time goes on. The collection has a nice range of values and scales, like all Moda lines, and it was alot of fun rearranging the charms until I found an arrangement I like. Its inspirational just on the wall!

Do you have more than one project going at a time? Tell me what you're up to!

The Katie Quilt

2011-05-17T23:26:00.000-04:00

The Katie Quilt is finally finished! The binding seemed to take forever, but I think I was a little more interested in watching the episodes of MI-5 on my dvr than I was in working swiftly. I used a couple of black & white FQ's which set off the green sashing quite nicely. I also did a double layer binding this time so we'll see how it wears in comparison to the Daisy Chain quilt which has only a single layer. Always learning!

It was a beautiful sunny day when I finished - I sat out on the patio with an audiobook in the MP3 player and zipped right along. I love the Mezzanine backing. This quilt is long and narrow, and perfect for using on the backseat to protect the upholstery. I think it will also work nicely on my bed where she lays, to protect my own bedding from her dirty tummy.

And speaking of dirty tummies, this is what I saw after my little photo shoot. She rarely digs in the yard, but on occasion she likes to dig a bit in a flower bed. On this day, she was burying a rawhide with her nose. Her nose and paws are usually white or cream - not dirt colored! Isn't she a cutie? I didn't yell at all, so please don't think she's been scolded. She is the best dog, even when she's a bit naughty.

I think she's thinking that if she doesn't look at me directly, somehow I won't notice!

Stash Enhancement

2011-05-05T15:05:00.000-04:00

On my day off this week I decided to stop by fabric heaven, aka Rainbows End Quilt Shop. I have to tell you, just walking in to the place is good for the crafty soul. There is inspiration everywhere with shop samples and lots of fun extras, like gorgeous woven ribbons, fabric glitter, patterns and quilting supplies galore. I was looking for some Breakfast at Tiffanys to add to an upcoming project, but I didn't find any. Not to worry though, I found plenty of other trouble!

Some red fat quarters for no special reason, other than I adore red. The top right is tiny dark red polka dots on a tomato red background.

I was also looking for fabric to go with this gorgeous Flower Fairy panel from Michael Miller. Last fall while I was waiting for some yardage to be cut at the very same shop, the lady ahead of me showed me what she was getting and I just couldn't resist. (Temptation is everywhere at this shop!) I impulsively bought the panel, figuring if my niece didn't like it I could find another recipient, but she does and I want to get to work on it soon. Of course I forgot to take the panel with me, so I was guessing as to whether any of these fabrics would work. I couldn't find any other coordinates from the original panel, but I think one of these will do, don't you?

And then I found some other cute prints I just couldn't pass up. The cupcakes will become a half apron for me to wear at work and the girly pattern will probably become a drawstring bag for travel and toting various things around. If I still had a vanity, I'd re-upholster the chair with the girly print, but alas there is no vanity in the house I'm living in now.

I'm on a semi-fabric diet. My plan is to use up some of what's in the stash already, but you know you never seem to have exactly everything you need once you settle on a pattern. At least that is what I am finding in my own stash. The red FQs above were half off, and I don't have a specific plan for them, but I'm sure I'll find some way to use them!

Some Lessons Learned

2011-05-02T15:19:00.006-04:00

Now that I've finished my first quilt project, I am obsessed with quilting and I can't get enough. The next project I wanted to work on is a quilt to cover the backseat of the car, to protect the upholstery from doggie detritis. I usually use a fleece blanket or a quilt I got at Marshalls, but I really want to make something new and fresh for Katie. I had two panels of Lakehouse Fun Flowers and I thought they'd make a fun, quick quilt.

Isn't that pretty? I took this photo before I was finished with the flimsy, so you'll see 8 blossoms in the final. The green sashing and the backing are part of Mezzanine by Patty Young from Michael Miller. I love the pink and green, since its so cheerful & springy.

I'm rather far along in the process of quilt number two now, and I thought I'd share a few lessons I've learned in just two quilts worth of work.

Spray baste is your friend. I had such a hard time with the Daisy Chain quilt in the pin basting process - I just couldn't get everything straight and even and where I wanted it to go. This time I used spray baste before pinning and it makes things so very much easier. With the spray, it seemed easier to smooth out the fabric and batting, and then pinning was a breeze. I used my dining room table and foolishly sprayed without covering the table, so now I have spots where lint is collecting. Note to self: be sure to throw an old sheet over the basting surface. It creates a somewhat stiff sandwich, but I'm finding it easier to quilt.

Go slow and do your best. My mom used to tell me that all the time, and I can hear her voice telling me the same thing as I quilt. It is a challenge to shove the sandwich past the needle perfectly, but practice does make better. One of these days it'll get closer to perfect.

Go ahead and wad it up. It'll be okay. It's much easier to smush the sandwich through the neck of my standard sewing machine if its rolled up. The quilt bounces back quite nicely. I'm not quite sure why I thought I needed to be all prim and proper with it and keep it flat, but no longer.

You need a large clear surface. This should probably come first. My sewing set-up is a little odd, and I hate putting things away. This is a bad combination for sewing anything over a 12 inch block. As the flimsy got bigger, and then once I began quilting, the sandwich started knocking things off my tables and driving me insane. Taking 10 minutes to put things away and clear the space was hugely valuable. I will try harder to keep things tidy to keep from going batty.

Nike was right. Just do it. Prior to the Daisy Chain, I'd done alot of household sewing projects, small applique, and cut fabrics for about four different projects, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to start putting a quilt together. I'm not quite sure what my hang up was, but now that I've gotten to work and finished one quilt in its entirety, I'm thinking there is nothing I can't do!

Isn't it fun to learn along the way? What have you discovered lately?

Finished Object

2011-05-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

Since I didn't get a full photo the other day, here's my new beauty! The sun hat is there for scale, and because its cute.

I wanted to get a good shot of Katie on it, but of course she wasn't interested. Silly dog.

Happy May Day!

2011-05-01T14:53:00.000-04:00

Happy May Day to you! May Day means alot of different things to different people, but for me its all about the beginning of Spring and FLOWERS! When I was a little girl, I used to pick violets from our yard, place a bouquet on the front porch for my mom, ring the doorbell and run away. Of course she knew who they were from, but she played along any way. What else would a mom do, right? I can't bring her violets any more but I sure am thinking of her today.

In Annapolis, Maryland they have a lovely tradition of celebrating May Day by putting flower baskets outside, both residents and local businesses and the town explodes with color and creativity. People come into town from all over on May Day, even buses of people from Baltimore and they walk the streets downtown, enjoying all the gorgeous flower arrangements. When my shop was in Annapolis, I had a great time coming up with a new theme each year. This is from a couple of years ago - a butterfly themed basket complete with butterfly house, two art glass butterfly feeders and feather butterflies all over.

Hope you have a beautiful, flowery day with a lift in your heart at the start of a new season!

Pinwheels Easy as Pie!

2011-04-30T12:35:00.005-04:00

Did someone say pie? Sorry - I distracted myself there for a moment.

Have you seen this tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company on an easy way to make HST's and then pinwheels? (Be sure to check out her ironing board cover - I love that fabric!)

Super easy! Look what I did this morning ...

Love it! I used two 5 inch squares and ended up with a block that is about 5.75 inches large. I had a few minutes before work so I only finished one. I can't wait to get home and get back to it!

Rack 'em up!

2011-04-29T19:25:00.000-04:00

The Daisy Chain lap quilt is finally finished and has been duly tested several evenings in a row on the couch. Here it is on a quilt rack that my mom purchased for me ages ago. I wish she could see the rack with my own quilt on it.

This is my first quilt, so please gently ignore any crooked seams or things you would have done differently. This was the brightest room in the house today, so would you please also excuse the presentation on the doors of my fabric stash cabinet!?!? I couldn't bear to put it on the floor just yet for a full photo shoot. How silly is that? Here's the front:

And the back:

It completely slipped my mind to make a label, so I intend to embroider the details or applique a label soon. I love the large panel in the back. It's visually soothing compared to the front. I just read a great blog post by Julie of Jayburd Quilts over on the Robert Kaufman blog. She shared some wonderful photos of her quilt backs and opened the discussion to ask how people like to prepare their backs. Since this is a lap quilt which will live on my couch and get lots of use, I didn't want the back to be scrappy or seem unplanned. The math was easy to figure out with one large leftover bit and a frame of white. The wide binding was a way to fix an error that happened during quilting. Ooops - the cat is out of the bag now!

Not bad for a first try! I'd like to do a coordinating pillow cover for a throw pillow, and then my next project is a narrow quilt to fit on the backseat of my car for Katie's travels. Let's be honest, its to protect the backseat upholstery from muddy, leafy, dirty, detritis-filled paws!

Happy stitching!

It was a dark and stormy night....

2011-04-01T15:32:00.000-04:00

I couldn't play in the garden yesterday because we had such terrible thunderstorms all day, so I hit the sewing machine instead. I made great progress on my Daisy Chain quilt. I added the aqua border (even though I wanted to start quilting it right away) and I'm really glad I did. I think it adds a cheerful touch.

This is my first quilting project where I've actually gotten far enough along to quilt. I have lots of WIP's, but no finished objects. Its a lap quilt, so I cleared off the dining room table to baste the sandwich. It's so challenging! Now I understand why this is almost everyone's least favorite part. Most experts recommend cutting the batting larger than the top because of how things move when you quilt, but then how can you be sure your top is perfectly matched to the backing? Oh the headache that ensued! I even left the backing a little larger than it needed to be, but no matter how I wigged things around and pinned and re-pinned, I still ended up with an uneven sandwich. For my first try, its not too bad, but its no where near professional looking.

Here we are, pinned and ready to be quilted!

After dinner I headed to the machine to quilt. It was definitely an experience! I did simple straight line quilting, with the normal foot and white thread. Diagonal lines across the charm squares in only one direction. I considered using a colored thread to quilt, but I went with white and I'm happy with the outcome. It was manageable in my little Singer - I just rolled up the right side of the sandwich to keep control as I stitched. You can really tell as you stitch across the seams - the machine sounded different. I had to rip one line because I ran out of bobbin thread but other than that (and some crooked sewing) it was kind of fun! Stressful but fun. I didn't mark the top at all, just eyeballed it (hence the crooked sewing!) which added to my anxiety. I could almost hear my mom saying "just take your time and do your best!"

I created a panel of the large scale print with white sashing for the backing. All that's left is the binding which will be a navy print from the line. I'm so excited, and so proud of myself for getting this far. I can't wait to snuggle up with the finished product!

Somebody stop me!

2011-03-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

I have added quite a bit to my stash in the last couple months and I've been using some of it, so that doesn't add too much guilt. There are so many cute fabrics out there I just can't seem to help myself! I'm really excited about Fig Tree's Strawberry Fields coming out, and I just found the charm packs on sale already here at a site called 1 Choice 4 Quilting. (Psst- everything is 20 to 30% off!!!) I hemmed and hawed and finally gave in and ordered. And while I was there, I just had to grab a yard of this adorable fabric I've never seen.

Its from Riley Blake, called Rainy Days and Mondays. Its so cute I couldn't resist at such great deal. Isn't it adorable? I got a coordinating small print too and I think it will become a mug rug. I've been inspired by the Mug Rug Madness. It's a rainy day here, so I think it was kismet!

Moda Fabric Destash over at Etsy

2011-03-21T17:12:00.000-04:00

I've listed a few fabrics in my Etsy shop at good prices. They are all Moda and all really lovely, but I find myself looking for brighter color values. Can you tell I like reds?

Quick sew project

2011-03-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

Have you ever done a booth at a craft fair, or helped out a friend with one? My sister will be showing her jewelry at a fair this weekend and I'm going to help. I thought instead of a cash box we might use short aprons instead. The One Yard Wonders book has a cute little apron for holding clothespins that I thought would be just the thing.

Of course it calls for one yard of the fabric you'll be using, and since I'm a rebel I chose a favorite fat quarter along with some solid yardage to coordinate for mine. I figured I should do mine first and get the proverbial kinks out of my techniques. A fat quarter wasn't really enough to do the pattern properly so I fudged it. Took about 2 hours from cutting to finish and I'm hoping the second one goes quicker. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out the instructions, especially when it comes to right sides and wrong sides.

Here's my Granny's Clothespin Apron Inspired Apron.

And for anyone attempting the pattern out of the book, please go to their errata page found here. The measurements for the waistband and ties are incorrect and won't fit together smoothly if you follow the pattern as printed. There are actually 16 patterns with errata notes. Probably not bad for a book that full of fun projects!

Finally a Flimsy!

2011-03-14T11:46:00.001-04:00

Things have been very busy lately (who hasn't?) between work and helping my sister get ready for a jewelry booth at a craft show next weekend, so I haven't had alot of time to sew. But last night after work I was motivated and I finished the main portion of my Daisy Chain quilt. My plan is to add an aqua border in the clematis pattern, another strip of white and then a navy binding. Right now it measures 36.5 by 49, which is not quite big enough to nap under, I think. I mean, I'm short but I'm not that short. ;)

It has now exceeded the size of my design wall, so I had to pin it to the sheers so you could see it in all its glory! I'm so excited to be this far along that I'm tempted to just start quilting now, but I think I'll stick with the original plan. The extra border of color will make it look a little more finished, I think.

I caught the bug!

2011-03-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

The hexie bug that is! Have you seen all the gorgeous hexagon creations out there on the internet lately? I've seen some lovely antique quilts in Grandmothers Flower Garden and some hip new creations too - pillows and table runners and all kinds of cute home decor in modern, fresh fabrics. Its amazing how changing the fabric can change a pattern.

I found some hexagons to print & cut for the paper piecing part, and sat down last night with a selection of Erin McMorris' Wildwood fabrics. Pinks and greens and yellows seemed like just the thing. Three hours and several dvr'd episodes of TopChef later, I had a stack of flowers-to-be!

I can see how these can become addicting. You just finger press and baste, and finger press and baste, and time passes very quickly! I'm not sure what these will become, but I'm loving the hexie bug!

Stash Enhancement Alert

2011-02-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

If you are looking to expand your stash Suzie Q Quilts has some great options in their sale section! I added to my stash of 12 Days of Christmas, found some must haves from Michael Miller's Mezzanine, and some Heather Bailey prints that I can't live without.

I do love the Fab Shop Hop, but I always get into trouble!

Daisy Chain

2011-02-19T16:30:00.000-05:00

I had my own little Friday night sewing session and I am a happy girl. True confession time: I have never finished an actual quilt. Mostly I have made applique blocks and a few pieced blocks, and lots of small sewing projects but when it comes to coordinating fabrics and picking a pattern, I stumble around and never accomplish anything. I buy alot of fabric, but I've never committed to a quilt. A while ago I bought a set of 5 inch fabric charms from Amy Butler's Daisy Chain line in the blues, but its not a pre-made charm pack. A seller on eBay (Material Girl Chic) groups about 8 different fabrics and you get 5 of each. I love her kits! I have the hardest time choosing which fabrics go together well, even from a single line, let alone a whole shop full of choices. Her well designed kits make it super easy.

So I purchased the set of Daisy Chain in blues, and decided to start easy. Since there were 5 of each pattern, I just lined them up on my design wall (aka flannel pinned to the wall) and decided to do white sashing. Simple, pleasing to the eye, and hopefully not too much of a challenge for my first finished quilt. Once I got the math figured out for the size I wanted, I realized that I needed 6 charms in some fabrics and had to shop. Shucks, I had to shop. ;) I picked out the fabrics that I needed for the extra charms, for an inner border, for the binding and for an interesting back.

I started chain piecing and I plugged away for a good hour or so, until I needed to rip out one seam.

I fixed my seam and quit for the night, with 5 of my 8 rows all ready for the next set of sashing. I'm using white Moda muslin for the sashing because I have alot on hand. Can you tell which rows are sewn together?

I can't wait till Sunday afternoon when I can go at it again!

The Moda Snob and a new Dog Bed Slipcover

2011-02-05T16:06:00.001-05:00

I am so happy that I finished a knitting project this past week just in time for the publisher's deadline. It was weighing on me heavily, and I was avoiding other fun projects because I had to get that knitting finished and written up and tested. Its been mailed & delivered, and now I'm free as a bird to craft to my hearts delight!

Katie comes to work with me almost every day and of course in addition to her food & water bowls, she has a bed at the shop. Ages ago I found this awesome dragonfly fabric and I made her a bed cover when I first opened my shop in late 2006. That bed cover has seen better days - its travelled, been washed many many times and its past time for a new one.

I woke up early this morning and decided today's project was for Katie! I went to the fabric cupboard and looked ... and looked ... and looked at all the pretty quilting fabrics I have. There's tons of Moda and Heather Bailey and Amy Butler. And I looked at it all, and said to myself, "Moda? On the DOG BED?" Now, you'd have to know me to understand how insane that statement is. Katie means everything to me. My daily schedule is really all about her and she's one of my top priorities. She travels with me, and I make people eat in the car so she doesn't have to stay locked up. I'm that kind of dog-mom.

But I found the line I wouldn't cross today - its the fabric line. The quilting fabric line. The sublimely smooth, soft to the touch, prettiest material in the world fabric line. No Moda for the dog. (Notice how when I talk about her in relation to fabric, she's "the dog" but when I talk about how I love her, she has a name?)

What can I tell you? I'm a fabric snob. No quilting fabrics for the dog bed.

I found this really cute lime, yellow and teal floral instead - its like a seersucker almost and just about the same coloring as Katie's old bed. The teal is just about the color of my new shop logo, so it's perfect! I measured twice, cut once, thought about a inserting a zipper and then got lazy and just did the ole whipstitch seam sewing.

Then I spotted a scrap of the old dragonfly fabric and decided Katie's new floral pillow needed a dragonfly. So I cut out a dragonfly and appliqued it to the dog bed. When I say I appliqued it to the bed, I really mean it. Obviously the best case scenario would have been to get it stitched on before I stuffed it & sewed the seam shut. So as I was stitching, I often ended up going through more than just the two layers of fabric. This dragonfly is staying put!

Cute, isn't it? I took it to work today (did I just confess that I'm blogging at work? yup!) but she hasn't used it yet. Silly pooch. I wanted a shot for the blog! She just doesn't understand my priorities.

It feels good to have another project crossed of my list of things I want to do. Hope you are enjoying the weekend too!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year

2010-12-31T17:33:00.000-05:00

A wee Irish blessing for you as we start a new year ...

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Silhouette, silhouette, silhouette ... silhouette's on it's way!

2010-11-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

Yes I like to re-write song lyrics!

I just ordered a Silhouette Digital Cutting machine with the Cyber Monday coupon code from Under the Table and Dreaming. Happy 28 days before my birthday to me!

What should I do first when it gets here??????

Thankful

2010-11-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving day. My sister and niece came over the night before so we could get up early together and cook, cook, cook with just us girls. We had a lot of fun, and finished one planned project as well as one spontaneous project.

I found instructions for this adorable pineapple turkey centerpiece at Crafty Chic and knew I had to make it. It's super simple and requires only a few pieces of felt, some cutting and sewing. My niece helped cut out the pieces and she wanted to help sew him up on the machine too, so we gave it a whirl. Her foot is in a cast right now, so I put the gas pedal up on the counter with the machine and she ran it with her hands while I made sure the fabric mostly moved in the direction we wanted. He's not perfect, but he's full of happy memories already!

For being only 6 years old, she did a fabulous job and wanted to start another sewing project right away! Who am I to argue with that? So she decided we needed a welcome sign, and we cut out a turkey with lots of feathers from the remaining felt. I grabbed a hunk of cotton and we sewed him on his wall hanging together too. She had a great time and was so proud of it! I think I'll add a border, a binding and a label for sure and tuck him away for next year.

Gobble, gobble!

You can win a Silhouette Machine at Infarrantly Creative!

2010-11-26T18:51:00.001-05:00

Have you visited Infarrantly Creative lately? She's got tons of fun crafty ideas for home decor and more. It's a 'don't miss' blog on my list!

And what's even better is that she is currently hostessing a giveaway for a Silhouette cutting machine! I am dying to win one of these and I have mental lists of ideas of ways to use it both at home and at my shop. I'd love to win, but I'm guessing I'll be breaking down and ordering one on Cyber Monday. It looks like a fabulous tool to add to your crafty and business branding arsenal. So visit her blog post and register to win by Sunday night, by following her very reasonable rules! She's got a great collection of projects to show you too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Everyone in my family is coming to my house this year, and although I didn't get everything done cleaning-wise, I'm happy to have the day here.

I am thankful for my family, for new friends and old, I'm thankful for my new home & that my little shop is staying afloat, I'm very thankful for my dog, but I miss my mom.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have a great day!

Dragonfly Luminaries

2010-11-15T15:59:00.000-05:00

Haven't had much time to get crafty at home, but I got crafty at the shop. Saturday night was Wines the Blues in Dunedin with music, food, drink and thousands of people. Yes, thousands!!
I've been trying real hard to get people around the corner and into the shop, but the street there gets kinda dark at night. Why not light it up with some cute dragonfly luminaries? I took my logo & simplified it to create a stencil template. It was super easy - I just traced it with pencil & cut it out. Cutting the wings so wide created some cute wing-like holes in the sides of the bags too, so they really let out alot of light.

Add a cup of sand, put a candle in a small mason jar & voila! Dragonfly lights to help you find your way to Dragonfly Garden. My sister worked in the shop while I worked out on Broadway at a booth-type table with a few sample items, just to give people an idea of what's in the shop. She said one customer asked if she could buy the luminaries because they were so cute! How is that for a compliment?

Just a little check in

2010-10-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

Are you getting so busy that things are starting to slide? My shop is picking up and it seems like there are just not enough hours in the day to do much of anything on the personal side since I've been sleeping extra to try to get back to good health. Tuesdays are my day off and I spent most of the day today doing things for the shop, but I finally stopped to take a little time for me.

After running a few errands, I came home to get started on the outdoor Halloween decor. I've never done outside stuff before so it was a ton of fun! Those spiderweb thingies are tough to work with and it took forever, but I think its cute along with a giant furry spider, a couple of tombstones and a black cat garden stake that I bought from my very own shop. It got dark while I was finishing up the spiderwebs, so all you get to see is my very tired buddy.

Does everyone think their dog is adorable while they're sleeping? Katie sure is!

Black Cat Pillow for Halloween

2010-10-14T11:47:00.007-04:00

I've seen some really cute, I mean scary black cats out there in Halloween decor this season and I decided I could make an applique pillow to add to my own stash of Halloween decs. I love the black cats with arched backs but I didn't want it too spooky. I found a cute drawing online in a children's printable coloring page and used that as my template. One evening of applique for the cat and the next day I added black borders to my square and a fun orange black cat print for the pillow back. I found an easy tutorial with a great idea for sewing the back at a blog called Sparkle Power - you might want to check out her tutorial here. She overlaps flaps so that its very simple to remove it. Love it!

Isn't she cute? I'm not quite happy with her tail, but its been a couple years since I did any applique so I thought this actually turned out pretty well all things considered.

The pillow back is a Debbie Mumm fabric from Joanns. My camera has mysteriously died so I am subjecting you to sad cell phone pictures.

I'm linking to these great parties - please visit them - there are some seriously crafty ladies here!

The Gambler Adds to Her Stash

2010-10-13T13:44:00.000-04:00

I do love Kenny Rodgers but I don't love it when the cards don't fall my way. My favorite pink peonies fabric Peonies from Pop Garden by Heather Bailey was on sale at the Hancock's of Paducah website so I ordered 2 yards. I'm planning on using it in the front room somehow, probably a slip cover for my sewing chair and maybe a matching cover for the machine. I also got a yummy yard of Pineapple Brocade, because who can resist $4.98 a yard? Its so pretty in person - sunny and cheerful and it almost glows.

I also bought a Moda Scrap Bag for a steal. Half a pound of Moda fabrics for $7. I've been eyeing these for some time and finally took the plunge. Its a crazy roll of the dice to order a small stash of fabric without knowing what you'll get. What would it be? Pretty muted tones from Fig Tree Quilts, Sweetwater or 3 Sister. Geometrics or flourishes from Kate Spain, or great prints from Sandy Gervais or Lila Tueller. Maybe Bliss or Pure or a collection of the rich tones of their many Christmas lines? I love lots of Moda lines and I thought what the heck - lets see what I get! My collection is 30 strips of 3 inches wide by about 33 inches long of fly fishing, bears, log cabins and pine cones. Its Holly Taylor Classics. Insert big sigh here.

So not my taste. Or anyone I'd make a quilt or other project for. Maybe I'll use these for a charity quilt? Its a cute line and its Moda so the fabric is wonderful, its just not a theme that works for me. Maybe I'll list them on Etsy and let some one else love them.

So to turn this frown upside down, I'll also share some charm packs I bought recently on Etsy. Evening Mist and Rue Saint Germain charm packs plus a stack of Amy Butler charms. So pretty. I think when I'm done with today's project, I'll do a pin cushion in some of the Amy Butler fabrics.

Did I say something about today's project? Why yes, yes I did. Stay tuned for a Halloween project!

The Week of the Halloween Banner

2010-10-10T15:26:00.000-04:00

I've been admiring all the fun pennant type banners on the web for a while now and thought I'd whip up one for Halloween. Are you laughing hysterically? In retrospect, I am now laughing hysterically at the thought that I'd 'whip it up.' This is taking forever!

First I made a pennant template from quilting template plastic. I decided how many little pennants I needed to spell out EEK - SPOOKY - BOO along with the spacers. I cut out an assortment from a fun Halloween paper pad from Joanns and came up with a combination I liked. Then I cut out pennants that are 1/4 inch larger all around, out of black cardstock. I glued all those together and I wondered where my evening went! I think it took about 2 hours in front of the telly including cutting a couple of mistake pennants that came out upside down. The glass of wine might have made the cutting take a little longer than it should have, but I wouldn't confess to that in a court of law.

Then I had to decide how to put them together. I thought it would be cute to use eyelets because I am hoping it will allow for greater flexibility in the swag of the banner. I just bought 3 new lovely black bookcases for my living room and got them all put together, and the banner will hang across these.

To install (is that the right word?) the eyelets, I finally got to use my Crop-A-Dile! It was a Christmas gift a few years ago from my dad but I've never used it. Of course I didn't have the eyelets I wanted so that delayed the project a couple more days until I could get to a store. Then I took the pennant pieces, eyelets and tool to work with me thinking that I could work on the banner in between customers. I didn't take the directions, so I was clueless as how to use the Crop-A-Dile. Took me a few hours to have the You Tube lightbulb moment, but I found a good tutorial and was able to start inserting the eyelets. Of course the Murphy's Law of retail is that as soon as you get involved in a project requiring your complete attention, customers will come in the shop. No finishing the banner that day. So I finished the eyelet installation last night after work and started in with the letters. I didn't have the orange glittery cardstock at work yesterday, so I printed up some letters on copy paper and took them home. So I cut them out, traced them onto the orange cardstock and then cut them out again. I decided they were too boring just applied that way, so I got out a black inkpad and tried to ink the edges. The inkpad is somewhat dried out, so that didn't turn out how I expected either. For the love of Pete!

Anyway, here's the EEK part and its spacers. I don't want to quit, but I am pretty sick of this banner already so I might just string these 5 pieces together and move on to another project.  I think the two big lessons learned here are that
     A. I need a Silhouette or Cricut for cutting out letters and
     B. its best to have all your materials and tools in one place to help the project move smoothly.

Ah well, all's well that end's well and I have had fun squeezing in time to do a little papercrafting project.

A peek at the life of a shopkeeper

2010-10-08T17:37:00.000-04:00

Being a shopkeeper is a very rewarding job. It's also exhausting and often doesn't allow for much free time. Its been another busy week at the shop so I have nothing crafty to report, but I wanted to wish everyone a lovely weekend. I do take a few minutes when I get up in the morning to check in on my favorite blogs and see what everyone else is up to and dream of future projects but that's about it for me time.

So I thought I'd give you a peek at what I've been up to all week. Welcome to the shop...

We had a special pink ribbon event in town last night to benefit the local hospital's breast cancer programs so I did some extra pink ribbon items this year. I normally have a few things in the shop and I always donate a portion of the sales to the Susan G Komen Foundation, but I ramped it up this year. I couldn't get a nice photo so you'll just have to believe me. This is my door last night.

The display for my fall and Halloween items filled up this week too. I love decorating for Halloween so I have a great time ordering things for the shop. Here are some of the hanging signs and bouncing decor. The 'bouncies' are so cute - they hang from a 12 inch spring and they bounce up & down in the wind. My favorite is the ghost, but the witch and the pumpkin are cute too.

And of course my trusty sidekick Katie is always near me. Sleepy, but near me. Isn't she precious when she's trying so hard to keep her eyes open?

Here's hoping you have a lovely weekend full of family and fun!

Candy Corn Love

2010-10-02T16:28:00.000-04:00

It's October, it's officially Fall and the countdown to Halloween has begun! As much as I love the spooky black and purples that have become popular for Halloween decorations, now that I am in Florida and its still hot, hot, hot I am finding myself more drawn to the sunshine colors of candy corn. It doesn't feel like Fall here at all, let alone October.

Look at some of these super sweet projects from all over the blog-o-sphere

A candy corn bunting tutorial from Tatertots and Jello

How about a wreath? Lots of patience that paid off here! This is from The Heaps

Some candy corn goodie baskets from Country Living Spooky Decorations article

And if you need a treat to eat, check out these Candy Corn Caramel Apples from I Heart Naptime. I just found her blog recently & love it!

Things have been crazy at work again, so I've been living vicarously through all the fun crafty blogs this week. Hope to finish a project for myself soon!

Paper Pumpkin Tutorial For Fall Decorating

2010-09-25T16:20:00.003-04:00

My niece and nephew are coming for a sleepover tonight & I thought we should do a fun Halloween craft. I recently saw some adorable pumpkins made with simple strips of scrapbooking paper on a crafty blog and thought I'd make something similar. I can't find the blog post though, so if you've done these in the past 10 days give me a shout and I'll give you the credit you are due! I did a quick google search and there are several websites with variations out there using pipe cleaners, empty toilet paper rolls and all kinds of clever materials.

***ETA: I found her! These were taught by Kat from Everybody Loves Raymond ... and Kat! She has a tutorial up so click on the link and go over and give her some props. Her's are very classy in black and white, but since I'll be making these with a 6 year old I stuck with the traditional pumpkin orange. I don't know what blog etiquette is on making something you saw somewhere else, so if I should dump the tutorial part here and just leave up the pictures with her link, someone let me know!

For this project, you will need
- halloweenish scrapbooking paper (double sided looks the best, but its not necessary)
- small scraps of green paper
- two paper brads in a coordinating color
- a pencil
- scissors or a fancy cutting tool
- hole punch

They are super simple. Cut 8x8 halloween orange scrapbooking paper into 1 inch strips. You could use any size paper and you may want to create several different sizes to do a vignette or put in a basket or bowl. Shorter strips will make a shorter pumpkin with a smaller diameter.

For this pumpkin, I decided to use two sheets of 8x8 paper, and obviously got 16 strips. I used craft scissors to make a fun edge on half the strips. If I were doing it again with 8x8 paper, I'd make about 4 more strips to make it more full. I wish I had double sided paper because I don't really care for the white showing through, but I didn't have any at work. (Gasp - yes, I am at work! Luckily I work for myself so I won't get fired!) The paper I used for the leaves is double sided, and it just looks better.

Punch a hole into the center of each end of each strip. Try really hard to get the hole in the same place on each strip or you'll end up with a wonky sphere. Since I was using striped paper, I punched at the end of the first stripe, and was able to punch 3 strips at a time with my punch. Stack them up neatly. Hopefully you can see through the holes with no trouble.

Cut out a leaf shape or two and punch a hole, then stack this right on top at one end. To create the leaf, take a small square of green paper and fold it in half. Trace and cut half a leaf shape in such a way that the folded edge becomes the center line of the leaf. I did it this way so even if it was a goofy looking leaf, at least both sides were even. I cut two sizes of leaves. Having the fold line down the center of the leaf adds a lifelike dimension to it also. Punch a hole in the center of the base of your leaves. Cut a narrow strip about 6 inches long & punch a hole in one end. Then cut down the center (almost all the way to the hole) to create 2 curlies. Stack this strip in between the two leaves and place the three pieces on top of one end of your orange strips. Put a brad into the holes at each end of the paper strips. You can curl the leaf tentacles around a pencil at any time.

Once your two brads are inserted, begin to fan out the strips. As you work, they will start to create a ball. Its quite ingenious!

I wanted to do a test run before we make some tonight to be sure I know what I'm doing. I'm not quite sure how to make them sit flat. This guy is a little topsy turvy but I think he's terribly cute. I'll be back later to show you what else we make tonight!

A linking I will go .... Check out the cute projects at some of these link parties!

Pretty as a Peacock

2010-09-23T15:20:00.007-04:00

I did it! I finished a sewing project! Between the bobbin issue and my serious time management issues, I haven't gotten any projects done til last night. I was determined though, so after another lovely evening at my sisters I finally sat down at the machine and worked on priority number one - the bathroom window curtain. It wasn't a top priority because of privacy issues, it just was something I was dying to do!

So here's my lovely spa blue bathroom before ...

I recently decided I am enamoured of peacocks. I ordered this beautiful vase for the shop a little while ago, but I loved it so much I bought it for myself. Recently I found this adorable peacock fabric from by Dena Designs / Free Spirit, called Peacocks. It was so cute, I had to have it.

On to the sewing - it was a super simple way to make a curtain. First I hemmed the sides and the bottom by folding over the fabric about a quarter of an inch twice to tuck the raw edge inside, fingering pressing and pinning it down. Those hems took a quick trip through the machine. To make it a little fancier than having a simple pocket for the tension rod, I made the pocket twice as large as what I needed for the rod and sewed an extra seam halfway between the hem and the top (folded) edge of the hemmed fabric. This allows for a little gathered ruffle at the very top because the fabric is about twice as wide as the curtain rod. Super easy and fairly quick. I haven't sewed in ages, so it took a minute or two for me to get back in the groove, but its just like riding a bike - you remember what to do in no time flat!

I just love it! One reason I wanted to add a curtain is because I'm renting the house and I don't want to put too many holes in the place. Adding a curtain on a tension rod is an easy way of personalizing the space in a temporary way. The other reason is that when the light is on in my bathroom at night, there is a flood of light that shines out into my neighbor's yard. It just seemed too bright to me, and I felt like I wanted a little more privacy than the window film provides. It felt like I was announcing to the world that I was in the bathroom. Yick!

So now I have a personalized perky peacock spa bathroom where I am totally comfortable. I was so tickled to see it this morning - it started my day off just great!

Check out the buffet of creativity at the blogs where I linked up

Bobbin lesson: All bobbins are not created equal

2010-09-22T11:12:00.001-04:00

I took my sewing machine into the Singer Sewing Repair Center yesterday for some help on my thread-gets-caught-up-on-the-bobbin issue. There are sewing machine repair places that are closer, but I figured with my luck I'd end up with some wacky, rare problem that only a Singer person could fix and decided it was better to take her to a dedicated professional. A 45 minute drive later, it turns out that it was an easy fix. I was using the wrong bobbin size.

Credit

Did you know that there are different bobbin sizes? There are! My Singer came with some clear plastic bobbins and I loaded them up with various colors for specific projects. When I needed more I just bought a package of metal ones, and wound a white one first. I needed white for the bathroom curtain that I wanted to hem last week, so I popped in the metal bobbin with the white thread. Its too tall! The lovely ladies at the Singer Center informed me that my machine will only use Class 66 bobbins.

So the next time you go to buy bobbins, make sure you know what size fits in your machine. All bobbins are not created equal! You probably knew this already. I probably would have known this if I read the manual a little more carefully.

So I got some Class 66 bobbins and made my way home, with dreams of sewing through the night. Then my niece called and invited me over to watch the new Tinkerbell dvd and who could resist that? The sewing has been postponed until this evening. (And its a great movie! Tinkerbell is the cutest.)

Re-thread is the old re-boot

2010-09-19T15:06:00.001-04:00

Its been a busy week for me between work and my niece having surgery on Thursday. My plan was to spend a little time sewing before work this morning and I got all set up with the machine in its new home in the sunroom. Its a simple Singer machine and I call her "little bird" since she's well, a Singer. (I crack myself up.) I haven't used her in probably 3 or 4 years so I needed to refamiliarize myself with everything. Put the spool on and got the thread all threaded properly. Found a white bobbin and loaded it. I had a little trouble bringing up the bobbin thread so I took that part of the machine apart and blew some air in to get the dust out. My project was going to be hemming a simple curtain for the bathroom window, and I had the brilliant idea of doing a test patch of sewing before I put the good fabric in. I am so relieved I did, because the bobbin thread got all wound around itself and there are loops on the backside of the fabric and the whole thing is a big ole mess.

I checked the manual and of course it says to re-thread the machine and try again. Apparently re-threading the machine is the equivalent of re-booting one's computer. I am not amused. The manual suggests that the tension isn't right, but I don't think I've ever touched the tension so that doesn't seem to be the answer. I suppose something may have happened during the move, but I made sure she came in a car instead of the moving truck because I wanted her to have an easy ride. 900 miles in the car is alot of jiggling and jostling. So anyhow,

I rethreaded and the same darn thing happened.

I checked Singer's website for troubleshooting help. It said to rethread the machine.

I rethreaded and the same darn thing happened.

So I left my little patch there and I'm going to have to take it in somewhere. I am very sad. If anyone happens to have any ideas for me between now and Tuesday morning please feel free to pass them on. Tuesday is my day off, so the little bird and I will be taking a ride to the sewing machine doctor.

The pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow

2010-09-14T19:46:00.000-04:00

I finally got into the local quilt shop here and boy, oh boy am I in trouble! Its called Rainbow's End Quilt Shoppe and one of the workers said its the largest quilt shop in Florida. I don't doubt it! They have row after row of gorgeous, yummy fabrics in quilting cottons and home dec and flannels too. The Amy Butler stuff is right inside the front door which of course was totally drool worthy. But, I had a specific mission so I did a full lap of the shop and then made my selections. They have a ton of cute Halloween fabrics, and you should see the room full of Christmas fabrics! They have everything I've seen on the web - tons of lines from Moda and Michael Miller. I can't wait to go back! I really want to score some of the Snow Flower Collection by Dena Fishbein, but without a specific project in mind, I didn't think I should indulge just yet.

The camera is still incommunicado with the computer so you'll have to see stock photos of what I got. I was looking for something to do a ruffle on the bottom of the sun room sheers and I wanted pink, pale blue or aqua and pale green of some sort. I am normally all about the cabbage roses and sort of shabby chic patterns, but I wanted to bring my decor into the 21st century so I was aiming for a more modern pattern. I ended up with a Moda fabric from their Swanky line and it's gonna make a cute border I think. There are 4 full bands of the pattern in the width. Very cool. I'm gonna use it upside down so that the pale is on top. This is not as bright as what I saw in my head for the ruffle on those sheers, but I think it'll look pretty cool.

Then I found this great fabric in the clearance section - its from the Floragraphix II collection from In the Begininng. Too awesome. I bought all they had left (just under 2 yards, but it was fun to say "I'll take it all!") I have no clue what I'll do with it, but I think it may go to my shop. My new logo has teal in it, and this might look nice as a backdrop for the french door to the stockroom, or maybe a table skirt? It doesn't have dragonflies, but its pretty darn cool. (The shop is called Dragonfly Garden, in case you didn't know.)

Then I got a couple fat quarters of Leaf Trellis by Lila Tueller, also for Moda. I just love Moda. No clue what I'm doing with this either, but I'm really liking the color combo so I might look for more.

A couple other fat quarters made it into the pile, but I don't know where they come from. I'll have to share pictures later when I can get them uploaded. There was definitely a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me there today & I can't wait to go back.

The Fabric Stash

2010-09-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Work has kept me away from personal tasks all week, but I have been able to take some time today to get some small projects started around the house. Last week I purchased two of those marvelous magnetic curtain rods to use on the french doors in the sun room and I put them up today with bright white voile sheers. My old house had all cream trim but this house is all bright white so I'm working on new window treatments. The sheers are just about an inch too short, so I thought the best thing for me to do was unpack the quilting stash to see if there is any cute fabric that I could use to create a ruffle at the bottom of the sheers to extend them a bit and add some character.

What is even better than stashing craft supplies is when you rediscover your stash after you've been away from it for a while. You get to appreciate all that loveliness without spending a penny, and you see even more possibilities than the first time around. About 3 years ago, I packed up the bulk of my fabric and put it in storage. Today I got to see it all again when I unpacked the boxes and filled up my quilting cabinet. There's a ton of home dec fabrics too, but I saved those for another day and another cabinet.

Fat quarters and yardage and strips and scraps, oh my! Pardon the lousy photo - I can't find my cord for my camera and I keep forgetting to order a new one.

How do you store your fabric? I have a nifty fat quarter pile - these are mostly simple prints that I bought on eBay when I first started building my stash. Then I have a lovely pile of yardage that is just organized by color and finally there is a pile that contains collections that I want to keep together. One photo box has squares and the other has scraps and strips. I am kind of surprised it seems so small when I see it here. Not shown are a couple of plastic sweater boxes that contain coordinating yardage to do specific quilts and I want to keep those items stored together. I have one sad box that contains a lovely hunk of blue and yellow and white teapots that I was going to make into a lap quilt for my mom but I never started it. Now that she's gone, I might make it for my sister instead or I might make it and donate it somewhere. I really wish I'd done it for her so she could have been wrapped in love from me. It made me very sad to unpack that fabric today and I hate to have regrets.

Most of my fabric stash has not been washed. Do you wash yours as it comes in, or as you prepare to start a project? I guess I'm just being lazy by not washing it right away. My other concern at the moment is that none of this fabric is what I was hoping to find to improve the length of my sheers! I wanted something in pink and aqua and pale green, or at least two of those colors and I need more than a fat quarter. I may just have to break down and visit the local quilting shop tomorrow - it's important to support local businesses right? ;)

Hope you enjoyed the small view into my stash. I keep opening the cabinet door to look - its inspiring to see it all again after so long!

Treasure Tuesdays

2010-09-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

I've decided to start a new feature called Treasure Tuesday where I post a little treasure that's new (or new to me) or even a collection of treasures with a theme.

This precious little pitcher came from TJMaxx this week and it falls under my new appreciation of what I think of as modern vintage. Looks like an antique but it's clean and new, and had the bargain price of $2 and that wasn't even a markdown. Its not exactly a toile, but it has sweet rose blossoms on a busy background. Its fluted too, and just look at that handle! In Ireland, I think it would be called a jug.

I can't quite decide if it's blue or purple, but after I put the purple scarf-in-progress near it, I'm thinking purple. I might use it for straight knitting needles or keep it clean and pristine for milk, syrup or something else from the kitchen. It's a treasure!

I'm going to try hosting a linky party. Please post a link to a specific post on your blog that is all about a treasure or a collection of treasures. Posting a link back to my blog would be great too. I'll have a button soon!

FO Friday

2010-09-03T11:33:00.000-04:00

A finished object! I started this great scarf last fall in case the Redskins football game was cold. That weekend ended up being gorgeous so I wasn't in any hurry to finish. Then I misplaced the pattern and messed up so I had to rip it back a bit. I know, 'excuses, excuses!' I just finished it because I needed the needles for another project.

     Pattern: Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles from Misti International
     Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Claret (I used about a skein and a quarter)
     Needles:  US size 11

It's a really easy pattern to memorize, and a good way to learn how easy it is to make ruffles by simply doubling the stitches. I think this scarf packs a big punch with just a little effort. Once you're past the ruffle, its only 15 stitches per row, so it goes quickly.

And here's a little memento from the game last fall! I'm on the right in my Bruce Smith jersey (Bruuuuuuuce) and my friend Katrina is sporting her burgundy & gold feather boa. She is a very girly-girl and not the type you'd expect to have fun at a football game, but she knows almost as much about football as I do! And that's saying alot for a woman.

Now that I'm in Tampa, I suppose I'll need to do pewter and red instead of burgundy & gold. I think the scarf may end up going to charity!

Work in Progress: The Craft Room

2010-09-02T08:31:00.001-04:00

I've gotten alot of work done in the little sunroom at the front of the house. I've decided it will be a craft room / studio space since it is so sunny and light. French doors on one side face the neighbor's pool, and windows on the other side look out into my little courtyard. I think if I place a chair in the right spot, I'll be able to sit and knit while watching birds at the birdfeeder and that thought makes me very happy. There may be cafe rods at the center of these windows the next time you see them though. When this room is lit at night there is not alot of privacy. The french doors on the other side of the room are definitely getting sheers, but I haven't quite decided about these windows yet. And don't mind the box of empty boxes in the forefront of the shot, but it does show that I've gotten some work done!

This week I got all the yarn loaded into the knitting cupboard which is pretty exciting, although the books and notebooks of patterns don't fit. I think I have a plan to solve that problem although it requires some work in my master bedroom. I did get alot of the boxes that were in this room unpacked and that feels good. The knitting cabinet used to be full of canvas bins with yarn organized by weight, but since the stash has gotten somewhat larger in the past few months, I decided to do the mounding technique that alot of knitters use. I never thought the shelf would be this full!

Sorry for the photo quality - clearly I need to use a tripod! This shelf doesn't even include cottons, acrylics, crochet thread, 2 chenille cones, or my tiny fiber stash for spinning. You can definitely fit more in by not using bins or containers though, so I've learned an important lesson. I've also learned I need to put a moratorium on yarn purchases! The next big decision is seating. For a no-cost solution, I have an old black wicker chair in this room now and it needs a cushion. I'm thinking of using Heather Bailey's Peonies from the Pop Garden collection, since this room is where alot of HotPinkPeonies crafty-ness will occur. And the green background to this fabric looks nice with the already green walls. A pillow in this would also look nice if I decide to paint the chair white or, saints preserve us, hot pink!

My other option are two brown garden chairs that I got at Target this spring when most of my furniture was still in Virginia. They are not necessarily all that comfy for long term sitting, but it would make a cute conversational area against this wall. My option for pillows for these chairs is a Michael Miller fabric from the Lagoon line called Bird Swing. It has a brown background, so it looks great with these chairs. A big shout out to Material Gal on Etsy - her prices are great and the selection is even better! I got both these fabrics from her.

Decisions, decisions. I'm leaning towards the black wicker with the hot pink peonies fabric. I mean really, who are we kidding? What do you think about these two choices?

In search of inspiration or is it really procrastination?

2010-08-31T06:19:00.003-04:00

My recent search for inspiration is really thinly veiled procrastination. It is not an easy job to fit 1800 square feet of stuff into about 1200 square feet and as much as I am trying to rise to the challenge, it is sometimes kicking my butt. Its not a tough decision to choose whether to attempt to squeeze four more 3-cubic foot boxes of kitchen goods into an already full kitchen, or to hop on the internet and find dreamy photos of beachside cottage homes or brightly colored fun crafting studios. Off to the internet I go!

One great place to find color combination ideas and inspiration is Coastal Living, such as the shot above. They provide beautiful photo galleries full of ideas for kitchens, living rooms, outdoor rooms, small spaces and just about any room you'd be looking to redecorate. They have one collection of coastal styles that is organized by color scheme - you can choose blue and white, seaglass, citrus, whites only, pastel etc. The above photo is from the seaglass collection. As much as I have not wanted blue to be a part of my decorating scheme, I have to admit I'm drawn to the concept of seaglass colors. Somehow a washed out cobalt or teal is not blue in my head. Weird, I know!

I'm also finding loads of color inspiration from some of my favorite fabric-related websites. Along with most of the world, I'm crazy about Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner and Heather Bailey. The Amy Butler site has a series of inspiration pages where they show the fabrics in real settings. There is also a page showing her studio, which is not as bright as I would have expected. Perhaps a neutral palette allows for more creativity?

Anna Maria Horner's blog includes some great project ideas and she seems so nice and personable. When you walk into a fabric shop, you don't necessarily think "Hmm, some person just like me who likes to quilt and sew came up with this great design." You just think "Oh I HAVE to have that." Don't you? She has some free projects on her blog that I'd love to try once I get the studio all set up and can actually use my sewing machine. I think the dog leash pattern will be first! She also links to Flickr groups where her fabrics are turned into wonderful things by crafters everywhere. Lots of fun to check those out! This is the promo for her new fabric line to be released this fall.

And then there's Heather Bailey. She's a girl after my own heart - just look at the hot pink peonies!

Her blog is fun to read too and she links to photos of projects created with her fabrics. She and Anna Maria Horner are both designers for Free Spirit Fabrics, and you can find their full collections here. Wish they had a gallery like Amy Butler, but you can find FO's out there on Flickr and other blogs.

There's my procrastination for the day. Off to unpack some studio boxes and get the cabinets in there re-organized.

Nervous Knitting is Productive Knitting

2010-08-29T10:33:00.000-04:00

My sweet 6 year old niece had surgery on her foot on Thursday and I took the day off from work to provide moral support for everybody. Two grownups managing a two-child family is great, but three grownups is even better. Between the three of us, the princess always had 2 adults watching over her and my nephew always had someone with him too during his normal daily activities. I am working on a pattern to be published later this year, and taking this project along helped get me through all the waiting.

Would you believe I knitted an entire skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky between about 10 am and 4 pm? I haven't been able to spend such a large block on time on knitting in ages and it was definitely soothing to the nerves. Our little princess came out of surgery fairly well, although we forgot that the anesthesia makes her naseous. All Children's Hospital in St. Pete is in a new building and the rooms are practically suites, they are so big. There's a pull out couch & a pull out chair for overnight guests (aka Momma & Aunt Ellen), another guest chair, 2 tv's and a mini fridge, in addition to all the usual things you'd find in a hospital room. All their rooms are private rooms, which is a huge blessing and the nurses and staff were all amazing. I've spent many days and nights in various hospitals on the East Coast (always as a visitor, never a patient) and I have to say they are top notch here. The patient gets a 42 inch flat screen tv (which of course now she wants in her bedroom!) and they've got tons of movies to watch, an activities cart that comes around everyday with games and crafty things. If you have to have a child in a hospital, this seems a good choice.

Anywhoo, the Lamb's Pride Bulky is great to work with, although there were some limey green fuzzies on my black tee but I presume that's from the mohair. No big deal though. I used a neat trick I just learned where you knit a bit, then roll it and add one stitch from the cast on edge to each stitch - creates a very cool hem. And do you like how I match the couch in the Princess Patient's room? Too funny.

Hmfph. Those pictures looked better on my phone. I did finish the entire skein and really wished I'd had another. It looks like this project will take 3 or perhaps even 4. But its a secret project, so no more info here. No sirree, not till its ready! Her royal Patientness is now recovering at home, and luckily her pain is manageable with the drugs so far. Nothing breaks your heart like seeing a child you love in a hospital bed. T minus 3 weeks till surgery number 2. Insert a big sigh here.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Vintage Family Linens

2010-08-19T09:20:00.001-04:00

While we were up for my dad's wedding, my sister and I took some time to go through some of the boxes of linens from my mom's side of the family. We found some real treasures and it has certainly fanned the flame of my love for vintage items. When I moved to Florida I thought maybe I'd try to go a bit more modern in my decor, but I can't ignore my love of cabbage roses, toile and hand embroidered or crocheted lovelies. Here's a few of the cutest things we found.

Blue Irish linen embroidered hand towels. Why didn't anyone use these?

My favorite find - cock tail napkins. See his little drink? They are too cute.

A hand embroidered breakfast bib with bunnies. How sweet is that?

A set with table runner and several round cocktail napkins, embroidered with bluebirds.

As much as we loved unearthing these beautiful keepsakes, it was a little sad too. I dearly wish I'd taken the time to go through them with my mom when she was still alive and we could have talked about who made what, or what special occasion something was used for. Some things I know, like her mother quilted and my dad's mom did both knit and crochet, but there is so much that I don't know or just don't remember. It makes me listen that much more to my dad when he talks, in the hopes that I'll remember and be able to pass on family details. I also am going to try to make notes to keep with my vintage linens, handmade items and other treasures especially since some are family pieces and others are things that I've purchased.

A Familiar Voice

2010-08-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

Today is my day off and I've rewarded myself by sleeping in and having a lazy morning of websurfing and coffee drinking and doggie tummyrubbing. In an effort to actually get something done today, I downloaded a new book from Audible.com because i m desperately trying to stay away from the tv. I've read or listened to several Anne Perry books, but realized that I've never read the book where Charlotte & Thomas Pitt meet.

So I just downloaded The Cater Street Hangman, uploaded to the Ipod and ... The narrator is Davina Porter! I adore listening to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon in audiobooks. There are two Outlander books that aren't available through Audible, so I bought the paperbacks and the funny thing is, that as I read them, I heard Davina Porter in my head. She has a delightful accent, and adds just the right tone to the books. She adds character to the narration, and I just adore her. This is a better treat today than a bowl of ice cream!

I'm off to unpack more boxes from the big move, and get lost in a murder mystery from 1881 with one of my favorite voices.

Modern Vintage?

2010-08-16T12:42:00.000-04:00

I was running late for work this morning and decided to make coffee at home but put it in a thermos with my breakfast to take with me. At least that way, the shop would be open and chances are that I could nibble at my yummy blueberry scone in peace and quiet any how. My first thought was to reach for what I call the major silver bullet - its one of those stainless steel thermos' that you see everywhere these days. I have a small one that a friend bought for me (which was really sweet, but as a non-coffee drinker he did not realize I needed the big daddy size!) which is called the minor silver bullet and a larger one that I got for myself. Some days you only need a cup, but some days ... well you know the drill.

Unfortunately, I haven't unpacked either silver bullet yet, despite the fact that it feels like I've been unpacking for ages. Then I remembered something I bought at TJ Maxx several years ago, just because I thought it was pretty and it has been unpacked. Its an enamel thermos with the glass interior and an aluminum top. Now the unusual thing about this thermos is that its pale blue. Yes, that's right - blue! When I was a little girl my mother, father and big sister all chose blue as their favorite color. Not me. No sirree. For as quiet and shy as I normally am, I do like to feel special so I would have been darned if I chose the same favorite color as everyone else in my family. Pffht. So red was my official favorite color until I was about 28 when I discovered (yes Al Gore, I discovered it) green. Sage green, thyme green, lime sherbet green, evergreen, blue spruce green, you name it - I love green! Perhaps not day-glo green, but I'd probably pick it over blue. If you asked, I would tell you that 90% of my home and probably 80% of my wardrobe is either red or green. Long story short, pale blue is not often found in my home unless it was a gift.

Anyhow, here's my breakfast.

I love that this is a vintage-looking thermos, but its not. I also love that so many fabrics and stationary goods and other home decor pieces are out there now that are current and up-to-date, but really inspired by vintage items. I also think this is going to be the color palette for some of the decor in my new home. Pale blue with red and pink.

Fresh Start

2010-08-14T10:41:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking alot about fresh starts lately. I've just moved my home and business to a new state, and of course that makes for a fresh start in my entire world. New house, new neighborhood, new shop location and the opportunity to put new habits in place that will be good for me, for my business and even for my dog. Katie has certainly benefited already - she gets bored with travelling the same old path everyday, and we have lots of options for our morning, afternoon and evening walks now. (I'm sure she misses 'the land of chicken bones' but it seems people here in Florida don't toss as many chicken wing bones outdoors as some of our Virginia neighbors did, thank goodness!) As I mentioned, my dad got married last weekend and that's the fresh start of a lifetime. Deciding on decorating themes is a slow process, but I've got some fresh starts in the new house too.

I've been surfing the blogging world alot lately for fun and inspiration, and I enjoy seeing banners and headers change with the seasons or with a new focus on a different craft or whatnot, so I thought I should get with the program, so now my blog has a fresh start as well. I've switched to a new theme, added a wee bit of color and a custom header. Its fun to shake things up every once in a while, and now things here are PINK! I do miss having a big photo of a pink peony, but I think this change is for the good.

Ah, that's better!

You're always a weiner at Pedro's

2010-08-13T13:06:00.001-04:00

What trip along the East Coast is complete without a visit to South of the Border in South Carolina? When I was a little girl, our family drove from Buffalo to various Florida destinations about once a year and we almost always stopped to take a picture with Pedro the mascot of South of the Border. We have tons of shots of my sister and I slowly getting taller while the same statue of Pedro gets shorter. I think his statue was about 5 feet tall. Needless to say, the little town has developed quite a few more buildings in the last 30 years, not to mention the giant elevator ride to the top of Pedro's Sombrero tower (seen in the background below). A couple of years ago, I stopped and took a shot of my dog Katie reluctantly standing next to Pedro just for a giggle. Much to our surprise, when we stopped last week we could not find a short statue of Pedro, so we had to pick a tall one for our family photo shoot.

niece and nephew with tall Pedro

Katie has chosen not to participate in this picture. Wait till I dig out an old picture of me & my sister - I'm sure the little ones will roll on the floor laughing. They sure do enjoy seeing old photos of their mother, and as the little sister I do my best to pick out the worst ones. ;) Luckily she knows I'm just teasing.

Unfortunately, I was not able to capture any good shots of the fun billboards that entertain travellers throughout North and South Carolina. Some of our family favorites are the one with the big hot dog that says "You're always a weiner at Pedro's - You never sausage a place!" and the one with the rotating sheep that says "All your sheep are counted at Pedro's." I loved those billboards as a child, and I must admit I still get a kick out of them! There are many more fun animal statues in the little town though and the kids especially liked the elephants ...

"My, what big tusks you have!"

I found it very difficult to make time to blog while on our trip, and the resulting guilt is not a good feeling. Ah well, tomorrow is another day, fresh with no mistakes in it, as Anne of Green Gables would say. (Ha - there's the green for this month's NaBloPoMo theme! Green Gables!)

See you tomorrow!

On the road again ...

2010-08-04T19:43:00.000-04:00

Well this blog post a day concept is not going too well. We're headed up to Virginia for my father's wedding this weekend, and I just didn't find the time to write. On Tuesday, I had the day off and 'green' was taking my green SUV to the dealership to have the timing belt and water pump changed. Apparently the powers that be think that sort of thing should happen after 100,000 miles. Holly (my green SUV) has gone well past that point & I didn't want to jeopardize a 950 mile roadtrip there or back. It took all day & then I started packing last night.

Wednesday brought more packing, a harried day at work, and 300 miles of driving. Todays green thought will have to be envy of everyone who is better at time management than I seem to be. It's definitely a skill I need to learn.

Catch you tomorrow!

In which our fearless hunter discovers a grasshopper

2010-08-02T16:38:00.001-04:00

Hey whats this?

I've seen the coolest grasshoppers a couple of times now here in Florida. I think they're called Lubber Grasshoppers and they are so colorful. Their primary color is a sort of maize gold and they have stripes and dots of black and sometimes a swipe of reddish orange along their back too. They blend in well in the shadowy spots under trees where they rest on the dead leaves. I've been trying to get a photo of one so I can check to see what the species is exactly. I saw one this morning on our walk and Katie was just as interested as I was ...

Ack! Big dog on the sidewalk!

I see you in the grass

Lawn Mowing Lessons Learned

2010-08-01T10:04:00.001-04:00

I'm going to try to keep up with daily blogging and I thought using the National Blog Posting Month theme might help. This month's theme is green, which can of course be interpreted and discussed in about a gazillion ways. Today will be all about lawn mowing. My home in Virginia was a townhouse with a postage stamp sized front yard that was covered with the shade from a lovely pear tree. No need to mow there. It became a bed of mulch with some shade loving plants scattered here and there (mostly where I could manage to dig a hole around the tree roots) so I haven't had much experience mowing in the last 15 years really.

Fast forward to the house I just moved into recently. First, its a house which means it has a real yard. Not a big yard, but a real yard nonetheless and there are two slim side yards and a courtyard in the front of the house too. Lots of mowing space, even for a small property. Its not exactly chock full of lovely grass, but there is alot of grass growing in the sand and dirt combo that seems prevalent here near the water. Some pretty ground cover plants too, and it seems a shame to mow them down, but you can't exactly mow around them, now can you? I was thinking I'd get a reel mower since I didn't want to deal with gasoline or a crazy long extension cord. But the very nice man who does maintenance for my landlord brought me a small mower one day that someone had given away, and it works great. Its 22 inches wide so its very manageable for a girl like me and I am actually enjoying it, and I've learned a few lessons along the way.

Lesson number one: gas mowers need to be primed. Feel free to laugh hysterically here. Since it was a hand-me-down mower, I didn't get any manual or anything with it and although Max told me how to start her up when he brought it over, I had completely forgotten. All I could remember was that you need to hold down that little bar. After some frustration, I finally found the little red priming button and BINGO! Started up like a dream. Not that I normally dream about mowing the lawn, but there it is.

Lesson number two: When you're mowing a combination of grass and what we'll generously call ground cover (ok, its alot of weeds), its perfectly acceptable to NOT mow in straight lines just like your dad did. You know, like this:

Click to read an interesting article on how to achieve this

Growing up in Buffalo, we had a large yard with lovely grass and my dad would carefully mow it in straight lines because that was the best way to go - it was easiest and it appealed to his need for symmetry, like all engineers. Square yard equals straight lines. My yard has a huge oak tree in it, with roots above the ground and a flowerbed in front of the courtyard wall that has a lovely meandering border. No straight lines here. I was a little uptight about that the first time I mowed it, but I quickly learned that you can't see how I've mowed this lawn, you can only see that its shorter than it was yesterday. This is very good for me, since its impossible to mow straight in certain areas in this darn yard. Get a grip, Ellen - who is uptight about these things, anyway?

Lesson number three: If you mow the lawn in your old running shoes with the mesh inserts over the top of your foot, the mower kicks enough dirt and sand back at you that your feet actually get dirty! Now I don't just mean your sneakers, I mean your FEET! I should pr0bably be mowing in my construction boots. I was horrified to see not only the dirt around the top of my socks but dirt IN my socks. Can you believe it? The dirt is propelled so strongly that it goes through two layers of fabric. Gee, can you tell where my socks ended? Too funny!

Ah well, all's well that ends well, right? I now have a beautifully manicured lawn and after I swept up all the grass clippings from the sidewalks and the driveway, I am quite sure I lost a pound or two. Its sweaty work when its 93 degrees outside, even if I was in the shade for the most part. I felt too gross to grab my camera for a final shot so you'll just have to believe that its lovely.

See you tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T09:20:00.001-04:00

One of the fun things about moving into a new home is seeing what pops up in the garden over the first year you're there. These were taken just this week.

Keep Calm and Carry On

2010-07-25T12:55:00.001-04:00

click to read the Wikipedia article

I know everyone else has known of this inspirational phrase for a long time, but it has been repeating itself in my head alot lately. I finally looked it up on Wiki, and learned a few details. It was apparently printed on a poster by the British Ministry of Information in 1939, in an effort to improve morale but few of the two and a half million posters ever made it into the public eye at that time. The BBC news suggests it was the greatest motivational poster of all time, and they might be right.

You've probably seen lots of parodies of it on t-shirts and whatnot (do a search on Etsy for "keep calm" and you'll find some real treasures!), but its a great concept and a simple mantra to remind us all that we can get through. I think I need the poster for my studio.

Luckily the copyright has expired and we can all reproduce and plagiarise it to our hearts content. So today's thought is...

Keep Calm and Eat Pie!

Color!

2010-07-23T09:26:00.001-04:00

So I've finally gotten all my stuff moved in to the new house and I'm thinking about maybe changing color schemes here and there. I've really only committed to three areas - the office space is black & white with red and then my bath is light blue with silver and mercury glass accents. That bath already has a beautiful embossed wallpaper painted in a pale blue, reminiscent of the old tile ceilings. The guest bath is pink flamingos with aqua accents. Love it! So there's three decisions made, but they're really the simplest.

I thought that once I got my furniture into the house it would be easy to 'see' what I wanted, and whether I wanted to stick with my old color schemes. Not so much. The very front room of the house is painted in a lime sherbet color with a gorgeous tile floor in white and terra cotta with black accents. I've put in a black wicker chair and my pine craft cabinets. The room is sunny on two sides and I think I'll be using it as a knitting space and a crafty place for when my niece and nephew come over. Not sure what to do there, and that's just the beginning! I need to choose color schemes for the dining room / kitchen, the living room, the master bedroom and the guest room. Insert big sigh here.

Have you ever done just a simple image search for "color" on Google or Yahoo? Oh the things you'll see!

blogged by Corner Paint

I don't want to get too cliche and fill my house with palm trees and pink flamingos (just a bathroom full is ok, right?) but the tropical inspiration out there is heady!

blogged by Hospitality Design

This one might be a bit much for me, but I like the color combo

blogged by StyleBeat

I love the idea of removable vinyl wall stickers, especially in a rented home. NouWall on Etsy has some beautiful choices.

gorgeous wall vinyl from NouWall on etsy

More soon!

World Wide Knit in Public Week begins!

2010-06-12T19:03:00.000-04:00

Well I didn't do our craft proud today, I'm afraid. I worked pretty much all day, and spent a good part of the day writing a blog post for the shop about what you can do for the birds during summer. It's a pretty good article, if I do say so myself, but that didn't leave me too much time for knitting.

I did get over to my sister's where I showed off the Barbie dress with the cute little ruffled skirt that I designed on the fly the other day. My niece loves the style, but I bound off too tightly, and did not leave any wiggle room by using a snap for it's closure, so of course it doesn't fit. Back to the drawing board, but I think I can fix it. I used CottonEase, which normally allows some give, but it wasn't enough to get over those hips! Pix soon, I promise.

We spent a good amount of time leafing throug the copy of Nicky Epstein's Knits for Barbie Dolls that I just got from the library and the Princess has selected only 35 of the 75 patterns in the book. "Barbie is going to be so excited with her new wardrobe!" How can an aunt resist? I am honestly looking forward to every one! I hope to get started while I'm at the shop tomorrow.

Finally a pattern to publish!

2010-06-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

I finished the Detroit Lions dishcloth a long time ago and wrote up the pattern some time after that. Its the age-old story of modern life - time moves on, computers crash, data is retrieved, yada yada yada. Anyway, this is my first pattern and my first time trying to add a pdf to the blog so its a big adventure all around! The photo is dreadful, I'll admit it, but the cloth is now happily in use in another home so I can't improve the picture without knitting it again. One of these days ....

Detroit Lions NFL Mascot Dishcloth

Fresh!

2010-05-23T09:50:00.000-04:00

There is something terribly rewarding about finding an item and giving it a new lease on life. Even when it's as simple as a fresh coat of paint. After much internal debate on whether to go with colors that are predictably me or strike out into new color territory, my heart finally landed on a color for the new-to-me dressers that will be part of my guest room craft storage. Although I was open to fate leading me down her path via the oops paint, I didn't find anything inspiring so I went to the paint chips and chose a color called Pink Grapefruit. I must admit that I am intrigued by how many gallons of black or almost black paint that had been returned to the store. Don't you wonder what colors those DIY'ers ended up with instead? Oh, if a gallon of paint could talk. But ... I digress.

To me this is a rich coral and will add a lovely, almost bold pop of color to the white room. Its not bold in the sense that designers use the term these days (its not orange!) but its bold for me since I normally choose pale shades. Here we have the tall dresser with two coats of fresh paint as it waits patiently for some new drawer pulls. Shucks - I must go shopping!

As I painted the second coat this morning, I was listening to An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon - the latest in the Outlander series. I have loved it from the beginning, and its very easy to get lost in the story. She does a wonderful job of describing everything from the signs of the times to some serious character development and Davinia Porter brings the characters to life with her narration. I can't recommend the series enough to everyone I meet! Ms. Gabaldon must do an incredible amount of research - I feel like I have learned so much about life in the late 1700's as she takes us from Scotland to France to the Caribbean and finally to America. No spoilers here, but I will tell you I'm listening to the events of mid-1777 and oh, how intriguing they are!

Unfortunately I was enjoying the rhythym of painting and listening to the audiobook so much that I ended up an hour late to work. Oops! More to come.

Crafty Cabinets - before

2010-05-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

I love my new little house, but since I don't have all of my furniture with me yet I went out in search of some cabinets or bookcases to use in the meantime. I'm going from a 3 bedroom plus office home into a 2 bedroom plus sunroom home so there is obviously going to be some downsizing and consolidating. Another big challenge is that my bedroom storage is reduced closet space - horrors! Instead of whining, I'm off to the races with this adorable set of dressers that I found at a local consignment shop for peanuts.

Since I'm renting, I'm not going to paint the walls in the guest room so I will need to add some fun color through my 'stuff' - the comforter, artwork and furniture! My old guest room was in a soft peach with a gorgeous floral comforter and a general sea shell theme to the room and guest bath. I've chosen a pink flamingo theme for the guest bathroom, but I really think one room of that is sufficient, don't you? (And yes, I realize most people would say one pink flamingo room is one room too many!)

I'm thinking a brighter peach, or perhaps coral? Coral would be girly but a little more tropical. If I want to use the space as my studio for HotPinkPeonies, then I might want to go with a sky blue with hot pink accents. That would be cute, but not a very good 'welcome to the beach' color scheme. Decisions, decisions. I've thumbed through some photos of beautiful craft rooms online and on Ravelry (because of course one must go there first), but mostly I see where people have added color to their craft rooms or studios on the walls, and used or created white furniture. I'm sure sure which direction I'll take, but its fun to have a new project!

Anyway, here's the "before" photos :

I stress, therefore I knit.

2010-05-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

First and foremost, I am grateful that I live in beautiful, peaceful place and that my family is healthy and mostly happy. My heart goes out to the parts of our country that have had such catastrophic weather lately. I haven't had any monstrous issues myself, but a series of little stresses piled on top of one another and very little time away from my business has resulted in craving to knit. I NEED to knit. I NEED to make something pretty (or at least functional) that is all about me. I NEED to do something that is totally under my control.

So I've taken up the remainder of the hat I started for my dad back during the February blizzards. Technically, a hat for my father is not all about me, but I'm willing to sacrifice that little aspect of the 'all about me' project. It is a pewter grey from KnitPicks and will coordinate with the Prismatic Scarf I made for him out of Brooks Farms Solo. The scarf took forever, but is so soft and warm and lovely, and most importantly he likes it! The hat is a simple cable pattern from Knit Simple Winter 2006 / 2007. I just spent an hour on it, and I can't tell you how good that 60 minutes of moving needles and yarn was, for my soul. I feel like my batteries are slowly recharging, and maybe, just maybe, I can handle the curve balls that have been thrown at me lately!

I also decided to submit an idea for the Cooperative Press's new series, Fresh Designs. I saw a twitter about the call for submissions and I thought of something really cute that I've wanted to do for a while, and I just went right ahead and filled out the form. I've never designed a project like this, and I think I'd like to get into creating my own patterns and self-publishing. Having a professional deadline would give me just the kick in the butt I need to get my feet wet. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Birthday hats

2010-04-30T07:17:00.001-04:00

This years birthday gifts for the little ones included hand knitted hats! Both my niece and nephew have January birthdays, and it was pretty cold here in Florida so they were a perfect addition to the birthday bounty. The truly wonderful part is that I finished them! Niecey-poo received hers on her actual birthday, and the Little Prince's was only a little late.

Princess got a Hello Kitty hat - its an easy pattern, and available from Beadwhore Knitting's blog here. After a foolish misguided start, I eventually followed the pattern exactly and it turned out to be a great size for my now 6 year old niece. The embroidery on the front was the best part of course when it comes to instant gratification - the hat really comes to life once Miss Kitty's features are on her sweet face. I gave her a pink nose instead of yellow. This used less than one skein of Loops & Threads White from Michaels, and I added some leftover pink from Bernat. Isn't Miss Kitty adorable?

So the Kitty is cute, but obviously the Birthday Boy needed something considerably cooler for a 9 year old. He loves Star Wars, especially the Clone Wars stories so I did a hat with an Imperial Storm Trooper motif in the round. I found this fabulous chart by Sarah Bradberry here, through Ravelry of course, and added it to a simple hat pattern. Unfortunately, I did not do any calculations as to the size of the pattern and the overall height of the hat, so it turned into a sort of Cat in the Hat tall affair. Precious child that he is, the Little Prince is still willing to wear it at home. I haven't caught a shot of him in the hat, but here it is on its own featured in the snow from one of the Washington DC blizzards this winter.

I loved Sarah's idea of the checkerboard border, and as a special bonus I used white glow in the dark yarn. Very cool. I do try to keep my title of favorite aunt, and I think I've managed it for the moment! If I were to do this particular hat again though, I'd need to have fewer rows before the pattern starts, and perhaps decrease for the crown more dramatically than I did. I would like to start designing my own patterns, so these are good lessons, right?