Shortcookie

Live from Broadway!

2012-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've taken my show on the road and am blogging live from Broadway! Or almost . . . I'm actually in NJ at the moment, having returned from NYC yesterday. I had a glorious day in THE CITY with my mom. We had a great lunch at The Modern, MOMA's (the Museum of Modern Art) fab restaurant, followed by a great showing of Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along." We then did some early Christmas shopping (if you can believe it) at the MOMA Design Store, which is really too much fun. After what seemed a long train ride home (it was making ALL local stops), we picked up some sushi, and then I crashed hard with a migraine (an easy price to pay for such a great great day!). Having lived in NYC for three years and having grown up a quick train ride from NYC, it was so great to be back again in that vibrant place! So so different from Salt Lake City--like night and day!

I did, of course, bring my sewing machine home with me for the long weekend. Surprisingly easy as a carry-on, actually. Brought just a little bit of fabric, because my plan was to surprise my mom by working on some window valences for her. I think that's today's plan.

On other news, I am now eagerly awaiting arrival via post of this beautiful work of art from Emily:

Isn't she just absolutely beautiful?!?!?!?! Emily posted a picture of one she had done a week or so ago, and I just simply fell in love with her and had to have one of my own.

I had fallen in love with Emily's work back during the Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap last winter, when I first watched with awe the stunning table runner she was making for some lucky swap partner and THEN later discovered with total glee and amazement that I was in fact that lucky swap partner!! Emily sent her package out a wee bit early, so I had to keep my total excitement under wraps (which was near to impossible, as I was ready to burst) until the others in our swap began to receive theirs a few weeks later. I have the world's most gorgeously made table runner, which I will treasure forever! I was hard-pressed to pack her away (I actually do keep pulling her out of the Christmas box, frankly!).

Having fallen deep in love with Emily's little girl work of art, I was originally just going to put her in my Evernote file of things I might like to try "someday when I get better at stuff." But then I had an inspiration!! I knew that sweet Emily's trip to the FQ Retreat had been jeopardized by an ill-timed and costly pet emergency (and who can say no when our dear pets need us?!), and that she was having a sale of several of her wonderful pieces to help raise funds to support her trip. Ta da! Brilliant insight (it seemed to me)! Since I knew I couldn't conjure up the magic to make that wondrous little girl image, but Emily could, I could commission her to make one for me!! And faster than it's taken me to write this poorly written blog post, she has already designed and made my sweet little girl in a pink polka dot dress, swinging on her apple tree swing set, set against a setting sun!!! Thank you so much to my talented friend Emily!!!

Love is still in the air!

2012-02-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Happy post-Valentine's Day!

Am I lucky girl or what?! Am I running away from home, you ask? no! I got a vintage valise, all packed full of vintage sewing goodies!! Does my honey know me or what?! The sweet little case has a fading, but still visible image on the front of a woman holding a parasol. So cute! It's a cute case, about 10x6", just perfect for little trips--like the one I'm taking this weekend to see my mom on the East Coast (and to go to NYC!).

And it was chock-full of sewing goodies!! Great vintage fabric, an adorable iron-on girl in a heart, needles. . . . and some not-so-vintage (thankf

ully!) candy message hearts! After all, what's Valentine's Day without the candy message hearts!!I've been sticking fairly faithfully to the no-grains, no processed food (not counting my diet coke!), very little dairy

diet, and I've been loving it (down 12 pounds without really trying!), but every once in a while, a splurge like candy message hearts is a real yum-yum!!

So just take a look at this fabulous vintage fabric! I just wish there were some info on the selvedges, but no such luck. Anyone recognize this fabric or know how to identify vintage fabric??

Are these fabulous, or what?! And there's a ton of the cityscape fabric. [Sorry, by the way, that all the pictures are all gi-normous. Blogger is not cooperating in my photo editing this morning. Harrumph!!]

Now, hooking up with Lee's WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced, where all things wonderful happen, here's what's been happening at Shortcookie recently . . . . It's been kind of slow sewing-wise (I actually HATE when "wise" gets glued onto words like that, so I'm not sure why I'm doing it myself, but there you go, it's that kind of day!). I've mostly just been meandering along with some older projects. I am still tryin

g to finish up a Valentine's pillow featuring Zoey and Sophie (Zoey, our border collie/lab is still clearly in process here!):

It's not ironed, so the heart looks a bit wonkier than it actually is. Zoey, being part border collie, has all sorts of feathery hairs coming off her, so that's what's going on in front. I still have to add some white fabric to her front as well, so she won't look quite so Rasta braid there!!

I've also been working on a sewing machine cover. I've decided to finally make the commitment and pull out some of my favorite, most hoarded fabric for this project. The front will have three panels: Moda scissors on the left and right panels in some sort of paper pieced abstract design, and then an appliquéd scissor in the middle panel. The back will also have three panels: I have two different Heather Ross spool fabric (one a macaroni love story spools and another a munki munki sewing notions)-- those will be used for the left and right panels, and then I will have a paper pieced section in the middle featuring three spools of thread made from selvedges. I've started on the spools, with my Echino bicycle fabric as the base of the spool. I think this will just be a practice one, because the "thread" is just not quite lined up with the "spool". Back to the drawing board!:

I love paper piecing and have really just taught myself. I've been struggling with figuring out how to create my own patterns. There are a lot of great tutorials all over the web teaching how to DO paper piecing, but I can't find any resources for how to DESIGN your own patterns. Any recommendations anyone??

Okay, now I better get cracking and get on with my Mouthy Stitches zippy pouch! I have a design and some good feedback . . . just not from my partner!! Not to give too much away, but for all the fabulous comments from the hundred or so participants, my partner has made all of 4 or so comments in total in the whole swap--and most have been about her proposed design. So frustrating!! I'll just have to go with my instinct and take the feedback of the other vocal participants!! I'm a bit cowed by how talented the other participants are--so amazing!! I would be lucky to receive any of the zippy pouches! I'm sure my partner must think I'm totally eclectic in my taste, because every time I see a pouch I say I love it--I keep discovering new and wonderful things! Although all that yummy Heather Ross out there. . . . !!!!!

Happy Feet

2012-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the prolonged radio silence all! Unhappy convergence of snow (which, as you all know, I actually adore) and altitude = migraine. Grrrr! Anyhoo, onto happier things! Like feetsies! Perhaps not all that exciting to anyone else around here, but I have recently discovered the wonder of new feet!

No silly, not THOSE kind of feet! (But, don't I wish I was back at the beach right now digging my toes into the warm sand!!).

Nope, I'm talking about presser feet! Those seemingly boring little bits of metal that you have to keep changing around just when you're in the middle of a project. I really didn't give them any attention until I recently took a sewing class that was came part of my new Brother sewing machine. As part of their not-so-subtle marketing campaign, the store pulled out every last little presser foot, extolling their little virtues and showing off their little tricks. Recognizing a sale ploy when I saw it, I dug in my heels and thought to myself, "my machine already comes with 7 feet; how many additional feet could I possibly need?" Foolish, foolish question!! Because this, faithful reader, is the beginning of the end:

A gathering foot, an edge joining foot, and, my personal favorite, a pintuck foot! Because once you discover how much fun and adorable pintucks are, it's kind of hard to resist that one! And how can you not want ruffles on your pillows or PJ bottoms? And once I discovered that you can use the edge joining foot to sew together bits and pieces of too-small batting into now usable pieces, well, it's really a cost-saving measure, right?? right?? Yes, I succumbed. But at least I went the Amazon route, which is SOOO much less expensive!

And now, linking to Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday! I have two projects dueling for attention right now (actually, many more than that, but these two are clamoring for the public eye). The first is a little travel sewing kit that I'm making for a friend's teen-aged daughter who just begun to sew. We're sending off a care package filled with fabric, some patterns, and some other goodies, including this sewing kit, once it's finished. I saw this skull-and-cross bones (and hearts) fabric and just had to get it! I got the tutorial from lots of pink here's blog. It's a great blog, so go check it out! I first discovered it during Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Days. That's actually how I discovered this sewing kit, because she was giving away one and I was so coveting it! I didn't win it, so I thought I better get busy and figure out how to make one myself! Once I finish one for Hannah I'm going to have to make one for myself! Once I'm done with that I think I may make one just for all my happy little presser feet!

The other project I'm grooving on right now is a messenger bag. I'm calling it the "Perfect Messenger Bag," certainly not because it's going to be perfect, but because I'm trying to make it the messenger bag with all the features and dimensions that all my store-bought messenger bags lack! I'm a bit of a bag lady, always in search of the perfect bag. As if once I find the perfect bag, my life will be in order! Hah! Anyway, I though if I made one myself I might get a big closer! So, I'm going slowly as this project is a big one for me and has me a big freaked out. I started with the laptop case. I thought I'd make it a removable laptop cover. The overall messenger bag will be a combination black and black and white duck cotton/canvas, but I'm sneaking a bit of corresponding hot pink and white duck cotton/canvas on the inside for a bit of punch. Because it can't be all serious and boring, right?! I have finished the laptop bag so far:

Still quite a ways to go, but I'm happy with it so far! Baby steps, y'all!

New Toys!

2012-01-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to resist new toys, er, technology! Especially when old technology fails you! I have 37,000 (okay, perhaps 5!) plastic, poorly-made in China seam rippers than I can never seem to find. I was tearing apart an old favorite pair of PJ bottoms the other day (to use as a template for a new pair), when the metal shaft started to slide away from me into the plastic base. What use is that?! Sigh. That's it. It just so happened to coincide with one of those conveniently timed 50% off coupons from Joann's (I'm sure the store and the seam ripper were working in cahoots!), and so I made the big leap:

Look at this beautiful baby from Gingher! Sleek, aerodynamic, and yes, just a wee bit dangerous! I'm pretty sure she won't be traveling with me on my carry-on luggage anytime soon! She has a retractable blade, aluminum and nickel handle, and no cheapie breaking gonna happen with this puppy!

And just when you thought the fun was over, no sirree Bob! I've been fighting the lint wars inside my machine, discovering with some horror that, perhaps, I'm just a wee bit more obsessive compulsive than I thought I was. But there's just no way to get all that thread lint from out of the closed, confined space of my poor Brother, or is there . . . . ? Much as my little paint brush does wonders, I've found something even better! Yes, I succumbed to one of the product placements during my sewing class last week. The instructor was extolling the wonders of her mini-vacuum and I just fell in love. BUT, rather than buying the one selling in the shop, I went online and found a bargain on Amazon. And, voila!

Who knew vacuuming could be so much fun? It doesn't quite show the scale, unfortunately, but this is draped over a fat quarter, if that helps! The larger black part attaches to a regular vac nozzle, and the little attachments fit inside the business openings of the sewing machine. There are brush attachments and regular nozzle attachments. All it's missing is a lighted end! Now my machine is happy and back to her original fuzz-free state. Ready for business! And all for $8!

That's it for toys, but I did get a fun addition to the stash. Look at this amazing FQ from aubreyplays:

Isn't this so adorable? I just love love love it! She also has amazingly cute typewriters, one in this same light orange, and another in a turquoise. Hard to resist! Lots of projects in mind for these . . . sewing machine cover, little pouch for my sewing machine parts, etc. Love this! Check her out on Etsy! My only problem with this fabric is that it may be like Munki Munki . . . I may be developing my fear of cutting into it because I love it so much! I have to be strong, I must use my fabric!

On other news (I know, so much to say--lots of lost time to make up for since I've been down for the count with a migraine this past week!) . . . I've signed up for a few swaps! I had such a great experience with Susan's Modern Christmas Tablerunner swap this past December that when she announced she was back back for more (this time with pals Hadley & Cindy) I just had to sign up again, this time for the Mouthy Stitches Zippy Pouch Swap. Having finally conquered my apparently groundless fear of the zipper, I thought it was perfect timing! I've also signed up for GenQ's Stitchy Love Valentine Swap. Just a li'l valentine in the mail. Finally, I'm participating in April's Hello Sun BOM QAL. I better get cranking on that one, because the month is halfway done, and while my pieces are cut out I have some sewing to do!!

Better get sewing!!

Snow!

2012-01-08T14:13:00.001-08:00

January 8, 2012

Yes, finally, it has snowed! And it has even stuck around a bit here too, rather than just immediately melting as it usually does around here! So beautiful! We were up with the birds (actually, I think they were all tucked snug in their nests still) early to pick up our coop vegetables and fruits, so we were able to get photos of the snow before it had fallen off the tree limbs and before the skies cleared. Kind of magical! Having lived in the wild and wintry Northeast for many years, it is strange to live in the mountains and to get so little snow! For those who know me, I can be a bit obsessive about snow. I love it. I actually can't really get enough of it. I've been told all my life that once I get older I would get sick of snow. Nope. Now, after years of shoveling snow (and I've lived in cities with major blizzards, zero parking, and parking wars over the "parking chair"---deck chairs used during winters in east coast cities to reserve limited parking spots that you have carved out with blood, sweat, and tears from the snow), I have limited desire to shovel snow. With that said, however, I love snow in every other form and I just can't get enough of it and likely never will!

We have been participating fairly regularly in the area's fruit and vegetable coop. It's a great deal. You pay a low set price for a huge amount of fruit and veg. It's great quality produce and comes in huge quantities. We show up at our appointed spot in town at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning (okay, that's admittedly not the highlight for me!) and queue up with our baskets and market bags to get our allotment. This week we also signed up for a box of tangerines. Yum! They also have great extra yummy options like herbs, Asian foods (Bok choy, ginger, etc.).

I'm embarrassed to admit that our usual problem is that we haven't been good enough about eating through all of weekly produce. That may now have changed! We have started our Paleo 30-day. Let me explain. We've been doing CrossFit for a while now (maybe since last spring?) and totally love the workouts. We've been working with a trainer, and the physical change is just simply amazing. With that said, we haven't exactly transformed our diet, and we know that that's a critical part of the equation. Given the half million migraines I've had the past year, it seemed worthwhile to consider what factor food might be playing, not to mention just to get into better eating habits in general.

The Paleo diet reflects a contemporary approach to the diet that our ancestral humans followed: grass-fed animals, vegetables, fruits, roots, and nuts. It excludes processed oils, refined sugar, dairy products, legumes, and grains. Now, before you ask, I'm not going totally off the farm here. Really I'm not! For those who know me, Diet Coke is my favorite vice, as is the vegan dilly (picture the most scrumptious ding dong or twinkie or you can imagine!). However, something had to change! The medication I used to take for my migraines "helped" me pack on 25 extra pounds the past few years, and exercise is just not taking it off. Although I eat fairly well, I definitely could eat much better, and I want to see if my migraines go away all together if I eat really well, such as by eliminating processed foods.

So, with all that said, we're following what's known in the Paleo world as the Whole30. For 30 days, we're eliminating ALL dairy, grains, legumes, sugar, and any processed food. So, that leaves: vegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish, nuts, and unprocessed oils. "Good God! The world has ended," you say! Shockingly, it hasn't. I have been eating better and feeling better than usual. Actually, the only thing I have been missing at all is my poor, neglected Diet Coke (which, I suspect is faring okay, given its recent stock market price!). And that is the only area in which I did "cheat" this past week. I had a DC on Monday. Not bad, all in all! And, here's the big news: In one week, in which I ate and ate and ate and never felt I deprived myself (the DC notwithstanding), I've lost 4 pounds!. Not a bad start! I know, baby steps, but still . . . !

At the end of the 30 days, we'll start to reintroduce the foods we've eliminated little by little (minus the processed foods and sugar) to see what, if anything, triggers things like migraines or other negative reactions. I'm not planning on living without dairy or grains or legumes forever (there are strict Paleo folks out there, and I'm not one of them). I love my coffee with milk, I love my lentils, I love my quinoa (although who knows how I'll feel after 30 days?!). I'm just planning on going without them for 30 days.

So, for any who are interested, and yes, I'm getting off my proselytizing platform soon, I promise, here is an easy and yummy snack that is totally healthy: Crispy Kale chips. Don't knock 'em until you've tried 'em!! They're great in front of a movie in place of popcorn or potato chips!

Crispy Kale Chips

1 head Kale (I recommend Dino Kale), rinsed and dried
Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Remove center ribs from Kale, and cut remaining leaves into 1.5 inch pieces (picture potato chips!). Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until crisp (about 10-12 minutes) ~ watch closely, they cook very quickly!

Okay, next post I'll get back to my sewing, I promise! As a teaser, I will say that I think I have truly conquered zippers. I've done my second zippy bag! I even improvised and did my very own vinyl lining using a shower curtain! I did learn the hard way not to get too close to vinyl with an iron . . . oops!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

2012-01-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

January 4, 2012

Happy New Year! Alright, alright, so I'm a few days late! I'm now into week three of a sinus infection, so I'm operating on a delayed schedule. At least that's the explanation I'm using for still working on a last few overdue Christmas presents!

It has been a productive start to the new year, however! I have conquered a few sewing hurdles (drat! I forgot to add those to my 2012 goals!). Just yesterday I figured out (okay, I confess, I was taught) how to make buttonholes and sew on buttons with my nifty buttonhole and button feet! They look so complicated but are so hopping easy!! And then, feeling all crazy brave, I dared to risk my big fear . . . . the ZIPPER!! (dum dum dum!). I deconstructed a zipper makeup bag I had gotten from Clinique years ago, so I could figure out how they're made, and then I reconstructed it with fabric I liked--my red Pez! Without further ado . . .

I'm now dreaming of everything zippy. Who knew zippers could be so easy?! I made this case originally to hold my sewing machine feet, but I love it so much it's now become my new wallet, so back to the salt mines to make something else for the poor lonely feet! Perhaps a special case with a zippered slot for each foot? Okay, perhaps I'm getting a bit nutty!

In the small hand clutch mode, I've also been cranking out these fabulous little envelope purses from Keyka Lou. So easy to make, such an affordable pattern, and so so cute! They're the perfect size for a phone and a few credit cards/cash.

I've also been making a lot of canvas tote bags lately, which I've been loving. So much fun! I decided to branch out a little bit and try mini tote bags. I thought these could be really cute for little gifts, favors, hostess gifts, etc. I have two on the way (including the one below) as a thank you for someone. I pulled together this fabric because it brought out the preppy in me!

Finally, a big huge thank you to Ashley at Film in the Fridge for her fabulous giveaway of her scrumptious scraps! First, if you don't know her blog, stop and go directly to her blog! She takes phenomenal photos, makes gorgeous quilts, and shares amazing tutorials. I was lucky enough to receive a recent giveaway of her Ruby scraps left over from her gorgeous string quilt. She sent a huge bunch of scraps PLUS some big pieces of of this yummy fabric. Thanks so much Ashley!! Now, if only I can make something half as nice as her quilt!

The Year in Review

2011-12-30T13:15:00.001-08:00

December 31, 2011

I know it's not quite the end of the year yet, but I'm betting that I won't knock off a ton of new projects in the next 12 hours, so I think it's safe to summarize the year's projects! I'm actually excluding knitting projects, but since most of my knitting projects this past year have been socks, I'd mostly have to pry well-worn socks off folks's feet to show them off and that seems somehow less than appealing both to me and to you, my faithful reader!

This does not have the same visual appeal as some of the amazing displays out there in the blogosphere, but all in all, I'm fairly proud of my very steep learning curve this year, especially since I really only started sewing seriously this summer. I'm actually kind of floored that I was bold enough to tackle paper piecing AND a tablerunner AND my very first swap all at the same time! All this, and I only sewed the needle through my finger once! Ouch!

I'm not exactly the type for New Year's resolutions, but I do have some goals for the new year, some of which I'll throw out here:

1) Learning how to do curves!
2) Sharpening my FMQ'ing skills
3) Doing a full-sized quilt!
4) Finishing the Christmas tree skirt
5) Keep learning new things!

New and Old Technology

2011-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

December 28, 2011

Cool photo, eh?! Karen has been doing a phenomenal job with her new (used) camera. I think Santa did good! I am so amazed by how much she has learned in just 4 days! I have a good hand-held digital camera, and I thought that if I just figured out what I was doing wrong, my pictures would get better. Well, I figured out what I was doing wrong . . . I was using a camera with limited resolution! This new camera makes such a difference! Of course, now I have to get used to the fact that at any moment I may be photographed! This is me making one of the Keyka Lou's nifty envelope clutches. I'm a bit behind on a few Christmas gifts, so I'm still cranking out a few last gifties!

I've also spent the past day cleaning out my sewing room from top to bottom, trying to recover from the Christmas crush. So much fabric, so many scraps, so much dust! I did succumb to a sale at Michael's on craftie organizers, which has helped curb a bit of the chaos . . . for now!

I'd also like to introduce "Plunkie." Karen gave her to me as a birthday gift last year. I'm not exactly certain why, but I've wanted an Underwood typewriter for a long while. I learned to type on a manual typewriter (yes, I'm that old!). Actually, my typing class had only enough electric typewriters for half the class, so we traded off between the manual and the electric typewriters. My mother had an old Underwood from college, and I loved the feel and the smell of the ribbon and the keys. I loved the way the keys stuck if you typed too quickly . . .

So Plunkie joined the family last summer and has since been spruced up and is fairly functional. She is named in honor of my grandmother (her childhood nickname), who typed all her family letters on an old manual typerwriter (kind of funny, no?!). She is a sweet reminder to me of many stories that I have yet to write!

Happy Boxing Day!

2011-12-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2011

I think Sophie best captures the essence of this day after Christmas with her intense afternoon snooze, because, after all, playing with all her Christmas goodies was quite exhausting!! She and Zoey made off like bandits--between Santa and their Uncle Christopher, I'm not sure a chewie, frisbee, yum-yum, or stuffie was left ungifted (although don't tell them, but a lot of their gifts have been hidden away so as not to spoil them all at once)!

As the vastly improved quality of my blog photos suggests, Santa brought a new camera to the household, so my sweetie has been taken shots of everything around the house. What a difference a quality camera makes! I can't wait to see what it does with fabric!

I did get back to the sewing machine today--I just couldn't stay away! I finished a project I had hoped to get in the mail before the holidays (but had run out of time and steam). I tried my hand at FMQ'ing which was both better than I had hoped and still a cause for some entertainment and/or frustration (depending on the particular moment!). Clearly more practice is in dire need!

The Sewing Room is Finally Silent

2011-12-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

December 24, 2011

The sewing machine is off, the fabric is put away (kind of!), and I've resigned myself that no more Christmas gifts are getting made before tomorrow! I managed to get a few more things finished today (details omitted to protect any remaining surprises!) under the wire, and gave up on a few over reaching projects.

The Christmas tree is looking plumper, now that she is harboring a few more gifts beneath her branches. The mantle is completely filled with gifts for Zoey and Sophie--Santa and Uncle Christopher have clearly been spoiling them this year!!

Poor Karen has succumbed to the same bug I've been suffering from, so we are now officially a household filled with tissues and cold remedies. While I so wish we could be with family this holiday, perhaps it's for the best that we're keeping our germs to ourselves!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone. I am so grateful for all the love, friendship, and blessings in my life, and I hope everyone's year ahead is filled with peace, joy, and happiness!

Munki Munki Christmas!

2011-12-22T15:18:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2011

I'm such a sucker for Heather Ross's Munki Munki fabric. I think she conveys such a sense of whimsy and storytelling. Funny (and frustrating) though, that the Munki fabric can only be found in pajamas, so bits like this end up in the form of sleeves or with buttonholes! I love this flannel strip with the Christmas tree lot: the mom and her two kids looking for the perfect tree, the man sawing the end of a tree, a man falling in love with his perfect tree (the heart!). I keep pulling this out with myriad projects, having squirreled it away to save it for the PERFECT project, but hoping each time that maybe THIS time it'll be the time. Not yet. . . sigh. I just haven't found the right setting for this yet. Perhaps some of this may find a home in the tree skirt I'm working on? But I'm not sure. Any suggestions?

I've gotten one crazed wave of Christmas sewing done with, with my package now mailed off to the East Coast. I'm taking a day's breather to let my body recover a bit from this sinus infection, and then back again to the salt mines to finish up on projects that are, shall we say, targeted for closer to home. I've had to scale back some of my ambitions, but I'm pleased at how much I've actually been able to punch out in a short amount of time. Definitely want to get things knocked well in advance in the future, though! No more sewing marathons!

Paying it Forward -- there's a giveaway!

2011-12-19T12:48:00.001-08:00

December 19, 2011

Okay now, so this is clearly not a Christmas picture, at least not here in Utah in December! This is a photo I took several years ago when I was fortunate enough to be able to travel from Beijing, China to Lhasa, Tibet on a train and I saw this rainbow. The entire trip was extraordinary; this rainbow just a symbol of how remarkable every interaction and every place we stopped was along the way. Before I began sewing and quilting over this past year, I was drawing and working with colored pencils, trying to capture the intense colors that are depicted in the amazing religious and cultural art of the Tibetans. I'll share some of that in some of my future blogs. The colors and images are stunning--lots of vibrant colors used both in religious art and also to depict nature. I've started to think about using textiles (which the Tibetans also do), but through a modern quilting approach to capture some of the Tibetan images and colors which are still swirling around my head.

Tied to this project idea for me is also the idea of gratitude and generosity. The Tibetans have experienced (and continue to experience) oppression and occupation at the hands of the Chinese (although there are dissenting perspectives on the history of the relationship between these two lands), but the grace and persistence and generosity of the Tibetans I met was extraordinary. I had powerful interactions with men, women, and children there during the too short time I visited and the deep spirituality and presence of those people stay with me.

This leads me to my wanting to find more ways in my life in general to give more of myself to others to improve the condition of the world around me. Karen and I participated in a very modest way recently in a Christmas drive organized by an amazing young teenaged woman who works at a favorite cafe of ours. On her own she spearheaded a drive to get toys and items of need for children and their single moms who were re-starting their lives after difficult circumstances. Proving that one person can make a significant impact, this young woman inspired enough volunteers to contribute enough to support almost 100 families! In addition to the toys and other goods that we donated, I made Christmas stockings for the children and their mother, so that they would have something special of their own every year to pull out to remember that they are special. I have so enjoyed the personal gratification of designing and creating new things, but I am mindful of how fortunate I continue to be in my life, so I am committing this year to donate a good portion of what I sew to charity.

With this idea of paying it forward in mind, although perhaps in a slightly different way, I'm picking up on Janine at Rainbow Hare Quilt's 'pay it forward' post, and offering my very own goodie giveaway! First, I suggest that you check out Janine's fabulous blog. She's so creative and has been a wicked busy bunny sewing away in preparation for Christmas (sure, just make the rest of us look bad!). I participated in something like this last year through Facebook and I was floored by the amazing painting that a friend sent me. Nothing more special than a handmade goodie, especially when it comes unexpectedly sometime during the year!

So, here's the deal:

1. I will make a handmade goodie for the first Three people to comment (I'm trusting I have that many people who stop by occasionally to read my blog??!). I will happily send internationally.

2. The goodie will arrive sometime during 2012 (when you least expect it!!)

3. You've gotta pay to play . . . you must commit to send a handmade goodie to the first 3 people to respond to the blog post that you will post on your own blog

4. You must have your own blog (so that you can post your own pay it forward post!)

5. When you leave a comment, I'd welcome a suggestion of how we can add a twist to this pay it forward "game" that includes a pay it forward to the universe element . . . .

Not Quite Ready for Santa's Lap!

2011-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

December 19, 2011

Alright, I have to confess straight off that this, in fact, a photo of last year's Christmas tree, but I think it is just such an amazingly adorable shot of Sophie and Zoey that I couldn't resist!! Sophie (on the left) seems to take her photo shoot so seriously!

We have put up Stella (don't you name your Christmas trees too?!), and have hung the lights, but we're waiting until later today to hang the ornaments. I've been told that the house smells wonderfully of evergreen as well as of the cookies that Karen has been cooking up all weekend, but my sinus infection is keeping me from enjoying the smells -- but not the sights -- of Christmas preparations in the house. I finally buckled and went to the doctor and am now armed with all sorts of good (and legal) drugs with which to combat this monster of a Christmas cold that has invaded my poor little sinus passages and lungs, just in time for the holidays. It has, unfortunately, weakened my holiday craftiness and shopping drive quite a bit, although I'm trying to soldier on!

Meanwhile, Karen has been a Christmas baking champ! She has made her family's amazingly fabulous and famous carrot cookies, chocolate espresso wafer cookies (some of which I will whisk away to become a chocolate whipped cream Christmas log, recipe to follow!), and sugar cookies with lemon and orange zest. Meringues and biscotti coming up! We hit Costco and bought one of those monster bags of flour and are steadily working our way through it (that would, of course, be "we" in the royal sense, since I, in my germy state, am keeping miles away from the scene of all baking--except from the mandatory taste-testing!). Sophie is being a fabulous sous chef. Have y'all seen Ratatouille? I think Sophie secretly dreams of being a chef, not quite realizing the obstacles facing a Blue Tick Hound-Black Lab mix wanting to be the next Iron Chef!

Work in Progress

2011-12-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2011

I did this cathedral window a while ago, but thought I'd use it for some visual interest. . . definitely more interesting than the in-progress shots of my works-in-progress (WIPs), which are mostly piles of fabric at this point! Karen's Grandma Opal was had an amazing gift with cathedral windows and apparently would just sit and whip them out with invisible little stitches. Mine are not so invisible, but I'm working on it! I'm not yet sure how I want to use the windows, but I'm thinking of some funky, modern way. I have some Lilly Pulitzer fabric, so I thought maybe I'd use that?? I'd welcome suggestions!

Okay, back to Santa's salt mines! This wicked cold of mine is not helping! It came out of the blue and is one of those nasty 10-year colds that just feels miserable. Okay, pity party over, sewing recommences!

Oh, and before I forget, while I'm sure I've "won" none of the neat little giveaways from the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day, I so enjoyed reading everyone's amazing blogs! I especially loved reading everyone's stories! Thanks so much to everyone who participated! I'm so impressed by everyone's generosity and talent! I'm committing myself to participate next year!

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

December 14, 2011

Santa's workshop continues to bustle! This is a pillowcase I'm making for my mom. Because I saw her in CA last week, I gave it to her (in progress) early, then took it back so I can complete it before sending it back later this week. That's my Sophie pup on top of the packages looking up at the star. As those at Pam's recent sewing retreat may remember, I got the inspiration for this from a cute Christmas card I found at Whole Foods (of all places!). I'm using this as the demo for a tree skirt I'm making next. For that one I'll add Zoey (our border collie/lab mix) at the bottom of the tree. As you can tell with the tree, I'm still wrestling with curved piecing. What a monster to figure out how to do!!

Now that I'm finished with the hand quilting and have added a border, I'll machine quilt the front, then add a back to the case then send her back east to mom before the holidays! I had been struggling to find the right yellow/gold fabric for the star, and then I discovered the Star of Bethlehem shaped star right in the purple Anthology fabric--how cool is that?!

Santa's Workshop

2011-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 13
Crack-a-lackin! Now that I'm back in town and back to the sewing machine, no messing around! Santa's elves have a long list of to-dos still to do!! One has to be discreet, with inquiring minds snooping--er, possibly inquiring--about, but I will give a peek into one project I've been busy with:

Given my poor camera skills, for those who reasonably might not be able to make this out, it's a canvas tote bag with the adorable dog fabric I found on Etsy. Suffice it to say, there may be a few other tote bags lined up on the assembly line (and it may have been in the line of tote-bag-duty that my finger was skewered!). Once I figured out how not to sew the handles upside down and inside the lining of the bag (harrumph!), the pattern was completely easy to follow. I'm using bijoulovelydesigns's pattern, which I found on Tipnut's posting for 50+ reusable grocery bag patterns. I've skipped the bottom plastic insert (which provides helpful structure for grocery use), as I'm intending these bags for more day-to-day "soft" use. I'm making this large size, but I love these so much I'm now contemplating some cute handbag sized ones (about 5x5). By the way, how cool is it that folks share their patterns for free online! Thanks Bijou Lovely and Tipnut! My Christmas wallet is thanking you!

On other project fronts, I'm also cranking out (theoretically speaking, of course!) Keyka Lou's easy envelope clutch wallet. It is a perfect fit for a smart phone and cash and cards, and is a really quick sew.
(photo credit to Keyka Lou--this is from her site. My own wallet has already been used so much it doesn't look this tidy, and I want to hide away the ones I'm making!)

I love love love Keyka Lou's patterns--they're easy to sew (and that's saying something coming from a newbie like me!!), and totally affordable! This envelope clutch takes almost no fabric, so completely affordable. An aside to family who might possibly read this post: please don't think I'm cheap; just saving up for the big gifts! ;-)

Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful for the solid and dependable service that my stolid, 40 year-0ld Susie Singer has provided me, but my yet-to-be-named Oh Brother! has totally changed my sewing! I can actually FMQ with her (and it doesn't look laughable)! I can sew in straight lines without wrestling with the fabric! I'll go back to the free-motion quilting phenomenon, because that blows me away. I thought that was going to take years and years of practice; I hadn't realized how much a steady machine (with really good, reliable tension!) really mattered! Yay technology!

And now, finally (for now), a shout out to my friend Arpana! Karen and I met up for a very quick catch up with our friend Arpana who was in town at the Y (that is BYU for non Utah folks, not the YMCA!) to give a few academic talks. We haven't seen her since the wedding (more than a year ago!) and it was so so wonderful to be able to reconnect with such a dear friend!! Time passes far too quickly and it's hard when we're living in different parts of the country!

Nutcracker Weekend!

2011-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

December 11, 2011

I’m here in northern CA, cheering on my niece who is debuting as Clara in her ballet company’s The Nutcracker. Special moment in a ballerina’s world! I was in town for a conference and was able to stay on for a few days to see the big event. My mother flew in from the East Coast, so we’ve all been able to have a wonderfully crazed, busy, but very special family weekend together. With us spread over all corners of the country, it’s difficult to get us together, so it has been a gift to have this weekend!

I haven’t seen my niece in a year, and it’s amazing to see how much she’s grown in poise. The height I expected, but to see her dancing en pointe as Clara is so impressive, especially when she was a wee dancing snow angel just a few years ago! I’m such a proud auntie!! (This is a picture of my proud sister with her beautiful daughter, the ballerina!).

On other fronts, I’ve been away from my shiny new sewing machine for more than a week now, as I’ve been traveling, but I had a wee run-in with my needle just before I left. I went to grab a pin out of the fabric and thought I had time (stupidly!), and next thing I knew I was looking down at my finger straight through the middle with the needle! Yes, I can tell you it was searing pain!!

I’ve always joked that I’m not great with day-to-day events, but I’m a super person to have around in a crisis, and this event apparently proved me right; I looked down at the needle, going in one part of my finger and coming out another (and, of course, still attached to the machine), I told my sweetie I was fine (before the crisis was even really readily apparent), and then I calmly pressed the lift needle button and made my getaway to the bathroom where I applied pressure, a bandage, and sought good painrelievers!! Thank goodness for my new machine--had I still been using my dear Susie Singer, I would have had to reach over with my free left hand to the dial on the right side of the machine to manually life the needle. Yikes! Worry not, however! It's a full week later now, and there's not even a scratch left from the big event!

Of Course, She's Pink!

2011-11-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

So, Christmas has come a bit early to the household here. Perhaps it was the desperation that led me to try sewing with a 90 year-old sewing machine, or perhaps it was that, when faced with insomnia at 4 in the morning, I turned immediately to the sewing machine. At any rate, my sweetie treated me with a trip to the local sewing machine store where I got to feast my eyes and fingers and (foot) on the latest and greatest machines -- working on my fabulous (but admittedly a bit trying) 40 year-old Singer I simply had no idea that computerized machines were that easy?! And not only did I get to play with them there, but I got to take home one for my very own! And she's pink!!

No more fighting with my nemesis the thread tension (the nifty little computer actually mostly takes care of it for you!); no more fighting with the fabric trying to wrest it back in line (you don't really need to hold onto the fabric!); no more squinting to thread the needle (there is actually a needle threader!). . . . now I just have to get used to all the cool features and stitches and such! I can sew so so so much more quickly and at such a higher level with this machine, which is a good thing, since I have a lot of Christmas gifts to whip up in short order! Thank you early Santa!! My sweetie so loves and spoils me!

More to catch up on, but oh so tired! Up at 4:30 this morning with insomnia and a migraine--and sewing since then. So time for mindless TV and then bed!

Under Pressure!

2011-11-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

David Bowie keeps running through my head as I continue to fight the tension on my sewing machine. Now I shouldn't put too much pressure on my sweet little Betty, who, bless her heart, hasn't sewn a stitch (before yesterday) in decades, so shouldn't be expected to be too consistent with her stitches. And, after all, I think it was I who may have (wince) tinkered with that knob that just may have been what turns out to be (now that I've unearthed a pdf copy online of the 1930s edition of the manual for this machine) the stitch tension "thumb nut." So after a day of sweet sewing bliss on my 90 year-old Betty, I now get a hot mess on the back of the machine. And I was so proud of reloading the bobbin and everything! Drat!

And I really can't blame this machine, because this is a consistent theme with me. I could blame Singer machines. After all, I've sewn on exactly TWO machines, they've both been Singers, and I've had tension issues on both machines. Both machines would probably (correctly) point their little needles right at me. But it's kinda hard to adjust tension when it's a hit-or-miss formula (if it's messy, adjust tension . . . I mean, really! I need exact instructions: "if it looks like this . . . [insert specific examples of bad stitches] then set the number to X"). Harrumph. Okay, so I'm back to hand-sewing. Time to wrap my fingers in duct tape!

And what, you may be wondering, is that picture? It's the bobbin and shuttle. And all the thread I pulled out of the bobbin. It's been in there I don't know how many decades. Clearly whoever last used it (and the gentleman from whom I bought Betty had it for decades and never used it, but bought it from an older woman who did use it) just added thread on top of thread. Right at the center was an intense, gorgeous green thread that looks as if it was hand-dyed. So cool!

Yes, I don't get out much these days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T14:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I'd like to start my list of gratitude by announcing the arrival of a new member of the family:

I found "Betty" on Craigslist for an amazing $50! And she came in her original gorgeous oak cabinet! And she's in perfect working order! Alright, so she does need a new cable (that is a ribbon rigged up to make the hand crank work in the meantime), but she works like a charm! As best as I can tell, she's a Singer 128K, making her roughly 90 years old (if I were so bold as to tell a lady's age!). The bobbin is soooo cool -- it is set within a shuttle inside the machine--and yet even on this old machine there is still a bobbin winder! The machine is actually not much different from my 1970 Singer . . . not sure whether that makes my 1970 Singer old, or the technology timeless? And given that my Susie Singer is currently in the shop with a broken gear for another week or so, I now don't have to worry about the withdrawal pains I was suffering from this morning when I woke up. And my fingers really can't take any more of that pesky hand stitching thing! Finishing a binding by hand is one thing, but sewing it on and then finishing it was just a bit more than I had scheduled for my down-to-the-wire tablerunner!

So, welcome to the family Betty! And the name is in honor of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth "Betty" Keating Plunkett, who was born to Irish immigrants in the 1880s and who worked as a seamstress. There's an amazing photograph in my mother's home of Betty in her hand-made, but ever so elegant wedding dress in 1937. Nope, I can't quite aspire to Betty's sewing skills, but I like the thought that she's with me when I sew!

And so, now on to other gratitude. This has been a busy year, with some definitely trying personal and professional aspects. Nonetheless, I am so deeply grateful for the life I live and for the abundant love I have in my life. I am blessed by a family who sticks by me and who I enjoy being with (although who I miss dearly now that I liver farther away from). I have parents who are wonderfully warm, tender, complex, funny, special people who bless me by being in my life. I am also so blessed by having found the love of my life, someone who can make me laugh by being completely silly one minute, who can hold a deeply serious, smart conversation, and who can contain the messy, complex world that resides inside my brain. I am one lucky woman! I am also so so lucky to have found such great friends throughout my life and adventures. I may move to new states, but I never leave them behind in my heart. And finally, I am so grateful to my Sophie and my Zoey, my furry lovey girls are so dearly important to me and provide a profoundly wise and deep love that has changed my life!

In a year that has occasionally been personally difficult, and in a time that I know that has been financially trying for all, I am working hard to remember in my thoughts and actions all those who are struggling every day for the basics, including life, laughter, and love. I want to remember, not just today, and not just in the holiday season, that I am blessed enough that I can always share.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Running to catch up

2011-11-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Done at last! Down to the wire, but finished with the tablerunner for Susan's Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap. Just as I was finishing my quilting, I snapped a gear in my sewing machine and everything went south. Fortunately, all I had left was the binding, so I ended up doing that all by hand. Originally, I had three houses and three trees, but it was far too long, so I lopped off a tree, which made it look more balanced and also shorter. I hand quilted around the trees and houses with perle cotton, using red, green, and aqua. I then machine quilted the linen in concentric half rectangles.

This is what it looks like in full:

I can't believe I finally finished it! Just in time to send it out way across the ocean to my secret swap partner! I'm sorry to see it go! But, look what I got from my fabulously talented secret swap partner Emily!

Isn't this so gorgeous!! The packages and tree are all pieced, and there are ribbons on the packages that use actual ribbon applique. I totally and completely love it! It is done perfectly and will cover my table every Christmas forever! Thanks so much Emily!

This has been my first swap ever, and it has been such a fabulous experience. It was a bit daunting, with such a talented group of women participating, but they provided great inspiration, encouragement, and humor. I can't believe how much I've learned over the span of the past few months! Rumor has it that Susan is spear-heading another swap post-Christmas; count me in!

Sew Grateful!

2011-11-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, this puppy (a.k.a., blob of fabric) is finally actually beginning to look a little bit like a tablerunner! And that's a mighty, mighty good thing as its due date for shipping is in a few days and the anxiety is starting to build up!

Two days of totally amazing inspiration, community, delicious food, hilarity, and humming machines around me at Pamela's sewing retreat kept me going and gave me the encouragement and much needed advice to turn the corner! What a phenomenal community of women! I didn't know a soul going into the weekend and I feel as if I have a new bunch of dear friends after two long, exhausting, but recharging days of sewing, laughing, and companionship! Many thanks to Pam for working so hard on such an extraordinary event! She arranged for two trunk shows: Amy Ellis shared her gorgeous quilts on Friday and talked a bit about her Modern Basics book, and Emily Herrick talked about her fabric collections and shared her stunning quilts (much as I tried, I was unsuccessful in sneaking off with her handiwork!). We were lucky enough to get some of her patterns in adorable little envelope bags that Pamela made for us and filled with all sorts of goodies (she promises to have a tutorial for these on her blog)! I was lucky enough to have Miss Emily as my table partner, so I was both entertained by her wit and also blessed by her wisdom. Thanks Emily for helping me pull the tablerunner top together!

It's a funny kind of thing, the blogging world. You feel as if you know people from reading about them on a daily basis, so when you meet them you kind of recognize them, you know about them, but they (quite reasonably) know nothing about you. So it was great to actually officially meet Amy (of diary of a quilter) officially, and to add some new blogs (and friends) to the list: April, Ella, Maria, and Holly. And to the blogging holdouts: don't worry Sue, I'm still keeping you on the "friends" list!

We also had a simply fabulous hand appliqué class from Jeannette Hartvigsen. Jeannette first showed her amazing, stunning work, then taught us the techniques. We then practiced on a heart. A long, slow learning curve, but so so helpful! And just in time for my top secret Christmas project!

Truly, without the wisdom, humor, encouragement, and time together this weekend with all these women, I would still be sitting in my sewing room with all the separate pieces of my various wonky houses and trees, in tears, with little idea of how to pull it all together -- and without having had the great fun that I did! Thanks to all!

Houses Under Construction!

2011-11-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to all the great visitors and the wonderful feedback! And many thanks to Lee's anniversary WIP Wednesday, which livened up the Shortcookiehouse!

I went back to the drawing board today with the houses for my tablerunner swap. I had originally done one house, which I really liked, but thanks to great feedback on my blog last night (thanks to all the links from Lee's great WIP Wednesday link-up!), I've decided to frame all the houses and trees just in white and then use colored perle cotton thread to hand quilt around each of the trees and houses. So, having trees I already really like (and which are already happily framed in their Kona snow), I went back to my pile of extra designs for pieced houses (I had many more designed than I needed), and then got crack-a-lackin' today on piecing it. Here's what I've come up with:

I had just gotten the pez fabric in the mail this week and was so psyched to be able to incorporate it into this. I'm also pretty happy with my fussy cut of the heron/stork on the roof which I'll now applique on. I think this house is in much better keeping with my trees (pictured poorly in yesterday's post!). I've gotten started on my second house, which is in red tones, but incorporates the blue tufted tweets chairs for windows (with a bird peeking out of one), and the pez fabric as a door. Who knew?! I think I've actually fallen in love with paper piecing!

A bit dispirited by all my dark photos, I actually braved the outdoors today (I know, it was, in fact a beautiful, sunny crisp day today in Utah!) and took some photos of my works in progress that don't make them look quite so milktoasty. What a difference! I know, I'm not quite an Ansel Adams yet (can you picture him dragging quilt blocks around the great American southwest??!).

I know I showed these yesterday, but the pictures were so awful, I had to show them again in proper light so that they actually look like trees! I guess natural sunlight actually makes a difference!

So, tomorrow, I'm back to finish my red house, and then I have just one house left to piece before I can pull the top together . . . which is a good thing, because I have still have quilting and binding ahead of me before I need to send it off in two weeks to ______ (my secret partner's secret destination in a perhaps far-off land!)!

Updates and a Public Service Announcement

2011-11-09T17:16:00.001-08:00

Linking in to Lee's anniversary edition of WIP Wednesday. Lots more things in progress than in any other state. . . . def my state of life these days it seems!

Made some headway on the tablerunner yesterday . . . Got two trees pieced, and I'm happy with how they're looking. I have two houses to go, and then I can piece the top together. I'm hoping to get the top pieced together by Friday so that I can get quilting before the weekend. Here's what I have so far:

Yes, my pictures sooooo clearly rot! I have to find a way to actually take pictures during the day so I can take them up close and actually capture the fabric! Everyone else's blogs look like commercials, with people running through fields with quilts flapping in the sunny breeze, children laughing, puppies frolicking, you get the general idea . . . .

The next step is to frame the trees in a bright fabric to set them against the natural linen I'll be using for the top fabric. I've been ambivalent about whether to frame the trees and houses in color (like I have with the house), but I think they can use the extra color. Still not sure though . . . whaddya think?? I guess it would help to see the design? Sigh. I'll get back to that.

On other projects, have just gotten the Ugly Duckling Lizzy House fabric I've been itching for for ages (gotta love Etsy!), and am going to make a Keyka Lou "easy" envelope clutch. I'm trusting that "easy" means "easy." It doesn't have zippers, so for now I can avoid my phobia, although Susan took the jump today and did an amazing job on her pouches, so I guess I'm going to have to pull up the big girl panties and give it a go one of these days!

Okay, now for the public service announcement: just about three years ago I began having problems with my gas furnace in my rented home in PA. The pilot light kept going out. My lovely landlord (and I really mean that!) kept coming over to relight the pilot light, but it kept going out. Strangely, my migraine headaches (which I've always had) kept getting worse, and I kept getting sleepier and harder to wake up (but I've honestly always been hard to wake up as everyone in my life will tell you!). But then, my carbon monoxide detector went off. The fire department came to my house and discovered that the carbon monoxide in my home was at life threatening levels (because I had bought the cheapest type of CO detector, and it only went off after a week or more of CO exposure). All this to say, if you have gas or oil heat, go to your nearest hardware store and purchase a well-made, top-of-the-line carbon monoxide detector with a digital display (that shows all CO levels above zero). I could have died from CO poisoning, and I still live with serious consequences from exposure to this invisible, odorless gas.

Alright, you may now resume your previously scheduled quilting and crafty blog reading!

Oops! I totally forgot!! Guess what I found at the front door today!

I ordered this on Etsy from Daniel Ahn. It's from Korea, and I couldn't find it anywhere else. Yup, dogs dogs dogs! I may have to devote an entire post to the fabric on the right, because when you open it up it's just riotously wild and huge. It has secret Christmas gifts written all over it!

Tuesday Update

2011-11-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

Finally! Finished my very first stocking! Clearly have to work on my photo techniques, but I didn't want to risk an outdoor shot given the post-snow mud and leaf debris (not to mention the inescapable muddy puppy paws that always follow when I come back inside!). All in all, I'm pretty excited with this! My very first machine quilting, which I shockingly managed to keep on the (fairly) straight and narrow (much easier on the front thanks to the diamonds than it was on the back which is just the red print fabric, but I used a ruler and the fading fabric pen to guide me).
I love this Kate Spain 12 days fabric, so I was happy to be able to use it for this project. I wanted to make a stocking for an older child, hopefully something a foster child can bring with him or her (I'm picturing a girl child with this fabric) as she makes her way in the world). This is for Purple Panda's Stockings for Kids drive for foster children in Central Virginia. When I lived in Southern California, I was overwhelmed at how many homeless young adults I met who had been in the foster system. Once they turn 18, they "age out," and it broke my heart that they didn't have a family support system to help them beyond age 18. I know it's just a Christmas stocking, but I like feeling like I can help a little bit.

I've realized that I haven't shown off my finished mug-ugly rug, so, without further ado, here it is!
Not quite as ugly as originally feared, but most definitely a learning experience! Again, first and foremost a lesson in taking on manageable projects and starting with easier patterns! I'm glad I started with a mug rug, however, as it was a fun size, allowed me to finish fairly quickly, and let me master all the things I need to figure out for my table runner.

Speaking of, the fire is really under the feet now for me to get cooking! I'm falling behind on the rest of the group, I fear! I'm participating in Susan's Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap, and while I have a house and a tree pieced together, I still have two trees and two houses to go yet, as well as the construction and quilting. Yikes! Time to get the fingers moving! That's number one priority on today's to do list! I hope the secret partner likes it! I spent quite a time tracking down her preferences, and I think I've got her pegged, but it's as it's my first swap I'm a bit nervous. Okay, now back to the sewing machine!

And yes, there is a life beyond the sewing machine, but sometimes it's best to ignore it, and this is one of those weeks!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-11-06T18:39:00.001-08:00

Ta dah! And yes, clearly still more to do! What a battle I had all day with my tension! I think I must have ripped out twice as many stitches as I ended up quilting, but I think it's finally coming together. I was originally going to get all complicated (I know, shocking, for anyone who knows me), and do a fancy double hourglass design from Cluck Cluck Sew, but I quickly realized that my ambitions overreached my capacity. I was able to get a couple of the hourglasses done to my satisfaction, but I messed up on the cutting, so I could only get a few done. I therefore decided to just stick with the fabric I liked, but to keep with a simpler pattern that I could complete more successfully. I'm doing this for a foster child for Purple Panda's Stockings for Kids, so I definitely want the finished product to be something special! Now back to the salt mines to tackle all those thread ends, the binding top, and then sew the two quilted halves together! Hopefully I can eke out a little more time to make a few more stockings!

And now back to the sewing machine to get cranking on the tablerunner! I was out of the gates early on the tablerunner, but fell behind while trying to track down the natural linen. With most of the swappers now nearing the finish line with their tablerunners, I'm feeling the fire at my feet, especially given the quilting that lies ahead! I wanted to get the stocking taken care of so that I could get back to the tablerunner, so that's what I'm turning back to tomorrow!

back from the void

2011-10-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

October 31--Happy Halloween!

My apologies to my faithful throng of followers. I know that the thousands of you out there have just been waiting with baited breath for my next dispatch from the Wasatch Front! It's been a rough ten days or so out here, so thanks for holding on (er, that is presuming you are still out there? Anyone? . . . the sound of crickets chirping . . . . ).

So, lots on the crafty front. First, given the holiday, here is our household's proudest collective accomplishment: Miss Zoey and Miss Sophie's superhero superpup costumes! It required me to get another toy, er, bit of sewing technology: the handy-dandy walking foot so that I could wrassle less painfully with my fake satin material. As an aside, can I say how much I love that my sewing machine has parts called "feed dogs?" All I can say to that is "woof." Not surprisingly, the girls seem to kind of love their costumes. I think they've had their superhero dog-selves waiting to come out all along. Don't you agree? Zoey is the brown border collie/choc. lab mix in the cape and Sophie is the black lab/blue tick hound mix in the girlie girl wonder woman skirt. They had superhero wrist bands to match, but those were not apparently dog approved, as they were ripped off within seconds (although you can still see them in the photos which were one of the first shots taken). Next year I might do bloomers for Sophie, as I don't think a girl should be running around with her skirt flying up around her ears!

Next, I finally finished my mug-ugly rug. Ta dah! After three goes of it, I finally mastered the binding. I was so ready just to have the $%&#@ project finished (please excuse the potty mouth!) when my dear sweetie intervened, seam ripper at the ready. I wasn't sure whether I was appreciative or not at the time! But now that I redid it for the fourth and final time, it looks just dandy, and I have FINALLY figured out how to do a binding (which is a good thing since I'll have to do that for the tablerunner which is rushing up fast and furious!)! Not the most beauteous thing in the world, but for my very first machine quilted anything, let alone my first mug rug, I feel pretty good about it. Now to figure out what do to with it! Debating between a mouse pad for my ever wily too-fast Mac mouse or for my sewing machine pedal which keeps skedaddling away from me on the slippery hard plastic mat I put on top of my carpet in my office (kind of weird option, I know).

Third, I made a work basket for all my mobile crafty tasks. I inevitably end up taking my various knitting, embroidery, and other sundry crafty things for when I'm watching TV or for car rides and such. Rather than just letting it explode and propagate as it's been doing, I thought I'd create a craft bag in a basket to try to contain my chaos. I found a clearance basket at Smith's Marketplace for $1.50 and took some fabric, and shazam!

Also, lest my Christmas tablerunner swap folks think I'm falling down on the job (which I may be, given that some are already finished--yikes!), I finally think I've figured out the paper piecing technique and redid my first tree, which now looks like something made in elementary school. I've now done two of my three trees, and one of my three trees. I also finally conquered the pre-Halloween lines at the various fabric stores and finally got my linen fabric for the centerpiece of my tablerunner. My partner does not, I don't think, like a lot of white, for various reasons, on her tablerunner, so I'm hoping a natural linen will do the job. So hard to guess someone's preferences when she is so far away and someone I've never met!

So, hoping to make lots of headway on this runner this week now that I have this fabric. I also spent what seemed like FOREVER and laundered ALL of the fabric I was going to potentially use for the tablerunner. There are a lot of dark reds and greens and I was terrified they were going to run. I have a bunch of individual mesh laundry bags, but it still took a long time to sort the laundry by color, send it all through the washer and dryer, cut all the fribbly edges off (my new word for that thread debris), and then iron the big pile. So now, back to the start and ready to dig back in!

And currently on the work pile--other than keeping on with the tablerunner? I've finally broken the seal on the stocking for Purple Panda's great stocking drive for kids, and am hoping to finish it up by tomorrow. If I can get in the groove, I'm hoping to do a few. In my family, every one had his or her own special stocking (not handmade, but special nonetheless), and it feels important to me to make these foster children something special for them to have all for themselves. There are some great giveaways associated with this stocking drive, which you can check out on Purple Panda's site, but for me the best gift is doing something for a child without a permanent home or family.

Also on the list, I've signed up for Pamela at French Knot's two-day sewing retreat in November in Utah. I was totally bummed I couldn't do the Sewing Summit (count me in next year!), so I just had to take advantage of this opportunity to get together with some crafty folk and whittle down my Christmas list (it doesn't help that in my household my significant other is also a sewer, so secret projects may sometimes be jeopardized by innocent walkbys and offers of help!).

And so, for anyone still actually reading any of this, on non-crafty news, I actually broke free from the bubble that is my neighborhood last week. My sweetie and I drove what is known as the Alpine Loop. It's only open another few weeks (until it snows). It goes up to about 8,000 feet or so and winds through the mountains. It was totally beautiful: changing leaves, amazing stone outcroppings, beautiful aspen groves. It was one of those very clearly needed mental health days! Amazing to think this is only a 45 minute drive away!

Okay, so now ending the world's longest blog entry!

Is Halloween Coming??

2011-10-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

October 21

So apparently Halloween is like a national holiday or something among crafty folk. I guess I should have realized this, really. I follow a couple of blogs, and all the ones I categorize as "crafty" (as opposed to "quilty" or "DIY" or "general interest," etc.) have been obsessed with Halloween since July. I didn't know it was possible to make so many Halloween-related objets (spiders made out of chocolate dipped oreos, mummies made out toilet paper, and god-knows-what else made out of ric rac, always ric rac!). Now, I have nothing against Halloween, mind you. I have, in fact, quite fond memories of dressing up as quite a dashing asparagus for Halloween years ago. I just can't quite imagine blogging day after day with boundless excitement about ghosties made of cottonballs.

All this to say, don't go to Joann's Fabric on Friday evening two weeks before Halloween! Not if you want to buy fabric, that is! I just wanted to buy a few yards of fabric for my tablerunner, but apparently it was the evening to buy tulle, butterfly wings, satin, faux fur, etc. Definitely not the time to stand in line at the fabric table with a looming migraine!

I think I've got it!

2011-10-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

October 20

Phew! I complete ripped out every last stitch from the house I finished last night, and redid it today. I think I finally figured out paper piecing. I still want to go back and finish up some details on my house, like putting on a window and wreath on my door, and some detail (maybe a window box or shutters?) on the window, but it is so so much better this time around! I'm still a bit amazed, and a bit proud that I actually designed my own paper piecing house and figured out how to do the darned thing all in a few days! Heck of a steep learning curve, to be sure! Now hopefully my partner for the tablerunner swap will like it! Only three more houses and several trees left to go!

Tablerunner progress

2011-10-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

October 19

Short post today. Definitely using sewing therapeutically today. My mother used to (affectionately) call me Madame Defarge when I'd knit, referring to the woman in "A Tale of Two Cities" who was knitting the names and fates of men and women of the French Revolution into her knitting. Not sure my work is quite that intense, but I think all my frustrations with various people (they who shall not be named!) were going into my paper piecing on my house for my tablerunner swap. I love the colors and placements, but I'm still struggling with the stitching, so I have a lot of cleanup. But here's how it's looking so far:

Thought I'd like the border stitching, but it just looks messy, so I'm going to undo it and start again. I never do start simple!

Works in Progress

2011-10-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

October 17

Phew! So, who knew how much of blogging actually entailed re-entering and re-moving items I had already taken care of?! This reminds me of my old job managing a fundraising database that had been struck by lightning; every day was a new surprise!

I'm starting to discern a theme in my activities, whether it be blogging, quilting, writing, work, or working out: before I can get down to business I inevitably need to reorganize my entire space (and sometimes several times over!). It's either incredible work avoidance (an entirely reasonable hypothesis) or else some kind of deeply rooted nesting impulse that requires me to ensure a perfectly ordered environment before I can create. It's always been that way--I've always had to recreate my space before I could create something new. It has certainly guaranteed bruises, if nothing else!

This time, however, I must insist that the creative space makeover was actually not my idea (although I had, admittedly, just settled in, for the second time, into my basement sewing are)! My sweetie was perhaps worried that I was taking on Unabomber tendencies with all my basement dwelling, and so suggested that I transform my upstairs office into a work-of-all-trades space.

A little heaving and ho-ing (two flights of steep Victorian stairs!) and my crafty items were transported upstairs. That table top on the left? A finished solid oak slab rescued from the garbage. Wicked heavy, but total score! I'm a bit embarrassed to show the work in progress shot, but I'm so excited to no longer be a cave dweller! I may have to wear the sunglasses for a bit longer until my mole-eyes adjust! Stay tuned for finished makeover photos!

On WIP updates, I am getting the hang of the hand quilting. How the heck folks actually hand quilt (in a timely manner) full-sized quilts, I have no idea! It took me a full-length movie to do what I am proudly calling my mug-ugly rug! I am totally proud of having taken on techniques that were challenging and totally new to me (asterisks, hand quilting, the chain piecing, inset seams . . .), but I don't kid myself that it's neat and tidy! By the time I had the energy to rip out the seams and line up the pieces that were a bit "quirky," I had already gone too far past to fix it. Such a helpful learning experience though! Here's the little "beauty," minus her binding (which I'll probably do in the red):

That bottom asterisk is beyond wonky. I love that asterisk style, though, and want to play with that more. I need to get much better at sewing before I get too bold with such narrow cuts, especially with my 1970 Singer pedal. It reminds me of the first clutch car I drove! I also love the chain design and want to keep playing around with that, as I think there's a lot of potential in that as a border or a whole quilt design, but with more subtle colors.

Back in the Saddle Again

2011-10-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

October 15

So I have been battling a stomach bug, my sewing room, and learning how to get the blog up and running all this past week, so excuse the radio silence!

I'm amazed and impressed by how prolific my fellow bloggers are--not only are all quilting and sewing and crafting your fingers away, but you are also capturing it all on your blogs! Certainly setting the bar high for me!

Anyway, I'm trying to dip my toes in the water here by at least throwing my hat into the ring! I first wanted to share a picture of my very first quilt. I've always love antique patchwork quilts. I've always loved the stories they carried through their worn fabrics. I loved the ideas that the quilts were made from someone's dress shirt, sunday best dress, favorite school skirt, and that by having a passed down quilt I possessed a part of someone's family's history. My family wasn't lucky enough to have any quilts passed down through our family, so the first quilt I owned was bought with money saved up from babysitting. She is a 1904 bowtie quilt from Ohio:

She has a gorgeous rosy patterned back:

With that first purchase, I was hooked! I've made a few quilts by hand, but only recently have I begun to quilt in earnest. Now that I've actually learned how to use the sewing machine my parents gave me for Christmas when I was 15 (more than a good decade or two ago!) I've discovered that sewing is shockingly easier with it! It's a steep learning curve, but I'm starting to get the hang of things.

So, before I lose whoever my 1 or 2 faithful readers so far may be, let me quickly wrap up! First, a big thank you to Susan who was my benefactor of my very first giveaway! I was the lucky recipient of yummy fat quarters! As I'm in the throes of just building up my stash (and, frankly, who isn't really always looking for just "one more" fat quarter to flesh out their stash??), I was thrilled to get these great fabrics in the post just this week! Many thanks, Susan!

And, finally, I have joined the Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap, led by the aforementioned, fabulous Susan. After some hemming and hawing, I have settled in on a design with some wonky trees and houses (if you're wandering this way, secret partner, and do have a change of mind, do speak up!). I did a practice paper piecing tree today and wasn't half disappointed with myself. The bottom wobbly part needs to be cleaned up a bit, but I think the colors work okay, and I quite like the Tufted Tweets bird fussy cut up at the top of the tree. I think once I get it framed in the main color fabric, it should look sharper. Whaddya think?

Okay, off to tackle the hand quilting on my God awful mug rug. For another time, but apparently I try to bite off more than I can chew (shocker there!) and just had to try difficult inset seam piecing before I was ready. Not a pretty sight. I'm trying to let it just be a learning piece, but I may screw up my courage and let go of my pride and take a pic for the blog. Happy Saturday all!

In Search of My Own Garden

2011-10-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

October 14

This was originally supposed to be a broader philosophy statement, but rather than keep it on the blog as a treatise, I think I'll just post it and move on . . .

I've started this blog, in a very practical way, as a means of communicating with a group of other like-minded folks engaged in a craft swap. It provides a focused and controlled way for me to share my information in a way that is easier than Flickr.

In a much broader and more meaningful way, however, this blog invites me to share a part of myself with the world that I usually keep fairly quiet. And yet, that part is, in its essence, the most expressive part of myself. Expressing myself through the act of making things with my hands or voice.

Years ago, I read "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens" by Alice Walker, which powerfully related how generations of women before us were artists denied creative outlets. Without access to paint and canvas or clay or pen and paper, these women instead turned their creative spirits to the materials that were within their grasps. They sewed quilts of breathtaking beauty and complexity (many of which now hang in museums), the tended exquisite gardens, sang gorgeous songs. For many, these great works would be known only to themselves and their families, leaving no other trace of their creativity.

This essay has stayed with me all these years, reminding me how primal the creative drive is in all of us. It has brought me back to the few antiques in my life, a few old quilts, a few pieces of furniture, to consider the stories behind the individuals who made them. In a time of countless craft blogs, I am interested in not only considering some of the "how tos" of craftiness, but also the deeper wonderings about how society privileges who can express their creative spirits more easily by making things (while others may have less access).

So, these are some of the questions I am interested in exploring, in addition to the usual stuff o' life. I love doing lots and am skilled at nothing in particular, so my projects will likely range from knitted socks and scarves to quilts to sewn projects to cards to refinished furniture to baking. Nope, never gets boring around here!

Launch

2011-10-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

October 8, 2011

So, this is my first entry on my first blog. Supposed to be profound, right? I'm supposed to expound on my worldview, establish my blog agenda for taking over the blog-iverse, etc. Sorry to disappoint. That I have a blog, and that I've managed to defeat the evil tech pixies who seemed to want to keep me from having an "about me" section seems accomplishment enough for today!

I also have a pesky tablerunner to design for this swap to do. And I do mean pesky in that loving, excited way, for all you swap-following folks! I am plenty excited! Just a bit daunted as well -- there are some way amazing folks in this swap whose work is what has inspired me in the first place! Yikes! Yes, that is "under pressure" by David Bowie you hear in the background!

. . . Okay, deep breath was taken, split pea was made and put on the stove to simmer, biscuits baked (nothing like a good carb to calm one's anxiety!), now I will head off to sew!

(and, may I say, that for all who know me, the fact that I'm heading off to sew will probably shock most folks. But we'll save my voyage into a crafty critter for another time!)