Always Creating Something

Diaper bag for a friend

2011-10-02T06:46:00.000-04:00

One of my very best friends is having a baby girl (after three boys!) and she chose pink, taupe and brown for the nursery with an elephant theme. I was thrilled to find a fabric line in those colors that's available right now so I could make her some special things for baby Hannah's debut, sometime in December. I made her this sturdy diaper bag. I hope it matches her decor (I haven't seen any pictures yet) and that it will get used for play dates or diapers or something.

The dimensions are approximately 18" wide, 15" tall and 5" deep.

The elephants make two spacious front pockets on the front, lined with the pink, white, taupe striped fabric.

On the interior, there are four pockets, two large, two small on one side and a zippered pocket on the opposite side. You can also see the magnetic button closure here - my first time using this closing technique but it was surprisingly simple so I may use it again. This interior pocket is 9" by 10".

The back of the bag has the same elephant print from the front pocket and pink contrasting

edging. I used the 70 weight Pellon interfacing for this bag so it's very sturdy and stands up all by itself. I also added it to the handles because I prefer substantial handles. I used the tutorial from Sew Like My Mom as a general guideline for the bag.

I made a bunch of matching goodies for little Hannah to fill it up with. My favorite is the minky blanket in Amy Butler's Lotus flower. I've been saving this fabric for something special.

I made it larger than average so it could be used in the stroller or car and as a safe play mat for baby. I used to use these all the time when I needed a safe, soft place to lay my little one for some tummy time, especially at someone else's house. I also used one for William to designate his safe play area, ie no big kid toys allowed on the blanket. Minky is supersoft and the texture appealing. I made a border out of the Amy Butler fabric on one side to give it a more finished look.

I had more leftover fabric than I intended to have so I also made a diaper clutch bag in coordinating fabrics.

It fits the travel size wipes and two diapers but can be used for all kinds of other purposes. It has a velcro closure and a grosgrain ribbon pull tab. I like the pink elephants on the inside.

I also made a soft changing pad with one thick layer of fleece and an interior layer of cotton quilt batting. I never liked how thin my changing pads were and even though this one doesn't have a waterproof layer, the whole thing can be tossed in the washing machine.

It folds up in quarters and has a velcro closure.

I also knit a baby cardigan for Hannah in Madeline Tosh superwash. I think it's really cute but I think the size is too large for a new baby. I followed the pattern for a 0-3 month size but I'm pretty sure what I've ended up with is more like a 6-12 month size. The pattern I followed is available for free (thanks Carole!) and is a top-down construction, my favorite.

I think the bag and home made goodies are finally ready to go to the baby shower with me. I hope she likes it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Forest owl hat for William

2011-09-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Savannah loves her owl hat so much that little brother caught on and tries to steal hers whenever we need to wear hats outside. I tried to modify the pattern to knit him one in his size by decreasing to 76 cast on stitches, but it turned out to be baby sized - oops!

I used some of my leftover Malabrigo merino in Bobby blue for this one and sewed on owl eyes on only one owl. It is sitting in my stash of baby hats that I've knit, waiting for a new home. For take two, I used a skein of Malabrigo merino in Forest and cast on 88 stitches. This one turned out to be the perfect size!

I love the variegated greens in forest. William likes it so much that he hasn't taken it off. He says, "Look, Mom-mom, Willem owl hat," and points to his head. As I type this, he is sitting beside me with his owl hat on... I suppose I can call that a successful knit.

My little vampire with his new forest green owl hat.

I'd like to sew on some button eyes eventually but I think I'll have to wait until he's sleeping so I can get him to part with his new hat. Now the kids want me to knit an owl hat for myself!

Oatmeal raglan for William

2011-09-02T06:17:00.000-04:00

It seems I don't knit enough for my little guy. This is especially apparent when he reaches into his sister's hat bin and pulls on a hat I've made for her as his first choice hat. I was glad to finally have the chance to knit him his own sweater, in a natural oatmeal color that he can wear with just about anything.

The pattern is from Jane Richmond. I used four skeins of Debbie Bliss Rialto to make it. When William tries it on, he likes the softness of it, and shows me by rubbing his hands over his tummy and saying "soft". I like the fact that it's machine washable, a must for little boys' clothing. I'm looking forward to watching him wear it in September when we go apple picking and for those walks when the autumn air is crisp.

Beret for tea leaves

2011-08-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

After knitting Savannah's tea leaves sweater, I had enough yarn leftover to make something else. Since Savannah already has a favorite winter hat, I wanted to make her a beret. She's young enough to get away with wearing a beret and I think the colors look great against her shiny blonde hair.

This simple pattern is available for free on www.ravelry.com by Amy Rose, called the Adah beret. I knit it in the same yarn as her sweater, my favorite Malabrigo merino. I hope she'll wear it this winter on occasion with when her favorite owl hat, but it's pretty hard to get her to wear anything else on her head.

Tea leaves sweater in ocean palette

2011-07-30T17:50:00.000-04:00

I forget exactly how I began knitting this sweater. It wasn't planned. I had five minutes to grab a pattern and some yarn before taking the kids to an indoor bounce house to play during our terrible heat wave (upper 90s for a week) so I would have something to do for two hours while they got their energy out (parents aren't allowed to jump).

So using some leftover Malabrigo merino (my favorite for its soft, squooshy, warmth) I knitted this up in size 8 for my daughter. The colors are marine colors for her love of all things oceanic and piratical - emerald green trim and bobby blue for the main color. She chose the buttons herself from our button collection. None of the buttons match exactly but they are all the same size and same dark navy color.

Most importantly, she loves it. It is soft and in her favorite color - she loves all things blue. And, I finished the pattern from start to finish without wasting anything or procrastinating. (This is something I'm always working on!)

I'm glad that she likes it. I can't wait to see her wear it under a long-sleeved shirt or turtle neck this fall.

The Tiny Tea Leaves pattern is available on Madelinetosh by Melissa LaBarre or on ravelry. There's also an adult version of this sweater, which is the original version.

Aviatrix hats

2011-05-22T00:25:00.000-04:00

Suddenly everyone I know seems to be pregnant. We know of seven babies that we expect to meet sometime in October, November and December of this year. One of the hats I wished I had had when my babes were small, is the Aviatrix. It is soft and stretchy, warm and has a chin strap to keep it on baby's lolling head.

The button can also be adjusted (I'm supposed to add a second button one inch higher than the first, but haven't yet). Here's the first hat I knit in Malabrigo Merino Worsted Indigo. It is so soft and the picture doesn't do justice to how cute these look wrapped around a pair of chubby cherub cheeks.

One wasn't enough with so many winter babies on the way, so I knit a second one too, in the same yarn but with Emerald colorway. This pattern is easy but not boring and perfect using up scrap yarn since it needs less than a skein and probably less than half a skein of yarn. I plan to make a few more in girly colors and as the new babies join us, I'll bring my stash of baby hats and let the mama pick one.

Big boy bedroom

2011-05-09T16:06:00.001-04:00

Big boys need big boy beds. So, I built one for my big boy using the plans for a toddler farmhouse bed from Ana White. I built this bed back in October of 2010, but had so much going on then (as I do now!) that it took me a whole month to sand and stain it. Then, in December when my mom came to visit, she put three clear coats on top of the stain to give it a bit of shine and to smooth out the lumber. Because I wasn't ready to move my big boy to his own bedroom, which would be two flights of stairs away from mine, I decided to renovate our walk-in closet to serve as William's first space of his own. It's close to my bed if he needs me but far enough away that he may as well be in his own bedroom.

William likes to snuggle into his big boy bed with the duvet cover I made for him from recycled materials. It's empowering to think that I made everything for him (bed, sheets, pillows, decorations) except for the mattress.

The paint color in his room is a soft neutral tone, called Sand dollar from Sherwin-Williams in Duration, a low-VOC paint that is easily washable.

The pair of round pillows I made following the tutorial from StarDustShoes. They don't match exactly because I'm trying my hardest to not purchase any new fabric and to sew only from my stash to put a serious dent in it. The only fabric I purchased for William's bedroom was the cotton checkered print I used to make his fitted sheet and pillow case (and I only have a 4" x 6" scrap leftover!) and the airplane fabric for his round floor pillows. He loves airplanes and I wanted him to have an airplane-themed space to call his own. I intended the pillows to be a simple place to sit while we read bedtime stories as well as for decoration.

And of course, there are two airplanes on the wall. William seems to be pretty proud of these because he likes to show people his airplanes, which goes something like this, "Dad-ee, Dad-eee, See! See! Airpla-ane! Two, airpla-ane!" with lots of excited gesturing. I've cleared out two of the walls of the shelves that were there, holding clothing but have a little more to go until the space is truly William's. I'm hoping to build a simple drawer with handles to slide beneath his bed to hold some of his favorite bedtime stories. It would be wide and shallow, but perfect for holding an extra blanket and some books. Use of space is priceless in this house, which is much smaller than out last house.

My hope is that William will see this as his own special safe space and will enjoy napping and sleeping at night in his big boy bed very soon...

Another quilted bag

2011-05-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

I hadn't quilted in such a long while that I joined the Spring Quilted Bag Swap through the Quilting Gallery. I had some reservations about the first bag I made (although it did receive positive feedback on flickr) so I decided to make a second one. The tutorial for the quilted bag is free from Geta's Quilting Studio (thanks Geta!).

This time I reinforced the handles with interfacing and instead of using cotton for hidden inner layer, I used canvas, which makes the bag stand up easily on its own. The print is one of my old favorites from Kaffe Fassett and I think it is reminiscent of spring, which is appropriate for a spring themed swap. I quilted it differently, loose circles in a kind of freestyle pattern that I think I like. I am looking forward to writing a letter to my swap partner, who is overseas, and sending this bag along with a handful of other sewing goodies.

Owl skirt

2011-05-05T15:24:00.001-04:00

My daughter is currently in love with Kathryn Lasky's series, the Owls of Ga'Hoole, so owls are frequently on her mind. For Easter I made her an owl skirt. Every year we set out our Easter baskets the night before Easter and after the children go to bed, I tell them I place one or two small mommy-made gifts inside then go to bed so the Easter bunny can fill them up the rest of the way. I like that long after their baskets have been reduced to piles of candy wrappers, the mommy-made things remain.

The fabric is Robert Kaufman's Urban Zoologie, Owls. It's a fun print and in her favorite color of blue. Nearly everywhere she's worn her skirt, she's received compliments on it. There's a spacious side pocket that she's already filled up with pine cones, leaves, and acorns. It's always an adventure sticking my hands in the pockets of her clothes before tossing them into the washing machine; never know what I might find there!

I embroidered an owl on a shirt that matches the skirt, but she has two other coordinating shirts with this print and two coordinating sweaters, which is convenient. It also matches her owl hat. This skirt should fit her for at least two years with the elastic waist band, but if we tire of it, we can always find another use for the fabric and recreate it as something else. For now, we think the owls are super cute!

Quilted spring bag

2011-04-13T19:42:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I've quilted and my fabric stash isn't getting any smaller, so I joined a quilt-a-long for a quilted bag exchange and promised myself I'd use only scraps.

Here is my first quilted bag made from this tutorial. I do like the bag but I'm thinking it looks more like a diaper bag with these whimsical colors and less "serious" and adult like so I'm not sure if my swap partner will like it or use it.

I'll be sending this bag to another country, so I want it to be special. I think I'll sit on it for a week and see if I want to send this one. The good news is that it sews up in no time at all so if I change my mind, I can prepare another one quickly.

I also decided to send my swap partner one of my big, fat potholder hearts. I still use mine all the time.

A toast

2011-04-07T23:41:00.000-04:00

Knitting relaxes me; the repetition of the process, the simple twists and knots that undo the twists and knots in my mind and shoulders, and I get to create something in the process, something that's tangible and useful and maybe even pretty, something to show at the end of the day after spending most of my day doing the toughest job for which there are no tangible results or feedback (parenting in case you hadn't guessed).

I was thrilled to finally make some Toast arm warmers for myself. The pattern is ridiculously simple yet elegant and practical. I can pull on a pair of toast beneath my shirt or over my sleeves or to take the chill off a damp, rainy spring day when working on my laptop.

Heck, my daughter can even pull them on as leg warmers when she's dancing to the Nutcracker after dinner. After moving into a smaller house, I totally dig multifunctional! I knit them in a heathered purple Cascade 220 yarn, which I like more than I anticipated. Purple was never exactly one of my colors but heathered anything is.

Here's Leslie's original post with the Toast pattern (inspired by the British company of the same name). Thanks for the great pattern Leslie!

Silly hats

2011-04-03T21:58:00.000-04:00

I have yarn in my stash that needs to get used up (call it spring cleaning). I started knitting hats to get rid of the extra bits of yarn. I'm not in love with them but they're soft and they'll do.

William models his new silly hat. This Marley pattern is from Susan Anderson's Itty-Bitty Hats book. I'm not crazy about the colors, but so be it, it's a stash hat. The important thing is that it fits him well and is soft and warm.

Here's the side view with the silly topper, which I kind of like. There's only so much time in childhood to get away with things like this.

Here's the second stash busting hat, which actually fits me too. I used up three small balls of yarn with this one including sock yarn, which makes the variegated pattern.

I didn't follow a pattern, I just started knitting, then seaming, then added the ear flaps and made the I-cord and tassels. My exact pattern is on ravelry, although there are better examples of thorpes and jester hats to follow.

I'm trying to be a better knitter - that is not in skill but in habit. I'm trying to diminish my stash to one basket worth of yarn (currently I have four) because I can't use four baskets worth all at once anyway and I'd rather have an excuse to visit my local yarn shop with an organized mind and yarn supply. Happy spring cleaning to you too!

Reusable produce bags

2011-04-01T16:29:00.001-04:00

We try to use our reusable grocery bags when we buy groceries (admittedly, sometimes I forget and leave them in the trunk) but I end up using so many plastic bags in the produce department, it seems that I'm hardly making a dent in the amount of plastic we use. I finally took an old curtain made of 100% polyester and turned it into a set of six produce bags that I can reuse.

The material is translucent so the attendant at checkout can still read labels or count items through the fabric, but it's strong and washable so I can use them over and over. It took me less than an hour to make six and I used ribbon that I had on hand for the closure.

Room enough for at least a dozen pears, or potatoes, apples, etc. but small enough to be brought along without taking up room. Although I made my own in various sizes (longer ones for carrots, wider ones for apples) there are some tutorials I found on the web. Here's one that uses mesh. And some that are made from sheer curtain fabric like mine. You can also purchase them such as this nice set made by LoveForEarth on Etsy.

Owl lover's hat

2011-03-29T11:49:00.000-04:00

My daughter is currently enamored with Kathryn Lasky's Ga'Hoole series, the one about the owls with the new movie out. So I couldn't resist making her an owl hat with my leftover Malabrigo merino yarn. Since blue is her favorite color, it worked out well.

The moment I completed weaving in the loose threads, she donned her hat while reading book eight in the series. I think it's really cute on her.

The free pattern for this hat is available by knitculture here. There's also an adult version. I highly recommend the pattern - it was well written and a fast knit that lent itself well to the Malabrigo yarn. Not to mention, it's just perfect for a kid enamored by the Ga'Hoole series.

Savannah picked out the buttons we sewed on for eyes. I'm still debating whether or not to sew a tiny orange beak and feet on one of the owls....

Weave mittens for me

2011-03-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

This mitten pattern has been in my queue for quite some time. I'm so glad I finally knit a pair. The pattern is available for free on ravelry and is quite simple with a nice thumb gusset.

I did make quite a few modifications. I knit 16 rows of double ribbing for the cuff and after the cuff, knit 2 rows of st-st before dividing for the thumb (I should have knit 4-5 rows before following the pattern again). Instead of running the thread through the remaining live stitches to bind off at the end, I decided to use Kitchener stitch because I like the rounded, finished look better than the pucker of stitches pulled tightly together.

I also picked up 3 extra stitches (instead of 1, for a total of 14 for size small) for the thumb because my experience is that if you don’t pick up enough stitches, you’ll have holes where the thumb meets the hand and wet hands every time it snows.

I also experimented on the second mitten with increasing the thumb stitches by knitting into the stitch below, rather than making one. This avoided the little holes that are characteristic of m1. I will definitely use this method of increasing in the future when knitting the thumb increases for mittens.

The yarn is Malabrigo merino worsted and I'm in love with it. It is a lightly variegated indigo with hints of purple in it and is so soft and warm and strong and knits up well on size 6 or 7 needles. Since the pattern only used a portion of my skein, I'm looking forward to knitting something special with the remaining yarn.

A spring sweater

2011-02-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

There's a pattern I've been drooling over for a long time on ravelry, a spring sweater called the Liesl by Ysola Teague. I finally started it this month with leftover yarn from my stash for Savannah.

It was such a quick knit, I can't believe how long I put it off thinking it would be more difficult or time consuming. I'm very happy with the yarn as well, which is Moda Dea bamboo wool, a discontinued yarn with excellent drape, stitch definition, and color. Even though it's impossible to see from these pictures, the blue velvet yarn actually has two thin strands of purple woven through it, giving it a beautiful sheen close up.

I've ordered a special clasp button for the top of the sweater. I like the idea of something you can just throw over your shoulders when a spring breeze picks up or to dress up a summer outfit.

Apparently, so does my little model, who is eager to wear this at the beach. I have banned her from climbing trees with this sweater on though, because of the lacework, which shows best in the photo below.

Next on my list, is a Liesl for me in much nicer yarn of course, but in a color not quite as pretty as my daughter's.

Heart Potholders

2011-02-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

For Valentine's Day this year we had a "crafternoon", where we got together with some friends and made Valentine's. For the moms, who never get enough appreciation for the hard work they do, I made a batch of heart potholders in pinks and reds. Here is the one I made for my kitchen, in my signature blue colors.

I have found that if I use double or triple batting quilted together, my potholders last for a long time and don't result in burnt hands. When we get sick of them, our kids can use them in their play kitchens.

This is a great project to use up leftover fabric scraps as each potholder requires less than a fat quarter of fabric to make. I made a heart template that I liked out of newspaper, and cut it out of my fabric on the fold (the same way you'd cut a heart from folded paper). I liked this heart shape for its wide design. (I didn't want a pointy heart for a potholder.)

Then I layered two or three layers of warm and natural cotton batting behind it, pinned the layers and quilted them together. After quilting, I trimmed the batting neatly to match the edges of my fabric heart, then pinned the backing to it and sewed on my trim. Voilà! A little love and country charm for my kitchen.

What's old is new

2011-02-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, someone sent Savannah this cute dress that has been well loved.

She's outgrown it but instead of passing it on, we decided to recreate the dress as a skirt so she can enjoy it even longer. I've been meaning to spend more time creating clothes for the kids from things that I have outgrown, stained, or worn through, so why not recreate from her own wardrobe?

By cutting off the straps and the top seam, and adding a 3/4" non-roll elastic waist band, voila, the dress is now a skirt. Something new from something old and all we had to do was sew in a few straight lines. With all the snow we have on the ground right now, it probably seems silly to be sewing a cotton skirt like this but soon we'll take our winter escape vacation to Florida where she can prance around the sandy beaches with her new skirt.

I can hardly wait!

Mending

2011-02-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

To mend (verb used with object): to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing

Even though I'm often sewing new things out of new fabric, which can be fun and exciting, I think it's important to spend time mending the things we already own. It may not feel glamorous to have a pile of clothing in want of a button or needing a seam restitched or a pocket hole repaired, but it saves so much. It saves the item of clothing from the trash heap, it saves money, not having to replace something that has use left, and it saves us the time we spend shopping for the right thing to replace what we lose. I also find it humbling to repair the old instead of running out to grab the next new thing off the shelf without much thought to the life cycle of these items and how their life cycles affect future generations.

Today I mended clothing, most of them needing small repairs, one by hand, four on my machine. It took little time really. One was my husband's favorite pair of sweatpants from college (they've seen repairs in prior years!). Another was a good work shirt that cost a surprising amount of money. Then there were the leather gloves, sweater, buttons and a patch for my daughter's clothes. Each one a simple fix that I was glad to do, even though I'd put it off for a few weeks.

I hope you use your sewing talents for mending too when the occasion presents. What a worthy use of time to take something broken and make it whole and usable again.

Dresses (and shorts) for Africa

2011-01-25T22:24:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I invited you to join me in sewing for this great charity, Little Dresses for Africa. When I read through the charity's website, I found they need shorts for boys just as much as dresses for girls. At my local library, where a sewing group is collecting the dresses to be shipped at the end of this month, I counted 21 dresses, but no shorts. So I had to get to work making a bit of both, shorts with fabrics that I had a small amount of, and dresses when I had a larger quantity needing a purpose.

Here are some of the works I'll be contributing this year.

I went through my fabric stash, which needs some TLC, and pulled out all the fabrics I hadn't used in over a year and didn't think I would find a good use for. This was about a dozen fabrics! I quickly cut out shorts in various sizes, using a template I made up. I surged the crotch and the inner seams between the legs, where the fabric is the most likely to come undone from use and play, then used straight seams on the rest.

Here's a size medium (ages 5-7) being modeled by my daughter. I like them so much on her I think I'll use some more of my fabrics in February to make her some quick cotton shorts for the summer or a much needed trip to Florida (it was -10F this morning!). The shorts have either 3/4" or 1/2" non-roll elastic in the waist bands. Even though they say they're non-roll, my experience is that will roll, a constant annoyance for the wearer (or her mother!). I sew over the elastic in the front and the back of the shorts where there is a natural seam, stitching in the ditch, as the technique is called to prevent this.

This was my first "pillowcase dress" and I used all the fabric I had left in this print to make it. It's a size small (age 2-4). I made a pocket on the front from the extra fabric from the arm shaping. In case you haven't seen Garnett Hill's catalog this year, these are "in" at $78 each. Yikes!

Here's the same dress on my little model who would have preferred to spend the time writing on my walls with marker!

At home, these sew up quickly in half an hour - including using my serger for some of the seams, so no way could I pay $78 for one, even lining it wouldn't take that much more time.

My design wall filled up.

I love this pair! I could never think of how to use this fabric in one of my quilts, but I think this is perfect.

Some have pockets.

Katie jump rope fabric - loved it but had too much of it on hand.

Fourth of July shorts in size small and mellow yellow in medium.

More Katie Jump fabric to use up. Hope someone appreciates the bright colors!

Kaffe Fasset fabric.

This dress in size medium is one of my favorites. I used non-roll elastic to make the ruffle at the neckline and double-fold bias tape for the top of the pleated pocket and straps. This one is really cute!

The last dress! All in all three dresses, and seven pairs of shorts, a lighter fabric stash for me and now I really know how to sew shorts. I wish I could see them on their recipients but I'll just have to imagine these bright prints given life by the beautiful brown bodies who will receive them. I hope the children enjoy them.

Little Dresses for Africa

2011-01-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

So last year I made some lofty quilting resolutions. Lofty because I had no idea how much time and energy one little toddler boy could consume. I hardly had the chance to work on any of them but now I know! If I can complete all of my work this month, there's a charity that I really want to sew for. The dresses can be made at any time but my local sewing group is collecting them by the end of the month to deliver in person and a little deadline to heat the underside of your pants never hurt.

Here's one of the cute dresses from the Little Dresses for Africa website of a girl who received a re-purposed pillow case dress and the girl who made it for her.

So, I'm spreading the word for anyone else who may have extra fabric lying around that needs a new home - say on a little girl or boy in Africa, who would be much obliged to have something new and clean and colorful to wear. There is a pattern supplied for your convenience but any dress pattern is welcomed (or shorts for boys!) because this project is really about love, not sewing perfection. I hope to minimize some of my fabric stash with a few of these, and if I don't meet the end of January deadline, I can always make them year round to donate. I hope you make one too!

Sara's Workshop

2010-12-17T23:06:00.001-05:00

I don't know how the elves at the North Pole are doing, but my workshop is in full swing! Thanks to Ana White from Knock-off Wood, I've created this for the special little girl in my life (who will be receiving a special doll this Christmas from her Nana).

Savannah's doll bed for her special Christmas gift, Julie (an American Girl doll).

I modified the plans a bit: I made the bed longer to accommodate an American Girl doll and instead of using 5 1x3s for the head and foot boards, I used 6 1x2s, so mine is more narrow like a regular full size bed, only doll sized. We worked on the quilt together and I sewed the pillow and pillowcase while my daughter's sweet little head was brimming with sugar plums. The quilt is her design and she approved the prototype. The fabric is leftover from a log cabin style quilt that I made for her. I couldn't resist sewing a mini European-style pillow sham for the bed.

The bed is a farmhouse style bed, the second one I've built. I painted it this afternoon in Divine White, a Sherwin-Williams Duration paint (ie, low-VOC). I wish I had a picture for you of her doll in the bed for size. For now, this is the best I can do. Since Julie has a rabbit in her stories, she will have a rabbit doll of her own to snuggle with in her new bed.

I can't wait to give this to my daughter on Christmas morning. She's going to be the happiest little girl in the house! Plus, I built the entire bed out of scrap lumber that I had lying around in my scrap bin in the garage, painted it with leftover paint, and used fabric scraps from my bin, so it cost me close to zero.

"Real" pillow and pillowcase. My daughter is in charge of all stuffing so she stuffed the pillow herself with her nimble little fingers.

What's going on in your workshop?

Winter jumper

2010-12-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Just because it's 18 degrees outside, doesn't mean that your daughter wants to stop wearing dresses. Using the tutorial for the Bubblegum Jumper at From An Igloo (if you haven't scooted over to this blog for great tutorials and ideas, click on it now!), I decided to make my daughter a winter dress. I purchased fabric from Fabric.com where I was already buying fabric to make something for William's Christmas present, to be revealed soon enough. I used a rich purple corduroy fabric.

I hope you can see the rich colors and textures of this fabric.

Because I had to sew the dress in time for her piano recital, I didn't use the button hole design from the tutorial. Rather, I sewed the back straight up to the chest piece, which I lengthened to 4.5 inches, and used hook and loop closures, which are not permanent, unlike button holes, and can be adjusted as she grows. The dress is also double-hemmed, meaning that when she grows another few inches, I can let out the current hemline to reveal another hemline beneath it that is 2.5 inches longer.

The dress isn't perfect, I have to re-position one of the straps, but she looks really cute in it and it has great texture and warmth. She can wear it with a turtle neck and it will fit her again next year. Overall, a very simple dress pattern for any little girl needing a dress in a jiffy and adaptable to many different types of fabric. I might even make a doll-size one with the leftover fabric for Savannah's favorite new doll for Christmas.

Fingerless mitts and pattern for toddlers

2010-10-28T16:48:00.000-04:00

We girls aren't the only ones in need of fingerless mittens. Even toddler-sized boys deserve a pair so they can get into mischief with those agile fingers without totally freezing.

I decided to create a pair for my 18 month old toddler. They are knit with double-ribbing so they are stretchy and have a long enough cuff to help them stay on.

He actually likes to wear them so I must've done something right.

Here's the easy pattern:

Use a medium weight yarn, such as one that calls for size 7 or 8 needles, and a set of double-pointed size 5 or 6 needles.

Cast on 24 stitches.
Arrange 8 stitches on each needle and join in the round working in double ribbing.
Continue double ribbing pattern for 14 rows (or desired cuff length).
Begin knitting back and forth to leave an opening for the thumb continuing the double ribbing pattern. Knit 4 rows back and forth before rejoining and knitting in the round for 4 to 6 more rows.
Bind off and weave in loose ends.

More socks for William

2010-10-16T16:32:00.000-04:00

During the fall I like to spend as much time as possible outdoors; picking apples, walking down the road, and jumping in leaf piles. Well, I rake the leaves while the kids spend time flattening the leaf piles back out.

William in leaf pile bliss.

This is why one pair of cool weather socks is never enough. So using my favorite easy sock pattern, I knitted a second pair of socks for William, this time in Debbie Bliss cashmerino chocolate. If you've never tried sock knitting before, I highly recommend using this pattern as your introduction. It is simple and clear and produces excellent results each time (and did I mention free?!@#*). It's also very quick because it uses a thicker yarn than most sock patterns call for. I can often knit one child size sock while watching a Netflix movie after the kids are in bed and the second sock the following evening.


North Country Baby Socks in chocolate for my little guy to enjoy the cool weather. The yarn is a blend of merino wool, microfiber and cashmere.

Now there's more time for this:

in between changing out wet socks to dry and shaking the leaf particles and twiggy bits off.

Warm socks for William

2010-10-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

I've always found it difficult to find really good warm socks for babies. During the winter months, if you keep your kids indoors, cotton socks are fine but we spend the winter ice skating, skiing, hiking in the woods and generally trudging through the snow for whatever needs to be done.

I was so happy to find the North Country socks pattern for free because it is so easy to knit and solves the winter sock problem. I knit this pair for William with Mode Dea yarn in a wool-bamboo blend. I love the yarn and will definitely use it again. It doesn't pill or fray like most wool yarns and is very soft, yet has the warmth you expect from wool.

I think William looks very European wearing his new socks with his brown sandal shoes. This winter he'll be wearing them with his boots so he can play with big sister in the snow and possibly to learn how to ice skate on the pond.

Northampton neckerchief

2010-09-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

This afternoon between stacking wood in the barn and building a raised bed for my garlic crop, I managed to finish knitting my three-color purple scarf. The pattern is from New England Knits and is called the Northampton neckerchief.

I feel ho-hum about it but the pattern was relatively fun to knit. I think the lacey border is my favorite part. I didn't use the fingerweight yarn called for but a DK weight instead and because of that my scarf lacks drape but is really warm. I used three different Debbie Bliss Rialto purples and silver-lined gold beads.

I am actually looking forward to wearing it with my jacket for a little splash of color (my cold weather jackets are black and camel) but today was much too hot for that.

After calling it a "neck brace", I decided to try taking photos myself instead of asking my husband. Consequently, he's definitely not getting cinnamon buns tomorrow...

Irish hiking wristwarmers

2010-09-20T13:41:00.000-04:00

Photos by Savannah.

As someone who grew up as a New Englander with more traditional, classic tastes, I just love cables and when I saw this pattern, I knew I had to knit it. The fact that the pattern is offered for free, was the icing on the cake. They are named the Irish Hiking Scarf Armwarmers, because there is a scarf and hat pattern that match, but I find they warm my wrists and hands better than my arms.

I used my new favorite yarn, Debbie Bliss Rialto DK. It is a machine washable, 100% merino wool yarn that is forgiving and has excellent stitch definition. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but knowing how well most cables with ribbing stretch, I was pretty sure I could get away with a DK weight yarn and size 5 needles. This time I was right, it stretches nicely but holds its shape and isn't too bulky.

The camel color is more me and looks nice under my more traditional styled sweaters. I like them enough that I'm considering knitting a pair in black too. I'm finding them useful for the seasons in which the weather is changing, fall and spring when the mornings and evenings are cool but the days are warm. No more ice cold steering wheel, what's not to love?

William's Toasty Topper

2010-09-11T15:27:00.004-04:00

With a small amount of time here and there, I love a good quick knit. William has already outgrown the hat I knit for him last year so when I saw the Toasty Topper pattern by Alexis Riggs, I couldn't resist. I had been thinking of knitting something similar last year for him but wasn't sure how to connect the scarf to the hat. We have days here where the wind blows so cold and hard that any crevice exposed to the weather, usually wrists, ankles and necks, will get so chilled you have to return home.

This hat is the perfect solution to the wind chill/exposed to the weather parts problem since the scarf is attached to the hat and provides total coverage in the back of the neck.

William wore his outside today to play and eat the late raspberries that have come in better than the earlier crop. I knit it with Lion Brand Wool-ease, thick and quick. Admittedly, I didn't look at the pattern, but I followed the picture fairly closely, making my scarf slightly longer than the 24" called for in the pattern because rather than knit it in double ribbing, which is very stretchy, I opted for seed stitch for this one.

If I had to make the hat over again, I would make the scarf connect further around the hat band to better cover his ears. (You'll see that the original pattern does have this feature - I should've followed it!) I may add ear flaps that simply hang down for that purpose to improve this one.

Now Savannah wants one in raspberry or cilantro (William's is in Denim blue), and I can't wait to make her one!

More fingerless mittens

2010-09-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

Savannah wanted a pair of fingerless mittens like her Mommy's. I wanted to follow a different pattern for hers, to see what it's like to knit them from the cuff up.

I used some of the scrap yarn in my stash to knit these. The yarn is Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in a color that was supposed to be light blue but to my eyes is purely grey. The pattern is Jazz Fingers by Misty Wade, available on Ravelry as a free download. The pattern was easy to follow and a quick knit but I prefer the thumb gusset for the adult pair that I knit for myself.

My husband doesn't get the point of fingerless mittens but fortunately, Savannah does. She uses them in the morning to collect eggs from the chicken coop and around the house in the morning when it's still chilly. I've also caught her wearing them while reading books on the sofa, which is the cutest of all, watching her when she's unaware.

Fingerless mittens

2010-09-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

I've been trying out a bunch of different patterns for fingerless mittens and I've come across one pattern that I love. It's knit from the top down to the wrist, making it useful for anyone using up stash sock yarn because you can make the wrist cuff as long or short as you need to. The pattern also has a great thumb gusset.

Here's my first attempt, which I'm quite happy with. The yarn is Mirasol Chirapa from Peru, a hand dyed 100% merino wool, colorway Spearmint candy. My daughter Savannah picked it out for socks, it's not exactly my color, but it does remind me of the colors in Monet's garden.

This pattern is offered for free for anyone who wishes to attempt a pair with leftover sock yarn. Props to Jeanne for sharing the pattern with us.

Car seat strap wrap

2010-06-20T21:36:00.000-04:00

My little guy likes to fall asleep in the car from time to time and I always cringe when I see his soft little baby neck marred with the red line of his car seat strap. That can't be comfy! Using the quilt as you go method, I made a velcro wrap to cushion his head and neck from the straps of his car seat.

It's all made from bits of fabric scraps from Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope and some from Anna Maria Horner. There are two layers of cotton batting quilted in the middle to make it cushy.

So far, so good, the little guy wakes up happy and mark-free from his car naps and appears more comfortable when napping now.

Market skirt

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

One skirt is never enough. There is a certain instant gratification that comes from sewing a skirt because it goes together so quickly and makes such a big colorful impact. It's hard to believe that a few strips of fabric like this:

Can so quickly turn into this:

I've been sitting on this Denyse Schmidt fabric for a long time. It's Katie Jump Rope from the Free Spirit line. When I found Dana's Market Skirt tutorial, I thought of this fabric right away. I love the greenness of it and the large pocket makes it perfect for wearing to the Farmer's Market or, in our case, to the chicken coop to collect eggs. It's hard to see, but I did some decorative stitching on the pocket in a green thread that matches the fabric. I also sewed across the 1" waist band in the front and back vertically. Even though I use the non-roll elastic for waist bands, I find it occasionally does roll, which is really annoying to the person wearing the garment and hard for the mama to fix. By stitching across the back, or back and front, of the waist band in a matching thread color, the elastic never rolls, bends in half or moves around, and it's still just as stretchy.

Here's my little sweetheart, happily modeling her new market skirt in spring green. I wish she could have modeled outdoors but we had rain for the first time in three weeks today! From now on, I must add pockets to more clothing. This afternoon she brought back two chicken eggs in her pocket and discovered it was even big enough to hold her stuffed snake, Somo. Pockets, gotta love em.

Pirate princess

2010-06-05T17:54:00.000-04:00

When I saw Michael Miller's Goth Baby fabric, I knew I had to grab some of it for my pirate-loving daughter. Sweet ballet pink and skull and crossbones? The combination pretty much sums up my sensitive and kind but tough as nails and somewhat sassy little girl.

I used Dana's tutorial at MADE for a market skirt but lengthened it 3" for my almost six-year-old. (Hop over to her website if you're looking for some great patterns and tutorials.) For my version of the skirt, I added some ric rac, which I rarely use, but I couldn't resist the sweet simplicity of pairing pink ric rac with the black and white skull and crossbones. I really like that the shape and design of this skirt look so classic but the fabric is so subtly sassy and modern.

I embellished the T-shirt with a little skull and crossbones, framed in pink ric rac. She can wear the T-shirt with her black capri leggings or as a pajama top as well. And lucky me, I still have enough fabric left over to make some pajama pants or shorts and a bandanna for my little pirate princess.

Reading nook

2010-05-22T14:53:00.001-04:00

With the great spring weather, I've been spending most of my spare time outdoors. The garden and grounds have needed lots of work around here and we've been planting raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries like crazy. Fortunately, the spring also brought a new surge of energy for me. There was a corner of my house that has been filled with stacked boxes and picture frames since we moved in. It was a little-used area but also an eyesore where dust bunnies liked to hang out. Finally I transformed it into a peaceful and useful nook, with a little help in the babysitting department from my mother who is visiting.

This is the landing at the top of our stairs facing north northeast. I painted the wall in an accent color, and ended up custom mixing my paint to make it the right shade. Two coats later, it seemed just right. The farmhouse bench I built using plans from Knock-off Wood except mine is a smaller size to fit the landing or hallway. The curtain valance and pillow I created from a yard of this rich tapestry-like fabric that I had custom-ordered last year from Joann's for the downstairs bathroom. When I decided on a different fabric altogether for the downstairs bathroom, it left this lovely fabric folded and unloved in a plastic bag until now. Fortunately, it brings out the golds and reds in my oriental rug and gives the accent wall a golden rather than brown look. The fabric is so thick it didn't need to be lined and the valance is a simple rod pocket curtain without a ruffled header.

I finally got a pile of picture frames off the floor and on the wall. Some of them needed a pretty good dusting... A few are new frames all mixed and matched in white and gold awaiting pictures of future family events. The rug is a wool Chobi from Pakistan, meaning "like wood" in Farsi because of the dark earthen and woodsy colors typical of the style. Chobi rugs are among my favorite of the new oriental rug styles. They've only been imported into the US for about 15 years.

Here's the before picture, except beside those boxes jammed in the corner under the window, you have to also imagine a pile of framed pictures and artwork all stacked up and covered in dust. From cold chaos to warm calm. Ahhh. Next I tackle the office.

Summer dress

2010-04-23T22:05:00.000-04:00

Lately my pirate-obsessed, karate loving, tree-climbing daughter has had a dress fetish. She decided to design a dress she liked based on this one hour sundress pattern. She helped select the fabric, the length of the dress, and where she wanted the ruffles.

I was surprised she wanted a dress so long but it's quite cute on her. She wore it today to play at the park with some capri leggings underneath and it held up without hindering her on the swings, slide or climbing wall. I will have to take in the shoulder straps though by about an inch on either side.

I guess the flowers on her dress aren't enough so she had to wear her flower lei as well. From an igloo also has this dress pattern that I hope to make for her sometime this year but without the buttons going down the back. I love the versatility of jumpers. I might make this jumper in corduroy so it can be a fall or winter dress with a turtle neck.

Hammock pillow

2010-04-18T19:55:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased and installed a hammock. Really, what took me so long? This is a simple but important addition to our outdoor landscape and we'll enjoy many hours relaxing together in the hammock this spring and summer. I thought our hammock was missing something though, so I decided to make a pillow for it. The least expensive found online was about $40 but I could purchase a yard of all weather fabric for $13. When sewing for outdoor furniture, it's really important to choose one of the weather resistant fabrics. The fabric I chose is from Waverly's outdoor collection and many users before me had rated it very highly, saying that the fabric had withstood 1-2 years of being left outdoors without fading or mildewing. This was important to me because I'm not the type of person to run outdoors because it's about to rain to grab the hammock pillow...

The pillow is 16 x 32 and filled with polyester fiberfill, which I had lots of help stuffing into the pillow from the two rascals above! I made a small velcro strap for the back of the pillow to keep it on the hammock when there's wind.

My quality control department (see above) approved the pillow before it was put into use. With the small amount of leftover fabric, I made a lined bag that velcros onto the side of the hammock. We quickly discovered this can be useful to hold the contents of your pocket, sunglasses, a pacifier, or your empty popsicle stick...

Kai Sweater for William

2010-04-07T22:20:00.000-04:00

My neighbor gave me a copy of Louisa Harding's book Natural Knits for Babies and Moms and I fell in love with this sweet cabled baby sweater. I didn't have time to make it during the winter for my little guy so I'm knitting him a spring/summer weight sweater instead in Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran yarn. I chose this color because it is an exact match to his sweet baby blue eyes.

The sweater turned out well, even if it did take me more than a month to seam the pieces together!
But don't take my word for it, the little guy is in love with his new sweater too. The second I finished it he crawled over and snatched it up and wouldn't let go for pictures.

He wore his sweater this morning until the sun came out and made the day too warm for a sweater.

See how it perfectly matches his eyes? How sweet. I'm glad I knit it a little looser because the neck fits over his head very easily.

This will be my last knitted project for a while. It's time for me to get back to my sewing machine, which must be feeling left out at this point! Unless of course, I make Savannah a summer bolero to wear over her dresses and tank tops...

Red white and blue quilt

2010-03-31T17:52:00.000-04:00

I finished my first Army Baby Quilt. I think it turned out well and I'm really looking forward to submitting it so it can find a good home.

The center blocks are a traditional log cabin style. I had cut the fabric strips last year to make these into a square log cabin table topper for my sister-in-law's 40th birthday, but my husband insisted she wouldn't like or use it. I was glad to finally get the blocks together and add borders and sashing until I met the 40" by 40" requested size for the Army Baby Quilts project.

I was undecided about the binding and after cutting a different binding on the bias and sewing the long strip together, I changed my mind and opted for the red and polka dots. Mmmm... I love polka dot bindings!

I wasn't sure how to sign it. That's one of the things I waiver on with charity quilts, but I still think signing my work is important. I want the baby to know it was made for them with love. Sometimes the kindness of a stranger can carry you a long way. At least, in my life I've found that to be true.

Of course, no quilt goes untested in this house! I put the finished work down so the kids could see it and William crawled right on and started touching the textured quilting and stars. Savannah joined with a love for her brother and the book she couldn't put down. Then again, who could put Charlotte's Web down?

Army Baby Quilts

2010-03-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

Just in case you're looking for a quick quilting project and a way to give back to some of America's families who are most in need of support, Roberta Cerniglia from NY state is collecting quilts to distribute to moms who have babies while their husbands are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Quilts should be about 40" by 40" and in red, white and blue colors. More information can be found at Army Baby Quilts.

I'm looking forward to contributing to this project. I like that the quilts are small for the babies, hence easy to make, and I love the idea of showing support for moms of our troops who have to go through one of the most important moments of their lives without their partner. I think this project is a great way to use quilting talents to support families who are most affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you have the time this year, please join me.

Toggle button scarf

2010-02-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

We live in the part of the country that has been snowbound for a week now. During the Winter Olympics, I joined Raveolympics 2010 to try to complete the Kai Sweater for William from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits book.

The book was a gift from a neighbor while I was pregnant and I'm excited to finally have the chance to knit something from it. I decided to make the Kai sweater in a summer weight, but with all the snow, I've put William's lightweight sweater aside for the moment to complete a quick scarf he can wear today when I take him for a sled ride.

This was a stash-busting scarf, using up some more Caron Bliss yarn and some Moda Dea washable wool in chocolate brown. The combination of the two together is really nice - luxurious softness and warmth and strength.

Here it is as modeled by bear while William naps. Can't wait to see it on the little guy!

I held the two yarns together and cast on 12 stitches. Then I knit it all in garter stitch. To place the button hole, I bound off two stitches in the middle of the scarf. On the next row I knit one in front and in back of the two stitches in the middle of the scarf to bring the stitches count back up to 12 (from 10 for the button hole). Very simple! I wish I'd made myself one.

Flamingo scarf

2010-02-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

My daughter really needed a new scarf and after returning from the white sands of Florida to the white snows of upstate New York, it seemed especially important. Inspired by a small group of flamingos I saw flying off the coast of St. Pete's Beach in various shades of pink, this is her flamingo scarf.

It is knit with two strands held together, both from leftover skeins that needed to be used up. One yarn is 100% cotton from Lily Yarns, the Sugar 'n Cream in strawberry. This is a variegated yarn that reminds me of the color variations in flamingos. The other yarn is Caron's Bliss in Cotton Candy, a supersoft blend that's hard to stop rubbing on your cheek (it's that soft!). I knit the scarf loosely in simple garter stitch, and with the two yarns held together, it made a great texture that I hadn't expected to like so much. When I asked Savannah if she liked it, she asked me if I would make her a blanket with the same yarn combination. And then she asked to sleep with it, which she did.

Unfortunately, this scarf was a stash-buster so I don't have any more yarn left! Although I'm not sure what I'd think of a bright pink blankie lying around the house. I'm already looking forward to the next project where I knit two yarns together and end up with a completely new outcome. The surprise is what makes it fun and unique.

First quilt

2010-02-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

How old do you think you have to be to learn how to quilt? My five-year-old daughter recently took a two morning class offered by a local quilter and learned to make her first quilt from a drawing she brought to class. What do you imagine a sweet girl of five would want to quilt - a flower, a heart, a pony, something for her dolls perhaps? Not my daughter.

She only wanted to quilt the Jolly Roger, a pirate's pride and joy to hoist the colors right before attacking another ship ripe for plunder...argh! She cut out the fabric pieces herself and had some help sewing them in place although she was seated in front of the sewing machine for that part. She didn't handle the iron thank goodness but everything she did herself or had some help doing herself. I'm impressed! I'm not sure if my first quilt at 20 something came out that well.

At least for all her pirate plundering ambitions she can still say "Thank you" sweetly by helping me make the quilted card she designed. This card is to thank the patient lady who taught her how to make her first quilt. There is always room for another quilter in the house.

New and blue redux

2010-02-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

Once was not enough. After ALL of my laundry was clean, I found two more white dishtowels that seemed naked after embellishing their sisters. So I used up some of my last blue scraps of china blue fabric getting these fit for my kitchen.

Up close this one is my favorite spots because by chance the scrap square matched the fabric below it exactly - the circle is complete. From far away, I still prefer the plain single fabric towel best.

Next perhaps I'll patch together a pair of oven mitts.

North country socks

2010-01-29T20:05:00.000-05:00

I used to be one of those knitters who thought nothing could be so tedious as knitting socks, until I tried it and got hooked. After searching all winter for the perfect pair of socks for a baby - warm, soft, durable, and with a cuff long enough that we can pull it up his calf to keep that space between the ankle and pants warm or pull over his pants - and never finding it, I finally dusted off my knitting needles.

Honestly, I don't know what I was waiting for! I wish I had made this pair in December but I'm thankful to have them now for the new blast of cold weather. This is a very easy pattern that I've made over and over again and it's free online. The only part of the pattern I would change is that it originally calls for 100% cotton yarn. While I love cotton, I've had bad luck with it stretching out in socks quickly and not retaining its shape. For this pair of socks I used two yarns held together - a superfine washable wool yarn from Patons and a medium organic bamboo/wool blend from Moda. The sock yarn is self-striping, hence the funky pattern.

And, I think it looks pretty cute on the little guy, who can't pull this sock off by himself, yet.

Here's that new pair of socks on baby while he falls asleep on Mommy's lap, ah, this is the life!

Kilo Appliqued Camisole

2010-01-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

Part three of Savannah's Kilo outfit from Alexander Henry's 2005 fabric line- the camisole top with flower applique. See also, part 1 the Kilo skirt, and part 2 the Kilo handbag.

Even though I sometimes skip the step, I did use fusible interface behind the flower this time. It really helps and note to self: I shouldn't ever skip it! When I sew an applique on fabric I use my zigzag stitch and I lower the distance between stitiches to 1 so the zigzags are really close together. I sew around it twice for good measure.

What can I say, someone wasn't in a modeling mood this afternoon.

I still think it's cute. The tank top can be worn with shorts, sweats, skirts and as pajamas too. I like it best with her red sweatpants though.

I'm still amazed at how far a yard of fabric can go when you're five and a half, and I even have a little sliver of it left, possibly enough to make a zippered pouch for her purse or a wristlet to keep her ice cream money safe. Hmmm....

One Way to Reuse a Cork

2010-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

A cork can come in handy for a variety of projects around the house but here's one suggestion.

I'm really attached to a pair of trivets or hot plates that I have because they are in my signature kitchen colors, china blue or willow blue and white. However, over time the original felt pads have worn off and now when I use the trivets, I risk ruining my table with the heat that is transferred right through the bottom. (I have been using oven mitts beneath my hot plates for months now to prevent any damage to my dining room table surface - but this is time consuming, hard to explain, and could look better.)

I sliced a regular cork into about 10 2/10 of an inch slices as equal in size as I possibly could with my very sharp Henckels knife. Then I carefully super-glued these new "pads" onto the bottoms of my favorite trivets and voila! my trivets are as good as (okay better than) new.

Touch your table the next time you serve something hot and see if your hot plates could use a little cork makeover as well. (If so, you get to get one more good excuse to open a bottle of wine.)

Upcycled Airplane Duvet

2010-01-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

I purchased this airplane fabric a while ago with the intention of making a duvet cover for William. He inherited his sister's petal pink crib-size down comforter, which is lovely and warm, but you know, pink.

I found the fabric on etsy from Whimsie Dots, a shop that specializes in fabrics from vintage sources and upcycled fabrics. This fabric is reclaimed from a flatsheet and was very easy to work with.

I liked the airplanes because the first time William saw an airplane it happened to be landing at the Albany airport. It flew right over us and he was mesmerized....

I decided to use three ties on the bottom to close it rather than velcro, buttons or snaps. I made the ties from two inch strips of fabric that I sewed close and then turned right side out with a safety pin. On the bottom edge, I also sewed in about 5 inches on each side to give the comforter a lip to sit on in the corners. This plus the tied bows appear to be working very well. When I went to school in Paris some of the children I took care of had duvet covers with a similar system.This also takes care of one of my crafty New's Year resolutions, only twelve to go.

I hope the little guy likes it. It will be his for a while...

New and blue

2010-01-08T15:47:00.001-05:00

I purchased a set of three white cotton kitchen towels from Williams Sonoma (I love the weave and texture of their cotton towels) a while back with the intention of embellishing them with my signature kitchen colors - china blue or willow blue and white. I finally completed this simple little project and am already enjoying the result.

Eventually my appliances will be replaced with stainless steel energy-efficient ones and I think my white and blue will look even better with the stainless steel. My husband is in charge of that endeavor but I am really looking forward to having an induction stove eventually.

A New Year For...

2009-12-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

Quilting is such a wonderful hobby because there is no limit as to what you can do. Every year you could make new quilt patterns and never run out of new styles and patterns and color combinations. Even though I tend to wear preppy drab colors (my faves are navy anything, all shades of brown, black, ivory, etc and I usually buy three of everything I like, so not much diversity there) I have an inner color-loving child who is slowly emerging and painting the world brighter. Quilting gives me one outlet for color and creativity.

Here's a New Year's Resolution of sorts for my crafty to do list.

This year I want to make:

a quilt with a house block in it
a summer picnic quilt to bring to the park
a Christmas quilt
a quilt for the library to auction
a charity quilt (most likely for Hospice)
a boy quilt
more skirts for my daughter with a few matching shirts with appliques
a matching pair of pants and shirt for the baby
a comforter cover for my son (he has his sister's crib-sized down comforter in petal pink)
an art quilt to hang up
a pair of pillows for my daughter's bed
a scrappy quilt that uses up lots of little bits
something that uses my dust-collecting serger

And I want to do all of this without purchasing new fabric (whites and muslin excepted) because I have enough in my stash to be able to make all of these and more. Waste not, want not, the wisdom goes.

I also want to teach my daughter how to make her own quilt, she's almost 6 and that's old enough, right???

Happy New Year! Let's look forward to a creative New Year together.

Kilo handbag

2009-12-31T15:28:00.002-05:00

I followed my handbag tutorial to make this purse for Savannah.
With accessories this cute, who needs pants!?

It matches her Kilo skirt in Alexander Henry's 2005 line. (Ha! Modeling for her Mom before she's even brushed her hair or teeth. What a sport!)

I was out of black fabric for the lining, so I used white cotton fabric. My fabric diet is still in effect but I'm glad to have designer fabrics on hand.

I can't wait to see her toting sunscreen and shells in her Kilo handbag while wading barefoot along the beach!

Now I wonder would it be too much to applique the red flower on a white shirt to make a whole ensemble? Too matchy matchy or super duper cute? I tend to think she's at the age where anything looks super duper cute.

Texture blanket for William

2009-12-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

William, like most babies, loves textures and tags. He likes to sit beneath my sewing table, we call it his fort, while I'm sewing and touch all the bits of thread and fabric that fall under the table. For Christmas this year one of his homemade gifts was a texture blanket with ribbons. It's a quilted nine patch with a log cabin style center patch. The front face of it has ribbons as well as the edges and the back is a soft fleece in navy.

When I finished quilting the top of it I dropped it beneath my sewing table where the little guy was sitting holding onto some bits of the fleece I had trimmed away. He was more than happy to give up the scraps for his new blankie.

I think he likes it.

Kilo skirt

2009-12-21T17:18:00.002-05:00

I haven't made anything special for Savannah in a long time and wanted to make her an early Christmas gift that she could try on now but save until our winter trip to Florida to enjoy wearing on the beach with a T-shirt or tank top.

She picked out some Alexander Henry fabric in my stash called Kilo. It's from his 2005 collection. She said she liked the print because it made her think of Hawaii. I paired it with some basic black cotton and lined it with the black cotton as well. I much prefer lined skirts, over the single layer cotton ones.

The waistband is a 1 1/4" non-roll elastic, thicker than I usually use. I wanted to add a ribbon that would hang down on the side but she said she liked it plain (maybe because she just wanted me to finish asap). I think it looks snazzy! I can imagine getting away with wearing it as an evening skirt with cute black top and a pair of black Mary Jane's.

Look out runway models, here comes Miss Savannah with attitude to spare! Here's the matching handbag.

Quilts of 2009

2009-12-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

Quilts of 2009
Originally uploaded by alwayscreatingsomething

Here's a review of my quilts this year. Three quilt swaps, two charity quilts, four gift quilts and three keepers.

My favorites are the Afternoon on Oahu quilt, Baby Isla's quilt and the Aloha quilt. I think I only have two WIPs at the moment which is great for me and one is a finished quilt top.

Sew many fabric combinations, sew little time!

Fall Mini-Quilt Swap

2009-12-05T23:58:00.001-05:00

I completed my Fall Inspired Mini-Quilt for my swap partner. I didn't get a good idea of the kinds of quilts she likes from her blog, so I had to wing it. I hope she likes it.

I selected fabrics for this quilt a long time ago but haven't had the chance to start work on it until a few days ago when I had an unexpected "opening." I'm so glad to have completed it while it's still Fall, although as I write this, snow is falling (and sticking!) outside my window. I used a simple natural muslin fabric and made a small strip of fall colors across the top (or side or bottom, depending how you look at it). Then appliqued a maple leaf in the corner. It's simple and I hope more classic than boring. I wanted to create something that could be used practically as a placemat or small table topper as well as hung, if desired. It measures approximately 15" by 18".

I quilted it in intersecting lines - something completely new for me but I used my walking foot and took my time with it. I like the clean, modern lines of it. If I quilt in straight lines again, I think I'll use my water soluble pen or chalk to mark the lines before sewing.

The maple leaf I cut out by hand instead of following a template. I wish I could have used a real maple leaf as a template but I waited too long and now they're all brown and crispy or decomposing in my compost pile.

Here's the back before I added the hanging sleeve where I signed the quilt to my swap partner. I like the binding fabric but didn't measure it out correctly this time. I cut 3 1/2" strips for the binding but 3" would have been plenty. Usually I like thinner bindings than what I added to this quilt.

Aloha Quilt

2009-11-29T22:35:00.001-05:00

I call this quilt the Aloha Quilt because of the wild floral patterns in the fabric and bright colors. The backing is a natural muslin fabric that is also the color of sand with little speckles in it.

It's a log cabin quilt with a four patch for the center of each block. I began by cutting a bunch of strips and squares, uncertain of how I might arrange them but I'm pleased with the final result. It's bright and cheery and had contrasting colors that a baby girl might enjoy. The fabrics are mainly from designers Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Michael Miller. I used the remaining squares of fabric for the binding, sewing them into a long strip and then sewing the binding on. This is one thing I will never do again! Every two inches where I tried to shove the bulky fabric (quilt top, batting, backing, two layers of binding plus seams) under my sewing machine's foot I had a difficult time, but live and learn! It looks beautiful and used up my extra fabric scraps. There are two whites in the quilt , one in the border and a different one in the log cabin blocks, since my fabric diet is still in effect until I reduce my fabric stash to a more reasonable size. I turned the blocks a quarter turn each so they appear random, but in an orderly way. I free motion quilted it in a simple meandering pattern, the one I'm most comfortable with.

I made it for a little girl who hasn't yet been born, Joslin Rosalie will be her name. I hope she likes it and gets years of use out of it.

Family Tree a Thanksgiving Gift

2009-11-18T10:12:00.001-05:00

As oral tradition becomes a lost art, I think family trees become more and more important. There are times in one's life when the only way to go forward is to first go backwards, return to one's origins. I think it is powerful to see where you've come from, the long line of those who have come before you, each contributing some role towards making your unique life possible. I like the organic form of the tree as well to portray the family lines.

This is my Thanksgiving gift to my family - our family tree. The children appear as apples resting on the tree's roots. They are the "apples of my eye", and in our house it's true that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". I can look at the tree and trace my daughter's love for crossword puzzles, reading, and word games and our uncanny knack for finding four-leaf clovers in a field.

Each frame is 10 x 20 because nothing else seemed quite large enough to read without squinting and standing directly in front of it.

His side of the family tree...

...and her side of the family tree.

Baby texture block

2009-11-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

Like most babies, William loves exploring new textures and sounds. After he became obsessed with the crinkly texture of a cellophane wrapper, I decided it was time to make him a safe crinkly toy. I used some of my Katie Jump Rope scraps to make a 5" square. I added different colored and textured ribbons to the corners. Some sides are quilted for additional texture and some are not. Two sides have layers of cellophane stitched in between the batting and fabric but not completely (ie, seam to seam) so that it can still be machine washed, but not dried. There's a bell in the middle - probably his favorite part, since he's often found shaking it by the ribbons to hear the bell ring.

We've been taking it along for car rides and giving it to him to play with on the floor at tummy time. So simple it was made in an afternoon with things on hand and he loves it!

Hunting season hats for kids

2009-10-26T09:44:00.000-04:00

We have a lot of good land for wildlife, as do our neighbors, and during hunting season I worry about the kids being outdoors. Everyday we go for a walk or hike outside and spend time either near the garden, near Savannah's climbing and swinging tree or with the chickens. I tried to purchase the hunter safety orange gear for them but it's always too big. During a quick trip to JoAnn's for Halloween costume fabric, I saw a section on hunting fabrics, including safety orange fleece. I brought home a half yard of it, and turned it into silly and warm fleece hats (and mittens) for the kids. Because of the sale on fleece, this little project cost less than $3 for two hats and two pairs of mittens.

Savannah's hat is like a jester's hat with fleece pompoms atop two points. The fleece for the ear and chin strap is double-layered so she always has the softest warmest part close to her skin. It closes with velcro that she can do herself. Both sides of her hat are the same so there's no front and back to confuse little ones.

William's hat has one silly pompom on top and a generous brim that can be folded up or pulled down to further cover his ears. His also closes with the adjustable velcro strap under the chin. Both are easily machine washable and dryer-ready.

I'm pretty sure it would be hard to mistake the three of us for turkey or deer now!

PS If anyone would like me to post a tutorial or patterns for this, I'd be happy to. Just ask!

Autumn Quilt Colorway

2009-10-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

This maple is the inspiration for my upcoming mini-quilt for Fall.

Here's my fabric selection for my mini Fall Quilt. There are a few more days to join if you're interested in the Quilter's Fall Swap. I'm planning to make a mini-runner or place mat with the fabrics and to get it out as early as I can so it can be enjoyed while it's still autumn.

The colors remind me of Savannah's tree swing under the maple's autumn dress of red, gold, chestnut and green:

The perfect place to read her Halloween books and eat apples from the local orchard.

Online Fall Quilt Festival

2009-10-15T22:03:00.000-04:00

In the autumn, there's no need to look far for inspiration - the golden leaves, the pumpkins bursting off the garden vine, the orchard full of twisty trees bending to the ground under the weight of apples, the browns of the earth silhouetted against the bluest October skies. But just in case you've been too busy to notice, you can still find some inspiration here at the Online Fall Quilt Festival hosted by Park City Girl.

Visit the Flickr group if you can and enjoy!

Turquoise and fuschia

2009-10-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a peak at the baby quilt I'm working on for a friend. The colors are her request and I have to say, they are really growing on me!

It's my modern twist on the four- patch and the log cabin. Lots of great fabrics in this - Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Kaffe Fassett. Yes, it's really growing on me...

Organizing thread and fat quarters

2009-09-29T09:24:00.000-04:00

When you have little ones at home, the best you can hope for is an hour here and there to accomplish big tasks. I'm slowly renovating my sewing room in that way. Here's one wall that I've added two thread organizers, a handmade bulletin board, and two fat quarter shelves to.

The fabric in the bulletin board and on the switchplate (tutorial here) match the drapes I'm making for the room. The green paint is a color taken from the fabric and I have some peg board painted a yellow from the fabric that I will also add to hold my tools.

I love a sense of order! It's so important to see what you have when inspiration strikes.

Swaps received

2009-09-28T21:14:00.005-04:00

My Friendship Bag partner was all the way around the world in Australia! Thank you Vickie. Vickie lives in a town called Humpty Doo Australia - what a name!
It came filled with sewing goodies and fabric for me and stickers for my daughter - sparkly stickers! I received it a week ago and intended to take its photo right away but Savannah decided to use the bag to pack for one of her imaginary trips to Florida and I just found it today while cleaning her room...

Also, I received my swap for the Good 'Ol Summertime Mini Quilt Swap from Cynthia in Missouri. She's new to quilting but created all this. I say "all" this because her mini quilt was 36" by 36", so not so mini! Thank you Cynthia and welcome to quilting!

Clothespin bag

2009-09-26T20:52:00.006-04:00

When I was little and first saw the Hindu goddesses with four and six arms, they looked deformed to me. Now, as I take a basket of wet laundry to hang on the line, with two arms around the basket, plus a baby strapped to me, needing one arm for balance, and a bunch of clothespins that need transporting and a door that needs opening, I think having more arms would probably make me feel like a goddess too.

Since I haven't had the good fortune of sprouting new limbs as I need them, I created a bag for my clothespins to make my life a wee bit easier. It holds 150 clothespins and has a thick wrist strap, leaving both of my hands free to do something else.

It's great to have this on my wrist as I'm pinning up and taking down clothes from the line. The clothespins are always where I need them to be! The strap doubles as a great way to hang the bag around a door knob or hook when not in use. The entire bag is quilted for strength and stands up on its own boxed bottom.

Made from Kaffe Fassett's fan flower fabric from my stash. I wanted something not too girly in case my husband ever has to bring laundry in from the clothesline. Some interesting notes about clothespins...

Grocery bag dispensers

2009-09-21T22:15:00.004-04:00

It's nice when you can get organized and make your living space more beautiful and functional at the same time. This was a simple little project that's has helped to organize two small corners of my home - quilted grocery bag dispensers.

This is so much better than looking at a wad of plastic grocery bags.

I used some leftover ribbon for the loop at the top. This one hangs in the pantry near where I unload groceries. Stuff the bags in the top and pull from the bottom to dispense. I couldn't resist the Alexander Henry Apples & Pear fabric for the kitchen. Sometimes we use our fabric grocery bags and avoid the plastic altogether but sometimes we use the plastic bags,

This one was made with Heather Bailey's Pop Garden. I used leftover double-fold bias for the top loop. We use this one upstairs in the storage closet.

You can make your own by following the tutorial here.

Snowstorm hat for Savannah

2009-09-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

William got his snowstorm hat during a chilly visit to Maine, now it's Savannah's turn. I used leftover yarn from another project. It's two-tone because I ran out of the taupe but had more of the sky blue in the same Wool Ease Thick & Quick. This knit up quickly in one evening. I added the pompom and braids the next day. The pattern, which I roughly followed, can be found on Lion Brand's free pattern site (they are now all free but you will have to sign up for it) under snowstorm hat.

My little snow bunny. She can't wait to be out in the snow sucking on icicles and building friends for Frosty.

Here's the side view with the ear flaps. Cute and warm!

All tied on and ready for the cold, which will be here soon enough. Really, anything looks good on her...

Friendship Bag Swap

2009-09-03T21:29:00.004-04:00

I finished my friendship bag for my Quilting Blogger partner. I made it from Kaffe Fassett scraps leftover from Nana's Memory Quilt. This is a great bag to make with small leftover scraps or strips. Purple is the color of friendship and sharing. I'm sending this one overseas. I hope she likes it.

The tutorial comes from Rachel at psIquilt but I did change the handle style. Instead of two small fabric handles, I made one basket-style handle that's an inch wide with batting in the middle so it feels good (solid and strong) in your hand. There are some excellent ones already made in our Flickr group with many other quilters taking poetic license too.

I made this pincushion to send along with it and use up some more scrap fabric. The inspiration comes from Heather Bailey but I didn't follow her excellent tutorial.

I might fill it with some extra fat quarters or squares too - anything to pass along the wealth and reduce my stash!

Baby hat with ear flaps

2009-09-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

Poor baby William was so cold over the weekend I used the extra yarn I had from Savannah's cabled throw to knit him a quick hat. Initially I had made just the ribbed hat with the chunky yarn but it didn't stay on when he turned his head back and forth so I picked up some stitches on the sides to make ear flaps and added braids to them. William likes to pull and suck on the braids so they were worth adding for that alone.

If I had to make it over again I would make one ear flap then measure for the other one. I put the ear flaps exactly halfway around the head but I should have put one about a half inch or two stitches back.

I think he likes it!

Ivory cabled throw for Savannah

2009-09-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've picked up my knitting needles but I had the chance to "unplug" over the weekend (ie no Internet or electronics). I made this Ivory cabled throw for Savannah's special chair in the living room. Before the woodstove is really going she needs a warm blanket and sometimes she just likes to snuggle in something cozy.

The pattern is my own. Four rows of seed stitch on the ends and seven cables across. I love the classic feel and texture of cables...

I made it with Wool Ease's Thick & Quick yarn in Fisherman. I love this super bulky weight yarn!

Scrappy Nine Patch Quilt

2009-08-25T15:27:00.004-04:00

I finished the second charity quilt for Hospice, finally. This quilt top was part of crazy mom quilts nine patch quilt-a-long. This is my favorite part of the quilt, the binding in Mille Fiore by Kaffe Fassett.

One corner of the quilt.

A close up of a nine patch with Martha Negley fabric and Kaffe Fassett fabric. Quilted in my usual meandering pattern.

The quilt in its entirety - not my usual color patterns but I did make it all from scraps and used up quite a bit of them at that. I'm still on my self imposed fabric diet through December at least. I'm only allowed to purchase muslin for backings.

The pair of charity quilts ready to be dropped off to Hospice.

Ladybug picnic quilt

2009-08-22T17:30:00.007-04:00

This is my first of two charity quilts for Hospice. I've named the quilt "Ladybug Picnic". My hope is that the child who receives it will feel some warmth and happiness from the cheery quilt, even through the tough times of dealing with the loss of a loved one. The center of the quilt is a disappearing nine patch and other than the red polka dot fabric for the backing, I used all scraps to make it.

I started this quilt top in March and modified it to fit Hospice's size requirements of 42" by 66" (an awkward size) for Camp Erin. I'm not crazy about the light yellow fabric border I had to use to meet the size requirements, but overall, I think it turned out well. I thought of my grandmother as I bound it. Hospice helped me care for her in her last days when she was no longer well enough to stay in her own home.

I wasn't sure if I sould sign this quilt or not, as I'm giving it to a charity, but I thought perhaps the note of love from a stranger would be appreciated. Sometimes, compassion from a stranger can be profoundly more touching than kindness from a friend.

Aprons strings and chef hats

2009-08-19T00:24:00.000-04:00

When you give a new baby a gift, you also have to give something to the older siblings. Baby Isla also has a big brother, Ian, and big sister, Sophia, so after finishing her quilt, I went to work making a little something for them as well.

Miss Sophia will receive this play apron, which works equally well when used for real in the kitchen. I tried to find a pattern I might like from my favorite apron book, A is for Apron, but ended up just winging it. The pink on pink is "Pink Damask" by Michael Miller.

Savannah loves to model for me!

I also made her a matching potholder, which turned out well overall but don't look too closely at my stitching! It was a bit too thick with two layers of batting between two layers of fabric and then a double-folded binding to stitch up neatly.

Mister Ian will receive a chef's hat so when he's working in the kitchen with big sister, they can really cook up something delicious for their mama.

Ian will also get a matching oven mitt in Alexander Henry's "Juicy" lemons. I'm glad to say that I spent more time thinking this one out before stitching it up so I think it turned out much better. I'll be making one for Miss Savannah next.

And when you make fun things for other people's children, you have to make something for your own! Savannah has plenty of aprons already so instead of making her another, I made her a chef hat as well. She loves it! The chef's hat tutorial comes from Joanna at Stardust Shoes. Thank you Joanna!

Baby Isla's Quilt

2009-08-18T10:54:00.001-04:00

With the exception of the batting, I made this quilt from scraps in my stash. The log cabin squares are made with Kaffe Fassett and Alexander Henry fabrics and the back is a natural muslin. I wanted the squares to be big to use up as much of my fabric as possible and to be easier to put together. The large white squares in the center of the log cabin blocks give it a fresh modern twist. I had the perfect name for this quilt and then forgot it! So as of now, I am calling it "Cotton Candy Squares".

I quilted it in a large meandering pattern and bound it with my leftover blue dot fabric. This quilt measures about 42" x 42" square.

My machine seemed a little off when I was stippling - I had a harder than usual time making equal stitch lengths when using the free motion but overall it turned out very well without any unexpected puckering in the back or unusual stitches.

This quilt is going to be sent to England for baby Isla (pronounced "eye-lah") to enjoy as soon as I wash it. Isla was born this week! I hope she likes it.

I'm also sending her a set of four double-sided flannel bibs since they've been indispensable for William.

Good 'Ol Summertime Mini Quilt Swap

2009-08-17T12:42:00.006-04:00

This is the mini quilt I made for my swap partner (who is still a secret). It's a Dresden plate pattern that I made in yellows for a sunflower. I downloaded the template for Dresden plates from Eleanor Burns' website, Quilt-in-a-day, for free. (Thank you Eleanor!)

It measures about 20" by 20". The center of the sunflower has circular quilting in dark brown thread to look like sunflower seeds and there's some decorative stitching on the petals. The rest of the quilt (the green background with mini sunflowers) is stippled in a meandering pattern. AND I used only scraps from my stash since I'm still on a fabric diet. I need to sign the quilt and put a fabric sleeve on the back then it's ready to ship to Canada.

I hope my swap partner likes this one. From her website I learned that she does appreciate the vintage patterns but this turned out to be not as traditional looking as I had planned it to be.

Organizing my fabric stash

2009-08-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

We've completed another part of our house so I've finally been able to unpack some more boxes from my old craft room. I have to say that I have so much fabric I should be ashamed of myself! I definitely need to use it up before buying anything new. Making scrappy charity quilts helps. I have two WIP charity quilts that I'll need to finish this month and a baby quilt that's nearly done. I'd like to find another local charity that I could donate a quilt to for the holidays or perhaps donate to our library to auction off at a fundraiser. Our little library desperately needs the funds to be able to move to the old train station they are renovating, which is much larger than the basement below the bank they currently inhabit. I like thinking that my work is going directly to someone in my community.

I'm also restricting myself for fabric choices for the "In the Good Ol’ Summertime Mini Quilt Swap" I joined to use only scraps. I know I want to make a simple sunflower using the old-fashioned Dresden-plate pattern, so it's a good thing that the quilter I will be making it for enjoys vintage and traditional quilt styles.

Drooly monster bibs

2009-08-05T20:35:00.001-04:00

Every baby goes through a drooly monster stage when their teeth are coming in and my poor William is among the drooliest of all. I'm tired of changing his onesies four times a day to keep the drool off his skin so I started using ultra-absorbent double-sided flannel bibs. They work very well but he's going through two a day, which is far better than having to change his shirts. Still, I keep running out. Today while he napped I made him a pair of choo-choo train bibs. They are sized just right for him and the flannel really does absorb more than plain cotton without soaking his shirt beneath.

I top stitched them and used velcro closure in the back. Two isn't enough though. I'll have to make at least four more to keep up with the rate of his drool flow!

And look who woke up from his nap just in time to model a new bib...

"Surf's Up" quilt

2009-06-28T21:53:00.000-04:00

I'm calling this quilt "Surf's Up" because the turquoise reminds me of tropical ocean waters that are so clear you can see exactly where the continental shelf drops off, the white is for the finely powdered sand, and the loud red floral fabric is for the Hawaiian shirts and surf boards that most likely match the tourists' sunburns. I started this quilt one night after a stressful day with the kids as a way to unwind and relax before bedtime. Instead of finishing one of my WIP, I just wanted to sew, sew, sew those quarter inch seams without thinking about much else. It worked like a charm!

I had no plan in mind when I began this quilt...I simply grabbed a handful of turquoise squares I had cut months ago and paired them with some white 4" squares I also had cut ages ago and started sewing. When the quilt top wasn't large enough to be useful after I ran out of turquoise, I started in on the red, which I had left over from the "Lemonade Stand" quilt top I just finished (it's not yet quilted).

The quilt is crib size so I'm adding it to my collection of quilts available for the babies my friends are expecting this year. I like to have quilts on hand that friends can choose from because I'd rather they pick something they like and will use than something I made for them that they don't like or will never use. It doesn't hurt my feelings if someone doesn't like something I make (I don't like some of what I make!) but it does if someone doesn't tell me the truth.

The batting is pieced and the backing is pieced. This quilt used up all of my turquoise, all of my white, all of my white thread, and all of my red floral fabric as well. Ahh, it feels great to run out of something!

From a flat non-textured quilt top...

To a lovely crinkled textured quilt. I LOVE that step!

I quilted it with bright turquoise thread, which was fun. I like using colored thread since I have too much of it. I intended to make a wave pattern but I ended up having another stressful day and just wanted to "quilt" so the pattern is the more familiar meandering. I'm not sure about my color choices, but I think I like it...somehow they do seem to go in a "surf's up" kind of way.

Sneak peak

2009-06-27T22:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a sneak peak at my current project:

I'm halfway through quilting it, my favorite part, so I should have the completed work to show soon!

Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap - Quilt Received

2009-06-26T10:21:00.000-04:00

Look at the beautiful work that arrived in the mail for me today for the Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap!

Mini-quilt by Barbara Moore.

I love the traditional quilter's fabrics and the hand appliqued design. This quilt is a nice mix of traditional and whimsical. The sweet blue bird (state bird of New York) is great and I really like the unique shape of the flowers too. Also, I've never seen a quilter sign on the fabric sleeve before but I think this is a great idea that I'll plan to do on my next mini-quilt swap (and as soon as I find my fabric pens). Thank you Barbara! I love it.

Quilting works in progress

2009-06-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

I'm so discouraged with my nine-patch quilt that I've been dying to complete it. It is going to charity and the purpose was to use up my fabric scraps before I bought anymore and to make a bright quilt for a good cause. I suppose I've met those goals but I don't like the quilt top very much.

I will probably piece the backing as well to use up more scraps.

In the meantime, I decided I wanted to work on something quick and easy. I'm using some Alexander Henry lemon fabric and a variety of others, mainly from JoAnns in this coin quilt. It's crib size. I'm calling it "Lemonade Stand".

Of course, my clever daughter saw my favorite fabric in it and said,

"It looks more like your lemon poppy seed bread; maybe you should call it "Lemon Poppy Seed" instead."

Maybe I will...

Brown paper packages tied up with string

2009-06-16T20:28:00.000-04:00

Today William received a cute crew neck sweater from my friend Jess. It's hand knit in Rowan's all seasons cotton. I love the slate grey and can't wait for the next chilly day to see William in it. I've always been a shoe and sweater girl! If you're on Ravelry, you can look up Jess's other amazing knits under her name "midwifejess".

Jess also remembered big sister who received a beautiful sundress. She was very happy to model it right away. Jess also sent some tea biscuits cleverly shaped like the letter "T" so of course we had to have a tea party in Savannah's new sundress. Jess is also expecting a baby this year so I am adding a baby quilt to my list of projects.

I also received two interesting fabrics from Elizabeth in Holland who sent them as a surprise thank you for the baby fabric squares I sent her last month. She's making a surprise baby quilt for her sister's baby with fabrics from all over the world. Can't wait to see it!

Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap

2009-06-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

Today I finished my mini quilt for the Spring Blooms swap. I changed my mind about a dozen times when it came to what I was going to make. Partly, I was anxious about having received a professional quilter to create for when my skills are more novice or intermediate level in the quilting department and partly, I was just occupied with other things; work, books, garden, recovering, baby...

In the end I decided to just play around and see what comes of it. I made a quilt that is totally "me", playful and imperfect with Kaffe Fassett and Martha Negley fabrics that I love and to me scream "spring". I quilted it with a meandering stipple.

I did use one new technique - I've never made yoyos before and I made two this time for the funky flower and its center. I also don't use applique very often so I hope it turned out well enough.

My favorite part is the tree. I love trees. This one is fun because the fabric I used had an enormous lettuce or cabbage print on it, so I fussy cut it out to serve as the foliage. There's a hole in the tree waiting for new tenants.

Maybe this bird lives there.

Tomorrow I package up and send out my mini-creation. I'll update this post on Friday with a link to my quilting partner's website so you can see her amazing quilt artwork. Until then, it's still a secret!

Quilt-a-long Nine Patch

2009-05-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

I've joined AmandaJean's one a day nine patch quilt-a-long to take my mind off of my slow recovery. While William is sleeping I can sit nearby and do some quilting when I can't rest and standing or activity is too much. I'm using up fabric from my stash and making a charity quilt for Camp Erin, a local summer camp run by Hospice for children who have lost someone special recently and need help with the grieving process.

The patches are REALLY bright. I hope it all comes together. The final quilt size will be 42" by 66", the size requested by Hospice for Camp Erin, and the nine patches will each be 6" finished. I had hoped to use small green prints instead of the yellows and oranges but I didn't have any green in my stash to use up. So far I've got 16 squares complete. The idea is to complete one nine patch a day and at the end of the spring to have a complete set for the quilt top.

**Update:** I did find some green in my stash - a Martha Negley fabric, so I'm now using that up too...

This is my warm-up for another quilt project I've joined - the spring blooms mini-quilt swap. I was really excited about this project and then I was paired to create my quilt for a professional art quilter who hand dyes her own fabric, whose quilts win multiple awards, and whose small quilts begin selling at $500. Now I'm really nervous about designing a quilt for this person since she's a professional and I'm a novice...

A little something for everyone

2009-04-01T20:25:00.000-04:00

As well as some double-sided burp cloths with fabric I had leftover from a gift to another mom last year.

Every savvy mom knows that you can't go around making new things for baby unless you make something for the G.O. (genuine original, aka, big) sibling too. So, Miss Savannah got two new fabric belts. One is made from Amy Butler's pink Wallflower fabric. This belt is three fabric layers thick and 3/4" wide and is super cute on her with her new jeans.

The second is an all-scrap belt made with two layers plus batting for strength and is 1" wide. They both do a great job of holding up her pants on her skinny little waist so she doesn't get plumber's butt - a common occurrence when she isn't wearing a belt.

And, I made a little something for Mommy as well. In many countries there is a long tradition of belly binding after birth. The purpose is to restore the body to its original shape as quickly as possible while providing support for the stretched stomach muscles that must realign and tighten again as well as the lower back, which is stressed more with picking up baby at a time when it is weakest (due to those stretched tummy muscles). They also help restore stretched out skin to its original shape and help mothers maintain good posture. Unfortunately, unless you live in LA or NYC, you can't try on a belly binder, you have to special order them and they are non-returnable items, which stinks if you don't get the correct size since the prices range from $60-110. So, I made my own out of a soft washable pima cotton with organic cotton batting for strength (both scraps from other projects). We'll have to see how it goes, I may end up shelling out the dough for one of the expensive ones anyway but I'm eager to try mine out. Belly binders are usually worn for 2 weeks to 2 months post delivery. In Mexico a belly binder is called a "faja" and in Japan a "sarashi". In some regions, women see a special belly binder whose job it is just to bind women or fit them for a binder.

My belly binder has a 2" velcro strip that can attach to a patch of velcro on the other side that is 4" wide. I hope the 4" strip gives me enough flexibility but in case it doesn't, I can add on another 2". It is 9" tall or wide so it will stretch from the top of my hip girdle to just beneath my lower ribs. Usually bellies shrink by 5" after delivery and then very slowly thereafter, although belly binding is supposed to speed up this recovery process and restore the body to its original shape faster.

April showers bring...

2009-04-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

...more time to complete our inside projects.

The floor pillows I made for Savannah's playroom, plus the sofa pillows below. The floor cushions are big and soft - 24" x 24" and have removable cotton covers that can be washed in the machine.

And I finished my first Boppy or nursing pillow cover. I used a soft Minky fabric from my stash that Savannah had picked out a while ago in case baby is a girl. This was my first invisible zipper and it turned out well enough for my first try. I must have pulled on the fabric (Minky fabric is maddeningly stretchy) a bit because there is a small pucker around it. I'm so glad I make a 22" zipper instead of the 14" zipper called for. It takes just the right amount of pushing and pulling to remove this pillow cover.

See the puckered edge at the top where my invisible zipper is? All the rest of the wrinkles smoothed out after a day of "use" by a practicing future Big Sister.

Savannah snuggles with her Lovey, Bunny, while learning how to hold baby sister or brother. She also helped me pick out a Lovey for baby on Friday.

Pillows, pillows, and more pillows

2009-03-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

While I've always appreciated how quickly a change of pillow cover can coordinate a room, I've never been a big fan of a pile of decorative pillows. My philosophy is function first, then make that useful item as beautiful as possible.

Since we're doing well with the tiling and grouting, I decided to go ahead and knock off some pillows for the sofa I ordered in red microfiber for the family room. I figure if I don't get it done before baby arrives, it might be put on the back burner for a long time and Savannah deserves a finished playroom of her own.

Pair of sofa pillows and covers for Savannah's playroom in Alexander Henry's Kleo on the front and Esprit stripe on the back. Removable with button and ribbon closure and machine-washable - a necessary feature for young kiddies!

I made the playroom curtains in Alexander Henry's Mocca fabric so I decided to use the coordinating Kleo and Esprit stripe fabrics for the sofa pillows. Both pillows are an easy 20" x 20" square and I made a back flap of fabric with a button (that Savannah selected herself) so I can machine wash them.

The back view of the pillow covers in Esprit stripe with the turquoise ribbon and bright red buttons Savannah picked out for the button closures.

I want a very child-friendly playroom with safe floor space for moving and playing so instead of cluttering up the space with extra furniture, I'm making floor cushions that are 24" x 24" for the kids to sit on. Savannah tested the pillow forms out at JoAnn's and loved the big ones best. JoAnn's is having a 50% sale on all pillow forms this week by the way, including their "Nurture Nest" U-shaped pillow form, which is identical to a Boppy (except it's only $10). Coming up next - two coordinating floor cushions.

Pesto is the besto!

2009-03-22T20:21:00.000-04:00

I love how easy it is to make a fresh pesto sauce at home. I haven't been able to eat store bought pesto sauce for the past few years now that my taste buds have adapted to the real thing.

Savannah also adores pesto and makes most batches nearly by herself. I should've known at 8 months when she used to crawl around and eat my fresh potted herbs (basil, rosemary and thyme) until there was nothing left of them that she would be a pesto lover too. Savannah won't eat my fresh marinara sauce or my roasted red pepper sauce but she'll eat pesto with a spoon as if it were yogurt. Here's our recipe:

Easy Peasy Pesto Sauce Recipe

1. Wash your sweet or Italian Genovese basil leaves in a colander and use a clean kitchen towel to blot the extra water off (if you accidentally use the spicy Thai Basil leaves, you'll burn your tongue and might swear off pesto for a year!).

2. Add to your food processor:

1-3 cloves of smashed garlic (by taste and size of garlic cloves)
1/4 tsp to a 1/2 tsp of Kosher or sea salt (by taste - you can always add more later!)
4-8 Tb good extra virgin olive oil
4-6 Tb of your favorite nut (toasted pine nuts are the most commonly used but we prefer raw walnuts and raw pecans)
and about 2 cups of fresh basil leaves pinched from their stems

3. Pulse together until well blended. Add more olive oil if needed.

4. Add to food processor some Parmesan (about 2-4 Tb or so) or other aged cheese (if you're vegan you can omit cheese altogether, or make it extra cheesy for your kids) and 1 Tb of canola oil (see below). Pulse together, taste for adjustments, and enjoy.

Notes: If your pesto seems to be missing something, try a few turns of the pepper mill.

If serving over pasta, consider adding a side bowl of freshly diced tomatoes when they're in season. The sweetness and juiciness of the tomatoes accents the pungency and saltiness of the pesto very well and gives you an extra serving of fresh fruit and fiber.

If you've never tried it, you might try substituting raw walnuts for toasted or raw pine nuts in your pesto sauce. Walnuts have the best flavor for pesto in my taste buds' opinion. In many Amish communities across America, sunflower seeds are used in place of pine nuts in pesto sauces.

Sara's secrets

When making pesto at home, replace 1Tb of olive oil with 1Tb of canola oil per batch of pesto. The canola oil, while having a higher amount of polyunsaturated fats, will keep your pesto from oxidizing (a natural reaction that many herbs, fruits and veggies have when exposed to oxygen in air) so it keeps its vibrant green color without turning brown.

It took me a long time to discover this and while my pesto always tasted great when I stored summer and fall's bounty in the freezer for winter (or even for just an hour in the fridge before company arrived!) it always turned brown on top no matter how much olive oil I poured over it. Now my pesto is a bright beautiful green without any preservatives no matter how long I store it!

Notes: You could also try using sunflower oil or safflower oil if you're out of canola oil but I don't recommend using these oils based on their fat profiles - extremely high in polyunsaturated fats and extremely low in monounsaturated (aka good) fats. I also don't recommend cooking with canola oil since it easily breaks down into trans-fatty acids when heated.

Labor of love - Nana's memory quilt

2009-03-14T20:18:00.000-04:00

I've been working in secret on a memory quilt for my mother in law's birthday. This is my first memory quilt and the fastest I've tried to pull off a quilt of this size.

Smiling faces and poems for the front. And yes, this started out as five large disappearing nine patches. (Guess I'm on a roll with those!)

The back is pieced with a strip of 8" fabric and notes from her grandchildren. They are all cute messages, but I think my favorite is the footprint of baby Evan. That tiny footprint pretty much says it all.

Some details up close.

The practical:
My husband thought purple was her favorite color and I rarely see her without a Vera Bradley bag of some sort usually in purple, blue or green, so I chose fabrics in these colors from my favorite fabric designer, Kaffe Fassett.

It's lap size (50" x 60") because my mother-in-law is a knitter and while knitting warms up your forearms, it leaves the rest of you chilly unless you're sitting beside a warm fire or can knit while walking on a treadmill...

Because of the high recommendations it received, I used Printed Treasures sew-in fabric for the photos and artwork. I haven't had a chance to wash the quilt yet since I just finished in time for her surprise party today, but I've got my fingers crossed that all the positive reviews are accurate when they promise the printed fabric can be washed.

Savannah's picture in the quilt. She was most excited to have been placed in the same row as her cousin Abby - the girls share the same temperament; imaginative, creative, sensitive, affectionate.

The rest:
I really wanted to make something special for her birthday. As I started the project I realized that this was not so much a gift from me as it was from all of her grandchildren - their smiling faces with toothy grins and cute notes of love and appreciation for their Nana. That's what makes the quilt special. Really, it's all these little people that make up her legacy. I hope she enjoys it.

Things I learned:
No matter how alluring the thread-count and manufacturer's name, don't use tightly-woven fabrics for the quilt back. Even though it seems simple and plain to use a quilter's cotton or a muslin for backing fabric, it is easier to baste and quilt and hides needles and threads better.

Don't keep your magnetic pin cushion anywhere near your sewing machine. The magnet can cause your machine to go haywire.

Keep an assortment of sewing needles on hand for troubleshooting issues that arise with different fabrics when sewing. Sometimes the best needle for quilting is not a quilting needle but a denim needle or sharp needle.

EQ6 quilting software can be really helpful, when you have limited fabrics or time and can't "play" around with a design. After using it for a week, I give it an 8-star rating (out of 10) since it is missing some features that would have made it easier to use. Here are some of the designs I considered:

A modified log cabin - I almost made this one but thought I was too short on time. The heart in the bottom corner was an applique I considered adding, but it seemed to draw too much attention away from the grandkids.

Another layout for a disappearing nine patch quilt. In the end I decided I wanted the kids' pictures and art to be the showcase, not a more artistic design.

A straight-forward alternating square block pattern that I still really like, but was worried that my choice of such vibrant fabrics might not blend as well with this design.

Up for air

2009-03-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

Between work work (my business), work on the house (renovations and projects), regular home work (cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, etc), and the work of growing of a baby (I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in my body), I've been running pretty ragged lately. Here are some of the quilting projects I've been working on (a few of which are actually completed).

I finished Baby Sophia's quilt yesterday. I've been working on it in bits and pieces between other things and finally had the chance to quilt it over the weekend and bind it yesterday afternoon. I really like the way it turned out. I think a baby would be fascinated by its bright and contrasting colors. I made a mistake in shifting the back fabric while quilting it together and had to piece together another scrap to finish the back but, that's what quilting is all about anyway, using the pieces of what you've got to make something different, whole and useful.

Tacked up to the design wall - can't imagine I ever lived without one.

Here's the back in bright pink and white polka dots. Very colorful!

I've also been experimenting with two different disappearing nine patch quilts inspired by another quilter's work. I've been trying to make one for a little girl who was sick in the hospital and has now recovered but I think it's too bright and cheerful now that's she's home with her family again...

Here are the squares up on the design board, just hanging out until I finish it up.

See what I mean - BRIGHT! BRIGHT! BRIGHT! So, I may put this aside for now and finish it for charity later or for another sick child. I will have to find another quilt to make for this special little girl so the next time (hopefully there will never be a next time but since the doctors don't know what's wrong with her...) she's in the hospital, she will have a warm, bright cheerful thing to take with her.

Here's another disappearing nine patch I started with some Moda fabric from a 5" charm pack. It's not fabric I would normally buy so I've had it sitting around my fabric stash for a long time. It might end up turning into a doll or bear quilt for Savannah.

One minute, you think you're a nine-patch...

and the next you find you've been turned upside down...

In the meantime, I broke my fabric diet and purchased a large amount of Kaffe Fassett fabric to make my next quilted wonder with a special person in mind. Kaffe Fassett is my favorite fabric designer and whenever I need a little winter therapy or rainy day pick me up, I just browse their latest fabrics. Plus, I found a new Kona cotton fabric line with a 200 thread count that JoAnn's is selling for backing fabric. I love it. It was hard to stop rubbing my cheek against it so I think it will be a great addition to a future quilt. Until it arrives though, it's back to home renovations. This weekend we tackle the basement tiling project...

Baby William Quilt - An Afternoon on Oahu

2009-02-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

I finished Baby William's quilt today - but Savannah says it could be a girl quilt or a boy quilt.

Here it is up on the design wall. It measures 36" x 42". This quilt reminds me of Oahu - the varied colors of the ocean and sandy beach, the hibiscus opening every morning with the rising sun and closing up into twisted little umbrellas at night, the intoxicating fragrance of plumeria.

It's reversible, two quilts in one since the back is also pieced. So far my fabric diet is working out well and I've used up two yards, 4 fat quarters and some other random fabric bits I've had in my stash on this quilt alone. Most of the fabric is from Kaffe Fassett, probably my favorite fabric designer, but there are plenty of other odd bits thrown in from Jo-Ann sales and other project leftovers. The binding I made from the leftover fabric bits and I just made it - with only three inches of double-fold binding to spare.

Here's the back of the quilt, which could also be the front. Instead of bright white like the front of the quilt, the back uses a scrap of fabric I had leftover from another project and is a sandy natural colored cotton.

I free-motion quilted it in three different styles - stipling for the white sashing, big round circles for the squares and a back and forth curve all along the borders. Hopefully there's enough contrast here for the stitching to show. I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to free-motion quilting but really enjoy it. The variation and texture it creates is fun for babies.

And here's the design board I made from homasote last weekend (and love!) already in use with another possible upcoming project using up some of my Kaffe Fassett fabrics for a green and navy and maybe orange or yellow quilt top. But first, back to the painting and tiling and other house chores...

Also, an edit, I said previously that homasote is made from 100% recycled paper and that isn't true. It's made from 98% recycled post-consumer paper (they use 300 tons a day!) and the water they use in the manufacturing process is 100% recycled in their closed loop system. Anyway, it's a great product and we also plan to use it to insulate the door to our mechanical room where it can be noisy.

Sophia's cow quilt top - Just say Moo

2009-02-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

I finally made the decision on Sophia's cow quilt - more white was the answer (and then more pink, and then more cows when I ran out of that fabric).

I added white sashing which helped to break up the oh so much color and contrast and decided that I wanted the quilt top to be slightly larger, so I added a 4" border in a leftover fabric from my stash. It wasn't quite enough to reach the corners so I had to fussy cut the last four cows out of my fat quarter to finish the quilt. I feel guilty for not binding the quilt and quilting it first before displaying it but I haven't found my warm & natural cotton batting yet with a third of our house in boxes again.

Amber wrote in to tell me of her useful site, My Web Quilter where you can play around with square and designs online before diving into your fabrics and cutting them up. Very useful website and you can even add sashing and borders, etc.

Now that I see the tremendous task ahead of us in finishing the basement, where my project room will reside, I know it will be a few more weeks until the space is livable again. Until then, my sewing machine is installed on one side of the dining room table where it's getting regular if not daily use in between a rush of other activities.

The binding will be a thin black bias, made of scraps if I have enough leftover (I may not). Savannah selected a super soft pink minky fabric with stars on it for the backing. The quilt top measures 44" x 44" and I can't wait to free motion quilt it and give it that wonderful crinkly texture.

Quilt block dilemma - Sophia's cows

2009-02-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

There was something about these little moo cows that caught my eye on a recent trip to the fabric store for something entirely different. Savannah liked it too "for a Sophia" so we stacked up some coordinating fat quarters and half yards and brought them home for whenever I might have time to start thinking about making something for baby. I was hoping to make two simple, alternating quilt blocks in contrasting colors for baby's undeveloped eyes. But I can't find a decent pattern to contrast with this block that I do like. Here's my first block attempt (it doesn't work at all but I really wanted to find a way to use the cow print and polka dots).

I think this quilt may be suffering from a lack of white space. Maybe I'll try removing the stripes and replacing it with white fabric. Unfortunately, I can't find any of my white fabric at the moment since it's all packed away in boxes. I'm reluctant to purchase new fabric since I'm trying to put my craft room, which is the dining room table until the basement is tiled, on a fabric diet. I also considered embroidering "Moo!" on white squares that would alternate with the cows but I usually waste fabric when embroidering on small 4" squares like these. Plus, then I'm back to wading through boxes to find my white fabric...

Cute little moo, moos. Wonder what I'll come up with for a Baby William quilt. With the fabric diet in place, I may have to use up my Kaffe Fassett stash for a bright, gender-neutral quilt.

Playroom curtains complete

2009-02-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

Between books and a busy schedule of work crews shuffling in and out of the house, I've been working on completing Savannah's playroom curtains. She picked out Alexander Henry's Mocca fabric and the timing was excellent because I found it on sale for $5/yard (Alexander Henry fabrics are never $5/yard!). Lucky me. If I convince Kevin of the red sofa for the kids playroom, then some pillows in the same fabric will go on the sofa. If not, I'll make floor cushions for the kids or fabric baskets to organize their toys for the room.

The floor for the playroom has been leveled and poured and the radiant heating is working very well. It's soooo nice! This weekend we'll paint it in Sherwin-Williams' compatible cream using their low-VOC paint called Durable. No, I'm not supposed to be painting so I'll only do some trim work with my NIOSH respirator on. Here are some early pics of the curtains, which are 100% cotton, machine washable, and lined. The ring clips Savannah selected make it very easy for her to slide the curtains open and closed -an unexpected child-friendly feature.

Holy cow - look at that color!

One curtain up before we installed the locally-made, custom, double-honeycomb, light-blocking insulating shades with side tracks for added draft prevention.

In the design room (which is currently the kitchen table!) pinning the lining to the fabric. These are large panels - 90" across for each of the two panels and with the heavy lining the largest part of my job was "fabric management" not sewing, cutting or pressing. The window is 100" across. I'm so glad these weren't floor-length drapes! The lining by the way was purchased with a JoAnn's gift card from my mother-in-law - great idea!

The curtains with the new shade drawn. The shade blocks sunlight (important for tv glare for family movies and when the summer sun is too hot). They are very insulating as well so reduce heat-loss from the house with their impressive R-value. The local company that custom makes these is Comfortex. It's another great way to save energy for your home, since windows are responsible for a large amount of heat loss. My only regret is that we picked out the shade color while the room was supposed to be painted in rice grain, a neutral warm grayish color like the shade. Now that we've changed the pallette, the color looks more like it belongs in an office building....

Corking

2009-01-27T20:09:00.000-05:00

Savannah has desperately wanted to learn how to knit. I tried to teach her a few weeks ago on the kids learning needles with a bulky yarn and only 10 stitches across, but I had to hold the needles for her most of the time. Corking to the rescue.

I had never heard of it, but it's also called Knitting Nancy, an appropriate name considering the corking supplies were a gift to Savannah from our neighbor Nancy. The small hand-held corker helps kids learn how to knit without having to juggle needles and it holds stitches in place easily. Savannah made her first creation yesterday - a scarf for her daughter bunny - and is now working on a larger one for herself (or for her Papa if she can get him to wear pink and purple under his Carhartt jacket).

My very serious daughter who chose to skip a bedtime story so she could have more corking time.

Hard at work, making bunny's scarf just the right length.

The happy recipient of her first corking experiment! Savannah woke up early and picked up her corking right away before "good morning" or kisses so she could finish bunny's scarf before breakfast. I wonder where she gets her work ethic...

Little sewing projects - curtains, curtains and more curtains

2009-01-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

Now that our house is packed with boxes again, I've begun some small sewing projects. Today I made a valance for the downstairs bathroom and lined it with light blocking fabric. I know it's kind of silly to line a valance with light blocking fabric but I wanted the practice of sewing with that particular lining, which is thick and semi-sticky on one side, before attempting some more important drapes with a much more expensive silk fabric. Plus, the light blocking fabric will prevent any damage from UV rays to the silk. All turned out well I think tying the reds, greens, and yellows together and giving the bathroom one last punch of color. Kevin has custom-ordered the double honeycomb blinds with a high R value for this window (and most of the others in the house as well) from a local company in Troy, but the valance will conceal the blinds and hardware when they are opened.

A simple lined valance rod pocket with ruffled header.

I've also finally decided on fabric for the kitchen. The one color scheme I've always loved in the kitchen are the colors of blue willow. So the only colors I ever buy are white and white with blue trim or a willow pattern. This makes it very easy to match sets over time as dishes get broken and chipped. I also like being able to "see" my food so having white plates and bowls appeals to me. I've chosen an Asian blue willow print for the curtains made by Duralee (E20781, royal blue & white Willow pattern). Eventually, the rest of the kitchen will be updated - stainless steel energy-efficient appliances (I can't wait for my induction top stove!), new counter tops, and a backsplash of white tile with a hint of blue border - to better match my curtains. I bought a stainless steel curtain rod in anticipation of my future appliances, which may trickle in one at a time with the rest of our more costly home renovations. Having "colors" makes everything easier. I also bought some bathmats today that I'm going to repurpose into kitchen towels with trim that will match the curtains. They would have done terribly as bathmats but they will make for very soft absorbent kitchen towels!

I'm trying a new style of curtain for the kitchen - inverted box pleats. It's a bit more formal for a valance with such a large playful print on it but I expect it to hang well and the personality should match mine in the kitchen - both formal and playful.

And, as if that weren't enough, I let Savannah pick out the fabric for her playroom curtains. I think she did a great job! The playroom has an enormous picture window that is almost 100 inches wide. I wanted to hang a large retro-looking curtain with oversized grommets but Savannah prefers the ring clips. Here's the fabric she's selected along with floor tiles and the paint. I want to finish the curtains before Kevin returns from his trip, if possible, because there's no way he would approve of this bold fabric choice. Because the fabric is from a 2006 Alexander Henry collection (Mocca), I've purchased it for only $5 a yard! I'm working on convincing Kevin that a bright red sofa or slip covered sofa, would look great in the kids playroom but he's not convinced. Brown is my second choice and after that a plain old neutral. Either way, the sofa will be plastered with pillows that match the curtains. I might also make floor pillows for the kids for this room since it's meant to be a 100% kid-friendly space.

Above are the Alexander Henry fabrics Savannah selected for the playroom (Esprit stripe, Mocca and Kleo). The large print on the right will be made into curtains (in progress). Below are the floor tiles, paint color and Chobi rug that I'd already picked out. As the kids grow, it will be very easy to make the room more sophisticated but until then, I see nothing wrong with some bold color choices that say, come and play.

I'm dreaming of...

2008-12-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

A white Christmas is ours this year. Winter has come in all its glory bringing ice, then snow, then wind and more ice, snow and wind. Good thing Santa saw fit to shower us with ice skates, sleds, poles and snowshoes this year!

Now that the holiday rush has passed and we can enjoy our time together more leisurely, I've begun to prepare for baby. I knit this striped stocking hat with the pom pom for baby and can't wait to see it on. Savannah wants one too so I've begun one for her as well. For newborns hats are supposed to fit over a grapefruit and I think mine is slightly larger so it will have to be saved for the fall or winter. I created my own pattern since I couldn't find a pattern for exactly what I wanted.

New hat on bunny.

Baby's new stocking hat.

The elven view.

Savannah spent her Christmas Eve playing in the ice-covered snow making snow people and then smashing them down and making an old-fashioned garland as an offering for the birds and squirrels on Christmas day. There are few reds as beautiful and varied as that of cranberries. They may not be as sparkly and uniform as pomegranate jewels, but what other fruit could match their range of reds and still be suitable for everyday wear?

Stringing together cranberries and popcorn for the woodland garland - our offering to the birds.

Christmas Day we snuggled in bed until 8am, then opened our stockings before breakfast. After breakfast it was time for presents! Savannah opened her presents from Santa first, then had to be encouraged to open her other gifts half an hour later. I guess you could say she's mesmerized by her furbies.

Savannah asked Santa for a very specific limited edition furby this year. Little did Santa's helper know that furbies are a collector's item that have not been produced by the elves since 1997. TGFE (Thank God For Ebay!).

Savannah on her sled with baby and big sister furby. These cute little things talk and sing to each other in Furbish. Savannah is teaching them English.

Savannah played with her pirate Jack-in-the-box from Dearest over and over again.

Savannah even got a present from baby Eastler!

Savannah models her homemade beanie. Look for these on etsy from the Portland Beanie Company.

Santy Claws even saw fit for the furbeast to have some fresh organic catnip toys made by this elf named MeowWow.

Kevin opens one of his gifts from Grandpa.

After presents we made a big Italian lunch (fresh marinara sauce, salad with apple cider vinegar dressing, chicken parmigiana with organic whole wheat spaghetti) to share with our neighbors. They brought nature photos over and we looked through some amazing pictures of coyotes, garden spoils and other wildlife that they'd captured on film over the years from their yard. Soon we'll have our own collection. Then we spent the afternoon snowshoeing and sledding and enjoying the great outdoors. Ahh, country life.

A cowl for the cold

2008-12-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

I like to hand make as many gifts as I can for the holidays. To me there's nothing that says I care about you like taking the time to make something with my own two hands. First there's the idea, which takes time, then selecting the fabric, yarn or ingredients, planning the time to make the gift and then making it and wrapping it - each step during which the recipient is thought of. Holiday packages from our house usually include homemade toffee, hot pepper jelly, candied almonds, and other handmade items for the little ones like aprons or craft sets and blankets. Most of the gifts I've made this year I have to keep mum about until Christmas day but with less time this year than in previous years, I also bought some homemade gifts on etsy - my favorite place to shop for inspiration and for homemade items that I can't make myself.

Yesterday a project I had to complete for work was stopped abruptly so I had the evening all to myself to finally make a Christmas present I've wanted for a long time - a cowl to keep my neck warm inside and out. Cowls are all the rage at the moment in the knitting community ever since big bulky knits started appearing all over the runway. Many of the cowls are either too bulky for my tastes or too lacy making them impractical for the weather here. So I decided to make my own pattern in a bulky weight yarn by Lion (Wool-Ease Thick and Quick). I learned a lot from making it and though I will wear this one, I'll make some changes to the next one I make before writing down my pattern. I think the height of 10 inches is too much for me and I should have stopped between 6 and 8 inches. Trouble is, I love cables so much it's hard for me to stop cabling! I also learned that by decreasing stitches by about 5-6 at the end and beginning is important to help it keep its shape, to prevent rolling and keep the cold out. Of course, Savannah wants one now and when I told her I'd be happy to make her a matching one, she said, "No! In pink please!"

It fits over my head easily, even though mine is the largest in the house. At the top you can see where I learned to decrease a few stitches to help the cowl keep its shape. Next time I'll do the same at both ends.

A terrible picture I took of myself wearing the cowl. Next time, I'll make a somewhat shorter one but it's nice to have the option of pulling this one up from beneath my jacket collar when I'm outside braving the Northwest wind. It also folds over like a turtle neck.

Old-fashioned apple fritters

2008-12-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

I recently bought a series of small pamphlet-sized cookbooks, each with a subject on the fruits of your gardening labor. The recipes are old-fashioned grandma, county fair, farmhouse-style recipes on topics such as squash and zucchini, apples, tomatoes, herbs, etc. They have proved to be brilliant! This morning we tried apple fritters (a breakfast recipe for this time of year when the crispy apples for eating turn a bit softer) and they were delicious. They tasted a lot like the fried dough you can buy at county fairs except much fresher like a warm doughnut out of the frying pan and into your hand. We would definitely make these again! Since I modified the recipe from the original, I'll post it here.

Old-fashioned apple fritters

1c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (heaped or rounded)
3 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl.

1/4 cup water
2-3 Tb plain or vanilla yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1 c apple, diced

Mix together wet ingredients then blend with dry ingredients. Add diced apple.
Drop about a 1/4 c into hot frying pan with 1/4 inch of vegetable or canola oil and fry on each side until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and nutmeg and serve plain or with maple syrup and butter drizzled on top.

Notes: You could substitute for the water and yogurt 1/3 c of milk if you prefer.

Reduce your fabric stash for a good cause (and maybe win a contest)

2008-12-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Every quilter I know has a fabric stash that includes much coveted fabric as well as fabric that makes you wonder, what was I thinking when I bought that? Anyway, now's your chance to do some good and reduce the sinfully large size of your stash (making room for new fabric, of course) AND enter yourself in a charms contest for 36 random 5 inch charms. The link to the contest, called Charms for Charity Contest, is posted below.

The neatest thing of all is that the fabric will be donated from quilters all around the world to make quilts for charity. Definitely something I'd like to be a part of!