Well, looky here…

I’ve finally finshed up a batch of zippy pouches I’ve been working on since January.. if you can call 3 a “batch”!  It was just sewing the lining closed and adding the buttons that were holding me up.

They’re done now and in the shop!

I’ve also made some little tea wallets to carry tea bags in your purse.  These are so fun and fast to make.  My favorite part out of all of this sewing lately has been picking out the buttons.  I bought a couple jars of buttons from the antique store and digging through them is mostly rewarding.  One of the jars I bought was full of dirty, musty buttons with just a few really neat ones.  The other jar has more of the ones I was looking for.  My favorite in the top picture is the blue on on the left… it seems to have a little fiber optic strand in it, so it sort of changes depending on the angle you look at it.

I’ve also finished and delivered a new dolly, here’s a sneak peak (and my favorite part):

A vintage pink button… like a little mountain.

See ya soon!

 

Making drawers pretty

To go along with my new desk (see post below!), we purchased a little set of three drawers in the same finish.  See how the drawer fronts are white?  I don’t really care for that and I thought I could dress it up a bit with something pretty!

I spy!

My first thought was fabric.  But I didn’t want to mess around with glue.  Ah-ha!  Scrapbook paper.  Lucky me, I have a book of Amy Butler papers in my stash.  I used my paper cutter and went to work.

There is my paper cutter and adhesive on the desk.

My paper was two-sided: the small floral and stripe were opposite, so I used that for the two small drawers.  Then I used the green lotus design for the big drawer.  Being that the big drawer was a bit taller than 12 inches, I added a strip of the striped paper to the bottom and a bit of ric-rac to the top.  Perfect fit!

I attached the papers with Xyron permanent adhesive (it’s in the orange dealy on my desk in the picture above).  I just made especially sure to get along the edges and bit where the screw holes for the handles were. I went this route because I figure I’m not using much of this adhesive, so if I ever want to take the paper off , I can get the adhesive off with a goo-remover.

It didn’t take very long.  Voila!

Happy, isn't it?

 

My crafty space

Well, I did it (sort of)!

Today is the day to share your space, via The Blooming Workshop!  Head over there and see where Anita creates *jealous* and to see who else is joining in.

I've moved in!

We finally got my new desk put together and situated in my sewing room.  Gone is the bed for guests (they are relegated to the couch in the basement for now) and in its place in front of the window is my work space.

Great lighting and big work space.

This desk is so much bigger than my old one, I love it!  And the part where the sewing machine sits is lower than the rest, which will help with shoulder pain.  AND that part can be pushed back under the desk if I’m forced to let some guest sleep in the room.

My desk will work for now (I can now sew!)… but I have a few things left to deal with in order to make this a complete room:

• Extension cord for the sewing machine (so it doesn’t hang under like that).
• Set up the ironing board (and make it a less unsightly cover).  When I’m quilting, I’m going to set up the ironing board to the right of the sewing machine so I can swivel my chair to iron.  No more getting up and down!  But I do need to find another place for it that isn’t in the way when I’m not needing it constantly.
• Basket for my bottom drawer there.  It needs some dividing to make it more useful.
• Bulletin board!
• Hang my spectrum quilt and a few other things on the wall.
• Comfy chair for in the corner.
• More storage!!  We have plans for this(I’d use that shelf, but on its side).  My closet is a mess and I need some more counter and storage space to really make it great in here.  Plus, this will give me room for better organization for my scrapbooking stuff.  Right now, those things are too hard to get at so I don’t use them much.

Shelves in their new home. Please excuse the brown plant.

The shelves are opposite the desk now, instead of in their original corner (to the left of where the desk is).  It was just too tight with the desk there now.

Desk top

So that’s my space, where do YOU create?  Go let Anita know!

 

Monday monday, so good to me

What a nice surprise this morning: there was a tiny violet-red crayon in the wash and everything is covered!  And, I won a book!  They sort of cancel each other out for me.

So Anita is gathering people together to show their crafty space on March 30th.  Are you game?  Get your little area spruced up and dusted, organized and prettified and join Anita and everyone else!  I’m working on it too… my new desk is hogging up space in the garage and my sewing room is a mess.  This makes it very hard to get all these little projects out of my head and into the 3-D world.

Speaking of projects, I’m falling in love with this quilt-along at Oh, Fransson! I don’t know what fabrics I would use, since I can get into my room to dig around!  But I would really love to use these beautiful Mendocino fabrics by Heather Ross.  I’d need some more to fill it out to 12, but I’m sure I could manage!

The desk will have to wait a little today for it is 60 degrees and we are off to the zoo once baby awakes!

Playing at the park.

 

Stash-less Sunday

I’m signed up to do Sunday Stash and realized that I haven’t done it in over a month!  I also do not have any pictures of stash to just throw up here.  I will dig around and see if I have something.  Oh, here we go:

Oranges

7. Willamsburg Centennial Collection for Windham

8.  Up Town by Erin Michaels for Moda

9.  Reproduction that I won on ebay

We were supposed to have company today, but do not.  They called at the time they were supposed to be here to say that they were too sick to come.  Sheesh.  At least the house is pretty clean now.  That’s the surefire way to get it done around here!

So we’re trying to think of something fun to do.  The boys were looking forward to having company and are (once again) disappointed.  They did have a bit of fun downstairs playing “Hardy Boys” (Tim is reading them a chapter a night before bed) and are now trying to get some gaming systems and an antenna set up down there with Dad.  We will try to go out later, though, I think.

Me, I just finished up 30 minutes on the Wii Fit.  A whole 3.3 lbs up from yesterday!  The weight on there is slightly weird.  I was up Friday, then down yesterday, and now today is more than I was on Friday!  I don’t do it often enough, but I do feel some difference in the way certain clothes fit (pants), so that is good.  In my defense (maybe?), we went out to eat last night at Chili’s to celebrate SE finishing his Kindergarted math book and Tim getting his work bonus.  I had TONS to eat (can’t resist those big mouth bites), PLUS finished the chips and salsa at home!

I have some things to do today: taxes and put together my new sewing desk.  I should really start the taxes!  Maybe we’ll get to the desk later… I haven’t sewn in a while because my old desk is in the boys’ room, my stuff strewn about the sewing room floor.

Gosh, I just went upstairs to read the selvedges on my fabric.  There are so many projects I have in mind!  Camera strap cover, recover the desk chair for the boys’ room, patch SE’s pants, put a rod pocket on the spectrum quilt (will go on my wall), start on my big bed quilt, plus the two quilts that I’m working on.

The taxes may have to wait…

Happy Sunday!

 

To brighten my gloomy day

It is raining and very gray today.  Though the boys and I did go to the zoo this morning, leaving just before the rain started.  I did see the sun shining through a bit early today, which is what prompted me to get dressed and haul everyone down there.

Well, here are some pictures of my Spectrum quilt, taken in the shiny shiny sun just the other day. All taken with my fancy new DSLR Nikon.  I have noticed such an increased quality in my pictures with little practice so far.  That’s why I’m showing you pictures of my quilt again!  These are nice, bright and uplifting and oh-so-detailed.  Such a pick me up on a crummy day.  Enjoy!

Flat out sunny.

Down the line.

Blue-green spectra.

Rumpled, wrinkled and dappled.

 

Need

Oh my:

If I knew someplace that actually carried this, I’d be out the door so fast!  Also?  Where the hell have I been?!  This was released in 2007.

This other one, I’m totally on top of though.

 

Swappy goodness

I joined Ginger Monkey’s FQ swap last month and sent out my bit a week or so ago.  Yesterday, I got my package from my partner, Emma.  All the way from Australia!  I waited until today to open it up — so I had lots of light to take pictures, of course.

All wrapped up in Starling fabric! With yo-yos!

Lookit this cute bird she drew, mimic-ing the fabric.

She drew that bird on the card, too! Along with more yo-yos. And some buttons. I love the yo-yos.

Inside, a Japanese apple and Alexander Henry Mushroom FQs, a frog clasp and some sage floss (from japan).

Yo-yos are fun for everyone!

Gabe-y loves them too!

Thank you so much to Emma!  I hope your package arrives/ed!

I can’t wait to get my sewing room back in order and figure out where to put these gorgeous yo-yos!  (and figure out how to make my own!)

 

Trying to put the “fun” in funeral

A week or two ago, I finally decided to pull myself up and take the boys to a Friday gym-time one of my Homeschool groups has.  It’s very informal and held every Friday afternoon at a Lutheran church close to our house.  The kids were going batty running around the house.  We needed to get the heck out!

I waffled for an hour about it.  I don’t know any of these people.  I’m shy, I’m self-conscious, I’m worried about meeting people.  I’m also worried about isolating my kids.  I got ready to go.

Through protests and whining, I piled everyone into the car and drove on over.  “What day is it?!” SE asked me.  I told him it was Friday and he proceeded to crab about going to church.   After reassurance that we in fact were not going to church and after telling them that this is not our kind of church anyhow, they reluctantly got out of the car.   I plucked Gabe-y out of his car seat and herded everyone across the small parking lot.

We went inside and down a little hall.  To my left was the church proper and to the right, down another hall, was a larger “gathering” room.  To my left: dead guy in a casket.  To my right: a man and woman and possibly the funeral director.

CRAP

There was a woman sitting in an office down that hall to my right, so I quitely bugged her.  “We have a funeral,” she tells me.  Well, duh.  “Apparently they didn’t call you.”  Well, the website didn’t mention anything about a funeral, but it also didn’t say that gym time was canceled.  Then I asked her for clarification that the group actually meets here.  I was assured that they did.

Defeated, I drug everyone back out to the car.  Oh, that hearse in the parking lot should have tipped me off.

Thankfully, the kids were too short to see the dead guy, otherwise we would’ve had an impromtu lesson on mortality on our hands.

 

A little vacation picture show

Clocktower skyline.

Tim and I buzzed off to Chicago this past weekend.

Fluffy bed.

We got in some sleeping and walking and a bit of the AI (free February!).

Millifiore paperweight #74.

It’s funny that the hotel we stayed in was less expensive than a bnb in Plymouth and definitely less expensive than Kohler.  Weird, huh?

What's that you say?

Once again, I didn’t think of wearing sensible shoes.

Sacrificing comfort for style.

The AI really did me in, even though we were only there for a couple of hours.

The child Jesus.

We braved the CCF on Michigan Avenue Saturday night.

she's totally a Monet

We were definitely more animated than those people that came in a bit after us and had to wait in a 45 minute line just to get on the list.

Through the trees.

Having a seat a the bar will do that to you.

Carbide and Carbon building. (we stayed here last time we were in town... now it's the Hard Rock Hotel)

Two $11 strawberry martinis later, we got a table.

Tribute to American Gothic.

Next to which sat two consecutive couples, neither of which cracked a smile.

Tribune through the trees.

We ate too much and then had trouble sleeping.

View from the bed.

Sunday morning, we checked out and checked into IKEA.

Reading to SE at home.

Then we came home to our three little kids, happy to be back.

SM trying out the new chair. Please excuse mess.

But somehow, we needed lots of rest from our “vacation”!

 

Spectrum Quilt

It’s done!  I finished it last week (while my computer was inoperable due to a frayed power cord).  Sometime soon I will have more spectacular pictures, these are really dark.  Only after I have a chance to learn about my new camera, though!

Sewing the binding.

The binding matches nicely here.

The backing is white.

 

Sneak peak

Quilt in the sun

I put the pedal to the metal and I sewed a whole (little) quilt on Monday.  All that is left is the binding, which is why you guys only get a little peak!

 

A little blanket refashion

Inspired by my lurking over at Wardrobe Refashion and SE’s pleas to patch the giant (and small) holes in his blanket, I did a little blanket refashioning last night.

I was hard-pressed to find a before picture of his blanket, being I didn’t take any last night before I hacked it up.  I did come across one where you can see the back and the binding.

Playing in blankets

So, the back of his little quilt (made by my mom years ago, when he was small *sniff*) was made of a lime-green fabric, I think there were magic-type things on it.  The binding, which is hard to see here, was a rainbow stripe on light blue, cut on the bias.  The quilt was tied with rainbow yarn and the binding was hand-sewn on with the same yarn.

Well, that green fabric had gotten a little hole a couple of years ago, so I patched it with the scraps my mom had given me.  Then there was another small hole.  It too was patched.  Then, sometime during the summer of ‘08, there appeared a BIG hole, right along where the backing was pieced together.  I patched this too, but it didn’t look good.  The backing had stretched , so I folded it up a bit, to pick up slack.  Then I sewed on my patch, which wasn’t at all straight.  It did serve its purpose… until more big holes appeared!

Finally last night, I decided enough was enough and went at replacing the backing.  Originally, I was going to take off the binding and then take off the backing, thereby saving most of the quilt.  That proved daunting.  Also, I had sewn those patches on mighty well and there were not coming off easily!

Tim had the idea to just leave the backing there and cover it up.  So that’s what I did.  I grabbed all the soft flannel from my stash and pieced it together to fit the quilt.  I then sewed the two, right sides together, and then trimmed off the edges, binding and all.  All it needed was a flip and several lines of stitching and it was done!

All done!

There’s the front.  You can still see some of the old ties (that have long stopped tieing the front and back together) and the stitching from the patch (look in that yellow square, bottom middle).  The construction isn’t pretty.  Somehow, the quilt was no longer square and it got out of shape while I was sewing.  Oh well, I was going for comfy, not quality!  I finished quick and tossed it in the wash last night.

Back!

There’s the back.  Those are aliens on the blue, rocketships on the white and frogs on the light blue, a little bit of the stripe I had left thrown in.  I’m glad I had all these in my stash, I would’ve hated to have needed a trip out just to do this project.  And what did I tell you yesterday?  I lay things on the floor and kids come to sit on them!

P.s.- Please excuse my terrible pictures.  I think we desperately need a new camera.  It will not focus without the flash and it does this when you turn it on:

Not quite open...

 

Sunday Stash #7

Charm pack

I bought this little charm pack and promptly layed out all 30  squares by color.  I think I’m going to sash them all with white for a quick wall-hanging.  I took this picture so I would remember the order I had them in because my kids like to walk and sit on top of anything I have laying out on the floor!

Sorry, I don’t remember the name of the fabric line!  I opened up the pack and threw out the card right away.  They don’t seem to have it at the Fat Quarter Shop, either, which is usually my resource for fabrics I have.

 

Broken

1. rectangle pyrex dish
2. light bulb
3. baby’s big toe (well, not really broken, but black under his nail)
4. my spirit