tiny stitches

a gift from my mom...






my mother's own pattern


tiny beads!

to do, or, procrastinating just a bit longer

I've been hard at work on my To Do list today, which is to say that I'm not actually doing anything. I feel productive, because look! A list! Of Things To Do! But what am I actually doing? Uploading photos onto Flickr, reading teh internets, and posting to my blog. I think it goes without saying that I am still in my pajamas, too.

Things on the To Do List:
-Clean the entire downstairs. There are actually 11 points detailing this, but it is essentially: the downstairs is a wreck (I have been gone for a week, left in a shambles when I hurriedly packed before my trip)

Okay, that is really all that's on the To Do List. So instead of mopping the floor, I made a Crafting To Do List too!

• Finish Elbac (not pictureD)- I am about 1/3 of the way through, thanks to four hours on a plane last week.
• Work on my Crafting binder (on my 101 Things list)- I've been printing out or copying projects and ideas for a few weeks. I put them in plastic sleeves rescued from the trash bin at work, and an old binder I found in a drawer here. I also need to make a cover for it.
  
• Sew a dress (also on 101 Things)- from a pattern I bought last year at this time. Maybe this year I'll buy the fabric and next spring actually make it! Ha!
  
• Butterfly collage inspired by Ali Edwards and craftster
• Hoop circles inspired by The Purl Bee. I found most of the circles at the thrift store near my house, although they also seem to be VERY inexpensive at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. I probably paid about the same price.
  
• Wooden Christmas Tree inspired by the ones in this C&B catalog (although it's not actually IN this catalog, just on the cover?). Red and flocked in the photo, mine will probably be a white/blue/green color, though I would love to try flocking some day.
  

missed Christmas

Some how I completely missed Christmas on my blog. It should be the opposite- Christmas is when there are dozens of projects, crafts, ornaments and cards to do every day! But this year...I didn't handmake any gifts, although I did make an IOU for an apron for my mother. I didn't make cards like I did last year, nor did I make any scarves.

This year, I didn't want to feel pressured to hurriedly make gifts for people- I have two jobs this holiday season, which cuts into my crafting time. I also felt burned out on crafting. Now that I read all these fabulous crafting blogs in my Google Reader, I kind of feel like what I make for people is second-rate. I'm not a great sewer or knitter, and my projects are riddled with errors. It's been hard to feel inspired to make a gift.

That said, I have cast on one new/one old project to knit. I'm working on Elbac again, after a two year break, and a new scarf to try to bust through some of the stash I uncovered while "cleaning" (ie. looking for shoes in my closet).

Elbac is now three times as long, despite my many attempts to screw it up last week. I'd take a new picture of it but I lost the cord to my camera. Awesome.

new blog love

I've taken several days off from blogging daily since I finished my 101 Things goal to post daily for the month of October. It was a great exercise, but difficult to come up with something useful every single day, especially as my day job was busy, I was training for my marathon, and was trying to get those baby blankets finished (result: still only ONE done). I'll try to post more often, instead of once every quarter like I was!!

Blogging daily has also forced me to find new and different blogs in an effort to find inspiration and new craft projects. I've realized that a lot of crafty projects by crafty people are created out of necessity- a need for a themed baby blanket, a need for a certain knit hat, a need for a child's costume. I don't have children (Bristow would eat anything I made anyway!), so it's hard for me to craft original projects because there are very few things I need around the house that I can make. Except clothes, but the baby blanket project taught me I'm a crap seamstress (I wrote "crap sewer" first, but thing it looks like soo-er, not so-er. ha!).

I've stumbled upon a few different blogs lately:
One Pearl Button- I think I found her through CraftZine but now I can't find the link
-Sweater Cloche and Gloves- she remakes the cutest things with old sweaters. I want to start knitting and sewing more now!

Zakka Life- I've found this previously a few times, but am loving some of her older projects (or, okay, ALL of her projects). I'm sad we don't have cute Japanese stuff in my town.
-Christmas Star Wreath
-Christmas Card Luminaries, which would be great for using up the hundreds of leftover xmas cards I have from last year's projects
-Vase made out of recycled bottles

Crockpot 365- I've been reading a lot of coupon clipping sites lately, and one of them linked to her. She's gluten-free AND is making a new slow cook recipe every day. Insane! But she has some delicious ones I want to try!!
-Like this Autumn Sausage Rice Casserole. Must have. NOW.

one and done

If you are my real life friend and just had a baby, close your eyes and leave right now! Your husband is bringing you this gift tonight :)
I finally finally finished one of my three in-progress baby quilts. And not even the one I was working on earlier this week. This is a baby quilt I started working on back in September, although I saw the fabric back in March. I based the blanket off of an idea in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts- "Follow the Lines."


I didn't quilt nearly as much as that quilt called for, but I started in the middle by outlining every third or fourth animal, spreading outwards towards the edges. This way there would be no bunching or wrinkled fabric.


The fabric is Alexander Henry 2D Zoo in the blue colorway, and it's for a lucky baby boy! I bought flannel backing from JoAnn's, and regular blue double-fold bias tape for the edges, which I zig-zagged on.


The outline stitching did indeed take forever, but I made double use of my time by watching Season 1 of Mad Men (although the beautiful sets and costumes made it hard to focus on sewing). Last night I watched an episode of Samantha Who, The Daily Show, and two of Colbert Report while finishing and then re-fixing the bias tape.

I'm very proud of this blanket. The sewing might not be the best ever, but I love love love the fabric and hope that his (super cool) parents like it too!

in progress pictures

I figured out bias-tape binding, for the most part. Let me start by saying that making your own bias-tape? SO NOT WORTH IT. Even if it does coordinate with the fabric, it took two hours to make. And it's still not even. Do you know how much it sells for at Jo-Ann? Like two bucks.

I used a tutorial to cut one long continuous strip of bias tape. I'd say it was easier than cutting each strip individually and then trying to sew them all together, but it wasn't easy. I also had problems seeing my lines on the fabric, even with yellow colored pencil (busting out the art supplies!). When it came time to put the tube together, I had to just hope that the lines would line up after I sewed it. They did, but they were just a wee bit off. That made my strips a bit uneven, which I could have fixed but I was not in the mood.

I used the needle-method to fold my bias tape. It's easier if you think of the needle only as a guide- you still need to fold the fabric to the middle, but the needle is there to help hold it while you iron it. I was expecting it to just magically fold my bias tape for me. Sadly, this was not the case.

I still have to sew the bias tape onto the back, but this is roughly what it looks like. Please ignore the dangling threads!

baby quilt

I am 95% done with the baby quilt I made for my friend. I still have to sew up a spot or two and do the quilting, but other than that, Finito!!! My first quilt, and the first thing I've sewn in years. Now that I've brushed up, I can work on the duvet cover for my bedroom.

I used a pattern from "Quick Colorful Quilts for Babies and Toddlers" by Rosemary Wilkinson. It was a very basic book, although I had to do quite a bit of math in order to cut out the rectangles. But I think it turned out well. All of the seams and joints between rectangles lined up and everything.

zippidee doo dah!

Zippidee zoo! I bought this adorable fabric for an upcoming baby quilt- bright colors, gender neutral, matches the nursery, and cute to boot!



I haven't yet picked a pattern, but it will probably be something very Denyse Schmidt-like, maybe like the one in Last Minute Patchwork Gifts, like this.

sewing machines for sale!

"Drop Head Sewing Machine $8.75

If you are thinking of buying a sewing machine and want the best sewing machine made at less than one-third agent's or dealer's price, then WRITE TODAY FOR OUR BIG FREE SEWING MACHINE CATALOG. John M. Smyth Merchandise Co., 150-180 W. Madison Stret, Chicago."

Found in the ledger/scrapbook I was freecycled. I wonder if Lucy (her name is right behind the advertisement) ever got one?

In-Stitches A-long

I'm joining Finny Knits In-Stitches A-long, at least informally. I'm going to make the document duvet cover if I ever get my book from BN.com. I ordered it last Tuesday, and it didn't ship until at least Friday. I'm also getting Apartment Therapy, so hopefully I'll be able to get my house clean and organized.