Seriously Cold

Oh, yes it is cold!!

Just the perfect day for sewing, don't you think? Cats snoozing by the woodstove, kettle on, lots of fabric to play with.

We ventured out as far as the library this afternoon, where I picked up this apron book. So many patterns inside . . . but all the ones I love are encircled with bias tape. I'll have to get one of those little bias tape doohickeys so I can make my own. Right now I'm playing with fabrics, as you can tell.

And these fabrics are Jay McCarroll's by Free Spirit -- recent purchase on Fabric Hound. He's the first winner of Project Runway, in case you didn't know. And WHERE, by the way, IS PROJECT RUNWAY?!? Those bozos need to straighten out their differences and get that show back on the air. I need it. Badly. Especially when the weather keeps me inside so much.



Do I sound a wee bit cranky?? A little cabin fever setting in. Oh, the red/white polka dot fabric is Michael Miller. Love polka dots and I'm always looking for red and white. This will suffice for now, but I need one that has a bit smaller polka dots. Love the pretty little purses book, too.

We'll be exiting the cold weather by the weekend, just in time for our son to return from Oklahoma City. He has completed his air traffic controller training at the FAA facility there. Yay! Maybe I can sew him a little tote for his manual or his galoshes or something?!

This cabin fever may be serious.

How are you surviving the cold?

It's cold!

Bracing for below-zero weather . . . and the little birds who come to my walk for little bread crumbs and coarse corn meal might not even show up tomorrow morning.

Most days, recently, have been spent organizing receipts etc. for 2008 tax return -- I think we're encouraged not to be creative in that area, however. So I'm finishing up an ATC for myself tonight; already sent one to each of my two sisters. That will be my 'do something creative' for today.

This McCoy bowl -- a recent 'Treasures' find -- makes me happy. Neat size -- about the size of a cereal bowl -- color is fab -- scroll pattern is the best. N tells me to keep this for myself -- at least for a while. Good advice.

A New Year of Creativity

These days after Christmas are a time to reflect on the past year . . . and time to make some plans for the new year. Resolutions, maybe . . .

I have been thinking about creativity and the new year. 'Do Something Creative Everyday' is the slogan of Paper Source. And that seems like a good intention or resolution, but I start to think about my day-to-day life. Can I really do that? Be creative every day? I don't think so.

Unless I rethink creativity, of what it is to create, to be creative. I can be creative when sewing or when papercrafting, obviously. But also when cooking, or gardening. Or when I am volunteering my time. Problem-solving is creative. . . .

More thoughts on creativity later, perhaps. Time to make something. A new patchwork potholder or a wristlet. A collage card or ATC. Or some eggs for breakfast. Creative eggs.

Christmas wristlets

Time for some Christmas sewing projects. These little wristlets are fun and kinda easy. I use the tutorial here mostly, although I've not been very good at her zipper technique. But after making four wristlets, I'm getting the 'hang' of them (!). I may just continue with winter wristlets and spring wristlets, since Ginette is out on the table.




This wristlet is made from a thrifted napkin with pom pom trim on the bottom. Took me way too much thinking just to figure out how to layer the body of the wristlet without removing the trim from the original napkin. Some days are like that. But the end result is sweetness.




And we've got a white week before Christmas! My camera has decided to stop working, so this is last winter's snow. But 2008 snow looks the same. Dutch word of the day: sneeuw.

'Oh the weather outside is frightful . . . .'

The accidental post

Re: accidental post -- I was putting together some photos and somehow this post was published before I'd written anything. So I'm editing now to offer some thoughts, though the thoughts I'd thought back then have long since faded into forgotten thoughtland. -- 12/09/08
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Fall comes and the sunlight that reaches into the house changes. The last anemones -- the fall Japanese anemones -- are pure white and lovely.

Finished this purse for a customer just as the fall leaves were changing. This time the stripe is a 'tube' which is topstitched onto the body of the fabric, rather than pieced together. Worked well -- the stripe is a light, woven Indian cotton and the purse fabric is an upholstery weight.

Of potholders and cookbooks

I'm somewhat obsessed with making potholders. Love the arranging of the colors. Love going through the scrap box to find the bits of fabrics -- chickens! And each one I make seems to teach me more about patchwork and about machine quilting (oh, and the importance of ironing as you go -- with the steam off).
Entered into a barter for this little 'Holiday Goodies' book, published by Peter Pauper Press, so I decided to make a couple of potholders. The first one is pieced and the machine quilting outlines each little 'brick' of the patchwork. Satisfying. Nice effect. I like it! Took me lots of time, however -- seems I'm kinda slow at arranging the bits together. So I made the second of this wonderful fall-hued folk art fabric -- much quicker to sew up -- and it matches the cookbook. (My barter buddy kindly sent the book right away, so I can show it here. Next pic shows the reverse of the folk art potholder.)
And isn't this always the way? Found the little ABC of Cookies cookbook, by Peter Pauper Press, at the library sale the very next day. Two makes a collection?

Flannel Quilt Throw and Smocked Gingham Apron UFOs

Do you have unfinished projects? More than a year ago, I saw a wonderful throw pattern by Amy Butler in Country Living magazine, done in her wonderful flannels. I hadn't really sewn much in years, but decided to take this project on. The easy part was purchasing fabrics, I thought. Many months later, I began sewing up the quilted throw, using these flannels from Hancock fabrics. I think that was last November.
I now want and need to finish this project, even though the flannel fabrics/colors seem less than wonderful. I alternate betwen hating the fabrics and liking them just kinda.

But it is getting colder here, and the flannel throw will warm me and the cat when we watch Project Runway (yes, I'm a fan). And it'll give me my first experience in machine-quilting a large piece.

My other UFOs are these four wonderful gingham embroidered aprons, which only need the waistbands and pockets attached. These aprons traveled down an interesting path: first, they were embroidered by a woman who has since passed on. Her daughter contacted the proprietress of one of my favorite shops in order to sell some items -- these items were deemed not of value and were about to be tossed into the trash. The shop lady decided to rescue them and she then stored them for several months in the basement of her shop.

But since they are unfinished, they could not be put in the shop. So the shop owner, who knows I like to sew, gave them to me.

Isn't the work just beautiful? Look at the smocking and the pretty way the rickrack is attached along the edge of the apron.

I guess the moral of the story is to finish what you begin, or your UFOs will become someone else's!

How many unfinished projects do you have?