what happened?

oh.

I am such a bad blogger...

Really, though, my guilt is just about that short-lived.

It's been a busy summer, and I am totally okay with the fact that I've probably lost the interest of anyone reading this thing. That is, besides my mom, Madonna, and probably Brenda, my mother-in-law. And they all already know what's up. Right, ladies?! :)

So summer is done. Back in school as of yesterday.

I am left with two thoughts:

what happened?

what happened!

The biggest news of all: We have a house!

(Well, we're under contract for a house.)

That's what happened!

Read this next part in your best Grover voice:

SERIOUSLY folks! Do you KNOW what that MEANS?

It means a HOME for all of my WONDERFUL crafts!

My crafts get their VERY OWN ROOM.

And if we are VERY VERY QUIET,

there will be a HOUSE at the end of this MONTH.

:) I am cautiously excited.

Update on projects:

cafe curtains: original seams ripped... and that's about it

bed quilt: eh... the fabrics are pre-washed (that's something... right?)

christmas needlepoint ornament: surprisingly, almost done

imagined decorating projects in house: regularly scheduled daydream

For now, I will leave you with this link to a great blog on upcycling dresses. I've seen this blog before, but it was featured on Yahoo News today and it refreshed my memory.

Can't wait to post pictures once we reach the END of this MONTH.

:)

p.s. please pray that the house works out.

ready...set...

all purchases are done.

i am ready to make my quick(er) version of a quilt for our bed.

using the pattern and directions in my new martha stewart book, i'm going to make this:

except, not as a duvet cover, on the top of a store-bought quilt.

still figuring out the best (easiest) way to do the applique- but i'm not worried.

so, picture the design above with this materials:

the quilt (in white):

(i got it at home goods for a deal!)

the fabrics for the applique are from the fat quarter bunch i posted earlier:

(of course, all mixed together, not separated by color as seen here)

photos of the fabric from fancy tiger

reason why i like this project: it is a modern design using traditional fabrics.

fun!

i'm baaaaa-aaaack!

Well, here I am. Back and ready to go for summer. The end of the school year was a monster and then I taught summer school, (which was wonderful!) Now I have cleaned and organized most of my classroom, and am ready for the month of July to be filled with great creative endeavors!

First project: cafe curtains for my classroom.

My mom shared a great idea for quick and easy cafe curtains: pillow cases.

She got the idea from Better Homes and Gardens, but I can't seem to find a suitable link that shows the article. So oh well. Picture this: take a pillow case. Rip the seams out of the sides and top. Keep the bottom (the opening) intact with the finished seam. Then, re-sew the panel to have finished sides and a an opening at the top for the curtain rod.

Voila! Instant cafe curtains at a much lower price.

I already use flat sheets for bulletin boards instead of butcher paper or fabric. They're cheap and big and easy to find in lots of colors. Best of all: they last forever. My current sheets were bad- after years of use. So I bought all new, pale yellow sheets for my room. The brain book I am reading suggests that pale yellow is a good color to stimulate learning in an elementary-aged classroom. So, I bought pillow cases that matched for my windows. I've ripped out the seams and just need to sew it back up. I think I'll add cute trim to add a little personality. I will post pictures when I am finished.

In other news, I bought two new books- one a little while ago, and one yesterday.

The New Crewel was purchased a little while ago during a bookstore date with Marc. I have never done crewel embroidery, although it doesn't seem all that different or difficult from what I have done (especially with my mom ready to call on). What I liked so much about this book were the really up-to-date, interesting, modern stitches and patterns. I don't even think they have to be crewel, I could use the stitches in any medium/method. Lots to inspire in this book. I will keep it as a catalog of neat stitch ideas.

link to book

by katherine shaughnessy

I also got a new book yesterday.

link to book

This one I have eyed for a while. It was so big and pricey, I was not sure I would ever get it. But, I received a gift recently that did not work for me, and I was able to take it back to the bookstore. It turned out that I could get this book for only 2¢ more than my store credit! Whoo-hoo! Meant to be. I looked through it and already have a ton of ideas. I am so excited.

I have made a space for a sewing machine. I am working (still) on de-cluttering life but I can totally see the light at the end of the not-so-messy tunnel! I have projects ready and patterns to make them. Next up after the cafe curtains is a quilt for our bed with appliqued toile fabric. (And that, too, is a time-saving pattern, which I will share soon.)

I am totally ready and excited.

Summer is here! :)

thoughts from the creative habit

this morning i woke up and left the house for a little journal time at starbucks. it was heavenly. back when i was single i would go to starbucks often on a weekend morning and read/journal for a while. it felt just like that this morning, and it was nice to have marc back at home to return to.

marc and i have been working so hard on our place, i haven't had much time to play around on things, but i am seeing our place as our own little space to be creative together: choosing paint colors, wall hangings, furniture, and creating an environment together that we both enjoy. it's fun, it's hard work, it takes a long time, and it is really exciting. i will post pictures when we finish. which will hopefully be soon.

and which explains why a trip to the coffee shop was such a treat.

i brought the creative habit with me and wrote down quotes from the book in my journal. (i'll be returning the book to my mom when i am finished, so i figure i should write down the good parts so i don't forget.)

thought that tonight i would share some of the quotes i liked. some are exact, some are paraphrased. when i journal, i sometimes copy verbatim and sometimes in my own words/as concepts.

in order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.

what does it mean to be creative, and how do you go about it efficiently?

no one is born with that skill.

it is developed through exercise... repetition...

a blend of learning and reflection.

painful.

rewarding.

you need a working environments that are habit-forming.

when you enter into them,

they impel you to get started.

distractions and fears are the habitual demons

that invade the launch of every project.

so much of this book is confirming the thoughts and fears that i have had regarding my own endeavors.

thoughts like,

'where do i begin?'

'i should just try this and see what happens'

'is this something innate in me or do i develop it?'

i love her idea that creativity is actually hard work. i like that her definition of creativity doesn't discriminate based on talent, but instead focuses on the discipline required to shape talent. i am excited to read about her creative exercises and i love the anecdotes about creative 'habits' that people of all careers have developed. because creativity isn't limited to the craft world, it's part of how you approach anything you do.

it's a really good process book instead of the how-to books that i've been finding.

knitted sweater dress

This is a sweater dress that my mom knitted and embroidered in the early 1970s. I inherited it a few years ago when I basically carted it out of her house, saying, "I'm going to take this." (At least I think that is how I got it- that's how I get most of my things from my mom. She may have offered this one.)

I love it, although I haven't found the occasion (or the weather) quite right to wear it.

The dress was another pattern in a McCall's needlecraft magazine. I'm starting to think I'd like to order some back issues (if that were even possible) of this magazine!

My mom made the dress by knitting in the round (circular knitting). She created and cut steek stitches down the neckline opening. Then she embroidered on a black wool backing, and attached the green felt. She didn't deviate from the pattern at all. (In her words, she wasn't skilled enough to deviate... yet.) If she were to redo the dress, she would have used better quality yarn and would have never used felt.

One of the things I find most impressive about this dress is that my mom finished it the same winter that she started it. That's crazy!! But she is the most productive person I know, so that is also not surprising.

Whenever I feel ambitious enough to attempt wearing this dress, I pair it with creme tights and black knee high boots. It looks great. Except that it fits me exactly like those paper Chinese lanterns that we made back in elementary school: fitting in the shoulders and on the hem (?) but very large in the middle. Also, it is warmer than warm. One winter I WILL wear it when it is really cold. I almost wore it on Christmas Eve this year, but I figured I'd love it for 30 minutes and then want to change. The most annoying thing about it is how tight it is at the very bottom- not much mobility.

However, I love love love the style of the dress and absolutely love the embroidery. After discussing it with my mom last night, this is the idea: what if I removed the embroidery, found something to replace the felt (which has no 'give' to it), and reattached it? I think there should be plenty of stretch on the bottom if there is stretch in the middle. However, if I did this, would you keep the green color or change it to black? I love the green on the neckline but am not sure about it all over.

My mom noted that she thinks it is interesting that she didn't wear this for years but always kept it in her closet. I have done the same, and have not worn it out yet at all. But, I think there is a lot to this dress that is just perfect. It would sell for so much at a place like Anthropologie. Perhaps this summer I will work with my mom on a few minor adjustments. It's too amazing to keep on a hanger for so long.

cleaning out my photos

One of the drawbacks of valuing the story in every little thing is that I have held on to a lot of stuff.

We've been working on simplifying our life at home to create a 'refuge' together and have home be a more peaceful place. I'm really not a packrat but with 900 square feet an extra pile is all you need to have chaos.

I've been going through everything. And I've been nearly ruthless with what's gone out.

A recent a-ha I've had is that I can scan a lot of things I want to keep and get rid of the physical item. For example, I've saved nearly every paper I've written from high school and college. Totally unnecessary, right? So I'll scan them and get rid of them. Done.

Another thought is that I will post an R.I.P. entry for the things I'm getting rid of that mean something to me, and that way, I'll feel like I'll always have it around.

The other thing I'd like to do is really organize my digital space. It's the messiest space I have.

So in cleaning out my school computer, I found three photos I had taken a few springs ago. I brought the photos into school to tell my class about the strange incident that took place one morning.

Before leaving for school, there was all sorts of commotion on my balcony. My cat, Levi, meowed incessantly to alert me to the issue. Two birds were fluttering around on the ledge. They were nearly fighting. I grabbed my camera.

Eventually the second bird flew away, and the first bird laid an egg! Right on my balcony. Unfortunately my camera focused on the screen instead of the bird.

The bird flew away and the egg remained, precariously perched on my third floor balcony ledge. I didn't know what to do. Would the mother bird return?? I left for school and told our librarian about the situation. (She knows a ton about cocoons, insects, birds, you name it.) She looked it up and apparently it was illegal to move the egg. Good thing I didn't touch it, right? I told myself if it was still there when I returned I'd do something.

I came home and it was gone. And it hadn't splattered beneath my balcony. I'm sure it was lunch for something. What a bizarre little moment!

snowflake felt project

tonight we are hanging out at home, so i thought i would share my latest project.

plus, this way you can see a little bit of the home remodel i've been talking about. (see the blue tape on the floor... our new hardwood flooring!)

i left my knitting at my mom's house, so i was trying to figure out what to do while marc emailed some clients and we watched t.v.

i started out with one of the felt coasters i had left from my friend kelly's baby shower in january.

then i laid it on top of some white felt i had sitting around the house.

check out my new tools from great american quilt factory. (these are felting tools, not quilting tools, f.y.i.)

i had this thread from a really really old needlepoint project- an alphabet sampler- no idea where it went.

here is the project so far. not exactly sure what i'm doing or what it will become, but i think an ornament.

(p.s. don't know how long i'll continue to post so very often, but i'm in the honeymoon phase of this blog, so we'll just let it be how it is for now.)

:)

experimenting with felt

today (snow day!) i made two fun discoveries:

• craft podcasts on craftypod (mom, i know you read this, so i'll tell you: they have one titled, 'stupid sock creatures' and another on artist trading cards.) today i listened to one about felt.
• an article about the downside of being a 'jack of all trades' creatively speaking. excerpt:

"When we begin a new hobby or creative pursuit, so often we pick something that seems easy. We judge ourselves, reach a verdict, and lower the bar for what we are willing to try. We avoid things that might be painful or frustrating because there is no immediate payoff, and often that shortsightedness keeps us from being the person we would dearly love to be. I know. I’ve done it dozens of times.

What I didn’t really grasp when I was a kid, taking up and quitting many hobbies, was the concept of what I call “creative compound interest”. We all know that compound interest in the financial sense means that any interest added to the principal, then also earns interest. Acquiring new skills works the same way. The payoff is really small for a long time, and that can be extremely frustrating, but eventually, if you stick to the plan, you amass your “million dollars”. And the more you have in your account, the quicker you get there. It’s long term investing in yourself. And it works." from make + meaning

one of the hardest things about sharing in such a public space is the wish to be 'finished' and 'spectacular.' but i like trying new things, and i am very interested in a lot of different areas: knitting, sewing, fiberarts, embellishment, embroidery, etc. problem is, i'm not ALL that good at any of them, yet. and i know that i'll eventually find my niche(s). i've been working on this part of my life for at least ten years now, but never with a ton of steam- more as an outlet from time to time. but now, i'm starting to really have some fun.

...so, if i really want this to be a place to tell the story behind handmade treasures, i'm going to have to be okay with sharing me behind the scenes as i figure it out. this is all a long winded way of saying,

'hey- what i'm sharing today isn't necessarily awesome... yet.'

i guess creativity is a tension between an item being 'finished' and a process that goes on and on through lots of projects. so we have to be happy with the stops on the way. and i have challenged myself to be okay with that and enjoy the process, mistakes, and lessons learned.

i've been really into felt for about six months now, and i am finding it is such a versatile medium that i feel boundless in using it. which can be paralyzing! and totally fun! so i am telling myself to 'expect nothing' yet and just get to know it. here are a few things i have worked on:

(felt kits from fancy tiger.) (thanks, mom.)

i played with some felt a few nights ago and like the 'cable' look- will work on that some more.

i also bought some stuff that looks seriously like colored dryer lint. when i bunched it up and needle felted it, it made these really fun raised, dense bumps. fun! so i kept making them. i also tried 'braiding' my roving (see the purple far right.) fun as well, but need to work on that. see the mustard clump? yeah, i totally do not like that part! i am wondering if i stitched and beaded on top of this and cleaned it up a bit, if it might be a fun journal/album cover, or little clutch.

i made this with alison one saturday at my mom's house using her embellishing machine (so fun!) this one i think has the most promise- and i definitely want to make it into a envelope-style clutch.

on a side note, if you are wondering where stories of my mom went, it's because i am wondering where my camera went. it's here somewhere, buried under all the displaced home things around our place while we remodel. i feel okay taking photobooth pictures of my work but it would NOT do hers any justice!

but don't worry- i have SUCH a good story coming soon! :)

gray sunset wrap

one reason i love working through a project is that so many stories get woven into one.

there's the 'life' story that reminds you of that moment in time.

but there's also the 'craft' story. i don't mean the michaels/puffy paint 'craft'. i mean the pieces where you think: that's the piece where i learned how to ____________. honing your craft.

this piece is kinda like that.

first, the 'life' of this piece. one day, at a school staffing, i noticed the wrap on a fellow coworker. it seemed simple enough: rectangular, one button hole, three buttons. i thought, "i could make that."

a few weeks later, i was in indianapolis with my husband for the holidays. i was itching for something to do, so my mother-in-law took me to the greatest knitting shop, called knit stop. it would be so dangerous for me if it weren't safely tucked away in another city several states over.

sweet brenda tolerated many minutes (hours?) of my awe and pure indecisiveness before suggesting, 'that yarn looks good.' and it did. it was amazing. it was lang yarns, mille colori big, color 757.0070

i got started on the wrap while in indy, and finished it up within the month. my mom had knitted some socks for me for christmas, chastising me for not finishing projects. so i was sure to get this one done!

one of the most interesting 'accidents' of this yarn is the striping pattern. the width of the wrap matched the length of each color stripe perfectly, so the wrap ended up having these beautiful stripes that looked intentionally gradual instead of the typical striping clumps seen in knitting projects. i'm not very big on that kind of striped look, so this accident worked in my favor.

through this project, i learned how to knit buttonholes and sew on buttons properly. (i've sewed on buttons for years but will forever do it differently now!) i also learned how to block a knitted piece. the folks down at fancy tiger told me how to do it. although i'm not sure it worked out totally well. perhaps its because the yarn is 50% wool, 50% acrylic. perhaps it was the style of the wrap. you see, i used the stockinette stitch for this piece and experienced a lot of curling (not suprisingly.) i need as much width as i can get to achieve the look i want with this wrap. so i needed to do something to weigh it down, or make it lay flat. the fancy tiger folks advised i wash it in warm water with woolite, rinse it in warm water, and pin it on a towel. the pictures below show the process, except before i went back through and added a crazy amount of pins.

it helped, but isn't the best yet. my new idea- use our steamer and have marc steam it while i hold it spread out. you might think that's a weird idea but it worked great on the curly edge i got from the pins. we'll see. if nothing else works, i will add a gray border in garter stitch. but i really don't want to do that.

the piece is finished, but because the finishing isn't finished the way i want, i'm tagging this as an unfinished project. any blocking tips are appreciated. :)