beauty in the details

Challenged

2012-01-31T09:28:00.001-06:00

So, my partner info came a few days ago and I have been totally boggled over what to create for her home. Her requests seemed reasonable enough—blues and greens with an outdoorsy vibe. But really, she likes all colors and seems to like some of Malka Dubrawsky's work, too. So, befuddlement set in and I began to panic.

I dug through my stash searching for inspiration. I even checked out what she made and received in the last swap . . . because EVERYTHING that popped into my mind was so simple that I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing the mark.

I'm still not sure I'm quite hitting it . . .

My initial fabric selections came down to Amy Butler's Nigella or a mix of blues and greens from past Amy Butler lines. They felt organic and natural in a way that many of the other blues and greens in my stash do not.

The overwhelming majority of swappers voted for option 1. So, I began working away on a design inspired by Amy Butler's Electronic Quilt Co. pattern for her Aspen Branch Tablerunner.

My plan was to leave the raw edge exposed and clip it and then fray it to feel more like an aspen branch—or a palm tree frond as that's what it resembles to me. So, I'll probably try to fray the edges and see how it looks after that. I am, surprisingly, liking the fabric combination but not sure that the design is working for me. It seems to be getting a positive response from other swappers but I'm just not sure what to think.

I was thinking about pebbling on the linen in the negative space. My partner also seems to like concentric quilting so that would be the other option—just lines of very perfect, evenly spaced stitching.

To add a little interest, I would do a scrappy piped edge around the pillow and possibly do a button closure on the back.

The alternate option is also a very, very simple design. But, I would use the tutorial from Sew Take a Hike for photo-to-fabric applique (like her umbrella below) to do something nature-y in the center of the pillow.

Those solid squares would be prints in varying shades of teal and green. I'd use Kona snow or bone for the white and the background on the outside and in the center would be linen. This kind of reminds me of a window . . .

So, I am obviously feeling very conflicted. Neither idea shouts out to me as something perfect for my home . . . but I think they might be on track for my partner. I'm just not sure!

Thoughts?

Amy Butler: "Once a gypsy . . . always a gypsy."

2012-01-28T15:07:00.000-06:00

So, have you heard? Gypsy Caravan is being reprinted!

From Amy's Facebook Page:
"This is where it all began . . . I'll never forget the magic from this time . . . and it just keeps getting better & better. It's one of the best adventures of my life. Once a gypsy . . . always a gypsy."

"This collection is an edited, yummy selection of my favorite 24 pieces . . . the hand and feel of the fabric and the delicious spirited colors make me super happy!"

From Amy Butler's Facebook fan page

The most recent e-mail I read about this new release says that it is due out in April. I will be excited to see the fresh reprint! I have always loved the line and have been afraid to cut into my cherished stash ever since I overpaid for it on ebay. I just hope that the quality of the substrate will be as fine as the original printing.

Here's my little stash . . .

Add caption

I must say that all of these fresh reprints of old, loved prints have me excited and a little bit frustrated. I started sewing just as Flea Market Fancy, Gypsy Caravan, and Fresh Cut were dwindling on the quilt shop shelves. While I loved them then, I didn't know what I was doing and didn't buy nearly enough of any one line since I was just starting out with the sewing. Then, after I got a little more into it, I was one of those crazy ladies who paid an exorbitant amount for those lines on ebay and Etsy in order to just have enough to make some small items. Now, I'm kicking myself for paying out the nose for them because they are back and I still haven't cut into my cherished stash!

Anyone else having a love-hate relationship with the whole trend of issuing reprints?

Now . . . with that said, I will just add that if FreeSpirit decided to reprint Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian and Kokka decided to reprint Amy Butler's Forest . . . well, they'd hear no complaints from me!

New Realities . . .

2012-01-21T17:51:00.002-06:00

I have had a blessed and fortunate life. It doesn't matter that I have chosen not to have a relationship with my father or that my huge extended family has recently fallen apart or that my grandfather, with whom I was extremely close, passed away tragically a few years ago. It doesn't matter that we haven't bought a house or had a baby or traveled to all of the places I've dreamed of going. It doesn't matter that I have to deal with diabetes and insulin pumps and poking my fingers a dozen times each and every day. None of this matters. Because I am here. And I am surrounded by love. And this is something I need to remind myself of each and every day from here on out . . .

A wise, wonderful friend who, incidentally, has beaten cancer (twice), wrote to me recently that "any brush with cancer is scary." She spoke these words to me in the moments before I knew that the emotion I was feeling in the depths of my soul was fear. Like I said, a wise and wonderful friend.

About three and a half weeks ago, I went in for my scheduled surgery. After years of not getting pregnant and months of medication to shrink ovarian endometriomas (chocolate cysts) and a failed aspiration of those cysts, I was referred to a gynecologic oncologist to have an exploratory laparotomy to remove whatever mass had made itself at home inside of me. My hope and prayer was that the surgeon would be able to remove the benign mass (the pathology from the aspiration was benign), take a look around, and tell me everything was fine and to go about my life as planned. There were days leading up to surgery when I would turn to Chris and say things like "what if they don't find anything" or "what if it suddenly disappeared and they are doing this for nothing." After all we had already been through in 2011, it didn't seem unrealistic to think that they would go in and find something other than what they expected. I just didn't think that that something would include the words ovarian cancer.

I remember laying in the recovery room after surgery and hearing one of the residents hand me off to the recovery room nurse and explaining what they had done during surgery. The words "unilateral oophorectomy" still stand out in my mind. They had had to take one of my ovaries. I wondered why but was focused on trying to breathe and push the pain management button every 8 minutes and so I couldn't really ask. It wasn't until I was resting in my hospital room several hours later that I found out what had transpired during surgery.

After opening me up, my doctor was able to cleanly remove the large tumor that was filling my left ovary. From the looks of things, he felt that the tumor was benign and began the tedious work of reconstructing my ovary, as we'd discussed previously, so that my dreams of childbearing would still have the greatest chances of coming true. Of course, I also knew going in to surgery that it was very possible that there would be endometriosis and that I might wake up to find out that my problems extended beyond the ovaries. The surgeon, however, did not see any signs of endometriosis and was pleased to see that my problems seemed confined to that one ovary. While he worked on the reconstruction, the tumor was sent to pathology and, just as he was finishing up the reconstruction, he was called to look at the tumor under a microscope. It was at that point that the decision was made to remove the ovary. There were signs of malignancy in the tumor and the only way to be sure that they had gotten all of the malignant cells was to take that ovary.

In the days and visits from the doctor that followed during my hospital stay, I still didn't have a clear understanding of whether or not it was cancer. The doctor had initially said that chemo and radiation were not likely and that he felt they had successfully removed all of the malignant cells.

Two weeks later, I went back to the hospital to have my staples removed. During that visit, the physician assistant explained the final pathology report and confirmed that the tumor, in fact, was ovarian cancer. The ovary was also analyzed by pathology and was completely free of abnormalities so the cancer was completely contained in the tumor. The prognosis was good and the chances of me needing chemo, she said, were pretty low but that the doctor would make the final decision closer to my next meeting with him at the end of January.

In the past several days, my emotions have been all over the place. I know part of that can be blamed on the fact that my body is trying to heal and is also dealing with the loss of certain hormones caused by the ovary removal. But, regardless of hormones, I go from feeling extremely grateful and praising God for the blessing of the path he helped us navigate to get this taken care of while it was relatively minor to completely flipping to a place of utter confusion and, yes, fear. The next minute, I feel inspired and empowered to help other young women find this disease in the early stages.

It's difficult for me to understand why I am feeling compelled to spread this news beyond my immediate family and close circle of friends—my typical support system. Most likely, now that the tumor and ovary are gone, I have very little to worry about in terms of the spread of cancer. I'll have checkups with blood tests and imaging and a physical every six months for probably 10 years and know that they will watch me closely.

There is a saying that resonates quite deeply with me these days: Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. I think that until these past few weeks, I was never quite as aware as I should have been about how true that saying is. I am finding myself to be more full of compassion than ever before. However cliche it may be, I am also realizing that there is much truth in the idea that it is difficult to truly understand what someone is going through until you've walked in their shoes . . . or at least some similar shoes. I have been finding, throughout my recovery, that those who have been there for me in the way in which I've needed comfort have tended to be those who have been through a major illness or who have been close to someone who has before. Not to say that those who haven't been there themselves haven't been of great comfort to me as well . . . it's just that there's a different level of understanding. With someone who has been there, there is understanding even in the things left unspoken.

With one friend who is a 6-year survivor of ovarian cancer and another who has recently entered palliative care for it, I have certainly seen and heard how devastating, debilitating, and yes, deadly, this disease can be. Knowing that it can strike someone in her 20s, like me, and knowing what the disease can do if left undetected really makes me feel like I need to do something about it. I don't know quite what yet . . . but don't be surprised if you see me trying to figure it out here every once in a while.

So many of you have been so supportive of me during this time. Thank you for your words of encouragement and your emails and Flickr messages while I recover. I have been so touched by your concern even though you didn't really know what was going on. It never ceases to amaze me how loving this community can be!

So, blessings to you, my friends! I am personally praying that 2012 is full of happy adventures for us all!

Welcome. Please excuse my mess.

2012-01-13T08:48:00.001-06:00

So, do you ever feel a little uneasy about having guests over to your place when your place isn't as clean or designed or perfect as you'd like it to be? For instance, tell me I'm not alone in the feeling I'm having right now knowing that my besties are coming to visit me this weekend and I am already freaking out that I won't be able to clean up my everyday messes enough before they get here and almost want to call and tell them not to come because I'm "achoo. So sick." Well, aside from feeling that way about my besties today, I'm also feeling that way this morning because I think there will be some unexpected visitors popping by this blog shortly. And, well . . . I wish I were just a little bit more ready! (Picture me reluctantly putting on my hostess cap now . . . )

WELCOME to all of you who are stopping by from Modern Day Quilts. I'm pleased to meet you and hope you'll find something you like in this humble little space I call my blog. If you're coming from Modern Day Quilts and have followed Heather's blog for very long, I am sure that you are expecting amazing things. I hope this quick, improvised quilt for my sister-in-law for Christmas suits your fancy today!

And, if you're not stopping by from Modern Day Quilts, you should hop over and check out their archive of quilts from the past year (oh, yeah . . . and subscribe, too!). Some really beautiful, amazing work is featured there on a daily basis. You'll probably become just as addicted as I am.

Oh, and happy first birthday, Modern Day Quilts! Keep up the fantastic work of featuring beautiful quilts that inspire us all!

Four Quilts for Christmas

2012-01-12T10:36:00.000-06:00

I'm back. Sort of. I still have a long way to go until I am fully recovered from surgery, but I am getting antsy doing nothing. I figured downloading photos from my camera and hopping online would be a good way to start getting back in the swing of things. So, as promised, here's a quick post about all the quilts we gifted this Christmas.

For Chris' dad, we chose Joel Deweberry's Modern Meadow line. We wanted something that reflected his love of golf in both color and design. This blue/green/brown palette reminds us of perfect golfing weather and has just the right touch of preppy-ness about it. The quilt design somewhat reminds us of golf balls in holes. I know it's a stretch, but that's the story we're telling ourselves!

We chose this geometric backing fabric to keep it a bit more masculine and also because we liked how it mimicked the very geometric design of the top.

While I am not loving the decision to put the zig zag in the center on the back, I really do love how the DS Quilts Modern Texture print works as the binding with this backing. It's the perfect color and the perfect complement. I should note that the beautiful quilting on this one was done by the lovely Elvira Illig. She is such a joy to work with!

Somehow the one planned quilt for Chris' dad's Christmas gift evolved into a hefty stack of four quilts—one for each member of his immediate family.

The quilt for Chris' mom was a tough one to settle on in terms of both fabric selection and quilt design. I wanted something with lots of greens so that it would go nicely as a throw in her living room. I sent pictures of several lines of fabric to one of Chris' sisters to help me choose. Daisy Chain seemed to be the clear winner which was great because I had an un-dented stash of the line in my closet.

I didn't know it until after I had already finished all of these quilts, but back when Cathy and Les (Chris' dad) were first married, they went antiquing for vintage quilts. It was kind of their thing. It's amazing that after knowing their family for 10+ years, I had never heard this before. I was so surprised and initially was baffled at how I didn't know this tidbit about my in-laws and was trying to figure out why I'd never seen their collection of quilts. But, then it dawned on me that they must have been destroyed when their home burned down in the mid-1990s. It is a tragic story and one that really changed the face of Chris' family—all of their family stories tend to begin with "before the fire" or "after the fire." My heart breaks every time I hear those words.

Next time we visit her in Des Moines, I'll have to take a photo of the quilt in Cathy's livingroom because I have been told that it looks awesome sitting on her rocking recliner which really makes me happy. I wasn't sure if she would love the quilt. But, now, after having heard the story about how they used to collect quilts, I am certain that this probably warmed her heart. And, even though we have that lovely mother-in-law/daughter-in-law tension that comes so naturally when a woman's son marries a strong woman, there is nothing that could make me happier than to know that she was touched by the gesture of me having made this quilt for her.

The back of this one feels a little psychedelic to me, but I love it just the same. It's one of my favorite Daisy Chain prints and I have oodles of it in my stash. This quilt was also quilted by Elvira on her longarm and, if I had taken the time to photograph this more than an hour before giving it to its recipient, you might have been able to see the beautiful quilting. It really made the quilt.

After finishing these two quilts up, I realized that it would be really special to be able to give quilts to each of Chris' sisters as well. By the time this dawned on me, it was a Saturday morning already late in November and I knew that the designs had to be simple and that I'd have to quilt them myself in order to get them back in time to give during our Christmas trip to Des Moines in mid-December. I remember shooting out of bed that morning and going straight to my sewing space where I began cutting into my new Daisy Mae stash without much planning. Before I knew it, I had strips of Daisy Mae and Kona Snow in piles all around me with a couple of vague ideas floating in my head as designs. It was a mess and when I looked down at what I'd cut, I was suddenly very nervous about what I'd started.

Thankfully, things turned out just fine.

Meredith, the older of Chris' two sister (she's the middle child), was an art student and has a very eclectic yet modern sense of style. In the interest of really trying to keep things simple, I started piecing a kind of random top of strips and eventually ended up with this . . .

Sometimes when I look at this one, it feels a little empty to me. But, when you see it in person, it just works. You can kind of see my straight-line-quilting on this one if you can get past all of the wrinkles.

I really love the scrappy binding on this quilt. It helps things feel a little more complete and it's something I will definitely be doing again in the future. And, that backing fabric from Daisy Mae is so forgiving when it comes to my quilting. It was a good choice!

The quilt for Lindsey and Cooper, Chris' baby sister and brother-in-law, was a little more tricky to figure out. I had cut all of those Daisy Mae and Kona Snow strips and was bound to doing something with them. I had a feeling that I wanted all of the fabrics butting up against each other but also wanted there to be some white space on the quilt in order to make it big enough in a short amount of time. I started sketching out an idea and quickly realized that it was very similar to something I'd seen before. While I didn't use Amy Butler's Mid Mod quilt pattern at all, the design is nearly identical.

I quilted this one with concentric squares using 2" masking tape to mark my pattern. I wish I had thought of using varying widths of masking tape to mark off quilting designs earlier in my quilting "career," but I am glad to now have this trick in my arsenal (especially since I have a new machine intended entirely for machine quilting . . . more on that to come another time).

I am pretty smitten with the scrappy binding on this one as well. There's something warm about scrappy binding, don't you think? And, again, the backing on this one was very forgiving to my quilting which makes me a happy camper.

I know I have said before that Chris and I really like to give unique or handmade gifts to our family and friends. We figure that if we are going to give, then the gifts should both come from the heart and delight the recipients in some unexpected way. While I was nervous about not having any other gifts to give this year, I think it all turned out ok. Everyone seemed to really love their quilts. And, even though they didn't have many packages to open, I hope they can sense the love (and, yes, expense) that went into each of these quilts.

The only real regret I have about these quilts is that I didn't have time to get them photographed before we left for Des Moines. I don't have good photos of all of this work which is a little heartbreaking to me!

Merry Christmas, Friends.

2011-12-22T21:52:00.001-06:00

Gifted, originally uploaded by AleciaSharp.

It's been a crazy, amazing, and strange year. There have been moments of both joy and pain; moments full of faith and others full of fear. The coming days are sure to be full of mixed emotions as I go through the motions of preparing for a major surgery and then find myself in recovery for several weeks all whilst rejoicing in the celebration of the birth of Jesus and looking forward to a year full of promise. When I'm feeling up to it, I'll be back to share more about what's been happening around here—both medically and crafty. For now though, friends, I leave you with this photo of a beautiful, silent moment so full of joy, peace, and happiness over what I get to share in this space with you.

May your Christmas be filled with the spirit and your new year be blessed with joy, peace, and good health.

See you soon. :)

Prep Work (and a call for help)

2011-11-27T07:52:00.001-06:00

So, friends, any suggestions for coming up with enough handwork projects to keep me busy for 3–6 weeks? While I'm still in the midst of finishing up quilts and other projects for Christmas, I am also planning for a major post-Christmas surgery that will put me out of commission for possibly a month or more. I need to begin prepping some light, portable, stitching projects that will keep me busy for at least the first 3 weeks. And I need to have everything gathered, cut, and in neat little packages for myself before Christmas.

I've been thinking about hexies but I haven't landed on a good collection to make them from or what I might turn them into once sewn together. Have you seen any hexie projects that you think I'd like?

Any other suggestions for hand piecing? I'm open to paper piecing . . . I've just never tried anything other than hexies.

I like embroidery, but, again, I'm blanking on coming up with an embroidery project. Hmm . . . maybe some embroidered hoop art for the walls?

I have skeins of Cascade 220 that were intended for little crocheted pouches but I'm not sure that this will be the time to try to master a craft I'm not very adept at. I think crocheting might take more concentration than I'll have during this time.

I also have this beautiful alpaca that I bought with the intent of making, basically, a headwarmer. But, I kind of think it's a shame to waste it on something I won't likely wear so I've just let it sit and stare me in the face for weeks. Suggestions?

I think the ultimate project for this time off would be hand quilting this beauty.

I've been wanting to get it done for ages and just haven't made the time to baste it myself so I sent it off to Elvira, my long-arm quilter, to baste for me. It's so big that I haven't really had the space to do it! I should also probably order some pearl cotton, right? Maybe one of those gorgeous Anna Maria Horner bundles. Yep, I'd better put that on my Christmas list.

So, thanks for letting me ramble. And, if you have suggestions for a hexie project or another hand-piecing or light project, I'd really love to hear it! Seriously.

Baby Talk

2011-11-20T09:18:00.001-06:00

I've been dying to share the news . . . that I am finally going to be an aunt in June!

I've been dying to share the news . . . that I am finally going to be an aunt in June!

Yes, you just read that twice. Why? Because, Chris and I got to hear and celebrate this news two times back in October when both his baby sister, Lindsey, and my li'l sis, Martina, announced to us that they are due with their little nuggets only 8 days apart!

And so begins the planning and creating of all things cute and cuddly for these already much-loved little ones. I cannot wait to meet my little niece(s) and/or nephew(s)!

On Saturday, I went out to see my sister and surprised her with a little "congratulations!" gift. Martina's face was priceless as she tried to figure out what the tangled mess of fabric was. But, once she figured it out, I think she liked the handmade nursing cover (aka boobie blanket).

In order to avoid photos as terrible as they turned out last time I made one of these fun, functional gifts, I made Martina open her gift and then awkwardly model both her's (left) and the one I made for Lindsey (right).

This project reminded me just how difficult it is to choose fabrics for projects being made for other people. I'm sure my stash has plenty of things either of these cute, stylish ladies would love . . . but when it comes down to it, it's really tough to choose! That Amy Butler Daisy Chain print is one of my all-time favorites and it suits Martina's modern country vibe. The forks and spoons fabric is graphic and modern and adds the perfect touch of humor to Lindsey's. It was all I could do to resist putting a big embroidered label right on the front that said "I eat at mom's" on that one. I'm pretty smitten with the way the tiles print from the DS Quilts collections brings a youthful feel to both.

I am really looking forward to seeing these two amazing young women grow into amazing young moms. Both of these little kiddos are going to be so blessed by the women that God has chosen to be their mothers. And I, personally, already feel blessed to be a part of their teeny, tiny little lives.

Daisy Mae I?

2011-11-14T22:33:00.003-06:00

I'm not the kind of girl who cuts into a fresh stash of fabric on a whim. Well, not typically anyway. Yesterday happened to be another story, though. I sat there and stared at my fresh stash of DS Quilts Daisy Mae and just decided to start cutting.

My stack went from this . . .

To this mess . . .

To this.

Another similar top will be coming soon. Simple gifts for two special couples.

More to come!

Dreaming in Voile

2011-11-12T08:19:00.001-06:00

My mom and I are working on a collaborative quilt for someone special for Christmas. Mom purchased the fabric and I'm planning to put it together. We originally envisioned a simple quilt of strips like this . . .

which is the one Mary Claire made me for the Urban Home Goods Swap last year or the one that inspired it, but once we received all of the ordered fabric, we quickly realized we had too many prints to work with that design. So, I've been playing with swatches in InDesign again . . . trying to come up with some other possibilities. But, who knows—we may end up right back where we started with a simple strip quilt instead. Only time shall tell!

What do you think?

Kaleidoscope Progress & Some Retail Therapy

2011-11-10T06:39:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I made some progress on the Kaleidoscope Quilt. It came together rather quickly and is off to the long-armer now.

I wasn't scheduled to drop the quilt off to the long-arm quilter until this afternoon but ended up meeting her on Tuesday instead so I didn't get a change to photograph the unquilted completed quilt top . . . but it'll be back soon enough. Here it is on my ~~design wall~~ floor before I pieced the blocks together. It turned out fine for a quick project but if I were making this one for myself, I would have paid more attention to color placement so as to further emphasize the negative space and a more Kaleidoscope-y design.

This week after reading on the discussion boards on Flickr that Denyse Schmidt's new line of fabric for Joann's was out, I decided it was necessary to stalk both the store near my work and the store near my home. On Monday at lunch, nothing by work. On Tuesday night, nothing near my home—but there were 2 shelves cleared which told me they were probably on the Tuesday truck. I planned to go back there last night but I needed an escape from work during lunchtime yesterday so I booked it over to the store by my office again, truly not expecting much because they always get everything in late, and there it was! DS's new Daisy Mae in all her lovely glory!

This time, I did not buy every print. And I purchased those I wasn't totally in love with in moderation. Which was probably smart because there were plenty that I was in love with and might have gone a bit overboard on those . . .

As it turns out, the quality is not quite as nice as Picnic and Fairgrounds. A few prints have that soft hand but most are stiff and have a semi-loose weave like the substrate on Sugar Creek. I was anticipating that I'd find a ton of slubs, white out on the selvedge, and yellow markings on the first cuts on the bolts and I was pleasantly surprised that those problems didn't seem to be happening with the bolts from this store. The 5 prints at the top of this stack were definitely the stiffest and the orange and black geometric squares in the middle of the stack had a few slubs and was a very, very loose weave. Otherwise, it's generally OK. I certainly wont' use this for a major keepsake quilt and probably won't intermingle it with too many higher quality fabrics . . . but it is definitely a fun, modern line with a retro vibe. Precisely why I love Denyse.

This week I've also been working on some special little gifts for two very important women in my life . . . more on that soon. For now, I'm bound to secrecy.

Cheers, loves!

Methodical Is Not Mundane

2011-10-29T08:35:00.000-05:00

There's something about the hum of the sewing machine and the whirr of bobbin winding and the rhythm of piecing a quilt that does my body good. I mean, my back and bootie don't love me when I sit for long periods of time on my couch hunched over my coffee table cutting, pinning, and sewing. But, on the days when I carve out some time to work on piecing, I suddenly notice some real changes.

My stress goes away.

My blood sugar comes down.

My heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop.

I feel calm.

And happy.

And I'm a nicer person. Ask Chris.

I'm not exactly sure why this happens. But it's been happening. A lot lately. When I think about my quilt design process, I realize that I am very methodical in my approach. I plan my quilts in a way that allows me to cut everything then pin everything then sew everything that's been pinned and then iron the whole batch and then piece my pinned pieces into larger pinned pieces and repeat until I'm done.

I don't know. Maybe some of you are sitting there thinking that being so methodical makes the work mundane. I suppose that might be true on occasion. And, of course, this methodical approach won't work for every quilt. But, lately, I find myself gravitating toward this type of work. I'm guessing that my body just knows what it needs—a low pressure, steady, and somewhat mindless kind of process.

I noticed this trend in my work habit last week when I was working on another Christmas gift quilt . . .

I cut and cut and cut until I ran out of Kona Snow (oops! Did I mention that things would be less stressful if I calculated right the first time?!) . . .

And then I determined a pinning method and pinned and pinned and pinned until all the pieces were matched up (thank goodness for boxes of 500 pins!) . . . .

And then I stopped to take pictures of my lovely stack of precisely prepared pinned pieces piled perfectly prior to commencing the stitchery (why do we love to take so many photos!?) . . .

And then I chain stitched the pieces until my stack of lovely pinned pieces dwindled to nothing . . .

And had fun observing the lovely bunting that resulted . . .

I cut and separated all of the pieces and ironed them all and then put everything into more perfect piles for future piecing . . .

And then I made a test block (which I may have then ripped out because my points didn't meet as perfectly as I'd have liked) . . .

And now I can't do any more on this one until I go buy more Kona Snow. Today, hopefully. Because I'm thinking that my body could use some stress relief. And more of the same might be just what it needs.

So, do any of you find that you are this crazily methodical about your piecing and quilting or do you prefer to plan each block more precisely and then cut and sew as you go along? I'm really interested to know. Is this the norm or am I a bit crazy?

Regardless, I'm beginning to think that all endocrinologists should prescribe quilting to their diabetic patients. Maybe I should mention that next time I'm in my endo's office.

Or not.

My One-Skein Wearable Wonder

2011-10-23T12:02:00.002-05:00

Remember this pretty little skein of Malabrigo?

Well, with a little imagination and some help from my mom, the knitting wiz, it eventually turned into this . . .

I had struggled to find just the right existing pattern for what I envisioned would be some kind of neck muff, so mom helped me work out the stitch count and patterning for something that felt like what I could see in my head. And, yesterday, I finally finished my little scarfette.

I'm kind of loving it. This Malabrigo is lovely to wear. Warm and soft and cozy. Just what I needed for a crisp fall day in Chicago.

Thanks, mom, for helping me figure out how to pattern my design, teaching me how to create buttonholes, and how to bind off (because, yes, even though I've knit plenty of things before . . . I've never finished anything on my own!).

I have to enter this in the Celebrate Color festivities, too. If not for the chance to win some lovely prizes, but to honor the serendipity of finishing this little project up just in the knick of time to enter without even trying.

Head over and check out all of the other lovely handmade knit goods made in the spirit of the changing seasons.

I'd Go Anywhere With You

2011-10-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

Back in April, I'd picked up a cute pink leather Fossil purse with a long strap for my Mom's birthday. She'd been looking for something to carry a few small things in as well as her iPad and I thought I'd found something in the perfect shape. Well, after putting things in and taking them out and trying the bag on and then taking it off, all more than once, we decided it wasn't quite right and I returned it thinking we'd go looking for something else together another day.

Well, months have passed and the perfect bag never exposed itself.

A couple of weeks ago while hanging out at my mom's house, I raided her ~~spare bedroom~~ stash of fabrics. I don't think I was looking for anything in particular. When I came across a bin of untouched Anna Maria Horner Drawing Room prints which had originally been destined for pillows to spruce up her living room, my mind began running in creative little circles. I "owed" my mom a new purse and I suddenly had some ideas.

I'd been crushing on Anna's new Go Anywhere bag pattern and all of the lovely versions of it that had been popping up around blogland. When I spied those Drawing Room prints, I realized they'd be a perfect pairing.

With 3 great pockets on the front . . .

A perfect back pocket for displaying the lovely medallion on this Drawing Room print which mom loves . . .

And a pouch just the right size for holding mom's iPad . . .

The Go Anywhere pattern was the perfect fit.

Anna's directions were fantastic on this pattern. Her instructions were clear and perfectly easy to follow—even in the wee hours of the morning when most of my brain had already gone to bed without me. I did make some minor adjustments like lining the front and back outer pockets with fusible fleece for some extra padding and protection for that iPad and adding a magnetic snap to the back pocket. I also added a couple of extra pockets to the interior and lengthened the strap a bit so that it will easily slip over mom's shoulder as the fall weather gets cooler and she starts wearing heavier sweaters and jackets.

And, let me just say that while I am not one for wasting fabric by fussy cutting, I am very glad that I decided to go that route with this little project. I love how the outer pockets show off the medallion print and how the inner pockets line up perfectly with the lining. I might have to work toward this kind of perfection more often from now on.

Maybe . . .

Either way, this is definitely a bag I'd go anywhere with.

Now, hop on over to Celebrate Color and take a look around at all of the other amazing projects people are creating! See you there!

Threadless Crafting

2011-10-18T06:07:00.002-05:00

I see some fun in my future. Time to pull out the hot glue gun and turn these . . .

into this . . .

Need I say more? I'll let you know how it goes . . . I might need a few more spools. We'll see!

Crafting our way through the Christmas list

2011-10-16T10:42:00.001-05:00

I'd like to think that Chris and I are thoughtful gift-givers. We take the time to listen to our family and friends throughout the year and, then, when it's time to make birthday or Christmas gift lists, we rely on the knowledge gleaned from our relationships with people to find something to give to each of them that has meaning. We're not big on asking for wish lists and, in turn, we aren't big on making and giving wish lists for ourselves, either.

Last year, we made a concerted effort to buy as many handmade items for our friends and family as possible—it was our way to support our local communities and give unique items that would be cherished for years to come. This year, we're setting out to craft our way through our Christmas list. Of course, there will be little things here and there that we cannot make . . . but, for the most part, we're trying to give not only of our wallets and minds, but also of our time.

With just a little over 2 months to go until gift-giving season arrives, we're finally starting to knock out our list.

Up first was Chris' dad. After exploring Flickr for inspiration for what seemed like weeks, we settled on a design and color scheme and set out to order the needed fabrics.

Since most of our gift-giving drama ends up revolving around what to give to Chris' parents for Christmas each year, I really wanted to pull Chris in to the fabric crafting. I asked him to pull ideas from Flickr and to help me with color scheme and collection selection. I'm lucky he's such a good guy and participates almost willingly. :)

We took a few hours one day in September to go down to the big table at my family's bakery and work out the design and composition together. We reworked it until we were happy and settled on large squares (above) composed of blues and greens and small squares (below) composed of browns and greens. It felt like a nice pairing for the golfer of the family—very earth and sky.

In my attempt to not have the quilt be completely random, we chose halfsquare triangles for each large and small square block and labeled and stacked them. I don't know how these piles of pieces made any sense, but they did...

and we ended up with this . . . (PS: I think it's time for a design wall. I can only lay out quilts on the floor and stand on top of my coffee table so many times before something tragic happens) . . .

I'm sending this one out to the long arm quilter on Monday. I'm just not quick enough to machine quilt on my own with the number of other projects going on around here right now. I'll share more when we get it back in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

Oh, and by the way, this design was 100% inspired by Sarah Davies / Chic Quilt Geek's quilt. So, as beautiful as it is, we cannot claim it as our own!

the one inspired by her empty cube

2011-10-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Today's a deadline day at work. We order pizza and stand in the hallway and eat as a staff or grab a few slices and head back to our offices to hunker down on the files that we need to close before the day's end. There's always a flurry of activity on deadline day and I tend to get deep in the zone and ignore everything else happening around me.

Today, though, as I rushed back to my office after grabbing a slice, I found myself stopping briefly at a coworker's usually bright and bubbly cubicle. She has been out on maternity leave for a couple of weeks now and I feel like this is the first time I've passed her dark, empty, quiet cube since she's been gone and really noted a difference. I don't know why today was different. I don't know this coworker tremendously well, but her spirit and laughter always bring welcome breaks in our sometimes-stressful, deadline-driven work environment. And, to tell you the truth, I kind of miss her presence around here. Maybe I noticed because it's been a little bleak around here . . . who knows.

But her empty cube reminded me that I wanted to share the gift I made for her and her new little one.

The new mama is a sweet, bright, and unique person—great sense of humor and an appreciation for all things vintage (she is a BIG old movie buff). I found out the baby's room was going to be inspired by Mary Poppins and that she'd chosen purple as the main color for the room. After starting on something a little more "sweety" for the new baby girl, I changed my path and decided to pull out my collection of Heather Ross's Far Far Away II. I felt like the collection had a kitsch value that the new mama would adore and that it might fit nicely into the color scheme of the baby's room.

I went with a randomly-sized, wonky star design and fussy cut my scraps of FFA II for the centers. I pulled scraps from other projects to create most of the points of the stars.

After much debate, I decided to go with the cool Kona Ash as my neutral.

I wanted to go slightly textural for the backing and ended up using a leftover piece of chenille in pink for the back.

One of the new colors of satin binding at Jo-Ann were the perfect finishing touch for this one. It was a labor of love to hand stitch that slippery binding to the fluffy backing. But, in the end, I think it was worth it.

Some large, random hand quilting were the perfect finish. I like that this feels contemporary and sweet all at the same time.

I'd like to think that mama and baby are at home cuddling under this one right now . . . but something's telling me that this unseasonably warm day we're having probably has them out enjoying the sun.

Warning: Self-indulgent, long-winded, photo-less post ahead—just to let you know that I am, in fact, still alive.

2011-10-02T09:01:00.000-05:00

I am a bad blogger. I know it. You know it. Now let's get over it. I'm a bit embarrassed to even show my face around here after having been gone for so long and not really knowing how committed I can be to this space in the coming months, but I'm here now and want to share a few of the recent goings-on, crafty and otherwise, with you.

I kind of dropped out of the blogosphere and fell back down to earth in mid June. I was swamped with freelance deadlines, had a conference to attend in Chicago, a wedding anniversary to celebrate, and a bunch of medical and health-related changes happening in my life. I was still crafting away, but just not documenting or sharing it with anyone other than those who stopped by our house.

Then July rolled around and quickly passed. And now August and most of September have nearly come and gone. Where does the time go? Somehow, even without kids or pets or a slew of local friends banging down our door to go out, we manage to stay incredibly busy and are constantly searching for that perfect balance between work, play, and being a part of the lives of those we love—however illusive that balance may be.

I've recently been getting caught up on my blog reading and have noticed that so many of the bloggers I admire are out there asking really difficult and challenging questions. What do you want to read when you come to blogs? What do you want to see? Do you care about the every-day activities that make each blogger a person, or do you primarily want to see crafty goodness. Do you even visit blog sites anymore or do you just quickly scan in your reader? These are all questions that I wonder about despite not having really taken the time to tend to my own blog.

When I first created beauty in the details, I really did envision this as a space to share myself with anyone who cared to watch what was happening. I didn't really have a particular audience or reader in mind nor did I have any goals in terms of the number of followers I hoped to reach. Truth be told, I wanted to blog for myself—for dipping my toe into the digital word, for becoming more active on Flickr, for documenting what I was doing as it was happening. Back then, I was passionate about so many things that I thought would make a great blog—sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, writing, photography, decorating, etc. As time has gone on, my passion for these things hasn't waned, but my time for them has. And, as I see all of the beauty in the work of the bloggers around me—in each of you who are reading this—I've just discovered that I can't be the best at it all and to really focus on the things that I love. And, these days, that has meant spending more time with my family and fitting in the crafty goodness where I can.

This year has been full of changes for us and I'm not quite sure where it is all leading. I'm feeling inspired and have a really deep desire to continue crafting—especially in these past few weeks when I've really needed a distraction from the more serious things in life.

So, for those of you who have stuck with me through this post—whether you came here for a soul-dump or not—I thank you for reading and for sticking with me. And, as others continue to struggle with the questions of what you want to read, I will continue to struggle with the questions of how much to share about what is going on in my life right now. I can't promise that I'll post every day or every week, but I can promise that when I do post, it comes from my heart and I am grateful for the time you take to be with me and let me share with you—crafty and otherwise.

Oops.

2011-06-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I went M.I.A again. I really don't know where the time goes.

This weekend I finally had some days where I could spend a lot of time on crafty goodness. It felt oh-so-good!

Thanks to summer hours at my office, I work an extra 45 minutes from Monday through Thursday and then only work a half day on Fridays. It's splendid! Especially on a day like this last Friday when my mom was also able to leave work early and we got to spend a few hours together working on projects and catching up on some TV.

I set to work on my Pillow Talk Swap pillow for my fabulous secret partner (hope she likes where this is going) . . .

While mom set to work on her Sherbert Pips quilt . . .

Isn't it adorable? I just can't stand it!

I also felt the sudden motivation to organize and take inventory of my always-growing stash. I think the motivation came after Chris and I got home from dinner out on Friday night. I had left the living room a mess from the work mom and I had been doing in the afternoon. Getting home and seeing this disaster . . .

. . . might have had a little something to do with my urge to go through stuff. It doesn't always look like this in our living room . . . only when I'm working on a project that requires lots of little pieces from different bins of fabric—like that pillow. Regardless, I dug right in on Friday night and accomplished a lot.

At first it was exciting to see what I have laying around at home and to be inspired . . . but it quickly became depressing as I realized that I meant to get to some of these projects ages ago! I am beginning to sense that I need to have a destash sale . . .

Now, off to investigate the best way to open an Etsy shop . . .

Happy sewing!

do. Good Stitches: April Faith blocks

2011-05-02T18:28:00.000-05:00

This month, Rachel of Stitched in Color asked the Faith circle of do. Good Stitches {a charity bee} to create blocks inspired by the rainbow for a mama and her six children from Rachel's church. Something I have really come to love about do. Good Stitches' Faith circle is that it's really nice to know a little about the recipient of the quilt. It makes me more passionate about the work I'm doing when I can envision how our handiwork might comfort someone in particular.

Earlier this month I became hooked on some blocks on Amy's blog. These + and x blocks really stuck out to me and I instantly knew that I wanted to do something with Amy's tutorial (in fact, I think my mom and I are going to make a quilt together using this tutorial). They didn't scream "rainbow blocks!" to me but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm still not loving this block but I think it will work well in Rachel's rainbow quilt.

Rachel had asked for blocks of varying sizes for the do. Good Stitches quilt and so I contemplated making a couple more really small blocks or one more really large block . . . and because those templates I spent hours cutting out when I had planned on doing the Single Girl Support Group quilt-a-long were still sitting in a stack of projects to be touched, I thought I'd finally give that a shot.

And I am really glad that I did. It was totally not as difficult as I'd expected it would be—just time-consuming. Which was good. It gave me a lot of time to sit and reflect and pray for this family in need. It did me good—a benefit of do. Good Stitches that I don't always anticipate. :)

When I realized just how large the Single Girl block was going to be, I checked in with Rachel and we decided that I should send 2 half-Single Girl blocks and she could decide how to use them: together or separately.

There's something kind of fun about those rectangles, I think . . . well, except for the couple of places where my seams don't quite match up. But practice makes perfect and I plan on getting a lot more practice on this pattern.

Someday. :)

Now, hop over to Canoe Ridge Creations and check out all of the amazing projects linked up there this week!

Oversaturated

2011-04-22T08:48:00.001-05:00

Geeze, you go away for a week and suddenly there's new stuff popping up all over the place and knowing where to begin becomes a serious task.

But, EEEEK! I love all of the new stuff I'm seeing!

Joel Dewberry: Heirloom

And, I don't think I took the time to mention a few weeks ago how enamored I am by Joel's release of Aviary 2. Ahhh, those colors. Seriously.

All Joel Dewberry photos shamelessly stolen from the blog he and his wife write. Also, check out their free pattern for the Pendant Quilt above.

Denyse Schmidt: DS Quilts for Fabric Traditions

I had an inkling something was coming from Denyse Schmidt—something in line with her beloved Flea Market Fancy and Katie Jump Rope lines but I had no idea it would be this good. Her new line for Fabric Traditions under the label of the DS Quilts Collection is simply fantastic. It has that 30s/40s vintage feedsack vibe we've all come to love from her work. It's been all over blogland so I won't rehash the glorious madness here. Check out the Flickr group for some beautiful inspiration. Or, hop over to your local Joann or their site to pick up some of this fun collection while it lasts. (FYI, there were 21 prints released in the US but Joann's site only has 18 left in stock. The 10 prints being released in Australia will be sold through Spotlight but I don't believe it's out quite yet there. LULUBLOOM has made a great little reference chart if you're interested in checking out the prints and the skus all in one place.)

Tula Pink: Prince Charming

So, yeah . . . I recently gave in and purchased a bunch of Parisville. And, now . . . well, now I'm more in love with Ms. Pink. Prince Charming is amazing!

All Prince Charming images taken from Tula's Facebook page.

Sheesh. I haven't even made it through the 1,000+ blog posts collecting dust in my Google Reader from while I was on vacation yet and I'm already swooning with fabric envy. I better get sewing so I can justify some new purchases . . . maybe.

So in love

2011-04-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

With this place . . .

With this man . . .

With our first vacation away—together—alone . . .

And with the self-timer on our camera . . .

I'm glad to be home . . . but even more glad to have escaped for a week to make memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Escape

2011-04-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

It won't be long now . . .

We'll soon be on our way . . .

But I could use some suggestions . . .

Of what I should take.

Any ideas for light, simple, handwork projects that travel well through airport security? I have a small knitting project and some embroidery lined up but feel like I could use one more small project for my upcoming week of beach-bumming.

Suggestions are more than welcome!

"Maybe" quilt

2011-03-30T19:57:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have a grand vision for a spectacular new quilt that then, when you begin working on it, turns out not to be so grand?

That's where I'm at with this one.

Maybe I'll like it better once I finish it.

And I will finish it.

I will say this: my first foray into a quilt entirely created of solids is not quite as I'd hoped.

When I saw this photo of these fantastic napkins, I just knew that it had to become a quilt.

Maybe I was wrong.

We'll see. Maybe I just need to twist and turn some of my blocks in a more random pattern.

Who knows. Maybe I'll end up loving it.

Or maybe it'll become a housewarming gift for my baby sister . . . because it would look awesome in her newly-painted "elephant skin"-colored bedroom.

But, shhhh. Don't tell.

I love him—any way you slice it.

2011-03-21T07:48:00.001-05:00

About a year ago, I was trying to think of great gift ideas for my sweetheart for our fifth wedding anniversary. I was drawn to the thought of creating something handmade for him but realized that there were really only a couple of months to pull something together and that that probably wasn't enough time to tackle a big project and actually get it done. I'm not really sure how it happened, I knew there was no way to make him a quilt, but one day I found myself diving into my stash of Midwest Modern fabrics and cutting—with reckless abandon. It seemed I was about to tackle Amy Butler's Electric Quilt Company Any Way You Slice It Applique Quilt.

I still can't believe I did it. I don't really know how it all got done. But, in a flurry of weeks full of secret sewing in the few minutes after I'd get home before Chris would get there and on Saturdays while he was at work, I somehow managed to get it all pieced. I even managed to slip the longarm quilting bill through our checking account without him noticing.

We've been wanting to go out and take pictures for me to share here but every time we seem to have a few minutes to do it, something else comes up. So, this weekend I finally forced us to go outside and snap a few shots even if they weren't quite in the setting we had planned.

I was really glad that I pushed myself on this quilt. I chose a pattern I normally wouldn't have tackled in such a short time and I pushed myself by not following the "easy" directions (which were to applique the small blocks of strips onto giant halfsquare triangles) and rewrote the pattern to be entirely pieced. It was a big quilt (80x80) to finish in such a short time.

The cool thing about this quilt (to me, anyway) is that it really was my first finished quilt. I'd finished a couple of quilt tops prior to this but this is the first one I'd had quilted and then bound since I'd begun sewing—aside from a couple of small baby quilts, that is. It was special for me to give my first finished quilt to Chris for such an important occasion because of his constant encouragement of and interest in this growing hobby of mine.

I was really fortunate to find an amazingly talented longarm quilter in my area. She did an amazing job with this quilt and is someone I am glad to know I can trust with my quilts.

I haven't really figured out my quilt "signature" yet, but it was fun to come up with something unique for this quilt.

Because this quilt was in celebration of our wedding anniversary, I wanted to inject a little of myself into the design with a splash of pink in the midst of all the blue and green. Oh, and that heart . . . it's a little hat-tip to the traditional fifth anniversary gift—wood. It's a piece of pink taffeta from our bridesmaids dresses embroidered with our initials, wedding date, and fifth anniversary date and then pieced on top of a piece of Joel Dewberry's Woodgrain. I don't think I totally pulled off my vision, but it works.

Nothing warms my heart more than to see Chris curled up with it nearly every night as we settle in from a long day at work . . . or when he's not feeling well and needs a little touch of comfort and warmth.

Be sure to stop by Canoe Ridge Creations today to check out all of the other lovely links for {Sew} Modern Monday.

Figure 8 Scarf? Notsomuch. How about Figure 1?

2011-03-19T06:32:00.000-05:00

I had been dying to make Anna Maria Horner's Figure 8 scarf for a month or so when my small and unassuming stash of Innocent Crush velveteen arrived one cold day in January. I had picked up a couple of half-yard pieces in an online sale just so I could have a look—because even living in Chicago with a plethora of LQSs didn't mean I'd get to see any of it in person.

When the box arrived, I was happily surprised at the texture and sheen of this new-to-me substrate. I had visions of some nice winter pillows for our couch. But as I gently (and sillily) touched it to my face while making hilarious cooing sounds in a tremendous show of exaggeration for my husband, that Figure 8 scarf began dancing in my head.

The stars aligned for me that weekend.

I had heard about a new restaurant from some acquaintances and when we decided to check it out, I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a quilt shop next door. (Seriously, a quilt shop I didn't know about? Five minutes from my house? Weird.) After we had our disappointingly expensive and flavorless lunch, I decided to cheer up by stopping in next door. And while I won't say it's a store I'll go back to when I need inspiration or some fun, modern prints, they might become a staple for Kona FQs. I was pretty underwhelmed until I spotted 3 bolts of the lovely, buttery AMH Innocent Crush voile on a shelf in the very, very back of the store. Score. A perfect match for the velveteen.

I was set.

On what might as well have been Superbowl Sunday for the Bears and Packers, I set out to make my fabulous FIgure 8.

Taking Anna Maria's velveteen tips to heart, I began cutting and pinning. And pinning. And pinning. And pinning. (Certainly this scarf was as long as Cutler's last pass, right—some Bears humor for those of you who don't follow.)

After both sides were all sewn and pressed, I did a quick look in the mirror before attaching the two short ends together, forming the Figure 8.

I wasn't feeling it.

It was too bulky on my stubby little neck. Wish I had a picture of that to show you. My expression was priceless.

I almost just went for it and convinced myself it'd: a) be OK; or b) be a great gift for my sister.

And then, in my head, there was this quick conversation about turning that Figure 8 into a Figure 1. Something I could wear and have more versatility with.

And that's how the Figure 8 became the Figure 1.

Though, I'm still swooning over all of those Figure 8s on flickr. Maybe a voile-voile Figure 8 is in my future.

After all, that store is only 5 minutes away.

Too lazy to title this . . .

2011-03-17T13:20:00.001-05:00

because that's just how I feel about this bag.

Well, sort of.

This is the ithinksew.com no. 22 pleats bag. It's a darling pattern. It's basically the large version of the bag I made for the Urban Home Goods 3 swap. Not basically—it is the large version of the bag I made for UHG3 swap.

I've been meaning to share this finish with you for a long while. It's been done and hanging on my closet door for probably a year. And even though I love, love, love it in the picture, it's just not practical for me as a purse. The handle is too short and the connection of the handle to the bag needs to be stabilized. I have been hoping to find another 2 yards of this fabric ever since I finished it so I could alter the pattern and remake it. But no luck there.

I've had a few people offer to "take it off my hands" for me and I've certainly been tempted to gift it or sell it or swap it, but I'm just too attached to the print to let it go. The fear of letting go might also have something to do with the fact that I had a bear of a time putting this one together. A lot of frustration with the pattern pieces and then some of my own errors in cutting. I invested a lot of time, energy, and money into this one. Too much to let it go.

I've considered adding a long strap that buckles on the interior so that I can sling it over my shoulder when shopping. Just haven't done it.

Do you ever feel this apathetic about a project once you've finished it? Even one that you hypothetically really love?

I'm using the bag today.

Really, really wish I had more of this fabric.

Urban Home Good(ness)!

2011-03-15T18:11:00.002-05:00

So much of the fun of the Urban Home Goods swap is the actual creation of what you send to your partner—at least it is for me. By the time I'm done with a swap, I am so excited to see what my partner thinks of her new treasures once they arrive that I nearly forget that something yummy is also on its way to me.

Nearly.

I'm not that crazy, you know.

So, when there was a loud knock on our door Saturday afternoon while I was sewing in the living room, it didn't even dawn on me that it was Mr. Postman coming to deliver my Urban Home goodness.

But once Chris declared the package was for me, I instantly knew that something great was in store.

I threw my project on the couch and rushed to open my package—a very cute package even on the outside. There were tons of stamps and some fun packing tape. I was so excited that I began ripping it open and didn't even stop to think to grab my camera for the unveiling!

Inside was a really sweet card from Holly (a fish in the water) as well as a bunch of little Canadian candy (wish I had a photo of the darling maple leaf suckers!). But those little extras were nothin' compared to the fantastic new sewing machine cover (look at that vintage polka dot linen!) and a darling little piece of wall art. How'd she know I have a thing for birds? :)

Holly did some fabulous sleuthing and discovered that I sew in my living room. She was right in thinking that quick cleanup is key and put those sweet pockets on the side of the machine cover.

I can't even tell you how great the craftsmanship is on this cutie. I was seriously impressed . . . and grateful to have such a wonderful partner this time around.

Thank you Holly for brightening up my space with some things I will be sure to treasure for years to come.

Urban Home Good(y) goody gum drops!

2011-03-14T12:17:00.002-05:00

You've probably been seeing all of the yummy packages people have been unveiling on their blogs this week as the most recent round of the Urban Home Goods swap wrapped up and little boxes of love made their way across the country—across the globe, really. The whole process of stalking someone's Flickr favs, inspiration mosaics, and blogs and then coming up with a vision of what to make is a ton o' fun and something I am so grateful to be a part of. This group inspires me in so many ways.

This time around, I got the lovely miss Meg Norrell as my secret partner—a self-described irreverent quilting librarian who loves blue, linen patchwork paired with brights, and decorates in spa-like colors.

Yeah, I scratched my head at first.

And then again.

And then some more.

And then it hit me. Love hexies!

I had grand plans to somehow turn these Love lovelies into a Taxi Tote from Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me—kinda like the one here.

After seeing all of my hexies laid out and realizing that I just wasn't feeling like the Taxi Tote was going to be dazzling enough, I started to think about making my own pattern for a little handbag.

That night, the gigantic Chicago blizzard hit and after spending the next day shoveling, I was too tired (or lazy) to come up with something on my own.

And then it hit me.

That lining I'd mis-cut for that cute little purse more than a year ago . . . that'd be perfect! You know (no, you don't know . . . I never blogged it), the one that was supposed to be for the large sized purse I had already cut the outside for but then cut out the lining in the wrong size? Still, I had a vision . . . and it was perfect.

Only, it was bright pink.

And Meg doesn't like pink.

But, I thought, "It's so perfect!"

And, so. That was it. I decided to throw Meg's preference for blue over pink right out the window and I rolled with it.

And there she sat.

And sat.

And sat.

Until I could wrap my head around what else to make for my lovely partner. My lovely, irreverent librarian, blue-loving swap partner. The one who'd just posted in a discussion group that she wanted a purse with a LONG handle.

Crap.

How's that for irreverent?

So, after some more blog and Flickr stalking and telling myself I really needed to get my second item right, I settled on my other item for Meg. A pair of funny (or so I hoped) potholders.

After mulling over all the irreverent possibilities and debating the merits of "damn hot" vs. "hot damn" or "hot. damn.", I whipped out some type and went to transferring it to some scraps of linen.

(Now, let me stop right there. I must pause to tell you how amazing, wonderful, spectacular, splendid, and perfect the Sulky Iron-On Transfer Pen is . . . if you like to embroider and want really clean transfers of your images . . . run out NOW and get one (or 8) of these amazing pens. Do it. You will not regret it!)

OK. Moving on.

I must say, though, that while the transfer was perfect, my stitching was not. I really struggled with color choice and readability. In the end, though, I had to tell myself—repeatedly—that these were going to be potholders. The stress of perfecting this project was really out of proportion to the end use of the product.

And so I stitched on.

And then, voila! I was finished!

And last week I was thrilled to find out that this fun little package made it's way safely to Meg and that she seems to enjoy her goodies as much as I enjoyed making them.

And I am so glad to be able to post something to Canoe Ridge Creation's {Sew} Modern Mondays again! Come check out all of the other modern lovelies!

The nasty cycle OR Where I've been

2011-03-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

Do you have any idea how much time I spend dreaming of happy, scrappy, totally fun projects?

A lot.

Do you know how much time I spend actually executing said projects?

Not as much as I'd like.

That's probably the story for most of us, isn't it? Or, at least I'd like to comfort myself by thinking that's the case.

It's funny, because blogging seems to be one of the things that keeps me going with my sewing. It keeps me inspired (reading other blogs), trying harder (for fear of negative comment when I share my own projects), and challenging myself in ways that I probably wouldn't if it weren't for all of you. At the same time, when life gets busy, it's the first thing to go from my schedule which is really a shame.

I've been finding myself in a nasty, vicious cycle of blogging and not blogging. I've finally figured out what's happening with me and it has nothing to do with not wanting to take the time to share what I'm working on or read what all of the blogs I follow have to say. It simply comes down to time.

I'm lucky that I love what I do from 9–5 as much as what I do from 5–9 but there are times when my day job gets busy AND I have small freelance projects AND I have a regular, quarterly freelance job and when all of these things align, my life gets crazy hectic and all I have time to do when I'm home is make dinner, do the laundry, and get in bed.

It seems I've been in one of those cycles again. And I am grateful that it is now March and I have a month or so of breather time before it gets that busy again.

I have been working on things the past month, though. So, even though I haven't shared my projects here, I have been sewing, sewing, sewing. Sewing so much that I have to take my machine in for another cleaning already!

So, hopefully some new posts are to come. It's a beautiful day out there so maybe I'll get out and shoot some photos and then get my butt back here to share. Just maybe.

Although, maybe I won't share everything . . . I mean, I'm pretty sure you don't want to see all of the hemmed pants and clothing repairs (why can't clothing companies sew buttons on better, seriously?).

Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that I hate tax season? Yeah, it's that time of year again. Feeling a bit grumpy this afternoon. How about you?

do. Good Stitches—the Aussie edition

2011-02-14T09:43:00.000-06:00

This month in the Faith circle of do. Good Stitches, we'll be sending all of our blocks to Kristy of Handmade Retro in Australia. Last month, Kristy approached us about the idea of creating a quilt for a young lady in Queensland whose family has been affected by the massive flooding happening there.

As I sat down to make these disappearing 9-patch blocks yesterday, it really dawned on me how fortunate I am. I won't go into any detail about this (mostly because I really don't need any more tears!), but as I pulled fabric from my stash and then sat down to cut and to sew, I felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude for being part of the do. Good Stitches team. It's allowed me to not only do something I love (sew) and to stretch in my skills, it has also allowed me to reconnect to my desire to help others. This has certainly been a good thing for me.

Thanks for letting me sew beside you all.

Catching up

2011-02-05T17:15:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when my week gets really busy . . . I get really behind. Really. Really. Behind. Have you ever been this far behind in your blog reading?

Pretty much wordless . . .

2011-02-03T19:35:00.000-06:00

I don't typically subscribe to the wordless Wednesday club . . . I mean, if you read my blog you know it's pretty impossible for me to just post a picture or two and walk away. But, today, that's (mostly) what I'm going to do. I am completely beat. Physically and emotionally.

This was my yesterday . . .

Followed by a little of this . . .

For my super secret Urban Home Goods 3 swap partner. Hope she likes it.

Prep work

2011-01-30T20:21:00.000-06:00

The last couple days have been pretty uneventful in the sewing realm. I am preparing for being away from my machine for the week while it goes out for cleaning and/or repair. I decided that I'd go the hexie hand-stitching route for my Urban Home Goods partner's first little goodie so today—instead of driving to a bunch of LQSs to track them down—I made myself some 1.5" hexie papers and have been printing and cutting my own out of cardstock. Tedious, I know, but it helped that I made some custom 8.5 x 11sheets of 8 hexies each which could be cut more easily than the typical hexie graph paper you can find online. If you want to use my template, feel free—the jpg is below. Just make sure you print at 100% which will probably mean printing with your borderless letter-sized setting on your printer.

The nice thing about this custom sheet is that you can cut angles in fell swoops and be really methodical about how you cut these apart. I noticed that when I cut hexies out of the straight up graph paper you can find online, that I have a hard time cutting around each individual side of each individual hexagon shape and that I was tending to snip into the neighboring ones. On these, I simply cut along the long diagonal lines and then cut along short diagonal lines and then clip off the remaining triangles. If you give it a go, you'll see what I mean.

This weekend I also started prepping for the Single Girl Support Group quilt a long which will be starting in February. I bought my template plastic yesterday and spent the evening tracing and cutting all 30-some odd template pieces.

This afternoon I decided to look at my templates again and wanted to lay them out to see how big each circle really is (I was thinking of starting small in the quilt-a-long by just doing 2 shams instead of a quilt) and realized a few things.

First, each circle is huge! I now have to decide if I want to just make one for my living room or two for our bedroom or if I just want to go ahead and commit to 4 and make a baby/lap blanket.

Secondly, I discovered that when I line up each template piece on top of its neighboring piece and line up the curves and the seam allowance markings, like so . . .

my templates do not create a closed circle. Hmmm. This seems problematic, does it not?

I've taken every single template piece and laid it back on top of the original template design in the pattern to discover that my templates are spot-on. This is not a cutting or tracing error . . . at least not as far as I can tell.

Can anyone else explain this? Is it simply a matter of there being some easing in this pattern? Did I go terribly wrong somewhere? Has anyone else already cut their templates for the quilt-a-long and found the same thing? HELP!

So, tonight I might go to bed a bit frustrated. This was a 4-hour project last night that took 2 movies and several cups of coffee to complete. I'm hoping that there's a reason the pieces don't line up and I'm just being silly in thinking that they should.

Or not.

A pillow for mom

2011-01-28T18:23:00.002-06:00

Way, way back I shared this preview of a "just because" project for my dear mom . . .

I recently had a chance to finish the pillow and gave it to my mom on a day when I sensed she really needed something special.

My mom is such an amazing inspiration to me in all walks of life—from her strength and her faith through to her creativity and artistic ability. We've been through a lot together and I am one of those incredibly fortunate women who can call their mother a friend—a best friend.

My mom still has big dreams. Dreams for herself and for her daughters. Dreams which I believe in and try to encourage her to pursue despite fears of the unknown. I try to stand by her in the way she stands by me.

So, while to some this might just be a cute pillow or a sweet pillow—the meaning behind it is so much more.

We all—including my mom—have aspirations. Lists of things we want to accomplish or check off our life lists. Dreams we want to see come to fruition. Sometimes, though, crossing those things off our lists is more difficult or scary than we wish they were and so we find ourselves stepping back—stepping away from the things which we feel will really give us fulfillment.

This pillow was a little message to my mom. I believe in her dreams and want her to (as cheesy as it may sound) break beyond the, albeit logical and realistic, fears and day-to-day needs that keep her from getting to where I know she wants to be.

Wow. I love my mom. Really, really love her.

I don't know if she sensed what I was trying to say with this pillow. She may have just seen it as a cute, sweet bird and thought nothing more than "Alecia knows I like birds." All I know is that each day she can see it in her home, sitting on the chair opposite her favorite knitting spot, and she'll think of me and she'll think of that bird and I can only hope that she'll come to realize how much I believe in and support her dreams . . . as she always has mine.

OK. Well, maybe it really is just a cute bird.

The hunt is on

2011-01-26T19:56:00.001-06:00

All day today I've been dreaming up projects for my Urban Home Goods swap partner. I've been mentally tallying what fabrics are in my closet that might work for some of her requested goods and I settled on these as the options. The decision about which of her desired items I end up making depends on which fabric I (or maybe she'll just happen to comment on my photo over on Flickr) choose.

Yippee! Let the fun begin!

Making change

2011-01-24T19:30:00.000-06:00

On Friday when I was home sick, I thought I'd give the super-cute Quick Change Coin Purse non-tutorial tutorial by Mary Claire from Splendorfalls a shot. Apparently, the time to make a coin purse (or any project utilizing the sewing machine) is not on a day when you are home sick suffering from uber groginess. Lesson learned.

Despite some mistakes caused by a serious lack of patience and just wanting to give it a shot rather than work it to perfection, these turned out pretty well. I still need to put a zipper in the larger version but it fell behind my sewing table and I've been too lazy the last 3 days to get down and crawl behind my table to find it. So, eventually, it'll get a zipper.

I didn't follow Mary's directions to the letter—I tend to like contrast stitching and tried that on the larger one only to discover that my stitches now show in places I don't want them to show and not only where I wanted the contrast stitching. That's OK. They are good enough for my purse and will certainly hold some change and other loose odds and ends.

The tutorial was really simple to follow and the project only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and that's with hand-stitching the zipper in place. Easy peasy. They are a great way to use of small pieces of fabric for something useful. I'll definitely be making more of these. In fact, I've already got two more cut out on my table. This time I'm going to follow Mary's directions to the T and NOT attach the binding the way I did on these two because I'll want a more polished finish with the fabrics I've chosen for the next ones. I'll share those little lovelies when they are finished!

Hope you all had a wonderful sew modern monday!

A friendship stitched in color

2011-01-21T18:44:00.000-06:00

I've been on this little kick of feeling sentimental—grateful, really. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind when you work a 9–5 (or an 8–4:30 as it may be) but, as I've already chronicled in more than a few posts, finding my niche in this sewing/blogging/swapping/creating community has really given me something to look forward to each day and a way to unwind each night.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time at all, you'll know that I've really come to value the friendship I've made simply through these online sources of connection and inspiration. I try to let each of you know with a little email here or a comment on your blog there, but I'm not always so good about letting you know that you inspire me or that I'm thinking of you. I need to be better about that . . . because you all seem to be wonderful at it.

One of the amazing women I met online through a Flickr group this year is Rachel of Stitched In Color. Even without having met Rachel in person, I can sense that we're kindred spirits. She's the kind of girl who takes the time to let people know that she's thinking of them and that she appreciates them—she's the kind of person I'm pretty sure I'd love to spend a weekend stitching with just chatting and sipping tea or coffee or cocoa with. If you don't know Rachel, you should most definitely take the time to read her lovely blog. She will not disappoint.

Right around Christmas I received a really sweet card from Rachel. I saw the return address before opening the card and knew that it was from her. Immediately my heart sunk—not only had I (once again) failed to send holiday cards to my family this year, I had also failed to send cards to the lovely women I've met and become friends with through the blogosphere these past several months. "Bummer," I though. "I really hope she (or anyone else) doesn't feel disappointed that I didn't put her on my Christmas card list because I didn't send cards to anyone!" I was feeling a little bit of self-loathing.

And then I opened the card.

Scrawled inside was a very Rachel-like note—sweet and sincere—and also a very special little surprise.

This adorable handmade needle holder was something I'd been eyeing on her blog and had planned to make on my own. Somehow it's a little more special to have one that she made for me. I love it to pieces and continue to admire her beautiful, straight stitches as well as her thoughtfulness.

So, thank you Rachel—for the needle holder, for your friendship, and for your constant ability to inspire. Happy 2011 to you, my friend.

Works in progress

2011-01-21T13:41:00.000-06:00

I'm sick. I am supposed to be cuddled up on the couch resting this morning catching some ZZZs to shake this pesky cold. Instead, I found myself laying there staring at the overflowing basket of projects in process—my works-in-progress basket (notice the subtle hint to myself that these are supposed to be projects I'm making progress on and not just works in process). Suddenly, I felt the urge to at least go through the basket and see what all was in there.

Well, the contents looked something like this:

• Lining and interfacing for a purse I miscut a year ago and need to find a new exterior fabric to complete
• Chris' "sleep shorts" torn into pieces because I mistakenly sewed the wrong seams together
• 2 balls of a cherry red roving yarn for a scarf I was going to crochet
• 1 ball of a gorgeous coral Malabrego yarn that I still plan to knit a scarf or cowel from this winter
• My stack of Soul Blossoms waiting to be put away or sent back
• My Lola Goes Shopp'n purse all cut out and ready to put together
• A Folksy Flannels quilt top waiting for a decision on size and border
• My Anna Maria Horner string quilt waiting to be basted so I can potential hand-quilt this baby
• My first quilt top—my Amy Butler Lotus quilt still waiting to be sent out for quilting (I'm planning to have it custom quilted by a local long-armer)
• Some Christmas presents I've been meaning to photograph and share with you
• Therm-o-web samples
• Samples from some other interfacing company
• Plenty of double-sided Pellon fusible
• 5 new Amy Butler patterns

Yes. It's a big basket. There was even more than this inside . . . I'm just choosing not to share the fact that it's become a catch-all craft basket in my living room. Oh, wait. I guess I just did.

Anyway, it's a good thing I didn't photograph the basket before I started sorting it out. It was embarrassing. But, here it is after . . .

I guess it's still a little embarrassing. But at least I emptied some things out and put them where they belong. Maybe I can aim to get this all completely finished by the end of February. Sounds like a reasonable goal to me.

And, just because I haven't really shared much of any of these projects with you yet, here are a few pictures of some of the projects from this basket. Pardon my lazy draping on these first two.

I'm still not sure about this Folksy Flannel quilt. I'd really like to be able to make it a lap quilt for an adult (me!) but I don't have enough of the print I'd like to use on the border hence the reason it's sitting in this basket. I'm not really feeling it anymore so I'm wondering if I should just cut my losses and call it a baby quilt and gift it sometime down the line.

My sister-in-law Lindsey has been sewing for just about a year now. She hasn't been tackling too many big projects but has been sewing for her new nephew mostly. For Christmas, she whipped out a Noodlehead gathered clutch for each of the women in her life. This one was for me!

This cute little camera strap came from my friend Kimberly. It's backed with minky and is super warm for these crazy cold Chicago days.

Kimberly also gave me this hilarious book. Seriously, some of the stuff in here is creepy and crazy . . . but it is certainly worth a look if you want to have a good roll-on-the-floor type of laugh attack.

Well, that's it for now. I think I might go make myself some tea and dream of the two fabric orders I placed this morning. Either that or I'll actually get some rest.

Over and out.

Enamored . . . but maybe a bit too late

2011-01-20T19:10:00.001-06:00

I don't know where I've been. When I saw photos from Kokka's fall Quilt Market booth, I just knew that I had to put Melody Miller's new line Ruby Star Rising on my must-buy list. Somehow I totally missed that it had hit the stores already and now it looks like I'm too late to the party to get all the pieces that I'd like. I'm sure if I do some sleuthing this weekend I'll be able to find bits and pieces of the collection here and there but it seems like it's just flown off the shelves! And while I'll gladly do it (I mean, look at these funky prints that are just perfect for my wannabe-retro kitchen!), I hate having to pay shipping at 5 different places to get 7 or 8 cuts of fabric. Oh well . . . I'll call this my winter splurge. First maybe I'll put this image up on Flickr and see if anyone is trying to unload any of my favorite prints. Doubtful but worth a shot.

So, while you're here, I really want to direct you over to Melody Miller's blog. First of all, her blog is gorgeous—I mean, I absolutely adore her vintage background print. Love it. Secondly, she has such a sweet voice and has been gifted with such an artist eye and an ability to share it with us all. So, get on over there and check out her adorable elephant tooth cushion patterns and her tutorial for making a fabric-covered photo matte.

I think I might have found my next muse . . .

EDIT

If you're looking for any of these prints and want to be able to get them all from one online shop, check out Nido in Vermont. They still have a little left of almost all of the prints and they offer free US shipping on orders over $50. YAY!

Wishing Flowers—dreams do come true.

2011-01-19T19:12:00.000-06:00

I have a tendency to take things personally. It's a bad, bad thing. At the same time, this very tendency also makes me a pretty sentimental, sensitive, and insightful person. Which, I think, isn't really such a bad thing. I guess you could call me a woman of extremes.

For that reason, I've never found myself to be the kind of girl with a bunch of girlfriends. I just can't take the cattiness. I have more often than not found that my closest friends have been boys—I'm sure many of you can relate. There's just so much less fussiness and talking behind one another's backs with boys and that's how I like it. I suppose this might have something to do with having spent four years at an all-girls high school . . .

Well, now that I'm (as a friend recently wrote to me) a married woman of my upper 20s, I'm settling into some female friendship that I really do believe will last me a lifetime. This is a first for me and something I am really coming to cherish. Some of you—and you know who you are—have the uncanny ability to pull me out of a funk, to say what I need to hear right when I need to hear it, and to set me straight (yes, that is needed on occasion). I couldn't be more thankful for you—you really are a dream come true and I love each and every one of you.

This week, one of you especially touched my life with a little gesture that said (at least this is the way I interpreted it) "I'm thinking of you"—and that meant a lot to me. It's funny that this little package arrived yesterday right when I needed it (I had spent part of the day in court and the rest of the day really stressed at work). We don't talk every day or share a ton of details of our lives with one another—in fact, we've never even met. But, still, I was the benefactor of a little bit of serendipity when this envelope arrived. A happy little thank you for trying to find a fabric we were both in search of . . . but apparently she found it and swapped it first and made sure that I received some of it, too.

Ahh, the out-of-print Wishing Flowers from Riley Blake's Andrea Victoria. I've been crushing on you for quite some time. And you're every bit as darling as I thought you would be!

Thank you, Mary Claire, for being such a sweet person and for picking me up on a day when I so desperately needed it!

Thanks, too, to Dar (Dizzy4Fabrics) for swapping with Mary and sending this perfect little package for her!

Good stitches for January

2011-01-17T06:27:00.000-06:00

As promised in December, I was going to look at January 2011 as a time to become less of a procrastinator on my do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} blocks. And, voila! Here are my blocks for this month all ready to go and it's only the middle of the month.

This month, Jessica of Twin Fibers is planning the quilt. She asked us to each make 4 7.25" blocks in a nautical theme—navy with touches of yellow and red—following this tutorial for an X-string block. At first, I will admit, I was a little bit apprehensive about the block. I didn't know if I'd be able to turn up much navy in my stash and then I discovered that I had more than I thought I did. Then I was worried about the execution of the block.

In the end, they turned out just fine. In fact, while I was working on them I realized that there could be a potential shortcut for this block if I were making an entire quilt like this. And, let me tell you . . . I will be making an entire quilt like this.

I'm sew excited!

2011-01-13T18:29:00.001-06:00

And I just can't hide it! Woo hoo! Urban Home Goods 3 signups just started and I am so crazy-happy that I have decided to join in again. Can't wait to see who I get paired with . . . maybe there will be some more evil genius involved.

1. sunny circles pillow II, 2. Urban swap machine cover, 3. UHG Swap loot from JenniferLGB, 4. 2009 05 26_6793_edited-1, 5. munki starburst quilt, 6. Coffee Sleeves, 7. Hope Mini Quilt, 8. WINNER! Project Modern Challenge 1: Mary Claire Allen - Quilt, 9. Pillow Talk Swap 4 pillow, 10. 'Green Britain' Quilted, Patchworked Union Jack Flags, 11. Vintage Sheet Wrapped Wreath, 12. Doll quilt for Krista, 13. sinking.into.new, 14. Let it Fly, 15. tuttle quilt, 16. ORB Zig Zag Quilt, 17. Lotus Square quilt - COMPLETED, 18. keep calm and carry on, 19. Fresh Cut Sampler Quilt, 20. Orla Kiely, 21. Orla Kiely, 22. gathering.flowers, 23. Pop Flower Quilt - Urban Home Goods Swap - starting to quilt, 24. caravan love, 25. urban home goods swap reveal...., 26. Urban Home Swap, 27. for a friend, 28. gargantuan tulip, 29. Pillow Talk Swap Pillow from jqadams, 30. scrappy nap pillow, 31. momma, 32. Hoop Up - example - Volkswagen Bus!, 33. Colorful Crafting with Jen: Rickie's Sashiko Pillow, 34. Felt Rosette Pillow, 35. new bag!!!

Swaps rock. They push me in ways I wouldn't normally push myself. I can't wait to get started. Bring it on!

Are you signed up ? This is your friendly PSA: Everyone's doing it. So should you.

A sweet little surprise

2011-01-07T22:51:00.004-06:00

I just checked my spam folder to discover that I'd missed a couple of reader comments recently. So, if you asked a question and I haven't responded . . . I will be getting back to you shortly!

However, I received a sweet little surprise from A. J. Dub at Harriet Homemaker Strikes Again today and I am so honored to have someone mention to their readers that they like my blog. I'm blushing. I really am.

A. J. sent me a little blogging award today for blogs below the 300+ follower mark. A little treat for those of us who don't blog as regularly or are less known—but who still inspire and, as A. J. put it, have as much fun and joy as those with a larger following. So, now that I've been tagged I am supposed to tag 3–5 others who I also feel deserve this little honor. Please go check out the work of these lovely ladies:

Splendorfalls Sews
Rinse. Repeat.
The Joy Cottage
30 and Quilting
Binkwaffle

There are so many more of you who deserve this award, too. You all inspire me beyond belief.

So, now, if you've been tagged here and you wish to accept your award, please grab this tag and place it on your blog and link back to here and to 3–5 others you'd like to share the love with and then let them know they've been tagged. I hope you'll play along!

Thanks for recognizing me, A.J. That was a really special treat!

Food. Glorious food.

2011-01-07T18:15:00.001-06:00

Before Christmas I posted my long list of baking desires: snowballs, glittering lemon cookies, cinnamon rolls. There was more than this on my list, for sure. But with all of the running around for last-minute Christmas shopping and groceries, impromptu luncheons with good friends, cleaning for company, Christmas Eve traditions, and prepping for Christmas dinner, I just wasn't sure that I was going to get any of the "fun" stuff on my list completed. But somehow I made it happen.

I know most of you don't come here for photos of food or recipes and yet I feel compelled to share them with you. I feel like food—and even the process of baking or cooking—has a special power to join those I love in one place. Over meals we recollect. We celebrate. We plan for the future. We laugh—sometimes until we cry—and we talk more than we might otherwise. We linger (but that just might be because we're all waiting for someone else to clear the dishes).

Such was the case this Christmas. Whether it were the fajitas at a nondescript Chili's to which we drove an hour in slippery snow to meet friends for lunch, or the soup at a local family restaurant where we met for our traditional Christmas Eve celebration with my aunt's family, or the Sauerbraten on the candle-lit table at my mother's house which we'd collectively labored over on our quiet Christmas afternoon, food was at the center of our holiday. I'll always remember those fajitas, that soup, that Christmas dinner. Not only do we recollect the past while breaking bread but we also create new memories while joyfully communing. It's pretty amazing how food can trigger m

To me it's fascinating how food also has the ability to trigger memories. Do you ever smell something cooking and find yourself smiling because you're suddenly remembering a special moment in the past or realize that a seemingly out-of-the-blue memory is triggered by food? For instance, when my mom makes rolatin, I am often brought back to a particular Christmas dinner when I was only 12 or 13. I remember the people and the plates and the gifts. I can vividly recall the snapshots of my cousin smiling and I wearing our new matching sweaters. I can even hear the laughter and the clattering of silverware.

Like I said—I know you don't come here for the recipes or the photos of food. So, pardon me if you find me posting about food and sharing stories of the sweet and the savory here nonetheless.

Back from my digression.

I know this is late—but better late than never, right? Right. Hope you're still with me.

Early on Christmas Eve morning, after I'd done all of the shopping and Christmas dinner prep the night before, I woke myself up and headed down to our kitchen while it was still dark out. I thought I'd tackle at least a cookie recipe or two before driving out to meet some friends for lunch. After all, what would Christmas be without cookies? (OK, here's where I remind you that my family has a bakery and we're never without cookies if we want them, so really . . . my logic was not exactly spot-on.)

Before going to bed the night before, I took some butter out of the refrigerator and left it on the counter to come to room temperature—just in case.

I also made sure my sugar container was full.

When I came downstairs, the butter was all nice and soft. Ready to go. (This really was a success because as you probably already know, I am quite impatient—especially when it comes to waiting for butter to soften.)

I measured and poured, sifted and stirred. Before I knew it, the sun was rising and before me I had two big containers of cookie dough, some lemon filling for the glittering lemon cookies, a bowl of cinnamon roll dough, a circle of almond pate brise, a container of almond paste, and a stack of empty butter wrappers.

I quickly cleaned up my mess (and, I am really talking a mess—egg shells, flour, mixing bowls, whisks, spatulas, 2 food processor bowls . . .) and put everything in the refrigerator. It was time to get ready for our lunch date.

Several hours later, after returning from lunch and dinner, Chris and I arrived home—tired and cold but happy. As Chris went off to wrap presents and make something special (more on that later) for me, I pulled out the cookie sheets and got to baking.

The next day, we served these at my mom's. Scrumptious.

I had planned to make these cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning just as a little treat for my cinnamon roll-loving husband. Little did I know (maybe I should've read all the way through Ree's directions—patience, it gets me every time) that I'd have 42 cinnamon rolls when all was said and done.

All in all, everything turned out well. The cinnamon roll dough was such an amazingly delicious treat and they have held up quite well over the last two weeks in the refrigerator. We've just removed a few at a time and microwaved for 20 seconds to reheat. While I would happily make these again and again, I would certainly modify the frosting recipe. Maple is just not for me . . . even in the small quantity the recipe calls for. So, when I figure that one out, I'll let ya know.

I am a little bummed to say that I have no photos to share of my lovely almond and pear French tart. We can blame that on my camera—something is wrong with the mount for my lenses. Sending up a little prayer that it will fix itself.

I feel like I should also share a bit about those Glittering Lemon Cookies and maybe some photos of our Christmas dinner and tell you a bit about the recipe for that. But, I think it would be pressing my luck to expect you to read any further. And, with that, I say goodnight.

Modern Madness mustache

2011-01-07T17:40:00.003-06:00

I know you know I love Etsy. I love Etsy so much that it made me a supporter of the whole handmade goods world and I love it so much that I was inspired to buy all (mostly all) of my Christmas gifts from sellers who are either a part of Etsy or could be a part of Etsy.

OK. So, that's my shout out to you, Etsy.

Check out Modern Madness—an Etsy boutique that makes the mustache craze even more fun!

I was lucky that I ended up with one spare glass after my gift-giving bonanza. I think it suits me.

___________________
EDIT: Dang, I should've saved this for Sunday Stash. Would've been more amusing. Oh well, that's me—always late to the punchline.

Loving Folksy Flannels on these cold winter nights

2010-12-30T23:35:00.000-06:00

Just a little something I've been working on. Modeled after Alexia Abegg's quilt for Anna Maria Horner's studio—but with modifications. Unfortunately, I've run into a stumbling block: I don't have enough of a particular print to make my border and so I find myself stuck trying to find a solution other than buying more fabric. We'll see.

Chris found my "tools" amusing—he particularly likes that I use my iPod as a sewing tool. What better tool could there be, I say? Not only do I have music but I have inspiration at my fingertips—not to mention that calculator is pretty handy after a long day at work.

And, yes, this is my favorite print from the collection. It's the one I wanted to use as my border—but my measurements don't think that is going to happen.

Again, I say . . . we'll see. I may just have to find myself another half yard or so.

Always waiting until the last possible moment . . .

2010-12-30T22:54:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I wait until the last couple of days to make my blocks for do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} each and every month. There's really no good reason for it. No rhyme or reason. I have plenty of fabric to choose from. I have plenty of time compared to most of you with little ones and big ones to tote around from place to place. I just always wait.

So, here I am, one night before I absolutely have to get these in the mail to this month's quilter and I have just finished my task of creating 2 12.5" square log cabin blocks (in this case, just a bit wonkified) for a family in need. And, this month, I not only waited until the last moment—I waited until the last moment on a holiday weekend when I'm also trying to prepare my messy apartment for company. Score! Somehow, I thrive under pressure, though, and not only is my house getting straightened up, but I'm actually pretty happy with these blocks, too. These were my first at a log cabin style block and now I can totally see the appeal. I can't wait to use some of the leftover strips I cut (I was a little overzealous when choosing my fabrics) and some munki munki to make a little pillow for a friend.

Upsidedownrightinsideoutright UPDATE

2010-12-30T10:21:00.000-06:00

So, this is largely a re-post about the Amy Butler Soul Blossoms fabric I've been concerned about.

We went to a fabric store in Rockford the other day and I had a chance to get my hands on some glorious bolts of this line. I must admit that my emotions are even more mixed about the line now than they were before. Because, while I was elated that the same prints I had issues with from my online purchase were also on sketchy substrates in the local quilt shop, I was more than a little bit disappointed that there was still such a big quality issue. It really was the exact same prints with the exact same issues in the shop as I had had in my online order.

Thus, even though I'd decided only a day earlier to send back the pieces of my initial order that I was having qualms with, I think I'm just going to keep it now. Having seen that this is likely an issue across all bolts of this fabric, I'm pretty sure that if I want the prints, I'm going to have to sacrifice a little in the quality of the fabric. So, at $6-something per yard, I might as well keep what I have and just limit myself to only this stash.

Or at least I'll try.

_______________
original post

Do you ever feel upsidedownrightinsideoutright? That topsy-turvy, totally-in-love-but-also-a-little-sad all at the same time kind of feeling?

Today I said "hello, again" to that very feeling. It's a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking feeling that I would really rather not experience.

No, no one is hurt. I haven't crashed my car. Everything's generally OK.

OK. So, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. You'll probably think so, too, when I tell you that this dreaded feeling is all about . . . FABRIC.

Gorgeous. Amy. Butler. Soul. Blossoms.

Yes. The line is gorgeous. It's harmonious and cacophonous all at the same time. The colors and prints are lively and vibrant and beautiful. I love the line. The whole line. Even if it did take a little while to grow on me . . .

So, my long-awaited pre-ordered purchase arrived on my doorstep the other day and when I opened it, my heart sunk. No, it wasn't Amy's color or her prints which I was upset with—in fact, I couldn't even see them when I eagerly ripped open my box because inside was a gigantic jumbled mess of inside-out fabric. I had a sneaky suspicion—a sense of deja vu, if you will—that I was going to be disappointed.

And, disappointed I am. Disappointed and confused. I started this post on Tuesday and it's only today that I'm finally taking the time to really assess my stash of Soul Blossoms. That upsidedownrightinsideoutright feeling has overwhelmed me most of this week. Am I too picky? Am I really the only one who will complain about this? Should I just not worry about the quality of what was in my box and simply move on and use it in a quilt or other patchwork projects without any qualms?

I am, however, highly frustrated with two aspects of my purchase: 1) Why (for the 2nd time with a new Amy Butler line) is my entire order being shipped to me folded inside out? 2) Why is the weave of the cotton substrate across this line so utterly different from piece to piece?

My first beef, I suppose, is with the company I'm purchasing from. I've been down this road before—back in 2008 when Midwest Modern was released and I ordered an embarrassingly copious amount of fabric. At that time, my order also arrive all inside out in a jumbled mess in a bag inside of a box. Many of my cuts were jagged and crooked. Some were short of my ordered yardage. Some had generous amounts of extra fabric. It was a mess. And I dealt with the vendor at that time. I continue to order from this vendor because 90% of the time the purchase comes and it is fine and because they usually fix errors without much of a delay. Also at that time, I spoke with a rep from Westminster who said that they would never ship bolts out inside out and that I really should return the fabric. I opted, instead, for a discount from my vendor.

Well, since 2008, I haven't really had any problems and decided to go ahead and pre-order Soul Blossoms with this vendor. Having heard from a couple of business owners on trips this fall that Amy Butler had been delaying the fabric release because of quality control issues, I felt confident that by the time the line was released and passed her inspection, there really wouldn't be any problems. And, from what I've heard others say, the line appears to be one some of the best quality cotton they've seen in a while.

However, my batch does not live up to that. I'm feeling stumped. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do. The in-love-with-this-line part of me wants to just keep it all and dig into a project with it. The practical side of me really wonders if the variances in substrate are going to play well together—especially if I don't end up prewashing everything before using it. Some of the pieces have such a loose, textured weave that it feels almost like a canvas would feel when I run my hands over it. Then, there are pieces which are completely smooth—silky, almost. Some is thick, some is thin. There's such a range of textures and fineness that I have to wonder what the deal is. Is the inconsistency that it is coming from a variety of mills? And, even if that's the case, shouldn't there be a higher standard for consistency?

What do I do? Send some back? Keep it all? Worry about it? Not worry about it? Raise the question—again—with Westminster?

I wish that I had a better macro lens so I could show you better images, but here's what I've captured without being on a macro setting. Take a look. I'd love your input. Check out the directionality of the grain and the textures. Lots of slubs and little tiny pin holes . . .

Oooey, gooey goodness coming our way!

2010-12-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

Today I have my sights set on finishing up a little Christmas shopping, grabbing a few ingredients from the store, making the marinade for our Christmas dinner, cleaning, and eventually starting in on some holiday baking.

I'll be making these. (photo by The Pioneer Woman)

And these. (photo by Epicurious)

With a possible variation like these. (photo by Purl Soho)

And our own family recipe of these. I'll share that one later (I need to see if it's really any different than the others I've found online this week). (photo by Imagine Childhood)

Hope you are all enjoying making your holiday preparations. This is just about my favorite time of year. If I didn't have to clean today, there'd be no question!

I'll let you know how these all turn out . . .

She's a winner!

2010-12-15T17:36:00.000-06:00

I checked out Project Modern's blog today thinking I might see challenge #2 posted . . . but, instead, I found out that my friend Mary was one of 3 winners of challenge #1. Way to go Mary! I love your concept, your mistakes, and your final product. You rock!

Thank you inaccurate weather services . . .

2010-12-13T17:48:00.000-06:00

Because of you, my weekend was much more relaxed. Much more exciting. Much more spontaneously beautiful.

We were simply supposed to drive down to the city on Saturday afternoon for a simple dinner out somewhere and a concert at the Chicago Theater. But, due to your overzealous predictions that the winter storm to end all storms would hit at approximately the same time we were to be in the city, we decided to book an all-too-expensive room at The Wit and take the train on in so we could avoid the wintry-mix mess you said to anticipate.

Well, because of you, we were treated to a warm cookie upon check-in, the piped-in scent of vanilla throughout the lobby, a plate of free homemade candies and Fiji water brought to our door just moments after settling in, a spectacular view of the city, an aesthetically pleasing series of elevator rides, a wonderful dinner, scrumptious dessert, beautiful walk on the snowy and deserted streets of downtown Chicago, a tasty breakfast, and a whole lot of special time spent as the loving, relaxed couple we sometimes forget we can be.

I guess it doesn't matter that the blizzard didn't hit until many hours after we were already done with the show and would have been home in bed, sleeping, had we driven in as initially planned. I wouldn't replace a second of our unnecessarily luxurious weekend.

I highly recommend The Wit hotel, State&Lake restaurant (despite the slow service), and Straight No Chaser.

Pardon my unedited photos.

What goes around comes around.

2010-12-11T09:37:00.002-06:00

We see it in fashion every day—styles of the past fusing with a contemporary aesthetic to create the current trends. We hear it in our music in the styling of artists like Duffy and Adele to name just two. What goes around comes around. What was once old is now new again.

I had never really considered how the history of textile design and quilting played a role in the trends I see in quilty blogs and through all of the wonderful groups on Flickr until my mom brought home a handful of books from a quilt show that I had snubbed my nose at attending. The show's description told me right away that I wouldn't be seeing any modern quilting. I considered attending for the sheer value of becoming exposed to more quality handwork but at the last minute decided not to go. What mom brought back, though, was enough inspiration for me to realize that this modern patchwork world that I am a part of is based in so much history that I have no business at all turning my head from the "traditional" and only focusing on the "modern."

Like I said, I'd never really thought about how the history of textile design—really, all design—plays a role in what I am drawn to today. Think about Denyse Schmidt. Flea Market Fancy is based on 30s feedsack prints. Hope Valley is certainly marked by the art of the 40s—the depression era. A look at certain prints in each collection of Amy Butler's work will reveal a tipped hat toward the 50s, 60s, and 70s (think August Fields' Modern Love; Midwest Modern's Martini Dots; Daisy Chain's Wildflowers, Deco Rose, and Rose Garden). The hexie craze is just an updated love affair with one of the most traditional hand-piecing quilting methods that exists.

Maybe you've all been more privy to this than I have. Maybe these realizations are nothing new for you. What these books revealed to me, though, was a whole new world of inspiration. There have been days when I find myself stalling to start a project because I feel like it is too much of a replica of something I've seen on another bloggers site or in a Flickr group. My current method of getting around this is stepping back and redrawing a design with some modifications or making sure that my fabric selections are not identical. Exploring this whole world of historical patchwork is opening my eyes in a completely new way.

Here, take a look at some of these pages (click to enlarge). I considered giving commentary on each photo and why I'm including it but I think I'll just let them speak for themselves. Maybe you'll find some of your own inspiration in these images . . .

From All About Patchwork

From More Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel

From Step by Step Quiltmaking
by Barbara Danneman

From Once Upon a Quilt
by Celine Blanchard Mahler

From The Pieced Quilt
by Jonathan Holstein

Upsidedownrightinsideoutright

2010-12-10T17:03:00.001-06:00

Do you ever feel upsidedownrightinsideoutright? That topsy-turvy, totally-in-love-but-also-a-little-sad all at the same time kind of feeling?

Today I said "hello, again" to that very feeling. It's a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking feeling that I would really rather not experience.

No, no one is hurt. I haven't crashed my car. Everything's generally OK.

OK. So, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. You'll probably think so, too, when I tell you that this dreaded feeling is all about . . . FABRIC.

Gorgeous. Amy. Butler. Soul. Blossoms.

Where to begin?

2010-12-09T18:12:00.000-06:00

WARNING: Photo-less post.

You know how it is.

You keep meaning to get to something, but you don't.

You fill the time you are supposed to be spending on something in particular doing something completely different—whether you intend to or not. Whether you want to or not. Consciously or not.

Dishes. Laundry. Catching up on sleep. Playing with stacks of fabric. Vacuuming because you borrowed your sister's Dyson. Playing with scraps. ~~Buying~~ Hunting down quantities of OOP fabric because you fear all you have left of your favorite fabrics are scraps. Celebrating new jobs. Holidays. Births and birthdays.

That's where I've been.

And, somewhere in the midst all of the hustle and bustle of the fall that has so quickly passed me by, I've actually been somewhat productive—albeit, behind the scenes. There are new quilts in process, bee blocks, beginnings of a bag, handmade gifts, fresh stash, a new collection of vintage goodness, and a couple of recipes I'd like to share.

So that brings me to the question of where to start. Because, despite wanting to blog and continually putting it on my list of things to do over the past couple of months, I've fallen drastically behind. So, do I step backward and start at the very beginning (as my dear friend Julie Andrews might suggest), or do I just pickup from here and pretend like none of the last several weeks have happened?

Neither option sounds particularly enticing right now.

So, for now, I'll just say this: I'm back. I'm ready to roll. And I have much to show. Get ready for a massive (for me) amount of posts over the next week or so. At least I hope so.

Cheers, loves!

Want to do more good with your stitching?

2010-11-08T18:13:00.000-06:00

Then visit us over at do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} and consider joining us as a quilter or host for one of the new circles we are trying to get up and running.

For those of you who haven't heard of do. Good Stiches before, we are a group of sewers committed to creating blankets of love and hope for children in need. Each month, each of our three circles plans, creates, and then distributes a child-sized quilt to a charity focused on helping children in need or to a child from one of our church communities.

Each of our circles is comprised of 10 people: 1 host, 5 quilters, and 5 stitchers (yes, that's 11 but the host also doubles as a quilter or stitcher). Each month, a different quilter from the circle will plan a quilt and send out the information to everyone about what types of blocks the circle should make for the month. Stitchers and the remaining quilters are responsible for making 2 blocks each month based on the plan set forth by the quilter and getting those to her before the end of the month. The quilter then takes those blocks and assembles the quilt top, bastes, quilts, and binds the quilt before delivering it to the charity or child it was created for. The host, in addition to either the quilting or stitching duties, is responsible for organizing the group and making sure there is a quilter assigned each month and that things are moving along smoothly.

Rachel, the visionary for this bee, has received a great number of requests to join do. Good Stitches from Flickr members who want to participate as stitchers. Right now we're looking for a few good men or women who might be interested in participating at the quilting and/or hosting level. We'd love to have you. Please come check us out and consider joining us in our efforts to reach more children in need. With your help, we can get another circle or two up and running and be reaching more children each month in no time at all.

Click on over to the group on Flickr and fill out a membership form. Can't wait to see you there!

Addicted

2010-11-06T07:46:00.000-05:00

When packages come wrapped in the mail like this . . .

My whole addiction seems to make sense. Looks like those little bricks of cocaine that you see on all of the cop shows, doesn't it?

Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love Quilt Home? We all have our own favorite online shops to buy from, but Quilt Home has become one of my favorites. I remember the first time I received a package from them. It was wrapped in the little cocaine bundle style and then had a nice handwritten note on the invoice. It made my purchase feel special—personal, somehow. It almost felt like I'd been in a physical shop and purchasing fabric and not just purchasing online.

Over the last couple of years, I've placed oodles of orders with Quilt Home. In all that time, I've only ever had one problem—and it was really USPS's fault for leaving a package out on my front stoop in the rain! But, Quilt Home came right to the rescue—giving me absolutely no hassle about it and just sending me a new bundle of fabric and including prepaid flat rate envelopes to send the rest of the damaged fabric back to them in. I was so pleased with the customer service and, really, have always been.

Some of the reasons I love Quilt Home:
• Free shipping over $50
• 20%-30% off each week in their email newsletter on a specified selection of fabrics (usually by designer, collection, fabric type, or theme—so, it could be all AMH fabric or Innocent Crush or all flannels, etc.)
• 20%-30% off in a "coupon special" right on the site in the righthand sidebar (for instance, this week was 25% off Heather Bailey)
• 30% off a random selection of fabrics each week in their specials area (includes a few prints from several different lines and the selection changes continually)
• If you ask, they'll wrap your fabrics in plastic (see top photo) so packages left outside don't get damaged (obviously, I had some firsthand experience with that and have learned my lesson)
• Wonderful selection of the prints I love
• Super-fast shipping
• Great, personal customer service

No, I haven't been paid or reimbursed in any way for this post. I just love Quilt Home and wanted to share because I've been surprised how few people I've talked with know about them. Somehow, I'm afraid I'm spilling some amazing secret shop and that maybe I shouldn't because I don't want "my" fabrics to be selling out any more quickly there . . . haha. But, hopefully you'll give them a try and you'll love them, too.

This week, Quilt Home had a "making room for market" sale and one of their coupons was for 40% off Amy Butler's Nigella and August Fields collections. I was thrilled to stock up on a few pieces that have been calling out to me . . . for more bags. A girl can never have too many, right! And, ya know what? I think I might place another order of that Nigella print to hold on to for the future, too. I would love to use that in a little girl's nursery someday.

So, thank you Quilt Home for feeding my addiction–and for being such a fabulous place to shop. I love you.

Sew excited!

2010-10-29T18:53:00.002-05:00

For The Sewing Summit!

What's that you say? You haven't heard of The Sewing Summit?

Hmm. Well, to be honest, neither had I. Until today, that is.

And I couldn't be more excited! (Well, I suppose that isn't true . . . I could be more excited if Travelocity would allow me to book my flight for next October already!)

Being relatively new to the whole blogging/Flickr/online sewing community, I had only barely picked up on the Blogger's Quilt Festival (the brainchild or Amy at Amy's Creative Side) during the May Quilt Market this past spring. But, once I did and eventually found my way to Amy's blog, I was hooked. And, even though I've been a subscriber to both her and Erin's (Two More Seconds) blogs for months now, I only today discovered their new joint adventure–the one they are about to take so many of us on along with them!

The Sewing Summit sounds like it is basically a 3-day convention dreamed up by Amy and Erin that will cater to inspiring, enlightening, and educating the online modern sewing community. We do so much of this with each other every day through our blogs, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter—but imagine us all being in one place together. Meeting each other. Mingling. Dreaming. Creating together.

Slated for October 7-9, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Amy and Erin have already spilled the beans that the hotel they've secured for the event will have rooms bookable for less than $100/night! They haven't disclosed the location quite yet, but I'm sure that by the time the early bird registration begins in January they will have announced this info.

There is a survey on The Sewing Summit's site if you are interested in giving some input on the event. There is also a form to fill out if you are interested in teaching or speaking.

There are a lot of big changes going on in our lives right now, but I am so hoping that I can make the time to head out to Salt Lake City next fall and meet those of you who will be attending. As Amy and Erin suggest on the site, I'd better start saving now so I can register in January when they begin early bird registration.

Anyone up for sharing a room?!

On a whim.

2010-10-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

I was just hanging out in the living room the other night thinking about the huge stack of Valori Wells Del Hi fabric I scored from Fabric.com this past summer when it was on a super sale and musing at what I might possibly do with it. I have big plans for a picnic blanket but wasn't feeling like cutting into it for such a big project quite yet. I've been feeling like I need to try tackling some smaller projects each week lately, too, so I was itching for something I could knock out in a couple of evenings.

Then it hit me! My mom's been a little envious, I think, of my online swaps and whatnot and there was a day a while back when I even felt like she was a little sad I hadn't made anything special for her yet. I mean, I think I'm a good daughter . . . but with such similar tastes in fabric craftiness and such similar stashes, I never really thought to make her something since we're usually crafting together. Well, that has officially come to an end!

So, here's a little peek at what I've been working on for her this week. Hopefully I'll finish it up this weekend (I have some embroidery to do on it yet) and be able to give it to her as a cute little trick or super treat gift!

So, can you guess what this might become?

And, well, so much for whittling down that Del Hi stash . . . I didn't even manage to use an entire fat quarter!

Flat chested . . .

2010-10-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

. . . or at least that's how this little treasure looks all squished into its packaging as I get ready to ship it out. Kinda sad. Can you even begin to guess what it is?

Chris and I jokingly called it by many names this weekend as I was working on this belated birthday gift for my good friend and new mom, Jess. There's your hint . . . new mom.

Just call this the Ta-ta Tapestry. No-Nipple Neglige. Boobie Blanket. Or, as it is more commonly known . . . a Hooter Hider, Bebe au Lait, or Nursing Cover. Sorry if that was too much for some of you!

So, beyond the naughty names, this really is quite a practical gift. Not really what I had thought I'd make for my friend for her birthday (I was thinking more of a sassy handbag or even a diaper bag), but this is one of the things she really wanted. And, in the end, it was not only fun to make but I really think she's going to like it.

I'll pop this cutie in the mail to her tomorrow morning. Hopefully she'll be nursing little Ethan beneath it before the week's end.

Sorry for the really disappointing photos . . . probably one of the most difficult things to photograph without a warm body to model it. But, I think it's worth showing anyway.

Aside from being made from some of my favorite Amy Butler fabric of all time, I'm especially pleased with a few of the details—like the terry cloth mouth wipe that doubles as a little pocket which is tucked neatly inside one of the back corners.

I was also glad to bring a little something special to the strap detailing. Jess went to school for fashion and even though my sewing skills probably aren't quite up to par with hers, I hope she'll like the added touch of the extra wide strap with some pleating where it attaches to the body of the cover.

This was my first attempt at using boning in a project. It went pretty smoothly once I discovered that I could remove it from it's casing and insert it in the bias tape that I wanted to use around the entire perimeter. I was a bit bummed to have to squish it all down to fit in the package. But I have an inkling it'll rebound just fine once she opens it in a few days.

Or, at least I hope so. Otherwise it'll stay looking like it's for one extremely flat-chested mama!

Four friends, a baby boy, and a bris. Bliss.

2010-10-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

OK. When I started writing this post, I was feeling all nostalgic and composed this very long, touching account of our history with our friends Greg and Jess. I had pictures from way back when Chris and I met Greg in college and pictures of our wedding and their wedding and some other pivotal moments in our lives, their lives, and in our friendship. When I finished, I realized that none of it was very exciting. Interesting, maybe. But not very exciting for all of you.

So, instead. Here's the rough summary.

Chris and I met Greg in college. Greg transferred after our freshman year. Lost touch for a while. Greg was invited to our wedding in 2005 to which he brought his high school sweetheart, Jess. We all reconnected. Friendships (re)flourished. Two years later, they tied the knot. Lots of hanging out, going out, and getting together—just becoming the best of friends.

Fast forward 3 years—2010.

Greg and Jess are our really dear friends. When we visited them late in 2009, Chris and I walked away from our weekend together with the distinct inkling that they were getting ready to start their family. And, sure enough, a few months later, we learned that Jess was pregnant. Chris and I were totally, completely thrilled for them—but it was a little emotional for us at the same time. Having been married 2 years longer and having recently discovered that we would need to rely on modern medicine to help us eventually have our own little one, learning of our close friends' new family was the tiniest bit bittersweet.

However, the past 7 months or so since we heard this amazing news has been such a beautiful time for our friendships. We've cherished the last few get-togethers with our friends before they were to officially become a mama and daddy. We've made more time for them and have discovered that these really are our life-long friends—if there was even any doubt of this before.

And, finally, last week . . . Ethan arrived. A little ahead of schedule and not quite as planned, but beautiful, and strong, and healthy nonetheless. We were fortunate enough to be welcomed into his life this week when we made the journey to see the new threesome at Ethan's bris (a really beautiful thing to be a part of—even for us Gentiles). Ethan was so good through the whole thing—and even after, when he slept through almost the entire afternoon of being passed around to friends and family at a celebratory luncheon. We were honored to spend some time with him and with the new mama and daddy . . .

Ok, as I typically say about this time in my long posts . . . On with it!

As you probably already know, I'd been planning (with much ado!) a small quilt for Ethan. I labored over every decision and then felt frustrated by my not-so-straight straight-line machine quilting. But, as I've said before—this is all practice. I have to remember my first attempt at anything isn't going to be perfect . . . and so, I finally gifted the quilt to Ethan and his parents. I hope it will bring much comfort and love to them throughout his childhood and beyond.

And my mom, the amazingly talented woman I get my creativity from, decided at the last minute to create something for Ethan, too. Look at these completely adorable booties and the tiny hat with chin strap. Perfect for the freezing winter that is (dare I say it?) just around the corner for us Midwesterners.

So, Mazel Tov, Greg and Jess. And welcome to "our" family, Ethan. We will love you like you are our own because we love your mommy and daddy so very much!

Autumn Daze/Innocent Crush

2010-10-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

Today seemed as fitting as ever to sit down and plan the quilt that's been floating around in my daydreams. I was certainly in my own autumn-induced daze today on my way home from work as I watched the fall color. It felt as though it was changing right before my eyes.

One night last week I was sitting down and browsing some books trying to find some inspiration for my stash of Innocent Crush. When I came across the Autumn Daze quilt by Pauline Smith in Kaffe Fassett's book Quilt Romance. The design spoke to me—and felt like the perfect place to start with the fabric.

However, I've been hesitant to cut into my stash for this one. I'm not sure about the randomness of the placement of the pieces nor about the actual directions and method for constructing the quilt. Seems like it's overly complicated when this is really just half-square triangles and strips alternating with one another and sewn into columns or rows. So, before making the plunge, I thought it was worth the time the do a quick mockup.

I think I like it. I mean, I love the colors and design. I'm just not sure about the randomness of the placement of the pieces. My first attempt at this was simply taking the pattern as it's written and subbing "fabric A" from Innocent Crush for "fabric A" from Kaffe (with one exception which I don't need to detail here). I wonder if I should go back through and rechart which prints go where so that so that the combinations are more pleasing. Or, do I just leave it as is and go with the pattern as it was written . . . oh, for probably the first time ever?

Big. Fat. Awesome.

2010-10-07T18:25:00.001-05:00

Yes, my dears. That is exactly what came in this box today. A load of ooey, gooey eye candy. Better known as "Big. Fat. Freakin'. Awesomeness." Or at least that's what I said as I tore (yes—tore) the box (I mean, it was already torn in one corner and it seemed the best way to open the huge box) open and whipped out my camera. And when I sat down with that Orla Kiely book for a minute just to peek . . . my heart was swept away.

I've admitted my obsession with Orla Kiely before. And most of you probably know that I just adore that Jane Brocket book. So none of this should be news to you.

When I found out that "the Gentle art of Domesticity" was on crazy-clearance at Barnes & Noble, I had to scoop up a couple of copies for whoever my future super-secret swap partners might be. It never hurts to spread a little extra love. Some of those copies are for my mom, too. She wanted a few for similar reasons.

But, let me tell you about that Orla Kiely book. It is big. It is fat. It is full of juicy details on the designer's life, inspiration, and work. It is every bit as lovely and endearing as her patterns. It is brand spankin' new. And this copy is all mine!

If you love Orla Kiely like I do—and, let's face it, why wouldn't you?—you will need to run out and get yourself a copy of this book. It's a biography, catalog, look-book, book o' prints, and textbook all rolled into one. If you want to know more about the designer or the designs, this book is for you. If you just want some of her patterns as prints to frame, this book is for you. If you want everything she's ever created but could never afford, this book is for you. If you're silly, like me . . well, then, this book is for you.

OK. Back down from the clouds.

But, seriously. If you need some inspiration . . . either of these books will do the trick. Check 'em out now. The Jane Brocket book is in bargain at Barnes so I'm not sure how much longer it will be around and the Orla Kiely book just released so it might be hard to come by. But good ol' B&N has both in stock here and here.

It's Saturday. I'm basted.

2010-10-02T13:59:00.001-05:00

The $15 one of the longarm quilters I know would have charged me to baste this would have been well-spent, I am now realizing. Basting is not my thing. Especially not in my itty bitty place. Looks like this 50" square quilt is about as big of a quilt as I can baste in our apartment. And even this is pretty tight. Today I've also realized that I'd like to go find the girl who hit me with her car in our high school parking lot about 11 years ago and let her know that my knee has absolutely had lasting pain because of that day. I might have to hang up my basting hat after this first one. I'm hurting and I haven't even gotten that far . . .

And, PS, who knew that duct tape would become one of my favorite quilting supplies today? Hmm. I think Chris was a little surprised, too.

Committed.

2010-09-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

Here we go. Pattern settled. Fabrics cut. There's no turning back. I'm giving myself until the end of the week to get the top pieced. 20 blocks. 5 days. I can do this. Right? Right.

Renegade favs

2010-09-25T17:14:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's a list of some of my favs from the Chicago Renegade Handmade Craft Fair a couple of weeks ago. It took me a while, but I've finally waded through my bag of goodies and business cards. So much good stuff here. Now that I've processed it all (it was overwhelming!), I can get going on some holiday shopping. My goal this year is to try and purchase (almost) everything from local businesses or from small handmade artists. Join me?

KIDS
• So Silly

CLOTHING
• Maryink

PAPER: Letterpress, silk-screen, and other printed items
• Morris and Essex—Eliza Jane Curtis
• Tartella Paper and Textile Design (from greetings and recipe cards to tea towels)
• Monkey-Rope Press
• Slow Industries
• Nisee Made
• Elevated Press
• Brainstorm Print & Design
• Nicole Ray's Slow Gin Fizz
• Paper Stories

HEAD GEAR: Hats, headbands, hair accessories, etc.
• Miss Mel Belles—Melissa Coverdale
• Wanderlustings hair and jewelry

JACKS OF ALL TRADES: The overachievers who do everthing
• The Harbinger Co.—Jewelry, accessories, home decor
• Avec mes mains—Jewelry, pillows, clutches
• ArtGoodies—tea towels, ornaments, aprons

BAGS
• Survive Design

• Pretty Cheep Project Bags

JEWELRY
• Courtney Fischer Jewelry
• Colleen Heineman
• Moira K. Lime Jewelry—my fav a.k.a. what I'm still dreaming of
• Mike and Mary Jewelry
• Jane E Roberti
• Maureen Duffy
• Rag Trader Vintage
• Elizabeth Williams Jewelry
• Freshie and Zero

POTTERY AND CIRAMICS
• Circa Ceramics Chicago

HOME DEC
• White Nest Shop—Meg Stevens
• Uncommon Things for the Home
• Dolan Geiman—wonderul collage/mixed media wall art

Love, Hope Valley, and big dreams.

2010-09-25T15:54:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling a little blue. Under the weather, really. These allergies have been a pain—literally. And upgrading my operating system and installing and formatting a new external drive hasn't been as smooth as I'd hoped. By 8 o'clock this morning, I wasn't sure that the weekend was going to be very productive.

Shortly after I started letting the blues sink in, I received a phone call from my mom asking if I might be interested in spending some time with my cousin (who happens to be my godson as well and who also happens to turn four in a couple days). An hour later, Nathan was at my door and I was ready for a good day.

Chris took over the entertaining duties while I finished getting ready. My heart skipped a beat when I walked downstairs to this cutie-patootie picture. Sorry for the blurry snapshots. I was trying to be all stealth with my photography . . . I didn't want to disrupt the adorableness of Chris and Nathan playing Mariocart together. Well, Nathan doesn't quite play yet. He likes to sit on Chris' lap or stand in front of him with Chris' arms around him and push a button every once in a while. He thinks he's playing . . . and for now, that's totally fine. Soon enough, he'll be swinging that Wii remote with the rest of us. For the time being, though, I'll cherish these moments of watching them relax together—Nathan's tongue swinging from left to right with each of Chris' movements. It's really quite sweet. Chris and I are waiting patiently for the day when we'll have our own little ones to chase around. In the meantime, I can't help but treasure these little glimpses into what our future might be like . . . Dream big, right?

Speaking of little ones and big dreams, our very close friends will be welcoming their own little one in a couple of week—that is . . . if he decides to wait a couple of weeks. We're so excited for our friends. This will be the first baby in our group of friends. It's pretty special.

JESS: IF YOU'RE READING, STOP HERE! :)

I've been dragging my feet on starting a project for the little one. The momma went to school for fashion design and is pretty precise in her own sewing and I am hesitant to give her something I've sewn for the sheer fact that I know I'm not the most skilled at quilting even if I do love it. However, I think I'm on my way to figuring out what I want to make for the baby. I just have to get over the fact that the quality might not be as good as something she might create for her own little one. I'm just a little less about precision and more about expression. For now, anyway. I'm still learning.

Here are some of the designs I'm considering. A few weeks back I picked up some Hope Valley in the greens, blues, and greys. I instantly thought I wanted to do a square-within-a-square design but I'm not sure if I'm totally sold on it. Here are some roughs of what I might do. Not sure where to go with this now . . . Maybe I should consider a zig zag with some solids thrown in like this one instead. Or, maybe I should scrap the quilt idea altogether and work on a scrappy snuggler like this one by Lotta Jansdotter. I keep going back to the quilt idea because it can be used for years rather than a few months.

So, can you tell I'm stuck. Again. Yep, that's me. Always dreaming, never quite committing.

We celebrated with chili . . .

2010-09-21T18:07:00.001-05:00

because it was a chili sort of day. Yesterday, that is. Today it's sunny and warm and tomorrow will be in the upper 80s again. But that's OK. Because we'll celebrate with more chili tonight. And tomorrow at lunch. And probably for dinner tomorrow night as well.

I thought I'd share this made-from-scratch, out-of-nowhere, on-the-fly recipe with you. It's (currently) Chris' favorite rendition of my chili. I must admit . . . I never make it the same way twice.

Alecia's September 2010 Chili
1 Tb butter or olive oil
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon (unsweetened)
2 Tb parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
4 small/2 large bay leaves
2 large sweet onions, diced
1 large orange pepper, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium can tomato paste
1 7 oz. can chipotles in adobo sauce finely diced/minced
1 large can of light red (or whatever kind you prefer) kidney beans well drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 lb lean ground beef (we prefer ground angus)
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup honey (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 T butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, diced orange pepper, and minced garlic. Saute until translucent and heated through. Remove from pan and set aside. Leave some of the butter/oil in pan for step 2.

2. Add butter or oil to pan if not enough remains from step 1. Add the ground beef and ground turkey to the pan and cook until no pink remains. Add salt.

3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in tomato paste and honey until well combined. Add cumin, coriander, cinnamon, parsley and bay leaves. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic back in. Stir until well combined. Pour in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and the drained kidney beans. Stir in the frozen corn kernels. Stir in milk.

4. Bring almost up to a boil with lid off and then reduce heat to low and simmer for as long as you'd like with the lid slightly cracked. We usually let it sit about an hour while I make some cornbread. Stir occasionally.

Note: If there's too much heat, add a little more milk or just serve with copious amounts of cheese and sour cream. Or, you could reduce the amount of chipotle in adobo used. If there's not enough heat, however, either add chili powder (2 tsp) or use a larger can of chipotles in adobo or add a few crushed red pepper flakes. For my taste, and I like it hot, the 11 oz. can of chipotles is too much heat. The 7 oz. can seems just about right.

Even if it's not too hot, serve with copious amounts of sour cream and a Mexican four cheese blend. Tonight we might try queso fresco instead of the four cheese blend.

Serve with cornbread. The Jiffy kind is fine. Modified with some honey, it's perfect. Last night we tried a gluten free cornbread recipe. I might share a modified version of that with you next time . . . interested?

Un-plugged.

2010-09-18T21:36:00.003-05:00

This morning as I woke up and did a few thing around the apartment and made my way to our little office, I found myself singing to a tune I haven't heard in years—and one I'd really rather not admit I still know the words to after all this time. And, really, I'm a little perplexed by why this song is seriously stuck in my head or why it even popped into my brain to begin with. It's funny that it did, though, because in some ways it ties in nicely to what I wanted to write about today.

Whatever happened to predictability

The milk man, the paper boy, evening T.V.?

You can chime in anytime (I know you know the lyrics, too). . .

You miss your old familiar friends, but

waiting just around the bend . . .

So, maybe the lyrics for today go a little differently, but this 1987 theme song to (do I even need to say it?) Full House—my favorite childhood show—muses at what is apparently an age old question: what happened to the good old days?

It seems that no matter what era we were born or raised in or how much we love the technology and advancements of today, we all, at some point or another, wonder what happened to yesterday. Where did yesterday (the literal yesterday) disappear to? Why can't things be more like yesterday (our childhood days) today? Where has time gone?

Whether you're 20 or 40 or 70 years old—we all wish for things of our past. For the good old days. For some it's the milk man or the paper boy, for others it's for the days of a cell phone without texting or a T.V. without DVR.

I have to be honest, here. I often wonder why I am sewing or crocheting or working on a craft that some would say is not of our generation. I know that some of my friends just don't get it. There are some I don't even share this side of myself with. It just seems so old fashioned.

But, I am happy that these have become my crafts. If you'd asked me five years ago if I ever thought I'd be sewing, I'd have laughed and said something like "No. Why bother?". Today, though, I am thankful that I've found this respite from the monotony of my technology-ridden lifestyle. It's a way for me to connect with my past (my family has a history of sewing and knitting, etc.) and to create something for my future. It's a way to step away from the keyboard/phone/iPod/email/texting and do something of value with my hands. And, for this, I am grateful.

Last night, Chris and I opted to stay in. It wasn't our typical Friday night. There was no night out having our typical date which might include dinner and a movie or whatever. Instead, we made a nice dinner and then settled in together in the living room each with our respective projects. I spent the night sewing and crocheting and, eventually, making a batch of cookies. I still had my iPod beside me, but I wasn't checking it for new email or new blog posts constantly. I kind of unplugged. And it was a really nice feeling. We just spent time together talking and catching up on some shows we'd missed this week while working on things that we enjoy.

I love technology. I love my computer and iPod and my dSLR and texting and the internet and our DVR and the fact that you can instantly watch Netflix rentals and don't need to wait for a physical DVD. I love what the iPad is doing for publishing (and hate it at the same time). But, there's something about technology that really irritates me. The first craft that I ever loved was scrapbooking (and, I have the crazy supplies to prove it). But I'm a technological scrapper . . . using the computer to edit and print photos and to create my journaling. There was a point a couple of years ago when I suddenly found myself dreading scrapbooking, though, and I think I owe that to the fact that I sit at a computer all day long and just didn't want to come home and do the same thing at night. I guess I can't blame that all on the technology because I'm sure that some of the redundancy and hesitation to work on layouts at home stems from that also being my day job as a magazine designer. Regardless, I feel like technology and that feeling of always being plugged in and connected is actually a hindrance to being plugged in and connected to who we are as individuals.

So, today I'm making a vow to try to spend a little less time being plugged in when I don't have to be. A vow to spending a little more time doing the things I love and less time worrying about missing an email or a call.

We'll see how long that vow lasts . . . but I think even a few days of keeping this in the forefront of my mind will do me some good.

This whole train of thought came to be as I was cleaning up the kitchen late last night (I must've been pretty sidetracked because this morning I realize I forgot to put our leftovers in the refrigerator) after making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I was standing at the sink realizing that I'd spent my night cooking and cleaning, sewing and crocheting, and then baking. I was feeling like I was quite the little domestic goddess . . . and I really liked it. So here are a few pictures of the evening that inspired this post that has now gone on and on and on . . .

Martha Stewart's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. Made with sour cream . . . they really were this white. Not the best recipe ever but nice and cakey and soft.

Doing good.

2010-09-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

After much delay, I whipped up my two blocks for the September Faith circle quilt for the do. Good Stitches {a charity bee}. This month, Jennifer of That Girl, That Quilt planned our quilt. Jennifer gave a great and simple tutorial over on her blog for this wonky cross block. Thanks for making it easy on us, Jennifer!

While working on the block I did discover that my stash of yellows is really, really lacking. And, I even had a hard time choosing an aqua/teal because they didn't feel quite bold enough when I looked at the other blocks in the group. Hope they work out alright!

Waiting Patiently . . .

2010-09-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

Or at least I am trying to. I've been an Orla Kiely fan ever since I first discovered her work while I was studying design at Drake and I've been trying to wait patiently for her newest line of housewares to release—but that's not going so well. I've been stalking the Heal's and Bliss Home sites for a couple of weeks now to find out exactly what the line will encompass so I can get my wish list made and then, inevitably, narrowed down—because I just can't get it all (as much as I'd like to). I just about died when I saw the preview of the new stuff over at Print & Pattern back in July and have been spotting little previews here and there ever since. That certainly doesn't help. Unfortunately, these wares aren't set to release in the U.S. and Heal's, at least, doesn't ship internationally. Good thing ~~a new friend just moved to the UK and will hopefully help me out~~ I'm sneaky and will find a way to order and get these items into my home one way or another . . .

I'm crushing on the stoneware canisters and bakeware. I could also use a few of those mugs to spruce things up in the kitchen and office. Wouldn't that afternoon tea or coffee be tons more delish in one of those? Oh, and how about a welcome mat? Yeah, I think I could stand to step on that every day when I get home.

Love, love, love! Now, don't I have a birthday coming up? Hint, hint, honey.