fabulous idea

unfortunately, it's not mine.

jessica over at how about orange posted this great and easy tutorial for making cute cozies for not so cute vases. add changeable pattern and color to otherwise boring glass!

a summer dress, should summer ever arrive

opps. sorry for the inadvertent absence. i guess i just didn't feel much like blogging. (blasphemy!)

don't worry, i kept busy, primarily asking myself these questions: why do i enjoy torturing myself with patterns, and why do i start complicated projects at eight o'clock at night?

hmmm... 'cause i'm crazy?

while i had a bit of trouble (not enought fabric after i cut the first piece wrong. crap! i had to improvise after that) i really like how my dress turned out. i had to tweak it a bit (added the belt, scrunched the neckline) but it was, in the end, a fun endeavor.

what do you think? i think i'm ready for a summer party! now if only it wasn't 40 degrees today...



notice the red panel in the back? yeah, that's because i ran out of the dot fabric, because i did not check my pattern placement close enough. oops! (i like it better this way.)

moblie swap (finale)

i got my mobile in the mail yesterday, all the way from england! it came from AnnieB, who has a lovely blog, overmilkwood.

thanks annie, it's fabulous!

i stole the pictures she posted on the mobile swap's flickr group (sorry, i'm lazy) for your viewing enjoyment.

this will look super on my future patio! thanks again!

vaca!

hey all. i'm jetting off to warmer weather this evening to see my love. i'm so excited! (photo by mr. m)

i'll try to post while i'm gone (for a whole week!) but i can't make any promises!

oh, and i finished my mobile for the elsie marley mobile swap. actually, i finished it about two weeks ago, but i couldn't decide if i liked it. i let it hang in my house while i mulled it over.

i decided i do like it, and it's getting mailed off today! i hope you like it, swap partner! i can't wait to get mine.

check out some of the other mobiles in the swap here.

easy (and fun!) wall art

so it's late and i should be in bed, but i just had to post about this fabulous, cheap and super easy wall art project i did tonight.

i was at the fabric store, again just for a bit of felt for an order, when i spied the embroidery hoops, noticed how cheap they were, thought about my large fabric stash, and snatched them right up.

now, i know i am just about the last person to try this project, and i'm sure there are many who have done it better than i have, but i really love how it turned out.

what do you think?


i think i like how they're grouped, but i'm certainly open to suggestions. (the colors are more true in the first picture.)


i even broke into my kirin & co. fabric (again). it was hard to cut such large pieces out of it, but they look great on the wall!


oh, and i know i promised no more jill projects this week, but you'll just have to suck it up, cupcake, 'cause you're getting another one tomorrow. i was ambitious and created two new laptop cozies tonight. i'll bet you just can't wait!

love on the run

if you are in lincoln tomorrow, you must stop at porridge papers for their first annual love on the run!

go to their shop from 10 to 2 and type your loved one a little note, which they will hand deliver to your sweetie on valentines day!

go here for more information, and join in the fun!

skirt finale

it's finished! it only took me about six hours to make 29 yo yo's and attach them to the skirt. whew! i took half the day off because i didn't feel well, so i was working slowly. (don't worry, i'm better now.)

so here it is, and i promise not to blog about any more of my crafty projects for at least a week. you probably miss seeing other people's cool stuff. tomorrow, promise!



i really need to fix that zipper. look how far it makes the (left) side stick out! any suggestions?

oh, and check out how much snow we got yesterday. i am so ready to move to phoenix.

i hate the snow, but the dog loves it!

project crazy

i am a nut. i went to the fabric store yesterday to get a little piece of felt for a laptop cozy order, and walked out with two yards of lovely green linen and a skirt pattern.

a skirt, as in real clothing. with a zipper.

this was my first zipper, and it didn't go very well. it probably didn't help that i was installing the zipper at 1 a.m.

anywho, i got it done! in one night! i think i just needed a touch of spring. i'll take it with me when i go to visit mr. m. in phoenix.

for my first article of clothing and zipper, i'm pretty impressed with myself. it's totally wearable!

i think i'm going to embellish it with yo yo's from this tutorial from heather bailey.

now if only it weren't 30 degrees and snowing...

i wish it were a little longer. the pattern was for a five foot six person, and seeing as i am six feet tall, i should have lengthened it, but i was scared of messing with the pattern. oh well!


check out that zipper. yuck!


i'll just have to wear a long shirt to cover up the uneveness. oops!

new bag (just for me!)

i was bored and lonely on sunday (miss you mr. m!), so to get myself out of a state of lethargic apathy, i decided to undertake a new project. i flipped through my books looking for something i could accomplish in one afternoon, and settled on a lovely bag out of lotta jansdotter's book, simple sewing.

it was a task, but i did it. i measured properly and followed all the directions, and it turned out really well! she recommended using canvas, but i thought a heavy cotton would work just fine. it did, but i wish it were a bit more sturdy. oh well, it's still lovely!

please pardon the crappy pictures, but after i finished sewing i had to deep clean my house for a couple of showings today. cross your fingers!

i had to write on all the pieces, or i sould have gone insane. there were a lot of pieces!

i used a springy green linen for the liner. maybe if this were a heavier fabric the bag would have more shape... god, that picture is terrible.

and voila! it has a cool pocket on the front for a newspaper or magazine and a pocket on the side for a water bottle. in the picture in the book, she had a cool SIGG water bottle. i might have to get one, it would fit just perfectly! do you use the one i got you for your birthday, e? no? can i have it? thanks!

new pillow in shop

i really wanted to post this on saturday when i made it, but i could not, for the life of me, find the cord that hooks my camera up to my computer.

it was in my purse, where i thought i had looked. apparently not very well.

so here it is, the newest addition to my pillow collection. available in my shop!

mobile post 1

i spend entirely too much time sitting on my couch. which, while i'm working on my mobile, i have decided is a perfectly acceptable way to spend my time.

i started stringing up my mobile for meg of elsie marley's mobile swap today, and i'm really excited with the way i think it's going to turn out. my only concern is with the physical structure it will hang from, but i made a sketch, have an idea, and will try to make it work! (i'm channeling tim gunn here)

here's the beginning of one of the strands. i think i'll have five total; four like this around a central strand that looks a bit different. recognize my choice of materials? felt, of course!




this piece anchors the middle strand. i broke into my stash of fabric from kirin & co, which i've been waiting to use it for something special!


check back for more updates!

mobile swap

i am super excited. i signed up for my first swap! and it's a mobile swap, hosted by the lovely meg of elsie marley. how cool!

i told the maker of my mobile i would like something i can hang up outside when i move to phoenix. the person i'm making one for wants earthy colors. perfect! my favorite kind of colors!

i think i am going to get started on it tonight. i have about a month before i have to ship it off, but i have a tendency to procrastinate, and i want this project to be just perfect!

i'll update with photos as i work, but to see more photos from the other mobile makers (over a hundred - wow!) check out the flickr site meg has set up.

to get ideas and inspiration, i checked out etsy to see what other mobile makers are making. enjoy!

love the glass circles by leah pelligrini. my mobile will definitely not be made of glass. probably fabric. surprise surprise.



how cute is this rain cloud mobile by little green frog!



i love the shapes in this mobile by puka puka.



another cool circle mobile, this one by quilt baby.



and i am IN LOVE with every single mobile by spin designs. IN LOVE. i may have to have one...

ok, i'm all full of inspiration now. here i go, wish me luck!

christmas loot

i had a rather successful haul this christmas, from a crafty perspective.

my lovely cousin kelli and her new (and great!) husband nick got me amy butler's fabulous in stitches book. there are some super great projects in it that i can't wait to try.


my grandpa (via my mom) gave me a neat felting book by gillian harris, complete feltmaking. i have wanted to try this, and now i'll know how!


my aunt teri mailed me (from florida) jenny hart's book, sublime stitching. i can't wait to lean to properly embroider! (i've been making it up so far...)


my baby sister, knowing all about my love affair with etsy, gave me some gorgeous fabrics. i'll have to think of something special to make with them. thanks lobo!

(from left: katrina kaye, pinkalmond supplies, and karaku tokyo)

those things are all so lovely, thank you so much everyone!

BUT, are you ready for the piece de resistance (from mom and dad)?



voila!

holy crapola! a computerized sewing machine! i had to get out the instruction manual just to load the bobbin and top thread. it may take some getting used to, but i think i may grow to like this machine.

i was a little torn, and still am, about getting a new machine, because the one i was working on was my grandmother's, who i never got a chance to know as she died right after i was born. i think i will still use the old machine (after it has a much needed tune-up) but will keep the new one too, for more precision work.

thanks mom and dad! you're the best!

brooch, part 2

here's the brooch i forgot yesterday! it, too is up in my shop.

i hope your holiday preparations are going well. i have not made one single gift yet. am i in trouble?

a brooch

does anyone else think brooch is a funny word?

i have become rather obsessed with making them, regardless of their funny spelling. i made a couple last night, but i forgot to bring the other to work to photograph, so this one will have to tide you over until tomorrow.

p.s. - the post office says i can ship domestically until the 18th, and it will still make it to you by christmas. so get your shop on! orders placed on monday the 17th will go out the 18th, so the 17th is your last day to order! thanks!

how about orange

i've been reading the how about orange blog for quite some time now. jessica, a talented graphic designer, posts some really lovely stuff, and often includes free tutorials. fabulous!

she recently posted these cute ornaments, and kindly included, you guessed it, free tutorials!

i love these made of foam, which could easily be adapted to my favorite medium, felt. get the template here.

i also love these paper ornaments she posted yesterday. love the orange! get the template here (and on her blog too, of course!)

kirin & co.

i love fabric. i love buying fabric. this creates a fabric buying problem. as in, i buy too much fabric.

i just couldn't resist these two fabrics from kirin & co. they are gorgeous handprinted goodness.

i purchased a couple of her prints a few months back, and when i saw these posted on her blog, i had to have them!

if you want some, you had better hurry, as her fabrics sell quickly. check it out!

return of the key fob

i knew i wasn't going to be able to resist making these. for your purchasing (or window shopping) pleasure, i give you, the key fob:

i (heart) mail

i got a lovely package in the mail today, a package i have been patiently (as patiently as a non-patient person can be) waiting for.

it came from far away. want to know what was in it?

ok, i'll tell you.

labels, 200 of them! i'm so excited. i have a gaggle of mini monsters waiting to be stuffed and labeled. now you'll know they were made by me!

i'm really happy with the way they turned out. here's where i got them.

busy girl

i posted lots of new things to my shop today!

are you ready for the holidays? i don't think i am. i have not made any gifts yet, and as i pledged to give handmade gifts this year, if i don't get on the ball, i may be buying handmade as well as making handmade...

no time for that now! i'm off to fill two more laptop cozy orders, as well as a special project for a special shop. but more on that later. oh, how i keep you in suspense!