other things i do

so i haven't done a ton of sewing this week. ok, well, i suppose that's relative. i mean, one girls no sew is another girls, whoa, that's a lotta sewing. but i have been working on many things. one of those is my little embroidery. little only in the fact that i am a novice, because, baby, this is one big project.

i bought a cute iron transfer of a large peacock, 18 inches. i put it on a piece of medium/heavy weight duck and have been embroidering ever since. it's a very basic embroidery, made up of chain stitches, back stitches, and satin stitches. but it's a peacock, that is a lot of feathers...

so i am kinda winging it on the colors as i go. i find the whole thing very comforting, and i get that sort of victorian lady sitting by the fire vibe when i work on it. (even though i am really in the living room watching episodes of dateline.) i can't imagine how long it will take in the end, but i can tell you one thing, this pillow ain't goin' on the couch... a nice high shelf, safe from puppies for you my dear. in 2014.

sunset in spring

have you ever made something and thought, man i screwed this up? yeah, i bet. have you ever made something and thought, man i screwed this up, but it's awesome! thank goodness, that is me today! introducing the london quilt, in sunset...

look at it, being all lazy, folded up, hanging around... let's see you a bit better...

as you can see, it's a basic brick layout... lots and lots of bricks. whew! it took a long time, but it was worth it...

made with all kona solids, it's 5 shades: rust, beige, cream, mustard and berry. (those are my names, i can't remember what they actually are, but as you work, in your mind, you go, ok, i need rust, brown, white, yellow, brown, pink... you turn them into boring names to keep your head straight, though they are soooo not boring. i used some denyse schmidt, from her hope valley collection for the backing, with a mix of more bricks...

i have become quite fond of her fabrics over the last couple of weeks. spool just got in a bunch and i am smitten. her patterns are modern and many of the ones i am attracted to are more on the geometric end. is it possible to be geometric and feminine? sure, why not, cause that's what they are, and i totally dig them...

so like i said earlier, ever make something totally screwed up, yet totally great? yeah, well, learning through embarrassment... i was feeling kinda cruddy the other night, headaches, bah, but i wanted to get this piece done, be able to move on to the next. which includes, by the way, a sweet pattern i am cooking up with this design. so i basted on the floor, quickly...

yeah, quickly... not always a good word when quilting, or rather, when doing final construction. after making my backing piece, i laid it down only to add batting and quilt top at a slightly funky angle, giving me a problem... i had to cut off about 6 inches of the quilt to fix it. frankly, the long way was too much for me that night, so i had to cut it short.

in the end i ended up with a great piece with an interesting back detail. go figure. my darling says its my best yet. (i wouldn't rely on him though, he says that every time!)

coast in...

have you ever bought the cutest fabric ever and thought, what to do??? easy... COASTERS! these are my 30 minute coasters, so simple, so easy, so fast! perfect for that last minute hostess gift or impromptu party!

what you need...

1/4 yard fabric
cordinating thread

 what you need to know...

i used super cute echino fabric, which is a linen/cotton blend. if you are using, say, a lightweight cotton, i would recommend fusing some lightweight interfacing to it to make it a bit more sturdy, but it's not necessary. only if you want to...

what you need to do...

cut 4 1/2 inch squares, two for each coaster. so if you want to make a set of 6, you need 12.

with right sides facing, and a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew together 2 squares, leaving open enough space on one side to turn your coaster right side out. (corner reminder: leave the needle down, raise the presser foot, turn your square, then put it down again and continue.)

now clip the corners and turn it right side out, and press flat.

now here some may say, hand stitch closed. i say, why bother! now that you have a nice flat coaster, make sure your open end is tucked in nice and straight, and topstitch all the way around at an 1/8 inch. this will ensure that you lock the open end shut and cuts down on your time. so nice!

repeat this process until you have all your coasters, bundle them up with a cute ribbon and bottle of wine, and voila, super cute hostess gift!!!

yay!

Tutorial: Cotswold Pillow

by using this variation on the log cabin technique you can make a vibrant and bright pillow! it's easy to alter the size just by making a few quick changes, and an envelope back makes it easy to wash and simple to stuff!

finished size: 16x16

what you need to make it...

6 fat eights for piecing
1/2 yard for backing
1 spool of cordinating thread

what you need to know...

a) i am a fan of pre-washing your fabrics, then you can just toss this puppy in the washer when your husband spills soda on it!

b) all seams are 1/4 inch!

what you need to do...

from your 1st fabric, cut a 3.5" square.
from your 2nd fabric cut 2 strips at 1.5" by 3.5"
from your 2nd fabric cut 2 strips at 1.5" by 5.5"

start by sewing 2 strips (1.5" by 3.5") to opposite ends of your 3.5" square. right sides facing...

very important note: when using this technique, it is very important to press your fabric with each step to insure clean seams and a polished look!

so go ahead and press those seams outward...

now add the remaining strips to the opposite sides to your newly pressed piece...

you can continue on in this fashion, going row by row, sewing to opposite sides first, then adding their counterpart... the rows are as follows:

from your 3rd fabric cut 2 strips each at 2.5" by 5.5" & 2.5" by 9.5"
from your 4th fabric cut 2 strips each at 1.5" by 9.5" & 1.5" by 11"
from your 5th fabric cut 2 strips each at 2.5" by 11" & 2.5" by 15"
from your 6th fabric cut 2 strips each at 1.5" by 15" & 1.5" by 16.5"

remember: always press with each new pair addition...

in the end you will end up with something like this!

now it's time to do the back! cut two rectangles at 11.5" by 16.5"...

along the long edge, the 16.5" side, double fold and press a clean edge by folding once at 1/4", press, then fold again at a 1/4"...

topstich this for a pretty, clean look...

lets finish this...

lay down your front piecing, right side up.
lay down your first back piece, right side down, raw edges meeting raw edges, so it only partially covers the front. lay down the second piece the same way at the opposite end...

see how i peel back the layers to show how it's done? now you can pin and completely sew around all four sides. when your done, trim your corners, turn it right side out, and push out the corners...

stuff it with a pillow insert or make your own, and tah-dah!

how fun!

it's a boy...

quilt! the newest drake was finished last week, but martha takes up your time, ya know? i have been working hard on finishing my new london sunset, and attempting to get some sleep. but like i said before, i am very proud of this palette...

it's a mix of jay mccarroll's new line, habitat and some wonderfully simple gingham and dots. love it. very baby blue, yet oh so modern. when i originally made the drake pattern i was thinking only of baby quilts. lovely, happy babies rolling around on pretty little patchwork mats, sounded dreamy. but since then i have really started thinking of this pattern as a great wall hanging as well.

i mean, why not. it's a great size. 30"x36". perfect to add a pop of color to a child's room, or in any space. hanging behind a kitchen table or in the living room... nice. the pattern is just about ready to show off and tomorrow i will have a new fun tutorial up to do a simple version of the drake as a pillow or framed art piece. love it.

oh martha!

i. am. beat. yesterday was the big day. nyc and martha. whew! what a great time, but i am still tired. running around, cabbies, lines, soho, martha. MARTHA! but what a wonderful time. hmmmm, how do you get paid to sit and clap for martha all day and get goodies to boot? if anyone knows, i would love the information. and hey, now i can say for a fact, anna maria and i have been to the same place. what could be better?!? so let's recap...

we, laura, and i, (laura, spool. yeah.) were sat in the second row center. what can i say, the beautiful people? (ok, really, if you even knew me you could hear the self deprication and sarcasm in that last statement. about myself only of course, laura is a fine piece of all right!) but it was wonderful...

we had a great view of everything. very charmed. second row, good view, free goodies, and CAKE! it's the spring wedding episode, lots of great info for future wedding plans that have still not come together. (digression... nah.) it truly was a bright and sunny audience, everyone was so excited and upbeat. quite wonderful.

like i said. there were free goodies... spectacular free goodies. but i have to say my crafty side screamed out during the wedding favor crafts section for the oh so wonderful martha stewart crafting fringe scissors. my mind raced, fringe scissors, fringe scissors... let's just say that they are now mine in all their five layer fringe cutting glory. oh crafting goodness.

after a whirl wind romance with martha, and clapping til my hands ached. (worth it!) laura and i raced off to soho to go to purl... now, i think everyone knows about purl. just about the cutest fabric/yarn store in new york. possibly in the northeast corridor that begins north of philadelphia. as of course, spool is the cutest store in the tri state area... (digression...yes.) how can one not love their oh so cute pink packaging and sunshiny palette in hip, gray soho. so nice...

sneaky pete took a picture of me there... very tricky. i did get some great stuff though...

some amazing alexander henry home decor in a rich red palette. v. v. old world european charm. (funny mom, how we both love that sort of thing.), a great bit of echino with colorful viewfinders (coasters baby, coasters), and of course, how can you go to purl without buying a bit of liberty. 1/2 yard of bliss. no idea what i'm gonna do with it, but it's mine... sigh.

it was all so wonderful, but now i guess i should get back to work. or maybe i will take a nap. yeah, nap is better. boy, am i exhausted.

just give me some color huh?

rain. rain. more rain. wind. rain. bah. at least it's warmer. that's what you have to tell yourself on days like today. but what a good day to dream about color! a couple of days ago i started on my second installment of my london quilt. solids, inspired by Cherri House's City Quilts, in a fun, involved, yet easy to maneuver, brick design. (i hope.)

so i thought of the first london palette as the thames version. blues... grays... rivery. (is that a word? probably not.) the second i thought of as sunset. ok... there you are, looking out, past tower bridge in the evening. it's a warm summer night in london, you have a pint in hand and the world is good...

you dig? so i chose a color palette that works accordingly...

nice eh? these are all kona solids, which, as anyone who has seen their selection, is vast. heck, spool has like fifty of the suckers. (* not an official count, but i like dramatice.) so it was difficult to choose, yet oh so easy to love. i should have it completed soon. being that it's a 72 inch throw, it takes some time. (all those little bricks!) but i love it and can't wait to show it off.

now, speaking of color, you know who loves color? martha, that's who. and guess who is totally seeing martha tomorrow, vive? moi! i, and my pal laura, are going to a live taping of martha stewart tomorrow! v.v. excited. and that's a good thing. (hehehe)

where have i been?

yeah, where have i been? around, i suppose... back, back, back we go, and it's the beginning of february, it's cold cold cold and i haven't posted in a week. man, i am a bummer. alfie had to post just to make sure that this thing stayed afloat. i was a tad bit lazy i suppose, but whatcha gonna do. maybe a bit of winter downs.

then, well, someone very important to me, like all time top people in my universe important, well, they got a disease that rhymes with dancer. yeah. that sucks. sucks. i can think of other words, but sucks will have to do, cause when i think of some of the other words...

so what do you do? you wait and see how it turns out i guess. that was two weeks ago, and now they have had the dancer removed and are sitting at home with people who love them. and then they say, why did this happen to me? and what the frig are you supposed to say? you don't know. well that doesn't help, but at least your honest. and you want to cry. best not to. not in front of them anyway, cause you know that they will be fine. very treatable, very healthy, very young. don't know yet if that last one is a good thing or not. but soon you know that they will be back to their annoyingly dry humored self again. and that is a good thing.

so i stayed here... at home. away from it all happening hundreds of miles away. and this is what i did...

i bought some curtains from west elm that were on sale. i trimmed and hemmed them to fit our ridiculously long window, then took the remnants and made new pillows for the couch.







then i repainted some of our mismatched wood furniture a sunshine yellow. it's called lemon twist from sherwin williams.

i covered the old lamp shade with patchwork using the paper piece technique that i use for my string pillow that i teach at spool...

and to finish it off, i made some cozy cubes, from anna maria's first book, seams to me. good for stashing junk that you don't have a home for, but need close at hand.

and yesterday, after teaching a lovely class of very happy ladies how to make simple, beautiful, baby quilts, i bought a new stash and got to work on the next drake quilt... jay mccarroll and gingham? i made it work. 

just need to sew the back of the binding and it's done. so, yes, i have been busy. and things have sucked. but like the man says, keep calm and carry on. that's what i'm doing. i think.