Momma has been making so many quilt tops. I'm exploding with ideas. But worth stopping all of that creative energy is the chance to include a certain little someone. She saw me sketching out my ideas in my journal and promptly went and got her crayons and a pen to design her own quilt. I was so flattered... So of course I was going to stop everything I was doing to make her sketch come to life. Here it is.
Pages
Friday, January 29, 2010
Design director designs a quilt
Glasses
Mimi got glasses today. Of course, she picked the hot pink ones that most closely resemble momma's glasses. She is thrilled to see clearly "everything looks bigger!" and Z asked for a pair, which we got at the 99cent store and promptly popped the lenses from.... So now we are a fully spectacled family... And a cute one at that (at least the youngest two are!)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
CHA - Craft and Hobby Show
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Don't hate me because I am obsessive - another quilt top
another use for scraps
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Okay, NOW I'm starting to get it... Quilting, that is...
And then this afternoon's rainstorm afforded me the chance to go to town. I cut fabric for three different quilts and by 11.30pm tonight, one entire quilt top is finished. I feel like a light bulb went off in my head! (yay!)
So... Here is tonight's work. It's a "disappearing 9 patch" pattern with both vintage and new fabrics in yellows and greys. Hooray!
Monday, January 25, 2010
rambling about quilting and photography and more
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Another cowl
and a lot of our friends make their living via TV, we have to watch some... ( watch "Life Unexpected" a new show on CW... My friend Reggie is in it. - oh and while you are at it... Watch "Fringe" and "So You Think You Can Dance" too)
---yikes! Tangeant alert!----
Anyhow. I've been using up my scrap yarns to make cowls. This one has 5 different yarns in it. It's ridiculous, but cozy... And this way I don't end up with soup, soap and stitches all over my scarf. Next knitting project is a buttoning scarf/cowl.
Quick! Make that shirt bigger!
If you are a long time reader of my blog, you know that Ze Artiste is a HUGE fan of HS Musical. He signs his name as "Troy" on his preschool homework and frequenty insists on us calling him such. He's memorized the "Getcha Head in the Game" dance (see it here) from start to finish ... Even before we knew he did. He's probably seen HSM 1 & 2 about 10 times each. Honestly, most cartoons are too scary for my kids, so as long movies go... We don't have much we choose from.
I also did the same with an odd bulldog tank top that he kept trying to wear in this winter weather. (I put a pic at the bottom of this post.)
To do the whole deal took about 10 minutes for each shirt. When J saw how easy and fun it was, he said, "maybe you could do that with some of my old tees" (I can't believe there's something I could actually CRAFT for him!) I'll keep you posted on how that goes...
Steps?:
1- cut out old design
2- use beacons 3-in-1 (best glue ever) in tiny doses to tack the design on the new shirt correcty.
3- you CAN zigzag stitch it, but for guys shirts a straight stitch looks a little better. Plus, it's fast. No need to hem... T-shirt jersey rolls slightly and looks cool as is.
All done!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Attempting to cook meatloaf
But this is a new meatloaf recipe and I am scared it won't turn out well. If you have a good meatloaf recipe, will you post it in the comments section here?
I have a vegan one that I will post that is fabulous.
Update... giveaway...
Thanks for sharing, Courtney!
New Sale Items on Etsy
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Drawing time
I love moments like this. She's busy now... Looking at everything a little closer and trying to draw and shade it all.
Friday, January 15, 2010
SEND your LOVE to HAITI
It feels so helpless to simply sit back and not do something when you hear news of what is happening in Haiti. Today, prompted in part by my daughter's school - and their efforts to raise every penny possible to send to Haiti relief - I've decided to do what I can do.
Remember the collages I did when I was grieving over AJ? I really needed some stability and the image of that mountain was really powerful for me. Today I've decided to make available some postcards and also high quality prints of the mountain collage. We had some of these made up and everyone in the family got them for Christmas, so I know they look great already... they're framed and up in each family member's home...So now on my etsy site, you can find packs of postcards, perfect for sending a little note (these work for men and women, unlike much of my stuff!). You can also find a listing for the archival print on high quality watercolor paper - suitable for framing. If you are interested, I can also get the print made on canvas in various sizes.
All of the profits from the sales of these mountain images will be donated to Red Cross Relief and/or Child Hope International - who are mutual friends of my family and run an orphanage in Port Au Prince, Haiti. They are sending updates via their website, so check them out.
Please please purchase these to help out - and pass on the idea to your friends and neighbors - blog, tweet and share about it - this actually can do something!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
That crazy bag! (We have a winner)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Goodie bag gift
Today's little goodie bag is a $1 smell-good hand sanitizer for my carpool partner who is newly pregnant, an awesome mom of two already, and displaced right now because she's having her apartment painted and re-carpeted... Bleh... Not a fun week for her. I hope this will make her feel a little loved today.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I did it! Finished my first quilt!
Quilting- for real!
is sitting across the table, chatting with me as I sew and knit and sew again. (She's in town for 2 days before heading back to Thailand) And yes, my collage and drawing journal is underneath the knitting... In case the mood strikes?
The other journal under the quilt is my personal journal (I fill up about 3-4 a year with daily writing). This one is one I got from Anna Maria Horner's shop...
I swear, they have medication for people like me.
I'll send pics of the quilt when it's done.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Forgot to tell you what J made me
The second was this poster print from our Christmas pic, made up of thousands of photos from our year in 2009. He used an online program (will post later!) that made it possible and spent hours working it out just right. Isn't that sweet? When I look at it, I get the real sense of our complete year. I see pics from Italy, artwork I did, school pics, our family trips to Seattle and Arizona, lots of AJ pics and random days at the house. I flood with memories both happy and sad. It's just amazing to see your whole year in one glance. Thanks, J!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Giveaway: Into every life a little weird bag must fall
To start at the beginning, I love fabric of all kinds (but you knew that already)... And people are constantly donating the most interesting pieces to me... And. Well, I'm always trying to come up
with new ways to combine them... So about a year ago, I was messing with the idea of weaving fabrics and ribbon together and I came up with this weird weaving. When Tif and I were cleaning out the studio a few months ago, she agreed I could keep it if I tried to do something
with it. I agreed and we stuck it in the "to-sew" pile - which remained largely untouced through the holiday prep and celebrating; until tonight.
Tonight, I finished about 10 of those projects... More like a dozen, actually. It felt good. And just as i was deciding to close down for the night, I saw this weird weaving and thought, "okay, let's get this over with!"
So I sewed it into a primitive tote bag. (it's lined) and to cinch it, I used some of the gorgeous satin ribbon left over from Amy's wedding bouquets this summer... I weaved the serious, formal ribbon through the messy, raw piece itself and braided some more pieces for a strap.
And um... I think I like it!
And I'm not kidding, it's weird, but really fun. But I need another bag like I need a hole in the head, so if you are willing to become a blog "follower", pay shipping (around $8-10), and you write a cute comment here as to why you want this bag... I'll pick one person to get it -all theirs...
I'll give you a week from today. ;)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
I got a bracelet for Christmas.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
January sunset
Tonight promises a great sunset... And these are just my phone pics. Wait till you see his!