another use for scraps

You all know me and scraps.... i simply can't part with them.

The ones that are too small to sew usually get ModPodged to candles and birdhouses and anything else that sits still too long... but what to do with those selvages? or the tiniest strips of the edges that are left over after serging or making a precise cut for quilting?

BOWS! for gift wrap.

I grabbed little handfuls today, wrapped another strand around to make it secure - and CUTE!

Okay, NOW I'm starting to get it... Quilting, that is...

After attending a meeting of the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild last night, something clicked for me. I realized that I've been working on traditional quilts... Trying to identify with something that is totally not me. And so as I talked about it with my carpool partner and fellow MOMS club quilter, Lauren, then came home and discussed it with J... It was bugging me... "why does this seem so hard to fit?" and then this morning, I realized that I've been doing modern quilting for years... I used these techniques when I was a textile designer of modular carpet tiles, and then I used the techniques when I quilted my couches... Duh.
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!

rambling about quilting and photography and more

I guess, now that I have finished quilting my second quilt... do I get to call myself a quilter?

Wow. I had no idea this was going to be so fun. Seriously... fun! I mean, everyone in my family is so NOT surprised that I love this. After all, I used to design textiles that were designed on a square format and laying out patchworks was the most fun part of the job!

go figure.

I really love picking out the fabrics and colors, too. Since I've been obsessing on red and brown lately - wearing that combo nearly every day, this was really so fun for me to work on. I actually only bought 1 of the fabrics in the quilt. (Thanks, Tori, for most of the others!) I buy a ton of fabric around here... spent all my Christmas money on new fabric to love... but I also am given a lot by people who know how much I love it, and I am doing my best now to use that and give what I don't use! I've also just learned about Margaret's Hope Chest - from one of my favorite podcasts Craftsanity. (here is the link to that episode) I highly recommend the podcast for a constant source of creative inspiration and encouragement.... Jennifer, who does the interviewing is really a likable person to spend time with in the car.

back to quilting... Here are the pics of my two finished quilts. I've asked J to maybe partner with me a little bit and take some decent photos of the work I'm doing. Might make the blog a little prettier. I can shoot photos, but for him it's a hobby and for me, it's tiresome. (I'm also in talks with a local photographer about getting some new Libby Dibby photography done to update the site... more on that later)

Another cowl

It's coo-oooold in our house. Los Angeles houses were not built for any variation in weather... We have a tiny wall heater in our dining room that pretends it can heat the whole house. (it can't) I'm drinking lots of tea, baking, and doing laundry to get more heat... I wear fleece and hats and scarves just doing my stuff around here. But scarves get in the way. And I always need something to do when I finally do sit down and watch tv... I don't watch much, but since we
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.

Anyhow, my pal Christy, gave Z this (on the left) t-shirt when he turned 3. It was nearly too small then, but he squeezed into it and wore it almost daily until I snuck it away during one laundry round. Today's quickie project for Z, though, was salvaging some favorite old shirts and moving just the logos to some bigger tees. Here you can see the shirt mid transfer.
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!

Attempting to cook meatloaf

It's so cold and wet. We need the kind of food that sticks today, so I'm making meatloaf (not pictured, because we all know meatloaf is hideous) and cornbread (which IS beautiful)...
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...

um... Marisa? winner of the crazy bag? I have no idea how to reach you. If I don't hear from you before Jan 21... the bag will be going to another bloggy pal. Sorry!

Thanks for sharing, Courtney!

So, awesome reader Courtney, sent me some pics of her scrap box onesies... as inspired by the ones she'd seen here. Hooray! I love sharing the wealth (here's the link to that tutorial again)... and I love knowing that those scraps are being put to great use. remember Christy's? and Jill's?

I like how the paisley tie one looks a lot like the one I made for AJ... happy memories in this picture... (sigh)...

Thanks Courtney, for sharing the pictures and remembering how much I love seeing what everyone else is working on. (and thanks for the little postcard shout out in that first pic!)

New Sale Items on Etsy

This week is forecasted to be RAINY RAINY RAINY here in LA. Which means more movies for the kiddos and the chance to actually sit down at the computer during the day and get some sale items uploaded to my etsy shop. For those of you who don't live close enough (or do, but couldn't make it to the awesome Upscale Backyard Sale) - I've listed a number of the SUPER SALE skirts that I had out that beautiful sunny day in November.

These are the last of their kinds... many of them are discontinued patterns - or ones that never really sold. They're up in the shop now. If you've been waiting to snatch up a deal - or use up the last of your Christmas $$$, now's the chance.

Drawing time

Now that The design director is in school all day every day, we don't get art time like we used to. Just now she found a shading tool from my drawing supplies and asked what it was. (yay!) i took a few minutes to show her how fun a plain old pencil can be. (I drew my thumb as I leaned over her and we worked on the shading together.) we got to talk about observing light and dark, shadows, shading...
I love moments like this. She's busy now... Looking at everything a little closer and trying to draw and shade it all.