All Kinds of Stuff

First, one little thrift shop goodie...

Yesterday, I was bound and determined to conquer the Granny Square. I found a tutorial on the Purl Bee here. I kept running into problems when it was time to bump up to the next round, but I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I had to slip stich, or ease, until I got to the corner, then chain, then do 2 dc. Phew! Not sure what I'm going to make yet, but I love the Granny Square.

Lately, Ellie and I have been doing some coloring together. Nothing fancy, just plain old simple coloring. I printed out some cool coloring pages from Made by Joel and some Maisy pages here. Ellie's just gotten to the point where she can color inside the lines and choose a variety of colors. She's really proud of her work and loves to put it up on the fridge. She likes to draw, too. Our coloring sessions have just been so nice and quiet. I put on some classical guitar music or some George Winston, and it's just a nice break and time to talk together. Today and yesterday we used colored pencils, and they are so lovely to work with.

And, I got my package from Purl today. I'm going to make something from "Bend the Rules Sewing" by Amy Karol aka Angry Chicken. More to come...

This and That

Just a few odds and ends for you tonight...starting with a peek at my newly reorganized art/craft/sewing supplies.


And some more thrift shop scores...

Two vintage Winnie the Pooh pillowcases for $1 each.

My girl, labeled "made in Czechoslavakia."

Ivy in a teapot.

Lastly, my fabulous new jar of buttons.

More sewing projects in progress--just waiting for my order from Purl!

Mini-Collages

These are some mini-collages that I have been working on. They are only 4x6"--I decided to work small because I only have small chunks of time.

I'm hoping to make some bigger ones. I also want to experiment with Golden Medium when I have time.

I just used paper scraps and beautiful Origami paper that my cousin Patricia gave to me.

Improvisational Quilting with Denyse Schmidt

On Saturday I attended Denyse Schmidt's Improvisational Quilting workshop (http://www.dsquilts.com/). It was an incredible experience. Denyse and Richard Killeany (http://www.ocheltreedesign.com/) taught the class. I never thought that I could make a quilt. I had tried many years ago to make a quilt, and it was such a struggle that I gave up. Everything was crooked. About 5 years ago, I made a crib quilt for my niece Sofia, using a Simplicity pattern. It was cute, but also crooked even though it was the simplest pattern ever.

In Denyse's method, there is no measuring! And, we chose the fabrics for the quilt squares randomly from paper bags. We had to use whatever pieces we chose, whether we liked them or not. It was incredibly freeing, and it felt like making a collage. Once I got going, I didn't want to stop. It was so fun to see what you were going to pull out of the bag. I didn't have to worry about things being crooked--in fact, the more crooked the pieces were, the more interesting the squares were.

This workshop was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I just cannot wait to do more sewing. Finding the time is just so hard for me...But, now I know I CAN make a quilt, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Thank you Denyse and Richard!

Hints of Spring

Finally got outside with the girls today. They love the crocuses that are popping up, and so do I!

Pretty Things Around the House

Rosebud matches in Ball jar.

Thrift shop plates.

$2 wooden bowl from thrift shop.

Pin Cushion and Button Jar

I made this little pin cushion today. I found the lovely tutorial at http://paperstringcloth.blogspot.com/2007/07/pincushion-tutorial.html . The tutorial was written by a very creative woman from South Australia. I'm very happy with the result, but I must admit that I had a hard time sewing on that button. I stabbed myself quite a few times. This project is another great way to use up scraps and odd buttons.

My button jar--one of my mom's jars from her homemade jam. It still has her handwriting on it. Makes me both happy and sad. We have one last jar of mom's jam--peach--in the fridge. I will savor every bite (and will try to make it last). I guess it's up to me (and my sister) to carry on the jam tradition. Oh my, I might have to wait until the girls get a little bigger to attempt such a thing!

Owl's Well

Well, I finished the owls, and I'm pretty pleased with them. Honestly, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just tried to imitate things I've found online (with special inspiration from Danielle's Gufetto and Pinkie the Owl -- www.themakingsofeveryday.blogspot.com). I found the owl pattern at http://www.sewsimple.com/articles/otis_the_owl_patterns , and then I just adapted it for my project. I used scrap fabric, a fleece remnant, and some felt and buttons that I had. I've never embroidered or appliqued anything before, except for some wings of a little bird that I made recently. Hopefully my skills will improve with practice. These owls will reappear in Ellie and Robin's Easter baskets.

Denyse Schmidt Workshop

Early in February, I had the opportunity to take Sewing 101 at Denyse Schmidt's workshop here in Bridgeport. (You can find her web site here.) I had heard of Denyse before, but then I saw an article about her in ReadyMade magazine. She's amazing! I got motivated and signed up for the class. It was a great day at her cool studio in the old American Fabrics factory, and our teacher Richard Killeany was fantastic. We learned sewing machine basics and several different machine stitches. And, we each made a patchwork pillow cover. It was so fun to get away for the day (or a small chunk of it). I've known how to sew for years, but I wanted to make sure I was doing everything correctly, and I wanted to learn more. And, I want to get really good at it.

Thrift Shop Treasures

I love thrift shopping. It's my favorite thing, and I'm addicted. It's hard to go thrifting with the girls in tow, so I usually go when Brendon is off. I am lucky enough to have the best little consignment shop just a block away. I walk to it all the time. It's called Fairfield Consignment Shop. Here are some treasures I found there on recent trips.

Daffodils

There's nothing like little daffodil bundles from Trader Joe's to brighten up another gray winter day in New England...

Sneak Preview

I'm attempting to make some little owls to put in Ellie & Robin's Easter baskets. Here' a sneak preview...

More Valentine Projects

Hearts for Ellie and Robin

Hearts by Ellie and Robin