2 Handmade Christmas Swaps

Hi everyone, and happy New Year! I've had such a nice break full of family and holiday-ing. I have about a bajillion things to blog about, but I'm sure I won't get to all of them. But I think that's ok. Sometimes things get made around here just to be made :)

In mid-December, I got to participate in 2 great swaps with other talented women who love handmade. It's so great to be able to get something made especially for you, in the midst of all the Christmas making for others... others who appreciate the time you put into their gifts, but they just don't know, you  know?

First up was our CincyMQG secret Santa swap. Christine's gift to me was so thoughtful, I thought I might cry when I saw it. 

She made me this circle of geese mini quilt to look just like my blog header! Is that not the sweetest, most clever thing ever?? I have it proudly hanging in my sewing room where I love seeing it every day. I love it, and she did such a perfect job on it. Thanks again Christine!!

I made this  2- sided zip pouch for the amazing Gillian. I remember when I first started going to the guild meetings, her stuff was always SO inspiring to me. She is so creative and fun and has the best taste in fabric. She loves Japanese stuff like Echino and anything from Kokka, so I fussy cut some of my reserves for the center of these neon-ish stars. And I snuck some extra Echino pieces inside for her. I hope you are loving it girl, you are the coolest!

The other swap I participated in was online, and I made this flying geese pillow cover for the lovely Kate. I wanted to make it classy and girly for her, so I cut into my Liberty of London! It only took a little, and it felt pretty good actually. I snatched this picture from her Instagram since I forgot to snap any shots of my own. (Are you on IG? Follow Kate at seekatesew, and me at alittlegressica. You'll see lots more shots of what I'm sewing on over there!)

And in that swap I received this classy clutch and wallet combo from Destri! Her work is so beautiful, and I REALLY needed that nice wallet. I'm still carrying the one I made when I first started sewing, pre-blog days. It's really bad and ugly and dirty. Now I have one I don't have to be embarrassed of. Thanks Destri!



I'll be back to regular (semi- you know me) blogging this week and hopefully get to some fun 2012 recaps and 2013 goals. I love reading those kinds of posts, and I LOVE a fresh start in the new year. Lots of good goodness ahead!

This Week in Sewing and Spam Update.

(Disclaimer: This is one of this posts that uses almost exclusively instagram pictures with instagram filters. I used to hate it when people used those on their blogs. In fact, I used to hate the dumb faux-vintage filters all together. But then I got on IG and now I get it. Sometimes it just makes your crappy phone pics more fun to look at. I get it. I was wrong. Now I'm that blogger. Apologies all around. Proceed.)

I made this piece of improv on a complete whim the other night from some of my scraps. I think it will become a pillow. 

At work, we are starting a contest where we all pick out signature fat quarter bundles of six and see whose sells the fastest. These are my picks. They aren't up for sale yet, though I love my stack. Judging by the above pictures, I seem to be into this variation of primary colors plus black lately. I also get to make something from one of these bundles, so I have to decide on my project!

My purple HST quilt is finished and at home with our bestest friends. Real pictures to come soon.

I probably didn't make this. But I love this picture. 

Another bucket hat by request for a friend. More purple!

Last night I successfully installed my first zip fly!!! It actually works. I'm still a little blown away by this. You'll see the whole project next week.

Elsie played on a dirty manhole...

And Hendrix continued to reside in my personal space most of the time. Which I'm not exactly complaining about. 

There is another matter of business to take care of today, the whole spammer debacle. (Follow the link if you need caught up.)

A couple of you pointed out that the second comment was just another opportunity for "Melvin" to spam me, and that she/he was not actually getting all my comments in her email four times. This seems like too much high-level thought was put into a move like that. Usually they operate more along the lines of "wtf are they talking about?" But I don't doubt that this was the case here. Although, some people disagreed on this point. I do know that my following post got more spam comments than any post ever. Is it Melvin fighting back? Is it just a bunch of random spammers landing here because they saw me talk about spam? The world may never know.

Either way, it was really fun to read all your comments. They were highly entertaining. So thanks to everyone who joined in the fun!


My favorite? This one with the random Tenacious D reference. Of course, I haven't listened to "This is Just a Tribute" since maybe freshman year of college, which made this parody all the sweeter. I saw them performing on TV recently because I guess they came out with a new album... and it was sad. Shoulda just left it at the one. Anyway, as a tribute to the days when Jack Black was considered funny, The winner is S&S!!


"Dear Melvin the Magnificent,

Have you heard about the best and greatest foam that Tenacious D has for sale?? It's reported to remove shiny demons AND spammers once every hundred thousand years!! Of course, this comment is just a tribute 'cause all my anxiety caused me to forget what the best and greatest foam is. 

S&S"



Scout's honor, please let me know who you really are S&S! 

Your prize? I'm going to make you a throw pillow cover! I've seen other blogger friends do this for people and it sounds really fun to me. I'm going to make this custom for you! Let me know the size form you want it for, the color fabrics, the style, everything! I can do improv for you, or stars or granny squares or something with all solids, or a funky appliqué, embroider a Tenacious D quote- whatever. So get excited S&S!

The December Sewing Tantrum

It is an inevitable phenomenon. If you count yourself among those who avoid the stress of Christmas shopping by... um, spending much more time and maybe even money on making gifts for your loved ones, (you know, so much less stressful) then you probably know the tantrum I'm referring too.

I didn't realize this was an actual shared creative experience among all of us until I saw Megan's picture on Flickr the other night. The caption explains it all:
"So many different Christmas projects I should be working on by instead I cut out a new bag for myself."


C'mon, amirite? You could go all year without making one blasted thing that is actually for yourself, but when December 4th rolls around and your Christmas to-make list is like 32.5 items long, you HAVE to start a new project that has nothing to do with any of it. AMIRITE? Ok, maybe Megan and I are the only two crazy ones and the rest of you have learned to take your meds and get the ADD under control. You are probably chugging thru your list like the responsible handmade lovers that you are. Me, here's my official December sewing tantrum-

I cannot for the life of me stop making these Japanese + & x blocks. Why? Oh you know, just for a scrap-busting quilt that will be a very slow-going and I might finish in 6 months to a year. It's completely unreasonable, but I'm addicted. I even have 3 more than this done now. 

My fave so far is definitely this bottom left one with all the Tula Pink. I'm not even sure what led me astray to starting this project... but it's really fun. I've been thinking of a quilt to make using just scraps for a while now in the back of my mind. At first I thought this design was just a little too scrappy for my tasted, but I'm over that. It looks kind of like my scrap draw threw itself up into this pattern and I love it that way. Almost eye-searingly scrappy, but I don't care. I think it's so addicting because of the freedom. Each block has 7 fabrics, and so you plan each one independently. No forethought as to how the whole quilt will work together, it just works out in the end because it's so mismatched that it matches. Also, with each block I'm nostalgically thinking back on what that fabric became in a former life in my sewing room, which is also really fun. 

I'm stopping these right now. No more of these blocks this month! Maybe... So what's your DST of choice this year? (Yeah, that's right, I'm already giving it initial status. Consider phrase coined, you are free to use it freely for free.)

When Stuck in Sewing Hell

You know that thing of when people find out you can sew and then ask you to do some crazy project that sounds like no fun at all? And you say yes for reasons inexplicable?

So the owners of Nick's restaurant asked him if I could make three huge long black fabric panels that would hang up on the ceiling of the restaurant to absorb sound. It's pretty loud in the dining area. They wanted it to be thick, so at first I was going to quilt some black fabric together with batting. But to make it easier, we decided to just buy thick fleece. Well, the only thing stupid Joann's had enough of (12.5 yards) was the ultra-cuddle fleece.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the details, but I've started this project now, there is yardage and lint all over my living room and it's not very close to being finished. And I hate it. With the fire of a thousand suns. They are going to pay me of course, but I'm thinking I might have to ask extra to get my machine serviced after this. The stuff is so thick that I have to sew standing up while pulling it through the machine because it does not feed at all. I know this can't be good for my machine, but I've already committed and started. It's sewing hell. What can I do?

Well, I can procrastinate finishing and instead buy a bunch of fabric online. I don't do this too often now, since working in a LQS. While we do have a great selection, we are a fairly small shop and there will always be some things out there that we don't carry that I need.






Here's what is coming to my mailbox next week. It's all from Fresh Modern Fabric. I really want everything there. It's like the selections are all tailored to my tastes right now.

I'm beginning to think in terms of collecting fabrics for a quilt for me. I doubt that will get started until after Christmas, but I'm excited about it. 

And while perusing Hawthorne Threads, I saw two collections coming out in fall that I am lusting big time-

 

Boho by Annette Tatum

Echo by Lotta Jansdotter

November seems so far away!! (dramatic sigh.)

Other things I'm loving today:

This amaaaaaaazing mini-quilt. (12 inches!)

The newest Decemberists album

And the coolest bike ever. 

So I was in the news for participating in this bizarre new trend called sewing

This is actually a really great feature on the shop I work in, Sewn Studio. It just opened in February, so people in the community are still finding out about it all the time and press like this is great. 

But it's just so funny to me that they make sewing sound like this weird, archaic lost art form that's just now becoming trendy. I mean, I know the whole handmade movement has been huge in recent years, but haven't people always sewn? My mom and grandmothers did it, but now I do to, so there was no generation skipped. Maybe I just have a different perception of it now that it's such a big part of my life. And I tend to be pretty un-self aware about some things, so maybe people my age do think it's really very weird that I sew. But I would still like to think that it's one of those skills that has always been around and always will be. We think we are such modern and trendy sewists with our modern fabrics, but won't the things our daughters make look completely different? Will they think of us as traditional old fart sewers? Of course they will, because that is the cycle of things. The point is, people will always be sewing and making things for themselves and their loved ones. Even when it is easier or sometimes cheaper to just buy something.  

Someone came in the other day to sign up for a beginners class and we actually had to tell her to wait until the September schedule came out because all of the beginning classes for August are already full. She made a remark about sewing being such a great thing in this economy or whatever. But I don't really think people want to learn how to sew because gas prices are high so they have to put the squeeze on their clothing budget. (You guys know that fabric can be a much more expensive addiction!) I think they just want to put their hands to good use. How many people actually make a living manufacturing anything anymore? Not a high percentage. We all have great minds that we put to great use behind computer screens, which is all great and necessary. But hands want to make something, something that can be touched and used and called good. Sewing is just one way that hands get put to good use, but it's my way. 

Geez, I really didn't mean to get all philosophizy on you. I mostly wanted us all to admit that we are dorky grandmas, apparently. (And I also wanted us all to laugh at the weird camera angle they put on my friend Sarah. Heehee.)

Completely unrelated... we are going to see Sir Paul McCartney tonight in the Reds' ballpark. I don't know if this makes me cool, or even more like an old person. I think maybe the correct answer is that I'm like a really cool old person. Either way, I'M SO EXCITED!

Something mine, for me, myself-selfish-self

Wow, that makes me sound like Veruca Salt or something, doesn't it?

Whatever, sometimes you just have to ignore the pleas of your naked children and make something superfluous for yourself, right? You deserve it!

Nah, actually, I just thought this looked really fun to make and I was really sick of my old one. 

Here is the free pattern. It is pretty cool to take a pattern on some fabric and turn it into a completely different one just by using patchwork. And it was nice to use this yellow striped fabric I've had lying around forever.  Yeesh, I have a lot of fabric I need to use up... yet I still can't seem to stop buying it. It's a disease or something.


Speaking of my disease, it's only going to get worse, as I'm beginning a part-time job at Sewn Studio this week. Hopefully I'll get to take home some of my paycheck. I'm really super excited to be working there though. It's pretty much the perfect place to spend time in and actually get paid for it.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Speaking of naked kids and trying not to be selfish, one more item to share this morning. I'm sure you've all seen plenty of pictures of Joplin and the devastation left from last week's tornado. A friend of mine from college who lives there now had a very cool idea for helping families in need.

Here's what you do. Like this facebook page, then follow their link to buy diapers on Amazon and send them to their church there, where they will be distributed to babies. Pretty good right? Go ahead and share it with all your fb friends too. How cool would it be if they got diapers from all 50 states, and our Canadian friends too.

If you want to bypass facebook, just buy some diapers here, and get them shipped to:


Carterville Christian Church 
20123 Gravel Rd 
Joplin MO 64801.

Such an easy simple thing that will make someone's hard life a lot easier right now.

KCWC Day...um... so far.

I managed to squeeze in some sewing for KCWC on 2 days this week... that's it. But I don't feel bad because, A) I have a newborn and I require naps, and 2) I've made a lot of articles of clothing for both the kids lately, it's pretty much all I've been sewing.

I made H two pairs of summer pajamas. I got the fleece really cheap at Joann's and it's been sitting around for a while, so I needed to use it. I'm not crazy about it at all, but it's good enough for PJ shorts. Except, maybe it isn't? The selvedge of the fabric had a lovely little message saying it isn't intended for children's sleepwear. I'm such a rebel.

Oooooh. Now I remember why I usually just photograph the clothes I make hanging on the wall. It's because 2 year olds are impossible to take photos of. Especially when it's always rainy. And also, they hid your real camera in a dresser drawer for two days and you only have your phone to work with.

No, this isn't a potty training activity. I promise that brown thing is just a felt kiwi. 

By the way, did you know fleece refuses to stick to fusible webbing? Me neither. We do now. 

And of course, he's still rocking his Easter seersucker. Look at those muscular toddler legs!

And just because she's pretty adorable, and doesn't want to be left out...This is where she slept at my parents' house last weekend, in a little cradle my grandfather made for me as a baby. Presh.

Domestic Goddesses Need a Cute Apron.

My parents came up to visit this weekend so my mom could come to my baby shower. Of course, mom wanted to visit Sewn Studio, and while we were there she decided she wanted to make an apron and we picked out fabric for it.

That night, I searched my crafty online resources for apron patterns, and we decided on this pattern from Sew4Home. 

These are the adorable results. We basically used the pattern shape and changed everything else about the way the apron is made. Instead of using bias tape all the way around, we lined it with another fabric and topstitched around to finish. And we sewed regular straps in between the layers instead of those weird knotted ones.

And I actually taught my mom, the very seasoned seamstress, how to add piping! We used some I had leftover just at the top of the pockets and by the top strap, and it added so much.

She was amazed at the quick gratification of completing a free project found online that wasn't a huge quilt, and I just got to have fun sewing with my mom. I've never really wanted an apron for myself before, but now I might need to make one. Well, after my body is in a semi-normal, non-bloated state. They really are so easy and endlessly customizable. Isn't my mom the cutest?

A Boppy Cover, slightly wonk.

Olivia inspired me to make my own boppy cover for this Bebe, using this basic tutorial. I used a couple fabrics from the Kumari Garden collection, and some nice teal piping.

I'm a big fan of the piping ever since I made a couple kid cushions. It did make this project take twice as long, but to me it's worth it.  

The only problem I ran into is that when I traced the boppy cushion for my pattern I might have added a little too much wiggle room. It still fits nice and snug in the middle-baby-insertion-zone, but it's just a little wavy and wonky around the outside. I could just take it in a little if not for the piping, but I'm still glad I added it. Tricksy.

Now that I've finished with the infant bedding and accessories, I'm ready to move on to dresses. Lots of precious girly dresses. I've accumulated quite a bookmark folder full of ideas, which I'll have to share with you soon.


...Buuuuut I'm feeling torn at the same time, because it is boy month, and someone in this house is turning 2 very soon, and I want to make him just about every toy that Made by Rae has shared just today. If only I required less sleep while growing this small human.