Year of Making Stuff: Week 26


July 1st, 2009

I found this tutorial on My Little Mochi to make a wrist pincushion.  Usually I love my magnetic pin keeper, but sometimes I need just a few and they are never very handy.  This wrist pincushion was super easy and quick, and I had all the materials on hand, including beverage cap, hair tie, polyfil, and a 6″ circle of fabric.  Oh, and a hot glue gun.  I love it and I know it will get a lot of use!

I also got some beautiful yarn this week delivered…project must remain under wraps though, because it will be a Christmas gift.  Yes, you read that right.  It may just take me that long, but I am excited about knitting again!

Year of Making Stuff: Week 24 and 25


June 25th, 2009

Between 12 Hour Comic Book Day and the two other programs, last week was a bit of a blur.  And now I can’t believe that tomorrow is Friday and this week is almost over, and that July starts next week.  Crazy!  I love summers here, but it is going too fast.  Last weekend was Taste of Bloomington and a fun night out with the girls.  And tomorrow I get to see Steph who will be down from Indy!

So this was finished somewhere between last week and this week, but it is a gift to be delivered next week for Cyn (very late Birthday), so here is a sneak peak.  I bought the lemon fabric while we were in Chicago.  So cute!

And since last week was running so late, I am ahead of the game for this week.  Sharpie Tie Dye!  Ok, so it was a program that I did with some teens at Ellettsville, but I love the way it came out and  I was in desperate need of a new night shirt.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 23


June 16th, 2009

A quickie for a short week, but Week 23 is a little embellishment on this $3 dollar shirt I got at Old Navy.  I was considering doing some sort of red embroidery on the yoke or maybe collar, but it might be one of those things that is cooler in my head than in real life.  That sort of shit happens all the time. This shirt has been worn and washed, so I think it does hold up pretty well.

Chicago photos are up on flickr!

Chicago Birthday Weekend


June 16th, 2009

So it was a little rainy and chilly, but we had a fantastic weekend in Chicago in part for Tim’s birthday and in part for the hell of it.  Andrew flew in to meet us and we went to the aquarium, the lake front, Millennium Park, Blues Fest, Cubs game, shopped on Michigan Ave., architecture cruise and in general had a blast.  It was really nice to get away.

I had big plans to upload all my photos this morning, but our power was out for a little bit, so I am behind.

I also have my Week 23 finished item around here somewhere….and I am busy on Week 24, but that will have to be a surprise for a little bit (even though it is already late for a May birthday).  Pictures hopefully will follow tomorrow.

50 Blocks


June 9th, 2009

Update: 50 out of the 320 blocks are sewn together, leaving 270 to go.  Not too bad!

Also, come and join the Cutters Craft Brigade’s Facebook group!  Residency in Btown not required, only a love of crafts.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 22


June 6th, 2009

The story of a quilt:  I signed up at my quilt guild to make a twin sized quilt for the new Middle Way House that is opening in the old Coca-Cola bottling facility in October.  I had fabrics picked out (Thiên, some of them should look familiar!) and a pattern in mind.  But I forgot the pattern at work on the evening that I decided to start cutting the fabric.  A prudent person would have either a)gone and gotten the pattern (I only live one mile from work) or b) waited until the next day.  But I am not a prudent person.  So what did I do?  I started cutting from memory.  Ha!  Of course I remembered incorrectly and have added one tiny piece to each block.  Instead of each 4″ block being made up from 5 pieces, each block is now made up of 6 pieces.  This doesn’t seem like a lot, but once you consider that I have to make 360 4″ blocks, it does.  At 6 pieces each, I have to cut 2,160 pieces.  I could have saved cutting 360 pieces!  I will never include 1″ pieces in a twin sized quilt again.  It just takes too damn many of them.

On the other hand, this is a quilt going to a facility for women to sleep under who may have left a bad situation in the middle of the night with their children and the clothes on their back.  Women who  hopefully can find little pieces here and there and put their lives back together again.  Maybe it only seems like a little tiny piece, but the idea of picking up the pieces really does make sense.  It is a quilter’s metaphor dream come true.  I can only hope that sleeping safely for the first time in a long time under a hand made quilt would be one of those tiny pieces that they can use to rebuild.

So internet, it isn’t completed.  But I finished cutting the remaining 2,160 pieces today and I am calling that finished for this week.  I also put together 4 of the 360 blocks so you can see what it looks like.  4 down, 356 to go.

First Streetdance of the Summer


June 6th, 2009

After Tim’s softball game, I headed downtown for the First Streetdance of the Summer and caught the Pirate Flags and part of Zion Crossroads.  The location seems odd (on 7th inbetween Walnut and College…yeah, by the Taco Bell), but it was fun.

Tim is working on fixing some steps on the side of the house, and I am putting off preparing for a book discussion that I am leading tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll go and cut some more fabric.  I am close to having all 2,160 pieces cut for my next donation quilt.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 21


May 31st, 2009

By late fall I would like to have 4 more hats to donate to the Quilt Guild for distribution to the Olcott Cancer Center and other organizations in our community.  Quilting isn’t easy to take on the road, but I think I need to remember to just take some knitting with me, as you never know when you’ll have a good opportunity.  Part of this hat was knit at Tim’s softball game.

Had a great weekend, but now looking a a few ugly days at work.  June starts tomorrow!

Strawberries and Spinach


May 30th, 2009

Yum!  We picked the rest of the spinach today and the strawberries are coming in spades!  Perfect makings for a big lunch.

After harvesting the spinach and arugula, I have put in the last of the summer crops including another sweet pepper, cilantro and a canteloupe.

yARR


May 28th, 2009

Yarr.  So I’ve been looking for a new pair of flats latey (well you know, in a very half-assed online sort of way) and finally came across the ones that were perfect today!  Oh, except for the fact that they were $180.  Guess I’ll keep looking.

I have the next two days off….reading, knitting, bike riding, gardening, art show visiting, party going, friend seeing, sleeping, music listening and kitty playing to commence now!