Community Kids Quilts

Wow.  Last night over 30 quilts were donated to the Bloomington Quilters’ Guild for organizations throughout the community.  This is in addition to larger quilts for Jill’s House (for cancer treatment recovery patients and their families) and the dozen or so hats donated for the Olcott Cancer Center.  What a generous bunch.

I have an idea in my head of what to make this week, but not sure of how exactly it will work out in the end.  Off to experiment!

Year of Making Stuff: Week 17

I have a great sewing desk, and leave my sewing machine out all of the time.  Unfortunately when I do sew, the bulky plastic cover gets in the way in my small little space.  The room is really dusty what with all the fiber and kitty fluff flying around, so some sort of cover is necessary.  Enter Sewing Maching Cozy!  I found this pattern in Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan that I checked out from the library. The embroidery patterns are Kurt Halsey’s artist series from Sublime Stitching, a xmas gift from Thiên.  The old plastic cover is now going to live in the basement and I am happy with how this turned out.  Its something I’ve been meaning to make for awhile!

Year of Making Stuff: Week 16 No Photo Yet

I skipped making anything last week due to work and leaving town, but will make up for it this week by making TWO things.  Item for Week 16 (last week) is finished, but will be in a surprise package that will be shipped at the end of this week.  Photos to follow early next week.  Item for Week 17 (this week) is in process and will also be done this week despite having to cut the main fabric part 4 TIMES.

Savannah is a beautiful city, and I was so happy to be there for Regina’s party.  A beautiful city, perfect weather, homemade southern cooking, good company and some sweet-ass sweet tea are the perfect ingredients for a long weekend get away.  I really needed it.

Schoko-Bananen is a banana flavored candy covered in dark chocolate that a co-worker brought back from Germany specially for me!  I adore it, AND its fun to say.  I think the world would be a better place if there was more banana candy and all beauty products smelled like grapefruit.

Tim is in the final stretch for his papers for the semester.  Send good thoughts.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 14

What with all the gardening around here and at the library, this week’s YoMS is sort of lame.  I was really curious about The Big Ass Book of Crafts, so finally it came in at the library and was less than inspired.  Many of the projects are creative, but the main ingredients seems to be popscicle sticks (yep) and rope.  Neither of which I am interested in using.  But he has some cool Day of the Dead light switchplate covers, so I thought I would give it a shot.  I don’t know if it is the images I chose (I was trying to just use what I had on hand), or what, but I am feeling fairly meh about them.  I probably didn’t have the right glue either, but now buying the right supplies may be moot unless I fall in love with another image.

I also spent time this weekend in the Library’s community organic veggie garden, lovingly called Monroe County BookWorm Farms.  So far we have planted peas, arugula, spinach, kale, swiss chard, thyme, lemon balm, walking onions, chives, broccoli and some bok choy like veggie I can’t remember the name.

Sunny Spring = Outdoors

This spring has seemed a little damp, though maybe I am still getting used to midwestern weather patterns.  Today was cool, but SUNNY so it was spent outside.  A hike in Brown County State Park with Jenn and Cean, clothes on a new laundry line outside, work in the library gardens and even digging dandelions all seems so sweet when done in the spring sunlight.  Lest I complain too much about the rain, it does make everything GREEN.

Tomorrow, three types of lettuce and arugula will go in my garden and photos of my sort of lame weekly YoMS project.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 13

Just in under the wire on this one, I finished the binding tonight after work.  It is in the wash right now and will be taken to be donated at the Tuesday meeting for the Bloomington Quilters’ Guild Community Quilts.  Other than the batting ($5 with my 40% off coupon), everything is made from what I had on hand.  I think I bought the fish fabric several years ago for Gina’s second boy.

I am not going to complain about the possibility of snow coming up next week.  I had a great weekend and the weather was perfect on Friday and Saturday.  I got to hang out at Jenn’s (doing mad libs…who knew so much fun as adult?), go to the first outdoor Farmer’s Market of the season with Tim, worked in my garden, and planted early crops at the library community garden.  After shopping at the Farmer’s Market and seeing all the cool names the farms have that sell there, I was thinking our little garden needs a name.  What do you think of Monroe County BookWorm Farms?

Year of Making Stuff: Week 12

I ran across scherenschnitte on Angry Chicken’s blog (you can see some in her banner) and thought to give it a try, especially since I love cutting paper snowflakes.  Scherenschnitte isn’t only fun to say, but it is also the art of paper cutting, and there are both Northern/Eastern European traditions and also some from the Chinese.  I have been trying a few different methods, including some folded designs (shamrocks and pineapples) and flat paper cutting, like the carp above, using both scissors and a craft knife.  I think with practice, I could get better and there  are some more designs in the library books I checked out I’d like to try.   The library book says that the Chinese carp is a symbol for good luck and determination, so this little fish has found a home in Tim’s office as he gets through the rest of the semester.

I had a lovely weekend, with getting to briefly hang out with Stephanie, seeing Meagan’s art show and then visiting with Suzy, Donal and Lily all weekend.  Mark, Emily and Marinn also drove down for a quick trip.  We had a grand time, despite the crappy weather.  Maybe Lily remembers the Chinese word for red?

Year of Making Stuff: Week 11

I found this fabric in a big panel at Goodwill and decided to make pjs.  I love a good pair of pj pants, but often can’t find any cute ones that are long enough.  The solution?  Make them!  The pattern I used was fairly easy, but I think I will have to fix the waist band in the future.  Making clothes just isn’t my calling, but these are comfy, if a little funky.  Tim is already calling them curtain pants.

Maybe if he is lucky, I will make him a pair of Cubs pjs.

Year of Making Stuff: Week 10

Back in November, I started drafting this quilt and shopped for just the right purple fabrics through December.  Sewing took place through January, and I had it professionally quilted in February.  Today I finished by adding a little more than 400 inches of  binding.

This quilt is a generous queen sized, and made from a heavily adapted Julie Popa pattern in the March/April 2008 Fons and Porter magazine.  The wide borders are a really smooth cotton sateen fabric that is a beautiful rich purple color which was sort of hard to photograph.  I am really happy with how it came out and after a quick wash it will go in our bedroom.  This is the fourth quilt I’ve made for us, and I might just like this one best!

YoMS: Week 9 Update

When the Oscar bet came up, I knew I would make a sock monkey.  I’ve never made one before, and Ashley is a big fan.  She is also fancy.  So it seemed logical to make a fancy sock monkey.  Pretty easy, but the only thing I would do differently is figure out a way to mask the light stuffing inside the dark sock which shows through.  I hope she’s arrived safely.