betz white

flowers for mom

2013-05-10T14:01:00.001-04:00

Wishing a heartfelt Happy Mother's Day to my sweet mom

and all of you other awesome moms out there!

Enjoy your day! xo, b

little windows

2013-05-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

Sharing with you some little windows into my studio space. This is where I spend many hours of my day creating, day dreaming and honestly, working pretty darn hard. Lately I've been cleaning, organizing, and beautifying as well. Tomorrow this space (and myself!) has got to be camera ready for something special coming up!

look up!

2013-04-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

After a hugely busy few weeks both with work and family obligations, this week feels like a breath of fresh air. The deadlines and responsibilities are still ever-present but I am making time for daily walks, yoga, good food and catching up with friends and family. I even plan on doing a little spring cleaning. I know, right?

It's easy to let the weight of the world press down on me but I am determined to look up from my work, step away from the computer and appreciate the very good things in life.

Hugs and High Fives!
Betz

Stitch Organic Fat Quarter Bundles

2013-04-21T15:27:00.000-04:00

When my licensed print collection, Stitch Organic, started shipping to stores in late 2011, I made the conscious decision to not sell fabric in my shop. My desire was to let the quilt shops and fabric stores do what they do best while I promoted the collection by designing sewing patterns that use the fabrics.

Now, many months later, I have been getting regular requests from people not being able to buy Stitch online or at their local shops. It is no longer being printed and it seems to be hard to find. So there is only one thing I can do:

Release the Stash!

As of now, I am offering Fat Quarter Bundles in my etsy shop! There are 2 sets of 11 fabrics, divided by colorways, Garden and Lagoon.

The Garden palette consists of bright rich color that is predominantly warm with some cool colors mixed in.

The Lagoon palette consists of cooler tones anchored with grey, brown and greens.

If you can't decide which colorway is your favorite (I can't!) you may have to settle for both and mix them together!

Wanna see more projects made from Stitch? Check out the Stitching with Stitch Flickr group for inspiration. And if you've made something with Stitch, I hope you'll share it!

Scarf-to-Shrug Tutorial

2013-04-10T19:10:00.000-04:00

Have you been practicing your Lettuce Edge Technique that I demonstrated in the last post? Now's your chance to put your skills to work! I present to you the Scarf-to-Shrug Tutorial!

What you'll need:

• one yard of cotton jersey knit fabric

• coordinating or contrasting thread

• measuring tape

• fabric shears

• sewing machine

Here we go!
1) Take your "wingspan" measurement. Using a tape measure, measure from your wrist to the center back of your neck. You'll want to keep your arm down at your side and have the measuring tape travel up the outside of your arm across your shoulder to the back of your neck. I measured about 31". This will be half of your wingspan and half the length of your scarf.

2) Take your "cross-back" measurement. Measure yourself underarm to underarm with the measuring tape going straight across your shoulder blades. I measured about 22". This will be the size of the opening in the scarf to shrug-ify it.

3) Cut 2 rectangles of jersey fabric 14" wide by the length of half your wingspan measurement from Step 1. (ie: 14"W x 31"L) You'll want to be sure that the width of your rectangle is cut with the stretch and the length is cut with the grain (parallel with the selvedge). If you're not sure why this is important, you can review the Lettuce Edge tutorial.

4) Seam the 2 rectangles together with a 1/4" lapped seam. Do this by overlapping the ends of the rectangles by 1/4". Pin then sew with a larger zigzag stitch, taking care not to stretch the fabric as you sew. This will make a nice flat seam at the center/back of your scarf/shrug. See Diagram A, below.

click on image to see bigger

5) Next, create a lettuce edge and scribble stitching detail at either end of the scarf, referring to my tutorial. See Diagram B, above. You can make as many rows of this as you'd like.

6) Fold the scarf lengthwise, right sides together, aligning the raw edges. Pin, then sew with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving an opening in the seam equal to your "cross-back" measurement from Step 2. You can divide this measurement by 2, then measure that distance from the lapped seam (ie: 22" ÷ 2 = 11" from the seam). See Diagram C, above. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning of each seam.

7) Turn the scarf/shrug right side out and you're done! The raw edges around the opening won't fray and the jersey will naturally curl in just a bit so you don't have to worry about finishing those edges. To wear it as a shrug, simply put your arms into that center opening and into the "sleeves".

Because of the way this is cut with the grain of the fabric, I specified a one yard length in the materials list. You will only be using about half the width of the fabric, so you should have enough material to make 2 of these from one yard of jersey. Perfect! You can make a second one as a gift. Maybe for Mother's Day!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Let me know if you have any questions!

How to Create a Lettuce Edge

2013-04-05T20:47:00.001-04:00

Creating a lettuce edge is super easy and satisfying. All you need is a knit fabric, a sewing machine with a zig-zag stitch and a little practice.

Last post I previewed my convertible scarf-to-shrug that has a lettuce edge hem. Now I'll show you how to lettuce your edges and in the next post I'll show how to construct the scarf/shrug.

I used an organic cotton jersey fabric (organic lettuce! yum!) but you can use any light weight knit. You might want to practice on an an old T-shirt. The most important thing to consider is the grain line of the fabric. To get a nice ruffly ripply edge, you'll want your stitching to be cross-grain, meaning perpendicular with the grain, or selvage, of the fabric.

In the photo above you'll see 2 examples of lettuce edging. The top one is stitched with the grain. Since there is very little stretch in that direction, you'll see that the edge is a little...wilted. :( The example on the bottom is stitched cross grain, with the stretch, so it is nice and wavy. :)

You can experiment with different fabrics. Some fabrics have 2-way stretch and in that case you can stitch in either direction.

Make sure you have a full bobbin so you have plenty of thread to work with. I set my machine on a zig-zag stitch with a width of 4 and a stitch length of 1. That means a wide zig-zag side to side with stitches that are close together. Sew right on the edge of the fabric and pull gently to stretch as you sew (above). You don't need to really pull hard on it, just guide the fabric from the back with your left while stretching it in front with your right hand. The cut edge of the jersey will probably curl a bit and that's ok. Just keep experimenting and you'll get the hang if it!

While you're practicing, you might want to try out the scribble stitching that I also used on the scarf/shrug. Set your machine back to a straight stitch with a length of 2 to 3. Then simply stitch across the fabric in wavy lines. Don't stretch the fabric, just guide it in long curving lines. When you get the end of the fabric, turn and stitch back the way you came, loosely following your path. Repeat this, intersecting your previous lines or create new random lines. Change the thread if you'd like to add more interest!

Next post will be the scarf/shrug construction how-to's. In the meantime, you can practice your decorative stitching! Let us lettuce!

Ease-into-Spring: Scarf to Shrug

2013-04-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

Spring is sloooow coming isn't it? I thought we could all use a little transition piece to get us through these unpredictable days of spring! A while back I was playing around with a some organic cotton jersey from Alabama Chanin and came up with this fun little scarf/shrug accessory. I love the versatility of this idea.

On chilly days, it can be worn as a scarf.

And on warmer days it can be used as a shrug. It's cute with a sleeveless top and can be just the thing to throw on when going from outdoors into someplace air conditioned.

The construction is basically a long tube with an opening in the seam to slip your arms into. The bottom has lettuce edging and some decorative scribble stitching. I'll be back later in the week with details for making this!

change of scenery

2013-03-29T11:38:00.000-04:00

pelican greeting us on the causeway to Sanibel Island

a cold windy morning on the beach

an egret outside the Dairy Queen

'gator in the nature preserve sunning himself

lush mangrove swamp

odd and beautiful vegetation

the most amazing shell

beach combing

the final shell haul


the local slogan?

Hello! We just returned from a quick little family trip down to Sanibel Island in Florida for Spring Break. Last year we visited chilly NYC and decided to try somewhere warmer this year. As luck would have it, Florida had some record low temps this week and we were chilly once again! But the sun was shining and that was good enough for us.

We saw loads of wildlife such as turtles, alligators, all kinds of birds and even some manatees! The shells on the beaches were amazing and the boys had a great time darting into the surf collecting some beauties. It's eye-opening what a change of scenery can do for you. I'm feeling refreshed and ready to get back at it!

Have a fabulous weekend!
xo
b

the lion slayer

2013-03-22T13:11:00.002-04:00

One afternoon, a few years ago when I was writing my second book, Sewing Green, I asked my boys to please play quietly. I had a big deadline coming up and I needed to concentrate on my work. Later when the neighbor boy rang the doorbell, my son dutifully told the boy that he could not come in, because of his mom's deadline. To which the boy replied,

"What?! Your mom has a DEAD LION?!?"

This has become an ongoing family joke. Watch out, mom has a dead lion. You do not want to go in there. I have become the lion slayer! Now I would never in a million years want to slay a real lion, but sometimes I feel like a lion slayer nonetheless.

Today I turned in a big chunk of book projects and I am exhausted and overwhelmed. I shouldn't be surprised, I have been down this path twice before! Fortunately, our Spring Break is upon us and I'm going to take a few days off to enjoy it. Hopefully, I will come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next ferocious task!

P.S. Oh! I almost forgot. My Esty shop has a new feature: Instant Downloads for all 24 of my PDF sewing and craft patterns! This is a win-win. Once you order, there is no waiting for me to email your pattern to you. Just click the download button and get your pattern lickity-split! That makes me happy and saves me time...no more emailing patterns. Woo hoo!

here

2013-03-15T09:42:00.002-04:00

pretty little springy things!

Have you heard about slow blogging? Blair wrote about it eloquently as well as Erin. Many long time bloggers are feeling the evolution of their blogs over the years and wondering where they fit in now. Why am I doing this? What do I want out of it and what do my readers get out of it? Is what I have to say still relevant? Does anyone care or have time to care?

I was happy to hear that I am not alone in these feelings. Back in the day (almost 7 years ago!) I started my blog as a creative outlet. Now I run my own sewing pattern design business and the blog is a companion to that. I miss the simplicity of making things for the heck of it and posting it to say, "Hey! Look what I made!" Deadlines, bookkeeping, packing and shipping, and oh yeah, designing new things has to come first.

Recently I was given the advice to evolve my blog into a "lifestyle blog" and treat is as another "product" that I offer. Post more regularly, build my following, add sponsorship, etc. I could do that. I probably even should do that. But that doesn't feel like me to me. I always want to be true to myself and be passionate about the products that I create, whether it's my blog or my sewing patterns or my books, etc.

I still love reading blogs and make a point to comment on at least one a day. I still love writing posts and having interaction in the comments with my readers. I know I can't keep up with the pace of daily posts (or even 3 times a week at times!) and with my intense book deadlines this spring, I know the posts will be more sparse than usual. But I'll be here. Slow and steady, that's my plan. I hope you're ok with that.

easter parade

2013-03-11T10:26:00.000-04:00

With just a few weeks until Easter, it's time for my annual parading of springy tutorials! Oldies but goodies, all four of them. Enjoy!

Cashmere Bunnies

Springtime Tote

Carrot Goodie Bags (fun with kids!)

Mini Easter Baskets (fun with kids!)

cross train your creative brain

2013-03-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

When I get stuck designing something (aka creative problem solving) I have a couple tricks to unstick me: Nap. Walk. or Shower. Pick one! Seriously. I get stuck working on something, I need a break, so I go do one of those things. The key is not to *think* about fixing the problem. I simply take a break and let my subconscious work on it. Works more often than not.

Another thing I've been doing lately is creative cross training. As much as it is hard to step away from those deadlines, sometimes doing something else creative can refresh your brain. Usually I turn to knitting. The repetitive nature of knitting is soothing, the fibers and colors are inviting, and it gets me away from the computer!

Something though, that I love equally is sketching with caran d'ache crayons. I've posted about my love of them before, how they are water soluble and turn into watercolor paints with the stroke of a wet paintbrush. Lilla speaks about doing "personal work". Oh yeah! I almost forgot. Personal work is what you do for the sake of doing...for yourself to feed your passion. When you run a creative business, it's easy to forget about personal work. I mean, it's all personal kind of, right?

And as far as cross training your brain, I think stretching yourself is a good idea, too. Maybe pick something that you are not an expert at. For me that would be quilting, painting, embroidery, etc. I can do all of those things...a little. But I'm not skilled or accomplished. The other thing I like about this exercise is that it is just practice. I am not making a *thing* or trying to finish a project, I am sketching, doodling, letting my mind wander.

I wrote about what drawing has meant in my life a few years ago. Reading that again has reminded me to keep at it, rusty or not...Draw! Sketch! Doodle!

How do you cross train your creative brain?

mash-up book review: creativity!

2013-03-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

As I have been putting almost all of my creative focus on developing projects for my book, I have been thinking a lot about creativity, the ebb and flow of ideas and how deadlines play into that. There a have been a few new books that have come out recently that are focused on creativity. And since I happen to know both authors, I bought their books and have been enjoying them immensely.

*****

necklace by Lisa Leonard Designs

A few years ago I taught workshops at the first Creative Connection Event. Before my class came in, I was looking at the roster and saw the name Lilla Rogers. Hmm, isn't that the name of that hugely successful artist's agent? It is! In walked Lilla and I told her that I could not believe that The Lilla Rogers was taking a class from me. She so sweetly replied that she couldn't believe she was taking a class from The Betz White! Ha! Long story short, our paths have crossed a few brief moments since then. I'm always interested to hear about what Lilla is up to. She is very generous with her thoughts about operating within the creative world and I admire her desire to share her knowledge.

One of her latest projects is her book, I Just Like to Make Things. As the founder of Lilla Rogers Studio, she shares her years of industry insight into making money while staying passionate about your art and craft.

One of my favorite messages from Lilla's book is that "people buy your joy". Simple, right? Maybe, maybe not. Being a designer who worked for companies designing for specific brands for many many years, I became really good at designing for the customer. Sometimes that brought me joy, but I wasn't designing for me. I was designing what I thought (or was told) the customer wanted. Imagine the freedom (and sometimes terror!) of making things that I wanted to make because they made me happy! That's how it was when I first started my blog almost 7 years ago. Liberating. Terrifying. Joyful! Lilla's words give me focus. Remember the joy.

Lilla's book is not a how-to-make-art book. It's how to get motivated, how to find opportunities and how to keep the creativity flowing. She shares interviews with industry art directors, artists and crafters. Lilla's "you can do this" attitude left me feeling like I could conquer the world. Or at least maybe license some of my artwork someday. :) If you want to see a great interview with Lilla, Monica from Smart Creative Women chatted with her not-so-long-ago.

*****

Marisa's and my footwear: kindred spirits!

Interestingly enough, the next author is someone I met teaching at Squam Art Workshops, an event that changed my life in many ways. Marisa and I were assigned to each other as roomates. Despite being strangers forced to share a tiny cabin room with about 2 feet of space between our twin beds, we became fast friends. Marisa, who blogs at Creative Thursdays, is the kind of person you can stay up all night talking to. She is one of the most sweet, savvy, understanding, authentic, creative people I've met. That's why I was so excited to buy her new book, Creative Thursday: Everyday Inspiration to Grow Your Creative Practice.

Marisa shares her creative journey while walking beside you on yours. Her encouraging voice guides you along, empowering you to figure out what works best for you. Her book is full of her own endearing artwork...artwork that has allowed her to be a full time successful artist. Reading Marisa's book is like talking to your mentor, an accomplished artist and your best friend all wrapped into one.

Now that I think of it, you can listen to Marisa's interview over at Smart Creative Women as well! How do you like that.

*****

The next book I'd like to share with you is one that has been on my bookshelf for many years. (and this time I do not know the authors!) First published in the early 70's, brought to my attention during design school in the 80's, The Universal Traveler by Koberg and Bagnall, is one of the best books out there on design process.

Yes, it looks dated and very practical, but I love this book! It's all about creative problem solving. Who doesn't need that? It goes through the creative process using the analogy of travel and basically gives you a map for your design journey. It discusses pitfalls and "tourist traps", "side trips" to develop creativity and awareness, and shares many tidbits for moving forward through resistance and roadblocks. I'm finding this book really hard to describe, I hope I am doing it justice.

Maybe a few little quotes will help illustrate it:

"The design process is a sequence of events that demands creative behavior from it's participants. The activity of design is to improve existing conditions and to find clear paths out of dilemmas."

"Ideas are truly a dime a dozen. There are so many of them; they are of little value until developed. It is only after an idea is translated into reality that it becomes valuable."

"Steady creativity requires a steady determined effort. The more consistently we behave in ways that encourage creativity, the more likely we are to be consistently creative."

"Relax occasionally during the problem solving process. Some people call this allowing enough time to 'incubate'; allowing thoughts to become behavior. We all need time to 'digest' what we eat before chewing some more."

I find that when I am stuck creatively, flipping through this book reminds me about the process, how projects and life in general is a fantastic voyage through both rough and calm seas.

I hope that one or more of these books strikes a chord with you. While they are quite different books from each other, they all agree on one aspect. That creativity is a way of operating. It's something we all have, and it is our choice whether or not to tap into it.

What are your favorite books on creativity? Do you have a secret weapon for getting "unstuck"?

:: worktable wednesday ::

2013-02-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

Shapes, color, and canvas-y textures are gracing my worktable this week as I soldier on towards one of many book deadlines. These bold prints are from Cloud9, Geocentric, printed on organic cotton canvas. I don't know what it is about a graphic one color print on white that gets me every time. Pure and simple. In your face, nowhere to hide.

What's on your worktable this week?

Felt Lore Part 5: Biz Card Caddy Tutorial

2013-02-20T16:07:00.000-05:00

This week I've been working with felt and wanted to share a pretty simple technique with you. I've been loving things made with 3mm thick felt, like my Felt Ogee Ornament, but Shazbot! is that stuff pricey! So I came up with not only a pretty inexpensive substitute but one with an added feature: 2 colors!

To show you the technique I decided to make up a tutorial for my business card caddy. I've used these at craft shows and they get as much attention as the things I'm selling! They make a handy place to display your business cards that is eye catching and fun.

You'll need 2 colors of Wool Blend Felt and some Steam-a-seam Fusible Webbing. I cut both colors of felt and the webbing the same size, about a half inch bigger all around than my business card. If you want your caddy to be a little deeper, make your rectangles a little larger.

Next, following the manufacturer's directions, fuse the webbing onto the back of one of the felt rectangles and peel away the paper backing. Then place the webbing side down onto the other felt rectangle and fuse again.

Now you've basically bonded the 2 felt pieces together, making a sturdier 2-tone felt. Pretty! Its not quite as thick as 3mm felt, but the fusible webbing adds a little body.

Here comes the 3-D part. Pinch the corner together where you would like the sides to come up. I marked the edges of mine with a vanishing ink marker at 3/4" from the corner.

Next I pinned the edges together and stitched perpendicularly from the edges to the fold.

Repeat for all 4 corners and you are done!

Plop your cards in...Ta Da! I like that they lean back like this, they are easier for people to pick up vs. laying in a flat stack. Of course you can make this in any sort of size and dimension for all kinds of uses!

Fusible webbing is such a versatile material. It's great for felt appliqué...a topic for another Felt Lore!

a little Valentine's Day fun

2013-02-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd have a little fun with my Wildlife with Love™ characters! I created these images with photos of my Polar Babies Quilt appliqués using PicMonkey.

And as a sweet treat for you, all Wildlife with Love™ patterns are on sale in my etsy shop today, February 14th, through Sunday February 17th.

xo,
Betz

Listen in on Monday!

2013-02-10T12:39:00.001-05:00

On Monday, February 11th I'll be chatting LIVE on American Patchwork and Quilting Radio with Pat Sloan. Tune in here at Monday 4pm eastern, 3pm Central, 2pm mountain, 1pm Pacific time.

testing testing 1-2-3

2013-02-08T11:06:00.002-05:00

I like to occasionally talk about my design process here on the blog. I've written about print development and prototyping my sewing pattern designs. Today I'd like to talk about doing mini tests, when I try out a portion of a design to quickly see if my technique will work on a small scale before cutting into a larger piece of fabric...and a larger piece of time.

This patchwork test was a prelude to my Polar Babies Quilt and Pillow pattern. I had sketched the living daylights out of a potential layout for this quilt, but at some point I gotta get my feet wet and sew the darn thing. I imagined each of my appliquéd animals to sit in a square that had a sense of "landscape" and I had an idea for a technique involving curves. I used some pretty little charm squares from my friend Marisa's "Meet The Gang" collection plus a few solids. I made a stack of 3 squares, cut 2 freehand wavy cuts, then rearranged the tops, middles and bottoms of each square to create 3 different mini blocks. I repeated that twice, resulting in 9 mini blocks. To stand in as my polar characters, I cut out motifs from one of the prints and ironed them on with fusible webbing.

Sometimes when I am trying to decide between layouts, sashing vs. none, etc, I take photos of it with my phone. That way I can remember what each option looked like and scroll from one to the next. Also, there's something about looking at a photo that flattens everything out and helps me to really see the composition and proportion better. You can see the final quilt here, in my post about it from this past fall.

Here's some pleat practice that I did before making my Pleated Pillow Trio pattern. I like to explore as many options as possible. Machine stitching, hand stitching, different widths, etc.

For awhile I was in a scallop making phase. I believe scallops are the new ruffle! I still haven't quite landed on "the one". I struggle to make my patterns struggle-free for the end user. If it's too fussy or not easily achievable I keep trying or move on. I save all of my mini proto test swatchie things, even if I don't end up using them or am not happy with how they look. There is always something to learn from them for the next idea!

How do you test out an idea or technique?

worktable wednesday: llama love

2013-02-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

This week I have a yummy stack of organic cotton on my worktable from Monaluna! Jennifer Moore's latest collection, Modern Home, is so fun and fresh, I can't wait to get stitching with it. One of my favorite prints is called "Llama Love". Adorable!

This is my sweet Llama Mama from my childhood. It came from Peru, given to me by my Aunt Nancy. Llama Mama is a little lumpy and worse for wear, but I still love her. Her best features are her ear tassels and bendable legs. Now she lives on the shelf above my desk and keeps an eye on things for me. By the way, she definitely approves of these fabrics! (If you are interested in snatching up your own llama print, here's where to buy.http://www.monaluna.com/)

What's on your worktable this week?

color and beauty

2013-02-02T13:16:00.000-05:00

I didn't want the week to slip away without sharing a little beauty with you. The gorgeous fabrics above are part of my dear friend Jan DiCintio's (aka Daisy Janie) latest fabric collection, New Leaf. Beautiful, colorful, organic cotton! I purchased mine from a great little etsy shop, Tactile Fabrics. If you'd like to see more of New Leaf, check out the New Leaf Bee Block Blog Hop.

While I can't show you what I am sewing with New Leaf right now (hint: it'll be in my upcoming book!) I can show you what I am knitting: socks! I know, big thrill, right? But look at this amazing yarn. It is Regia sock yarn in "Garden effects" by Kristin Nicholas. It's like the yarn and fabric were practically made for each other. Beautiful color.

I recently read a quote from the artist Kaffe Fassett: "Color is so deeply affirming that I wonder why anyone questions its vital role in our lives." Love that.

New! Pleated Pillow Trio Pattern

2013-01-29T10:14:00.001-05:00

Introducing my latest sewing pattern, the Pleated Pillow Trio!

The pattern includes instructions for three pillow designs: The Square, Rectangular and Round Pleated Pillows. They are bursting with texture, dimension and style! Each uses pre-cut quilting strips or scraps from your stash and will add a fun splash of color to your home décor. I had such a great time developing these last fall at a time when our household was all about origami. The boys were doing a lot of paper folding and that inspired me to do the same with fabric!

The Square Pleated Pillow uses 2 strips sewn together then stitched down into cascading rows of folds. The result is sort of a rippled effect with loads of depth and texture.

The Rectangular Pleated Pillow is great for beginners. Each pleat is tucked with a bit of hand stitching, essentially smocking the front of the pillow.

The Round Pleated Pillow uses folded strips to create a bold flower effect. This pillow is the most challenging of the three, but it is very achievable with a satisfying result. All three pillows are shown here with my Stitch Organic fabric collection.

You might remember my how-to from a few months ago, the Perfect Strap Tutorial. I used this technique to press the sewn and turned strips and it worked like a charm!

I showed these pillows last fall in my Quilt Market Booth (maybe you can spot them here) and they drew quite a bit of attention. I promised folks I'd have the pattern ready in January and I just made it under the wire! The PDF version of The Pleated Pillow Trio is now available in my etsy shop or on Craftsy for instant download.

this week

2013-01-25T10:22:00.001-05:00

It's been quite a week. Monday morning started with a 3:15am wake up call. My husband and 13 year old son headed into DC for the Inauguration! My son's Boy Scout Troop was volunteering, which required them to be available for duty from about 5am until 5pm. They were assigned to the parade route, assisting people with disabilities to find seating. I watched with my younger son from home, texting with my husband all day, getting updates. There was crowd controlling, waiting around, question answering, and a general dealing with humanity!

All in all I think it was a great experience for them, even though they were disappointed to not have gotten a glimpse of the Obamas...after all day standing in the cold! They came home tired and hungry, full of stories. I'm so proud of them. We are lucky to live close enough to DC to be a part of history.

The rest of the week has been less eventful, but that was a-ok with us! The kids had a day off school Tuesday (thank goodness, after Monday!) and we actually got a bit of snow Thursday causing a school delay. Still, after 5 years of living in Maryland I can't get over how cautiously the county responds to a dusting of snow.

Midweek my younger son came home from school excited about finger knitting! They had free choice time in art class and another little boy taught him to finger knit. I promptly looked up a you tube video and got the details. How had I not done this before? I had heard and seen it around the internet (my friend Anne has posted quite a few projects using finger knitting) but I had never tried it. I taught him to knit when he was six but it didn't *stick*. I think he was a little too young.

Anyway, my son has been digging through my yarn stash and finger knitting away ever since. He keeps saying, "Isn't it amazing? I made this with just my hands and some yarn!". This photo is his growing collection of necklaces on the post of his bunk bed. Since his big brother moved into his own room, little brother converted the top bunk into a "reading nook". He has all kinds of things up there: books, magazines, sketch book and pencils, and a huge pile of pillows. Each day he plugs in a string of Christmas lights, flips on the classical music station and nests up there for hours! Today he asked for his own yarn stash to keep up there. Oh my gosh, did you hear my heart grow 2 sizes?

And me? I've been working away on book projects. So so busy yet nothing to show you. But it's all good. The creative juices are flowing and that's always welcome. Oh! And we also squeezed in a photo shoot this week for something I CAN show you. A new(ish) pillow pattern, coming next week!

Have a great weekend!

New Kit! Springtime Sewing Set

2013-01-21T09:12:00.004-05:00

In a limited release, I am offering my popular Springtime Sewing Set pattern as a KIT! Just in time for Valentine's Day gift making or any upcoming spring occasion.

I've gathered all of the felt, trimmings and doo-dads for you so you can get right to the fun part: Making it!

Each kit includes instructions and materials to make this adorable lady bug tape measure (just pull in her antennae to extend the tape measure, she won't mind!) and leaf scissor case, plus...

...one cute little Flower Pot pincushion complete with felt flower pins, in your choice of turquoise, orange or purple (see swatches in the shop listing).

A limited amount of kits are available in my Etsy shop. If you're just interested in the pattern, you can find it in my Etsy shop or on Craftsy as an automatic download.

Think Spring!

10-minute Boot Topper Tutorial

2013-01-18T15:49:00.000-05:00

Baby it's cold outside! Why not whip up a pair of snuggly boot toppers to get you though the winter? These could not be easier and they are practically instant gratification! All you need is an old sweater you don't mind cutting up.

First measure the top opening of your boots. Mine are about 16 inches. Then measure around your calf at the point that your boots come up to when you're wearing them. Mine measures about 14" with narrow legged jeans on. You'll want your boot toppers to measure somewhere in between in circumference. If they are too snug, they won't roll over the top of your boots. If they are too loose, they will be all bunchy inside your boot. No good.

Next, find a sweater with some nice ribbing. You can use the bottom edge of a sweater or in this case, a big open cowl neckline. You'll need approximately double the total length of your boot/calf measurement x about 6" in width. I'll need my sweater piece to be 30" long (2 x 15") and 6" wide. The entire width doesn't have to be ribbing, some can be the lower part of the sweater but you'll want a knit that has some give to it.

Next cut your sweater piece it into 2 lengths measuring your approximate calf/boot top circumference. Fold one piece in half and sew the ends together. Repeat for the second piece.

Slide the topper over your tights or jeans so that the seam allowance is on the outside and the uncut edge of the ribbing is at the top.

Put your boots on then fold the boot toppers down over the top edge of your boots. Cute and comfy! how long did that take? 10 Minutes?

Things to consider:

• Try using the sleeves of a large sweater, then you don't even have to sew up the side!

• Super bulky sweaters don't work as well, especially if the top of your boots are a close fit.

• The sweater can be any content and it doesn't have to be felted! In fact, a very felted sweater might not have enough give to stretch when folded over the top of the boot.

• Boot toppers are easier to put on with boots that zip vs. pull on.

• My boots have "boot straps" which make a little lump in the cuff, but not too bad.

• If you like the look of the topper peeking out but not cuffed over the boot itself, make them more snug to your leg, then put them on right side out.

These would make a nice Valentines Day gift for anyone who loves to wear boots! And who doesn't?

:: worktable wednesday ::

2013-01-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

Organic cotton jersey...reverse appliqué