Paula Wessells

Organizing | Drona boxes

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Much of last week [my staycation] was spent trying to figure out how to hide most of the 'clutter' in my office. Since I share my space between work and play I really needed to cut the distraction down to a minimum. While I love all the colors and textures of fabric I was feeling more and more cramped by having it out all the time and visible in my shelves. I have also noticed that my papers were fading so I assume that the fabrics would do the same.

So after doing some research and asking my guild friends how they organize; I settled on the IKEA Drona fabric boxes. Unfortunately they are not online and only available in store. The Portland, OR store only has the white, but in my research on Flickr they come in black, navy and pink.

These fit perfectly in the shelving unit and store plenty of fabric! But as you can see on the plain ones they were just that...plain. As my good friend Jon said 'you just made a classy pant suit for the face of each storage box'! Indeed I did - nothing flashy, just simple linen. I love the Essex Robert Kaufman Linen - so much that I buy it by the bolt.

Here is a quick tutorial - you are going to need the following:

Cutting mat, rotary cutter, scissors and ruler

Linen or fabric of choice

Lite Steam a Seam 2 1/4"

Iron

Hot glue gun

First cut your fabric into 13" squares - this gives you a square large enough to go up into the lip of the box. You can make this shorter if you like - Maybe 12x13" just so it goes under the flap.

You are now going to place the Steam a Seam adhesive on the first side, leaving a little room at the beginning and the end - I find that this cuts down on the bulk when turning the corners. Make sure that you rub down this strip so the adhesive is sticking to the fabric

Then peel off the strip and ignore my un-manicured nails...

Once you have the sticky strip exposed, now you can turn your fabric edge up a 1/4"

After turning up the one edge I cut the corners at an angle - I am sure there is a way to do this cleaner; I was going for more quick and 'it looks fine'

Then you are ready to start the other edges - this time I go the edge of one side and leave room on the end.

As you are going around doing your edges do not be worried when you see your finished edges pop up. Keep in mind that this a temporary adhesive and only become permanent when set by heat. Take a deep breath...

Once all the edges are done you are now ready to set them with your iron

This is what your finished edges should look like...

If you used the same measurements [13x13] then you are going to need to 'stuff' the extra underneath the flap. I used a poker took that has a ball point to help me do this.

Once you have everything in place you can start hot gluing the edges down to the box. If you made them 13x13 then you only have to do three sides. If you made them shorter you will need to do all four sides

Ta-da! The Drona boxes now have a classic pant suit

Let me know if you have any questions!

Garden Quilt | OLL Auction

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

This year I volunteered to help out with the auction project in my nieces' class at OLL. Lisa [one of the moms] had a wonderful idea of having a free-form design that included flowers, birds, etc cut out by the kids. The color palette that she choose really popped and makes this a great rainy day cuddle up on the sofa kind of quilt.

The back is using Sweetwater words print and more of the same border from the front. We also included some of Aneela Hoey Little Apples print.

I quilted this one [on my new machine!] in a FMQ meandering pattern in between all of the objects. I wanted the cut pieces to standout and the background fall to the back.

The binding is done in a black & white gingham - this really does frame out the entire quilt.

Now we have to go to the auction and bid on this! I would actually really like it back - :)

Proxy Bid | Garden Quilt

2012-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

I just found out that even though you don't live in the area or not able to attend the auction event you can bid on this quilt via Proxy!

All you need to do is contact Krista Wuest and let her know what your highest bid is and she will bid for you. So there is a chance that this quilt can be yours to cuddle up in!

Here is the contact info:

Krista Wuest
Events Coordinator
Our Lady of Lourdes School
4701 NW Franklin St.
Vancouver, WA 98663
360-696-2301
kwuest@lourdesvan.org

Project Life 2012 | Week Three

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Week three was a last minute decision to take vacation at home... staycation.

It was a week of Yoga, quilting, friends and organizing. Something that I needed after several weeks of long hours, every weekend and early mornings for work.

After this week I noticed an integral activity that was missing from my daily routine - yoga. I went four days this week and also had two deep tissue massages. My body and mind really needs this kind of fuel to function during high stress. If my job continues to be in this high mode I really need to carve out time for both of these. Which means saying 'no' a little bit more.

I am also happy that I didn't miss our first real snow! It didn't last very long but was pretty while it was here - pretty in a sense that I didn't have to commute in it and could enjoy it from my window. However I didn't like the fact that when we have weather like this, the area right inside of the dog door become an indoor toilet. LOL!

How is project life coming along for you? I am hoping that Amber posts soon - she shared with me some great tips on printing on the PictureMate printer and having set cutting marks on your trimmer for the common sizes you need when doing this project. Time savers!

Do. Good Stitches | blocks

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Catching up on sharing my latest Do. Good Stitches blocks...

December block - pattern by Cut to Pieces, it is called Ring of Stars. This block has a lot of little pieces and I struggled with point placement. In the end I was just happy that they were done and the right size!

January block - pattern by Thought & Found. This has to be the easiest way so far to do sawtooth stars. I really do love that about my group - great inspiration and tips to easy tutorials.

I am learning so much by being apart of the Do. Good Stitches group. Something like this pushes you to try things that you haven't or have steered away from for one reason or another.

XOXO Hat | finished!

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

This has to go down in the record books for me... 16 days from start to finish!

I really do like the stranded colorwork - it has to be one of my favorite techniques so far. I blogged about this last week here.

There was one major snafu - I didn't have the right size DPNs [double pointed needles] for the decrease. I used 7s instead of 6s and as you can see it made a difference on how everything finished up at the top. I am not too worried about it - Kirk loves it and doesn't see the difference.

And here you can see an increase ick on the rim - I will have to sit down with my friend Melissa and figure out how to do increases without the holes. Again, Kirk didn't even notice.

I highly recommend this pattern by Exercise before knitting as a beginner colorwork project. It is also a very warm thick hat because of the use of two yarns. Perfect for the colder days we have been having!

Project Life | Week Two

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was pleasantly surprised that week two came together as easily as it did. It was a stressful week at work and I wasn't sure how the whole documentation was going to come together.

What was interesting was what I chose to capture - mostly all the positive things that happened during the week.

Through the entire week I just snap photos with my iPhone or G12 [LOVE this little camera] and I really don't look at them until Sunday. There were no photos of late night work or early morning conference calls - who wants to remember that?

This week I definitely had something to say - way more than a little card could support. So I added a 6x12 insert, printed out my Instagram photos 3x3 and placed them on cardstock. Dug into my stash and found some book binding tape and a doily, typed 'reflections' on it.

The back side has my journaling and a great Rules of the Creators Life that Amy Tangerine posted on her blog. Perfect for a Sunday morning.

So far I am loving this project - I love that I can snap photos with no pressure other than to have fun and the pleasant surprises at the end of the week. It kind of reminds me of when we used film!

XOXO Hat

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Since I have been so full of myself for tackling the cable knitted hat I decided that it was time to try stranded colorwork with TWO yarns! Yes, two yarns. CRAZY.

First I found my inspiration at Exercise before knitting [which btw should be my mantra] not sure how I got there - maybe through Ravelry? But when I saw this - I fell in love and was so intimidated by the detail...there was no way - how do they do that??

[photo from Exercise before knitting]

Then I saw some of her other patterns; Winter Sunrise and XOXO... it became a mission to find out how knitters accomplish this two color work. I spent a couple of hours researching the internet, always coming back to KnittingHelp and doing a search on YouTube for stranded colorwork. I found out that it's really just a stockinette stitch and you follow a chart using the colors. I can do this!

I decided to start with the XOXO hat first - she provides the pattern for FREE! Went to my stash and found some gray and green Cascade 220 Superwash that Kirk had liked. Of course this would be for him - saving the Moody House for me. Plus what a great Valentine's gift - XOXO!

You won't believe how easy this hat has been to knit - WAY easier than the Koolhaas. Working in the second color was easy - I was freaked out at first but I just used the 'start to knit/work it in' method and everything worked out great.

But I do have some mistakes. As you can see my ear warmer part [dk gray] was knitted the wrong way. I remember flipping my needles for some reason - can't remember. Well it was the wrong way. No plans to re-do, since you won't see it anyway. That part is going to be sewn to the inside of the hat. Just need to keep that in mind for the next time.

The other part I would do differently is choose a contrasting color that isn't also 'heathered'. The green has just enough gray heather in it so the Xs and Os are sometimes not defined enough. The second color needs to be solid contrasting or bright enough to stand out.

Will be posting updates as I work on this project!

Knitting Journey | Part Two

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

I think everyone should try working with fiber. There is something very old about this craft and utilitarian. In the past people probably had to knit their own socks and sweaters for warmth. Thankfully [as Kirk would say] we don't live in that era because we would freeze to death before I finished anything.

[WW1 poster - encouraging people to knit socks for our troops]

Someone did ask me about where do I possibly find the time. I will be honest, it's either knitting or reading - lately reading has taken a back seat to these recent projects. Both of these activities are my decompress time before bed, around an hour or so.

Here is one tip from a self taught beginner [that's me]:

Reading Directions | Patterns
Make sure you read through the directions thoroughly first - I know big PIA. But here is my hard lesson learned - For the Koolhaas hat there was a chart and written directions. I assumed that they were providing both a chart [for those that like to follow charts] and written directions for the pattern. Because I didn't read close enough the actual written directions were for the decrease. So after finishing the ribbing I started knitting the body [or at least what I thought was the body] - not knowing until things started to get tight and smaller...but I kept plugging along thinking 'maybe this will stretch out'?? Towards actually cinching the thing up I realized that this just couldn't be right. Kirk even tried it on and asked if I was making him a very warm Yamaka. I was stumped - I read all the forums, searched through the web, then finally sat down and read the directions word for word and busted out laughing. Coming to the realization that I had to actually follow the chart for 8" not start the decrease. Because I had never followed a chart before I ended up writing out the written directions and followed that. My experience did give the nice gal at my local yarn shop a good laugh.

WHATs IN MY KNITTING BAG
Needles | Bamboo or Metal
This is definitely a personal choice. For this hat I used Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular kn Bamboo circular needles for the ribbing and then when I had to change to larger needle size I sent to the Addi Turbo Circular . Besides the price difference I noticed that maybe the metal needle might be a little slippery for a beginner. While the ease of slip off makes for faster knitting - at the beginning for me I was slipping off stitches and had to be very careful that I was paying attention. This definitely got easier as I became more comfortable. I am currently working on a new hat with stranded color work and loaded it on Bamboo needles - now I was wishing it was on the Addi's. I thought the color work was going to be much harder. But that will be another post!

Knitting Needle Stoppers

When I first saw these I had no idea what needle stoppers were - but Dottie said I definitely needed them. But did I use them right away??? Oh no, that would be too much work. Lesson learned - I was about half way through the Koolhaas hat and took a break. Left my project on the bed... with the dogs. My dogs had previously shown NO interest what so ever in the yarn or the needles. They just like the fact that was sitting somewhere for long periods of time. When I came back all I saw was a bare needle and two dogs staring at me and one rolling around on the hat. Fortunately, that was my lesson on how to pick stitches back up and get them on the needle AND use those needle stoppers.

Markers, Markers and more Markers

If you are like me and can't keep track of the number of stitches, you are going to need markers. Buy a package of them. I like the ones that clip like a safety pin vs. the ones that you knit in. Mainly because I don't always remember to place a marker - so the clip in ones you can go back and count and put one in.

Tape Measure or Knitting Gauge

I have a knitting gauge but when I snapped this photo I couldn't find it. But most patterns it is recommended that you knit a gauge swatch to see if you either need to go up or down a needle size or loosen or tighten your stitch. This is one thing that I am not very good at doing beforehand - I measure along the way... which might turn out to be a hard lesson learned one of these days. You do need a handy measuring tool for various measurements.

Needle Gauge

This has come in handy several times when I can read the microscopic print on the needle to tell me what size the needle is!

Pen and Paper

Definitely need a pen and paper to keep track of the rows you are on - be diligent on this tracking until you are comfortable enough to 'read' and count your stitches. I am not totally there yet - I know what a purl and knit stitch look like but have a hard time when it comes to increases and decreases. So I keep this handy little pad and red pen. I actually used this when I had to write out the written instructions for the hat.

So what's in your knitting bag??? [you can read my knitting journey part one here]

Project Life 2012 | week one

2012-01-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

I have to say - it doesn't get any more simple than this! Printing the photos at home was key for me - I just printed them all out [on Sunday] and whipped this together. I did print the smaller cards with the Paislee Press templates [mentioned here] earlier in the week. Other than that this took me about an hour total.

I ended up cutting a strip off the main title card because it just didn't look right with all the photos.

I am also opting to just write on the photos with my photo marker pen from American Crafts. To me this is way easier than running the photos through PS.

What thoughts did I try to capture this week? Really just the basics and the highlights. It will be interesting how weeks change with my thoughts. The photos I captured were a mix of iPhone and G12.

How was your first week of Project Life?

Knitting Journey | Koolhaas hat for Kirk

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

[Koolhaas hat pattern by Brooklyn Tweed and yarn by Malabrigo]

One of Kirk's Christmas presents was a hat actually knitted by me. There was a little bit of joking that the hat would be done for Christmas 2012, since I am not a fast nor an experienced knitter. The last hat I did was when my niece was born...and I can remember when I finally cinched the top up I was so ecstatic that it was actually a hat.

Then one year when Dottie was out for a visit we decided that I should tackle another hat and we would do it together [her being the experienced knitter]. She ended up finishing hers, but I didn't finish mine before she passed away. I tucked all my stuff away after that.

Now some four years have passed and with all the new yarns and patterns that have come out I decided to actually take it back up and really teach myself how to knit. I have some experiencing crocheting so working with fiber isn't entirely new - working with two or four needles at time; that's new.

Thankfully my friend Lynne told me about KnittingHelp.com some time ago and I can't say enough about this site. I always have it loaded up on my iPad and sitting right next to me when I was knitting this hat. I would watch the videos over and over again until I would get the flow. If you want to start knitting and you don't have a local yarn shop for classes this is the next best thing!

The next inspiring place that I frequent is Ravelry. If you are a member please find me under paulamw. There are so many things I love about this site - the needle chart has saved me several times buying duplicate needles. I can access the site via my iPhone and see on the chart which needles I have. Keeping track of my projects in progress and ones that I have lined up has been very helpful. You can also keep track of all your favorite projects from other members or designers.

One of my Christmas presents to myself was to join Mad About Tosh Club [MATC] at Twisted in Portland, Or. What was even better is two of my friends joined me too! So we are ready to meet up every other month and work on our club project...fiber and wine!

That is my knitting journey so far - there will be many, many more stories to come this year. I am hoping to pick up the Dottie hat and finish it in memory of her!

December 2011

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Can't believe that I forgot to post my iPhone recap of December...

Auction quilt for Our Lady of Lourdes
Christmas grooming and decor
Drawstring bag marathon
NEW Kindle touch
Fabric stash
Christmas photos
Early morning commute to the airport
NEVER drink the kool-aid
Christmas Carol pageant
PJ sewing marathon
Great sunny days to walk the dogs
DINKs Christmas Eve dinner and drinks
Missing the smell of lavender in my yard
Traffic Traffic Traffic
Cuddled furbabies

Project Life 2012 | Title page

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am definitely calling this simple and it took several hours - lol! For some reason I think doing the title page is more difficult than the rest of the pages. Also wanted to give you a heads up that I will be using from my stash - I am going to try NOT to buy anything new for this project. Other than the corner chomper of course... that thing is cool! So I won't be doing any supply lists with my posts... that's how old some of this stuff is.

As you can see I didn't use anything from the kit either. I am hoping to integrate that into the weekly pages. However, I am loving the downloads from Paislee Press - my friend AnnaRobyn told me how to change the colors and I printed directly onto the kit cards, using this tutorial - print out the PDF and stick the cards on with double sided adhesive [next time I am using temporary] and it went through my HP printer fine. There was a little worry about a paper jam - but everything went through smoothly.

These photos above [cards] were all taken with my G12 - and imported into Lightroom to do some real basic editing because they were taken in my office at night. White balance and brightness. The first photo was also taken by the G12 and no editing was done except cropping. I do import all my photos from the 5d and G12 into Lightroom because it helps me catalog all my photos in an order that I can work with. More on that to come... so far I love this little camera.

Lots going on over the next four weeks - it will be interesting to see how I capture it in photos and journaling.

Project Life 2012 | Beginnings

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have started Project Life - I loved Ali's reflections for her 2012 project. It really did make me think about what and how I wanted to commit to this project.

One Week at a time - I have tried many times to do 365 days of photos...hasn't worked for me yet so I want to be flexible with this project.
Process - I find myself journaling and making notes throughout the week and I will probably print all my photos at the end of the week to clear them off my card. Then on Sunday or Monday complete the layout. My plan is to post a quick photo either from my P&S or iPhone to my blog on Monday or Tuesday. I have determined after December Daily that I just cannot keep up with posting to my blog using my 5D which I keep in RAW file format.
Album supplies - I have purchased Style A and Style D Project Life page protectors and will go back and forth with those. I might add different ones from time to time if needed. My album is an American Crafts basic D-ring black album. I did buy the Project Life kit [from last year] and now I am thinking that I should have just bought the journaling cards - my buyers remorse is that I have so much STUFF here that I could use up! So you might see a mix of things.
Photos | Camera - this is the exciting part for me! Kirk gave me the perfect gift this Christmas - Canon G12 . I have been playing around with this and absolutely love it for a majority of situations. For example, I did bring it to Christmas night at my sisters and wished I had my 5D for better control in low light situations. I will be posting a review on this delightful little camera later! For this project it is going to be PERFECT. I am going to shot jpeg and there will be little to no editing of the photos. One of the things I want to go back to is just shooting and not worrying about settings. I will also be using my iPhone [which I have with me 99% of the time] I really love using the Hipstamatic app for my iPhone photos.
Printing - learned another lesson from December Daily... get my handy Epson PictureMate back from my mom. Amber is always the one to enlighten me on things that will make my life easier - thank you friend! So I have this back - cartridges and paper purchased. The one I have is the Snap but it has to be at least five or six years old. I have always loved these printers. I believe that there are newer ones out there like this Epson Picturemate Charm . I learned from December Daily that using a lab was just not going to work with my schedule.
Inspiration - of course I have been following Ali's blog, but have found others that are worth a look:

Marcy Penner
Liz Tamanaha of Paislee Press - her products make me want to start digital scrapbooking [NOTE: I did buy her journaling templates- press card bundles I am thinking these may work out better for me]
Studio Calico member gallery - filtered for 'project life'
Celine Navarro - more for the December Daily and all around!
And anxious is see the Project Life creative team!

How is Project Life coming along for you?

Happy New Year | 2012

2012-01-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

We hope all of you had safe holidays and Happy New Year! I am actually pretty excited for the upcoming year - lots is already planned or in the planning stages; looking forward to some change and at the same time finding a routine.

No resolutions this year - I loved this from a friend of mine, Larry:

i, for one, am not into making new year resolutions. i resolve to keep it that way.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

Portland Bazaar

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I considered my self lucky to have some time to stop by the Portland Bazaar. This is the first year for the event and I heard about it from Design Sponge. It was held in the amazing office space of Sandbox Studios - perfect for the event.

Cool finds.... from my adorable friend Avery of JuJu Papers - ltd edition hand screen printed tea towels that will find there way into friends/family stockings.

Amazing jewelry from Stone & Honey - a few pieces that I am still thinking about are the amethyst and honey comb designs.

Stumbled upon the Haunt booth - which is actually a brick and mortar store on East Burnside here in Portland, OR. Found the perfect casual winter tunic by Emily Ryan - who is a local designer. As soon as I got home I put this Cowl Neck Tunic on and almost went to sleep in it!

[photo from Emily Ryan Etsy]

I purchase a medium and it fits perfectly - running a little big in the hip area. This might be good if I decide to wear jeans underneath. The cowl neck can be worn different ways - again super versatile and comfy. I will be wearing this to a few parties this weekend!

December Daily | Update

2011-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I am really doing December Daily... but between editing my photos, uploading them to print [at WalMart], going to pick them up - then taking photos of the pages that are done, editing, etc. I just can't squeeze the time to post! Whew.

How are you doing? I am thinking that I need to print these at home. Wondering if I should do the same for the Project Life 2012...I am thankful that I am working out these issues before that starts.

December Daily | one to four

2011-12-04T11:45:00.001-08:00

I am not too terribly behind in the December Daily project - I have some photos printed, some notes taken and some pages designed... all in all a good start. How about you?

November 2011

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

November 2011 is filled with vacation memories...

Babysitting the niece and nephew - sharpening my [awful] math skills and ignoring my nephews tantrums
Off to Maui....SUN every single day and sunsets 90% of the time
Knitting on vacation
Reading on vacation Steve Jobs and Winter Sea [I had planned to read many more books but the Steve Jobs book was loooonnggg]
Sleeping in the middle of the day in the SUN
Eating a wonderful dinner at Mama's Fish House
Eating the real deal local girl shave ice at Local Boys
Finding the best sunscreen Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Sunscreen
Quilt top finished for Do.Good Stitches
Custom sewing table by my brother-in-law

Project Life 2011 | Beginnings

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I told you I was on board! Supplies are arriving - I am just waiting for page protectors so I can start some prep. I am hoping that I am not taking on too much with getting ready for Project Life 2011 and December Daily. I might need a lifeline!

Anybody else getting ready for both?

Scrappy Triangles | November

2011-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Skipping ahead to blog about the November block - I am hosting October and just waiting for the rest of the blocks to come in.

The November block for Do.Good Stitches had great color inspiration and a pattern that looked a little intimidating but fairly easy to put together!

The pattern is by Film on the Fridge and the color inspiration by Design Seeds.

I can't believe that our group has been going for eight months now - such a great group of gals and I love the charity that we send these quilts to.

Tote 101 | Sewing with Friends

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago I was able to get together with a couple of girlfriends and take a 101 sewing class at Modern Domestic.

I can't remember if I have blogged about Modern Domestic before but this place is fantastic - they provide sewing machines that you can rent time on for your sewing projects. Perfect for those that don't have the room for a sewing area or can't afford the cost of a machine. It's the perfect solution to encourage sewing.

So why take a beginner sewing class? A couple of reasons - first, I learned from my mom and for the most part self taught. Self taught means that you are best friends with your seam ripper! ;) I picked up some great tips. Like to use the zipper foot when doing the top stitching of the tote. I also had the chance to sew for the first time on a Bernina. One of the things that I loved about the Bernina is the front loading bobbin.

Second reason is I had the opportunity to spend time with girlfriends and show them that sewing can be enjoyable. Both of them had frustrating experiences in the past ... I can say that there was no crying during our class.

We all had a great time and the best part was we left with completed tote bags that were ready for use!

[fabric is Hometown by Sweetwater in home dec weight]

Take a class with some girlfriends - I highly recommend it!

Guitar Hero

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

After watching Kirk play Guitar Hero - I know why we don't have this at home...

He chose the Sex Pistols and I can even begin to explain the player he picked out. It looked more like someone from Motley Crue, not the Sex Pistols

And then he made high score...

Six Years Old

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last month we celebrated a special little girls 6th birthday - I am sure that my sister can agree, but six years has FLOWN by!

One of the things that I love about her - she makes me laugh...