SewSweetStitches

Final Post Totes Tealdeer

2011-10-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

Ohhhgeeez I don't even know what to say here. I'm going to try not to be really dramatic and pretend that this thing is more than what it really is. It's just a blog, just photos of my kid and projects I've actually finished for once. But to me, it's.... [cheesy cliche forthcoming] .... it's so much more. *cringe*

Seriously, this blog is so much fun for me! I loved designing it, and playing around with all the graphic elements and learning a tiny bit of html. I loved connecting with people who left me comments, getting inspired by their blogs, and let's face it- I like to talk about me. I started the blog a couple years ago to help promote my etsy shop. This whole online business was going to supplement my husband's income so that I could stay home with our daughter and further cement our plans of homeschooling her and devoting more time to the Bible ministry. Well, that hasn't really worked out. In fact it's kind of a disaster! I'm trying really hard to laugh but.... Not gonna lie, I'm crying like a baby. So pathetic.

Anyway, you could say I could keep the blog and just post occasionally, whenever I found the time. But I'm definitely an all-or-nothing kind of person. I mean, I know everyone says that, but seriously you guys. It's ridiculous. I have no self control and I spend a disgusting amount of time in agony over getting up interesting posts with good photos and spamming it to the far corners of the interwebs, and then more time worrying how lame my posts are and if people are pointing and laughing. If I can't be internet famous, I don't want to do it at all. *pout*

Kidding. Mostly. But really, I just get really stressed out when I can't find the time to make this thing as perfect as it is in my imagination. I have eleventyhundred post ideas, and a camera card full of accompanying photos. I have tutorials lined up, and collaborations with other bloggers ready to go. I write posts in my head all day long, and then get raging mad when they never actually make it to reality. If I keep the blog and tell myself I'll just post whenever I feel like it, well, nothing will change. My daily planner will still be crammed full of "online business" plans and tasks, with no room for the important things in life.

Anyway.

I'm going to keep the shop, I'm just dropping the social network marketing.* I honestly don't think of this blog as a marketing tool, more of a personal playground. My own little space to display whatever I find interesting, amusing, and inspiring. I'm really sad about losing this, but the point is to gain back the important things that have gotten pushed aside in my quest for internet domination ;)

If you have plans for spending money in my shop, please do so with all confidence that I won't be packing it in anytime soon- I have an entire roomful of gorgeous wool and vintage buttons that make me sweat with excitement over ideas! I'm curious to see if the shift in attention from the blog to reality will fuel my creative energy even more, allowing my shop to grow without the social networking marketing help.

Thanks for everyone who has followed my blog, shared my posts, and commented with your own thoughts. And for reading this overly dramatic explanation.

Love,

*This does not, however, mean that I'm going to stop reading all of your fabulous blogs! In fact just today I discovered what google reader actually does. I know, I'm like ninety or something. Shut it. I'm going to stop making my own posts, not become a smelly recluse. So expect to continue to see my scowling avatar in your post comments, probably even more in fact, since I no longer have my own personal platform from which to spew my opinions.

2011-10-13T13:21:00.001-04:00

Everyone, I apologize in advance for what I am about to do. I just thought I should let you know what I'm going to be doing this weekend, and what I'll be recovering from for the next several weeks.

Doug and I are going with a group of friends to a cabin in Hocking Hills, Ohio. We've been a few times, and it's really pretty. There's beautiful scenery, quiet and seclusion, and a hot tub. I'm mostly interested in this though:

Coffee Chocolate Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake

Chai Cake with Honey Ginger Cream

Triple Butterscotch Cake

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

German Chocolate Cream Pie

Gingerbread Fudge

Snickers Cheesecake Brownies

Not that we'll be bringing all of that of course. There's only nine of us. Not that I doubt our ability to consume all of that in one weekend, but we have to drive home. Let's be reasonable. Plus I'm already making my Nutella Cheesecake so. Yeah. My friend Talaya is in charge of the rest of the dessert selections, and she's having a really hard time deciding. I thought I'd post these favorites and make it a little "easier" on her. Mwahhahahahaahahaaa

Cowgirl Fashion Show

2011-10-12T09:50:00.001-04:00

Remember the Simplicity-except-not pattern I couldn't figure out last week? Because I'm a moron? Well I finally finished it!

This turned out to be the perfect pattern for me because it forced me to do all the things I've always gone through ridiculously dramatic efforts to avoid in the past:

Zippers. I can't believe I was so afraid of using zippers! Well there is the thing about my sewing machine not having a zipper foot which makes it a little tedious, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was imagining!
Facings. Up until now I never understood the concept. Silly, right?
Bias tape. You guys, not only did I use bias tape, I made my own!!

Now, the dress did turn out a bit roomy, but that's ok because she can wear a turtleneck underneath it when it gets really cold, and she should still be able to wear it next year too. She doesn't really like it because it doesn't twirl, but too bad. I made this and darnit you will wear it and LIKE IT!!!

I have enough corduroy leftover to make two wee little ties for my baby nephews. Maybe a bow tie and a tie tie? Omigosh and little caps?! Do you think this print is too girly for boys?

The pattern came with instructions for long sleeves too, so I'll definitely be using it again. I could even shorten the length by about half and have a cute top to wear with jeans!

I've heard many people remark that they wish they could learn to sew but feel like they could never figure out patterns. I hope the past two sewing posts have showed that if I could figure this out, you guys definitely can! I have the perfect pattern in mind for a beginner, I promise no bias tape! Would you guys be interested in a sew-along?

If so, how do you feel about a dress for little girls, from infants to size six? Or would you prefer something non-clothing to start out, like something for home? Or do you hate hearing about sewing and wish I would stop posting about it?

Two-Minute Tea Towel Pillows

2011-10-10T14:29:00.001-04:00

I picked up this adorable folk art tea towel at an antique shop a few weeks ago, and I thought it would be really cute in my living room. I just sewed up two sides, inserted a pillow form (50% off at Joanns!) and stitched the bottom closed. Literally under two minute project.
The blue and red towel was found at a flea market. I can't wait to find more and completely cover my sofa with pillows!

Favorites Friday

2011-10-07T09:10:00.000-04:00

I really didn't start out with a geometric theme in mind, but that's just how it went. And then I'm like hmm I think I like geometric things and I never even realized it?

Folk Quilt Poster by Spread The Love

I love eeeeverything in that shop! The prints and calendars would go perfectly in my living room.

Embroidery Floss Pendant by AntigoniCreations

Autumn Garden mosaic art necklace by Rush Creek Mosaics

Betsey Johnson Sweater by Twin Hearts Vintage

She-She Elk Shirt by SheShePDX

Embroidered Fabric Cuff Bracelet by Ponder And Stitch

Vintage Fabric Tribal Brooch by Baily Belle Creations

Folk Chevron And Floral Vintage 50's Full Skirt by Gretaloves

Have you been sucked into the geomtric trend too?

Sewing Saturday

2011-10-04T14:38:00.000-04:00

What is the most rational use of a weekend when you have custom orders stacking up and about a zillion other things to do? Try to make three dresses and two nightgowns in one day, of course.

Carly was a great little helper!

I really hate having more than one project going at a time. Usually this is a good thing because it means I don't really need to hoard fabric and yarn. Mostly. Maybe a little. But when there are so many projects that are all the same priority (STATUS RIGHT NOW) it gets frustrating. So I guess I'm a project hoarder.

Carly really needs dresses for cool weather. It's so hard to find anything at the stores that aren't made of tulle and covered in sequins, glitter, or saucy phrases emblazoned across the butt. And really, does a four-year-old need sexy ruching on her hips and neckline? Still, anything remotely practical is going to be short-sleeved, like holiday party dresses. Why do all little girls winter dresses have short sleeves?? This has never made sense to me. So we're usually stuck with corduroy jumpers over turtlenecks, which is ok I guess, but we're having a hard time finding even those this year.

I happened to have a pattern from a garage sale that would do, so I got a few yards of corduroy and spent the first three hours of Saturday morning cutting all my pieces. The pattern was simple, the style was perfect, and the selection of corduroy at Joann's was [miraculously] satisfactory.

Unfortunately, the smallest size of my pattern was a six, which would be alright on my amazon child in retail clothes, but in the sewing pattern world basically means a plus size. Still, I thought if I made extra-deep seam allowances I would be ok.

Erm no.

Look at her go. She's such a little model.

Of course Carly loves it because it drags the ground. Oh well, I guess we'll have a dress ready to go when she hits age 12, right?
There's another one of these patterns on etsy, so I'll probably grab that if my Joanns doesn't have any. It's out of print, so probably not. :/

At least the nightgowns turned out ok, even if they are a little big. Hopefully they'll last a few years!

I let her pick out the fabric. The other nightgown has princess castles all over it.
These were really fun and easy to make, I'd like to do some more!
Ohhh wait we need matching nightgowns! Eeek!

Now here comes the sad part of the day. I swear I worked as quickly as I could, stopping only for a few minutes to grab a bite to eat, but I still had time for only one more dress.

Yeah, that brownie is almost TWO INCHES tall.

Anyway this last dress really has me boiling. It looks sooo simple, but I'm stuck.

Simplicity. I hate you. Even your brand name mocks me.
So here's the deal. There's this yoke piece. (You can see it best on the drawn example in the middle.) And it somehow goes on the front of the dress after you make the pleats. I say somehow because it's truly a mystery as to how it's supposed to get there.
Here's what I mean:

Now here it clearly states that any helpful drawings will be shaded for right sides and blank for wrong sides, does it not?
It does. Ok good I'm not going crazy.

Now here are the written instructions: (The dress fetus met its demise at step number four.)

So basically from what we read here, we're going to sew the yoke against the front so that the wrong side of the yoke will be showing when we look at the front of the dress, are we not? Because it says right there in capital letters, "RIGHT sides together."

But here's the illustration:

afjk'askdf;dsjlfa'fkasa';

Both of those pieces are blank, as in NOT patterned, as in RIGHT sides. How can that be? I swear I sat there and stared at this for like an hour. Then I checked all my pattern pieces and all my markings and even the entire rest of the pattern instructions. I just don't get it.

Halp!

EDIT:
OH my gosh. You guys I am SO stupid!
As soon as I hit the publish button on this post and re-read what I wrote, the answer hit me!
I'm supposed to pinch up the seams on the front to meet the edges of the yoke
DUHHH
I feel SO DUMB right now!
Although in my defense, it was really hard to see in the tiny illustration and then as I examined my photo I could see what I missed. But still, I'm a moron. And probably shouldn't be trusted with needles and scissors.
*facepalm*

Pinworthy

2011-09-30T13:52:00.000-04:00

Is there anyone out there who hasn't been sucked in to Pinterest yet? I don't know what we did before Pinterest. Had lame bookmarks I guess.
Here are a few DIY and recipe finds from Pinterest I thought you'd like!

Pop a magnet inside a pretty tin, and you have an adorable place to keep pens and a grocery list!

marthastewart.com

"How to decline an unwanted marriage proposal." Oh, we need this. Stat.

Amazon.com

An old suitcase can be turned into a medicine cabinet with a mirror and a few shelves.

Blake Sloane via re-nest.com

Need a gift idea for a friend who loves to cook? A handmade apron in a jar is so cute!

pleasant-home.com

Keep a jar of this in the fridge for instant authentic chai. Perfect for fall

A Wooden Nest

I've sat here for like three minutes trying to think of something to say that will truly encompass how ridiculously adorable this is. I got nothin. The pattern is a circle skirt. A CIRCLE SKIRT! You can do this. We can all do this. And force our daughters to wear matching clothes with us.

Project Run and Play

How did I not think of this!? Can you imagine how perfect this would be for my living room? Genius.

Sparkle Power

Also perfect for my living room. And a fantastic price!

OMGknits

Brown Butter Cake with Cookie Dough Frosting.

You had me at cookie dough. I love the way the hand is just taking a big ol piece of cake right out of there. This cake must be so good that we're not even expected to attempt using utensils like civilized beings. And I'm ok with that. Completely ok.

Always With Butter

Eeeeeek! So cute. Cannot handle the cute. And so brilliant. Seriously, I've always wanted to do something with all those delicate little clock parts in the clock aisle at the craft store. But not cheesy like making a clock out of my cat's photo or something. This is precious.

Little Dear

Fall Fashion: Lace and Gunne Sax

2011-09-28T09:29:00.000-04:00

As soon as the weather hits sixty degrees in the Spring, I start fantasizing about Autumn- Crunching leaves, pumpkin lattes, and the scent of wood-burning fireplaces. I fantasize about seeing my breath in the crisp, cold air. Sweaters. Mittens. Fur-lined boots. I even see myself scraping my windshield in the morning wearing a velvet-and-lace Gunne Sax dress.

1970's Gunne Sax blue with velvet dress

Yes, it's true. I've always wanted one. Or a dozen.

I'm pretty sure I had one when I was little. It was dark blue with a pattern of tiny pink flowers. It had lace trim everywhere and a big ruffle on the bottom. It was my favorite dress, and I distinctly remember wearing it to the Q & U Wedding in first grade. At the time, it was a big deal. Looking back, it's just creepy and kind of embarrassing. I guess all the first grade teachers at the elementary school thought that just telling us that the letters "Q" and "U" always go together wouldn't do the trick. To really explain this difficult concept, they arranged an elaborate wedding between the first grade boys and girls. They set it up in the gym and our parents were invited to come and take videos. The boys had to pick a plastic wedding ring for their brides out of an assortment of colors. I told my groom I really wanted pink, but he spitefully chose a white one because I had cooties. I tried to trade with the other girls with pink rings who apparently did not have as severe a case of cooties as I, but nobody wanted the ugly white. Men are the worst! As if being forced to pretend-marry a boy who hated me wasn't enough, we had to hold hands all the way down the aisle.

You know, I'm still not really sure who was the Q and who was the U. Either way, I'm scarred for life by the memory of a forced marriage to a mean little boy with a rat-tail hairdo and sweaty hands.

Now where was I going with that....
Oh yes, Gunne Sax dresses.
Aren't they the best?

1970's Gunne Sax burgundy corset dress

1960's Gunne Sax dress

1970s Gunne Sax brown calico dress

I definitely need to start a collection of these. I would seriously wear them every day.
Anyway, what reminded me of my favorite childhood dress was all the lace-trimmed dresses and tops I've seen recently...

ModCloth, $85

Ruche, $43

Asos, $83

Animal Head Vintage, $78

ModCloth, $80

I was also thinking that many of last year's sweaters in my closet could get a quick update with a lace collar. There are a lot of pretty ones on etsy!

Craft Cabaret, $4.50

I think it would also be quick and easy to embellish a plain zippered hoodie with a few strips of lace trim. Any other Autumn wardrobe lace ideas?

Browned Butter Cookies with Spiced Buttercream

2011-09-27T14:05:00.000-04:00

I know, right?
This recipe is responsible for the involuntary consumption of approximately three dozen cookies in the past two weeks. All by myself.

I will admit right now that this recipe may not be for everyone. It's extremely rich. The only reason I could singlehandedly consume half the batch as soon as they were out of the oven is because my stomach has gradually built up a tolerance. Some might take one or two bites and daintily claim that it's just too sweet. But whatever, more for you, right?

I mean seriously, do you know what happens to butter when you put it in a skillet? It's magical, you should try it. And it's not just that rich, dark, spicy taste- It's the texture too. I like my cookies to be soft and chewy in the center and a little bit firmer on the outside with the tiniest hint of crunch at the edge. Add in the gritty coating of sugar and spice on the outside and... it's.... I can't even... just......

sigh

*snaps back to reality*

Right, the recipe. Here we go.

Browned Butter Cookies with Spiced Buttercream

Adapted from SweetPeasKitchen.com

14 TB butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 c sugar
2 3/4 c dark brown sugar
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 TB vanilla
5 TB cinnamon
5 TB pumpkin pie spice (you can substitute nutmeg and ginger instead)
can buttercream frostings

Melt 10 TB butter in a large skillet on medium high. Stir occasionally for about five minutes. The butter should be a rich dark color. Pour into a large mixing bowl with the rest of the unmelted butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, a TB of cinnamon, and a TB of pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and set it aside. This will be used to roll the cookie dough in before baking.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 2 TB cinnamon, and 2 TB spice, set aside.

When the butter has cooled for about fifteen minutes, add 2 cups brown sugar, vanilla, 1 egg, and the yolk of the other egg. Mix on low speed just until combined, about 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, mix on low speed just until combined, about 30 seconds.

Scoop out small balls of dough and roll in the bowl of sugar mix. Bake 10 minutes.

For the frosting, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 TB cinnamon, and 2 TB spice into the can of buttercream frosting. Wait until the cookies are completely cool to frost, if you can stand it!

Organizing for Etsy Sellers

2011-09-26T15:01:00.001-04:00

I've been selling on Etsy for over two years now, and I'm finally getting around to inventory organization. I use outright.com for financial matters, but I've never kept track of what I have in the way of materials and listings that are ready to ship. It was never an issue when everything I made was one-of-a-kind, but ever since I went back to work full-time, it's been necessary to list pieces that I can remake several times.

There are pros and cons to this arrangement. If I wanted to have entirely OOAK pieces, I would have to wait until the weekend to do photos and hope the weather cooperates, since I don't get home until the evening. On the other hand, remake-able pieces save a lot of photo time, but it's difficult to know how many times I'm able to remake something. Most of my listings use vintage buttons that I only have a few of, and my local craft store is notorious for discontinuing my favorite supplies. I do most of my online stuff at work, so if something sells I don't know right away if I have more supplies at home to remake the listing. By the time I get home from work, I've forgotten to check and there the listing sits until I get around to taking stock of my craft room.

So I've been developing a simple online spreadsheet that I can access from home or work to keep track of my materials and listings. I don't know how well it will work since I haven't even had a chance to fill it in completely yet!

I also needed a way to keep track of how popular a listing is by how many times it's been sold. I'm sure there are pre-developed databases out there just for etsy sellers, but I haven't had a chance to look around. It would be pretty cool if etsy had something like this right in your account, eh?

Another issue is that my home computer has been down for several weeks. I'm working on saving up for a new one, but until then it's difficult to remake listings that have sold without my uploaded photos. So I made this:

Now I can keep track of all the listings I plan to remake and even the ones that I haven't decided whether or not to keep yet. I like being able to take the card out and carry it with me in my project basket so I can work on it in the car or on lunch.

Little thumbnail photos remind me exactly how I stitched the piece the first time, and there's plenty of room on the back of the card for extra detail pictures.

Listings with lots of fussy pieces get their own little drawer. If I sell a made-to-order phone cozy, all the components are ready to go. I can even take the drawers out and carry them around the house with me in my sewing tray.
If you sell handmade, what system do you use for organizing your inventory and supplies? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Fall Fashion

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

How about some new fall outfits to celebrate the first official day of Autumn?

Jacket: Piperlime (also comes in three other colors!)

Skirt: ModCloth

Yellow Heels: Anthropologie

Green Heels: ModCloth

Briefcase Bag: ModCloth

Dress: Asos

Heels: Anthropologie

Necklace: The Polkadot Magpie

Dress and Cardigan: Forever 21

Boots: DSW

Bangle: Piperlime

Necklace: OrangeistheSun

Dress: Free People

Boots: Anthropologie

I just came across this dress and I'm madly in love! I swore I'd never buy anything from Ruche again but it's sooo pretty. Sweater dresses are not exactly the best look for my body type though so maybe I can let it go?

Last Day Of Summer

2011-09-22T08:42:00.000-04:00

I want to cry with happiness for two reasons:
1. She's so beautiful that I can hardly stand to look at her
2. Tomorrow is officially the first day of Autumn!

This is Carly's "Ummmm I don't know!" face. Have you ever seen anything so adorable??

The Water Weight Debate

2011-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've lost five pounds officially. Unofficially, I lost seven but then gained back two. And don't go thinking any of that is muscle, because it's not. I know this because I haven't made one single attempt to build any at all. Not because I don't want muscle, more like I don't want exercise.

Some of you good-hearted souls are about to comment, "Yay good for you! Five pounds is excellent!" Well save it, because I forgot to mention that five pounds was over a three-month period.

Yeah, pathetic.

Technically you could call it a one-month period followed by two months of slacking off. But I want to get back to making a serious attempt, including exercise this time. I'm thinking even if it's just a few sets of crunches or something every day, that's better than nothing at all, right?

But I'm afraid it might be even more difficult this time than three months ago, because the quick loss might have been water weight. I'll be honest, I don't really understand this water weight concept. I drank like a gallon of water every day, mixed with a few ounces of pure cranberry juice. The idea is to make you pee your brains out, but apparently there's also something about cleansing the liver. Idunno. All I know is that I lost five pounds and I want to do it again. I think I could handle only five pounds a month. I'd prefer five pounds a week, of course, but... I'll take what I can get.

Anyway, even after I started slacking off, I stuck with the cranberry juice mixture because it's so delicious and it helps me drink more water. Before, I was drinking about half a bottle of water a day, plus several cups of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea at night. If you do the math, that's like negative hydration because of the caffeine. I read a book called The Fat Flush Plan, or something like that, and it was all about cleansing the liver so that it can process fat correctly. And other stuff that I didn't understand. It also mentioned ginger and cinnamon as two ingredients that help with that, so I put those in my juice too. And also because I love them.

I make a big plastic pitcher of this stuff every week, and then every morning I pour a few ounces into my water bottles. I start with about a pound of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into chunks that will be too large to escape through the pour spout of the pitcher.

I boil the ginger in a saucepan for about ten minutes with just enough water to cover the tops of the ginger chunks. This makes the whole house smell like ginger, I love it.

While the ginger water is still hot, add several tablespoons of cinnamon and stir until it's all dissolved. Be careful not to go overboard on the cinnamon or else your juice will be thick and slimy, which is disgusting.

Add Stevia and lemon juice, then pour all of it (including the water from the ginger) into a pitcher with the cranberry juice.
It's really important to find a brand of cranberry juice that doesn't add sugar or other fruit juices as sweeteners. The only place I could find that was Trader Joes.

The downside to this is that Trader Joe's keeps their juices directly across from the cereals. I can tear up some cereal. I'm completely out of control with a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, even if it is the generic organic brand.
The upside is that TJ's is right next to a Krogers, and I love Krogers' california rolls. See the little strip of grass-shaped plastic? It's coming between me and epic disaster. And by that I mean wasabi.

A few weeks ago I was devouring the entire tray and noticed a green blob next to my grated ginger blob (which is the best part, of course.) I thought the green blob was extra avocado, since there was avocado in the rolls. Seriously it looks just the same. Now I love avocado, and since there was just a little bit of it, I was saving it for my last roll, when I could scoop it all up and make that last bite completely perfect.

But it wasn't avocado.

And that last bite wasn't completely perfect.

It was like... A thousand burning suns. Tears involuntarily poured from my eyes and it felt like I'd swallowed a blender full of razor blades. I'd only taken half the roll as a bite, so I put the other half down and tried to cool my mouth with my spicy ginger juice. Smart, right?

So after a few minutes I was feeling better and going about my business when I noticed I still had half a roll left. I FORGOT IT HAD WASABI ON IT so I popped the whole thing into my mouth.

I deserved that.

New Patchwork Necklace

2011-09-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

A new piece for the Embroidered Patchwork Series! (No, it still doesn't officially have a name.)

I am having a seriously difficult time letting this one go. Maybe I'll actually make something for myself! I've been doing this for over two years and that has yet to happen :/

Here it is with my outfit from the Wool Gathering on Saturday. The colors in the sundress (worn under the sweater) inspired the piece. I have this new theory that I should start making things that I would actually wear. Not that I wouldn't like to wear any of the things in my shop, but I want my pieces to be easy to wear. They should be compatible with a number of things in an average woman's closet. I could see this necklace with jeans and a simple v-neck tshirt.

Embroidered Necklace

I'm hoping to lose thirty pounds before we go shopping for winter things in a couple weeks (har har) and then I can get all my skinny clothes back out! I'd like to design my next pieces around things that I actually wear. Is there anything better than getting out all your winter things and seeing favorite sweaters that you'd completely forgotten about?

Wool Gathering 2011

2011-09-19T15:09:00.003-04:00

What always happens when you are really really reeeeally looking forward to something?
You get sick. Am I right? Or your kids are sick, or your car breaks down, or a weather disaster occurs.
Well that's a bit dramatic, but still. I have been thinking of nothing but Wool Gathering for weeks and when it finally arrived, I started feeling yucky. But don't worry, we got some good shopping in before I really became too weak to spend money ;)

We went straight to Fiber Optic first, because you want to get in on that while you still have a chance. The pastel on the top is much lighter in person, so I think that will be good for a spring shawl. The deeper autumn colors on the bottom are going to be... hmm.... I have no idea! An Autumn shawl would be perfect of course, but it's going to be officially Autumn in like four days, and I still have this to spin....

A whole pound of merino, in the most perfect shade of gray-blue to match Carly's eyes. I decided on this dress for this colors:

Cassia dress pattern

Maybe with long sleeves, or layered over a turtleneck. But I also bought a pound of un-dyed llama and a half pound of white merino to card together for this dress:

Nova dress pattern

I have a few ideas here. I could forget the stripes and do it all white, or I could get some brown llama and do the stripes like that. I don't have a picture of the roving, but it came from Millie the Llama:

So it should be a nice oatmeal-y color.

I'm leaning more towards no stripes but adding stitches at the bottom for a little hint of a ruffle. Hmmm. This is all on the assumption that I can actually spin over two pounds of wool before she's in high school. Oh, and without a wheel at that. But I've got my eye on one!

There were several set up that you could try out and buy right then and there, so of course I had to try this one...

Gorgeous, isn't it? The Kromski Minstrel. The size is so perfect for my little apartment, and sitting at it felt so right. Sigh.

Here's another braid of roving from Spirit Trail that I bought on an impulse. It's not my typical color choice, but I saw a woman spinning it while we were there and it was sooo pretty!
And I got these silk... thingies.

They're some part of the silk process, that's all I remember. There was an article in a recent SpinOff magazine about using them, so I'll have to track down an issue. I just want to experiment and see what can be done with them.

Now for the last two years I've been saying I'm going to post some kind of tutorial on how to spin silk without any equipment but... yea. I haven't. Would you guys be interested in that? I also have an extra starter spindle I don't use that I was thinking of putting up as a giveaway, with some samples of fiber of course. Anyone want to learn to spin?

Eccentric Inspiration

2011-09-16T09:30:00.000-04:00

I forgot to show you my new listings.

I'm really nervous about them, because they're completely different than my usual stuff. This is supposed to be Sew Sweet Stitches, not Sew GoCrazyWithFeathersLeatherAndChain Stitches, right?

I was watching this music video last week, and I was totally in love with the style. The colors, the sounds, everything. And it made me think of geometric shapes and mixtures of textures and crazy bright colors. A plan for new jewelry started forming in my head, which neon feathers and mixed metals against leather. I rushed off the the craft store, found the perfect supplies, and then chickened out.

Maybe if I hadn't seen the autumn-colored feathers, I would have gone with the original plan. But they were so much safer! And I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a project that I didn't even know would work like I was imagining.

But I wish I had just gone all out, because I really love these earrings and I have plans for necklaces too. And I already had some really cool hot pink leather I've been wanting to use that would be perfect. I kind of want to keep them, but they're all going to be one-of-a-kind and I need every listing I can get. I guess I will if no one else likes them!

Anyway here's the video I was talking about. Hope you like it!

Homemade Party Dress- Finished!

2011-09-15T08:54:00.003-04:00

Ok so it was actually finished and worn several weeks ago, but you know how it goes around here about getting posts up.
So to refresh your memory, here's the original inspiration:

If you'll remember, I had some trouble finding a suitable pattern and the fabric was kind of a disappointment.
But I went ahead and went through with it. Here are some phone pics of me trying to figure out how to do the bodice since the chiffon wasn't behaving like the correct kind of fabric would have:

This is what it looked like before any kind of draping overlay. The bodice was so baggy on the bottom and I couldn't figure out what else to do about it. So frustrating.

This kind of looks like two pieces of chiffon up there, but it's really just one big piece and that strip over my right boob wasn't distributed evenly across. Of course I would have fixed it but I was just holding it with my hand so... Yea. It was hard to tell which would have looked best without proper adjustment.

This most closely resembles what I was originally going for. I would have liked to have two separate straps instead of the halter, but I seriously could not get it to look right by myself because I was wearing the stupid thing! Plus that would have involved more sewing and undoubtedly endless adjustments to stop them from sliding off because I have really weird-shaped shoulders. And at this point I was ready to heave the whole mess over the side of my balcony and wear pajamas to the party instead.

I kind of wish I had gone with this look in the end. I love square necklines, and I thought it would have been neat to have the shoulder sash hang free and floaty off the back, with a few stitches to tack it down to the top of the back of the bodice. But this option left my pointy booby bodice exposed on one side, and I didn't know how to fix that either. Le sigh.

Here's the finished product:

I love the deep hem on the overskirt, but I hemmed the underskirt like two inches too short, which was enraging but what can you do. Re-do the skirt? Pffbt. Pretend I designed it that way. Sounds like a much better plan.
So I guess I'm pretty happy with the end result, but I'll probably never wear it again. The waist and the halter piece weren't even stitched down, just pinned in place. Thankfully nothing came apart and fell off during the party!
Will I ever make this again? Hmm... That coral silk was awfully tempting!

Fiber Fest 2011 Shopping List

2011-09-14T13:10:00.000-04:00

...Because an actual list makes it seems like an official necessity, don't you think?

This will be my first fiber fest after I learned to spin for reals. Which means... trouble.

Right now I'm just intrigued with making something that somewhat resembles real yarn, so I haven't given a single thought to what I want to make with anything I've spun. I'd rather just look at it, to be honest. But I'll never be able to justify more fiber purchases unless they're actually going to be turned into objects that can be useful for something other than amusing me by being stared at, sniffed, petted, and shoved in my friends faces for admiration against their will.

Maybe you can help me decide which projects to shop for this weekend?

Try to keep in mind that I refuse to learn colorwork or cables, mmk?

What I want to make most this year is a dress for my little girl. She's four years old, but thanks to her Amazonite legs, she wears closer to a size six. Since we go to Bible study several times a week, she needs a lot of dresses. These days dresses and skirts that don't include sequins, suggestive ruching, or the phrase "flirt" across the backside are hard to find, especially in winter.

I'm loving this first one because I think the casual style would work well with my current uneven handspun. At first I thought no to the stripes, but I have two big batches of merino roving in variegated purple and teal that I think would work well together since they have a lot of the same secondary colors.

So I guess that doesn't have to be part of the shopping list since I technically already have the roving, but you never know what else it might come in handy for!

Nova dress pattern by Signe S Simonsen

Cassia dress pattern by Georgie Hallam

I love this dress because the top is just like the Citron shawl I actually finished, which means I should be capable of conquering this too. But I'd add long sleeves of course, because I hate fiddling with matching jackets.

Nina dress pattern by MillaMia Sweden

Again, I'd add long sleeves. Looks pretty simple!

Now back to me. I plan to do a lot of legging/tights-wearing this autumn, and I think legwarmers over skinny jeans or peeking out from boot tops are pretty much the cutest thing ever. And I love that I won't have to knit sock feet onto them, because it's a cold hard fact that I cannot turn a heel, and that's that. I accept it, I'm moving on and doing the best I can with my... disability.

Leg Warmers pattern by Jane Richmond

Pretty simple, right? And with the magic loop method, there won't even be any seaming. Rejoice.

Lacy Legwarmers pattern by Vanessa Ewing

Tthese might be good for me to try lace again? Maybe? Lets not forget what happened the last time I tried lace knitting. *shudder*

But these are sooo pretty with heels!

Now let's talk about More Things I'll Never Make. There's always a sweater at the top of that list.

Shifting Sands Cardigan

I know, right? It's fantastic. I like how it doesn't have any buttons. You know I have nothing against buttons, but with a cardigan that has to be fastened in the middle, you are always at risk for bunching and pulling somewhere. My skill level isn't really equal to conquering that issue. The thing with this cardigan, though, is that it's knit from a scarf pattern and then the stitches for the rest are somehow added on. I'm not really sure how that works, but... it makes me sweaty.

Ripple sweater pattern by Kim Hargreaves

Who doesn't love Kim Hargreaves? I think this would be ridiculously cute with some brass buttons stitched to the ends of some of the stripes, to mimic a military coat.

Speaking of lots of buttons...

Buttony Sweater pattern by Katie Marcus

Asymmetrical. So cute.

King of Confidence sweater pattern by Weaverknits

This is meant to incorporate handspun, even for amateurs like me!

V-Neck Pullover sweater pattern by Stefanie Japel Heartigan Cardigan by Katie Himmelberg

I thought of the v-neck sweater when I saw the heart elbow patches. They are so cute, but I don't really care for the cardigan. I've been wanting to make that Stefanie Japel sweater for a few years now, so maybe I can put the heart patches on the elbows! Although I probably wouldn't wear it with shorts, sorry. No matter how many pairs of adorable leggings I had on.

Emmaline sweater by Jennifer Wood

Eeeek puffed sleeves! I'm such a sucker for puffed sleeves. This sweater says rustic to me, and I think my "rustic"-looking handspun would work.

Flirtatious by Petra Manis

More puffed sleeves! And square necklines! Do I really need thumb holes though? Hmm.... *Tucks thumb-holed sweatshirt hands into back pockets*

Laverne sweater pattern by Snowden Becker

Um, swoon. I love everything about this. Except maybe the way it might make my slightly curvier figure look like a puffy marshmallow.

Gathered Scarf pattern by Maryse Roudier

Now here's something that might actually make it onto the needles! Same concept as the Citron, again.

Lace Stole pattern by Brooklyn Tweed

In my dreams. But it's sooooo gorgeous! *whimper*

I'm sorry, I really am. I couldn't help it.

Hemlock Ring Blanket pattern by Brooklyn Tweed

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

What did you make with your first usable handspun? What are you planning to knit this autumn? I'd love to see your projects!

Blissful Weekend

2011-09-13T13:54:00.001-04:00

I was totally selfish this weekend. I pretty much did whatever I wanted to. It felt great, but was even more tiring than doing what I'm supposed to do! Go figure.

Organizing my craft supplies...

I've got a new inventory system going here. Each piece that is not one-of-a-kind gets its own little bag with an inventory number, and on the bag I write which felt colors and thread colors I used. There's a coordinating spreadsheet to keep track of supplies and all that stuff, but it's not finished yet.

A new listing...

...And a new venture!
I'll show you tomorrow how that came out.

Carly did some stitching too.

"What are you making, Babybunny?"

"A present for my GG!"

GG is what we call Great Grandma, which is my dad's mom. When we tried to explain this concept to Carly, she replied, "Yep I know my GG is really great!"

She also ut on her favorite Tchaikovsky cd and did some ballet practice:

And I got to do some spinning!
I haven't used the spinning wheel in forever, but Mom's been wanting it back. I have like 13 sheeps worth of this blue stuff left though so I'm going to try to get it all spun before this weekend.

And I did a little spindle spinning (spindling?) too:

I even worked on it at the pizza place we went to for dinner Sunday evening! I felt less self-conscious spinning in a public place where everyone else was playing arcade and trivia games while they waited for their food.

How was your weekend?

My First Free Pattern!

2011-09-12T12:11:00.002-04:00

Bari J Ackerman's new website, We Love French Knots, has my interview and free pattern posted today!

I'm so excited. I haven't done tissue cozies in a long time, but I'm thinking about listing some new ones before the shopping season gets into full swing. Of course I've said that about dozens of things already and... well, you see how that's going!

Anyway check out my supplier's shop, Felt On The Fly. She's offering a kit for sale with all the colors you'll need to make the cozy in the pattern. It's a great way for you to try out her wool, and you'll have a good bit of the secondary colors left over for more little projects. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! This is the highest quality stuff around, the color choices are incredible, and Janet is absolutely lovely to work with.

Be sure to click around on We Love French Knots. It's a fairly new site, but it's beautiful to browse and there's plenty to explore and inspire!

Why You Should Never Wave With A Tube Of Yogurt In Your Hand

2011-09-08T11:00:00.001-04:00

Really, you shouldn't do anything with a tube of yogurt, including eat it. But Carly is more willing to eat yogurt if it comes in a plastic tube instead of a cup with a spoon. I can't begin to imagine why, I think it sounds disgusting. Better than the Trix-flavored neon green and hot pink "yogurt", I guess!

"Mooommmyyyyy! It's not funny!"

My New Autumn Line!

2011-09-07T16:07:00.001-04:00

It makes me feel like a grown-up to say I have a "fall line!"
I've always wanted to do seasonal lines. I have a notebook full of ideas and themes for every season for the next decade probably hehe. So frustrating to not have time to try them out! But if one ever made it into reality, I'm happy it's this one.

It doesn't really have a name. Does it need one? Embroidered Patchwork. Or something like that but not lame. Anyway, I have many more ideas for this series but I couldn't wait to show you until they were all done! I've had this theory for a while that quilting is going to be the next big craft. Now before you hard-core quilters go all ragebeast on me, I'm not saying that quilting has never been a big craft. I've been looking through my mom's quilting books, and I'm in love with it. I've always wanted to quilt but I have this thing with fabric and thread- I'm not good at it. And I'm not just saying that to be modest, seriously I'm not so good at the putting the fabrics together thing. That's why felt is the perfect medium for me. No pattern transfers, no wrong side/right sides, no pesky seam allowances.

I've long had a theory that the part of my brain that controls spacial relations has been irreversibly damaged at birth somehow. I can't drive in reverse or parallel park, I can't fold down four-part box tops, and I definitely cannot use an etch-a-sketch. You know those lawn mowers that have the two handles for steering instead of a wheel? Recently I tried to do my dad a favor and cut his lawn, but I gouged out and chopped up a tree stump the size of a beach ball, and then uprooted several fence posts. (Don't worry, my dad doesn't read my blog.) It seriously looked as if it were cut by a drunk blind person.

The point is that this intelligence handicap makes sewing a complete disaster. My wrong sides are always against my right sides. Or wait, is it the other way? See I don't even know, I can't figure out how to put one-dimensional objects together to create something 3D. Or do two things at once, like follow a straight line and push the sewing machine pedal. Or cut the grass and avoid the side of the garage (kidding Dad!)

Anyway, quilting is something I'll probably never get to do, unless I can someday afford some lovely antique blocks already pieced together and quilt them myself. But I love looking at the quilting books and getting inspiration from the traditional block designs.

My favorites are the pieced blocks like the dresden plate and grandmother's flower garden. I want to try those in felt too, but first I did some simpler pieces...

The square blocks are going to be pendants and brooches, and the strip of chevrons could make a cute cuff, I thought. Or maybe a shorter strip as a pendant and earrings? I was also thinking of doing a phone cozy with the grandmothers fan in the corner.

I still have no idea what this block is traditionally called, I don't remember which book it came from! These pieces were easy to size down to a good shape for a brooch, and I loved trying to get an even amount of tiny stitches on to every side of each piece. I think I might do more with an extra smaller square in the center.

The star shape is my favorite, but it was the hardest to make. I refuse to use glue in any of my pieces, but I really had no choice this time. The nature of the springy felt made the little diamonds push apart from each other, and I couldn't get them to stay together long enough to stitch them down evenly. I dotted the tiniest most miniscule amount of white glue in the middle of each diamond, which worked perfectly to hold them just long enough to be tacked down with a few stitches in the center.

Pinterest came in very handy for finding color inspiration!

These are the colors I want to try next:

Any other quilt-ish or patchwork ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Kahlua Nutella Milkshakes + Bread Boat of Dip = A Good Weekend

2011-09-06T15:55:00.001-04:00

You read that right. A milkshake with Kahlua and Nutella. It actually had Bailey's in it too but that wasn't in the picture. I don't even need to tell you how awesome this tasted. And how awesome I got after I had a gigantic glass of it.

And the bread boat of dip was just what it sounds like: Bread, shaped like a boat, filled with spinach artichoke dip.

Movie night this month was Dial M For Murder, which meant a free-for-all when it came to the food. Usually we do a theme, but I wasn't looking forward to appetizers shaped like amputated fingers or something. *Shifty eyes at girlfriends* I wouldn't put it past them. The movie was really good! I want to watch it again when there isn't so much giggling over the way Grace Kelly answers the phone.

"Hello? Hello..... Hello! Hellohellohello"

Spinach Artichoke Bread Boat
Adapted from ClosetCooking.com

Italian loaf
3/4 c sour cream
2 c shredded mozzarella
2 c shredded parmesan
green onions
chopped spinach
2 cans (14oz) artichoke hearts
8oz softened cream cheese

The Italian loaf I got was a package of two, and they were both about a foot long. I had six very hungry girlfriends over and we didn't even finish one. So half the recipe if you're only doing one loaf, because there are enough ingredients here to fill a boat. Two, actually. Of bread.

Preheat the overn to 350 degrees.

Chop the vegetables and mix them with all other ingredients. Reserve a cup of mozzarella and a cup of parmesan to sprinkle over the top before baking. I didn't really measure the spinach or green onions. Use however much your guests will tolerate, or more if you want to keep it all for yourself :)

Don't worry, this won't be soggy. I abhor all things soggy. French toast, stuffing, etc. Shudder. This will be more like a melty sandwich.

Slice the loaf open lengthwise and lay it flat on a baking sheet. Fill the center with half of the dip mixture, (or all of it if you halved the recipe.) Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top. Wrap the exposed edges of the bread in foil so they don't burn.

Bake for 15 minutes or until all the cheese is melted.

Ohhh I want some right now! If I made it again for just me, or for non-picky people, I would also add black olives, banana peppers, maybe some cherry tomato halves......
Omg drool.

Goodbye Princess The Boy Cat

2011-09-01T15:07:00.001-04:00

This is my cat, Princess. My ex-husband and I found him crying on our porch when we were seventeen. He looked like a little wet rodent! He couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, he was completely bald, and his poor gray skin was covered with fleas. Honestly I was pretty horrified the first time I saw him, and I was too grossed out by the fleas to hold him at all. But we cleaned him up and took him to the vet, and pretty soon he was growing a luxurious coat and gaining weight like crazy!

He was so young when we found him that he hadn't yet developed noticeable ... um..... parts. We thought he was a girl, and I called him Princess. Even after we realized he was a boy, the name just stuck. He was such a good boy, he loved to play Ninja Kitty and he followed me around everywhere. If we had company, he made best friends instantly, and he came when you called like a dog would. Every night when he was ready for bed, he'd start off down the hallway and make polite little meows to let me know he was getting sleepy. He cuddled up under my chin as best he could, considering he was probably a good fifteen pounds! Before my daughter came along, (and sometimes after!) he was always on my lap, my little buddy.

For the last year, he's been living with my ex-husband, and I've missed him terribly. Our new apartment charged quite a bit to let us keep a pet, and my asthma had been growing worse and worse ever since I had him. Apparently he had a stroke a while back and couldn't move his head or walk very well. He wasn't able to eat and had to be put down. I'm glad he isn't suffering anymore, but I wish I could have rubbed his ears on my cheek and buried my face in his fluffy fur one more time.

Princess made a great pillow...

...and chew toy.

He was always willing to play wrestling...

... and was very patient!

I'll miss you, Princess! There will never be another cat like you.

It's Never Too Early For Fall Fashion

2011-08-31T14:28:00.000-04:00

You're probably going to be seeing a lot of posts from me surrounding the upcoming season. I love anything that means cold weather- the boots, the sweaters, the pumpkin lattes, and yes, even scraping frost from my windshield!

I haven't really started shopping for anything new for cool weather yet, but here is some inspiration...

Aqua with mustard yellow, love this combination.

Sweater wrap $44

The more butt/hip/bip/thigh/buttthigh coverage, the better!

Handmade Dress

I foresee a lot of handmade items in my closet this year! Well, a lot of planned ones anyway ;)

Sweater tights with heels, love this look! You like the shoes? The Mui Mui ones in the photo are $500something, but a reeeally close match can be found at Kohls for under $50:

Penny Loafer Heels $49

Vintage Corduroy Skirt, $40

Cute and comfy with a sweater. I love corduroy!

Fringe Bag, $45

You know I love me some fringe!

So I like a lot of different styles. Who doesn't? Next time I'll try to be more coherent :)

Are there any fall trends you want to try this year?