Peas in a Pod - Join Mama Pea

Noodlehead's Divided Basket Pattern Review

2013-05-22T08:48:03-04:00

Busy day today! I am getting ready to head out to my national behavior analysis conference. I have about a thousand things to do today. Tomorrow, I will collapse in the car and sleep, right?

This conference is always a busy one for me. And this year, it is exceptionally busy. To give you a feel: there are social events (cocktail party with all my Iowa [where I went to grad school] friends, wedding shower for a friend who's getting married, dinner with my mentor and close colleagues, my current university's alumni reception that we host); presentations (I am giving an invited talk and sitting on two panels, I have students giving about 5 different presentations); recruiting new students (hosting our Expo poster to recruit new grad students, individual meetings with potential grad students); business meetings (I'm on some editorial boards, and we have those meetings); networking meetings (I have meetings with colleagues with whom I'm writing papers or doing research); attending other people's research presentations; a dinner with my students in my lab; and so on! It goes on and on....nonstop from Friday through Tuesday, from about 7 am to midnight. I will be utterly exhausted by Tusday and will need about two days just to sleep after that. It is wonderful and dreaded all at the same time! So, you won't be seeing any blog posts for a little while! Wish me luck on surviving it! LOL.

My conference is in downtown Minneapolis. Any of you have any good suggestions for awesome fabric/quilt/yarn or other fun shops I should visit while I'm there? Thanks!

You know those baby shoes I showed you yesterday? Well, here's my plan. I'm going to put them in this divided basket I made from a pattern from Noodlehead. I have seen this basket on the Internet and loved it. I ordered the pattern and made one as part of the baby gift I'm putting together. A couple of weeks ago, Fabricworm had a sale on linen and home dec fabric. So, I orderd some of this Echino fabric to make some baskets. My colleague wanted "gender neutral" stuff, so I thought this was pretty....still kind of "girly" for the baby girl, but gender neutral. I also wanted to make my colleague something she could use when the baby is no longer a baby.

The inside is lined with this green Echino that I like very much. I found some solid fabric that looked nice to line the handles with. I'll put some baby diapers on one side, a bib, a burp cloth from my friend Brooke (I'll show those later, when I put the basket together), and the baby shoes I made in the other side. I may need to put some other little goodies in that other side, too, to fill it up.

I don't know if you can see it or not, but there are little geckos on the green fabric. Look at the base of the little flower ornament, and you'll see them. I like them!

But here is a disappointment. I was being so careful to align the grainline correctly on the fabric, and I was matching up that stripe on either side of the bag....and then I cut the back piece upside down! ARGH! I was so mad. And I didn't have enough fabric to cut another. So, it went on upside down. Maybe she won't notice. This is the back side, right? I don't know. I'm still trying to decide if I'll keep this one and make a different one for her. What a bummer, huh? What would you do?

As far as a pattern review: This pattern is pretty fun to make and is not very difficult. The product is really nice and, as Amy says, it makes a great "go-to" gift project. (Amy has made quite a few of these, and hers are gorgeous.) I think it took me longer to cut out all the pieces than to sew the basket up. I quite like it. I would put this at an advanced beginner or early intermediate project, just because of a couple of slightly tricky steps. The following are not criticisms of the pattern (which is very clear and easy to follow), but are just things to consider:

The fabric requirements listed do not include fabric for the optional pocket. So, if you want the pocket, make sure you purchase additional fabric. (EDIT: I may be wrong here. I think maybe the fat quarter is supposed to be used for this, and I messed up. I have been in an allergy-related fog this past week or two, so take this with a grain of salt.) I didn't do this and so had to make this pocket-less. And you have just enough fabric for the exterior with the listed fabric requirements. In the future, I will buy extra so it's not quite so close cut.
When installing the divider, you have to pivot at the bottom of the divider to turn the corner. That's a little bit fussy. You have to fiddle with the fabric a little to get this to happen easily. Here's a tip I found helped me a lot. Put a pin in the spot where you are going to pivot. Make a little clip in the lining fabric near the pivot point. This will make it so much easier to bend the fabric around when you make this turn. (The instructions tell you to clip here anyway after you've assembled the lining. So, why not make the clip now? It helped me anyway.)
I wish mine was a little more sturdy. Next time, I will use a more stiff interfacing. I think I used Pellon SF101 for this. It's a nice interfacing, but I'd like something a little stiffer. I also wondered about using Soft and Stable by Annie instead of the fusible fleece. I may try that on a future basket.

All in all, I really enjoyed this pattern a lot. I'm already working on a second basket and have the fabric for a third. You'll be seeing those in the not-too-distant future, but not right away. LOL.

If you want the pattern, it's called Divided Basket Pattern, and you can get it here. Hope the review was helpful.

This has nothing to do with the basket. We had our local guild meeting last night, and my friend Jackie was there with her hand dyed fabrics. She had this little bundle there, and I couldn't resist it. I have no idea what I'll do with it, but isn't it beautiful? Have some suggestions for what I should do with it? Please discuss.

As I was walking out the door to go to the guild meeting, I was checking ot make sure I had checks in my checkbook. Papa Pea said, "If you are going to your guild meeting, why are you checking to see if you have your checkbook?" (He said this very suspiciously.) I answered, "In case Jackie has some awesome fabrics I can't resist!" Good thing I had my checkbook.

Well, take care everyone! I'll talk to you soon, though I don't know when. Don't be surprised if there is a week or 10 days with no posts. It's going to be a whirlwind for a bit.

Until next time,

Full disclosure: I purchased this pattern and all the fabrics to make it myself. No one asked me to write this review.

Baby Espadrille Sandals

2013-05-21T09:09:54-04:00

Hi ho! Well, I have been busy and didn't have time to post the past couple of days. Sorry!

Now, I'm catching up.....

Oh, one thing I forgot to tell you about that Wood Miser....It was so funny. Papa Pea and I had the following conversation as we were watching wood being cut:

Papa Pea: So, you want a longarm? THIS [a Wood Miser] is what I would love to have.

Mama Pea: Oh. How much is a Wood Miser? (thinking it costs a LOT more than a longarm)

Papa Pea: Oh, about $18,000.

Mama Pea: Oh.

Well, I'm not spending $18,000 on a longarm, but I know they can cost that much! So, I was kind of put in my place. It certainly put a longarm into perspective! Right? Well, he's not getting a Wood Miser, I'll tell you that! LOL.

Anyhoo...while the boys were cutting wood, I went to visit SisLH. I have two colleagues who are pregnant, and I'm trying to put together a baby gift for each of them. I saw on Etsy the cutest little pattern for baby shoes. But alas, the pattern was for crochet....and I'm a knitter. Well, SisLH has been trying to teach me to crochet, and so has my mom. I have been practicing some stitches, and I've made a couple of pot holders, but I really haven't learned to follow a pattern for anything "complex" yet. So, I drove to SisLH's house with Sweet Pea while the boys cut wood. Whe I arrived, pattern in hand, I sweetly smiled and begged for a crochet lesson. I told SisLH that I needed her to sit with me and crochet alongside me to teach me how to do this. She kindly obliged. She got one of Sweet Pea's cousins to come over and play, so we could work together peacefully. Worked like a charm!

We went through her yarn stash and found some appropriate yarn.

After a little while, I had the sole of the little baby shoe done. It was so cute!

And SisLH had one done, too. I love the colors of this yarn!

After a little while longer, I had the toe and heel done. (I accidentally put the toe on the heel of the shoe and vice versa. Oops.)

And, SisLH had hers done, too.

That was as far as we got at SisLH's house. So, the next day, I sewed the shoe together, and I made the second shoe.

Here is how they turned out. Aren't they just the cutest?! Baby Espadrilles! I adore them. I think they are so unique and cute. And I love how they they tie around the little ankle.

The one on the right is the one I sewed the heel on the toe of the sole....I'm still thinking about whether I'll take it apart or leave it. I am not sure anyone would notice but me.

These are seriously fun to make and don't take too much time. And the cost of supplies is nominal. I think they would be so cute for a craft bazaar. I am looking forward to making some more of these.

I will be seeing SisLH next week. I'll see what she has finished up since I last saw her. Maybe I can get a photo of her finished shoes.

The pattern is called Baby Espadrille Sandals and is from Two Girls Patterns on Etsy. Here is a link to the pattern. I made the shoes in the 0-6 month size. The pattern includes a 6-12 month size as well. The pattern states that you can sell shoes you make from the patterns, though Two Girls Pattenrs asks that you give them credit for the design (perfectly reasonable). I'm not going to do a pattern review, because I'm not sure I know enough about crochet to critically analyze the quality of the pattern. But let's say this, I'm a beginning crochet-er, and I could do it just fine. So, I guess that says something! SisLH had to do some interpreting for me, and she said some aspects of the pattern were a little different than what she was accustomed to, but we figured it out. And I must say, Two Girls Patterns has several other cute patterns.

Soon, I hope to be ready to show you all the things that are going into the gift baskets for my colleagues. I'm having fun with it. I decided not to do quilts, because I just can't keep up with getting big projects like that done. Although the first baby isn't due until June, the baby shower was last weekend, when we were out of town. So, I'm already late on this gift! (Par for the course for me. Hope my gift is worth her wait!)

Until next time,

Really Kinda Random--Mother's Day Edition

2013-05-16T07:01:15-04:00

Welcome to Really Random Thursday! Shall we just get right down to it?

Well, alrighty then!

The other day on facebook, someone posted a link to this video, in which men are strapped up to a machine that simulates birthing contractions women feel. It's pretty funny. As you might suspect, the men are practically crying when it's over!

Speaking of giving birth.... Remember that bird's nest inside my brother and SIL's wreath on the front door? One birdie hatched....

And then there were more. They won't win any beauty contests, will they? But they are kinda cute.

Speaking of birds.....I love goldfinches. When I was at my BIL's house over Mother's Day, I saw these finches on his feeder. They were everywhere. I sure wished I had brought my telefoto lens with me!

Speaking of Mother's Day. Remember when I said my Mother's Day was "interesting?" Well, I wanted to stay home and go to Scrappy Bee with Caroll. But Papa Pea wanted to go to Wisconsin to cut wood with his brothers. We had already agreed that he would go that weekend when we realized it was Mother's Day. Oops. So, I went with him. His brother and girlfriend live on about 120 acres of farm and woodland. A few months ago, Papa Pea and his brothers had cut down some hardwood trees for making stuff....walnut, hickory, oak, and cherry.

It was time to cut it up into boards for building purposes. They hired a guy to come out there with a Wood Miser and slice up the logs. When I arrived to take some photos, they had accomplished this.

Although a different wood pile, it all started like this.

The Wood Miser was amazing. The guys would put a log on the arms of the thing. The arms would go up and roll the log onto the bed.

The guy would then saw off layers of the log until he got down to the hardwood.

Flip it over and repeat. Do this on all four sides.

Then, it would be a big square. And he would cut planks off it. It smelled good.

Here is a particularly large log.

Here is one of the first planks off that large piece. (This is one of my BILs.) This is some of the walnut.

Sometimes, they'd have to adjust the position of the log on the bed. The logs were very heavy, as you might buess. These are two of my BILs. The guys were really tired at the end of each day. The lifted a lot of wood and boards. Papa Pea estimates he lifted over 5,000 lbs. We have a lot of really nice wood now.

The boys were all in heaven playing with their power tools. Here, Papa Pea helps drag one of the logs down into position so they can roll it down this little hill and onto the cradle arms of the Wood Miser.

Sweet Pea sat and watched from the four wheeler a safe distance away. She had fun baby sitting Wolfie, my BIL's dog.

Sometimes she even got to go for a ride. Did I mention it was really cold last weekend? Really cold.

Speaking of going for rides, Sweet Pea begged her uncle to have a ride on one of the horses. He was kind enough to abide, even though I know he was bone tired. This is Gracie, one of his good horses.

All saddled up. This is one really happy little girl!

I thought this was a precious sight. BIL, leading Sweet Pea down the road, with Wolfie and Tori following behind. When Sweet Pea came back, she said, "Mom! I'm back from my magnificent horse ride!" It was a thrill for her. She loves visiting her uncle, because she loves his dogs, she loves his horses (and she loves him and his girlfriend)....It's kind of like a menagerie at his house.

He's got goats and long horned steers, too. They all need to be fed. Sweet Pea loves helping. She was up at 5:30 am when we were there, wondering when BIL would be up so she could help him with chores. :-)

As far as a Mother's Day gift, Sweet Pea and Papa Pea went very traditional and got me a new helmet for my scooter. And I love it! Makes my scooter riding much more pleasurable for me. (My other helmet catches the wind too much, and is always pulling my head everywhere. This is much more comfortable for me!)

That's a rundown of the weekend, to some extent. On Saturday, when the boys were cutting wood, Sweet Pea and I drove up to see SisLH. She gave me a crochet lesson, which I'll tell you about tomorrow. Then, we took MIL and FIL out for dinner, and drove back to BIL's house. On Sunday, the boys cut more wood, we observed, Sweet Pea went for a horse ride, and then we came home.

All in all, it was not a bad Mother's Day. Probably not a very typical one, but it was peaceful, enjoyable, and spent with family.

Linking up with Cindy, at Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thursday. Hope you enjoyed. Check out her blog for more lovely randomness.

Until next time,

Rug Hooking--Cardinal Rug

2013-05-15T15:19:32-04:00

Feeling slightly better today. Still not great. I think I have developed allergies in my old age. As one who has never really had problems with allergies before, I'm not dealing with it well. I don't like it. I'm having extra sympathy for those of you who have suffered this all your life. My head feels like it's in a fog (buzzing), sneezing, sore throat, runny nose....

To make matters worse, I went back to the eye doctor today, and she dilated my eyes. Misery. I hate that. And my optometrist expressed concerns that my pupils might be "stuck," because they didn't dilate as much as they should have. I'm watching them carefully to see if they go back to normal. It's been 4 hours, and they still seem to be fairly big.

I keep forgetting to mention that I turned on the word verification again for awhile. Sorry. I had something like 200 spams in one day, and then again the next day. A real pain. So, I turned it on again for a little bit. Sadly, I still had two more spams today! I'll try taking it off again in a bit, okay? Bear with me until then?

Many of you asked me to see the progress on my rug hooking after my first class. Here is how far I got in class. (The long pieces you see will get trimmed off when there is more wool around those edges.) Not bad! You can tell I need to get better at my evenness of loops. But I'm okay with it for a first try!

Yestereday, when I wasn't feeling so well, I did get it out, sat on the back deck, and did some more work on it. It was really very pleasant. You can see my hook in this photo. I love how the wood handle has that knot on it.

After an hour or so, here is what I had added to it.

I left the little wool trimmings on our deck railing for the birds. Thought they might like it. They are probably all done with their nests right now, anyway. Some are gone today, some are still out there.

I got it out last night and worked some more. Here is how far I have gotten. I need to finish the second ring of red. (Maybe you can see that the top part is not finished yet.) Then, it's just filling in the background.

Sweet Pea was watching me do this. I figured she'd say, "Oh! Can I help?" But here is how the conversation went:

Sweet Pea: What's that?!

Mama Pea: A rug I'm making.

SP: How did you learn to do that?

MP: I took a class.

SP: That's really neat. Can I touch it?

MP: Of course!

SP: That feels neat! I think that bird is so beautiful, Mom! I wish I could have it when you're done.

MP: Your wish is my command. It's yours when I'm done.

SP. Really?! Do you think you could cut off all that extra round the circle when you're done?

MP: Yes, when I'm all done, I'll cut that off, flip it to the back, and sew it down. I'll have to take another class to learn how to do that.

SP: Cool. (Pause) Do you think they have any smaller kits for kids so I can try?

MP: I thought you'd want to try. The lady who taught me said she can help us get some more of this linen fabric so you can try.

SP: Yay! I can't wait.

I may get her a small piece to practice on. I remember doing latch hooking when I was younger. I might consider starting her on that. But this is pretty easy. I think she could do it. I might even let her try on the extra background outside the circle to see how it goes.

Gene Shepherd is a renowned rug hooker, I've learned. I was reading his blog the other day, and I saw him talking about children attending "hook ins" with the adult women. So, it's not inconceivable that she'd be able to do this and enjoy it. We'll see!

Hope your day is going well!

Until next time,

May Meeting of Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild

2013-05-14T10:22:22-04:00

I'm not feeling well today. :-( Don't know if it's allergies of some sort or a cold. Sore throat, sneezing, head achy.... Not what I need the week before our big national conference, where I am on two panel discussions and giving an invited talk! Argh! Staying in and resting today.

Just a short post to say I posted information about the May meeting of the Great Lakes Modern Quilt guild HERE. So, hop on over and check it out, if you are interested. Lots of important stuff this month.

Hope to be back tomorrow with more quilty fun. Sorry.

Until next time,