This is just crazy!
Hat tip: The Common Room
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
An apron and a resolution
Last week I left the heat and humidity of Tennessee for...the heat and humidity of Boston! After a cooler-than-usual summer, the temperature and humidity spiked right before I arrived. But I survived, because being in Boston meant I was back with A.!
A. had a summer internship in Boston, and what with me having my own job, I couldn't really go with him. So we spent two months in different apartments with only one weekend to provide a little bit of face-time to balance all those phone conversations.
Between the heat of summer and the fact that making an involved dinner for one just isn't that fun, there wasn't a ton of cooking going on in our house. So both of us ended up eating out a fair amount (where "a fair amount" is more than once a week). We agreed, on the way home, that we both needed a period of eating-out detox.
Good thing I went ahead and purchased the pattern for the Emmeline apron from Sew Liberated when there was a 2-for-1 sale earlier this summer. I'm thinking it will be super when I make some "glad you're home" cookies.
A. had a summer internship in Boston, and what with me having my own job, I couldn't really go with him. So we spent two months in different apartments with only one weekend to provide a little bit of face-time to balance all those phone conversations.
Between the heat of summer and the fact that making an involved dinner for one just isn't that fun, there wasn't a ton of cooking going on in our house. So both of us ended up eating out a fair amount (where "a fair amount" is more than once a week). We agreed, on the way home, that we both needed a period of eating-out detox.
Good thing I went ahead and purchased the pattern for the Emmeline apron from Sew Liberated when there was a 2-for-1 sale earlier this summer. I'm thinking it will be super when I make some "glad you're home" cookies.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Idea the Third
I don't know whether I'm terribly old fashioned or a super-green hippie or what, but I love me a nicely set table with pretty cloth napkins and placemats or a tablecloth.
While upholstery samples might get a little bulky for a tablecloth (my mom's quick and easy tablecloth is just two yards of 54" wide fabric with a rolled hem), they make super placemats. I had some scraps in my pile that were about 12 inches by 24 inches. I used a placemat my sister brought me from Guatemala (that's it, on the left in the photo) as a guide, but about 12 inches by 17-18 inches looks great. Then I used the leftovers to make some pillow covers (info coming later).
While upholstery samples might get a little bulky for a tablecloth (my mom's quick and easy tablecloth is just two yards of 54" wide fabric with a rolled hem), they make super placemats. I had some scraps in my pile that were about 12 inches by 24 inches. I used a placemat my sister brought me from Guatemala (that's it, on the left in the photo) as a guide, but about 12 inches by 17-18 inches looks great. Then I used the leftovers to make some pillow covers (info coming later).
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Idea the Second
I went on a sewing retreat with my mom's sewing guild at the beginning of the summer. One of the highlights of the event is a "shop hop" of sorts--exploring all the local fabric stores with other people who also like fabric. While we were out we discovered that everyone has a default project.
Mom's friend sees a cute piece of fabric? She pictures a shirt. My mom? She sees tote bags. Me? I see skirts, but I've definitely been influenced by my mom's view.
And when you have a stack of upholstery fabric, tote bags are a natural choice. My friend was heading for Africa right after I visited in June, so I appropriated one of the samples, found some ribbon from a gift (look at me recycling!), and an appropriate piece for embellishment (I'm not sure if you can see, but the woman is petting a giraffe).
The tote bag was a good idea. Waiting to start until after I finished another project at 2 a.m. the night before I headed off to see her might not have been.
Mom's friend sees a cute piece of fabric? She pictures a shirt. My mom? She sees tote bags. Me? I see skirts, but I've definitely been influenced by my mom's view.
And when you have a stack of upholstery fabric, tote bags are a natural choice. My friend was heading for Africa right after I visited in June, so I appropriated one of the samples, found some ribbon from a gift (look at me recycling!), and an appropriate piece for embellishment (I'm not sure if you can see, but the woman is petting a giraffe).
The tote bag was a good idea. Waiting to start until after I finished another project at 2 a.m. the night before I headed off to see her might not have been.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Side Note: LibraryThing
After plugging LibraryThing twice this weekend and mentioning that it would be even more awesome when Collections was released, I was excited to find out today that it was rolled out to all members yesterday.
LibraryThing is, by its own description, "a home for your books." It's a book cataloging site that makes it possible for you to keep track of the books you own, the books you want to own, the books you have read, and the books you want to read. Essentially, any kind of list or grouping of books you can imagine, you can track using LibraryThing. In fact, the site is so great at what it does that it's been adopted by, guess what, libraries!
It also has a social networking aspect, allowing you to browse the catalogues of members who have public libraries, and showing you what books you have in common. There are even efforts underway to catalog the books of famous individuals, so you can find out what books you have in common with C.S. Lewis or John Adams.
I suggested it to my mom as a way her sewing guild members could let each other know what craft books they have. I think it would be great for a church library (my church runs a school, so I think they're set...). I also think sharing your catalog with friends or family could be a great opportunity to obtain some of the books you're looking for. It's like a less crass version of sharing your Amazon wishlist, at least for those of us whose wishes are shelves and shelves of books.
LibraryThing is, by its own description, "a home for your books." It's a book cataloging site that makes it possible for you to keep track of the books you own, the books you want to own, the books you have read, and the books you want to read. Essentially, any kind of list or grouping of books you can imagine, you can track using LibraryThing. In fact, the site is so great at what it does that it's been adopted by, guess what, libraries!
It also has a social networking aspect, allowing you to browse the catalogues of members who have public libraries, and showing you what books you have in common. There are even efforts underway to catalog the books of famous individuals, so you can find out what books you have in common with C.S. Lewis or John Adams.
I suggested it to my mom as a way her sewing guild members could let each other know what craft books they have. I think it would be great for a church library (my church runs a school, so I think they're set...). I also think sharing your catalog with friends or family could be a great opportunity to obtain some of the books you're looking for. It's like a less crass version of sharing your Amazon wishlist, at least for those of us whose wishes are shelves and shelves of books.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Idea the First
During college, I developed the two-pocket pat. My ID went in my back pocket, my keys went in my front pocket. That was all I needed.
Then I graduated and got married, and I needed something more grown up than the wrapping paper wallet I made to keep my driver's license and whatever cash I had on hand. I got a grown-up wallet like I remember my mother carrying--one big enough for a checkbook.
But then we opened another checking account, and suddenly I needed a checkbook cover. Especially since it was confusing my husband when I used the vinyl cover from another bank.
So...the checkbook cover. I used the tutorial from CrazyMomQuilts. This requires a sample 7"x13." These were just large enough! There are a couple of larger pieces of this fabric, so maybe I'll end up with a bag and matching checkbook!
Then I graduated and got married, and I needed something more grown up than the wrapping paper wallet I made to keep my driver's license and whatever cash I had on hand. I got a grown-up wallet like I remember my mother carrying--one big enough for a checkbook.
But then we opened another checking account, and suddenly I needed a checkbook cover. Especially since it was confusing my husband when I used the vinyl cover from another bank.
So...the checkbook cover. I used the tutorial from CrazyMomQuilts. This requires a sample 7"x13." These were just large enough! There are a couple of larger pieces of this fabric, so maybe I'll end up with a bag and matching checkbook!
Upholstery Samples: The Deluge Begins
As mentioned in a previous post, I have a stack of upholstery samples to turn into whatever I can dream up. So over the next couple of weeks you'll be seeing where those dreams take me.
The sizes range from several inches square to several feet square. There are some lists out there on the Internet making some suggestions about potential uses for samples, but most of them don't move beyond the basic tote bag and pillow ideas. So I'm going to see what I can come up with. Hold on to your hat!
The sizes range from several inches square to several feet square. There are some lists out there on the Internet making some suggestions about potential uses for samples, but most of them don't move beyond the basic tote bag and pillow ideas. So I'm going to see what I can come up with. Hold on to your hat!
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