Ripping Out Seams

I've Had Worse Evenings

2010-11-10T22:26:00.009-05:00

A little Good Earth.

A little Bela Fleck.

A little sewing.

P.S. sorry for the heinous photos. My camera isn't working right now so all I have is my iphone.

Time is my dushman

2009-09-08T13:23:00.006-04:00

I was checking blogger today and was completely shocked to discover that it has been a month since my last post.

I've been busy, and there's no end in sight. My job is really demanding a lot from me right now and I'm finding that everytime I turn around there's more to do in my apartment. I bought a power tool yesterday...that's how serious the situation has become!

BTW, I named it Mr. Tool. Pictures might pop up at a later date, I'm a fan.

I need to continue with the hiatus. In addition to all the rest, I'm way behind on sewing. I accepted a commision for a king size quilt that is due in October. I haven't even started yet.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

I'll see you soon.

Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder

2009-08-09T09:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry to disappear there folks, but I've had a couple of very exciting and very busy weeks. I started a new job, I may have found the perfect apartment (if I can just get the landlord to send me the lease) and I took a trip out to the far suburbs and got hopelessly sunburned. Suffice it to say, blogging was not a top priority! I've missed it though, and I'm brimming with things to share, so here I am, back and better than ever (except for the aforementioned skin issue).

Thanks to those of you who played along last post. The mysterious packet was, in fact, a grocery tote! Congrats to Sarah C. who was 100% correct! I love to use reusable bags, but so often I find myself stopping last minute after work, or forgetting my bags at home, etc. My roommate and I, despite the best of intentions have still accrued quite a collection of plastic bags. I'm trying to design a bag that can be easily folded up and placed in a purse, so its always available!

They're fun to make and I would imagine that they'd be great stash-busters. My mom was telling me how she has more florals left over from a Grandmother's Flower Garden project than she'll ever be able to use. Florals would be so cute in a project like this. Pair them up with plain canvas, and voila! Instant earth-friendly chic!

I still have quite a few kinks to work out and unfortunately not a lot of time to work with, but hopefully I'll have a pattern for these babies ready soon!

Can Anyone Guess What This Is?

2009-07-27T20:14:00.002-04:00

I have a new project in the works! Do you know what it is? I'll give you a hint...it's not a wallet.

Best Day Ever!!!

2009-07-24T15:50:00.003-04:00

I'm given to hyperbole, but lets just role with it...

First, I got a job!!!!

Second, I got a Kona Cotton color card!!!!

Third, I get to give away an amazing pattern!!!!

Speaking of which, the winner, by a random number generator, is Quilty Goodness! Congrats, and thanks everyone for playing.

Another One for the Shop

2009-07-22T16:12:00.003-04:00

If you are looking for the giveaway, you can sign up here until Friday at noon!

Months and months ago I got a package of precut squares on Ebay for a steal. I can't remember exactly how much they were, but it was definitely under $5 for 35 6.5" squares with shipping included. They have been sitting in my stash for a while, but I was inspired by the summer to whip them out again. I added some white linen that I had on hand and ended up with a simple zig-zag pattern. I think it goes really well with the Seventies feel of the fabrics.

I wanted to do something a bit different with the quilting. Normally I stipple my quilts, but I thought that the smaller size of a baby quilt was perfect for experimentation. I used a fairly dense straight line style that I thought would be a nice counterpoint to the zig-zag design. I absolutely love how it turned out! It looks great, but I think the best part is the texture. It feels so amazing.

Here's a view of the back. Don't you just love this fabric? Its on sale here, and I'm debating whether I want some of the other prints or not.

This one is destined for the shop. I love this one, and its a little hard for me to let it go, but I have a finite amount of storage space. My housemate already thinks I'm a huge packrat!

Mixtape Giveaway!!!

2009-07-21T14:08:00.005-04:00

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a winner in the Fresh Modern Quilts giveaway last week. It sometimes feels like I am the most unlucky person alive, because I NEVER win anything. For giveaway day, I entered so many drawings...dozens really...and I didn't win any of them! Needless to say, I was thrilled, THRILLED, to see that loosing trend change.

Elizabeth from Oh Fransson sent me a copy of her Mixtape pattern. I however, being the avid fan that I am, had already purchased the pattern when it first came out. I've been a bit slow getting it together, but I'm loving the way it's looking so far. I'm using mostly Surf and Sand fabric that I bought over winter break when I was shopping with my mother. I also threw in some coordinating fabrics from her stash that she was kind enough to give me.

So anyways, since I don't really need two copies of the pattern, I emailed Elizabeth for permission to do a giveaway and spread the love around. She said that was fine with her, and she also sent me a copy of her wristlet pattern! How nice is that!!

So, for your chance to win a copy of the amazing Mixtape pattern, comment here. Just to make it a bit more interesting, tell me what fabric you would use with the pattern. If you post about this on your blog, leave a second comment with the link for two chances to win!!! I'll leave the giveaway open until this Friday at noon EST. I'll pick a winner then and email the pdf on!

Two (or Twelve) Heads are Better than One

2009-07-17T13:56:00.002-04:00

Take a look at what my Live Piecefully group came up with! I'm beyond thrilled...its even better than I expected. I would never have come up with some of these blocks. It truly a unique and beautiful quilt.

It's a big one...about 80" square. I didn't have a big enough space in my apartment to take photos, so I had to go down to the park. People stared at me a little oddly, but I got the pictures taken :)

I had to order a bit more fabric for the backing, and when that comes in I can't wait to get it quilted. I've mostly been stippling smaller quilts lately, so this one's going to whip me back into shape!

Cue the Hallelujah Chorus

2009-07-15T17:25:00.000-04:00

Somewhere around hour 15 of working on this quilt, I came to a realization. Some quilters are Spiderweb people...some quilters are not. I fall in the latter category. Now don't get me wrong, I LIKE Spiderweb quilts. They use up scraps, they're unique, they're beautiful. Seriously, I give them two thumbs up. What I don't like, however, is putting them together. I don't like paper-piecing, I don't like the mess, and I definitely don't like spending an hour making a single block.

There were times that I didn't think it was ever going to be more than a bag of scraps and partially completed blocks. I went months without sewing a stitch on it. After beginning the project though, I was determined to complete it. Last week, after a few marathon days of sewing, I did it! It's done! I was originally going to make it bigger, but I decided 40" square was sufficient. I can't imagine making a twin or full size like some people that I've seen!

The front is made up primarily from scraps of Heather Bailey's Freshcut line. I threw in a few extra pinks for good measure too. I used white linen for the center kites. The back is a beautiful purple shot cotton that I pulled from my stash. It's almost too pretty to hide on a back! I might have to buy more of it and incorporate it into a quilt top someday.

This little beauty is going into my newly opened etsy shop. I hope it goes to a good home where it will be well loved!

Necessity is the Mother of Invention...

2009-07-15T00:33:00.003-04:00

While I'm hunting for my dream job (which is a rather slow and daunting prospect) I'm without a consistent paycheck. That, as I'm sure you can imagine, blows. Big time. I've decided to take advantage of the situation though, and launch myself into business. I am opening an Etsy storefront.

This has actually been something I've been thinking about for a while, but I just never got around to starting it. I mean, there are so many things to think about before you can get started. For example, I had a huge amount of trouble deciding what to name my shop. A friend suggested that I not use my blog name because, and I quote, "I don't think I'd want to shop somewhere called Ripping Out Seams. It's too violent." As much as I love her, I totally ignored her advice. I named my shop Ripping Out Seams. I figured most people could figure out that I'm not a homicidal psychopath.

So anyways, if you care to risk associating with a seam ripper wielding weirdo, swing by my shop. There's nothing in it right now, but I plan on changing that very, very soon...:)

New Tutorial!

2009-07-08T17:53:00.003-04:00

I've made two of these Prairie Braid Blocks for virtual quilting bees, so I thought a tutorial might be in order. This is my favorite way to use up scraps and its so easy and fun! You can find the tutorial here!

Last time, people had trouble downloading the file, so I used a different program this time. Please let me know if there are any further issues.

It's an Ill Wind That Blows No Good

2009-07-05T14:08:00.007-04:00

Much to my dismay, there's still no luck on the job front. I've been applying like crazy and networking, but the holiday really slowed things down. Hopefully things will pick back up again now that we're past Independence Day.

There are some upsides to not working though. I've had plenty of time to rediscover some of my favorite places in DC. Case in point, the fountain at the National Gallery Sculpture Garden (affectionately referred to as "my fountain").

I bring everybody who visits me there. It is absolutely my favorite place in Washington. I love to go with friends and chat or by myself and read. The people watching is fantastic too...and the duck watching. My friend Jessye and I named the ducks. There's Flirty Duck and Dapper Duck among others.

My sister and I took these pictures a year ago when we went one afternoon. I haven't bothered to take new ones, since I like these so much. It was such a gorgeous, sunny day.

It was hot though...hence the reason we went to the fountain. Dipping your feet in it is soooooo refreshing.

Wading too...

As long as you don't get caught...

To Err is Human, AKA June Quilting Bee Blocks (Part Two)

2009-06-20T11:20:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. With moving, settling, etc, I've been preoccupied. Things are starting to establish themselves into a routine though, so posting and crafting should be more regular (in shah allah). But first, a bit of catch up...

Rachael had the month of June for Another Quilting Bee Two and she sent out some great fabrics. I have been dying to get my hands on Paula Prass' Flights of Fancy for some time now...ever since I discovered that it is full of medieval and Gothic elements. If I ever design a fabric line, I want it to be like that; a seamless blend of old influences and contemporary flair.

But I digress...suffice it to say that I couldn't wait to get started. For the first one, I made a modified log cabin block. Rachael had also requested that we incorporate a piece of ricrac, and I thought that this block would lend itself well to it. I also had a lot of coordinating fabrics in my scrap bin that I could add in to make a really scrappy looking block. The block turned out really well in the end, I love the result.

The second block posed much more of a problem. Rachael had mentioned that the butterfly fabric was her favorite, so I wanted to do something special with it. She had also mentioned that she loved the pink woodgrain I sent out with for Live Piecefully, so I wanted to work that in somehow. The block in my head excited me a bit more than its actualization does, but I've been assured that its not that bad, so I'm not going to wine about it anymore. I do like the placement of the ricrac, and I thik the little butterfly in the center is pretty cute.

I'll be back moderately soon with my final June Blocks post!

Ode to Virtual Quilting Bees, AKA June Quilting Bee Blocks (Part One)

2009-06-13T08:50:00.001-04:00

June was my first month participating in three virtual quilting bees, and I found it so inspiring. Each block that I made presented a really interesting creative challenge. I had to present my creative vision through the filter of someone else's fabric choice and design limitations. Sometimes these limitations really push me out of my comfort zone and make me think a little differently. Some of my most creative work comes under limitations!

It was Mary's month at Live Piecefully Two and her fabrics really challenged me. I usually don't have too much trouble coming up with a design, but I mulled for a long time this month. Scraps of paper with half finished designs or scribbled out ideas were all over my room!

Finally though, I saw a picture of this quilt and knew that I had a winner. I decided to take advantage of the fact that many of the fabrics blended quite a bit, and use that quilt design to inspire my block.

This is what I came up with. Triangles aren't my forte, but I LOVE this block. It came out exactly as I envisioned it.

I used my leftover scraps to make this one. While the triangle block was meticulously planned, this one just grew organically. I wouldn't say its improv, but its improvizationally-inclined. I love it too. Eventually, this is going to grow into a quilt design.

I'll be back with "June Quilting Bee Blocks (Part 2)" early next week!

Presies!

2009-06-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

The craft fairy has been blessing me lately...

This adorable little creature's name is Mr. Man. My dear friend Sammy made him for me as a thank you gift. He's a rice bag; you stick him in the microwave for about 20 seconds, and voila! Instant heat pack, and it smells jasminish and amazing too. Only one thing about Mr. Man disturbs me: I have a pair of underwear that are made from EXACTLY the same fabric. I'm not sure what's wrong with that, but something is...

THEN, this little beauty came from my Spring Swap partner. Cat over at Made by Maisie really outdid herself. I love these little dolls. The workmanship is amazing, I am just in awe! Plus, she sent me an Australian quilting magazine all wrapped up with a little note. Could she get any sweeter? I'm afraid my swap item was quite inferior...hopefully Cat won't mind :(

You should all be very, very jealous. I am one lucky ducky.

"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"

2009-06-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know that Easter is long over, but Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabric won't quite let me move on. Have you ever seen anything that SCREAMS (in a good way) Spring more than these?

I decided that they would be perfect fabrics to use in Oh Fransson's Simple Modern Baby Quilt pattern. I started cutting and sewing and realized that I was humming "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" over and over to myself. I gave in to the inevitable and instead of using the included (and adorable) applique designs, I went off in search of a bunny that I could use. Lolly Chops had an cute one that I was able to modify and use.

The really unique aspect of the pattern is the instructions it includes for attaching a chenille or Minky backing. I was tempted to try the Minky (its so soft) but its stretchiness turned me off. I chose a really cute pink cotton chenille instead and I couldn't be happier. It is so fuzzy and has a great weight to it.

I'm planing to give it to my niece for her 1st birthday. She doesn't really need another quilt, but I'm rather lacking in babies at the moment. She is just going to have to deal with it :)

"Thank You for the Music"

2009-05-31T15:53:00.006-04:00

I'm one of those people that always has a song stuck in my head. As I'm typing this post, I'm singing "Thank You for the Music" to myself. Fitting, considering that I now have TONS of new recommendations to check out!

Some were old favorites. Believe me, Mary on Lake Pulaski...I've got the Boss covered! Bylulu...I LOVE country, and before my cable stopped airing GAC and CMT I listened to a lot of Zack Brown Band.

I've already found a few new favs: Sandyandcosmo, that White Stripes cover of Jolene is soooooo good. I love it! And Jeanne, just like you promised, Buckwheat Zydeco is pretty amazing. I envision playing a lot of their music while quilting! It will take me a while to check out all the suggestions, but that's a good thing! It will keep me busy for a while!

Anyways, thanks again, and on to the winners...

The winner of the first bundle (bag plus fabric) is A Joyful Chaos! She wrote:

Hi, I'm Maryann my favorite band right now is The Smith Band If you are more into bluegrass type thing you might want to check out the Downing Family
I have contact info on my blogger profile. Love the bag! Here's hoping I win.

I love bluegrass, I will have to check them out!

The second winner (just fabric is BKelly. She wrote:

I LOVE the fabric. The strip bag looks great to me.
the only newer music I have been listening to is Ocean the Legend. My cousin is in the band, they are pretty good.

CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!

A Different Kind of Giveaway

2009-05-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

If you're here for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway, you're not too late! You still have until 11:59 PM on Sunday the 31st the enter here!!

On another note, however, in the midst of all this staggering Giveaway Day generosity, I wanted to take a moment to highlight another type of giving. I'm sure many of you have already heard about the Mountain Baby Blankets Project that provides donated blankets and quilts to babies and children living in extreme poverty in Appalachia.

I wanted to join in. Monday morning, this quilt will be in the mail on its way to someone who needs it much more than I do. I loved making it but I love knowing that it will be useful and treasured even more.

I should donate more quilts. There are only so many that I need, and it always seems wasteful to me to have so many sitting around in boxes and drawers. I know that there are several domestic violence shelters in my area. In a time of such fear and stress, a quilt could make a big difference to a child whose entire life has been thrown into upheaval. Maybe next time...

I've also discovered that my photography isn't as wretched as I thought. It finally stopped raining here, so I packed up my quilt and headed over to the gardens to take pictures. Lush grass and stunning flowers apparently serve as a better background than industrial carpet. Beautiful surroundings make for beautiful pictures...huh! Who would have imagined that?

May Giveaway Day

2009-05-27T05:02:00.000-04:00

I just couldn't resist joining in the fun...

Here's what you get:

A prototype of my Strip Tease Bag. Disclaimer...its not perfect, I had to work out a few kinks, but I still think its really cute.
A half yard of this Alexander Henry semi-naked man fabric.

A second winner will receive a half yard of the Alexander Henry fabric as well.

Here's what you have to do:

Leave one and only one comment by MAY 31. Leaving two messes up the way I plan to generate the random winner.
Include in your comment the name of a musician or band that you would recommend. I'm on the prowl for new music and this seemed like a great opportunity to pick people's brains!
Make sure I have a way to contact you.
Finally, you have to live in the US. Sorry international friends, but this will be heavy enough that I really don't want to ship internationally.

Here's my sample entry...

Hi, I'm Kat. I would recommend The Derek Trucks Band. They're an amazing band with a fusion of styles including rock, blues, and Indian music. I have a blogger profile with contact info listed, so you can find me there!

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for the recommendations!

Etta Says it Best

2009-05-25T21:33:00.006-04:00

AT LAST!

This tutorial for the Strip Tease Bag has been in the works for so long. It is a relief to finally get it finished and published!

This is definitely my favorite bag to date. I used a round bottom of vinyl which not only looks cute, but is durable and water resistant. The new handle style is also a big plus. They are much stronger than my other designs.

Durable and darn cute...a pretty good combination in my opinion! Get the tutorial pdf here, and let me know what you think!

EDITED TO ADD: I have been told that some people are having trouble opening the file. It works for me, so I'm not really sure why that is happening. I'll try to figure it out, but in the meantime, if you can't open the download, email me at smithie09@gmail.com and I will send you the file.

Pinch Me...

2009-05-24T08:55:00.000-04:00

...because I can't quite believe it's real.

First I got this...

Then I got this...

Sometimes, I really love my life.

BTW, despite my crappy and sporadic posting lately, this is post #50. Yay me!

WIP-ing Myself into Shape

2009-05-15T19:58:00.000-04:00

I have a LOT of WIPs that I need to finish right now. I'm not an official member of Jacqui's "Spring to Finish" but its probably a good idea for me to work on a few of them!

First, my item for the 6 O'Clock Stitch's spring 8 by 10 swap. This is priority numero uno...I was already supposed to have sent it off to its new home. Oops...mea culpa.
Second item on the list is my Strip Tease Bag tutorial. I started a long time ago, but I just haven't had time to work on it recently.
I started making Oh Fransson's Simple Modern Baby Quilt using Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabrics, and finished the top, but the applique has been waiting for attention since March! I wanted to use a bunny instead of one of the designs she provided, so I've been trying to sketch one up. So far, no luck with that.
Fixing my Belle quilt. The boarders are all crappy. I have NO motivation to do this.
I knew this was going to be a long term project when I started it, but the rate I've been working on my spiderweb quilt is pretty ridiculous. So far I have made ONE complete block. That's it! I should start trying to make a few more so I can get rid of these dang scraps!

I so want to start new projects, but I can't allow it! I think its fair to start one new thing if I finish three off the list. That's more than half.

Ok...good plan.

May Quilting Bee Blocks

2009-05-11T19:55:00.004-04:00

May was Mary's block for Another Quilting Bee 2. She sent out a bunch of prints from Moda's Bistro line. I've been using a lot of under-saturated fabrics lately, so the richness of these prints was a pleasant departure from my norm.

Luckily, I've been spending a lot of time in coffee shops studying for finals and writing papers, so I came up with a design pretty quickly. I started by making modified crazy nine patch blocks. I only used five fabrics instead of the normal nine (due to fabric constraints) and I didn't bother to match up my corners. I thought the more haphazard style looked like coffee shop decor, and I liked that it looked more like a mosaic rather than a quilt block. I then sashed four of the blocks in a cream solid and put a big border around the entire thing. I LOVE it!

I had one crazy nine patch and quite a bit of excess fabric left over, so I started making a simple second block. I didn't have quite enough to finish, so hopefully Mary has a bit left over so she can complete it. I'm a fan of this one too.

I hope these will work for you Mary! I had fun making them.

Fabric Friday

2009-05-08T08:08:00.000-04:00

I've missed doing these fabric posts! I always looked forward to spending a little time on Thursday evenings scouring the web for my latest heart's desire! Speaking of which...I saw this collection the other day and just about lost my mind. When it comes out, I HAVE to have it.

It's call Eva by Basic Grey, and its due out sometime in September. Interestingly enough, it was originally a line of scrapbooking paper.

P.S. I handed in all my finals and papers yesterday. I am officially DONE with college (a day early too I might add).

Virtual Quilting Bee Update

2009-05-05T10:04:00.002-04:00

WOW. I cannot believe the response that I got for Live Piecefully! There is definately a market for virtual quilting bees out there!
Right now, the initial group is full. I'm not opposed to having Live Piecefully 2, however, if there is enough interest. Follow the sign up rules in the proceeding post if you're interested, and I'll let you know if that group gets underway as well!

Live Piecefully Quilting Bee

2009-05-03T22:32:00.004-04:00

I seem to be remarkably unlucky when it comes to signing up for quilting bees. I ALWAYS miss the cut off, or its already full by the time I find out about them...you get the picture. The solution, I have decided, is to start my own.

Anyone interested? 12 people, a block a month...you know the drill. I would imagine that this would be a suitable group for all skill levels, and I'm hoping for a lot of diversity. It will make the group even more inspiring and interesting!

Comment here or email me at smithie09@gmail.com if you want to join or just are interested in more info. Or check out my spectacularly underdeveloped flicker site.

***UPDATE***

I've had a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts of this bee. Sorry about the confusion folks! I'll try to lay it out a bit more clearly.

Live Piecefully is a twelve member group (one for each month of the year). Each member will be assigned a month to have his or her quilt worked on by the group at large. Lets say I assign myself June. I will decide on my fabrics and some general guidelines and mail out packets to the other eleven members of the group by the fifth of the month (in this hypothetical case, June). Each packet should have enough fabric to make at least one block, and any guidelines that I have. Each of the other members will them make me a 12.5 " square block from the fabrics that I picked out, and mail it back to me by the fifth of the following month (in this case July). I will then sew all the blocks together (and add some more of my own if necessary) and display my finished project with pride!

We will keep in touch via flickr (the group page is here). Its a good place to have discussion threads, and post pictures of the completed blocks so everyone in the group can enjoy them!

The best way to get an idea of what virtual quilting bees are like is to go look at some of the sites. I'm involved in this one, but you can also find links to a bunch of them here!

I hope this clarifies things a bit. If you are still interested in joining, please email me at smithie09@gmail.com with your name, mailing address, blog (if you have one) and month that you would prefer to be assigned (give me a couple options sil vous plait). If I have more than 12 interested people, will work it out, but for now lets stick with this method...

A Picture's Worth 1000 Words...

2009-04-26T22:49:00.003-04:00

And I've got three of 'em! In the early fifteenth century, The Master of the Rohan Hours summarized the logic of Cur Deus Homo in three miniatures...or at least that's what my term paper attempts to prove.

With the end of the academic year approaching, I've been crazy busy with papers and presentations and exams. I haven't really had time to craft. I miss it and I miss blogging! In the absence of new crafty stuff, I thought I'd share this instead. It inspires me and makes me want to create beautiful things. I'm now brimming with ideas to try as soon as I graduate!

What inspires you? Tell me or send me links!

I Lie Like a Rug

2009-04-19T11:15:00.004-04:00

I know I said I wasn't going to be crafting much until I finished all my massive amounts of work, but I got inspired in religion class again! What's a gal to do?

Behold the Strip Tease Bag. I'm in love...I need to make another one! I have lots of scraps that are begging to but to good use. A tutorial is in the works, I just have a few kinks to work out!

The S**t Hath Hitteth the Fan

2009-04-13T17:10:00.005-04:00

Ten points to anyone who knows what movie that quote is from!

As every poor collegiate sap knows, this, my dears, is crunch time. This is the time of year when yet to be started term papers are due. This is the time of year when exams over unread material take place. This is the time of year better known as H-E-double hockey sticks.

Consequently, I will won't be posting as regularly for the rest of the month. I'll pop up here and there, but sewing time is going to be short and infrequent. Plus, I have secret projects for swaps in the works, with means most of what I do sew is going to be un-postable.

I know this is very sad, but to cheer you up, how about a glimpse of what I've been doing with my Freshcut Fabrics?

A giant log cabin! I started off following a pattern, but the dang thing had lots of errors in it. Combine that with my own mistakes, and the end result is quite a departure. I'm fairly happy with it though. It think it will be really cute when its all quilted and I can scallop the end boarders.

P.S. I know this is badly in need of ironing, but the ironing board in my dorm is really rickety and it keeps trying to collapse on me. I decided to defer until a later date.

Fabric Friday

2009-04-10T00:19:00.000-04:00

This week on the Sew Mama Sew blog, fabric aficionado Alicia Paulson was was invited to create a fat quarter bundle for the shop. She chose twelve different prints from various lines that reminded her of the view from out of her window. This seemed like way too much fun to pass up, so I decided to give it a shot myself.

Here's what I came up with.

I found it very challenging to do this online. I'm not sure how these will coordinate with each other. Generally when I order online I buy things that I've already seen in person or that are part of a line. That way I know they coordinate. Shopping like this is a bit scary...I really need to see the fabrics in person to make sure they work! I'm optimistic though. What do you think?

(Click on the individual photos for more info)

We Have a Winner!!!

2009-04-07T00:12:00.002-04:00

I could blather on, but with free fabric on the line, who wants to listen to me talk? Without further ado, via random number generator, the winner of the four fat quarter pack is Mary with this comment:

I think I could spend a small fortune on toys for my puppy. They all look like so much fun. At least, if I were a dog, I think they would be fun. He seems to enjoy them when I give him a new one. I just gave him a new toy from the stash and he looks happy as a clam!

Congratulations Mary!!!

But wait, there's more. I had so much fun reading all the comments, and I was so thrilled that people were willing to share little snippets of their lives with me, that I was inspired to have another winner. I was planning on picking out the comment that I found particularly touching/amusing/etc, and sending that lovey person two Freshcut fat quarters. I felt really bad though trying to pick a winner. I love the Chuck Norris stories and all the woes associated with stolen wallets. I've also been through doula training, so I'm a sucker for pregnancy/birthing/baby stories. And then there are drunken nicknames stories...those are pretty fabulous to. And the all the daily life stuff, and who can forget the bunnies...YOU GET THE PICTURE. I just couldn't decide. SO this mini winner was randomly generated as well.

And winner number 2 is Sarah:

Oooh - I'm here from SMS as well - and I love your title "Ripping Out Seams" - my boyfriend thinks my creative process (which takes over our apartment) is hilarious as it tends to include more taking things apart than putting them together sometimes. Also, I totally appreciate these giveaways on April 1st - I tend to hate this "holiday" as I think some spite left over from elementary school makes me think it can generally just be quite mean! The fabric is wonderfully spring-y!

Yay Sarah! I hope this improves your April 1st aversion :)

I'll be back later this week with a look at what I've been making out of this Freshcut fabric.

Another Quilting Bee 2...For Chen

2009-04-04T10:56:00.001-04:00

April is Chen's month for AQB2 and she sent around lovely packages of Tanya Whelan's Barefoot Roses line. This is normally something that I would never think to buy. I'm not a terribly flowery girl, but I make an exception for these. They were beautiful and so much fun to work with. That's one of the best things about virtual quilting bees...they broaden your perspectives and make you think outside your norm.

I thought about these blocks for quite a while before actually starting. The fabrics are soft and feminine and pretty traditional, so I wanted to chose blocks that really complemented that. I eventually got the idea of a prairie braid stuck in my head, and I couldn't get it out. I thought it was perfect, traditional and feminine, but a little bit cockeyed, a little bit twisted.

This is the first one that I made. I knew that I wanted to feature the prairie braid in both blocks, but I wanted them both to have a very different feel. Chen had mentioned Shabby Chic as an inspiration, so I tried to mimic the flair of that. In this one, I was going for more of a repurposed vintage feel. I wanted a bit of whimsy and a bit of practicality and I wanted it to be something you couldn't quite categorize. I didn't want it to be traditional or modern, but rather something in between. I added brighter colors into the braid, to make it pop, but kept the borders pretty muted. I'm not entirely sure if I got that feeling across, but I love the way it looks.

The second one is traditional all the way. I cut really little strips of all the remaining fabrics and incorporated a few things from my stash for a more scrappy look. I then separated them with really thin white strips and left it at that. I think this block is so lovely, and it came out exactly as I envisioned it. Plus, I think it will blend perfectly with the other blocks that have been made so far.

I hope you like them Chen!

Fabric Friday

2009-04-03T08:54:00.007-04:00

Wow, thanks for all the blog comments and entries into my little giveaway. I've enjoyed reading the comments...keep them coming here!

I've been feeling less of a compulsion to buy fabric lately, so I think my strategy is working!!! Success!!!! I have discovered that it is vastly satisfying to use fabric from my stash. I've been working on my April blocks for AQB2, and just adding a few various scraps of fabric from my stash was exciting. It forced me to look at combinations I would have normally never considered, with great results (at least in my opinion). I learned, I grew, I made a mess of my room...there is currently fabric EVERYWHERE.

That being said, less of a compulsion to buy fabric certainly doesn't mean no compulsion to buy fabric. These beauties would tempt a saint. Seriously, Heather Ross is so unfair...her Far and Away collection is too cute for words. The only thing that keeps me from buying it is that its printed on cotton double gauze at a whopping $17 a yard. That is not a student friendly price. Boo...:( These are a few of my favs from the collection...

I've been very pleasantly surprised by all the peacocks popping up. Keri Beyer has her lovely collection, and I just discovered his little cutie today.

Its part of the Monaco fabric collection by Dena Designs for Free Spirit, and I think its my favorite peacock fabric so far! It reminds me of French manuscript marginalia...in a very good way. Interestingly, in manuscript iconography, the peacock is regarded as a symbol of new life and the resurrection. It is used metaphorically in the same way as the phoenix. I expect peacocks will feature prominently in my swap project that the 6 o'clock stitch is hosting. It's not too late to sign up!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2009-04-01T00:29:00.003-04:00

I absolutely swear this is not an April Fools Day prank. That would be far too cruel. One of my rules to live by: never come between a quilter and his/her free fabric. I have no desire to find myself on the blogging blacklist...

I was actually going to wait until my 50th post to do a giveaway, but I changed my mind and decided to do it now. Who the heck wants to be conventional? Certainly not me. So, to celebrate the most worthy month of April, I am giving away some Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics. One lucky grand prize winner will receive all four of the fat quarters show below. I have been working with these fabrics for a while now, and they are absolutely perfect for spring. They make me think of Easter. In fact, every time I sew with them I start humming the Peter Cottontail song. Without fail.

So here's how this is going to go. Leave me a comment about something. I don't care what, but try to make it semi-interesting...I'm going to read these after all! Make sure you include some way for me to get in contact with you. Additionally, if you blog about this on your site, add a link to the post and I'll give you an extra entry. I'll leave the entries open until 11:59 pm Eastern time on Monday April 6th. I'll randomly pick and announce the winners on April 7th (seven is my lucky number, so I thought that would be an auspicious day). So have at it!

Finally, in the spirit of April, I'll leave you with this...

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),

Women's History Month--Take Three

2009-03-29T21:17:00.006-04:00

Well, the month of March is almost over, and I have to admit failure. I just did not have the energy to do research and really put together any decent essays on quilt history. I've grown very sick of the library, and not even for my blog could I drag myself there for any lengthy period of time. I did, however, do some internet browsing and a little extra reading on various topics, so the entire exercise wasn't a complete wash. Plus, I've decided to extend (or rather, remove) the end date. Sometime, when you least expect it, I'll finish up an essay on something fabulously interesting. Just wait.

In the meantime, however, here's a cute little thing that my mother called my attention to. The Schaefer Yarn Company in Interlaken, New York has a series of color concepts for memorable women. Its kinda like roses...different colors and patterns that the company creates are named in honor of special women in history. There are a lot of lovely yarns on their website that you can browse through, but here were a few of my favorites.

SOPHIA SMITH
(Fabulous woman who endowed Smith College, one of the Seven Sisters)

INDIRA GANDHI
(Prime Minister of India from 1966 until her assasination in 1977)
CATHERINE THE GREAT
(Emperess of Russia from 1762-1796)

Someone stole the iron that was in the laundry room, so no sewing until I either buy one or hunt one down. The universe is conspiring against me...I really meant to get some things finished up this weekend!!

Fabric Friday

2009-03-26T21:26:00.007-04:00

Well boo! This was a cruddy week for posting. I have lots of things in progress right now, but nothing in a really postable state. I'll have a big update sometime this weekend hopefully.

In the meantime, however, its Fabric Friday!!! This week, I decided to indulge my inner love of fabric bundles. I love half-yard sets, they are my ultimate weakness. They're all so pretty and full of possibility...

Like this beauty. The Mendocino line by Heather Ross is one that I always am tempted to indulge in. The lovely pastels are contrasted by richer browns and gold and highlighted by splashes of orange and fuchsia. The movement in the fabric is fantastic, and from what I've seen online, it makes amazing quilts!

This Michael Miller set is a favorite too. The prints are cute, and the colors are genius. The chocolate brown keeps the palate from looking too nauseatingly Easter eggish. It adds a richness and depth to it.
And I saved my favorite for last! This Paula Prass Flights of Fancy bundle looks slightly medieval to me, which is probably why I like it soooo much. The modified quatrafoils at the bottom are definitely gothic, and the knot/chain motif on top is very Anglo-Saxon. I can even image seing something similar to the second fabric in the marginalia of a manuscript. The colors make it modern...its a cool contrast between old and new.

If It Rains, It Pours

2009-03-23T18:52:00.003-04:00

I seem to have caught swap fever. It started with two fat quarter swaps a month or so ago. Then, I signed up for a virtual quilting bee (kinda swapish), a "Seams To Me" themed swap at Itching 2 B Stitching and now another one with my new blogosphere friend, the 6 o'clock stitch.

I'm super excited for this. Check out the link above for full rules and sign up information, but basically all you need to do is create an 8 by 10 piece of art using any medium to swap with someone else. ANY MEDIUM, so Maggs, feel free to jump in...doesn't have to be textiles! Personally, I love doing little projects like this. I think its nice to take a break from quilts, and think small. Just focusing on a one block, one square, without worrying about how its going to fit in to a larger project, can be really liberating.

I hope you all join us!

Lets Not Quibble Over Definations

2009-03-22T16:35:00.001-04:00

I've been making a lot of bags lately. Some might say I'm on a roll. Others might respond that I'm in a rut. Maybe, I'm rolling in a rut...or rutting in a roll. Oh crud, I just said rutting...rapidly retreating here...

Okay, the point is, I'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF BAGS LATELY.

This first one is for my mother. Its another variation on my Be Prepared Bag. I added the zig-zag pattern, and made it a bit smaller than usual. I'm pretty happy with it. There are certainly imperfections in the construction (it was my first attempt at zig-zags) but I hope to make another at some point. The fabric all came from my stash which was exciting as well. The blue with brown floral was a swap acquisition and the brown dot and blue swirl came from my scrap bag. I'm very cautious about letting my scraps get out of control (so messy), so I was very excited to find a perfect project to use some up!

This second one is a new pattern I'm working on. My friend Jessye wanted a tote after I showed her all the ones I've been making lately. She wanted hers to be longer than it was tall, however. I told her that could be arranged. As I was making this, it occured to me that its a more "grown up" bag design. I normally make my bags codex style because I intend to use them to carry books. This one's wider design is more suited to life beyond college (again as always, praise the lord above). Its a good size for a pair of high heels, a sack lunch, and a few other odds and ends. It makes me think of being in a city on the metro during the morning commute. In light of that, I wanted to name it The Working Girl's Bag, but then I thought some people might take that the wrong way. Therefore, in tribute to Dolly Parton in all her spangled, lipsticked and hairsprayed glory, I'm christening this The Nine to Five Bag. Bear it in good health Jess.

P.S. I have some more tweaking to do on this design (actually a lot) but sometime in the future, there may be another pattern. Pacify my inner control freak and all that jazz...you know...

Fabric Friday

2009-03-20T00:07:00.000-04:00

You know what would be cool? If I had infinite amounts of money and could buy whatever fabric I wanted...

Like this lovely by Patty Young from her Andalucia line. I've been thinking that I need more tone on tone fabrics in my stash that can be more multi-purpose. This would be a good choice. Its utterly usable and still oh so interesting. There's a little flair of exoticism and the color is to die for.

Here's another tone on tone-ish fabric that would be a must buy (if I was buying fabric that is). I love love love this. It reminds me of those weird little fungi that grow on the side of fallen trees...you know what I'm talking about (see picture below). They're kinda gross looking, but they're so tactile. You HAVE to touch them. This is the same way. Highly tactile and highly engaging. I'm having a VERY hard time not buying this one!!!

Weird tree fungi...see the resemblance???

My final pick isn't even close to a versatile tone on tone. This Keri Beyer print is flamboyant and apologetically flashy...just like the peacock it emulates. I'm not sure I'd use this in a quilt though. Imagine trying to sleep with all those eyes watching you. CREEPY!!!! This would make an amazing accent pillow or something though. OOOHHH...an apron!!!! There's an idea!

As always, click on pictures for original context, and to buy!!! I was going to be dog in the manger-ish and not let anyone else buy my fungi fabric, but then I thought better of it. Quick!!!! Snatch it up before my resolve weakens and I buy it!!!!

Women's History Month--Take Two

2009-03-18T17:32:00.002-04:00

I know, I know...I promised a textile history post. I'll get to it...I promise...but its coming a bit slower than I expected. In the meantime, I thought that a post here and there honoring the efforts of different people to maintain and celebrate the interaction between women's history and textiles was in order. I'm starting off with Judy Chicago.

This last weekend, during my mini-vacation in New York City, I decided that I needed to put my money where my mouth is and do something special for Women's History Month. Instead of my planned visit to The Cloisters (I'm a medieval historian...the cloisters are like Mecca) I trecked all the way down to the Brooklyn Art Museum to see a work there that I have long admired.

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago is an iconic piece of feminist art. The work recognizes (invites to the table) women who have been overlooked, misinterpreted, or undervalued by popular history. 39 women (both mythical and historical) are represented at the table, and the names of 999 others on the floor (names can be found here). It is impossible to understand how powerful this piece is, without seeing it in person. Before going, I had studied the pictures, I had read reviews and explainations, and I thought I understood. I didn't though, and you can't until you're there.

As I walked around the table, reading the names, I felt an odd sort of interaction with it. I felt like I was a server, or maybe an intern who had helped to set the whole thing up...both part of the dinner and yet still seperate. I experienced a little thrill of excitement and pride every time I recognized the name of a woman that I admired who had been given a place of honor. I felt both curiosity and shame everytime I encountered a name that I didn't know. So special a woman, and I didn't know her? That wasn't right! I could have stayed there for hours, starstruck.

Now, I'm sure many of you are thinking to yourself, "this is all well and good, but what the heck does this have to do with textiles." Well now, I'm glad you asked, because this is what makes The Dinner Party so absolutely amazing (at least in my opinion). As a large scale installation, there is no single medium or technique used. Instead, the work is comprised of many materials and methods. Many of the methods used, however, are what are regarded as traditionally feminine arts.

The entrance banners (one of which you see here) are woven.

Each place setting contains a painted china plate and a runner, personalized to fit each woman and her period. The embroidery used in Hildegarde of Bingen's runner, for example, was common in ecclesiastical garments of the medieval period.

Susan B. Anthony's runner contains elements of friendship or memory quilts that were popular at the end of the nineteenth century. Emboidered in the white rays are names of other prominant sufferagists.

The website (which I linked to about a kagillion times) is fabulous. I really encourage you to take a look and enjoy both the beautiful art contained in these textiles and the rich history that they honor. Judy Chicago understood and honored that fact the women's history and textiles are intertwined. Much can be expressed through them, both in the past and still today.

BN: All images are from the Brooklyn Museum webpage. The original context is accessable by clicking the image.

In Case It Hasn't Yet Been Made Abundantly Clear...

2009-03-16T13:30:00.000-04:00

I am a complete and utter control freak. COMPLETE.AND.UTTER.

Case in point, I love making patterns. Actually, I don't just love it, I luuuuuurrrrrrve it. Writing instructions, breaking things down into manageable steps, telling other people what to do and having them actually listen...its a dream come true!!! I wish I would have discovered the wonders of writing patterns earlier.

So anyways, here's another one. Humor me...I'm attempting to control the world one pencil case at a time.

Mwahaha.

Fabric Friday

2009-03-13T01:04:00.000-04:00

I was really touched by Jacqui's blog entry on Wednesday, where she thanked a few of the lovely people who have been helping her with Project Improv. Both Kathy at Pink Chalk Studios and Jane at Jane's Fabrics really went above and beyond the call of duty. Quilters really are a special bunch. Jacqui suggested that we consider buying fabric from these two special ladies to thank them for their contribution. I think this is a fabulous idea, but unfortunately, because of the freeze, I trying not to do that. I do want to make my support known, so instead, for this Fabric Friday, I'm doing all my window shopping at these two stores.

My friend Anna actually picked this lovely print out. We were browsing around trying to find more sexy fireman fabric (she wants boxers and a bag) when we stumbled on this one. She absolutely loved it, and as I started to look at it closer, I did too. Its not something I would normally pick, but I think it has a lot of potential. I love how the busy background makes everything blend together. Its only when you really focus on it, that you see all the details. My theory is that if you can't stop looking at it, its got potential. No one wants pretty and forgettable. A little weird and memorable is a far better combination.

My second pick for the week is another funky stripe. Can you ever have too many of these? I don't think so...they're so versatile! This one is from Sue Zipkin's Samba line. I love the way she included triangles and polka dots. Its really cute and fun!

For a while now, I've been wondering if there is something missing from my essential make up. Here it is, the dark truth...idon'tgetthewholefussaboutjapaneseimports...don't judge me! I mean, they're so expensive! I would only get half as much fabric for the same price! I would rather just indulge in Free Spirit amazingness. BUT THEN, I saw this little cutie patutie, and I started to understand why everyone seems to be so gaga. I love those pigs! Look at the spider web on the top one's butt!

Ummm...I just realized as I was looking at these all together, that I have a color scheme going on here. Do you think I have enough blue and purple?

Score!

2009-03-10T15:59:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I have yet to post a follow-up to all the swaps that I participated in last month. Gawd, that was dumb. Sorry swap buddies...you ladies rock.

My swap partner for Darci's swap was Tiny House and man oh man did she hook me up! In addition to these two gorgeous fat quarters, she sent me an adorable pin cushion and pouch! Both are already in use. Plus, the whole package smelled AMAZING.

I also participated in the Sew Mama Sew swap. My first partner, Kate, sent me this awesome package. I love how bright the two fat quarters are. I'm been buying a lot of really low intensity fabrics lately, so these were a nice change. I'm using them in my pencil pouch pattern that I'm working on. They're perfect for it! Kate also included these amazing vintage postcards. I put them in my cubicle at work to jazz it up a bit, and they look so cute there! I just love them.

Sadly, I don't have blog contacts for my other buddies. This beauty is from Kaitlyn. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. I'll try to doodle something up next time I have religion class..:)

These are from Kathy. Again, I was happy to get so many bright prints, since that's a big gaping hole in my stash. I think I'm going to save this for a bit. As soon as I graduate, I'm going to rescue a cat...I've been missing furry companionship lately. This fabric would be perfect for making some pet accessories!

And last, but not least, these are from Katherine. What's really cool about these two fabrics, is that they coordinate amazingly well with my scraps. I don't know how that happened, but it must have been preordained or something. I already cut up the blue to make a new version of my "Be Prepared" bag. My mother was lamenting that she didn't have time to make one, so I thought I'd do it for her. So Ma, you're getting blue and brown with neutral canvas...I hope you like it when its done!

So, thank you, thank you, thank you swap buddies!!! You really went above and beyond the call. My first swap was such a positive one!

Middle School Doodling All Grown Up

2009-03-08T09:45:00.001-04:00

I think it was in middle school when paying attention in class all-of-a-sudden became uncool.

Who the heck needs to understand the basics of English grammar...drawing your initials in a heart with those of your latest crush is clearly more important! Jeez...everyone knows that.

One would think that by college, people would be over it though. But people would think wrong. My doodles in first-year statistics were a wonder to behold. Now, however, four years later as a SENIOR (praise the lord) my doodles have evolved. When I sit in my horrendously boring Introduction to Christianity class (which I am being forced to take and am very unhappy about) I make stuff like this...this is doodling all grown up.

I wanted to make something with the scraps from my Alexander Henry "Ready for Action" fabric, but I really had hardly any left. So between answering questions and participating fully in class discussion of course, I designed this little pencil pouch. I sat down and sewed it in just over an hour later in the day. It's cylinder-shaped and is the perfect size to showcase Lars (one of the hunky firemen from the fabric). Construction was a bit tricky, but I think it came out quite well.

Here's a picture of Lars, just because. Isn't he handsome?

Sadly, this is my last sewing project for a while. This week is midterm, and I am swamped. The sewing machine has been put away until after I'm done. Then its Spring Break though, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! I'm going to New York for the weekend, and then heading back to school for the duration. I'll sew and watch lots of movies and eat Chinese takeout. Maybe I'll get this little nugas written up in another tutorial. If I get too bored, I have a friend who lives nearby that I can visit. It should be fun...

Tina Givens is the Shit (aka Fabric Friday)

2009-03-06T03:12:00.000-05:00

I have officially been bitten by the Tina Givens bug. Seriously, how can one human being hold so much fabulousness? There must be a max volume that one person can contain, and this lady has to be close to it. My fabric picks for this week are exclusively from her collections.

Now, before I get started, I have a tiny, itsy-bitsy, little confession to make. I might have accidentally broken my fabric buying freeze and purchased some of the Treetop Fancy collection. Its totally not my fault though! I heard that the sunset veranda print in the rasberry colorwave was on back order, and I had a panic attack. All of a sudden I was terrified that I would never own the line, and pictures of all the beautiful projects that I could make flashed before my eyes. I couldn't just let the opportunity pass me by!! This was a sign!! I bought a six pack of half yard cuts to calm myself down. It was totally a health issue. Besides, a six pack of fabric is better than a six pack of beer, right? Me=justified. The following things, however, are what I am NOT allowed to buy. Unless I have another health crisis that is.

Yes, those are chadeliers, and yes, I completely love them. It's whimsical and cutsie and romantic without making me want to vomit. This is from the quickly disapearing ZaZu line. Click the picture for a link to a store that still has some, or search around the internet. Its luckily still around.
This next fabric also qualifies for the cutsie sans nauseau title. Actually, that's a theme of Tina Givens'...it applies to about everything. That's a compliment...in case it wasn't clear. Anyways, this fabric is from the Cloe's Imagination line, which aparantly was inspired by the garden at Tina's childhood in Africa! This doesn't look particuarly African to me, but whatever...its gorgeous!

This last fabric swatch is from the much adored Treetop Fancy line. I love the window pane motif in it. Again...whimsical. Who can't remember a time when he/she was stuck inside studying for a spelling test, or something equally as attrocious, and was reduced to whistfully staring out the window, longing to go out and play? I'm sure that we've all been there, and this fabric totally goes there too. Its just WAY too cool for school. Plus, it fits in beautifully with my six pack...

Tutorial is Here!!!

2009-03-04T23:18:00.002-05:00

I am so pleased and so excited to share my first original, start-to-finish project with you. The pattern can be found here. Please let me know if there are any problems downloading the pattern, or any confusion with the directions. Once you have finished creating your bag, please consider leaving a comment with a link to a picture. I would love to see what results!

I Betcha Didn't Know...

2009-03-02T20:13:00.003-05:00

...that in 1987, Congress declared March "Women's History Month." Being both a proud feminist and a rather historically-minded individual, there is no way in heck I'm passing this up. BUT, since this is technically a craft blog, I'm restricting myself to textiles. That's more than okay though...textile history is really under-acknowledged and there is a ton of cool stuff to talk about! I'm going to try to put together a few posts during the month of March about textiles and their place/impact on women's history. I'm hoping to get to quilts as activism for sure, but we'll see where the spirit moves me.

WHY-TEXTILES-ARE-IMPORTANT-TO-WOMEN'S-HISTORY-AND-WHY-THE-DISCIPLINE NEEDS-TO-GET-ITS-REAR-IN-GEAR-1O1.

Textiles are a hugely important part of women's history, first and foremost because of their ubiquity in daily life. Take the Middle Ages for example. Women spent something like 75% of their time in textile production (I can't remember the exact percentage, but its close to that). They raised the sheep, they sheered them, washed the wool, carded the wool, spun the wool, wove the cloth, cut the cloth, sewed the garments and then washed and mended them.

American women, hundreds of years later, were as equally occupied with textiles. Young girls began sewing as early as two or three and continued until they were too old to hold a needle. Women sewed for basic necessity (covering and warmth), they sewed for beauty, they sewed for friendship, they sewed for charity, they sewed for memory, and they sewed for activism.

Much of the history of women is in textiles. While written history is often elitist, textiles have less of that bias. Until recently (and only in certain parts of the world) only a few women wrote while virtually every woman sewed. Stories are often told in textiles that cannot be found anywhere else.

Unfortunately, much of that unique and irreplacable history is already gone. Textiles don't survive well in the archaeological record. After a couple hundred years, its usually game over. There are exceptions of course, but its heartbreaking to think of what was lost. We didn't just lose a smock or a weaving, we lost the history of Ethelfrith and Brunhilde. We didn't just lose a slave quilt, we lost Mary and Tessie. This makes the few textiles that remain all the more precious.

Just as frustrating, however, is the fact that textiles have yet to be recognized for their full scholarly potential. Quilt history, for example, only really emerged after the 1970s, and to this day, the body of scholarship is relatively small. Its getting better, but we still have a long way to go. Quilt history furthermore remains as a specialized branch of historical studies, largely segregated from more mainstream scholarship. If you can show me a general history book of the Civil War that cites a quilt as a source, I'll eat my hat.

A huge portion of women's history is being eaten by moths. A huge portion of women's history is placed out of the mainstream in a specialized branch of scholarship that the general public is largely ignorant of. A huge portion of women's history is disregarded, not through malice, but through ignorance. As crafters and lovers of this legacy, we are the people in the best postition to stop this trend and preserve the histories contained in textiles. Research the heirloom quilt you keep secreted away and share the info via the web. Ask your grandmother about the embroidered sampler she keeps tucked away in her ceder chest. You don't need a phd to do this, you just need to care. Textiles are important. Women's history is important. Please, please, please, lets do something about this.

*****
General Women's History Day Sources:
Library of Congress
The History Channel
National Women's History Project

Reader-Friendly Quilt and Textile History Sources (more to come with each specific topic):
Hearts and Hands: Women, Quilts and the American Society
America's Quilting History

In the Pursuit of Tote Bag Nirvana

2009-03-01T09:12:00.008-05:00

Due in large part to the ever-increasing tedium of winter, the number of tote bags featured in the blogging world has recently exploded. I've been seeing them everywhere. Tote bags mean picnics in the park, afternoons at the beach, shopping at the farmer's market...sun! We're all desperate for it.

I'm no exception. I am currently engaged in a very serious quest to create the perfect tote bag. When summer finally rolls around, I'm going to be ready. I refuse to be one of those people caught flat-footed who have to carry stuff around in old plastic grocery sacks. No, when I go to jazz in the park this summer, I will be ready with my very own "Be Prepared" bag!

Last week I made my first sample with the Alexander Henry fireman pinup fabric. I absolutely loved it at the time and I still like it...its pretty dang cute...but I have since improved my pattern. The new sample I made this weekend is GLORIOUS. I widened the straps, tweaked the dimensions, added interfacing and more decorative elements. I am so close to tote bag nirvana that I can smell it!! .

Meet "Be Prepared" variation two..."KP Patches". (In case you haven't noticed by now, I name everything).

The tutorial that I mentioned previously is still in the works. I have the instructions all written up, I just need to take some process pictures to illustrate them! I hope to have it up by the end of next week.

Fabric Friday

2009-02-27T02:42:00.006-05:00

Its week two of my window shopping experiment!!! I'm sure you all will be thrilled to hear that I successfully did not buy any of my fabric picks from last week. Personally, I am rather disgruntled by this fact. I still want that Charleston Turquoise!

This week I did my shopping at this fabulous Etsy store. I love about 95% of what they have. Seriously, fabulous taste in fabric and very reasonably priced. Bunches of sales going on too...but as the saying goes, you can go broke saving money. If I had a dollar for every time someone has said that to me, I could buy a lot of fabric! And this is what I'd buy...

I'm a big sucker for stripes, and especially stripes with a little funk to them. I honestly can't remember the last time I made a quilt without some sort of stripe in it...its kinda my thing. I've been really drawn to this Melissa Averinos fabric since I first discovered it a few weeks back (I know, I'm a bit behind the pitch on this one). Its weird...really weird, but there's something about it. I really can't stop looking at it. Sometimes I swear the dang stuff moves it has so much life to it.
Pick number two is my favorite of the week. It's by Patricia Bravo from her French Riviera Collection. The scrolls are really lovely and its just a fun and lively print. The best thing about it though is that it has so much depth to it. That's not always so easy to find in fabric, but this is just a fantastic example. Plus, its teal-ish. How could I pass it up?

My last pick is a little different, but very, very cool. Its good old Alexander Henry at his graphic goodness best. I like fabrics that have a lot of versatility to them. I like my fabrics to be usable in big pieces and small pieces. I like fabrics that can look completely different depending on how you fussy-cut them. This one is so it! It's versatility personified.

The "Be Prepared" Bag

2009-02-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

My absolutely favorite things to sew are quilts, hands down, but lately I've been finding it frustrating. My sewing machine (which in the interests of propriety shall remain unnamed) is fairly capable of sewing a straight line...most of the time. Trying to free motion quilt, however, is completely out of the question. This means that I can never really finish things. I have to wait to quilt my tops until I go visit my mom and can use her machine. I HATE not finishing things!

This weekend, therefore, I decided to take a break from my giant log cabin quilt and make something else. I used my Alexander Henry pin up fabric that I've been hoarding and made this start to finish...behold the "Be Prepared" bag!!!

On the whole, I'm really thrilled with the way this came out. I didn't follow a specific pattern, so I really got to make it precisely to my specifications. The straps are a tad longer than they need to be, and the lining would work better if it was a bit smaller, but other than that, I'm completely satisfied. I have another piece of canvas in my stash, so I'm going to make another tote and tweak this pattern a bit. With a few tiny changes, I think the bag could be even better! Then, after I have everything all worked out, I hope to put together a tutorial. As long as I went to all the effort of figuring out how to make it, I may as well share... :)

Forgive my crummy photography. The bag is actually much cuter in person, but for the life of me, I can't get it to translate to film. Boo.

Because I Don't Say "Yay" Often Enough

2009-02-21T05:50:00.000-05:00

I just checked my list of tags and noticed that I have 4 posts tagged as "Vent" and only one tagged as "Yay". That's not so great...I should have at least as many good things as bad things to report. I think I'll work on changing that.

So how's this for a GIGANTIC yay? I am now the proud owner of two yard of the always fabulous Erin Michael paint by number birds in teal. Seriously, I'm thrilled, I have been looking for this fabric for a very long time now. A week or so ago, I heard a rumor that a particular fabric store had some left on the bolt. I called immediately and explained to the woman what I wanted. She promised to look and give me a call back. I heard back from the woman (her name is Maggie) a few hours later. The shop was out, BUT she thought she had some in her personal stash. Maggie sent me this beautiful fabric from her own collection for free. She only asked that I reimburse her for shipping. She said that she was happy that someone would use it, since she had more fabric than she could use in a lifetime. I am so touched by Maggie's kindness and generosity. She had no way of knowing that I would send her money for shipping...she simply did a nice thing for a complete stranger out of the goodness of her heart.

Seriously Maggie...lots of good karma coming your way...your aura is purple :)

Fabric Friday

2009-02-20T03:12:00.000-05:00

So I'm starting something new today. At the beginning of the month I put myself on a soft-fabric buying freeze. My stash bin is almost full, I have a lot of fabric to work with, I don't need to buy more right now. As all quilters know, however, that sure as shooting doesn't mean that I don't want to buy more fabric. I REALLY want to buy more. Have you seen Good Folks? So gorgeous! And what about the fabrics that are rapidly disappearing? I really want more Katie Jump Rope (even though I have some that I haven't used yet) before its gone for good.

So, in a hopefully-not-futile attempt to circumvent my shopping, I'm going to pick three pieces of fabric every week that I love and post about them here. That way I'll get to go window-shopping (so to speak) and hopefully I won't have as much of an urge to buy. I'm not sure I have much faith in this method, but lets try it anyways. It will be fun!

This week I did my "window shopping" at the Sew Mama Sew store. My first pick is this adorable circus print from Anna Griffin's Riley line (The picture of this one is pretty crappy. Its remarkably hard to find good images of it online). I love how playful it is. Its a perfect focus fabric for a kid's quilt. Plus, it would be a great fabric to use for stash busting. It has so many colors that all the complementary fabrics could be easily pulled in from lots of different lines already in your stash!

Pick number two is my favorite of the bunch this week. Its an Alexander Henry print called Charleston Turquoise. I want it sooooo much. Teal is my favorite color, and I can think of half a dozen ways to use this beauty. My favorite part about it though is the movement in the fabric. I love the curls and the lines moving in different directions. Its vibrant and fun and would look fabulous in big or small pieces.

My third pick--as an homage to my mother--is a sale fabric. Sales just make everything better! This is a Jessica Jones design for Michael Miller Fabrics, and I'm just in love. Its printed on canvas and I have visions of tote bags dancing through my head. Its cute and chic and modern and urban and yet still folksy and whimsical. It would make a perfect market bag!!

So there we are...my weekly window shopping. I still want to buy stuff though...:(

I Don't Procrastinate, I Reschedule!

2009-02-19T02:01:00.000-05:00

I've had procrastination on the brain recently. My sister was talking to me about it a while ago, and really, as a college student, procrastination is ever present. In fact, its practically a way of life. Over the last four years, I've pulled my fair share of all-nighters, I have almost never done my laundry before running out of clean underwear, and at this point in time, no, I haven't done my taxes yet (don't nag Mom, I'll get to it).

I used to think that this was a bad thing, and ok sometimes the laundry thing can prove problematic, but isn't some procrastination healthy? Couldn't you argue that procrastination by another name is flexibility? My point is, things change, priorities are fluid. If something isn't as pressing as something else, we schedule it for a later date when it is the top priority. Sometimes watching a TV show and helping my overstressed brain to chill is a higher priority than working on class readings. Some would call that procrastinating. I call it smart and healthy. I deal with my highest priorities first, and believe me, my mental health is numero uno.

So, I really just wanted to talk about procrastination, but since its a craft blog, lets provide some crafty examples. Yes, by all means, lets. Months ago I posted about some great new Heather Bailey Freshcut fabric that I had plans to make into a log cabin quilt. I just got around to cutting that yesterday, and I haven't even sewn the first stitch. Do I feel guilty about that? Actually a little, but priorities changed. Instead of making this quilt, I finished the quilts I was making as graduation gifts and I sewed several scrap quilts. I'm happy with that, and now I can get to this one!

And speaking of scrap quilts, here's a look at the scrappy snowball quilt I was making. It took me a week to do that last 45 minutes of work on it (procrastination/rescheduling at work), but now I have the top all done. I'm actually kinda meh about this one. It has a bit too much white for my tastes. I like more color in my quilts. I think I'll like it more when I get it quilted though. My very last remaining bits of these fabrics will be used for binding, so getting that extra bit of color in will really help I think.

The thing that I like best about it is that it reminds me of one of those optical illusion drawings. If you look at the quilt one way, I see the diamonds, and if I look at it the other way, I see squares with triangles in the corner. I stared at it for a realy long time. Yeah...I'm just that bizarre.

So what do you see? Diamonds or squares? The young beauty or the hag? Can you see them both at the same time? That's a sure way to go cross-eyed...

Until the Violence Stops

2009-02-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

I'm really sick and I need to go to bed, but this is something that needs to be said first. Today, February 14, is V-Day. Valentine's Day, yes, but also, a worldwide day dedicated to the movement to end violence against girls and women. The statistics are staggering and sickening.

Every 2 minutes, here in the United States, someone is sexually assaulted.
One out of every six women in America has been the victim of a rape or attempted rape.
Boys who witness their father's committing spousal abuse are ten times more likely to engage in it themselves than boys from non-abusive households.
Every 15 seconds, a woman in America is battered, usually by her partner.
The WHO estimates that between 100 and 140 million women globally have been the victims of female genital mutilation.
And then we come to the Democratic Republic of Congo where tens of thousands of women are systematically and repeatedly raped EACH YEAR.

The list goes on and on. Read about it, think about it, and do something about it. Until the violence stops.

http://newsite.vday.org/

Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me

2009-02-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

After my previous rather lengthy hiatus, I have resolved to be better about blogging regularly. Dear friends, I have reformed, turned over a new leaf, made a change for the better...at least for right now! Consequently, even though I don't have a finished product to show you, or really anything much of interest to report, I am ~~subjecting~~ treating you all to an update.

Things are progressing well with my scrappy snowball quilt. This weekend I sewed all the individual blocks together, trimmed and ironed them. Then, this afternoon, I sewed the blocks into six rows of six. It was fast work. I'll have the entire top finished within another hour whenever I have a chance to sit down with it next.

Now, I was going to leave the post as that above, but as I was typing it, I decided that it was just too short. If I'm going to go to the effort of posting, I may as well make it a good one...right? Plus, I was listening to Warren Zevon on my swanky new iHome that Santa gave me, and I became inspired. Poor, poor, pitiful me...have you seen my quilting setup? Its bad...feel sorry for me.

This is my desk in my door where some losers do their homework. Not I...this is where I sew. I measured...its about 42 inches by 24 inches. The attractive green plant on the right is my spider plant Bartholomew. My sewing machine's name can't be printed here. I'm trying to keep this family friendly and there are way to many four-letter words in its name. Can you tell I want a new machine? I do. More than air to breath.

This picture is of the rickety old ironing board and cruddy iron that reside in our house laundry room. It is seriously scary every time I iron. I'm afraid that the dang board is going to collapse on me. The iron is also a little scary. The temperature control is BAAAAADDD. I always iron on the back of my fabric, because I'm afraid it will singe my blocks. (See snowballs in progress too)

So there you go...just like I told you:

Poor, poor, pitiful me. Poor, poor, pitiful me.

Crafting in a dorm is no cup of tea...lord have mercy on me.

WOE is me!

Stashing: The Dark Secret Under My Bed

2009-02-05T08:15:00.000-05:00

Sew, Mama, Sew! is doing a feature on stashes this week. I love to look at pictures of other quilter's stashes (I'm a stash stalker) so I thought I would reciprocate and share my meager holdings.

What do you usually sew?

I almost exclusively sew quilts right now. Occasionally bags, but that's about it.

When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)

If I'm buying a bunch of coordinating pieces from a line, I buy half-yards. Single pieces of things that I like but don't have a particular plan for I buy either a half-yard or more often a full yard. Focus fabrics that I might build a quilt around I buy two yards.

Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?

Usually I impulsively see something that I want and then try to decide how I would use it before I buy. I don't always have a plan, but I try to have some inkling of what I could use it for.

Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?

Rarely.

Do you iron it?

Always.

How do you store your fabric?

Right now I'm living in a dorm, so I've restricted my stash to one tub that fits under my bed. Sorting isn't so much an issue, but I do keep things neatly folded and in a stack and I try to keep projects grouped together.

Do you have any special folding techniques? How do you sort it?

See above. Because space is an issue, I just fold things how they fit. I try to keep things grouped by project, but that's about all the sorting a tub will allow.

What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?

Buy stuff? Hah, no...just kidding. My stash isn't developed or well-rounded, so I can't offer too much insight. I just buy what I like. That's the best way to make sure you are happy and inspired in crafting! I am also doing a fat quarter swap here though. Join in...the more the merrier!!!

When do you say enough is enough?

When the bin is full, then its enough. I don't have room for more than that right now.

Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it!

Ah! Its torture trying to pick a favorite. I have so many! Right now, I think I'm most excited about these two though. I have some pieces of Erin Michael's Lush line (the deer, oh the deer) that I'm thrilled with. I also bought this completely frivolous piece of Alexander Henry pinup fabric. I think I'll use that in a tote bag.

What’s your definition of the perfect stash?

I think the perfect stash is one that inspires you. I know that looking through my tub, refolding the fabrics and just looking at them always gets the creative juices going! No matter how big or how small your collection is, that should be its purpose.

Long time...no post...

2009-02-04T16:33:00.000-05:00

So...mucho apologies my few but faithful blog readers. Its been a while. I have come to the conclusion that writing a blog is like going to the gym. If you skip a day, its that much harder to pick it up the next. I guess I really shouldn't be that surprised at my two month blog vacation though...considering my spacey gym attendance.

The good news, however, is that no post doesn't necessarily indicate no sewing. I've been quite busy. I finished by graduation gifts (binding and all) wrapping up a LONG project. I made six quilts to give away all together. Yay me!

I also finished up my first quilt in project "scraps are our friends." Yes, that's right...I am beginning to change my scrap-wasting ways. I had a lot of yardage left over from my belle quilt, so instead of shoving them in the depths of my closet and cutting into something new, I forced myself to use 'em up! It was an interesting process. I knew that I wanted to experiment with making my own design and I knew that I needed to keep it fairly small because of fabric constraints. With those restrictions in mind, I dove in feet first. Notice that I didn't say head first, because believe me there was no planning involved. I made a big mess and ripped out TONS of seams. TONS. After trial and tribulation, however, I have to say that I came up with a quilt that I love.

The finished quilt is pretty small. I made it about a yard square, which I thought would be a good stroller/car seat size. Big enough to cover baby well, but not so long that the ends would be in danger of dragging. Designwise, I used traditional blocks spaced between solid squares of my focus fabric. For the sashing, I used white linen. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and I have to say, I had a really mixed reaction to it. I love the different texture, and the way it breaks up the blocks...it looks great. On the other hand though, I struggled with construction. I don't think my seams are as neat, and the dang stuff just does not want to iron flat. I really had to steam the heck out of it. I'll definately use it again, but not for every project. It would raise my blood pressure too much.

Up next is another "scraps are our friends" installment. I am using my final belle remnants (praise the lord) and then I will be done!!!!! Not that I don't like the fabric, but I have so many new things that I want to start on...like six...OMG.

2008-11-30T11:34:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love Thanksgiving, but its not a good holiday for productivity. You sit, you eat, you chat, you watch football. Oh, and you shop. Nowhere in there, do you craft. The baby belle blocks below I finished a week ago and never posted, because over Thanksgiving break, you don't blog either.
I'm really pleased with the way these turned out. I like the the background block uses a large piece of the pink, so it really gets shown off. I love the small pieces that I used in other blocks, but you can't really see much of the pattern. Its nice to have a good mixture of both. I like the randomness of the foreground block too. I just sewed the pieces together randomly, not really worrying about whether the pieces were straight or not. I think they both came out really well.

This is a busy couple of weeks for me, so I'm not really sure what I'll have time to do, but up next are my triangle blocks. I'm excited to play with those!

Sometimes I can't sew (aka s***t happens)

2008-11-22T00:37:00.000-05:00

I finished sewing the border on my belle quilt a few days ago, but I didn't actually spread it out and look at it until this afternoon. I cleared a space on the floor of the living room, spread the quilt down and started to smooth out the rumples. I smoothed, and smoothed, and smoothed some more, before I finally realized that it just wasn't working. My belle quilt is a bit of a disaster.

The borders are not attached correctly. I have hopeless ripples. I don't know whether that's a result of the diagonal rows or of lazy sewing; probably both. All I know is that its really unacceptable. I think this might be a "take me home to mom" quilt. I'll have her tell me how I messed up, then rip out all the seams and do it again. Tedious for sure, but worth it in the end. Especially since I think I'll really love the quilt once its done. The borders added a lot. I think the thin white border helps to integrate the white squares with the rest of the quilt, and the pink floral really pulls all the other fabrics together. I like the proportion too. The whole thing works together really well I think.

Oh well. I'll set that aside and fix it over winter break. In the mean time, I have a new project. I sometimes feel like my lack of scrap usage makes me a bit of a quilting failure. I often shove them in a plastic bag and ignore them, or give them to my mom. I decided though, that scraps are what separate the women from the girls (or the men from the boys, I shouldn't be sexist here). Its time to grow up. I am going to make a scrap quilt.

I had quite a bit leftover from the belle quilt (above) so I decided to stick with those for now. I'm going to make a scrappy baby quilt with (gasp) no pattern. I'm just kinda playing around with traditional blocks and giving them a new spin and seeing what results.

This is what I have so far. They aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination (especially the split nine patch...that one is pretty messy) but I'm happy anyways. Its fun to just sorta go with the flow. Hopefully I'll have time to make a few more blocks this weekend before I leave for Thanksgiving!!!

On Embracing My Inner Cavewoman

2008-11-19T11:34:00.000-05:00

Remember that scarf I started a while ago and then never talked about again? I bet you were all a bit worried that I had given up in frustration, shoving it deep into the recesses of my tub of abandoned crafts. Never fear, however, for I have perservered. I, the woman who has never finished any of the scarfs she has knitted, have used up an entire ball of yarn. I have knitted 22 inches of warm woolen goodness. Actually, not woolen, but I like the alliteration.

I am really ridiculously proud of myself. I feel like Tom Hanks in Cast Away when he runs around and bellows in his caveman voice, "I HAVE MADE FIRE!!!" Well, my inner cavewoman is jumping up and down and screaming "I HAVE MADE CLOTH!!!" The creepy dum-dum-duh-dum music is playing. Seriously, I have attained a new level of civilization. Ok, maybe I'm getting a little silly here, but I want to emphasize how excited I am. I can't wait to have my scarf finished so I can wear it around. The weather's starting to get nippy. It was only 23 degrees out this morning when I was waiting for the bus.

On another knitting related note, I read a knitting romance. It's called "Casting Spells" by Barbara Bretton. Its not fabulous, but its a cute, easy read that might come in handy for long Thanksgiving travels.

BTW: Thanks for the encouragement. Your comments were really encouraging!

Take that cynics! There really are nice people in the world!

2008-11-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

Film in the Fridge has achieved a blogisphere milestone...100 posts. Yay her! To celebrate, she's giving away a fantastic package of quilting goodies! Go congratulate her and enter your name for the giveaway.

Camille over at Simplify is having a giveaway too! Presents galore!!! For one of us, Christmas is coming early...

Belle Progress

2008-11-16T13:37:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a terribly quilty weekend, but I did make some progress on my belle quilt. I laid out my blocks and sewed them together. The diagonal rows of the quilt actually made that a lot of fun. When I was making the blocks last weekend and even when I laid them all out, I had a hard time visualizing how everything was going to come together. I even disliked it for a while. It was really surprising, therefore, to finally see a lovely quilt emerging every time I added a row on. I haven't really had that feeling with other quilts that I've made.

I still need to put my boarders on. Unfortunately, the cool uneven ends get trimmed off, but I'm looking forward to seeing this one completed. I'm going to add a thin white border and then a wider border of the dusty rose floral.

I have a lot of scraps from this one left over, so next I might play around a bit and see what kind of scrap quilt I can come up with. My lack of scrap usage is a bit embarassing...especially in light of all the creative uses I've seen in the blogosphere. I'll have to get to work and change that!

I think I need a dog because I've taken to petting my fabric...

2008-11-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! Last weekend my mom bought me a few pieces of Heather Bailey's Pop Garden collection on sale. She got me the red/blue/green zig-zag stripe and the red/blue/green daisy print. Naturally, I was so excited to have those that I just had to go on ebay and buy a few more prints to go with it. I ended up with these two beauties. I adore the red. It makes a statement to say the least.

Also naturally, I had to buy some of the Fresh Cut collection so I could combine shipping and save money. I am a college student. I am nothing if not economical...;)

The package came today and let me tell you, the fabrics are BEAUTIFUL. I have spent and embarrassing amount of time folding them and refolding them, petting them and arranging and rearanging them. I have shown them off to a large amount of people who have no idea who Heather Bailey is and really couldn't care less that she has lovely collections (that's the beauty of dorm life, there's always someone around to harass). I really can't wait to dive in and make something with them.

I think I'm going to use this giant log cabin pattern for the Fresh Cut fabrics. It is designed specifically to showcase large print fabrics and will really show them off. Plus, I love the scalloped edge. I've never done a 'fancy' edge before and I'm excited to give it a try. I'm going to have to do a bit more shopping (what a pity) to get enough yardage for this one. There's a purple jellybean print in the Fresh Cut line that I think would work really well. I also like the teal stencil print. Its a bit darker than my other choices, so I think it will really pop.

I haven't really decided what to do with the Pop Garden pieces yet. I'm definately thinking something simple and geometrical. Large pieces too I think...I'll have to do some searching and see what I can come up with. I have quite a few things to finish before I can get to that though!

More (mis)Adventures in Knitting

2008-11-10T21:55:00.000-05:00

Gentle readers, I have made a discovery. I am TERRIBLE at knitting. Atrocious, abysmal, cataclysmic even. I have ripped out the meager beginnings of my scarf more times than I can count. I accidentally added stitches, dropped stitches, and somehow did the purl stitch backwards. In fact, in so doing I may have invented a new knitting stitch. Its ugly. No one would purposefully want to reproduce that stitch. In fact, after watching the entire first disk of "Brideshead Revisited", I have only produced about six inches of knitting. (Amazing mini-series by the way...watch it).

I even managed to bend my needle somehow. If you look in the picture, you can see that its slightly curved. It was worse earlier, but I managed to bend it back a bit. I feel that this entire experiment is quite funny in a pathetic sort of way. I should have been satisfied with sewing, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO...I wanted a portable craft to take on the bus with me! Ah well...regardless...the yarn is pretty, and when I finally finish, I will have a lovely scarf to keep me warm all winter long. And besides, I think I recall being abysmal at sewing when I first started that too.

Adventures in Knitting

2008-11-09T10:41:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, I was walking back from my local fabric store (where I did not buy anything I might add) when I ran into two friends of mine. They were headed down to Webs, the local yarn store. They proceeded to tell me that this was the largest yarn store they had ever seen, that people came from all over the country to shop there, and that they offered student discounts. I had no idea that the yarn Mecca of America was located less than a mile from my house. Intrigued, I tagged along. It was AWESOME!!!! I don't even really knit, and I still had to buy yarn. I got three balls of this amazing chunky Rowan yarn from the warehouse at a really, REALLY, discounted price. I couldn't wait to get started.

The only problem, I soon realized, was that I didn't remember how to cast on. I asked my friends to help me, so yesterday I finally started work on my scarf. We watched Hud with Paul Newman, ate cannolis, drank some wine, and knitted. It was hard. I had to really focus, so I hardly watched the movie at all. If I didn't give it my full attention, I'd get to the end of the row and find out that I had picked up two stiches somehow. True to the spirit of this blog I was definately ripping out stitches. A LOT of stitches. Its such pretty yarn...I couldn't stand for the knitting to be ugly. I think I finally have the hang of it now. I have two whole rows done ;) I spend about 4.5 hours on the bus each week, so I think I'll take my knitting with me when I go. That way I should be done in no time!

As I was knitting, I was wondering about the origins of knitting. Its a little bit bizarre. Who ever came up with knitting? Who figured out that you can make cloth by twisting thread around two sticks? SO anyways, I looked it up on wikipedia, so if you're interested, check it out.

New Project Revealed!

2008-11-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I need a bit of a break from my "Between Friends" project. I've now made seven of that same pattern, so I think its time to try something new. I've been really wanting to try something with circles for a while now, so I decided on Amy Butler's Bell e Quilt. I like the circles on it, and I like the diagonal rows. It will be a lot of fun to try something a bit different. Plus, I think it will work well with these fabrics that I impulsively bought a few weeks ago. I set out to buy plain undyed muslin, which I did, but I just couldn't pass these up. I've been using a lot of blue lately, so its nice to have some color variety too (even if I'm still sticking with green).

I plan to use the white fabric as the background for the circle blocks. The way the quilt is in the example is a bit too wild for me. I want to have that bit of white to calm it down and separate the blocks a bit. I think I'll also add a thin white border between the blocks and the main border as I did in the "Between Friends" quilts. I plan to use the large pink floral both as the border and in the blocks. I plan to widen the border a bit (maybe to 6 1/2 inches) which I think will be more in proportion to the size of the blocks and the quilt as a whole. The rest of the fabrics will make up the blocks. I haven't done applique for a while, so that might be tricky, but all in all, I can't wait to get started!

"Between Friends" Mega Post

2008-11-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about quilting is sharing what I make with others. Unfortunately, quilting gifts makes this hard to do. That's one of the reasons that I wanted to start a blog...so I can share my secret quilts!

In about six months, I will FINALLY graduate from college. Yay me! After my sophomore year, I decided to make quilts for my friends for graduation presents. Several of them had already asked me for quilts, so I decided that this would be a great time to do so. I decided to use the same pattern for everyone. I chose "Between Friends" from the book "Happy Hour". It's an easy pattern that's a lot of fun. Its an anything goes quilt...you can really be creative with your fabric choice.

This is the first one that I came up with, and I'm not giving it away! I love this quilt. I'm a terrible photographer, so its difficult to see from the picture, but its really cool, I promise! My favorite thing about the quilt is the stripes that I used. The yellow has a thin brown stripe and the larger teal, gray, and yellow is visible. I think they give the quilt a lot of interest.

Above is the next one that I made. I used all Amy Butler Fabrics and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. Again, sorry for the crappy photography. It looks so much nicer in person. The one thing that I didn't like was the pesky L's that I ended up with (see the orange polka dot on the left). I corrected that in later attempts.

This next one is my favorite. I love the colors and I think it blends so beautifully! I'm not sure I want to part with this one... It was also really inexpensive to make. All the fabrics were on clearance.

The rest of my tops haven't been quilted yet. I don't have a machine that can do free motion at school. I need to wait until I go home for Christmas. This next one is a little wild...I wish I would have put some quieter fabrics in to calm it down. All in all though, I think its nice. I love the green and brown and blue together. Its a nice color scheme.

Next is my least favorite version. The colors just don't really do it for me. While they each individually match my boarder, they just don't really blend so well. I hope I'll like it better once its quilted though. I frequently am dissatisfied with my quilts until I get them completely finished.

And last, but not least, my latest effort. I love this one. I spent a lot of time looking for fabric, but it was worth it. I started with the four Midwest Modern prints and then added the green and blue from the Mendhi collection. I love those two...its hard to see in the picture, but they have a pattern that reminds me a lot of the hashes used by favorite artist Jasper Johns. Plus, neither are flat shades. There are bits of yellow, blue and green in the fabric. I love the yellow too. Its a stripe (which I always like to include) and the brightness of it keeps the whole quilt from being too sherbet-ish.

Well, that's all of them! I have a few more to make and them a lot of free motion quilting to do. I'm getting a bit tired of the pattern though. I might try something different and come back to finish up my last couple gift quilts a little later.

Wall of Hotness

2008-11-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

Ok all...I have successfully thwarted Sod. I went and bought 20 AA batteries. They were only $6 with my CVS card. Yay me!

Originally, I planned this to be a sewing blog (hence the name Ripping Out Seams). I realized last night, however, that sewing is only a small amount of my creative output. I do a lot of things...I color in my coloring books, I quilt, I knit (badly), I do computer graphics, and I collage. That's what I was doing last night...collaging. When I got tired of studying for my econ exam, I grabbed my magazines, scissors and tape and added a few pictures to my wall of hotness.

The door to my room is set into a little alcove...which is kinda beige and depressing. My friends and I decided that it needed decoration. I did something similar when I was in high school to cover the scratched up doors on my closet.

This is what we got...I love it. Its fun to put pictures together and look for exactly the right image. I can work on it for just a minute at a time or an hour. Its fast and easy, but it really makes a difference. I notice it, and I get a lot of comments from people passing by.

This is granted a very simple effort. An author that I enjoy, Jennifer Crusie, has some lovely examples on her website. She uses them to help create her book universes. Check those out for inspiration, and feel free to inspire me with your efforts. I'd love to see your collages too!

Sod's Law

2008-11-03T22:11:00.001-05:00

Before I get started on my long vent, I'll define Sod's Law (also known as Murphy's Law) for all you souls lucky enough not to be familiar with it. The evil thing that shall not be named is an old adage stating that if something can go wrong, it will. And believe me darlings it does...in a big way.

Sod first cursed me a year and a half ago when I was in Europe. The Houses of Parliament closed to tours the day before I came to London. When I was in Geneva, the jet d'eau was turned off. I constantly got on busses going the wrong direction. So on and so forth. Some of you may think this is just idiocy on my part, but I guarantee you this is not the case. Sod hates me.

Sod apparantly thinks, moreover, that he hasn't tortured me enough. Here I was tonight, trying to start a blog, and that evil being rears his head again. My camera was out of batteries. I took AAs out of another appliance and those were dead too. I get some from a friend and those died in the 24 seconds when I was deleting pictures off of my full memory card. No one else has any batteries to spare. See my point??? Evil, evil Sod has cursed me! I had such a lovely post planed for you! Now I have to wait until tomorrow!

So in the meantime, while you are waiting for my scintillating post, go read up on Sod's Law. Knowledge is power and forewarned is forearmed. Plus, the wonders of hypertext can keep you entertained for hours.

Pattern and Tutorial Archive

2008-03-06T12:55:00.005-05:00

It's simple...give credit where credit is due.
All patterns are for personal home use only. Please do not sell items made with these tutorials (charitable auctions, raffles, etc are the exception.
Email me with questions or comments at smithie09@gmail.com

The "Be Prepared" Bag and Variations
The One Hour Pencil Pouch

The Strip Tease Bag

The Prairie Braid Block Tutorial

(Click on images for links to the tutorials)