Chestnut Sparrow

A different kind of busy

2011-08-01T12:09:00.000-06:00

For the last several months I have been busy ...just a different kind of busy. I wasn't feeling that great and didn't do much crafting of anything and if I did I wasn't blogging about it. Now that I am well into the second trimester I am feeling really good and back to the sewing and pregnancy safe projects.

20 weeks

Pictures of our little miracle baby (more posts on that later). These are pictures of the sonogram pictures so they are not very good quality.

Laura Bars

2011-07-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

If you have never eaten a Lara Bar you don't know what you are missing! They are essentially very healthy whole food energy bars. So far my favorite flavor I have tried is the cherry pie bar. The only problem with these bars is that they are $1.00 or more a piece. The ingredients are simple and usually less than 5 things. I searched for a recipe and found a great blog called "Enlightened Cooking" with a great tutorial. Click on the word tutorial to go to the link and scroll down for recipes.

I made cherry pie, apricot almond, and cashew cookie bars. It didn't take long at all and the results are really good. The cherry pie turned out the best for consistency.

Basic ingredients of dried fruit and nuts, that's all!

Wordless Book

2011-06-27T13:48:00.001-06:00

I recently saw a link (can't remember the site) showing a baby book someone made using embroidery. I loved the idea and kept it tucked away in my mind until I was ready to make this. The design of the book is loosely based of Amy Butler's pattern in her book for the "Imagination Book".

It is a soft accordian folding book using 6 embroidered panels (3 on each side) and coordinating fabrics. The fabrics I used are so amazing and of course come from my Japanese stash.

The woodland deer fabric is one of my favorites and I have been saving it for something special.

Cute little red riding hood fabric.

I made a ribbon tie closure for the book rather than a fabric envelope case like the original pattern. The book doesn't really fold very well and is more like a long flat book when open. I don't think I would make this style again but I do love how the fabrics coordinate and the pictures I stitched turned out.

Sushi Love

2011-06-22T13:47:00.000-06:00

After living in Japan for 4 years I find myself craving sushi at least once a week. Given our current location that presents a bit of a challenge. There are no restaurants within 50 miles that I would dare eat sushi at so therefore it has been over a year since I have had any. There are some restaurants that would be okay within 90 miles but I can never convince Matt that he is hungry for sushi if he has too many other options. I tried making sushi one time quite a while ago with disastrous results but I was not going to give up.

The key is the rice. Last time I did not prepare it correctly so it crumbled when I tried to roll the nori around it. This time it went much better.

I used canned salmon, cucumber and mayo in this set. I repeated it again in a few days once I had a ripe avocado. Of course I mixed up some wasabi paste to serve on the side.

Of course I am no expert in this and wouldn't even consider this well done but passable. Once you have seen true sushi masters at work in Japan you know you will never come close.

18 dresses and 10 pairs of shorts

2011-05-25T13:01:00.000-06:00

I want to share with you another charity that I have been sewing for. The organization is called Little Dresses for Africa. They accept donations of simple home made girls dresses and shorts for boys. The dresses are distributed not only in Africa but in other impoverished nations as well.

These are just a few of the items I am getting ready to send.

As I sewed these items I often thought and prayed about the children who will receive them. For many it will be the only new item of clothing they will ever wear.

On the website they have instructions if you are interested in participating. If you are planning on going on a mission trip they will also provide you with dresses/shorts to take along. Most of the items are distributed this way.

Project Thrive: Days for Girls

2011-04-15T11:30:00.001-06:00

I want to introduce you to a charity that is helping give girls and women a chance in impoverished communities. Project Thrive's Days for Girls makes it possible for girls and women to:

- go to school

- continue work to earn an income

- have safe feminine hygiene

In impoverished communities where females have no access to feminine hygiene products they are forced to go without which means they can't attend school or work. It also leads to the use of unsafe and unsanitary items in an effort to manage, which of course leads to infections. Days for Girls provides kits containing reusable sanitary pads and a number of other hygiene items necessary for safely managing menstruation. It is something so basic that we take it for granted here in the U.S.

Here is an example I made of the panty shield and pad holder that the girls can use. Pieces of flannel are then folded and used as the pads.

Inside the panty shield is a layer of PUL which is waterproof.

Even if you don't sew you can still help with this charity. They need other items that go in the kits such as underwear, soap, washcloths, etc. For more information visit the links.

Granola

2011-04-08T11:20:00.001-06:00

Recently I came across some yummy looking granola on a few blogs. I decided to go ahead and make some myself. I don't know why I didn't do this a long time ago!

Granola is so flexible and fun to switch up. In this batch I used rolled oats, slivered almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pieces of figs, cranberries, cherries, honey and olive oil.

There are recipes all over the internet so I didn't post one for this. Look one up and try it today!

Raeleigh's Dress and Bloomers

2011-04-02T11:14:00.001-06:00

My youngest niece just turned 3! I sewed up this flutter sleeve dress and bloomers and mailed them off to her. The pictures are washed out but you can get the general idea.

Hard to tell from this picture, but the front of the dress has 2 pockets. Perfect for little treasures!

Laundry Sign

2011-03-28T11:10:00.000-06:00

One more project for the laundry room crossed off the list!

I made the sign using a piece of MDF we had in the garage. I painted the board and then applied a vinyl wall graphic.

I really like how it turned out and it adds some color to the laundry room as well as fills the awkward space between the upper cabinets.

Flower Child Shoes

2011-03-20T15:52:00.001-06:00

Another baby gift for our friends. Cute little baby shoes.

New to me Artist

2011-03-15T17:39:00.000-06:00

I have been searching for a song I heard on the radio (don't think I have found it yet since I can't remember enough of the lyrics) and came upon Francesca Battistelli. Amazing voice and a great big breath of fresh air for Christian music. I couldn't paste a link to let you listen because they are all protected but if you google it you can see it on Amazon or Francesca's own site.

Vietnamese Salad Rolls

2011-03-14T15:48:00.001-06:00

I recently had our neighbors/friends over for an Asian meal. The only thing I remembered to take pictures of were the salad rolls because I made them ahead of time. I was too busy cooking and serving the other stuff to get a picture. We also had Singapore crab, Thai black pepper chicken, rice, miso soup and mango pudding. It was a little tour of Asia in our bellies!

Henny Penny and Six Chicks

2011-03-11T15:33:00.001-07:00

As I have been sewing up baby gifts I made the adorable hen and chicks pattern in Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings. If you don't know who Anna Maria is go check out her blog. She designs amazing fabrics and patterns. I loved the choice of colors used in the book so tried to follow them as best I could with the fabric I had on hand.

This mother hen can hide 3 little chicks under each wing with the help of hook and loop.

I will say that this project was tedious and somewhat challenging due to the size of the chicks and the amount of hand sewing required to finish the openings. Not my favorite thing to do.

Laundry Room Progress

2011-03-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

A few more things completed for the laundry room. I built a laundry folding table to look like an old farmhouse table to fill the awkward space along the one wall. It is counter height for easy folding and the dimensions are 24"x48" on the surface.

Looks empty underneath I know, but that is actually where a dog bed normally lives and is getting updated eventually.

I upgraded our dog food storage with a 10 gallon bucket from the hardware store. The bag of dog food hides nicely inside and I no longer have a blue plastic tote sitting there looking ugly.

I heavily distressed the finish of the wood to look like it had been in use for years in a kitchen.

Here is the view as compared to the new gate on the door.

More changes to come:

- shelf for above the table

- artwork between the upper cabinets above the washer and dryer

- more color with accessories

- coordinating dog bed for under table

Spaghetti Carbonara and Rosemary bread

2011-02-15T13:19:00.005-07:00

A yummy new recipe for dinner...

While we were living in Japan we would eat at a great Italian restaurant (strange I know) that served a menu set that included enough food for 2 people. You had salad and dessert bar (amazing) and then a thin crust pizza and a giant bowl of spaghetti carbonara to share. I had never eaten spaghetti carbonara before so I didn't even know what it was until I came across a recipe that sounded like what I had been eating in Japan. I don't recall what it was called on the menu, something generic like large pasta bowl with cheese sauce most likely.

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 box of spaghetti (16 oz.)
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 strips of bacon, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 grated Parmesan cheese (or more if wanted)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (if desired)
Parmesan grated for garnish if desired

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water with salt added, to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta well and place in bowl tossing with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile in a large skillet cook the bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain on paper towel lined plate. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease; add the other Tbsp of olive oil and heat. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until onion is tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. Return bacon to the skillet, add spaghetti and toss to combine until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Beat eggs well, stir in the Parmesan cheese and pepper if desired. Pour over the hot pasta and toss together. The eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta and the cheese will melt creating a creamy sauce.

5. Serve immediately garnished with parsley if desired and more grated Parmesan.

For the rosemary bread...
If you don't already have the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I highly recommend it. I made the bread using the basic boule recipe from the book but substituted some of the all purpose flour for wheat. Before baking I added rosemary (you can use fresh or dried) to the top of the loaf along with some coarse salt. This tastes a lot like the bread you get at Macaroni Grill if you have ever eaten there.

Tea Time Ruffled Bib

2011-02-11T13:59:00.003-07:00

This is the year of babies for many of our friends. We have a few expecting little bundles of pink so I have been sewing up some gifts.

This fabric is Japanese and has a great dessert theme, perfect for a bib. It makes me crave sweets when I look at it!

I added a barely gathered ruffled edge and I think it could have been gathered more. I took mental notes for next time.

Dog "Jail"

2011-02-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Our dogs are well behaved (well most of the time) but I still like to contain them when we are out of the house or they are trying to join the dinner party. We have a spacious laundry room and had 2 wire crates against the wall in there for the last 9 months. Although the crates worked fine they were not very attractive and took up floor space that I would like to put a farmhouse style table for folding laundry.

So what to do? I first looked at buying tall gates but read mixed reviews and they were quite expensive and not very sturdy and the walkway openings were no bigger than 22 ". Since I am always itching to build I decided to give it a try. I took measurements and spent time drawing the plans. Once I had hubby on board it was time to head to the big blue store to buy supplies. We built the gate and side supports out of select pine so it did add up. Our gate is 42" tall and the opening is 27" wide.

On the back side of the gate and on the top it is secured with metal brackets. The gate is secured with 2 slide bolt latches when it is in use.

Most of the time the gate is left open and is not in the way at all.

There is no jumping over this!

Muted beauty

2011-01-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

image source tumbler

My Christmas Gift

2010-12-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Matt bought me a great birthday, anniversary and Christmas gift this year with my help. All those events fall in December so it works out well. I took it out of the box yesterday and charged the battery. Now I need to start figuring everything out.

Hamper Refreshed

2010-12-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly this is a project I have been meaning to complete for over 2 years! Yikes, I know. I bought a wicker hamper and it was great other than the original liner fabric. For some reason someone thought it would be good to use pumpkins and squash for laundry??? Strange.

The new fabric is a Japanese natural flecked cotton with screen printed leaves. It feels fresh and calm for the laundry room. I tore apart the old liner to make a template for the new one.

The new and improved hamper which fits perfectly between my washer and dryer.

Home made dog gifts

2010-12-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

This year I am attempting to give mostly hand made gifts for Christmas. Our dogs are no exception. With leftover fleece scraps from the dog coats I made for Lilly I created some toys.

For Barnsley and large boombox with cassette player. I made it lifesize so it will look funny when he carries it around. Matt officially thinks I am crazy now.

For Lilly it is a tug toy with handle and fringe. I'm sure both of these will be unstuffed shortly after they are received but no worries, they were practically free!

Roller Skating

2010-12-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

While visiting in Wisconsin we decided to go roller skating as a family. About 21 of us ended up going. Most of us had not been skating for 15 years or more. Pictures turned out horrible in the dim light but were too fun not to share. No falls for me but Matt had 3 by the time we left as a result of trying to out maneuver the rest of us.

Early Christmas

2010-12-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

While we were with family over Thanksgiving we had an early Christmas since we won't make it back in December. This year I made all of my nieces and nephews pajamas. The girls received night gowns and the boys flannel pants and a knit shirt.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. Combination of lighting the camera didn't like and fidgeting kids.

Lilly Outerwear

2010-12-06T12:37:00.001-07:00

Our little terrier mix, Lilly, does not appreciate the cold weather very much. We knew we would be in cold snowy weather over Thanksgiving so I made her a couple of coats to help her handle the change from 72 degrees to 14 degrees.

She is really a good girl about getting fitted for the jackets but doesn't like standing on the table or getting her picture taken. I made up the pattern as I went so we did a lot of testing.

Here she is showing it off in the winter wonderland in Wisconsin. I think she is really cute but of course I am biased.

I also made her a teal and brown coat as well.

Caramel Turkeys

2010-12-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

My mom and sister decided it would be a good idea to attempt to make stuffed turkey cupcakes from a recipe in a magazine. (sorry I don't even know which one it came out of). While I was staying there over Thanksgiving I became part of the plan.

These cupcakes take about a zillion ingredients and hours of time to make. Each turkey is made up of 6 caramels!

Here is how our cupcakes turned out. At the very end of the post is a picture of the picture from the magazine for comparison.

Everyone thought they were really cute but didn't want to commit to trying to eat them. It will be a good story for years to come.

Heirloom Cookies

2010-11-15T11:10:00.001-07:00

Growing up my mom always made rolled out molasses gingerbread cookies in the Fall. This recipe has been passed down through my mom's family for generations. This recipe also makes excellent gingerbread men at Christmas time.

I made a few airplanes for my nephew who was visiting.

The RECIPE:

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of vegetable shortening

2 eggs

1 cup of molasses

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup of hot water

4 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Cream the shortening and sugar in mixer on low speed until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Mix in the molasses, cloves and ginger. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to the mixture mixing well. Gradually add the flour until a stiff dough is formed. Place the dough in the refrigerator for several hours until well chilled. On a well floured surface roll the dough out to 3/8" or 1/4" thickness. Use cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to pan and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 min. or until barely browned. The cookies will get hard if over baked. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

5 already?

2010-11-04T07:12:00.000-06:00

My eldest niece is turning 5 this month! What do you make for a girl that loves the color pink, cats, and skirts? A cute outfit with kitty fabric of course.

I used a vintage pattern to make a tunic style top out of this great retro looking fabric.

I combined views 1 & 3 to make the top.

Sorry for the poor picture of the whole outfit. The light was not cooperating with my no frills camera.

Cute rounded collar with pleat detailing on the bodice.

Button cuffs

The skirt is a self made pattern inspired by the Oliver + S pattern that is so cute. I just tried to see if I could make one and I think it turned out great.

You can see the fabric developed heat marks at the seams when I pressed it. This is a light denim fabric so I am not surprised.

sneak peek

2010-10-28T13:09:00.003-06:00

This year I have committed to trying to make as many home made Christmas gifts as possible. Mostly excluding the men for obvious reasons. This week I started cutting into this beautiful stack of kona solids.

I love the colors and wish I could share the vision. You'll just have to wait until after Christmas

Oh the suspense for the family members reading my blog!

Evil Weeds

2010-10-20T10:42:00.000-06:00

Since moving to NM we have discovered the world of sand spurs or grass spurs as some call them. This has to be one of the most evil weeds in existence.

This is how they sneakily appear in our lawn. They start out looking just like blades of grass before they break forth their spurs.

If you walk over them when dry they stick in the bottom of your shoes with their barbed thorns. You can walk on the cement and here them crunching under your feet but it does little to break them down.

The worst offense of these little evil doers is when they find their way into the house and get in the rugs or carpet. You will never forget the feeling of stepping on them with bare feet. The poor dogs find their share of them on walks as well. Limping starts and we have to stop and remove the offenders. Recently we hired a man to come spray our yard for them in a desperate attempt to end this torture. For weeks we were pulling them out by hand (with gloves of course).

Button Back Slipcover

2010-10-10T10:19:00.000-06:00

I had my heart set on the Savannah chair from Pottery Barn for my living room as soon as I saw it. Unfortunately with shipping the chair would be nearing $1000 which I couldn't talk myself into. I set out on a mission to find a comparable chair to slipcover. It was not an easy task.

Savannah chair image from pottery barn website

First I tried second hand with no success. Then I started scouring the internet using sites like overstock. I finally found the perfect match with the Samantha chair from Broyhill. I found a deal on one at just over half of the cost of a new one with shipping. I bought the chair in a different fabric as shown at the end of the post. The fabric is beautiful for fall and winter but needed a slipcover for a fresh cottage feel.

Image from Broyhill

The Broyhill chair does not have a separate cushion which was the only drawback but not a deal breaker.

I chose to finish the back with covered buttons.

Here you can see the sofa and chair together with their denim slips.

Below is the original fabric chair.

Apples

2010-10-07T10:53:00.002-06:00

While my parents were visiting we decided to drive over to Texas and check out one of the apple orchards. The orchards are actually not on site so it was just a retail location which was a little disappointing but we were still able to get what we went there for. We came home with several bags of apples.

My mom is an expert when it comes to all things "kitchen". She helped me make her homemade applesauce which is both healthy and delicious.

A few jars of the yummy goodness we will be enjoying this winter.

With some of the apples left we made an apple pie (sorry no pictures) and these caramel beauties.

It's Fall!

2010-10-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

As a girl from the Midwest I have always loved Fall. Unfortunately in the last 5 years I have not lived anywhere with Fall colors. The weather here in NM is finally starting to cool off and it is feeling a little more like Fall. I pulled out the decorations and made a display on my buffet.

I made a leaf garland from brown craft paper and stamping chalk in burnt umber.

A friend and I got together and made our own version of a candy corn wreath.

My lovely friend Katie and her candy corn wreath.

It was a party filled visit

2010-10-03T12:49:00.001-06:00

Almost a month ago we had a great 3 day visit from my sister, brother in law, and nieces. Just a few pictures I finally got around to uploading.

My nieces called our garden soaking tub in the master bathroom "the swimming pool". They swam in there at least twice during their visit.

We had a birthday party for little Miss "K" complete with crowns. This is the dress I sewed her and didn't get any really great shots of. The back has covered gray buttons. The dress has a complete separate lining with ruffle that hangs below the hem of the dress. She put it on immediately and wanted to wear it each day until they left. I guess that was a success!

Here is a picture of the "school skirt" on "J" from the earlier post.

One of the days we went bowling and "K" was too cute in her little shoes!

It was plenty hot while they were here so we bought an inflatable pool and a crazy daisy sprinkler to keep them cool and entertained in the yard.

At the zoo

Popsicles in the pool, what a life!

Cover Up

2010-09-28T12:48:00.000-06:00

I finally sat down and cut out a cover for the serger that was getting quite dusty between uses. I had enough of the dress form fabric leftover from making the sewing machine cover to make the front and back pieces but had to supplement with the goldenrod stripe in the middle. I love how it turned out!

See! These fabrics are a perfect pair and the baby blue piping really accents them both.

Galvanized Buffet Display

2010-09-20T18:28:00.003-06:00

A couple of months ago I was driving home from the store and stopped at a garage sale at the home of an elderly couple and a very obese dachshund. The items left late in the day when I stopped included mostly old tools and garage items. I spied a galvanized storage unit that had a lovely patina but had definitely seen better days. I told the man I would take it for the $5 price he had written on it with a permanent marker. He was beyond thrilled and told me he thought that it would be one of the first things they sold rather than one of the last. He went on to list all the ways I could use it (mostly in manly garage sort of ways). I think he would be shocked to see it now.

I sanded off most of the rust that was loose (and the $5.00 price written on top) and then used clear matte spray varnish to coat the whole thing. Once it dried for a few days and the smell from the varnish weakened I slapped felt pads on the bottom and set it on the buffet.

Now rather than housing cotter pins and nails it displays those little items that look like clutter when they are left by themselves. It has a tiny baby picture of my mom, bowls from Japan, a little painted shoe from Amsterdam, and many other things. As you can see I have room for future trinkets looking for a home.

Ruffled Runner

2010-09-15T18:03:00.002-06:00

The antique Mongolian chest we have in our entry way was looking rather dark so I sewed up a runner with the fabric I had left from the table skirt in the previous post. It was exactly what the space needed.

I also recently found this great turquoise lamp at a thrift store for $5.99. I already had the lamp shade.

It is a ceramic lamp base with ribbed lines. It only has one tiny crack and just needed a good scrubbing. The original wiring works but I will replace it for safety reasons.

A skirt and a table

2010-09-04T19:44:00.001-06:00

We needed a cheap but attractive option for a table between the love seat and couch. I decided on a skirted table to give a more cozy grounded feel to the corner and to help hide lamp cords.

Ballard has great round tables with skirts that can be purchased in many wonderful fabrics. These are not the round decorator tables of the 80s or 90s with the dowel legs that easily tipped. There are several other companies that also sell the basic tables. Of course purchasing from Ballard would not qualify as cheap as I mentioned was a requirement. What's a girl to do? Well make one, that's what!

Above Image from Ballard Designs

I picked up this fabric because it was cheap and had a rustic linen look to it. I think it is around $4 a yard. For the size table skirt I made I needed about 4 yards I think. I can't remember exactly. I used a tutorial I found by googling round table skirts and it came out beautifully.

Using scrap wood and mdf we had leftover from other projects I made the table and shelf base. This table is extra sturdy and has been holding up well to run ins with a 70lb Labrador.

Chalkboard for the Entry

2010-08-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

Each week my house starts to come together a little bit more. I am almost finished with our entry way and will reveal all the pictures of it soon.

I had an old painting that I picked up at a garage sale in my parents basement that had a really big frame. I tore off the exterior of the frame that was covered in some fabric because it came out from the wall strangely (sorry no picture since I was so happy to rip that part off). You will see the canvas that I rescued from the frame in another post.

I had some leftover 1/4" birch plywood from one of the many projects I've recently made. I just cut a piece to fit in the back of the frame where the canvas had been. I painted the board and sanded and painted with chalkboard spray paint but didn't get a great result. I think the fine grain of the wood was still too much.

I painted the frame out in a pale blue and distressed it very lightly.

You can see the how the grain shows after chalk gets in it. It looks worse in the picture than it does in person. It actually gives it an old rustic look.

Old Couch....Fresh Start!

2010-08-26T19:16:00.002-06:00

In our new house I have been going for a cottage look with a slight beachy feeling. So far the slip covering the couch has made the most impact. I keep surprising myself when I walk into the living room.

Here in the picture of me working on the couch you can see the old upholstery fabric. It was pretty but not the look I wanted anymore. The couch is good quality so I decided to make my first serious slipcover. I also am doing a chair so I ordered 25 yards of white bull denim and 50 yards of welting cord!

Another picture of the progress. You can see the cushions finished and sitting on the leather love seat.

I had to take a picture of the most challenging part of the whole couch (other than the zippers in the back). This little dart had to be made to fit the corner and it took me a long time of adjusting to get it right.

Here the couch is all covered!

I should also warn you that this is a "do at your own risk" project. I kept catching my fingers in the pins as I sewed and the sharp metal upholstery zippers really sliced my finger when I was stuffing the cushion.

I definitely left my mark on the fabric. Thankfully it is white and it will bleach out. There are several little tiny spots as well from pricked fingers. I think I went through a whole box of band-aids during the construction.

Even before I had the slipcover fabric I had this great coordinating decorator linen that I had picked up at Hobby Lobby. It is wonderful! It is distressed looking and oh so drapey. Much nicer than the stiff upholstered pillows we had.

I have to say that this has been the most difficult sewing project I have ever completed. Mostly due to the heavy weight of the fabric, the welting, and the sheer size of it.

The chair is in progress so stay tuned for pictures of the living room as it improves!

Go check out the party!

Kimono Belted Dress

2010-08-23T17:52:00.002-06:00

I finally got around to sewing something for myself to wear. This is a dress and belt made from New Look pattern # 6803. It came together quickly and was easy to adjust. I ended up taking in the side seam from the underarm to the waist to give it more definition but it still had to be able to slip over my head. This might not be the best style for someone short waisted like myself but oh well.

You'll have to excuse the squinting eyes. I wanted the pictures taken before church when I was in a non wrinkled state we were in a bit of a hurry.

School Skirt

2010-08-18T17:44:00.002-06:00

My oldest niece is starting Montessori school this month. I had picked up the perfect school themed fabric in Japan. It is going to be a longer skirt on her little petite frame but I puposefully left it longer so she can wear it for a few years.

A new friend

2010-08-16T17:40:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I received a great package in the mail.....a friend for my sewing machine! I finally received my serger that had been backordered for months. Don't they look good together?

I decided to try out the low budget Magnolia serger that Janome makes. I was able to purchase it for less than $200 and it shipped for free. That price is hard to beat. So far it seems to be fine for what I need.

So far I have only used it to finish seams but haven't used it to sew knits or anything else yet. I wanted to be able to sew knits more easily and be able to finish of the seams in my garments more professionally.

I was thrilled to see the nice edge on this little scrap on my first test drive.

Gifts for Baby Ely

2010-08-10T07:34:00.009-06:00

My dear friend Kristi is having her first baby. I am so excited for her! Although I couldn't make it to her baby shower I wasn't about to let the chance to sew sweet baby gifts pass me by. These are just a few of the things I sent to her. I forgot to take pictures of everything before wrapping them up.

A soft blanket and little shoes.

Japanese pastoral scene fabric. It is a lightweight twill almost, soft though. The back is velour fabric and extremely soft, rub on your face just to double check soft.

A hooded towel and matching washcloth sewn out of Alexander Henry fabric and green terry towels.

Ruched Pillow Tutorial

2010-08-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

I had an idea for a while to make a ruched pillow for our bedroom. I have it shown on our guest bed in the pictures but that is only because the lighting is better.

First you need a pillow. I happened to find these rectangular pillows that were $3 each at Wal-Mart and marked as travel pillows. The pillow is 14 "x20". You can use whatever size you want though.

You need to measure the length and width of your pillow.

L=20"

W=14"

To get the measurement for the front piece I added 1 inch for seam allowances and then doubled that number. So 21x2=42". The width will be 14 plus an inch for seam allowances. That means I needed to cut a piece that was 15"x42". The pieces of the back will form an envelope closure so you need to allow for that. My width measurement will remain at 14" but the length of the envelope pieces will be 15". This allows for hemming the edge of the envelope pieces and for a generous overlap.

Next you need to hem the back pieces so they will not ravel and will have a finished look. Start by folding the edge over 1/2" and pressing in place.

Next turn the 1/2" pressed edge over again to enclose it and press.

Here it is pressed and pinned to sew. Sew close to the edge to secure.

Next you need to gather the piece of fabric that will be the front. To do this adjust your machine to do the longest length stitch you have. For my machine this is 5.

Stitch the entire length of the long edge of the fabric 3/8" from the edge, repeat again 1/4" from the edge. Do the same on the other long side of the fabric.

Now you need to pull up the gathers using the bobbin thread until the piece measures 21 inches. I had it on my cutting board to determine the length but you can just check it with a tape measure or ruler as well.

Adjust the gathers so they look evenly distributed.

Now you need to finish preparing the back piece. Lay the pieces down overlapping them so they are measuring 21" in length.

Pin the area where the pieces overlap and stitch the edge between the pins to hold the pieces in place.

Now it is time to put the front and back together. Make sure the back piece is turned the right way so the envelope edges will have the nice side showing. (This is your warning, I didn't double check so mine has the wrong side showing on the back). Pin the pieces together and stitch together using 1/2" seam allowance. If you plan on washing your pillow cover in the future you should either serge the raw edges or use a zig zag stitch.

Turn right side out and insert your pillow. You can see my blue pillow stripes showing through slightly since my linen fabric is quite transparent. I need to sew a white cover to help hide them.

Amazing giveaway

2010-07-31T16:30:00.000-06:00

If you like vintage items head on over to Miss Mustard Seed for a chance to win an amazing box full of goodies.

I hope I win!

Entry Way II: The Bench

2010-07-29T07:21:00.000-06:00

The bench for the entry way finally met the can of spray paint this week. Here it is outside so I could get better pictures of it. I built it using more of the plans over at the Knock Off Wood site. Sadly it is one of my last building projects for now. I am running out of room in the house! Matt has accused me using a small forest worth of wood already so he is lucky our house isn't big enough to accomodate more big projects.

You can see in this picture the splotchy finish on top. You can only see this at a certain angle for some reason. If you look straight at it you can't tell. It was windy when I was spraying the last coat on the top and I was having some trouble with the paint going on even so I think that caused it. I put a coat of poly on it this afternoon so I'll see if that solves the strange effect.

Sweet Ride

2010-07-24T07:04:00.000-06:00

This is actually a post about my man. For years he has been wanting a motorcycle. Thankfully he wasn't looking for a super bike with super speed. He wanted a classic looking British bike with great character. Of course every time I thought of motorcycles the word DANGER in neon flashing colors filled my head. I gave the thumbs up in the end though.

Here we are at the shop picking up the bike. Matt was like a kid on Christmas day with a big grin on his face.

I don't know how good it shows up in this picture but it looks like the bike paint job and the truck paint job were matching. They both have gold, red, and black. The owners of the bike shop thought this was funny.

I don't think Barnsley cares too much about the new bike. He sniffed it over and sat for his picture.

Matt is still in the learning stages of this process so I am just going to stay off of the bike until a later date. We still need to get the seat attachment for the back unless I want to sit on the fender, I think not. The great thing about getting the bike was that it made us clean the side of the garage with all of the junk piled up. It looks a lot better in there now.

One more bag for the auction

2010-07-21T19:03:00.000-06:00

I stitched up a more simple sack tote to be sold at the silent auction in addition to the bag I made in the previous post.

Here is a mirror shot so you can see the size of the bag in relation to a person.

The outer fabric is a canvas I picked up in Japan. The lining is a solid gray.

Loud print for a silent auction

2010-07-15T15:09:00.001-06:00

My mom asked if I would sew a bag to donate for a silent auction that will benefit the pregnancy help center that she works at. I was more than willing to help out the cause and went through my fabric stash to find the fabric. I settled on some loud Alexander Henry prints for the outside and a coordinating solid for the lining.

The finished size is about 15x19" and is bigger than I expected it to turn out. I was using a Japanese pattern as a guideline but was improvising many of the steps and trying to convert measurements from a picture. I lined the bag and straps with cotton batting so it has a nice soft feel. The bow in the front is in a casing and can be pulled tighter to close up the bag more.

The corner pockets have elastic on top and wrap around the sides of the bag.

The lining has 3 pockets

Some close ups of the interesting fabric. Everything girly from perfume to lipstick.

an I-Pod???? Not sure why that is on there

Hope you like it mom! I'll mail it shortly.

Entry Way Part I

2010-07-13T18:23:00.003-06:00

I have started working on our front entry way so guests will feel a little more welcome. It will have a place to hang coats and a bench to slip on or off shoes. First project was the coat rack.

My parents brought me a lovely collection of craftsman molding that they removed from a home that burned. The wood was a little damaged and smokey but still very usable. I decided to use the piece above to make the coat rack.

First I needed to cut out some brackets to support a top shelf.

You can see I played with the design of the brackets so much that I had to use a black marker to make sure I cut the right line.

Two brackets sitting on top of the dog kennel, which actually makes a pretty good work surface.

After screwing the brackets to the molding piece I cut a 1/2 inch plywood top to fit the top.

Using some trim I removed from another piece of molding, I trimmed out the plywood. After all of that I filled in the holes with wood filler, sanded and painted. Once it was dry I added some coat hooks.

Here the shelf is installed.

Dresses for 3 Little Girls

2010-07-10T15:17:00.001-06:00

I have 3 nieces under the age of 5 and sewing for them is always fun. Two of the girls are sisters and have a real desire to be princesses decked out in pink and purple all the time. They also love to be matching so the pink and purple dresses are for them. The blue and yellow dress is my favorite one of the bunch and is for the only girl in my brothers family. She has two older brothers so she needs some sweet dresses. They are almost all the same size, which is little. I used a size large in a baby pattern to make these. For the oldest I did add 2 inches to the length and an inch or so to the width. Hopefully they will fit. They are on the way in the mail.

The pink and purple fish seersucker fabric is from Japan.

Yummy Lemon Dreamsicles

2010-07-07T19:54:00.000-06:00

I have found a wonderfully delicious frozen treat recipe and it is too good not to share with my readers. I was skeptical when I read that the ingredients called for buttermilk but you have to trust me, they are so good.

Picture from Pinch My Salt

The recipe originated over at Whipped and has appeared on several other blogs since then. Once you make them you will know why. The picture was so amazing on Pinch My Salt that I didn't think I could improve on it.

I have renamed my frozen treats Lemon Dreamsicles and have slightly altered the recipe. They are really tangy from the extra lemon. You can adjust the amounts to suit your taste buds.

Lemon Dreamsicles

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of sugar

5-7 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 Tablespoons of grated lemon zest

1 pinch of salt

1 2/3 cups buttermilk

Directions:

Combine the lemon juice, sugar, salt, and zest in a 4 cup measuring cup. Whisk together. Once the sugar has dissolved whisk in the buttermilk. Pour into popsicle mold or cups and freeze 4 hrs.

Sewing Machine Cozy

2010-07-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

I have been hanging on to this fabric for almost a year now with the intention of making a sewing machine cover. I found the fabric on one of our trips to Tokyo while we were still living in Japan but it has taken me a while to finally sew it into a cover. It is the perfect sewing room fabric.

I had just enough of the blue piping left from the Doggy Duvet project to add to the cover. I only had 3" I didn't need. It was meant to be used for this!

I used iron on interfacing in a medium weight to help keep the shape of the cover.

The cover is actually a bit wider than my machine so it can sit over the cords without bunching on the side.

The colors tie in well with my colorful vintage inspired sewing space.

The small wire dress form with hooks was also a Japanese find.

Doggy Duvet

2010-07-05T15:13:00.003-06:00

Have you ever noticed that a dog bed looks a lot better when it matches the rest of the decorating style in a room? I wanted our dog bed to blend in a little better with the style but also needed to get rid of the faux sheepskin covered bed that my terrier mix was shredding with all of her digging.

Most importantly, I wanted to make a completely washable dog bed so when the bed gets stinky (which doesn't take long) it will all get washed and not just the cover like most dog beds. Even the ones that say they are washable really won't fit in your washing machine. For those of you without big dog beds just trust me on that one.

I found this orange indoor/outdoor fabric marked down to $3 a yard. Best of all it is made in the USA. (That always feels like a rare but happy discovery.) I chose to make contrasting piping with a pale blue fabric. This was my first piping experience and it went fairly well. The corners are tricky but by the end I knew how to navigate them more easily. I just bought a piping foot for my machine and that made things easier.

It took no prompting for the dogs to climb on the new bed and test it for comfort.

I made the bed the size of the space between the wall and love seat, which is 32x40. It is big enough for them to share if Lilly will allow. She may weigh 50 lbs less than Barnsley, but she's the boss.

Barnsley seems to be looking off dreamily like he is pondering where the other bed went to and how this one arrived.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-03T17:35:00.000-06:00

Picture Credit: Country Living

Hope all of you have a great 4th of July!

Cutting Table with Storage....You can make one too!

2010-07-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

I finished my wonderful sewing room table this week! I have been waiting to get this project done so I would have a place to cut fabric and work on projects other than our small kitchen table. Many of you will agree that you fell in love with this project table in a well known furniture catalog. Most of us swooned over the piece but realized that we didn't have that kind of spare cash laying around to be spent in the craft room. I used this plan to build the bookcases and this plan to build the table top. They can be found over at knockoff wood. As always I did make modifications which I listed below.
The cubbies are the perfect size for orderly stacks of fabric. The fabric looks so vibrant against the white background.

There is space to pull up 2 stools so perfect for craft parties with a friend. Right now underneath my table I have one stool and Lilly's dog bed.

Because I am only 5'3" I lowered the plans by 2 inches. My table top sits at 35" off the floor but the original plans have it at 37". I also used 1x3 pine boards to trim out the top of the plywood panels. For the top I used 2 pieces of 1/2 inch plywood that I glued up. Underneath I have metal angle brackets to attach the back to the top for added stability. The front sits securely up against the trim piece. Okay, lets talk about cost for this project. With wood, primer, paint and other supplies I came in under $200. That saved me $549.00 even with the piece on sale!

Dimensions: 35" tall, table top is 38" x 55" (plus the trim pieces). This piece provides soooooo much storage that most of the cubbies are still empty. I will get around to filling more of them up when I finish opening the boxes from my previous craft room.

Double Rainbows

2010-07-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

A few nights ago it was stormy weather and just before sunset we realized we had a double rainbow. When we walked outside we found out that it was 2 full rainbows. I of course could only capture the one side.

Coffee Table Construction

2010-07-01T12:56:00.004-06:00

We needed a coffee table in our new house because frankly who wants to keep looking at a rubbermaid tub sitting in front of the couch. We looked around and didn't find anything at the thrift shops (they are pretty sad in this part of the country). I found several options I liked from Pottery Barn but the prices always stop me dead in my tracks. So we decided to build our own, or rather I roped Matt into helping me build our own. (Imagine the couch with a white slipcover please).
My inspiration comes from this table but I didn't think the galvanized top would be too safe due to sharp corners. In order to solder them you need heavy duty equipment and not the little soldering tools you can buy for stained glass work. So that option was out. Over at knockoff wood, Ana has plans for this table. We modified the plan to angle the legs and put in a bottom shelf like the other table. It is really a jumble of things but Ana should get some credit for helping me figure out how to make the top.

Pictures outside so you can actually see the table better. Sorry for the crooked picture.

I distressed the wood after we finished using a hammer and screw driver. We decided to leave the screws exposed as well to give it a more rustic feel. I stained it using two different colors from Varathane, Provencial and then Spring Oak. It has an aged pine look like I was hoping for.

The dimensions are 48" long, 18" tall, and 24" wide. This is one sturdy coffee table! Barnsley can run into it and it stands still. Good thing to have with a rowdy Labrador around. Our supplies are a little difficult to estimate since we used some wood from previous projects. I think it comes in around $65. That includes the screws, wood stain, glue, sand paper, etc. Let's see, that is a savings of $534.00 from the table I wanted to buy! That makes all the sweating in my hot garage worth it.

The Third and Final Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe....at Least for now

2010-06-27T16:48:00.007-06:00

Well let's just say that I am not a huge fan of the chocolate chip cookie recipe by Alton Brown. They taste just like the cookies from the recipe on the back of the bag and they are GREASY! Trust me, I tried 3 of them just to make sure. One hot, one warm, and one after they cooled. It is quite a sacrifice in the name of research, good thing they were not that big.
The supposed secret ingredient of this recipe is using bread flour to produce a more chewy cookie. I don't think it did anything for the recipe. The other common chewy cookie method is to melt the butter first.

I love using a small ice-cream scoop to portion out the cookies. Much easier than messing around with spoons or measuring cups.

These do not take long in the oven.....first pan got a little too dark on the edges. I learned from that and checked them sooner on the next round.

You can certainly try this recipe if you like and be sure to let me know if you get any better results than I did. Here is the link to the recipe. The recipe has hundreds of positive reviews on the food network site....hmmmm? Maybe they will be better tomorrow. They still taste good enough to eat!

***update***

So if you leave these cookies alone overnight in a sealed container they get better. They seem to absorb more of the grease (still greasy but not as bad) and get more chewy and soft. Matt also thought they were pretty good after he tried them.

Petal Ruffle Lamp Tutorial

2010-06-25T19:18:00.006-06:00

Do you have a boring lampshade that doesn't match your room? In need of some ruffles? Can't find a lampshade that will work in your space? That was my problem. I have been looking for white drum shades for my bedroom lamps but none were found that I felt were affordable. I had nothing to lose by trying out a lampshade makeover so it all started.
Earlier in the month I had spray painted the bases of my outdated lamps with a harvest gold spray paint. Once the lamps were painted the beige shades looked terrible and I knew that I needed white shades. This idea really goes back to art projects in first grade when I learned about using a pencil to glue pieces of tissue paper to a paper plate cut to look like a wreath.

I folded pieces of white cotton fabric and ironed them into rectangles, then cut them down into squares. The size of the circles you cut out really depends on the look you want. My circles are about 2.5 inches across. No need to trace and carefully cut out the circles unless you want to. Just cutting them close to a circle shape works fine.

I applied a layer of fabric glue to one section at a time.

Then it is time to take a pencil, chopstick, or whatever object you would like and fold a circle over the end like the picture below shows.

Then you take that circle and apply it to an area with glue. You can spread them out to your liking. I placed them fairly close to provide almost complete coverage of the original shade.

You just keep working until you have it finished. It is a slow poke project but not difficult.

My husband seemed to approve of the frills. I finished his lampshade first and he is enjoying that while mine is yet to be ruffled, or he is at least tolerating it for my sake. I think mostly he was happy to have a shade over the bare bulb again!

The lamp looks absolutely beautiful when it is lit!

This would be a great project done with a color or print fabric too. I think they would look especially sweet in a little girl's room or in a nursery.

Posted also as a linky, go check out the party!

Second Recipe in the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Challenge

2010-06-20T08:44:00.003-06:00

After Matt tried these cookies he was all smiles. He loves a soft chocolate chip cookie and these did not disappoint. These do not have a crisp exterior like the previous recipe tested, but rather stay soft on both the inside and outside thanks to the secret ingredient. See the recipe below to find out what it is...

This is the recipe that uses PUDDING! You can link to the recipe here. This recipe makes a huge batch of cookies. I cut the ingredients in half and still had more than 3 doz. medium size cookies.

From Black and Red to Turquoise

2010-06-17T17:04:00.001-06:00

This is the dresser that my parents gave me after I said "I can change that". It had a strange red/black stain and lacquer finish that was in bad repair. Please excuse the stack of wood on top. It has been being used as a storage surface for a couple of months.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the piece before I took the sander to it. Too much excitement to change it! Wherever you see those lines on the drawers you need to imagine pieces of aluminum painted to look like shiny brass. Yeah, really ugly!

This was the original hardware. Looks cool in the picture but is actually thin and sharp aluminum. I am hanging on to it; might find the right piece for it later.

Ta Da! Now the piece is a vintage turquoise color with light distressing.

New hardware in a weathered pewter. I'm still looking for some label holders to go above the pulls on the top 4 drawers.

Burlap Covered Lampshade Tutorial

2010-06-16T10:52:00.006-06:00

Beachy Burlap Lampshade

I am working on decorating our living room to have a beach cottage feel despite our dry dusty climate. I had my eye on a beautiful seagrass lampshade from a major retailer which is not really unreasonably priced until you start figuring in shipping and handling. I came up with idea to recover my current lampshade for less than $5 and give it a beach feeling (I hope you agree).

Supplies:

-natural colored burlap ( I bought a yard but it really depends on the size of your lampshade, remember the piece will be curved)

-thick hemp cord that has been waxed or finished (I found mine in the jewelry making section at Wal-Mart)

-fabric glue that dries clear

-1 inch wide twill tape or ribbon color of choice. In this tutorial it gets covered.

-clothespins

1. I forgot to take pictures of wrapping the lampshade with burlap. Lay your burlap out flat and lay the lampshade on its side. With a marker trace along the bottom edge while rolling it along. Make sure you go both directions so you have a semi circle looking piece. Trace the top edge as well. Cut the piece out and apply fabric glue to the lampshade adhering the burlap to the shade matching the edges. Where the burlap meets you can fold one edge under or just leave it raw. It is a personal preference. Let that dry.

2. Measure how much twill tape you will need (including 1 inch overlap) for the top and bottom of shade. Fold in half and iron.

3. Using fabric glue attach the twill tape to the top and bottom of the lamp to cover the raw edges of burlap. Use clothespins to hold in place.

4. Measure once around the bottom edge of lampshade and then add half of that measurement on. So if your lampshade was 14 inches on the bottom....14+7=21 inches. Cut 6 pieces of hemp cord to that length. Secure the ends of the hemp with a piece of tape. Braid the hemp together using 2 strands together. Keep the braid flat as you go so it will be easier to attach to the lampshade.

(Great clothespins from Japan, fun and colorful but they also expand at the back)

5. Attach the braid along the bottom of the shade with fabric glue.

When you get to the end cut the braid off so it is even with the other end you started with.

It is going to be a little messy but put a big glob of the fabric glue on and arrange the cords so they look as continuous as possible. Once it dries you won't see the glue.

6. For the top repeat the process. I chose to use 3 strands for the braid but this can be determined by you. Secure it the same way.

The finished product!

First Recipe in the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Challenge

2010-06-10T20:12:00.005-06:00

This all goes back to a month ago when I made the cookie recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag in hopes of taking them to some of my neighbors. Unfortunately they turned out terrible looking. They were overly greasy and ended up as flat as the cookie sheet. The chocolate chips looked like they were sprinkled on as an after thought. They were fine for us to eat but there was no way I was giving them to anybody else. I decided that I was going to find a better recipe. For some reason I decided that this was the week to do it. I did some searching on a cooking forum and gathered some recipes to try based on the good reviews they were given.

Recipe #1: Is the Cooks Illustrated recipe for Chewy and Crisp Cookies. Here is a link to the recipe.

Conclusion: They are so good! Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. They are the cookie I've been searching for. Of course there are 3 more recipes to try so we won't declare it the blue ribbon champion yet.

Guest Room Additions

2010-06-09T13:46:00.004-06:00

I recently bought some beautiful Valori Wells fabric off of etsy to make pillows for the guest room. This fabric is wonderful. It is thicker than quilting cotton but still has a nice soft feel. I never dreamed it would match the paint color so closely.

The second pillow is above with the appropriate envelope closure.

the first pillow was not what I intended but works fine and is actually cute. You won't see the back anyways. It suffered from a lack of good guidance to "measure twice, cut once". I allowed for hem allowance but not any overlap. Oh la!

Free curtain project for the window:

When we bought our bed we were given a free set of sheets that were lacking in sleeping quality for a picky sheet person (me of course). I decided to repurpose the fabric and stitched up some curtains for the very bare window. It is a queen size flat sheet cut in half length-wise and then hemmed along the cut edge. I didn't even bother to hem them to length but just clipped them up there and let them pool slightly on the floor.

First big project in the new house

2010-06-05T17:12:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the long blog absence. We recently moved back to the U.S. from Japan and have been busy getting settled. We were in serious need of some furniture but were not thrilled with how much everything cost. Thanks to the incredibly talented Ana over at http://www.knock-offwood.com/ we were able to build this entire office storage wall for less than $600!

We did modify the plans slightly to use the wall space that we had available. Our piece is 8 ft. wide and 6 ' 3" tall. The bottom left is a shelf unit and the bottom right is 4 file drawers.

As you can see this has become Matt's "man" wall. He did need one space in the house to call his own ;)

The plans are very good over at Ana's sight, but it was quite a challenge and took more time than we expected. We are really pleased with how well it turned out.

Vintage Stars

2010-02-13T17:50:00.005-07:00

This is the last quilt finished here in Okinawa and the first quilt of 2010!

I didn't measure it before the movers packed it, but I think it is about 50x65".

I raided my scrap bin for vintage looking fabrics for all of the star pieces.

I love the wrinkles of heavy top quilting so I did an all over free motion design except for the stars which I left plain.

Some close ups of my 2 favorite fabrics in this quilt.

Shirt > Dress

2010-02-11T15:58:00.004-07:00

Another re-purposed piece of clothing. This dress started out as a button up shirt.

You can see the original button placket on the back of the dress. I did however have to make 2 additional buttonholes to close the back yoke.
The vintage pattern I modified.

I lowered the neckline, omitted the collar, left the sleeves full, added a detachable bow and pockets, and lengthened it. The fabric of the shirt/dress has a soft feel and beautiful texture.

Bingata Rooster

2010-02-04T22:56:00.003-07:00

I took a class to learn about the traditional art of fabric dyeing called Bingata. This craft is an ancient Ryukyu craft here in Okinawa. The fabric is coated with a sticky gum substance to resist the dye. Then you take little brush and work dye into the fabric. This class happened to be a rooster on canvas. Not very traditional and a little disappointing for me. Usually the designs are of flowers or koi fish.

Here is what the rooster looked like after the light and dark colors were added.

Below is how it looked after the gummy stuff was washed away.

Because we worked on canvas and not thin cotton fabric there was some fading with the wash process. Overall I think it is pretty good for a newbie.

Take II

2010-01-17T19:02:00.003-07:00

This may look like the same quilt as in this post from a few days ago, but don't be fooled! I had some leftover disappearing 9-patch squares and thought I would make another quilt. I added large blocks of the coordinating fabric that I had leftover to get it to the same size.

I wiped out the stores supply of the red ticking stripe and I was short about 4" to do the back in a solid piece. This actually turned out cute with a strip of scraps from the front.

Blowing Bubbles

2010-01-11T18:09:00.003-07:00

This quilt was inspired by the Blowing Bubbles quilt from the book "Quilts, BABY!" The designer of the quilt is Marne' Cales.

Minimal hand quilting around the appliqued circles gives the quilt a soft and wrinkly look.

Disappearing 9 patch

2010-01-08T18:56:00.005-07:00

First finished quilt of 2010!

This quilt measures 40" by 54" and was constructed using the very simple, but impressive, disappearing 9 patch pattern. I chose to make a more modern design by using 4 colors for the quilt top and then used a great red ticking fabric for the trim, binding, and backing.
I thought it was time I made a quilt that could be given to a boy or girl. Finding boy fabrics can be a little tricky at times. All of the fabrics used in this quilt were produced in Japan.

The red ticking has a great vintage feel to it and compliments the "boy" design.

This was the first quilt that I used free motion quilting to finish. I found that it is not as intimidating or daunting as it seemed.

As mentioned before...

2009-12-27T21:01:00.001-07:00

In an earlier post I mentioned that these dogs will try to lay on anything that is on the floor. I was cleaning the bathroom and threw the hand towel on the floor to take downstairs to the laundry room. I looked out after scrubbing the tub and found this. I guess it's comfy! Apparently so comfy he didn't even move when I got the camera.

Skirt + Blouse = brown dress with teal lining

2009-12-26T19:24:00.005-07:00

I used a women's knee length skirt out of great woven brown fabric to make this Japanese pattern. I used a contrasting teal top to make the facing pieces. The dress is also completely lined with solid brown muslin that was the lining of the original skirt. I am guessing when I say this is about a size 5.

I love the ruffle detail of the shoulder and the gathered V neck front.

The back has a lovely curved piece with more gathers.

Japanese Pattern Eco Chic

2009-12-23T20:08:00.003-07:00

I have had this Japanese pattern for a reusable fabric shopping bag for a while now. Yesterday I decided to pull it out and try to figure it out. I think this bag is amazing. Little tricks in the pattern I would have never thought of worked out beautifully. I sewed the bag and matching pouch out of a heavy cotton and used a natural cotton webbing material I had lying around for the binding.
You can see it comfortably fits groceries. It is about the same size as a plastic bag.

No, I did not find granny smith apples in Okinawa. I have a bowl of these artificial apples in my kitchen and when people come to visit they get excited. All we can buy are sweet apples so everyone is wanting something tart. Nothing suitable for baking at our commissary.

After some folding the bag can be stowed in the matching pouch. Japanese brilliance!

Owl Quilt Finished!

2009-12-04T17:44:00.003-07:00

After many months (about 10 to be more precise) the quilt is finished. I started this quilt and then would set it aside. I have had it half quilted for about 4 months and over the long Thanksgiving weekend I forced myself to finish it. I was worried it wasn't going to turn out well but you can see that it came out fine. One spin through the washing machine and dryer and the imperfections have almost disappeared. This quilt is 75 x 75". The pattern is made up and I have to give my friend Christa credit for helping me figure out the math.

I was trying to hide my shadow in the early morning sunshine but it didn't work.

The top is quilted in diagonal lines about 1 1/4 in apart. Much more difficult than it appears!

The pieced back.

I found the triangles fabric for a steal out here, I think all 4 yards for Y1000 or about $10.

Quilt Holders

2009-11-28T19:06:00.004-07:00

I was working on taping off a quilt for top stitching and left the room to answer the phone. When I came back this was the scene that greeted me. I snuck out and got the camera and they were so comfortable using their pillow that they didn't even move.
If I lay anything on the floor, even a single layer of fabric, they think it is for them. I am constantly shooing them away and even lock them out of the room at times. You can see a comfy dog bed behind Lilly. They are so funny!

Lilly's Test Coat

2009-11-21T23:47:00.004-07:00

I think dog coats are super cute but not really necessary here in Okinawa. Lilly has quite thin fur and I think she might get cold when we visit Wisconsin in the winter so that is my excuse for coming up with this (I really just wanted to make her a darling little coat).
I wish Matt was here today so he could have taken pictures while I was tracing Lilly on some scrap fabric. She cooperated nicely and I had a nice little diagram to make a pattern from. I drafted a rough pattern and this was the sample coat. I guess this may be the beach version since it is lined with terry cloth. Just kidding! The next one I make will be lovely wool or corduroy with fleece lining. I can't believe it worked on the first try!

She was not thrilled with the photo session but she doesn't seem to mind the coat. She is sleeping with it on while I post this.

Kawaii Japanese things!

2009-11-05T01:58:00.007-07:00

KAWAII = cute

Recently my friend and I made the rounds of our favorite craft stores here. We browsed books, bought fabric and enjoyed great food. A great way to spend a rainy Sunday. Here are a few of the things that made their way home with me.

Fall (or any season as far as I'm concerned) window clings. Check out how cute this little forest scene is. I have them in my sewing room and they are adding a whole lot of Kawaii to the place.

Does anybody know what this says? I don't speak Japanese or French!

This little gem of a book is filled with great bags, zippered pouches and fabric buckets. The Japanese culture appears to like little bags for almost every item you take out of your house. It seems this would help keep you organized and sure looks cute.

The book is split up into the different seasons and uses those color palettes. Amazing layout!

This book is filled with beautiful things for little girls. It is filled with inspiring work. If only I could read kanji!

I want to make up some of this clips for my own hair.

Retro Triangles

2009-10-11T16:54:00.004-06:00

I finished a quilt this week. I used 1 moda charm pack combined with a cream fabric (I know it looks white in the pictures). The finished size is 36x44 inches. It is a perfect baby size and you don't have to piece the backing. I failed to take a picture of the back but it is a green and white print so you'll just have to imagine it. For the time being the quilt is folded and hanging over the door of my fabric cabinet because the colors go so perfectly together. The weather was rainy/windy yesterday so I had to take the pictures indoors. Obviously the quality is quite lacking.

As you can see I top stitched 1/4" from each seam. Thank goodness the quilt wasn't any bigger. This part is so time consuming. I love how it turned out after I washed it. I wash nervous to wash it as the charm pack was not prewashed but my cream fabric, backing and binding had been washed. I like to wash all the new fabric I bring home so I was worried the shrinking would be uneven. The charm pieces didn't seem to shrink much at all and there was not any bleeding of colors. Maybe there will be more charm packs in the future.

Prize for the Winning Bid

2009-10-03T18:43:00.003-06:00

A week ago Matt and I went to a charity auction that included Chinese furniture and antiques. They also had Persian carpets, artwork, and some random items like stainless steel BBQ utensils. It was a triple date with friends and we had a great time watching the bidding. There was one piece of furniture that we liked and actually had been talking about for some time, a bookshelf. This is a Chinese made piece in the Dutch style according to Wilson, the Chinese man who brought the items from China. I am intrigued by how he goes by the name Wilson but was unable to satisfy that curiosity. We were given Chinese fans with numbers on them for the bidding. Matt and I set a limit for the piece and I was given the fan to bid. For a while we thought we were getting the piece for a steal and then someone in the back started to bid against me. We were not at our limit yet so I was happily raising the bid. Apparently the other person needed this piece of furniture as well and was not giving up so easily. It became an intense bidding war and I was so flustered that I was shaking. We ended up winning the bid for $80 over our initial limit so we did okay. The intensity must have been palpable because after I won the bid the whole place erupted in clapping. I was still in shock and put my little fan under my chair in case I had the urge to bid on something else. Earlier in the evening I had accidentally bid on an ugly piece of furniture when I bent down to get my water glass and was holding the fan. Thankfully someone else wanted the piece and the bidding continued. Whew!

Here is the bookshelf in all its' splendor. The piece is 7 feet tall!
The picture quality is bad but you can get the feel for the piece. Inside the doors are shelves. I think the piece is timeless and will travel nicely with us to wherever we may be living next.

Study Date

2009-09-25T16:51:00.003-06:00

Matt has started taking classes again and is often reading in the office while sitting in the rescued papasan chair. He often has a study date named Lilly, so I snapped a few pictures of how this looks. She was rather annoyed that I was interrupting perfectly good sleep. She is a true lap dog. If we sit down she thinks it is time to cuddle.

2009-09-25T00:10:00.003-06:00

A few weekends have passed and I have finally gotten around to posting some pictures from our adventure at the Orion Beer Fest. Orion is an Okinawan brewery that sponsors this particular festival. The festival also included traditional Eisa dance competitions, carnival rides, games and greasy festival food. At the end of the whole night they had the best fireworks display that I've ever seen. It was truly spectacular. The pictures I took didn't turn out that great but show some of the fun.

This is how Pizza-La delivers the pizzas out in town here.

Tim, Christa and Matt

Many of the local people dressed in their Yukatas.

Yummmy!

Matt and I, self taken of course.

Finished the coin quilt!

2009-09-24T00:48:00.004-06:00

Cast Iron Birdy Arrived in my Mailbox!

2009-08-28T02:15:00.005-06:00

A little birdy flew all the way from Arizona to Japan to come live with us.

This sweet little additon is from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who were so sweet to think of my blogsite. The little bird is made out of cast iron and has such a great patina.
I let Barnsley and Lilly look it over since they are always super curious about packages. Barnsley seems to be wondering what the thing is.

My favorite picture. Barnsley stooping down to give the bird a little kiss. The outtakes were of him trying to see if he could pick it up and play with it. He decided it was too strange and heavy to be a toy.

Lilly just humoring me with her shot because a grandma and auntie to the dogs want to see the cute little faces.

chocolate and sprinkles

2009-08-17T03:06:00.003-06:00

I have been enjoying recycling clothing lately. It is so much fun to turn the items into something new and fresh. I forgot to take a before picture this time. This started out life as a size 22 womens top and became a size 3-4T dress. It has a great vintage feel to it.

The original top already had these pleats and the yolk trim. I was also able to reuse the sleeves by cutting them down. I just had to thread new elastic into them that was more child size appropriate.

I also kept the little back detail from the original back. It is higher than waist level but it looks really cute. The dress has a simple one button closure.

The fabric is chocolate colored with silver and peach screen printed polka dots that actually melt off when ironed with the temp set too high (whoops!). Thankfully I figured this out on the bias trim first. I hemmed it with some wonderful Japanese ribbon. I love to cheat this way with my hems.

Lemon Drop Shirt to Recycled Skirt

2009-08-08T20:11:00.004-06:00

I am still getting over the jet lag from my 2 week trip to the U.S. but I was itching to do some sewing. I decided to keep it simple and do a refashion to this yellow cotton shirt. (This is actually quite bright yellow and not cream as it appears).

There is great detail on the bottom edge of the shirt and it is completely lined.
This was as easy as it gets. I just cut off the top of the shirt and made the casing for the elastic.

Little finished skirt.

Stacked Coins Baby Quilt: WIP

2009-07-11T17:55:00.005-06:00

Using the tutorial from The Moda Bakeshop blog I created the coins using up some of my stash. Rather than using charm squares I just cut strips of fabric 2.5" wide and then cut them down to 5" long. I am working on piecing the back this weekend. I love this pattern because it works up quickly but looks so cute. I purposely tried to get out of my "matchy" fabric comfort zone and I am pleased with the results. Reds, pinks, greens and browns look coordinated but not boring. I only had enough white on hand to cut my strips the width of the fabric so I ended up shortening the coin stacks by 2 strips and the quilt worked up to be square. It is still a generous sized baby quilt.

Sherbert Ruffles

2009-07-04T01:08:00.004-06:00

I recently bought a size 8 dress at the thrift shop with thoughts of altering it to fit myself. For some reason the thought of taking it in to get a tailored fit was irritating me so I cut it up and made it into this sweet little outfit. I didn't like the idea of pulling out stitching and moving the bust darts mostly. I sewed this up inspiration from McCall's pattern M5559 http://http//www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5559.htm?tab=out_of_print&page=1
I base measurements off of the XL which seems to be about 24 months.

I didn't have enough fabric to make a diaper cover out of the same color so I used a very pale yellow that coordinated and then made some ruffles out of the scraps to tie them together. I think I like it better this way.

The bias trim on the leg openings is actually a golden orange color and not as it appears on the screen.

A customer picture

2009-06-10T22:16:00.004-06:00

This is Kennedy, my youngest customer. She is modeling a shoulder tie sundress which I made for her. I posted pictures of the dress when I was finished but it is much more exciting to see it being worn.

Shirt Refashion

2009-05-22T04:01:00.004-06:00

I found this shirt at the thrift store and immediately loved the fabric. I thought I would cut it up and use it to make other projects but the more I thought about what it could become I realized the potential it had to become a new scrub top for work. I have had a pair of cranberry red pants that I picked up on clearance that I had set aside until I had time to sew a top that matched them. The pants matched the fabric perfectly!

The changes I made:
-cut off the sleeves and made a little fluttery edge
-turned the sleeves into pockets
-tapered the waist in so it would fit me more closely and not be so boxy shaped

An action shot at work. For those who don't know I work at a military hospital on the outpatient surgical floor.

These are some of the corpsmen who work on my unit. They love having pictures taken and they will love that they made it into a blog post. I could choose to wear the same scrubs that the military personnel have to wear but as a civilian I also have the opportunity to wear my own scrubs. Wearing color is definitely more appealing on most days. However, not having to launder my scrubs is also enticing. It is nice to have options!

Weekend Projects x 5

2009-05-20T15:50:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine who has recently moved back to the United States needed a bunch of baby shower gifts. These are packs of 2 burp cloths made with cloth diapers as the base and bibs that are backed with terry cloth. They are quick and easy to make and I really like picking out the fabrics.

Don't you love the sundaes on this bib? This fabric is so cute for little girls.

One more dress for a well dressed little lady

2009-05-19T04:26:00.004-06:00

I finished the last dress in the order of 4 for my friend Kristine this weekend. (She has told me there may be more orders coming). I am thankful for the rain we have been receiving but that meant I couldn't take the dress outside to take pictures of. I have a beautiful bush (well more like a tree) with pink flowers budding that would've made the best backdrop for this dress.

This is a cotton fabric with an amazing silky feel. It reminds me of expensive sheets.

Pleating detail on the front

Buttons down the back

Dogs + Beach = Happiness

2009-05-18T03:23:00.004-06:00

On Sunday I was invited by my friends to take our labs to the beach. The weather was incredible and the water was great. We had a great time watching them play and retrieve. What I didn't take pictures of and should have are all the people on the left side of the beach. There is a little bit of natural separation and the dogs were so busy playing that they left the other people alone. Well, mostly. Barnsley did visit a lovely couple sitting on the steps twice and shared a shower with them. They were so kind and said they missed their dog who had passed away and they were enjoying watching ours play. Barnsley also tried to follow a few of the kids and adults who came walking past our part of the beach but he was well mannered and there was no jumping or licking involved. The only time he got into some trouble was when he decided to run all the way to the other end of the beach to meet a little long haired dachshund. The poor Japanese woman was probably shaking as he came barreling towards them. All he did was try to sniff that little dog and the little dog was terrified. The woman was so sweet and I apologized in Japanese and she told me it was no problem in Japanese which I was able to understand. She even let Barnsley give her a kiss on the face and pet him so she must have liked him. I love him dearly but draw the line at kisses on the face.

Barnsley (left) Murphy (middle) Bo (right)

Barnsley followed these two boys as they looked for shells

Barnsley hoping Murphy drops the frisbee so he can play with it

A friend of my friend's has this beautiful Great Dane named Sid. He is only 14 mos. old!

The look of Labrador bliss after the play date

Something's Fishy

2009-05-16T16:19:00.004-06:00

While shopping at the Japanese 100Y store I happened upon these dog treats. They are little fish that have been dried and are for dogs and cats according to the picture on the package. I carefully checked the package and found that they are made in Japan so I felt safe enough to try them out. They are a little bit creepy and largely stinky upon opening the package.

Once I got over the ick factor I gave some to the dogs. There was no hesitation and the treats were gobbled up. However, Lilly had a different idea of what she could do with her new delicious treat. She took one and laid it on the rug and then proceeded to try to rub her face and body all over it. YUCK! I had to supervise the chewing and swallowing of them after that.

Here they are after they had their fish treats and pleading for more. It's hard to say no to those faces!

House Part II: The downstairs

2009-05-15T21:53:00.005-06:00

Okay I finally got around to taking the pictures of the downstairs. The upstairs will have to wait a bit longer. It is such a shame that none of you will be able to come visit and see it in person (well except for my Okinawa readers).
This is the front entry way. To the left down the hallway is the dining room and kitchen, to the right is the hallway that leads to the living room.

The bathroom in the downstairs hallway.

The kitchen

Barnsley and Lilly showing you what they do best.

To the left side of the couch is the sliding glass door which opens up onto the patio. I couldn't get a good picture of this without a glare. You will have to imagine it.

One end of the living room that is now a little reading area

Lilly running down the hallway and away from the camera monster.

One of the best things in this house is that I now have a laundry room that can be closed off to help the noise and mess disappear.

"Don't Cat"

2009-05-10T01:30:00.001-06:00

You may be asking why "Don't Cat"? It should actually say Don't Dog. Since we've moved and I've let the dogs be loose in the house we have had a little problem with excess hair on the couch and chair. The 100Y store has a solution for everything though. This is why we have "Don't Cat" now. This is a clever little product made to put in your garden to keep the cats from using it as a bathroom. The plastic webs have little plastic spikes that are uncomfortable to step on or lay on. They are not sharp enough to puncture skin as I found out when I did a test run with my own skin. Therefore they were deemed safe to use for project Don't Dog. Now when I leave the house I just put one on each cushion and the dogs stay off the furniture and use their own beds.

The little picture of the cat has tears coming from the eyes. I wish I could read the Kanji.

These are easily stacked when not in use and placed under the couch.

Close up of the system.

Purple and Polka Dots

2009-05-09T01:14:00.004-06:00

Finished another wee dress that was ordered by my friend

Kristine ( http://www.chisaibums.com/ )who has a stylish little girl.

The Fabric is a heavier Japanese cotton and the coordinating trim is cotton gingham.

Very cute stuff!

New Place Part I : The Outside

2009-05-07T03:32:00.004-06:00

I've had some requests from family and friends to put up some pictures of our new base housing and I have complied.

We live in a fourplex unit and we are the very end unit "D"

Our side yard that is still trying to grow grass.

The back patio.

Backyard from the side.

A little hard to tell but just past the hibiscus bushes is a steep hill that goes down into the neighbors yard behind us. Thankfully it is steep enough that the base has deemed it unsafe for us to mow! I am enjoying much less grass to mow. I think the mowing time has gone from 1.5 hours to .5 hours! That leaves more time for the fun things like crafting.

This Week's Farmer Market Purchases

2009-04-27T06:11:00.004-06:00

On my way home from church on Sunday I stopped at my favorite farmer's market. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the beautiful produce that I brought home.

I also picked up these tropical branches/leaves which are now looking beautiful in my kitchen.