Just a little glimpse at what I’m working on right now. More details to come.

BTW I lurve me the Hipstamatic app on my iphone!

. . . and I am a sewist.

What? Okay, let me explain. I’ve just joined a “twelve step program” sewing group. This group has been started by Chickpea Sewing Studio as habit forming way to keep up on sewing projects: For 12 months, 12 days a month, I will sew for 1 hour. I like the idea of this plan because its not too ambitious, but will give me a bit of structure/incentive to continue to work on my sewing skills. You can work on any project you like: hand sewing, quilts, clothing, etc. I will be holding myself to this outside of any sewing classes I might take. I am hoping that this will help me take my sewing to another level.

Anyone that cares to join me is welcome. There is a related flickr group here to show off projects, check it out to get some ideas. I’ll be posting projects there, but will make some blog posts as well. Wish me luck!

Well, I did it. I actually made a real honest-to-God quilt. I still can’t believe it. Much thanks to Anne Smith at Sticher’s Crossing for much hand holding and reassurance.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Of course there are some changes I would make, different fabric choices being the foremost in my mind. It’s a bit too bright and I’m not 100% happy with how the grays and browns work together, guess that means I’ll have to make another one. ;0)

Patience and accuracy are truly key. Things that I need to work on. I learned that it is about the process and I can’t skip any steps. The slower I went, the better things turned out. I also realized that I have to limit the amount of time I work on the project. After so many hours, I tended to get tired and want to rush things or not be as careful. This just ends up having to be ripped out and started over, so it pays to take breaks and know when your brain is done.

The hardest part was the actual quilting process. My sewing machine is a bit too wimpy, not to mention I had to use a regular foot, not a walking foot. This made things difficult. I am not yet ready to shell out the money for a better machine, but I know that it will be somewhere in the future if I continue to make any more quilts. Especially if I graduate to a larger size. (This one was a “crib/lap” sized quilt.)

Something I enjoyed that I thought that I’d hate? Hand-sewing the binding. It was quite easy and somewhat relaxing to do while watching TV in the evening. Plus, it kept me warm while I worked on it!

I have already signed up for the next class, it starts May 17th! 



The past couple of days have been spent cleaning up my studio space. (Okay, so it’s only a space in the basement, a girl can dream!) I really neglected it over the winter and it was quite a mess. Piles of fabric, stacks of canvases, mounds of yarn and half-finished knitting projects, dead ladybugs. . . . okay maybe that was too much information. Anyways, I’ve been trying to get things back into some semblance of order.


Getting the area put back together has made me realize that I really need to do a little better on the organization of my supplies. I feel like I need a system to corral all my different projects and help me keep on track. I am notorious for starting something, getting gung ho about it, then shoving it to the side when I come up with something else to work on. I also am in need of a larger work area. I work best when I am able to spread out everything. I can’t really do this other than putting things on the floor, not the best to have your big yellow lab laying on your sewing project. I guess I’ll need to brainstorm for some solutions. . .

I will say that having a clean space has really gotten my creative juices flowing. I have a few new projects in the works. I’m committed to completing them before I start any new ones. Here’s to hopping I’ll be able to share them with you soon.

I went to my first quilting class on Monday. I was super nervous! I was afraid that my skills would be way below everyone else or that they would point and laugh at Bro. Thankfully, I was okay. My skills were on par with the rest of the group, Bro was the most basic -but there were also people there with 40 year old machines- and I actually was complemented on my “contemporary” fabric choices. I felt pretty comfortable by the end of the session and look forward to next week. I have a little “homework” that I need to do for Monday, so I better get that finished!

I’ve decided to up the ante a bit here lately and challenge myself by signing up to take a quilting class. The LYS I go to also carries fabrics for crafting/quilting as offers classes. I bit the bullet and signed up for Beginning Quilting for the month of April. I am pretty excited but also extremely nervous about this. My sewing skills are okay, but not the best. I am hoping this will help me better my skills and also teach me some patience. I can sometimes get easily frustrated with the machine and end up going rogue on a pattern because I want to get it done. Hopefully, this will teach me more about process and doing things the right way. I feel that you can wing it when it comes to quilts.

I have always thought that quilting would be an amazing thing to learn. There are a lot of great modern quilters out there right now that are true artists. I love the idea of practical, functional art. Plus, who doesn’t love to snuggle up in a warm, cuddly quilt?

I’ll be sure to post my progress once I get started. Wish me luck!

The hubby recently asked me to knit him a hat like the one he saw on some website. It was a basic cable-knit hat, so I thought that I’d be able to find a pattern for it. After a little searching on Ravelry, I found the Irish Hiking Hat . I decided to do a test run of the pattern before going to work on Shawn’s, so I picked up some Plymouth Encore Worsted that I had in my stash to see what I could do. I decided to double the yarn to give it a chunky, Irish sweater look. I feel like it turned out pretty well, except for the finishing on the crown came up to a little point – or like a nipple according to hubs- so I covered it up by adding a pom pom. I think that the pom makes it look like an old school ski hat. What do you think?

Finished up a pair of socks today. I realized that I have never made a pair for myself! They are pretty basic, something easy and mindless to work on while watching television on the couch. I used Berroco Comfort Sock yarn. Hence the name Comfy Couch Socks. They are super soft and warm, perfect for getting me through the rest of the winter.

I started working on these mittens to give to my friend’s little girl while I was out in Columbus. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get them done in time. I decided to make a matching hat to go with them for her, isn’t it the cutest? I’ve seen fruit/veggie hats for children before and thought that she’d look so sweet in one. I found the pattern Berry Baby Hat on Ravelry. Since it is for an infant, I cast on some additional stitches and doubled up my yarn to make it thicker and a bit bigger for her. I then knit up some leaves from a different pattern and stitched them on next to the stem. Easy peasey. I hope that she likes them.

I just finished up making some baby sweaters to bring out for Elias and Grayson. I used the “Child’s Placket Neck Pullover” from Joelle Hoverson’s Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I used this pattern previously, so I knew what I was in for and felt that I had enough time to get it completed. I am feeling a little ambitious, so I think that I make another one for Dawn’s little girl, Gabrielle. I have some plum-colored yarn that would be perfect.