#29

If I kept my blog as up-to-date as I do my flickr page, I'd...be a different person. I'm a very visual person, so updating pictures is not difficult for me. And I take pictures pretty much every day, so I've always got the visual part covered. Writing, however doesn't come as easily to me. Add to that the heck and peck way I type and you've got the recipe for infrequent blog updates.
Be that as it may, here I am putting virtual pen to paper and sharing with you some exciting news. I've had to keep mum about this for several months, but now that the book's been published, I figure I can post about it.


I am very excited to have four of my designs included in Stefani Girard's Sweater Surgery. Like the title implies this book is all about crafting with recycled sweaters felted or otherwise.


My projects are scattered throughout the book.


I even have a two page spread in the gallery section.


Best of all though, my patchwork keyhole scarf is one of the projects featured in this book. It is kind of amazing to me how the editor condensed my lengthy instructions into 4 easy steps. But, they're really all you need to know to make the scarf. There are several other projects that caught my eye, but, considering that the summer heat has already started here in Austin, I probably won't be taking on any sweater projects right now.

#28

If yesterday's theme was getting twice the bang for my buck (warning: I'm unnaturally fond of cliches), then today's motif is "what's old is new again".
Here's the proof:


I started this backpack a year ago as a demo for a sewing class I was teaching. I didn't bother to finish it because I didn't need a finished product to explain the techniques and I didn't really need a back pack. Well, now I do.
Ever since my eldest started driving I've been without a car most afternoons. At first I thought this was ideal. I could work in my studio without anyone complaining that I hadn't taken care of an errand or stopped by the store for milk. If there was rumbling to that effect, I'd just shrug my shoulders and say," I'm sorry, but I didn't have the car today." And, on the whole, I'm happy with my no-car-half-the-day situation. Sometimes though I need to get to the post office or I have a meeting or I need to run to the store(fabric not grocery). Up until this week, I would wait until my husband got home from work and use his car. But that meant waiting until 7:00pm when, because I'm a morning person, my eyelids often start to feel a little droopy. This week, however, I decided to solve my mobility issue and ride my bike. Frankly, I can't believe it took me so long to come to this solution, but I'm glad I did. And, I'm having so much fun riding my bike around town. This decision naturally necessitated some sewing, right? So, I resurrected the backpack from the bottom of a pile and finished it.


I was so happy that I hadn't just gotten rid of it or recycled the fabric into something else. I really needed a backpack now and with a few stitches I had one.


I also bought myself a new helmet, just to be safe.
Have a great weekend!

#27

Today's post is a chance to kill two birds with one stone, not literally of course. I'm taking the opportunity to update the Renegade prep process as well as highlight another Great Aunt Irma treasure.


I'm going to state the obvious. This is a cake stand that would make Martha Stewart proud. It probably dates back to the fifties. I'm sure Martha would know all the relevant information. I, unfortunately don't. But I think its beautiful and I have used at numerous celebrations and dinners. This plate stand makes the crappiest cake look like it came out of the Cordon Bleu.


But wait. There's more. It comes in incredibly handy when you're taking pictures of stuff like these coasters. And, as an added bonus, I didn't have to wash it afterwards.

#26

The sewing for the Renegade Craft Fair has started in earnest and I've even added a set on my flickr page to preview some of the items that I'll have available. I've created a ridiculously over ambitious schedule for crafting items for the fair, but that's pretty much standard operating procedure for me. No need to be realistic about my time or my need to sleep more than two hours a night or how cranky I get if I don't swim. My only saving grace is that I'm aware of how delusional I can be.


I'm actually really excited about the whole process. I work well with deadlines as long as they're not too far in the future.


My plan right now is to focus on making pillow covers, fabric, coasters, and maybe a few totes. I've also thought about making some camera straps like the one I made for my Pentax. I think I could just purchase the parts that would allow the strap to hook on to the camera. I've gotten a positive response to the strap I made and am contemplating making a second one for my digital camera. I'd love some feedback on that. Also, if anyone has been to Renegade in the past and would like to share their impressions of the fair, I'd really appreciate hearing that as well.

#25

Yesterday I stopped what I was supposed to be working on to make something I really, really wanted to make. And I wanted to make it NOW!
I've had a Pentax k1000 film camera for a long time, but in the last few years it's fallen into disrepair and I've had a digital SLR, so I haven't bothered to fix it. Lately, I've really wanted to start using my film camera again and did a little research into the cost of repairing my camera. Unfortunately, it just wasn't worth it, so I headed over to ebay and bought a used Pentax k1000. It arrived yesterday and was in great condition, but the strap the original owner had for the camera frankly grossed me out. I couldn't imagine letting that thing touch my neck. I'm no shrinking violet, but, ugh.... So I crafted myself an alternative.


Now my new-to-me camera has a new strap and battery, has been loaded with film, and I've even taken a few pictures. I am so excited about this and I've been incredibly inspired by some of the amazing film images I've seen on flickr. Check out this set and then try to resist the urge to troll ebay for film cameras.

#24

I've been pretty quiet here on my blog, but it's not because of inactivity. First I wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, June 14 and 15. I'm very excited about this, partly because I think it will be a lot of fun and partly because we're turning it into a mini family vacation and plan on spending a few extra days in NYC. So, if you happen to live in or near NYC and would like to stop by my booth, I'd love to meet you in the flesh,as they say. I'm sure I'll be posting about that in the weeks to come.
I've started planning some of the things I'm going to make for the fair, but mostly this past week has been taken up with finishing several custom orders. All of the items were repeats of designs I've sold in the past.


These two are slight variations of other pillows.


These two are basically exact copies(as much as one-of-a-kind pieces can be copied). I'm always amazed when I manage to copy something. I don't know why, but it's one of those things that I build up in my mind as much more difficult than it actually is. I guess I worry that the person ordering the item will scrutinize it to make sure that every seam and stitch is the same. That's so ridiculous, but I worry about it nonetheless. All in all, I'm happy with how the re-creations came out. I did get to make something that was, if not completely new, at least something that I hadn't made for a while.


I've made this keyhole scarf design before, but not recently and not in this fabric combination. It was definitely a nice respite from the pillow making. I'll probably be itching to make more of these in the next few weeks as I think pillow covers will be big on my sewing agenda.

#23

The operative word around here this past week has been Passover. Various items have been scrubbed, dusted, and put away, while other, just for Passover things have come down off the high shelf. Probably most notable is that we polished the silver. Not that we own a lot of silver, but we do have silver candlesticks, kiddush cups and a silver tray that the aforementioned items sit on. And here's the kicker, we only polish the silver twice a year.


That makes for a very satisfying experience. So much so that as I was working away at my incredibly tarnished candlesticks Abi asked if she could help. She wanted in on transforming the somewhat brownish items into gleaming silver.


Much as I dread the cleaning, I do really enjoy the way everything(refrigerator, oven, pantry) sparkle in preparation for Passover.
Cleaning for Passover, however, is not exclusive to our family. It's the subject of many conversataions in the weeks leading up to the holiday. But there is one tradition that I'm not sure everyone follows. In our family, part of preparing for this holiday is making something new to wear at the seder. My two older girls aren't as into this as they used to be, but luckily I still have a ten year old and she's more than happy to indulge me. What's more, she's willing to model her new something so that I can show it off here.


After we were done polishing the silver, Abi changed into the skirt I made her yesterday.


She seemed especially happy that I used some of my own hand dyed fabric for her skirt. Needless to say the bigger her smile got, the bigger mine became. After a few pictures our collective joy became pretty obvious.


Happy Weekend and Chag Sameach!!