Archive for the ‘sewing’ Category

ta da!

so many new crafty things to talk about, but i think the one most on my mind right now is this sweater for my mother. she stopped in on her way to work to pick it up so she could wear it to work. i love how it turned out, but mostly i am glad that i get to move on to a new project!

tea-leaves-finished

happy birhtday mom (and merry christmas, too!)

also realated to my mother, we took our frist trip to nido. it was an amazing store, but the stinky thing about it was that EVERYTHING was delicious! i mean, every book i have added to my amazon wish list was there, every fabric i have drooled over on etsy - kokka, heather ross, heather bailey, echino, anna maria horner, and so on…and then there was o-wool and other yummy yarns. minimalist and inspiring. wow. i just did laps around the store, not sure where to spend my precious dollars. i finally decided on this book, starting with the oktober dress.

built-by-wendy-oktober

i also picked out this kokka fabric - a gauze - to make this. when i got home, i found some cotton that i had tie-dyed blue, so i think i’ll try this pattern in that first. if it goes well, i’ll cut into the alice fabric. it is amazing!

kokka-alice

this picture does not do the fabric justice! it’s a soft, cool gray with purple (not pink!) and white. must be my basement lighting…

mostly-marvelous-rabbit-pattern

my momma bought me this adorable mostly marvelous ms. rabbit pattern and i grabbed a bag of nido scraps to whip up some bunnies. i love how the arms and legs are sewn on with buttons…and the linen is so beautiful. but, what really sold me on this was the little wool scarf and the bunch of wool flowers on the tummy.

i can’t wait to get these projects going! i’m looking forward to getting out to a friend’s house this week for some sewing and much needed girl time!

in non-crafty news, we spent the warm (relatively speaking) and sunny weekend up on our property again. cris is pricing out foundation options as i type. it is insanely exciting!!! but the weekend was spent with more trimming and exploring, hide-and-go-seek, and a campfire! last summer we pulled up all the large rocks (quite exhausting) and piled them on the edge of the field. the great news for this year is that the fixings for a fire pit were there waiting. it was so fun  to cook, eat, work, snuggle, and play in our own little sunny corner of the world. that, and our kids basically passed out at bedtime!

wyatt-isabelle-lunch

i love the sun.

3 of 10 and other goings on

rushing to finish some work for a local antique/floral shop. 3 of 10 done, and a whole 20 hours to go!

finished-aprons

the 3 finished…

aprons-in-waiting

7 in waiting…

grandmothers-supplies

the trims and treats recovered from a beloved sewer necessary to finish my creations (and a retro-but-totally-of-the-moment pattern).

and then there are the usual projects we’ve got going…

finishing-tea-leaves

…coming down the home stretch on my mother’s tea leaves.

insipred-painting

…painting cards for loved ones. my image is from this amazing book.

doily-prints

…working on new prints. always working…looking, imagining, sketching, carving, printing…always.

mini-gallery

…and, of course, admiring. what would it all be without stopping to take a moment to look at what those little hands have made? i’m loving this spot in the house. formerly an opportunity to display the seasonal garlands i’ve created. but right now, its working perfectly as our mini-gallery. in the kitchen, right inside the door. perfect for showing to nana or grampie, or the ups delivery man…

today:

today i am…

february-snow

hunkering down and enjoying the view from my front door!

plaid-and-mocs

cozying up in plaid and mocs.

butter

readying cookies and tea.

wood-pile

restocking the wood pile on the porch and keeping that wood stove full!

everything-tote

1 down, 3 to go. i’m using some fabric from my mother and vintage curtain pannels i found thrifting to make heather ross’s everthing tote for my mother, her two sisters, and myself. it’s making me think of my grandmother (isabelle got her middle name - louise - from her) and all of the things i do to be like her. the garden. the canning. staying on this farm that she built by aquiring the land piece by piece in savvy business transactions. she was always making and remaking things - especially clothing for her family. her sewing projects that i remember most were the Braque cloth bags made with vintage fabric from our girl-trips to Brimfield, MA. so it only seems fitting, as we approach the birthday of my baby named after her, to celebrate the rest of the women in this family with a craft after our matriarch’s own heart. vintage re-made into bags. with love.

pops-coat

looking for a shiny red fabric to patch my grandfather’s coat.

reading

catching up on some reading: birthday. summer sewing. natural dying. pleasure.

plant-sprouts

checking sprouts. grape tomatoes. mesculin. basil. and one coffee bean plant. cris has the coldframe almost finished. just something to hold us over until he builds our greenhouse.

love-note

and last, but not least, i am loving today. loving this rare piece of writing - a love note - from my husband. and loving my husband for writing it.

have a great day!