If you want to be surprised don’t click on the photo above (or look at any comments!) But if you want to see what’s headed your way – peek away!
bear
Here’s a little bear I made from that same big head kitty pattern. The bear is much smaller and made of this great soft velvety fur I found at Hancock Fabrics. I love it because it has sort of a vintage look to it. I used some cool buttons I found in the sale bin for eyes and I love them! So does Oscar. This is immediately his new favorite stuffed because it has detachable parts that can be yanked off and choked on. Guess this guy is going on up the top shelf for a while.
Yesterday was such a fun day. I had a 3 hour reprieve! Tim watched Oscar for me while I went into the city to have lunch with my best crafty girlfriend. We caught up and then did some scheming. In the works are learning how to silkscreen our own fabric, joining the local stitch n bitch, practicing our embroidery (which I really need!) and visiting a fabric warehouse she unearthed over in Pilsen. I’m so excited!! After lunch we went to this cool shop Penelope’s that had great stuff including these excellent bags by Queenbee. I’m inspired now to finally try out a bag in the vinyl I picked up a while ago. Also at the shop was this great book Mascotte!… which lead me to Lulu. This is the bit that was in the book that lured me in.. cutyzoo. And be sure to click the icon collection too!
So, maybe after some practice I’ll be able to embroider as well as this gal.. craftlog.
Button Bag
Here’s the bag I made with those buttons from the flea market. I used soft fuzzy brown fleece for the outside, floral napkins from the thrift store for the lining and handles from a thrifted bag. My favorite part is the soft soft fleece. All bags should be this cuddly!
I just finished up another bag last night that I like a lot! So much so that I think it’s magnetic clasp worthy. Must make a trip to the fabric store today to pick one up.
A new discovery in the current Country Living magazine… FunQuilts A quilting studio that makes modern design quilts and that is located right here in Oak Park! Right in my own backyard! They write books and design fabric and even have classes. I’d love to take a class there. Then maybe I could make this!
pointy kitty
A flowered tabby cat with green stripes, a pink suede nose and blue buttons for eyes. This is the cat pattern I was designing the other day. I feel like I finally got it right. I was looking for a good balance of angular and round. After many test cats with way too big heads and super skinny legs and seams busting open, here’s the one that worked!
multi directional scarf
I finished up my new fall scarf. I used this pattern for a multidirectional diagonal scarf and my yummy dazzle yarn. Now that it’s finished I’m not sure if I like it. You think I’d notice this while working on it but I have a weird “project in progress” blindness that keeps me from determining if I think it’s working until after it’s complete. isn’t that handy? I liked the way the dazzle looked in stockinette stitch better than garter stitch, smoother, while this is definitely nubby. But I’m sure I’ll love it to death in about 5 minutes. Like I said yesterday, I’m a fickle pickle.
Naming Conventions
There’s a beautiful afghan in my Mom’s living room that is referred to as the “20 year blanket” because that’s how long it took her to finish. This is my great white whale, the 10 year quilt. I promised Tim I’d have it finished in 10. I started it last Fall so that’s one year down, nine to go!
The pattern is grandma’s flower garden and the method I’m using is paper piecing. I cut out each hexagon of fabric, sew it to paper, sew the pieces together and then remove the paper. When I’m done piecing it together I’m going to hand quilt it. Maybe 10 years isn’t enough! Very time consuming, but it is the relaxing, do it while watching tv kind of crafting, like knitting. I love all the different varieties of the grandma’s flower garden design. I’m often tempted to cut all my fabric scraps into little hexagons and just commit to that design for the rest of my life. But I know I’m a fickle pickle so I stop myself.
Turn up the AC!
Time for a Fall sweater photo shoot. I finally finished George last night! Of course I was sewing up the final edge as Tim was putting Oscar to bed so I had to wait til this morning to see how it fit. It was worth the wait, he’s adorable in it! Oh where is this Fall they’ve been talking about? Time to sweater up the boy!
I was so excited to knit this sweater because it was out of my new favorite baby knits book by Jaeger. I used Jo Sharp Soho Summer in Umber which was a great yarn to work with. The pattern was easy to follow it just took forever. Most likely because I’ve been so distracted by other projects but also it was one of those patterns that never ends. Those huge raglan sleeves and then when you think you’re done because the major portions are finished there’s seaming the whole thing and that collar in the cable and rib and then the pockets! And then sewing on the pockets! And then, well then it’s done! Hooray!
