Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Catching Up

I have a new ironing table and my sewing buddy has a new favorite perch.  The dresser was a not-quite-impulse buy from an antique store.  What really sold me, was the top drawer folds down like a secretaire desk.   Storage space for my linens and a taller surface to iron on, what could be better?

The stack in the chair is me prepping things for selling at a craft show.  No, the cat didn't get to help with that :)

There's the craft show spread.  Got lots of ooh and ahhs, and had fun talking to people and handing out cards, but I can't say it was financially successful.  Lots of people looking, but not a lot buying.  Economic uncertainty abounds, it seems. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

My Sewing Buddy


I am discovering that making lavender sachets out of vintage linens is both fun, and it makes my workroom smell really nice.  I love finding uses for old linens that would just languish in a drawer someplace otherwise.  The spirit of my mother and grandmother hover over my shoulder gasping whenever I cut up one of these old treasures, but seeing the beautiful finished product, and the new, loving use these old linens can get tends to quiet them.

I think it's a rule in the Cat Code that if you need to spread something out to work on it, it needs a cat sitting on it.  Luckily for him I only needed to cut one corner of that fabric.

So long as the hair doesn't get all over, he doesn't pounce at my scissors when I'm cutting, or try to stick a paw in the sewing machine, I'll let him stay and 'help' as he wants.

Between the lavender scent and the purring, I think this was one of the most relaxed work sessions I've had in a while.



Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Huck Embroidery - Good For More Than Just Towels

 I really like huck embroidery, it's super simple to do, and it has this really awesome geometric-art deco look to it.  I see a lot of hand towels with huck emboidery at antique stores, and I love all the patterns, but I don't really use hand towels for anything. 

So my solution is, turn them into something I will use, like sewing accessories.

It's really fun to plan out how to use the fabric in a way that shows off the most of the embroidery.  Also, I learned it's really fun to make a pincushion out of a paper towel tube.

I also found out what a good photo spot my sewing thread box makes. 

Discoveries abound this week.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Still My Favorite


Too dark and stormy for new pictures today, so pulling one out of the vault instead.  I think this is still my favorite project yet.

My mom gave me the recipe file with the deliciously retro mushrooms on it.  I needed a case for my new tablet, and that design was the perfect size.

Besides just loving retro mushrooms (note the fabric holding the stylus :D) I'm also a geology nerd, so embroidering rocks and dirt was way cool to me.

The little design is something I came up with for the back of the case.  More dirt, more rocks, and another adorable little froggie.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Behind the Embroidery

A few behind the scenes pictures today. My workroom was in a rare state of cleanliness when I was snapping pictures of products for Etsy, so I figured it was a good time to show off my work space (before cluttered chaos descends once again).

Inspiring goodwill and antiques store finds mingle with unfinished projects and drawers of supplies. The bookshelf was custom built by Evan and I to fit my books, and it is nearly full. Is there such a thing as too many needlework books?

The little pile under the window is my to-do list.  Loki and Hello Kitty are keeping an eye on it for me. 

The mermaids are perpetually knocked over by my sewing buddy's paws.  He never messes with the others though, must be they smell like fish. Either that, or the really fun stuff is already cat-proofed.

















Bonus image, behind the embroidery, literally:


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Just a Little Bit of Showing Off







My silk project is nearing completion, though I have no expectation of finishing it soon, as other work related projects have taken priority.  Still, the end is in sight, and that alone is encouraging.









This is my first ever foray into Huck Embroidery.  This being me we're talking about, of course I upped the required complexity by using so many colors and adding beads into the mix.  I think I am physically incapable of not making every project more challenging than it really needs to be.