A Long Time Coming

I have actually been spending some time in my sewing room!  Whoop!  But I can't share my sewing projects...yet!  I have been doing some 'gift sewing' and can't have it showing up on the 'interweb' before the recipients get a look.  How rude!  BUT, I can share something I am really excited about!!!

I finally finished a knitting project that started 4 years ago!  There aren't many projects that I will stick with that long.  But this one was worth it.  

It started with a trip to visit friends in Zionsville, Indiana.  It's a cute older town that kind of got swallowed up by the suburbs of Indianapolis.  My friend took me to a little yarn shop on their quaint downtown street.  Just the kind of place that draws you in and says, 'buy me!'  And of course I obliged.  They had a yarn made of a fiber I had never seen before...mink!  Yep, somebody spent time combing those cranky little critters and spun it into the softest yarn I have ever seen!  It was really, really soft and luscious.  And the colors were just as gorgeous as the yarn.  I had no plan, just knew I had to work with the stuff.




It was very fine so I chose a pale gray and a beige with the idea of working the two together as one yarn.  That was as much of a plan as I could manage at the time.  When I got the pile of yarn home I made several swatches and doodled dozens of designs...and then it was summer.  Who works on mink yarn in the summer?!

When the weather cooled off I pulled it out again and actually knitted a whole sleeve before I realized that it would probably fit King Kong.  That was the first 'unknitting' of the yarn.  I guess you probably have an idea now why it has been in the works for 4 years....OK, I won't bore you with a total blow by blow account, suffice it to say that there were several false starts and a few more summers before I made it to the finish line.  

When I bound off the last stitch I was kind of expecting fireworks or a cheering crowd, or at least an 'at-a-boy' from somebody, but I was all by myself and had to make due with a little private happy dance! (no, there is no video!🙈 )  But here are a few photos of my new mink cardigan sweater...

I designed the pattern myself (another reason for the false starts and extended time table!)  

I started at the cuffs, knit in the round increasing under the arm to the shoulder.  I then added stitches to make the side 'seam,' knitting up and over the shoulder until I got to the neck.  At that point I continued knitting the two separate pieces to the center back, crocheted them together and knitted the collar band.  When I bound off the last stitch I was done.  No Seams, only the beginning tails to work in.

Here are the two sleeves, ready to work the back section.

This is the cool center back seam that was done by crocheting the live stitches together.  I will definitely use this trick again on another project.

This little pile is all the yarn I had left when I finished.  I even had to take apart my gauge swatch to have enough yarn to finish the bind off.  Whew.

So, check another 'unfinished object' off the list!

The bad news is that the spring like February we have been enjoying is just about to go back to normal...the good news is...I have a very soft 'mink coat' to keep me cozy!

Re-Entry!

Back in Michigan....I'm not sure I was ready to give up flip-flops and my cool aqua beach cruiser for Uggs and snow tires...but here I am!  

I was hoping to have spent some time in my sewing cave by now and have pictures of some magnificent creations...but...not so much.  I'm finding the trip north hasn't been accompanied by a blast of inspiration, just a blast of arctic air!

What I have been inspired to do is take another whack at 'closet editing.'  
This past year has been a transitional one for me in so many ways, not least of all, what sort of clothing I want to wear, and make, to fit with my new life-style.  I really wasn't thinking it would be THAT much different, but, well, I was wrong...it is soooo different.  Each time I do an 'editing session' I find a pile of stuff that I just don't wear.  I like it, it's made well 😏 , it fits...I just don't seem to pick it.  

Being in Key West was a wardrobe eye-opener.  While I was there I literally had 2 T-shirts, a pair of shorts, a couple of swimsuits and my PJ's.  I started out with a few more things, but after the first week I sent a bunch of stuff back to Michigan with my hubby!  Working with such a limited wardrobe was incredibly freeing!  Do I want to wear the grey shirt or the striped one?  Done!  Granted I was only there for a month and I'm pretty sure I might have wanted 3 shirts if I had been there much longer!  But, figuring out how little I actually needed, and wanted, was surprising and very liberating.

So now that I am back with a stash of patterns and fabric what is it that I want to sew?  

I know that my sewing is more about the creative process than it is about actually wearing anything, but I do have to get dressed everyday and would like to have clothing that I really love and that works for my life.  

I'm not sure that I will solve this dilemna anytime soon, so while I ponder I have a few UFO's (unfinished objects) that I have been working on to share...

I boxed up the Christmas trimmings before I left in January and the house felt very 'naked' when I got back.  I decided I wanted something to 'nod at spring' for my table.  I found some fun Easter Bunny decorations that needed a table runner. (some of you may remember my 'quilting escapade' from last year around this time. see last year's post here)   I got all wound up for another major quilting session (major for me!) and then talked myself down off the ledge and settled for a simple (but I like to think, elegant) linen table runner.

The too cute bunny globe inspired the color palette and fabrics...linen (of course) silk ribbons, lovely cotton print...WHOA!

My "simple but elegant" linen table runner....raw edges, hand stitching, neutral palette...


Just enough spring to keep me going until the real thing shows up.









I did have a project that I worked on while I was in Key West.  I stenciled and layered cotton jerseys (a la Natalie Chanin) to make a t-shirt.  I got the stitching done while I was away, but still have to do all the cut-outs.  I'm having to do it a little at time, because my eyes start to cross after awhile.  I like the way it is shaping up and will keep plugging away at it.  I will share the finished T-shirt at some point....don't hold your breath!

Stitching away on my back porch!

The stencil is one that I cut using a picture of the carpeting in a hotel lobby that I stayed in at some point.

The color inspiration is my nod to old fashion 'redwork' or 'Turkey work'  

I am liking the results, but it is a time consuming process.

...time to cut the stencils!

 

As I wait for flashes of inspiration and spring...or both!  I will work on my UFO's and continue pondering my closet...and probably make a few more trips to the Goodwill Donation Center!

A "Post"card from Key West!

"The weather is here, wish you were beautiful!"  

                                                                   Jimmy Buffet

I am sitting here in my darling little house in the middle of Key West and wondering how it got to be the 17th of January already?!?!!!  Time couldn't go fast enough in December and now I am being reminded of the adage, 'be careful what you wish for.'

I did bring a couple of sewing/knitting projects with me thinking I would probably need more but didn't have room for them.  Ha!  I sent the knitting project home with my hubby this weekend and am quite sure my sewing project will be packed up for the trip back north without much headway.  

It has been a glorious 2 weeks.  Amazing weather, family and friends visiting, no car, no coat, no worries!  I have two days to myself and then more visits and lots of fun stuff that will make the sewing project quite superfluous.

I did find the quilting shop on KW, and it is a great shop.  Lots of tropical prints, and even yarn!  I will probably need to add to my stash before I head north!

The 'wild life' here is also interesting...and I'm not just talking about the "Parrotheads" and "Cruise Ship Folk".

These colorful fellows are EVERYWHERE!  and they are protected!  You don't mess with the chickens on Key West!

Hemmingway had a whole pile of cats when he lived here most of them descended from a polydactyl cat given to him by a boat captain friend.  Their ancestors still roam freely in the gardens of the Hemmingway House here on the island.  Check out those mitts!

There is a lovely butterfly house here and along with beaucoup butterflies there are a couple of flamingos.  They don't even look real!  

...and of course sea creatures galore!

I can't even pretend that I am missing my studio!  I am so enjoying the sun, riding my bike, the sun, eating Key Lime Pie, the sun, watching the incredible sunsets, the sun....I know my time here will be done before I know it and I'll be back to the snow and ice in Michigan...THEN I will be happy that I have a studio to immerse myself in!  But for now...

"It's 5 o'clock somewhere!"

Are We There Yet?

I am literally waiting for the plane....
I have cleaned everything I plan to clean, I have packed everything that I can fit, I have eaten anything that is left in the fridge....I'm ready already!

This morning I knew I would be hanging out in the house...didn't want to wrestle with the snow to go anywhere...so I wandered into my studio....I could start the vests that my son picked out while he was here for the holidays...nah, too much thinking.  I could work on a pattern that I want to do when I get back in February...nah...I'll forget whatever I do and have to redo it...I could sort something, but it's really kind of tidy right now...weird...I finally decided to finish a couple of dangling projects that have been staring at me for a long time...a really long time....

I went to a cool workshop with my Mom a while back (like I said, a long time) I hadn't even retired yet!!  My sewing guild  invited Ann Loveless (see her way cool stuff here) who has won the Grand Rapids ArtPrize twice, to give a talk and a workshop.  We learned a technique that she uses for her quilts called 'confetti piecing.'  You chop perfectly good fabric into teeny tiny little snips with a rotary cutter, arrange them on a background of batting, cover the whole business with fine mesh and stitch the heck out it.  We started with a photo that Ann's husband had taken as inspiration.

Not being much of a quilter, I wasn't sure if I would get the hang of it or like it, but yes and yes!  Still not sure when I might do more, but it was fun and a chance to play with my Mom for the day!  But like most workshop projects, it got home and sat....all it needed was a border of some kind, so I pulled it out and bordered it.

I used some black piping and green 1 inch twill tape to make the 'frame.'  It feels good to have it finished, even if I don't know what to do with it!

OK...now what?....that didn't take as long as I thought (or hoped!) so now what?

Little quilt project number two...this one hasn't been staring at me quite as long.  I went to an art quilt group last month with some of my sewing buddies.  They were doing a 'green' project.  

I hadn't realized that we were actually going to work on something during the meeting so I was woefully unprepared.  But being the exceptionally nice folks that they are, they all let me snag a few scraps and I was all set.

The challenge was to use 7 different fabrics all in shades of green and you could use one 'pop' of another color.

On my way to the meeting I almost drove off the highway watching the 'super moon' rising over the horizon in front of me.  It was spectacular!  So that is what I decided to use as my inspiration for my little quilt piece.

We used fusible stuff to attach the pieces and could stitch them later.  When I got the piece out I decided I liked it with the raw edges and carried that idea out to the border, using fusible web to make the asymmetrical folded border.


 My tribute to the super moon in shades of green!  (I kind of missed the instruction about a 'pop' of another color, but I think the yellow-green circle is kind of 'poppish.')

Little quilt two finished!

AND STILL NOT TIME TO GO!!!!!  I can't believe how long this day has been!

OK, another 'leftover' project...

Last summer I found a really cute pattern for little tiny tote thingies...not sure what to call them...it is by Lazy Girl Designs .  I had done one of their other patterns and wanted to try this one.  My son's girlfriend was having a birthday in a few days so I picked out some cute pineapple prints (she likes pineapple motifs) and hurried home to....let them sit there until now!  I figure better late than never...it's fun to get birthday presents anytime...right?

The Sweetpea pattern is very clever.  You use just one piece of zipper tape to make the closing.  The instructions show you how to wiggle the zipper pull onto the folded zipper tape.  I added the little tab to help when opening and closing it.

When you make them you start with a square and cut it diagonally and only use one side to make the 'pod.'  You also have the other side of the zipper tape!  So I used the leftover parts to make a couple of other pods, just for fun...they really are fun to make, and darn cute, too!












So that's it!  I don't even have any more UFO's to work on!  

It's not very often that my cutting table is completely empty!  Weird!

All ready for a whole slew of new projects when I get back in February!  😎

Bag It!

It's official...I like making bags!  More specifically...I enjoy engineering bags!

It usually starts out as a really simple concept and then I need a pocket for this, and the front could also work for that, and if I added this thingy over here I could use it for this....and then I really get excited!!!!  I love figuring out the proportions, the ideal number of pockets, what hardware makes sense, how to do the construction....in fact I think the construction order is my favorite part.  I know, pretty geeky.  So when I realized that I would need something to cart groceries in during my stay in Key West next month, that got me going.  I will be sans auto and traveling around by bicycle so decided I would need a backpack type bag for hauling stuff.

The simple idea was a grocery sized bag with a strap that could be over the shoulder or converted to backpack straps for biking.  It would definitely need a zipper pocket for phone and wallet.  Hey....what about a sleeve-type thingy that could carry a yoga mat????  Wait a minute, if I'm going to get groceries it will certainly involve a wine bottle or two.....probably need a pocket for that! 

And then of course there is the hardware and the fabric choices to figure out.   It should be light weight but have some body to maintain the structure.  Definitely cleanable!  Plastic zippers or metal ones?  Gold or silver "D" rings? ...Isn't this GREAT?!!  The process always involves several hours in the fabric store wandering and pondering.  By the time I collect all the bits and bobs I probably could have bought 3 bags and called it good!!  Where's the fun in that?

My trial balloon was looking really good....nice pockets, good fabrics, even had a zipper in the stash that was perfect...but...the proportions were way off.  I wanted to make a 'paper bag' bottom on the bag to give it more dimension and when I got the corners sewn in it looked more like a backpack for a sausage.  Way too tall and skinny!  But I learned a lot! 

The trip to the fabric store produced two fabric combinations...I just couldn't make up my mind so I got both.  Definitely a bird theme going on... I finally decided to go full Key West and use the flamingo print, which was also a Sunbrella fabric so it would be easy to wipe off and have a bit of water resistance.

I measured my trial balloon, drew several more pictures, calculated strappage, assessed print size and placement...and slept on it.  When I turned the lights on in my studio the next morning this is what greeted me....(wine bottle strictly for measuring purposes!😏 )

I don't know exactly how long I worked on it, but it was one of those days where time was just suspended.  I love it when I get totally swept away in a project.  And all the 'engineering' paid off!  I love my new Key West backpack/grocery bag.

Front with zipper pocket and yoga mat straps.  Back with adjustable straps that convert from over the shoulder to backpack style.  The straps feed through "D" rings on the front to cinch the bag closed.

There are some pretty sweet details if I do say so myself...

Over the shoulder style.  The original idea was to have a single strap coming from the back, but the fabric is pretty soft and with just the one strap the bag collapses when it gets carried over the shoulder.  The addition of a 'fixed' strap solved that dilemna.

Backpack style.  The straps pull through keeping the bag closed when it is worn as a backpack.  Obligatory zipper pocket.  Nifty loose straps for carrying a yoga mat! (or a beach towel!)

Wine (or water) bottle pocket on the inside keeps the bottle upright and centered to make it more comfortable to carry.  The pocket is made from sport mesh with an elastic cord to cinch it closed around the bottle.  I added clips on the sides to tuck in some of the fullness .

You can see here the 'sausage' shaped trial balloon and the better proportions of the final product.  Much more useful.

My new backpack has been added to the pile of Key West bound stuff...

I can't believe it's just a week away...I am so ready for some sun and sand between my toes!

Schmancy!

Snow Day!!!!!  or should I say "days!?"

These are the days that I really appreciate being retired.  I can watch the snow pile up and not worry about having to be anywhere.  And boy did it pile up!  It was the perfect excuse to hunker down in my sewing room and work on my December Artful T.

The obvious choice was a Christmas theme, but since I have been getting these done late in the month I figured it would never be ready for Christmas anyway.  I opted for a New Year's Eve 'schmancy' T.

For schmancy I went straight to the silk box.  I found a wonderful fat quarter of a jacquard woven dupioni.  Not sure when or where I got it, but it's been hanging around for awhile.  

And nothing says 'take me to a party' like velvet!  I found a piece of black stretch velvet that I think was a left over from another project, only about 3/4 of a yard...plenty!!😝
It's kind of been my thing this year to use hand sewn running stitches.  I really like the rhythm of hand stitching and it seemed perfect for a snowy December day snuggled up by the fireplace.

This time I layered the silk dupioni with a silk organza.  I really like the way the organza mutes the pattern and color of the taupe silk.  I chose a machine decorative Sulky thread in the same taupe color as the dupioni.  I thought about following the pattern of the fabric, but it seemed too obvious...and my favorite is lines and cross hatching...I doubled the thread and started stitching.

It's very subtle, but I think it is quite elegant.  It's hard to see the sheen of the thread in the pictures, but it is a nice highlight against the matte finish of the organza.


The silk stitched panel got pinned in different places on my dress form, but kept coming back to front and center!  OK....front and center it is.

The velvet has a lovely drape and worked for a dropped shoulder style sleeve.  Of course my 3/4 yard piece wasn't quite big enough to get the whole top, so a bit more scrounging around in the stash produced a black and metallic knit that blended well with the silk panel and the velvet.


As I cut the pieces I let the hems fall where the fabric ended.  It creates a 'stair-step' effect around the hem of the top which echoes the stitching of the front panel.  The extra wide ballet neckline is almost a 'cold shoulder' style, ...I used two strips of the metallic to create straps and bring the metallic of the side back to the front of the garment.  My plan was to continue the 'straps' down the back to the hem like the front, but I really liked the way they were hanging on the dress form and decided to let them stay.  They are attached at the neckline, but hang loose...finishing at the center back with a Chinese knot.

 I cut the sleeves the same as the rest of the garment pieces, just letting the hems fall where they may.  Rather than cutting them off to wrist length, I hemmed them and ran a short gathering thread in the seam at the wrist to bring them up to the right length.  They feel very decadent...



Now all I need is a date and some champagne and I'm ready to welcome in 2017!

Pillow Fight

I know I said I didn't have to make a quilt for 10 more years, BUT...my Sewing Guild gang was doing a holiday gift exchange.  We all made a pillow and did a Chinese Gift Exchange.  I have no idea why it's called Chinese.  I've also heard it called White Elephant (which implies that the gifts were on their way to the thrift shop and got side tracked!  These pillows were not thrift store material I can tell you!)  Anyway, each person in turn chooses one of the wrapped gifts or one of the gifts that someone else has already opened!   You can see how it might get a bit feisty!  I wasn't sure I was going to even go home with a pillow.  Every time I opened one someone would swipe it!  I guess I just have really good taste! 😏

I actually had forgotten about the exchange and wasn't sure I would even have one done.  I was just glad that I actually had an idea pop into my head in time to do something about it.  It was too late to go to the store for supplies so I had to work from my stash.  

I ended up making two versions.  One 'trial balloon' to see if it would work and one for the exchange.  I was really please with my design. (even if it did involve a wee bit of quilting!)  I made the first go out of a white and a natural linen, something I have plenty of in my stash!  I raveled the natural linen and used the threads to embroider the snowflake.

I did the 'exchange' pillow in more traditional Christmas colors and fabrics.  I was surprised that I had these in my cupboard...not my normal palette.  It was fun.  

The back was fabric that I had planned for a sundress at one time.  I think it worked much better as the back of my holiday pillow.

I found another pillow insert and finished the 'trial balloon' for my couch!  It's a nice addition to my Christmas decorations.












While I was in a 'crafty mood' I did another fun project....several weeks ago a friend asked if I could help her hem a dress and a jacket that she planned to wear for an up coming wedding.  The dress was a cotton jersey and the jacket was a knit with a metallic finish of some sort.  While I was hunting around for pillow making supplies I came across the scraps from the hemming project.  I had planned to give them back with the garments but must have over looked them.  Now when I give them back they will be in the form of this dang cute little guy....

Hope she doesn't want the dress longer again!!!!

Happy Holidays and thank you for checking in on me.  😘