Keeping Busy and Other Nonsensical Things

To start off I will get the bad mojo out of the way. My website looks like a five year old created it. Like a mass produced, fill the pictures and content into set spots and call it good. Uh, so not good I cannot even tell you. This blog looks positively divine, comparatively. So. Still working on that. (Did I cry? No, but I stomped around and had a fit like that five year old that did the site. :0)

Other goodness though, would be going to Seattle to enjoy a weekend away with a girlfriend, eating and drinking our way through downtown. Perfectly lovely. Also, West Seattle Fabric Co. will be carrying my patterns, so a little bit of write off going on? Why yes I think so! And those gals (Monica, the owner, and Meg, sweet friend and employee) are fabulous I tell you. The neighborhood is terrific, with everyone walking their dogs, enjoying coffee on the sidewalk... I want to live there. And I am not kidding. When I walked into the bright space of the shop, I was greeted warmly by Meg, and found out that Monica was across the street enjoying lunch with her husband and daughter. They popped over and I got to meet them all, with their little daughter all dressed up witchy and super cute for Halloween. Loved it, and a perfect end to a great weekend.

I know I have said before that "Night Circus" is a good book, and since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I volunteered to have book club here, and (duh) chose that book. It's not a Halloween themed book per say, but very magical with a "night" and all black and white color scheme. I had a little too much fun prepping for this party, but all seemed to enjoy it, as I even placed a dress code on the guests, and dressed up as one of the main characters myself! Tomato Basil soup and a bevy of sandwiches comprised the menu, with black forest brownies for dessert. YUM. Fun night!! (Also, I am slightly OCD, and since the theme was all black and white, I of course covered up all my furniture with white sheets. :0)

This is why.

I am systematically recovering the cushions on my microfiber couch. Anyone with this color of microfiber, with kids and/or pets, knows how difficult they are to keep clean. I have an impossibly great collection of home decor weight fabric, so I patch worked it all together to create large sheets, and cut out the pattern. (By "cut out the pattern", of course I mean that I set the cushion on top of the sheets of patchwork and cut around it. :0) The hardest part was stuffing the cushions in without ripping or tearing the seams. I encourage child labor on this, and had my eldest sit on the bent cushions so I could pull the fabric over. So you see, I have a bright and multi-colored living room, which is wonderful until you are doing a black and white themed dinner party.

We did discuss the book briefly, and are considering changing our "book" club, to "wine" club.

This is one of my new (By "new" I mean of questionable date and purchased second hand.) "girls". I am currently stalled on a ruffle vest pattern, and having a dress form to work with is divine. There were two sizes, so I bought both. I will probably recover them. In answer so some of your questions, "Why wouldn't you get a dial-a-size?" I had considered it, but to be honest, my studio is located very central in our home, and being a bit OCD, I wanted them to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Plus they are fun to dress for the holidays, like I did here.

Well, thanks for sticking with me while I toil on the website, and finalize some other projects. Also thanks for sticking through my ramblings, I am going to go polish off some more Halloween candy now. Then my hubby is taking me out to a nice lunch at our favorite restaurant before taking the kiddos out trick-or-treating. WOW it just occurred to me that we only have one trick -or-treater. Sad how they grow up so fast. And sad that I am running out of candy.

Enjoy your Halloween!! :0)

Cute Valance Idea, DIY

I made this sweet little valance for my sewing room, but it would be super cute in a baby's nursery or child's bedroom. Very easy to make, and seriously I just created it using what I had in the house.

I started by screwing into the wall three vintage closet hooks. (I'm minus three in my closet now, but with the cuteness above my window I'm really okay with it.) One above the window casing at each corner, and one at the left of the window for a tie back.

I measured my window, and cut the fabric to length, plus eight inches. You need approx. four for the tie tops and an extra four for the hem. (For my window, I left the width of the fabric the same, from selvage to selvage, or approx. 44 inches.) Start by laying your fabric flat, and from corner to corner, cut a half oval out of the top. Be aware of your print, if it's directional, you want it right side up.

This was about 3 1/2" deep. After cutting, I pressed the top in a half an inch, and then another half an inch so there are no raw edges.  In coordinating thread, sew from end to end, stitching that top hem in place. Back to the ironing board, roll the side edges in about a half an inch an press, then repeat. I also fold in some of the tab a bit, and then sew the whole length, from top to bottom. Repeat for the other side.

 At this juncture I tie the whole panel in place and pin the hem where it should be. Roll the hem up halfway to the pin, then another fold so the pin is at what will be the bottom of the curtain. Press and sew into place. Tie the curtain back up. (For the record, I LOVE this "Windy Day" fabric, and when the curtain is down it lets in just enough light, and shields me from the view next door. Usually I line all my curtains, but I did not here as there is a shade as well.)

For added cuteness (And because I am utterly smitten with wool felt.) I cute out scads of felt flowers in coordinating colors. I laid them all out as I would like to see them up, with the buttons in the center. (Note, they are not perfect, were not cut from any template, and I LIKE it that way. :0) I then cut a loooooong length of embroidery floss. With my needle threaded, I went through the back of the flower, out the button, back through the button, and back out. I then tied a loop knot, and the flower would rest on that. I tied another knot, went through the next flower, and so on. All the flowers rest on loop knots. They were random, I did not care how much space was between them. After I had a long string of fun felt flowers I looped them onto the curtain hooks, and down the sides.

Strung flowers shown with a loop knot in the bottom right corner.

Enjoy! :0)

Valentine Bear

I completed this sweet Valentine bear from an old chenille sweater! He turned out super soft and huggable. He was created from my Fritzi Bear pattern, which is about ready to send to the printers! (Gee I'm not excited or anything) I love re purposing the old into something new to love.

I hope she loves him, I almost don't want to give him up.

Enjoy your day!