Last night, I started a new project.  I think this will be the last big sewing project of 2008.  It's for the craft swap on Thursday night and there is only one.  We all draw numbers, open a gift and then steal from each other - lots of fun.

I have to keep it under wraps until Friday, but I am pretty much in love with it.  So in love that I am hoping for the last pick so I can steal it back for myself.  That's allowed, right?  I knew you'd back me up.

Thanks for the great info you guys gave me on the silk.  My goal is to take care of that today as I spent yesterday in bed and then on the couch after staying up all night with a stomach bug.  Fun stuff.

Before the sickness hit, I finished up these two pillows.  I DID NOT knit them.  The kindergarten teacher at my girls' school gave me her mother's Christmas sweater to make into pillows.  I cut the front from the back of the sweater and then stitched (with the sewing machine) around the images.  The knit tends to pull alot so I sewed it on to some muslin to stabilize it before sewing it to the back of the pillow.  I must admit to being a bit scared about cutting this up, but once I started it came together pretty easily.  I think that it was a great idea, too.  There are plenty of Christmas sweaters out there that no one wears, but would make great pillows to be pulled out once a year.  Great gifts for moms and grandmoms too.

That's it for today.  Have a great Thursday.

Jane came up with the idea for her birthday shirt.  I think we were discussing how this year would be her last year in single digits when she piped up with, "Not in Roman Numerals!"

So...here it is.  IX.  Double digits this year and next year, a single X.

I made it while she was sleeping, the night before her big day.  She loves it - thank goodness.  I just never know with her.

I have to tell you all about the cake, too.  Jane loves peanut butter.  Loves it.  She requested a peanut butter cake.  I thought about making her this cake from Smitten Kitchen, but thought it would be too rich for her tastes.  She also doesn't like cream cheese frosting (crazy, I know!).  We went back to the old standby of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with some Reese's on top.  Then, Emily gave me the great idea of putting a layer of Ina's Peanut Butter Frosting (scroll down) in between the chocolate layers.  It was genius!  So so good.  Try it.  You won't be sorry.

Off to string lights on the tree and get out the nutcrackers.  Happy Thursday everyone!

Jane's friend Annabel had her birthday party this weekend.  On Saturday morning, Jane and I set about making her present.

This fabric that I bought from Leslie is a lightweight canvas, perfect for a tote.  Jane and I thought that Annabel might need a bag to carry her ballet stuff in, or to fill with things to do while waiting at rehearsal for The Nutcracker.  Jane wanted to embroider ballet slippers or something dance related on the pocket, but crazy enough, we didn't have the right thing.  She settled on Annabel's initials.

Jane drew the letters on the polka dot fabric with a pencil and embroidered them herself while I was cutting out the bag and making the handles.  When she was finished stitching, I made the pocket and sewed it all together.

Inside, we put a sweet bundle of embroidery supplies:  hoop, needles, lots of floss, three fat quarters of fabric and Hillary's Peppermint Fairy Stitchettes.  I told her mother, who shares her daughter's birthday, that she was going to love me or hate me.  I know from experience that this requires lots of adult supervision and help.  I think Suzanne was just fine with it - after all, she's one of my craft swap peeps.

Happy Birthday friends!

Every year, I make each of the girls a t-shirt for their birthday.  Here's what I made for Kate:

I wish I could take credit for the idea, but that was all Kate.  Kids really have the best ideas!  Sometimes they aren't really practical, but they are always creative.  About a month ago, we were driving in the car and she said she wanted tally marks on her birthday shirt.  Perfect!  Of course, it was 6:30 on the morning of her birthday when I finally got around to making it.  Some things never change.  I do know what I am going to do for Jane's shirt (also her idea).  I have two and a half weeks to do that one.  Let's see if I can avoid procrastination.  Probably not.  (Just me trying to be realistic).

I am so thrilled that it is Friday!  I don't have anything big planned for the weekend.  I might paint our bathroom.  It looks like such an easy project, but it might be one of those that takes more time than I think.  I have some school auction projects to get started.  And then there is the studio - messy again.  I know that is a big project.  There will be some de-stashing, so stay tuned.  I also have some yarn I don't want and plan to offer that up for sale here.  Everything will be first come, first served.

Have a great weekend!

So, on Saturday, I went to Denyse Schmidt's studio for a workshop.  Yes, I did.  That was really my birthday present, the rest of the trip was like icing on the cake.  I took the train from NYC to Fairfield, CT, where my friend Cynthia (hi Cynthia!) picked me up.   We had a quick hour or so to visit before she drove me to Bridgeport where Denyse's studio and business are located.  I arrived a few minutes early, set out my cutting mat, rotary cutter, scissors and thread and chatted with the other ladies who were there for the class.  It was an amazing group of woman - all but one of the eleven had traveled to be there.  And after quick introductions all the way around, Denyse explained to us what we were going to do.  It was all about improvisational piecing, the fabrics being chosen by chance.  If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I like to have control.  I think and over-think when I am sewing far too often.  This was just the type of exercise I needed.

My first block started with a peach colored, small scale polka dot and a burgundy solid.  Not really my colors, but I was going with the flow.  I then drew out a small bit of orange followed by a gold batik.  I was happy with it - they were all in the same color family - until I that blue, black and white print came out of the bag.  I did not like it, not one bit.  But I used it because I had to.  There was not throwing anything back.

This is what I ended up with.  Not too bad for the first go-round.  I would have added more of the blue and black print had there been enough time.

This shows everyone's first round squares.  When I saw them up on the flannel wall, I was amazed at how they looked together.  What I noticed looking at my square on the wall and not flat in front of me was that it was very, very log cabin-ish.  There isn't anything wrong with that - I like making log cabins.  But the problem was that I like making log cabins.  I was there to challenge myself and to learn something new.

My second square was not log cabin in style at all. (It's the one over on the left, all by itself).  I didn't realize it until it was finished, but the first fabric I pulled was on one end of the block and not in the middle.  I liked this square a lot.  It was very different from what I did on the first round.

We then set out to make four to six blocks with the fabric we brought as a constant.  I brought the green/white/brown print.  It was interesting to see how everything changed when choice was added to the process.  I had never thought about this before.  That extra decision made a big difference.  It was a bit freeing for me - I knew that all the blocks I made would be cohesive in some way.  At the same time, however, I found myself starting to over-think a bit, worrying that the prints I was pulling would take away from the entire piece.  I realized that if I went with my first instinct and kept moving at a fast pace, the over-thinking fell to the side and I just focused on creating.  And in the end, I was very happy with what I created.  With my six blocks, I have the beginnings of something bigger.  I'm pumped up to put it all together and keep sewing.

I left there completely inspired.  Denyse is an talented artist and a wonderful teacher.  Her insight into the finished blocks was poignant and she was so enthusiastic about our work.  Her friend, Richard, who helped out the entire day, was great, too.  I really enjoyed meeting the other women in the class, talking to them and seeing what they made.  It was remarkable to see eleven different blocks, made by eleven different people, each with its own point of view, that looked so cohesive when grouped together.

Denyse has workshops a few times a year.  If you are in the area, or can get yourself there, go.  It was amazing for me.  I left feeling inspired and invigorated, ready to create.  I can't imagine that you all wouldn't like it, too.

I took this pile of stuff and made a quilt.

It's a whole cloth quilt meaning that it isn't pieced at all.  I used 1 1/2 yards each of two 60" wide fabrics.  The green gingham is on one side, the floral on the other with a nice layer of cotton batting in the middle.  I spray basted it with 505 to save time and then did some free motion quilting.  I evened up the ends and set it aside.  This part took 2 hours.

I cut the pink and green polka dot into binding strips, pieced them and then pressed them using my clover bias tape tool.  I zig zagged the binding on.  This wasn't ideal.  It would have looked way better hand sewn, but time was of the essence.  I had to rip it out a couple times.  This part took 1 1/2 hours.  Then it went in the washer and dryer, got boxed, wrapped and dropped off for my neighbor's baby shower this weekend.

A quick and highly satisfying project.  And pretty damn cute, too.

Hmmm....I haven't felt like blogging much.  I'm not sure why.  It may have to do with the teenage vampire books that are consuming my time.  Such a guilty pleasure....

When I wasn't reading this weekend, I managed to get the studio mostly cleaned up.  I thought about posting a before picture and then chickened out.  It really was that bad.  I have a pile of unfinished projects staring me in the face and a larger pile of fabric that still needs to be sorted out.  Normally, the mess doesn't bother - it's a creative wonderland, in some ways.  I can see what I have and I fling things about, getting excited as I see new possibilities and then - wham! - I am creating as I go.  This time it's different.  The mess has been keeping me from the sewing machine and I am trying to change that.

I did manage to piece all 96 arcs for my single girl quilts.  Yes, quilts plural, as in more than one.  They are both twin sized, going in Kate's room.  Anyhow, I put one of each square together as incentive to get going on these.  The fabric on the right is going on Kate's window seat which was built well over a year ago, painted about 6 months ago and will finally be getting a cushion in the next few weeks.  I am not making the cushion so it will probably actually get finished unlike some other things!  Ha!  And as I look at this photo, the squares aren't laid out correctly - the balance is off somehow.  I'll have to do something about that.

I have been knitting - I even designed a hat and am writing up the pattern.  But there are no photos of the finished one yet.  It's too bloody hot here - in the 80's.  When the temps dip later this week, I will show and tell.

Back to Bella and Edward....