Jewelry Box Redux

I came across this lovely tutorial a few weeks ago and was inspired to give my jewelry box a facelift.






While I'm fairly handy with a needle and thread I'm certainly no expert when it comes to spray paint. Fortunately for me I know someone who is. Thanks to her expert guidance (and touch up skills!) it looks exactly how I envisioned it.

The only problem is my new Tiffany blue jewelry box is now fancier than most of the jewelry in it.

Happiness Is...

A good read about knitting and obsession,

Chocolate mint tea!

and the They Might be Giants station on Pandora.

Drab to Fab

I picked up a classic folding knitting basket at a yard sale a few years ago and had been using it to store my embroidery notions and pattern books. Sadly, one too many books and the thin cotton fabric gave out.

I pulled apart the somewhat dated original fabric and used it to make a pattern.

Now my knitting basket is sporting a new look with my favorite echino print and a sturdy canvas lining.

Quilting Inspiration

I went to the Thimble Pleasures quilt show a couple of weeks ago and came home inspired. Here are just a few of my favorites. For more inspiration visit the guild's website or Kathleen, Kathy or June's blogs.

New car smell

My car needed a little pick me up so I was excited to find this tutorial on DesignSponge.

This was a quick project and I had most of the raw materials at home. The only trouble I ran into was trying to find dried lavender. After being told by the salesclerk that they did not carry it, I took a look around and finally found some in the soapmaking aisle of a major craft store chain. A small package was less than $5 and was enough to make 2 sachets with plenty left over to make one, possibly two, more.

Adventures in quilting

I was excited to be invited back to the Thimble Pleasures quilt guild's annual getaway. It was fun but I fear I exposed my quilting incompetence. More on that later but let's start with the pretty pictures, shall we?

I finally quilted the lovely vintage quilt top I got at Brimfield last year and it looks like it's a hit with the both cats.

There are so many pretty and colorful fabrics in this quilt it was a challenge to find just the right fabrics for the back and binding.

I finally opted for blue birds for the back and a pretty red and white polka dot with tiny blue flowers for the binding. Against the advice of the expert quilters in the room, I used simple straight lines and red thread for the quilting. It's not perfect, I'm really happy with the look.

Finally, I suppose I must share this picture as well.

Yes that's me with my quilt sewn to the tablecloth. Not my finest crafting moment but I'm thankful that at least it wasn't my shirt.

If you are in the area this weekend and want to check out some truly beautiful quilts be sure to check out Thimble Pleasures quilt show. Details can be found here.

Sweater for Dad

Okay, so it's not for me but Dad really needed a new sweater. I used a Columbia-Minerva pattern from 1969 contributed by Mom. Some people might consider it a vintage pattern--Mom is not one of those people. The wool was inherited from my Aunt Anne and while it is good quality and made a VERY warm sweater, I can't say I enjoyed working with this particular fiber. It was a bit scratchy and rough on the fingers.


Next up, more sewing. I'm happy to report that I've been invited back to the Thimble Pleasures quilting getaway this weekend. Looking forward to a wild weekend adventure and hopefully returning with a few finished projects.