Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I was feeling really good about my latest project yesterday. Today not so much.

There is a serious flaw in the pattern. It seems Step 26 will not make any sense if you sewed step 12 backwards. Time for some un-sewing. And maybe a drink.

Question

Does anyone else have this problem?

Brimfield Adventure

The Brimfield antique show is the largest in New England and draws dealers from all over the country. It's held three times a year in May, July and September. July is typical the slowest month but we still managed to find plenty of good stuff on Sunday.

Buttons, notions and rick rack - oh my!

Pretty painted furniture

Beautiful jadite dishware

And a few conversation pieces.

Since I live in a small space I tried not to do too much shopping but a few things did manage to find their way home with me....


That's a vintage scarf box (perfect to hold my growing collection of Vera Neumann scarves), yet another Vera scarf, and elephant ring holder, a sweet vintage curtain valance with pom pom fringe for my kitchen and a hand-pieced quilt top. Not a bad haul for less than $40.

Dreaming of Elephants

This baby quilt is for the current Craft Hope project and will soon be on it's way to India. I wanted to do something that was graphic and gender neutral. I chose bright colors that reminded me of the beautiful saris I've seen in Bollywood movies.

Since this is only my second quilt, I was a little unsure how I wanted to do the actual quilting design. Fortunately, my friend Junie happens to be an expert so I turned to her for some advice. Check out her blog for a great tip on how to preview a quilt design before taking it to the sewing machine.

This is my second Craft Hope project and I love that they give me a chance to experiment with new patterns and techniques while supporting a great cause. The deadline for the India project is July 25. I'm contributing a blanket but they are also looking for other items like hats and booties. Check out their website for more information. You can even sign up for their newsletter so you'll be the first to know about upcoming projects.

Well, at least it's functional...

We are traveling to two weddings this summer and since the zipper on my cheap dress bag broke ages ago I figured it was time to retire the trash bag I had been using in its place for something a little more stylish. I wanted it to be sturdy and waterproof so I made a pilgrimage to amazing Franklin Mill Store to check out their selection of oilcloth. I instantly fell in love with this beautiful Anna Maria Horner print. It was quite pricey but I had a discount so I decided to buy enough for two projects, the garment bag and a carry along seat both from this book.

Although the pattern instructions were fairly simple, as you can see I ran into some trouble matching the print. I decided to increase the length of the finished bag from 36" to 42" but I couldn't figure out how to cut the fabric in such a way that the pattern would match and I would still have enough yardage left over to complete my second project. I should have been more thoughtful about the fabric choice and picked something that didn't require an obvious match. Live and learn. On the upside the bag went together quickly (especially since I opted to use ready made piping rather than make my own). Once I got over the fact that it couldn't be ironed or pinned, the oilcloth was surprisingly easy to work with. I'm sure there are more expert solutions, but I used a combination of blue painter's tape and quilt binding clips like these in lieu of pins.

In the end it's not my favorite project, but it's functional and definitely a step up from the trash bag. I'm looking forward to taking it on the road.

Goin' to the Chapel

My good friend and "god-husband" (we are the proud godparents of a brillant and talented 12 year old) is getting married today and I wanted to make something special for him and his new bride. They are registered for this beautiful bedding so I used it as a jumping off point to design a pillow with their new monogram.

I selected chocolate brown linen which I backed with a lightweight interfacing to give some stability to the stitching. For the monogram and date I used a simple satin stitch with embroidery floss. The embellishments were done with metallic thread. My original plan was to use only the metallic thread but it was so difficult to work with that I decided to start over with traditional embroidery floss rather than pulling every hair out of my head. In the end, I think it was the right choice because the combination of metallic and non-metallic floss adds dimension and interest. I hope it works with their style and finds a place in their home.

Shopping Spree

I was a little jealous of all June's great finds so I stopped by one of my favorite thrift stores to try my luck. While I didn't do quite as well as June, I'm pretty happy with my treasures. My haul included: a cute embellished t-shirt, 2 wooden embroidery hoops, a bag of sewing notions (bias tape, twill tape & my favorite -- rick rack!), a beautiful Japanese paper wallet from Zemliya Paper Products and another Vera scarf. A few more and I'll have enough to make something like this.