because i have nothing more important to do than start a new quilt...

on par with making homemade shampoo just days before my wedding...

i was on such a roll with posting here a few months ago, wasn't i? i was so enjoying it and excited to be writing and sharing regularly again and then, well, then life. i have a post about nesting that i wrote about two months ago and have edited and updated a few times and wanted to post, but there it sits in the drafts folder and well, it just doesn't feel quite relevant anymore. no matter how much i've edited it.

because we are so past "nesting". we are in full on baby-preparation mode. we are in building-new-ikea-dresser, installing-new-carseat, washing-baby-clothes-and-diapers, and oh, making-a-throw-quilt-just-for-the-hell-of-it mode.

yeah. i've made some pretty damn cute new baby stuff over the past few months that i'll share one of these days. and i am still finishing up one last (i think) knitting project. and then, i suddenly decided that now was the best time to take that random log cabin quilt block i made for no reason a few years ago and has been sitting in various piles in my studio and make up a whole quilt of them. because that's the headspace i'm in right now. i'm thinking about winter with a baby and a toddler, and i'm thinking about snuggling under lots of quilts, and i'm thinking i wanted something new. just for us. the four of us (!).

so here it is, in progress. i thought it was done with eight blocks, but as i started plotting out the sashing and the border i decided it really needed another row and less sashing/border. so i went back to the fun part of combing through my scraps and putting together four more log cabin blocks. (each block is 14"x14" and i'm thinking the finished quilt will be about 60"x48"ish). erin posted a photo on instagram last week of what she's discovered as her "personal palette" and i realize, this is definitely my palette...greys, purples, browns, blues, and a few pops of greens. i'm really psyched about this one, especially the fact that every bit of it (minus the batting, fine) is coming from my stash. definitely a plus in the decluttering/studio downsizing department! it's going to be backed with a super cozy flannel piece i picked up from mill ends a few years back that i've been saving for just the right project, which is definitely this one. i know i have a little ways to go before this is ready, and i really should quit it and get back to a few more urgent projects that need to be taken care of in the next month or so, but i just cannot wait to be cozied up under this thing on the couch with a new babe, and ethan, and jared, and freddie this winter (hmm, maybe it needs to be even bigger...).

and speaking of that new babe...it's mindboggling to think that he or she will be joining our family in just about a month or so now. phew. that time thing again. one of the things i am most excited about it seeing ethan grow into being the amazing big brother i know he will be (and really already is). he is so nurturing and funny and caring and i can't wait to watch him teach this baby all kinds of amazing things that he's got in his head. i love him so much and am so excited to welcome another little person into our family and grow our hearts even more.

all love.

a million tiny triangles that i didn't want to part with.

or so it seemed (technically, it was more like four hundred)...

here is my latest quilt made for one of my oldest and dearest friends' baby, sarah madelyn. per usual i didn't even pick out the pattern or color scheme until she was a few months old and then started to get stressed that i wouldn't finish it before she turned one. some baby gift! but alas, i did finish just shy of her 10 month birthday (about two months ago already!). i'm pretty sure no one was counting anyways (except me, of course).

i picked out this pattern (thousand pyramids) from the same quilting book as my last quilt and quickly got to cutting up many many triangles. the vast majority were 5" tall, but there were some random ones that were actually four tinier triangles sewn into one that i placed throughout the quilt top. all of the fabric for the top were scraps or came from my stash. i keep doing this, but yet it doesn't seem to make a noticeable dent in my overflowing shelf and scrap bags, hmmm. per usual, i forgot to measure the finished size of the quilt before i sent it off, but i made the crib size, which is supposed to measure 47"x59" and i'm guessing it was about right.

the biggest thing i learned from this quilt is that i am not a very precise sewer. in all stages including measuring, cutting, and sewing. i had so many triangle points that didn't match up or got cut off that by the end of this project, i decided that my next goal is to just get better at all of this. i know practice makes perfect and i've been sewing for almost ten years now. but i think i'd like to make some mini quilts or even just lots of quilted hot pads or pillows with different patterns and really be intentional in being precise and practicing different techniques and get all my corners and points in line.

of course, none of this is noticeable to anyone but myself, but i think it's always good to have personal goals to improve your skills and talents, even if no one else is paying attention. and it's exciting too, to work on getting better at something that you really enjoy doing and brings you happiness.

in any case, i really do love this quilt. it was very hard to part with and i'm contemplating making a similar one to keep for ourselves (don't i say this about every quilt i give away? yes, i think i do). or at least one with the same color scheme, because man am i in love with purple-grey-yellow. luckily, i was mailing it off to the sweetest little babe, who i hope to meet in person soon. as always, i spent many of the hours of stitching thinking about her playing on this quilt, or sleeping under it, or building forts with it. and many hours were spent thinking of my dear friend, and how at nine years old when we first met at summer camp, i never could have imagined that twenty-three years later here i would be sewing a quilt for her baby.

And one more quilt...(for now)

Remember that time when I said "you have a year"? Well, here I am again, a few months late (again).

This quilt is a wedding gift for my brother and his wife, who were married last November (ahem, 2013). My brother is a pretty reserved, solid, dark color kind of guy, and his wife is, well, a little more into bright colors. So, I thought the color scheme of varied bright greens, on a pale grey background would play well towards both of their tastes.

I found this pattern, called Bear Paw, in an old quilt book that was gifted to me years ago by an old family friend who used to be an amazing quilter, but was no longer able to because of her arthritis. When I began thinking about making a quilt for them, I somehow came across this pattern and was set on it.

It is by far the most complicated and detailed quilt pattern I have ever followed. The hundreds of tiny triangles, hell, even just the triangles period, required many many hours of cutting and measuring and sewing. Poor Jared had to endure days and days of "hey! I made two triangles into a square!" and then "I made two squares into a rectangle!" and so on and so on. Luckily he's a very good sport about these sorts of things. As complex as this pattern was, and as many months as it took me to piece it all together, the slow and steady construction and seeing it all come together finally was amazingly exciting and satisfying.

And then, the quilting. Oh, the quilting. I brought the finished top into our local quilting store when I was ready to buy some fabric for the back and after I picked something out, I casually asked the woman for some advice on how to quilt it. She casually replied "well, you could just stitch in the ditch and trace the pattern." Oh sure, no problem. And from there ensued many many hours of quilting. Again, the most detailed and complex quilting I have ever attempted. Not to mention the fact that this throw sized quilt just barely fit through my small sewing machine, making exact stitching in the ditch more than a little challenging. I used light grey thread for the quilting, which blended in with the main front fabric and added a nice contrast on the back.

So there you have it. Just over a year after their wedding date, it is finally completed and settling into their home in California. After all of that cutting and piecing and quilting, I have to admit that it was a little hard to part with this one. But I'm so happy to know that it will have a good home with the two of them.

Details: Almost all of the greens were scraps from my stash, many of which were leftover from that first wedding quilt I made many moons ago. The grey on the front is Kona Ash and the backing and binding is Kona Graphite (or possibly Shale or Steel...whoops, forgot to write that down!). I of course also forgot to measure this quilt before excitedly packing it up to head to its new home, but it's about 50"x65". A generous throw size, with plenty of room for the "newlyweds" to snuggle up together on the couch...

and somewhere in the midst of all of this, i made a quilt.

when i was just about 21 weeks pregnant with ethan, jared and i flew to new york to visit my family and some friends. of course, my mom and i paid a little visit to purl soho. she bought some yarn to make him a beautiful fair isle sweater, and treated me to a pack of 1/2 yard fabrics that i was eyeing but was hesitant to splurge on.

a while later, i picked out blair's sunshine medallions quilt pattern to make for ethan with the fabrics and i filled in some more yellows from my stash and chose kona snow as the main fabric. i had grand visions of at the very least finishing the quilt top before i returned to work in october after ethan was born, but (as i think i mentioned here once before) the fabric sat unwashed until later into the winter. all that time i thought i would have during my maternity leave...ha!

sometime in february, ethan finally slept long enough (and i was awake enough) for me to start cutting out hundreds of squares of fabric. slowly but surely, the squares were cut out, arranged, and sewn together. i finished the top in april, just before we went to new york again.

for much of the spring, the top sat nicely folded on the floor in my studio. until i decided that i wanted to have it done by ethan's birthday. and there you had it. i pulled the back together using leftover fabric from our bedroom curtains, with one patchwork square of fabrics from the front. i love having a fun detail on the back of the quilt that reflects the pattern from the front. it makes me think of some advice i once got when i was sewing a fancy dress for myself- no boring linings. i love that.

anyways. back done, quilt basted. i was just barely able to fit this twin sized quilt through my sewing machine for diagonal quilting lines with some contrasting dark grey thread. and finally, the binding is the same as the back of the quilt. even though it would have been lovely to hand quilt this one, as i did with our quilt, and my best friend's wedding quilt, i knew that it would just never get finished given the limited time i have. so machine it was (i would have tied it if it hadn't fit through the machine).

and now it's finished. gifted to him just a little less than a week past his birthday. my heart pretty much exploded when i saw his face light up when jared brought him into his bedroom after i put it on his bed while he was in the tub. seriously- he got so excited! now that ethan is consistently spending the whole night in his own bed (with a little help from mama and dada), it's so nice to have this quilt there. jared or i (or, um, occasionally both of us) can lie down with him and feel nice and cozy ourselves too. and clearly, freddie loves it too.

i love putting him down to sleep, all snuggled up and cozy under the quilt that i made him. and knowing that he won't outgrow this one, like all the sweaters and pants that i've made him so far (at least for many years) is so comforting. seeing him wear and play with and snuggle with items that i have lovingly made just for him is more heartwarming than i ever thought possible.

all love. 

it's actually finished

the quilt, that is. any of you who have been around these parts for a good while might remember this queen sized quilt that i so ambitiously started about nine months before our wedding. i'm not sure why i thought i'd have time for this, but so i did. i finished the top, back, and basting that spring (i wrote about the top here) and then it sat. and sat. and sat some more. i worked on quilting it for a while. and then it sat some more. i would pick it up in fits and starts and swear to myself that i wouldn't start another knitting project until i had worked on the quilt more. but mostly, it sat in a pile in one corner or another of our house.

until this past winter. when we knew our lives were about to be overtaken by a baby (and thousands of tiny baby craft projects!) i vowed that i would finish the quilt before the baby arrived. i just needed to have it done. and so i did. i quilted. and quilted and quilted. until a few weeks ago,  it was just done. i could hardly believe that i had pulled the last basting thread out, and completed the last hoop of quilting. i got the binding done in about a week (after being shocked again by how much 2" bias binding one can get out of one yard of fabric) and immediately threw it in the washer and then the dryer (three times) and straight onto our bed. and i love how it sort of matches these pillows.

it is the most lovely feeling to be sleeping under this quilt (even though i am way too hot to sleep under a quilt these days) that i so lovingly and painstakingly worked on for two and a half years. i love looking at all the different fabrics that i used and reminding myself who gave them to me or where i bought them or what projects they are leftover from (and who was the recipient of that gifted project). i love having little pieces of friends and family in this quilt. and i am so glad it is finished.

a few details:
i loosely followed a pattern for the chinese coins quilt from last minute patchwork gifts (there was nothing last minute about this project, ha!).

i modified it to make a queen sized quilt, though i made it even bigger than a standard queen size- this is about 100"x100".

all of the fabrics used for the "chinese coins" part of the quilt were from my stash- a mixture of new, thrifted, vintage, and who knows what else. the back has one strip of patchwork. and i realized in taking these photos that we could always flip it over to that side if we were in the mood for something minimal...the dark grey for the front is kona coal and the light grey that i used for the back and binding is kona medium grey.

i hand quilted the entire thing in a "pattern" of randomly placed, shaped, and sized squares and rectangles that overlap.

friday afternoon ramblings: love is the law, and some sewing

28.5 weeks

here is another one of the tops i've made myself in the last couple of months. (it's the rie top from megan nielsen patterns, again). i think i finished this one in mid-march. at the time, i wasn't sure if i should put these sleeves on it since i was sure that it would be warming up any day and all i'd need would be tank tops and skirts. oh, how wrong i was! thank goodness for the sleeves. i was psyched to use this fabric that i've had in my stash for years (i have no idea where it came from, thrifted maybe?).

again, the sizing was a little questionable on this one. like i said before, the first megan nielsen pattern i made, i used the small size and it fit me perfectly. here, that size seems a little snug. mostly in the armholes and the sleeves. now that my belly is getting bigger and bigger, it's also a little on the short side. with a long tank underneath, though, it's a great top. i'm even thinking that i'll be able to wear it as a non-maternity top later on. if i have the energy, i may just make myself the dress version of this pattern too, sleeveless...

so here we are now, in the third trimester and feeling like august is shockingly close. i continue to be amazed by how fast this is all going, but i guess i should just get used to it because that's how life will be from now on, right? i'm still trying hard to savor all the days and enjoy the quiet moments (and not so quiet ones). all in all, despite all the things to do and get and figure out and finish up, we're just enjoying ourselves immensely. 

also, this week marked a hugely important achievement in my home state, the passage of marriage equality by our state legislature, which will go into effect on august first. i'm not going to lie...i cried a number of times while listening to the hours of debate in the house and senate, and it wasn't just the hormones. in addition to a huge step towards true justice and equality for all in this state, including some of my friends and family, i couldn't help but be so proud and happy that our child will grow up with opportunities that so many before have not had. and that our baby will be able to get married someday [far] in the future, no matter who he or she is or loves. because now, love is the law.

happy weekend, friends. xo

these days

winter has finally been put to bed (i think...i hope) and spring came in full force this weekend. it was glorious. i think the entire state of minnesota was outdoors. on saturday, i went to my community garden garden clean up and even though there wasn't much to clean up (no weeds yet since the snow has just barely melted!) it was so wonderful to be outdoors and reconnect with neighbors after the long, quiet winter. i even got sunburnt! not a good thing, for sure, but the warmth and strength of the sun was so unexpected and unfamiliar that i was caught by surprise.

yesterday, jared and i ditched our plans to check out an exhibit at the american swedish institute in our neighborhood, because it seemed ridiculous to be indoors on such a day. instead, we tuned up our bikes and rode to a neighborhood cafe for treats (ice cream sandwich for me, beer for him). the bike ride was disappointing for me. i know my riding days are limited this year, but i was hoping to make it through may. i didn't feel unabalanced, which was what i was expecting, but the leaning forward on my bike made me (and baby too, i'm sure!) feel a little squished. also, i need a cushier seat. i might be in the market for a beach cruiser :)

after our  treats, we stopped by a coffee shop where our friend was working and hung out for a while. time passed so quickly, it was suddenly 6:30 by the time we got home. we didn't get any yardwork done (the gardens desperately need clearing off!) but that's okay. it was so nice to just laze around and enjoy the day. our to-do lists are growing by the minute, but it's so important to enjoy some quiet days while we can. i savor them.

in other news, i've been making myself lots of clothing since my pre-pregnancy clothes started getting a little too snug/not fitting at all. a while back i discovered diy maternity and megan nielsen patterns. i ordered a few and have tried three of them so far. this is the pina dress. it was great about a month ago, but it's starting to feel a little snug now in week 26. i had a bear of a time making it, partially my fault, partially not. the first pattern of hers i made was the ruched t-shirt, and the size small fit me perfectly. somehow, though, i'm a medium in this pattern. luckily i had enough fabric to start over in the larger size. the other main problem was my fabric choice- i think it needs a heavier-weight jersey so it's not so clingy. i may try to make another one, maybe even in the large size, to get me through the next few months.

like i said, i've been making a lot of clothing for myself, and i even have a few baby projects completed already. i'll try to be better about sharing them here, without turning this entire blog into a parade of finished projects.

happy monday, friends.

for a very special one year old

this is one of those backlogged posts that i've bean meaning to write for months.

do you remember this sweet little babe? i do. i remember driving to visit her just weeks after she entered this world and crossing my fingers and toes that it wouldn't get too cold while i was in madison because then my car wouldn't start...i remember arriving with bags of groceries in preparation for cooking for the new mama and papa all weekend. i remember little baby nora falling asleep on my chest on the couch while her mama took a shower. and vacuuming their apartment, and cooking up some damn delicious grilled cheeses. and i remember being there for my friend, in her first weeks of a beautiful mamahood.

fast forward one year...back in october (i remember this because i was so proud of myself for being on top of this gift!) i decided that this special little lady was going to need a little first birthday love. and since they no longer live a four hour drive away from me, it couldn't be delivered in person. i decided to crack open the one ottobre issue (autumn 2007, if you're wondering) that i own and promptly settled on this tiered dress paired with some knit pants. since the little one is not easily accessible for measurements and i wanted it to be a surprise for her mama too, i winged it on the sizing and i think it's way too big. but she'll be able to wear it come spring.

bonus was that i had all this fabric in my stash. the alphabet fabric for the dress i think i got from a sally shim tag sale years ago, the polka dot that i used for the binding was gifted to me by a friend and the blue velvet ribbon was something i picked up at mj ribbons in new york a few years ago, knowing that i would eventually find the perfect use for it. the cotton jersey for the pants was left over from an alabama chanin project (my mom's rose shawl, i believe) and the green trim was leftover from a previous ottobre pattern for my newphew... i love remembering where all this fabric came from and thinking back to all the projects that created these leftovers. finding new life for these bits and bobs makes me happy...

aside from the sizing question, these two pieces came together pretty seamlessly. can't wait for her mama to send me some photos of her sporting this adorable little outfit.

weekending...

i can't tell you how much i love long weekends. especially ones that have no predetermined plans. after my cooking rut that i wrote about last week, i sat down and came up with some meal ideas (mostly old standbys to start with) and went a little overboard at the grocery store on saturday. it's okay though. i cooked some chickpeas that will be made into hummus soon, soba noodles with gingered bok choy and tofu, some delicious blueberry pancakes, and a squash curry with brown rice. sunday afternoon, we had some delicious veggie sandwiches with the last of last week's bread. i made a new loaf of bread yesterday and defrosted a loaf of oatmeal apple quick bread that i made with leftover oatmeal back in september. also on the plan for this week is potato leek soup, pasta with pesto, and some salads. see what a difference having a plan can make?

i did a lot of sewing and knitting this weekend as well. that wool throw i mentioned last week was started and completed in two evenings, curtains for our sunroom are finally hanging after three years of putting them off, and i am almost done with sleeve number two of jared's sweater (next up, the body!).

monday, i had the day off from work, which was lucky because it was the coldest day in four years so i was happy to have an excuse to stay indoors. i made bread, did some yoga, and listened to the inauguration while i sewed curtains. later in the day i talked on the phone to two very close friends and knitted on the couch under my new wool blanket. i stayed warm with hot water with lemon and honey throughout the day.

it was a wonderful weekend, indeed. xo

in the winter kitchen (sort of)

i have been baking bread again. mostly a standard half white/half wheat crusty bread from the essential vegetarian cookbook (jared will always choose crusty bread if i ask him what to make). i may need to swap out the recipe though. it's been a while since i've made flaxseed bread. or rye. or soymilk bread. so many options i tell you.

since the holidays, our weekends have been very quiet and i'm really enjoying them. a few outings to see friends, but mostly we are taking care of house projects. i finally purchased a ridiculous amount of fabric to make curtains for our sunroom (checking that off the list after three years), and make new cushions for the loveseat (i think this has been on the list since we purchased it...oh, about six years ago!). i am also going to make this quick wool-backed throw. maybe tonight, even. i have some beautiful alexander henry cotton fabric that i purchased on sale a couple of years ago and i think it's a perfect fit for the huge piece of wool i snagged at the textile center garage sale, also a few years ago, that has been waiting to be made into a cozy blanket. this should satisfy my current desire to make lots and lots of quilts.

wait. i thought this post was supposed to be about the kitchen. oh right, i am getting distracted by sewing. which is pretty much what's happening in my kitchen lately. we are going to get back into meal planning this year. next week, in fact. so i'm soliciting you all for new recipe inspiration. i'm craving greens...bok choy, kale, spinach. maybe something with white beans? we still have a drawer full of parsnips and turnips from our last csa in december that i have been avoiding. i should probably just cook them up and get it over with.

what have you been cooking up lately? i could use some inspiration...

simplify

i recently came across the seam allowance project (through this post on the alabama chanin blog) and my inspiration went through the roof. if you haven't heard about this project, it was started by kristine of a verb for keeping warm and the goal is to be more conscious of our clothing choices and ultimately to construct a wardrobe that is 25% handmade by you. i know, this seems like a big task, but at the same time it seems kind of manageable. i've been making clothing for myself for about five years now and i can say there is nothing more satisfying than wearing something that you love, that fits you perfectly, that is your style, and that you made yourself.

because i don't live in the bay area, i'm not going to officially join the project. but i am going to participate as best i can. my goals here are two-fold. the first, is to make more of my own clothing. even in the past five years of making clothing, i already have a number of pieces that no longer fit, or aren't my style anymore. so those need to be replaced. i am working on picking out a few patterns that i have that will help me with this goal. i will try to use my existing (and sizeable) fabric stash as much as possible to achieve this, but in terms of making garments, i have realized that i don't have that many large pieces of fabric in my stash. so purchasing may be required.

the second part of this goal is pare down my existing wardrobe. i don't consider myself to have a particularly large quantity of clothing, by any means (i know my mom would agree!) but i definitely do have more than i need. and by that i mean, i have more than i wear and love. i've written about this before, but i'm definitely not the kind of person who makes mindless cheap clothing purchases. i'm cheap, i don't like shopping, and i have a conscious that can be paralyzing at times.  most of my clothing is thrifted, handmade (by me or someone else), or i've had it forever. obviously, having a smaller wardrobe will automatically increase the percentage that is handmade by me, so that will help me achieve this goal. but it will also ensure that my closet is filled with quality pieces that fit me well and that i love wearing.

so. off i go on this journey. i'll  try to post updates when i can about the closet clean out, because you know i'll be posting about all the new clothing i'll be making. 

a bit more inspiration on making your own clothing and simplifying your wardrobe:
project 333
mav's closet clear out
100 acts of sewing
makeshift project

to kick off this little project, here is my second tova top. i think i love it even more than i love the first one, though it's a close call. they have both been in heavy rotation. the fabric is from my stash- i purchased it either at joann's or mill end a few years ago (can not remember for the life of me!). it's a brushed cotton that is so soft and i love the color and purple stripes. i've been saving it for the perfect project and this was definitely it.

just do it

as someone who literally got dragged out of a niketown store while protesting their use of sweatshops, i am cringing at the nike reference in the title of this post, but i'm at a loss for what else to call it. because this is what i want to say.

i can procrastinate like a pro. seriously. it's something i've been fighting pretty much since i was old enough to realize that i was a procrastinator.

i've been thinking a lot lately (as i often do) about making time in my life for the things i love. and also, being satisfied with the time that i do have. don't get me wrong, i definitely have the opportunity to lots of great stuff that i love. i get to cook dinner every night. (unless i don't want to, and then we eat popcorn). i can make time for sewing and gardening and knitting. but of course there are always more projects i want to do. i want to have the time to experiment with new techniques and consistently make pieces for my shop. i feel like i constantly have ideas for projects but never enough time to fully explore these ideas. never full days to spend in my studio and just experiment and be creative. part of this problem of course is that i do actually have a demanding full time job. and i do actually need to do boring things like wash the dishes and do laundry and go grocery shopping. and of course, i have way too many interests.

but...what i also need to do is just do it. stop talking about it and just do it. get started on a project. the other night, i'd been fighting off the sewing bug for a few days because of lack of time and finally, after dinner, i just popped into my studio and started sewing this pillow. two nights later, it was finished. and now we have a matching pillow set for our bedroom and i'm so happy. i just did it.

a couple of months ago, i started doing yoga in the mornings. i have practiced yoga on and off for about ten years, since i was in college and found an incredible class whose equal i have yet to find. over the past year, i haven't been able to make the time to go to a class, even though i've found one that i really like. it was just too much effort to drive or bike over there, do the 90 minute class and come home. and i've never been able to get into the practice of doing yoga at home. somehow, after we got home from our big trip this summer, i just started doing it in the mornings before work for about 20 minutes. i absolutely love it. if i can get out of bed in time, i'm there. in our big living room with east facing windows and only the trees of the park to block the rising sun. it's wonderful. a couple of weeks ago, on a lazy saturday morning, i said to jared "i can't decide if i should do yoga or not." he told me that in the time i had been debating whether to do it or not, i could have been finished already. of course he was right, and i headed downstairs. i keep thinking about that.

i just need to stop thinking about all the projects that i want to do and just get started. i will always have more ideas for more projects, but even if i just have ten minutes after dinner or a whole afternoon, i just need to do it. get started on something.

these amish diamond pillows were made using the tutorial on the purl bee that was posted as part of their 2011 mini-quilt series. i quilted the front and back pieces, making for two incredibly comfy pillows. i fell in love with many of the patterns they chose and hope to will make some more of them soon. they clearly make great pillows and i think it would be great to make four of one of them for a small lap quilt too. hmmm, now there's an idea...

weekend sewing

after i finished the bloomers skirt, i caught the sewing bug big time. last week, i whipped out a quilted pillowcase (more on that later) and then i decided it was finally time to tackle the tova top. i haven't made clothing for myself in well over a year (on the machine- of course, i just posted about a brand new skirt). i purchased this pattern a while ago since i have long admired jenny's work and have never had the chance to own one of her pieces.

i was a bit nervous about making this since, as i said, it had been a while since i've sewn clothing for myself and i really didn't want to get frustrated with a fussy pattern or disappointed by a poor fit. well, i had nothing to worry about. i had this fabric on hand already- it's lightweight, maybe a cotton shirting (i think my mom bought it for me at a yard sale a few years ago)? i don't know, but it was perfect. also perfect is the fact that i am currently lacking in shirts in my wardrobe.

i started cutting out the pattern and fabric on friday evening and with a few hours here and there over the course of the weekend, i finished it on sunday morning. all in all, i would highly recommend this pattern. it was very straightforward and the directions were extremely clear. i was worried about the fit, but it's perfect. if i make it again (which i definitely will- i'm already mining my fabric stash for another 2.5 yards of something that will work) i might shorten it an inch or so. i love that it's a bit longer, but i might like something just a bit shorter.  so, a good reintroduction to sewing clothing. and now i've got the bug...

and a very happy and sweet new year to all of you who celebrate. i've got the typical new year thoughts swirling around in my head. be back with some of those soon. xo

bloom where you are planted [a skirt]

over the past three months, across all of my travels and stressful working evenings and weekends, i have carried with me a bit of stitching. two winters ago, i had grand crafting plans for the year ahead. little did i realize how much time i would end up spending planning and creating our wedding, and many of those plans did not come to fruition. one of those projects that fell to the back burner was the alabama chanin bloomers skirt (i didn't use the diy kit). i purchased the fabric in early 2011 but it sat untouched until this past may when i decided that it would be the perfect traveling project for this summer. i cut out the panels, stenciled the fabric and packed it up.

i began stitching on a quick weekend trip to park city, utah for my dear friend's bachelorette party. the meditation of the stitches eased my nerves on the flights there and back as i began reading the requirements for a federal grant that i was to begin writing the following month at work.

of course this skirt was a constant by my side during our trip to europe. on flights, trains, in hostels and airports and everywhere i had a free moment. the stitches multiplied and by the time we returned home, i had stitched three of the four panels. i began cutting and stitching the final panel on our long weekend trip to california a month ago. [thanks to amisha for letting me know i actually could bring embroidery scissors on a plane!].

over the past two months as i was working nonstop on the aforementioned federal grant for work, i snuck in a few stitches or a few snips wherever i could. i would come home from work, maybe eat dinner, and go back to work for a few more hours at the station i'd set up for myself in our dining room. most nights, i was too tired to do anything else by the time i shut the computer besides pass out in bed. but some nights, i spent just a few minutes to stitch around a couple of stenciled shapes. and it eased my mind.

just this past week, i finally finished up the snipping and seaming and felling and stitching and of course, i put it on as soon as the last stitch was knotted off. the best feeling, no? but better than being excited to have finished a project, or have a new [beautiful] piece of clothing to add to my wardrobe, i will carry the memories of this wonderful summer with me in each of those stitches.

details:
i used one yard each of pewter and light rose fabric purchased from alabama chanin. the craft thread i used was dogwood color- and i used exactly one spool. i also purchased the fold over elastic in tea from alabama chanin. i hand painted the stencil pattern using a hand-mixed dark grey of jacquard textile paint. i used the zig zag chain stitch for the waistband.