simplesparrow

in between croaks

Well, drat. I've been struck with another illness...this time a chest cold. My voice is all froggy to and Mark keeps making fun of me like I'm a pirate or something. So my grand plans for the past week have been shot down but I still managed to clean out a cabinet in my bathroom, line my silverware drawer with contact paper and get started on my wool blanket---all in between naps and croaky coughs :)

I'm pretty happy so far with how the blanket is turning out. My original plan of just butting the squares edge to edge and then zig-zagging them together didn't work so well. I didn't want the back to have seams, but now it does. I guess I could put a backing on it, we'll see. I'm kind of just deciding as I go along. On a few squares I added a  patch of  some  vintage fabric I've been squirreling away. I like the look it adds--somewhat funky, a little hippy-ish and a tad off-beat. I guess that could be a nutshell description of me now that I think about it!

A happy byproduct of all the sweater cutting has left me with about 6 pairs of sleeves. I'm thinking I would really like to try and make some long hand/arm warmers. Note to self: add that to the crafty to-do list that is already a bazillion pages long.

easy coaster tutorial

I made a table runner for a certain someone for Christmas (Dad, don't let mom see this) and I wanted to pair it with a set of coasters. Oh, the variety of styles is numerous when it comes to these little things and I love the patchwork kind a lot. But, because it was about 10:00 pm when I started these (yawn...) I needed a style that wasn't quite so involved. After staring at my fabric for a while this is what I came up with.

Start with 4 x 4 inch squares of two different kinds of fabric. Mine are linen and wool. My linen was not cut exactly 4 x 4 by the way...but one of the two should be because that is the line you will be following. You'll see what I mean next... (and oh, the little foot is not necessary for this project ;)

Take one piece of fabric and place it as shown on top of the other. ( I have no idea how to describe this in written words--8 point diamond thingy? See what I mean. Then stitch 1/4 inch from the edge of your top fabric. This is the line that you will follow.

With your pinking shears trim the excess off following your line of stitching.

If you have a stamp and a fabric ink pad, you can embellish the top side. I love this simple sprig that I added. Check and see if your fabric ink needs to be set with an iron, most do. That's it! Easy, pretty and useful--a great combo.

This is actually my very fist tutorial that I've shared. It was fun, must do it again.

the outside in

Aren't these flowers gorgeous? I buy them all the time at a small market I frequent. For the life of me I can never remember their name--it starts with an A. They are always cheap, this generous bunch was only 4.00 I have come to really need flowers or something fresh and green in the house as much as possible. I don't find it frivolous, I think it quite necessary! The challenge lies in finding affordable bouquets (for me, that means rarely spending more then 6 or 7 dollars) or collecting what I can from our yard (or swiping greenery from a friends yard! with permission of course) Bringing the outside in makes a home cozy and bright and adds so much beauty. A lot of bang for your buck :)

Do you see that runner under my vase? That is actually this scarf. I love surprising myself with new uses for things I already have and were intended for a different purpose. I will probably keep it as a runner. I always thought it was a bit short as a scarf.

a velveteen tuffett and my quirky town

After soaking in the loveliness of this fabric for days and days, I finally decided to take the scissors to it. I had  planned to work on the boys pj pants, but by the time that opportunity rolled around I was too to tired for a project like that. I just wanted to sit on the living room floor, watch an episode of the Andy Griffith Show, and work on something small. Pj pants today, hopefully--pinky promise.

I have to tell you that those beautiful bullion stitches are not my own. They were taken from a thrifted sweater--the same sweater that I made this needle case from last year. I really like the little circle of mustard wool underneath. It kind of tones down the frilly-ness of the roses.

Anyway, I'm offering 3 in my Etsy shop today. Think stocking stuffer for your crafty pal!

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Yesterday I went for a walk, like I often do around my neighborhood. And like I often do, I walked in my pajama pants. It's true. I was thinking to myself, I love this town. I love that I can walk in my pj pants and nobody gives a rip. I love that the post office, the library, the pediatrician, the eye doctor, the coffee shop, the grocery store and the park AND the ocean---are all just a few blocks from my house. The fabric shop is a 10 min. drive away, but I guess we all have to live with sacrifices. I love that for miles upon miles I can see nothing but rolling hills without one house or building. I love the quirkiness of this town--some roads are unpaved, some houses are shacks, some are million dollar estates but most are just wonderfully individual. I also love that everyone seems to know everyone here--or they are at least connected in some odd way. I can also hate that everyone seems to know everyone here too. It's not possible to be anonymous around here--and sometimes a gal just wants some privacy. But anyway, I do love my town--in all its quirky glory.

finally...

new pillows for my living room! This has been on my 'to do' list for months. I cranked out 9 pillows in two nights (late nights that is)  They came together so fast, it left me wondering why in the world I had put it off for so long. It felt like this huge project, but in reality it was pretty quick.

I love the simple detail on this one above. I couldn't get a decent photo of the small one on the far left in the top picture--but that was super fun to make. I used a wool sweater from the thrift and added 3 strips of ribbon to the front. I also really love the cream and brown print below. I only had enough of that to make one, but I'm planning to make another. It's Amy Butler's Nigella line and the print is called wood fern. I have so many more ideas for pillows I want to make! But really, how many pillows can one living room take? (BTW, I don't keep all those pillows on that one sofa--just for the photo ;)

And there is yet more...a new tablecloth for the kitchen table. This was a bedspread from Urban Outfitters that I so *adore*. I just layed it across the table and cut off the long spots. Then my mom zig-zagged the raw edges for me (my mama has been visiting me this last week and just left today :( Noah wanted to get in on some sewing so she said he could hold the pedal down while she guided the fabric. You should have seen him, he looked so cute! Quietly sipping his cup of tea with his little foot stretched out to reach the pedal. He was doing a great job keeping it at a nice steady pace. Until... from the living room I hear the machine take off at high speed and my mom screeching, "slow down! oh no! stop! stop! STOP!" The machine jammed in a knot of scribble-y thread. I rushed into the kitchen to investigate why Mr. Steady had suddenly become Mr. Lead-foot and he replied, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to give her a thrill." We will be laughing about that one for a looooong time to come.

To top off the run down on my busy week, here is a new corner in my living room. After several attempts my mom and I came to a happy conclusion. My love seat used to be in this spot but we all like this for a change. I hadn't done any rearranging in a long time, so this with the new pillows feels quite exciting.

This is why I've been absent from here for the last week--enjoying my mom and getting some much needed home stuff done. (insert happy and satisfied *sigh*)

new kitchen curtain = a clean window sill

I'm pretty happy with this new curtain. I know, this is not your typical combination of fabrics. Maybe not even the right combination, but for me it works. So much of the time I'm looking for a feeling that I get when I pair fabrics. It's hard to explain, and even as I type I'm confusing myself. What I mean, is...oh gee-whiz! I just like these together. The colors, the patterns. It's giving me that feeling. Do you know what I mean? I didn't think so (but maybe you do?) I don't even know what I mean. Moving on......

One good reason to make yourself a new kitchen curtain is that it motivates you to clean off all of the crap little things that migrate to the window sill and build up. If you don't have that problem then I salute you big time. I can't seem to shake it. So I'm enjoying looking at a pretty window sill for as long as it will last, *sigh*. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to motivate me to unload the dish-drainer.

That brown floral you see there? (not the ruffle) That is my new favorite in the whole wide world. I'm crazy about it. Crazy. It's Alexander Henry, New Traditions. I used up all that I had on this curtain and I need to get more, if only to sleep with it at night and hide it in a secrete cubbyhole during the day. I told you it's making me crazy. I bought it when I was in Oregon and I haven't seen it here. I'm hoping to locate it online--haven't had time to look yet, have any of you noticed it? 

I used my ruffle foot for the very first time to make the ruffle on this curtain. Nobody can accuse me of rushing into things--I bought that foot about a year and a half ago. I was not super impressed. It had some inconsistency problems, and if I stepped up the speed it sounded like my machine just might ruffle it's self right off of the table. I had to go s...l...o...w and it took forEVER it seemed. It really didn't look too bad in the end though, so all's well that ends well. People kept telling me that ruffle foots were really expensive, like 60-80 dollars. Ha! those guys don't know what they're talking about, I found mine for 16.00 on ebay!! (you think maybe that's why I had some problems? nah...)

Did you happen to notice that a new kitchen curtain was not on my list that I posted about previously? That's because I'm still working on my "spruce up the house" list. Still, I like to plan ahead ;)

while I'm on the subject of clean widow sills, I can appreciate Hannah's avocado sprout all the more. I'm growing fond of seeing them here now on a regular basis. She has transplanted 2 now into pots and they are doing quite well as house plants. When I come across a fallen blossom I've started tucking them here in her jar. A pretty combination I think.

Have a wonderful weekend friends! I wish you lots of happy moments.

T.

towel patchwork

This project was fun, fun, fun! It went so fast. About one hour to cut all the pieces, another hour and a   half or so to design the rows and stitch them up and lastly about an hour to stitch the rows together. All done over the course of 2 nights and one morning. I think I enjoyed this project so much because I just dove right in--no rules, no precise measuring, no one else to please except myself and I'm easy :)

Of course I was eager to put it to use right away, along with my little shadow there digging in the sand. The size is not very big, perfect for 2 people to lay down on or about 3 for sitting. All seams were zig-zagged along with the outside edge. I added the lace hem tape because I have ton and I thought it was time to start tapping into the bounty (it all came from thrift stores).

I started collecting the towels several months ago during my thrift shop outings. Vintage towels are small, not like the giant things you can get today, so this blanket took 4 towels plus one large-ish hand towel that had the pretty pink flowers and butterflies. I cut out as many 10 x 10 squares as I could get from each towel and fitted the left overs in to fill out the rows and to use as much of the towels as possible. I really like the look of the mis-matched seams and different sized shapes. Something about the randomness of it makes it very appealing to me. Once all the rows were sewn together all that was needed was to square up one edge and add the hem tape.

Reasons to love a project like this:
*fast and easy---just jump in and don't think too much :)
*if you get your towels second hand, you are recycling and re-purposing! that is always good. cheap too.
*this doubles as a blanket for sitting and as a towel for drying off with! dual function is always good. It's also a lot cuter then the plain ol' towel I usually bring to the beach.
*towels hold up to lots of use and are easy to clean.

I hope this has inspired you!

oh, amelia

Here is my new monster design. She came to life quite spontaneously and I so love that. I was pulling sweaters from my trunk to make a handful of mommy monsters when this gray scrap presented itself. I looked it over for a sec then inspiration came suddenly and I was off to my sewing machine. Amelia (named by my # 2 son) will be at Felt Club along with some of her sisters--if I can part with her.

Short but hopefully sweet today...

T.

they're home!

Way back in Nov., I posted  here about a little secret involving these guys--my cactus pincushions. Now I can let the cat out of the bag because my small friends arrived back home yesterday.

I was asked by Lark Books if I would submit these for consideration for a pincushion book they were putting together. I told them that they were really soft toys I made for my son and much too big to be pincushions. They really liked the idea of a cactus pincushion, so I agreed to modify my soft toys and see what I could come up with. This is the result! I was quite pleased as it was a big challenge for me. Not only did I have to redesign them in pincushion form, but also provide step by step instructions, a pattern (which meant precise measurements! My brain doesn't work precisely, it's more comfortable in "just eye-ball it mode" ) and simple drawings describing each step. It was a tall order for little ole me but I'm glad I stepped up to the plate. I have another simple cushion design that will be in the book also. You will see other familiar bloggers featured as well, but I'll let them share that :)

You can pre-order the book from Amazon here . I believe it's due out in November. Yay!

So, progress has been made in preparing for Felt Club and I feel a ton more optimistic then I did in my last post! The pincushions are all done and I have cut out 10 totes, 10 liners, and 20 straps! I never thought I could ever make so much at once and this has come as a pleasant surprise. Not that I'm signing up to do this again any time soon mind you..ahem.

Look, my first hydrangea bloom of the season. I spotted it this morning through my living room window.

If I'm lucky, this bush will be prolific as in years past and fill my front window with poufs of beautiful color. What a treat.

Thank you so much (again!) for your sweet comments on my last post. You guys are all so sweet, and several of you know what I'm talking about or will very soon. I appreciate you sharing with me as well.

driving down that road again

I didn't plan to be away from my blog for quite so long. It's been a week..eesh. I foresee my blog getting the back burner in the weeks to come, I'm afraid. I'm a bit sad about that because I so enjoy coming here to visit with all of you. As you know I'll be doing the Felt Club on July 15th and would you like to know just how much I've made in prep for that? 20 pincushions. And they are not even all finished. That's it. I can't even believe it. I'm so behind. But not because I've been a couch potato. The list of other things going on is long. It has all been good stuff, and I knew when I applied for Felt Club that I was taking on a lot, knowing how busy my summer was looking already.

Coming up at the end of the week we will be celebrating my second son's graduation with a ceremony and party at our home. This is our second graduate from our home school. Yet again I'm going through the bitter-sweet emotions of realizing that another child has grown up. I don't like this part of being a parent. I don't like letting go. 

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not a controlling mom hanging on to the ankles of my kids begging them to just stay home for the rest of their lives. Not at all. Mark and I stand on the edge of our nest, watching with pride and support as our adult children fly off to start their own lives. And then when they're not looking, we shed our tears.

For so long we were a family with babies, then with babies and young children, then all young children but always together. And then one of them was grown. And now a second one is. We aren't always together. It's a new season for us as we watch what was the picture of our family change and take new shape. It's an adjustment, a shifting that comes with some heartache, that of letting go.

Before this becomes a real downer of a post, let me say that there is so very much to celebrate, to reflect on with joy, to simply just smile big about--in seeing your children become adults. By God's grace Mark and I have poured our lives into our kids and one by one we are reaping the fruit of a job well done. Did we do things perfectly? Not even. So many mistakes along the way. But our heart was right, and we always tried to make sure our kids new that. That we loved them more then anything. That they were our life.

I certainly didn't expect to get into all this when I sat down to write. My thoughts just took a turn down that road I guess and I decided to keep driving. The blue sky above is a view from my patio. I had a quiet moment to do one of my very favorite things in the midst of all the business and emotions of the past weeks, and that was to just sit and stare at that gorgeous sky---and to take a photo of my feet. If you have been reading here for a while, you know I have a special fondness for feet. Too bad I leave ratty nail polish on them for waaaaay too long.

Thank you for listening to me share my heart today. xo.