Newest project

In my attempt to finish nothing this year, I'm starting a new project. A Georgian Corset.

I looked thru my patterns, and I had a pattern I had bought years ago, for a renaissance / Georgian corset, but I have the wrong size, mostly I stumble along blindly until by trial and error I discover something, this time I discovered if you read, you can see a size 16 standard pattern, isn't a 16 dress size.

I like the renaissance - Georgian (think Marie Antoinette ) because its conical, and more about a foundation shape, rather than hourglass.

I have had some striped fabric I have been saving for this project, and I joined a Facebook group about historical sewing challenges, the first one being stripes. I'm not very far though. I think I might pick and choose the first set of challenges, and do them in my own time.

Anyway, I have started cutting out the interlining, which you use as the mock up to check fit.

I also got copies of the train block patterns and the raccoon mitts, so I can work on that. Plus, I need to have a chart done for Christina by Thursday. So she can test knit my mittens.

Here are some pictures.

Again, it's been a while

So, I've sewn three more blocks for the quilt, I need to examine the measurements for the caboose, since it came out weird. I think I only need to make five more. Maybe I'll do them all at once, when I figure it out?

I also covered two bolsters, I got impatient and while I'm sure there was a way to do it with less hand sewing, I couldn't be bothered to track down that info. No picture of that.

And I'm in the process of making a carrying case for my kindle. Out if a book.

Bad blogger

Long time no post.

I have reasons but they are boring.

Instead I have some pictures.

First, a pair of baby socks for a friend who is having a baby in the fall. I will also make a sock monkey receiving blanket. She likes red.

Next up is a dirty Girl Scout from Tini bigs. And I plan to try to recreate this cocktail and they make it as a Jell-O shot.

Craft Mistake Swap

I want to write more blog posts and I want to document my excellent ideas for future reference. It's only posterity if you're famous. Anyhow- a craft mistake swap! Haven't you ever made something that didn't fit, wasn't right, or just didn't match your original vision? Can't take it to the thrift shop because really, they don't want a half sewn bodice of mismatched plaid? Craft swap! Bring your UFOs or no-longer-wanted projects and exchange them for something else! A wealth of new ideas or scrap fabric! A chance to overuse exclamation marks like a manga writer! What do you think? Monthly? Yearly? Special occasion? Limit to fiber artists? Tell me what you think in the comments! I couldn't resist that last exclamation point.

Craftermath

A hurricane of fabric has left scraps all over my workroom. Apollo has made himself a little nest of them. This is a prime example of craftermath- the stuff I have yet to clean up during and after my most recent projects. I will share my current quilting projects. My epic mountain of half-finished knits deserves a separate post. This pile of scrap will eventually become these blocks: However, because that quilt is complex and fiddly, I have also started cutting this quilt: And because both those quilts are ginormous and composed of straight lines, I made a tiny applique baby quilt: All of this quilting has left my craft room looking like this: And I don't even have room for all of my fabric, thanks to a recent Goodwill trip. Here is the hall outside my craft room. Despite all of the mess and interminably slow progress, I did finish a pair of curtains. Sometimes you need a quick finished object.

2, 3, & 4, of 42

Yesterday I spent hours ironing fabric. Hours!

Irritating.

But today after a nice afternoon knitting and drinking, I sewed three blocks.

Here they are.

1 of 42

Some sewing

Today I sewed the leopard blanket, the pillow for poly pellets for the chicken, and the second cat pillow.

I also cut out the white half Jewish half Christian pot holders. And one for Pat and I. Here are some photos.

I also worked on the quilt.

Starting a quilt

I'm starting a long over due quilt for my roommate, I've got very ambitious goals for this, and my speed.

We will see

Uh-ha

I bought the book If You Want To Write. And a sketch book.

Now I have to use both.

Special cat pillow

This weeks craft projects. This week I made toddler capes http://www.momsrising.org/blog/how-to-make-a-superhero-cape-by-lara-from-howdoesshe/

Two blue and red, and one yellow and green, they turned out pretty great, they just need Velcro.

And I made a leopard fleece blanket, finally using some of my stashed leopard fleece.

And I made a pillow for Trixie, using an old squishy pillow and a newer squishy pillow, I made a larger, flatter, deeper pillow, and a .... Fleece pillow cover, for the winter.

And that's the project I was going write about for a minute, it makes me a bit sad I'm too lazy to do this on my computer, so the pictures will be in willy nilly.

First up, the tiny little styrofoam pellets, are unmanageable! I cut a little hole to move pellets from one pillow to the new, and the hole on the new pillow was too small, so, that was... a challenge, in the end, I just worked the old pillow into the new, I thought I would make it easier to get the pellets out... It did, but then I couldn't get the old pillow out of the new with out a pelletastropy, so it is in there still.

I took a little break in that project to do the other projects for a bit, and when I returned to it, I remembered I had one of those canning funnels, a regular funnel would not have worked, I thought about it. But the canning funnel worked fairly well actually, and I emptied 2/3 of a new squishy pillow into the other new pillow (I'm making myself dizzy) then as I was trying to stop poring pellets, the canning funnel pulled out of the pillow and pellets went everywhere!!!

Bu the pillow is a success with the cats, both the one it was intended for and the other one, its never not been occupied for the 24 hours its been complete.

The best decision I made though was to finish the pellets right before I planned to vacuum.

Enjoy the photos

New Years resolutions.

I have a million resolutions, and the ones that apply to this blog are;

1. To keep up my blogs
2. To create one piece of Art per month
3. To Knit everyday. (And to knit 26 pairs of baby socks for pregnant friends)
8. Learn to write a novel
12. Write two knitting patterns

I have not started to sew today, but on my calendar Tuesday and Wednesday will be craft days. This week I plan to make one or two cat pillows, fleece on one side and a purple stretchy fabric on the other side, and filled with the tiny styrofoam pellets I hope Trixie will like them. I am also planning to make a blanket with some of the leopard fleece. Lastly I need to make some toddler capes. I found the fabric I really wanted, after I bought this other stuff. Oh well if they work out, I'll try with the other stuff.

Now some pictures.


We have my new Amish swift, Lauren's socks, a baby sock new to a pen for size reference, and Trixie on a squishy pillow. She is a cat that likes a squishy pillow.

New Years resolutions.

I have a million resolutions, and the ones that apply to this blog are;

1. To keep up my blogs
2. To create one piece of Art per month
3. To Knit everyday. (And to knit 26 pairs of baby socks for pregnant friends)
8. Learn to write a novel
12. Write two knitting patterns

I have not started to sew today, but on my calendar Tuesday and Wednesday will be craft days. This week I plan to make one or two cat pillows, fleece on one side and a purple stretchy fabric on the other side, and filled with the tiny styrofoam pellets I hope Trixie will like them. I am also planning to make a blanket with some of the leopard fleece. Lastly I need to make some toddler capes. I found the fabric I really wanted, after I bought this other stuff. Oh well if they work out, I'll try with the other stuff.

Now some pictures.


We have my new Amish swift, Lauren's socks, a baby sock new to a pen for size reference, and Trixie on a squishy pillow. She is a cat that likes a squishy pillow.