Gehring Road

new fabric

Washi by Rashida Coleman Hale from here

As I might have mentioned, my current class schedule and work is making sewing next to impossible... there just really isn't time. Don't feel too badly though, it is extra incentive to finish up these classes and begin normal life again... complete with lots of weekend sewing time. I have however, been doing my best to fill my cabinet. There really are some beautiful lines coming out... say nothing of the flea market fancy haul I plan to take in very soon! I do have plans for bits of fabric that have been arriving, really quick projects and things that can be done before my 8 pm (it's really sad!) bed-time.

Those love-letters are destined for a bag for my new GPS, it really is a life-savor and points me in the direction of Panera for a quick bite for dinner each and every time. I heart my GPS, and I'm in love with Ruby Star Shining. Have you seen Jenni's drawstring bag pattern? I picked it up and now can only think about how everything needs a drawstring bag... including the GPS. Funny how that happens!

I've had my eye (no pun intended) on that beautiful Heather Ross for Spoonflower fabric for a while, just didn't buy any when it was at Spoonflower, so I picked some up on Etsy. I'd love to use it as an accent for a knitting bag. I've had my eye on this pattern for a while and can't wait to dig in. 

I caved and bought some DS Quilts Aunt Edna when I felt it... the quality is so much better than the last line, and I love those plaids. 

I so love these prints... I have a small bit of each of these and will be using them in some quilt blocks... in three or four years ;)

I've been hunting and gathering red prints for a while, in the hopes of making a red and white quilt someday. Nova just finished her 'redwork' quilt and it's just amazing... truly beautiful work.

I miss creative time so very much. It's difficult to pass the loft and these stacks of new fabrics and not dive right in... which I think is an important lesson. I'm trying, in the midst of much work and more classwork to find a balance that allows me to see and really connect with the ones I love, while also finding time to myself... while lacking time. It's the age old problem of balance and I so admire those of you who are able to do it with grace and cheer... maybe I'll get there too! For now, I'm taking things as they come and looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. So close! I hope you are finding yourself in a creative spirit. What are your creative plans of late? Happy Wednesday all! 

etsy finds... bright and cheery

Peacock, Flowers and Bunting Plate from Nina in Vorm Etsy Shop

Hi there! It's been a while, I know... my days have looked hectic, chaotic and a little crazy as of late. I'm feeling a little under everything if that helps to explain... under the weather (I feel like the beginnings of the flu have arrived as of yesterday... remind me next year to get a flu shot!), under water (with work and class and class and work), under-rested and under whelmed with all of it. Sewing has grinded to a halt, though the fabric spying and etsy spying have not. Hey, every now and then some brightness and cheer are in order. Here are some Etsy bright spots...

Vintage Apples Crate from Bellalulu Etsy Shop 

Sunshine Yellow Storage Tin from Sweet Love Vintage Etsy Shop (warning, you can't snag this... I did! What a tease!)

Moth Made from Vintage Fabric from Mister Finch Etsy Shop

Refurbished Retro Yellow Electric Fan from Fishbone Deco Etsy Shop 

La Belle et Le Bete Print from Rob Hodgson Etsy Shop 

McKee Range Shakers from Broadley Street Etsy Shop

Vintage Rustic Metal Kitchen Scale from Haven Vintage Etsy Shop

Happy little bits of Etsy goodness no? My bright spots this week have been coffee, a guy that will drive head long into a raging winter storm and then sit in a library while I have class for four hours and a sweet little lady who looks crazy with happiness when I finally get home. Sweet indeed, I tell you. Less than a year is the current ETA on my Master's degree... which I have successfully put off finishing for a looong time. I'm feeling happy to be meeting some interesting and dedicated individuals in my classes, but a little sadness for the absolute lack of free-time for the next few months. There is a bright lining... I foresee a period of intense appreciation and intense creativity when my life returns to normal. Important lessons in the midst of it all, I like that... and coffee, I like that too. I hope your January has been productive, filled with bright spots and... your own! See you soon! J

loft evolution

I kept holding off on sharing some of the changes I made to the loft over break (one whole day, several episodes of streaming Great Expectations later... even my fabric was re-folded and organized) because there are several works in progress and it's a little messy. My thinking was I could continue to wait or just snap away... a sewing room is supposed to be a little chaotic, that means it's well loved. There's been a bit of an evolution to this loft of mine. And if you've been here for a while, you know it is the sunniest part of the house... I'm terribly lucky. That sun doesn't always love my books however, and so I moved my books to the opposite wall with my sewing and crafting book. I get to look at it while I'm sewing... a bonus indeed. I created one large working area with my sewing and cutting tables now facing each other. I love this. My inspiration board is a little bare, and I'm contemplating a return of my thread organizer to the wall, but that will probably come after some paint... or wallpaper? I know I'm stalking that wallpaper, it's a problem. So that lovely little spot is where I'm hanging out these days when I have some time... a huge stack of flannel arrived (I fell in love with flannel after Rob's blanket) and I'm currently making a cozy blanket for these coolish winter days (Saturday was 61!). I'm loving changes in weather and changes in the organization of our home equally these days. Change is very, very good. Happy Monday! 

holiday handmades 2 :: felted wool blanket for my guy

I was sewing this secret project for Rob in the weeks leading up to Christmas and actually pieced it and prepared the back while he was busy making his famous triple-chocolate cookies (they're so, so good and really deserve a post all their own but are never around long enough to photograph... seriously, I've happily scalded my tongue on multiple occasions for those little loves) so... the pictures of this blanket are making me hungry! Anywho, I've had my eye on the lovely felted wool bundles from Mary Flanagan I first spotted at Purl Soho, and finally snatched them up when thinking about something warm, cozy and a little manly (if I do say so myself), for my guy. This blanket is so incredibly warm. I trimmed the pieces to 12.5'' x 15'', sewed them together using my walking foot, added a layer of batting and backed it with flannel. I decided to turn it on point and tie the corners and I just love the way it looks. I won't love how it will launder (this one will go to the cleaners each and every time), but this slightly lavish and loved blanket will keep my love warm and cozy through the winter months...and I'm sure I'll find him napping with our four legged one under it soon... and I love that more than I can tell you. Happy weekend friends, have a lovely start to this week! 

snap snap

image at google.com

Did you google today? I love this one... Hope you are finding reasons to smile this weekend! 

holiday handmades 1 :: the snow globes

The very second that I mentioned that I was not interested in making things this holiday, my mind began to turn and inspiration hit... kind of hard... that's just how it goes sometimes. I found myself drooling over Anthropologie's Mason Jar Snow globes after a trip in to see what was new (I should never go in there... ever... I really can't be trusted) but had a little sticker shock when I saw they were $30 (now on sale for $7.00 go figure!). I then began prowling the internet for tutorials and found many... my favorite though is here. So I had to make them for this year's favor... here's what I did...

I used mason jars we had around from our jelly making and canning adventures, found some sweet figurines (one special to each guest) in themed tubes at Joann's, ordered small sisal trees online (big mistake... more on that in a second), used snow-village glitter/snow, and found distilled water and glycerin at CVS (did you know that CVS employs a personal shopper to help you find things during the holiday season? They do. She was a savior!). A few notes, I probably wouldn't use mason jars again... the band made it impossible to see the figurines once they were glued to the bottom of the lid. Martha used baby food jars which made much more sense... that's why she's Martha and I am a High School English teacher. Next time. 

Rob cut out these pieces of wood from left over trim we had to make everything higher and more visible in the snow globe. I used epoxy glue (keep the windows open when using that stuff!) to glue everything down. I would next time use sand paper to get a bit more traction with the lid.

... Rob got a husky (they're big around here you see)

              

...Chip got a big red barn because he and Rob's mom have the most beautiful red barn... 

... Rob's mom got a sweet doe...

... and I got Big Ben (score!)...

The process and some notes:

* use baby food or pasta sauce jars for a better result (you won't need the wood inserts!)

* sand paper will scruff up the bottom allowing a better seal between the lid and anything glued

* notice I've masked the final products in dark light... well, my (very, very inexpensive) trees lost their color making everything a little green... everyone was sweet and said they loved them anyway... I would test the sisal trees first, maybe pretreating them in some water prior to gluing them on... Chip's had one tree and therefore much less green everywhere

* After gluing down things to the lid, I allowed the glue to set for 24 hours. This didn't keep Rob's from coming unglued which was a bummer but I learned a great deal from his green mouthed husky globe. Next, I filled the jars with distilled water and two or three drops of glycerin (this is to keep the snow from falling too quickly). 

* I added just a few teaspoons of snow to the water/glycerin mixture but I really love the way glitter looks in them and will get some next time instead of the snow.

* screwing on the lids was a little messy... I added a little water and experimented with the snow globes after the first one... less water is better and makes for a better seal.

 

I really loved how this little favor was easy to make and personalized for each of our guests. They loved them and were fun to play with during dinner! I would never discourage anyone from making these, they were super easy and hopefully my little surprises (tree discoloring, glue un-gluing) are helpful in someone else's process. I've added the snow globes to the How To section at the banner for easy viewing and referencing... and no, your eyes don't deceive you, they're a little green (or blue...the husky is looking a little blue these days), and I love them, flaws and all. 

365... that is 366

I've been thinking about this space, ways to connect with it on a more consistent basis and be more present in it (really in all areas of life) while also anticipating the coming days and weeks as I begin life again as a student. This anticipation is tinged with a bit of anxiety as student-teacher-girlfriend-daughter-friend-sewist-beginning knitter-dog owner-commuter and all the rest come together to make time a bit fleeting. I know so many of you have the very same or very similar juggling act, and like all things, balance is really important... something I'm going to try to maintain in these coming months. Tuesdays will be especially hard with an hour and a half commute home from class after a long day with my students. So...I've taken on a bit of a photographic project, one photo a day for the 366 days of this year... no rhyme or reason to the shot, just an image from my day. My hope is that it will connect me to this space even when I'm not here, so to speak. When I'm not here, know I'm wishing I was but you can follow my 366 project here. If you're also taking part in the photo-a-day challenge (there is a contingent of very talented crafters on Twitter doing this... so inspirational!) send me a link, I'd love to glimpse what you are seeing each day. 

simple scenes

This post comes just in time for the holidays to be a little past their prime, right? And me too, I'm loving these days but am also ready for the return to normal! I've had such good intentions to blog... it just didn't happen. My (belated!) wishes for a happy holiday and new year! 

I did just want to share some small glimpses into our days these past few weeks. We had a really perfect and simple holiday this year. It was even filled with a few hand-mades (I couldn't resist the urge, despite my intentions) that were enjoyable and well loved which made them even sweeter. Our holidays were spent snuggled up in front of fires at various homes, drinking loads of hot chocolate, waffle making, snow-globe making (more on that tomorrow) and just relishing in time to rest and visit. I loved these days. 

As we are still celebrating the new year and all that is to come in these hopeful days, I did just want to thank each of you for visiting this little blog o' mine. To those that make their presence known and those that are quietly here... I'm very grateful for your dropping by and spending time here in this space. All the very best to you and yours! 

bloggers block

I'm experiencing a bit of blogger's block lately... mostly because the secret little bits of elfing going on around our home can't be shared in this forum frequented by our families. There's lots going on though, even if we're not sharing! Maybe just a peek?

Our handmakings this year have been really quick, fun and weekend morning projects which has made this season much more enjoyable for us. I've made some sugar/salt scrubs, Rob made the most amazing peppermint bark ever and there are little bits of sewing happening here and there also. I love this season. Though it makes one of us a bit sleepy...

Happy making and happy (...almost...) weekend! 

art student for the grad student

Today was an interesting day... registration happened, though the payment system for all of us who registered today "catastrophically malfunctioned" (said the email) causing some poor grad students to be charged twice for their classes (not me... thank goodness) or not at all (me...). Some sort of cosmic sign? I'd love to think so... more Anthropologie and fabric, less grad classes... sounds perfect. The Bursar tells me not to go crazy though as he will be walking all of us through registration (mostly payment) tomorrow personally. I was on the phone with him when that package of Loulouthi Needleworks arrived from QuiltHome. Cosmic sign number two... possibly. I looove that fabric. It's so darn beautiful. Scratch what I said... I have some little gifts planned with some of that loveliness. And a bag. Those reds, gorgeous. I don't know what I was expecting, they're from Anna Maria Horner, and of course they are. So I have a decision to make. That grey is voile and a splurge for the inside of my bag. I have to decide between option A in the middle (tomato red, we'll call it) or option B on the end (cranberry red with pretty navy) for the outside of the bag. What do you think? A or B? I think I'll stare at these a bit more and maybe it will come to me. A lovely bag for the start of classes is just the thing to get me into the spirit. I've taken way too long to finish my Master's degree... like years too long. Actual teaching and love got in the way, and really, I wouldn't have it any other way. But, I'm back in the saddle. I'll be done in the Fall of 2012. Until then, I'm breathing deeply, getting back into the student mode and hopefully as a student passing on some fellow-student empathy and knowledge to my current students. So here's hoping for balance... and time... and a little Anthropologie on the side. Happy Thursday!