Gehring Road

etsy finds for the first time in ages

1948 Vintage JR Bauman Dress Form from Old New House Etsy Shop 

My last quiet day at home and I'm spending it alternatively snuggled up and sewing... not so bad, I'd say. I thought as a farewell to this space for a bit, I'd share with you some amazing Etsy finds, ones I've been spying on for some time. Enjoy!

 Light Grey Sideboard from Poppyseedliving Etsy Shop 

Vintage French Country Basket from Lapomme Etsy Shop (my best find this summer!)

Vintage Ice Cream Freezer Bucket from Bellalulu Etsy Shop 

Painter Antique Wood Easel from 86 For the Home Etsy Shop 

Library File Card Cabinet from Concept Furnishings Etsy Shop 

Vintage Rulers in Antique Fabric from Unique Shiny Etsy Shop (ps, this seller is so wonderful!)

Vintage Oak School Library Ladder from AmSuarezFl Etsy Shop 

Print Mounted on Tin Home Sign from EM Rooney Etsy Shop 

Cape Cod Cranberry Box End or Side from CCWashashore Etsy Shop 

Wise Old Owl Tree//Minerva Embroidery Handbag from Cindy Mars 7 Etsy Shop 

 

Some rain heading towards us this weekend, I'm thankful for that as my last moments of summer can be spent not feeling guilty for enjoying time spent in front of the sewing machine... a lovely and happy Wednesday to you! 

hello lovelies

 

Penguin Classics Clothbound (October 2011 Release) 

It has been quiet around here, I know... I've been watching copious (as in all four seasons... in a row) amounts of Mad Men, watching Kylie chase the sun in her dream-filled sleep and slowly making my way through grad classes... really a snail's pace for me which is less than ideal. Those pre-beginning of school jitters have finally set in and I have really just so much to do. To save myself in the midst of all of this, I'm really just looking forward to things on the horizon... like those lovely clothbound books to add to my collection. I think there will be one more but with three Austens and two Dickens' I'm feeling a wee bit spoiled, they're lovely. We're expecting our new couch early in September, yay! The new Twilight movie (don't judge!!) comes out in November... I'm grasping here and trying really hard to live in and appreciate the moment but these days are a struggle. As the new school year begins and I wrap up these classes that I really should have finished over the summer so as to avoid conflict with new classes and an actual meet once a week class, things might continue on a bit of a quiet mode here. I'll try to post when I can... we're taking lots of pictures of the dog so prepare yourselves! Hope you having a bit of an easier time embracing the here and know while looking forward to things to come! Back tomorrow with some half square triangles... 

some new fabric

A new little bundle of fabric arrived from Superbuzzy this week and I'm so loving that Melody Miller and her Ruby Star Spring (3rd picture from the top), the weight of that fabric (part linen, part cotton) is heaven. I have some long term plans for these fabrics... of course! I'm thinking of using some of these lovelies for some Plus and X blocks (Flickr Group here). I love how vibrant and beautiful those blocks look together. I think this will be the perfect little project for those long winter days that are on their way (I'm currently peeking at some orange mixed in with the vibrant green of the trees outside my window). So here's hoping for some balance this winter, some time to start longer projects and continue this creative pace, even despite the demands of other things. Happy Monday to you and yours, hope you had a lovely and creative weekend. 

some progress... some lessons learned

I'm in a bit of a holding pattern here as I find myself waiting for some fabric to arrive in order to complete the fabric cutting for my fallish quilt... somebody (let's not get petty and name names here, right?) decided that a 2 am bout of sleeplessness is the perfect time to iron and cut lots of fabric (with a 60 mm blade, it could have gone oh so wrong... ahem) and lopped a pesky half inch off of many blocks needed for said fallish quilt. Oops. It's that gold flowery fabric... I have my heart set on it. Sigh, though fingers are intact! 

In other news, I've been sewing up some test blocks in preparation for this quilt and my half square triangles are a little scary. I've tried a few methods... this one (from the Missouri Quilt Company) where you simply sew 1/4 inch around the block and then chop it in halves or quarters. Then I tried this one where you measure out a center line and sew 1/4'' from that line on both sides. My test blocks were... um... off... with first method. I'm a pinner and I think my pins were causing some issues. I attempted (don't giggle) to use my 1/4 guide foot for one of the test blocks and that was a disaster but ironically those blocks were more accurate than the first method ones. So I thought. I walked away from it. I purchased these Omnigrid rulers and now... I think I've got it. The life-saving rulers came in three different sizes, I place the middle line on the center drawn line on my blocks then draw a line on each side. Easy. I like this method because it is lending itself to chain piecing, which I really appreciate and my blocks are so much more accurate. Good investment I think as my love affair with triangles is undeterred by their wonkiness. Lesson learned. 

Rob is away for work and I'm currently juggling the dog (who believes if she stares at the street long enough he'll appear or at least she'll figure out where he went), grad school classes, the onset of school... as a result of constant Powerball losses (the numbers are mocking me), different grad school classes and preparing to teach American literature for the first time in a looong time (I'm reading Huck Finn for the first time since I was in high school...). So things are a bit crazy here in this little corner of my world. Happily, sewing, loft organization and writing here have been lovely little distractions from the crazy... balance is super important I'm finding. Remind me of this in a few weeks when I add kids and grading won't you? Excellent. I hope you are finding calm and balance in the midst of your own storms and enjoying this Thursday, whatever it brings. Back tomorrow with some Etsy finds! 

a fallish quilt

I'm feeling that end of the summer pull... to eek out every bit of productivity, to pick and eat some peaches, to complete things begun, to clean the refrigerator (no idea where that particular pull came from, but it happened!), to acknowledge that I actually do work and will need to return to it (not so pleasant!), and today to gather some fallish prints and begin a new little quilt project. That pull to start a new little project came from the inspiration and beautiful orange hues I'm seeing everywhere lately. Not from those famous New England leaves... yet... but from our very first peaches from trees planted two years ago...

... these little lovelies survived the squirrels and not so perfect light up on the hill in our backyard... we're thrilled...

... and these lovely heirloom carrots picked up at the farmer's market last weekend are beautiful...

So here's the plan... I'm still loving half square triangles and am going to make a zig-zag quilt. Something a little smaller than what I'm finishing right now... funny how that happens, isn't it! The grays, golds, oranges and neutrals are a little reminder that these summer days... though wonderful yet fleeting... are to be enjoyed and savored. The new season is on its way... the pull can't be avoided (much like the refrigerator for that matter) and better to celebrate the newness savoring this moment. Happy Monday! 

first stitches

While I really should be finishing up some grad school courses so that they don't linger into the fall when I really should be working on other grad school courses, I found myself following a few embroidery courses over the last few days.  My first stitches have been... well... intrepid and imprecise should we say but getting much better (with some help from drawn lines... ahem). 

... stars and chains... I love these

...french knots, sometimes... not so much... but sometimes kind of... 

... these were done while watching Jane Eyre (loved)... and yes, I'm slow...

Yesterday I grabbed my copy of Sublime Stitching, an embroidery hoop, my embroidery scissors, embroidery floss and embroidery needles (though by the by I now, two days in, prefer tapestry needles) a piece of left over fabric and got down to it (it's like I had been preparing for this moment of embracing hand stitching my whole crafting life!). Jenny Hart's instructions in Sublime Stitching are excellent and very, very user friendly. This was the first time I have ever attempted anything besides a slip stitch and I sometimes just run those seams that require it through my Bernina... avoidance much? I was shocked to find these stitches enjoyable if not...fun. I went hunting for a few more homework assignments and practice opportunities  (that doesn't cause me to shudder, it really is summer!) and found two excellent ones. Crafty Daisies embroidery lessons are great, as are the infinite variety of stitches found at Sarah's website... though all those stitches scared me and I was back doing simple lines at Crafty Daisies pronto. I will definitely keep both as a resource and am now just practicing... because it makes kind of perfect (though I have my doubts about my ability to make friends with french knots). If you've been thinking about tackling embroidery I have nothing but encouragement (so far). Enjoy this Wednesday! 

fabric fives... it's like a high five but nicer

Playing along with True Up today... I love their series called "fabric fives" where fabricphiles and designers tell us the five fabrics they love, use often and covet. I like it because well, I like fabric and I love a little peek into what other fabric lovers are using. Yesterday I spent some time digging through my neatly folded stash (neatly is in the eye of the beholder, yes? Good.) for some fabrics. It's the reason I was in PJs until an ungodly hour, but hey, there is nothing better than playing with fabric. Here are my picks:

Five Favorite Fabrics 

1. Little Folks Voile Pastry Line Saffron Dobby by Anna Maria Horner 

2. Flea Market Fancy Grey Bouquet by Denyse Schmidt (no surprise)

3. Fairy Clock B Tana Lawn fabric by Michael Angove for Liberty of London

4. Bohemian Cathedral Turquoise by Anna Maria Horner

5. Tana Lawn Sydenham Palace Purple by Liberty of London

6. (6?!? Sorry, couldn't leave one out!) Lotus Wallflower Grey by Amy Butler 

 

Five New Fabrics

1. Loulouthi Triflora in Silver by Anna Maria Horner

2. Annie's Farm Stand Seed Catalogue in Red by Lakehouse 

3. Far Far Away III Clothesline Neutral by Heather Ross for Kokka 

4. Loulouthi Framed Shadow Purple by Anna Maria Horner

5. Kona Neutral by Robert Kaufman 

 

Five Fabrics I Could (but don't Honey!) Consume by the Bolt

1. Kona Ash by Robert Kaufman

2. Katie Jump Rope Daisy Bouquet Tan by Denyse Schmidt (I have a lot of this... eek)

3. Honeycomb Dots in Grey by Kei 

4. Grey/Red Striped fabric from Joann's (no idea what it is called)

5. Kona Snow by Rober Kaufman

 

Five Fabrics I Like Together (loving jewel tones lately)

1. Midwest Modern II Park Fountain Green by Amy Butler

2. Lumiere de Noel Antique Red Plaid by French General 

3. Come Quilt With Me Petra Yellow by Marcus Brothers

4. Loulouthi Framed Shadow Purple by Anna Maria Horner

5. Prince Charming Indigo Dandelion by Tula Pink 

 

Five Six Fabrics on my Wish List (or prowl sites that require google translator at 3 am for... ahem)

1. Marie Jacobi Berlin Map Tan from Superbuzzy

2. Melody Miller Ruby Star Spring Buzz Tomatovine from Sew, Mama, Sew

3. Paris Map on Yellow Fabric from here

4. Alexander Henry Heath Red from Contemporary Cloth

5. Suzuko Koseki Vintage Sewing Linen Collage in Red from Superbuzzy

6. Melody Miller Ruby Star Spring Bloom Nightlight from Superbuzzy

 

Show us your picks if you decide to play along by linking your post in the comments! We're enjoying a bit of a stormy morning, perfect for finishing up my backing for this quilt... can't wait to see it complete and ready for couch duty. Happy Tuesday! 

quilt obsession

I've had my copy of Material Obsession 2 for a long, long time now and placed a number of their gorgeous quilts on my long, long term crafty list of things to do (some of the designs beg for hand piecing and quilting which I would love to brave... um... someday... just not this day you see). That was until I caught of glimpse of the Erica's Honesty quilt from pictures of the Alewives booth at the Maine Quilt Show this past weekend (see Brooke's amazing haul and inspirational photos here). As one of the last quilts in the book, I guess I just missed it. It is simply amazing. Now, I'm quilt obsessed. 

So here's my thinking... I know, realistically, that these entirely unrealistic, unproductive and beautiful summer days are drawing to a close for this English teacher. It's August and in a mere few weeks it will be books and grading and this semester - grad classes complete with a bit of a commute. I'm ok with that... for now. So how to fit this lovely quilt into all that? My goal is one block a month... more next summer when I have this beautiful time to myself and my sewing all over again. So, we'll see how it goes. I know there will be months that fly by, life and work will become beautifully hectic and harried as they tend to do, but I think this little lovely project will be a reminder of these beautifully free days and the ones on the horizon. I think I'm more than ok with that.  Happy Monday!