Gehring Road

three things i love

I spent a bit of time over the weekend working on some x plus blocks for my quilt and decided to take my new Little House pins for a test drive. I love, love, love these pins. I'm convinced they are responsible for some amazingly accurate piecing on the blocks I finished over the weekend. I'm so happy with these little glass head pins. 

At first, I couldn't really justify spending a bit more for pins... I sew right over mine and though I've never had an issue, on occasion, they've bent as a result my laziness. I kept seeing Little House pins pop up in blogland (and promptly disappear) read some reviews on-line and decided to give them a go with another order I placed for thread. They're so great, and I'm so in love that I ordered another set. 

While I was thinking about coming here to profess my love for these little pins, I also thought about updating the post "to the beginning sewist" written a few years ago. While I don't quite have the time to do that just now, I have to share two other tools that I've grown to love and use while sewing. The first are my small scissors... I so love these. 

I bought mine a while back from Brooklyn General (it appears they are out of stock), a set of small scissors was not something I imagined was useful beyond embroidery. Since buying these little guys (which meet TSA guidelines), I've done everything from trim log cabin strips to snipping chain pieced rows for my x plus blocks. These stay right by my machine (some people like to keep them around their neck for easy use), and I absolutely find them a must have these days. 

Lastly, my Dritz Disappearing Ink Marking Pen is something I'm constantly picking up (when they're on sale) at JoAnns. I love the way this pen works. I'm often able to mark several lines before the disappearing begins making it perfect for quick chain piecing. It's also really fine, making my lines for my x plus blocks really accurate, always a fabulous thing. So, what are you loving in your sewing room lately? 

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

merry merry

I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting to the calendar... it says December, mid December at that, but my mind really does insist that Thanksgiving was just last week. Actually, the calendar in my loft does say November... sigh! Somehow this most lovely time of year has snuck up on me, and yet there have been little bits of merry. We picked out our tree on a lovely 50 degree (though foggy) day. A treat as we usually are picking a tree in what feels like 50 degrees below zero. The stockings have been hung, presents are being made and planned and hidden. Each year I feel like we do less and less with our decorations, and that's really just the way we like it. Simple, sweet, spur of the moment, that has been our merry making so far.The tree was decorated after dinner one evening. We sat and watched it long after we probably should have gone to bed. I purchased the most beautiful velvet ribbon at Anthropologie on a whim, before I really knew how I might use it. I have big plans for that beautiful coral ribbon, when I get around to it. These wreaths actually. "Easy Christmas Wreaths"... yes, please. That feels just about right this year. I'm also planning some of these as gifts... pretty, simple, useful (hopefully). Again, just right. After a few break neck paced weeks at school, some uncomfortable and difficult moments, I'm looking forward to this weekend. Savoring the preparations, the merry making, the coming restful days that are so much a part of this holiday. A much needed break as it turns out. I find myself counting down the days, much like we all are, children and adults alike. I might pull out the advent calendar...possibly, if the spirit moves me. I hope this day finds you looking ahead while enjoying the moment. Happy Wednesday to you and yours! 

spoonflower favorites

Fabric Credits: 1. Chattanooga Toile by chickoteria, 2. map of our sky blue, 3. OldTownStockholm by mrshervi, 4. elephant march by endemic

A new series "Spoonflower Favorites" around here as I begin the school year and have a little less time to write this blog. My love for designer fabric is well documented (ahem) but I don't often talk about the fact that I also really love to support the amazing work being produced by less well known designers on Spoonflower. I love that Chattanooga Toile and really all of the fabrics coming out of chickoteria's spoonflower page. Just so unique and amazing. That night sky print comes in a variety of colors, which I think is such a nice option for sewists. The Stockholm print is one I've had my eye on for a while now... I've seen some quilts and quilt blocks made to look like this city scape but think this is much more detailed and really lovely. The elephant march is just a really beautiful color palette and perfect scale. 

I have quite the list of favorites at my own Spoonflower account and they recently added a "Pin It" button so I can add them to my Pinterest boards. My "fiber" board is of course one of my favorite creations. Speaking of Pinterest, someone pinned this amazing pillow made by Melissa Haworth of "Under Construction" blog...

...so cute, just a picture of your bookcase uploaded to Spoonflower and sewn into the perfect reading pillow. I just love this. 

Happy Friday everyone! 

etsy finds :: schoolish

 Mini Vintage Pull Down Educational Chart by Gritty City Goods Etsy Shop

A holding pattern is really a fitting metaphor for me today. Monday starts a new school year for me, my tenth (ack!) as unbelievable as that is. I was sort of fine about letting go of summer as this one has been very unusual for me with classes and an unbelievable amount of work. Now suddenly and most unexpectedly... jitters. Yes, it's true, teachers get jitters too! For me they are all about the inability to know and prepare for what this year will hold, how kind (or unkind) students and fellow teachers will be to one another, what perceptions about this career and profession will need to be fought and which ignored... all make me a wee bit anxious. There are times when I wish the onset of this fall season was not tinged with the feelings of loss and nerves. And yet, somehow it all seems to work out. Exploring and navigating the new and unexpected is a good thing. Monday it will be. New students will be reminded to "work hard and be nice to people" little victories will happen and the seasons will change just as surely as they always do. So it is with all these little worries and excitements that I have a very schoolish group of Etsy finds for you. Happy Thursday... cross your fingers that this weekend passes slowly and that new year strength finds me... sooner rather than later. 

Red French Bottle Crate from Sunday Brocantes Etsy Shop

Hotel Service Desk Bell from AM Radio Etsy Shop 

Vintage Store Paper Roll Cutter from AM Radio Etsy Shop 

Vintage School Desk from 86 Home Etsy Shop 

Vintage Mid Century Porch Lantern from Ethanollie Etsy Shop 

Vintage Stackable Industrial File Cabinet from Haven Vintage Etsy Shop

Perfect Scovill Green Workbench from Jersey Ice Cream Co Etsy Shop 

Industrial Time Card Rack from Oh Albatross Etsy Shop 

Rare Antique Hanging Pie Safe from Jersey Ice Cream Co Etsy Shop 

Vintage Tin Alarm Clock from La Pomme Etsy Shop 

 

My Etsy favorites are here.

like and want

Rojo Bookcase from Crate and Barrell 

I've been spending lots of time procrastinating... shirking dates with my grad class work, the netti pot, putting off taking antibiotics (which I hate and have me relentlessly nauseaous), getting out of PJs, doing laundry... but I've been spending plenty of time pinning on Pinterest (I recently pinned my 1000th pin, that makes me a champion procrastinator!) and scoping the internets for some cozy-sleepy hollow-New England-y necessities for the house. Want to see?

I love this wallpaper from Anthropologie... still I sort of want to paper the loft with it... don't tell Rob

 I think these pieces of Dandelion greens flatware from Anthro need to visit our Thanksgiving table... they're so sweet and I love them...

Anyone else in love with the Pixie Dust Lap Blanket from the Purl Bee? All seven skeins of it... I love it...

This console table might actually find its way into the house... we're thinking TV stand...

I'm loving almost all of Pottery Barn's nordic looking red pillows lately... maybe for the couch? 

Brown transferware... it's so Thanksgiving for me, I'd love to have one piece, and am thinking not of a platter but a pitcher for flower centerpieces... 

 

I'm looking forward to the weekend (though it's Monday!) we were in school yesterday (though it was a Sunday!) for our accredidation visit and this promises to be a bit of a long week for us. It is putting a bit of a kink in my procrastinating time! Happy Monday to you, hopefully your weekend was long, restful and full of all things you love the best. 

making new

lovlies from Anthropologie and Pottery Barn

Thanks for baring with me as I spent some time getting my school-legs (which means falling asleep at 7:30 pm, loads of grading and trying to spend any spare moment with those I love)... I feel oddly settled and really good at the start of this year actually, in a much better place than I've been in years passed when it came to the loss of my beloved summer free time. My planned grad class was cancelled due to lack of enrollment and I have a bit more time to finish some credit courses started in the summer. That combined with the lack of basic necessities like toilet flushing thanks to Irene sort of put things in perspective. The leaves here are beginning to peek out at us, and things are as they should be. We'll pick up our mums and pumpkins for the walkway next week and dust off the halloween decorations as well. Rob has been hard at work on the basement, which looks amazing. He's creating a workspace for himself (hello new kitchen cabinets!) and weatherizing the walls and floor. I'm amazed at how that space has come together... almost there.

Speaking of spaces, we're in the midst of a little living-room identity crises around here... that should really read I am and am taking Rob right along with me. Our couch finally arrived and I love it... but our eccelectic came-from-two-former-homes furniture and style is grating on me. If I could just go crazy (which I might), I'd pick up some of those outrageously expensive and kind of insane lovelies above. Curtains, I know I can make... in time so I won't be buying those yellow or orange ones from Anthropologie. But we need a TV stand solution... and quick. Ours is sitting on my old coffee table and it isn't great. Think table same size as TV... yeah, not good. We're contemplating the use of a hutch from the basement or a table given to us by my Aunt but both need a lot of work and paint remover and sanding and priming and furniture love. With my 8 pm (ha!) bedtime, that doesn't seem feasible but we'll see. In the meantime, a girl can window shop excessively, right? I hope this weekend finds you peeking at things that make you happy and spending much time with those you love. 

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! 

i love mondays... show and pin

I am really, really searching deep to find something to love about this Monday... the start of a new series here on the blog is making it semi-paletable. The sheer act of turning my neck to grab something in the back seat of the car yesterday has aggravated my already aggravated neck and a heating pad (bag of corn kernels) is really the only thing my neck finds paletable.  That and pain-in-the-neck jokes. So I bring you a new little series whilst sitting far too long with this steamy and oh so wonderful bag of corn draped on my aching neck... Pinterest.  Have you been? If you'd like an invite, please let me know (email!)... I would love nothing more than to interest you in the hours and hours of time wasting and day-dreaming that Pinterest is. Actually, it is a source of inspiration and fascination and I love it. So here on Mondays... my last five pins...

... this heavenly house number seen here and from Tillie Mint pinned to my board "nest." 

... also pinned to "nest" I'm in love with this kitchen... the hardware, simplicity, legs and oh that sink... found here...

...this baby slipper pattern from Ithinksew is only $4 and now lives on my "small." board, with the baby boom we're having at work, I think I need to give it a go...

...and this little slice of heaven has been posted to my "eat." board, I've pinned three kabobs in the last few days (these were first) hmm, what's up with my kabob fascination? ... anyway, you can find the cupcakes here...

... and finally, this tutorial for painted jars... love... and now pinned to my "try." board...

My "try." board is my favorite, the ideas, tutorials and creativity that are shared on the site is really remarkable, I'm so inspired and humbled by the wonderful ideas posted by some super talented individuals. I love that I can hoard them in one spot and see what I'd like to conquer next... when not dealing with a pain in the neck that is... Happy Monday! 

pinteresting

Oh Pinterest... how you've revolutionized (really organized) my loves (not Rob and Kylie) but those inspirational things I find in my wanderings on the internets. Here's the low-down: Pinterest is a site where you create "boards" then pin items found online to those boards that are then available to be viewed by yourself along with your fellow pinteresters. Before this (say, last week) I was keeping track of things I found interesting on my computer, wasting a whole lot of space. I'd find something that sparked my interest, drag it into a folder and often, forget that it was there. Though the things I found are organized, I can't see them all at once and there are many images missing sources - not so useful. Pinterest allows me to organize those items that I love, comment on them, and also keep a running list of where those items were found... really perfect.  I now have a Pinterest button on my computer, so as I am browsing, say sewing projects on Flickr, I can pin and post those items I'd like to try onto my "craft." board. Anything can be pinned - quotations, pictures, vacation destinations, recipes, projects, hair styles, wish lists, catalogue items... anything... and everything.

I've loved, loved, loved seeing what other people are finding inspirational online, it truly has been a really fascinating way to, yes, waste a wee bit of time, but more so, organize things I love, places I'd like to see (Adventure.) and even things we want to accomplish (Garden. is next!). So much fun, I tell you. If you'd like to try (and are fully prepared for the addiction), send me an email while Pinterest is in it's testing stages and you can be a part of the community too. Happy Thursday... I'm off to do some pinning (the non-quilt related kind for now...) 

etsy finds tuesday... bright

 Sew in Love Print from A Life Through the Lens Etsy Shop 

Just when I think the snow removal is behind me for a bit... Winter Storm "Benedict" threatens with 15-20'' of snow expected... sigh. At least it looks like I'll be home snug as a bug in a loft with my little lady at my side tomorrow.  I'm thinking pajama pants, sewing, a roaring fire, more period films and watching the snow while lingering over some tea at say, 10 am... delicious. All this white has me dreaming of color though... here's what I've been peaking at, not at 10 am and not at work... ahem. 

  Off to See the World Wall Art from Three Red Apples Etsy Shop 

 Salmon Sweets Silver Earrings from Lilyja Etsy Shop 

Refurbished Vintage GE Fan from Fishbone Deco Etsy Shop

 Complete Set of 1962 Seattle World's Fair Frosted Tumblers from The Fancy Lamb Etsy Shop

 Berry Bowl Colander (perfect for cherries!) from Cheryl Wolff Etsy Shop

 High Tide Enamel Post Earrings from Verre Encore Etsy Shop

Scandinavian Style Screen Printed Cushion Cover from Jane Foster Etsy Shop

 Vintage Souvenir Tammis Keefe Central Park Handkerchief from EG Vintage Etsy Shop 

Some brights in the midst of what promises to be a bit of grey, a lot of white, and plenty of sore back! Is it snowing where you are? Don't tell me if it's sunny and anything over 50 degrees... I prefer to deny such weather exists! Then again, if it was sunny and 50, my Wednesday would be oh so different and oh so less filled with glorious sewing... there's always silver lining... and a silver snow-blower gassed and ready! Let it snow!