May 3, 2012
My daughter has been home sick the last few days so I had some time to work quietly while she slept during the day. I remember the bluejays we had back east--the jays out here in Arizona don't look much like this but they act much the same! (Sorry for the blur--still tweaking my new scanner...)
April 30, 2012.
Upon my return from a quick trip to the Grand Canyon (can you believe both my husband and myself forgot our cameras?!) a package was waiting on my doorstep from a dear friend, J, who has a lovely blog called Oakworm. My five year old and my husband always gather around when a box arrives from J as they are well aware of the treasures that wait within!
Lotta Jansdotter's book, Handmade Living, is beautiful. Lovely photos, great inspiration. I've already tried painting on glass--not sure if these paint markers will last but if the design wears off, I will just paint a new pattern...
And a lovely new pen to try along with my beloved Microns! I have a fairly ambitious project that my friends and family are encouraging (pushing?!) me to do involving illustrations and calligraphy. Perhaps the new art supplies and design inspiration have sealed my fate... Thank you, Miss J!
April 6, 2012
I've enjoyed reading Living Crafts magazine for years--lots of lovely inspiration and fun projects to do with children.
Today, the editors of Living Crafts magazine were kind enough to feature my little girl's bright cotton outfit on their Friday gallery at the Living Crafts Blog. Big thank you--I am thrilled!
April 2, 2012.
I have been on a roll, sewing-wise. I am loving the new book Little Girls, Big Style by Mary Abreu (published by C and T Publishing).
The pants were super easy--whipped those up after dinner one night. The top was challenging and included some curse and swear moments as I tried to get my sewing machine to make some decent shirring on the sleeves and bodice. Fussy stuff. But I prevailed (after making my daughter and husband leave the room and promise to not come back in until I was done being frustrated--ever have one of those moments?!)
A big thank you to my aunt who has been periodically sending me yards of fabric from her stash--the solid orange is appears to be a linen blend with a nice light drape and a bit of texture. The flower print is a gorgeous Waverly polished cotton that was just begging to be a little girl's spring outfit. The ruffle on the bottom of the blouse was the only fabric I purchased--Astrid chose the star fabric for that. (FYI, the pattern called for twice as much fabric for the ruffle than was needed--it appears that is a typo in the book.)
Alas, I have sent my serger off for a cleaning and tune up so I must put the sewing on hold for a week or so. (Good thing, I have plenty of weaving to do!)
Suzanne