Kindness and Skirts

I am not a good flyer.  I hate the idea of being stuck in a tiny metal tube in the sky.  I spend the whole time sick from the motion.  I have to take copious amounts of dramamine in the hope that it will dull the motion sickness and put me to sleep.  I absolutely hate sitting still.  But I do have a few rituals that I do every single time.  I put my apple juice, salty potato chips, water bottle, and Kindle in the seat back pocket.  I make sure I have plenty of sick bags.  I put my headphones in and turn up my favorite music to drown out the noise of the plane, and after take off I start to relax a bit.

After landing, I always check the pocket for everything.  Just like anywhere I go, because I have small children who lose things.  Again with the rituals.

The flight back from QuiltCon was nauseating, even if we did see something burning it's way through the sky and the aurora borealis.  I spent half the flight with my face in a bag.  I was tired because it was very late and I had taken an extra dramamine to try to combat the sick.  I was worrying about making the last bus of the night.  So I can't remember checking the seat back pocket this one time.

Somehow, my Kindle ended up not making it home with me.  Or maybe it did and I left it somewhere nearby after trying to get past the brain fog from traveling and re-entering my daily life.  I know the last time I read it was in Austin.  But when I came home I was reading a "real" book from the library so I didn't notice it was gone until I started getting emails from Amazon that someone was purchasing books in my account.  

I was angry with myself for being irresponsible.  I felt violated that someone was reading my books on my kindle, spending my money, and using the patchwork cozy that I had sewn with my own hands using some of my very favorite fabrics.  I posted a picture on Instagram hoping that maybe someone had seen it.  I filed police reports.  I had Amazon deactivate it.  That all happened on a Friday and a Saturday.  By Sunday morning I was still upset, but mostly with myself for letting it happen.  I was sad that someone would even do that, since it would have been really easy to find out that it was mine and return it.  You know, the right thing to do.

That afternoon a UPS driver knocked on my door with a package.  Inside was a brand-new Kindle with the absolute sweetest note.  I am so happy that my friend included her name so that I could say thank you, (while crying and being generally unintelligible on the phone, because emotions.)  I won't tell you who it is, but I will say that it is someone who I met through sewing.  This world, you guys.  This sewing world is amazing and I am so, so happy to be a part of it.  I'm looking forward to when I can pay it forward.

Of course, I had to protect this kindle, so I found a skin on Nuvango and sewed a new cozy.  This one is LINED with my all-time favorite fabric (the blue VWs!)

Also, I made a few new jersey skirts.  The top is a pattern from Collette Patterns called Mabel.  I used an old nerdy t-shirt from my husband (One up!) The bottom is one that I made up using my measurements and some up cycled thrift store t-shirts.  I love them both!

Renfrew, Revisited

At my first Sewing Summit, I made a successful Renfrew top.  I like the pattern a lot--it fits well, and looks great.  I've lost a lot of weight since that trip and decided a couple more were in order since my first one is really baggy now.

I started with a heavyweight sweater knit from JoAnn's.  I saw this on the bolt and knew immediately it was coming with me.  I'm so glad I did because it is cozy and soft, and I love it!

The second is a knit fabric I bought at DryGoods Design after a garment sewing "tips and tricks" class with Jen of Grainline Studio.  It feels a bit more like terry cloth than a true knit to me, but with an undershirt I don't mind it.  Plus the hearts are super cute!  Also, the class with Jen was awesome!  Highly recommend that you take a class from her if you are at all serious about sewing your own clothes.  She went into so much detail in the few hours that we were there.  I can't wait to sew the Scout Tee and Moss Skirt!  (And Keli's space is absolutely gorgeous!)  

(I apologize for the exact same pose in both pictures.  They were taken months apart by my tiny photographer assistant and it was a pretty comical and frustrating experience.)

Halloweens Past

I've finished making all the costumes for this year.  There were four complete suits, and one hat only.  I actually feel like I'm on top of things for once.  Amazing.  I need a cookie.

I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet.  That will probably happen on Halloween.  And then I'll blog about it next month.  You know.

In the meantime, I thought I'd round up all the halloween costume pictures I could find from the past. I've made most of the boys' costumes since Eamon was three, and altogether it seems like a lot!

2009--Eamon wanted to be a puppy!  He wore this for a full month after (I had to sneak it into the wash when he was sleeping...)  This was my first time using fleece, knits, and modifying a pattern.  It was a labor of (swear word infused) love.

2010--Eamon wanted to be Buzz Lightyear.  I had just had his brother in August, and this was my first project postpartum.  I made all three costumes entirely, except for the wings.  It was also one of those projects (all three costumes) that made me love sewing even more.  I found my groove hand-sewing the pieces of the alien hat.  And my nephew was the garden gnome (that's Fini in the picture,) which I found absolutely hysterical!  Babies in beards!

2011--Eamon was into Star Wars so much.  That cloak is still used for various dress up imaginings.  It's particularly useful as a Harry Potter getup, with a sweet wand from my friend Kayce.

2012--Eamon was into Pokemon so hard this year.  He wanted to be Ash, so I thrifted the shirt and vest, and added a stuffed Pikachu.  The only thing I actually made was his hat (I just hand-sewed a few pieces of felt onto a store-bought Angry Birds hat.)  I went to Sewing Summit just before, so I didn't have a lot of time.  Fini's costume was from a friend.  (He loved it!  And I loved his big giraffe booty!)  (I sang "I Like Big Butts" a lot that year.)

2013--by far the most labor-intensive costume I've done.  I made the entire Swarm (from Skylanders) costume.  There was a lot of swearing involved.  And wine.  Lots of wine.  It took many hours.  But, he loved it, which is why I do what I do.  Fini's costume was a leftover from when Eamon was 2.  It's from Old Navy, and absolutely adorable.  He wears it randomly all the time.

I love Halloween!  It's so much fun!  I love that my boys are into it, and I love the challenge of translating their ideas into wearable costumes.  This year's costumes are a mix of simple and complex, easy and time-consuming.  More later (you know, next month or so.)

Note: I have had a few comments in the past regarding people's feelings.  This is by no means a statement against anyone.  I like making Halloween costumes.  It makes me happy.  I truly enjoy the challenge.  If it makes you want to poke your eyeballs out with a pencil to even think about spending hours making a costume, by all means, buy something at the store!  Store-bought costumes can be awesome and amazing too!  So don't leave thinking that you are not enough.  You are.  We all are.  Namaste.

Sewing Summit 2013

Sewing Summit has come and gone.  It was a great experience this year, just like last year.  This year I already knew my roommates before I got there, so instead of breaking out in hives (seriously, I have issues) I was just super excited!

I shared a room with Leigh and Tracey, and it was so much fun.  We stayed up late talking, went out for drinks and ate every meal together.  I made them needlebooks (I used the NanaCompany tutorial) and little packages of embroidery thread and chocolate; Tracey made Leigh and I the cutest little bags with chocolates (and ear plugs, hahahahaha!;) and Leigh gave us European lotion, chocolate, and wine.  Very fancy-pants!

Instead of hopping on a bus with lots of other people for the shop hop, on Thursday, we rented a car and went on our own shopping trip around Salt Lake City.  Leigh had never been to JoAnn Fabrics (she's British!) so our first stop was there.  As we wandered the aisles looking for all the pieces for our Super Totes, Leigh kept stopping to stare at all the American products.  The look of wonder on her face was priceless.

We also stopped at Pine Needles, which was of course awesome!  They gave us the Sewing Summit discount, but I was super reserved and only bought a little bit.  It was so much more relaxed than last year when I was on the shop hop--I felt like I needed to make decisions RIGHT NOW and BUY ALL THE FABRIC.  This year I took my time and only bought what I thought I'd use right away (I did buy a little bit of fabric from JoAnn's--the blue and green herringbones and the ghosts.)

I also took part in the secret swap.  I made a bag for Christina Lane, who also happened to be one of my instructors.  I had taken her paper piecing class at Sewing Summit last year, but it didn't click until I took her class in Portland in August.  I decided to use the feather I pieced in her class and build a big improv block, which I then matchstick quilted and turned into a box bag.  She said she loved it, so I was super happy! 

I received a cute purple clutch from Erin, which she filled up with purple and green thread, a cute magnetic pin holder, and Madeleintosh yarn--I felt so lucky!

I took awesome classes--Sew a Skirt (Caroline Hulse,) Foundation Paper Piecing (Christina Lane,) Personal Branding(Olivia Omega,) PJ Pants (Ellen March,) Brands and Bloggers (Bernina,) Drafting a Skirt Block (Elizabeth and Liz,) Equilateral Triangles (Jeni Baker,) and Photography (Melissa Esplin.)  I seriously learned so much, I'm pretty sure my head is still spinning.  But I took great notes in my lectures, and ended up with some fun projects from my hands-on classes.

Saturday night, I convinced Shawn to take me to Tissu, where I bought three knit fabrics to turn into skirts.  This has yet to happen, but I have high hopes.  

Now, for the part I'm kind of dreading, but which I feel is necessary.  I don't feel like it's fair to leave everyone thinking that it was all super amazing and glorious.  Last year was a totally different experience.  I had never been, so I was unsure of what to expect.  I was absolutely blown away by how much fun I had, how much I grew, and how much stuff I came home with.  I (probably not realistically) expected that this year.  I've gone back and forth with myself and my friends who were there, and we all agree that the experience this year was...different.  

The event itself was not the same.  It seemed less professional and I was super put off a few times by the (lack of) reception from the staff.  Last year we were inundated with stuff, and it set the bar really high.  So, I paid the $334 fee (which was higher than last year) and expected the same level of hospitality.  Which didn't happen.  The provided food was not great, and there was just less fanfare and excitement in all of our events.  Last year, at registration we received swag bags and cute name tags/lanyards, and the staff seemed genuinely excited to see us.  This year we didn't receive swag bags, our name tags simply had our names (they didn't even say Sewing Summit), and the staff seemed cranky.  Last year, we went home with loads of stuff--people shipped boxes home.  This year we went home with a rotary cutter, a couple of blades, three spools of thread, a bit of Pellon interfacing, and sewing needles.  My instructors were all amazing.  But several of my classes didn't have the supplies we needed to complete our projects.  The machines we sewed on were great, but at $5500 and $7500, not accessible to me (though I know of at least a few people who purchased a machine there.)  Heather Bailey was our keynote speaker, which was wonderful.

I'm hesitating putting this out there, but I really feel like anyone who is considering going should have all the information.  I spent not only the $334 for my ticket, but also money for my hotel room and flight, not to mention all my meals, traveling around the city, shopping, etc.  I spent close to $1000.  Additionally, I was away from my family for five days, which of course costs us money and time as my husband had to take partial time from work and my mother in law stayed over to help him.  I'm perfectly OK with this because I knew in advance that I'd be spending that much money, and took on a part-time job to help fund it.  Plus, it was a much needed break from reality, which lets face it, is priceless for any stay at home mom.  But, I feel like it's necessary to have truthful reviews, so there you have it.

All in all, I had a really good time, I learned a lot, and I have met so many people and made lots of new friends.  I'm grateful to the staff for putting it on and for organizing it--overall it was a wonderful experience.  It was totally worth it for me.  But I've gone twice now, so I'm ready to let others take my place in the future.  I'll save my (few and far between) weekends away for new experiences.  

Challenges

I haven't had much time to sew lately.  It's been wearing on me, as it's a big stress reliever for me.  And not doing it, coupled with having looming and long-overdue deadlines has been adding to my stress.  So the other day I sat down at the sewing machine, determined to move on.

I started with a simple, fun pouch for my new DS*.  I started with a tiny fussy-cut square of new sun fabric I bought recently, and made a tiny sawtooth star.  Which I then added to until I had two little panels, and fused it to some batting via tiny matchstick quilting.  Voila.

Next, I completed a set of silverware savers for a friend.  She asked if I could make a set of holders for her set of 13 rainbow-colored fiesta ware plates based on this tutorial.  In December.  Oops.  They're done now, and I do believe I used a method (similar to the method I use on my crayon rolls) which improves upon the final product.  Yay me!

I also made a block for the SMQG Clothworks challenge, which is due tonight.  (We were given 8 squares of fabric to make one or two blocks for a charity quilt.  Clothworks provided the fabric!)  The last picture is my take on a "modern" block.

While it's not a ton of finished work, it's a start.  I think my inability to make time has been fixed, as I now can't wait to get back to my machine!  Friday afternoon, I'm making a date with my projects!  One of the nephews had a birthday and needs his present from (his favorite) Auntie (actually, I'm his only auntie, but whatever.)

FO: Quilted Box Bag for Laura

Awhile ago I made a box bag.  Well, actually I made two.  One for me, and one for Laura.  This is the bag I made for her!

She said she likes pinks (and bunnies, but I don't have any bunny fabric--boo!) I densely straight line quilted the entire thing and filled it up with all kinds of cute stationery supplies and chocolate!

Laura also sent me a bag: it's super cute and I just love it!  She used blue and green fabric, and free motion quilted hearts along the zipper edges.  She is so talented!  She filled it with all kinds of awesome treats!  I used it this past weekend on our camping trip (pictures to follow soon) and it was perfect for all of our toiletries.  

FO: Quilted Box Bag

You! Guys!

My lovely friend Laura saw some pictures I sent to Instagram, of some of my fun stationery-type supplies.  She suggested a swap, and I'm so glad she did!

With her tutelage, I made a fun quilted box bag for her.  But I haven't sent it yet, so you only get to see the one that I made for myself.  These are seriously addicting, and I need to make a million more!

This one is holding some notebooks and my colored pencils, which I bring with me for when inspiration strikes.

SockSack (Pattern Review)***

I met Ramona at Sewing Summit last year.  She is super fun and of course talented, and she makes patterns which can be purchased from Craftsy!  I decided to make a SockSack after seeing Amanda's pop up on her Instagram feed.  (I just love everything Amanda makes!)

Basically, the SockSack is a drawstring bag that knitters can use to keep socks separate as they are being knitted.  The bag is divided into two halves by a fabric panel and two guides to keep your yarn straight.  It measures about 6" wide by 6" long x 7" high.  It costs $4 (Only FOUR DOLLARS.  That's a steal!)

The pattern is a pdf so you can download it and get started right away.  I love instant gratification projects!  It took me about 45 minutes from the time I downloaded the pattern to when I had my finished bag.  And that was with Finian (literally at one point) hanging off my arm.  Seriously fast, people!

The pattern is very well-written.  The directions are super clear, and there are lots of pictures illustrating exactly what to do.  The hardest part was choosing fabric!

You can't sell your finished bags, but Ramona does offer the option to purchase a cottage license so you can sell these (maybe I should hit up my local yarn shops!)

***Just to be up-front, any opinions I'm sharing are my own; I'm not receiving anything in exchange for them.  I just like to talk.  And maybe you want to make a SockSack and need a review.

Madrona Road Challenge

The Modern Quilt Guild's winter challenge was to create a quilt using pieces of Violet Craft's fabric line, Madrona Road.  The Seattle Modern Quilt Guild participated, albeit a little later since our fabric took a little while to get to us.  I finished my quilt just under the deadline, and showed it at our meeting.

This was my first attempt at a full quilt using half square triangles.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, though a few of my points are off.  Next time I'll pin a little more carefully!

I really, really like the look of hand quilting.  I managed to get in two lines, and may add in a few more down the road (more pressing projects, of course!)  

All told, I used the entire 7/8ths of a yard that was provided, and I had to purchase 3 yards of coordinating yellow and grey solids, and the yellow sprout.  The rest I eeked out of my stash, including a charm pack of Robert Kaufman neutrals.

It's funny, after all the work (not to mention a little bit of money--fabric isn't free, you know) I put into this quilt, I'm not super excited about it.  I just feel kind of ambiguous about it.  This is the first time I've ever not absolutely loved a quilt that I've made.  Does anyone else ever feel this way?