One Yard Wonder Deadline Extended!

I was very excited to read this morning the deadline has been extended til April 11th, 2010 for One Yard Wonder's latest book. I do occasionally still sew, and I'm totally interested! I hope to submit this round, but we'll see if I can get my lazy butt into gear! Hehe.

I'm especially excited because I'm toying with the thought of using one yard of my own fabric design - yeay!

From the authors -

Our focus continues to be on unique, fantastic, and original one yard projects. While we are showcasing fabric choices and options, the book itself is really all about 101 great, diverse, and unique projects, which we know you have up your sleeve! Please keep in mind that your project should use nearly the full yard of fabric (no quarter yard projects please, unless they are part of a group project which takes up a full yard).

You are certainly welcome to submit more than one project.

On the Road to Spring - Week 4 - postponed!

This was the most intimidating part for me, as I'm kind of obsessive about keeping the lines all straight and together. I kept telling myself that I'd have to accept some mistakes, as they can't all be perfect; but I still procrastinated this step for days! Consequently, I have to take a week and postpone this one's update! I hope you'll all stay tuned with me, ans I try and work through my fears and finish my quilt!

On the Road to Spring Quiltalong - Week 3

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (From the Burns' Poem, To a Mouse)

Alright, so I really shouldn't be complaining, because I did get a fairly quick start on this project, and it's my very first real quilt (although I'm done a small amount of piecing and patchwork before.) But, I am reluctant to admit that I've only made a bit of progress since last week - putting together the remaining 6 strips to total 20 finished quilt strips.

I'm a tiny bit nervous about the next step - piecing the strips together to form the top... as the squares might not all line up quite right (and if you read my blog, you'll know how anal I am about that sort of thing!) I hope to get at least half of the strips together by next week, and if I'm really going for it, maybe the entire top! (That's reaching, I know, hehe.)

On the Road to Spring Quiltalong - Week 2

I wish I had more progress to show off this week (and pics!,) but I've only managed to finish piecing a few more strips (I only have 14 of 20 completed. Bummer!)

Next, I'm onto sewing them all up together to form the top; but, I'm starting to wonder just how long that will take me! Haha! It is a fun project, working with my own fabric though! Just not a quickie project, although what decent sized blanket (handmade, people!) wouldn't take some time and effort to complete.

On the Road to Spring Quiltalong - Week 1

Wow, what a week! I broke half my craft table last Monday night, unfortunately before I'd cut the corduroy squares (but thankfully after I'd managed to get the yardage ironed!) So yeah, it wasn't looking like the easiest week ever, piecing all the strips together on one half my regular work space...

So, I only managed to get 7 strips pieced together so far, but here they are!

It's a little tricky keeping the nap of the corduroy going only in one direction, but the print is a little easier to manage, I'm trying to keep the pattern intact. So, instead of just turning the strips around when I piece them together, I'm assembling them differently. 

Half get the regular treatment of rectangle then square (5 times for each strip,) and the other half start of with a square patch, and then I add the rectangle. I tried to be clever in my construction because I'm so obsessive about details on the back end of finished items (that is to say later, when I'm using them/looking at them!)

Big thanks go to DH, who fixed my craft table for me last night! Yeay!  Here's links to my first post about my quilt, and the inspiration - Randi's Quiltalong.

On the Road to Spring Quiltalong - The Start

I read Randi's blog regularly, so when I caught in my RSS feed that she was organizing a quilt-along I knew I wanted in. And then, the Ravelympics hit me, and I set super high expectations for myself... I think it was a good lesson in juggling my biggest craft priorities right now, and I'm really pleased to share with you my very first quilt ever - and the first progress pictures of it! Yeay! :)

I decided to use the fabric I won in Spoonflower's first contest. The colors weren't quite right (which is odd, because I'd proofed the printed fabric before that, and hadn't made any changes to my pattern file;) and it's been sitting around my craft room ever since. So, when I read how much fabric I'd need for this quilt my mind immediately jumped to the 2 pieces totaling 5yds of my cocoa squiggle stripe print. It was a bold decision, to use only one print fabric, instead of the ten different prints as suggested. But, I have a very good visual brain that helps me to see things in my mind, almost as clear as pictures - and I knew my concept would work. (Not trying to sound arrogant, it was also the novelty of making a quilt with my very own fabric print!)

The keystone to my plan was to keep the neutral squares plain in color, but texture-rich; the chocolate fine wale corduroy works beautifully, and I had about a half-yard of this teal denim. It's smoother than the corduroy, but the color worked so well with my print, and I love a bit of bold contrast thrown into the mix! Plus, only having a tiny amount of the teal gave me a great design challenge of exactly where I'd place the teal squares!

I had to back my own print with muslin, it was too transparent next to the other, thicker fabrics. Good thing I had a bunch of it in my fabric stash! It was a lot of extra work to double the HUNDRED rectangles I'd already cut; but in the end, I think it'll be worth it - when I'm not nit-picking about how I could have made it better - to death!

So, there's my fabric picks (I wanted to photo them all done & cut, but I still need to pre-wash and cut the corduroy.) I haven't quite decided on the backing fabric, but I have a few options (including more of my own cocoa squiggle stripe fabric, yeay!) I'll also need to decide on binding, but I figure I can make both of those decisions a little farther down the road, hahaha!

Buy My Fabric?!?! Yeay!

Today's the day, and I can hardly believe it! Spoonflower's opened a shop, so I can sell my fabric designs, along a gazillion others, which I'm sure is why the site's a little slow. Don't worry, if you want Cocoa Squiggly Stripe, my very first ever repeatable fabric design - you can buy it right now! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am about this, and I can't wait to see how it's used! (Please email me, or you can upload to my Flicker group.)

It might be worth mentioning that I won Spoonflower's first ever contest with this design, way back last year! (It feels like so much longer, somehow...lol) I have a recent print of this, on their new fabrics, and they look a lot better than a print run I did a few months back - so I'll try and get pics of the new stuff, for those who need to see the print on real fabric before they buy!

Only a Few Days Left to buy Cocoa Stripe print!

Cocoa Stripe print
Originally uploaded by fortune_32

I know a lot of you are probably still in tryptophan-induced comas, but there are only a few days left to buy my custom designed fabric via Spoonflower's Etsy store! Thanks so much to Kim and Stephen for giving us designers this opportunity!

Go buy some and make something with it! I'd love you forever if you do! Hahaha! Such a shameless tactic, begging! Pretty please, though! (With a cherry on top!)

Cocoa Stripe - winner!

Cocoa Stripe - winner!
Originally uploaded by salutor

I'm so happy to report that my fabric design won Spoonflower's first ever Fabric of the Week Contest. That means you'll be able to buy it in their Etsy shop for ONE WEEK ONLY - and that's it.

After that, if I sell it myself, it'll be pricier - to cover overhead cost increases (not a lot, but I can't charge the same as them.) I'm thinking of doing a hand-drawn selvedge on it, though... how fun would that be??? That's my only misgiving about Spoonflower, is that there's no selvedge, unless you add it into your design. huh. Maybe some more people will now?

How does -
Smokey Stripes Collection - Cocoa Stripe Copyright 08 Kari Kail Printed by Spoonflower.com - sound? I can't do the color bubbles, like a normal selvedge, but I thought it might be worth a try anyway, i have fun handwriting.

Feature Friday - EmilyMe

I first saw this fabric over at True Up (a great fabric & sewing blog!) I knew I wanted it, but I wanted to decide what to make with it before I bought any - so I knew just how much to purchase! That's always tricky when you fall in love with a fabric. For whatever it's worth, I like a quantity of 3 yds. It's enough to make a knee length skirt (even with some pre-shrinking with cotton,) and plenty of Home dec items, and I guess that's what I enjoy sewing the most.

Rachel was very good about communicating with me, even though we're a half a world away - literally! She's 12 hours ahead of me, so I thought her communication was better than most, considering her time zone! She quickly gave me a private listing for my 3 yds, but I had to wait while it was in transit to me! It was a hard wait, because I really love this print! Check out the selvedge - it's in Thai, and I think it's so beautiful.

It actually came a bit quicker than I expected, for as far as it was coming from! That's always a good thing, though. I haven't made all of my design decisions about my skirt yet, so I think I'll sew a muslin first; this fabric is just too limited to play around with, design wise. There's only 20 yds of it anywhere, and less than 5yds available through EmilyMe on Etsy. I don't want to cut something wrong, and then hate myself for it! Hahaha!

I also received a package of buttons with my order, and aren't they pretty? I know I'll have to save them for something really special, they're chunky, shiny and awesome! I love getting freebies with my Etsy orders, and I really liked sending them out, back when I was selling. Do you guys like getting a little something extra when you buy handmade? Is it an expectation, or a hope?

If you missed the link above, here's her shop!

My 200th post, with prizes!

It's hard to believe I've been blogging for more than two years now. It's even harder to believe that this is my 200th post! I didn't start off really thinking too much about the writing, just sharing my crafts and ideas.

Now I realize just how much hard work goes into a great blog. It's so much more than what you see on the surface!!! Great writing is part of it, as well as photography, but even more important is to be yourself, and develop your own style. Your blog is the universe the way you see it, and your chance to express that. I feel so lucky to be a part of it, and to have found such great friends along the way!

So, enough with the chatter, what's up for grabs - you ask? It'll have to stay a mystery until after the 25th - because I've caught Ravelympic fever! Trust me though, the goods will be good. Seriously good. There will definitely be cupcake pops!

To win, leave a comment on this post (by Sep. 6th 2008,) and I'll use a random number generator (don't we love/hate those suckers?!?!?) to pick a handful of winners. The more comments I get, the more prizes will be shared, so feel free to share the linky-love with your friends. You can only enter once, though. Please play nice!

Stay tuned for prize updates - after the 25th! Also, I'm going to try and make sure all the winners get something that makes them happy, but I can't promise everyone will get the exact gifty they have their greedy green eyes on! Drool on!

My first fabric design - ever!

Wowsers! That was FAST! My first Spoonflower swatch arrived today! They warned it might take a while, so I wasn't expecting it so soon! I whipped it up the very first night I got the invite. (Actually, I worked up two designs... but couldn't get the repeats right on my other one.) It's a crappy picture, but I just have to share how cool this is!!!

Concept and reality - right next to each other!

I had to adjust the lighting on the fabric (right,) it wasn't reading quite right next to the laptop screen. It's also un-ironed here, I just couldn't wait to share it!!! I think it's so satisfying to design something, and have it show up at my door a week later. I can't put into words how good it felt, so great big THANKS! go out to the folks who run Spoonflower. You guys are awesome, and I can't wait to see what's coming next!

Whiplash - Altered Knitting Bag

Although I'm very creative and can come up with lots of things to make on my own; my favorite kind of craft lately is taking an item that might be a little bland, and making it perfect for me and my needs. I call it perfunctional crafting, because I love making things both more personal and functional at the same time. LOL This is my entry in June's Whiplash - Introduce Yourself.

When I first got this bag (for Christmas from my husband,) I thought it looked a little plain. The color was really nice, but it was just a plain solid. It has a bit of texture with a diagonal weave, but other than that - a little vanilla on the outside. Nothing really wrong, just not quite "me" yet. LOL Then, I spotted it on Craft Daisies, with some upgrades! And I knew I had to make mine really "mine!"

I had the fabric for a few months, for another home dec project, and had tons leftover. It's not a quite a barkcloth, but still a very stiff fabric. Not necessarily great for bulgy items, but perfect for patterns - they've never sat correctly inside the bag, with my knitting & yarn. Voila! Perfect pattern pocket for my knitting bag! LOL I sewed up the open side first, and then used fusible tape to attach it to the bag. I'm lucky it opens tightly, otherwise I would've had to hand sew the pocket into place. Blegh! (Can you tell how I feel about hand sewing? LOL) Even still, fusing the pocket down was a little tricky, and I managed to scorch the fabric slightly. Good thing it's a beige background with darker beige and mocha accents, it's not terribly noticeable.

At first, I couldn't decide what to do with the second side. The more I thought about it, though - I didn't want to clash with the print of the mod fabric. But I still wanted something really unique, jazzy & cool. I think I managed to pull those off, carrying the print up behind the second pocket, in only one repeat. Trying to explain it to my husband was a little tricky, and I didn't even really know what it would look like before I cut the piece out & pinned it in place. I was very pleased when I did though, because it turns out I like it even more than I thought I would! LOL

I used more fusible tape to attach the second pocket, and then used fabric glue to attach the print repeat behind & above it (so I could get it just right!) I think it turned out beautifully, and I'm really pleased with it. I love being able to personalize things, and make them work better for my needs. What mass-produced item could ever fit everyone perfectly? I say none, so tweak, twist, recycle and redo what you have to make it better!

A Tree Scarf and a Baby Dwarf Shrub!

When I recently found out I'd be meeting June, I knew I wanted to make her something but I also didn't have a lot of time. I've been trying to get my fabric stash cleaned up, and when I ran across just enough brown fleece to make a Tree scarf I knew it'd be perfect for her. One of the easiest sewing projects I've ever done, the soft fleece and added tsumami kanzashi flower snap are sure to please! (I hope! *crosses fingers*) She's on her way to Chicago right now, and I get to sneaky-post her surprise! Hahaha!

For a few scarves I've even added a beaded butterfly, although I sadly didn't have the time to get one done for June by today. (June, if you'd like I'd be more than happy to make one for you, just let me know what your 2 favorite colors are!) I've really enjoyed the nature theme developing in my crafting over the last year. Organic shapes are very forgiving of mistakes, they blend in or even add character to the finished object. It's tough for me to accept mistakes when it comes to my work, so having to work with them has been both interesting and challenging. I like the freedom, but it's also intimidating a lot of times. It's easy for me to work towards perfect, because that's a definable goal (at least most of the time;) the harder part is accepting flaws as part of life, and even working with them. I guess that's why I find my affinity for nature growing at an exponential rate! LOL

I got a dwarf lilac shrub from Park Seed a week ago, and I'm anxiously awaiting it's first bloom. I know it'll take longer than I want, but I still look it over every time I go into my kitchen. Hehe. Sorry for the sucky light levels...

May Whiplash - Miniature Quilt

First up, I have to apologize to Star; this was supposed to be a surprise, but I missed Whiplash last month because I was sick, and I really wanted to enter this month. There's a few more surprises in the package I'm sending her, so hopefully it'll still be fun for her! (This is an entry in the Project category.)

This quilt actually started as log cabin coasters, but I saw on her blog that she'd already received a set, so I decided to turn the 4 pieces into a doll quilt. That, and the fact that I was running very low on muslin really determined the finished size - it's only 9 1/2" square. A little smaller than I was hoping for, but I think it still works as a Blythe doll blanket! LOL

It's completely machine pieced and quilted. I'd love to try a hand-pieced quilt sometimes, but my patience level has been somewhat lacking lately. The centers of the log cabin blocks are silk, I read somewhere that traditionally the center blocks were red to represent the home. I liked that thought, so I incorporated it. I'm really very pleased with how this little quilt came out, and I'm sure I'll be making a few more very soon!

I'll caution anyone wanting to try and make silk trim tape - it's a bit trickier than cotton. I should have known (or guessed!) this, but I thought it would look so pretty trimming the sides. Originally I wanted to go with 1/4" trim, but I'm glad I went for the 1/2" instead. I probably saved my sanity on that one! LOL These pictures don't really show the luster and shine of the silk trim - I snapped them right before a nasty storm came through. I'm really glad I decided to use the silk instead of cotton for the trim, I think it turned out very pretty!!! I hope Star does, too!

Blogger Spotlight - Kathryn Ivy

Alice and Grace's blog is one of my favorites these days. Knitting, sewing and spinning, I'm not sure there's a craft out there these two won't try. Which I love, because I'm totally like that too, just can't confine myself to one craft, no matter how hard I try. Grace's recent Vintage Velvet scarf (from Scarf Style,) had me drooling! In the book, I merely liked the pattern; but in a more vibrant color, and lots more photos - it's simply stunning, and I must make one for myself. LOL

They have a great extras section, with tutorials and patterns. My (current) favorite is the DPN pouches. Clear directions and pictures, and tips to make them larger or smaller; if you're a beginner, this would be a fantastic first sewn project. Even if you're more experienced, the envelope pouch could be used for all sorts of storage needs. How about pen pockets, or pouches for makeup or even wider pouches for DVDs!

They also have a Review section, which is such an awesome idea! Right now, it's yarns and needles, but I have no doubt books will follow soon. It can be tough to decide what yarn, pattern or book to buy, so more information can be a great help! Their blog is relatively new, but I can already tell it's going to be a great resource for lots of crafters. I think sharing projects and ideas can really spark inspiration, and love finding new blogs that do just that! Alice & Grace, I LOVE your blog, and can't wait to see what you'll both do next!

Go check out their Etsy store for their first knit patterns, Hawkeye and Kiddie Cadet Hats. They're super cute, and great for boys and girls! I should get the pattern to make a lilac one for myself, but I'm fairly scared of short-rows! (I know, I'm a knitting chicken! LOL)

More of My Favorite Things!

My favorite craft is sewing. Yes, I like knitting; but it's so slow compared to a sewn garment. So many thousands of stitches, and usually I'll get a bug up my butt about any/all mistakes I made along the way. I find satisfaction quicker & easier to come by with my sewing projects. It's so much easier to fix a sewn mistake than knit screw-ups. No frogging!

I've really enjoyed dyeing recently though, as well. Right now it's yarn, although I hope to get into dyeing fabric as well. I've even dyed shoes with Kool-Aid! Hahahaha!!! Something about adding color, and in any shade or saturation my heart desires, is really satisfying for me. I actually have a background in fine art (in high school & college,) even though I'm self taught with most crafts I do. I love playing with color!

My favorite thing I've ever made is my Craft: skirt, which was a dual entry in both Whiplash, and the Etsy Craft: challenge last fall, and the silk slip I made to go underneath it. I didn't actually make the skirt, it was store bought, from J. Crew Factory for about 30$. What I love about it, was how the design came together. I found crochet lace I actually liked, most are too frilly for me; and a font that was perfect for my concept. The concept* itself was simple, put the definition of craft on the hem of a skirt; but I initially didn't know how I was going to do it. I wanted the letters to be fine (ie. not too big,) but the cotton fabric was too thin for embroidery. Fabric markers turned out great, the fabric was white, and all I did was put the text template underneath the skirt, and trace! It bled a little more than I'd originally hoped for, but in the end, I really like the effect. It goes well with the font, and it's practically unnoticeable from a few feet away. This project was so super easy, I should really make a tutorial for it. The materials (minus the skirt cost,) were less than 10$ and it took me all of 30 minutes to sew the lace onto the bottom hem, and trace the words.

What are your favorite crafts and projects? It was hard for me to narrow down, I like trying new crafts as often as I can.

*My concept was inspired by the fashion designer, Ann Demeulemeester. Several years ago, I saw her doing phrases on the sides/bottom hems of tulle over skirts(both black & white,) and absolutely loved the idea.

Blogger Spotlight - FutureGirl

Alice's blog, FutureGirl, rocks my socks off! LOL I found her blog through Whiplash, and her Octophrost is probably my favorite, although her felt sewing tutorial is awesome too! LOL She's got an awesome Etsy store, with cute bags & clutches like this little number! (Click on the pic to go there!)


I'm so amazed by how many wonderful crafters share their lives through blogs. It can be very time consuming, and sometimes not as fun as we might've hoped it would always be. When I start feeling down about my work/blog/life, all I have to do is visit one of many new blog friends, and I'm refreshed and inspired, motivated and moved. Alice is such a sweetheart, and her blog is one of those I turn to for those very things, so thank you Alice! She also has a wonderful tutorial section with lots of awesome tips! Gotta love a great tut! Go visit!

I love getting recommendations for new blogs to spotlight here, so please feel free to leave a comment or email me with them!

Quickie Pick-Me-Up!

I've been feeling a little blah lately, so I decided to work up a quick new product for my Etsy store - cashmere button bracelets! I'm very proud for a barely-there effort (what can I say, I think it might be a recurring sinus infection, maybe?) Anyhoo, these are my first three, and I've got them listed at 9.50$ each. Is that too much? I can never tell what's right when I'm pricing a product for the first time. Once I spend a little more time making multiples, I'll get a better idea; but right now I'm so doubting myself! Can I just add though, that I looooooove cashmere! LOL It's yummy!

WIP Tuesday - New Store Stuff!!!

When I saw this cashmere online, I knew I had to buy some. It was gorgeous, and came in a bunch of different colors. Thing was, it was 15.95$ per yard, for every color. I knew I couldn't afford yards & yards of it, so I settled for 5 1/8 yd cuts in my most favorite colors. Yes, the online fabric store I use cuts as small as 1/8 yd. (WoohoO!) Very helpful when you need a swatch in your hands before you decide to buy 20yds for drapes. Yes, I said 20 yards. That's 60 feet of fabric 5 feet wide. Literally, a river of fabric! And, no… I haven't made the drapes yet! LOL

Anyhoo, back to the cashmere! I loved it, so I was hoping buyers would like it too. It didn't quite turn out as as I'd imagined, though. At first I was going to seam the cashmere, to cover the raw edges. Then I tried it, and found the cashmere very thick & hard to turn inside out. Take two was much more successful, I sewed ribbon down the middle of a 1" strip of cashmere, and then "pinked" the edges (pinking shears are just scissors that cut a zigzag.) I sewed on velcro by machine, and snaps by hand to finish. I think they're lots of fun, and I'm really excited & proud to offer them in my Etsy store. I'll be listing new sets all week, watch my sidebar for the newest listings! (Gotta love that new Etsy widget! Etsy guys, you ROCK!)