Still Sewing...

Well, it's almost a new year, but I'm still sewing. And post Christmas sewing is far more relaxing :-) Christmas is over, but I will make it as a New Year's gift. I hope your handmade holidays were as joyful as mine.

my cutting space is a joke. i need a bigger work surface...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Gift Certificates

Time crunch? Not a problem. We always have gift certificates. Available at Peapod Fabrics in the amount of your choice...and colors :-) Time is ticking...Good luck everyone!

Baker's Apron

Just baking in my utensil apron I made a while ago...

Retro Kitchen & Floral

Some of the new additions to our kitchen theme and bold floral prints...

Sew & Tell - Lisa's Birdie Sling Bag

So, is everyone busy sewing? Not really? Warning! warning!...you know that there is just a week to finish everything if you are exchanging a gift. What are you guys making? Me? To be honest, I haven't started yet. I love making and giving simple things like napkins and tea towels. But, you know you can't do that every year to the same person. I know I should be making something like Lisa has been making. A bag! This is Lisa's very first bag. She is so excited about it. She was modest about her sewing skills, but I think she did a wonderful job. Who cares if the stitches are a bit off? Not that her stitches are off. They are fine, I told her. It's more important that she enjoyed the whole making of it. You might have noticed that she used this pattern. Good job, Lisa and thank you!

Polka Dots

Yay, Dottie is here. I just love polka dots!


i made this sundress a few years ago with a very similar polka dot fabric and have been waiting for it to come out since then...
the photo taken in my son's old room...a cute child's room...oh, i miss those days...

Holiday Corners

I bought a pot of white cyclamen the other day for my bathroom, and while I was at the store, I noticed the branches of Christmas trees about to be thrown away. I asked the guy if I could have some, and I came home with a bunch of branches. The car smelled nice on the way home. I was going to make a wreath with them because I'm not a big fan of bulky store bought wreaths. I made a simple quick one for the door and placed the rest of the branches here and there around the house. So, these are the holiday corners of my home.

white cyclamen under one of my favorite birdie prints...

a few tiny branches tied with a red striped ribbon hanging in the shower...

the pumpkins have been replaced with gigantic pine cones...

even a dry tech corner needs a little green...

a little space on the stairway, my favorite corner...

zoomed out...

santa and all the whole gang in the foyer...

this is the first thing we see when coming home...

the chair has been primed and left for a new coat of paint for about six months :-(

mr. elf and the gang on the tree...

Holiday Hand Towel

So, is your home getting ready for the holidays? Mine is. A week before Thanksgiving, I started to work physically on a simple makeover in our bathroom (a mental makeover had started immediately after we moved in). What I did will be another post. Shoot, I forgot to take "before" pictures again. But, a little holiday decoration is under way even in the smallest spaces in the house. As I enjoy changing bedding and tablecloths, I like to place a new towel in the bathroom by the seasons or occasions. It makes me feel good when I hang a crisp clean linen towel in the bathroom before the holidays. I think I got it from my mom. She always placed a new towel in the bathroom before a new year (oh, I miss her so much). I have made a few holiday theme towels in the past, and there is another addition to them this year. As usual, I used my beautiful white linen (just $15 per yard at Peapod) and embroidered a greeting with a red floss.

Backstitch is one of the simplest embroidery stitches.
typed in the font i wanted and traced on the towel using a tracing paper.

this tracing paper from clover company is excellent ($4.25). no comparison to others.

mr.turtle on the shell has been with us for many many years...

yes, it's a blue bathroom. no, i didn't mean it, but it was so hard to coordinate with this typical 50's salmon pink accent tiles. i painted it on the day after Thanksgiving. i wanted it to look serene and a bit modern, but i couldn't deny it. it is a vintage bathroom! so i had to work with the characters of the space. well, in this case the pink accent tiles. so this is what it looks like, and i am liking it. well, any color would be better than dingy white walls full of brush marks and flaws. it's light and airy, my definitions of a comfortable home.

a snow town towel i made a couple of years ago hanging in my old apartment bathroom...

Sew & Tell - Elizabeth's Dress

Like many of us, Elizabeth sews little things, but ever since she had a baby girl, Cora, she wanted to sew dresses (or any outfits) for her special girl. Well, she has a bit older boy, but you know having a girl is a very special thing for sewers. It's like a dream come true. So she's been busy. She was at Peapod just the other day and already sewed two dresses since then. She showed me a picture of another dress in her iPhone. Too bad you can't see it. But, you see her second dress. For this dress, she used a brown and orange print that I call "Birdie Town." It looks like happy birdies strolling in town. Perfect for Cora to stroll in town in. Well, in her stroller. An adorable dress! Thank you and keep sewing, Elizabeth!

Getting Ready...

Just moving things around to make room for the tree...it'll be all about Christmas soon...

Sew & Tell - Sara's Quilt

Among many other things, Sara is a modern quilter. I've seen her works in the past, and they are usually more geometric with solids. But, it is nice to see a change once in a while. On her new quilt, she used seven bundles of precut kits from the MOMO collection (the finished size is about a twin size). I've never thought about using a precut package to make a quilt. What if I don't like some prints in the package? I always thought. But, now that I think about it it's not a bad idea. The pieces are already cut. And colors and prints are already coordinated. What could be easier? Yeah, it's perfect if you are very new to quilting, or if you are...um...unwilling to spend that much time getting ready to sew. Hence lazy :-) Sara claimed herself latter :-) Thanks to the precut packages, she finished fast. It's colorful and whimsical. She is very happy with her choice of backing fabric, half linen and half cotton lime green. I love it too! It's really cute! Thanks always, Sara!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2010 menu:
pumpkin curry soup
scalloped potato gratin
shrimp and avocado salad
caramerized onions, mushrooms, bacon, wild rice stuffed turkey breast
sweet potato and yam cheese cake

I will enjoy these in gratitude...hope you are enjoying your day too...

Yellow Patchworked Tablecloth

So after all, I was the one who needed a new tablecloth for the holiday table. Or maybe just for everyday use. I patchworked four yellow prints randomly. I love it. It makes me so happy. Everytime I pass by the kitchen, I stop and admire it. And I could do this forever. I even brush my teeth in the kitchen so I can admire it again. It became one of the things that make me smile. Well, things I make for home should always make me happy anyway. There are so many flaws, but I love my home!

a flower from our yard...

i've been searching for kitchen art for the empty wall next to the window, but no luck yet. maybe i should make something myself. a mini quilt in a frame? or another little display shelf?

i used the following prints + yellow solid...

New Prints

I can't possibly post every new item here. More colors and prints restocked...See you there.