Thursday, May 23, 2013

Chambray

My lap quilt is in progress.  It will be a very simple minimalist look...
I used one of the chambray fabrics as the background...
These chambray fabrics are perfect for a garment.  The third one is what I used for my quilt.  It gets better when washed...

Friday, May 17, 2013

Mother's Day Sewing

Okay, here is what the twins sewed for their mom.  A patchworked scarf!  The twins wanted to pick the fabric, but um...you know, I didn't think their mom wanted to wear a yellow cats or orange monkey print scarf.  It was fine for their cloud mobile to be bright and fun, but for their mom, the six years old kids' fabric choice was a bit risky.  So I picked the fabrics the day before as their father depended on me for more subtle colors.  Yep, it was a secret team work to surprise the mom.  And it worked very well.  She loved it!
Sarah proudly showed Amelia how to hand stitch the cat's eye as she mastered it a week before...
Making a card for mom...
These were what they used...soothing, subtle, but a bit whimsical with the some creatures hidden in the print.  Very pretty! No cats or monkey, but wait, is it a frog?  We were praising how pretty the scarf turned out while they worked on the cards, and they cracked me up during the conversation. 
me: "Oh gosh, it's so pretty!  Your mom is gonna love it.  It's so classy."
one of the twins: "What's classy?"
me: "um, it means beautiful...and um, sophisticated."
the other twin: "What's Sophie scared of?"
me: "What?"  The twin repeated it. 
me: "Who's Sophie?"  I thought she was all of sudden talking about her friend.
the twin: "You said that Sophie is scared." 
I was puzzled for a moment and burst out laughing.  I explained it to them again, and we all were smiling.  They are just adorable!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Pottery and Fabric

my new work, a pasta bowl...
 love this gray...
another work...love this indigo...
my next project, a lap quilt...

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sew & Tell and Happy Mother's Day!

So what are you guys planning for today?  Lunch with mom?  That's what we are gonna do later today with my boy and get some flowers from the farmer's market for my mother's altar.  I don't know what these "bag" ladies are doing today, but I'm sure they will have their own quality time with their mothers. 
Kimi stopped by the other day with her gorgeous Birdie Sling.  She got some more fabrics to make more Birdies.  She used Anna Maria Horner's purple print for her first one.  Such a beautiful print! 
Next comes Koko's tote.  I gave her a private lesson to make this cute tote.  This is based on another sample bag that I was working on along with the granny bag.  She used Lotta's Glimma in pink, and this is her first time making a bag.  And she loved it!
So Sandra signed up at a very last minute for the granny bag class.  She showed up at the door to see if it was still available.  Sure, I took her in.  She is an experienced sewer, but there is always room to learn new things.  Sorry about the poor quality of the photo, but the bag has a black pin stripe chevron body and teal handles.  It actually is a very pretty combo!
And here comes Amy whose mom is an adept sewer.  She is a very beginner and just bought a sewing machine.  BTW, I am really impressed with her machine for the price and quality.  So if you are searching for one, check Brother CS-6000i.  Anyway, we decided to make her bag a bit larger than the original size because she wanted to make the handles a bit longer.  You know,  proportion is an important thing in bag making.  And we found out it is a really nice size.  Yup, I am stealing this size.  Thanks Amy :-) Your mom will be so proud!
 
Thank you, everyone!  They all look cute!!!
And have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Three Years!

We celebrated Dash's third birthday on the 9th.  Well, we don't know exactly when, but he was born sometime in May, so we chose the 9th to be his birthday.  We met him when he was eight weeks old, and two weeks after the paperwork was done, he joined the family...
Yup, his name was Goliath at the pound and he had a brother named David.  I wonder where he is now and if they can recognize each other if they meet now...
Just like a human baby, he slept a lot...
His favorite spot to fall a sleep...
He was doing a great job as a shop dog...happily got up and went to the door every time someone came in. 
Greeting every single customer was exhausting for the little guy...
For a while this wooden caterpillar was his enemy.  It was pretty entertaining to watch him with the motionless caterpillar...
Lucy the Basset Hound always got frustrated because she couldn't catch Dash...
He had many faces...
His first Halloween costume...
You know why...
One thing he absolutely hates is getting wet.  On a rainy day, he refuses to go outside...
His ultimate favorite...the photo says thousands...
The day we received his bed in the mail.  I have a series of photos of how he went bonkers in his new bed.  Very entertaining...
His safety blanket...
The backyard back then...
He was a keen fast learner and the best student in the class...
He is no longer able to hide under the coffee table...
He brought so much joy to the family...life is not the same without him...
Okay, those innocent days were over...looking like a 50 year old man...
Yo...
We love you, Dash!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

From the Sewing Nook...

So what are you guys doing, making, or buying for your mom?  The twins knew what they wanted to do for their mom.  Make something for her, of course.  We discussed it last week while they worked on the cloud mobile.  "Well, I think she would love this dress." One of them was touching and admiring the front pleated dress on display.  "Yeah!" The other one strongly agreed.  "Uh...probably not this time"  I said.  I know it's fun to be a little kid and believe anything is possible to make in 90 minutes.  But, you know, unfortunately an adult has to deal with the reality.  So we discussed it more and decided on something simpler.  We worked on that project yesterday and it turned out beautifully.  Sorry, no disclosure just yet until Mother's Day. 
They usually make one item respectively, but this day it was a joint project.  Sarah took a break from the cat and was focusing on the cloud while Amelia jumped up and down to show her love for sewing.
They usually work on multiple things.  This is an ongoing project, taking little steps at a time.  Sarah did a good job on hand stitching the cat's face while Amelia was machine sewing the rain drops for the mobile. 
Why not a blue and orange cloud?  Their imagination is just amazing!
If you are wondering about the outfits...it was a free dress day for Amelia's class...

Monday, May 6, 2013

Granny Bag Classes

I've been making bags after finishing the two quilts.  This is one of them.  I used Lotta's new collection, Glimma.  I made them as samples for the new classes I've been working on.  This curvy granny bag requires less steps and time than the other bag, and it is easier to make than it looks.  So I am offering classes on this bag this week before Mother's Day.  I know the deadline is so close, but with my instructions, you will be able to have it ready just in time for your loving mother.  This pattern will be available to purchase soon.
A perfect size for running errands around town...
A pocket for your keys or phone...
Granny Bag Classes
Thursday, May 9th 12pm - 3pm
Friday, May 10th TBD
Saturday, May 11th 11am - 2pm