a little inspiration

We finally have a library with a story time worth visiting.  Right around the corner with a librarian who is kind and understanding of children.  Emerson is rapt with attention while she talks and reads.  He talks about her during the week when we aren't there.  She allows him to help and participate and he just adores her. He is also learning about checking out books and returning them as we simplify his library at home down to just the essentials.  When you can't put books away on your own it gets a little silly to have so many.  We plan to cycle them in and out as needed, but for now, one small shelf is more than enough. In order to keep track of the library books I thought it was time for a dedicated bag where the books could live while visiting our home and so he can carry his own back and forth.  His book bags aren't quite right for the job (oddly enough) as children's books vary so much in size and the zippers aren't as friendly to little ha...

The theme was "Spooky."  You have to love that, right?  The color I had to incorporate was yellow. When I first heard the theme my thought was, "Boo!" I looked around at other things.  I thought of making a ghostie, or a full moon.  I didn't get around to it until way late.  I was scared to make the letters without a pattern.  (Why?  I have no idea.  If I have learned anything in the last three years (can you believe it??) it is that all these silly things I build up in my head are much easier to actually do than imagine.  Remind me that next time I am stalling on something.)  In searching the glorious, full of information, world wide web, I came across a person (who I have lost now- blerg!) who said something simple and brilliant like, "Most letters are made using the idea of a log cabin block."  At which point I cut some strips and sat down at my machine with the iron on behind me. I love this one.  Only the ra...

Whew- this one is cutting it close.  I almost missed my own deadline!  I used the quilt book again.  I have been just waiting for a reason to make this kind of block.  And then Senor said "vacation" was our word.  Score! So here it is, waves of sun light and water which make for some of the best vacationing out there!

Weirdly, at the end of this weekend I felt as if I hadn't gotten anything done.  This must mean I am insane cause looky here: I made three blocks for this month.  I couldn't help it.  I didn't like how the first one was going and then once I decided to go with a more traditional log cabin style I knew I would need one for myself too.  Because I am very selfish about log cabin blocks.  Especially pretty, contrasty ones.  This was the first try.  I wanted to do the log cabin once I had found the fabric and came across this wonky style.  It turned out too wonky for me to like enough to send it away.  And it will NOT lay flat.  But it is interesting.   The second try I went ahead and made two of them because making two is as easy as making one if you know where you are going with it.  I ran out of strips and so only one of them is 10" and the other one then stays here with me.  I LOVE how they turned out. For Barbara: ...

When I asked Senor what the theme for June was going to be and he said, "Eat!" I didn't quite know what to do. I almost asked him to pick something else. We have been working on the food issues in this house for the last year but recently, it seems to me, there have been more conversations going on under this topic. One of the biggest changes since I started staying home is that I make dinner and so I do most of the grocery shopping and planning. While this isn't a bad thing, per say, it is important to recognize that I like eating a whole lot but I do not like cooking very much at all. I am not terrible at it, I just have very little interest in everyday cooking. I might like to throw something together for a party. But probably not. If it were just me sandwiches, frozen pizza and crackers with hummus would be about all I ate. So it has been great to finally find a few cook books that hold my interest enough to (sort of) follow the recipes. A Year in a V...

May Block- Dance , originally uploaded by Mr & Mrs Speeed . I think it kind of looks like a head with the brain exposed. Dancing thoughts. I might be crazy though. In other, completely insane crazyland, do you want to know what I am thinking of making while it is 90 degrees outside? A wool coat for E- the one by Oliver + S perhaps... Also, while adventuring in my folks neck of the woods I stumbled upon a yarn shop and bought about a million yards of merino silk blend gorgeousness. And so I have sweaters on my mind too. Um- can you tell me whats wrong with me? I am trying to think of it as planning ahead, but it is hard! The sweaty part of me thinks this is just plain nutty. I am looking forward to this weekend being at home and finishing up a few things. We also are going to our CSA's potluck to open the season. I can't wait for all the goodness to come! Yum!

When I heard the selection of the theme "Growth" for April I saw radiating fabric in my mind. I had the urge to use something more traditional than I normally go for just for a little challenge. (I do think following directions is challenging in sewing. Many other things I don't mind but sewing and cooking I have to force myself...) In my search for the perfect thing I found the pattern for a Dresden Plate and knew it would be perfect. I had thought I would apply it off-center or something to make it a little different. When I went to make this I decided to make two in case I messed it up big time (which is always likely here.) I cut out the pattern and put them together. I loved it. But the plate was too big! It had to fit a 10" block with room to attach but it was a full 1o" all by itself. I really thought of cutting more and making it a little smaller but then some how I came to think how neat it would be with pin tucks and then how it would "...

This is the completed block for the first month of the swap. I was really lucky because it worked out I was making the first one for my mother. Since the theme was "home" and I know what her home is like it was really easy to figure out what to make. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Jefferson National Forest. You could have guessed right? :) I have this book and get completely obsessed with a different quilt in it each time I open it. This technique is cutting curves with your rotary blade and then putting them together to form your blocks. Each cutting should give you two blocks which are the inverse of each other. I wanted to practice sewing curves and give this a try. I couldn't help the embroidery. It was itching to get out of my fingers... I want to improve my skill with this type of work but I really do love the little wonkyness of only loosely drawing what I am going for. I like that it looks hand drawn and handmade. I am betting that the Co...

Edit: I will take new sign ups until the 12th. After that I will send out an email with all the details. Thanks everyone! Okay, I want to do a quilt block swap! Here are the rules I am thinking, let me know if I am missing something: 1. One 10" block a month sent to someone else in the swap. I haven't decided yet if we will have the same partner every month or switch up since I don't know how many people might be interested. 2. The block can be traditional, contemporary or free form. 3. The block will be based on a theme each month which my lovely assistant, er, husband, will come up with for us. Like "sunshine" or whatever and then you make a block that says "sunshine" to you. We will put up the new word or theme on the first of the month, blocks should get to the person your swapping with by the end of the month. 4. Blocks must be primarily made of quilting cotton but embellishments and embroidery is fine to add. 5. Part of me wants to say when...