Monthly Archives: July 2013

Winner Stitching in the Stacks

Congrats to #9, Doreen!  I’ve emailed you.

stacks random

Winner Stitching in the Stacks

Congrats to #9, Doreen!  I’ve emailed you.

stacks random

Illustration Friday

I'd like to make this a weekly habit, and illustrate a bit more in my own style.  For the past few years I've been doing so much commercial work that I've lost a bit of my own style.  So, I joined a group of local artists and one told me about Illustration Friday - a website with themes to illustrate for the week.

I think it's a great way for me to find my style again.  Yes, I love working on assignments.  It's hard for me to just come up with illustrations on the fly, and I like working with a theme and constraints.  Since this week's theme was robot... Robots made me think of circuitry and processors and love.  You know, these things go together for me.


Another Day, Another Dress

I can’t believe i am posting pictures of myself TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

I am so not the kind of photogenic that this requires.

Oh well.  You’ll have to suffer my awkwardness to see the dress.

It’s a pattern I’ve made before but am not crazy about.  As in, the finished product is good, but I have to work with next to no instructions and do some heavy altering.  Last time it came out too long, so this time I cut it shorter.  Too short, as it turns out.  But, as it is a summer dress it’s not too terrible.

The fabric is Moda that I got at my local fabric store.

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Just about an inch longer and slightly looser in the skirt and it would be perfection.

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I’m pretty happy with my zipper installation, though.  Except for a small bit at the top, you can’t see it at all.  Practice, practice.

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I had enough fabric left to make a simple A – Line skirt.  It’s on the machine now, waiting for finishing.  I also cut strips to make some bias tape with it for various projects.   If I could have bought this fabric by the bolt, I would have.  The yardage I got was clearly not enough for everything I want to do with it!


Tagged: Sewing

Last Week in Pictures

Last week got to spend three blessed days at the farm with the animals and I tell you it was a tonic for my soul! This summer has been so darned rush-around busy that I have gotten used to waking up not knowing what city I’m in.  Only one more major trip on the horizon and then I’ll be able to get my behind back to Virginia and my flock.

This is going to be a bit of a photo dump, cause I’m running out the door for a meeting. Sorry about that!

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Summer Reading Redux

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Do your reading habits change in the summer? Do you take your books outside more? Do you curl up in the air conditioning? Do you read fluff instead of serious books? Are you too busy playing in the sun or gardening or whatever to read much at all?


Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!


Not enough leaves

IMG_1218Almost three years ago I jumped on board a mystery-shawl knitalong posted on Ravelry by Finnish designer Lankakomero.  I used the pefect skein of Dream in Color Smooshy and dug into the many pages of charts. Tending to be a multi-project knitter, however, I lost steam, and one of those times I put down the chart, I must've failed to mark off a completed section. And, silly (lazy, overconfident) me, I never wove in a lifeline. So when I suddenly found myself running out of what should have been ample yarn well before bind-off time, I knew I was in trouble. 

I thought about trying to weave in a lifeline below the point where I'd obviously veered off course, but with the double yarn-overs, I just couldn't figure out how to be sure I'd captured every stitch. Finally I threw up my hands and bound off, satisfied that I could enjoy the piece as a lacy neck wrap without showing off the outside edge of uncountable, incomplete leaves. I didn't even take a confessional photograph for the project page, so what you see at left is what you get. Maybe I'm not such a charty gal, much as I love the look of lace – I tend to knit to relax at a time of day when I am tired, and either watching TV or stitching  and talking with friends. Glad I managed my Charlotte's Web Shawl when I only had one child, and there was also no social media to distract me! 

Cooling Drinks …

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- by Joan -


Yummy Tiramisu!

A few months back I bought a pattern from Cake Patterns for a dress called “Tiramisu”.

I envisioned a comfortable red dress for summer, and trolled Fabric.com for a good buy on some cotton knits.

I found a color called “Rust” that looked nice online, but when it came ended up being more purpley than red.

But, it felt so nice and soft that even though it was a decidedly more fall color than summer, I decided to forge ahead with it anyway.

And I am SO. GLAD. that I did!

You’ll have to excuse the crappy pictures; I was playing with the self timer on my camera and fighting the fact that there is not one decent place outside to tale pictures where there’s not unsightly overgrowth everywhere (stupid rainy summer).

Also, Susan’s not here to be sure I get some flattering and high quality garment shots, so we’ll just have to deal with what we get.

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Also, excuse the dumb look on my face.  Like I said, I was still playing with the timer, and I wasn’t sure it had set.

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Or we can all just face the fact that I don’t like posing for pictures.  Not because it isn’t fun, but because I am no good with facial expressions.  In fact, I am pretty sure I have This Condition.

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Side View.  Complete with camera glare and thread all over my shoulder!

I have not finished the hem yet as per the instructions on the pattern to wear it a bit first and let the fabric fall and settle a bit.  I also had to take in the size a LOT.

I don’t use knit fabrics a ton, and my first instinct is to generally cut a bit larger than my size, just in case.  With this one, I measured myself and cut to that size, but there was an insane amount of positive ease in this fabric so it ended up hanging on my frame awkwardly.  It’s also a bit heavier weight fabric than I was hoping for, but in combination with the color I think it will be outstanding for fall.  I really want to make more in black, grey and pumpkin color as well as a nice teal if I can get it in a tissue weight.  It’s a great pattern, and now that I have it down to proper size, it’s very flattering and majorly comfortable.   It was also pretty darn easy to put together.

There you have it.

Now go make your own!

 


Tagged: Sewing

Yarned By You: Digital Pattern Gallery

We’ve been hoping for a long time that we’d be able to release patterns digitally and I’m so glad that you’re just as pleased about it! It made me want to look at all the projects that people had made from what we’ve released because I honestly love every one of the 8 patterns we’ve released so far.

Riverwater knit up the most adorable Lamb Shoes in Yearling #1 Snowball! The sleepy eyelids just get me every time! Pow, right in the ovaries!

riverwater's Lamb Shoes

Also in Yearling is MrMerrit’s title project Yearling. #1 Snowball is clearly perfect for lamb-white!  Bwah ha ha! Look at that baby surprise face! She has no idea how cute she is!

MrMerritt's Yearling

I’m pretty sure that I’ve shown off KnitlessInSeattle’s Plotted & Pieced in Findley Dappled #107 Zinnia before, but I couldn’t help sharing it again! (Especially because I’ll be going out to Seattle and seeing her in just a week!)

KnitlessInSeattle's Plotted and Pieced

handmadebykoren has knit several shop samples for Gather Here. I got to see her All the Stops dress in person while we were there for the trunk show and it does look divine! Made with Findley Dappled in #105 Clear Blue Sky

handmadebykoren's All the Stops

cyndim’s knit up a Myrtle using Sabine in #2 Butterscotch. Doesn’t it look comfy?

cyndim's Myrtle

I can’t help but love a black sweater and nosheepyet’s Wren doesn’t fail to deliver! She knit it using Sabine in Icicle and modified  it to have 3/4 sleeves. (I might be a little partial to this one since I modeled the original. And then knit myself one because I liked it so much!)

nosheeyet's Wren

Next week I’ll show you some of the patterns you’ve been clamoring for us to release as digital downloads!

(Click on the picture to be taken to the project notes. The text link will take you to the shop if you should want to purchase the pattern. Don’t forget the 33% coupon code mentioned in Monday’s post!)