not your grandma's crafter...

Last week me and my friend Jordan went to see Death Cab for Cutie [and it was amazing!!]. I have seen Death Cab and Weezer in concert now, so I think I may just be good for the rest of my life. This is what I have been thinking this week...

My ipod is littered with the likes of Death Cab, Weezer, Mumford & Sons, Imogen Heap, MGMT, Edward Sharpe...
I get inspiration from indie [and indie-ish] films like Life Aquatic and Amelie...
My bff wears skinny jeans and has a feather in her hair...
I use words like bff, stellar, and occasionally epic...
I'm like this [picture middle finger crossed over index finger] with my imac...
Photoshop is my friend...
I have never met most of my quilty friends in real life, I know them through flickr and blogger...

In the words of my friend Wolf Boy 'this is me, this is who I am, this is real life!'


I like to watch Portlandia...
[and I like to put birds on things]

I am not my grandma's crafter, but it is cool to be connected through an art form to generations past.

the loot. the warrant. the crook.

This blog post is a tribute to the many hours of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego that I watched on PBS at my grandma's house growing up. Anybody remember Rockapella? The LOOT? that would be the bolts pictured above. Yards and yards of some fun decorator fabrics. Some for totes, some for new porch furniture cushions, some with destinies unknown.

The CROOK? That would be me, at least that is how I felt when I left JoAnn's the other day. Our local JoAnn Fabrics is closing - but only closing to reopen about 5 miles away in a new, bigger location! Apparently the powers that be decided that it is cheaper to liquidate and re-buy for the new store than it is to move the inventory a few miles down the road. [this includes all of the furniture and racks in the store as well]

The WARRANT? Well, at least the evidence. I am saving this receipt, I have just never spent around $35 and saved over $400! The fabric was 75% off, then if you bought the whole bolt, it was an additional 75% off. [if you do some quick math, that means most of this fabric was 63 cents per yard] I also bought gobs of trim, including yards and yards of pink pom-pom fringe that had the same discount.

Before I go, I wanted to share a sneak peak of the latest 'in-the-works' project... Can't wait for it to be finished! I would love to hear about the greatest steal/deal that you ever got!

the age of aquarium...

Meet the newest addition to our household: Steve Zissou. Of course named after Bill Murray's character in The Life Aquatic - a wonderfully quirky Wes Anderson movie. The backdrop is a print out of the opening credits from the movie - and Steve has his very own Deep Search mini sub! Interestingly, I have a friend who also has a fantail goldfish named Klaus. She has never seen the movie, but managed to name her fish after Steve Zissou's sidekick in the film. Hoping to carve out some crafting time today...

spring has sprung...

Yep, spring sprung, and sprang out of here! I feel like my poor neglected blog missed a season. My sewing crafting space, however, was certainly active place to be. A combination inspiration and the need to save some pennies led to a few creations I sold through my etsy and my lqs. Pinnies have proven quite addictive. I found these egg cups and knew just what they were destined for.


It is always fun to dig through the scrap box and dig out the perfect little piece of leftover fabric and the button that adds a little extra.

Another find was this 9 compartment egg tray, it is still under construction :)

The spring line up doesn't stop there - I was looking through some vintage homemaker magazines and found this little applique pattern. Hubby doesn't quite get pink birds, but I enjoyed mixing up the colors.


I hope your spring was a memorable one - I have lots to show and tell!

lovely baby twisters...

I've said it here before [and, you guessed it, I will say it again] I enjoy a good baby quilt. They are such great, personal gifts that last AND I get to try out some new patterns and tools in a relatively quick-finish project. Without further ado - Baby Miah's new quilt!

Though I have had my very own lil' twister for months, I have never found the opportunity to put it to work. Quilts made with this tool have been popping up all over the place with great result. You get a complex look with a little less complexity. My only issues: 1) I found it awkward to cut around all sides of the template, my arm/wrist just doesn't bend that way + 2) there is a lot of fabric wasted. I also worked on my machine quilting skills... kinda :) I chickened out and didn't use the walking or darning feet - I just used a wide stitch length, a lot of basting, and my regular 1/4" foot. Except for having to turn the quilt a little too often, I think it was smooth sailing and looks pretty good.

This project made quick work of a Lovely charm pack that I won in the Blogger's quilt along. I hope Baby Miah will have many happy memories with this quilt. What are you thoughts on quilts as gifts? [or any handy crafted gifts] How do you decide who will get something from the store or something from the sewing machine?

up next on the quilting block...

As I shared earlier - I do indeed have another quilt neatly folded and ready for the quilting to begin. [alas, I still wish I had the patience or the machine or the skill to quilt a full size...] The Bloggers' Block-A-Palooza quilt is finished!

This is attempt numero 2 at on-point piecing. The basic on-point construction in my Diving for Diamonds quilt was simple enough. Upping the skill level for this quilt I attempted to add sashing. Which didn't quite turn out as I had planned [i.e. don't look too close at some of the point/intersections]. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what had to be sewn to what and in which order for those to work out - so if anyone has suggestions or a tutorial they can direct me to, I would love the help!

The leftover blocks I made are destined for pillows. This was a great qal - always something new to look forward to on Mondays and Thursdays! I was a little hesitant to make the cut into my Lotus stash, but I think it definitely paid off :) Well, a little dog is lovingly staring up at me asking for a food bowl refill - Have a great Wednesday!

stop, block, and roll...

I sew and blog as a hobby... you know something that you do voluntarily, something with limited outside pressure or force... So sometimes, I get behind on my blogging and I have to force myself to be okay with that. No one will die, my income will not be affected - in short, no major tragedies are happening because I disappear off of the interweb for a time. And though I have not been posting, I have been lurking around some inspirational blogs and continuing to craft.
Keeping up with the Nittany Block Party has been going well. In March, Dena asked us to make mod mosaics using the Oh, Fransson tutorial. I really love this finished product and enjoyed the process to boot. Yes, there is a tinge of surprise in that statement. I was hesitant to dive in, but now want to start a quilt of my own using this technique. Oh the options - scrappy, coordinated, color wheel style, all of one line... I think they all have their particular appeal.

In February we made improv style rectangular and square blocks for Rachel.

I also wanted to share with you the final installment of blocks for the Blogger's Block-A-Palooza quilt along. Are you impressed that I had all of my blocks completed in a timely manner? [even before finishing instructions were posted!] In fact - these blocks are now in a completed quilt top that I finished two Sundays ago! [if you want to see these blocks a litle closer, click on the image to head on over to my flickr]I also have another top completed using an Odyssea charm pack and am putting the binding on a baby quilt made with a Lovely charm pack. So, no sewing slacker here [just a posting slacker :]

Last week was spring break around here... spring break with snow accumulation doesn't seem very springy to me. [this unfortunate weather is, by the way, why my pictures on this post are so muddy :[ Here's to hoping for sunshine [SOON]!