Saturday, September 29, 2012

what's in a name

Little 'yarn bowls' are off to the LYS this morning where they will (hopefully) beguile and seduce the customers.
If you look closely, you will see my new card which makes me feel ridiculously legitimate!
Curious how a little rectangular piece of paper can make a person so happy!  For me, it was the icing on the cake of an idea that I've been hatching for a very long time.  It was the one small item that prevented me from taking my creations to market.  All excuses aside.  Clear throat.  On, on.
Bear with me ...

Sunday, September 23, 2012

a pillow-y kind of week

I don't know where the summer disappeared to.  It's time for me to return to work and I still have a memorial service to attend before I can close the chapter to summer 2012.  Scott lost a first cousin and his oldest brother within a few weeks of one another, and he is reeling from all of the bad news.  We would benefit from some good news.

Sewing really saved me this month.  I started with beach pillows for my daughter -
Lying on a blanket in the sand will be a more comfortable experience with mom's portable pillows to support the head!  I added tabs and clips for the storage of car keys - minimal is best at the beach!  No one wants to lug around a bunch of stuff!
So much fun to make - and now I need to get these in the mail.
I had another order for pillows - what's with the pillows this month?  (I am not complaining!)
These colors are outside of my comfort zone!  But I admit, I enjoyed them once I got rolling along!
Each one is reversible - 
At last count there were 5 babies to knit and quilt for in the coming months.  The first shower is next Sunday and I've got nothing!  Did my Muse go on vacation without me?

Friday, September 7, 2012

sun spots

It's a big day.  I took a deep plunge this morning into the unfamiliar waters of self employment.  I ordered my first ever business card!  

It was great fun to design the card when Vistaprint makes it so easy - so ... legitimate!  Here's a sneak preview minus the text:
This little image says it all for me.  More, later... 14 days, to be exact - as I didn't splurge for the overnight delivery!  It's more exciting this way - prolonging the gratification, if you will.  I say this today, but by midweek I will undoubtedly be fuming and pawing the ground!
A new market bag almost ready to go!  Ayumi's popsicles were the inspiration for this piece.  I love them so much that I am already experiencing separation anxiety!  Did you hear that, Hilary?  
Paired with Kokka linens and some of my machine-quilted cottons - not to mention this adorable Lisette lining that I found - how can I go wrong?  Would you enjoy taking this bag to market?
My bags are lined with machine-quilted cottons while the bases are interfaced and quilted with a denser batting for substance and longevity.  
This bag may appeal to a knitter - who else would understand and empathize with these kinds of images!!!  I've been playing around with this one for a few days and I think that it is finally ready to be assembled.  Dark.  I like it.
It won't be easy to let this one go either!  How many bags can one person use?  My cousin told me that I should create what I love and the $$$$ will follow.  This probably doesn't apply to the person who cannot be separated from her work!  
I'm going to continue to create my fabric vessels.  I'll work until the ideas diminish and fade.  And I'll watch reruns of 'Hoarders' and think about opening an Etsy account.  These are new waters that I am wading into.  Complete with sun spots.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

a rumbly kind of summer

All across Blog Land writers eulogize summer's end.  I woke this morning to the sound of rumbly thunder and knew that it was not so - summer may have packed her bags, but she has not left the building. 

 In the orchards the tractors strain under dense loads of newly picked apples, but the air is decidedly summers' - thick and heavy with humidity.  I feel for the pickers who struggle in this heat climbing their ladders, filling their pouches, wiping their brows.  Even while the crop is three weeks early, fall has not been roused - he is yet to arrive with crisp morning breezes and highly saturated colors.  Perhaps he is lying in bed like myself, listening to all that rumbly thunder.

One has to get up at some point to feed the cats and let the dog out.  Sleep has been difficult this summer - my dreams have been filled with unexplainable images which often follow me through the day.  The best remedy is to busy oneself.
Here is a little bit of what I've accomplished this week -
My daughter is on a Hello Kitty kick.  She complains that she "missed the memo" as a child, and refuses to believe that I DID pedal this line (because I loved it so).  She was adamant, a fiercely determined child - no Hello Kitty for her - SHE wanted Rainbow Brite!  And so it goes.  Turns out you're never too old for Hello Kitty.
This is a second seat cover for her car which has black leather interior.  It can be a painful experience to sit on the seats in the Florida heat without some protection!
I've been making more of my "Yarn Bowls" based on Ayumi's wonderful pattern.
Perfect for sock knitting - jewelry storage, hand knitted wash cloths, you name it.
My love affair with selvages continues.  
This project is almost finished - tune in later in the week for the end result (I love it!)  

Finally, a completed pair of cotton bed socks for the Florida daughter who turns the AC up REALLY REALLY high and sleeps under comforters (she hates the northeastern cold, but needs to sleep as a southern polar bear might!) 
Oops - these are inside out - but you get the drift.
What do you find yourself doing on rumbly days?