Fall Is Here

I am so glad that the weather is cooling down and autumn is rolling in. Some people prefer the heat, but I am definitely partial to the cold. Not only do I find it easier to bear, but most importantly clothes for the cold are so much more fun.

Where I live it gets cold enough to need a jacket, but probably not enough to own as many as I do. Yet, I can't seem to say "No" to them. That is what I always want to buy and, much to often, to sew.


I made this coat a few years ago, out of, if you can believe it, painter's drop cloths.
They are ridiculously cheap for the yardage, and I happen to like the slightly nubby, inconsistent texture of this inexpensive fabric.

This jacket was sewn last winter. Some might find this orange obnoxious, as people have told me, but I don't care, I love it.

You might recognize the lining. It was made from a duvet cover from Ikea.

I am excited to wear these again, and most likely, make a few more.

New Knitting

I have completed my first sweater, and I am very pleased with the results. The pattern is called Rusted Root, and it is a very simple, easy, and quick knit. The yarn is Rowan Cashsoft DK, it was soft and great to work with.



I made a few modifications. I did not do the row of purled stitches on the sleeves or the increases to make them puffed. I also did a few extra rows of ribbing on the neck and bottom edge.

I also recently finished these socks for my husband. He originally was against having me knit him something, but now he loves his socks.

I was glad to complete these, one less ball of yarn in the stash!

Vacation Baking

I can't believe that after a long blogging hiatus, I am posting two days in a row. I have even shocked myself, but since it has been so long, I have some catching up to do.
Last week, my family made its annual trek to Trinity County, in Northern California. This year I decided to bake almost everyday. I made corn bread, banana bread and two cakes.

The area in which we stay is covered in wild blackberry bushes.



My husband and I picked enough berries to bake a pie.

The pie turned out great, especially for the lack of a recipe, rolling pin, and pie pan.

My sisters and I decided to throw a small makeshift tea party. We had pie, scones, and cucumber cream cheese tea sandwiches.

Not too shabby... for camping.

Old Quilt, New Quilt

I made this quilt at least five years ago. It is approximately the size of a twin bed. I am not much of a quilter, so this the largest quilt that I have made.

I recently completed this quilt, made of leftover Amy Butler fabrics.

It is a lap quilt, so it is pretty small. It was a great way to use up scrap materials that have been in my stash for quite awhile.

I didn't use a pattern for this quilt. I made blocks by sewing small squares and strips together and then I sewed the large blocks together to make the quilt front. After attaching the the back and the edging, I hand quilted the layers together. It took some extra time to do the hand quilting, but I really love the hand done effect.

Spring Jewelry

A couple of weeks ago I had a serious urge to make jewelry.
I definitely do not feel very accomplished at jewelry making, which is pretty obvious by the wire wrapping above. For me, when it comes to handmade items such as jewelry, I don't want it to look handmade. I know that seems to defeat the purpose, but when I wear these items I don't want to look like I was attacked by a craft fair.

Maybe this stuff still looks a bit hokey, but I am still learning, so I am relatively pleased with the results.

Finished & New Sewing

I finished my Amy Butler Cabo halter tops awhile ago,
and I am finally getting to post about them.
Unfortunately, the light blue version ended up too small for me so my sister got a new top.

I'm happy how this one turned out. It should be good for the summer.

Another recent quick project was this portfolio.

It has pockets for paper, notes, pens, pencils, whatever.

Here's a book cover to match.

I'm really happy with these projects.

All of them were easy and each can be made in an afternoon.

sewing, socks & such

Lately, I have been busy in the backyard, dealing with loads of weeds and such, so there hasn't been as much time for my projects as I would like. But, I did manage to almost complete this tank top and start a second.
The pattern is the Cabo Halter, by Amy Butler. I am going to attach my straps in the back instead of the halter tie, because I am really not a fan of strapless bras. So now, it is completely regular bra friendly.
I also began making this top in a mustard yellow, which is one of my favorite colors at the moment. The pattern is really easy and it turns out pretty cute. Yesterday, I was in my local fabric store and saw the new Amy Butler line, Midwest Modern. I like these color combinations better than most of her other collections. They are a little less bright, and the designs are very fresh and modern. I especially like the design Linen. I am going to make a skirt out of it for the summer.

A couple of weeks ago I finished this scarf from the pattern Lochschal by brigitte. de, made out of 2 skeins of GGH Aspen . I like that it is so short that I have to pin it shut with a brooch, which makes it more interesting than the usual scarf.

On a sad note, I finished approximately 5" of my Jaywalker socks before deciding to rip it out and start over, because they were going to be too small.

I knew that was probably the case for a while. I thought about giving them to someone with a smaller foot, or turning them into fingerless gloves, but in the end I decided that I wanted the Jaywalker socks! I figure that if I am going to spend the time to make them, they might as well fit. So now I am left with a few more WIP's and of course, the desire to start even more.

socks

Before I actually started this blog I had the idea that I would update it with new posts a couple times a week. Now that my blog actually exists, I see how unrealistic that was for me. Between all of the things I have to do and all of the things I want to do, writing new posts is proving less progressive than planned. Which is pretty pathetic considering this is only post number two!

However, I have made some sock progress. I recently finished my second pair of socks and I really like the way they turned out. I used approximately 2 1/2 skeins of Mission Falls 1824 wool. They are a bit too thick for wearing with shoes, but they are perfect for around the house on chilly days. I also finished one sock of my first pair of lightweight socks out of Regia 4-fach haltbar sock yarn, and began a pair of Jaywalker socks out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock stripe in the Tuscany colorway. I love how they are looking so far (eventhough only the ribbing is done). My ultimate sock goal is to only wear and own handknit socks. I'm not sure if that is going to be possible, but it is a nice thought.

Beginnings

Since it seems that the latest and greatest trend in the world of crafters is having your own blog, I have decided to join the bandwagon. After long deliberation in doing so, my reasons for creating this blog are:

1. It appears like a great way to document and organize projects and ideas.

2. Useful in sharing new projects with friends.

3. My husband is most likely tired of me talking about my projects, so I can show and tell
online instead.

4. The main incentive, it looks like fun.


A few tidbits about me are, my mother is an excellent seamstress, knitter, pattern and interior designer, jewelry maker, and handyman (handywoman?), so I can't remember when I learned the basics of sewing and all that, but it was pretty early on. I also enjoy baking, I was a baker and cake decorator for nearly 5 years, and gardening. Although, as I am sure future posts will demonstrate, I am definitely a novice gardener.
I look forward to posting about new interests and projects soon.