Quilting with friends

I write about my quilts and other sewing excitement fairly often here, so it must come as no surprise to you that Q is for Quilts. I considered just directing you to the "Quilts of Our Lives" series, in fact, and calling it good. But then I remembered these photos I took at our last quilting retreat, and decided you probably wanted to see them.

 The first rule of Quilt Retreat is we don't talk about quilt retreat. No, wait. It's that you don't have to take a shower if you don't want to. No, wait. It's that we offer sisterhood and support to each other in a crafty way. Yes. That's the first rule.

 The second rule of Quilt Retreat is it must include some combination of the Johnson Girls and the Sund*seth Girls (the asterisks protect the innocent from unnecessary Googling). My mom was a freshman in college in 1961 when she met this crazy woman, Kathy from Detroit Lakes. They became part of a rough and tumble group of card players and, after graduation, remained close friends. I wrote about them years ago here. And other places too. Anyway, my point is, I've known Jennifer (above, in green), and Emily, (up above, in pink, saying something with passion) for my entire life, and they are like sisters to me and Jess, but without the weird competition vibe you sometimes get with your own sister.

 Married into this tangled mess is Min*ke, above, who provides a calm, thoughtful perspective under the dull roar that is the rest of us. She also is mama to twin sons, who are the oldest of the grandchildren in our group. She once made a king-sized flannel quilt and decided that was enough quilting for anyone, so she added really cool stencils to t-shirts for her boys during our latest festival.

 And here is Meagan, whose name I rarely spell correctly on the first try, and whose figurative adoption into the Sund*seth clan more than ten years ago (How long has it been, M?) has brought all of us so much joy. She is an expert knitter, a beekeeper, and soon a graduate student who fits right into to our crazy little family.

The third rule of Quilt Retreat is to keep it classy. Above, one of our matriarchs, picking breakfast out of her teeth with a pin, I believe. If you don't know how to play cards, Kathy will teach you, and then proceed to never ever let you win. But she'll do it in a classy way, I tell you.

The fourth rule of Quilt Retreat is something mechanical always goes wrong. Here, Em, Meagan, and I have taken apart my poor Shark sewing machine (don't try this at home. I mean it). On the one hand, cool sewing machine innards, eh? On the other hand, we still couldn't fix it. But we sure had fun trying.

 The fifth rule of Quilt Retreat is no drinking until you're done cutting. Obviously, these three had finished for the evening and were on to wine-fueled discussions of music therapy or dog ownership, probably.

There may be other rules, but if you follow these five, you're sure to have a productive, entertaining weekend of crafty goodness. Now pass me the rotary cutter, and make sure to save me some wine.

Nine, needles, nasty

Nine has been my favorite number since the 5th grade. I like it because it's odd, and three squared, and it has two "n"s in it. For ages, I thought I liked nine because I'm the 9th grandchild on each side of my family, but then I realized, a few years ago, that I had counted wrong. I'm the 10th on the Johnson side, and the eleventh on the Johnson side. Oh well.

Needles: aside from the occassional nasty accident, needles are my friends. My sewing machine uses them to magically help me make stuff; my sister knits wonderful things with needles; I love the smell of pine needles underfoot. Certainly one of the most useful of inventions. When I made my quilted duffle bag, I broke ten machine needles in the process: a clear record for me. My sister pointed out that it raised the cost of the final product considerably, but by the time I finished my sixth bag, I had only broken three more, so I think it will even out in the end. In related news, I'm wondering if I should get a serger. Any thoughts?

Nasty is one of my favorite words lately. "The dog smells nasty," "those shoes are nasty," "that is one nasty show." None of this is meant in any semblance of a positive way, unfortunately. "Just nasty."  "Don't be nasty." Nor is this intended to incite the ire or praise of Ms. Jackson. It's just surprisingly fun to say, with the n and the ass and the tee. Try it. You'll feel better.

B-B-B!

B, for our A-to-Z challenge purposes, will be for bags here at Languishing. I have been a life-long lover of bags: since my first Jordache purse bought at the West Acres Claire's with Christine Forseth (it was teal!), I've been searching for the perfect purse, tote, BAG or bags to carry my stuff. I blog about it so much, it should have its own damn category.

Since falling in love with the quilted totes I told you about recently, I've been thinking about how bags come together, how I could use what I already have, and what all I really want/need in a bag. Should it be for work? I'm still using this lovely one, and it's close to perfect. But then I saw this bag, inspired by a movie, apparently, and I needed one that was round. Needed, understand?  And ..well...let's just get to the photos, shall we?

 I adored the star applique on the inspiration bag, but that was not my design, and I've never even seen whatever pop culture reference it makes, so I didn't want to suggest otherwise. I like sparrows for about two million reasons, and found the template through a basic Google search. I enlarged it 200%, then cut two out of an orangish, sparkly-ish vinyl I bought at S.R. Harris on an unattended visit this December (don't let me go to S.R. Harris without supervision, please).

The main bag is made from some heavy burgundy pleather my sister gave me, and I still have 6 yards of it left, so you should probably get used to seeing it, gentle readers.

 For scale, the bag with V. To be fair, she's a large 6 year old, so it might not be as big of a bag as you think. The diameter of the circle was originally 16", and I used over 1/4 inch seam allowance. The strap is a bit too wide and too short, but then again, so am I. It fits over my shoulder with a little finagling.

Here she's showing how fun it is to be jaunty and dancy with my new bag! What's not to like?

It holds up to 30 papers comfortably, and it's lined with a fantastic array of pockets and some pretty fine fabric (but I'm thinking I'll save photos of that for the letter "L." Or the letter "I," for innards.We'll see). It also has 2 large zippers, one on the top, and one across the back. It's kind of making me giddy with a feeling of accomplishment, really. It's certainly the most complicated thing I've ever made without a pattern.

Of course, it's totally an autumn-y bag, not a springy one, and I'm not ready to give up my current work bag just yet. But I feel triumphant, and it will make a good travel bag, when I need something that will hold a journal and a book as well as my camera and wallet.

Crafty Blitz

As we adjust to a schedule where we see very little of Shaun and we juggle care for V (especially on Mondays), I have lots of papers to grade that I'm avoiding, and my favorite way to avoid things is to sew. And sew and sew and sew. 

 Last weekend, we had a little family-esque craft retreat, where I made 3 appliqued t-shirts (V's and Emmy's, above), and pinned a long-finished quilt top (below, Em and Meagan doing my dirty work).

 I also worked on crocheting a uterus, because I love  combining my political beliefs with crafts. My uterus is complete now, but the oviducts (also, but inappropriately, called Fallopian tubes) are causing me some headaches.

(That's right: I'm using an earring as a stitch marker, so I've pierced my uterus. That's hardcore. )

And then I made quilted duffles. Above are mine and V's on the steps of our cabin at Campfire Bay Resort (awesome place! We're totally going back there!).  V picked her colors (the blue and green polka dots + the firefly fabric) and I picked mine, because that white fabric reminds me of the floor of the Rio in Vegas.

Here are all four of them together: Myra's is on top, and left to right it's mine, V's, and Jess's. Jess' has little yellow stars on a green background. These bags are my new obsession, and if it weren't for my pesky job, I'd have made another dozen by now. They're lightweight, come together quickly, and hold lots and lots of stuff (plenty for a weekend). Plus they provide a good home for all those lovely 1-2 yard cuts of fabric that I buy without having a plan.

I've done more than this, even, but I think this post is lengthy enough. Besides, now I'm just using blogging to avoid grading, and that's not helping, either.

Crafty Fool

Because Shaun started his new job today (whoo-hoo!) I felt I could allow myself to go to a craft store again, so long as I was careful and thoughtful and not my usual crazy, grabby self. My sister had mentioned that JoAnn's had diaper making supplies now, including a snap-setter, and I wanted to check it out.

The three of you who've been reading since the beginning may recall a brief mention of our cloth-diapering times, when I made all the diapers V wore throughout her diaperwearing. It was rewarding, and kind of fun, and V heard a lot of the hum of the sewing machine even while in utero.

But it was hard freaking work, too. Almost all the supplies had to be purchased online, or, if you're as cheap as me, bought at the local discount fabric shop and made to work, somehow. The little hand-set snaps available would never have held up to diaper use, nor would the sew-on kind, but an industrial snap press was $100, and though I nearly caved three times, I resisted temptation and used velcro instead.

So it was with mixed emotions that I found a fabulous diaper-making section in JoAnn's, now that my baby is 6 1/2 years old.

The snap press is what I had dreamed of: handheld (as opposed to the industrial kind, which was...bigger), solid metal, and under $20 (with my 40% off coupon, it was about $12; after reading the online reviews, I wouldn't pay much more than that, but I've had really good luck with the 8 snaps I've installed so far...).  V's diapers would've rocked even MORE if I'd had one of these puppies back then. So I thought to myself, well, it's still a neat tool. What else could I use a snap-press for?

 I make some of V's clothes, and it will be handy for those, certainly. And then I was looking at some yellow denim my friend Robin gave me, and I thought, hm...I think I'll make a braclet.

So I made three.

Bracelets above, from top to bottom: using some of my precious tulip ribbon; one of my favorite fabrics ever; and a reversible "believe/create". They're all reversible, actually. Look at those pretty snaps! (The snaps don't come with the pliers: I bought the blue/red/green pack for $8, with another 40% off coupon, so about $5 for 30 complete snap sets).

 Extreme close-up of the "create" side. Clearly, my machine's tension is way off (Emily, can you fix that for me? Or Jennifer? Or anyone?), but it makes almost a baker's twine look of the stitching. I kind of like it. And also, I learned it's really hard to write words using a sewing machine. Worth it, but hard. I'm also envisioning lots of crazy, mini-quilt-for-your-wrist possibilities. I may never leave the basement, at this rate.

I was so excited to make this one, I didn't even change the thread color.

In retrospect, I wish I would've bought the industrial press 6 years ago. I mean, if this $20 purchase holds up, that's awesome, but I'm liking putting snaps on things so much I may have to quit my job and become a professional snap setter. Oh, snaps, where have you been all my life?

So what other words should I attempt to make into bracelets? What do you want your wrist quilt to look like?

Bag sale

In the shower this morning, I suddenly realized it was time for the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch $4 bag sale! And I was late! You can imagine my horror.

I arrived 45 minutes after opening, which means about 70% of the clothes were already gone. But I still managed to fill two bags and find a 79 cent doll for V.

This round's haul included:

• 2 pairs of pants for me (one for work, one for leisure)
• a basic red tank top for me
• 1 pair of khakis for Shaun (in case he gets a job)
• 1 tie for Shaun (some jobs require ties. Can you imagine?)
• 11 or 12 tops for V and/or Will and/or Emmy. Mostly these are plain sweatshirts, that I have big plans for embellishing.
• 1 brand new shirt for my father-in-law (his birthday is in a couple of weeks)
• 1 full-length camel-hair coat. I'm not sure, but I think the camel hair will act much like felt, so I'm going to try to use it as such.
• 1 Talbot's black corduroy dress, size 12. This won't fit anyone in the family, but it's long, so there's lots and lots of corduroy to harvest for other projects. I would feel bad about cutting up a perfectly good dress, and if you're desperate to own a long, well-made dress that is not very stylish but is certainly nice enough, let me know and I'll give it to you.

So there you go. No great finds like the vintage dresses here and here, but that's what I get for sleeping in. All in all, it was well worth the $8.79. Now let the laundering commence!

Mask master

Just making two masks is never enough, of course, so I made some more. Then I stuck the kids on a swingset and made them model. The designs are my own, but inspired by lots of online images of animal masks, and by Aunt Shirley's suggestions on the original post.

 Emmy the owl, above, and Emmy the crooked bird, below.

 Will the cat. With a sucker in his mouth. (Yes, the cat is inspired by Peter Criss).

 Will as a burgundy owl.

 Emmy Frankenstein:

 Emmy in action as the cat:

And Will the Triceratops. This was his favorite mask, but it is by far the least ... wearable? Correct? Right? It's just all kittywumpus, but I like it in theory, and the boy likes it in practice.

 A fox mask that I'm particularly proud of.





And the girls, finally, in a cardinal mask and a carnival mask. With suckers.

So we're set for Halloween and then some. Now how do we narrow down the choices?



Fun with masks!

After browsing around the ever-inspiring Etsy, I decided to head to the craftroom and make my girl some masks.

She seems to like them. Above is V's superhero pose. I think I'll add some fancy sequins or beads around the edges of the purple and cream wool felt.

 This owl was inspired by this mask, and this one. And also by the colors of wool felt I had in the craft room.

It works on grown-ups, too. Maybe I'll make some masks to sell before Halloween. Any suggestions?

I love a good purse...

...and a good bargain, so when I found this lovely canvas/suede embroidered bag at Saver's for $7.99, I could not walk away.

It's even prettier in person, I tell you. But it's rather large, and as such my things have a way of floating around into a massive jumble of unfindable geegaws. This chaos is even more than I, the Prime Minister of Chaos, can bear. Hence, a purse organizer was in order.

Purse organizers aboud, ladies and gentlemen, but even for one that's award winning, I'm not willing to spend $16. I know, I'm cheap. And forget award winning: Oprah even supports one (called the purseket, which makes me think of a parakeet, which makes me think of what an unholy mess a small pet bird could make in any purse...anyhoo), which is totally good enough for me, but at over $20, well, I can make my own.

 Photographed in our bathroom during V's bathtime (hence the scenic towel backdrop), I present my version. It's made of yellow cotton, nearly denim weight, quadrupled upon itself to make the back and two pockets. I used quilt binding at the ends to keep all the ravel-y parts together, and I measured my wallet (that lovely green thing with the peacock, below), our cell phone, my camera, and a little notebook. Then I sewed corresponding pockets and winged the rest, and wa-la!

 My own sunshine-colored purse organizer, made entirely with stash materials, so essentially free. Even if I'd had to buy fabric, it would've been less than $6. That's how I roll, people. Plus it works very well, is sturdy enough to stand on it's own (in the purse) and totally machine wash & dryable. I'll have to take out all my stuff first, of course (said she of having washed a cell phone once so I'm gonna try not to do THAT again fame).

Oprah can call me if she wants to know more. I'll be here, or at a thrift store, or in front of the sewing machine. And my bag will stay cleverly organized, too. Ta-da!

Craftiness and advice seeking (with way too many photos)

I'm on sabbatical, which is fantastic, though I have a sizable work-related project to complete this semester. Still, I'll have more spare time than I've had since I was four years old. Really. One of the things I want to do with this time is invest energy into things I've always wanted to do more but never had time. I'm reading books (another upcoming post, don't worry), and sewing more, and I've decided to apply for a couple of craft shows this semester. I did a few of these in college, and one a few years ago, but craft shows are different now, in many ways, and I'm really excited to try to partake in this newer wave of craftism.
So, without further ado, I present my wares. I'm looking at possibly a show in October and hoping very much to get accepted for one in November.

 Lucky stars: these are little, and plush, with sweet embroidered faces. The four year old down the street declared "These are SO cute!" today, and so I'm hoping the craft show audience will be full of 4 year olds.

 Next up, the earrings. Any of you who've known me for any period of time should by now have been presented with at least one pair of your own, and perhaps more. I wrote about how to make them here.  The earwires are all sterling silver or gold-filled, and the beads come from all over, from vintage pieces to New York to New Orleans, Oregon to overseas. I hand craft each pair and guarantee them for as long as you own your ears.

 I found this cool chicken-wire type cage thing at the thrift store the other day. I think I like it as an earring display: I stuffed it with cream-colored chiffon for a neutral backdrop.

 I really like to use natural materials (and lots of colored glass, as you can see). Above, some polished stones with wood balls.

 My earrings are fairly simple, and basic in structure, but they are well-made and pretty. One friend of mine (at least) still wears pairs she bought from me in the late 90s.

 Finally, some satin flowers. There are lots of tutorials all over the web on how to make these yourself. The one I started with is here, though I use a center button, sewed on, and a bit less hot glue.  This one is good, too.

 This purple flower is about 6" across, and as such is enormous. . But I'm going to sew/glue it to a soft stretchy headband, and then it will be very fancy.Or maybe I'll make it a pin.Or a necklace pendant. Fancy, anyway.

 Those 3 above are all small hairclips and look adorable.

 And this one's sewn unto a strong ponytail holder. Cute, eh?

So what I'm asking is: what do you think? Would you stop by and visit my booth, if you were at a craft show? What would get you to go to a craft show, if you don't go usually? What display/pricing/product suggestions do you have? I like the idea of three sections of the table, one for earrings, one for plush, and one for flowers. And these are three things I love to make lately.

Please, I could use advice/moral support. What do you think?