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:: March 27, 2006 Loodles!
Hello, I am back from not having anything to say for the past week. Actually I was in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for a conference. Let me tell you that speech pathologists are a weird bunch and I sometimes worry about my destiny. Just don't get between them and a free slice of cake (which might be to blame for all the mom-butt going on) or a free promotional tote bag (which, when slung over your arm, makes you look like you have mom-butt even if you don't). On my way out I took a little side trip to IKEA in Frisco and went to Carrollton to hit up a quilt store, which was a bust. However the town square also had a really nice antiques mall where I got the fabric above. The tag said "poodles fabric" but I would think those guys are lions. Someone else voted poodles too so let's just compromise and call them loodles. There was a booth in there with a dizzying collection of vintage buttons, all carded and sorted by color and composition -- pricey but not outrageous -- unfortunately I was too hungry to concentrate and had to leave to meet someone, so no scores on that front. But if you ever find yourself in the north Dallas suburbs, it's worth the trip. posted by in Fabric :: Comments (13) :: link :: March 16, 2006 Audiobooks
I posted a question today to Ask Metafilter seeking audiobook suggestions -- maybe you can help me out too. posted by in Miscellany :: Comments (8) :: link :: March 15, 2006 Too Late
A couple weeks ago I finished with my winter set. It's the sum total of my seasonal knitting accomplishments and it's too late to use it ... in fact there wasn't really a winter at all in Austin this year. (Not that I'm complaining about the spectacular spring weather we have right now.) The yarn is chunky Misti Alpaca in "chartreuse melange." Susan said it well, the yarn is lofty and squishy like a down comforter. Mittens: Super Mittens from Weekend Knitting -- I thought I knew how to make a proper M1, but I didn't know about that stich-twisting part, so they have nice lacy holes up the thumb. Kinda defeats the purpose, but so do mittens in Texas to begin with. Scarf: Lopi Lace Scarf also from Weekend Knitting. This is a fun pattern to knit and the yarn became really lovely and drapey after blocking. The hat: My old standby, the Monmouth Cap (free pattern). This one turned out too big but amazingly my attempt to "felt it just a little bit" turned out perfectly. I decreased every few rows along the body and it turned out very 30s cloche. Another reminder: If you knit this hat, don't finish with the few-rows-of-icord, because your hat will look like a condom tip. Now I know ideally I'd have a set using the same stitch pattern, but that is asking too much from my knitting skillz. Baby steps. -- P.S. Modern Quilt Along member Pixie just started a knitting podcast. It's really good and I hope there are lots more! We seem to have very similar tastes, which makes this podcast extra welcome for me. posted by in Finished Projects , Knitting :: Comments (3) :: link :: March 14, 2006 A Fabric Order, and Some DSQ Thoughts
This haul from Reproduction Fabrics arrived recently. It was my first time ordering from them, and I can heartily recommend them. For one, they stock some Japanese imports that I haven't seen elsewhere, and some of these were discounted. The fabric arrived quickly. I had ordered two yards of the blue print up top there, intending it for some quilt backing, and they called me shortly afterward to tell me that they only had two smaller chunks of the fabric, and did I still want it? I got the message too late -- we're SO bad with checking our voice mail -- by the time I heard the message the package had arrived already, with an extra 1/3 yard to make up for the problem. Isn't that nice? --- Jane and Liesl have some recent posts on Denyse Schmidt that resonated with me. They talk about the disconnect of having patterns for DS's loose, improvisational quilting methods, likewise having a fabric line that is coordinated in a traditional fashion when her aesthetic is very much more serindipidous. I agree with both of them, but I don't mind the disconnect at all. I have been kind of bothered by the fact that I'm making two quilts out of the DS Quilts book and following the patterns almost exactly, down to the colors and everything. If you will allow me the pretention of quoting myself, here is a comment I wrote to Sarah a while ago in response to her post about a creative slump she found herself in: I've been feeling that way a lot lately -- that I should be doing more than just following other people's patterns. Especially down to the letter, with the same colors or quilting patterns or whatever, like I tend to do. Some I guess would define following patterns vs. improvisation/"coloring outside the lines"/making something original as the line between craft and art. If so, it's OK to "just" be a crafter, right? I'm telling myself that, anyway. I figure that it's still valuable for learning, and when I've gained enough of experience, my own ideas will come naturally I'll have the skills to make them reality. So yeah. When I started quilting, I had aspirations to do grand, improvisational things, but quickly found myself overwhelmed, paralyzed by options, and lacking the solid basic construction skills and/or courage to carry anything out. I bet that some people with the same level of experience have aspirations to do grand improvisational things, then go forth and do them. But for someone like me, the DS Quilts book, with its improvisational quilts distilled down to patterns, is perfect. By mimicking, I am learning things that I will be able to take into my own original patterns. Sure, I am ending up with what, as Liesl says, "a quirky, off-center quilt block which will match everyone else's quirky, off-center quilt blocks," but I love the original quirky, off center block so much that I wanted it for myself. Besides, I don't know anyone in my real life who is doing this kind of work, so I do think I am making something rare and great. In sum: sure there is a disconnect between patterns and the DS style, but having patterns provides a path that some of us need to take to get to a higher level of artistry. As for the fabrics: I guess I did expect a more eclectic line as well. Then again, read Jane's first paragraph. I sometimes wonder if the craftblog world gives us an inflated idea of the demand there is for the Denyse Schmidt/Heather Ross/vintage-retro-modern aesthetic. What do you think? posted by in Fabric , Patterns , Quilting , Sewing , Shops :: Comments (20) :: link :: March 13, 2006 Solomon Swap!
Look at the bounty of goodness that Lisa has sent. I'm in love. Thanks so much Ms. Solomon!
posted by in Mail :: Comments (6) :: link :: March 11, 2006 Fabric Friday: Japanese Imports
posted by in Fabric Friday :: Comments (1) :: link :: March 3, 2006 Fabric Friday: Field Study Glimmer
The new Denyse Schmidt line from FreeSpirit is getting all the (well-deserved) hype, but when you go over to the FreeSpirit site to drool at it, don't overlook their other new line, Field Study Glimmer by Kristine Baerlin. It's kind of Kaffe Fassett meets William Morris, and it's very, very pretty. I'm not usually into the muted colorways, but this is nice.
posted by in Fabric Friday :: Comments (5) :: link :: March 1, 2006 iPod Cozies
iPod cozies/skins/cases are stupidly expensive. I refuse to drop $30+ on an industrial strength case, and I have some lovely scratches on the screen to prove it. Naturally I have tried to make my own. The one above is a top-loader. Not ideal, because you have to slide the iPod out to see the screen and get to the controls. If you listen to your iPod while driving, you have to minimize the fuss for safety's sake. However, it affords the most screen protection. Below is a solution I hit upon by accident -- I was over my cold, was out of tissues in my tissue cozy, and couldn't find the top-loader. Ta-da, tissue holder/iPod cozy.
Just pull the sides apart for quick access.
Again, not the perfect solution, but not bad in a pinch. You can even attach the earbuds (uhg - hate that word) with it still in the case. The screen is a little more vulnerable to scratches this way, especially if you let the thing roll around in your purse or man-bag, but you have faster access to the controls. I used Bella Dia's travel tissue holder tutorial but used measurements to fit Kleenex and Target generic brand travel tissue packs (they are nearly the same size) rather than Puffs, on which her tutorial is based. My iPod is, I'm pretty sure, the 4th generation full-size deal. I need to make an Ideal Homemade iPod Cozy, one with a transparent screen protector and openings for all the controls. If you have seen something handmade that meets all those criteria, please let me know -- it seems like everything I've run across online is some variation of the top-loader, or leaves the screen completely bare. posted by in Finished Projects :: Comments (16) :: link
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