at the movies

I'm stuck inside today because of the snow (and if you're expecting a package from me I hope to make it to the post office tomorrow). It's a good day for curling up with warm drinks, fuzzy throws, and sleepy cats. And movie watching. I'm not a big fan of TV and watch only a few shows regularly, but movies are a different story.

I joined Netflix a couple of months ago and I’m still in that orgy of movie watching that probably everyone goes through at first, trying to see how many movies you can squeeze in a months’ time. I love that you have a queue of movies that you can switch around as the mood strikes you, so you always get what you really want to be watching next. And I’m thrilled that they have so many of the small and quirky independent films I love.

I’ve been revisiting some old favorites. Like a very young James Spader in sex, lies, and videotape, the movie that started the whole indie film genre. And Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career, which also features a very young Sam O’Neil, who I forgot was in this movie. I love anything directed by Gillian Armstrong (be sure to see Oscar and Lucinda, one of Cate Blanchett's first films). I love director Peter Weir's films, too, so maybe it's an Australian thing.

I do like British television, though, and right now I’m just starting the second season of the BBC series, The House of Eliott. It's about two fashion-designer sisters—Beatrice (Stella Gonet) and Evie (Louise Lombard) in 1920s London and details their adventures and mishaps as they start their business. Great characters (shady relatives, included), several minor stories woven through the main one, lots of interesting commentary about women's place in society at the time, and gorgeous costumes. What more could you ask for?



After that it's a documentary about Joni Mitchell, and then, who knows? I can't imagine ever running out of movies I want to see.

OK, so maybe I didn't look hard enough

Lots of cool patterns out there after all. Thanks for the suggestions.

Suggested by Milehimama:

Simplicity #3918 and #3956

Found on Simplicity's website while looking for the two above:

Simplicity #4176 and #3887


Simplicity #3837

And these are the patterns I bought last week at Hancock Fabrics 99 cent (!) pattern sale:

clothes envy

I've been coveting some of the new spring tops at Anthropologie, but knowing that I won't pay $88 for them. I love how they're combining different prints and using button accents—kind of like what I do with my pillows. But really, how hard would it be to make tops like these? And for a fraction of the cost.



And I wonder if people sew their own clothing anymore. I used to when I was a poor college student and needed to supplement my usual wardrobe of my father's army pants, denim overalls with undershirts that I dyed cool colors underneath, and various army/navy/thrift store stuff. Think Annie Hall meets art student. I used to make simple long skirts a lot and even made a dress once. It's been a while but I can do this.

I just wish I knew where to find cool patterns. I found a few Butterick/McCall's/Vogue patterns that can be adapted to what I want, I think. And I certainly have plenty of fabric options already. If anyone has sources for cool patterns, do tell. And, if any of my projects turn out well I'll post pictures.

Stitch School: New beginnings; happy endings

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Beginnings and Endings post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

scrap quilts

I mentioned in my post about clothing and linen history how women recycled worn and outgrown clothing into patches for quilting. When you didn’t have much money and fabric was scarce or too expensive to buy new, you improvised with materials you already had. I’ve always saved fabric and scraps from clothing that I loved enough to wear out. And I suspect most of us who sew and make things have a hard time throwing out materials (however small) that might be used for another creation.

This is a section of a quilt that I started about 20 years ago when I was in college. There are pieces from dresses and blouses as well as scraps from my mothers and grandmothers sewing baskets. That parrot print is my all-time favorite fabric and I wish I had more than a few squares left.



This pattern is called Trip Around the World or Grandmothers Dream and it’s great for using up tiny scraps. It falls into the genre of charm or postage stamp quilts, which are composed of random squares—some as small as one inch. They can be random or form a pattern like this one that repeats in rings around a central square. If you alternate dark and light rows of fabric it's called Sunshine and Shadow.



I really should finish this quilt one of these days. And get involved in quiltmaking again. More as a personal endeavor than a business one. Quilts take so long to make that I wonder if it's even possible to make a profit selling them. Still, the scraps do tend to pile up and quilts are a great way to use them up!

I'm fascinated by the history of quilts and will probably be talking more about quilts in future posts. I feel like I'm getting sort of one-dimensional with all the embroidery talk, and I do have other interests :)

Studio Friday: FRAGILE

What is the most fragile in your studio? What makes it so fragile? What would you do without it and where do you keep it so it is safe and won't break?



Hmmm, not sure I keep anything really fragile (like glass or china) in my studio. I'd surely break it if I did. But I do have a shelf higher up on a wall where I keep some glass jars with buttons. And I store my vintage handkerchiefs in their own box up on another shelf. Some of them are fragile because of their age, but I do it more to keep track of them—anything small can easily get lost in the shuffle. I keep boxes for buttons, trims, embroidery thread, and patterns, too!

More Studio Friday here.

sewing pins and buttons, oh my!

You know how I have a thing for buttons. Well, look at these colorful and fun bracelets and necklaces made from buttons that I discovered recently.

Jewelry artist Anna Kukuchek graduated from RISD last year along with my friend Pam’s son Keith. I used to work with Pam and helped Keith put together a portfolio last year so we keep in touch sporadically. He emailed me recently to tell me how his new job in Arizona is going and mentioned Anna’s work and that I should check out her Etsy shop. So, I did.

I have a thing for pearls, too, and it's hard to pass up pearl cluster bracelets (or necklaces or earrings for that matter). But I really love what Anna is doing with buttons and sewing pins. Like this bracelet made from sterling silver chain, headpins, and buttons in shades of green—


Button Bracelet, $55, available in other colors, too

And necklaces like this—


Button Necklace, $115

And aren’t these rings made from sewing pins fantastic? Not only do they look really cool (like tiny planets) but the pins move so you can play with them, too.


Kinetic Pin Ring, $35

Anna says she’s fascinated by mathematics, geometry, nature, and color—and that's definitely evident in her work. And she loves to use alternative materials in creating her unique handmade pieces. Sewing pins, anyone?

For now you can find her jewelry in her Etsy shop and at Stars + Infinite Darkness. She’s working on a website (www.annakatejewelry.com), too.

my wild Irish rose...

Well, maybe not Irish but it made a nice title, and it's so hard to come up with catchy titles :)

Here's the wild rose stamped-for-embroidery project I've been working on for the past couple of weeks. I got off to a quick start but got busy and it took a while to finish.





I saved the French knots for last, of course, but I'm getting better at doing them. You know what they say about practice.



If you'll remember I matched the embroidery floss colors to the fabric I'd be using later to complete the pillow I'd planned. Well, when I got everything laid out on my work table, it seemed a bit boring. Still pretty but lacking somehow. So I added another fabric—a yellow with green polkadots that matched the color I used for the leaves—to punch it up.



When it came to buttons, I'd planned to use one in each of the four corners and had three alternatives picked out. In the end they all looked too small. So I went with two much larger ones and placed them to fill the empty space at the top right of the embroidery. And I stacked some smaller yellow buttons on top.



So, if you were thinking I'm fanatical about sticking to the plan, you were wrong. Sometimes things don't work out the way you planned them and you need to be flexible enough to change things around. Besides, who says a girl can't change her mind?

Stitch School: Four-Legged Knot

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Four-Legged Knot Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

busy week

It's raining today and I'm hoping that it will help some of the snow to melt away. It's kind of gloomy though, so a good day to stay indoors.

I've had a really busy week, which is one reason I haven't updated since Monday. I had no sales from my web site last week and four this week—in two days, too. So, there was the whole invoicing, packaging, and trips to the post office thing. Then restocking the categories with more items. I've added a few new pillows, some vintage buttons (pretty 1940s ones that I bought from an estate), and a bunch of trims, mostly vintage rick rack. More crochet and lace trims to come and vintage fabrics that need to be scanned first.

I finished the wild rose embroidery I talked about a few weeks ago and have all my materials out on my work table to make the finished pillow. That may be a good project for today. And I'll post photos next week.

I did a lot of Ebaying this week and won some super cute embroidery projects—kitchen towels with poodles and two baby bibs—one with a bunny already done and the other with cats jumproping. Can't wait to see them! I have baby things on my mind these days as I'm in talks with someone about selling baby things on her site. More details soon if it comes to pass.

My copy of The Crafter Culture Handbook finally arrived and I'm very impressed with how nicely designed the book is and with all the cool projects. I'm loving the Vintage Button Jewelry by Linda Perlmann of Adorn magazine. And Heidi Kenney (My Paper Crane)'s super cute Cupcake Pot Holder. Lots of great stuff!

Another cup of coffee and I'll be ready to start my day. I missed Studio Friday last week but will try to get this week's done later today.

embroidery how-to books

My back is out today (yes, it snowed again and my poor body just can't take much more) so I'm going to answer a question instead of doing a new stitch this week. A reader emailed a few days ago to ask if I could recommend some embroidery books. I get the information for my posts from several different sources and take pictures as I go along, so I'm not really referencing a particular book. The books I do have are fairly old anyway and you might not be able to find them. But I did a quick search on Amazon to see what's out there. I used the search words "embroidery how-to" and got almost 300 hits, most of which weren't quite what I had in mind (although it's good to know that embroidery is so popular!). Here are a couple that sounded interesting (clicking on the links will take you to Amazon)—

Reader's Digest Complete Book of Embroidery.
Here are more than 100 embroidery stitches to learn, all with step-by-step directions, grouped in stitch families. Includes 20 projects, a special techniques section covering crewelwork, beads, monograms and more, plus over 75 design motifs.

Embroidery Stitches: Over 400 Contemporary and Traditional Stitch Patterns by Mary Webb.
The most exhaustive reference guide to embroidery stitches ever published. In a small format for easy portability, this book contains detailed information on more than 400 embroidery stitches. From the basic to the more intricate and from traditional to contemporary, each stitch is demonstrated through clear, colorful illustrations and detailed, easy-to-follow instructions. Stitches are grouped according to type, making it easy to locate a specific stitch, and presented in order of difficulty, from beginner to advanced.

The Embroidery Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden.
More than 200 stitches are photographed and accompanied by easy to follow charts in this essential reference for embroiderers. From basic cross stitch and chain stitch to more complicated couching, laid work, and drawn thread work, this is the stitch bible for embroiderers wishing to improve their technique and add new dimensions to their work. Stitches are arranged according to their use, including outlines, filling stitches, isolated stitches, motifs, edgings, hems, insertions, flat stitches, backgrounds, and textures. Concealed spiral binding allows embroiderers to read and practice simultaneously.

Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches by Mary Thomas
Mary Thomas' Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches was first published in 1934; regarded as a standard, this book has long been a favorite of novice and experienced embroiderers alike. Later updated by Jan Eaton, it pictures and describes over 400 stitches; arranged by usage, they range from basic outline and border stitches to more complex detached-filling and pulled-fabric stitches. More than 100 color photos show the stitches worked in sampler form, while individual diagrams, color-linked to the photos, illustrate the working method for each stitch. An outstanding reference book that will enable all needleworkers to master the art of embroidery.

While I can't personally recommend these books because I haven't seen them, all sound like good overall reference books for stitches. I'm definitely going to check them out myself. But I'll look at the library first. Once I've determined whether they're "keepers" or not, then I'll buy them for my library.

Reading patterns

Carrie-Lee asked "I was wondering with some of the free printable embroidery designs, there doesn't seem to be much detail. Just straight lines outlining the little girl, little boy, etc and I am wondering what stitch do you use with those?"

I talked about this a little here, but I hadn't covered many embroidery stitches at that point and I didn't want to confuse anyone. Now that we've advanced past the basics, I can expand on that post a bit.

When you have patterns separate from their original packaging (like most of the ones you'll find online) it's sometimes hard to figure out what stitches were intended to be used. That's good and bad depending on how you view it. If you're new to embroidery you probably want more direction; if you're more experienced you may see it as an opportunity to try something new.

Since you mentioned a little girl in your question, let's use that as an example. The simple answer is to use outline/stem stitch to follow the drawn lines. Use appropriate colors for her different parts—skin tones, hair, etc. But, if you want to get more creative, here are some ideas:

• Choose a print fabric, cut out the shape of her dress, and applique it in place. And then add embroidered details. This is a vintage bib I bought last year that I need to finish. Whoever started it used the same fabric for the binding and ties of the bib.



• Use a filling stitch and completely cover the shape of the dress. While it's difficult to cover a large area without distorting the fabric, cross stitches (like in the bonnet) work well, especially if you leave some open spaces. Filling stitches work best in small areas—like her hair. Try one of the braided stitches or French knots packed closely together, like this—



• Work a series of stitches over the blank area in the dress to simulate a pattern—like French knots for polkadots or small lazy-daisy flowers or tiny cross stitches. You see this a lot on the hoop skirts of Southern Belles.



If you're just learning to embroider, work with the basic stitches until you've mastered them. Then, don't be afraid to experiment. Often, when I do a Stitch School post, I'm learning a new stitch along with you. As I do them I can picture interesting uses for them. Where I may have used outline stitch for a basket before, now I'd probably try the woven filling stitch I showed you a few weeks ago.

Stitch School: Raised Fishbone

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Raised Fishbone Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

new sachets

Wow, I've had almost 200 signups on my website for the Happily Handmade Giveaway, many of them through this blog. So, thank you! If you need a bit more incentive to sign up (and the contest is open until March 31), here's a photo of the five sachets I've donated for the gift baskets:



A couple of them may be familar if you saw my Inspired by Handkerchiefs post where they were still in construction. Yesterday, I added a page for these new vintage handkerchief sachets on my website so they're finally available.


One positive thing about working with handkerchiefs is that many of them have four usable corners, and I can make four sachets in the same design. As you know, most of my work is one-of-a-kind, so this is a new development for me. I actually don't like to repeat designs, but four of something isn't really enough for the boredom factor to kick in. And I've found I'm more productive if I can make things in a production line fashion. Kind of funny, though, if you could see my very low-tech studio :)

This flurry of creative activity has just about depleted my stash of hankies so you know what's moved to the top of my vintage-things-to-look-for list. I'm looking forward to all of this recent snow melting so I can get back out there and do some much-needed treasure hunting.

Studio Friday: Drawing a blank!

It's one of the most feared events in the life of an artist. Sometimes it can take a long time to overcome this sudden stop of the creative juices. What do you do? How do you act and react? How do you get back to splashing around in all colours? Do you fight it or work with it?

My head is so full of ideas that this rarely happens to me. But, when I'm feeling blocked, I pull out my idea notebooks or go through my piles of fabrics and linens, and I can usually find something to inspire me and pull me back in.

If that still doesn't work, then I don't fight it. Sometimes we just need a break from our everyday routine. I like to walk in the woods behind my house, usually with my camera in hand as it forces me to really look at my surroundings. Sometimes I'll do a short roadtrip to a local antique mall or junk store to hunt for materials to inspire me. For me, the blocks don't last very long and I've stopped getting stressed about them.

When you have your own business there are so many things that need to be done that aren't creative so, on days when I'm not feeling very inspired, I'll work on mundane tasks. Like ironing, or photographing products, or updating my books for taxes. I get impatient with these kinds of tasks when I am inspired, so it's the perfect thing when I'm not. Or maybe it's that they're so boring :)

Read more Studio Friday posts here. And happy second birthday, Studio Friday!

white out

This is what 15 inches of snow looks like. Our first real storm this winter, and all within a 24 hour period! I had the snowblower out twice yesterday because I figured I'd have more trouble the deeper the snow got. To the right in the picture is the corner of the screened porch and the snow is almost up to the part where the screen starts. Yikes! The pictures are from this morning and you can see more of them on my Flickr page.

By last night I was exhausted and freezing cold—you know that feeling that you just can't get warm. I curled up on the couch near the woodstove, with a blanket and my two cats curled up near my feet. Very cozy. And I finished one book—Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman (love her stuff) and started another—The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther (a first novel for her). Good thing I got to the library this week!

Stitch School: Fishbone

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Fishbone Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

Studio Friday: The perfect art book

"As I was talking about books so much lately... if there was the ideal book for you as an artist on studios and life as an artist what would be the absolute most important thing in your eyes for it to have in it? What kinds of topics, elements, images would you love to have in it? A few words from your favourite artist as well? What would inspire you, what would support you, give you courage? Would you like it to be a big book with tons of pages or a small book?"

Reading over the question again this morning, I think I missed the part about the book being about studios and life as an artist. I got stuck at the title. So I didn't really answer the question properly. But I'm already late and I'm sticking to my original plan :)

An art book should have beautiful photographs or drawings, of course. We expect to see the art itself. But what really interests me is seeing into the artists world and reading about their process. How does their personal environment inspire their work? How do they get from here (thought) to there (finished piece)? It should feel personal and conversational, like blog posts often do.

I have a couple of books like this that I return to again and again. One is called The Undercliff: A Naturalist's Sketchbook of the Devon to Dorset Coast by Elaine Franks and it's designed to look like pages from a sketchbook. Interspersed among the drawings are little hand-lettered paragraphs with stories and observations about the subjects she's drawn. It feels like a diary—very personal and as if you're peeking over her shoulder. I could spend hours admiring the detail she captures in each drawing.


Common Blue Butterfly, © Elaine Franks

Another book I love is Patchwork Folk Art by Janet Bolton, who creates fabric collages that are beautiful in their simplicity. In it she talks about how she begins with simple sketches (beautiful, too), then moves on to choosing shapes, fabrics and details, and finally to how she presents the final piece.


The Small Bird,© Janet Bolton

I buy a lot of art and craft books (probably too many) and I'm often disappointed. They have nice pictures but nothing that makes me want to return to them again and again. So, the perfect art book, to me, should have substance and depth along with pretty pictures. That's not a bad thing in people either :)

Read more Studio Friday posts here.

an old favorite

There are times, mostly during the winter, that I don't make it to the library. I intended to go inside last week when I dropped off my books, but the police had the street blocked off (?) and I drove around on a fruitless search for a parking space. I gave up looking, slipped my books into the drive-up book drop, and went on my way.


But, that left me with nothing new to read. So, I revisited an old favorite from my bookshelves—The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I'd read this a long time ago and picked up this newly-illustrated version at a book sale a couple of years ago.

It's been on my mind to reread this since my friend Camilla posted a picture of one of those weird English animals that we don't seem to have here in the states. When I asked what it was she said it was the same creature that Mr. Rat was based on—a water rat. Perhaps we do have them here but I've never seen one. This week she posted a picture of a toad (just like Mr. Toad!) on her new gardening blog.

Anyway, great book and worth a visit if you've never read it or can't remember when you did. I love the black and white cross-hatchy illustrations done by Patrick Benson in this version. He also did the art for the sequel The Willows in Winter by William Horwood, which I have not read and will add to my running list of books to look for. Yes, I have one of those and regularly carry it with me to the library!

Stitch School: Roumanian

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Roumanian Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.