Three posts in three days! What’s up with that? I just get chatty sometimes, I guess.

I have so many projects to finish that I did the only logical thing I could. Started another one, of course! I had to see how my sewing stool would work for containing a Television Watching Project (TWP), and nothing in the current to-do pile really fit the bill. I like to have some sort of hand-sewing for sitting in front of the TV, so I don’t feel like I’m totally wasting my time. I’ve had this quilt pattern for awhile, and even have the background blocks all cut out, ready to go. I’ve never done needle-turned appliqué before, so it’s slow going, and, as you will see, I need to work on my technique a little more, but I really like doing it. I need to get a few more fabrics for some of the other blocks, but I had everything I needed for the first one.

The pattern is Robyn Pandolph’s Botanika, and I think it’s usually done as a block of the month quilt. Maybe I’ll try to make it that way too. I should be able to finish this block by the end of the month, although some of the others look a little more involved and might take longer. I really like the primitive style of it, but I’m doing it in fresher, brighter colors.

I’m using freezer paper, which works pretty well, but it doesn’t stick as long as I would like. Especially on larger pieces, like the vase. I only made it about 2/3 of the way around before it was peeling up. I just took it off to do the sections within the handles. Any suggestions for making it stick better? Did I iron it too much? Or not enough? Can I re-iron in halfway through?

Oh, and everything fits quite nicely in my little stool, so I’m pretty happy with my $20 purchase.

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UPDATE: Hi Whip up visitors! If you haven’t been here before, there are a couple more posts about the t-shirt, here and here. Enjoy!

Okay, here it is, and there’s lots of pictures, so I hope it doesn’t take too long to load.

First, get a couple t-shirts, a needle and matching thread. I like the look of using the same color t-shirts, but it might be interesting to try a different color too. Cut out a heart shaped pattern piece, about 3 inches wide, by about 3 1/2 inches long.

Cut the t-shirt you’re using for the flower pieces apart-back, front and sleeves. I used the whole front piece for my t-shirt, so if you wanted to make two shirts, you would only need three total.

Pin the paper pattern to the cut up t-shirt.

And cut it out:

You’ll need six hearts for each flower, plus a few extra to scatter around like leaves.

Now, thread a needle, tie a knot in one end, and sew a running stitch down the middle of the heart, ending on the same side as the knot:

Pull up the stitches so that the heart is lightly gathered. It might make it easier to handle if you tie off the thread at this point, but don’t cut it off. Place it on the t-shirt, and follow the gathering stitches, sew it in place, tie off and cut your thread:

As you add petals, lift up the adjacent petal so they overlap a little. Keep in mind that you’ll be sewing six hearts in the a circle, like a pie, so space them accordingly.

Keep adding heart-petals until you like the result, or you get tired of cutting and sewing them.

Hold up your t-shirt, and where ever a petal droops down, tack it up with a tiny little stitch.

Now put it on and wear it proudly, and be ready for lots of compliments!

Thanks to my sister for doing all the hard work while I just snapped pictures.

Oh, and several people asked how it would stand up to washing. I washed mine in the hand wash cycle on my machine and hung it up to dry. The flowers were all bunched up, so I tried smoothing them out with my fingers. That didn’t really work. When it was just barely damp I threw it in the dryer for few minutes. Still scrunched. So I laid it flat on my ironing board, and just pumped each petal full of steam from my iron and smoothed them out, and it looks great. The edges have a tiny bit of fraying, more from wearing than washing, I think. It gives them a nice, soft look that I, personally, like. It also hides any jagged cuts. That t-shirt fabric is a little tricky to cut smoothly, but just cut steadily, and you’ll be fine.

Please let me know if anything is unclear! And I’d love to see finished shirts if anyone else makes one!

PS: Off topic, my brother has been posting a photo a day for the last week or so, you should go look and see how lovely his photographs are. There might also be a picture of moi over there. I’m just saying. We are thinking of inviting him to be an honorary member of Photoshop Sisters, since we need to start posting there again sometime soon, and he’s pretty smart about that photography stuff.

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Show of hands, who else watches Clean House? Is it just me, or does that show make you feel just a little bit better about your housekeeping abilities? Actually, the first time I watched it, the hosts all kind of bugged me, but now I just really like them and their goofy jokes make me laugh, and I love it when Niecy gives the homeowners a well deserved smackdown when they won’t get rid of their stuff.

If you are a fan, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a sign for a Clean House yard sale in a nearby town this past Saturday. I had to run errands on Saturday anyway, so I decided to check it out. I didn’t really plan on buying anything, but as soon as I walked up to the driveway, this little footstool caught my eye. There was a piece of tape on it that said "Antique", but no price. I only had $20 on me, so I wasn’t sure if i had a shot, but I had to try. Aren’t the legs cute? The cushion is faded and grungy looking, but otherwise in good shape.

I picked it up, and heard a rattling sound. I discovered that the top
lifted off, and the inside was filled with some lovely treasures:


Look at all those scissors! The big ones are pinking shears. I love the small, black embroidery scissors. Now I just have to figure out how to clean them up a little. I think I will take them to the knife sharpener and see what his opinion is.

Anyway, back to the yard sale, I was quickly accosted by Trish, who is so stinking cute, and a camera man. She said the footstool belonged to the homeowners’ mother and they were asking  $30. It  didn’t take much convincing for her to agree to $20. I even showed her that it was all that was left in my wallet. She said my wallet was very organized, which was quite a compliment, considering the source, and also that is was very cute and fierce. I’m not sure if I want them to include the footage of me. I’ll look like a gigantic Amazon next to Trish, and I’m not sure what all I said, but it’s likely that I sounded a bit flustered and foolish. Oh well, it was fun, and although I didn’t see Niecy, the others all looked like they were working really hard.

As exciting as my television debut was, I’m really happy with my lucky find. I’ve recovered the cushion with plain, natural linen. Eventually I’d like to do some crewel embroidery on linen to cover it, but I wanted to at least make it look a little more presentable in the meantime. I’ve also painted the wood with a coat of primer and a coat of glossy yellow. I think it’s going to need a little sanding and a second coat, but you can be sure I’ll take a picture when I’m done. I’d also like to line the inside somehow. with fabric or paper, I’m not sure which. 

I’ve also got pictures to share and a tutorial in the works for the t-shirt project, and I just caught up on the last two episodes of Project Runway, so maybe we can have another PR discussion too.Whew! So much to do!

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Does this happen to you? You get an idea, and you can’t stop thinking about it, and you just have to try it out right then? That happened last weekend, when I was thinking about some vintage mother-of-pearl buckles I’ve been hoarding, and how pretty they are, and how I’m not quite ready for skinny belts just yet, but would like to wear one of those buckles anyway. So I dug around in my drawer of vintage lace and scraps and pulled out this bit of embroidered silk, and made a belt for my wrist.

Here’s a better view of some of the embroidery:

I stitched the silk to some linen and attached one end to the buckle, wrapped it around my wrist and slipped the other end through the buckle,tightened it up, and wore it! I think it’s kind of fun, and quite pretty.

Later today my sister and I are going to make a t-shirt, so come back soon for a step-by-step photo tutorial of the flower-y t-shirt!

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Recently, I was feeling a little vain and brave, so I added this photo to my flickr stream:


Hi, it’s me :o)
Then, this week I got tired of all that hair every time I went swimming, and did this:


Ahh, much better. I’ll miss the long hair, but it grows fast, and this is so much nicer for the summer.

I also added more to my t-shirt and wore it yesterday:


So that’s a lot of pictures of me. Sorry about that :o)

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I ripped this picture out of an Anthropologie catalog awhile back, and remembered it while on a recent trip to Old Navy:


Cute, right? The price? $98. It’s a t-shirt people. Who pays $98 for a t-shirt? Not me, but I really do like this t-shirt. So, back at Old Navy; they have lots of t-shirts for just $10 each, and they’re a lovely soft cotton knit. I bought two stone colored t-shirts, and cut one up and stitched the little heart shaped pieces to the other. I’m not sure if I’m done yet, but I think it’s looking pretty good.


I’m a bit on the busty side, so I may not want to add more. We’ll see.

I also got an unexpected package in the mail this weekend. It’s the second book which includes a pattern by moi:


I love those pomegranates on the cover. My creation didn’t make the front cover this time, but it did show up on the back, which was a nice surprise.


And here’s a look inside:


It’s a lovely book, although more for inspiration than actually making any of the projects exactly as they appear, I think. I love the flower magnets (also on the back cover), and think they would be a fun little project. It also makes me want to make another mini-quilt. They’re just so much fun.

Speaking of books, I’ve been doing a little reading lately. I was just browsing at the library and happened upon The Friday Night Knitting Club. New York Times Bestseller! the cover proudly proclaimed. And it’s about knitting, so I’m sure I would like it, right? Wrong. Very, very wrong. I don’t think I got past the third chapter. It was so poorly written, I kept wondering why the author didn’t have an editor. She couldn’t have with all the awkward sentences. Most knitters that I know are also pretty smart people, bad writing isn’t going to get past them. The characters were all such cliche’s, I just couldn’t take it. And then the main character gets all pissy because the father of her daughter comes back into her life, and she doesn’t want him to have anything to do with them. I get that the guy cheated on her and dumped her, and that was a really jerk-y move, but now he does want to be a part of his daughter’s life and she’s so selfish that she’s going to deny her daughter that opportunity out of spite? He’s not abusive, he paid child support, there’s no reason for her daughter not to get to know her father. Better late than never. I hate it when chick-lit books have to be all "girl-power" and we don’t need no stinkin’ men to be happy. Blah blah blah. Why belittle men to give a woman a sense of self-worth. Maybe it all turned out different in the end, but I can’t be bothered. And that’s what I thought of that :o)   

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