Little Love Muffin

Kitten helps me with all my tough jobs... like getting all the ribbon together for our projects!

Needlepoint is for Grandma... or a 28 Year Old Crafter!

So as I mentioned before, I have been Canadian smocking like it was my job... well smocking and also doing some needlepoint. Yes, needlepoint but not like granny needlepoint... Prim and Propah needlepoint.

Man friend and I went to a used bookstore on Saturday to toddle around and I found some great old sewing books and a needlpoint book from the 70's. Since I do find some inspiration in vintage feeling things, I thought it was only fitting to try out some of the patterns that most definitely felt dated and put my spin on 'em. I worked on a "P" for the greater part of my Saturday evening... and before you think I am a loser for being in on a Saturday night, we had spent the entire day out and about, it was friggin' hot and we were tired. Ratatoulle, ice cream and needlepoint seemed like a perfect night in.

I am pretty excited to take some more old fashioned techniques and try them out, see if they fit into what I am cookin' up. I am pretty sure they haven't changed all that much but it's still cool to see things styled a little differently. Mmmmhmmmm. 

Pop N' Locking Smocking!

So I have been raving to anyone who will listen about ma smockin'! Love it.... This tutorial definitely was super easy to follow and made me love Patchwork Underground.

I only needed a couple of things to get going: Fabric that isn't too stiff, matching thread, a needle, ruler, and some tailor's chalk. Voila!

IN PROGRESS:

Finished Product! I am so proud!!

So many more things to teach myself and to learn from others but I am pretty durn excited let me tell you!!

Canadian Smocking

I totally need to try this... People have raved about this tutorial. I have some perfect white gauze like fabric to play with tonight although... my tailor's chalk is white...Hmmmmm

Struggling for Creativity Time...

Man friend and I slept through our alarms this morning. I thought I heard a vibration at 6:45am and said something to him along the lines of "do you hear something vibrating?" to which I received no response and went back to sleep. That, of course, was our alarm. We woke up, bright and chipper at 8:06 am Ha! I rushed to get ready (and still look darn good I think) but right now, I can feel how tired my body is. It could be partially to the Kayem cookout they had here at work where I took my fair share but I am also feeling a little Blah from the work and blah from the sleep or lack thereof.
The trouble I am encountering these days is that I am not as young as I used to be. I used to get my motivation around 9pm and be up until the wee hours of the morning working on a painting or some craft I just had to finish. I would get up when I needed to and be fine the whole day. I might have crashed when I got home but I always made it through the day. Not the case anymore. I get freakin' tired!

I do most of my work on my "hobby" after my 9-5 job as a project manager. It's a good job. It pays well. I am able to work on my hobby because I make enough to pay for supplies to an extent.... but I am left unfulfilled, everyday. I am bored with the lack of creativity that I have in my 9-5 job. I do what I do and I do it well but it doesn't make me happy. I don't hate it but like a tire with a slow leak, I think I am losing a bit of my soul everyday that I come to work and feel unfullfilled. I know, I know... a little dramatic but it's kind of how I feel.

I am struggling to find my creative voice and fine tune it. If only I had more time, or more sleep, or a funner job, or more time in the day, or a bigger alarm clock. If only.

Less than $20 Worth of Materials... Mega Value!

Well man friend and I have too much "stuff"... tons of clothes, tons of games, tons of movies, tons on "junk" so I am always thinking about what I can give to charity, which would benefit us two fold... we could be getting rid of some of the crap we don't use but also giving to a local and worthy charity. Wellp on my most recent escapade to drop our donations off, I decided to peruse around to see if there was any cool old shirts or dresses or curtains that I could repurpose into something quirky and cool; something "me". I have been reading Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials and was pretty motivated to try and create not only on a budget but Eco-Friendly as well. Why go out and buy new when I can re-use something that has a history that I can perhaps extend?

Once in my local Salvation Army, I made a beeline to the curtains/drapery/sheets area to see what kind of deals I could get there. Admittedly, I was rather surprised at how much they wanted for a used bed sheet but did manage to find a queen sizes flat sheet (as good as multiple yardage $4.99) with an interesting white and taupe design, some really RAD curtains with a very 70's feel but not totally outdated (two panels for $5.99) and oddly enough actual fabric (cute nursery rhyme toile about 6 yards for $4.99). They also had random bins of odds and ends that I picked through and found multiple zippers at .29 a pop, some girls tights. I don't know what I'll do with them but I grabbed them at .50 a pair and thought they may be useful in the future. Grabbed some twine for my when I use my dye and was on my way. I could not believe how much I snagged for less than $20.00. I ran home to pop my finds in the washing machine so I could start using them!

I have already toiled away on a newest creation, using some of the nursery rhyme fabric. While watching some TV with my man and his parents, I crafted a simple apron for around the kitchen. I know, how very domesticated of me ;). I can't wait to use the rest of my stuff when the need/time/inspiration arises. I might not discount a "previously loved" item because who knows what "new for me to love" item could come from it?

Fabric I am EXCITED About!!!!

Have the need for some pretty unique fabrics that you won't find just anywhere? Then you should take a gander at my new favorite fabric shop online, Pink Chalk Fabrics out of Washington State. They tout fabrics for the modern sewing enthusiast and I would have to agree.

Check out the 9 fabrics that just HAD to be a part of my life.

Patterns and such that are inspiring me...

Since I haven't really been around to get some creative stuff done, I took my time away as a chance to be inspired by simple things around me. While we were staying at BF's parents' house, I took some pictures of the prints on future mother in law's furniture. They aren't really prints you see every day and I thought they were cool...

One is her vintage couch and the other is a chair set that has been in the family for decades, literally. I found the color combos to be quite neato, yes?

 After walking around the property a bit, I found a couple interesting patterns and wild flowers that made me smile. You don't know what will inspire you and on what day but someday I thinky that I looky at these and be like "Whoa, I gotta do something that reminds me of that!" Like if you look closely at the greenery, it almost looks like it's made up of hundreds of tiny little circular parts which is fascinating to me.

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted... Vacation Try to Get Away

Oh by the way, man friend's mother (or perhaps my future mother in law) has set up two sewing machines in her work room so that we can get our crafting on when I visit this Holiday weekend. Me thinks that a woman with 30+ years of sewing experience can give me some helpful hints, yes?