New WIP

Sometimes, I just need to start something new. Something I've never done before. Even when I have many other projects pending.

Today I was thrilled to see Feeling Stitchy do a post on Swedish Weaving/Huck Embroidery. I had been exposed to this craft when I was in Rollag this summer. I fell in love with the look and was shown the process by a very kind older woman. Once I got back to town, I headed over to my local needle shop to pick up a kit. I had placed the kit in a stack of projects to be completed, but after seeing the reminder online, I decided to pull it out and start it.

I am already hooked on it. As I was doing the zig zag rows I kept thinking of other designs I could make using this technique. For me, patterns and directions are great when I'm beginning, but once I have it down, I like to make up my own thing. And this is so easy to do even though it looks complicated. I like that it's easy to throw in my bag to take with me as well so I can work on it when I have a spare moment. I could even be done with it before the weekend is up.

Just Being True to My Blog Name

Just a warning, this is me rambling on a bit about technology and social media. No photos to share with it. I don't feel it necessary to throw in a random picture not related to what I'm talking about.

I've been making some design changes here over the past few days. Finally, I conquered making a graphic with text using Microsoft Office. PowerPoint, to be exact. I don't own any sophisticated software for graphics (and honestly find it dull to sit in front of a computer tweaking little things), nor do I edit my photos at all. Seriously. Maybe some people can tell they are untouched and I certainly can tell when a photo has been put through Photoshop. I do my best to take a great photograph from the start. I take photography very seriously, so much that I do study the light and do not shoot if I know the images are going to be too contrasty. Photography, after all, is the science of light and knowing how light works through a camera will make taking a photograph a more pleasant experience. Maybe that's just me though. Anyone else skip the editing in favor of taking a quality shot in the first place?

Another thing I've been thinking a lot about lately is the use of social media and how it relates to the way I want my life to be. I love having a blog where I can share parts of my life with whomever wants to read it and also interact with like-mined individuals. One of my goals with this blog is to meet new people who do the same activities as me. I am bad at commenting back on other people's posts and am trying to remedy that. Instead of saying to myself, "Hey, that's awesome/That's a great idea!/Sorry you are having a bad day/Etc.", I should be throwing that out there. So, if you comment here, I do try my best to get back to you by e-mail. Feel free to respond back too!

What prompted my train of thought was the recent changes to Facebook. I know I don't have to go into detail there, as I know many of my friends on that site are not happy either. I am close to getting rid of my profile because of the oversharing that they keep trying to shove onto their users. Even though I share my creative life here, I don't talk much about what is going on in other parts of my life. You won't hear about a fight I had with Chad or a friend, a bad day at work, or even a compliment someone paid to me. I won't post much about my cooking because that's not what I intend to make this blog about. I do a lot of cooking though, and could share it, but I need to have a focus here. There are plently of great cooking blogs out there so I don't feel bad about it.

So privacy is a huge factor for me. I've also found I don't need to constant updates on mundane details. That's one reason why I quit Twitter after trying it for a few months. But, on the other hand, Facebook can be a place to promote my work as well. This is one reason I'm keeping my profile up, but not logging in very often. It was interesting though that in one of my classes the professor prompted this question to us: "Have you ever purchased something from a company that you found first on Facebook? Or, do you become a fan on their site after solicitating their services/buying their products?" I honestly can say that I am only fans of businesses that I already shop at and have not purchased anything after hearing about a company on Facebook. How about you? She stated that at a technology conference she was at where they discussed this, most companies found that they didn't generate much extra business from using social media.

I may one day soon just quit them. Each day of pondering this a bit makes me convinced that if I just keep doing what I'm doing, and producing the things I dream up and sketch out, that I will get my name out there.

Don't worry, I am definately not going anywhere from here. If you made it through my rambling (sorry, late night thoughts mixed with too much coffee), feel free to share your thoughts on this topic. I will be back later in the week with some updates on projects that I have going.

More Stash Additions and a Quick Finish

The end of last week found me with more packages in the mail filled with fabrics. I do have a couple more pieces of linen coming from an Asian eBay seller, but I think this will be it for some time. Well.. unless I do decide to do the Joann's quilt contest, would requires a receipt proving you bought fabric there.

Speaking of eBay, I had some questions as to where I got the linen piece printed with a map. In case you were wondering, but didn't ask, I bought it from a seller named 4quiltingdcom. They have a listing up for the same piece and I found another seller (who I don't have experience with) who has the same thing for sale:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Map-World-Antique-Cotton-Linen-Fabric-145cm-X-90-/250899239307?pt=UK_Crafts_Fabric_Textiles_SM&hash=item3a6ac2918b

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cotton-Linen-Fabric-map-world-/180700348310?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D250875525295%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D3032948833138628654

Now onto some eye candy.

My fabrics for the DSQAL. I'm using solids only and am going to make a smaller quilt than others. Mine will be 25"x25".

With these fabrics I'm going to make the Enchanted Bow Skirt from this blog. I love the spin that was put on it by using the tower print at In Color Order so I'm pairing that with the orange print, instead of the pearl bracelet. I washed these today and hope to have it started this week.

More florals for a quilt project I dreamed up. Details to come later.

I whipped out a quick project from One Yard Wonders. I've checked this book out from my library a couple times, but never got around to making anything. I really should just buy it because every time I've looked through and found projects I want to make. I love that my library has a large selection of craft books so I can test drive them before purchasing. Also, when I was looking up the link on Amazon, I saw that Rebecca Yaker has another book coming out later this year. I will definately be on the lookout for it once it is released.

Anyway, the project I made is the trash bag for my car. I like my space to be clean, but I do admit I am horrible at keeping my car free of trash. I spend a lot of time in the car during the week, including sometimes having to eat a meal here or there while driving from one place to another. (I know, not the best idea.) I don't notice it until I bring my dogs with me and they rummage through it and tear everything to shreads. Not only does the bag match my interior, it gives me no excuse not to corral that trash.

I also made an apron that was on a pre-printed yard of fabric I got from Spoonflower. No, I didn't show it in my last post and I'm glad I didn't because it was horrible to work with. Not only does the fabric feel cheap, the instructions are not good. I found today while looking around at finished pieces that the designer of the print said they don't sew. ...Wish I would have known that prior to buying it. I definately would not have wasted the money. The print is great, but I would rather have a framed piece of art than this. However, I will make some use of it. I don't wear aprons around anyone but Chad. This is hopefully the last time I mention anything to do with Spoonflower.

I hope your Sunday was great and leads into a good week!

Traveling Watercolor Kit and a Sketch

I carry a sketchbook and drawing materals with me nearly everywhere I go. You just never know when inspiration will hit or if there will be time to kill that could be spent getting ideas down on paper. I never used to think a sketchbook was essential; even being in an art program didn't convince me. It wasn't until I realized that I had more ideas than time that I started getting them down. Some things are sketches and some are just written. In addition to a regular sketchbook, I've been taking with me a watercolor book and tools.

I found most of these items at Hobby Lobby. Yes, they can be a bit pricey, but I'm a firm believer in buying quality art materials. I do have other travel watercolor kits, but this one is my favorite because of the water brush.

I love this sketch book so much that I went back to Hobby Lobby and bought them out. There are two other sizes (a landscape and a large book) that I picked up as well. I'm sure the cashier thought I was nuts for buying so many of them, but I don't want to run in to a time when they don't sell them anymore. Don't shy away from the price; for the same money you can buy a pad of tear-out watercolor paper that only includes a dozen or so sheets. These are books of 96 quality pages.

This is my travel kit. It's Koi by Sakura. It comes in other sizes. This one cost me about $30 and comes with one of the water brushes.

For traveling, I use mechanical pencils so I don't have to carry a sharpener as well. The pencil is only used for outlines. This one I got from a kit at school when I briefly was considering interior design. I don't like mechanical pencils for other drawing or writing, so these are the only ones I own. I also carry with extra lead and an eraser. For finishing watercolor sketches, I like to add details with pen, so I have a variety. Pictured here is a Micron and a couple Sharpies. I love the water brushes so much that I bought one in each size they offer.

This is something new for me and I haven't tried them out yet. They can be used with any water based medium, so I'm planning on playing with them with acrylics as well.

The current project for my ceramics class is to create a hybrid animal that doesn't already exist. Some examples of existing ones are a centaur, minotaur, jackalope, and so on. My creation is a cross between a hippo and a cheetah. In addition to the handbuilt clay sculpture, we also have to create a story of how this animal came to be and what it does. That will be interesting to hear from everyone. I've already decided to name my animal the cheeto and that he is the second fastest land animal, after the cheetah, of course.

He's a little chubby in my sketch. I haven't decided if I like that, or if I'm going to slim him down a bit when I start making him out of clay. Feel free to weigh in (no pun intended). I live for constructive criticism.

Recent Stash Additions

Due to my tight schedule, I've been bookmarking projects online, dreaming up my own creations, and doing a little stash building. Today, I thought I would share some of my recent additions. I do have some more things coming later this week too, including my fabrics for the Dead Simple QAL. Like I mentioned before, I'm shifting some priorities around so I have more time to create, so soon I should be doing some stash busting.

First, I'll start with some patterns. A mix of vintage and modern, as well as a doll pattern that I searched for quite a while to find.

Now onto the fabric...

This is a swatch that I got from Spoonflower on their free swatch day. I know they are all the craze right now, but I'm not that impressed with the quality of the fabric, especially for the price they charge. I will either stick with prints from someone else of good quality, or make my own printed fabrics. I'm just glad this was free.

A very lovely plaid I bought from Mena at The Sew Weekly. I'm thinking I may make a skirt (or two) out of it, or maybe see if I can squeeze out a dress. I love that she included some buttons and matching piping with the fabric.

This is a very large piece of linen that I got from an Asian eBay seller. I'm going to embroider parts of it and then frame it. This is going into the future pile until I decide what parts I'm going to fill in with embroidery.

More linen from the same seller I got the large map piece from. I love Red Riding Hood so that fabric was a must-have for me.

I have a project in mind for these florals, as well as some others I already have and some that are coming to me.

After working with 1001 Peeps, I fell in love with the quality of Lizzy House's fabrics and love her designs. This print is going to become an apron.

A mish-mash of fabrics.

And finally, some holiday themed prints. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them, but I had to snatch them up before I couldn't get them anymore. I had to hunt a little for the beige Scandinanvian print and bought out the last 1 1/2 yards from the seller.

With fall coming, I'm craving some new yarn projects (and really need to finish some things I didn't last winter). I have plenty of yarn though, so I won't buy any of that until there's a good sale or I start something new that requires it. I've been approached to make some items for an old high school classmate, which is pretty exciting. I don't make it a secret to anyone that I do want to be working for myself and supporting myself through craft.

Tomorrow, I will be sharing my travel watercolor kit and a sketch of a project I'm doing for my ceramics class. I am also working on a quilt design and will be making a sample block for it before I reveal the pattern. I did some searching online and didn't find anything like it. It will include regular piecing, applique, and a little embroidery. I've been working on some other WIPs as well, most of which have been centered on finishing my kaleidoscope quilt. Once I have the top finished, I will show it off.

I hope you enjoyed seeinga little of my stash. Is anyone interested in seeing more of these posts?

Inspiration: WMSTR

Now I can officially call this a series, right? I love looking at details, patterns, textures, and colors for inspiration. Coming up with these posts to share will be fun.

All of these photos are things I saw at the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion that caught my eye. I hope some of them inspire you as well, and that at the very least, these posts encourage you to look around you for ideas in your everyday life.

There is something about this photo that just grabs me. I'm considering using this as a quilt image. Mini quilt, perhaps?

This was a close second for my color palette for the Dead Simple Quilt-a-long.

Dead Simple Quilt Update

My Kona card arrived yesterday, so I set out to match up the solids with my palette. I was a bit disappointed to find that it's not completely up to date, since I did find a better match for one online when searching for somewhere to buy them from. My Joann's doesn't have the best selection of solids.

So, with as much pomp and circumstance that I can muster today, here's the lineup of fabrics for this quilt.

Peridot, Ice Peach, Mocha (or Nutmeg, if I can find it for sure), Rose (looks so violet on my screen, but on the color card it is a dead-on match), and Pepper.

On another note, I did do some sewing on my KQAL blocks. I still have a little over half to get together and then I will start piecing the top together. I have it in my mind to make the backing into something other than just plain blocks of fabrics, but I haven't assessed what leftovers I have yet from the top.

Also, I've been contemplating doing the quilting contest that Joann's is holding. (Yes, like I really need something else to do right now, right?) After looking at the quilts that won prizes last year, I can see that it's really up my alley as far as style goes. I'm enjoying doing some more traditional piecing and blocks, but I do also love slapping fabric together and creating a work of art from it. Soon I should show you a quilt I made for a class at school. It still needs a little tweeking, but I can show it as it is now. Who knows when I will have time to sit down and give it my attention. Anyway, I've been throwing ideas down in my head and will be sketching a few things out. Depending on what I come up with will determine if I'm going to go for it. The contest does go for a few more months, after all.

Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Overview in Photos

Eek, where did the last week go? My intention was to have shared my photos from Labor Day already, but here I am just starting. I wasn't slacking off though (who can between school, work, boyfriend, dogs, and housework?), my best friend got married last Saturday, and I was asked to alter two dresses - one of them two days before. They were small alterations and went smoothly. There was also a small assignment for my ceramics class that involved making 50 cylinders on the pottery wheel in one day. Not by choice, but that's just how my schedule worked out for me.

Anyway, enough excuses. Today, I'm going to share my first installment of photographs. I should be back tomorrow with a quilt update on the projects I have lingering. I'm carving out a couple hours this afternoon to catch up on some sewing, including blocks for the KQAL. UPS is also supposed to be bringing me a package of fabric and a Kona color card. After checking out the color card with my Dead Simple quilt palette, I can order fabrics for that.

On to the photographs!

At the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion there is a parade....

A steam powered train....

A tractor pull...

(Pull, Chad, pull!)

And of course, lots of wheat threshing...

That's a brief overview. Of course, there are many more activities and things to look at. I didn't take photos of any of the buildings or activities going on inside them. Next year. I will be back over the weekend with some inspiration photos that I took while there.