Blog Archives

The Present Moment

2/27/2015

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

A Friday ritual adopted from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

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Pincushion Swap

2/26/2015

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The first official round of the Itty Bitty Beginner Swap just ended. The bootcamp round was just a fat quarter bundle swap. This time each person made and mailed a pincushion to their swap partner. I chose this mouse pincushion pattern on the Bustle and Sew blog. I changed it up just a bit and added a few details. The body is made from linen and the contrast fabric from quilting cotton. I made little felt feet, cut a belly shape out of the accent fabric, and stitched the ears on with a fold to give them more dimension. I think those added details are what make something really special and let people know you went the extra mile just for them. The eyes and nose are embroidered in dark gray floss, which I like better than black for this color scheme. The head is stuffed with poly-fil and the rest with pellets to make it hefty and less likely to tip over. As an "extra" (which, it seems, are pretty standard in swaps), I included a box of pins. Pincushion, pins. Right? Anyway. The mouse arrived at its new home where it is loved and appreciated by its owner. I love the way it turned out so much that I'm making a few more to sell in my Etsy shop. It's a little empty right now, but check back, cause there will be some of these coming very soon. I did the photo shoot for this little guy right before going to the post office to send it to my swap partner. The lighting was just perfect on our front deck and the mouse so photogenic! I think I went a little overboard with picture-taking. Here are just a few of the many (many, many) that I snapped that day.

Now that I have shown my creation from every angle (isn't it just adorable?), I'll show you what I got in the mail yesterday. The person assigned my name sent an awesome combination pincushion and sewing kit. There is a little pocket with scissors and another with thread and there's a built-in needle holder, too. The applique on the front is attached with the most delicate little stitches I've ever seen, and I just love the blue felt ball at the top that adds a festive touch. Along with the pincushion, she sent a bag of dark chocolate, some paper straws, two sets of gift tags, and a stack of 2.5 inch pre-cut quilting squares as extras (I think I'm going to have to step it up a bit on the extras I send next time or I'll just end up feeling guilty). I've got my new pincushion sitting on my sewing table now with plenty of pins sticking into it within easy reach. So cute!

Oh, and signups for the second round of the Itty Bitty Beginner Swap have been delayed until the end of March, but, if you are interested, contact Jayme over at Finding Sweet Land to see if you can get in on the action. Maybe you will end up being my swap partner!

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What's In A Name

2/23/2015

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This was a big park weekend for us. Three visits in three days. Just one of the benefits of living super close, I guess. During one of our park visits, I met a woman pregnant with twins. As we were talking, she mentioned her difficulty in coming up with a name for her first child and now she has to go through the same thing for two. Of course, I told her I knew all about naming troubles. Goen was almost seven weeks old before we found his name. But I think naming twins would be more than twice as hard as naming one because you also have to consider how the names will sound together. I mean, you wouldn't really want to name them Jack and Jill or something. So I shared a little of my naming advice with her. Rather than think about all the possible names in the world, make a list of preferences that allow you to rule out names by the hundreds. Here is a list that I used when I had to name my little one:

It must have two syllables
It can't start with a vowel
It can't start with certain consonants (my "no" list included z, q, v, and others)
It must sound good when said with the parents' names
It must flow well with his last name
It must not have a nickname I don't like

This list made it so much easier to find a name. When I looked through all those baby name books for ideas I could skip over entire letters without wondering if I would like one. I knew I wouldn't. Even so, the task was a difficult one. But, in the end, we found one that fit just right.

All you mamas and papas out there, what did you find helpful when it came to naming? Did you find your baby's name in a book? On the internet? Or was your naming task made easier by choosing a family name? What advice would you give a parent trying to name a new baby?

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Needle Book Progress

2/21/2015

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I am finally making progress on my needle book. After agonizing over which colors of felt to get for the cover applique, I selected several shades of green from the huge selection of wool felt at the Etsy shop Felt on the Fly. The felt came in the mail a few days ago and the cutting has commenced. I went with a paisley design using templates from Very Simple* Designs (they have a great tutorial on creating your own paisley motif). The felt pieces will be stitched together with embroidery floss and embellished with beads and perhaps sequins or something else pretty and sparkly. As soon as it's done I'll post a tutorial on making a felt needle book, so stay tuned.

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The Present Moment

2/20/2015

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“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
A Friday ritual adopted from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

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Flannel Design Board Tutorial

2/16/2015

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When I get around to cutting fabric for the quilt I'm designing, I want to be able to look at the squares before sewing them together to make sure I made the right color selections. Professional quilters have what is called a design wall, which is basically a wall covered in white flannel. The neat thing about flannel is that quilting cotton sticks to it, allowing the designer to stand back and get a better idea of how the colors and block placements will look. Since I don't have a whole wall to dedicate to this, I made a smaller-scale version using what I had available. Here's how you can make one of your own.

Flannel Design Board Tutorial

Materials:
- 1 cork board, or other board
- 1 yard (minimum) white flannel
- 4 or more mitten clips
- 4 or more long pins

Instructions:

Measure your board to make sure its widest dimension is no more than 36 inches. If it is more than this, you will need to sew together multiple panels of flannel.

Gather your other materials. A basic flannel is inexpensive, especially when there is a sale. Elasticized mitten clips can often be found at dollar stores in the winter.

Lay your board on the floor and drape the flannel over it right side up so it is centered top to bottom and side to side. There should be several inches of flannel on all sides.

Turn the board over, being careful to keep the flannel in place. Give the flannel a tug on all sides to get it as taut as possible. Fold the top and bottom over and then do the same for the sides. Try to keep the corners nice and sharp.

Pin the corners through all layers. Go down and up twice and then down once more to keep the pin from poking your fingers when you move or hang the board.

Use several mitten clips to secure the fabric. If there is enough excess flannel on the back of the board, you may be able to clip across rather than just on the diagonal. In hindsight, I would have bought 1 1/4 yards for my 2' x 3' board so the clips could reach across.

Your flannel board is now ready to assist you in all your quilt design needs.

Quilting cotton sticks to the flannel quite well. Just place the fabric on the flannel and press it down with your hand. Play around with design ideas and fabric selections, then stand back to get an idea of how it will look in the finished project.

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I Love You More Than...

2/14/2015

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Ever since I was a kid, toast was a breakfast staple. Sourdough being the preferred bread. Paired with eggs and bacon or cereal, toast was always there. But, as often as not, toast all by itself was breakfast. Butter was the usual condiment, but cream cheese or jam were also added (yes, added) on occasion. My favorite way to eat toast, though, is spread with butter and grape jelly and then topped with cheddar cheese. An unusual pairing that is the height of toast deliciousness. My husband also grew up eating toast most mornings with or for breakfast, though with different topping combinations. Soon after we were engaged, we were joking around, as couples do, about how much each of us loved the other. "I love you this much" he said indicating with his arms spread wide. "I love you to the moon and back" I countered. "Well," he said, "I love you more than toast." I looked at him quizzically as I had never heard it put quite that way before. Noticing this, he explained that he had once contemplated which foods he could live without and which foods he could never give up. Toast, of course, came up on the second list, with only a couple other foods receiving his "essential" rating. "You know what?" I said, "you're right. And I love you more than toast, too." Now that is true love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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The Present Moment

2/13/2015

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“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

A Friday ritual adopted from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

5 Comments

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The Present Moment

Pincushion Swap

What's In A Name

Needle Book Progress

The Present Moment

Flannel Design Board Tutorial

I Love You More Than...

The Present Moment

Carley Biblin

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Carley Biblin

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