Talking Stash

I couldn't resist when I heard that they're talking fabric stash over here, so I had to join in! As a certifiable stash-a-holic, mine is ever growing, especially lately. I just can't believe all the good stuff that's out there these days.

What do you usually sew?

I spend most of my time sewing pincushions, but I'm dreaming of new bags and quilts that I hope to start soon. Selling my pincushions does help expand the stash, however, and there's something kind of nice about the repetitiveness of making them, leaving my mind free to wander and dream of new projects.

When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don't have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)

I typically get full yards of each print to keep my options open. Sometimes I'll get half yards or fat quarters if I have a specific smaller project in mind and think I won't need more of the fabric later. Occasionally I get a wild hair and fall so rampantly in love with an out of print fabric that I snap up a bunch of it the moment I spot it.

Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?

I usually shop for something in particular, but to get my money's worth in shipping I'll top off that envelope or box with a few impulse items.

Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you're ready to use it?

I prefer working with unwashed fabric, but if I do need to prewash for making something like clothes I'll do it right before I need it because I hate dealing with a huge pile of fabric that needs ironing!

Do you iron it?

I always iron fabric before I cut into it, whether it's washed or not. It makes a huge difference in cutting fabric precisely.

How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)

This probably makes me kind of nerdy, but I sort my fabrics by manufacturer, subdivided by designer, and then loosely by color. I tried organizing by only color once and I could never find anything because I keep prints categorized in my head by designer. Knowing which manufacturer the fabric came from makes it simpler when it comes time to add to the stash, and can make color mixing easier when I'm choosing prints for a project.

Do you have any special folding techniques?

Yes, I use the ruler method of folding fabric, except that I’ve done it so much that I no longer need the ruler. Because I now fold by eye, my fabric piles aren't perfect, but I have a well used stash and am constantly taking out and putting away fabrics so this more casual method is quick and works great to keep things pretty neat.

How do you store your fabric?

I keep my most used fabric on open shelves so I can gaze upon them for inspiration and get to them quickly. Fabrics that are shorter than a yard are kept rolled up in colanders, also in plain view so I can grab them as inspiration hits. My lesser used or bolts of fabric, interfacing, felts and non-quilting fabrics are kept in closed cabinets.

What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?

I often think fabric in terms of "main print/coordinating print". If I get a larger scale floral fabric, I know I'm going to need a coordinating smaller scale print like a stripe or polka dot as well. I also tend to get prints in sets, so if I like a particular fabric line, I'll buy several prints that work together, which keeps my options open for quilting projects. I'm also trying to veer outside of my usual color preferences, because there are so many wonderful projects you can do with a full spectrum of color, which is difficult if all your fabric is green or blue.

When do you say enough is enough?

There is no such thing as enough! There are always new prints coming out that will add new project possibilities to my stash.

What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?

Small patchwork projects like clutches, softies, or pincushions are great for using up scraps. Bags and quilts are excellent for using up larger pieces.

Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let's see it!

There is no way I could pick one favorite, I'm not even going to try!

What's your definition of the perfect stash?

The perfect stash has a full spectrum of color, a good variety of print scale, and has all your favorite prints both for projects you're planning and for those not yet dreamed up. It's also well-behaved enough to stay nicely folded and safely hidden when your husband asks if you've been fabric shopping, again.

Sewing. Snow. Crafting. Cabin Fever.

This year sure has gone off to a running start. So I'll kick off the blogging season with the top 10 reasons that you haven't heard from me this new year until now:

1. It's been so dark and dreary and cold that I've been in a bit of a funk the past couple of weeks. It seems like a weak excuse, but I honestly thought we'd get a bit more sun up here.

2. Despite this, I've been sewing up a storm. Voilà, clothespin aprons (obviously, dreaming of sunny days which are still far, far away).

How fabulous are those Garden Party fabrics? Kind of retro with an edge. I wasn't sure how to approach this line at first but then I just woke up one morning completely in love with it.

3. Did I mention that it's 15 degrees below zero outside and Brrrrrr!

4. My children have come down with a serious case of cabin fever (see no. 3) and so we've turned our house into an obstacle course. By the way, the bilibo is the coolest toy ever, which we found at one of the coolest toy stores ever.

5. I've been playing with my new camera and photo editing software, both enlightening me regarding the extent of my lack of technical skill and knowledge, in a fun-challenge kind of way.

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Is that not the most mischievous smile? Love this kid.

6. An influx of fabric has forced me to rearrange my crafting space--a big time sponge, albeit a fun one.

7. Possible TMI alert, unless your kids have special needs: We've been checking out local places for therapy and activities because the boys have had some sensory issues brought on by the winter doldrums. We decided against having them attend a place that I would classify as a "therapy preschool for autistic children" for various reasons and the kids are now enrolled in lessons at a nearby gym. It's fantastic, and I don't think they could be getting better therapy, especially of the sensory integration type, anywhere else. We were so fortunate to find an instructor with training in special education, and what the boys experienced in one hour at this gym was better than any session they've had with private occupational therapists (who often promise SI therapy and then deliver something vastly different, oy-vey, not a rant I'll subject you to today). I definitely recommend checking this option out if your kids have sensory or other physical issues that aren't being fully addressed with your current therapies, or if you're just looking for a place to go that you can all have fun as a family.

8. Necessitated by certain overactive children (see no. 4), I am turning the family room into more of a play room. Lots of paint shopping, which you already know that I love, and drooling over all the incredible stuff I'm finding online. Like this rug, this chair, and this seriously adorable train.

9. Netflix watch instantly. More cheesy 80s movies and romantic comedies than you can shake a stick at.

10. Cleaning carpets. I go through this every winter. I will not delve into the sordid details of what four dogs and two children can do to carpet, but suffice it to say that we're getting our money's worth out of the steam cleaner. Ugh. I cannot tell you how much I hate carpet.

On a side note, I wanted to mention that the Indie Fixx Shop is closing (ack! so sad!) but you can score some really great deals there, so be sure to stop by before the doors close in March.

OK, so I lied

Not intentionally, though. My new camera arrived and I couldn't help but play with it. I thought for sure that figuring out all the buttons, dials, and menus would be so complicated that it would be a couple of weeks before I could do anything with the camera, but it's proven to be pretty easy to take mediocre pictures right out of the box. And Joey is so fascinated by watching the shutter close that he's proven to be a very patient subject.

Love those big brown eyes.

Although...if he looks a little annoyed in this picture, it's possible that he eventually got tired of our little photo shoot

I personally think the bedhead and the chapped cheek and lips are especially cute, the latter of which are a result of a possibly foolhearty, though well-intentioned, outing we took yesterday. It was a perfectly comfortable temperature outside, all bundled up, until the arctic wind picked up and knocked the breath out of you. I probably could've edited some of the chapped skin, but I haven't figured out my photo-editing software yet. Lots to learn!

I'm excited to finally have a nice camera to capture all those wonderful little things that happen every day, and the grandparents will be excited to get a few more pictures of the grandkids in the mail than usual (sorry it took so long!).

Happy Monday!
Kim

Winter's a Hoot

I know, I know, I've been a blog slacker lately. Does that make me a slogger? I don't think I can entirely blame being busy for my lack of posting, although I really have been quite busy (no more pear pictures for a while, I promise). I've been feeling a bit in the photographic doldroms lately, that is, not exactly having a love affair with my point-and-shoot camera. We've had our fun, of course, but it was never meant to be a long-term relationship. I've finally made the plunge in getting a digital SLR camera, meaning I need to relearn all that fun photography stuff I learned in high school and then promptly forgot when my old 35mm SLR camera died on a trip to Hawaii and was never replaced. My new camera is presently in the mail on its way to me, so hopefully I can unveil beautiful pictures taken with it early in the new year. In the meantime:

I've been making a few little owls:

There's just something about orange and gray that I can't resist

This little gal makes me smile:

And this one is made with some adorable ultra-retro prints:

You can find my owls here, and also at my shop.

We're gearing up for the holidays (lots of cookie-baking and cookie-eating, oh yeah, and some sledding and gift-wrapping--not many pictures, alas, camera woes) and loving this midwest winter. Stay warm (or cool, depending of course on where you are)!

Kim

Holiday Spirit

I'm definitely in the holiday spirit, but for some reason I've also been craving pink this year. Pink and green, to be exact. See, it started out when I walked past an adorable scalloped pink cake platter the other day while shopping. And then I walked by it again. I left the shop without it--it's terribly impractical, after all, especially around my kids--but I couldn't get it out of my head. So I finally went back to the store and bought it (it was on clearance, even, Score!). Then I was poking through my fabric stash and something pink caught my eye. And then something green, and more pink. Before I knew it, I had an armful of pale pink and green fabrics, spools of white ric rak and pink velvet ribbon, and an image in my head that I had to see in person. While I was making the pears, I watched this movie, which is not a good movie, at all, but the main character has the most fabulous vintage(y) green couch that I absolutely covet, and was wearing a gorgeous pink cardigan in the same scene. Anyhoo.

I was terribly excited when I had a plateful of pear ornaments, in all their pastel sugary goodness.

These pears will be available at my Hyenacart shop on Saturday, and in my etsy shop possibly next week. If you are unfamiliar with Hyenacart, it is a community for selling (primarily) handmade goods. The fees are minimal ($5.00 per month that you want to add new items in your cart, no listing fees or commission), your website is customizable, and it comes with a built-in base of customers who love to support handmade crafters and artisans! And the forums are some of the most positive and helpful I've ever visited.

And now I’m thinking I should have bought the bigger matching platter, too. Hmmm.

This one is my favorite

And now I'm off to devise a brilliant reason to buy the second cake dish, should it still be there....

Dreaming of a white Christmas,
Kim

And then there were three

First there were pear pincushions, next came the giant pear pillow, well now I've gone and made a mini-pear ornament! I adore the wonderful retro Michael Miller Christmas tree prints, and as I've mentioned before, I'm already feeling that holiday spirit so these fit the bill quite nicely. I plan to have pear ornaments available in my etsy shop as soon as I decide whether to sell them individually or in sets. What do you think? They're 4" tall and I can fit two in a box. Three is a nicer number for a set, though, alas...

My favorite part is the ric rac hanger. Love the ric rac. And now I need to go two things:

a) Go shut the back door. Somebody (the kids) seem to think that it's perfectly fine to leave the door open when it's 45 degrees outside.

b) Make a bunch more of these ornaments; I've got lots of Christmas prints and several yards of red ric rac begging to be put to use.

Happy Wednesday!
Kim

visions of sugarplums

Continuing in the trend of making things for my family, I've embarked on sewing a quilt for my elder son (to be followed, of course, by a quilt for the younger, although hopefully, unlike the afghan I started for him, fully complete and not just 3/4 of the way). Using the flock of triangles pattern from this book, I customized the fabrics to reflect his favorite things: lots of color, and lots of typefaces. Joey has been obsessed with books since infancy, so it was an easy decision to incorporate book inspired prints for his first quilt. Maybe it will keep him from removing all the clothes from his dresser drawers to read the fake antique newspaper printed on the drawer bottoms. Probably not, but a gal can dream.

Just a peek, because I haven't finished piecing it yet

I used 21 prints and solids for the quilt, which seemed daunting at first, but after making stacks from my fabric stash I ended up actually having to pare down the selection from about 35 prints. Michael Miller has this knack of using colors that go with practically everything, including many prints from other manufacturers. Amy Butler has the same knack, and you may be able to spot some of her polka dot prints in there as well.

Anyway, I hope to have both quilts finished in time for Christmas. I'm planning to have a homemade/handmade holiday this year and I'd love to hear about your handmade holiday plans, too! We finally gave up on the big tree with breakable ornaments--it just doesn't mix well with 4 dogs and 2 rowdy boys, so we're having a small tree (located way, way up high on a shelf), with homemade paper and fabric ornaments. There will be loads of paper snowflakes and other handmade decorations and hopefully plenty of real snow. And cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

Happy Holiday Dreaming!
Kim

A little of this, a little of that

We've lived at our new house for almost 3 months now, and though I can't claim to have unpacked all the boxes, at least I can say I have done something toward decorating the boys' playroom. Inspired by this bookshelf, I found a cube shelving unit and fabric boxes at Target, some ridiculously inexpensive vintage children's books on ebay, paintbrushes and Mod Podge from a local craft shop, a sunny day, and went for it.

There isn't very much natural light down in the basement, but you get the idea.

I didn't fuss with painting the bookshelf, mostly out of laziness, though I imagine I will end up having to do so in the future when the boys ding this one up, as is the fate of all of our furniture.

Their favorite part? Pulling out the bins to see if there are pictures behind them. (again, and again, and again, in fact they immediately pull the bins out every single time Mommy puts them on the shelves...)

Tomorrow's Lesson: Putting the Bins Back on the Shelves

Also finished this week, a drawstring backpack I made for a trade

The bag is fully lined, the pocket has a button closure, and I got to use one of my favorite fabric combos ever, Amy Butler's Linen Morning Glory and Cherry Full Moon Polka Dot prints. I love how the polka dots travel diagonally on the bias trim

Well, it's a lovely fall day and the swingset beckons....Hope everyone has an autumn-y week!

Tagged!

Yay, I've been "tagged"! I love reading fun facts about crafty bloggers, and now I get to share a few things with you and hopefully learn something new about some other gals who blog, thanks to BackwoodSophisticate. The rules are below:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog – some random, some weird.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

My list of random facts:

1. I was a bit of a sprinting/jumping prodigy in middle school; 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100 relay.
2. I didn't like going to fabric stores until college. Now I can't stop fabric shopping.
3. I love blackberry cobbler.
4. I don't eat tomatoes. Except BBQ sauce. I craved BBQ potato chips when I was pregnant with my first kiddo, but only the ruffled kind.
5. My eyes change colors. They are somewhere between grey, green, and blue. My husband calls them "mood eyes".
6. I'm allergic to cats.
7. I have lived in 20% of the states in the United States: Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, New York, Oregon, Georgia, and Wisconsin (yes, in that order--and an even more impressive tidbit: my parents were not in the military, nor on the run from the authorities)

Here are the 7 people that I'm tagging:

Amy Crankypants
Kirsten kirsten*can
Joyce Joyce Makes Art
Jennifer Deckled Edge Bindery
Maria Made By Maria
Crystal Crysto
Leah Whiffy Bean Bags

Fun News

I'm excited to share that my products can now be found at the Indie Fixx Shop! If you click on the picture below you'll land right on the page with my goodies.



Make sure to browse around--there are lots of incredible finds at Indie Fixx. There are so many items that are perfect for holiday gifts (I just adore this birdie brooch, these tea towels, this adorable sketch book...oh who am I kidding, I love it all!) so you can even shop guilt free, because it's for somebody else!

Have a happy Tuesday!
Kim