thistlehillcottage

Etsy Goodness

2010-08-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

When I spent a week in Louisiana this summer catching up with my family, I was quite taken with my SIL's lovely utilitarian gadgets, some vintage, some used in a slightly eccentric way. Jadeite juicers and beautiful bottles to dispense fabric softener for the laundry, lots of enamel pots and scoops. I kinda wanted to squeeze lots of citrus fruits and wash loads of dirty clothes.

Maybe that was the Tom Sawyer psychology behind it. Worked on me.

I sat down at her kitchen table to find my own juicer, by gum. And Etsy delivered. This metal stand juicer was from atticfinder on etsy. I liked the red color, the scratchy paint (which doesn't contact the food ) and the "DeLuxe" promise inscribed. It works like a vise, clamping down on that lemon and yielding every bit of juice it has to offer. I've actually had a lot worse results with modern gadgets.

It's a keeper.

Whilst I was looking for interesting vintage kitchen things, I got completely distracted by sparkly shiny things, of course.
This beauty is an enamel floral brooch from AllieEtCie. Allie is a lovely shopowner, also at etsy, who carries all sorts of vintage goodies, including mirrors, porcelain, pottery, and a very retro bar set I have my eye on. Allie was a great help from start to follow up. Give her a visit this week.

I'm also collecting old Ball jars with the zinc lids with some idea of putting a pump dispenser in them so that pumping out some dish detergent to tackle a sink full of bowls and glasses will be a real Martha moment for me.

Vintage, it's a good thing.

Sunny with a chance of Pajamas

2010-08-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, at the end of a long summer holiday. Next week we officially start school and all the things that go along with it: making lunches, car pooling, signing long legal agreements so that the kids might play-sports-go-on-field-trips-march-in-band- not-take-drugs-or-wear-spaghetti-straps and other very important things. I always think I should proffer my own document for the ones-in-charge.

I could just sit here and think of all the things that could go horribly wrong and make some one else entirely responsible. Such as," If said child does not want pinto beans as a side she may be offered another helping of rice, and we shall presume we understand that NO FOOD SHOULD BE TOUCHING ON SAID CHILD'S PLATE."

or..."if said child's phone loses charge and she does not remember aforementioned guardian's number, ones-in-charge shall unfurl the document that said guardian signed previously with her cell and home phone number, place of work, and six emergency contacts and offer it to said child to call for a ride home after day long field trip of orchestra competition which ended much later than school hours or bus schedules.

and so forth.

Oh, I got on a tangent there, didn't I.

Anyway, although we could have never fathomed it the first week in June, I think we're all about ready for the school season to begin. There's a certain rhythm to getting up early, having a chaotic whirlwind leave the house and then...the quiet...before scooping them all up again and taking them here and there throughout the evening.

It's that little slice of quiet I'm looking forward to. I may stay in my pajamas for a while longer and just have that second cuppa ...alone.

Hope you all are finding some extra time to wear pjs where ever you are. And if you'd like to make some like these, get 20% off Heather Bailey and Amy Butler's Love fabrics at my shop with the code

pajamadays in message to buyer.

2010-07-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Running, jumping, swinging.

In ancient party dresses.How do they come up with these ideas?

Here's to girlish adventures in party dresses.

A pop of red

2010-07-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

Black and grey and red.
These colors have been swimming around in my head since I saw a quilt on flickr. And it wasn't so much the same color palette, you can see for yourself, here. It was this formula for 25% red and everything else reads as a neutral. Not too much red. Not overwhelming. Just the pop.

First I did a single improv block...thinking maybe it's a pot holder.

Then I did some string blocks...then some more...and I've bought more gray and red fabric...for more blocks...maybe more quilts, actually.

I'm almost done with this quilt. So of course I have lots of strips leftover. I could do this, or this next.

Or more koozies. Never enough of those when you're having people over.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a sneak peak of the next issue of Fat Quarterly.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Someone's been peeping in my window!

And they have excellent taste.

LQS on Kauai

2010-06-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Local quilt shop....

no, not really local to me. Not this week, anyway.

*sigh*

If only I did live in this little round island of tropical paradise. I was really getting into the batiks. The swirly purples and greens and aquas, tonal prints with dolphins almost hidden in pools of turquoise. The lovely Hawaiian ladies showcased their beautiful hand appliqued quilts. To be recognized as a traditional Hawaiian Quilt, these guidelines are used:

1) the design is primarily appliqué work
2)the design is a circular repetition of 4 or 8
3) the design uses one or two fabrics (there are exceptions)

Although I hear there are some break out modern Hawaiian Quilters blending some new ideas with the wonderful island traditions. That's me and my S-I-L with one of the quilters (below). Looks like we all learned to manage our island hair with the same pony tail style, huh? My hair would have taken up considerable airspace in that room had it been unleashed. And in my defense, we were about to go zip lining in a tropical jungle...after I got my fabric fix.

I'm such a tourist.

This was such a charming store, loaded with the batiks, japanese novelty prints, and a small selection of exquisite kimono silk fabric from Japan, as well as some cotton kimonos and custom made Hawaiian shirts. It's been in business for some thirty plus years and I read countless positive reviews from TripAdvisor submitted by tourists awestruck at the local island flavor's offerings...tourists who admitted they did not sew or quilt or plan to do either.

It is a must see if you go to Kauai.

Deadlines...

2010-06-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Let me brush the cobwebs away and get myself acquainted with this blog again. I disappeared for a while there, didn't I? Nothing major keeping me away. Kids' rehearsals and concerts and "graduations" (myself baking 20 pizzas for that one), family gatherings for a birthday...Life. Good things.

But I was sewing as well. I've had my fat geese project going since I first spied Katy's in Fat Quarterly. I knew I wanted to use MeadowSweet with the reds and browns and pastel pinks, celery greens. I made this for my mother. She has geese. And that other broderie perse thing? It's never going to be finished.

There's no beginning-middle-end to embellishing is there? I'll work on it some more when the weather is cold. I promise.

I am thrilled with this quilt. I want one for myself. Enthralled with the whole idea of half square triangles. I free motion quilted some little flowers in there as well. Don't see a close up of it? Well, I'm still a beginner, so let's just call it ambitious and leave it at that. I self-imposed a deadline of this morning, 7 a.m. to finish this one. That's the time my nephew leaves for work. And since he's going to see Nanaw this weekend, I thought I'd save on postage.

My daughter wanted a quilt for pajama day at school. (top) She wanted it to match her pajamas (an earlier effort), so I pulled out the Mendocino stash and made her a quick little blanket. In a day. Because that's how much notice I got.

And finally, my last deadline is June 8th for this little guy here.I'm officially early! La la la.

This goes to the local Project Linus Charity. They pass blankets out at local hospitals on children's wards. The theme for this session was "puzzles" so I looked up some puzzle quilts on flickr and drew it up on graph paper.

That was fun. I didn't work out all the seam allowances in the beginning, because there was a line of steam coming out of my ears just from manipulating the pattern to be symetrical. So I worked that out later.

la la la.

Just ticking things off the list this week.

It's Friday, and I think I'm done!

Here's to a lazy weekend!

And we have a winner...

2010-05-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

The winner is number 256, Miss Prickly.

Congratulations, you and thanks so much to everyone who commented.

Miss Prickly, I've sent you an email. Contact me and let me know your address so I can send you some dots!

Thanks to my husband for excel spread sheet calculations I can't begin to understand.
Beats pulling a number out of a hat!

Sew Mama Sew Give Away!! I'll Play!

2010-05-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. Give away day starts officially Monday, May 17th. It is open til the 20th. That button over there about Sew Mama Sew takes you to a link where Lots and Lots of people are giving away lots and lots of fabulous stuff!!! My contribution are Two not one, TWO!! Dots on a roll. One is a TaDot variety with some blues, reds, pinks and yellow, the other is a Love Sunspots variety with all of the colors, two of each precut into 2 and a half inch strips.Let's see...where are those rules...Okay--Yes! I will ship internationally! You must leave a comment and a good email address for me.

Comments! What to comment about??

Tell me the last give away you entered, what was up for grabs and from whom. That way maybe I'll get some virtual window shopping done myself.

I'll choose a winner by random number selection on the 20th that evening, 10:00 p.m. central time.

Oh sweet Sara, I hope that's everything.

Ready, set, go!

Comments are closed now!

Charmed, I'm sure

2010-05-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Summer Circles quilt for my little hometown quilt challenge. Theme is hometown summer, size is less than 24 inches. Must use some amount of mystery fabric--which was the red gingham. All together, very fun, tried my skills out at hand applique (that blanket stitch again), and hand quilting. Do you ever have those fantasy conversations in your head where for whatever reason, you're on Oprah, declaring, "oh really, Oprah, it was nothing. I just think of fabulous things like this while I'm stirring up the pancake mix for the children in the morning. I mean granola...I make my own, you know. I'm just a multi-tasking whiz like that, I suppose. Yup. I guess you're right. I'm really something."

You don't do that? That's just me?

Okay. Fair enough.

I can't even take credit for the original design. I saw it here: and I was floored, and inspired, and whipped up my own.

Went to drop it off yesterday, and they were so sweet, really. And supportive. Which prompted me to quickly qualify my offerings--

"I'm a beginner!!"

I spied the stack of mini quilts from my competitors and asked if I may....

Oh. They were gorgeous, inspired, perfections of points and embroidery and applique and whatever you call it when you make your own fabric by painting it? And I will post them here later when I can snag pictures of them hanging in shop windows.

So my little Oprah bubble smacked up against the hard unforgiving wall of reality and I wandered back home more than a little awestruck at the talent in my little hometown. And inspired and what's that feeling you get when you feel like you need to tackle about a kazillion blocks and techniques and tutorials...

I think my beginner quilts can be called "charming."

I like that.

Charming. Suits me for now.

And last night while carefully parsing out my time between Pointy Beaks on Flying Geese, and piecing a humongous back for my Hexy Love quilt, I scheduled a little what the heck time for something small and cute and spontaneous. Instant gratification. We all need a little of that sometimes.

Just a little potholder, I think.

Is it wistful in here or is it just me?

2010-05-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been at the 99% completion range for my latest quilt for ---well, some time now. It's a very sweet wonky star block made up of Anna Maria Horner's voiles in the deer print and the four square print. So soft. The baby arrived and the quilt just sat there looking at me accusingly, day after day. Finally, an unplanned trip from the new grandmother, my aunt, spurred me into action again. It really only took five quick minutes. Funny how that works.

Anyway, as I was putting the finishing touches on it, I thought about all the baby quilts my grandmother made in her lifetime. She had seven children who each had several children and we have since had our families. She made each of us a quilt for graduation, and then made each of our children a quilt upon their birth. All hand done. That's quite a legacy of quilts. And now I was happily filling her shoes, some eight years later. My last child, Ro was just an infant when we last visited her. She had at this point, lost the ability to retain information from her short term memory. About every five minutes, she would realize anew that we were with her. "Oh what a pretty baby!"
I was sad to see her this way, but thought that it is not such a bad thing to be profoundly happy each time she discovered us there again.

I remembered my aunts had thoughtfully set aside the last quilt she had worked on, for my daughter, and made sure I got it. I had tucked it away without the slightest clue of how I might go about finishing it, but knowing it was a treasure. So today, as I was sewing in my label and snipping wayward threads on my cousin's baby quilt, I remembered it. I thought, "wow, if that quilt is still in blocks, I could somehow work a grandma block into each quilt I do for the cousins." I know I would love to have a grandma block. I was surprised to find--I hadn't remembered at all what stage it was in---that it is already pieced,

quilt sandwiched to backing and pinned. And furthermore, I had been inspired to do this very pattern after seeing Katy's version here. I was going to use Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane with the huge roses.
You know what kept me from doing it? Vanity. Knowing I was going to give it away and realizing those curved pieces would give me fits, I put that quilt on the back burner for a time when I would feel less pressure.

Wouldn't that have been a great story? To finish up cousin Tash's quilt and get a wild urge to pull out Grandma's last quilt? And, people, those are big roses in that print up there.

Needless to say, I cannot undo the quilt for the sake of having blocks. I may be able to quilt it, though, and bind it. If I can just bring myself to remove those pins she put there.

Then I'll start on my own.

AND THE WINNER IS.....

2010-04-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

RaisinCookies!!!! who said, "Okay, the jewel box quilt is PERFECT. I bought a bunch of rainbow fabrics off eBay recently, and I think this is the project for it."

Whooo-Hoooo!!!!

I will shoot you an email, RaisinCookies to get a mailing address from you and so forth!

The winner's number was randomly generated using Excel and a highly complex formula I won't begin to try to understand by the very highly esteemed and degreed and all around number know-it-all, my husband, Cabe
and here are his credentials:

FSA, MAAA

Senior Vice President & Principal

xxx xxx, Inc.

AND THE COMMENTS ARE CLOSED....

2010-04-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

APRIL 27th at 7:00 a.m.,
116 comments.

Stay tuned for the drawing....

It's a give-away!!

2010-04-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

How about this:

Go check out the Fat Quarterly blog and leave a comment here about your favorite quilt inspiration.
There's Brionni's Jewel Box, Katy's Fat Geese, Aneela's Bedtime Story Quilt, and oh! I spy a hexy quilt by Tacha. And more sneak peaks are added every day!

On the launch day, I'll chose a winner by some random process as of yet not pondered, and said winner will receive...

Your very own subcription to Fat Quarterly!! AND---a Fat Quarter Stack of my Hope Valley range!! I think I have 10 different prints.

Let me humbly add that I usually don't have a bunch of comments to sift thru (ahem) so if you're reading this...you're chances are pretty awesome!

Oh! The Launch Date is April 27th!

(this added later)
Wow! Keep 'em coming!
Loving the FQ love!

Remember that I'll need to be able to contact you should you be the winner of a year's subscription to Fat Quarterly
and your fat quarter stack of Hope Valley. So if you're blogger name isn't linked to your profile info with email, please contact me here or at
thfabrics@gmail.com.
Thanks!

All things hexy

2010-04-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

My latest projects have had a common theme.
that cute little six sided block, called the hexagon.

It started innocently enough...I spied a cute button on Katy's website and had to have it for mine. see that button over there on the right? About three buttons down. I love grabbing people's buttons. Yes!

I'll quilt-along! I'll join your club! I'll read Bronte and --well maybe not the Bronte group. Sorry. You gotta start saying no sometimes.

Anyway, Texas Freckles has a great little motivating group to encourage us all to do english paper pieced hexes. I had started, before the quilt along, my own hex project. Then I stopped, then I lost my hex project all together, and even started a half-hex as I thought that would be quicker and easier---but it wasn't. And that's all I'm going to say about half-hexes. I bravely posted that quilt on flickr and I'm glad I finished it. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

So since I was trying all sorts of hexagon piecing, I thought it would be cheeky to try the Amy Butler Sexy Hexy as well. I read Nichole's blog about a very bad experience with the pattern (free on Amy's website). And the directions are daunting and entirely off-putting. So my advice--in my humble, novice opinion, I must add, is this:

Disregard the 11 pages of instructions almost entirely.

there. I said it. I hope I don't get struck down by lightening now.

But I can't make since of cutting 4 of this and 10 of this and so on if I can't see how it's coming together. So I took the C band, the D band and the middle hex pattern piece, cut out one block at a time and looked thru the sewing instructions.

You sew C to D then all those pieces together--it should look like a hexagon at this point, and applique the middle hexagon.

I had to cut out one block at a time so I could understand the color ranges within the block and with each other.

I laid it out in a flower shape when I had finished 7 blocks and filled in 4 half hexes at the edges. I thought I could cut the hexagon pattern in half for this job, but it needs extra for a seam allowance. So note that.

I think I'm going to leave the zig zag edge on one side. I like it.

So then I sewed the hexagons together and that was my first experience with Y seams. See the puckers.

I had to rip it out and I learned that if you sew from the center, after the quarter of an inch seam allowance, it lies flat.

Now I have to figure out my backing and quilt it and I think I'll have that little block out of my wheel house for a while. Except, of course, for the hex charm quilt along. I want one of those cute progress bars like Texas Freckles has on the margin, too...

And speaking of cute buttons you gotta have on your blog, check out the Fat Quarterly button!

Hmmm, I think I stole that one from Katy, Imagingermonkey as well.

You know Fat Quarterly is an eZine chock full of quilty goodness and inspiration and it's very first issue is Tuesday! April 27th!!

I hope there's a question/answer section. I got a lot of questions for those experts. I cannot wait. And maybe, just maybe--I'll listen to their advice.

Feelin' Stitchy

2010-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well I've gone and done it. Reached for a few new projects with no hope of finishing all the other works in progress anytime this month this spring.... soon. How did I manage to get so sidetracked by this little blanket stitch?It started innocently enough. I could manage that stitch much better than a hidden applique stitch for the center of my giant hexy quilt. I've done seven centers now (still have whatever half-hexes are left to fill it out),

then I found a pair of holey jeans (intentionally fashionable holey, but I decided I'm a little long in the tooth to pull that off), made a patch, decorated my $4.00 target pants all hippy-dippy and I'm making slow and steady progress on a broderie-perse applique throw for my mother.

I picked up the blanket stitch from a great little book, Sublime Stitching, which is not only eye candy, but loaded with great tutorials and patterns. I look at this book and I think "I WANT!"

Oh and that nifty tool box with "EMB. thread" scrawled across the side of it, complete with embroidery floss wound around toilet paper holders, circa 1974? I found that in this old house we bought. It's such a treasure, I haven't had to buy my own embroidery supplies yet. That's one of my favorite things about that old house, come to think of it.

You know, the cutest fabric roll came in the mail today. They called it a "cupcake" because it was smaller than a jellyroll. Strips of Freshcut from Heather Bailey. Think I'm going to abandon this hand sewing thing for a while and maybe start a new quilt top...
or maybe I'll just make cupcakes...that sounds good too.

A little more of Canton....

2010-04-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Waiting room for dolls Treasures in a Ball jarOh boy, we almost brought this guy home..."the Judge" was his nameThese old quilts, embroidery, needle point, tatted lace, old tablecloths were loaded to the brim in these bins.

Hop over to my flickr page to see what I couldn't live without. Actually, now I'm wishing I'd snagged that log cabin on the wall....

Shopping the Canton Flea Market

2010-04-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ro has a list for a scavenger hunt: 3 commemorative state plates, a vase made out of an animal, a pop gun....

kept her busy.

Iron beds. They just need a little love...and sanding....
Ms. C tried a fried Snickers bar---I think she regretted it soon afterwards.A collection of microphones

Our Louisiana friends at the traditional Thursday night Mexican Dinner Get Together. There's a bunch of us, huh?
Oh, and I found vintage quilts and linens and embroidered pieces....bins and bins of them!

Some found their way home with me. More on that later.

Quilty Cottage Progress

2010-03-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's shaping up nicely now, isn't it? An island in the kitchen for baking hundreds and hundreds of sugar cookies shaped like the state of Texas or a wedding cake or a flower or a snowman and chocolate covered pretzels and loaves of banana bread...do you smell cinnamon?---oh forgive me, I was carried away.

You see my friend is a very talented baker and I'm hoping she'll make herself at home over here and keep me company in my little cottage, perhaps save some batter for me. Although it looks like I'm eyeing up all that workspace for myself...

See, this is why I'm quite content with my side of the room. An industrial-sized cutting table!

Seven yards of that Anna Maria Horner Little Folks you say? No problem! How much oilcloth is on the bolt? I'll just roll it out right here. Quilting projects and sewing? Fully loaded with outlets! And ...storage! Okay, now I'm just gloating. I'll stop. I'm done. Enough.

Here's my latest love, no not Boudreaux, he's an old love. It's a half hexagon quilt from magikquilter and aneela's tutorials. It began with a comment to Rosie on the Fabric Shopper Online. I admired the hexi quilt and moaned something about getting enough english paper piecing hexes done to cover a journal after laboring days and weeks and months and seasons. Well, she wasn't used to such pessimism ... must not have known I have the outlook of Eeyore and the attention span of Tigger. But I so want to be Pooh. Anyway, that got me thinking about a half hexagon cheat. More on that as it progresses...I'm finding that I can't get away from my slack ways with meticulous cutting and seam allowances, cheat or no.

And lastly, I'm planning on going to the First Monday Trade Days at Canton, TX this weekend.

I know my way around the place pretty well, but if anybody has some great vintage fabric sellers they'd like to point me to, I'm listening!

Whadja get? Whadja get?

2010-03-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last week seemed a bit like a bust--all the anticipation and then a lack luster launch at Target for the Liberty line. I found a bit of stationery, some candles and a piggy bank. But that was about it. No clothing, no rain hat or boots or gloves. No housewares, no teapot (!).

After trawling thru the net, I found similar stories. Some folks saw the early birds overloading their carts with all those little casters could bear, surely ebay $$ gleaming in their eyes. And yes, over to the auction site, there was the cushion marked up to three times the Target price. The online store was sold out of about half the inventory as of the following Monday.

So I ordered a bit of the picked over stuff online, and tried to console myself with my stationery.

But I got a little text from my sis in Louisiana yesterday chirping about the Liberty Loot she was finding at her local Target. Seems the folks have just been a little relaxed about putting it all out. Launch - schmaunch, they said to themselves.

On my second trip to scout out the Liberty booty, I scored! I could choose between the Sixty print or the Dunclare. Got some ties, some prep bowls and cereal bowls and a swimsuit, a scarf, a maxidress...forgot the gardening gloves entirely! But maybe since it's snowing here (again) on the first day of spring, those will not have been picked over...forgot entirely, oh my.

So, whadja get?

The British are Coming!

2010-03-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

Is that a wolf whistle I hear?

Why the photo of a sassy little nightie?

What kind of a blog is this, anyhow?

Well, since I got your attention, I'll tell you why I'm posting my intimates these days...

it's a bit of the Liberty of London by Target line!

Yes, I went wandering 'round the local Target, wondering if they were slowly filling up the shelves with the lovely florals, or if they were truly going to make us wait til the launch date (march14!).

And I scored! This little nightie, some matching intimates, also in pink, and some swimsuits.

That's all so far as I could tell. I passed on the swimsuits...because that's just my policy. I have one from 1998 that works very well, thanks so much, and I'm not going back into that dressing room for another couple of decades. Maybe when I need that ensemble with the skirt attached, I'll consider it.

But, just a quickie to let you know! Better get there before I do if you want some of those gardening gloves!

And the kit give away is over! Again!

2010-03-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

The quilt starter give away is over!

Thanks to the participants. If you are interested in getting involved, be it making a quilt, a quilt top, quilting some one else's top or sponsoring a quilt with a donation, check out this site and this one.

Dear Martha and a little give away

2010-03-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've been composing a letter in my head all week to Martha, the Martha Stewart, maven of all things domestic, Martha of the magazine, the daily show, her own line of hobby materials....you know the one.

Last week she had Chandra Wilson on for a chat and to show us how to make a baby quilt for the charity Chandra is promoting, Quilts for Kids. I had seen the promo and my heart had picked up a beat when I noticed the Heather Ross Frog Prince fabrics she was going to use (squeal!). Somehow, I got busy with laundry--or dishes, or the UPS guy getting eaten by my very ferocious dog, or something. And I came in on the last sewing part of the segment. So I did what any fabric enthusiast would do, I rewound back to the beginning where she talks about the lovely double- gauze -japanese -import designed by the ever-so-talented Heather Ross whom she had featured on her show in July for a segment on elastic thread sewing.

Now of course, I already knew this about the fabric before I ever touched that remote. I just needed to hear her say it.

That's not weird, right?

Well, I'll tell you the introduction these remarkable textiles got:

"We'll start with these, er, soft cotton fabrics."

I'm paraphrasing--probably. But you get the point.

I've been trying to let it go all week. That would be a little bizarre to get a letter and maybe some swatches with a short essay on the strides modern quilting fabrics have made in the last few years, wouldn't it?

But doesn't she need to know?

Double gauzes, japanese imports, hedgehogs and gnomes, flannels and voiles...

Has she touched a laminated cotton? Or experienced the rich cotton sateen of the home dec lines? Does she ever visit flickr groups for modern quilters?

It's really just a public service announcement, folks. For the good of all of her followers.

Anyway, I just got some super cute BOY fabrics that I'd like to share with someone inspired to make a boy quilt for Quilts for Kids or Give a Kid a Quilt, your choice. You need to provide batting and backing and binding and be willing to ship it at your expense. The guidelines for each charity are a little different, so check them out!

The fabric is from Kokka's Petite Ecole Train Station in Navy. It is a panel style print and I'm giving away one yard to the first commenter who wants it and is willing to donate their time and talents to a worthy children's quilt charity. Make sure I can contact you when you leave your comment!

Oh, heck, if there is a lot of interest, I'll probably put something together for a few commenters, so don't not comment!

Now back to Dear Martha...

SpoonFlower Update

2010-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Spoonflower is a really cool site that allows anyone to design their own custom fabric. Some indy designers work with them and create entire ranges, but anyone can submit their design, choose a base cloth and order up some yardage.

Really neat concept. Me, I just likes to shop there.

Recently Heather Ross worked with them and released some really fun variations of some of her out of print greatest hits. I grabbed a couple of gnome prints and some purple toadstools. See my unscientific experiment below.

Earlier today, I contacted Spoonflower about the fabric fading problem and they got back to me within hours, offering a full refund and apologies. They are working diligently to isolate the problem and remedy it. Seems to be an errant batch of pigment?

And there's also this from a flickr thread from Steven at Spoonflower:

I posted this once in another Flickr thread, but from a technical standpoint it is useful to know that Retayne and similar products are intended to be used with dyed fabric. Spoonflower does not use dyes in printing, but instead uses eco-friendly pigment inks. Pigments do not respond to vinegar or chemicals used to help set dyes. Those treatments may make the problem worse. Using mild, phosphate-free detergent when washing our fabric is recommended. A small amount of fading and what is called 'crocking' (where color may rub off of the fabric) is normal for pigments. A lot of fading and crocking that impacts the quality of the finished product is NOT normal. Bleeding is also not an issue with pigments as it can be with dyes that are not set properly. If anyone has any questions about this, please email us at help [at] spoonflower.com.

Good to know, it isn't dye, don't use vinegar or Retayne.

I do hope they work out the bugs in the raisin gnomes range. I really need that more than I had realized (before it existed...). But for now, I'm leaving my reimbursed money in their coffers...because I remember seeing about a hundred other things over there that I really need to own.

Case of the Disappearing Gnomes...

2010-03-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Oh no! I can't look! Tell me it isn't happening???

Let me preface this by saying I love me some Heather Ross fabric. When I see it somewhere, be it West Hill, or Mendocino, or pajamas, I just buy a little more because you can't have too much wonderful. So when Heather announced she was designing a few more prints thru Spoonflower, I popped in immediately and bought some gnomes, some toadstools, some deep raisin colors, a neutral version and some plums. It just arrived two days ago and I tore into it, stroked it and put it in the stockpile---I mean cache, um stash, feeling just a little bit smug.

I happened across this in a flickr group yesterday...Mrs.McPorkchop linked to another photo here.

Seems the deepest colors aren't holding up in the wash!

I remember my very clever sister-in-law advising me to add a bit of vinegar in the wash to prevent the colors from bleeding. And don't you use it when dying easter eggs?

Worth a shot. So first I hand washed the swatches in Target's Method detergent and about 1/4 cup of vinegar, I let it dry and snapped these two pictures.

Really no fading on the toadstools and maybe very slightly on that raisin color. I thought I'd throw it in the wash and then dry it the second time to see if the vinegar had helped at all.

Well, as you can see, my results are about the same as the ladies' on flickr (top pic).

Hmmm. This is such pricey fabric, I hated sacrificing even the tiny swatches for this test.

Guess it's time to contact spoonflower. I'll let you know how it goes.

Helllllloooooo out there

2010-03-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Well, that was fun. Closed down the shop for three weeks. Oops. didn't think I'd be gone that long, and if the sun hadn't come out today, I might have delayed it a bit longer. I think I'm working like the groundhog, only backwards. It's the last dregs of a long, gray, wet winter and I lost my motivation to jump back in. Inertia again. I relapsed.

I have been sewing, though. This is the longest quilt project ever for me. A wonky log cabin in Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley. I am inspired to quilt diagonal wavy lines from a pic I saw here. Laura J did a beautiful job of a grey modern quilt. I visit her quilt every day and just stare at it when I should be finishing mine. I was also very envious of her sunshine, but coping better today as I have my own.

Back on the grid today, moving among the living again. And added a little clearance section to my shop to celebrate the warm rays.

Hope you get some vitamin D today, where ever you are.

Liberty for London comes to Target

2010-02-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

More tea? Yes, please.

These are just a few sneak peeks of the upcoming Liberty of London for Target, launch date March 14 for us in the States, and UK shoppers will be able to shop the collection online March 12, whilst Londoners can snap up pieces instore at Liberty's Carnaby Street shop from March 29th.

The collection will include housewares, china, gardening supplies, clothing...all at Target prices!

O! and I have spied a bike! a tie! a rain hat!

and whadaya think of using the gardening gloves whilst quilting?

And that's the second time I've used the word whilst ever, all in one post.

My nod to all things English.

Cheerio and regards to the Queen *curtsy*!

...March 14th!!

All People To Be

2010-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

...by Ro

crossing guard

movie star

cheerleader

ice skater

cowgirl

scientist

arabian princess

spanish dancer

japanese princess

tennis player

ballerina

baker

deep sea diver

master chef

scientist

arabian princess

spanish dancer

japanese princess

doctor

cheerleader

ice skater

tennis player

ballerina

baker

deep sea diver

astronaut

teacher

girl scout

auto mechanic

matador

Has monster.com seen the latest hottest career list?

And the kit give away is over!

2010-02-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, that was fast! Thanks to all who asked for their starter kit. I'm going to snap up all the requests I can handle so that means the kit may vary a bit from what I first proposed.

Remember, it's about two yards of fabric, so you'll need to add from your stash to complete a quilt. Katy said she'd come up with a pattern if you want one.

And visit Rachel's blog for details about the dimensions.

Don't forget to send me your address so I can ship it to you (thfabrics@gmail.com). Hey smartie Katy, let's (when I say "let's" that's you) start a flickr group to see all the variations of quilts made with the same basics!

And for anybody getting here too late, check back next week. I'd like to do this a few more times as I'm able and as long as there is interest.

Thanks again, ladies!

You Rock

Starter Quilt Kit Give Away--for Charity

2010-02-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

I've put together a starter quilt kit for my quilter friends who want to participate in Rachel's Give a Kid a Quilt drive. I have three kits all cut up and folded and waiting for you to make them into something gorgeous. Each kit will have a yard of the Joel Dewberry Ginseng, a fat quarter each of Bright Buds in Olive, Bright Buds in Aqua, Centerpiece in Teal and Acanthus in Orange. Now, Rachel accepts quilts in various stages of completion but her happiest day is when she opens her mailbox to find a finished quilt all ready for a new home. For a finished quilt, you would need to consider batting, backing and binding as well as the top, so you would have to add something from your stash. So if you were considering doing something for some one with less than you, this might be a fun place to start. Please visit Rachel's blog for details of her charity and just leave me a note in the comments if you'd like a kit!

2010-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Australia Day Pavlova, a first for us.

Littlest one came home from school Friday with a fist full of recipes for us to try: Lamingtons, damper, pavlova...

One thing to note is that "corn flour" is corn starch--not corn meal (ew! in meringue?).

Her class is researching Australia for their International Fair next week. Each grade has its own country it represents. And the kids get a passport and have it stamped at each "country".

Cute!

On another Australian note,--boomerangs, bush tucker, platypus and Holden cars...sorry, lots of trivia still floating around the noggin.

I'll try that again: on another note, I have finally received some hand printed textiles from that ace designer, Shannon Lamden, a.k.a. Aunty Cookie and I'm getting them into the shop slowly but surely. I ordered them way back in October. First they had to be, well, made, I suppose, as each order is unique. Then they had to be shipped. Seamail, which sounds like a great adventure. But they're here! They're here!

Those Most Remarkable Etsy Sellers

2010-01-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Well, the littlest one is fully recovered and I am enjoying my first day to myself after a good weeks' worth of being battened down. I did end up making some good use of my lazy time at home, though. I shopped like I had threatened I would. Shopped online, in my most comfortable slippers and pjs, on my couch, with the littlest one watching a little disney. And it's almost excusable, isn't it? After four days of cabin fever. But who could resist these little treasures?I warned you in my previous post that I was inspired by rosehip's pillowcases (scroll down to dec. 5th for the full impact of wonderful). And after searching on Etsy, I came across some gorgeous bits of vintage trim. These are by BumberShootSupplies and yes they came on the wooden spools with vintage buttons and brooch holding them in place. And no I don't know if I bought them for the trim or the spools or the brooch. I don't know. The long ecru piece in the back was from WillowGlassSupplies and was wrapped in the lovely bit of green calico fabric.

I have some more pieces coming as well...one's from France. France! That makes it international or---french, which makes it, well, much more sophisticated, of course. Um, I mean, bien sur.

And speaking of Etsy sellers, amazing crafty generous--etsy sellers, you must check out CraftHope for Haiti. I have a link over there to the right as well. Their shop has accepted donated items from all the generous etsy crafters and is selling them with 100% of the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders for Haiti. The response has been overwhelming for them according to their blog, crafthope.com, raising $7000.00 within the first 48 hours.

As if we needed a reason to shop on etsy...but it's a pretty good reason!

Sick Days

2010-01-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

inertia n. Physics . The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line.

Well that's it exactly, now, isn't it?

Littlest one has been home for three days (3!!) with a virus. Poor thing, she's had a steady diet of chicken noodle soup, sprite, tylenol, and motrin. Her hair looks like an unfortunate felted rag rug---is that how you make dread locks, felt it?

She's well on her way.

But she does feel better today! And I am planning what I will do with my precious free time after I drop her at school tomorrow! At 8:24 a.m.!

Now the inertia definition is not at all about my sick little chicky, of course. It pertains to her mother...I can't seem to get moving on anything but the most minimal benchmarks of what makes us a civilized society. Exercise, (just enough to qualify) check, shower, check, cut and ship fabric, check.

But my energy is divided, or maybe my attention is. So I've yielded to the circumstances. I sit with Littlest One wrapped up in a fleece blanket and brainstorm interesting facts about Australia for her school project. Do you know what bush tucker is? I like that term so much I'm going to try to work it into my future conversations. Or maybe I'll just name one of my pets after it. And we work puzzles and watch a lot (lot, lot) of Suite Life and Witches of Waverly Place. And she has slept a good bit.

Admittedly, I could have been productive during this time, but I stayed put, with the throw around me, surfing thru flickr groups, admiring fun new quilt blocks like these ,and these, and modern pillows with a vintage feel here. And that inspired me to...well, to shop---- for some crochet trim--- because I might one day soon tackle a handmade pillow case, but I'm just kidding myself if I think I'm going to hand crochet the edges. And shopping is one of my favorite parts of craftiness.

Now if you'll excuse me, my daughter has just handed me a comb as she is freshly bathed. I think our sick day is coming to an end.

The Fancy Schmancy Zoo of Love

2010-01-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well, there's some new blood in the old family tree, and to welcome the little mister to the family, I made him a quilt from Michael Miller free quilt patterns, Giraffes, Elephants, and Hippos! Oh My! (Oh, yes, much inspired by Katy's version here)

I didn't have all of the kiddy prints they used in their version, so I opted for a lot of Love, because my animals live in a very fancy zoo, you see. Hmmm, and I didn't quite follow the pattern now that I'm seeing Katy's. Hate instructions! Just look at the pictures and go with it, right?

Actually I was wanting to tackle this quilt pattern and jonesing to cut into the Love stash, and I thought it was a fun spin. I do wish I were a really good stippler. I wanted to stipple all around the big animals. ...and you know I tried, like some one who doesn't have good sense. Let's learn to free motion quilt right here and now! Worth a try, because I always think that if I up the ante I will really follow through. But I ended up quilting around the animals in a wavy line farther and farther out each time. The back is a Heather Bailey's new Hop Dot in Sky, very sweet.

So there it is, fun, simple and sweet.

Happy Birthday, Joseph Paul!

Bits of the Holiday Week

2009-12-29T05:58:00.000-08:00

This morning as I shuffle around in my orange aeropastale tee, green sweats and merrill clogs (the shoes have to be comfortable, don't they?) I think, "gosh, we clean up good" Perhaps a shower later...And what kind of mother lets her daughter go out in this blizzard? Now I must go collect her.

Actually, our dear friends invited us to a turkey dinner, so I'm going out in the blizzard, either way.
And my cottage has made progress. Now it has windows and shingles, as of today. I love construction! Smell that fresh cut plywood!
My best surprise gift ever! Husband flew my mother in for a week! Of cooking! Tamales! Gumbo! Pancakes! Enchiladas! Lots of TLC for everyone. We love us some Patsy!

I learned how to make triangle

squares from the block party quilting tut and made lots of them! I thought about doing a zigzag pattern for my husband's quilt, but in the end, I made patches of the girls artwork and poems and scattered them in. Nope. No picture of the finished quilt. Now it's gone off to work, of course.

My teen uploaded (downloaded?) her ipod stuff into my iphoto cache and I got a sneak peek into her quirky humor...And remember those rolls I made for art and whatnot? I made LoAdS of them. Loads.
And A fabric cube from Anna Marie Horner's Seams to Me book, for teacher.
I participated in a giveaway from Imagingermonkey. She named a lucky winner recipient of a gift certificate to my shop. That was fun. Wish I could just give people things all the time!
Today we will have more snow, so I'm contemplating some lovely indoor crafty projects. And since I mentioned all that yummy goodness, I 'm thinking I'll waddle over and reacquaint myself with the treadmill.

Hope your holidays are wonderful!

Parthenons, punch and such

2009-12-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

It's a cliche, you know: "Rome wasn't built in a day."

My daughter had a three part homework assignment due today (!), one part of it was to build a parthenon model structure. That ancient Doric temple made for Athena around 432 BC, with the 9:4 ratio, friezes and west pediment depicting the competition between Poseidon and Athena for patron of the city, remember? Go ahead, ask me infinitesimal details about ...parthenons and such. I'm your go to girl. Well, it will stick around thru the rest of the day, probably. And it will slowly be replaced by more practical information, like the ratio of butter to flour in my earl grey cookie recipe.

But that little cliche got me to thinking. We are all having the same week, aren't we?

Sunday, band recital, volunteer for reception and serving punch, Monday, an abundance of rehearsals, gymnastics, a sick kid, Tuesday a whirlwind of baking and punch making for that night's orchestra concert, did I mention I was punch lady again for the reception? (sometimes I joke I carry a hair net and plastic gloves in my purse, just in case) and of course we get back at 9:30 and tackle the Acropolis, a time line, a bit of algebra and a chapter of the Penderwyck's.

But I'm not complaining...I'm just catching my breath. That was just the last 72 hours! We are at the half way point of the last week before kids are out for the holidays and it's always such a hectic mad dash.

Did I mention I've gotten Little Folks voiles in? They are gorgeous! And Love just arrived! And a shipment of Timeless Treasures with alphabets and music sheets and owls and trees! You can find them in my shop.

I am aching to sew. But, first things first.

And first I've got to clean up this ancient Grecian mess of plaster, paint, nails, and bits of dried glue.

Maybe just one cup of tea before I start. Rome wasn't built in a day, they say.

How's your week going?

On a Roll

2009-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Oh cute! I found a pattern I could follow without cussing! This is the traveling art show roll by Mr. Monkeysuit, tute on the right--->. I made the compartments and then went online to Oriental Trading Co. and bought crayons, activity books, cards shaped like penguins (!) and those papers with the gummy ends for making chains. So it all doesn't fit perfectly, but, it is super easy and really cute. I put these together, four in all, in about an hour, with a good bit of help from my daughter. And we have four more ready to go for the boys.
Oh! And then, at Target, I saw these really cute make up brushes and glosses and nail polish kits for $1.00 to $3.00 by Elf and I grabbed some for the older girls' friends.

How sassy would that be, to grab your little roll of cosmetics out of your purse for a touch up, or to make a little hand sewing to go kit for your hexies, or how about a mini toolset, or an emergency bottle opener or tea caddy?

Oh, and my friends who make jewelry! little scissors and filament and pliers...

Oh! and embroider the recipients name on it!

And the fabric can be themed with the use!

So if you were wondering what I'm getting you for Christmas, um, I think I'm on a roll.

More Thanksgiving on the Bayou

2009-12-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

I took my quilt to grandma mc's to finish the binding...I came by to work on it and I found my quilt busy taking a nap with her. Well, first things first. I can wait.
Yes, they really live on bayous in Louisiana. ... and they fight alligators in their overalls. (that's for you, K.)

Oldest and dearest came to see Dad for his birthday. Oldest friends, of course.
Yes we really roast pigs, cochon de lait style. It's under there, isn't it Zach and Kyle?
and we sing on the back porch.

and make bread pudding. I'm very animated aren't I?

And a good time was had by all. Y'all come back now, you here?

Louisiana Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Snippets from our family holiday...

Chloe is in charge of sweet potato pies...

Ro chases mama's chickens, Pawpy gets two quilts for his birthday, one for pretty, one for warm (we'll call it "quaint")...

Uncles play nephews in football...one uncle cabe strains his "serratus" muscles (ouch), and is renamed Festus.....Chloe pokes the chickies for better egg production. I have another child, by the way. She is somewhere texting some one, telling them all about her Louisiana adventures.

Mail Call

2009-11-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

Clever Clever Etsy Sellers!

I got two packages in the mail today! Two!

First the big box: A "Mail Bag" Design tote for my flat rate envelope bundles to the post! Done up in Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks Forest Hills laminated cotton and some of her home dec to match. And it's reversible! This was done by Amy of Amy M Designs on Etsy. Lurvvving It!

Now the tiny box: open it up, lovely tissue paper, off it goes, now--must pause to admire the wrapping. How Darling is That! Who wouldn't want to get that in the mail? Well now I don't want to open it...But of course I do. Inside is some vintage selvedge ribbon I will use to wrap my

pretty packages in aqua and a spring green. I like the olive green she used so much I must have some of that as well. This is from the Good Luck Shop. So go visit Etsy and be very impressed with customer service and lovely attention to detail you just don't get at the big boys' stores.

Hopscotch Quilt

2009-11-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

And this would be my second quilt ever, made in one day...well, most blocks were waiting for me on the day, with a deadline imposed by self so that it would be a part of my new online store header. Pictures have been safely uploaded to the web genius lady, so now I can sit and blog with the little quilty over my knees. And notice that the binding needs a bit of work...

But since I give myself some beginner's grace, I can enjoy the quilt for the colors and fabrics and even the stitches. I had thought in the planning of it that it lacked a little spontaneity so I added the rusty bouquet of Garden Party (Anna Maria Horner) and the wine from Amy Butler's Love.

My free motion technique is still quite lacking, so I plugged on the walking foot and did wavy, curvy lines across it. I quite liked the kinesthetics of that, the quilt rolled up on each side and steering it this way and that, my mind meandering like the stitching.

oh, new online store plug, speaking of plugs, www.thistlehillfabrics.com is coming soon, another wonderful little experiment into the webby world of quilters and lovely fabric and maybe some Munki Munki pjs, that I cannot sell on Etsy, unless I cut them in bits to offer as "supplies". And, listen, I am an upcycler, recycler, get another use out of it, but, first things first...and firstly, you wear the apparel, then you make your quilt. Ok, I hear you, it's Heather Ross, she gives us no alternative, licensed exclusively with them. And I understand. I do. Just buy the whole classic set and you cut it up. And I don't need to know. Now how did we get into this whole argument? I didn't mean to argue. I was just telling you about my quilt. And it's meandering stitches....

2009-10-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

My very second quilt in progress.

I called it a HopScotch pattern after TreeFall's quilt she talks about here

I took this pic from the top of my stairs looking down on the foyer floor and I am seeing it anew from that perspective. I do see more of the values than the prints now. Blues and greens, always my soothing go-to colors. Some Anna Maria, some Amy Butler, and Jen Paganelli and a splash of pineapple brocade from H. Bailey.

Excited to sew it up. Must look up how to sew it up. No, not following a tutorial, or pattern, per se. Are you not surprised? No, you shouldn't be anymore. Here's my rationale: I search free motion quilting, I see three different feet used, twenty different threads recommended and debates about to hoop or not to hoop (using embroidery machine). On Ohfrannson's tutorials, she spends a page defending her method of ironing her seams (flat and center, if you must know) and she must be quite the expert. Amazing quilts.

So since I am confused, have the attention span of my pup, Ru--are we going for a walk? Do I smell sausages? Is that the UPS truck?

Actually that's a lot like my stream of consciousness.

Where was I? I don't remember...but, as long as grandma mc can't see my work up close, and I can just buzz thru some sewing, everybody's happy, right? No one got hurt, right?

Ta Da!

2009-10-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

My first quilt ever. A little smallish and the quilting is wonky, but I'm pleased as punch.

I want to do more. More quilting classes, more patchwork piecing. Must sign up for classes.

So this is Arcadia, in a jelly roll and moda's prairie cloth which has a lovely interesting rustic texture after it is washed. I think it gives the quilt a bit more masculine weight to it, but we should probably ask a man. Flannel on the back and A Butler's olive stripe for the binding.

Friend, Katy--aka ImaGingerMonkey (check blogs I follow) recommended ohfrannson's tutorial on binding

here

And, no I didn't have the patience to do it by hand, but I wish I had now. (typical, you're muttering)

Oh my there are some beautiful quilts out there. I do think crafty bloggers are so smart. And now I am loving me some precuts. But first, I have picked up some fat quarters of Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks and want to do a HopScotch quilt in the plums and the blues.

No, first, I want to have a little tea and sit on my porch with my (brother's) lap quilt keeping the chill away. I need to visit with it a little before I send it to its new home...and make sure it's working properly.

2009-10-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

MMMmmmm, jambalaya!

My brother makes the best brisket, jambalaya and fried catfish for any doctor I know of. Now, not many of the doctors I know cook for me, so that's not saying enough.

He makes the best brisket, jambalaya and fried catfish for any brother that I know of. No, not quite fair to David, now is it? And is it really better than mama's? Can't say that definitively either....

It's really tasty brisket, jambalaya and fried catfish, though.

Actually it is the best (stepping on toes, now, I know..ever the diplomat, I am so sorry).

And speaking of falling short of the best--no, mama, I don't mean you. I meant David's cooking, of course.--anyway, I am very inspired this morning to try a little quilt for him (although grandma mc has done it soooo much better than I might hope) with an Arcadia jelly roll, a little moda prairie cloth in a rich charcoal color and a robin's egg blue flannel background. There, I've committed to it, so I will follow up with the lovely completed quilted in a mere few hours.

Just want to take a moment to wish big brother, Darien, a happy birthday.

It's been a wet fall, Y'all...

2009-10-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

My hay bale has a jaunty little green crew cut. This is a bale we put out for "eco-friendly" (read cheap and handy) seating for a party we had last week. Er, nobody actually got to sit on it, as we hurriedly moved the party inside and on porches when the rain set in. And it rained, and drizzled and sprinkled...sometimes, there was just a moist fog clinging to the air, wrapping it's tendrils around my tendrils, causing them to become a voluminous halo around my head...a frizzy halo.

A virtual rain forest in North Texas. For a good two to four weeks, off and on.

So I've never seen a hay bale sprout new growth. It's kind of cute. Does remind me of hair.

But really nice well-behaved straight hair. Maybe I'll ask it what products it recommends.

A Good Day

2009-10-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today I...

1. secured a ravely hem in my daughter's pants with packaging tape.

2. realized I missed out on Amy Butler's new Love collection's early release.

3. saw that Jennifer Paganelli posted that she loved my skirt on my Flickr site,

here

It was a good day.

Another Bo Peep Skirt

2009-10-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's another Bo Peep Skirt for a full-grown girl! I have started, hic cupped, halted, suspended several works in project--a prairie top resized for me (it's ginormous and I don't know which way to start tailoring it) a bulb applique pattern from the Amy Butler inspiration page, a pinwheel style patchwork for a round foam form ( I did put in an actual zipper, very proud). And they all call to me from tHe bottom of my project basket buried under shipping supplies and handfuls of ready-to-embellish tea towels--won't that be darling! I can't wait to try Anna Maria Horner's kitchen towel project....but there I went off subject again.

So it's Friday, company coming in from out of town, big bash planned for my hubby's 40th for the following Saturday night, lots of orders to fill, children to cart round. I think the weather must have done it, that slight chill, the October sunshine and a little breeze with the promise that 90 degree days are banished for a while. I thought I needed something kicky and ruffly and fun to pair with my favorite black cherry Lucheses boots. A little shorter than my first skirt, just to celebrate the last bits of warmth before winter reminds us she is no friend to bare legs.

I whipped this up fairly quickly. I think by the time I adjusted the length for the waistband allowance and a rolled hem it was--er--a little too flirty, so I threw in another length of the okra seeds cut on the bias to lengthen it out. I really stretched myself on the color and pattern mix, pulling from Anna Maria's book, Seams to Me, and the Flickr groups who stun me with their creations. If I were smart and techy I'd link to them right here....but I am not, so go look at Flickr groups regarding Seams to Me, and designer quilting fabric groups. You can google, right?

Anyway, I think this pattern would be adorable in some understated prints as well but I seldom buy muted prints, I don't think that's my wheelhouse right now. I'm looking forward to washing it to add to the softness.

My skeptical teen aged nephew voiced his opinion,"Aunt D, what exactly is that supposed to be?"

"It's just me." I said with a wink.

FOUND: the cutest pupper ever

2009-09-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last week as we were driving home from a Sunday outing, we saw a small yellow furball run across the road and into the woods. "It's a puppy!" And, knowing all the doggies in the neighborhood and their roaming habits, was suspicious that this little guy didn't have a home.

So, long story short, we took puppy home with us and became quite attached, as he had the coolest little personality, not to mention uncommonly beautifully eyes. Realizing I couldn't keep one more animal, I sent one of my best galpal's a quick email (and this picture). "Blond haired, blue eyed, what is Pupper Williams doing in the road? You need to come get your pupper!"

Now, this friend, the Mrs. Williams of the family, has not owned a dog since I've known her these some years, so I didn't think it would go very far.

Her response: Serious to God, you have that dog?

hmmmm, more interest than I thought...

But she is traveling. It may take a while to talk to her hubby and really consider this.

Next day: Is that guy at your house? Hubby is in!

Yea!

two hours later: I'm rethinking this. I don't know about owning a dog.

thirty minutes later: I have got to have that damn dog! U still got him?

Yes, and I'm just rolling up to your house!

She is still not back from Boston, so I deliver Pupper Williams to Hubby who point at me and says "This one pulled a fast one with that email!"

Awww. How cute is this puppy? They named him Kirby and he's actually quite a dork, throwing himself headlong into unsuspecting bushes and refusing to walk on a leash.

Oh, and he has a brother....If you just really need a cutie pie.

2009-09-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

It's Moda Day! It's Moda Day!

This is the day I get to go to Moda's warehouse in Dallas and meet with a customer rep and push a buggy down the warehouse aisles!!! I dreamed about it last night: Wandering down aisle after aisle of fabulous fabrics. "I'll take this and this...oh, this print is so much bigger and more vibrant in person!..." Filling my cart with Tula Pink's HushaBye and Mill House Inn and Monkey fabrics just because they are there....

And, you know what? It was a LOT like that! And I saw future fabrics to come that I just stood there, tormented like I was choosing between my children. "I have GOT to have all the bird patterns! The mint, the green, the pink!" Oh, my gut aches thinking what I didn't choose even right now.

I kept telling the customer rep (the best rep ever, btw), "I'm just small potatoes. I can't buy every bit of this." But she made me feel like a princess. Like I was indeed a fabric mogul. We went through almost every aisle and , gosh, those people make pom pom dangles!

giant ric rac! zippers and threads and storage plastic things and rotary cutters and batting and they have lines of velvet home dec (who knew?). So I explain to her again that I'm just really small potatoes and my brand new company credit card is going to self destruct in my pocket as we walk around...do you know, they offer 60 day terms? They do!

So I gotta go, me and my new best friend, the customer rep have some shopping to finish up.

Anna Maria Horner's Bo Peep Skirt

2009-09-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

So I must admit, I have been sewing for a long time...and not very well, for a long time. I have sewn curtains and doll clothes and purses upcycled out of coats and hardware from belts and I recovered a couch! Well, I didn't know how to put in a proper zipper so I stitched up the cushions, then I ripped them out to wash them....then I never stitched them up again. But with the right amount of "merchandising" (you know where you fold the fabric to the back, place a pillow to hide a gap...) I get by fine.

I always thought it was my most practical nature that spurred me on to sew: to save the couch from the dumpster, to save money on curtains, to avoid throwing away those great clothes--yes, I even feel a pang when I give them up to Goodwill. It was probably also this trait that caused most of my frustration. Trying to buy too little fabric, not a proper trim, and really, there are a lot of bulky seams in old coats...

Now that I am surrounded by a plethora of fabric from my little fabric shop, www.ThistleHillFabrics.etsy.com , I have been spurred on to sew. Really ambitious things like Amy Butler's Lounge Pants from her book, In Stitches, patchwork pillows on a round pillow form from her inspiration page on her website, Anna Maria Horner's garment bag from her latest book, Seams to Me, and her Bo Peep skirt from the same. Okay, not really advanced sewing here, but, folks, it takes a little more planning than I am used to doing.

So I will post here about my progress or frustration or whatever the task brings up in me because I would like to see some improvement over the year in my skill level. I am afraid that if I don't proclaim this publicly, I might whittle away my entire shop of bolts with nothing to show for it save scraps. Then I'll only have a scrap business. And lots of lint and thread bits....

My first project I want to share is the Anna Maria Horner Bo Peep skirt. It wasn't my first project, but one of my more successful and I'm feeling good about that. So here it goes.

First of all, I intended to read all of the first five chapters which covers tools, spaces, notions, pattern terminology, bias tape making, and choosing different types of fabrics. It's a really pretty book, sort of vintage-y feel of antique yardsticks and patchwork quilts, yummy feast for the eyes. And lots of good, in depth information. I did thumb through all of it.

Now, on to the pattern: I had just gotten in a bolt of Joel Dewberry's Antler Damask in Celadon. It had been backordered for months so I was thrilled to have it and wanted to make something to showcase it. I started making a tote. A rectangular tote. But I wanted to cry with boredom and I had just cut the pieces out. So I look thru the book and come across the bo peep skirt for little girls. Now earlier that day, I had been junktique-ing at one of my favorite haunts and came across these great victorian bloomers or nickers --- long ruffley white pants with lace insets and pleating and beautiful details. Should have taken a picture. Anyway, these reminded of the skirt. And I thought(rationalized) that while the nickers probably shouldn't happen in public on a grown women, somehow, the skirt with ruffles was a compromise.

First, cut rectangles based on your waist size and the length you want. Ruffles and trim cut out. Easy, done. Roll hem on ruffles, done. Gather the ruffles, got it. Now you figure out where you want the ruffles and baste them on the side panel. Hmmm. I thought you might do the ruffle trim first. As a matter of fact, I did that already. I have attached the ruffle trim to the ruffle and then I want to attach it to the side panels. Oh well. It works. And now I am so excited with the ruffle detail that I am deflated to see and try to make sense of "with the wrong

sides together" and "with the right sides together..." Breathing in, breathing out, I try to picture why I would sew wrong sides together. At this point, still so stoked about the ruffle detail, I abandon the book and finish the skirt as I can make sense of it. I had to take up a bit of fabric in the waist (yes, now I see that she was trying to teach me French seams). And since I loved the longer length, I added a waist band piece to save the below knee length.

Pretty easy. Love the skirt. A little disappointed I didn't calm down enough to trudge thru all of the seams twice over. That is the point of these lessons after all. But here it is, and my favorite middle daughter modeling it for me. Deep Bo Peep curtsy to you all.

Thistle Hill Fabrics Update

2009-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

O my, Lots of news! What came this week for Thistle Hill Fabric shop:Jennifer Paganelli's Zebra print in brown! Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Pop Daisy in Red! I didn't think I was getting these! Yes, yes, released earlier in the year, but new to me! And I don't think the world's had quite enough Pop Garden and Zebra.
And....Heather Ross' Far Far Away by Kokka: Unicorns, frog princes, princesses and peas....so cute! In double gauze which was new to me, too and I had to learn about how it is especially soft and light weight and this was a big factor to Heather Ross when she decided to design something for Kokka, a Japanese fabric line. No, the US manufacturers aren't making this type of fabric...yet. Here's a link with more info about double gauze:
www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30027916
Oh such a busy week for a fabric junky!
And...I got an email from my rep that Amy Butler is releasing her new line....LOVE!Actually it will be ready in December, but I got a peek! Really fun with a new color palette for her. I guess you'll just have to wait... a little while longer.
So more stuff to come shortly. More inventory means less room in my studio, thus, I'm destashing with a $5.00/yd section in my store. Be sure to check it out. Beautiful premium designer quilting weight fabric!

A Letter to Amy Butler

2009-08-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

So summer is coming to an end. It is truly a bit cooler (here in the south, 93 degrees smells like fall). And while I'm so anticipating my new fabric lines coming in soon (Heather Ross, Far Far Away, and oil cloths! and Girly Girl), I don't think I'm ready to leave behind all the great lines that were released earlier this year. I think I came to the party late and, although my sewing room is full ( okay overflowing) (okay drowning in) bolts of designer fabrics. I finally came to grips with the fact that I truly needed to own some of those fabric lines I had missed out on. You know, before I became a fabric mogul.

Let me back track here. When I placed my first order for fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted:

Amy Butler, Belle. Amy Butler, Lotus. This was early in the summer and I didn't understand that to have a full compliment of fabrics, you must get in at the beginning. Otherwise you end up with two or three or four great fabrics and some companions, but not necessarily companions to the great centerpiece fabrics you had drooled over. Not really sloppy seconds, but not the powerhouse line you had thought you were strategizing with the precision of a five star general prepping his arsenal for one hellacious battle. Yes, folks, I wanted to blow you away with my matching Amy Butler prints.

So imagine my surprise, when I called to place my order and was told by the very helpful customer rep, "You know Belle and Lotus are closing out, right? We're not going to be producing them anymore. Don't have that...don't have that, no,no, no, "

Quite shaken I said, in my modulated business owner voice, "I see. Okay, let me, er, think this over and get back to you with a-- hmmm, revised order."

"Great. We close in 25 minutes. Remember, it's a holiday weekend, so we will be back in the office Tuesday." I brightly reply, "Great! No Problem!" OH Pooh.

So I gathered my very business-y manilla folder, my shiny new credit card, my laptop and spread everything out on the kitchen table. Ok, let's think about this: This is available, what goes with? What if they're out of that? Maybe a third choice for good measure?

I don't know why I was determined to gather all of my very first bit of inventory on such a time constraint. By sugar, I was determined to place that order by 5 o'clock EST on That Friday!

Anyway, that was my first order, and since then, I wrote to Amy about the ending of those two lines. Side note: I haven't sat down to write a letter of complaint to anybody since my now 13 year old was loaded on the wrong bus the first day of school she was 6) and driven all over God's creation. But I needed Amy to know how I felt about Belle and Lotus going away. Almost as bad as the first incident, right? Her somebody (assistant) did personally respond. She said they were very disappointed as well. But Amy was working on a new line (YaY) soon to be released! Something about "Love".

So to bring closure to myself, for all the lines I missed out on before I was a fabric mogul (BFM). Heather Ross's Mendocino, some hard to find Pop Garden, would love some more pink coriander from you-know-who, cherry wallflower. Oh, sigh. I haunt clearance sales, I pay little, I pay dearly, I buy from people like me. Yes, I buy more fabric. Because I need to own it.

And I welcome Fall--and Love.

Letter to Relatives

2009-08-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hey check out my bag!
picked it up today!
I took it into JoAnn's Fabric just to be cheeky and this one lady's eyes bugged out and she did a double take, and I said, Like My Bag? I just got it!
and she's like, No! I love the fabric!
and I said (because I have 45 bolts of fabric, 6 of them the flowered material on the bag)
I said," but the bag is Awesome! I love the bag!
love, your fabric mogul relative

P.S. 22 sales as of today

Props!! to www.cottoncandyboutique.etsy.com for an Amazing FabricSnob Briefcase!!!

very sassy about town!

And buy my fabric at www.thistlehillfabrics.etsy.com

2009-08-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Pillows! I've made pillows and put together a diy travel pillow kit in my etsy store: www.thistlehillfabrics.etsy.com

Cute! I have to put my hands in my pocket or I'll make more! then I'll have none to sell! and that was, after all, the point. So with the kit, you get three fat quarters, a monogrammed applique, a pillow form...and all the inspiration to make it yours!

Alternative Sunday

2009-08-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend, got a call from one of my best galpals and fellow etsian, BeadNRocks owner, Sus. She hatched a plan to go down to Dallas' Deep Ellum for lunch to a spot she had seen on Diners, Dives and Drive Thrus (Food Network) or some such show with those words in perhaps a different order. Now, here I should state (disclaimer) that Sus is very hip and trendy, staying up with, if not ahead of her 14 year old daughter on all the screamo progressive metal bands in the area. I am not. But I do have an alternative uniform for such occasions: a graphic t-shirt sporting something ironic, cutoff jeans and mary jane sneakers claiming to be made from recycled tires. So that I do not scream suburban-housewife-

who-hasn’t-seen-Deep Ellum-in-the-dark-since-the-senior-bush-was-in-office at all.

At this point, I’m thinking--I Am Embracing Urban. This is expanding our horizons and I need to tell my children about all things urban and anti-Gap and why people don’t straighten their hair here. In case they ever run into it again, they can process it.

So we arrive at the “dive” a little later than friends, and we know it is the chosen dive because there is a line out the front door half a block long...full of suburban housewives with graphic t-shirts, recycled stuff...tourists like me. Friends have been waiting an hour and haven’t ordered or been encouraged in any way that they may, in fact, be offered food at some point. Now I am sad that our great little foray into alternative neighborhood on a Sunday has become another Disney debacle. Hardly alternative at all when you’re elbow to elbow with the same yahoos you see at Salt Grass.

So I vote that we go to the taco lounge across the street (no line). We are seated immediately (YAY) and are offered chips (we are so far ahead of the tourists! We’re Winning!)Anyway, good lunch, good times and the waitress was so truly alternative I studied her so I could get it right next time.

2009-07-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

So I just joined Etsy last week with a little fabric shop I like to call Thistle Hill Fabrics, www.thistlehillfabrics.etsy.com , and it's been really really great! and a little stressful, like the time I accidentally hit a charge button twice (!!) and I thought "ruination of my little fabric shop!!"

But the customers are very nice and understanding and fabric shop survived to see another day.

I'm learning tons about internet shops, credit card fees, shipping stuff...I shipped to Canada yesterday! Yay me. Took my package to a small, tiny local post office so that I might get one on one help, rather than the click-n-ship usps. I did start there but after an ominous question about "EEL" numbers, exporter licenses, auditors, law enforcement, proof of filing...and bears! O My!

I thought it best to confer with an expert usps official. Long story short, the idea of a priority mail flat rate envelope was a new one for my kind mailman. He liked the idea a LOT, though!

And his customs form was issued in 2006 and all filled in by hand. No printer, no bar code, "there's a computer in the corner, but we don't use it much."

"so let's say I haven't done everything up to...code? Will my customer get her package or will it be exiled into Canadian Customs Neverland?" my knees are knocking at this point. He's telling me how to calibrate his scale with a paperclip.

"oh, we'll just get a nast-i-gram from them up there telling us to update our forms...this'll be fine."

Fingers crossed!