Honey, I'm taking the dog-dog-dog out for a walk.

Happy Halloween.

I'm not a huge fan of the holiday, but there is one things that I love about Halloween: every year, our local public park has a Halloween costume party for dogs.

Here's a newspaper clipping of the winning dog from a few years ago:

October Tie One On apron

Just under the deadline! Here's my Tie One On October multi-media apron.




I used a purchased napkin from Anthropologie for the apron itself and enlarged one of the flowers from the print to carve a stamp for the pocket. Then I painted the flower after I stamped it.

My week, so far

Ugh. Let's see:

1. Sleep therapist. Yes, we've seen an expert. Since Bebe has had so much trouble in this area, we decided it was a good idea to see someone for a little help. Basically she told me we're doing everything right but I need to start putting her to bed when she's awake, not asleep. So we started that last night. The result?
2. Crying. Lots of crying. Mostly from Bebe, but I've felt like crying a few times too. Poor thing. Oh, and not much sleeping for her or for me.
3. Mats and frames. I purchased a bunch of black frames a long time ago with the idea that we would select some of our favorite snapshots and hang them all together. Unfortunately, those frames have been taking up valuable real estate under the bed for five plus years. Pathetic, huh? Well, I finally chose the photos, measured and cut the mats, mounted the photos, etc. It took a long time. Now we need to hang the frames. I wonder how long that will take?

The ones that don't have black frames are for the kitchen and for Bebe's room.
4. Those buttons I bought last week? I made a pair of earrings. But I broke one of the other buttons (blame it on the sleep deficit - I've been blaming a lot of things on that lately) and need to go buy another before I can finish the second pair.


And that, my friends, is the summary of my week so far.

LaMode buttons

My Grandma and Grandpa made and sent these a few years ago. They're buttons made by slicing a black walnut and polishing the slices. Grandma said it was quite a messy business: the casings of the walnut are a chore to remove. Aren't they great buttons?





J & E are Grandma and Grandpa's first initials. I think the packaging is priceless; I can't bear to use the buttons because the cards are so terrific.

And then a few weeks later Grandma cut out this ad from a JoAnn Fabrics circular and sent it with her comments:

Dishtowel aprons

Well, I'm waaaay too late for the Tie One On September dishtowel challenge (look at all these great aprons!), but here are my first three completed dishtowel aprons.










I had a lot of fun selecting the fabrics for the pockets and the ribbons for the ties. I altered a pocket from a pattern and added gussets where the pleats had been for a little extra pop. The pockets took me way too long to make; I thought I was being so smart by basting the bias tape to the pockets and later realized that I should have just sewn it as I constructed the pockets. Blame it on sleep deprivation.

Now, on to tackle the October challenge preferably before the end of the month!

Gee's Bend, Denyse Schmidt: whoa, where do I begin?

I've been toying with the idea of making my first quilt for quite a while now, and I think I've finally found the right the quilt for me.

A number of years ago (maybe ten?) Garnet Hill carried some of Denyse Schmidt's quilts, and at approximately the same time Martha Stewart did a nice article on her. I was fascinated by the approach Denyse took and the colors she used. It all seemed so contemporary and intuitive. Then Gee's Bend came to the Whitney Museum and I fell totally in love. Oh my gosh, those amazing denim quilts, the irregular piecing, the fantastic colors and composition!



I don't know when the quilting business really picked up, but it seems like there are many, many books out there that can teach you to make a traditional quilt. And I'm amazed at all the quilt shops that have sprouted up across the country and the number of classes that are offered. It's all good. But I guess what excites me about both the Gee's Bend quilts and Denyse Schmidt's work is that it seems to involve different skills than traditional pattern and color selection, cutting and sewing. It seems to be a little more spontaneous and loose. It's not fussy and meticulous, and you make a lot of decisions as you go. And if you know me, you know that's more my style.



So that's why I'm a little disappointed with Denyse's new book. It doesn't really explain the process that she uses to make her quilts. I certainly don't want to follow a pattern, since that's completely the opposite approach that attracted me to her quilts in the first place. I guess I'll be improvising.

I have two favorite Denyse Schmidt quilts: this one and this one. I want to make a quilt similar to these, but I decided to use silk dupioni instead of cotton. It seemed like a good idea to try making a pillow before attempting the full quilt. And here's the pillow - sorry for the really bad photo:



It's a darn good thing I started with just the pillow, because look what happens with the silk. I suspected that this would be a problem:



The silk is so delicate and so loosely woven that the seam allowances are ripping out! Which means that it's time to try my hand at foundation piecing.

Oh, and one more thing: I want to make my quilt into a duvet cover, not a traditional quilt. Which I suppose means that I should refer to it as a patchwork, not a quilt, since I won't really be able to quilt it. All the same, I'd like to at least do some stitching on the patchwork for texture and stability. I suppose that calls for more experimenting.

I was sort of hoping to join the Modern Quilt-Along, but obviously this project has developed into an animal all its own. I'll have to save the Quilt-Along for another time.

Lotta Jansdotter in Japanese

Here's a little inspiration with which to start your weekend. I picked up this book at Kinokuniya: Lotta's Life Style (ISBN 4-07-238374-0):







The book is full of photos from Lotta's studio and home, her sketchbook, some of the products she has designed, and even pages from her collection of recipes. No projects in the book, but lots of ideas.

Goodies and not-so-goodies

Look at all the fun things I found while shopping at the trim stores yesterday! The buttons are vintage, and some of them will be used for earrings while the others will probably become embellishment on a cute crocheted hat I found at Anthropologie last week. And I couldn't resist the egg cup. No idea what I'll do with it; maybe it will just sit on the desk and hold paperclips for the time being.



I also bought some terrific ribbons as embellishment for the aprons (oh, look! I was a stressed-out wreck when I wrote that post too!), which are coming along nicely. I won't bother to show them yet; they can wait to be photographed once they're finished.

AND I bought three books! More on those later.

On the not-so-goodies stressed-out wreck side, we are suffering some serious sleep deprivation over here. Little has discovered separation anxiety, and the waking and screaming keep getting worse and worse. This is when I miss Todd the most (he travels during the week and makes it home during the weekends), and when I am simultaneously glad that he isn't here to suffer through it with me. Ooh, our poor neighbors who swear they don't hear the screaming - it sounds like the poor baby is going to blow the walls off our apartment, she's so loud!

Fortunately we are going to the pediatrician today for Bebe's flu shot. The shot won't be fun for either of us, but at least I can talk to the pediatrician about getting expert help with the sleep problem. I don't know if I can continue this way much longer. Such a happy, sweet-tempered baby; how can the nights be so painful for both of us?

On a more light-hearted note, we walked by Rockefeller Center yesterday, and the skating rink is being prepared for a (televised?) opening celebration happening today. I snapped a quick photo in passing. You can see all the lights being set up on the right side of the picture.

Self portrait Tuesday

I took this photo a while ago not intending to use it for SPT, but it fits the theme this month.


Ever since giving birth almost eight months ago, my lips have been so chapped and dry! I attribute it to dehydration from breast-feeding, but I also just haven't been drinking enough water. I was amused at all the lip balm and lip gloss that I've accumulated so I gathered it together for a group photo.

Changing seasons, etc.

Now that we're finally finished with all the rain we had last week, autumn is suddenly here. I always expect it to approach us gradually, but instead it seems to leap out at us out of nowhere.

Here are a couple photos of Bebe in her new sweater, which I finally finished. I think I started it before I was even pregnant with her, so it felt really good to sew up the last seam, bind off the collar, and hide the last yarn end. I'm already dreaming what to knit her for next fall. And at the rate this sweater took me, I'd better get started on it really soon.

Picture of contentment

8:00 pm: Parker has a new scratch box (catnip included!) and no baby around to annoy her.

Quilt Monday: baby gift

This is a baby quilt made for us by a dear friend who recently moved away. We miss you, Judy!

I love so many things about this quilt. The colors and prints are not typical baby colors, which make it unexpected and fun. The thread used in the quilting is variegated with lots of bright colors, and the quilting pattern is a beautiful swirl that adds so much dimension to the angularity of the patchwork. The patchwork pattern itself is classic, but the fabrics, colors, and quilting make it so unique and contemporary.

Here's some of the text Judy wrote on the back of the quilt:

"Sawtooth Trail Quilt

"Historically, this quilt consists of two blocks - the Sawtooth is a favorite block design used in many quilts since pioneer days. Many variations are possible, including this one, that it still remains a favorite today. Stars denote special occasions like the Fourth of July and New Year's Day, a romantic evening sky or the birth of a special child."

Stuck on you

I finished another instant gratification project on Friday night while watching this (which, if you haven't seen it, is a terrific program with three seasons now out on DVD). And, as always, I like to be working on something while watching TV.

I know that New York has everything there is to be had, but the trick to living here is knowing where to find it. And after living here for fourteen-plus years, I'm still sometimes at a loss for certain items. So every time I find myself in the suburbs, I make a trip to Michael's crafts to stock up on all the items I can't find at home. During my last visit I found a package of 1/2" magnets, which I had been needing for quite a while. I contemplated decorating them with marbles, but where in NYC would I find them? (probably found in the floral district? Should have looked for them at Michael's while I was there...)

Anyway, first I painted the magnets either white, pink, or light blue. Then I cut the pictures from the Hancock's of Paducah catalog, so if you're a quilter some of these prints may look familiar to you. The photo selection process reminded me of an exercise from one of my college graphics classes where we created an interesting composition using just one letter of the alphabet. I loved that project! And after a few coats of decoupage, they're ready to go! Ah, a project finished before bedtime. Just my speed.




And here are some of the magnets with his and her refrigerator postings:

Cork dolls

Every so often I just have to go back to this site. I love everything on it! The attention to detail is incredible, and check out the poses! I think I could spend hours looking at the pictures.

Here are a few favorites:

At last, a project finished!

Remember these? I took some projects to Barcelona so that I would have something to keep me busy. And then I was too busy to work on them while we were away. But last night I was able to spend a few hours working on this one, and at last it's finished.

I originally saw it here and thought it would be perfect to make because it's almost entirely hand sewn, and I certainly couldn't bring my sewing machine with me. I made it entirely out of ribbons sewn onto muslin, with a very light pink and white glen plaid cotton lining. I used a really heavy tailoring-weight muslin for the interfacing to give it some body and to keep it from collapsing on itself. I think it turned out fairly well:





I'm planning to give it to someone as a Christmas gift, but I won't say who so at least it will be a surprise when it arrives.

How cute are these?!?

I mentioned this book a while ago (ISBN 4-07-246385-X). I think I may have to make Bebe a pair of these while she's still small enough to wear them!