WOO HOO!!!!

OK everyone, I did it... this is just a quick post to let y'all know that finally, my Etsy show is up and running... just a few items right now, but I'm continuing to add stuff, so check it often... anyway, here's the link... check it out! Let me know what you think! Go! Now!

A quick update

Just wanted to pop in and say hi... I haven't forgotten about you but as you can imagine, I've been sewing away trying to stock up my shop by the self-imposed deadline. It's coming along nicely, but I've also decided I'm not going to go crazy making too many items right off the bat. Especially since I'm going to have a special order option as well.
Oh, also... you'll all be happy to know that I was able to get the PERFECT shop name... once it's up and running you'll be able to find my shop on Etsy at ThatCraftyBitch!
One more thing, then I have to run.... I'm halfway through pinning some pieces to sew and my cat keeps trying to eat the pins out of my pin cushion.... but anyway, a tip for all you seamstresses out there... I know you've all heard the rule that you never use your sewing scissors on paper because the paper can dull them but let's be honest, sometimes they get dull anyway. Did you ever go to the fabric store and see the people at the cutting tables sharpen their scissors between customers? I have been looking for one of those sharpeners for so long and FINALLY the last time I was at Joann's they had them for sale. What a difference! Seriously, best $15 I've ever spent...

Closer to shop ready

So I've been doing a bit more experimenting and here's my newest creation.












It's a smallish corduroy messenger bag... approximately 12 inches wide, 10 inches long and 2.5 inches deep. I used brown cord for the body of the bag, as well as the strap and blue cord for the front flap. The lining is just a basic calico cotton print and I did a dove applique on the front. This one was sort of a learning experience, so it won't actually be sold (especially since it's been my go-to bag for the better part of a week now) but it's going to be a staple design in the shop. I'm trying out some others as we speak and I hope to have enough stock to start listing items by the end of the month. I did finally learn the missing step for the applique (two steps, actually)... not in time for this one, but I'll be doing it in the future... first, if you use iron on interfacing, it makes it a lot easier to keep it in place while you're sewing... second, after the initial stitching, you should go back and do at least one set (preferably two) of zigzag stitching to make sure it won't fray... I suspect the interfacing helps with that also.
So anyway, keep checking back, I'll keep posting the progress of my designs. Also, I'll post a link to the shop when it's up and running. In the mean time, I'd love some feedback on the things I've made.

Adventures and Experiments in Applique

Lately I've been doing a ton of sewing. I think ever since I found a permanent place to leave my sewing machine set up I've been re-bit by the bug. It's so much easier to get motivated to start a project when you don't have to lug that heavy thing out of the closet and set it up all over again, don't you think?
So anyway, a little while back I got the idea to start experimenting with applique (although I'll admit that when I started thinking about it, I didn't even know yet that that's what it was called, or even that it had a name).
Now, when I get an idea in my head, I'm way to impatient to wait to learn how to do it. I just experiment and learn as I go. I'm sure I'll get better with time and this first attempt is definitely flawed. Fortunately, the people I'm giving these pillows to treasure anything made by these two hands, as evidenced by the fact that a reindeer made out of clothespins still hangs on their Christmas tree 20 years later.
That's right, you guessed it. This first experiment is for my parents. Their anniversary present, to be exact.
So here's the story behind this. As some of you may or may not know, I grew up in northern New Jersey. And when I was a kid, we used to spend our summers at the Jersey Shore on Long Beach Island, which has, at its north end, a big lighthouse known as Ol' Barney. (Shameless nepotism-- the photo that links to is a picture of Ol' Barney taken by my amazingly talented photographer of a brother... and it is for sale.) Anyway, every summer we used to visit the lighthouse and climb to the top of it.
Ever since I can remember my parents used to dream of retiring there and about five years ago, they finally did. For my part, a few months ago I relocated to Milwaukee. Just before I left, I paid one last visit to Ol' Barney and snapped a picture. Looking at the picture and trying to decide what to give my parents for their anniversary, I thought, what better way to honor their realizing their dream than to give them Ol' Barney! So the wheels started churning and this is what I came up with (two of them actually. I made a matched set but only took a picture of one.)
So anyway, here's what I did. I'm sure there's a better way to go about this, and I'm sure I did plenty wrong. And if you know a better way to do it, please let me know. That's how we all learn.

Anyway, Basically, I started by enlarging the photo I had of the lighthouse and disecting it into its different color sections. I then pinned each piece to the fabric I was using. I chose fabric that doesn't fray much so I wouldn't have to worry about that. (One question I've had, what do people do when it's fabric that will fray? any ideas? Anyone know?)
So anyway, I pinned all the pieces VERY well to the pillow front. I say very carefully because, as I discovered on my first attempt, the places where a new piece of fabric begins will get messed up by the foot on the sewing machine if it's not held down well.
Anyway, I then carefully went around the outside of the fabric very carefully. In certain intricate spots, I actually just used the hand crank on the side of my machine, instead of the foot pedal so I could better control the movement. Once I was done, I sewed the front and back of the pillows together and stuffed them. That's it. Not super hard but requires lots of attention to detail. Now I'm hooked. I've started designing all different appliques and keep trying to come up with what I can make to put them on. Stay tuned... I'm sure it's not the last you've heard about this

Santa reads my blog!

And I must have been a VERY good crafty bitch this year! The amazing gifts I got for Christmas will be providing fodder for this blog for quite a little bit, I think so I'm not going to go into the details of everything I got right now. But for starters, let's just say that my wishes of receiving the Handmade Nation documentary were heard and answered.
I watched it yesterday and it was amazing. Honestly, I would recommend it to any of you. A word of warning, though. You've probably figured out by now that I'm sort of a serial crafter. Some people stick to just knitting or crocheting or whatever but not me. I'm sort of all over the map. Knitting one day, sewing the next, making candles another day. Honestly I try anything that looks interesting to me. That's where this movie gets a little dangerous.
I watched it with notebook and pen in hand and I now have a list of about 10 new crafts I'm planning to experiment with. As if I have the time.
On the plus side, it means I'll have plenty to write about. Anyway, for now, the gist is, see this movie. Either buy the DVD, which I now am very happy to own, or go to one of the nationwide screenings that are listed on the link I gave above.

Movie on my wishlist

Just a short one today. I really am trying to get back to doing this, it's just been a little busy lately. I'm Trying to gear up to sell some of my craftiness, so that's been occupying a lot of my time. Also, tons of handmade Christmas things this year. I'm knitting a ton of Christmas presents and my boyfriend's mother came up with a cool idea for some gifts she's giving and I was helping her with it. She was giving some necklaces and wanted to put this in cloth bags. I used some simple cotton fabric and sewed them into gift bags. Then, to save myself the trouble of hemming the tops and also because I thought it would look kinda festive, I used pinking shears along the top edge. We tied them with some silver and gold elastic cord. Totally cute and it didn't take me long at all!

But that's so not what I planned on posting about. I really wanted to tell you guys about the DVD that's at the top of my list this Christmas. I was reading the Alt-Weekly, The Shepherd Express,
and stumbled across an article about a documentary made my Faythe Levine, who happens to be a resident of my newly-adopted hometown of Milwaukee, WI.

Her documentary is called Handmade Nation and as her blog describes it, it's about "the rise of DIY and the new wave of art, craft and design." I don't know about you, but sounds right up my alley. It's being showcased at various places around the country and is also available on DVD. Sadly, I can't make the showing in my area, so I'm going to have to hope that a little elf is reading my blog (ahem, DBF :)

Also, if anyone has already seen it, I'd love to know what you thought of it. Please post your comments.

Farmers Market Success!!!

Just got back from the farmers market... I am in HEAVEN!!! The peaches smell amazing, the blueberries look spectacular... it's getting to be that time of the summer around here where everything is really coming into its own.
I don't usually do much with the blueberries because I don't have the willpower to stay away from them long enough to bake something... usually I throw them on my cereal or my favorite, mix them with some Greek yogurt and a dollop of honey... soooo good.
I haven't decided what to do with the peaches yet... I think a cobbler would be awesome, but with summer vacations, there isn't really anyone but me around to eat it. And I don't think my thighs would appreciate that. We'll see what happens, but they may just go the way of the blueberries. Although, my favorite way to make peaches is usually to cut them in half, take out the pit, brush them with balsamic vinegar and grill them. The vinegar sweetens up and carmelizes so nicely. And it's a great way to use under-ripe fruit. I don't have a grill in this apartment, but the grill pan usually works fine too.
One more good one, is to press the cut side into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (or just brown sugar if you like) and then put them in a hot pan, cut side down to carmelize the sugar. If they're big, you may need to stick the pan in the over for a couple minutes to warm the fruit all the way through. Either of these methods go amazingly well with some vanilla ice cream, but they work great plain too!
Of course, my favorite find of the week has to be my new rosemary plant. I'm slowly building a container garden on my fire escape and I've been jonesin' for a rosemary plant for so long. I tried to grow it from seed but as it turns out, that's not the easiest thing to do. So then I decided I would look for a small potted one. Turns out, very few places around here carry them... but finally, today, one of the farms at the market had some great ones... and I'm not talking a little bitty thing, this thing is MASSIVE! Seriously, within minutes, my whole car started smelling like rosemary...
The other day, when I told my mom I wanted a rosemary plant she said "but what would you do with it?"
Um, what can't you do with fresh rosemary??? Honestly, whatever veggies are in season and sitting on your counter (like that gorgeous zucchini I have at home... and those bell peppers), cut em up, toss in olive oil... add garlic and rosemary and roast it in the oven... easy as that... eggplant, tomatoes, it's all good!
Also, when I was in Milwaukee a couple weeks ago, I ate brunch at a place called Trocadero and they served my eggs with rosemary potatoes that were to. die. for. I'm hoping to figure out how to recreate whatever they do to them. Or at least come up with something that's a close second. This new plant is big enough that I should be able to do plenty of experimenting.