Do you KonMari?

Have you read this book? It seems like everyone I know is or has read it and it is changing lives. I stumbled upon it right after our trip to Europe last month. Since we're in the process of getting our house ready to sell it came at the right time. Over the past two-three weeks we've moved furniture from one end of the house to the other, purged so much miscellaneous stuff and filled an entire garage bay wtth stuff for temporary storage.

Since I'm not really sure where we're moving when we eventually sell the house I'm being brutal in my approach to cleaning and purging. Another thing that has influenced my attitude toward the stuff we have is that I helped with clean up after an EF4 tornado hit a small community near here. After you see an entire house full of belonging spread over miles you start to look at things a little differently. I now look at my belongings and ask myself, "will I be heartbroken if this gets destroyed in a storm or a fire?" If the answer is no and I have no other logical reason to keep it then I find it a new home or toss it.

This book takes a similar approach in that she tells you to handle everything you own as you sort and ask yourself if this item sparks joy. Sometimes this is easy, a photo of my old dog Heidi playing in the snow sparks so much joy. Other stuff may be a little tougher to discern. Such as a travel toothbrush holder. It's a necessity and when I really thought about it I realized that the travels I take with it does spark joy. The fact that I found 6 of them under my sink and there are only 3 people living here was another story. So I chose my favorite one for me and kept 2 others for Steve and Emma. The rest went into the dishwasher and then will be donated.

She also talks about treating your belongings with the respect that the joy they bring deserves. I have wiped off so much dust and grime from things that I use everyday but just didn't see with those eyes. In the end it will be so nice to open a drawer, cabinet or closet and know that everything in there is something I purposely put there and that it is clean and ready to use. She also talks about how it is important that everything you own have a home where it belongs. This is something that I have always striven for and failed over and over. This is also why we own 4 large metal retractable tape measures, 3 levels, 6 toothbrush holders and countless other random duplicates. Because when we need one we can't find it so we buy another. 

Our next house will be smaller than this one. That is one of the main reasons we are selling. I've found that the old adage that you fill the space you have is so true. I've found so much random crap in weird places that if we didn't have so much space I would've had to deal with ages ago. Also I don't want to pay someone to pack and move things I'm not using and then be stressed out and rushed to do something with it when we arrive wherever we're going while unpacking. Packing and moving is stressful enough.

I'm going to write some posts over the next few days and weeks of the process I've been going through. When I started I wasn't doing a very good job of taking in process photos but I have enough to share what I've done I think.

FO: Supernatural themed quilt

My Nephew and Godson is getting married in November. He and his fiancée are also Supernatural fans. I wanted to make them something special and planned a traditional quilt and was looking for the right pattern and fabrics. I was intending to do something in their wedding colors, purple and grey. But I never found quite the right thing. Then I had a brilliant thought, “I wonder if anyone on Spoonflower has made Supernatural fabric?” Fangirls to the rescue!

I ordered 8 or 9 fat quarters of a variety of SPN themed fabrics. When they arrived they were grayer than I expected but they all went  together so it still worked. I wanted to really feature the fabrics so I didn’t want a lot of fancy piecing.

Originally this was going to be a wedding gift. But once the fabrics arrived and I started working on it I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep a secret until November. The family was having a shower for them over the July 4th weekend so I scrambled to get it done it time.

Piecing the top took no time at all. But I had those 8 plain squares begging for some special quilting.

		Supernatural Embroidery Quilting Designs VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Using basic images of some symbols (the demon-ward sigil and angel wings) I found on the internet, I used my Bernina Software 7 to digitize some embroidery motifs that I could use to quilt those squares. I backed the quilt with black plush fleece. The embroidery really looks cool on the back! Everything else is just stitched-in-the-ditch.

 

 

 

 

 

The fabric with the different rows symbolizing all the main characters is my favorite. The Colt, Pie, Cheeseburger and the Amulet are for Dean. The Knife, Moose, Creepy Clown and “I lost my shoe” are for Sam. Angel Ward, Wings, and hand print of Perdition are for Castiel. Then we have the immortal Impala, 1967 was a good year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lovely couple admiring(?) their new quilt. They still have half of the last season to finish. Now they can do it in comfort and style.

Of course I signed the card with the admonition of, “Carry On My Wayward (God)Son”

Adventures in Soap Making: Rorschach Test and Ocean Waves

This is my latest soap making attempt.  I originally thought calling it “Rorschach Test” was a great name for it.  Each section of the cut loaf reveals a different swirl.

But this week we’ve finally started to slowly melt out from under our record breaking snow accumulation and what was once pristine white everywhere is slowly beginning to look much like the above bars. I scented this soap with “Dirt” fragrance oil and it really does smell like freshly plowed farm fields or turned garden beds in the spring. So I’m considering renaming it “Spring Thaw” or something similar.

The black swirl was made with activated charcoal which also gives it purifying properties. This is still a pretty soft bar, it has a large percentage of Sweet Almond Oil in the recipe. But it lathers really well and leaves my skin really soft.  I’m still experimenting with different oils and different recipes. I prefer to not order a lot of exotic oils and to keep my recipes pretty simple with only 3-4 oils. So far I’m mainly using combinations of Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Almond Oil and Lard. I did just recently pick up a small bottle of Grapeseed Oil that I’m going to try in my next batch. I know a lot of my vegan/vegetarian friends will cringe at the thought of lard in soap. But it makes a really lovely soap with nice lather and I can get it really cheap at the local Mexican grocery store. I like to have it on hand for pie crusts too!

Here is a photo of the uncut log. I made the swirl using the funnel pour technique in my new 5# Wooden Log mold from Brambleberry.  I really like this mold and the matching silicone liner. It makes a lot of soap and it really easy to use.  I think I will invest in or DIY a smaller mold because this is really too much soap for me to ever use up for personal use and at this time I don’t intend to go into the soap selling business.

You can see that it was still a little soft when I cut it so it isn’t as smooth as I’d like. I did find a wire cheese cutter board at Goodwill that I’m now using as a soap cutter and it has really helped me get more consistent results.

This is the first batch of soap I made in my 5# mold and using colored oxides. I used the hanger swirl technique and attempted a swirled, textured top. This one is scented with “Sea Glass” fragrance oil. I love it. It smells fresh and clean and the bar gives a really nice soft lather. I love that the colors really do bring to mind sea glass and the top looks like foaming waves. Next time I try this swirl I’ll be a little more vigorous with my hanger to get a more defined swirl.

I’m trying not to go to crazy with soap making because I will end up with more soap than I will ever use in a lifetime. But I do have lots of ideas and inspiration and want to try it all. I’m playing with ideas for more natural soaps with milks, avocado, cucumber, oatmeal, honey, teas and essential oils versus soaps made with all the pretty oxide and mica colors and fancy swirl techniques. Both approaches appeal to me for different reasons. I like to use the more natural soaps and I like to make the pretty ones with all the fancy fragrances.

College Girl Pillows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a little time over the holidays to do some sewing for my college daughter. She mentioned that her apartment couch was ugly and uncomfortable and needed some pillows. I was inspired by the many monogram, typography and initial items I’d been seeing on Pinterest recently. I thought it would be fun to personalize the pillows for each of the girls who live in the apartment. They’ve all signed on to live together again next year so I know they will get used for  more than a few months. Sarah stopped in to the store to pick out fabrics that she liked. I love working with the Moda Essex Linen and this Zen Chics line of fabrics  is one of my favorites too. (I made a runner for my living room table out of it last summer.)

The initials are machine embroidered but you could just as easily stencil them on with fabric paint for the same look. I digitized them in my software using Times New Roman font and changed the satin stitch fill to a step fill. I also reduced the stitch density of two of them to prevent puckering. I intended to do it on all of them but forgot for the ‘'m” and the “s”.

The backs of the pillow covers are black linen. I just did an overlapping back to make putting them on and off easy.  Because we all know that college students are concerned with the ability to launder things easily!

Sarah made it back to campus Saturday before the worst of the Polar Vortex weather hit. She said the fabrics matched perfectly and the roommates liked the pillows. SCORE!

And we're back!

Lesson learned. Don't take a blogging break at the same time that your domain registrar decides to change everything and you don't get the notice.

Halloween 2013: Renaissance Edition

UPDATE!!!! I entered this in the costume contest at Urban Threads and I made the top 10! Follow THIS LINK to vote. The ballot is at the end of the post, scroll down and click on your choice. My personal favorite is between the Wolf Mage little boy and the Awesome Girl.

		Green Witch Dress VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Halloween has once again come and gone. This year I found my motivation to make a big costume again. With my new machine at my side I decided to go for it and construct a machine embroidery masterpiece.

I found the embroidery designs at Urban Threads, where I find so many inspiring designs. This pack is the Elven Court Design Pack. I used 5 designs and wanted to use more. I did buy ultra-suede fabric to make a long hooded cloak but ran out of time. There are other little accessories and tidbits that I’d like to add to this costume before next summer when I intend to wear it to the Bristol Renaissance Faire. The little Witch Hat is also an Urban Threads design: Lace Witch Hat

To make the dress I used two Simplicity patterns;

 

I made the blouse and vest from #5582 and the underskirt/overskirt combination from #3623. Now I wish I had gone with my first instinct to make the underskirt separate from the over-skirt so it could be laundered easier. I’m afraid the hem of the muslin underskirt is going to get quite dirty at the Faire.

I also changed the vest a little. The instructions were to bind the edges with bias tape. I didn’t want the contrast so I constructed mine like a traditional lined vest and sewed the outer pieces and lining together along the edges, leaving the side seams open for turning. With the heavier weight of my fabric, bulk of the embroidery and narrowness of the shoulders, this was kind of hard turning. Next time I will widen the shoulders or do it as instructed.

I would also like to make the Scottish blouse in pattern #3623 for a less “wenchy” look. Someday I’d like to make the entire Scottish inspired get-up complete with Tartan plaid but I didn’t have any luck finding the right fabric at the right price for this year.

Technical Embroidery Details:

Stabilizer – OESD Stabilstick Tear Away and Cut Away. Having the sticky back was very helpful in positioning the pieces exactly where they needed to go. I think either Tear-Away or Cut-Away work fine. I had both out on my work table and a couple times just grabbed the other one when hooping.

Interfacing – I used a weft insertion interfacing on all the vest pieces (this also contributed to its being hard to turn right side out). But it did really add a lot of body to the vest and helped with the corset effect.  I also inserted featherweight boning in a channel along the front of the vest next to the eyelets. That kept the front from collapsing when laced tight.

Thread – all thread is Isacord polyester embroidery thread, OESD bobbin thread.

Other – All embroidery was done on my Bernina 780E. I love this machine! Because of it I now love machine embroidery too. The absolute check really helps with positioning motifs exactly along with the Endless Embroidery (EE) function. The EE function sews registration marks that you can use to line up the next hooping in a long border like I have on the front of the skirt. I also made use of the built in basting function as well. This helped to keep the fabric exactly where I placed it because the weight of all that fabric kept wanting to pull it off the stabilizer.

 

My dog Castiel got in on the Machine Embroidered costume bandwagon too. When Urban Threads put all their wings on sale for $1 the day before Halloween I had to grab these angel wings for his signature trench coat. If you are not familiar with the CW show Supernatural you won’t get it but he is Castiel, the fallen angel and our friend pictured here is Bobby Singer, another character from the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve and I hosted a wonderful little Day of the Dead/Halloween party here on Saturday night. It was fun getting many of our friends together again. There were many inspired costumes, good food & drink, and fun & games enjoyed by all.  I’ll close by sharing Steve’s costume.

What I did over my summer vacation.

We can all agree that what I didn’t do was write many blog posts! But that’s okay because what I did do was go out and see things, and do things, I went places and tried new things. I rediscovered things and places and people that I’d lost touch with over the years. I found strength in myself physically, mentally and emotionally.  This last trip around the sun has been a hell of a ride and I can honestly say I love where I am right now and who I am.  A year ago that was not the case at all.

So let me show what I’ve been up to and where I’ve been.

Quebec & Maine VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

For Emma’s 16th birthday in July she and I went to Quebec and then drove from there across Maine to Bar Harbor.  It was a great way to spend time together. We explored a “foreign” city together, took a road trip, and climbed a “mountain”.

As we drove from Quebec City to the U.S. border our rental GPS was set to take us off the main highway. This was frustrating and slowed our trip. But it also took us to see a part of Canada that we would’ve otherwise missed. As we were driving along a two-lane road that paralleled the highway that I really wanted to be on instead we passed this ice cream stand with this great fiberglass dinosaur playground. I continued down the road about a quarter mile and then just had to turn around and go back. How could I not stop at this place? We were deep in French speaking Canada and I barely managed to communicate my desire to purchase 2 bottled waters and use the restroom. But we got out and stretched our legs and took some fun photos with Monsieur Rex.

 

 

This was my third time visiting Maine. If I had my way in a perfect world I’d be at least a part-time resident. It’s one of those places that since the first time there I always felt like I belonged there. I was excited to share at least a little bit of what I love about it with one of my children. We didn’t have much time in Bar Harbor so we had to condense our visit into the most essential; lobster and hiking in Acadia National Park. Before the trip I researched what hike would give us the most bang for our buck. Because we really only had one day to hike and then we had to hit the road back to Portland to catch a  plane home the next morning. Hiking the Beehive Trail seemed like the perfect fit. I had never done it before because honestly, I was always afraid to try. But I’ve become all about doing things that I used to think were impossible or just outside my comfort zone. Emma was all about climbing up sheer granite cliff faces with only an iron bar to hold on to.

Beehive Trail, Acadia Natl Park Maine VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Photos can not capture the sheer vertical nature of this trail. I was too scared to get  my camera out while on the actual cliff face and take photos of the hand holds and drop offs. There were sections where I had to pull myself up onto a rock ledge that was chest high and then scooch around the face of another rock on a 2 foot wide ledge. There was even a place where they had placed an iron “bridge” over a gap that dropped over 80 feet into the forest below. But it was a short trail, less than 2 miles. There were many people hiking it that day and even though I was slow and hyperventilating for much of it, the other hikers were gracious and encouraging. The views from the top were exquisite and the hike back down the other side was lovely. I’m going to do it again someday. I’ll go out earlier in the day when it is cooler and less crowded and I won’t freak out nearly as much! I promise.

In August Steve and I went home to Michigan for a reunion weekend. It was his 30th high school reunion. Small town class reunions are really unique and special. A night of stories, laughter, reconnecting and karaoke on the farm was enjoyed by all. We were staying with my parents and they also had a reunion that weekend. Two couples whom they had been stationed in Kentucky with when my Dad was in the Army were there visiting. They have stayed in touch with these couples for over 50 years and to hear them laugh and tell stories you’d think they were all still 20 year old newlyweds and had never been apart. It all reminds me of that old Girl Scout song, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”

When Emma and I got home from Maine Steve asked me if I’d like to go to Spain this fall. Of course I did! He had an annual conference that was being held in Lisbon, Portugal and it just so happens that his brother lives in Valencia, Spain and he decided to add a few days on to his Portugal trip to visit him. We couldn’t afford for me to accompany him to Portugal also and we didn’t feel comfortable leaving Emma home alone for that long of a time so it was decided that I would go to Spain ahead of him by a few days and spend time with his brother and sister-in-law. What a perfect way to see a new city. I highly recommend everyone get themselves a multi-lingual family member who loves to share their home and city with American relations! I had a personal tour guide, chauffeur, cook, bartender and the most comfortable bed & breakfast ever. I’m going to have to share some of the details of the food and sites in separate posts to do them justice.

Valencia Spain VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

That is the 3 hour tour version of my summer travels. I also did some gardening and a good amount of canning in August. I have a couple more small weekend trips coming up in the next couple of months. (Having a husband that travels all the time has its pay-off with frequent flyer miles.) I have some sewing projects either in process or in the planning stages that I need to show off. Now that the weather has taken a turn toward autumn I’m back to my morning walks with renewed vigor as well.