Tag: books

Sew What’s Up?
Crafty · Life Posts · Sewing · Uncategorized

Sew What’s Up?

LSiehLeave a comment

Having an injury that prevents me from sewing is really showing me how much I actually need to sew to keep myself on an even keel. I have other hobbies, like reading, marathoning Star Trek episodes, dancing, or finding all the book sales, but sewing is still one of my top three stress relievers. And believe me, I needed the stress relief!

Also, look, the book sale wasn’t my fault. It was to support a Catholic School! Don’t you want those kids to have a good education?! The Husband graciously drove me and found some good books as well.

I found a couple of psychology books, including a Brene Brown book. She’s fantastic and I still haven’t read most of her books, so I was excited to find it.

This book jumped into my bag when I wasn’t looking! Sneaky book!

Amazingly, I have put the books away already! I know, it’s super weird for me too, but we had a game night and needed the table space. Pictures for proof!

Here are a couple of quilts from one of the books. It has only a few blocks, but gives you at least two options for putting them together. The basic block and then a secondary setting option. It’s pretty cool.

We also went to a quilt show and although I was too shy to ask to take pictures of the quilts, there were lots of fabulous ones. It was one of those weird situations where it was all much older ladies and they seemed very confused by why us young whippersnappers were interested. There was a really cool music quilt that someone had made in high school to take to band camp, a really detailed landscape type quilt, fairy houses, and an amazing sewing themed quilt. That one had tons of appliqué and the Husband pointed out that several of the machines pictured on the quilt were “plugged in” across the quilt! It was so cool! I hope that one won first place. I did see a couple of scraps of fabrics that I have in my stash too, so that was fun.

I found a cool book too and some fun fabrics. They had a scrap table where you could stuff a bag for $5! Here’s my scrap haul and the book.

While we were there, I finally found the weighted rotary cutter that I have been looking for. I thought it would be easier on my thumb and wrist for cutting. You barely have to push at all because of the weight of the blade. Now I just have to get better at cutting clothes patterns out with a rotary cutter and I should be all set.

Speaking of which, I have used it already. I made a comment to a friend about working through my mending pile, since most of those things need less cutting and she replied with something a long the lines of “mending your clothes while mending your body.” I really liked that image and am trying to remind myself of it when I get frustrated with the slow pace.

Today, I cut off the elastic waistbands of two pairs of leggings to cut them down a little, and to replace the elastic with a yoga style band instead. They both hit at a weird place and would gradually be up around my ribs throughout the day. Since they are navy blue and grey, I didn’t want to just replace them. I need plain leggings, as well as plain dresses and shirts. So I added navy blue dpb to both for the new waistbands. I didn’t have any grey and it should be covered anyway.

These tea wallets were in my “to be finished” pile, so I sewed and turned them at least, but will have to figure out how much I can hand sew before I can do the buttons. I think I can probably do them one at a time.

Aren’t they adorable? I think I might try to sell them as a teacher set or something. They look so cute together.

I have also made blanket! It’s a very special sewing blanket and it’s surprisingly heavy. The Husband said I accidentally made a weighted blanket after I dropped it folded up on his arm. The pieces were 2 yards each, so it ends up being about a 100 inch square?

It is made with blue background dpb for the sewing machines and a strawberry red french terry on the back. I serged the edges together and am very happy with it. I was originally going to make something to wear, but the pattern is really big comparatively and a couple of other people made blankets with it on the sewing boards. It’s a little too warm still to use it now, but I think I will love it in the winter, as I am always cold.

I made these dog themed pictures for the September celebration of Fancy’s “Gotcha Day” and still need to put paw prints on one and a picture of Fancy on the other. I think they look cute even without the finishing touches though too. The Husband likes them as well.

So there is my recent sewing update! I’m relearning how to work around things and have also been reorganizing the basement, so it’s been a process. A good process that I will be glad to be done with at some point! I have to get back to that part though. There’s fabric in the wash I just remembered that I forgot about!

Life Posts · Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday- Dragon Hoard #3

LSiehLeave a comment

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” – Roald Dahl

“The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn’t know how to read.” – Benjamin Franklin

“A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.” – Lisa Kleypas

“Read. Read anything. Read the things they say are good for you, and the things they claim are junk. You’ll find what you need to find. Just read.” – Neil Gaiman

Book Sale Haul
Crafty · Life Posts · Sewing

Book Sale Haul

LSiehLeave a comment

I thought you all might enjoy seeing the cool books I found at the book sale this past weekend. We went on one of the days when we got another 10 books for every 10 books we bought. 🙂 Side note, I need more bookshelves.

I also picked up a couple of new cookbooks lately, but couldn’t remember if I had shared them yet. I’ll start with those. I blame Eric for two of them. We were at this weird bargain store called Ollie’s which has everything you can think of piled haphazardly on shelves. Right as you walk in, there’s a huge section of discount books. You know I can’t walk by piles of books. There are a lot of cookbooks there. I found this one which I’m hoping will help with dinner prep. (I did not pay $12.88!)

The Husband found these two and decided we needed to add them to the collection. I didn’t need too much arm twisting, as you can imagine.

This one needed to be ours for an obvious reason. The dork factor is strong with this one. 🙂 I was excited to see that there were both indoor and outdoor recipes. Not that I think we’ll have time to camp this year, but it’s good to know for the future.

He also requested we get this one. We have a lot of Asian cookbooks now. He may be trying to hint to something…

At least we’ll be set for the Lunar New Year!

We also found this cookbook at the used book part of the library a few weeks ago. I may be able to replicate some of these decorations.

I tried a walrus cupcake from one of the other cookbooks from this series and it was a total failure. A hilarious failure, but failure none the less. These might be a little less complicated.

I haven’t used these cookbooks yet, but will try to use them soon. I’m also going through my cookbooks to try to figure out which ones we are done with and can pass along. I have a couple specific themed ones I will be on the lookout for and the other book sales. I need a gluten free/dairy free cookbook for my friends who need both.

Speaking of book sales, here is the Husband’s pile.

He found some good music potentially for his next play, a couple of Dilbert comic books, and some Asimov books.

It’s possible I’m addicted to collecting books. Reading them too, of course, but mostly just having them surrounding me. I get nervous if go to someone’s house and I don’t see books around.

This is the semi-trashy romance and fantasy pile.

Note the Redwall mixed in there. I did find a couple of new authors to try and some new books from my regular authors. The black one on the bottom right has all three of the “Queen’s Own” trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. I found two of the trilogy at one of last year’s book sales and I never ended up getting or reading the third one. So now I will be able to find out how it ends and can give away the other two.

These are the fiction books that aren’t trashy romance or fantasty.

The bottom one is “A Child Analysis with Anna Freud,” which I thought was pretty cool! It will probably come to work with me, but I should probably read it first. This sale had a lot of older child therapy books, but they were mostly texts and I didn’t know if they would still be relevant or not.

Kate Jacobs writes easy reads about women and relationships and this one is all about food. I’ve read her knitting series and it was lovely, so I thought I’d pick it up.

“The Lace Reader” is a book that I read a couple of years ago and it has haunted me ever since. I picked it up on a whim at the library and promptly forgot the author. I had to read it twice though, because it was such a good and twisty book. I’m excited to re-read it and see if it is as good as I remembered. The Herriot stories are always lovely and Carl Hiaasen is hilarious. Wacky, but hilarious. The “D is for Dahl” book is a Rolad Dahl alphabet. It looked really cute.

Of course, there were some crafty books too. The top one has a ton of resources from websites, to books, to places, techniques, and all sorts of other info. The Singer books are always good resources. I found “Sewing Specialty Fabrics” and “Sewing Activewear” this time. There’s also a Rit Dye book called “To Dye For” and a Log Cabin idea books. The bottom book is definitely the coolest book I found.

It’s actually a binder to organize a subscription magazine called “Stitch by Stitch” that has crocheting, knitting, sewing, and needlework lessons. It’s from the 70’s, I think. It has original, never used sewing patterns, plus instructions for all sorts of knitted and crocheted things! I’m super excited to play around with it.

Have a peek inside!

There’s a pattern for the pictured wrap skirt. I plan to try it with my drapey woven black fabric from the discount store.

There’s always a mini project on the back cover.

Sadly the pants pictured here are from a separate pattern pack that I don’t have.

Here’s one of the knitting lessons.

And crochet.

Heirloom sewing!

Needlepoint!

It’s the coolest set! I’m sure you’ll see more as I use it.

So far, I’m quite pleased with my new books! Fancy is cuddled next to me while I make plans for what to make next.

I can’t see how this is comfortable, but she has to be touching me. Have a nice night!

Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday- Books!

LSiehLeave a comment

“Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones.” -Stephen King

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” —Kate DiCamillo

“A book is a dream you hold in your hands.” —Neil Gaiman

“We shouldn’t teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.” – B. F. Skinner

“Books are where the true magic happens.” ― Jen Wilde

Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday

LSiehLeave a comment

“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.” 
― James Herriot, James Herriot’s Cat Stories

“A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.”

[Letters of Note; Troy (MI, USA) Public Library, 1971]” 
― E.B. White


“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.” 
― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows


“Any kind of creative activity is likely to be stressful. The more anxiety, the more you feel that you are headed in the right direction. Easiness, relaxation, comfort – these are not conditions that usually accompany serious work.” – Joyce Carol Oates

Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday- Bookin’ It

LSieh2 Comments

“I’ll have enough books when they fill my room like the stars fill the sky.”
― E.V. Fairfall

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”
― Anna Quindlen

“Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”
― Virginia Woolf

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.”
― Dr. Seuss

 

Wordy Wednesday
Crafty · Life Posts · Sewing

Wordy Wednesday

LSiehLeave a comment

My Tuesday was busier than expected. I was at the tire place getting a bulging tire replaced, Fancy demanded walks when I got home, and I hosted craft night. Somewhere in there, I took an accidental nap. I had to go back on the stronger allergy meds and they are kicking my butt. I will be so glad when the weather figures out what it’s trying to do here. So instead of “Wordless Wednesday,” you’ll get a quick sewing related post.

I put the borders on the rainbow railroad quilt a few days ago. Somehow I ended up sewing one of the strips on the wrong side, so it’s two rows shorter than it was going to be because I was super frustrated. I had a bunch of squares left over anyway, so maybe I’ll make a bonus one or something.

(Please excuse the dog toys. Someone decided I couldn’t put them away and kept taking them out of her basket.) The quilt has a red and white polka dot border. It was going to have a red flannel backing, but I don’t have enough of it. Batting and backing quilts will be the death of me. I had to run out to get more batting. The backing will be whatever cotton or flannel I have enough of that matches. I have a red batik that might work.

I also made a shirt. I stayed up way to late to finish it, but I’m pretty happy with it. It’s a double gauze jersey material, I think.

It’s less wrinkly on and feels like I’m wearing jammies. 🙂 I used a zig zag stitch and made my own neckband! The neckband fixed the problem of gaping at the neckline and I may go back and add one to other shirts I’ve made.

Because it was midnight, I accidentally had the selvage edge out, but I actually like it, so won’t be changing it. The sleeves are snug. I had made them longer, but didn’t quite get the bottom edge right. They feel good though. I’ll just widen them next time.

This was a woven pattern originally, so I was glad that it worked out. I have at least one knit t-shirt pattern that I’ll try soon, but I needed a quick and easy pattern. I made it after getting frustrated by not having everything for the quilt.

Here’s the bottom hem. It’s a little wavey, but I choose to think of it as a design feature. I may add a band at some point. It’s super soft and cuddly.

I picked up a couple of new sewing books (I know, I know!) from the book sale on Sunday. Two were Singer books, one was about different types of fabrics, and one was a sewing book for dog cots and accessories.

The “Creative Ideas” is so 80’s, but the techniques are still relevant. It has beading, different pocket shapes, seam finishes, and different trim options. The “Timesaving” book has very good instructions for sewing collars, seams, home decor, and talks about tools, machine feet, and other equipment.

The dog book has coats, costumes, dog beds, and accessories. Some of them we may not use, but there are some super cute things in it, like a princess costume. 🙂

I was excited to find the fabric book because I know very little about fabric types, which mens I generally stick to quilting cotton. If I want to grow as a sewer though, I need to branch out and get comfortable with other kinds too.

This book has everything from African mudcloth to about 5 types of wool. Each fabric has its own page with what type of needle, an example of a garment, weight, markings, thread type to use, and even how to lay it out. There’s so much info! I know it will be very helpful.

I was pretty well restrained in the craft section of this book sale. We’re going to another, bigger one on Sunday, which will be crazy town. That one is in a mall, lined up in the hallways. 🙂 We’ve gone before and they have a little bit of everything. I’m hoping for some good reads.

Now though, it’s off to work, where I will only be able to dream about fabrics and sewing. Have a great day!

Life Posts · Simple Sundays

Simple Sunday- Book Sale Aftermath

LSiehLeave a comment

“A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.”
― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!

“The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more.”
― Patricia A. McKillip, The Bell at Sealey Head

“Of all things, I liked books best.”
― Nikola Tesla

“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.”
― Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book

The Husband is an excellent and took me to a book sale for my birthday (although some of these are for him.) 🙂 I’m definitely keeping him. And also getting three new bookcases… Because I don’t have too many books, just not enough bookshelves. 😉

This Is The Quilt That Never Ends…
Crafty · Monthly Review · Sewing

This Is The Quilt That Never Ends…

LSiehLeave a comment

Sometimes quilts get away from me. This one is doing that right now. The book says 24 rows of 18, but I took two off the ends. We’ll pretend I was smart in the beginning and meant to make 16 across in each row, since I had 8 colors and that makes two of each… That sounds good, right? Obviously it had to be a rainbow. 🙂

There are a few mistakes, I had one square sewn the wrong way and need to see if I have to pick out the whole row, or if I can just switch one around. I can always hide it at the bottom and call it my “humble square” if needed.

I’m trying to decide to reduce the columns too, so that they are proportional, but am also trying not to end up with random extra squares. The extra squares are winning. I made a bunch of extra strips last night, but made too many of the wrong colors! Now I have to decide if I need to continue to make more of the strips, or go with the 19 rows. I have 12 made already. I have these piles complete with all the colors. I’m leaning toward just dealing with the extra squares and using only the ones I have completed.

This one I picked specifically to use a project from my books. The book is called Relax and Quilt and it has very nice projects, mostly traditional piecing.

I checked my original notebook and I have 6 potential quilts picked out from this book. I tried to pick at least a few from each book, so I would have options. I must have gotten it from a rummage sale, it has a $1 sticker on it!

Fancy decided to “help” me lay out the quilt.

She’s been attached to me since I got home from work and is currently keeping my feet warm. 🙂 I like snuggles from her.

I’ve really only worked on the quilt this weekend. It was fun going through my scrap stash to find pieces that would work. I even cut into a few pieces of my fabrics I’ve had forever with no actual plan for them! I used a mix of older and newer fabrics, including some from my Christmas fabric box from my Mom. It’s a big step!

I realized that I’ve never done a review of the books I’ve used. I’ve gone through my cookbooks, but not the sewing stuff. Since I only worked on the quilt, I thought it might be a good chance to go through them.

I’ve finished a bunch of projects from my UFO box and a couple from online. I typically use Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville quilt plans. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Her tutorials are quite easy and I use her scrap saving system, so I have the right pieces already cut. The Rainbow Chevron is one of her quilts, the “Friendship Braid” border.

Another book I’ve used is Quilts From The Quiltmaker’s Gift, by Joanne Larsen Line and Nancy Loving Tubesing. This is one of my favorite kids’ books. The illustrations are beautiful and the quilts are the quilts from the book. The book tells the story of a quilter who gives away quilts to those in need, but refuses to give one to the greedy king. He gets mad and tries all sorts of ways to get one, but there’s a surprise ending that I won’t spoil.

I loaned my copy out and it sadly, never returned, but my Mother in law gave me her copy for Christmas a few years later, so I was so excited! I used the Flying Birds pattern and put it in the “Streak of Lightning set. It still needs borders and backing.

The Rainbow Snowball quilt was from Making Scrap Quilts To Use It Up by Lynne Edwards. 

That was another quilt that wouldn’t end. It’s still hanging out in my house. I may need to find a backup home for it soon.

The kudsudama flowers were from Button and Stitch by Kristen Rask. 

It’s kind of weird to think that in 67 projects, I only used about 6 books. I used some patterns too, but didn’t want to get them all out. I also don’t think of them as books per say. I know I have a few more that I’ve used, but one of them was a total dud and the other has been lost somewhere in a pile..

I should probably start weeding these books out too. I just like to have options. I might be a dragon in disguise actually, with a hoard of sewing books and fabrics. I like that better than admitting to possible hoarding tendencies…;)

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed touring a few of my books. I’ll share some that I haven’t used yet in another post!