Category Archives: inspiration

a gift guide for sewers

Posted on by

or maybe I should call it a gift guide for people who do assorted projects with fabrics, sort of like what I do…

These are things (mostly tools) that make me happy in my studio and I think would make great gifts.

When I was thinking about what to put on this list, it became obvious that I love my nice sharp cutting tools. My first suggestion is excellent scissors and Gingher’s are a good choice. I recently bought myself the 5″ knife-edge ones and they are my new favorites- sorry, drawer full of all the other little scissors that I have totally abandoned!  They are perfect for all the detail cutting work I do with the appliques. The big ones are good for cutting through layers of fabric and I use them to cut out the dolls. The little stork one, besides being adorable, is perfect for cutting threads in tight places, cutting out REALLY tiny things, and putting in my project bag if I am working on a carry-around project.

If the person you are shopping for already has good scissors, you might research a local place to get them sharpened. In my area (Boston), I can get mine done for approximately $7 at the local Fabric Store or Hardware Store.

My most recent tool purchase is this 18mm rotary cutter. It is perfect for cutting out shapes when I am using a template or little pattern piece- because I can hold the pattern flat and firmly in place on the cutting mat and cut around it. That means no marking on the fabric and no distortion from trying to hold the pattern in place and cut with scissors. The scissors and rotary cutter are available at most fabric stores, local and big name.

Last in the sharp cutting tool suggestions- fabric cutting, decorative edge shears. Unfortunately, my excellent Fiskar ones are no longer available, but I found this other brand. You might be able to find the Fiskars on Ebay sometimes.

On to other goodies.

Yes, a large piece of clear plastic is hard to photograph! This is a sewing machine extender table. I like this table even more then I was expecting. I thought I would use it when working on my bigger, bulkier projects but I have never taken it off since I got it! This is a special order item and fits whatever machine you have exactly. It can take a while to get if you have an older or more obscure machine. Looks like you can buy it online here for a lot less than I paid at my local sewing machine store.

If the recipient loves embroidery,  trying out new kinds of embroidery threads is tons of fun. Purl Soho has a huge selection. My new thread love of this year is Valdani pearl cotton– especially the variegated one. Next time I am in NYC, I will be restocking my supply.

Of course if they do embroidery, they might need some needles- I had fun shopping for needles at the Colonial Needle site. Seriously, how cute are these John James pebble packs-

embroidery and chenille needles

If you are looking for a last minute gift because you didn’t have any time to go shopping, a subscription to Selvedge Magazine will save the day!

Lastly, if you want to stick to handmade for the season, you could go over to my shop and get a pattern or 2, or maybe a tiny world pin cushion. Or my friend Liz’s shop and check out her  amazing selection of pin cushions. Or check out some of the other sewing goodness on Etsy. Try searching for pin cushions,  needle books, wool felt assortment, fabric collections, hand dyed threads….  Oh, the goodness! Happy Holiday shopping everyone!

Feel free to leave you suggestions for the perfect gift in the comment section- so I can add goodies onto my own wish list!

trip to Cape Cod

Posted on by

Yesterday, a friend and I drove down to Cape Cod to visit Salley Mavor and see her show at Highfield Hall. What a wonderful expedition!

First we stopped and chatted and relaxed in her studio for a bit.

I didn’t take a lot of studio photos (here are some old ones), but here is one- I loved seeing her thread in the baskets-

We went out to lunch and then to the show. It is amazing. The book photography is beautiful but a completely different experience then seeing the artwork in real life.

Here we are at the show-

If I could have taken any of the pieces home with me, it probably would have been this one of winter. I’m not sure why, but it really spoke to me. Here it is in the book-

And here is my blurry photo of it at the show. It is difficult to get a decent photo with low light and glass fronts.

I now have my book and Salley gave me a poster to hang in my studio-

And look at the wonderful inscription!

After the show, we were on our way. Since I was on the Cape, I wanted to make a few more stops. We made it to Yummygoods and said hello to Melissa! I got to visit her gorgeous little shop, see her studio when it wasn’t all gussied up for a photo shoot (real life workspace, I love it!), and see the new fabric line, all close up and personal.

And then to Tumbleweed, one of my favorite fabric store destinations. It was a great day!

that tower

Posted on by

I do love it.

The Tuilleries-

From the top of the Musee les Arts Decoratifs-

At a random bus stop-

The top of LaFayette department store, in the rain-

and a few other things. I love the car with the trailer-

Tour de France in a toy store window-

and really, this made me laugh-

and the fabric

Posted on by

I started out with a clear picture of what I wanted and “needed” (ha ha!)

I bought a variety of stripes.

And then I got distracted- fabric sensory overload! Who could resist???

paper dolls-

red ridinghood-

it was the embroidery on this one that drew me in-

don’t ask me what I will do with this- I just couldn’t leave without it!

The red and white polka dots probably fall into the sensible purchase category. The other 2, 60s/70s graphics, not so much.

and there is more, but these are the highlights. Some fabrics were in bags where there was something I couldn’t resist and other bits that I am not interested in. So, it might be a good thing if next year I had my OWN table at fabric-a-brac!

On an entirely different subject, I listened to this podcast on RadioLab about face blindness. I fond it fascinating, especially how these 2 intelligent and successful men have dealt with their disability in completely different ways. I think the discussion would be interesting for anyone who deals with learning disabilities and/or the people with them.

the haul

Posted on by

31 packages of rick rack plus 3 bundles that aren’t in packages. Mostly cotton, all vintage and antique. I love the old package graphics.

14 packages of cotton bias tape.

5 packages of cotton twill tape, 1/4″ and 1/2″ wide.

Some other misc. trims and embellieshments that I might use or else I have an idea of someone who might like it. And, what we think is a purse top, and a box of bobbins that look like they will fit my Bernina. I’m going to try them out later.

Some wonderful old cards of fasteners. You know, it causes me great distress to use fasteners that come from a card with a price above 25¢. And more fasteners in a wonderful old box. “Anti-Colic Nipples- the Sani-Tab. None Genuine without the Blue Band”

2 McCalls Needlecrafts magazines from the early ’70’s.

And then the fabric. I”ll put that in another post instead of drowning you with photos in this one. I forgot to take a photo of the room with all the tables, piled with goodies. I had a wonderful time!

trip to NY

Posted on by

Ben and I went down to NY on the Megabus.  Wifi, a table- I swear, the light was better then in my studio. I’d prepared some projects to work on during the way down (about 4 hours). Coming home was crowded and we didn’t get the table, but really, it is a very relaxing way to get to NY.

I went to an opening party at the new Purl location. Yes, it is amazing.

The display window-

The felt- love it!

btw- they have bolts of felt at the store if you are looking for larger amounts.

Color is all at Purl. It is intoxicating. Even the refreshments were beautiful!

Going back to the hotel- all the lights at night-

We stayed down by Wall Street and the hole in the ground that was the World Trade Center. This promenade was just a few blocks from the hotel. Lovely. The weather was perfect which I must say is a unique experience for me in NY- usually we are there in pouring rain, no matter what the season!

On Friday we went to the Museum of the City of New York and saw a show of Chas Addams artwork.

But really, let’s get back to the party. I met Heather Ross (yes, I gushed and told her I was a big fan),  Liesl and Tamar Mogendorff. Diana Eng was there but I didn’t have a chance embarrass myself with her- I would have told her that I stopped watching Project Runway after they bumped her… but probably, that would have been weird. There was a big crowd and I can’t even say how thrilled I was to be there.

Tomorrow I will post some crafty aspects of the trip, but that’s enough for now.

other goings on

Posted on by

walking around town- it’s Spring!

I wasn’t the only one taking photos.

I love these antique slate gravestones. There are some very interesting geometric and repeating patterns around the words, willows and urns.

On Wednesday, I went on an Arlington “craft crawl” with 3 friends. The first stop was Balich’s 5 &10. That store never ceases to amaze me- all the crazy old stuff they have there. I bought some snaps that were originally priced at 35 cents. That had been blacked out and repriced to .65, in pencil this time. All ready to raise again in another 10 years or so. They also have some of the funniest clothing ever and it is no wonder it never sold back in the 70’s or whenever it was new stock- like the chartreuse and white plaid bellbottoms size 10 girls. I was thrilled to find the peach Rit dye that has been discontinued- 4 boxes! Yes, I snagged them all. Here are some photos from Kerry, since I forgot to take any pics at all. We also went to Playtime and ArtBeat. Never made it to the Fabric Corner so we’ll save that for next time.

I am trying to be on a stats diet- I think once a week is a good idea. No blog or Etsy stats, no google alerts. I’ve been totally addicted and it is not good for me- since I can’t really do much to determine what direction they are going on any given day.

Peter is coming home for the summer next week. That means that I should take advantage of the open floor space that is available for just a few more days. I’m thinking I’ll cut out some clothing and possibly move the quilt to the next stage. Life seems to have switched gears around here and all of a sudden my calendar is filling up and there are travel plans in the offing. Busy!

another tiny world, books,

Posted on by

and some other notes.

One more tiny world done-

Another meet-up this morning and it was fantastic! Thanks for showing up ladies- Liz, Crystal, Louise, Linda, Lisa, and Kerry! Next one is April 14. Hmm, the day before taxes. Wonder if anyone will show up?

And, a book report. I bought myself a book about the circus. It is gigantic!

I’m not sure how I first discovered it. Maybe an Amazon search? I discovered that one local library has it as a reference book so I went to look at it. I literally gasped when I opened it. 600 plus pages of inspiration. But… wow, it cost SO much. It took me over a month to decide to buy it. First I thought I’d wait to see if I lost interest. When I didn’t, I checked out all the used book sites, watched on ebay, and then discovered there is another book of the same name by the same author but smaller… That was when I finally decided to just go for it and buy it on Amazon. I am not sorry.

and like I said, 600+ more pages!

And another book- this one I got out of the library, but I think I’ll be looking for a used one online.

Someone posted about it on their blog a while back- sorry but I don’t remember who. When I saw the book, it brought back a flood of memories. This book was the one I was using back in 9th grade when I made this sampler-

It is so much fun to page through the book and see how it influenced me. It is inspiring me once again – this time I am using the stitches on my tiny worlds.