Sewing, blogging, and creative business.
I’m very excited to have finished this patchwork Progress Pride Flag quilt. The pattern is by Bobbie Gentili from Geeky Bobbin. All of the fabrics are scraps from my stash.
This was a fun project and the finished quilt is really bright and colorful. As part of this process, I also enjoyed learning more about how the design of the Progress Pride flag came to be.
Fish by David Edgar on view now at The Peabody Essex, Salem, MA We visited one of our favorite museums today, the Peabody Essex in Salem, MA, where we saw an amazing exhibit entitled "Trash Menagerie." Over thirty sculptures of animals, each made entirely from recycled materials. I was so inspired. I have always lovedRead More →
I am trying to say to myself that no project is too difficult to tackle. Sometimes I will have an idea and will start to think, "Well, how could I make that." And as I think about it, and it starts to get complicated in my mind, I say forget it. There is a goodRead More →
Continuing on with my exploration of soft toy design, I decided to try a pattern from Anne Dyer’s book, Design Your Own Stuffed Toys. This book was recommended to me by a blog reader (thank you!). It was published in 1969 (the year my parent’s got married). Here is what I would say about thisRead More →
We had a lovely Chanukkah. The kids can sing the blessings and the songs in Hebrew now and it is totally adorable. We had four menorahs lit each night and with Shabbat on the last night,too, we had 38 candles lit. So nice.
I made a second cuddly puppy, this time with some treasured wool scraps. He is in my shop now.
I am interested in thinking about the pattern design elements that make a soft object a cuddly toy versus a more austere sculptural piece. Baby-like features are key, I think, to an appealing toy. Big eyes and a big round head like a toddler. I designed this cuddly dog as a way to experiment withRead More →
Here I was Thursday evening holding the envelope that contains CDs of my manuscript, step-by-step photos of 19 projects and all of my hand-drawn patterns. All sealed up and ready to go. That was a big moment. And my editor tells me all of the packages have been received in Colorado. Very good news. AndRead More →
Really, I want to do something creative, but I can't. The book is due Friday. Friday, my friends. Wow. UPS is coming tomorrow afternoon to pick up 11 boxes of birds. And I'm editing patterns. Editing patterns is confusing and mind-numbing. They all look the same, but they are all different in subtle but vitallyRead More →
I'm going to return to the horse and revise. But the other day I checked out a few vintage craft books from the local library and I couldn't resist sewing through some more patterns. I have checked these books out many times, especially four or five years ago when I was first beginning to sewRead More →
I'm excited to show you the latest issue of Australian Homespun Magazine where there is a very nice article about me and my work as well as the pattern for my Humpty Dumpty doll. I get many, many emails requesting this doll in particular so I am very pleased that my pattern is now published. Read More →