Who gets a cold in summer? Me! That’s who! So as I’ve been dragging my ass around the house for the last couple of days, I thought I’d better try doing something productive other than napping and sipping tea. Hence the twig necklace. I’m sure my husband would much rather I went to get groceries to replenish our empty cupboards instead. But I’ll contemplate that during … Continue reading Twig Necklace
I had some fun the last couple of days putting together a basic tote bag for my niece (by request from her). It came out pretty big; I’m hoping it’s not too big for her 11-year-old frame. Because to make it the right size would have required me to actually plan out its finished size and then, um, MEASURE the damn pieces, which always just … Continue reading The Crooked Pocket Tote Bag Conundrum
Growing up, I had a friend who was very particular about how she dressed. She was very detail oriented, was hyper-aware of appearances, and was generally perfect and pristine. I admired her style but often I had to fight an instinct to rub dirt on her. I feel the same way about Pinterest. I love Pinterest as a tool for bookmarking and organizing ideas and … Continue reading GFY, Pinterest
I have ‘crazes’, as my husband calls them. I get interested in something and become completely obsessed about it until it no longer interests me. Knitting became a craze for me in 2009 or so, and it’s actually stuck, long past most of my best before craze dates. So because I had to have something on my knitting needles ALL. THE. TIME., I naturally included … Continue reading Summer Knitting: yea or nay?
Have you seen the hot mess that is the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2013 edition? I’m usually happy to buy a download of Vogue Knitting without having first eyeballed the patterns before parting with my cash — usually there are some great patterns and it’s certainly worth a few dollars. But I have three words for you about this issue (or, ok, a few phrases … Continue reading Hey Vogue Knitting, I want my 5 bucks back
This amazing vintage pattern just arrived in my mailbox, and when I find the right fabric I’m going to sew the shit out of it! Props & gratitude to Colleen from Proctor Creations on Etsy, as not only did she wrap this up in the cutest package, AND enclose a lovely thank you card that was made from what appears to be an original photograph … Continue reading 60’s Revival: mod dress & fabrics
This may be the most flattering dress I’ve worn in a long time. It’s from the downloadable Burda pattern #122A and, as Clio on her Clio & Phineas blog put it, has “mystical bum enhancing properties”. Definite agree on that one! I wore it last week to my students’ convocation ceremony and got a ton of compliments on it. Don’t you love being able to … Continue reading Paneled Sheath Dress: sewing success!
My 11-year-old niece, who lives in Beijing, came for a sleep-over visit yesterday. She and I are like two peas in a pod: both really into creative, crafty things. She dutifully said “that’s cool!” and “awesome!” to all the handmade stuff I showed her (knitting, jewelry, sewing), and we spent time making bracelets and necklaces together. I suggested that we could sew a bag for … Continue reading Tote Bag by Request
Finally received some patterns I ordered from Butterick.com! I’m super-excited to make B5559, Maggy London’s pintuck pullover dress. No zipper! Hooray for stretch pullover dresses! I bought some Ponte de Roma from Downtown Fabrics in purple (I just realized it’s the same colour as the model on the package). It was a tough choice between purple and a lovely chartreuse colour, but I figured I’d … Continue reading New Patterns! But WTF, Butterick.com?
I love it! I had been searching for a ring just like this on Etsy but to no avail…so I made it myself! This was my final project for the jewelry casting class I’ve been taking at Jewel Envy here in Toronto. I posted previously about carving the wax model and the casting process. Here’s what happened in the last two classes. Below are the … Continue reading Casting class: my giant heart shaped ring
Frivolous At Last 