Spinning Athena

Wednesday

Sep012010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 12:06PM

Pieces of purple

Gracie and I need a napping blanket. We like to nap on the bed, on top of the covers, but I don't have a blanket that's wide enough for both of us. She doesn't necessarily like to be under the blanket, but when she lays on top of it, she holds halfo f it down and there's not enough for me. This is kind of high-priority since fall is on its way and we love nothing better than to kill a cloudy afternoon in bed, reading and snuggling and sometimes squeaking her red ball.

Kona Cotton purples

This pack of Kona Cottons called - nay, screamed - my name many months ago and I simply had to have it. I've been picking away at it over the last two weeks - I'm not the kind of person who sits down and sews for hours and hours, but rather I come and go a few times a day - and the top is almost finished. I'm making Plain Spoken from The Modern Quilt Workshop in the "napping" size. I'm really liking how it's turning out, but I'm finding that I'm a little more particular about my seams lining up than I used to be, so I actually took a seam ripper out this morning and re-sewed a row so everything lined up better. I don't know who I've become and I'm not sure I like it.

Plain Spoken (in progress)

I chain pieced all the blocks, which really kept things moving for me. I'm the kind of person who needs the push of just one more row or set or color. See how straight (and nicely pressed) my seams are? That's entirely because of the quarter-inch piecing foot.

Plain Spoken (in progress)

It's pretty much just like your regular sewing foot, except it has a little guide on the right side that sticks out and gives you something to butt your fabric against. No more wiggle-wobble while trying to see the 1/4" mark on my machine. The foot can only be used with your needle in the center position, which took a little bit of getting used to, but now I'm not sure how I did without it.

I'm still trying to figure out what color to use for the back. I know I'll be using the very darkest purple for the binding, and I'm wavering between gold and green for the back, or maybe even one of the purples? I just don't know. I'm not really interested in a print. Any suggestions?

Kristin |

Already behind

I am determined not to make the same mistake I made last year, namely finishing a quilt at 3 a.m. the day we left for holiday travels. No, I will have all of my holiday crafting done in a timely manner this year. My self-imposed deadline is November 20. I refuse to knit for anyone but myself (and maybe Justin) during December. I spend so much of the cold weather months, those months where you're just dying for a new sweater, crafting for others. Don't get me wrong - I love giving homemade gifts, and I love making them. Just not during peak snuggly-time. I've set myself a schedule, which also includes wedding gifts and commissions, and I'm sticking to it. DO YOU HEAR ME, YARN AND FABRIC? STICKING TO IT.

Which is of course why I'm working on a quilt for myself and itching to cast on a sweater. I'm staying strong, but it's not easy. I need to focus on the prize: no stress in December.

I'm really late in sharing these pictures, but I made some blocks for our quilt guild's St. Luke's NICU project.
The only direction was color, and I did squares for the green and pink blankets and the brown and purple blankets.

St. Luke's NICU blocks

All of these were taken from my stash. The blocks were supposed to be 12.5" square, and I was at 12" the first time I finished. So I removed the last layer of strips on each and made them a little bigger. This is a case where pre-planning might have been helpful.

St. Luke's NICU blocks

I bought this fabric specifically for these blocks. I used the purple in Abby's wedding quilt and really loved it, and the leopard print as from the same line. I like that it's purple and brown but not girly at all.

I also got to play with my new quarter-inch piecing foot while making these blocks. I used my regular foot on the green and pink and the quarter-inch on the brown and purple. What a difference! My seams are so much straighter on the second set of blocks and I had a much easier time lining up everything.

Kristin |

Don't test me

If you've ever spent more than five minutes with me and you've asked, "What should we do?" my response is always, always, "Paint pottery!" I'm not sure how or why this started, but I am always suggesting that we go paint pottery and nobody, not even Justin, will go paint pottery with me. So a few weeks ago, after a weekend in the car to-and-from Iowa, I spent a quiet afternoon painting pottery. BY MYSELF. Because, dammit, nobody will paint pottery with me and who needs you anyway?

I spent two-and-a-half hours at the pottery place. I didn't even know that was possible. I started with some little dishes for the kitchen. I'm a big fan of salt, all kinds of salt, and I hate how when you get a "pinch" from the salt dispenser, you have all of this leftover, wasted salt that you can't put back in.

So now I have two cute little bowls, one for big salt and one for small (big=Kosher). I am thrilled to death with them and they are perfect for cooking and baking and admiring.

While those were drying (three coats is a lot of coats of paint, people), I worked on a bigger project. I've always wanted a cookie jar, and the only one I have is a penguin. While he's adorable, he's also seasonal, and some years we forget to bring him out at all. Clearly, a new cookie jar was necessary.

I do love this jar. It took forever to paint, but it was worth it. I drew all the circles, gave them three coats of paint, and then outlined them with tiny-tipped paint bottles.

Hopefully the inside will answer any questions about an empty jar:

Yes, I'm glad I painted pottery, but it would have been more fun with a friend. Do you hear that, friends? Do you? LET'S GO PAINT POTTERY.

Kristin |

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Wednesday

Aug112010

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 4:48PM

From where I sit

I spend about 75% of the "working hours" in my craft room, which I suppose could also be called my office. It's a great set-up - I have a window right next to my desk, where I can watch the seasons change via the enormous tree directly in my line of sight. In the winter, when the tree is thinned out, I can spy on goings-on on the next street over. My desk is enormous, big enough to hold my computer and printer, stacks of patterns and spreadsheets and binders. When I worked in an office, I tried to clean off my desk every Friday. That doesn't really seem to work around here - even when all of my work things are safely put away, there's still yarn and empty cans of Coke Zero and various knicknacks.

I'm really not a knicknack kind of person. My mom is about as minimalist as you get - there are probably three family pictures in that entire house, maybe a small statue on a bookshelf here or there. She doesn't decorate for holidays except Christmas (and only on the years when we have it there). I've inherited her disdain for objects just meant for clutter and, no, I do not decorate for holidays, either. But I am rather fond of "guys," as I call them.

These are my two newest guys: He's such a pill.

Snake

Green Pill Man and Snake are mystery box items. I love them. I found a little store in Westport that carries hundreds of these, and although the women running the shop wanted me to open my boxes right there, I waited until I got home. It was definitely worth the wait. I need to find a new place for them, though, because they're currently sitting on my printer, and I'll probably need to use the scanner sometime soon. Unfortunately, there's no more room at the inn:

My co-workers.

This shelf is right above my computer monitor and was put up expressly to hold a passel of my favorite guys. From left to right, we have Roy, Chuck, Peep, Benjamin Franklin, Babo, Herbert Hoover, and CB. CB is made from my favorite shirt that my dad used to wear. I stole it in high school and wore it every week, and it finally wore out when I was in college. My parents' neighbor made CB for me, and even put one of my dad's old ties on him. He is one of my most prized possessions.

Benjamin Franklin and Herbert Hoover are, well, Benjamin Franklin and Herbert Hoover. I got them in high school. At Target. They were part of the Leaders of the World collection, which also includes George Washington and (I think) Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, and James Madison. I know, it's an eclectic group of guys. Ben is missing his tri-cornered hat (he probably lost it on a date with my Spice Girl Geri doll). I went to Herbert Hoover Elementary school, so of course I had to have HH. His suit is rather ill-fitting, but my mom thinks it's because he lived during The Depression, and he's wearing someone else's clothes. I like to keep them close by just in case I need guidance on matters of national importance. That happens more than you think.

Kristin |

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Tuesday

Aug102010

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at 10:33PM

The ho-hums

I always wonder where my crafting mojo goes when it decides to take a vacation. Is it having a slumber party at someone else's house? Visiting long-lost relatives, like stamping and coloring? Or is it drunk in an alley, trying to forget about the quarter of a sock I knit on the way to Iowa a few weeks ago and then ripped out right before we got to my parents' house?

I vote for drunk.

Whatever the reason, wherever it went, I am adrift in a serious sea of crafting ennui. Even my hexagons aren't holding my attention (because I am currently out of fabrics to use - I need to prepare pieces for quilts before I know how much I'll have left for hexagons). I'm plodding along on some Christmas presents (I KNOW! I'm getting smarter.), but, really, I would rather be doing dishes. Which I did tonight with no complaints even though I cooked dinner (we take turns depending on who cooks, although I've been known to run away and leave them for the chef). So you know it's bad.

This time around, I'm blaming the heat. It's too hot to live, and certainly too hot for dogs. Poor Gracie is crabby and has spent a lot of time lying on our bed, on her back, directly under the ceiling fan. We won't let her play ball when it's this hot, and she's not really interested in going outside until after dark. She's a little stir-crazy. I think we all are. I'm just feeling lazy and listless and not willing to tackle any form of yarn, fabric, or fiber. I hope this passes soon. I have a lot of wool backed up around here.

Kristin |

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