Embroidery a.k.a Not Another One!

Embroidery has been on my mind for a few months now. Not that I need something else to consume what little time I have left in the day. But yes, I seem to have picked up a new hobby. I don't even know how it happened! I saw a picture on some blog (and I can't even remember which blog...) and I clicked on a link which led me to another blog and to another. 

During that particular journey across blog land I came across Little Deer Tracks.  Her embroidery is so beautiful and inspiring. I noticed that she had a book out called "Doodle Stitching".  It is geared toward the beginner. Well, that would be me...

I got it from the library to get a closer look. There are 4 sections in this book. The first two are Embroidery Essentials and how to get started. I just copied down the essentials and bought them on my next trip to the crafts store. It wasn't expensive at all.

The next section is on embroidery projects. There are 29 of them. They range from embroidering scarfs to skirts to pillows. There is something for everyone. I started of with a simple stitch sampler. The french knots were the hardest to learn. I couldn't get them to be tight. But I beat the french knots and they are now my best friends :-)  I really like how the author describes each stitch. I felt like she was sitting right next to me guiding me through each single step. 

I have to admit that I haven't made any of the projects yet. However, I bought a wonderful pattern from the author's etsy shop. It reminded me of P. I wonder if that's how it looks like in her head when she thinks up one of her wonderful stories?

Take Care

Me 

P.S. I renewed the book three times. I tried a fourth time but someone already had a hold on it and I had to relinquish my copy. I ended up buying the book as well as Doodle Stitching The Motif Collection. Now whenever I sit in front of the tv I have some kind of embroidery project in my hands...

Quilt Ladder

I have a few quilts. Some would say that I have more than a few quilts :-) However, we can all agree upon that quilts are too pretty to be hidden away in closets. I had them laying on the sidearms of the sofas but I didn't like this very much. So I brainstormed with my husband M. about it and we came up with the 15-minute quilting ladder.

I went to the local hardware store and picked up 2 2x4's and one long dowel with a 1.25" diameter. One of the store clerks was kind enough to cut the dowel in to 4 22" sections. I think the total cost was about $15. At home I put everything on the floor and decided on the distance between each section. Once I found the right distance I marked each 2x4 with the position of each dowel. I drilled holes in the 2x4's at each marked point. I also marked the middle of each dowel and drilled a hole on each side. 

My husband stepped in at this point to help me put everything together and voila I had a simple ladder to display my quilts. It takes 15 minutes to put everything together but it will take much more time to paint it. I haven't made up my mind to what color I want mine to be. So it is still unpainted... However once I do paint it I will show you how it looks like.

Now keep in mind that this ladder does not support the weight of a person only of a few quilts. :-)

Take care,
Me

Livin' Large

I have a love affair with fabric. I could buy fabric like there is no tomorrow. But I do have a hard time using all that lovely fabric because I don't have the heart to cut it up. I was talking to a friend of mine about this and she recommended the book "Livin' Large" from Heather Mulder Peterson. I had to order it right away even if it was a bit on the expensive side

. 

This book is just so lovely. It has eleven projects with many variations from which to choose. I decided on the Kaleidoscope pattern to feature some beautiful Delilah fabric. The cutting information were very precise. I didn't have a lot of fabric leftovers.  I didn't use the assembly instructions because I like to put a quilt together my way. The end result is the same though. I am now in the process of pinning it and hope to have it all finished by the next weekend because I still have a ton of projects waiting for me...

Take Care

Me

Barbie Bear in Happily Ever After

Have you ever heard of the musical "Happily Ever After"? I didn't either until P got a part in it when our school decided that this was going to be our middle school play this year. She was chosen to play Barbie Bear. 

The entire cast worked very hard for the last 6 weeks with 2-3 practices a week to put on an unforgettable show. We had the pleasure to watch the first show yesterday evening. I was blown away. There is so much talent in our kids and it makes me tear up every time I get to see them perform. 

However, I am very glad that it is over now and we can get back to some normality around here :-)

Take care

Me

Fasching in Garmisch

Fasching in upper Bavaria is quite different to what you are normally see when you view pictures of Fasching in Germany. Upper Bavaria is a place that not only takes care of it traditions but it also practices them. This year we were lucky enough to be downtown when a group of locals dressed up in traditional Bavarian Faschings costumes walked through the pedestrian zone of Garmisch.

They were giving out shot glasses of liquor and animated people to dance with them. Both P and M were game enough to dance with the old "lady".

Imagine P's surprise when the old "lady" picked her up and twirled her around...

PJ's and Another Fleece Idea

I have been doing good today. M took the kids to the pool this afternoon. I had 4 hours just to myself! Yes, I had to do some house cleaning but I was also able to trace a PJ pattern (Simplicity 3935) and a hooded sweater (Farbenmix Yorik), cut out two PJ bottoms, a PJ top, and a hooded sweater. I didn't read the general instruction pamphlet which turned out to be a huge (quite literally!) mistake. I didn't realize that the seam allowance was already included. So I added another 5/8". The pattern also has a ton of ease. So add that on top of my "extra" seam allowance and the PJ top is 2 sizes too large. I am too lazy too fix it and it's wearable. Why fuss with something that I only wear to bed. It will be better with my next PJ top though since I will cut it out correctly :-) I adjusted the seam allowance for the PJ bottoms and they turned out almost perfect. I will try to make a photo of them and post it on here.

I also came up with another idea for my small fleece remnants. I love scarves and the feeling of warmth they give me. However they aren't always practical because the ends flop this and that way. So I thought that it would be nice to have something smaller  that kind a hugs the neck without the ends. I love it so much that I can see myself making tons of it.

Essentially it is just a long rectangle of fleece. Both long sides were turned to the left side and sewn down. Then I sewed the two short sides together and I had a tube. Place it around your neck and you'll be warm all day long...

Happy Crafting

Me

Random Thoughts

2009 - It was a year of may changes and disillusions for us. My nephew and nieces brought great tumult into our lives, my best friend moved and we moved across town unexpectedly. I am ready for calm and comfort! I am glad that it’s over and 2010 has started. I so hope that 2010 brings us the much needed calm and quiet.

We are planning some great things for 2010: a visit to Georgia and Arizona, a trip to Italy and England, more sewing and crafting which hopefully will turn into more blogging. I would like to take up running again. But I will start with a modest goal of walking three times a week. It will be challenging to carve out this time just for me away from the family. But if I never try , I fail before I even start….

Have you ever hear from the “Chor ohne Grenzen”? I came across this commercial from the Telekom which was created Nov 09. A few hundred people coming together spontaneously (as much as can be) in the Leipzig Bahnhof singing Beethoven’s “Ode and die Freude” with Paul Pott. I love it… Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZH__HAa1I4

I have been doing lots of sewing and crafting. I just didn’t blog about it. I bought a ton of thin solid colored fleece. The local store had a special going on and I bought about 15 yards. I made already 4 hooded sweaters (2 kids and 2 adult ones). I have enough left over to make myself 2 sets of pj’s.

Now I have a ton of small pieces left over from the sweaters and no clue what to use it for. I have a book somewhere on sewing with fleece – but a lot of my books are still in boxes downstairs in the basement. I don’t feel like looking through boxes when I want to sew instead. So if I am too lazy to do that I will have to look on the internet for inspiration! I got inspired by this scarf - http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2009/12/sytc-win-scarf-tutorial.html. I can’t seem to justify paying for something that I can easily create myself. So yesterday afternoon, I made myself something similar.

I am so in love with this scarf. It was just as easy as I had thought and it only took about an hour to make J

Happy New Year from Me to You! May this year bring calm and quiet yet be also exciting and sweet!

Me