Done and done!

After several weeks of joking, last week I gave a co-worker/friend a list of all the little things on my to-do list that I've been ignoring for far too long and gave her full permission to bug me about them. The list contains things like sew the belt loops back on my lady grey coat (done!), order harp strings (done!), and fix tiny rust spot on car (not done!).

In this spirit, here are two things I finished recently.

About a year later than I intended to, I finally made curtains for the built-in bookcase in my living room. The clearance home dec fabric I bought ended up being a bit stiffer than I thought it'd be, but it still looks miles better than being able to see the miscellaneous stuff on the shelves!

And I handed off a sample for a new design on Monday. I don't know when it'll come out (probably fall), but I really like the way this one turned out and I can't wait to show you the whole thing!

Some other things I hope to finish soon:

• a pair of socks for Mr. Cleaver,
• spinning my Sheep Heid yarn, and
• shipping out some submission swatches!

Sneak Peaks

I just wanted to pop in to show a sneak peak of a design currently on the needles

and shot from my photoshoot with Bristol Ivy yesterday that was too fun not to share!

November's gonna be a big month for new designs for me, which is a good a time as any to introduce a new mailing list. I promise I will never share your email address and there won't be any spam, just updates on new pattern releases and sales, giveaways, etc.

Sign up Now!

The Things We Do For Our Craft

Bristol and I headed out to the Falmouth Nature Preserve this past Saturday to do a photoshoot for a pattern I'll be releasing in a few weeks.

The things we do for our craft. :)

Sneak Peaks

It was cold and rainy all weekend, which meant I didn't get to go hiking like I wanted to, but it did mean I got a lot of indoor crafting done. I'm soooooo close to finishing up two projects (including my first sew weekly challenge!) and hopefully I'll tie up the loose ends and get them both posted this week. In the meantime, here's some sneak peaks!

Roadtrip: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

On Saturday, Mr. Cleaver and I made the drive up to Boothay to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. This was our second visit to the gardens, the first being in the dead of Winter back in 2009.  THe cold tuend us out of the garden that February, but we vowed to return when the place was in bloom and it was well worth the return trip:

The blueberries were close to ripe and since you were encouraged to pick the ripes ones - we managed to fine one or two

My Dad always called Lamb's Ears "Cowboy Toilet Paper"

Maybe the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen:

Is it weird to take a picture of yourself with a sign with your fake last name?

Some red, white, and blue....

Which reminds to post a sneak peak of my 4th of July dress!

Meet Hildy or Pre-Lent Productivity

Last SaturdayI took the plunge and bought a new sewing machine:

That's her on the right. She's a Pfaff Select 3.0 and her name is Hildy (like Brunhilda, because of the German engineering). The day after the purchase I went over to my friend Maggie's house for a sewing party. I helped her work through her first commercial pattern and I worked together a wearable muslin of the a-line skirt I drafted at the beginning of the month.

To get the full effect, I need to get an outfit shot, so for now here's a sneak peak:

With the purchase of my machine (from the highly recommended Sew Portland) I also get a 2 hour intro to the machine class, which I haven't scheduled yet as well as a monthly "new owner" project class for one year.

My first new owner class was the Monday after I bought Hildy and I made this cute little Origami bag.

The sewing was pretty straightforward, but the construction is clever (hint: it involves two squares sewn together). And i'm now using it to hold my knitting notions.

I'm currently in the process of drafting my second piece from Cal Patch's book, the basic tee - which will require me to try sewing knit for the first time - gulp!! But I'm sure with Hildy at my side I can handle it :)