February 2012
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bursting at the seams.
I’ve gotten lazy; no longer trying too hard to hide the fact that I take over the apartment while my boyfriend is at work. He’s started teasing me that he rents a room in Lilleputt Studio. Working on too many projects simultaneously! Here is my muslin for class, testing out the pattern size. Which was totally wrong! Apparently the pattern allowed for about 6inches ease on top of body...
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early spring cleaning.
Two days of winter this week (I think one of the coldest we’ve had), and a day of spring! Birds chirping, sun shining, and that smell of spring in the air. With the windows wide open, we did a good thorough cleaning, and went to pick up some new artwork I’d been eyeing. This painting is about three feet wide, has no information on it, and it’s not the type of painting I...
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When I first moved to New York a couple years back, I wasn’t making any money. Nor did I have any money. So all of my time was spent working for free, and looking for paid work. I guess I found a bit of time though, because I got really into needle felting. I made a bunch of little samples, but never found anything to do with them. So looking for a bit of a change in pace today, I decided...
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surgery.
After months and months of winding my bobbins by hand, today I was just too frustrated. I instantly overcame all my worries about taking my singer apart and dove in… and was thrilled to see what looked like a simple fix. I put on the new band for the bobbin winder, and screwed her shut with two simultaneous thoughts running through my head: today is a glorious day (and I don’t really...
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hand-stitched sampler.
Had my first apparel class yesterday! I’ve had some unconventional lessons, many of them self directed, so I am excited to start from scratch and learn things properly. Like learning the names of different stitches and the best applications. It kind of reminds me of my education in furniture making; learning that the hand tools were sometimes the best method for the task at hand. I...
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off to market.
Spent the morning setting up my table at The Merchant Company, where Lilleputt items are now for sale! Big shindig there on Friday, for Portland’s First Friday Art Walk, with live music, local mead and a raffle of great goodies. Not to mention a lot of great items by a lot of great artists, crafters, etc.
January 2012
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vintage treat.
This post is a little overdue. I was recently giving a large stack of vintage fabric reprints (I think my dear friends who gave them to me thought most of them were from the 40s?). This red and blue floral is my absolute favorite, but they are all great. And some of them quite… quirky. A lot of nursery rhyme themed fabrics too. I wanted to wait until I had something to show for it, but I...
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tying up loose ends.
Built myself a little tea towel display wrack for my table at The Merchant Company… Setting up shop there tomorrow! Going through all my items… tying off loose strings, labeling, and writing out my inventory… And trying to finish everything that is still ‘in progress’. Now. How do I get all my stuff over to the store??
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fabric buttons!
I knew it! I knew there was a reason I’ve been saving all my scrap fabric. For years.
I couldn’t believe my ears when my uncle (the same who’s industrial sewing machine I now proudly own) asked off hand if I had any interest in a fabric button maker. I had been scouring the internet for months in search of one (I talked about it so much apparently my boyfriend was on the...
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smorgasbord.
Apparently tumblr doesn’t like accents in it’s titles: smörgåsbord.
Oh! I got so excited about finishing a pillow that I almost forgot this excitement. My boyfriend discovered a Scandinavian shop here in town, and took me there yesterday. I’m amazed how much control I maintained over myself. Though if they hadn’t had free samples of Finnish chocolate and Swedish almond...
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