Last night I was a machine and made Lauren's house-warming present! I love it! I think these are my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. The pattern is from her book In Stitches.
Even though I measured like four times, I messed up the width of the ties and had to adjust the waistband accordingly, it should be thicker, but Lauren will never know that ;).
"Joe take a picture of me in my apron!"
"It's not for yooooou."
"Dang it."
I'm attached.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Berfdays!
Last night we had our birthday celebration for Joe's mom and sister. We went to Brasserie Jo's on Hubbard and Clark. After a very interesting cab ride in which the cabbie babbled on about politics in Chicago, blah blah blah and Joe entertained him by agreeing with him, we got out of the cab and the cabbie said to Joe, "If you see me again, don't get in my cab." ??? I was thoroughly confused after Joe had a 15min. bonding experience with this whack-a-do. Guess he was expecting more of a tip? Chalking it up to the cabbie crazies gods.
Brassier Jo's is a French classic Cafe style up-scale restaurant. We had a great time there. On the whole, the entrees were mildly disappointing. The shrimp bag? A novelty. Joe's dad got the best one, the skate wing with brown butter. Nobody does brown butter like the French mmmm... If you go there I recommend the appetizers and most definitely the DECADENT desserts. I had chocolate overload after one bite, but I have a sensitive sweet tooth. Chocolate tends to taste bitter to me if it's really rich.
And my presents were big hits! I was so glad! Joe's sister really liked her pinboard and the best part-the fabric covered button push pins. She even said she was going to take it to work and use it there! I was so flattered. Joe's mom seemed really thrilled with her needle case too.
Brassier Jo's is a French classic Cafe style up-scale restaurant. We had a great time there. On the whole, the entrees were mildly disappointing. The shrimp bag? A novelty. Joe's dad got the best one, the skate wing with brown butter. Nobody does brown butter like the French mmmm... If you go there I recommend the appetizers and most definitely the DECADENT desserts. I had chocolate overload after one bite, but I have a sensitive sweet tooth. Chocolate tends to taste bitter to me if it's really rich.
And my presents were big hits! I was so glad! Joe's sister really liked her pinboard and the best part-the fabric covered button push pins. She even said she was going to take it to work and use it there! I was so flattered. Joe's mom seemed really thrilled with her needle case too.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Presents!
Although I haven't blogged all last week, I have been crafting it up. Unfortunately, I have already given away or wrapped everything I made!!! Sorry, I really need to be better about taking more photos.
I embroidered five onesies for a baby shower my mom's going to on Friday. The expectant mother is an accomplished violin player who we've known for several years. Her father was my teacher and a friend. I don't know her very well so I made some that were more girly/typical and then some that were more unusual. I finished them up on Sunday morning and my fingers definitely hurt today!
I also finished birthday presents for Joe's mom and sister. His sister's pin board came out looking awesome, but what a pain in the butt! Staple guns = no fun. I will be thinking twice before deciding to do another one of those. Her tote bag came out looking spec-tac-ular. I have the ladies at Quiltology to thank for that. Their Berninas spoiled me rotten. I think she'll like her gifts if only for the fact that I used Heather Bailey and Amy Butler fabrics and she's very into textile designers. I was actually thinking of just getting her some fat quarters for her birthday, but this was more fun. Maybe I'll do that for Christmas.
For Joe's mom I tried out some of Amy Butler's patterns from her sewing book that I've been eying, a needle case and a drawstring bag. I made them out of this orange Belle Amy Butler fabric.
My final verdict: twill tape sucks. In the future I will avoid it or find some higher quality tape. The only kind I could find was polyester and I think cotton would look so much better. The drawstring bag I will definitely make again. It was so easy and who doesn't need a little bag to tote things to the beach or to go work-out?
Finally, I made t-shirts to cheer on my mom as she ran in her first triathlon on Sunday! That's right, my mom is an acclaimed athlete!! She ran in the Naperville Sprint Triathlon and made it in under her goal time of two hours! I'm so proud!
I'm really going to have to update this post with some photos of at least the patters or my inspiration!
Currently working on"
-Apron and matching towels for Lauren's house-warming party. With this fabric (which will be so hard to cut because I really really love it):
-Finishing up a teeeeeeeny detail on Kate's birthday present
-Re-doing Kelly's birthday present because I broked it. booooo.
-Making a non-gay bag for Joe to tote his work stuff in
-Maybe... MAYBE something for myself???
I embroidered five onesies for a baby shower my mom's going to on Friday. The expectant mother is an accomplished violin player who we've known for several years. Her father was my teacher and a friend. I don't know her very well so I made some that were more girly/typical and then some that were more unusual. I finished them up on Sunday morning and my fingers definitely hurt today!
I also finished birthday presents for Joe's mom and sister. His sister's pin board came out looking awesome, but what a pain in the butt! Staple guns = no fun. I will be thinking twice before deciding to do another one of those. Her tote bag came out looking spec-tac-ular. I have the ladies at Quiltology to thank for that. Their Berninas spoiled me rotten. I think she'll like her gifts if only for the fact that I used Heather Bailey and Amy Butler fabrics and she's very into textile designers. I was actually thinking of just getting her some fat quarters for her birthday, but this was more fun. Maybe I'll do that for Christmas.
For Joe's mom I tried out some of Amy Butler's patterns from her sewing book that I've been eying, a needle case and a drawstring bag. I made them out of this orange Belle Amy Butler fabric.
My final verdict: twill tape sucks. In the future I will avoid it or find some higher quality tape. The only kind I could find was polyester and I think cotton would look so much better. The drawstring bag I will definitely make again. It was so easy and who doesn't need a little bag to tote things to the beach or to go work-out?
Finally, I made t-shirts to cheer on my mom as she ran in her first triathlon on Sunday! That's right, my mom is an acclaimed athlete!! She ran in the Naperville Sprint Triathlon and made it in under her goal time of two hours! I'm so proud!
I'm really going to have to update this post with some photos of at least the patters or my inspiration!
Currently working on"
-Apron and matching towels for Lauren's house-warming party. With this fabric (which will be so hard to cut because I really really love it):
-Finishing up a teeeeeeeny detail on Kate's birthday present-Re-doing Kelly's birthday present because I broked it. booooo.
-Making a non-gay bag for Joe to tote his work stuff in
-Maybe... MAYBE something for myself???
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Olive's Birthday Present
I mostly worked on Kate's birthday present tonight and it's almost finished!!! I think uit looks really good so far and I'm hoping the things I'm adding to it make it even better. We'll see...
Since I can't show pictures of her present, I thought I'd post what I made last night. I actually made three hair thingies with teeny bunnies on them, but the third has "mysteriously disappeared". When I got home all of them had gone missing and I had my suspicions of the culprit. Suspicions were confirmed when I found one "coincidentally" on the kitty scratching post. I'm sure that was an accident ::ahem:: MEW. Mew has a sick obsession with hair things and one of these days I will find him playing with the last hair thing.
BONUS KITTY PIC!
There was a sale at Borders
Since I can't show pictures of her present, I thought I'd post what I made last night. I actually made three hair thingies with teeny bunnies on them, but the third has "mysteriously disappeared". When I got home all of them had gone missing and I had my suspicions of the culprit. Suspicions were confirmed when I found one "coincidentally" on the kitty scratching post. I'm sure that was an accident ::ahem:: MEW. Mew has a sick obsession with hair things and one of these days I will find him playing with the last hair thing.
BONUS KITTY PIC!
There was a sale at Borders Thursday, June 14, 2007
Projects!
I had another sewing class tonight. Here's a glimpse of my 'homework.' No Kate, it's not your birthday present. Sorry, I'm keeping that one under wraps. This one has some of my favorite Heather Bailey prints in my favorite colors. I love the modern paisley print. The wallpaper-esque print is so fun in those bright colors.
So it's official. I have way too many projects going on at one time. Let's see:
-Heather Bailey fabric project
-Kate's bday present
-Crochet hemp twine basket
-Embroidered onesies
-Pin Board for Adrienne
Seriously, I've started something for all of these. The one I finished tonight was for a friend's little girl, some hair thingies and a big pin with her first initial embroidered on it. It's really cute, I'll upload some pics later. Yes I came home from being crafty and got more crafty... while watching Top Chef, another obsession.
I promised myself I wouldn't watch this season but after seeing the article in the Red Eye this morning, how could I not?? Dale Levitski is a contestant and I just have to root for Chi Town!! Come on Dale!!! Unfortunately, he was in the bottom 3 in the first round!!! NOO!!!! I have two things to say in his defense: #1 How can blue cheese with beef be too strong a flavor for an amuse busch? And I saw that signature move with the herb utensil! Very Alinea/Moto/Trio. Going back to what you know, just stick with it man! #2 I really really hope his whole downfall in the elimination challenge was just lack of knowledge about alligator. Please please please. At least he didn't get any negative comments about the monk liver.
BONUS KITTY PIC!!
Mew was more of a fan of the sewing machine 'accessories'
So it's official. I have way too many projects going on at one time. Let's see:
-Heather Bailey fabric project
-Kate's bday present
-Crochet hemp twine basket
-Embroidered onesies
-Pin Board for Adrienne
Seriously, I've started something for all of these. The one I finished tonight was for a friend's little girl, some hair thingies and a big pin with her first initial embroidered on it. It's really cute, I'll upload some pics later. Yes I came home from being crafty and got more crafty... while watching Top Chef, another obsession.
I promised myself I wouldn't watch this season but after seeing the article in the Red Eye this morning, how could I not?? Dale Levitski is a contestant and I just have to root for Chi Town!! Come on Dale!!! Unfortunately, he was in the bottom 3 in the first round!!! NOO!!!! I have two things to say in his defense: #1 How can blue cheese with beef be too strong a flavor for an amuse busch? And I saw that signature move with the herb utensil! Very Alinea/Moto/Trio. Going back to what you know, just stick with it man! #2 I really really hope his whole downfall in the elimination challenge was just lack of knowledge about alligator. Please please please. At least he didn't get any negative comments about the monk liver.
BONUS KITTY PIC!!
Mew was more of a fan of the sewing machine 'accessories'Tuesday, June 12, 2007
New Japanese Craft Books from Mitsuwa!
I went to MITSUWA JAPAN STRIP MALL!!! on Saturday and it was a gold mine! I spent over an hour there browsing. Finally I narrowed it down to five books with the things I'm most interested in now: quilting, sewing, tote bags, crochet, and embroidery. I think my favorites are the natural cord crochet book and the quilting book. There are a ton of ideas in there that I'm going to have to try.
Check 'em all out. The natural cord crochet one is one of my favorites. I love these! They're so summery when usually crochet reminds me of winter. I can totally see a beach towel poking out of them or gardening shears, or knitting. I like the bold colors next to the natural colors, they really pop. I'm definitely going to be experimenting with these guys.
It's pretty obvious why I got the embroidery
one yes? Some of the designs in here are pretty intricate, I'm not sure if I can pull them off, I guess we'll see...
Pleats! These will be so cute for summer and at
work. Gotta work on those sewing skillz first though.
The quilting book is also one of my favorites.
I have a ton of ideas! Like:
Cute handbags galore in the next book. I really like these tote bags, they're really versatile.
Time to get to work!
Check 'em all out. The natural cord crochet one is one of my favorites. I love these! They're so summery when usually crochet reminds me of winter. I can totally see a beach towel poking out of them or gardening shears, or knitting. I like the bold colors next to the natural colors, they really pop. I'm definitely going to be experimenting with these guys.
It's pretty obvious why I got the embroidery
one yes? Some of the designs in here are pretty intricate, I'm not sure if I can pull them off, I guess we'll see...Pleats! These will be so cute for summer and at
work. Gotta work on those sewing skillz first though.The quilting book is also one of my favorites.
I have a ton of ideas! Like:
Cute handbags galore in the next book. I really like these tote bags, they're really versatile.
Time to get to work!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Happy Hooker Scarves
A little transition from crochet to embroidery. I made the pinkish scarf yesterday at Joanie's. My mom made me the green one some time last year. I think hers is better... the gage is more even and it's a softer yarn. Also, after I made the analogy of mine looking like raw hamburger meat out loud I just don't know what to do with it now. Nobody wants hamburger meat around their neck. I've been meaning to try this pattern for so long, maybe I just need to invest in some nicer yarn and try again. Oh well.
Here's a little crochet change purse with a felt patch that is
embroidered that I made for my friend Aimee for her birthday. I like the lotus a lot, so cute! Inspired by Amy Butler's lotus pattern fabric.
Embroidery is a lot of fun! Especially after I got Jenny Hart's Stitch It Kit! There are loads of fun ideas in there. I'm still wrestling with the whole embroidered pillow thing though, I don't think I'll go there. But the next big project I want to do would be a skirt with some pretty flowers. Here's some embroidery craziness:
Ryan's Redneck Onesie
So cute! It didn't take me too long to do this guy. And I was happy to see it's actually going to fit the growing boy!
Guess who this one is for
Embroidering on t-shirt, stretchier material, was really hard. Ryan's onesie was definitely a learning experience. I tried to use wax paper as a stabilizer but I don't think it did a very good job. For Olive's I switched to, believe it or not, glad wear cling wrap. The wrap stuck to the fabric well enough and I think I got much much better results! My stitches look much more even.
And finally a little sumthin for my hubby. An apron with Red Kitty Blue Kitty. The original pattern had the kitties with big bows, so I put a triangle of felt between Jenny Hart's iron on pattern and the fabric so that they didn't transfer. Then all I had to do was extend the lines on the backs of the kitties.
I love their widdle pink noses.
CRAFTY WEEKEND AGENDA!!!!
Heading to MITSUWA JAPANESE STRIP MALL!!!! I've been hit with the Japanese craft book but and I have to head over there to see what they've got before I go crazy on EBay. I'll let you know if I find anything chock full of crafty goodness.
After MITSUWA JAPANESE STRIP MALL!!!! I'll be heading up to my favorite corner of the Earth that helps me get everything done, Elston and Diversey. I love it, JoAnn Fabrics, Home Depot, Target, PetSmart and now Strack and Van Til, some kind of uber huge grocery store?? I can get all of my errands done in the same freaking place. This is especially awesome when you live in a city where on the weekends people turn into blood hungry psycho drivers.
On my shopping list for today:
-I may be purchasing a sewing machine! WEEE!!!
-Canvas/linen/cheap fabric to practice with
-Button covering kits
-Pins
-Seam ripper
-cork
-MDF
I have a few projects in the works... And I leave you with:
BONUS KITTY PIC! They're all tuckered out from a hard day on the course.
Here's a little crochet change purse with a felt patch that is
embroidered that I made for my friend Aimee for her birthday. I like the lotus a lot, so cute! Inspired by Amy Butler's lotus pattern fabric.Embroidery is a lot of fun! Especially after I got Jenny Hart's Stitch It Kit! There are loads of fun ideas in there. I'm still wrestling with the whole embroidered pillow thing though, I don't think I'll go there. But the next big project I want to do would be a skirt with some pretty flowers. Here's some embroidery craziness:
Ryan's Redneck Onesie
So cute! It didn't take me too long to do this guy. And I was happy to see it's actually going to fit the growing boy!Guess who this one is for
Embroidering on t-shirt, stretchier material, was really hard. Ryan's onesie was definitely a learning experience. I tried to use wax paper as a stabilizer but I don't think it did a very good job. For Olive's I switched to, believe it or not, glad wear cling wrap. The wrap stuck to the fabric well enough and I think I got much much better results! My stitches look much more even.And finally a little sumthin for my hubby. An apron with Red Kitty Blue Kitty. The original pattern had the kitties with big bows, so I put a triangle of felt between Jenny Hart's iron on pattern and the fabric so that they didn't transfer. Then all I had to do was extend the lines on the backs of the kitties.I love their widdle pink noses.
CRAFTY WEEKEND AGENDA!!!!
Heading to MITSUWA JAPANESE STRIP MALL!!!! I've been hit with the Japanese craft book but and I have to head over there to see what they've got before I go crazy on EBay. I'll let you know if I find anything chock full of crafty goodness.
After MITSUWA JAPANESE STRIP MALL!!!! I'll be heading up to my favorite corner of the Earth that helps me get everything done, Elston and Diversey. I love it, JoAnn Fabrics, Home Depot, Target, PetSmart and now Strack and Van Til, some kind of uber huge grocery store?? I can get all of my errands done in the same freaking place. This is especially awesome when you live in a city where on the weekends people turn into blood hungry psycho drivers.
On my shopping list for today:
-I may be purchasing a sewing machine! WEEE!!!
-Canvas/linen/cheap fabric to practice with
-Button covering kits
-Pins
-Seam ripper
-cork
-MDF
I have a few projects in the works... And I leave you with:
BONUS KITTY PIC! They're all tuckered out from a hard day on the course.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Crafty
My sad sad blog. My sad sad unupdated blog. So, ballet has come and gone with my wedding. It makes me kind of sad that I've dropped it, but I'm moving on! Trying new things! Exploring! Ballet was an excellent discipline, but the nagging perfectionist in me was starting to get a little disappointed in myself and I couldn't really enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
Anyways, I have been keeping myself busy, contrary to the non-existent updates to this blog. Joe's night hours leave me with a lot of time myself and lately I've been getting crafty. I think it started with crochet... moved on to embroidery... and now sewing. I'm starting to mix all three and see what I come up with.
Wednesday night I went to my first sewing class since 6th grade. After class I got into a discussion about my craft blog obsession with the teacher of the class and she said, "I think to have a blog you need to be a stay at home mom with at least two kids." Sad, but true. A lot of the crafty projects I see online are snazzy cloth diapers, teeny dresses, and doll quilts. I get absolutely no use out of these three things. Okay maybe the diapers.
I went home after staying in the fabric store for 2 and a half hours babbling about my craft blog obsession with the idea to share some of my crafty projects online. Far from perfect, but I like them enough to give to people so there!
Today's installment: Crochet
Here are some purses I made for my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day
IMG_0201
Originally uploaded by nicoleballet
This one I gave to my mother-in-law.
Inside:
Here's the one I made for my mom:
Inside:
Both patterns are from "Stich n' Bitch: Happy Hooker". The fourth grader in me is saying I should underline that book title. Why do you never see book titles underlined anymore? Is that taboo now?
Future crochet ideas in the works:
-Happy Hooker scarves (skinny and scalloped edge) and bunny slippers!
-More handbags Futuregirl style
-Hemp crochet baskets (hopefully I can find the Japanese craft book that I've seen online)
-Eventually I'd like to tackle crochet stuffed animals.
Next post! Embroidery! OOOOOOOOOooooooooo!
Anyways, I have been keeping myself busy, contrary to the non-existent updates to this blog. Joe's night hours leave me with a lot of time myself and lately I've been getting crafty. I think it started with crochet... moved on to embroidery... and now sewing. I'm starting to mix all three and see what I come up with.
Wednesday night I went to my first sewing class since 6th grade. After class I got into a discussion about my craft blog obsession with the teacher of the class and she said, "I think to have a blog you need to be a stay at home mom with at least two kids." Sad, but true. A lot of the crafty projects I see online are snazzy cloth diapers, teeny dresses, and doll quilts. I get absolutely no use out of these three things. Okay maybe the diapers.
I went home after staying in the fabric store for 2 and a half hours babbling about my craft blog obsession with the idea to share some of my crafty projects online. Far from perfect, but I like them enough to give to people so there!
Today's installment: Crochet
Here are some purses I made for my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day
IMG_0201
Originally uploaded by nicoleballet
This one I gave to my mother-in-law.
Inside:
Here's the one I made for my mom:Inside:
Both patterns are from "Stich n' Bitch: Happy Hooker". The fourth grader in me is saying I should underline that book title. Why do you never see book titles underlined anymore? Is that taboo now?
Future crochet ideas in the works:
-Happy Hooker scarves (skinny and scalloped edge) and bunny slippers!
-More handbags Futuregirl style
-Hemp crochet baskets (hopefully I can find the Japanese craft book that I've seen online)
-Eventually I'd like to tackle crochet stuffed animals.
Next post! Embroidery! OOOOOOOOOooooooooo!
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