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Being Single in the City

April 30, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

This is not a rant, more of an observation.
Last Friday I noticed that one of the tires on the Silver Bullet was damn near bald. The rest of the tires were fine so I knew something was wrong. Problem was, I didn’t have time to drop it off at the mechanics since I had to get to the store AND had a full weekend planned- including driving to Wisconsin for a friends surprise birthday party.
So here it is Monday morning and I’ve had to cancel having coffee with another friend of mine so that I could take my car to the mechanic first thing this morning. If i wait till even 9:00 i run the risk of being without my car for two days!!! Which would be DEVASTATING for me!
So instead I get up early, load my bike on the bike rack (so that I am not tied to the mechanics waiting room, or worse riding in their dirty trucks). This is when Drew informs me that his Drivers Ed starts this week and since I am working when he is scheduled to be done for the day he will need to ride his bike home. Problem is his bike has a flat tire and neither one of can change it – and if we could we have no tubes. So he also loads his bike on the car so that I can drop it off at the bike shop sometime today.
This is my life. Had I a partner or even a second car I think things would be so much easier. The car could still get worked on, but maybe I wouldn’t have to ride my bike on a drizzly day. Maybe they would know how to change a bike tire, or even better, be able to pick Drew up after his lessons. But for the past 12 years this is how I’ve had to get things done. Again, I’m not complaining, just making an observation.
I think of the days when I did have a partner to share duties with and frankly that was more exhausting and frustrating. I know not all guys are like that, but until I find one that’s not I’ll continue to juggle parenthood and all it brings on my own and not complain. After all this is the life I chose.
Besides if I did have a partner I might have missed having this time alone at Caribou.
As soon as I’m done with my coffee, I’ll be biking the rest of the way home!

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Instagram fun

April 26, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

So I got one of those new fangeled iPhones, the one that talks to you, gives you directions when your lost and keeps all your music at your fingertips. It will even publish a post without my realizing it — suppose that would be user error though huh? Sorry!

Anyway, I love it – especially the camera app. I heard that Annie Lebowitz (sp?) the famous photographer, recommend the iPhone camera app as a good point and shoot camera. I agree, but what I have been getting the most enjoyment from is the instagram app!

I love photography and have taken a few classes in my day, but not on the scale I’ve been doing lately. I take pictures of EVERYTHING now. I like the instagram app because you can change the way the photo looks using a variety of filters.

I’ve also downloaded an app that allows you to color a photo and another that allows you to build a collage. I haven’t played with these too much – maybe i will when I have more time on my hands… Like at the DMV or dentist office.

If you have instagram let me know and I’ll follow you. I love to see what other people are taking pictures of. You can follow me by searching Sewtropolis.
Enjoy!

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Posted in my fun, skilos | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Miss March

April 25, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

It didn’t seem right that I blog about my one quilt a month quest on the store blog, but not here – after all it all started here!

Activities at the store have consumed 99.99% of my time, but that itty bitty time that I was able to eek out for myself I managed to finish my quilt for March.

Isn’t she purty? This is probably the most girly, girl quilt I’ve ever made!

For years, and I literally mean YEARS, I’ve been collecting vintage hankies. I’m not sure why I started, but I’m pretty sure it started out with an idea to make a quilt with them. I’ve long ago forgotten what my original plan was, but that hasn’t stopped me from collecting the hankies throughout the years.

This past January the Minneapolis Modern Quilters started a challenge to create a quilt using only recycled items. I initially had the idea of using cashmere sweaters to create a quilt, but then I went antiquing with my friend Jennifer and was reminded of the vintage hankies I had been collecting when I ran across a huge selection of them! I couldn’t resist picking up a few more and then tried to come up with a plan to use the hankies in a quilt.

I brought my hankie stash with me to quilt retreat and sorted them according to size. Some of the hankies had these beautiful crochet edges so I knew I wanted to keep the edges in tact. I decided to lay them all out on a vintage sheet (another thrift store find) in order to preserve the edges.  I layered everything and then quilted down all the hankies in a floral free-motion quilting.

I bound the edges of the quilt with purchased fabric, only because I didn’t bring enough fabric with me to retreat – if you can believe that!

I still have quite a few hankies left, but those may end up as pillows. In the meantime, I’m frantically trying to find the time to start and then finish Ms. April in the few days that remain.  I think I may have an idea and with any luck it will whip up fast using the last Jelly-Roll I have!  Wish me luck!

Posted in Sewtropolis, Make | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Quilt retreat

April 9, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

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Hard to believe I was here just a few weeks ago. So much has happened that it seems much longer than that. I wish I could visit every weekend, wouldn’t that be nice?

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My Gopher, Gryfindor, Scarlet Minoru Jacket

February 29, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

A few weeks ago I spent the afternoon with my girlfriend Jennifer  perusing antique and thrift stores in little towns south of the Cities.  It was so much fun!  I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but managed to score three maroon velvet curtains for $20!

A few months ago I was in Ikea and found one brown velvet curtain in their “As Is” department for $50!!!  It wasn’t a necessary purchase so I passed, but then instantly regretted it as soon as I got home.  I knew that if I went back (which I wasn’t about to do) they would be gone.  After finding my three velvet curtains for $20 there was no way I was leaving without them – I had plans for all this fabric!  First on my list; a Minoru jacket from Sewaholic Patterns.

I don’t remember ever making a jacket before – let alone a lined jacket.  But Tasia at Sewaholic.net does these fantastic Sewalongs for each of her patterns and after following her updates on the Minoru jacket I felt it was something I could do without too much frustration.

Jacket back

Even though I hardly ever make a muslin – I did with this jacket!   I wanted to check the fit and just see how hard it would be before attempting the real thing and possibly wasting an ounce of my pretty velvet curtains.   I used a king size sheet to make the muslin (another thrift store find) assembling the front, back and sleeves.  I then added the collar and put the zipper in 3 times before I got it right.  That right there was worth the time it took to make the muslin.  After checking the fit  - all was good and it was time to cut into the velvet.

I thought about buying silk for the lining, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for at the fabric stores near me so I just bought what they had (regret).  Same with the zipper – I wish now I would have ordered one from the internet because none of the stores near me had what I was looking for. I knew though that if I had to stop and wait for parts this jacket may have ended up in the UFO pile and I didn’t want to risk that.

I love all the little details of this jacket (inside pockets, zipped pocket in the collar for the hood, elastic cuffs) Over all I’m really happy with it, of course after I installed the lining I realize that I was wearing the U of M colors.  Drew thinks I am on team Gryffindor (of the two I’m told to say I’m on team Gryffindor)  So you can call me Gryffindor or you can call me Gopher…. but I  say I’m harnessing my inner Scarlet O’ Hara!

“Oh, I can’t think about this now! I’ll go crazy if I do! I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

 

Posted in Make | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

A Prince Charming to Keep Me Warm

February 25, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

Uh huh… that’s right!  You can look, but you can’t have my Prince Charming  …..   jacket!

This was made using a old over-sized sweatshirt hoodie and about 1000 little scraps of the fabric from the Prince Charming line by Tula Pink.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, or just found this blog, I’ve been completely obsessed with this line of fabric.   Check out my Crepe dress, bath mat, shower curtain and the most recent wall art.

I have seen these jackets made without the hood, but I like hoods, so I grabbed a hoodie in my closet and went to work.  First thing first, off with the front pocket.  I then sliced the hoodie up the front & sides so that it would lay flat.    From there I laid my Prince Charming scraps on top of the fleece and went to town stitching them all down with a darning foot.

Three months and 2 days later (I was a little distracted) my Prince Charming is keeping me warm.   I did re-add the pocket to the front, because it wouldn’t be a jacket without someplace to put my cell phone.  I also added snaps so that I could close it up and cuffs to lengthen the sleeves a little bit.

This about does it for the Prince Charming stash I have.  I’m now moving on …. maybe!

 

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Miss February

February 19, 2012 by Hubba Hubba Ding Dong

Here she is:  Miss February!

I’m officially two for two in my UFO busting quest this year.  (If you missed Miss January you can see her here).  As I alluded to last month, Miss February comes with some baggage.  Twice a year I head to Camp Lebanon in Upsala, MN for quilt retreat with my good friend Lori, her sisters and all their friends.  A few years ago Lisa, the retreat ‘hostess’ asked for volunteers to make quilts to go in the rooms (extra quilts are always nice to have around)  They even had fabric pre-bagged for our use!  So of course I took a bag (or two) with good intentions to make at least one quilt.  I think I got as far as cutting the fabric and sewing all the blocks…. and then Life got in the way.

Back of Miss February

It wasn’t just ‘normal’ Life stuff, normal I could deal with, this was major Life stuff.  Life stuff that kicked me so hard I landed on my butt, and when I was down it kicked me hard again, spitting on me before it turned and walked away.  I had been hit hard before – but not like this.  I was so down I could not pick myself up right away.  Instead I relied on my friends to hold me up – and that they did until I could stand on my own.

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Needless to say the quilt blocks ended up in a bin along with so many other projects.  The next time I headed to quilt retreat I left the blocks at home because I didn’t want to show or announce to anyone that I wasn’t able to get to it.  And the next time I did it again, and again, and again…. for the next 4 years.

At some point the guilt got to be too much and I mentioned to Lisa that I haven’t forgotten about it (how could I), but you know, Life got in the way.  And, Lisa in her sweet way, said she understood and not to worry about it.  But I did worry about it.  It’s not like me to make promises and not follow through.  PLUS, every time I looked at that bin it would bring up painful feelings of the days when Life was not easy on me.

Now fast forward to last Fall when I started sorting through all my unfinished projects, when Life and I are once again in sync.  I knew I couldn’t toss this one in the bag to go to the Textile Center.   I needed to finish what I started and follow through on my promise.  I’ll admit working on this quilt wasn’t easy, but she’s done!   I know that when I head to Quilt Retreat this Spring I’ll feel ‘lighter’ when I finally hand her over to Lisa.  I’ll feel good about being able to once and for all close the door to a very painful chapter in my life.

Until then, I’ve moved on to Miss March and Oh! she’s going to be a pretty one.  Here’s a sneak peek.

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