Chemistry Couture

This One's For Kate

Thank you to the very few people who replied to my last post.  As always, most of you remain silent, which I will assume means that you like this blog just fine :)  To those who sent me a suggestion, thank you so much!!!  I aim to please, so there will be some more interesting things on the way.  Life is a little bit hectic right now, but I should be back on track soon.

So this one's for Kate, who said she liked the science tidbits.  I totally stole borrowed this from PhDcomics.com and the brilliant Jorge Cham.  The nerd in me thought this was hillarious, maybe you'll think so too!

Fiona de Mayo!

I know I know, thats not quite right.  But my friend Fiona came to the US for the first time (from Germany) two years ago today.  So I have dubbed this day "Fiona de Mayo" and I think it is so very clever and funny that I decided to share it with you.  I apologize for the cheesiness.  Onward we go.

I wanted to share some happy pictures with you:

This will be the new quilt for my bed.  I made it one a whim one night (well, over two nights really) and now it needs a backing and some batting and a few months of quilting and it'll be good to go.

Fabric for one of my bees.  I'm not sure that orange is supposed to be in there, but I might just see if I can get away with using it.  I do love me some orange.

More fabric for another bee hand dyed by Rick himself!

My niece, The Bean.  4 months old.  Just before we went to a festival to see a painting pig who refused to paint.  Not the best picture of her (or me), but that red hair is just irresitable!!!

I noticed that I'm getting anywhere from 40 to 60 hits a day now!  Most of you are silent readers, and I think most of you are checking out the Fabric Covered Letters tutorial.  So I ask you now, is there anything else you have seen on this blog (or would like to see on this blog) that you would like a tutorial for?  Or maybe a quilt-a-long?  Let me know . . . or just stay silent.  I appreciate your readership either way :)

Parcels in the Mail Box Make Me Happy!

I've decided that instead of calling packages "packages," I will now call them "parcels."  I don't know why, but it just sounds nicer.  And much more British!

My pin cushion swap parcel arrived in the mail last week on a day that I really needed some cheering up.  Lynsey, if you are reading this, I know I sent you an e-mail saying thank you, but you really can't know just how happy this made me!  It was delayed in arriving because of the volcanic eruption that closed down British air space for a week or so.  But, really, the timing was perfect in the end.

Lynsey sent me a whole mess of goodies, including this oh-so adorable chicken pin cushion in one of my favorite colors!  You can check out her etsy site if you want to nab one of your own.

These tags (which I'd seen on her blog and totally LOVE) are almost too cute to use.  They will be used, though.  One day.  For something very special.

Buttons galore!  And some trim as well that I didn't get a close-up of for some reason.  The thick trim that you can see in the first picture has already been set aside for a project.  Now hopefully I can get through everything else I want to do so I can use it.

And last, some beautiful floss and a post card!  Seriously, check out Lynsey's store and her blog.  If I had a door that needed propping open I would totally get one of her chicken door stops.  The only real door in my loft, though, is a sliding barn-style door! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I went to a festival with my parents and my 4-month old niece (I can't believe The Bean is growing up so quickly!  She can already roll over on her own).  We went to see a pig who paints, but he was refusing to paint that day.  I watched the somewhat disappointing Mayweather v. Mosley fight.  AND I got the worst sun burn I've had in years.  Its uncomfortable to do anything but stand around in a very loose nightgown.  Urg.  Still, it was a good weekend.

Jumping the Gun

I was trying to wait until I knew she'd recieved it.  Really I was.  But I just can't wait any more!

I joined a pincushion swap that I found on swapdex.  The swap itself was hosted by Claire (she has an etsy shop too!), and I got paired up with Lynsey from the UK.  We were instructed to make a pincushion and put together some odds and ends to send with it.  I used stuff I already had because my budget is SUPER tight right now. 

The fabric for the pincushion itself is some sweatshirt jersey I had left over from a project that I have yet to post.  I used this pattern, but tweaked it a little bit and added rice to the bottom to stabilize it.  I actually tried to make my own pattern, but my mouse kept looking all lumpy and gross . . . more like a rat, really.  Nuno's site is cute, she has patterns for a lot of small stuffies and pincushions, so check it out if you have a little time.

As for the rest of the goodies, there are some bits of ribbon, a few of my favorite glass-head pins, some of my most awesome leftover buttons (because Lynsey uses a lot of buttons!), and a much loved and now gifted copy of the Bento Box quilt pattern.  She hasn't made any quilts that I can see, but this is a great one to start with if she's interested.  She has some small children at home, and I imagine it would be a lot of fun to have them help pick out fabric or match up the fabric strips and blocks, etc.

Hope I didn't ruin the suprise!

Tuesday Tuesday

I really couldn't think of an appropriate title for this post . . . so there you go.  And here I go!

I am at work, and it is very very cold in my lab.  It's about 60 outside right now but the AC in the building is on full blast and they can't turn it off.  Because it is BROKEN.  So we are all trying not to shiver too much whilst we pipette things and do research.  I am wearing a shirt, a sweater, one of Randy's sweat shirts, and a jacket.  Brr.

However, this post made me all warm inside and made me hop around in my seat like a little kid who has had too much sugar.  I MUST get home and make some stripey tights for the Bean.  The pattern and tutorial are from Rae of Made by Rae, and I am now in love with her and her site and will be spending the rest of the day scouring the blog for more goodies.  How great would pink and white stripey tights look with some cute bloomers?  Gah!

Also, I am so proud of myself.  Well, I didn't do much, I only got together the best friggin quilting bee group EVER!  Kelly's month is April, but she sent out her fabric a little early (oh the excitement!).  And boy did she send out some fabric!  Go over to the flickr site and check out some of the awesome blocks these ladies are already making.  Anne of Film and Thread got put on the front page of Flickr Explore whith her picture of the block she made!  Tho, really, everything Anne makes is awesome so, yeah.

And Kelly, if you are reading this, I have started my block but I decided to do it by hand since we had some extra time.  A bit ambitious, but I hope it will be worth it!  I can't resist an opportunity to applique.

So there you have me, on a tuesday, shaking from the cold and the excitement and the pride. 

Oh, and that picture at the top?  That is our cat, Penguin (though Randy has lovingly dubbed her The Witt), racing down the stairs in our apartment.  She got really sick last month.  We didn't know what was wrong and the vet thought it might be the C-word.  But one tooth extraction, lots of meds and half of my tax return later she is back to her old frisky self.  Thank goodness!

This and That

The weather here in SC has been aweful this winter.  The good new is that spring starts on Saturday and we are supposed to have some very very nice weather for the next few days.  Some of the trees around town are in bloom, so amidst the bare limbs and too-often dreary skies there are some bursts of white and pink and yellow.  It won't really be spring, though, until the magnolias and the dogwoods bloom.  I'll remember to take pictures.

I find myself, once again, in the middle of a few projects that take too long to finish.  I'm almost done with a couple of them, and I can't wait to show you!  Until then, here is a little peek at some hair clips I made my niece.  The Bean has beautiful reddish-blondish-auburny hair, so bright colors look really great on her.  I already handed these over to my sister, and put the green star in Elizabean's hair myself and dang if it isn't the cutest thing!  I did not have my camera at the time, but maybe next time I go home I can get her all dolled up and take a few snap shots.  If they are still in one piece, that is.  I was having a little trouble attaching the charms to the clips.  We'll just pretend for now that they are still all stuck together.

You may recognize the colors, they are from her fabric covered letters I made last month.  The letters, by the way, are being proudly displayed in her room above the window.  Makes me feel all warm inside!

The Stitchin' Bee is underway!  Our first Bee of the month already has her fabric packaged up, ready to be shipped.  Follow along on the flickr page if you want!  We have a group of 13 ladies, some who are old hands and some who have never sewn before but want to learn.  I can't wait to see how things turn out!

Oh, and anyone out there with a bit of money to spare who wants to buy me this, go right ahead.  I'll make you brownies in return. or perhaps a pillow :)

Assistance, Please

Here's the story:  We live in a new apartment with great big walls that need decoration.  So I made these panels out of Kona cotton with the intention of cuting them square, stretching them over a board or canvas, and hanging them on a bare wall.  Well, turns out they are a little too bright for our (*cough cough*) taste, so I need to find another use for them. 

They are each the right size for a baby quilt, but I feel like they look too plain.  I need your help, wonderful readers!  What can I do to make these into "interesting" quilt tops.  OR what can I do with them in a totally non-quilt related way.  Whatever you can come up with really, I have writers block.  Errrr, stitchers block . . . yeah, I'm drawing a blank.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.  And yes, if you were wondering, that is a black cat in the foreground.  His name is Kappa, and he just looooooves walking on fabric :)

I Can Quit Anytime, I Just Don't Want To

If you know me at all you know that I hace a little problem with books.  I buy too many of them, and I've been trying to cut back lately.  This decision was made after moving all of my books twice in one month, lugging them up and down multiple flights of stairs, and trying to find a place to put them all.  My dad has informed me that I'm on my own for the next move if I don't get rid of all the books first.  Since that isn't an option, I guess I'll have to hire moving guys . . . or just NEVER move.

So yeah, I am aware that I have a problem.  Randy made me promise not to buy any more cook books, so whenever we go into a book store or an antique store and I find one that I like I just carry it around with me for a while and put it back before we leave.  Carrying it around makes me feel better.  We DID buy a Mario Batali cook book a week ago when we got our very own pasta maker (more to come on that in a later post), so I guess I have a quick cook book fix for now.

Sewing books, though, are an entirely different story.  Especially since two great ones came out in the past month.  And I bought BOTH of them. 

The first is the follow up to Natalie Chanin's Alabama Stitch Book (which I also have, of course, and made this top using one of the patterns).  I couldn't put this down when I got it in the mail!  Did I mention I preordered it on Amazon?  No?  Yeah.  This time there are patterns for dresses, new techniques for decorating your jersey creations, and more than a few recipes (So it's like a cook book too, I guess that means I cheated a little). 

I will be making this dress and then wear it while I cook the egg and grits casserole that the writer included.  Or I'll make one in every color and wear them all the time because, dang, it looks comfortable!

The second is the third Built-by-Wendy book, all about dresses.  Angry Chicken has a neat-o interview with Wendy Mullen about the book as well as a review.  And just in case you are too lazy to click on those links and read what Amy wrote, I'll tell you myself, this book is not for beginners.  Her first book is!  So by all means go out and buy it, it's great.  The whole point of the third book, though, is to give you 3 basic dress patterns and teach you how to alter them to create new garments.  She gives lots and lots of examples and instructions for her own altered designs, but once you wrap your head around it the possibilites are endless.  I've already got more than a few ideas.  I do imagine this would be difficult if you were totally new to garment construction.  If you've made a few basic patterns and are ready to explore the world of pattern alteration, this is a fantastic book.

Now, one of two things needs to happen.  1) Randy needs to get a second job and support me so I can stay home each day and create a fabulous wardrobe, or 2) I need to win the lottery and officially retire as a research scientist.  'Cause, really, I have no time to make all the things I want to make.  I'll show you my To Do/In Progress list one day, it's comical!  In the meantime just having the books is nice.

A big THANK YOU to all the people who commented on the Bean Quilt on this blog and on flickr.  The only thing better than making something with your own two hands is hearing that other people like it.  It makes me feel really good to know that I can share my work with such talented people.  You are all so inspiring!

Forgive Me!

I've been away for quite a while.  I've been so insanely busy this past month and a half that my head is spinning!  I have so much to share with you, but I'm so increadibly disorganized at the moment . . . I thought that maybe if I gave you a teaser post I would be motivated to take pictures and write about my projects and my life.  So this is my promise.  Good things to come.  Don't give up on me :)

Last Night

I got so involved in this project yesterday that I completely forgot to call my sister and wish her a Happy Birthday!  It's ok, though, I think I've made up for it.

I am going to become an Auntie this winter!  My sister and brother-in-law are expecting their first child.  Since they have chosen NOT to know the sex of the baby, I get to make lots of clothes that could be for a boy or a girl.  I found these white onesies, burp cloths, hats and bibs at the store and decided to buy a few (lots, too many, whatever), and dye them nice bright colors.  I figured, pale blues and greens are for boys and pale pinks and yellows are for girls, so I'll just make everything super bright and people will be too blinded by the colors to realize whether a male or female is wearing them.  By the time the little Bean (my pet name for the first born . . . and he/she shall forever be known as such if I have anything to do with it!) outgrows these clothes I'll have a beter idea of what colors to buy or make.

I've never dyed anything before.  I had a blast doing it, though.  Now that they are all colorful I get to decorate them.  Binding, appliques, silk screen . . . the mind reels with all the possibilites.