mr. monkeysuit

linen love and grumping about the weather

It snowed again yesterday. We got another foot or maybe even more. Boo. I am not one to complain about the winter normally, but this year, boy, I just can't shut up. For some reason this year more than any other the weather is really getting me down. It is too damn cold and too damn snowy and my kids are too young to really get outside for any length of time.
Luckily, I have my sewing and my knitting. My love of all things crafty saves my sanity and makes these winters bearable. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I couldn't spend a morning sewing binding onto a quilt (see above) or finishing a sock.
In other non-weather related news. I have had a shop update, which in fact is still going on. Lots of new hair accessories and hopefully soon some more quilts....as long as it keeps snowing. (Told you I can't shut up about it.) I'd be grateful to anyone who can spread the word, January has been very slow. On reflection trying to start a business in the worst financial crisis in 80 years is probably not the soundest decision but honestly what the heck else am I going to do in this winter wonderland.

Hope that wherever you are, whatever the weather, you are not as grumpy as me today.

10 things I want from etsy

Now, I know the holidays have just come and gone but there is so much great stuff on etsy at the moment I had to share some of my favorites....just doing my part to help the economy:)


This print from Paper2Rock2Scissors for Floyd's room. Crazy into pirates right now....he never does things by halves.
This tea towel would be so perfect in my kitchen.Possibly the coolest cards ever. I am almost afraid to show you these bowls because I really, really want them. So please don't buy them, OK? I just need some time and an excuse to spend more money on orange accessories for my kitchen.
Hello. I think I love you. Lucky for me it's too small now for Cissie.
Cute. Very cute. From here.


Love this card, those little birds, the colors...perfect.

Forget the kids, I think I want these blocks for me.
They look like a perfect distraction for my desk.
This paper cutting is amazing and not too pricey.

Neat-o. So that's me for today...but how about you? I'd love to know what floats your boat on Etsy right now.

little wooden spool people

It's cold here. Very cold. And snowy. I don't get out much these days.

May I present to you the wooden spool families:

Mr. and Mrs. Greenyblue and their children Aqua and Chartreuse.



Mr and Mrs. Brownandflippinorangeagain and their children Tangerine and Amber.

Should you be in a similar predicament (i.e. stuck inside a lot with kids, and a box from Casey's) here are a list of supplies you'll need;

Wooden spools (I used 1" and 3/4")
Doll head knobs (the little ones had pre-painted faces) or any wooden bead with a flat bottom
Glue
Scrap yarn and fabric

As Floyd said this morning,
'The reason why I am a bit grumpy is because I really miss the Spring'.

Can't argue with that. 

I can't get this color out of my head

Orange in my kitchen ::

Orange in my sewing room ::

as recommended by martha


tins from the small object




Amy Butler solids sample sheets from the tin thimble.






my favorite kind...a check for a new commission.

I am putting this latest obsession down to being in the midst of a very cold and snowy winter. Keeping all this orange around helps me feel sunshine on a gray, blustery day.
Hope you are feeling some winter warmth too.

moustachios

I swear this is not turning into a blog all about my kids...but I just couldn't resist these two.

I cut her hair

before ::

after ::

babyface big girl.

Cissie's new apron

I used a medium weight denim for the body of the apron...I think I got in on sale at Jo-ann's last year and the orange double fold bias tape also came from Jo-ann's. Even though I despise going there, Jo-ann's is a useful shop to have around.

The pocket fabric is vintage and I found it at Goodwill...love it. You'll be seeing that in another project very soon.

The twill tape at the neck is by Shinzi Katoh and is from Superbuzzy...looks like they're out of that one but they have a ton of others.

The appliques were all cut out by hand as I went along with the exception of the bird (he's from a children's book). I did a rough sketch of them which you can find here (minus the bird). A couple of people asked about them so I've put them on PDF form for you to print and cut out. Please don't mock my lousy drawings...I have never been able to draw and it is a constant source of amusement to some of my friends who wonder how I can be so crafty and yet so crap at drawing.

Still, I'm pretty darn happy about how this project turned out. Not least of all because hanging up on the hook, that apron matches my clementine kitchen aid mixer PERFECTLY.

not one to be deterred

It is true, as my mother says and as my daughter reflects, I have a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Before you lies another sock. Yes even after, or perhaps because of, my recent debacle I cast on another sock. This time for Cissie and this time with two circular needles rather than double points.

One of the ladies in my knitting group was very convincing in her argument to try it this way and so far so good. In fact so far, very good. It has been so much quicker this way. I am just at the point of turning the heel so I'm going in to my weekly knitting group tomorrow for tea and sympathy and hopefully some help.
Have any of you tried socks this way or using the magic loop technique? What do you find easier? I had a hard time choosing which way to go with. One thing I can say about this way is that it helps to have two different kinds of needles i.e. one wood and one metal...you're less likely to make mistakes.

Also, because a few of you asked about the chair I am posting a couple of shots of the newly re-upholstered thrift store find.

Chair $3, fabric three yards $45, re-upholstering and refinishing $150... the dink that  my children have already put in the wood....priceless.

embroidery Friday/ talking shop

Just thought I'd share some of the embroidery I've been working on.
 

These are all from a project I am working on for Cis and I have another morning in my sewing room today (don't be hatin') so I may even get it finished.

It has been such a creative and productive week for me. This was just what I was hoping for back in November when I was up to my eyeballs in hair clips and traveling art shows.
Some of you have asked how all the craft shows went and what it's been like starting a small business. Well, I have to say all in all it was a really positive experience for me. I did about half a dozen shows in November and December, some went better than others...some were quite busy and some not so much. I didn't have a single show where I was rushed off my feet but I made sales everywhere I went and everyone was really positive about my stuff and I made enough money to feel like it was worth pursuing further.
I spoke with lots of other vendors who had been doing the shows for several years, they all said business was slow, much slower than previous years, but meeting people, making contacts and having people invite me to other shows was totally worth the effort.
I will definitely be back to doing craft shows in 2009...but now I think I know which ones are the better ones to attend. As with all things there is an element of trial and error.
I have lots of ideas for my Etsy shop and hopefully this month I'll actualize some of them. I have two quilt commissions to get to first then I am hoping to build up my stock over the first half of this year and get some bigger quilts in the shop.

There are parts of staring a small business I have not enjoyed like keeping accounts, paying taxes on time and generally feeling a little too busy. But there is a great sense of satisfaction in doing this and there is so much free support available through small business centers, friends and family that those egregious tasks seem less significant.

Of course I couldn't get through this post without saying a huge thank you to everyone of my readers who helped in one way or another. Those who helped to spread the word about the shop, those who bought something and of course my fabulous pattern tester (thank you Angie!) you have all been so kind and supportive and I hope in 2009 I'll have some more good things to share with you.

2 year-old socks

Nope, not for my two year-old.

Not making any claims about the longevity of these socks either.

It took me 2 years to make these socks.

They call me Speedy.

They were supposed to be for Andy but happily I made them too small. This is the second pair of socks I've ever made, not surprising when you think how long they take.

 

Now I have finished them, I am not really sure why they took so long. They spent quite a while languishing in my unfinished projects basket. I just never felt the urge and I really needed help with turning the heel and finishing the toes. Luckily, I have a very patient knitting teacher.

But now they are done, I love them. While I was making them, not so much.
Here they are on my feet; cozy, soft, very warm and finished.

details
yarn:: Noro silk garden colorway 272 (I think) FYI : you can wash and dry this yarn in with your normal laundry and it just keeps getting softer.
pattern:: Ann Norling adult socks

quilt blocks....check

I had quite a productive morning yesterday and managed to complete my first task for the Block Party quilting bee. I love the fabrics Alissa sent and it was fun to play around with a new-to-me color scheme.

the first block

The assignment was wonky log cabins. I hope they are the right amount of wonky.

the second block

(The fabric in the background is a chair I recently had re-upholstered. My friend found this amazing mid-century chair in a thrift store for $3 but it was in pretty bad shape so off it the shop it went and $150 later I have a very nice chair....that better last me a VERY long time.)

This quilting project really got me thinking about how I use color in my own quilts or rather how I don't use enough of it. It has inspired me to mix things up in my sewing room this week. I hope I'll have some fun things to show you over the next few weeks.

in my sewing room

Today it is all about the brown and the orange.

A work in progress for Cissie.

And a work in progress for Alissa co-ordinator of Block Party Quilting Bee.
This is my first quilting bee and I am stupid excited to take part. I just love the idea and think it's so cool that at the end of the year there will be 12 quilts made by many hands.

I love Alissa's color choices and the assignment of wonky log cabin blocks. Love those wonky log cabins.

A cup of tea.
A babysitter for the morning.
And a sewing room with brown, orange and little blue.
Happy, happy me.

help

So much of what I gave to my children this Christmas was handmade.
Not by me, but by wonderfully skilled crafts people. Toys bought at craft markets, clothes bought on Etsy, vintage books bought on Amazon and Ebay. I'd be so sad if I couldn't do that again next year.

Please take a moment to sign this petition to save handmade toys.

There is more information here and here.

As crafters, this is something we can all get behind.

And if I'm not mistaken...this will be the first time I've posted twice in one day...what a year!

egads and a quilt

Is it really so long since I posted? Whoops. Must be that whole holiday thing, which was fine (thank you for asking) but I am glad it is over. This year I did find it all a bit tense, the best times were when it was just our little family, I rather over-did the entertaining thing and ended up kind of resenting it.

I'm not sure that resentment is supposed to be part of the Christmas spirit.
Love, charity and resentment. Sounds amiss.

Still the kids were angels throughout, my husband was loving and generous and it is over for another year.

So onto 2009 and the first quilt of the year.

the front

 

the back

 

close up

Looking at it now I think it looks kind of Valentine's Day-ish. So I called it 'sweetheart quilt' and it is for sale in my neglected shop. 

I plan on using this month to restock. I sold all but one of my quilts over the holidays (the lines and circles went but I am leaving it up in my shop because I plan on making another one).

And in no particular order here are my new year's resolutions:

1. enjoy this precious time at home with my kids, it is all too fleeting.

2. make more quilts.

3. don't entertain if it ends in resentment. 

Happy New Year.