thimbly things

We’re having quite the overcast (and now rainy) St. Paddy’s Day here in Tulsa, and I’m hard-pressed to find any green worth photographing. Except the neighbor’s yard. Just across the street, our very nice neighbor has a green lawn while everyone else’s is still blah blah brown. There is a flowering tree across the street as well, and I keep wondering if the neighbors (who all appear to be home for Spring Break) will think me insane if I hobble over there with my camera and toddler.

Yellow has been more of an inspiration as of late. I realized this when I read SouleMama’s post on bringing the sun into her house (via painting a room yellow). This may be surprising to friends who know that when we moved into our house, I painted over our yellow walls immediately. Green, in fact. Our living room was the color of a Granny Smith apple for almost a year. Until I convinced Evan that I would indeed lose my mind if I didn’t repaint it. He said, “Fine. But it’s your project.” He was gone for 2 weeks in January and came home to an almost-half-painted-living-room. Thankfully, he helped me finish. Thankfully.

Here’s a picture that shows just how vivid and overwhelming the walls could be (in certain light):

Insanely bright. Neon. And very little looked good on the walls. So there’s some green for the holiday!

I tried to do a round-up of green craftiness to share, but it was quickly disassembled by Em.

Thank you Brobee for being the awesome Little Green One today. As for my hang-up on yellow, it’s mostly centered around this hand-me-down dress someone gave us:

It’s very pretty–on a hanger. But the collar is too much pretty, I think. Too much frill. I cut it off this weekend and sewed on some fresh binding. What to do next? Hmm…

Since I can’t show you all the Easter goodies I’ve been working on, here’s some Emily instead.  She’s cuter anyway.

And for all my readers who don’t know, WIP stands for “Work in Progress.”  I got your back.

Around these parts, I’ve been focused on swelling, hormonal changes, an upcoming baby shower, and…

Easter!   It’s so much fun to have a little person to make cute little things for.  Emily might not even care all that much about getting a new toy, but one day she’ll be able to ask me to make something for her and give me all the specifics.  And it feels good knowing that I might help her carry out her very important vision.  I remember having those dreams as a kid.  I would draw out elaborate dollhouses or design clothing collections for my dolls.  The imagination of a child is such a fabulous thing.  The only problem is seeing those imaginative designs through to completion.  Well, this mama will be happy to step in and help out.

Here’s a peak at Emily’s Easter Bunny (pattern by Wee Wonderfuls, embellishments by me):

And here’s the start of a friend for Bunny:

I know, it doesn’t look like much yet, but just wait.

This past weekend, I opened my JoAnn circular to realize that I had several coupons that were on the brink of expiration. I thought quick. What do I need? What do I really need? With a tiny allowance (and not wanting to spend it all) I headed over and purchased only needles and thread. That was it. No fabric. No yarn. No buttons. Just the basics, which made coming home and emptying my bag of goodies a rather dull experience. But! But then came the inspiration for the evening.

Pincushions=gratification. They’re quick, easy, require very little material, very few tools, and are so small and pretty. And my new sewing instruments became beautiful to me. Shiny, sharp, glistening pins. Ready to take on all manner of crafting.

This little pincushion is based on the pattern in Sew Pretty Homestyle (Thanks, Mom D, for the Christmas present!). This is the first thing I’ve made from it, but believe me, there is more to come. I love how the cushion came out looking very much akin to a mushroom.

(Oh, and remember my thrifting trip from a couple weekends ago? In my grab-bag, I found a little wooden ring which is now the base for this pincushion. How I do love thee, Quality Thrift Store? Let me count the ways…)

I was also inspired by the needlebook pattern in Sew Pretty, but I modified the design and materials and ended up with my own pattern. The one in the book doesn’t use felt or buttons, and it seems larger. I was determined to use my scraps of fabric because I have quite a pile-up in my craft room. So now my pincushion has a matching friend to organize all my fresh, new, beloved needles.

I entered a contest at Sew, Mama, Sew, and I actually really really won!!!  And the prize is a yard of fabric (my choice) from one of 4 new lines.  I especially love the Ginger Blossom Collection, but I’m torn between a few different prints.   They’re all so lovely.

The octagon tiles are killin’ me here, but Evan’s not really into them.  Ultimately, he won’t care what I choose.  He just laughs at me for stressing out about it.  It is free.

I started thinking about where I would use the prints (not something I often do when buying fabric), and I remembered our very oddly colored and slightly neglected bathroom that needs, um, something…

OK, so it seems kind of pleasant in this picture.  But there is A Lot of pink and burgundy tile.  And taupe walls.  Here’s a little more perspective:

Loads of awkward empty wall space and light fixtures that don’t match anything.  But maybe there’s a fabric out there that will help pull it together and inspire me to do something with what I’ve got.  I used to hate the bathroom.  I hated it so much.  I wanted to paint over the tile.  Or, better yet, rip it all out and start over.  I taped paint samples to the walls on more than one occasion.  But after a year of living here, the bathroom has finally begun to grow on me.  I want to take ownership here–give it a little TLC.  Fall in love with the 1950s charm.  That’s all.

So back to the point of all this: I’m leaning towards that first fabric because I think the colors would be cheery in the bathroom.  A trim on the curtains?  Or the shower curtain?  A wall-hanging?  A cushioned bench or chair?  One free yard of fabric, and suddenly my bathroom gets the attention for which it has so long yearned.

I thought about sharing one of these each day of the week, but it’s so nice to see them all side-by-side. I came across the set on Saturday at an antique store here in Tulsa. The colors and designs are wonderful, but I could not imagine paying the $36 asking price. They do provide some great inspiration though, don’t you think?

Alicia Paulson at Posie Gets Cozy recently made some lovely designs inspired by her favorite kitchen items, and I’d rather embroider her patterns than fork over the money for these.  But still, they are nice.

We cherish the quietude of our Sunday afternoons.  My pins and needles also take a little rest with a cushion all their own.

Thanks to Bella Dia for her pattern in Softies.

As promised, here is Emily’s new Brobee doll. I felt a little guilty about making a bunny that she couldn’t play with, so it was nice to quickly whip up a toy she was sure to love. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Emily is obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba. She’s been be-bopping to it for several months now and has recently learned to beg, saying, “Abba! Abba!”

Doesn’t she look like such a baby? This morning, she carried her blankies around and sucked on her ba-ba for about an hour. So sweet. Hold onto that babyhood a little longer, please.

As for Brobee, the awesome Allison who made up the pattern deserves another shout-out. She’s on Craftster, which I just joined for the purpose of thanking her. Now Evan thinks I should make all the characters from the show. Maybe Foofa…

EDIT: I was just looking at this site that sells YGG dolls, and all the Brobees are sold out!  I guess he’s popular.

Remember my plan to make something every day?  Well, I sort of have.  I just haven’t posted every day.  Tuesday I got all caught up in making this little gal:

and only had disassembled body parts to photograph by midnight.  And no one wants to see those pictures.  Creepy.  Creepy the way animal skins are creepy at Build-A-Bear.  I feel confident saying that, even after working there for 2 summers during college.  She’s from Narumi Ogawa’s Super Crochet Wonderful, though a change in the face and a few mistakes made her look like her own little person.

I couldn’t stop with just a bunny.  I mean, she’s so dress-able!  Like a Barbie but much more innocent.  When I tried Narumi’s pattern for a dress, however, things didn’t quite work out.  Either my tension was off or it was the yarn… I don’t know, but it was my own fault and not the fault of the pattern.  So on Wednesday I got inventive.  Afterall, it was the day of Project Runway’s finale finale.  (Make it work!)

The funny thing is that I used the excuse of making Emily an Easter bunny for this particular project, but I fear I got carried away and made her inappropriate for a 17-month-old.  She has button eyes and a lacy flower sewn to her ear (which hides the wonkiness of said ear).  It just doesn’t seem safe–for Emily or the bunny.

Do not fret.  I will just make another bunny.  I’m thinking of the simple wee bunny pattern by Wee Wonderfuls.  Oh how I adore Hillary Lang.  And maybe my wrist can get a break from my crochet addiction.

In the meantime, I’m working on a Brobee for Em.  It’s just too perfect.

This isn’t exactly a “crafty” post, as indicated by it’s title. However, my husband is very much into the craft of film and filmmaking. He has a site where he and some other brilliant guys review films, and today’s post is just fantastic. Please, if you like movies, go there and check it out.  There’s a Jane Austen mention worth your while.

Evan recently had the privilege of judging a 24-hour filmmaking competition as well. One of our favorite submissions involved a friend of ours, and it has quickly gained a bit of a following on YouTube.

So that’s all the film-related stuff I’ve got for you. I’ll be back later with a truly crafty post. Promise.