Stitching Hands Studio

Studio: April 2012

I decided yesterday it was high time to clean up the studio (just in case anyone comes knocking).  I also had an idea to create a space by the window where I could do hand work.  It means that the iron and board is put away and I'm sure that won't last forever, but I like this layout a lot.

I think I'm going to like this space, at least until the sun gets too intense.  I do have a shade in the window though, so we'll see.

I was also pleased last week to get the second design wall finally up!  Now, I hope I can really get to work.

Lots of stuff going on here.  The coyote piece is the next quilt for my book club, based on Love to Water My Soul by Jane Kirkpatrick.  

Parade Weather **

If you don't follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr or Tumblr, or happen to get the local paper, then you haven't seen this photo yet!  I get a kick out of our daily duck parade everytime I see  it.  They go by the house multiple times a day, from the pond to the left of the photo, past our house and up the street to rest in the lawns of houses on the other street.  Why they do it is a big mystery to me.  They hardly ever stop in our yard to rest.  

Anyway, I admit to taking way too many duck photos since we moved in here.  I just think they are adorable.  It wasn't until I took this one that I knew I had a winner.  I posted it to Facebook and all the other sites above and after a while thought, what the heck, I'll send it to the Bulletin because they are accepting reader photos.  The Pacific Northwest has had an incredible weather week.  Heavy snow Tuesday into Wednesday morning when I took this photo.  None too soon as it turned to rain right after and became a squishy, sloppy, dirty mess.  So, I got an email from the chief copy editor on Wednesday night asking if I had taken the photo that day.  I said yes of course.  The next day this is what I saw.

My photo was at the top of the article with three other snowy day photos.  Totally cool!  Well, my duck shooting (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) days are not over by a long shot.  Here's one the day after.  This is the "pond" that used to be the street in front of our house.

And here's a Hipstamatic shot I took this morning looking the other way, toward the river.  They come up from the river to the right of that house .  They are only heading back toward the river because I came out and disturbed them by taking a photo.  I'm sure when I left they went about their duck parade business.

Here's another one from December.  Well, I've said before how much I love a parade.  They are one of life's little pleasures and I'm just thrilled that we get to experience several per day here.

**Parade Weather is the title the Bulletin gave to my photo.  I think, really, that for a duck, any weather is parade weather!

Better Late than Never

Chloe finally got her high school graduation quilt just before she left to go back to college.  This is a liberated quilt, but with some structure. She picked out all the fabrics and found a quilt online to inspire me.  She liked the perfectly square squares, no wonkiness here!  I did check that she was okay with little inserts to add some interest.  I really like how it came out. 

I was running out of fabric and ended up piecing the back.  I had this one quilted by a local long arm quilter, Kim McCray, so I had to add a lot of muslin to the edges of the backing to make it big enough for the machine.  She quilted it with a circular spiral pattern, a very nice counterbalance to the squares.

I think she likes it!

This quilt matches her dorm room bedding (come to think of it, her at home bedding too).  She took it back to school to keep her warm on winter days.  Whew!  Another must do quilt is done!  I have one more baby quilt and then will get back to some other projects.  How's your New Year going so far?

More Whimsies

I finished a few more trees last night and listed them in the shop today.  I have some more owls to finish too, but time is running short!  I will post here when they are done.

The Owl and the Tree

I have stocked the shop with a few more ornaments including the owl below. I'm having so much fun designing and creating these little ornaments. The tree above will be staying here though.  Kaite do you remember this tree you sent me, how long ago was it?  I think maybe 2 years ago?  Anyway, Kaite spun and knitted this little tree and I finally decided what I wanted to do with it. It's quite comfortable on the same linen sandwich I made for all the other ornaments. This gives it some body and it makes a nice ornament for the tree or for year round enjoyment. I finished it off with one of the vintage glass buttons I've gotten recently. These buttons were too pretty to send them all away. I'm finally getting some artwork on the studio walls.  It's really nice!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Saturday was parade day here and you know how I love a parade!  It all started with brunch here at the house. Homemade cinnamon rolls, two kinds of egg dishes, hot spiced cider and fruit~yum!

Our spot to watch the parade was just down the road a bit.  It was chilly, but the sun warmed our backs and it was a spectacularly beautiful day.

Once again we had all sorts of adorable four footed creatures.

We had friends and family to share the day with.

We had lots of clever displays, including this little smart car/vacuum!

Santa's sleigh was filled with all  the goodies a Central Oregonian could need- mountain bike, kayak and paddle board.

The Polar Express float was just about my favorite.  Very clever!

Any beer drinkers among you might enjoy the CyclePub which is seen regularly on the streets of downtown.

Of course there were llamas!  I wouldn't skip the llamas.  Love these guys!

This is my favorite photo of the bunch.  Just look at that little tongue sticking out.  I think this dog did that the whole way along.

The Wells Fargo wagon is a comin' down the street.  

Finally, Santa came!  What a great parade and a perfect day. I'm looking forward to this week.  I have a studio that needs a thorough clean up and then I can get back to work on some old projects and some new ideas. I always look forward to that!

Candlemaking

One of the things we did last week when Chloe was home was to make candles.  This time I used up a lot of old candles.  Ones that burned weird, or I didn't want to use anymore.  It is simple to melt them down and start again.  The burned bits and wicks tend to collect at the bottom of the melt pot, so the resulting candles are not too dirty.

I use an old rice cooker that has just two settings- warm and cook.  The cook setting is used for initial melting and then it's turned down to warm when the wax is hot.  If it stays hot the water can spit and it's dangerous.  Always melt wax in a double boiler arrangement.  I look for tin cans that are tall and skinny for candle dipping.  Juice cans work well and I also have a coffee tin from Trader Joe's that's really tall and skinny.  I also have a container made for wax that has a handle.  That one is great for pouring votives. 

I got the votive molds recently and this was the first time I used them.  They are really great.  Votives are my favorite candles to burn.  They don't drip and are really efficient when it comes to burning up the wax.  I also got wick pins to use with the molds and that makes it super easy to add the premade wicks with the metal tabs attached.  The wicks I bought were about 6" long so I had to trim them. The trimmings were used to make the little birthday candles.  We also made the pinecone firestarters, but they didn't work very well in the fireplace.  Perhaps the pinecones were too wet.  I love making candles.  It takes some time and space, so I like to set aside a whole day to work on them.  I'm sure we'll be doing it again soon!

A parade for my birthday!

I love parades, no doubt about it.  This year the Sisters Christmas parade was on my birthday, so off we went to this adorable little town for it's short and sweet parade. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This girl seems to be always plugged in these days!

There are lots and lots of animals in this one and nary a marching band.  I do love to see all the variety of beasts though.  Llamas, dogs,

Ryan and Scrabble,

miniature donkeys, 

beautiful horses,

greyhounds,

the occasional beautiful vintage truck.

newfies,

and the big man himself!  Santa came into town in style.

After the parade, this is my favorite place to step in for a coffee.  They really do it up for Christmas!

I had a marvelous time doing my part for Small Business Saturday.  I found some interesting rustic fabric at the Stitchin' Post that I can't wait to try and some beautiful vintage buttons at the antique shops.  Later, we had a delicious dinner, presents and gingerbread cake at my parents' house.  My mom also really knows how to decorate for the holidays, so those photos will show up here soon.  The owl portrait is a gift from my sister!

It was a very good day.   Thanks for all the nice birthday wishes.  Happy Sunday to you!

PS: Don't forget to comment on the previous post to enter the contest for one of my handmade ornaments.

PPS:  All the photos here were made with my iPhone!  I had no idea this little gem would be so much fun to take photos with.  I got a phone, computer and pocket camera all in one.  Thanks Mark!

A November Habit

I"ve been contributing to the habit group at Flickr.  Only a couple of mine have been published on the habit blog, but it's been an interesting exercise nonetheless.  A daily photo and just a few words. I may continue beyond November...  

Thinking

Thinking and making plans regarding Tea is No Minor Beverage.  This photo is a little messy, not my usual composed photos.  I feel a little like this right now.  It's just been too busy lately and I need time to sew, but I seem to get only a few minutes during the day to execute my ideas.  I hope there will be more to show soon.