what I've been up to

I've been working on a variety of projects.  Some are already finished, photographed and even added to my Etsy shop.  Others are still in progress (some still just sketches in my notebook and others just ideas in my head).  But I thought I'd share a few of them with you today, since I haven't done that for a while.

I sewed up a few more things with my bright happy fabrics.  Another scarf:

I'd been wanting to do a skinny scarf for a while and I really like how this one turned out.

I also made another patchwork purse, this one is little:

It closes with a sweet crocheted flower and one of my vintage pearl buttons (I am LOVING them!).

 

Those were really fun to make and I enjoyed working with all those fabrics.  They really do make me happy.

I made a couple more crocheted bracelets (I can't help it, I'm addicted).  A tiny version of the granny square bracelet:

Again, using my vintage buttons!  I really like how the granny square bracelets have turned out, but neither the larger one nor this smaller one have gotten many views in my shop.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to convey just how cool they are.  Or maybe I'm just weird?

And another of my popcorn stitch cuff bracelets.  I needed something that I could mindlessly work on while watching a movie.  Unfortunately I got too involved in the movie and kept having to pull out my stitches, but the bracelet eventually materialized nonetheless.

 

Purple!  And of course, I needed to use more of my buttons.

Told you I am loving them!

I am also working on a purse I designed for a lovely piece of pink corduroy.

The purse is a lot further along than this, but this photo is the only one of have of it.  There's Dovey (an inevitability when I put fabric on the ground) with her favorite toy.  You might not be able to tell, but that toy is an empty roll of tape.  She can never get enough of that tape roll.  She loves playing fetch and will run after it again and again and again, always bringing it back.  She's such a funny cat.

Working on this purse has been so much fun.  I don't have much experience working with corduroy and the corduroy I've used in the past has always been fine wale, so this has been a learning experience.  For example, this corduroy is very messy, shedding little bits everywhere.  Also, I've learned that corduroy's grain pushes other fabric as you sew and no matter how many pins I use, it seems I can't fully keep that shift from happening.  But it's also been so fun because the pink is just so cheerful.  Working with that fabric makes me feel good.  It also made me think of hearts and Valentines, so I've spent a little time on a side project, sewing up a couple heart-shaped pincushions with leftover fabric.

(In that one you can see a bit of the new fabric I've been cutting for my next quilt.  I am so excited about that project and will take some photos of all those fabrics soon).

 

Truthfully, it's a little deformed, but it's still cute and cheerful.  The plan for my purse is to decorate the exterior with lots of my vintage buttons and as I worked on the purse, I imagined a pincushion decorated with the buttons, too.  Of course, the pin cushion was a learning experience, as well.  More fabric shifting, fraying of edges and I also learned that just because the placement of the buttons looks good when the fabric is flat doesn't mean that the buttons will still look good once the pincushion is sewn together and stuffed.  Oh yeah, and I learned just how hard it is to get a heart shape to look right when sewn and stuffed.  I did sew a second one (that also looks a bit wonky) and I plan to keep sewing them with various fabric combinations because I am determined to make a heart that really is heart-shaped.

As my current easy-to-crochet-when-movie-watching project, I've started another purse in a basketweave stitch:

My other crochet project is still secret, but I'll give you a hint that it is another floral jewelry project.  I am dying to spill the beans with that one, but I also want to keep it under wraps until I'm totally finished.

So there you have it.  Whew.  Seems like a lot when I spell it all out like that, but it also seems that my progress is slow.  Which can be a good thing.  I don't want to rush and I want to truly enjoy each project.  Of course, my mind is jumping ahead to lots of other projects, too, which can make my slow and steady pace at times feel frustrating.  But life is always a balancing act.

The other big project that Mom and I have just begun is garden planning for spring.  We've just started studying the seed catalogs and figuring out what we want to buy for our big vegetable patch and for the fun garden I'm planning around the potting shed.  That will be a pure delight.  I'm thinking a bit of a potager with a mix of old-fashioned flowers; herbs and some prettier, more decorative vegetables.  I'm still enjoying the winter and the snow, but there's something wonderful about garden planning at this time of year.