Treasures

My sewing machine is truly broken. I am going insane because I have been too busy to get it to a shop to be fixed. Hopefully sometime next week I will be able to figure it out.

In the meantime, here's a sampling of my latest crafty yard sale finds:

I noticed a guy was selling a sewing machine, so I went ahead and asked him if he had any sewing stuff. He proceeded to find these two old sewing baskets filled with notions- most notably thread and buttons! I was thrilled. He also had a brand new Vera Bradley purse and coin purse - which he threw in with the sewing stuff, all for only $5! (The extra bonus is that I am selling the purse on eBay right now- hoping to make a profit.)I am drowning in thread now- but I can't stop hoarding it when I see it at yard sales for such cheap prices!!!!!!! I got these little cases for $3. Aren't they pretty?

One of the last sales of the day was when I hit paydirt. The person doing the sale was a retired Armenian tailor lady- very nice, but not too willing to bargain. Nevertheless, I got some awesome stuff. When I asked her about all of her thread, she informed me it was 4 for $1 - which honestly is not very great at all. BUT, I was able to convince her to sell all of it for $20! I wanted to count all of it to give an exact number of how many spools there are, but I got tired of counting after I reached 100. I would be willing to bet there is about 200 spools!

I noticed that she had a few things of fabric lying around, so I asked her about it. She led me into her garage where there was a pretty sizable stack, each piece being only $1. Most of it was not the kind of cotton blend I prefer to work with, but I was able to find some really cute things. It's all vintage stuff, which is kind of hard to find right now- so I am thrilled!

This one is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!! I love it! The houses are my favorite. Today was like Christmas! I am so spoiled to be able to get all this stuff! Now I want to go and sew! I guess I will have to settle for working on my cross-stitch.

My sewing machine is not working!

This is what I was working on when my sewing machine broke. It's the beginnings of a baby quilt for a good friend of mine..... The last time my machine stopped working, the solution was cleaning out 3 years of lint in the bobbin case area. This time, I picked up a "can of air" (the kind you buy to clean out a computer keyboard or something) this time, hopefully it will work. In the meantime, as I gear up the patience to deal with the problem, I have been reading lame-o chick lit books, working on another African-themed cross-stitch, and thinking about the next projects I want to do..... One project I need to do ASAP is clean up my craft room, 75% of my supplies are litterly on the floor right now. I am keeping my eye out for deep, tall, and narrow bookcases at yard sales- as my ideas of using large tupperware containers and my old bureau have not been terribly effective (evidenced by the current disarray of my supplies).

More Fabric Finds

Okay, so I know I need to stop shopping for fabric and actually make something out of it. But shopping for it is part of the whole fun of crafting. Nick and I had our second anniversary this past weekend- we celebrated by taking a quick trip up to Bar Harbor, ME. We had a rainy day that ended up helping us to discover: Marden's. A department store that buys out the stock of stores which have gone out of business. They have a HUGE fabric department that is filled with quilt shop leftovers - nothing was over $3 a yard! I was in heaven! Here are a few of my finds:

It's rather bright, but that is what appeals to me the most. I got a lot more there, but it wasn't photographing well. Later I will post the "creations" I make with it all.

Right before we left on our trip, I made a stop at my nearby Joann's. I picked out 3 things and was ready to have it cut, when the lady in front of me at the cutting table ended up taking 25 minutes! (And she didn't even end up buying ANYTHING!..... I guess I should also blame the fact that Joann's is always understaffed.) While that lady was harping about the price of some sort of upholstery foam, I found this: and this:and this:
This is not even counting the few things I had intended to buy at first. But who can live without red polka-dot whale fabric (this will have to be the theme of the first quilt I make for if and whenever I have a baby boy).....? And I almost died when I saw this Muppett fleece- I've only seen it on eBay- going for at least $15 a yard (I got it for $5, thank you very much). And I just loved this Oriental theme pack of 5 fat quarters- it might make a cute wall hanging, or maybe a patchwork purse or two...........

Weekend Finds

I am in love with thread. I don't think I can have too much. A lot of these threads are "vintage" e.g. wooden spools.

These fabrics were found at Woburn's "That Fabric Place." I wish I could afford to shop there regularly - but nothing is cheaper than $10 per yard. But sometimes it's worth it to splurge- I get tired of the selections at Wal Mart and Joann's.

Sock Zebra

I had a hard time letting this little guy go- I was very pleased with the way it came out. Enjoy it Missy!

One-Hour Bag

I had a lot of fun making this purse. You can find the tutorial here. I am kicking myself for not looking into doing such a pattern sooner because following someone's directions, rather than trying to wing it on your own, is very easy!

I decided to spice this bag up by doing some bead work:

I just got ahold of a long beading needle, some seed beeds, and I set to work. It was fun and quite addicting.

I also learned how to make fabric covered buttons:

The process was very easy- you can get a kit to make buttons at any craft store.

Here's the inside of the bag, it has a little pocket.

This bag definitely took me longer than one hour to make, but it wasn't too time consuming. The fabric I used is from Uganda- one of the many pieces I bought while there last summer. If I had to do the whole thing over again I probably would have made the bag deeper and chose a lining that matched the outer fabric better. But overall, I am quite happy with it!

Mother's Day Present

I made this little guy for my mom. It's got the coloring of the Cheshire cat, don't you think? His legs look like they have muscles.... but I have to say that getting the stuffing to stay smooth is not an easy task.

Baby quilt

Here's a baby quilt I made for Ian, the son of my BYU freshman roommate, Melinda. I found the pattern in the 2008 Fons and Porter EasyQuilts Spring magazine. Congratulations Melinda!

Odds and Ends

Nick helped me make this sock dog for his mom for her birthday. He stuffed, I sewed. I was pretty pleased with the way it came out.
Finally! A cute pattern that is boy-oriented. I had to get a bunch of this cute astronaut-flanel from Joann's a couple weeks ago. I made burp rags for one of my visiting teachee's who just had a baby boy.
Last night I did something I rarely do: I actually bought a book at a store instead of getting it at the library or a yard sale. Of course, I had a 40% off coupon, so it was pretty reasonably priced. I am really excited about this book- it's quite popular on all of the crafty websites/blogs out there. Hopefully I will be able to use it soon and learn how to make some new things.

Free Stuff

So- I was going to write a post about how some people shouldn't be parents (inspired by my work in counseling children and families). But I don't want to think about work right now.

Instead, I want to implore all of you out there to take advantage of the rebate offers at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. All of these things you see pictured are products I got for free (within the past 2-3 months) by doing the drugstore rebate programs. I don't think I have ever spent money on toothpaste, tampons, shampoo, or hair stylers because the stores constantly give them to me for free! Each store does it a little differently, but the concept is the same: you buy the product, send in the receipt, and later receive a refund check. In some cases, instead of getting a check, you get a coupon of "extra bucks" that you can use like cash on your next purchase.

I have been busy with a lot of crafts lately that I plan to post this week. I attended a quilt show at my former middle school this weekend and really enjoyed myself. I talked to a sewing machine vendor who assisted me in falling in love with a $2,500 Pfaff Grandquilter...... I can dream, right?

Chelmsford Quilting Guild

I am very happy about my introduction to the world of quilting guilds last night. I was inspired by my very favorite friend, Sister Forbes, and her very enthusiastic recommendation that I ought to investigate joining a quilting guild. I googled the idea and came across the Chelmsford Quilting Guild and I went to my very first meeting last night. I was a little apprehensive, anticipating that everyone would already know each other and I might feel a little awkward- especially considering the infamous New Englander "reserved" personality. But my fears were unfounded, several people were very kind and friendly.

The evening was filled with socializing, showing off guild projects, and organizing for their upcoming biennial show. I really enjoyed myself and plan to join as a member for the next coming year.

I am especially excited because I want to meet people with my same interests. The next thing I want to do is join a book club (where people actually read interesting books) and join a yoga class...... It's easy to get in the habit of just trying to socialize with those in your ward, but I really want to get out of the habit of depending on my ward to fill all of my social circle.....

Weekend project!

Here's a cosmetic bag/purse I made for Aimee's birthday. I kind of improvised as I went along, and I ended up feeling pretty satisfied with the results. I especially liked the effect of putting batting in between the lining and the outside of the bag- it gave it great structure! I definitely wished I had a surger, it would've made it a lot easier... But anyhow, I finished it in a few hours. I think I might enjoy some of those pattern books for purses out there....... Maybe that will be my next obsession after the sock animals.

I also gave Aimee the sock elephant I made a week or two ago. Now she has a little "friend" she can take with her to London!

Yard Sale Finds

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I started the day of yard saling by buying all this thread for....... only one dollar at the first sale my mom and I went to! You know I love a bargain and you know I love crafts- the combination of the two is a perfect combination.

It only got better when I got all of this embroidery floss at the next sale for $8.

I keep going to yard sales in hopes of buying things for the house that will save us money in the end by not having to buy it at a store..... But instead, I keep finding this awesome crafty stuff that I don't necessarily "need." Oh well.....

What I've Been Up to Lately:

This is a preview of a project I have been working for at least 6 weeks. It's a quilt made out of batik fat quarters and plain black fabric. It's 100% triangles, so it is driving me NUTS! It's easily the most challenging pattern I have chosen yet. I have decided to take a long break from it- especially being that I have many gifts I want to make for friends who've had babies recently.

I made this little guy on Saturday night. It was a challenge and didn't come out wonderful, but I am still pleased with it. It was difficult to work with socks that had a lot of elastic. Making these little sock animals is a lot of fun because you can improvise (i.e. it's not a disaster if you make a mistake) and it's a very quick craft (2-3 hrs. from start to finish.)



All last week I worked on a baby quilt, I finished the top on Friday and will post a picture of it after it's received by my friend and her son.

Quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever made!

BEFOREAFTER

I was absolutely THRILLED with how this cute dog came out. It took me forever to figure out the whole mouth/nose part, but it was worth being patient and trying to figure it out. I got these socks at Target for a very nice clearance price and I have since returned to two Target stores to get more socks, as they are perfect for this craft (great price, perfect length, etc.) I sent this little guy to my awesome sister-in-law for her birthday. (Bytheway, he has a cute little tail, you just can't see it in the picture I took).

Burp Cloths

Okay, so I am not sure how to spell the name of this craft, but I was able to learn how to make this craft thanks to the blog "Homemade by Jill." This girl makes some awesome stuff, and I am totally addicted to her blog. Thanks to her easy pattern and tutorial, all of my friends with newly arrived babies will have some of these in the near future. It's a perfect "instant gratification" kind of craft because it's really easy.

What to read?

How do you choose what books to read? For me, the process of looking for a good book can almost be as enjoyable as actually reading a good book. Nick and I are "starving students" (well, I guess I am an employed social worker, but is that really that different?) so we have been known to spend an evening browsing a bookstore- which is really quite a cheap date because we don't buy anything (see below).

When I was a teenager, I was pretty excited about wearing nice clothes. I used a lot of my babysitting money on trips to the mall. There were certain stores that, if I went into them, it was highly probable that I came out with something. It's a little embarrassing now- I wish I had saved that money for better things.... Now, buying clothes is not so inviting for me anymore. But the phenomenon of not being able to come out empty-handed from a library is pretty strong. I will go in to maybe get one book, or to check out a movie, and I end up coming out with a huge stack!

But recently, I decided I can no longer allow myself into a library for a while, and this is the reason:

This is probably about 1/4 of the books I own. I know, it's too much! Now, I have only bought brand-new books at a bookstore, a handful of times. I am one of those "cheap" Barnes and Noble customers who not only does not buy anything at their expensive cafes, but I also never leave the store having even bought one book. That's because I have been trained by experience to never buy anything that I can get cheaper somewhere else. Hence, all of the books I own come from yard sales, library book sales, and second hand book shops. BUT, living spaces are small and my collection has become overwhelming. So I have made the difficult decision to ban myself from the library- with a small exception: I can check out books regarding my job and crafts but for pleasure reading, I must read what I own.

How do you decide what to read?

Dodging a Butterfly?

You might be wondering what the significance of the title of this blog is. Well, don't think too hard- there's not a lot of depth in my choice of titles for this blog. It comes from an incident several years ago on an afternoon driving home from church, my sister was startled when I swerved in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. She asked, "What are you doing?" My response, "I was dodging a butterfly."

It's a funny statement I think and has the potential to start an interesting train of thought..... But I won't bore you with all the connotations it brings to my mind..... Feel free to share what you think about it......, if anything.


I created this blog about 2 years ago when I was bored out of my mind working a summer temp job at a real estate agency. Lots of things have happened since then: I finished my last year of an MSW program, volunteered in Uganda for 4 months, and moved to Boston for my husband to begin law school. I kept up well with most everyone through mass emails while Nick and I were in Uganda, but have had limited internet access since we returned, until now. (Actually, that's kind of funny that it was easier for us to use the internet in Uganda than it was in Boston). So what's changed? A lot! And for the better! We moved out of the city and our shoebox of an apartment and headed for the 'burbs as soon as we were able. Lots of people like it, but Nick and I simply aren't city slickers. Nick is able to commute to the city and I finally got a social work job providing counseling to children and families.


One of the happiest parts of our move has been having more space to pursue my hobbies: quilting and crafts. As always, I have been reading like crazy. I'd like to focus on these topics in my blog..... And maybe now and then there will be something fun/worth sharing about life in the NorthEast. I thought about having separate blogs for crafty stuff/books/and newsy updates from our family- but that's just too complicated. I guess this post will be a mix of all three.


Nick and I are loving being out of the city and enjoying paying less than $5 for a gallon of milk, local shopping is Kohl's and Wal Mart (instead of Coach and Marc Jacobs), and actually seeing "green" and wildlife. Here's what was hanging out in our backyard on Saturday:

One funny thing about it is that the night before, we had watched that corny, yet likeable movie, Groundhog Day.


What kinds of crafts have I been doing lately? Well, here's a sample of what 3 months of unemployment/job searching and another 3 months of underemployment will do for you:

It's counted cross-stitch- the first one I've ever done. I haven't completed the "outlining" stitches yet but I can't bear the sight of it right now, so I am going to set it aside for while.

This past weekend, I learned how to make a stuffed animal out of men's socks. Here's the result:

I found the pattern from a book called "Sock and Glove" by Miyako Kanimori. I can't say I am thrilled with the finished project- I made the mistake of buying men's socks size 13-15, so the doll came out bigger than I wanted. But I think it's still cute and I am sending it off to my Grandma in Georgia.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I finished reading a book about a woman who'd give up a child for adoption when she was 17 years old, Giving Away Simone by Jan L. Waldron. I really liked her writing style and was fascinated by her story. Here's what she writes after she gives her child up for adoption,

"I began, in the years following, to orchestrate a low-grade self-loathing. I felt unlovable and had no reason to believe otherwise at an age when reasons are desparately needed. An adult woman can hunt for and find her own value- she can graduate herself into importance. But during the shaky span from childhood to womanhood, a girl needs help in determining her worth- and no one can anoint her like her mother" (page 93).

If there is any lesson I have learned this past year, it has been how much I appreciate my parents; especially my mother. Both abroad and state-side I have encountered shattered families and it has been an education and a humbling experience in innumerable ways......

Hope this post isn't too long! I promise they usually won't be so lengthy.

Foo Fighters: President's Day

Photo courtesy of Boston.com

Awesome, awesome concert. My favorite band, period.

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/02/20/grohl_foo_fighters_revel_in_post_grammy_glow/

Red Sox Nation: 2007 Champs Parade

We met up with the parade at Boylston St. We started at Fenway, where this big sign is. The last picture is of the band, Drop Kick Murphy's. We had so much fun!

Julie

Today I learned that Julie passed away. The news came through a dear friend. My husband and I loved that little girl; just like the other volunteers who knew she was special. In the two months I have been back from Uganda, I have immersed myself in all the frivolous things I had missed and now I feel foolish. Life is fleeting. She was important. The are other little children like her out there, and I want to do something for them. But I don't know what to do.