oh where? oh where? has my knitting mojo gone?

I spent the first 8 months of my pregnancy knitting.  Constantly.

I Knitted up:

2 Baby Sweaters, including my first baby surprise jacket!

1 Man Sweater (bottom up raglan crewneck)

1 Kimono Shawl

and a few scarves and hats…

And now I can hardly be bothered to pick up the needles.  As I stare at my yarn bowl, I am honestly feeling a wee bit guilty.  All of that lovely yarn, just languishing there…looking so, so, so forlorn.

I blame this knitters block on summer and the baby.  After all, who wants to knit in the summertime?  Since I can rarely be bothered to knit with anything but LOVELY wool…summer is a tough season for me knitwise.  Especially when there is so much sewing to be done in my very cozy and cool basement studio!  Stacks of fabric inspiration all around me, crafty books and magazines to reference, and even some sketches of projects yet to be made.  Yes, I might as well strike while the (sewing) iron is hot!

This week I plan on sewing up a bunch of new aprons and bloomers to begin restocking my Etsy website.

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Sew, Mama, Sew! Sewing Machine Meme!

One of my favorite blogs, Sew, Mama, Sew! is celebrating the month of June exploring the world of sewing machines.  You should head over there for some great posts about a myriad of topics, all sewing machine related.  Thinking of purchasing a vintage sewing machine?  Do not have a clue as to what all of those feet do that came with your machine?  There is a blog post for that too.

They are also having a “Sewing Machine Meme”, my first meme ever!  Here goes:

What brand and model do you have?

I have a Viking Emerald 118

How long have you had it?

About 2 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

$350

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Clothing, Quilts, Accessories, and Home Dec…in that order.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

These days I sew a few times a week.  So not as much wear and tear as I would like it to.  😉

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

She is a fine machine.  I am not passionate about her, but I am in like with her.  And yes, Mrs. Doyle is her name.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

I DO adore the needle stop up~down feature and the needle threader…what can I say?  I am easy to please!

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

She is not as powerful as I would like her to be.  Sewing through a quilt sandwich is often a challenge.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

I would recommend her to beginning sewers. She is sturdy, has a lot of helpful easy features, and comes with a lot of useful feet…for the price, a really great machine.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

Make sure it does everything that you need it to do, do not buy a machine with a zillion features you will not ever use!  Do more with less.  Save up and buy a quality brand.

Do you have a dream machine?

YES! Bernina 820.  Droool.

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Craftyness, blogged.

With a newfound interest in making a really great craft blog, I  purchased “Sister” Diane Gillelands e-book, “Making a Great Blog: A Guide For Creative People”.  Diane is a powerhouse of the crafty community.  I adore her blog, she is a woman of many talents who comes up with ideas for crafts I might have never heard about, or attempted until I saw one of her tutorials.   I highly recommend the book to anyone who is hoping to have a successful blog.  She offers up a ton of great tips such as:  how frequently to post while avoiding “blogfade”, figuring out your content, using your digital camera to make the most of your blog, and even “blogger etiquette”.

I especially appreciated her idea of keeping a blog journal with you at all times.  Writing down inspiration when and where it strikes!  Genius!  Being the mother of a newborn and a 6 year-old, my brain can use all of the help it can get these days.

So, having been inspired by my husband to really get back to writing and crafting (love you!), and by this book…you are going to see some changes around here.  For the better!

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some crafty pics for you…

I have been neglecting the ol’ blog lately, but here are some pics of the quilt that I have been slowly but surely working on over the past month. Good news is that we finally have tracked down a new cord for our digital camera…hence, lots more blogging with pictures coming your way.

AND…

Happy Mother’s Day Sebastian…. you rock my world!! I feel so lucky to have you in my life.

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the 30-day challenge

My dear friend Caitlyn just challenged me to post to my blog, everyday, for the next 30 days! I’ve agreed. There is so much to share with you, my friends… it is going to be difficult to pinpoint a starting place.

Do you like lists? I LOVE lists. I make them all of the time. Lists for groceries and bills, books and dreams, friends and plants…you get the idea. So here is a list of items I will be sharing with you this week:

1. Chickens in their tweens.

2. Quilt of loooove. (my darling husband even helped me pick out the fabric!)

3. Vintage reproduction crochet and knitting projects. (Which I have been fiendishly translating and tweaking into new patterns for your enjoyment!)

4. Our urban farm. (Well, our garden really…but a farmgirl can dream, can’t she?!)

5. New sewing projects, including tips for your amusement.

6. Embroidery!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog everyone, and I hope to see you here soon!

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spring is here

i have been slowly, but ever so surely plugging away at this shawl. the pattern is called “kimono” from interweave’s book, “folk shawls”. the yarn is by fleece artist, blue face leicester in their moss color-way. i like it a lot so far!

i especially love the garter stitch edges…so pretty!

i was getting sooo excited about easter this morning, i decided to buy some egg dye… and was struck by the humor printed onto the label of the vinegar bottle:

“fit to be dyed”

yea.

good stuff.

as a testament to their love of Design (yes, with a capital D) my mister’s brother bob and his fancy wife jill, gave us this uber chic set of bowls as a wedding gift!

(we debated for a while whether or not they were cups or bowls, finally after checking out the website…we discovered that yes indeed-ie…they are bowls) just looking at them on the countertop makes me feel oh-so-modern.

i love the melon-like colors…

happy spring!

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this farmgirl has been a busy little miss….

For the past few months, I have been incredibly busy making goods for our house (and for etsy!) here are just a few of my favorite pictures from today…

Introducing the Girls:

Henrietta, Atilla the Hen, and Mr. Bok-Bok

  

An amazing cookie jar from my dear friends the Wallingfords:

Banners from our wedding reception (that we decided we liked so much we’ve left them up!):

 

 

As well as my favorite new kitchen curtain:

 

 

How could I forget the new duvet and pillowcases I made for the ol’ boudoir?

 

Egads my dears…that’s not the half of it!  My Etsy site, Farmgirl Drygoods is finally up and running  and I am scheduled to get a lot of sewing done to stock the store as well as adding a lot of really wonderful antique finds.

Yee-Haw!

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Hello world!

Hello Friends,

I am so happy that you came by for a visit. In just a few days, I will have my dry goods shop open and ready for business. It will be full of lovely handmade household items as well as antique found objects. While you are patiently waiting, please visit the many other Etsy.com artists!

Warmest Regards,

the Farmgirl

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