tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113018242024-03-14T11:34:00.819-04:00Making It MineThis little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-35266623456387734622012-01-05T21:40:00.002-05:002012-01-05T21:41:48.551-05:00Amigurumi<i>This post is pretty link heavy - I tried to embed images from the web as a link, but they seem to be protected. If anyone has any advice on what I'm doing wrong, I'm all ears! Meanwhile, I hope you click through, there's a lot of great stuff :)</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My Mom taught me to crochet when I was little, but I had not done it in probably 20 years, when I decided to pick it up again this past summer. This time my teacher was blog tutorials and YouTube videos. I think I got back into crochet because of amigurumi, which I had seen all over the internet and was in love with. That and I talked to an 11 year-old girl who had contributed to the <a href="http://kiwiactionhero.blogspot.com/2011/01/not-your-grandmas-crochet.html">crochet coral reef </a>and "makes them all the time", NBD. If an 11 year-old can do it, so can I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?z=e&w=all&q=amigurumi&m=text">Amigurumi</a> is the Japanese art of making [<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/style-ish/3164885876/in/set-72157607450519270/">really</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvlygurumi/3360161158/">freaking</a> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68570142/mini-jellyfish">adorable</a>] <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/96575205@N00/239065057/in/set-72157623366031824">crocheted</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/djonesgirlz/3412766355/">stuffed</a> toys and other objects. You crochet in the round, using single crochet (small gaps help keep the stuffing from sneaking out) and mostly just increase or decrease to create the shape desired. Each piece is crocheted separately, stuffed, and then sewn together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>You can do this</b>, whether you already know how to crochet or not. It's not as hard as it looks! I actually find crocheting in the round easier than in rows, and more fun. Changing colors gets a little tricky however - I still haven't figured out the best way to get a smooth transition. And if I tried to write my own pattern at this point, something seriously deranged would probably result. Maybe some day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to make a stuffed animal for my friend Angela's son's first birthday in July, and chose this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60878163/amigurumi-giraffe-pdf-pattern">giraffe pattern</a> from Etsy. There are plenty of free online patterns, but I have found that the ones you pay for are generally better - explained more clearly, have instructive photos, and are just nicer looking. This one was only $6, which I found reasonable. There is a really cute, free <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80449AD.html">giraffe pattern from Lion Brand</a> that I recommend you try too. Lion Brand is a fantastic website for tutorials and tons of great patterns for knitting and crochet - check it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love animal amigurumis the best, and particularly ones that are basically caricatures: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62237590/amigurumi-hippo-pattern-rita">outsized heads</a>/<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/89227807/sheldon-amigurumi-crochet-pdf-pattern">arms</a>/<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65232733/amigurumi-mama-owl-pattern">legs</a>, wrong <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78436106/crocheted-puppy-with-a-jingle-bell-made">proportions</a>, anatomically incorrect <a href="http://baghisblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/free-amigurumi-pattern-moko-cat.html">creatures</a> of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaravee/3337822402/in/set-72157603160240406">pure</a> <a href="http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/birds-of-a-feather/">deliciousness</a>. Some are <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitsuamichan/4718850835/">just</a> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/72492889/crochet-pattern-floyd-fingermonster-pdf">hilarious</a>. Of course you can crochet anything you set your mind to, including <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stripeyblue/3719041627/">cupcakes</a>, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78381130/pdf-pattern-summer-squash">decorative gourds</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/53415641@N07/6497622951/">carrots</a>, an <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62743910@N00/2663447298/">acorn</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47977631@N06/4445002297/">cacti in a pot</a>, you get the idea. And while I admire the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38732117@N02/6123354957">technique</a> and <a href="http://whipup.net/2010/08/01/amigurumi-tree/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WhipUp+%28whip+up%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">artistry</a> involved in these creations (truly, it's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/annettle/5487351203/">amazing</a>), I don't have as much interest in making them, because really, what do you do with a plate of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digibron/3909327672/">crocheted cookies</a>? Luckily I have friends with mini humans running around, so there's an excuse to make stuffed toys for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can also <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/80427467/maxine-the-rabbit">knit</a> amigurumis, and they are pretty awesome. However, I think crochet is more suited to making the incredibly <a href="http://www.anktangle.com/2011/04/amigurumi-dragon.html">intricate and realistic</a> shapes that are possible with crochet. One day I'll learn to knit again - there are some great patterns out there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">More on technique, and my experience with making my own amigurumi, on the next post.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IgJgt9qYOOE/TwZaMhMeuXI/AAAAAAAAAos/mfjQMq9K_fY/s1600/DSC_1463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IgJgt9qYOOE/TwZaMhMeuXI/AAAAAAAAAos/mfjQMq9K_fY/s400/DSC_1463.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-17967517465432448582012-01-01T22:29:00.002-05:002012-01-05T21:41:33.687-05:00New Year's Resolution: blog more.<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, blog at all. Because, July, people. July was the last time I posted here. I've actually been really busy being crafty, and have been taking the photos for the making of future posts. I've tried to write; it just didn't happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">So! Now I'm going to make it happen. Since I started this blog a year ago today, it's probably fitting that now is when I get back in to it. My major accomplishments of the last 6 months were relearning to crochet, and learning to do block printing with homemade stamps. In crochet, I made 3 amigurumis, have been working on an afghan using granny squares, and made a secret santa present for a friend that I can't talk about until I give it to her sometime this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's a sneak peek at my first crochet adventure, finished in early August:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5HH2oOvoUI/TwEgSi5rwuI/AAAAAAAAAoA/0JL_X3FHiwY/s1600/DSC_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5HH2oOvoUI/TwEgSi5rwuI/AAAAAAAAAoA/0JL_X3FHiwY/s400/DSC_1473.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">His name is Shmoo.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">And in the interest of spontaneity and brevity, that's it for today. More in a day or two, promise!</span>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-17181917566273515792011-07-03T21:30:00.000-04:002011-07-03T21:30:58.404-04:00Puzzle Ball, Part 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember when I ended <a href="http://kiwiactionhero.blogspot.com/2011/03/puzzle-ball-part-2.html">this post</a> with the words "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Part 3 to come in a day or two"? Yea, that was on March 6. Oops.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">The family that I gave this puzzle ball to moved to Miami yesterday (sad face), so I guess that is motivating me to write the last installment of this project. Once all 12 segments were stuffed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and closed, I pinned them together, like so:</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX8f2KyiJgsfdnoc3z1Z_tTGqxI94XSXlhkUBIhbL0iN_fA47TWMm-SNVvVtgO3QXRqS8l4L94cLaJvYPFskkEWhtMcwHev0hWb8Arv5ujVXPwHkyYnM_GYFxYYxMWWPly4LvKw/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHX8f2KyiJgsfdnoc3z1Z_tTGqxI94XSXlhkUBIhbL0iN_fA47TWMm-SNVvVtgO3QXRqS8l4L94cLaJvYPFskkEWhtMcwHev0hWb8Arv5ujVXPwHkyYnM_GYFxYYxMWWPly4LvKw/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball8.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I used some pretty marigold embroidery thread to sew each set of four corners together.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWk7o2FEO_En7Ir1yGqqTKdREucm3FutVyOR3lp4zHqI6LAdr-1fFBAZWT6G_tn-5VQTiWHY8CTkCRKdIdE-vPYArBEJk_SzyrllSr6mn4PWHIIY8eh5Ebi6l9BPePizGKympRg/s1600/DSC01881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWk7o2FEO_En7Ir1yGqqTKdREucm3FutVyOR3lp4zHqI6LAdr-1fFBAZWT6G_tn-5VQTiWHY8CTkCRKdIdE-vPYArBEJk_SzyrllSr6mn4PWHIIY8eh5Ebi6l9BPePizGKympRg/s400/DSC01881.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Should I tell you how long I stood in the variety store with my swatches of fabric, contemplating what color thread I should use? Maybe not.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My two puzzle balls hung out together for a few days.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6RtzDTvHhlyRWU6V5guPZ1OdbCM8wGf-xJxkZGKlyt_XotJHMykfasZ7ecmbL8HFinP99VKi54nlowI3H8o1Ap7nYVSZaNCnzqiWS9XX2KqOkL4ngFx4YuT0yOWGErBWaOPQMw/s1600/DSC01877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6RtzDTvHhlyRWU6V5guPZ1OdbCM8wGf-xJxkZGKlyt_XotJHMykfasZ7ecmbL8HFinP99VKi54nlowI3H8o1Ap7nYVSZaNCnzqiWS9XX2KqOkL4ngFx4YuT0yOWGErBWaOPQMw/s400/DSC01877.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">And I'm happy to report that little Shivam (now 10 months old) seemed totally enthralled with his new toy when I gave it to him in April (mostly he showed his appreciation by covering it with drool).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog would totally be way more popular if there were pictures of infants on it (I don't know about everyone else, but if you have children, and take good pictures of them being cute, I'm probably reading your blog. I'm easy like that.).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Babies, <b>babies</b>, <i>babies</i>, BABIES! Shazaam, 20 extra followers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, okay, there is a really cute photo of Shiv with the puzzle ball, but I'm not putting someone else's baby's face on the internet, sorry. So, just imagine, if you will, the little man crouched near my opened dishwasher, stolen spoon (clean, I swear!) in one hand/mouth (who needs store bought toys when you have cutlery and tupperware), puzzle ball in the other, big brown eyes, curly black hair, and non-stop smiles.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it helps, here are some tiny baby shoes to keep you happy.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfmCMc1yaNalVXkwOlEeNoV7mxVP16LAU3F5DDAsnyMb8M7gPXy32OZ62IbrsrPV0_Rx888FRSTbXtTlTa4NhQK2MItJg6XqpFxDNxEEODvazHQEDsNEbizoNPQgn6zpWfP9b_A/s1600/DSC_1061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfmCMc1yaNalVXkwOlEeNoV7mxVP16LAU3F5DDAsnyMb8M7gPXy32OZ62IbrsrPV0_Rx888FRSTbXtTlTa4NhQK2MItJg6XqpFxDNxEEODvazHQEDsNEbizoNPQgn6zpWfP9b_A/s400/DSC_1061.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I know right? Adorbs. I <i>cannot</i> believe they won't be back for three whole years.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-704927908975561712011-06-21T14:30:00.000-04:002011-06-21T14:30:34.421-04:00Little Boxes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_ECJc-QpzfhahJTZYGUYFOjS9vwRSo_KgJCjaHPVcMWEFMwBd6SupoNA_wSo_aZss_wW2BQl_EAhALoN3VX6B4zLvMga_Y93AJg4XWhOgxwhgnQp-yMzFEnM8XlOdGsrYox5cw/s1600/DSC_1219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_ECJc-QpzfhahJTZYGUYFOjS9vwRSo_KgJCjaHPVcMWEFMwBd6SupoNA_wSo_aZss_wW2BQl_EAhALoN3VX6B4zLvMga_Y93AJg4XWhOgxwhgnQp-yMzFEnM8XlOdGsrYox5cw/s400/DSC_1219.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Part of my job is to cover the switchboard operator on her breaks, which amounts to about 45 minutes of the day. My coworker's computer is a dinosaur (let's face it, so are most of the computers in the office), so playing on the interwebs isn't worth it. Sometimes I bring work with me, but lately things have been pretty slow, so I'm not going to lie, mostly I doodle. And lately, I make boxes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmLNtPf1nd1ajfZPEOXqYcRGR_9v427lRaAk_Pbs2ExqxXKy-wnEyfn5MAvynMH9mY7a4-dIfTqYhwteQPCP7lLYG8-vzHi1HL_zD-4QMfZeZ1rkwllaDe7zUUrXAQd7bLzoUjg/s1600/DSC_1222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmLNtPf1nd1ajfZPEOXqYcRGR_9v427lRaAk_Pbs2ExqxXKy-wnEyfn5MAvynMH9mY7a4-dIfTqYhwteQPCP7lLYG8-vzHi1HL_zD-4QMfZeZ1rkwllaDe7zUUrXAQd7bLzoUjg/s400/DSC_1222.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's a great little tutorial <a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/01/fabric-origami-box-tutorial.html">here</a>, for making gift boxes out of starched fabric, but since office supplies were in abundance, paper it is.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKmxlhcpy3JWL0H1Pz4rE-I3-mmru4AwdC22dWubCfEal8R7-tOj72Opm0Gsu_cw4ycZ-PP6D_kjT4FoJetG_nYiiu-iMWRDORU8IO3hyY1R29VL1_jI8CHrH19Wy78qdncpZOQ/s1600/boxes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKmxlhcpy3JWL0H1Pz4rE-I3-mmru4AwdC22dWubCfEal8R7-tOj72Opm0Gsu_cw4ycZ-PP6D_kjT4FoJetG_nYiiu-iMWRDORU8IO3hyY1R29VL1_jI8CHrH19Wy78qdncpZOQ/s400/boxes1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The creases in the paper are useful as guides for decorating (pens and highlighters mostly). Where I used lined notepaper, I followed that too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvGREPZzxIkXDuBQshFdBktrGqrcBi15QNDpyX4dCr7_muTSjh-x-rMUBhbGbpQ57Jnh7C-FdCLCT7hxJxIKSQl3NUXF9ZgCgm4Rf2H27JcSWxZRMGHfiiaR0hG7vAgeVb-K-Qg/s1600/boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvGREPZzxIkXDuBQshFdBktrGqrcBi15QNDpyX4dCr7_muTSjh-x-rMUBhbGbpQ57Jnh7C-FdCLCT7hxJxIKSQl3NUXF9ZgCgm4Rf2H27JcSWxZRMGHfiiaR0hG7vAgeVb-K-Qg/s400/boxes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For a while I had a bit of a Russian doll thing going, with boxes inside boxes inside boxes. It was interesting to figure out exactly how much smaller the next square of paper needed to be to fit snugly in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPifF4UNbJn6BbxrcYtCxmQS9_-UvGiEShsw-vUHcJwYNpqG9fCKz5Wg26n38CaouxbTzKHn0PpvXL96_ciwzOXSEk7D4Pn3tORng2eVQzEQFiq69wxp200AH-Ra9FrqzaJau3Ew/s1600/DSC_1225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPifF4UNbJn6BbxrcYtCxmQS9_-UvGiEShsw-vUHcJwYNpqG9fCKz5Wg26n38CaouxbTzKHn0PpvXL96_ciwzOXSEk7D4Pn3tORng2eVQzEQFiq69wxp200AH-Ra9FrqzaJau3Ew/s400/DSC_1225.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Who knew that folding paper would be so addictive? I guess it helps that they're teeny tiny (that smallest one above fits on the end of your pinky), and I do love everything miniature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCvHIoDhxQt-eu317QfAzF4P1gP8eVobvoPHzGINZl1kr_6XO_6r02f20oKFgG9hIZEiL6q1vF2Rd4QdoF8rRn-_PiN0z_5xzvcOAbQM52Cs55LFc6fVGaT0n6_TjUJRn62GgZg/s1600/DSC_1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCvHIoDhxQt-eu317QfAzF4P1gP8eVobvoPHzGINZl1kr_6XO_6r02f20oKFgG9hIZEiL6q1vF2Rd4QdoF8rRn-_PiN0z_5xzvcOAbQM52Cs55LFc6fVGaT0n6_TjUJRn62GgZg/s400/DSC_1229.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No idea what I'll use these for, but for now I continue to make a box or two every morning at 10:30, and every afternoon at 3:30.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilPsviUFpiyNAq4P3ieL12717jc1kz7uJ7JoMJnQICc22tUR_iYgG7lenae2k3lynQyD9gRDYTNmtnszCkIMmYcskipjzjZR4nthys2Jhm94JtPtB2kqmRPqYQs48ImWrVXqekw/s1600/DSC_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilPsviUFpiyNAq4P3ieL12717jc1kz7uJ7JoMJnQICc22tUR_iYgG7lenae2k3lynQyD9gRDYTNmtnszCkIMmYcskipjzjZR4nthys2Jhm94JtPtB2kqmRPqYQs48ImWrVXqekw/s400/DSC_1227.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I promise I'm very productive at all other times of the day...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5ldTOapwNN_LBKzgUS0nFyrtfKQmfcF1BiLm6kt5bmPnBRgN2fnBJ9_j9I2KrO7phrnk-_bGp3fG000cwyOkvybAw6DQfwMU1FumULMdFl9FhXV4euQpojWnTmBQrQCj0-pxCg/s1600/DSC_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5ldTOapwNN_LBKzgUS0nFyrtfKQmfcF1BiLm6kt5bmPnBRgN2fnBJ9_j9I2KrO7phrnk-_bGp3fG000cwyOkvybAw6DQfwMU1FumULMdFl9FhXV4euQpojWnTmBQrQCj0-pxCg/s400/DSC_1250.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, except maybe when <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a> starts calling my name.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-47718794288941708372011-06-11T21:01:00.000-04:002011-06-11T21:01:45.458-04:00Waiting for the Button<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nearly three months ago (that's how long this post has been sitting in my drafts, oops) I began a small sewing project, again from my current favorite <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Minute-Patchwork-Quilted-Joelle-Hoverson/dp/1584796340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305819200&sr=8-1">sewing book</a>. Since I started <a href="http://kiwiactionhero.blogspot.com/2011/01/back-in-saddle-again.html">re-learning</a> to sew, I've been borrowing many of my mom's supplies - pins, thread, scissors, pincushion, you name it, she has it. She has a classic strawberry pincushion, used for decades. And she's happy to let me continue to use it. But I need one of my own.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cut folded strips of fabric, and using the template from the back of the book, cut out each segment.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzV817Z21OpB69HbKLL508CikmZD3yBgJuj-istsNt_795BLHl0644qtQc8wtrkaXeB7J8jaH1N5XM5uPCi1C_RP_p9wYqIP2AX_TPV5YFkc-9CdnUmo8QwoMoUoSPHer1D8DuA/s1600/pincushion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzV817Z21OpB69HbKLL508CikmZD3yBgJuj-istsNt_795BLHl0644qtQc8wtrkaXeB7J8jaH1N5XM5uPCi1C_RP_p9wYqIP2AX_TPV5YFkc-9CdnUmo8QwoMoUoSPHer1D8DuA/s400/pincushion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This would be the layout:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqgJm3l4KCVYchGXcbrEEn_EHNXa-7AInRxoIFPtNWXGyr4Uf8iu76ILTqPOhsUy8HSn5C3TQzfr3P05fPdj83YT0pnVCt4m4u02NmZteTKjbrYDryo8OR_KpfGmx2WCKHwtK0Q/s1600/DSC01827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqgJm3l4KCVYchGXcbrEEn_EHNXa-7AInRxoIFPtNWXGyr4Uf8iu76ILTqPOhsUy8HSn5C3TQzfr3P05fPdj83YT0pnVCt4m4u02NmZteTKjbrYDryo8OR_KpfGmx2WCKHwtK0Q/s400/DSC01827.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since there are 8 different panels to the pincushion, I chose four coordinating fabrics (you'll recognize one from <a href="http://kiwiactionhero.blogspot.com/2011/02/infusing-meaning.html">this project</a>), with actually only two patterns, each with two colorways. I really like how it pulls it all together, and the green and orange are appropriately springy (let's ignore the fact that it's no longer spring).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnNVXUmwvqncM_Pb43k3H9AqSFKcnLNgMhNg8BQmaT4VAcBMrUqGEp19F4runniGKI1Ob1DrxyqnRaG3qOfXC2dGiB94ZplF5vT5z7XCpqEWiRJ8bIj98sduMvwcJvthtI8B3MA/s1600/DSC01833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnNVXUmwvqncM_Pb43k3H9AqSFKcnLNgMhNg8BQmaT4VAcBMrUqGEp19F4runniGKI1Ob1DrxyqnRaG3qOfXC2dGiB94ZplF5vT5z7XCpqEWiRJ8bIj98sduMvwcJvthtI8B3MA/s400/DSC01833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did all the sewing on the machine, and was able to iron each seam flat, both of which make for lovely evenness, no puckers.<br />
<br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17Ed3BsHM1jlSou2vl_OLwG0fljvRK1FGDaoOdVYBQ0tTYdVZA7u8yGQjP7Cq-QLLSr4ncpalaB9927mjCIp9Z5cBOeMvi0BpBea2iWSTg-0A9dbUCrnqBZABvUHMK_nhp7o97w/s1600/DSC01834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17Ed3BsHM1jlSou2vl_OLwG0fljvRK1FGDaoOdVYBQ0tTYdVZA7u8yGQjP7Cq-QLLSr4ncpalaB9927mjCIp9Z5cBOeMvi0BpBea2iWSTg-0A9dbUCrnqBZABvUHMK_nhp7o97w/s400/DSC01834.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sewing curved seams is, well, a challenge. But it turned out okay!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiPXVa_pZHmoF6iOMPmapcsoprTIFEPlEFawPOYcEOhhs4IhYLR2g_TdourmFY4J1HC4-aEw4K5RPMBfl4t5duWNZWH0TZmY5U2tECj4kDQPr3iGbh84dnUCqakqYLwujCKjbOw/s1600/DSC01849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiPXVa_pZHmoF6iOMPmapcsoprTIFEPlEFawPOYcEOhhs4IhYLR2g_TdourmFY4J1HC4-aEw4K5RPMBfl4t5duWNZWH0TZmY5U2tECj4kDQPr3iGbh84dnUCqakqYLwujCKjbOw/s400/DSC01849.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sewed, turned inside out, stuffed, and closed up. Not the most pleasing shape, though...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBz7Z8scdbzvhObKMpUA6jttFTnFxUGq7iTQ_u_06CdR-eOSVBlhSa61EhcuE5_6bx7NQLmvM6_GOpcWQb8IupPqJ4yf0tYiewnquBYf85VO90czsgjY8t7v7_VxxvkIgX_3JHw/s1600/DSC01855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBz7Z8scdbzvhObKMpUA6jttFTnFxUGq7iTQ_u_06CdR-eOSVBlhSa61EhcuE5_6bx7NQLmvM6_GOpcWQb8IupPqJ4yf0tYiewnquBYf85VO90czsgjY8t7v7_VxxvkIgX_3JHw/s400/DSC01855.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The golden yellow embroidery thread, above and below, really improved the look. Each time I pulled the needle through, I squeezed the center down so there was a nice depression, giving it a plumper, curvier look.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e_pqaJbGnLeE-8DxJvvI8RgH6OBzBfLOrGh5mZ5q30tpDQ0AfA8dD4NLYYRr-b-fFg1b08sEZraipD94tA49UHuQTtbbP8D7hXhcU6xPyp2E5XKU6kVZ5epB49g-UZGOEZD_og/s1600/DSC01882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e_pqaJbGnLeE-8DxJvvI8RgH6OBzBfLOrGh5mZ5q30tpDQ0AfA8dD4NLYYRr-b-fFg1b08sEZraipD94tA49UHuQTtbbP8D7hXhcU6xPyp2E5XKU6kVZ5epB49g-UZGOEZD_og/s400/DSC01882.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Much better.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>It also leaves room for a button.<br />
<br />
<i>Let's talk about buttons.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTpCt7_sHmEfR8DMNx6UT39ssITJe__lNM-RwVpAgBkon8bpf_qoAcufxuzVArXSjqtxroo7ATy1LDdpZc8dZ2lq6tpPzFZ34uvgskni0ryeGrxATbykMrGDTLg1ZRgbBDoUXNw/s1600/DSC01769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTpCt7_sHmEfR8DMNx6UT39ssITJe__lNM-RwVpAgBkon8bpf_qoAcufxuzVArXSjqtxroo7ATy1LDdpZc8dZ2lq6tpPzFZ34uvgskni0ryeGrxATbykMrGDTLg1ZRgbBDoUXNw/s400/DSC01769.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I don't know about you, but I think buttons are pretty great. My mom has a sizeable button collection, dwarfed however by the jars and jars that my grandmother keeps. There seems to be so much history behind each button. What garment it was on (or was kept as a spare for), who wore it, how it was manufactured. And there is so much variation - style, shape, what it's made of, color, size, age.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wH91PmDqJJXaArhXabgohMWptTULp2aUESSNlR_Dr2mOOrnRkEVsOpJHZUMSpKHfWvdWVqY_IYqWqMi3wswzzwaHBTE0RlUxBdd8NjIyJnTvkdeF2hiQ4-ugJSg4cLDYoiOSsg/s1600/DSC01775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wH91PmDqJJXaArhXabgohMWptTULp2aUESSNlR_Dr2mOOrnRkEVsOpJHZUMSpKHfWvdWVqY_IYqWqMi3wswzzwaHBTE0RlUxBdd8NjIyJnTvkdeF2hiQ4-ugJSg4cLDYoiOSsg/s400/DSC01775.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Can someone say vintage?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>You could, if you were so inclined (and equal parts bored), spend an hour one Saturday sorting buttons.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSG2-3ewGj9S9fynASivO_SuxHsWuYSTIJGO98a-t6pqL7ItKV-gU80cfGRIOQi4Ot7MFYTc1rqNPYtZXz3g0xDxlF1CWFbi-nMFA4PrJFVUTCpcJeREWvXadzctmNuCY8MBLWQ/s1600/DSC01774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSG2-3ewGj9S9fynASivO_SuxHsWuYSTIJGO98a-t6pqL7ItKV-gU80cfGRIOQi4Ot7MFYTc1rqNPYtZXz3g0xDxlF1CWFbi-nMFA4PrJFVUTCpcJeREWvXadzctmNuCY8MBLWQ/s400/DSC01774.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You could sort them by color.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYI0xGQL_lyHc042k6DYL8Ep-9-kjveZwa8pgCIcap8dWIkYQUfhwVPunCIGL_7d4dahWZvb-YMZfcxGVoI_qP1MQrP1188EbkTH1QkCbyn_7ftO5qVStRj3Dlod-9aV2dizvsTg/s1600/DSC01778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYI0xGQL_lyHc042k6DYL8Ep-9-kjveZwa8pgCIcap8dWIkYQUfhwVPunCIGL_7d4dahWZvb-YMZfcxGVoI_qP1MQrP1188EbkTH1QkCbyn_7ftO5qVStRj3Dlod-9aV2dizvsTg/s400/DSC01778.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You could find all the cloth covered ones, love these.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsr9iPvMwiiGlRcfAfDJv0SCufsu_XryKEXzepZbS6UeLyTFVYKBljtHUkcM4YP7iRAIS4kAR2VCssMcPUaPhl2VOtchfzPAI6XhTaK9UVCq8gfKot0KDiIAh7B39UG6dNweAnQ/s1600/DSC01780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsr9iPvMwiiGlRcfAfDJv0SCufsu_XryKEXzepZbS6UeLyTFVYKBljtHUkcM4YP7iRAIS4kAR2VCssMcPUaPhl2VOtchfzPAI6XhTaK9UVCq8gfKot0KDiIAh7B39UG6dNweAnQ/s400/DSC01780.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are a lot of white ones.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYErUHmjvD9aP-Elab6nW1ORBinZ8LyjGDq2vFCcpr2HXAIwZsxLv__Qdz0Nwlrnof6kP5mWZLiwojiF4ulkHjfzkMLoHWljLrbbSvbsNXS0m-ulBYuQz2T6IN4-b8KBhK_t54Q/s1600/pincushion2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYErUHmjvD9aP-Elab6nW1ORBinZ8LyjGDq2vFCcpr2HXAIwZsxLv__Qdz0Nwlrnof6kP5mWZLiwojiF4ulkHjfzkMLoHWljLrbbSvbsNXS0m-ulBYuQz2T6IN4-b8KBhK_t54Q/s400/pincushion2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Gold, ceramic, wood.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdKr-ABJJblZbBypQFScrcW0CrGWu38kU2nqWm0DW3cIgAbw9wRLPIlJNo1Z4LPIhAHN305QvwZ4nUBQLdRlSHO-CjrFCxouox6Ys0-1iaoFQ_mFmKBJSLm8cLX0CBJwA26c10w/s1600/DSC01785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdKr-ABJJblZbBypQFScrcW0CrGWu38kU2nqWm0DW3cIgAbw9wRLPIlJNo1Z4LPIhAHN305QvwZ4nUBQLdRlSHO-CjrFCxouox6Ys0-1iaoFQ_mFmKBJSLm8cLX0CBJwA26c10w/s400/DSC01785.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The very biggest.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARzDoC8044W8ZHp7AHV8sDLdxAGttRZtQSXeaFI6-MR1ut2L5t0jn9DkuBYsXcyYOIMIiXUeOFMT_jqBT3IDJ6P8HwMXDSbosvXrPOwPPZ1yu5FZCOFZQK7D-4TJsoE0yilBKQA/s1600/DSC01781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARzDoC8044W8ZHp7AHV8sDLdxAGttRZtQSXeaFI6-MR1ut2L5t0jn9DkuBYsXcyYOIMIiXUeOFMT_jqBT3IDJ6P8HwMXDSbosvXrPOwPPZ1yu5FZCOFZQK7D-4TJsoE0yilBKQA/s400/DSC01781.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And the very smallest.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQMiAThJkuzfb9fnDaiXxWySRQrymimVPgdpZZEAL7YNqECMRgGOzAa8MbjbFAI3AC8Yw4AU4s0DIvQxnl2bfsY6F7n18uT1YKhB2XS3Hjo2YbzJG1yJ24WvqGZHHO7fMociVUw/s1600/DSC01777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQMiAThJkuzfb9fnDaiXxWySRQrymimVPgdpZZEAL7YNqECMRgGOzAa8MbjbFAI3AC8Yw4AU4s0DIvQxnl2bfsY6F7n18uT1YKhB2XS3Hjo2YbzJG1yJ24WvqGZHHO7fMociVUw/s400/DSC01777.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(Not buttons.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You might want to stop yourself before you sort them into two versus four holes. Not that I like sorting things or whatever, not at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know what you could do next? Spend entirely too much time auditioning buttons for the center of your pincushion. Because you have to find the right one. The perfect button. There is only one! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDbqANfdXODtDbw0KO11i4yHn5YdTsKFRoSEePzbqUH20bZ1GL7ShFtZGSGo1vw_RL7xwCcsb13vXrPta-44l_wav_rWtgAij1w9aDGNcqT8Z-ZzI8sbQFJjNU73ui-64gcSNoA/s1600/pincushion1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDbqANfdXODtDbw0KO11i4yHn5YdTsKFRoSEePzbqUH20bZ1GL7ShFtZGSGo1vw_RL7xwCcsb13vXrPta-44l_wav_rWtgAij1w9aDGNcqT8Z-ZzI8sbQFJjNU73ui-64gcSNoA/s400/pincushion1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then you will remember that there is no perfect button, but simply a button you like. It's a button that likes your pincushion. And the pincushion likes it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bZwl3mrtM669EbTJbtB5oHpEx9MM_wOBGzgq-Tauw0o6eXcSKfGgyph7bCopRxfseKODiHShvPJProemXq2GdnJr34QGPlsKeFHQk-QSvIsEuFsG_Bzg5xeBY8rYxUrZe0TQqg/s1600/DSC01936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bZwl3mrtM669EbTJbtB5oHpEx9MM_wOBGzgq-Tauw0o6eXcSKfGgyph7bCopRxfseKODiHShvPJProemXq2GdnJr34QGPlsKeFHQk-QSvIsEuFsG_Bzg5xeBY8rYxUrZe0TQqg/s400/DSC01936.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But maybe there's still something missing...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6QRtTiJGSPswSy_vzeTfaCYn8OpjA1vOjacvbqCpmwvTKTi7HkAds8E9arjixLWZXVbGmohqiQAC5UzYLMoFMbUcXxhncethykIq8eZEHr2BG1kVbk1qpXI8KvKv0Q0JvDOb1w/s1600/DSC01939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6QRtTiJGSPswSy_vzeTfaCYn8OpjA1vOjacvbqCpmwvTKTi7HkAds8E9arjixLWZXVbGmohqiQAC5UzYLMoFMbUcXxhncethykIq8eZEHr2BG1kVbk1qpXI8KvKv0Q0JvDOb1w/s400/DSC01939.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Aah, there it is.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>For <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/miniature-patchwork-pincushion/">next time</a>?</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-47931332743369607982011-05-18T21:34:00.001-04:002011-05-18T21:37:44.602-04:00From Seed to Table in Seven WeeksMy blog is not dead, I swear. Honestly the last few weeks have been all about the garden for me. It's all consuming. No sewing or crocheting for me. Spring has swept me away. I spend my evenings after work watering, transplanting, and sometimes, just staring at my plants. Did I really just write that? I don't talk to them or anything. Okay maybe once or twice. There's so much I want to share (and too many photos), so lets just look at one veggie for today.<br />
<br />
Radishes. Crisp and peppery, and maybe a little misunderstood. They are supposed to be good for beginning gardeners, so I gave it a go. Mid March I planted the seeds in a large pot outside, and covered it with saran wrap to keep the soil moist and warm (when you put your finger under the plastic it's like a little sauna in there). About two weeks later they sprouted:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFy1wKrD8qzbq9rdYK5bstPBPxWga9vyDuBG7_20esbyXNW-GCk8eBLKRl65G8Mk8IPXgLQBtnzc-4upYDgq0s18jr5Dtw8ELixDFVFatuzidWWC3J3U9GVpQd6RibMbJbpv80A/s1600/DSC_0500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFy1wKrD8qzbq9rdYK5bstPBPxWga9vyDuBG7_20esbyXNW-GCk8eBLKRl65G8Mk8IPXgLQBtnzc-4upYDgq0s18jr5Dtw8ELixDFVFatuzidWWC3J3U9GVpQd6RibMbJbpv80A/s400/DSC_0500.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cute, right? They look like little clam shells or some such thing. And the little red bit at the top of the root will be the radish right? Let's hope so.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrH7NpN4T1eDJh1xStlA9T8lXFSN8HD_oEoeYcmxaRVq4PVH_Luh8Pxi_HG0DyjInsPt7hZVRhY40aIPLCC7eSkI-WHWCC0cqn5-TuEMI3U3c-UX66VTEUbGnd079RDES7HwRaA/s1600/DSC_0620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrH7NpN4T1eDJh1xStlA9T8lXFSN8HD_oEoeYcmxaRVq4PVH_Luh8Pxi_HG0DyjInsPt7hZVRhY40aIPLCC7eSkI-WHWCC0cqn5-TuEMI3U3c-UX66VTEUbGnd079RDES7HwRaA/s400/DSC_0620.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Growing fast, at two days later. Promising, but tasty salad fixings seem a long way off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEXrFgg6xik_sFPq487N8lD7aMvU66_HS2NW0hWJQdrIj_Jdak_Af7zc2YxCnfc1mmtv3nrd5kCgG-C2XfJm3_LmDzierJverZzfHj_m9-SBNa0MCU6WJwKpNlnAq-YhA-2B5oQ/s1600/DSC_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEXrFgg6xik_sFPq487N8lD7aMvU66_HS2NW0hWJQdrIj_Jdak_Af7zc2YxCnfc1mmtv3nrd5kCgG-C2XfJm3_LmDzierJverZzfHj_m9-SBNa0MCU6WJwKpNlnAq-YhA-2B5oQ/s400/DSC_0677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later, going strong. Note the two distinct leaf types. Little gardening lesson: The first leaves of a seedling are called cotyledon leaves, or "nurse" leaves. They look nothing like the leaves that will come later, which are the "true" leaves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyqWPMdmrr2hNayqARuKFmBobFc4gbpqlGmYP7tD51uKvfp9M8-lJbTAQ8eFaqd54Qu527ELrCUaYOlXkumzS45vbMN7JqUal2Qgvwj3rRRj3JjhvJlYW2ef3zna2UU-XB0vyJw/s1600/DSC_0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyqWPMdmrr2hNayqARuKFmBobFc4gbpqlGmYP7tD51uKvfp9M8-lJbTAQ8eFaqd54Qu527ELrCUaYOlXkumzS45vbMN7JqUal2Qgvwj3rRRj3JjhvJlYW2ef3zna2UU-XB0vyJw/s400/DSC_0760.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chock full. They look crowded to me, but I planted the seeds at the final spacing recommended, of just an inch, so I didn't have to have to thin seedlings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Get ready. Here we go:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fT33PBE-lnJOkHbdeKCwTaEOdLmGYIvbVS8W7DNd410VoyYqAhP7ffglVxswDUa7uyxCKVCtfQmYCyNJja5KzJKiNn0ZyDhuoV2LLhP3B35jDIDBJTmXsDgPiBdDzf6bvEof8A/s1600/DSC_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fT33PBE-lnJOkHbdeKCwTaEOdLmGYIvbVS8W7DNd410VoyYqAhP7ffglVxswDUa7uyxCKVCtfQmYCyNJja5KzJKiNn0ZyDhuoV2LLhP3B35jDIDBJTmXsDgPiBdDzf6bvEof8A/s400/DSC_0825.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That happened. One day I looked and, oh! They're radishes! They're really radishes! I mean, I know that's what the seed packet said. And I generally provided the essentials: soil, water, sun. Seeds = plants. But, omg. They're really radishes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHSuDsBJYMs4wzAySG_4cCf9b4OvK_XnLhh1g7dkwZohUB3VcxPPJXUbV4xBJRfCxO3NRedJGixzx09hZhyphenhyphenQ7ZWOOCMCE3K7W4WxfkdByAfHf-3S5KsM2EXsUKZJMbWfMO0VHYw/s1600/DSC_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHSuDsBJYMs4wzAySG_4cCf9b4OvK_XnLhh1g7dkwZohUB3VcxPPJXUbV4xBJRfCxO3NRedJGixzx09hZhyphenhyphenQ7ZWOOCMCE3K7W4WxfkdByAfHf-3S5KsM2EXsUKZJMbWfMO0VHYw/s400/DSC_0884.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I still can't quite believe it.</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHSuDsBJYMs4wzAySG_4cCf9b4OvK_XnLhh1g7dkwZohUB3VcxPPJXUbV4xBJRfCxO3NRedJGixzx09hZhyphenhyphenQ7ZWOOCMCE3K7W4WxfkdByAfHf-3S5KsM2EXsUKZJMbWfMO0VHYw/s1600/DSC_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhQ-jL-YtQ0hIpih7sJze98IEVvV7anXY5NJEm7YgFZ28GZ1QYpu7ECx_081emgBD9rrqmdh2Lpsbn00mAWamU49bHzZSeSEyZR_upXFGhBhHaNHb6JfxBq_WLKAfIOu0ROGi6g/s1600/DSC_0874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhQ-jL-YtQ0hIpih7sJze98IEVvV7anXY5NJEm7YgFZ28GZ1QYpu7ECx_081emgBD9rrqmdh2Lpsbn00mAWamU49bHzZSeSEyZR_upXFGhBhHaNHb6JfxBq_WLKAfIOu0ROGi6g/s400/DSC_0874.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The variety is called Cherry Belle, and you harvest them at about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. I mostly put them into salads (or just straight in my mouth), but I came across an <a href="http://www.culinate.com/articles/first_person/butter_and_radishes">article</a> that claimed that the classic (and French, lah di dah) way to eat them is with a thin piece of cold butter between slices of radish, and dipped in salt. I wasn't sure. I don't even really like unmelted butter (like, when it comes with the bread at a restaurant, and it won't spread evenly, and the bread tears, gah - it just doesn't quite do it for me). I did try it, and it was tasty, but I didn't fall over and die from bliss or anything. To each his own. Upon further food blog research, I pan fried the last few, with thyme, (melted) butter, and salt and pepper. Which, let me just say, wow. How have I never had cooked radishes before? Clearly my life was dismally empty until that fateful, glorious meal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I grew my own food! In a pot on my deck! It tasted good. Worth.the.effort.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-49084363105922399062011-03-24T20:47:00.000-04:002011-03-24T20:47:33.111-04:00How Does Your Garden GrowWhen you cook your own food, you are creating. You're contributing to a story that is uniquely YOU. And perhaps, the loved ones who enjoy the meal with you. Sure, going to Chipotle has a story (a delicious one), and that's nice and all (they use local, ethically raised/grown ingredients, btw), but I'm not really in that story, except as a consumer. And I don't want to just consume, I want to create, to contribute. (That's kind of the point of this blog, after all.)<br />
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So I'm trying to take it one step further, by growing my own food. Last summer I got into gardening, and it was pretty much the best thing ever. It was my therapy. Every afternoon I would come home from work, put my bag down, and go straight outside for a half an hour. I watered my plants, stared at them, smelling the herbs, pinching off dead leaves, and honestly just loving those plants. Oh and occasionally I would harvest a modest yield of tomatoes, bell peppers, mint, parsley, cilantro, and basil. I don't actually get much sun (7 hours in the sunniest spot), but growing tomatoes was still surprisingly rewarding.<br />
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My living situation right now means that there is not much space that belongs to just me, and these plants were MINE. I got to decide what to do with them, where to put them, how to care for them. I was responsible for their survival. I felt pride, and a sense of mastery, when I brought a few leaves of mint inside to add to a berry smoothie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz-_FrRsKvgRmi9zMCjc4F0Po3BYFWBb-so23FDtpPvmniyr-NdjktBTvfEBFFnfa2FeXliwL96f8hyphenhyphenckkJi5rIfQhDc-u3fXvZs1wEYhf2kWfNOqGpy0y30n8U3DPKaHIXhVfA/s1600/DSC_1339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz-_FrRsKvgRmi9zMCjc4F0Po3BYFWBb-so23FDtpPvmniyr-NdjktBTvfEBFFnfa2FeXliwL96f8hyphenhyphenckkJi5rIfQhDc-u3fXvZs1wEYhf2kWfNOqGpy0y30n8U3DPKaHIXhVfA/s400/DSC_1339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
One big lesson from last year was: start earlier. About two weeks ago I realized it might be time to begin thinking about what I want to grow. So exciting. A crazy idea came to me that I should try growing from seed. This method has a few advantages: it's cheaper, you can get a wider variety of "breeds", ie random purple heirloom tomatos, yellow carrots, whatever. And also, you know, you can say, "See? See this huge plant, laden with fruit/vegetables/deliciousness/nutrition? <i>I planted the seed."</i><br />
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I'm getting all goosebumpy just typing that.<br />
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I can't quite figure out how to write what it is about starting from scratch that grabs me so. I could get up on my farm-to-table foodie soapbox, and talk about getting closer to the source of our food, understanding and respecting it, and participating in the process. I could talk about local (check) and organic (check check) and fresh!, and nutrition (checkity check check). And it would all be true. So at the heart of what I believe, and what I want for myself and my potential children.<br />
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But there's something more. It has to do with fresh air. The smell of turned earth. The joy of seeing a slowly unfurling, bright green new leaf. The blush of red on a green tomato that is just beginning to ripen.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobEKPiMYhZVTmnhqZHIvhRCxLWzo-8tm7j6Z64R4j6PzNnqdFUhituwdDBC-anfInai3MoL-s2BSsEwhw_I2GLtTSBE5kGEDLuNfHUH9zTJOBMoU7SDeqqY8F9xv01zkdC3dHKA/s1600/DSC_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobEKPiMYhZVTmnhqZHIvhRCxLWzo-8tm7j6Z64R4j6PzNnqdFUhituwdDBC-anfInai3MoL-s2BSsEwhw_I2GLtTSBE5kGEDLuNfHUH9zTJOBMoU7SDeqqY8F9xv01zkdC3dHKA/s400/DSC_1356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Maybe I'm just a nature kind of girl. Because it's REAL. More real than much of things in our modern world. More real than TV, or someone else's vacation photos on Facebook, or all those thoughts of what you imagine your life will be when you finally make it, whatever that means. Gardening gives you a chance to live fully in the present moment, telling the murky past and the uncertain future to quit tapping you on the shoulder, saying, "pay attention to me!" Go away now, I say, I'm tending my plants.<br />
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All that said, last week I seeded tomatoes, basil, lettuce, parsley, and cilantro.<br />
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I read about it online, got briefly overwhelmed, and managed to cover every south facing window sill with pots, all covered in plastic wrap to keep my little babies warm and the soil evenly moist. It would be a long wait - 14-21 days til germination for some! Sometimes my desire for instant gratification is a little hard to ignore. Plus I let myself get seized by the panicky thought that, what.if.nothing.grows? What if I used the wrong soil? What if I watered it too much/too little? What if there wasn't enough sun? So I raced out like a crazy woman and bought seedlings, so that just in case life did not find a way, I wouldn't have wasted 3 weeks of the growing season.<br />
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Well, someone really should have told me about garden centers. You know, candy stores for adults? That place you go, and like shopping when you're hungry, leave with so much more than you planned on buying. Arugula (seeds and seedlings), lettuce (all those mesclun varieties are so tempting), radish seeds, rosemary, and a freaking strawberry plant... You guys, it's a really good thing I had a gift certificate.<br />
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And then the next day I went to another garden store to get more potting soil, and came home with carrot, spring onion, and Carnival Mix bell pepper seeds.<br />
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I need help.<br />
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But then. THEN! Something happened. Something to justify all my manic-overdoing-biting-off-more-than-I-can-chew-my-home-looks-like-a-hothouse nutty behavior. I came home, pulled away the plastic wrap, and there they were. Tomato sprouts/seedlings/whatever you call thems! About 1 inch tall (how did they grow that fast, I swear there was nothing yesterday?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqD5Ka4tTRf_xPyt3rNbkgB-JIQyx0Gr_MzJgsyidqxBNyl9xTLeVSujWJT3j6JZ6EznDBDfs0yriMSEDYgepG3fujuwXizpb-K8CqU-c0napqBL3TpodsINeSQLRYH3v5gKKSw/s1600/DSC01890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqD5Ka4tTRf_xPyt3rNbkgB-JIQyx0Gr_MzJgsyidqxBNyl9xTLeVSujWJT3j6JZ6EznDBDfs0yriMSEDYgepG3fujuwXizpb-K8CqU-c0napqBL3TpodsINeSQLRYH3v5gKKSw/s400/DSC01890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I literally squealed, sang my way to the the other windows, and discovered basil! Dozens of little basil babies, poking their heads up with two of the most adorable leaves you ever saw.<br />
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There is so much pesto in my future.<br />
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The very next day, a tiny dot of green in the lettuce pot. The mint and chives are coming back from last year (very hardy), and rain all week has meant happy little plants crowding the deck. Happiness is being a gardener.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEycbKdJ_TqW84ssGWVq0DNqntt2Fi_RbCHO58JX5xu_mDK4eTGiHHxxZxm9nq_3rHa5PPT5GAPWGROwJugRJwMf89ZbimDDbiTLlZC-MpLpVi7laDwFP8U-h2pEyqYUlsVei1Tg/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEycbKdJ_TqW84ssGWVq0DNqntt2Fi_RbCHO58JX5xu_mDK4eTGiHHxxZxm9nq_3rHa5PPT5GAPWGROwJugRJwMf89ZbimDDbiTLlZC-MpLpVi7laDwFP8U-h2pEyqYUlsVei1Tg/s400/DSC_0035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-1596522342120586872011-03-22T21:32:00.002-04:002011-03-22T21:34:21.390-04:00Just Add Sugar<i>My friend Angela says that I should blog about food and cooking on here, since it is creative. And, I'm inclined to agree! Food writing is really fun. And, in that food involves trial and error, reaching out of your comfort zone, and creating beauty, it definitely qualifies.</i><br />
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</div>Whenever a seasonal food is about to go out of season, all of a sudden I am obsessed. I need to make 5 thousand dishes with this one food, before it is GONE. FOREVER! Or, until next year, which still seems like a really long time. Clementines won't be in the stores for much longer, and I love love love love LOVE them. Last year I discovered a recipe for <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/clementine-cake/">clementine cake</a>. I don't think I need to tell you that this dessert was a revelation, and was made, let's just say, more than once, that winter. I also made <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7877/orange+self+saucing+pudding"><s>orange</s> clementine self-saucing pudding</a>. And I tried making marmalade (my love of this condiment knows no bounds) with some kumquats I bought on impulse. Unfortunately, it didn't set. (Not that this setback stopped me from pouring the oozy concoction over pancakes a few weekends in a row, awesometown).<br />
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The marmalade is for a future post, since I'm still getting up the courage to try it again. I might have to ask my expert-marmalade-maker nana for advice. But this week, I checked something else off my never-did-this-must-must-must-do-it list: candied citrus peel. The first night, I started with clementines (Did I mention that I LOVE them?), and became ambitious the second night, making orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime peel. I'm crazy, right?<br />
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Turns out? It's not at all hard. Basically, you:<br />
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1. Cut off the ends of the fruit, if needed. Score the peel in quarters, peel off, cut into little strips.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJixT7duMX8Q7gl7yIynnqeYi-SRhB4QN3tHxXUFJSxnuJYd_VIDrqgF431wVNkTZJFXedAzWcVpY9tUd7n-I_Lqido83_E4TKIvrm_xzRAG1qINOUKOIpKidtqvWldycDC9rOA/s1600/citrus+peel+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJixT7duMX8Q7gl7yIynnqeYi-SRhB4QN3tHxXUFJSxnuJYd_VIDrqgF431wVNkTZJFXedAzWcVpY9tUd7n-I_Lqido83_E4TKIvrm_xzRAG1qINOUKOIpKidtqvWldycDC9rOA/s400/citrus+peel+3.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>2. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, drain. Repeat twice. This is to get the bitterness out.<br />
3. Mix together enough water to cover the peel, and equal parts sugar. Melt sugar, bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour or so.<br />
4. Drain, let dry on baking racks.<br />
5. You can coat them with sugar, or dip in chocolate. I didn't do the chocolate, mostly because I was lazy, but also because they were just so damn good on their own.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphRhrKG8TwtmQupgo6-0GUzgG0dC0bBilcyFZ9Xk0Yx79KQtBO2D-dBn6f0eijtWYD2iMHU7b1r2KJCQU-z-Pnj32ZVx00FJLF3WqqiqXvUG8l-yD8nA5atDodEnT1DTj4N9Aew/s1600/citrus+peel+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphRhrKG8TwtmQupgo6-0GUzgG0dC0bBilcyFZ9Xk0Yx79KQtBO2D-dBn6f0eijtWYD2iMHU7b1r2KJCQU-z-Pnj32ZVx00FJLF3WqqiqXvUG8l-yD8nA5atDodEnT1DTj4N9Aew/s400/citrus+peel+31.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It all went fairly smoothly. I decided that coating the peel with sugar wasn't really necessary, and didn't do it after the clementine batch. Number one, it kind of dried in clumps. I might try pulsing some sugar in a food processor to make it superfine next time, but honestly (and this is number two): it's already sweet enough. I love the strident citrus flavor with a background of sweet.<br />
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There's a little rule in cooking that I am always relearning: a recipe is not the gospel - use <b>common sense</b>. The recipe I used for the clementines called for 4 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar. For 6 clementines. 4 cups of sugar? OMFG. But I followed the instructions blindly, learning my lesson later. The leftover citrus-y syrup is pretty delicious, so no big deal. I've put it in the freezer until I can think of something to use it for. And sugar is definitely on the shopping list.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfUCR7_Tb8oCEGBXzw6WslZMXhB2YDnOfsdv8YIaeMoqM57VOc845Xt1t6nraE6grxQg0OdaEyCtoMd2YCy-gu7Rbu6TMm49Q4FLCOAhC8iTI9v3zgYKFxmAc30VbApggKg2qrQ/s1600/DSC01854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfUCR7_Tb8oCEGBXzw6WslZMXhB2YDnOfsdv8YIaeMoqM57VOc845Xt1t6nraE6grxQg0OdaEyCtoMd2YCy-gu7Rbu6TMm49Q4FLCOAhC8iTI9v3zgYKFxmAc30VbApggKg2qrQ/s400/DSC01854.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nectar of the gods?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>For the orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime peel, I looked at <a href="http://thelunacafe.com/candied-lemon-peel/">a</a> <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/candied-lime-peel">lot</a> <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jacques-torres/candied-grapefruit-peels-recipe/index.html">of</a> <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/candied-orange-recipe/index.html">other</a> <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/candied-grapefruit-peels/">recipes</a>, to get a consensus. Which was: use just enough water to cover the peel, and equal parts sugar.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL-cRn08il5YI7PRcMoII1_QuLmj71QWYeJLsOGzQ_9g6C41aM7Wxs_fbE5CKb2q7tjyQUcDDSCaZZ2oPJT_i71hPzPHMhGYbMLLQ3lpOOA2wF1WfAmXYuAOCBEwcyk_TiDethA/s1600/citrus+peel+32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL-cRn08il5YI7PRcMoII1_QuLmj71QWYeJLsOGzQ_9g6C41aM7Wxs_fbE5CKb2q7tjyQUcDDSCaZZ2oPJT_i71hPzPHMhGYbMLLQ3lpOOA2wF1WfAmXYuAOCBEwcyk_TiDethA/s400/citrus+peel+32.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The limes were lovely and tart, and dried nice and firm. Although they lost their vibrant green color once they hit the boiling water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I used two grapefruits, one of which was more pink in color, the other more yellow, so there was a striking variation. (You can see this particularly in the drying rack photo, bottom.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFZOCaRkMRDM8M0u7hr6I6lU4i7bM5gwNaK5z02KO4AIf3spUgimFJEkgOqb_OSBaIzB5f5k86sdFSf44uY-r37UZtVK7uV1hVOduakv1g0w0shmRTauba4UCPnRzd-oQvX4I4A/s1600/citrus+peel+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFZOCaRkMRDM8M0u7hr6I6lU4i7bM5gwNaK5z02KO4AIf3spUgimFJEkgOqb_OSBaIzB5f5k86sdFSf44uY-r37UZtVK7uV1hVOduakv1g0w0shmRTauba4UCPnRzd-oQvX4I4A/s400/citrus+peel+34.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The prettiest.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Some recipes stridently instructed me to resist the temptation to stir the peel, because sugar crystals might form on the edge. Sugar crystals, gasp! Oh no, we can have that!<br />
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You know what? I stirred it a few times. Horrors! And no one died. Also, no sugar crystals. Wonders never cease.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNwK6-QhFFfpKNbORJvHYjWxwvabvH3RQEcQeWr4dRKdihNHZYsUEZj-KhdnUlO9z-oUxQblNbd1DXmekAFfQOcrMfeuSuCMhOKogn4LPjpXmAMl98sMuUkWR9yJlMCOiUkC4Xw/s1600/citrus+peel+33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNwK6-QhFFfpKNbORJvHYjWxwvabvH3RQEcQeWr4dRKdihNHZYsUEZj-KhdnUlO9z-oUxQblNbd1DXmekAFfQOcrMfeuSuCMhOKogn4LPjpXmAMl98sMuUkWR9yJlMCOiUkC4Xw/s400/citrus+peel+33.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lemons, nice and strong and sweet.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>At some point I ran out of drying racks. This, people, is why you don't try to make 4 different kinds of candied citrus peel all in one weekday evening. (This is also why you count how many drying racks you have. Math is hard.) I stayed up pretty late doing this, probably fueled by all the citrus-y sugar water that I <s>drank in spoonfuls</s> licked off the wooden spoon once or twice because my middle name is Restraint.<br />
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Oranges were the only fruit where I trimmed the pith - there was just so much of it. I could have done that with the grapefruit too, but I'm glad I didn't - the pith has great texture. So next time, I'm throwing caution to the wind and leaving it all on. Living life on the wild side, right here!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsVtOlWgyPcP18elr7NULFmR-TWJU5RlOZIZQt6l5jyMNb2KSwTKNgFhjwJZuT2Yn0nxjIwlnDOKwiw6EL-NMFe7JBiyCv6wrp2nHw15olI8d1tZgN_Km1vMKop26-ceu6HJmzg/s1600/DSC01860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsVtOlWgyPcP18elr7NULFmR-TWJU5RlOZIZQt6l5jyMNb2KSwTKNgFhjwJZuT2Yn0nxjIwlnDOKwiw6EL-NMFe7JBiyCv6wrp2nHw15olI8d1tZgN_Km1vMKop26-ceu6HJmzg/s400/DSC01860.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, what do I do with all this peeled fruit?</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-55235911680013421592011-03-06T22:17:00.000-05:002011-03-06T22:17:04.350-05:00Puzzle Ball, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've made a lot of progress on my <a href="http://kiwiactionhero.blogspot.com/2011/02/puzzle-ball-part-1.html">puzzle ball</a> since the last time I wrote about it. Actually, since starting this post a few days ago, I finished it! This will be mostly pictures because I'm struggling to come up with something interesting to say. I guess sometimes all you need is: hey, look at this thing I made, tada! I tend to over think things. Just a tad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zAjTzKL-wJW0Ehyphenhyphen93lRQdD9Uo4T5bnu28P1oB1dkeh2DuwKa03uwQXW-kbQVjQ68slPNRBED9QiJZIf9StxaPUW6cOjJIWRHz6K59rK71IqbkB_-q3WMvwWLl8ZJLlJ9IF8oZQ/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zAjTzKL-wJW0Ehyphenhyphen93lRQdD9Uo4T5bnu28P1oB1dkeh2DuwKa03uwQXW-kbQVjQ68slPNRBED9QiJZIf9StxaPUW6cOjJIWRHz6K59rK71IqbkB_-q3WMvwWLl8ZJLlJ9IF8oZQ/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball6.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnNRk1rpEsXD1K5zyLWPoGQXIVbvXi8RNjT2yMt-vBUJ1i7XXkcZzS9_rQCakEzCwj93eJP8jdER81b5DiLFMB_CBMgXgZeV3vMmK2qyNkujBpiDshjOp8QYdAsnsFzkwoxrQLQ/s1600/DSC01723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnNRk1rpEsXD1K5zyLWPoGQXIVbvXi8RNjT2yMt-vBUJ1i7XXkcZzS9_rQCakEzCwj93eJP8jdER81b5DiLFMB_CBMgXgZeV3vMmK2qyNkujBpiDshjOp8QYdAsnsFzkwoxrQLQ/s400/DSC01723.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I ironed the seam allowances outwards so that when I sewed each segment shut, it would be a nice straight seam.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgTO2NFPMwwRZ9Xq-bBHoxWoGVG3h6d2CMXLCjAWH4fZuwz-dBoltAoU7K2S8f6MnjSRSnY8LSXhXe46_rRlkjq9mRTDRJL0ooF6vjRV6mbs_KrRBdbhky9JimnL4hhzY-gp4Iw/s1600/DSC01714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgTO2NFPMwwRZ9Xq-bBHoxWoGVG3h6d2CMXLCjAWH4fZuwz-dBoltAoU7K2S8f6MnjSRSnY8LSXhXe46_rRlkjq9mRTDRJL0ooF6vjRV6mbs_KrRBdbhky9JimnL4hhzY-gp4Iw/s400/DSC01714.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Turned inside out.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ug43OpwFT2PV5J6qclmOZVK-MxY_mxeWLzxVpVIa9v6BQ3F6KPnd2yvewZncv9yewCWNxMd_YmBd_SqcHhNV68IBe9FvQHlf0kFOwwQy3MibrlfTeZBUphClmo2zEJyXf8Bc4Q/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ug43OpwFT2PV5J6qclmOZVK-MxY_mxeWLzxVpVIa9v6BQ3F6KPnd2yvewZncv9yewCWNxMd_YmBd_SqcHhNV68IBe9FvQHlf0kFOwwQy3MibrlfTeZBUphClmo2zEJyXf8Bc4Q/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball3.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shameless Macbook plug!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I stuffed each segment with polyfill, and used a blind stich to close it up. (Why are my pictures right in front of my laptop? Multitasking: sew for a bit, do something on the internet, go back to sewing, repeat. I have a great attention span actually, why do you ask?)<br />
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I've discovered that with polyfill, you really have to work hard to get a nice full, evenly stuffed shape. You need to stuff the corners and seams first, THEN the middle. Otherwise they won't have anything in them, or it will be lumpy. Unlike water, polyfill does not spread out and take on the shape of its container. I use a narrow stick to push small tufts into each little space, and continue stuffing it as I sew it up. It's a relaxing process, and satisfying when it comes out right.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWGYgF3M8atzSacEGKPXiHtMWU9bm6_HHDhDjC-hTSIxLlCBwVjF2D5gce24dXO4VcVecCYbjvL4-HFCtj_aUq22nl9gzENZrQct7OY_H1S7iF_gB8M-KEMnGWDWiSMhBr8Z6Kw/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWGYgF3M8atzSacEGKPXiHtMWU9bm6_HHDhDjC-hTSIxLlCBwVjF2D5gce24dXO4VcVecCYbjvL4-HFCtj_aUq22nl9gzENZrQct7OY_H1S7iF_gB8M-KEMnGWDWiSMhBr8Z6Kw/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball4.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wasn't totally thrilled with how the corners came out. They weren't as sharp and crisp as the first puzzle ball I made. Aren't we supposed to get better with practice?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVLFBzu1miRVryo8xjtc_iy8AzucTE9GS2ckGaLxNNg4R3eU3MGY1d6GUuMpor0udZ9oSEFW_hGedbfvz57RjgPLPuJiDk6vYkSp-e50loJxrJM3Woac0lVM7-dfefPNwSD03VA/s1600/DSC01729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVLFBzu1miRVryo8xjtc_iy8AzucTE9GS2ckGaLxNNg4R3eU3MGY1d6GUuMpor0udZ9oSEFW_hGedbfvz57RjgPLPuJiDk6vYkSp-e50loJxrJM3Woac0lVM7-dfefPNwSD03VA/s400/DSC01729.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All 12 segments in a pile.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Part 3 to come in a day or two.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-77629363185358037842011-02-24T21:37:00.001-05:002011-02-25T11:18:11.982-05:00Not Painting By Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe you're not into sewing. Or polyfill or fabric. (Although I'm not really sure how we managed to become friends.) So here's something different for you: pottery painting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In DC there are a few places where you can do this, such as <a href="http://www.allfiredupdc.com/">All Fired Up</a>, and <a href="http://www.colordc.com/">Color Me Mine</a>. They're always full of kids and families, which is fun to see. But there are also plenty of adults - couples and groups of friends of various ages. I like to go at night - it's quiet, and you can concentrate. Over a year ago I went with some friends and started this bowl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JbBku6sPdwj3ITqMSLL4zbweIplqSk_9jV3ik5Aexx_yePofGWC5pMFqUGW6DEqHjnoti39xyC8ApQffE3zKnTTgLYz3lkMYrQaGE2wP6vW_OxWw_UShMYBIx1CINunJ5MkzVQ/s1600/DSC_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JbBku6sPdwj3ITqMSLL4zbweIplqSk_9jV3ik5Aexx_yePofGWC5pMFqUGW6DEqHjnoti39xyC8ApQffE3zKnTTgLYz3lkMYrQaGE2wP6vW_OxWw_UShMYBIx1CINunJ5MkzVQ/s400/DSC_0300.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEs8jVmXHHLk0GZBwIFtsllWfL5AfsG6YQa_GlgfWU4iG2i2vUfZKT9iB3wvvKmMz-BrOLpsorfU45AMxa8oxDi8cA0a5V47ZxsH8h0pX9kd8756aoxD3mGXbsWVlaUXE1cnZEQ/s1600/DSC_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEs8jVmXHHLk0GZBwIFtsllWfL5AfsG6YQa_GlgfWU4iG2i2vUfZKT9iB3wvvKmMz-BrOLpsorfU45AMxa8oxDi8cA0a5V47ZxsH8h0pX9kd8756aoxD3mGXbsWVlaUXE1cnZEQ/s400/DSC_0306.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got a little waylaid, and eventually finished it a few months later. That's the great thing about these pottery painting stores - you can go back as often as you want, and take as long as you want. You pay up front, and after you turn it in to them, it takes a week to be glazed, fired, and ready for you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The more layers of paint you put on, the more opaque it looks, and I definitely prefer this - I'm not a huge fan of streaks.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Wr-J8lPm6c1c1BmggQ2HmCklzRSbOK2ZTW6Y5wvVCIshXRIEQhyphenhyphenpvzd2Ldg-b0Kx4dpjjN2zVjXF6E3M0roKFpYP5nDEEwe7214Egkp4S8RjwH3RvihRffLw5pBbcfdD4iJt8Q/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Wr-J8lPm6c1c1BmggQ2HmCklzRSbOK2ZTW6Y5wvVCIshXRIEQhyphenhyphenpvzd2Ldg-b0Kx4dpjjN2zVjXF6E3M0roKFpYP5nDEEwe7214Egkp4S8RjwH3RvihRffLw5pBbcfdD4iJt8Q/s400/DSC_0308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On the bottom are my initials and the date, etched with the end of a paperclip - they have a wide variety of tools to use to make varying effects.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9tl_sM7fhqjKp4HBPXmP729ZyfFjoPqyAycfqZt1T_PF3a7k8HiNZ88N0H-NIm1flT2leXkH9V0TaeqRWa9iileQq7qd0lPsc3kUI5Cs7brWlYIFu_iPjLjYwRlUqQgtSCafxQ/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9tl_sM7fhqjKp4HBPXmP729ZyfFjoPqyAycfqZt1T_PF3a7k8HiNZ88N0H-NIm1flT2leXkH9V0TaeqRWa9iileQq7qd0lPsc3kUI5Cs7brWlYIFu_iPjLjYwRlUqQgtSCafxQ/s400/DSC_0313.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used a stencil from the store for this tropical flower, but altered it quite a bit. It's off-center and the stem starts from the the curve in the bowl, so I think it has some movement to it. I like that it's fairly minimalist, and the colors are very complementary. I especially love green and blue together. The flower's petals are slightly raised in some places, simply because I kept touching up little bits, not satisfied with the outer border of each orange piece. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another piece I put a lot of work into last year was a large serving plate, done in stripes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LEVZoB6TnP65jIUlpmxC8hS6xBwI-NcOlmhgolgf-_m2_Zpddlh0_YvOg0m7Fj3JX9GQiHB6tDXfyfZb-4RSffrOXJ7p2Leui0ADCOKpQcWZsNmIA7jcRiCYOZL0vxOMrCwozQ/s1600/DSC01705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LEVZoB6TnP65jIUlpmxC8hS6xBwI-NcOlmhgolgf-_m2_Zpddlh0_YvOg0m7Fj3JX9GQiHB6tDXfyfZb-4RSffrOXJ7p2Leui0ADCOKpQcWZsNmIA7jcRiCYOZL0vxOMrCwozQ/s400/DSC01705.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I used masking tape to make the lines accurate (it's ridiculous how much of a perfectionist I am), and made stripes of random widths, doing one color at a time. I left parts of it unpainted, so the natural white color of the clay could show through. Because the plate curves up towards the edges, it gives the appearance that the lines are curved, depending on where you are standing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTk9pjX357zg9hwcN-MndHHAe9g9bpi7UIHZf5H0PGphc2NylXt66_MiGZYj-aRrMQVF7ijV5u5OWqu1DGTqBn0QHETqX-c8ycYWC7-Me9cMOMebg-iVX8_oWXrIanmUFjdX577g/s1600/DSC01706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTk9pjX357zg9hwcN-MndHHAe9g9bpi7UIHZf5H0PGphc2NylXt66_MiGZYj-aRrMQVF7ijV5u5OWqu1DGTqBn0QHETqX-c8ycYWC7-Me9cMOMebg-iVX8_oWXrIanmUFjdX577g/s400/DSC01706.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I also etched a simple loop-de-loop on the light yellow strips, again using the end of a paper clip. Really you can only see the design if you are up close - which is nice, it's a little surprise.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieMPuDxCEzggPI0g7sX04EyOaWv-EOoikS4ItVo0XYmMnaRnOjLOWPz9wCvogd_BVQmXH-MOD4gEzuvtcBHbgHYQrT30QAoKMPKcsa628542JXtxd7365LivVy6mV_502OO0M7Q/s1600/DSC01707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiieMPuDxCEzggPI0g7sX04EyOaWv-EOoikS4ItVo0XYmMnaRnOjLOWPz9wCvogd_BVQmXH-MOD4gEzuvtcBHbgHYQrT30QAoKMPKcsa628542JXtxd7365LivVy6mV_502OO0M7Q/s400/DSC01707.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really like how the two goldy (goldey? goldie?) yellows, greeny blues, and purply blues coordinate. And I enjoy the random placement of the stripes.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco12rXiqPtwEmDZHS5PFECitkzjCUxy3oI1GF518xFSYKcAH68t8crVDedytNdabFYScAqKT-TVQMy2-CdzXrtzUPC5loJ8jEGAKRtb6VYED5DBABmZ31bs9WJuQEUZyvhetYlw/s1600/DSC01709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco12rXiqPtwEmDZHS5PFECitkzjCUxy3oI1GF518xFSYKcAH68t8crVDedytNdabFYScAqKT-TVQMy2-CdzXrtzUPC5loJ8jEGAKRtb6VYED5DBABmZ31bs9WJuQEUZyvhetYlw/s400/DSC01709.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As with the bowl, I used a wet sponge to clean the edge. It creates a clear separation between the front and back glaze, and adds another design feature.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9XMYHbUHXVtdhitqGmo56-mpYOzYuKPat2ndOHqwlEIjqtOEt9jtmYsz4QYKpQuX5v3LAB4-noi45g8PYctJOb9CUvTAICz0McK9y848qg4l3tuvwNfZ9T0OQT2BqlvZ-5e8sw/s1600/DSC01710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9XMYHbUHXVtdhitqGmo56-mpYOzYuKPat2ndOHqwlEIjqtOEt9jtmYsz4QYKpQuX5v3LAB4-noi45g8PYctJOb9CUvTAICz0McK9y848qg4l3tuvwNfZ9T0OQT2BqlvZ-5e8sw/s400/DSC01710.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On the underside, I used a blue and a yellow from the front, and a really pretty dark gray.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfGXFlyINFJp-279PA17zNh2lyC5rOGti3Vb11ET1P5G1DruE_qVvHb4jRnlJIVKIQbYQjJ45CfI5_CLmJXitzUYAJ5JyNKS3zO9g5bbaUZszg_inCRBS0NIPo4gmHjOQcslFyQ/s1600/DSC01712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfGXFlyINFJp-279PA17zNh2lyC5rOGti3Vb11ET1P5G1DruE_qVvHb4jRnlJIVKIQbYQjJ45CfI5_CLmJXitzUYAJ5JyNKS3zO9g5bbaUZszg_inCRBS0NIPo4gmHjOQcslFyQ/s400/DSC01712.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I use this plate and bowl a lot for serving food. They are supposedly microwave and dishwasher safe, but I'm not taking any chances, so it's careful hand washing every time. They were inexpensive, and definitely have more meaning than something bought from the store. I can't say enough about how relaxing this whole activity is, I totally recommend it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both these pieces were fairly minimalist, with plenty of solid coloring. I like it, but I'd also like to deviate from that in the future, and try more complex hand drawn designs and techniques. I'd like to try a technique I saw in one of the store examples - you paint a design in various colors, then cover it all in black. You then use different tools to remove parts of the black, to reveal the color underneath. I remember doing something similar in elementary school art class - we drew in color with crayons, and then painted over it with black paint. The wax resisted the paint, so that the color showed through. Different technique, similar effect. I'm also dreaming of taking a class someday to relearn how throw clay on the wheel, and then paint it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few months ago I started a mug, and really only got as far as painting the whole thing plum purple. It's been sitting, wrapped up in paper, waiting for inspiration to strike. I'll share with you how it turns out...</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-25407484645432027612011-02-17T21:55:00.001-05:002011-02-18T20:17:36.955-05:00Infusing MeaningHow can I get away with writing about Christmas ornaments (again) in mid-February? Well, someone said Happy New Year to me last week, so I'm hoping I have a little leeway here.<br />
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I do a secret santa exchange with a few friends every year. This year I ordered some earrings for my giftee from Etsy. I waited and waited, and began to wonder where the hell they were - our exchange was in only a few days! So I went to my account, and it said my order had shipped the day after I ordered it (yay!) - from Tel Aviv (not yay). I'm not sure if you know this, but Israel is really far away. So that's why it was taking so long...<br />
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I didn't want to be the girl who wraps up a picture of her gift, with an apologetic promise of its impending arrival. So I decided that something handmade might be better anyways, and the earrings could follow, whenever. I used a pattern that I bought about a year ago (again, from Etsy, I'm so original) for a pear ornament.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv_O75qoRV1lmymxN4w5tXKHIt2No9YG84eMOxOj8E_-v28nYuMlQlfbQJWEzzjV1VgrG_-LJmXc2c-0aEGcapX8wiZgFNk9WlekILsxiQuBZkoLjhej6FEbrhNpHYNAjATIB2A/s1600/DSC01554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv_O75qoRV1lmymxN4w5tXKHIt2No9YG84eMOxOj8E_-v28nYuMlQlfbQJWEzzjV1VgrG_-LJmXc2c-0aEGcapX8wiZgFNk9WlekILsxiQuBZkoLjhej6FEbrhNpHYNAjATIB2A/s400/DSC01554.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">JZG are the initial's of my friend's 17 month old son, Jackson. I embroidered the letters on, with a simple backstitch in thread. I think the colors go nicely together, and I enjoy the irony (if that's the right word) of having a citrus print on a pear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCotFQW1wVBuucE7yVMJTzu6J7dmZK-xzLJEGEqxb4JQMeh2GqrSFW1g2ZknpUKLkaPocN0J2QpYIXOBlqMFMZZPWTPZWE3vwVcWquE6BTm2GtCgR_vX5k-r1BUw9d1Wr26y0BQ/s1600/DSC01564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCotFQW1wVBuucE7yVMJTzu6J7dmZK-xzLJEGEqxb4JQMeh2GqrSFW1g2ZknpUKLkaPocN0J2QpYIXOBlqMFMZZPWTPZWE3vwVcWquE6BTm2GtCgR_vX5k-r1BUw9d1Wr26y0BQ/s400/DSC01564.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The stem and leaf are felt, with some embroidery - the stem rolled in on itself and closed with a blind stitch. I learned how to do a blanket stitch for the edge of the leaf. I'm particularly pleased with how the leaf turned out - it curled like that all on its own.</div><br />
Here it is on my tree before it went to it's forever home.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaCzhHw7RMNFwSb83DCiOExnPYigTJll-DTMYxG9HqhK7AEo8yOpXkSWEMiJgiKXPV4utr2REwNsybIbFMYwRiVrpvRSqe4ebkVjsOYtvHY-CpVmcdRvmyXcb0VeND0hetpGscw/s1600/DSC01550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaCzhHw7RMNFwSb83DCiOExnPYigTJll-DTMYxG9HqhK7AEo8yOpXkSWEMiJgiKXPV4utr2REwNsybIbFMYwRiVrpvRSqe4ebkVjsOYtvHY-CpVmcdRvmyXcb0VeND0hetpGscw/s400/DSC01550.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs82btAF8J7xXOPBl4qqNzXe8QqnSlBFg7SbFV62uhP2a-WUKir3BHkrAb3RrPA2b_ece1D6FobXGZD86OtJtOZnYC09mvm9s8QO_e_IiKJSaCtuvqlyJN1OKCHpS1r-p-8wffQ/s1600/DSC01552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYs82btAF8J7xXOPBl4qqNzXe8QqnSlBFg7SbFV62uhP2a-WUKir3BHkrAb3RrPA2b_ece1D6FobXGZD86OtJtOZnYC09mvm9s8QO_e_IiKJSaCtuvqlyJN1OKCHpS1r-p-8wffQ/s400/DSC01552.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That's a heart, if you can't tell.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A week later the earrings came (with some fun Israeli stamps), and those went to my friend. She and her husband enjoyed the ornament so much (and I had such fun making it) that I made another. This time it was for a friend of mine who has a 6 month old son named Harper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3oKer2eyVDx_W9s5clDhMMFtNZIohvahk5aRVWH8bYLCWhHdIS_SHV2H4j18J-Uq12AbeJttxzJm5_SI12rc4175hx9SC6_fZ5rWQRblJpL6dIE50o7p8AXnI17EeIXk1OVvhQ/s1600/20110215-182146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3oKer2eyVDx_W9s5clDhMMFtNZIohvahk5aRVWH8bYLCWhHdIS_SHV2H4j18J-Uq12AbeJttxzJm5_SI12rc4175hx9SC6_fZ5rWQRblJpL6dIE50o7p8AXnI17EeIXk1OVvhQ/s400/20110215-182146.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The two reds are alllllmost the same - I like that if you squint, it "reads" as all red.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time I had begun to think about starting this blog, so I took a few pictures of the process, with a post in mind. Not enough for a tutorial though (and anyway I don't feel comfortable doing that, since somebody worked hard to make the pattern and very much deserved to get paid for it). One day when I'm fancy, make my own patterns, and sew blindfolded or whatever I'll totally put that up here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3nCviPBpkFjYTaOaBTjSLs_wKIPWNqo4eyQK9vjWhX4n-uDYrZRZm8LgTOd4CauAm3CpVSDyCf0eLjrtTcvfekrMH6J82VRZqbodo5KeQEA5LqBR5kuwqBb0i-qoFqaL3IdpMw/s1600/DSC01565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3nCviPBpkFjYTaOaBTjSLs_wKIPWNqo4eyQK9vjWhX4n-uDYrZRZm8LgTOd4CauAm3CpVSDyCf0eLjrtTcvfekrMH6J82VRZqbodo5KeQEA5LqBR5kuwqBb0i-qoFqaL3IdpMw/s400/DSC01565.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Marking with pencil where the embroidery will go, and cutting out all six segments.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ef0-l5mPeu_Aw4ApnOQMmuKRWlJWzten0UE8UMNUThj6_2dmQoS6DpxwLvuKldBBvSP0yOOXAJZXllEB-ZsqKjgFpzKqqXkyshC-mDSSo3Vhe-sS0ZiDHWhorPeSLmH2yczcXQ/s1600/DSC01566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ef0-l5mPeu_Aw4ApnOQMmuKRWlJWzten0UE8UMNUThj6_2dmQoS6DpxwLvuKldBBvSP0yOOXAJZXllEB-ZsqKjgFpzKqqXkyshC-mDSSo3Vhe-sS0ZiDHWhorPeSLmH2yczcXQ/s400/DSC01566.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pinning printed sides together.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of my discoveries during this project was the true joy of making something completely unique, by hand, and giving it to people I love. These little pears will hang on the Christmas trees of my friends for years to come. It's this kind of project that keeps me motivated to continue crafting, and to make it not only fun, but meaningful. </div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-88418921536409300002011-02-06T21:29:00.001-05:002011-02-25T11:18:35.482-05:00Puzzle Ball, Part 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><i>Oh, hi. Not posting for 11 days is just terrible, and only the first four days can be excused by the fact that my house had no power and I was walking around in the dark, wearing gloves and seeing my breath. The other seven days are just, well, lost momentum.</i><br />
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If you're friends with me on Facebook (and I'm pretty sure that's my entire readership), you may remember seeing photos of a puzzle ball I made a while back.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGefHYsGJYeD2fBPQ0799443jBURWXBiv0E5pnuF-itFQ2dUCvZj4rQiXTCKtJX3eMW_gG6Ax8-zwwI0WicQt2-ojRbd74RxbjMn9FN6uXIHBGzsIarwgKLsPx2FwuMRF8ZQrfQ/s1600/20091009_1756.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGefHYsGJYeD2fBPQ0799443jBURWXBiv0E5pnuF-itFQ2dUCvZj4rQiXTCKtJX3eMW_gG6Ax8-zwwI0WicQt2-ojRbd74RxbjMn9FN6uXIHBGzsIarwgKLsPx2FwuMRF8ZQrfQ/s400/20091009_1756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">I found the pattern in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Minute-Patchwork-Quilted-Joelle-Hoverson/dp/1584796340" target="_blank">Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts</a>, a fabulous book from the library. Apparently they are Amish in origin, and are good developmental toys for babies. Um, I made one for myself. Because they're pretty. And, being made out of half circles and ellipses, the math that's hiding in there fascinates me.</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">When a friend of mine saw it, he immediately started flipping the segments around, like it was a rubix cube (nothing is attached in the middle). This had never occurred to me - it would be amazing to put something with four rotating bits at the points where the blue embroidery floss is, and you could turn it all around and make it look many different ways. If you were so inclined. Which I am. But thinking about how that would work makes my head spin a little, so I'm going to go with the more doable idea, which is: <i>there should totally be a bell inside it</i>.</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">For the babies, I mean. For the babies.</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">A close family friend's niece had a beautiful baby boy in mid August, and I think it's about high time that baby had a handmade gift from me. So, fortified with these:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2qSCgngm51-esPdsheOkugW0e9n1bes99sJklaleqZnDkai3Bh0fbOQtS6wImzvuV-xdYGM5Hh1b4-TYRJJ9yiJk_10NGfk52gBSh8S_1a43-u9TCr4JAby7VW6xPnfU8dZThg/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2qSCgngm51-esPdsheOkugW0e9n1bes99sJklaleqZnDkai3Bh0fbOQtS6wImzvuV-xdYGM5Hh1b4-TYRJJ9yiJk_10NGfk52gBSh8S_1a43-u9TCr4JAby7VW6xPnfU8dZThg/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball1.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I don't know what nibs are, but I know I like them. Nom.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I used a very sophisticated template to make 3 orange and 6 purple circles.<br />
<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNTC3Ng5igAuOkjNIjc8VtUV2Ey0aNCLcEtAoEUNuy9lxsK9PLPDhPn6T-nuaQxaZv2H0Ash4ZdL5epnukc-NQ2I90DFAqmZ5rVOtrlCYXQ9dQIvufS9K_dnzM-jWiqorWND0-Q/s1600/2nd+puzzle+ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNTC3Ng5igAuOkjNIjc8VtUV2Ey0aNCLcEtAoEUNuy9lxsK9PLPDhPn6T-nuaQxaZv2H0Ash4ZdL5epnukc-NQ2I90DFAqmZ5rVOtrlCYXQ9dQIvufS9K_dnzM-jWiqorWND0-Q/s400/2nd+puzzle+ball.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">I cut the purple circles in half, and made ellipses out of the orange. I marked a "scant" 1/4 of an inch seam allowance:</div></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyTdKhasyCYIqMB4hJZZNMqH1o8aeIXeHV-63zooZEVqqQWtjK5Hl6ykwhYEPp5q68hhcP_4u1LocWkZCTiULt-xfbAzOwZRBbNK_5BOaOjMXPyl25AP5ffYPpiPWZ5aC2ipHNQ/s1600/DSC01665.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyTdKhasyCYIqMB4hJZZNMqH1o8aeIXeHV-63zooZEVqqQWtjK5Hl6ykwhYEPp5q68hhcP_4u1LocWkZCTiULt-xfbAzOwZRBbNK_5BOaOjMXPyl25AP5ffYPpiPWZ5aC2ipHNQ/s320/DSC01665.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0jBxaCfycvvBeAPV02b9_jGwri5vzYG99UyVpD-CwXTbmZB0XOGe_92tlONqbtmnIoIBzWwF6gjwQ3FqHAVAA4W8JSHR-pGj0yJHCzUMbH0GiyAVwuSWdyVyzFgVdTDv7z-8VA/s1600/DSC01664.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0jBxaCfycvvBeAPV02b9_jGwri5vzYG99UyVpD-CwXTbmZB0XOGe_92tlONqbtmnIoIBzWwF6gjwQ3FqHAVAA4W8JSHR-pGj0yJHCzUMbH0GiyAVwuSWdyVyzFgVdTDv7z-8VA/s320/DSC01664.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I used the sewing machine to do the first seam for each of the 12 segments.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR3hCZt8PnyMZmeXEax4uNptkbdwFULa-PaZY80uYA1h3s6CNkfhcCGcEBS0n6oEp3TmFCHX-ae1fWyXzFjHCDFojar-81Y7AeMpq1Z-YwvISpAMlmpVmZCMoaSi8JTB_7gAPlQ/s1600/DSC01660.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoR3hCZt8PnyMZmeXEax4uNptkbdwFULa-PaZY80uYA1h3s6CNkfhcCGcEBS0n6oEp3TmFCHX-ae1fWyXzFjHCDFojar-81Y7AeMpq1Z-YwvISpAMlmpVmZCMoaSi8JTB_7gAPlQ/s400/DSC01660.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">It takes a while to hand sew the remaining seams on all twelve segments, so that's all you get for now. Part 2 coming up in a few days!</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div></div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-90022441016040316902011-01-26T17:58:00.000-05:002011-01-26T17:58:07.355-05:00Let It SnowIf you live in the Northeast of the US, the view out your front door might look a little something like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfbeaCRtZzCIXzgtN-EwVef7AfqRiMuQGTVn71t4p30TGCVp2JS7wo6TN5q1R4f3gNfGm8Ebe03MxVYlmTJAUudV6YNz6MsRNlSYLEpXQOxPbuKRbW_ZG1Tbmu4h22fjk8hvhqw/s1600/DSC01680sepia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfbeaCRtZzCIXzgtN-EwVef7AfqRiMuQGTVn71t4p30TGCVp2JS7wo6TN5q1R4f3gNfGm8Ebe03MxVYlmTJAUudV6YNz6MsRNlSYLEpXQOxPbuKRbW_ZG1Tbmu4h22fjk8hvhqw/s400/DSC01680sepia.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And, if your employer follows the federal government with regards to weather decisions like mine does, you got to leave work 2 hours early.<br />
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(If not, I'm sorry. And, neener.)<br />
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What else is there to do on a snowy day but be crafty, right? If you have kids to entertain, get them being crafty too! I'm working on the sewing project I mentioned in my previous post, various drafts of posts that I have in the works (because I can never just do one thing at a time), and practicing the hand quilting that I learned in a class this weekend (this blog is totally motivating me to DO more of what I am thinking about doing). Surely, this evening will also end up producing something high in calories and sugar, too. I have a whole vanilla bean to use.<br />
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What do you are your families like to get up to on snowy days? Any creative pursuits? Leave a comment and perhaps we will give each other some ideas.SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-91232222038504778982011-01-23T11:16:00.001-05:002011-02-25T11:18:57.880-05:00Back in the Saddle AgainI got my sewing machine out again a few days ago, after a bit of a hiatus. I just couldn't muster up the motivation to work on quilting in summer and fall. I got into gardening, and going for regular evening walks (I'm such an old lady). But I had an idea for a small, quick sewing project, and thought it would be a good way to get myself back into the swing of things.<br />
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My machine is a Singer 132Q Featherweight (for whatever that might be worth),<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVlsPM1WsA0S9G5Fk2S71-qXmjJFVMzE5dFC3pdavotaTm4PwafBbu9dygOdZSM6mb_EcbQJaqSSFYeM2uP_g1Zz9RQadl0RXRQOlFsi8my9f6VPKR_mSMqhh_e9rMF4AwMuI5Q/s1600/DSC01679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVlsPM1WsA0S9G5Fk2S71-qXmjJFVMzE5dFC3pdavotaTm4PwafBbu9dygOdZSM6mb_EcbQJaqSSFYeM2uP_g1Zz9RQadl0RXRQOlFsi8my9f6VPKR_mSMqhh_e9rMF4AwMuI5Q/s400/DSC01679.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
which my friend Turk had ended up with, and <i><b>gave</b></i> me when I started quilting. (Isn't she awesome? Yes, yes she is.) Straight away I remembered how to wind the bobbin, and the way to wind the top thread through the gears and into the eye of the needle, and how to pull the bobbin thread up from below. That part was smooth sailing.<br />
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And, it's a good idea to test things out on a scrap piece of fabric, because sometimes sewing machines do things like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QedyUZMSmHxAjIQHpV0AC9kd1XFbcyHiEiGMij_IKWHa7TKZYXyFFoS4UND3kXSI3S0_nF92bhM0p_WnBp6eeUyspGiXjQgDxXQgQnM1DI0Se5qoR0kqgM3VZQaC6n5imvXmrA/s1600/DSC01661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QedyUZMSmHxAjIQHpV0AC9kd1XFbcyHiEiGMij_IKWHa7TKZYXyFFoS4UND3kXSI3S0_nF92bhM0p_WnBp6eeUyspGiXjQgDxXQgQnM1DI0Se5qoR0kqgM3VZQaC6n5imvXmrA/s400/DSC01661.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sigh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jammed up, terrible noises, lots of broken thread, maybe some swearing on my part. Someone with more knowledge of sewing machines could immediately tell you why that happened. For me, I just had to keep trying, until I eventually discovered that, in this case, there was a small piece of thread tangled up in the gears of the bobbin compartment thingy (what, you expected me to know the proper word for that too?).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I got that sorted out, the stitch length and tension had to be changed. Stitch length is easy. Tension, on the other hand...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF2r959Trp8XhtvOaYNAO7HyXpHqht9DHYDW1OZ9FW7JFyKJKfx2KnK5Opihm3HHBrf4Dfbq_GSVumRxyOuDcbGk3uIvStxt0JGxULS-EXFJYjWTLS07L-Tjt6qxMs4B6oUcoYg/s1600/DSC01663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF2r959Trp8XhtvOaYNAO7HyXpHqht9DHYDW1OZ9FW7JFyKJKfx2KnK5Opihm3HHBrf4Dfbq_GSVumRxyOuDcbGk3uIvStxt0JGxULS-EXFJYjWTLS07L-Tjt6qxMs4B6oUcoYg/s400/DSC01663.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Maybe you can see in this photograph how in between the stitches, there are little knots of thread (easier to see because I used variegated thread). From the WikiHow <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-the-Tension-on-a-Sewing-Machine">guide</a>:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #414141; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Most domestic sewing machines are of the "lockstitch" variety. That means an upper thread and a lower thread "lock" together. If they don't lock together in the correct place, the tension is "off" and the seam lacks proper strength.</span></i></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">As the threads lock together, they form a knot. If this knot is in the correct place, it is never seen...it is hidden (locked) between the two layers that are being sewn together. When these knots are obvious on the bottom or the top sewing surface, it's time to adjust your tension.</span></i></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Basic Concept: If you get a picture in your mind of the tension knob as a device to raise and lower these knots, it makes the adjustment much easier.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">If there are knots on the bottom, increase the tension. If they're on the top, decrease it. But excuse me internet, what if they're on the top AND on the bottom? Well, I did my best anyways. To get a more professional adjustment, I'll have to wait until the next time I see my mom.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What's funny is that after all that, I discovered that this little project doesn't exactly lend itself to machine sewing. Because three edges eventually come together at once, you can machine sew the first seam, but have to hand sew the rest. And that's more than okay with me, I enjoy the old fashioned way just fine. Stay tuned for a post on that project, as soon as it's done!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The exercise was worth it, of course. In achieving our goals (and generally when trying to get anything difficult done), I've learned that you must "slice the apple thinner". Take an overwhelming task, and tackle a small, doable portion. So, in getting back into quilting and other machine sewing, here is the first, thin slice.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-38300434631766478752011-01-18T23:27:00.000-05:002011-01-18T23:27:01.808-05:00Three Hundred Sixty-Five<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div>Have you discovered Etsy's blog, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/">The Storque</a>? It's really fabulous. In fact, let's first establish that you know about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> to begin with. If you don't, you: A) have been missing out big time, and B) have probably been living under a rock. Okay, that was mean. But seriously, you should go there, and be prepared to ignore your loved ones and all other responsibilities for a good few days as you bask in the glory that is Etsy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Anyways. The Storque had a great <a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/make-something-every-day-11501/">post</a> the other day, pointing readers to the fascinating concept of 365 projects. Wherein, you make something, every day, for a year. Did I really need yet another thing on my plate? I already have a billion ideas about getting creative for this blog. But, this just so happens to be very applicable.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Look here! <a href="http://makesomething365.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">makesomething365.blogspot.com</a>. There's this guy named Noah Scalin, who started it all. In 2007, he made <a href="http://skulladay.blogspot.com/">a skull a day</a> for a year. Watch the blink-and-you'll-miss-it photo collage of all 366 (it was a leap year) skulls he made:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8XofUu6hv8U?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div> A daily project. To make something every day, centered around a theme. It could be a <a href="http://bradwalker.org/sametime/sametime07/index2.html">photograph</a>. Or, a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/29/365-thank-you-cards-a-yea_n_802388.html">thank you note</a>. A <a href="http://tjomies.com/blog/">doodle</a>. The image of a <a href="http://everythingburger.wordpress.com/">burger</a>. A flower. A smiley face. The adventures of a <a href="http://gnome365.tumblr.com/">gnome</a>. You get the idea.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, can I do it? Can I come up with something? And do it every day for a year? And share it with you, as part of this blog? It's kind of weird. But maybe it's just weird enough.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-70151427326116851362011-01-14T00:51:00.002-05:002011-02-19T11:27:53.757-05:00Belated Paper Crafting<i>Oh hi, internet. It's midnight, and I should really be asleep, but instead I'm blogging. It's all your fault!</i><br />
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<i></i>Anyways, I've been doing a Google Reader audit over the last few days. Do you have way too many blogs on your reader, like me? You know you have a problem when Google just gives up counting and says you have 1000 + unread posts. Gah. It was incredibly cleansing to delete those that I'm no longer interested in, or that have no new posts.<br />
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The real fun of it was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, particularly the crafty ones. I had missed a lot of great holiday crafts! It's probably just as well, as I was very busy experimenting with new recipes, <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/7313_roasted_butternut_squash_spoon_bread">yum</a>. But you see, I have this obsession with Christmas tree ornaments. They're small, you can hang them, I don't know, I just love them alright!? So it was fitting that I found this great <a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2010/12/diy-striped-paper-ornament.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+HowAboutOrange+(How+About+Orange)">tutorial</a> over at <a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/">How About Orange</a> (great name right? I command you to go over there immediately! but come back, okay?)<br />
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It was so simple! A great alternative to TV on a Wednesday night.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHpsqZqmsfrpx6SglBzNdvjA6avp_8ZJZfubpx08ceR-Q0alH-8gCc6rxh2tnRlg17WURqrx_s9NqZpLeh9AwvI2SD_n1iX3Qxk1Jxd1wO_wPhj7UTgd1Gd-V6Ckw_KApe3nsCQ/s1600/DSC01632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHpsqZqmsfrpx6SglBzNdvjA6avp_8ZJZfubpx08ceR-Q0alH-8gCc6rxh2tnRlg17WURqrx_s9NqZpLeh9AwvI2SD_n1iX3Qxk1Jxd1wO_wPhj7UTgd1Gd-V6Ckw_KApe3nsCQ/s400/DSC01632.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stripey UFO with menacing hand shadow, eeeee!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I did a few things differently. Namely, I used buttons instead of beads (you know the ones that come with clothing, except if you're like me, you never label them and have no idea what in the world they belong to).<br />
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I discovered that a penny sized paper circle (in blue) was too close in size to the button, so I traced around a quarter instead.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle8OhxsjDSAOEOqap_CXgDILhfcj6T5A0F2oqDlkaq33Th8p8z0OWRdWqQ0IwkC81SwY2d6MilQKzjC3of6JEeY2dd3td-tZsh015LvnQDCYzDoHeBx0TAjgu9J6gDQBdGT1pmQ/s1600/striped+paper+ornament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle8OhxsjDSAOEOqap_CXgDILhfcj6T5A0F2oqDlkaq33Th8p8z0OWRdWqQ0IwkC81SwY2d6MilQKzjC3of6JEeY2dd3td-tZsh015LvnQDCYzDoHeBx0TAjgu9J6gDQBdGT1pmQ/s400/striped+paper+ornament.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I sewed the button to the circle. I cut up the strips (using my rotary cutter and mat for something other than fabric for the first time), folded the strips in half, and threaded through each strip towards the end. I then started threading through the other ends, starting with the FIRST strip that I threaded before. This instruction seemed counter-intuitive - looking at the middle photo below, it makes more sense that you would start with the white strip to the far right, rather than the yellow one to the far left.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNyicbrlGQNY8y38yOilPTE34D_meYeycz1Pg_UuKJmPBMaiVnPGV3p11QijKNEGI2q9TPfw_BHjcXWYCvs7oY6KkBlZ8jOZ29P4JMclyiIi9AYrvoueOvCwDhovOG2FavR1F2A/s1600/striped+paper+ornament1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNyicbrlGQNY8y38yOilPTE34D_meYeycz1Pg_UuKJmPBMaiVnPGV3p11QijKNEGI2q9TPfw_BHjcXWYCvs7oY6KkBlZ8jOZ29P4JMclyiIi9AYrvoueOvCwDhovOG2FavR1F2A/s640/striped+paper+ornament1.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br />
But I dutifully persevered, and ended with this:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5ql76Nf528DfdiwdAlVXVDb38Pqb1Nuq2I7fkIGdSWIiTASnks2y21dHNNSmLoYB70F0w9FNfYxuLB6t8zbS0w8ZySLXEY-2-7iBw7hkPzSzZAy5MS3bLHxyiXSC_9EksRK1SQ/s1600/DSC01630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5ql76Nf528DfdiwdAlVXVDb38Pqb1Nuq2I7fkIGdSWIiTASnks2y21dHNNSmLoYB70F0w9FNfYxuLB6t8zbS0w8ZySLXEY-2-7iBw7hkPzSzZAy5MS3bLHxyiXSC_9EksRK1SQ/s400/DSC01630.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Which, is exactly what happened to How About Orange: a gap on one side. it's impossible to avoid - the strips of paper descend like a spiral staircase, only <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascending_and_Descending">Escher</a> could make them match up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ahah, I decided, she must have done it wrong - if I thread it the way my instincts told me, it will be nice and symmetrical.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, hubris, etcetera:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CFHQhbu26ZjxIDQTNh_hJy_a0tI3WWYxHUEjN3y70vTRIawTuqoM7rZIXApK-YJpNbvRhy4xJS6fSQj1xPcBVsCqocAg6RTsibnm_uZwBqHUql359Z8CAzmXpw0id6XqygMIqQ/s1600/DSC01631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CFHQhbu26ZjxIDQTNh_hJy_a0tI3WWYxHUEjN3y70vTRIawTuqoM7rZIXApK-YJpNbvRhy4xJS6fSQj1xPcBVsCqocAg6RTsibnm_uZwBqHUql359Z8CAzmXpw0id6XqygMIqQ/s400/DSC01631.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ahem.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It doesn't work that way at all. The strips don't fan out nicely like they should, they just nestle, and flail. Bah.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But! I sort of worked it out, by tying a big knot on either side of the stacks of strips, so they didn't separate along the string. Am I making any sense? Probably not. Nevertheless, that seemed to reduce the gap.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY2lGuaWA8o1yTGDx1gDjUAJwgqR3JixpDUnbwZTZoct6Y6xe3-2hrFM6-B58amjqJ4BhONG990_0Wqacukz7BQfFLeqI0TpigkYR8s2FSWzd2K_QZwm1xNrcqMu2XTPKbeVNtg/s1600/DSC01635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY2lGuaWA8o1yTGDx1gDjUAJwgqR3JixpDUnbwZTZoct6Y6xe3-2hrFM6-B58amjqJ4BhONG990_0Wqacukz7BQfFLeqI0TpigkYR8s2FSWzd2K_QZwm1xNrcqMu2XTPKbeVNtg/s400/DSC01635.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The tree is down, so it can live on the chandelier for a while.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, I might be crazy for making ornaments in January. But we all know how bleak it can get this time of year. December is so full of the newness of winter, in its fresh, invigorating way. Christmas celebrates the season, with the snowmen, and the hot chocolate, and the matching gloves and hat wrapped under the tree. But then January comes around, and we're faced with 2 1/2 more months of not-so-novel-anymore hybernation. I say, it's time to keep the joy alive, in the form of oh-so-addictive paper craft.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_rKucLQKDPW6zF1uySjtwLDZFP5mNaZMkpdHCxK90dTwC9Auw7ORt8uOkeYFglaLkbATPpN69E8CH3ils-hcIi-oYiYsV6uEm9u9FzSq9iJZTFF9SFlwUUuoRKNV6PJHmxSpnQ/s1600/DSC01637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_rKucLQKDPW6zF1uySjtwLDZFP5mNaZMkpdHCxK90dTwC9Auw7ORt8uOkeYFglaLkbATPpN69E8CH3ils-hcIi-oYiYsV6uEm9u9FzSq9iJZTFF9SFlwUUuoRKNV6PJHmxSpnQ/s320/DSC01637.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lr3mRsTSAVkDopWI4pL3p885y23P_aThVK9F8Qhh8f-i5sXC4ytWVY8hq7VlIYfzNXhGXHZIvZRcAtSGwb3k-LZQaJBK7xeFXa5-QmMHMRcTel9ITYmsEyewWo7hyUpD4iP8Pg/s1600/DSC01634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lr3mRsTSAVkDopWI4pL3p885y23P_aThVK9F8Qhh8f-i5sXC4ytWVY8hq7VlIYfzNXhGXHZIvZRcAtSGwb3k-LZQaJBK7xeFXa5-QmMHMRcTel9ITYmsEyewWo7hyUpD4iP8Pg/s320/DSC01634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Which is why I made some snowflakes this morning at work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyMW35WqybRiCqM6ON1ZJ1QY9KOqZflIM_qEfrQc_WoDYkch5G4H2dg37P9Dqi4WftWlvlC_8r8vgbE-qu7ZsET0Fo8NAklHODZ3-mTbsVc4EEHYCEaZQdFOB7pI6QRdTicne5A/s1600/DSC01640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyMW35WqybRiCqM6ON1ZJ1QY9KOqZflIM_qEfrQc_WoDYkch5G4H2dg37P9Dqi4WftWlvlC_8r8vgbE-qu7ZsET0Fo8NAklHODZ3-mTbsVc4EEHYCEaZQdFOB7pI6QRdTicne5A/s400/DSC01640.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-3633503710807759912011-01-09T20:46:00.003-05:002011-01-18T23:31:41.116-05:00Not Your Grandma's Crochet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today I'm going to tell you all about a pretty weird but wonderful project I got involved in this past August. I met one of the organizers of it on the Metro, in fact. My advice to you: talk to strangers. Sometimes it turns out really, really well.</div><div><br />
</div><div>It's called the <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/hreef/index.html">Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef</a>.</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOu_IaxiFHjJcmkotPmaUC2A6KVCeAXz2nUoCADtvGHXK5HT3Lp9Bv0vLcfrRFq61O5D4ZF1E7gLmJhR52lpYPenjLtokGwfpxkR_-qAhSYTP-1VO4R1vDLzAp5r7Jk4s5HYr2g/s1600/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOu_IaxiFHjJcmkotPmaUC2A6KVCeAXz2nUoCADtvGHXK5HT3Lp9Bv0vLcfrRFq61O5D4ZF1E7gLmJhR52lpYPenjLtokGwfpxkR_-qAhSYTP-1VO4R1vDLzAp5r7Jk4s5HYr2g/s400/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feast your eyes.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div></div><div>The what? That's right, the <a href="http://crochetcoralreef.org/">Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef</a>! It's a temporary exhibit at the <a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/">Smithsonian Museum of Natural History</a> (my lifelong favorite museum in DC), conceived and created by twin sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim at the <a href="http://www.theiff.org/">Institute for Figuring</a>. Combining mathematics, marine biology, handicraft revival, community art practice, and environmental activism, it doesn't get much more interdisciplinary than this, people. I could blab on about it more, but Margaret does a much better job of it, here:<br />
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</div><div></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zGEDHMF4rLI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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</div><div></div><div>I strongly encourage you to watch the video before you continue reading! Okay I'll admit it, I kind of have a crush on her. She's just so brilliant! Don't stop when she gets to the <a href="http://theiff.org/oexhibits/oe1.html">math</a>, I promise it won't be boring, and it doesn't matter if you don't quite get it, I didn't at first.</div><div></div><div><br />
</div><div>And here's the thing: this stuff really looks like coral. It's beautiful, sculptural, soft. And the process of making it is so...organic. Sometimes I get stuck by the restrictions that patterns impose - this is probably why I've never knitted anything more complicated than a scarf (maybe this blog will inspire me to conquer that fear) - you have to make sure that you have the right worsted weight and needle size and the right number of stitches so that your work reaches the correct size so you can actually wear that damn sweater. But with hyperbolic crochet, you just go. Just stich baby. And increase. And increase some more, until it's all frilly and crenulated. You can increase every 10 stitches, or every 2. You can do single, double, half-double, whatever type of stitch you like. And you can use whatever old yarn or other material you have lying around from 20 years ago.</div><div></div><div>In fact, that's the beauty, and somehow, poetry of this project - you are encouraged to repurpose. A portion of the reef is dedicated this: a Toxic Reef. Participants used what could have otherwise gone into a landfill to draw attention to all the effing <a href="http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-is-the-great-pacific-ocean-garbage-patch">garbage</a> in our beautiful oceans. Strips of plastic bags, cassete tape (what the hell else are you going to do with that in 2011?), chicken wire, strips of an old t-shirt...etc. Much like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_David_Letterman_sketches#Will_It_Float.3F">Will It Float</a> and <a href="http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/01/13/site-of-the-day-waffleizer/">Will</a> It <a href="http://www.waffleizer.com/">Waffle</a>, you too can answer the question of: Will It Crochet? Yes, yes it will.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMrsTRylVvzEIFhamTWFeq_6KaLRFHJqfy7ZjhRvKGpVzTI_sdzr22YqeSaTTV0PdxTeit7_RfWqY1lH32uQYh0XVDkKaLY4FbzDd9_0I3CYZW17ehKEzbCcVSakN7atZycQpZQ/s1600/crochet+coral+reef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMrsTRylVvzEIFhamTWFeq_6KaLRFHJqfy7ZjhRvKGpVzTI_sdzr22YqeSaTTV0PdxTeit7_RfWqY1lH32uQYh0XVDkKaLY4FbzDd9_0I3CYZW17ehKEzbCcVSakN7atZycQpZQ/s640/crochet+coral+reef.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Made from trash! Word.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>These are what I made (and now they're in a museum - consider my mind blown):</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTLd_3FaWLGgCVB5V0M8-hK_0r3e4HdTbLtBrTZrmf_Qfe4yNOsBRrpzjyPGDQzUs8B__eDhTU7WtQ15at0mGV4E7XDS8wQJ4t_IMXcSHxPh8CJMXFj61DgJFOhaX07-1Gwelpg/s1600/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTLd_3FaWLGgCVB5V0M8-hK_0r3e4HdTbLtBrTZrmf_Qfe4yNOsBRrpzjyPGDQzUs8B__eDhTU7WtQ15at0mGV4E7XDS8wQJ4t_IMXcSHxPh8CJMXFj61DgJFOhaX07-1Gwelpg/s640/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Three made from yarn, and the bottom right is made from strips of plasti<span style="font-size: small;">c supermarket bags.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> The top left is for the Bleached Reef.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I was lucky enough to be get the opportunity to help "curate" (I use this term very loosely) the exhibit once all the submissions were in (nearly 4000 individual pieces, from nearly 800 contributors in at least 3 countries). Some volunteers carefully put every contributor's name into a database (our names are on a plaque!), others sorted each piece by color, and I had the fun of sorting the pile of pinks into purply pinks, reddish pinks, brown pinks, coral/orangey pinks, hot pinks, etc.</div><div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONDktUlMR0OtF2ihUhkakK4PhbCMoFqW14ZHWVCRJYE7j5grI-hj5jaVTnTPjbvVHpkkcWe6uOi-OnbvSWTj9VCVkmh77gu_t8TRHfttOf3tzUCKsOZr9ixudk_yJy_Yqwk5rnw/s1600/DSC01009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONDktUlMR0OtF2ihUhkakK4PhbCMoFqW14ZHWVCRJYE7j5grI-hj5jaVTnTPjbvVHpkkcWe6uOi-OnbvSWTj9VCVkmh77gu_t8TRHfttOf3tzUCKsOZr9ixudk_yJy_Yqwk5rnw/s400/DSC01009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We turned this...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEK_C-qHWlvTKKLimvmpVV61dGaO4yTDOHiIhOk-MqTrY6AxM-FLuaflJiZ0IeJJh3gGXYHxXkZ28rVTKPdHbq6RoxZb1FF3tksKCo_77h08r74SnYlriEKYsYfcApp5SttpZsQ/s1600/DSC01011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEK_C-qHWlvTKKLimvmpVV61dGaO4yTDOHiIhOk-MqTrY6AxM-FLuaflJiZ0IeJJh3gGXYHxXkZ28rVTKPdHbq6RoxZb1FF3tksKCo_77h08r74SnYlriEKYsYfcApp5SttpZsQ/s400/DSC01011.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...into this.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The full time curators managed to organize the mass of contributions into a breathtaking display, now on at the SMNH, as part of the Oceans Exhibit, until April 24, 2011.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Get ye to this exhibit, stat! You might even see me there, as I've become a volunteer docent specifically assigned to the reef. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Want to learn how to do this? Go to YouTube or this great <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-search.cgi?store=/stores/eyarn&learnToCrochet=1">tutorial series</a> to help you learn the basics of crochet so you can get started, and then head <a href="http://crochetcoralreef.org/Content/makeyourown/IFF-CrochetReef-HowToHandout.pdf">here</a> or to the group on <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/account/login">Ravelry</a> for patterns (they're really just guides, make them your own), and to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/sicommunityreef/">Flickr Pool</a> for inspiration.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiausH2bPpRzEHWoHJbVxIFTwlwmCvOTAto52bp-bUojv1mO4WdQmJqBfa8LpTzuhdXFn_Rz-9ahiOv5DX5hIB28edlMQsLy1It40MzZghipu4HpEz98NnXuwwd_PyT3SDikzIoYQ/s1600/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiausH2bPpRzEHWoHJbVxIFTwlwmCvOTAto52bp-bUojv1mO4WdQmJqBfa8LpTzuhdXFn_Rz-9ahiOv5DX5hIB28edlMQsLy1It40MzZghipu4HpEz98NnXuwwd_PyT3SDikzIoYQ/s640/Crochet+project+for+Smithsonian3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you tell I had fun with the collage function on Picasa today?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div> <span style="font-size: large;">So.Pretty.</span></div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-7236409700352855982011-01-07T02:14:00.002-05:002011-01-07T02:20:31.977-05:00To Call Each Thing By Its Right Name<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div>When I was in college (oh so many years ago), I had a friend who lived about 2 hours away. Sophomore year, we began trading care packages. About once a month, we would send each other small boxes, full of gag gifts from the dollar store, handmade items, silly notes with doodles on them, and the like. Usually we had some confetti lying around (as you do) and we'd fill up the empty space in the box to make it extra festive. These packages made my week, every time.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On one such time, it came in an old Tiffany box, with that lovely, trademark teal blue color. I thought it was just so pretty. A blank canvas! What could I do with it?</div><div><br />
</div><div>So I picked up some magazines I had lying around. I started flipping through the pages and cutting out words and phrases, in varying sizes, fonts, and colors. Everything to do with friendship, fun times, something I thought might make her laugh, a value we shared - whatever reminded me of her and of our friendship - it all got glue-sticked on there. We exchanged that box for quite some time. I don't know where it is anymore. I wonder, if I saw it now, would it surprise me? Make me cringe? Would it give me some insight into who I was back then, based on my choice of words?</div><div><br />
</div><div>FAST FORWARD: 10 years (Aaaahhhh!!!)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, it happened again. That magazine collage thing. I wanted a place where I could collect words of inspiration to me: song lyrics, poems, quotes, mantras, or words of my own invention. I could add to it as they occurred to me, and refer to the book whenever I needed a little something to pull me back in, to remind me of what beauty there is in life.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I love words.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Finding the right words, <u>giving a name to something</u> - it clarifies the world for me in a way that nothing else does. I say to myself, ahh, so that's what that is. There is so much richness and depth in language, so much material for us to use to define what we see, do, feel.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And so it began that I searched far and wide (if far and wide means Barnes & Noble, Borders, and <a href="http://www.paper-source.com/">Paper Source</a>) for just the right book for the job - just the right size, blank pages, and a beautiful design on the outside cover. Well, all I have to tell you is this: all the cool journals have lines. I didn't want lines! I wanted to write as big or as small as I pleased, and maybe draw on those pages. All you diary writers get the pretty ones. In a moment of clarity, I remembered that little blue box from years ago, and it's flurry of letters. Ahah! This could work.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So I bought a blank sketchbook...</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi-b8NVoFGth2_ZxpXrKDpzpQRPeX9nvM9NYLUgnvJeshS5irjX76sJwhHcOsdYmzvpBH6aPkeEihQlx5YaBkM6xR36YtQyMipJD2A0Hmw0W8ibGMT4noUVuA2bYv7m7yn4h4uA/s1600/DSC01391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi-b8NVoFGth2_ZxpXrKDpzpQRPeX9nvM9NYLUgnvJeshS5irjX76sJwhHcOsdYmzvpBH6aPkeEihQlx5YaBkM6xR36YtQyMipJD2A0Hmw0W8ibGMT4noUVuA2bYv7m7yn4h4uA/s400/DSC01391.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3oY40E5o1hn9KmlgQ8kYv7M8eBpVlu7dUQy63nYGHFWe6bfyRNyv8lXPlsjB9cBcR-Z0C_EqLt1CDuMdBy-xN5JrCzjZ8YeTfGA6PKmxhv6fVzhD3aSdvAJYMMbkwm-nu7ZuKQ/s1600/DSC01393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3oY40E5o1hn9KmlgQ8kYv7M8eBpVlu7dUQy63nYGHFWe6bfyRNyv8lXPlsjB9cBcR-Z0C_EqLt1CDuMdBy-xN5JrCzjZ8YeTfGA6PKmxhv6fVzhD3aSdvAJYMMbkwm-nu7ZuKQ/s400/DSC01393.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Aah, the possibilities...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34tD4uy_Tly-btO5t78p6MDwtRkbNiYv5VSFO2S5zE_63mxCQMpoyPsJXrhWWGXsU7KBqw68AQXC16JXdIHqvOg-jOV_uhxy1D1Ppm2YkARfm4hL0NcIWjnEEjztFzDry2Obg6g/s1600/DSC01602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34tD4uy_Tly-btO5t78p6MDwtRkbNiYv5VSFO2S5zE_63mxCQMpoyPsJXrhWWGXsU7KBqw68AQXC16JXdIHqvOg-jOV_uhxy1D1Ppm2YkARfm4hL0NcIWjnEEjztFzDry2Obg6g/s400/DSC01602.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At least the end papers are fun.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>and turned it into this...</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQTvYa7KvOB1NxRt_uJ2hXgVFPTK7gFpftUP75xP9J66oMsHr9ZeGWloNIJ3kY7J32pFnIvdUDHZ3Aglt866l5XChlgR2IiPQZegoK3JwdZq72y5PJKUa-oh-siyM_pVJQeJoqg/s1600/DSC01607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQTvYa7KvOB1NxRt_uJ2hXgVFPTK7gFpftUP75xP9J66oMsHr9ZeGWloNIJ3kY7J32pFnIvdUDHZ3Aglt866l5XChlgR2IiPQZegoK3JwdZq72y5PJKUa-oh-siyM_pVJQeJoqg/s400/DSC01607.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The front.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElh0FHchdtED7V7TBtWB5kribLle_ODn9RQN29Y6iClahA6it3w0KWQi25nvH30JHJdY30tBhITyJ9ouuSD_5C_ReNM7GyB9W0QqVCaGvxL7O_2KSX7-FHs623SGDI_84e0ry3w/s1600/DSC01610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElh0FHchdtED7V7TBtWB5kribLle_ODn9RQN29Y6iClahA6it3w0KWQi25nvH30JHJdY30tBhITyJ9ouuSD_5C_ReNM7GyB9W0QqVCaGvxL7O_2KSX7-FHs623SGDI_84e0ry3w/s400/DSC01610.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The back.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>Here's how the process looked:</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpkG4zImXnZAGeDhsJEneohpZxWSzt98dESQjm9nlGuhdk8_37NpyYImoN1-qDtGgHKrSfX9xVVBC0BhS-qGh981HRwHx-BlPAEwFhXpJIKEQZrHJaFrqdY097e035QsRm7oRKw/s1600/DSC01449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpkG4zImXnZAGeDhsJEneohpZxWSzt98dESQjm9nlGuhdk8_37NpyYImoN1-qDtGgHKrSfX9xVVBC0BhS-qGh981HRwHx-BlPAEwFhXpJIKEQZrHJaFrqdY097e035QsRm7oRKw/s400/DSC01449.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Apparently I was also collecting leaves that day?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ej6FCYybH9NeFa5864MvOD2AUoptuL925K_axa-ySxQsW7p_SrcST_E1Jr0i25q3-NaKAYu2dXc0if5R3RfOCtcgB0PWJaafXuUd9DnIHPS-ISqBeq50IqjHZ7yd9Xv3d1eh7g/s1600/DSC01485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ej6FCYybH9NeFa5864MvOD2AUoptuL925K_axa-ySxQsW7p_SrcST_E1Jr0i25q3-NaKAYu2dXc0if5R3RfOCtcgB0PWJaafXuUd9DnIHPS-ISqBeq50IqjHZ7yd9Xv3d1eh7g/s320/DSC01485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I tried to keep things tidy</span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>Verdict: there were way too many words! Winnowing them down was part of the unexpected joy of this project. Yea, that word is nice, but this other word <i>really</i> speaks to me, it's going on instead. I also did not expect to discover this: you see different words in different types of magazines. You won't find the same patterns of language coming up in Time as you will in Smithsonian, and certainly not in Cosmo. Of course, I had a lens. I was looking for warm, positive words, ones that would hold me, energize me, make me smile.</div><div><br />
</div><div>(I'm just saying, I passed by the word "perfect" in those women's magazines sooo much. Take that to your women's studies class, do with it what you will.)</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.fleurdelis.com/desiderata.htm">Desiderata</a> is in there, of course.</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ka9jMSMJGInuobYxJe7umBS8KKhdwFR92ymeFni-HuD-g5gZ1Ae4gb_1jWKVil2eWWT0vsrZ8W7p600bKR9-zJErio0GNHuoORqLh0TL2stufvLJvJC0PX_YHYS4JyNb1NVr7A/s1600/DSC01603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ka9jMSMJGInuobYxJe7umBS8KKhdwFR92ymeFni-HuD-g5gZ1Ae4gb_1jWKVil2eWWT0vsrZ8W7p600bKR9-zJErio0GNHuoORqLh0TL2stufvLJvJC0PX_YHYS4JyNb1NVr7A/s400/DSC01603.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So is this.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpyAikC_64CcFVhqmRqAWA-4Vb9t_wJpIHU2Hg5-U_nnlZ8KsypqcIQ35t-huYPrndcB3fq-IoNKTFK8ioqoK9ZozTSq7kDuwiUZseOYErmsMwRttFdayCC93YaXwMkEw88HwTQ/s1600/DSC01604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpyAikC_64CcFVhqmRqAWA-4Vb9t_wJpIHU2Hg5-U_nnlZ8KsypqcIQ35t-huYPrndcB3fq-IoNKTFK8ioqoK9ZozTSq7kDuwiUZseOYErmsMwRttFdayCC93YaXwMkEw88HwTQ/s400/DSC01604.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's a crowd pleaser</span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div>Words inside, words outside. And much more to come.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDceckVti-ZIuGSnW2jCgnx1tTBQNb0AqUK5eDw2WdEkTtOc-yIxE1BQVQCcM_PrPUQdmhQsoTTf98WsnhS65_QkbCEJuEZVTU4kyi3oQSvzD44Z5YQNTIPiplEO62Ybweztft_A/s1600/DSC01486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDceckVti-ZIuGSnW2jCgnx1tTBQNb0AqUK5eDw2WdEkTtOc-yIxE1BQVQCcM_PrPUQdmhQsoTTf98WsnhS65_QkbCEJuEZVTU4kyi3oQSvzD44Z5YQNTIPiplEO62Ybweztft_A/s400/DSC01486.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-80410470324761617482011-01-03T17:47:00.001-05:002011-01-10T17:29:12.261-05:00Catching the Crafting Bug<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div>Sixteen months ago, I got the idea that I wanted to learn to quilt. Who knows where the idea came from. The last time I had sewn was in middle school Home Ec. class. I knew almost nothing about it. My friend was due to have a baby, and I guess I decided that I just.must! make a quilt for her son. And like most of my projects/crafts, I quickly became obsessed. I started reading quilting blogs. I went to the fabric store (and fell in love). I researched classes. Spent too much money on supplies. Dug out my mom's 30 year-old sewing machine, and got some rudimentary lessons from her.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And you know, I was looking for something. Something to focus on, something to add purpose to my life. Something to be mindful about. Isn't that how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_%26_Julia" target="_blank">Julie Powell</a> got started? She was feeling a little asea, and it just so happened that cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just a year was what did it for her. For me, it began with a four month quilting class. When I had finished the weekly homework from the class, I began working on little hand sewing projects. And sketching again. I dreamed about designing my own fabric, and selling stuff on Etsy. I tried pottery painting. Got back into crocheting and knitting. And taking photographs. Scrapbooking.</div><div><br />
</div><div>ETCETERA. It was a bit of an explosion.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll get back to all that. My major focus though, during those months, was the quilt. A beginning!</div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oTkzDthnzXF3ona8sJbbLbc9hlClC6IUs2IwhLHfUIhB2Lq4yUwgqdqWBnT2j9p192xKIeUgGNolL9T-K1a0GNYR4rwxpCszR5bLDllwxBecbU7nTfKHS1K6eAx3Z3sTpkggBQ/s1600/20091009_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oTkzDthnzXF3ona8sJbbLbc9hlClC6IUs2IwhLHfUIhB2Lq4yUwgqdqWBnT2j9p192xKIeUgGNolL9T-K1a0GNYR4rwxpCszR5bLDllwxBecbU7nTfKHS1K6eAx3Z3sTpkggBQ/s320/20091009_1744.JPG" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not all my photos are crappy like this, I swear!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div></div><div>So, here you go. My first quilt block. It's crooked. And about half an inch too small. Each seam has been ripped out at least once (I did a lot of that in the beginning. It's effing hard to get those four corners to match up just right).</div><div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I kind of love it.</span></div><div></div><div>Because it's not perfect. Because I was okay with it not being perfect. I look at it now, eased (read: strehhhhtched) in with its neighbors, and I see a story.</div><div></div><div>And that's just the prologue.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11301824.post-61228456218816690572011-01-01T17:32:00.000-05:002011-01-01T17:32:12.045-05:00Calling All Creative Types!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div>Or not. Maybe you just like stuff. You probably like stuff. So sit down and stay awhile. Pour a cup of tea. You might see something you like.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So what's this blog about? Creating. Making. Doing. Thinking. Art. Craft. You get the idea. And here's the thing, many of us don't think we're creative. I believe we all are, in some unique, perhaps undiscovered way. Let's expand what it means to create. That's what this blog is really about. We'll do it together. Listen, and participate. Make meaning. Discover. Contribute.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thanks for stopping by.</div>SKFitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07918783403970802557noreply@blogger.com0