Sewing = My latest obsession.

I didn't do all that much of it in Brooklyn, because it seemed to take up too much space. Also, my sewing machine was a bit too heavy to keep dragging out all the time. In a perfect world, I'd have a room big enough to have the machine set up and ready to go at all times. Of course there would also be a gorgeous collection of threads on the wall to choose from, stacks of beautiful fabrics organized by color and magical 'infinity' bobbins that never need re-winding, but let's get real!  Most of the time, my fabric is a mess or I don't have enough for what I want to do. Plus, I usually give up on the pattern early and do my own thing, only to realize that the pattern contained some important information/steps I should probably have paid attention to. (This coming from the girl who writes patterns for a living, duh.) Needless to say, I have a lot of unfinished sewing projects in my possession. These sewing disasters are far less forgiving than my pile of knitting 'mistakes' which can easily be pulled out and re-knit. It's definitely important that I keep hangDesign it Yourself Clothes by Cal Patching on to them though, despite the fact that I will NEVER actually finish them.  

Lately, the sewing bug has hit me. Perhaps because in Maine, I've been able to spread out. Or perhaps because I have a sewing machine here that can do more than just a straight stitch plus a mom who works at a bookstore and gets me awesome craft books and doesn't seem to mind me taking over the dinning room table for weeks on end... 

 

It started with Design-it Yourself-Clothes by the wonderful designer/maker/teacher (and my friend)  Cal Patch.   As someone who has wanted to make her own clothes for like, forever, I was really excited to get this book. I started with the first project, a skirt, and have already learned so much about darts, seams, translating paper pattern to fabric, thinking three dimensionally and on and on. It's such a cute book. The photos are light, airy and inspirational. Her voice is encouraging, humorous and extremely approachable. With each turn of the page, I couldn't wait to get started.

One day I decided to make the little elephant from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts:

Then I got One Yard Wonders and launched into a holiday making frenzy!

I made the car caddy & the origami tray seen on the cover for my mom.  For my six year old pal, Eleanor, I made an apron that turns into a little bag!

 

But perhaps the BEST thing to happen in my sewing life... stumbling upon an unfinished project left by my Great Aunt Wilma: a very "late seventies" cloth quiet book. She had all the pieces cut out, labeled and organized in envelopes. The pages were ready to go and all I had to do was attach everything, which in my opinion, was the easier and more fun part. Thanks Wilma!! There were enough materials to make two books, so I gave one to Eleanor's sister Clarissa, who is the perfect age for it!! From what I hear, it was a hit!

 

 

Going Home

My apartment in a truckA few days ago I loaded all my possessions into a rental truck and made the seven hour drive back to Maine... with my cat. Thankfully my pal Sarah came a long for the ride and kept Louis (the cat) from jumping in my face. He chilled on the dashboard mostly while I admired the leaves and made small talk, unable to comprehend all I was leaving behind.

The time to move from Brooklyn hit me like a ton of bricks. Really? Leave the coolest place? (it is right?) Why? I have everything I'll ever need here. It's hip, happening and there's so much to do! Right. There's so much to do. At any given moment you could be doing something else much cooler, with much cooler people, wearing much cooler clothes or shoes. My friends are pretty rad, so I tended to focus on the shoes part and since I was almost always broke, buying such things was usually out of the question. Oh NY, how you inflated my insecurities!

My Marks family send off. They all came to wave goodbye, heart wrenching, but much appreciated!But I don't want to dwell on the darkness, because the city is a fabulous place, I'm sure in time I'll even be able to lift my "I heart NY" mug high, but it just wasn't working out.

Of course I have HUGE plans of doing everything I ever wanted in life in this new magical land of opportunity, but for now...I'm content to collect my thoughts, breathe fresh air, talk to people I haven't seen in years, invest in some new projects and find my smile.

Things I will miss:

  • My pals and their kids
  • The flea and these pickles
  • The slate sidewalks covered in leaves and a little rain
  • The Brooklyn Bridge
  • Brooklyn being part of my addressThe Marks brought me a parting gift and as I opened it 2 year old Clarissa said "Happy Bithday Gimmie!" which just killed me!
  • Bike riding in all seasons (ok, I didn't really do that, but at least I could!)
  • Brooklyn Family Thanksgivings
  • Being able to get almost anything at anytime
  • Being able to drink as much as you want and still get home safely (hello subway/car service!)
  • Things being open past 9pm!
  • The skyline
  • Parties on my roof

Things I won't miss

  • Traffic
  • Being underground
  • Cockroaches
  • The anger... in every line, street corner, subway car, driver...
  • Carrying my bike up four flights!

City Escape

Thank goodness for friends who invite you to their cabin for the weekend! Leaving New York City is always amazing, regardless of the extra time you spend in traffic.

Having just broke up with my boyfriend the day before, I'm sure I was not the most effervescent guest... but still, they entertained me and made me smile. We took walks in the woods, swam in the pond and sipped wine late into the evening. At night I got to disappear into my own private room in the tree house.

The best part was watching my six year old pal Luke do all this big kid stuff. Excellent cannon balls into the pond, wiggling his first loose tooth and spying his first shooting star! So cool.

I was able to snap a few photos with my newly repaired camera (hallelujah!) but honestly, sitting around doing nothing was my primary activity. Much, much needed and enjoyed.

Oden couldn't wait to wake me up in the morning. It was so sweet to see him looking up at me, tail wagging, from the bottom of the tree house stairs.

 

Make It! Worry Dolls

As a crafty child, particularly drawn to obsessively detailed activities, I could often be found hunkered down at the dining room table going to town with my next patience testing endeavour. My top three = friendship bracelets, fimo beads and worry dolls. My mother not only encouraged my craftiness, she generously provided a full arsenal of supplies and schooled me in the art of keeping organized. I think I spent more time wrapping my flosses onto bobbins and deciding what color order they should be kept in than I did making the dolls themselves. Considering how many dolls I actually made, that's pretty impressive.

A couple of years ago I came across the tattered instruction sheet for these dolls and knew I had to make them again. I figured if I wanted to make them, there might be others who'd like to make them too...

One of the reasons I switched my blog over to the Purl Beehive was to be able to put up projects like this and reach more people. I've always wanted to make how-to projects a bigger part of Inspired Living and this seems like the place to do it!

 

Today I'm launching a new category called Make It! which will be the place to find craft ideas and their instructions.  YEah!!

 

If you would like to make some worry dolls too, check out the instuctions here.

 

Have fun and if you make some, send me photos! I'd like to start a flickr group of blog projects one day!