Demystified...

We New Englanders have been living in the dark.  A curious, at times envious, crafting dark.  A Hobby Lobby dark.  Up until this weekend, that is, when our first Hobby Lobby (at least in Massachusetts) opened!



So many crafty blogs casually mention this store and we have been left to wonder what we are missing.  Wonder no longer, my friends!  I was able to snap a few photos with my phone (not many, though - seems they were triple-staffed for the grand opening!) to satisfy your curiosity.



While the fabric selection was small, there were so many cute prints and colors.  These were the home dec chevrons! 

Tons of things to decorate your home, too!  While I have been on a major decluttering spree and do NOT want these things in my home collecting dust, they are still fun to look at.  Do you want faux birdcages? glass bottles? metal Ford signs for your garage?  mini-London phone booths?  They have it all, and lots more!  It's almost too much!

In the end, I think I showed pretty good restraint.  3 yards quilting cotton and 1 yard striped knit.  Not bad for feeling like a kid in a candy shop!

Sending some sunshine

2 weeks ago we had this...



Then, we went to this...

 

 

 

 

 

Just wanted to send some sunshine to those expecting MORE snow tonight!

Kiss Lock Clutch

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking a sewing class at Stitch Lounge in Greenfield, MA.

If you are any bit local to the area, I highly recommend a trip into Jenna's lovely store.  (For those not local, her etsy shop has the sweetest fabrics!)

During the class, we learned to make kiss lock clutches.  Jenna's pattern is perfect for using up small fabric pieces, including these treasured black and yellow florals from Moda.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make my piece of Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks work for the bigger clutch.  Luckily, Jenna had a fat quarter of this pink floral, which ended up matching my lining pretty well.

It was great to be a sewing student, rather than teacher, for a night, and spend some time in somebody else's sewing space.  I think I see more of these clutches in my future! 

Hoping you find something new and fun to create!

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope your day is sweet!

(recipe link here)

Spread the love

I think Valentine's Day is as much a day to celebrate your special sweetie as it is to celebrate your other loved ones: kids, parents, friends, and relatives.

The girls and I sewed up a few Valentine felt garlands for the grandparents, and honorary grandparents (special aunts and uncles).

I love how simple this project is, and how much Valenteine cheer can be spread with it. 

Rolled up, slipped into a clear plastic bag, labeled with a simple tag, and ready to deliver!

Hope you are finding some holiday inspiration this week!

Digging out and digging in

In case you were wondering, we got enough snow from Nemo to tunnel through!
Hope you are enjoying some sunshine, wherever you are!

Valentine Wreath

My favorite crafty project is the one that is quick, useful, and uses up materials already in my stash.  Enter this wreath.  I stumbled upon it somewhere in the blogosphere and thought it would be a cute addition to our other Valentine decorations.  

I modified it a bit to make it smaller, and use materials on hand (see here for how to make the yarn wreath base).  Originally, I used the same charcoal gray yarn to make the argyle stripes, but it looked too chunky (see the wreath on the left in the top photo?).  I like the lighter pink stripes much better - looks more authentic argyle.

The hearts were cut from 2" squares, and the wreath is 9" in diameter.  They fit perfectly on either side of our dining room windows to perk up the space a bit with some Valentine spunk.

Wishing you some satisfying (and free) crafting!