croque-choux

Croque-choux, now with more wool

Knitting again... I seem to have caught the hand knit sock bug!  I know this will probably surprise a lot of people who come (or used to come) here to see if I had any fiber art in the works, but I seem to have temporarily gone off sewing for the moment. It's much easier to whip out the knitting needles than it is to set up the sewing machine, ironing board, and cutting mat. Just saying. Also, I finally got in at Ravelry, which is not helping my sewing ideas any - such a cool website! When I'm not surfing around FLickr, I'm all over Ravelry :o) Anyway, here is the sock pattern I'm doing right now.

That said, the latest Marie Claire Idées has some wonderful ideas in it this time! Check it out on their website. I especially like the chair cover which is inspired by the well known Royal Copenhagen porcelain patterns. I will probably have to wait until Christmas vacation though before I can start one of their projects, which should give me enough time to finish the 2 pairs of socks I have on the go...

The trouble with flowers...

By this time of the year north of the Loire valley there aren't many flowers left to admire, except for the last roses of the season and maybe a few dahlias, so I thought I'd try my hand at making some flowers of my own. I'm so pleased with how this pink flower turned out, and I can think of a dozen things to do with these little things! They are so easy to make, too. I will post the link to the tutorial, as soon as I find it again. After that I thought I'd try to make a kanazashi flower, but unfortunately that went terribly wrong as you can see by the photos. 

I think that I cut the starter squares a bit too big and that the fabric I used was way too stiff. No matter  how much I fumbled with it I could not get it to look any better than this :o( Maybe I can fix it. Oh well, back to the drawing board as they say, or better still- back to the tutorials over at Spangle! And speaking of flowers gone wrong- oh my god I'm such a sucker for anything violet flavored that I bought these little violet dessert thingies at the supermarket the other day, against my better judgement. They're really weird, halfway between a yogurt and a pudding, and the color is purplish gray-  eeeeyew! 
To end this on a more positive note though: If you'd like to see some really beautiful kanazashi, follow the link from Cuteable. I really enjoy this blog by the way, so I am definitely adding Cuteable to the links on my sidebar!

girly pin cushion

Here is the pin cushion I made for an exchange I found over at Swapbot, the first swap I've done throught this website. Nothing like an exchange to get one sewing again! The cushion came out soft and feminine looking, in spite of the grey pin striped suit flannel. I love grey, pink, and ecru together. The "A" is for Autumn, the name of the person who will receive this. I added a tiny hint of lavender too, snuggled inside the stuffing. Had to let go of it quick, because it was giving me the warm fuzzies every time I handled it and I was starting to want to keep it- even though my name doesn't start with A :o)

amigurumi wabbit

   
Just finished a small amigurumi rabbit, made from a pattern in one of the books I got for my birthday. Okay, he isn't very Halloweenish, but he was fun and easy to make during the odd moments when I had just a few minutes here and there . Lately it's much simpler for me to whip out a crochet hook than it is to set up my sewing machine and paw through my fabrics and embellishments as I am temporarily lacking craft space. The last thing I "sewed" was the tiny silk chirimen scarf this bunny is wearing! That, and his ears :o)

Done!

Yay! I finished the kitty! Believe it or not, my husband actually claimed this one before it was even finished :o) My son wants a blue and white one with a red nose; maybe I can make one for his birthday in November. I started this as a keep-me-sane project during those last days of my temp job. The job is finished and so is this amigurumi. It feels good just to finish anything really. My creativity has been suffering since that last job and because my husband requisitioned my big sewing table. He needed a desk for his studies (more about that later), so I now need to scour Ikea for a smaller table (one that folds in half? Where would I even put that?). Until then, I guess I'll have to make portable crafts like this kitty! Better photos on Flickr.

Little by little...

Amineko almost finished- the only problem is that everyone in the house wants to keep it! It looks like I'll have to make 3 more... Must finish the other leg first, and embroider the face. By the way, I found the original pattern as well as cute amineko computer wallpaper  by clicking around the author's home page (in Japanese).

My Backtack softie unveiled

Now that I'm sure that the stuffed animal I made for Eireann in the Backtack III swap finally arrived safely, I can post pictures! I don't have many photos of it though unfortunately, because I just took a few quick pictures before putting the pony in its yellow Postbox paddock.

I wish I had taken more detailed photos! The pony's eyes are very tiny vintage mother of pearl buttons, and I added a little hand embroidery on his legs and appliqued flowers on his hind quarters. This little felt horse was made from a pattern I bought in Sweden about 17 years ago. A little more  hand  sewing than I remember, and a bit tricky, but it makes a very cute horse. Here is another shot of him admiring the view from the roof of my car

As seen in MC Idées

Just wanted to post this cute idea for a pillow that was in the last issue of Marie Claire Idées. Love these happy yummy colors, and all the different felt flowers, don't you? If you can read a little French, you'll see in the photo that Marie Claire Idées is going to have their first ever craft show in October near the Louvre! I have been so out of the loop lately what with my stupid new job, that I missed their yearly challenge. This time it was bags (purses, totes, etc.) and as usual the best ones will be pictured in their Christmas issue. All the bags they receive will be sold during the craft show, and the proceeds will go to the children's charity La Chaine de l'Espoir (translation: "Hope Chain"). I could kick myself because I really wanted to participate, and I let the date slip by :o(

And the nominees are...

Ma petite Bunny says: Don't forget to VOTE for your favorite Backtack III stuffed animal! Voting is on until June 24th.

Backtack III teaser

       
I am embarrassingly behind with everything in my life right now: housework, e-mail, sewing, reading, washing, (take your pick) - and it's after 2 am Friday night, but I just wanted to finally post a couple of teaser shots of the Backtack III Softie that I made for Eireann. About time, I know. Without giving too much away, the accent color is red as you can see, and I used a pattern that I bought in Sweden about 17 years ago (!). There was more  handsewing than I bargained for, but I really like the way it turned out. That's all I can say now, until it arrives safely in the U.S.

This week at the new job was a little better, but I still feel like I've been putting out a lot of little fires the whole time. And this weekend has to be better than the last 2- I mean a 3rd weekend with a 48 hour migraine just cannot be. And for once, this Saturday there is no school, no karate, and no homework- woohoo! So I plan to read, sleep, do something creative, and maybe even squeeze in a little housework (yuk)!