thelongthread – Page 142 – the long thread

April 29, 2010

Hello there.

peonies

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Just popping in to say “Hi.”

I’m busy trying to manage my time as it seems I’m transitioning from a stay-at-home mom to a work-from-home mom as I’m writing this book. It’s tricky business. I feel like I’ve landed in the middle of the Mommy Wars. I have now experienced that mixture of guilt and relief when I drop my kids off at school. I’ve always felt that it’s essential for mothers to have something of their own — whether it’s a paid job, a volunteer job or a hobby (like sewing!). But I’ve never understood the need to fight about stay-at-home parenting versus working parenting — there’s no right way, in my opinion. It’s different for every family and we live in a complicated world. Inevitably we all screw it up at some point, don’t we?

And I have lots of pretty flowers around because my friend Laura is taking photos for the book in my turned-upside-down house. But you’ll have to wait until Spring 2011 to see these peonies again.

April 19, 2010April 19, 2010

Parasol Craft

Take a look at the latest Parasol Craft to find an interview with me! This is a beautiful magazine featuring the work of some amazing artists (and then there’s me). The beautiful illustration on the cover is by Yasmine Surovec, who also happens to be the creator of the magazine — she’s multi-talented! Included in the magazine are 118 pages full of handmade goodness, downloadable backgrounds, paper crafts with downloadable files, instructions for a hand drawn tote bag, and much more. You can download it for just $2.50, so save a tree this week and buy an online magazine.

April 15, 2010

Grow Paper

plantable-paper

Try this plantable paper project that I posted over at Alpha Mom in celebration of Earth Day. Homemade paper with embedded seeds for planting. These are just the right size to use as gift tags or add to a gardening themed Mother’s Day gift.

April 13, 2010April 13, 2010

New Sewing Books

I recently got a few new sewing books that I thought I’d share.

sewing-books

First up, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. This book is full of many techniques and projects, beautifully photographed and clearly illustrated. I think this one will become an essential reference book and I’d definitely recommend it. Among my favorite projects are the pinch-pleated pillows and dyed fabric ticking, shown below. But there are many, many more. The book has a beginning section about various techniques, then goes through projects A-Z. It includes a CD with printable templates.

sewing-encyclopedia

And STC Craft sent me a review copy of Alabama Studio Style by Natalie Chanin. This book is full of inspirational sewing projects and southern recipes. As you would expect, there are beautiful photographs of Chanin’s detailed reverse appliqué work. And there are other projects for the home; I particularly like the woven farm chairs (stool shown below) and sewn furniture. Being from Alabama myself, I think the recipes are a good representation of traditional southern fare, but a bit too heavy. Overall I found this book to be more inspirational than instructional, but very pretty.

And then there’s Built by Wendy Dresses by Wendy Mullin. This is a practical, get-your-hands-dirty sort of sewing book with 25 dress variations all based on three basic dress designs. She does a really good job of giving you the tools to customize the dresses and make them your own. I was really excited about making dresses for myself this summer, but I’m actually thinking that I’ll use some of the pattern ideas to make them for my girls. It includes three full-size patterns. There’s a very thorough review of this book from Amy Karol here.

April 12, 2010April 12, 2010

Reversible Table Runner

make-it-monday

Here’s a quick project as you get ready for warmer weather. A linen runner made from two different fabrics for a reversible effect. I used a die-cut linen that I found locally, but you could create this textured look with lace, eyelet, an old tablecloth, sheer embroidered linen, or a single gauze cotton. This runner would be perfect for a summer dinner party and would also make a nice Mother’s Day gift. The finished size is 16″ x 60″, but you will have enough fabric to make the center pieces larger to suit your needs.

And look at that, my mother’s irises finally bloomed in our yard after coming up with no blooms for five years.

Here are the instructions:

Supplies:
Linen, 2 yards (1 yard each of two colors)
Matching thread

Seam allowance: 1/2″

1. CUT FABRIC: Cut fabric according to the dimensions shown below.

2. SEW PIECES TOGETHER: Sew the two opposite shorter pieces to each long piece, right sides together. See below for fabric layout. Trim the excess fabric and press the seams flat. If you are concerned about your fabric fraying, finish the raw edges with an overcasting stitch.

3. SEW RUNNER TOGETHER: Place pieced sides right sides together and pin them in place, being sure to align the seams. Sew around all sides, leaving a 6″ opening to turn the fabric right sides out, as shown below. Trim the excess fabric and sew an overcasting stitch, if desired. Turn right sides out and poke out the corners with a blunt tool. Sew the opening closed by hand.