Knitting lessons

I've wanted to learn how to knit for as long as I can remember. So the kids and I took knitting lessons at Orchardside Yarn Shop just before the holidays. It's a delightful little shop, nestled in one of the sweetest spots I've ever laid eyes on.

Carole, who's an incredibly talented knitter with many years of experience and even more patience, was our teacher. The kids each knitted a fuzzy winter hat. Sera really enjoyed the process. Blake decided about halfway through the project that knitting was not for him but it was a good lesson in finishing what you start. I decided on a felted tote for my first knitting project. I wanted something that required alot of stitches so that I could really burn the concept into my brain. This puppy was 96 stitches cast on, 50 rounds stockinette then 18 rounds reverse stockinette (purl), plus the two 27" straps. I worked with 2 strands of wool yarn which was a little confusing at times. I *love* felted wool so it was a pretty easy choice, plus I found out that felting would hide some of my mistakes. Nice.

As you can see in the photo above, the purse {before} looks like it was made for a giant. The felting process, which I did in the washing machine using hot water with the tote inside of a pillow case, brought it down to a nice size. I found the tactile nature of knitting and the repetitive moves very therapeutic. I can see how it could become addictive. I expect when I have a little more time to play that knitting and visits to the yarn shop will become a regular activity for me. At least I hope so. For now, I'm thinking about how to embellish this with some chocolate brown and moss green accents; or maybe grey wool felt. And thinking about what my next knitting project will be. :)

apron in paris

Do you remember playing jump rope with friends? One friend would stand at each end of the rope, swinging it, and you were just waiting for the right moment to jump in? That's kind of how I've felt about this. I've been toying with the idea of joining in on one of Angry Chicken's tie one on apron challenges for a long time. I guess I just needed a theme that I could really get into. And what better theme is there than Paris? Okay, maybe chocolate, which btw would be a great theme too. So I'm jumping in! My sweet friend Heather over at bebeandalice has decided to take this on too which makes me oh-so happy since she's one of the coolest esty-ecofashionista's evah!

Pop on over to tie one on if you'd like to join in on the Parisian-inspired apron fun. Hrm, I'm wonder if I can write-off a little vacay to France for inspiration?

A real page turner

Oak & Maple leaf garland made from repurposed vintage books

Page Turner paper sculptures made from repurposed vintage books

I have a thing for old books. I was at an estate auction this summer where I happened onto four boxes of castaway reads. This stack of lonely old books caught my attention. They clearly hadn't been touched in years. They were begging to be picked up, held tenderly and leafed through. And so I obliged. Perusing through them, I noticed these weren't particularly popular titles. They didn't contain noteworthy illustrations or interesting typography. The covers showed the scorch of sun damage and were quite dusty. I knew if they didn't sell they'd be carted off to the local dump. But these wouldn't draw much attention sitting on an antique store bookshelf I decided. So I made a deal with the whole lot: I'll buy all of you and take you home where I promise to handle each one of you to see what you contain from cover to cover. If I find anything particularly unique I'll put you up on etsy for adoption to a loving home; but if I don't, I promise to make you into something new - something that gets you noticed. Overwhelmed with emotion, the books remained quite silent which I of course took as a sign of humble agreement.

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

After the apron fiasco, it was time for me to take on a simpler project. I decided to repurpose the rest of the fabric from the thrifted skirts to make birds. I used this loverly pattern from spool, where it's offered "for personal use only, thank you." I kicked it up an oh-so-dreamy notch by adding lavender buds to the fiberfill. {sniff...melt} Now I'm working on creating my own pattern so that I can make some for resale. I plan to post my pattern and tutorial ~ for freesies ~ once it's ready. Because sharing is good.

Try, try again

Have I really only posted 7 times in the last 8 months? That's just lame. My life got really crazy for a while and chickaboom just didn't make my flaming hot to-do list.

But life has settled down and I'm settling into my wings again. I really want to thank all of my sweet friends and family for your support, love and friendship. To all my groovy readers, thanks for your patience and loyalty. You are all 10 kinds of awesome!

This week I dusted off my sewing machine and started into some long overdue projects. Ideas I've had brewing in my mind for months, or longer, are finally taking shape. It feels so good to dive into these new projects. At the same time, I see that I've got some obstacles to overcome where my technical sewing skills are concerned. I'm thinking I would really benefit from a basic sewing class where I can relearn all the foundational stuff. Right now my ideas far outweigh my skillset which is making the things I want to do really challenging.

For example, let's have a look at Exhibit A, the white & black floral apron you see above. It's a refashion project I've had in mind for months: a thrift store skirt I envisioned as a sassy little apron. It looks cute right? Well it's not that cute up close, trust me. The picture is hiding a multitude of sewing sins. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong while making this apron. When I was ripping out the left side seam, the fabric tore - and not just a little - we're talking about a 6" horizontal tear. While trying to stitch that up, my sewing machine ate the fabric and the only way I could free it was by cutting it again. Then I decided I would round the bottom edges a bit, except that I don't remember how to do that. At least not properly. So I fudged it. It's also not lined so it's more a rough prototype than anything. I attribute the attractive photo to my daughter's general cuteness, visible even when she's photographed from the waist down. :) The natural folds in the fabric do hide the mistakes pretty well. The bottom line is it's fine for her to wear around the house but I could never sell something this flawed.

So why am I confessing a #sewingfail when I am about to launch my etsy shop where I'll be selling hand-sewn items? Because I want to encourage anyone who has a dream to stick with it. Don't be afraid to step out and try something new. If you are willing to humble yourself and learn, you can succeed at anything you put your mind and your heart into. Don't sweat your mistakes, learn from them. Do what you love and keep trying. 

I've got ideas in my head for aprons and all sorts of refashioned designs. The next step for me is to learn the skills to make them happen. How? By finding someone who has those skills that is willing to teach them to me. In the meantime, I'll stick with simpler projects while I'm building my skills. I plan to take you along on this journey, after all we're all in this together right?  *wink*

Sweet Dreams Heat Therapy Pillow

Here's a sneak-peek at one of the new handmade products I've been working on for my soon-to-be-launched etsy shop. I'd like to introduce you to the Soothing Peppermint Moist Heat Therapy pillow. This one measures 6.5" x 13" which fits well against a tense neck, across a crampy tummy or over an achey shoulder or elbow. It's made from upcycled fabrics; in this case, a genty-used but apparently unwanted bed pillow. Inside this toile and damask bag (which has a velcro closure at one end) is a separate muslin bag filled with long grain rice infused with peppermint essential oil. Just pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and voila; warm refreshingly-scented comfort! I made one of these for my good friend Mary Beth as a Christmas gift. She called me a few days later to tell me how much she loved it and asked me to make a larger one for her. I'm also working on a softer flannel version for kids to snuggle with on chilly nights and one for pets. I need to do a little aromatherapy homework, but so far I'm thinking I'll offer peppermint, lavender and lemongrass.

I'd love to have some feedback from my readers. What size would work well for your heat therapy needs? What scent would you prefer? Having your input helps me make a better product. I look forward to reading your comments. Thanks so much!

*Yikes* Just realized I hadn't added a link to where I got the pattern/tutorial from. Thanks SewMamaSew, for all the amazing sewing ideas and info you share, not to mention your awesome fabric store. You rock!

Fabulous Friends: Pesky Cat Designs

Oak Leaf Shoulder Bag by Pesky Cat Design

I have met so many wonderful people in my first year of blogging. One of the most special to me is Elisa of Pesky Cat Designs. I am so flattered to call Elisa my friend. She has been incredibly supportive to me! I think she holds the record for the most consistent visits and comments to chickaboom. How do you thank someone for taking such an interest in your life and your pursuits?


The Harris Tweed Wayfarer Purse by Pesky Cat Designs

Elisa is so creatively driven. She's always working on ways to take what she's already done and make it somehow even better! Her ability to combine color, pattern and texture amaze me. I love the sophisticated style of her purses. She's got a little something for everyone in her etsy shop. She blogs about her latest designs and her adventures around NYC. Seeing pictures of her sweet cat Anni always makes me smile!


The Harris Tweed SemiCircle Purse by Pesky Cat Designs

As a seamstress wanna-be, I am in awe of Elisa's incredible sewing and fabric design talents. I have hope that one day I will visit her in NYC. We'll hit an outdoor market and all her favorite discount fabric shops, like this one. I'd love to be her apprentice so I could learn all her mad-wonderful sewing tricks. But for now, our friendship will continue to grow through our blogs and through our words of encouragement to one another. I only hope I can be half the cheerleader to her that she's been to me. Thank you Elisa! May the new year bring you peace, good health and great success!

Snowbound Wool Felting 101

What an amazing surprise to have 29" of snow this weekend! Apparently that hasn't happened in central Virginia for 4o years. It came down so fast that many people who were commuting home on Friday evening were stranded on the roads; my husband being one of them. He now has a new nickname for our minivan, "the minisled." Thankfully he was able to get it off the road safely and a friend of ours with a 4x4 braved the storm to bring him home. The local news stations put a call out for locals with 4x4's to volunteer their time to rescue all the people who were stuck. I think it's the perfect entrance into this week of Christmas. A reminder to all of us not to get too comfortable, to help someone else in need and to hunker down with family and ride out a storm.

Being stuck inside most of the weekend offered a lot of time for projects that have been piling up. Saturday my daughter and I felted wool for the first time. This is a really fun project and science experiment all rolled into one. It was a much easier process than I'd imagined. We used 100% wool-content thrift store skirts and sweaters. I really like how the skirts felted, they came out very similar to store bought felt. The sweaters are chunkier but will be nice for other projects. At 95¢ per thrifted clothing item at the local Salvation Army, it's much less expensive than felted wool at the local fabric store which sells for $6 per fat quarter.

If you decide to try felting, keep in mind that different thickness and weaves will felt differently. My advice is to felt colors separately. I felted red, green and natural together. Not a good idea. The colors didn't bleed so much as the felt fibers coming off stuck all over one another, especially the red. I also felted these in the washer though I suppose you could try it in a stainless steel pot on the stove and use a wooden spoon for agitation. I may try that another day. I do want to mention that this process got a little stinky; wet dog stinky. Felting will leave stray fibers behind in your washing machine too, but they can be easily removed by wiping out your washer with a clean rag when you've finished felting. It's also a good idea when you're switching one color felted load to another.

Felting Wool: the Doughty girls’ method
Prepare the recycled garments by cutting out seams, collars, waistbands, wristbands, lining, etc. Leaving the seams in will cause the wool to felt unevenly. *Place the wool, separated by color, into an old pillow case, securing it with a rubber band. Machine wash the wool in hot water wash, cold water rinse with a small amount of detergent. Machine dry it on high heat and steam press. You may have to felt some pieces repeatedly until you get the feel you want. And then you're done! Ready to craft, sew or whatever you plan to do with it.

I found these adorable felted wool trees on the long thread. Hop on over for the tutorial if you're interested. I'm thinking these trees would make a really cute gift for our wonderful weekend rescuer and be a fun project for us to start with. So I'm off to felted wool land...it's such a soft and fluffy place to be.

*note: Janet, who blogs at empty nest, sent in this helpful tip in her comment. I didn't notice my wool shedding much but I sure don't want to risk frying the washing machine. I've updated the instructions above to include your pillowcase hint. Thanks Janet!

Hey Leslie,
I felt sweaters on a regular basis for my Etsy shop and I have a helpful hint for you and your followers. You are right to sep colors and you should also be putting the sweaters in an old pillowcase or lingerie bag..I prefer the pillowcase. Just imagine..for all the fibers you can wipe away..that much is also going out the rinse and will kill your machine motor eventually. Close up the pillowcase with a rubber band. I also keep my cashmeres sep from my wools..they are much more delicate and felt into pillowy clouds....divine!
Happy Felting (technically 'fulling' is the correct term..I've been corrected by experts ;-)
your friend,
Janet

Fabulous Friends: Bebe + Alice

One thing that came as a total surprise to me when I started blogging is the strong friendships that have grown from it. It's an incredible experience making connections with amazing people from all over the world that otherwise I would not have known. I thought it would be fun to honor a few of the wonderfully creative people I have met over this last year. Living authentically, blogging authentically; like Bebe + Alice's Heather Payne Baker:


Junie's Picnic Table half apron available at bebe + alice

The funny thing about blogging is that it's hard to remember exactly when and how you met most of your blog pals. Early on, I found most of the blogs I follow by going to a blog and clicking on that persons blog roll to see who and what was out there. From there, you click on that blog's blogroll and before long you don't even remember where you started. What a sweet, tangly web to weave right? I'm pretty sure that's how I found Heather...or did she find me? It really doesn't matter, I'm just grateful we found each other.


Coffee Lovers Scratchbook recycled papers available at bebe + alice

Her upcycled fashions are dreamy! I love her creativity; she's always inventing new ways to combine castaway objects into brand new yummy things. Her chic-vintage, eco-friendly style comes through in everything she does. We became friends through corresponding, encouraging each other both personally and artistically. She is always touting other etsy artists, artsy friends and anything that inspires her. Heather has an incredibly positive attitude and a luminous spirit. You can find her wares online in her etsy shop, bebe + alice. She also has a trunk show coming up in Olathe, Kansas on Monday, Dec. 21st from 6-8pm. The trunk show will be at 10375 Hollis Lane in Cedar Creek subdivision off of K-10 Hwy. If you live in Kansas City you should definitely check it out. For the rest of us, etsy will have to be our portal to all things bebe + alice.


Renew half apron recycled fabrics available at bebe + alice

Woolen Bowls

Sometimes I have trouble finding my words. So I thought it might be a good idea to keep a few favorites nearby; just in case. Meet my newest crafty creation: the little woolen hand-crocheted bowl. Perfect for storing favorite words, fall candies, sewing notions or any small what-not. I'm thinking of making a few and putting them up on etsy. What do you think? Are they etsy worthy?

Etsy Fab Four

I thought it would be fun to share the etsy goodness of four of my very best girlfriends today. I'm grateful to have each of these beautiful, wonderfully talented and truly sweet women in my life. So pop over to their shops and check out their handmade fabulousness.

bebe + alice

Eco Friendly Bird Decor by bebeandalice - Aren't these birds lovely? Heather has a nice variety of refashioned and eco-eclectic goodies. Her ideas are so fresh and inspiring.

Time Travel Tea Party

I just love this Time Traveler Necklace. Courtney has an amazing variety of steampunkable and vintage findings. Her store makes me feel like I'm treasure hunting in an old attic.


strongrrl

I really love the look of Julie's August Fields Frenchy Bag. A great casual bag for everyday! She's also has some great farmers market bags at her shop.

Pesky Cat Designs

The Offbeat Messenger bag with bird applique. How yummy is this bag for fall? I love Elisa's design style; her mix of colors, fabrics and textures bring sophistication and fun to every one of her creations.

Before & After: The Blue Chair

Before - the sad blue castaway chair

I found this vintage chair at a yard sale about 2 weeks ago. The chair was structurally solid and the cushions were in great shape. I loved the vibrant blue paint but the black denim pinstriped fabric had to go. The man selling the chair was amazed that I was able to make it fit in my Prius. "Never underestimate a woman who's thrifting," I said with a smile as I closed the hatch on my car. I brought the chair home and spent the afternoon making new cushion covers from a stash of blue toile I'd picked up at Goodwill a few months back. The thrifted fabric matched perfectly and it turns out to be a rather smart looking piece of furniture. A few days later, I popped it back into my car and took it to my antique booth at the Greenwood Country Store to resell. I think it will make a lovely addition to someones home. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?


After - the chair is much more cheerful now!

Chicken Love

Rooster 365 (12x12 original oil painting by Roz)

When I read that it was National Chicken month I excitedly clicked over to the link but was sad when I saw it was all about cooked chickens. I won't be including that link here! Not that I don't eat chickens; because I do. I guess it just burst my little idealistic bubble of celebrating the beauty of chickens rather than the eating of them. Chickens give so much to us. Where would our baked goods be without eggs? And they really make nice pets, though I'm still working on convincing my husband of that. We used to have a small flock of chickens and really enjoyed our time with them. Ours were free-range during the day and in the roost at night for safekeeping. We didn't eat our chickens, just their eggs. They are truly gentle, lovely creatures. I hope you enjoy this roundup of chicken-inspired loveliness. I'm thinking Rooster 365 would look especially nice hanging in our family room.


Chick Fabric (by Middleburg)


Marthas (5x5 fine art photo by bomobob)


Vintage Tea Towel Dream Pillow by TuttieLou


Grow Food Poster (12x18 poster by joeseppi)


Primitive Chicken Pin Cushion (by LookHappy's)

Boojiboo Apron Giveaway

I came across this terrific giveaway over at Kathleen's site Grosgrain -- and I just had to share it! These aprons are really cute. Head on over to Grosgrain: Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY for your chance to win one of these lovelies.

I am happily in the kitchen alot more these days, so I could really use a fabulous apron to dote around in. I am actually working on a few designs of my own. I picked up a cute black & white polka dot skirt at a thrift store that I'm planning to refashion into an apron. I also have some steampunk-retro concepts in my head, kind of kitchen-diva meets dreamy-alchemist. I hope they turn out as cool as I imagine them to be. For today I'm off to clean house, bake bread and price new items for my antique booth. The kids are enjoying the balance of chores and playtime, keeps them honest. I hope all of you are well and have a lovely day!

Best of Friends

I had the most wonderful surprise package show up on my doorstep recently. I opened the package to find four signed art prints from my old friend Victor. My favorite is Best of Friends, shown above. Years ago, Vic and I worked together at a small ad agency in the midwest. Vic was the photographer and I was the art director. We spent a lot of time together working on shoots and scouting locations. He's an incredibly talented photographer and a great guy. A few years ago he had an on-the-job accident that required several months of rehab. He started drawing again, mostly focusing on horses and western art, as a way to pass time while recuperating. He's had alot of interest in his work from western and horse enthusiasts and various equestrian associations. Pop over to Victor Burdick Art Studio to check out his work. Feel free to share it with any horse lovers or equestrian enthusiasts you know. Thanks for the great art Vic!

Project 3/50

I just came across this great project. I urge you to take a look and act. It really does matter where you spend your money.

Ott-Lites Rock!

I have wanted an Ott-Lite for more years than I can remember. These lamps are amazing, perfect light for artists, crafters, quilters, etc. But the pricetag – yikes! I figured that someday I would snag one at a thrift store or yard sale. Being that Ott-Lites are the bomb, I knew it was going to be a while until that happened. Last weekend I hit a yard sale and there it was, a floor lamp model in perfect condition — and the best part — I paid $2.50 for it! Totally ridiculous. My crazy love for yard sales continues...

Priceless

In my constant pursuit to try new things, I decided to go to an auction yesterday. We arrived to find a little stone house surrounded by boxes of stuff under tents and the sound of an auctioneer uttering nearly unintelligible monetary amounts at a staggering pace (the kids found that last part particularly funny). As I wondered around the hay wagons covered with open boxes of personal belongings, I was struck by sadness that this is what had become of a life. This particular couple had apparently lived in this home for many years, raised children, welcomed grandchildren (and maybe even great-grandchildren) and judging by the amount and types of belongings for sale, they had very active lives. There were tools and woodworking devices of every sort. The mister had obviously been a talented wood craftsman evidenced by the beautiful rocking chairs, bed frames and a lovely quilt rack he'd made for his wife. The missus had 3 sewing machines, which assumably meant she'd done a fair amount of sewing in her day; though there were no quilts or fabric in sight. I'm hoping that means someone in the family valued her handywork enough to not sell them.

How much busy work there must have been at this house not so long ago. But now everything they held dear, or simply used from day to day, was being sold to the highest bidder. I thought for a moment that I might just leave. But I didn't. It occurred to me that this sale had become inevitable for the family and very likely necessary to settle debts or medical bills. Maybe, I thought, this little couple was in a nursing home and needed this money to help pay for their care. In any event, I decided to be part of the auction. I wanted to take something away from this that would serve as a reminder to me that I need to value this time, this day for the priceless gift that it is. A reminder that our stuff is just stuff and when we leave here, it will remain. Choose wisely, I thought. And then I saw it - a framed piece of fabric art, colorful and vibrant, native in appearance. It looked old but I wasn't sure how old. I was all anxious about bidding - the auctioneer read me like a book! But oddly no one bid against me. There had been a crazy amount of back and forth for all the other items but not this one. It seemed destined to go home with me. And indeed it did.

Calling all artsy girls

More artist trading card fun, except this one’s for us ladies: Sister Trading Cards. I’m definitely signing up. Please spread the word by passing this post to any and all your girlyfriends and soul sisters.

Here’s the scoop:
send 20 ATCs (20 different ones or 20 times the same)
size 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches (64 mm x 89 mm)
sign, number and date on the back of the card
no theme, all techniques, no deadline, you’ll get a set of 20 in return

send to:
STC c/o Cat Schick
246 23rd Ave. NW
Calgary, AB
T2M 1S2 Canada

Help Save Handmade

Please take the time to educate yourself about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that will take affect on Feb. 10th of 2009. I agree that the lead-paint tainted garbage that's being manufactured in China and sold to children all over the world must stop; but they need to rewrite this before it goes into law. As it's currently written it will effectively shut down thousands of artisans & small businesses all over the U.S.

Please take the time to learn more and do your part.