Finally!!

Ok, seriously, this is the LAST TIME you ever have to look at this blanket. I'm happy to see it every day, but I've really milked this project. Thank you for bearing with the recycled material.

I machine quilted it with a diagonal cross-hatch pattern and I'm quite pleased. I would have liked to say I free-motion quilted it, but I think with the angular pattern of the bento box, it's better to keep it simple. And frankly, I'm not that good yet.

I bound it with orange, per the recommendation of my favorite shop-keeper (Pea Pod).

Come to think of it, this is the first blanket I've quilted, actually kept (is that selfish?), and washed (I now know to wash before giving...). I didn't realize how awesomely scrunchy it gets! It looks so cozy and loved and lovable.

I love the way it looks much that I'm returning to an old quilt to do a little more hand-quilting. I haven't yet washed it (because I haven't yet used it) so I'm exited to see the transformation.

p.s. don't you love my recycled door headboard (probably full of flaking lead paint, but whatever)? D stole it for me from someone else's trash pile. And that's better than a dozen long-stems, if you ask me.

I've Got the Blues

All of them, in fact. And a couple greens and grays. This is what I wear. Every. Day. To. Work.

Suppose I should switch up the palate a little, yes? Yipes.

Blue Runner

You were expecting all sorts of updates from New York, weren't you? Well, me too. But photos were all taken on D's camera and I have been working every day since I got back and bla bla bla. Sorry.

We stayed in Staten Island with D's mom. I made her this runner in blues (her favorite color) which paled in comparison, really, to her awesome hostessness (yes, this is a word...now).

Front:

Back:

Inspired by the great DS, of course.

Soon, I'll get those photos from D and send you more about NY. In the mean time, if anyone feels like sending me a sweet camera, I'll send you my address...

Nueva Jork

Tonight D and I are leaving for NYC! We'll be away until Monday night. Plans include, attending a wedding, meeting family and friends, going to a show (!), eating delicious sandwiches, and I'm SOOPER excited about finally going to Purl Patchwork....because I need more fabric and/or projects.

Speaking of more projects, look what D bought me out of the blue:

Isn't that the most thoughtful thing?? He knows I like her. I told him, "now I can't go to New York because I have potato stamping to do..." He rebutted with, "It says she has a studio in Brooklyn though."

You carrying my bag or shall I?

Nailed, Again

For the 4th time in 12 months, I had to have my tire patched (culprit above). Man! I had grand plans of shopping yesterday, but those were squashed when I heard "psssssssssssssssss" and this shiny little shopping-day-destroyer nestled in the groove of my tire.

Loved driving to work yesterday over the Bay Bridge on my doughnut at 40 miles an hour with my hazards on. People really love that. Thankfully, Big O patches your tire for free AND gives you a free coffee coupon to the cafe across the street to sip on while you wait. How great is that? It would be even greater if they washed my car too, but...

I'm keeping the bolt in my car to ward off evil spirits, for at least another 12 months.

Window Box

Our house was recently repainted and my dad made us this beautiful little window box to go with the facelift. We planted it with bright little flowers, and now I think our house is the cutest on the block.



It makes me so happy to come home.

Ain't No Challa Back Girl

I couldn't resist the title... I am so my father's daughter (the guy who says we're having halibut for dinner, just for the "halibut"....every time.)



Here's the gorgeous (and slightly overbaked - I did it better next time) challa I made from my new favorite book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

I also made this Portuguese corn bread....not to be confused with the sweetened cornbread you slather with honey and eat with chili. Although, I did eat it with chili and it was scrumptious.



The idea is, you make a big wettish batch of dough, let it rise once, and throw it in the fridge. When you want bread, you cut off a hunk, let it sit a few minutes, bake it, and voila! You're a homemaker extraordinaire.

How great is that??

Crafty Roots

I'd like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to my mom and dad and thank them for giving me crafty roots. My dad is an impressive woodworker (in his time off), a kick-ass cook, and can fix most anything. I think he even went through a batiking phase. He's also a world-famous scientist and is currently starting a beer business.

And my mom has done painting, sewing, Ukranian eggs, gardenig, lots of cooking/baking, cake-decorating, and has a general "we can make that at home" approach. She's the one who taught me to sew, cook, garden, and "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Above is a painting my mom did probably long before I started making her drive me to the fabric store.

Thanks guys - I guess the apple doesn't fall too far...

Wee Kimono-Shirt - Worn

Here is my precious angel baby (aka niece, Maile) sporting the shirt I made her.


She's not lookin' so happy in it right here. But it fits! (barely) Next time, maybe no ribbon tie. This crafty 10 month-old pulled that ribbon in no time. And next time, bigger, of course.

Where I Live

D was on transport this weekend and got to fly to the Central Valley. Check out this shot of the bridge he captured on the way...



And it happened to be a clear day in my neighborhood.



Can you believe this is where I live?? So cool.
(And can you believe he gets to do this for his job? Even cooler.)

Happy (Belated) Easter

Last weekend, D and I went to San Luis Obispo for Easter. It was so great to see the children & my family. The weather was incredible & the good food just kept on coming.

Saturday night, my dad made a *delicious* seafood paella. He actually caught the fish himself in Mexico. He's such a Renaissance man. (here I am trying to take credit for the paella)



And this was our Easter spread, featuring the "Steve Bunnies" I made for the children as tablescape. How appropriate.



Check out these adorable little placecards.



And who is responsible for all that adorable-ness?? She's only my niece, but she makes me so proud! *sniff*



And what Easter brunch would be complete without a Madonna Inn black forest cake?? Hello!



And if prying myself from my family wasn't hard enough, this was the scenery on our way out of town. The orange you see is a huge patch of California Golden Poppies.



Can you even believe it?

Quilted Scrap Pillow II

You really think I would only make one? Come on now... In between naps, I put this one together:



The details:



And together:



These will look so sharp on D's sofa.

Quilted Scrap Pillow

I have been so sick all week that I haven't left the house in 3 days...which enabled this completely recycled project made of things I already had in my arsenal (yes, I am really sick). Inspired by this awesome blog post, I busted out my scrap bag and composed.

I didn't worry about pinning or making things exact.



Then I graduated to a larger free-motion quilting project (still not up for a full-size quilt yet). I started with gray thread, but pulled out the first pass - I think neutral is better to start with.



Then I recycled a pillow and backing from this project .



And voila!



Don't worrry, no large, or otherwise usable pieces of fabric were harmed in the making of this pillow...

Happy Accident

I have no idea what just happened...

What started as a free-motion quilting experiment, and then an appliqué quilting experiment, turned into a tooth fairy "pillow" (finally!) for my niece, Malia. And I am so happy with it!



See the little tiny pocket for little tiny teeth? Hopefully the Tooth Fairy can get her fingers in there...

The deets:



And don't worry, there's a pocket on the back big enough for a little cash or a pack of gum or keys to a car (kidding).



...time for a nap.

Home Sick, Binding

Yesterday I stayed home from work with a cold. The only energy I could muster was to bind and bind...

Here is one of the scarves I'd been imagining forever. I bought this charcoal & creme piece of wool when Poppy was preparing to move (it was dangerously close to my work anyhow). The fabric was too expensive to do anything more than this scarf with, so here's my micro-vision. And then I found the binding fabric at Peapod. It's cotton from Japan, but looks/feels like silk. Dee-lish.




Then, (I know you're totally sick of looking at this fabric, and this quilt - but this is a different one, I swear! And the last one too!...wait, scratch that.) I used the leftover polka-dot fabric I am backing the big quilt with. I think I like this better than my historically go-to "seed" binding (for this one anyhow).



I tried my hand at machine-quilting with the walking foot. Next up, free-motion quilting.

Blue Bottle & Velo Rouge

I've pretty well weaned myself of coffee, but every once in a while, I like to indulge. This cutest little neighborhood cafe, Velo Rouge, serves the world's greatest coffee. They also have a delicious food menu.



I stopped by today to take some coffee to my family in San Luis Obispo - a sure-fire way to get a sweet cup of joe in the AM.

....and yes, of course, I take my own coffee sleeves in.

Food Phase

I'm a food-phaser. I find something I like (which is by no means a rarity) and I'll eat it every day for days/weeks/months and then abruptly stop. It's been grapefruit, peanut butter, whole wheat english muffins, Peasant Pies, Cadbury mini eggs....

My latest food obsession? Roasted root vegetables:





...it could be worse...like creme brulee.

Wee Kimono-Shirt

There's this little store in town that sells adorable children's clothing and paraphernalia. Overpriced, I browse for inspiration (is that bad??).

And let's get something straight here....I am not all that imaginative. But, I can often times see something and recreate it. From there, the design deviates and I can sort of call it my own, right? And so it goes with this little shirt I saw:

Before:



After:



This is draft #1. Next time, I'll make it longer (a dress maybe), the back of the neck higher, and make the sleeves better (elastic, maybe?). Anyhow, I made this sans model, so I gotta see if it fits Miss Maile first.

Pot O' Gold...Er...

In honor of St. Paddy's day, we served some traditional Irish fare. My roommate, Sarah, D, and I had nice little celebratory feast.


(yes, I know 5:45 is very senior-citizen-early-bird-special of us, but I had rehearsal...)

Yipes - actually doesn't look all that yummy, does it? ...Well, it was pretty tasty. But remind me never to be a food stylist.



And traditional Irish oatmeal raisin cookies. Never heard of oatmeal cookies as an Irish dessert? Oh...

I Wonder Where the Car Is...

....Oh yeah.



We went to San Diego a few weekends back and of ALL the colors of ALL the cars at our rental agency, this is the car we ended up with. It was the only yellow ride, and we were the lucky recipients. Do you think they laughed at us as we drove off?

Anyhow, I spent one day walking around La Jolla and watching the seals. Not sure why, but I much preferred these guys over the ones at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Apparently, this used to be a children's beach, but after El Nino, the seals took refuge in this little cove. Now the animal activists don't want to kick them out, and they've soiled the beach quite a bit, but the children kinda want their beach back...



And maybe you're wondering what wild and crazy kids do on a Saturday night in La Jolla....

Petit Craft Blitz

It was an unplanned craft blitz. And while I didn't accomplish quite as much as the last blitz, I knocked out a couple fun projects.

These onesie/burp-cloth sets for my good friend (and Cuban sistah) Madeline's beautiful new baby, Carolina.




And these looped towels from Amy Butler's In Stitches book.




I bought a bunch of that Amy Butler green polka-dot fabric to back my quilt (which I won't show you again until it's complete) with, so I put the excess to good use.

Muir Beach Hike

Today was such a lovely day in the City....which doesn't exactly explain why we headed north to Marin. But we did, and it couldn't have been more perfect. Off the trail from Muir Beach, D and I found a sweet little picnic spot.



...and then I threw him off the cliff.

Stitchin' Post Quilt Kit

I think I mentioned this quilt kit ages ago, but am just now getting serious about it. I bought it at the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, OR last summer. I finished the top panel today.



Fabric look familiar? Determined, I have been working on it since I woke up this morning sprinkled with some oatmeal-making, TV-watching, and veggie-roasting. I think this is a good stopping point for today...now I can step out of my PJs and face the day (it's like 3:30 in the afternoon).

Check out these corners...oh, yeah.