Blog entries tagged Inspiration

Keep the Joy

Shelley — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 10:40:47 +0100

...

Options, Options

Shelley — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 06:33:17 +0100

<...

Two New Books

Shelley — Thu, 05 May 2011 10:44:14 +0100

I got myself a couple of new books on Monday. They're both books I'd been thinking about for a while, perusing them whenever I passed through the bookstore and saw them on the shelf. Halfway through Monday afternoon I remembered I had a full stamp card (worth a reasonable discount at our bookstore) and decided it would be a good time to get them.

The first one is a cookbook -...

I Made a Coaster

Shelley — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:24:44 +0100

Just because I felt like.

I saw a cute coaster on a blog and thought "I'd like to do some sewing. I could use a coaster for my coffee cup."

I grabbed a pretty piece of fabric from the top of a stack and then another I like the look of with the first one from the shelf below (which isn't where it should have been), put some neutral thread and a new needle in my machi...

Look what Arrived!

Shelley — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:28:21 +0100

A pretty package from Purl.

And inside are my fabrics for February's dress (which reminds me I still need to finish January's dress).

February's dress is going to be dress number 8 from Slip & Dress (the same Japanese sewing book as my last three dres...

Planning January's Dress

Shelley — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Since I just posted about my December dress it should come as no surprise that January's dress is still more idea than finished garment. I'm not really too worried about my "deadlines" though - they're more like guidelines really and the fabric for February's dress will not be here until at least the 16th anyway. I thought it would be fun to share my ideas for January's dress because I've been building it in my head for a while.

I first found out about this company a little while ago and just loved their philosophy and the look of their yarns. If what they say on their website it true it is entirely possibly that the trip from Portland, Maine to my front door was the longest journey this wool has yet made. I ...

Well Read ... and worn

Shelley — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 01:15:18 +0100

I'm drinking tea right now. This book always makes me want to have tea; it's just mentioned so often. It also makes me enjoy housework and really want to make preserves.* This is one of my favourite and most frequently read books as shown by the faded spine - it used to be pink - and worn corners. There is something so fantastic about Anne and the ideas she embodies. It was given to me ...

Daffs

Shelley — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:21:25 +0100

Do you ever see something that just makes you want to sew (or knit or paint etc.)? I'd had a kind of a crummy Thursday and was spending my evening hunched over at my computer reading blogs when I came across this post at Lovely Design (an awesome place to visit by the way). I didn't even read the post until later on. I saw that first picture and just needed to be in my sewing room putting fabric together. I wanted to hear the machine and smell the iron and create something from little bi...

Just a little Garter Stitch

Shelley — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:34:12 +0100

The sum total of my knitting so far today: a few rows on a garter stitch dishcloth. More exciting is the book behind it. The Opinionated Knitter. I had lent it out and it came back to me today. It's funny how you miss some books so much even when you're not actually using them. There is something about Elizabeth Zimmerman that is inspiring just having her around.

I spent s...

The Week of Fun Mail

Shelley — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:50:31 +0100

I got a bunch of fun mail this week: two envelopes stuffed with fabric and yarn and a small box of books. It's like a pile of inspiration sitting on my desk.

The fabrics, and the green yarn, are going to become a quilt similar to this one. It'll be a project for after Christmas and early January. Something nice and warm for our bed when the weather gets the coldest, to remind...

Mail

Shelley — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:22:26 +0100

So, about that mail ...

It was actually two packages: one from The Workroom and the other from Mokuba (who don't seem to have a proper website), both in Toronto. What are all these lovely goodies for? Underwear.

Amy, of Angry Chicken, has been talking about mak...

Unintimidating

Shelley — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:25:49 +0100

I have a really awesome scrapbook Rob gave me for Christmas a few years ago. The pages are 15" x 17" and it's the "master book" that holds everything ... right up to the end of 2002. I haven't worked on it in over a year (sometime before we moved last summer) and it is a daunting task to try and bring it up to date. My scrapbooking ideas seemed to evaporate whe...

Piecing the Curve

Shelley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:27:41 +0100

Curved seams intimidate me. Not because I haven't sewn plenty of them - they show up frequently in garment sewing (especially Jane Austen dresses) - but because I've never really been sure I was doing them correctly. They just feel like the sort of thing where there must be a trick that makes them easy to do but no one ever taught me. I love the look of curves in quilting t...

My New, Blue Studio

Shelley — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:57:43 +0100

My studio is blue and I love it.

Rob's sister, Carolyn, helped me do all the painting. I went all out and got the expensive paint at Benjamin Moore. It's completely worth it. Not only does it cover really well, dry quickly and look gorgeous but it hardly smells ... at all ... even while you're painting.

I cleared most things out of my studio on Saturday nigh...

Inspiration #1

Shelley — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:56:48 +0100

Stacks of freshly washed and pressed fabric.

There are all sorts of things hiding in here. Old dresses, a new blouse, quilts, hankies, pin cushions, purses, pillows, napkins and placemats, a cat bed, a tea cozy, hanging wall pockets, a knitting basket, a tiny fabric bowl ...

Potential

Shelley — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:56:48 +0100

Some fun mail arrived today. A whole box of snaps along with a tool to set them. I'm not totally sure what I'll do with them yet (though one is going to form part of the wrist/belt strap on my sock purse) but the potential embodied in them in fantastic. I love things like that - like quilt shops and hardware stores - objects and places that make you feel like you can do anything you wan...

My Ten Things

Shelley — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:48:56 +0100

Inspired (or perhaps "invited" would be a better word) by Soulemama here is my list of ten things I love today:

1. Spice muffins in the oven.

2. Getting to lick the bowl.
3. A reorganized closet so I can actually see all my stuff (which reminds me - I need to finish putting things away).
4. The fuzzy shadow that is following me all over the ...

Apron Inspirations

Shelley — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:26:31 +0100

I've been percolating ideas for the Sassy Apron Swap for the past little while. They are finally starting to solidify to the point where I can now write them down and share them (this is how my creative process always goes - rarely is anything put on paper that hasn't buzzed around in my head for a week or two first).

The theme for the apron is Spring and the requirements are that it be washable (and pre-washed) and have a pocket.

To me spring is a time of waking u...

Inspiration

Shelley — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:30:42 +0100

This is the reason I learned to knit.

It is a piece of knitted lace I found in my grandmother’s sewing box a few years ago when I stayed with her for the summer. Darney couldn’t remember what it was meant for or when she had made it but she said I could keep it.

The cast on edge is a little over three inches long and stretches to about three and a q...