Gift giving

Gift giving~

'Tis the season for gift giving, and I'm so happy that I've finished a few gifts and will soon pack them up and post them off to their new homes!


The first is a sweet little basic Alabama Chanin skirt in slate with a pale blue waistband. Can you see that I modified the hemline a wee bit? There's a tiny dip in the back, just a splash of sass. This is a single thickness, so it will be nice in the summertime; or it can be layered up with some tights, boots and a sweater for winter wear.





Birthday girls can always use a new bauble, so I put together this necklace of tanzanite, garnet, and a little wishbone for an extra dose of good luck for the coming year. Happy Birthday, Gina!




Next up are a couple of tea towels. They are natural with peacock, in the bloomers stencil. My Aunt is in need of some new kitchen supplies, so I think these just might come in handy.



Last but not least is a table runner from my last class. The colorway is burgundy and carmine, in the bloomers stencil. I will put an "Open me Now" note on this package as it will bring lots of cheer to the Christmas table. After the Holidays, this table runner is the perfect size to double as a shawl/scarf! It will be a happy splash of color to brighten up a cold winters day.

I've really enjoyed making all of these gifts. I know each of the recipients will also enjoy knowing that they were lovingly hand made, just for them. I may not be able to see all these dear people for the Holidays, but I'll be sending a little bit of me to them.

Are you working on some special holiday gifts? I'd love to see what you're doing.



Thank you, Stitchin' Post

Thank you, Stitchin' Post for hosting such a wonderful workshop filled with warm, funny, curios and creative women.

Sewing samplers were immediately put to use, trying out new stitches and combinations.We were so busy and on a roll that I forgot to take any pictures. (Note to self: Take camera OUT of box.) Debbie quickly whipped up a pretty beading glove with part of her sampler ~ clever lady! We all had quite the giggle comparing my "ghetto glove" (an old sock with holes cut out) to her sweet little beader. Amanda added her own flair to the bloomers stencil, and the results were absolutely stunning!

The whole class was filled with this creative buzz, learning, laughter and sharing. It made me swell with happiness and gratitude. Thank you ladies for gathering together and spending your day with me. I truly hope to see you all, each and every one of you, again soon!

Old Man Winter



Old Man Winter has arrived, with all manner of brrrs, and willy-chilliness; where the beautiful snowy landscape brings a smile to my lips and everything wooly and down is my new best friend.

It was the perfect opportunity to snug inside and prepare for my Alabama Chanin fingerless glove and table runner class coming up Tuesday. Stacks of squares in a variety of colors to suit the moods of my students have been assembled into pretty little sewing samplers for all to practice on during class.




All the necessary kits, props, and examples have been gathered and are at the ready. I am a visual learner, and hope the ladies will appreciate all the finished bits and pieces to help them succeed in their stitching endeavors.



I think everything's in order for a wonderful class at the Stitchin' Post next week!

Alabama Chanin styled workout cover, Part 2

Alabama Chanin styled workout coverup, Part 2 ~ Completed skirt


I've just finished my little coverup skirt, and am very happy with the results. The stenciled shapes are very large, and the skirt is short, so it worked up rather quickly. Here's a picture of the inside of the skirt, just in case you're curios.

The backstitch along the bottom edge is double stranded. Usually in backstitch only a single strand of thread is used, but I wanted a bold, chunky look.

I really had fun with the French knots. I'm thinking I may want to do a project using French knots en masse soon. They're so pretty! I used slate thread color for construction, because I didn't want the skirt to get any busier or detract from the bold pattern. I did end up adding a few extra elements along the front and back to make the pattern more cohesive in the finished skirt.

If I were to make another skirt like this, I may go a little shorter and more fitted along the sides. But for now, this will do just fine for running errands after exercise classes. I may even wear it with a chunky sweater, leggings and boots sometime.

Alabama Chanin styled workout coverup, Part 1

Alabama Chanin styled workout coverup, Part 1



I'm not one to run around in my gym attire. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but it's not for me. I'm just now getting comfortable wearing those skin tight yoga pants to my pilates and zumba classes. So when I started noticing the little skirt coverups, I thought, now that's pretty nifty and very useful.

I've had my eye out for the perfect coverup for a while now, and last week I thought I had found just the thing, but was disappointed to discover it was only a scarf. But that did set the wheels in motion. If I couldn't find what I was looking for, I could make it. I decided, of course, it would be hand stitched in the Alabama Chanin style. I already had the organic cotton jersey in the colors I needed, black and blue slate. I wanted the thread to pop, so I chose to use dogwood. I cut a shortened, fitted skirt; for me, that was 15 inches (I'm not very tall).

Now to design a stencil. While I was doodling, trying for the same look as the scarf that had inspired me, I glanced at the archway I had stenciled about ten years ago.



I thought, hmmmm, that's a good starting point. After a few sketches, I finalized my design, gathered my supplies, and started cutting my stencil.





I didn't have enough pennant felt, so I used very stiff interfacing. I sprayed a bit of adhesive to the back of the paper design, and pressed it firmly onto the flat, smooth side of the interfacing. Working on a self-healing mat, I cut through the paper and interfacing with an exacto knife (be careful!). The interfacing worked really well. I had to tweak the design a bit, and just taped a couple areas together to make the stencil work properly.

I had some Simply Spray in dark purple. I thought the color might work on top of the blue slate color that I chose for my top layer. I wasn't sure, so I made a small sample.


I'm really glad I worked up the sample, because it was not what I wanted. So off to the store I went, where I picked up the Simply Spray in Blue Jay. I tested that, and it was just what I was looking for.

I painted the first two panels. I needed to use the mirror image of the stencil for the other two panels, so I blotted the wet paint off, then used a blow dryer to speed the drying process. I wanted that stencil bone dry when I flipped it over to spray the last two panels.

After the paint was completely dry, I safety pinned the top and bottom layers together for each of the four panels. I'll begin stitching tonight. I'm excited and have fingers crossed that all will go well and fit correctly. There's always a bit of anxiety with a new, untested design. Wish me luck! I'll post the finished piece in Part 2.