domicile

Hey 2006! Buzz off!

2007 is going to be the year that rocks. 2006, you see, was the year that most certainly did not. I hadn't really realized what a trying year it had been until a wonderful friend pointed it out to me, as I shared our most recent sad news with her. I don't think I had taken the time to step back and look at the last 12 months at a whole and instead just kept focusing on each event as it happened, working on getting through it.This particular friend has in fact been very supportive through many of the low points of our year, and commented that she was sorry we had "had such a crummy year." Hearing her say that I thought back to what she meant, and well there are many events I won't talk about here but suffice it to say that Martin's dad passing away this year was in and of itself enough to mark '06 as no friend of mine. After I hung up the phone from talking with her I thought back over the year and the various hospital visits, traumas, disappointments and tears it had brought and I thought to myself: "Well 2006, you and I are officially through."

I also found myself wondering how it was that I had managed to miss just what a lame year it had been until she pointed it out and I think that had a lot to do with just focusing on each event as it happened and working to make it through rather than taking a look at the bigger picture. Also, and here's where things get sticky sweet so forgive me, there's our house. By our house I don't really mean the wood and plaster frames that keep the heat in (sort of). To me, our house is very much about us -- me and Martin, and Little Miss P -- and the time we spend in it, the creative ways we try to make it better and hold it all together, and the various projects we undertake in and around it.In fact, if it weren't for the joy, peace and and frankly a little more in the way of surprise tickling attacks then I'd prefer, that goes on our house I'm not sure that I would have made it through this year in tact.

But enough about this year, which sucked by the way, and onto next year. While I recognize the lack of measurable difference in the way of the world from 11:59 on the 31st of December to 12:01 on January 1st, I have decided to take the shift as a marker of better things to come. This will be our year. I'm sure that renovations will still take three times as long as expected and that many sewing projects will still require unpicking and restarting in 2007 as those are just the realities of life. But I will do my best to ensure that the big life stuff this year brings joy and not sadness to me, Martin, our family and those close to us. And I'm so looking forward to sharing that joy here. So whether your 2006 was a trial or a joy, I hope your 2007 blows its socks off and I'm so looking forward to hearing about it.

Holiday Crafts Completed and Abandoned

  Oh the headbands... 
  Originally uploaded by emira.

It was with the best of intentions that I set out in November to start work on holiday gift crafting. I began with headbands (using Heather Bailey's wonderful pattern) and those were a project so successful that I miscounted and have somehow ended up with more of them than I needed, which is fine, I'll just keep them aside for Spring birthday gifts etc. I made those, as well as some small cosmetic bags (using this lovely laminated fabric) for most of my cousins (all the girls) and as one of little Miss P's gifts. They were a great easy project, and by changing the types of fabrics that I used for different ages made awesome gifts for girls ages 9 to 17. (Oh, I also put some Superfantastico pins in there which were also a big hit).

Here's the list of other successful projects (to be followed  by a list of those abandoned or yet to be completed):

• The scarves based on an Amy Butler pattern. With the hindsight of my machine struggles well behind me now, I can say that this was really a successful project and one I would do again. Like the headbands, depending on the fabric used, you can really make a difference in the style/age appropriateness of the gift which makes it a really useful craft to have on hand, as it were.


• More rabbits, using Hilary's pattern from Wee Wonderfuls. Two of the new boys that have been born into our circle since last Christmas got these. This is another simple pattern that I love working with as each bunny seems to take on a bit of its own personality depending on who I make it for.


• Button wreaths, many examples of which you can see here at the Flickr pool (though not all are mine of course). I adored these projects. The process of sorting, choosing and compiling buttons was very soothing for me as I went through a bit of a rough pre-xmas time over here.

Then there were the projects yet to be completed. As mentioned above, we had some difficult times here in the few weeks preceeding xmas that left me with little energy to put into the (arguably overly) ambitious list of projects I had laid out before me. So here's the list of half completed projects, some of which I will be trying to finish this weekend to mail back east (I figured, once they were late, they could be a little bit more late):

• A stuffed kitty. This little gal is being made from a Japanese crafting book pattern, and I think I'm in slightly over my head. Of course the instructions are in Japanese, so a bit daunting/confusing there. I think I did a few steps out of order, and I think I disagree with their final assembly instructions (unless I'm reading them wrong which is totally likely). As such, in order to finish it, I actually need to undo most of it and restitch it. While that won't actually take too long, there was something too frustrating about that to make it seem like a reasonable task for the past while here. This one needs to go back to Montreal, and is currently highest on my list.


• Larger cosmetic bags. I had this swell idea that I would alter one of the purse patterns in the Amy Butler In Stitches book to make a larger cosmetic bag for some of  the bigger girls in my life. I made one prototype and with a bit of fussing and on the fly re-cutting it worked out well, until I went to try to line it. Turns out I hadn't quite understood the instructions and now I actually need to take it all apart again. And, once that is done, and I figure out a way to successfully line it (the original pattern uses quilted pieces so the lining process is in fact totally different from what I'll need to do), then I will have only accomplished a prototype and will need to start again to make the real ones. Once they're done though, they are going to kick some cosmetic bag butt. These gifts are intended for a few people, though some are for birthdays in the new year. One is supposed to go out to Montreal as well, so I really need to hustle.

And the following project has been abandoned for the short term anyway, due to time having flown by:

• A Robot Softie. Again using one of Hilary's patterns, but this was a purchased one and so had to be bought, shipped and then of course the project begun. I'd like to blame the demise of this project on the shipping lag but really, I don't think I had the energy for this. I'm thrilled to have it though, and am hoping to have a little time over the coming weeks to play around with it in preparation for some Spring birthday gifts.

All in all not bad. I had also hoped to get some little gifts into the mail for a couple of readers/mail friends who I've had some great exchanges with over the past few months here. Those didn't happen before the holidays, but I had doubts that they would, and I'm looking forward to the idea of making them gifts and projects to set the tone for a good 2007. With that in mind I figure I have until at least the third week of January... better get moving.

The Hardest, Easy Project Ever

  scarf in action! 
  Originally uploaded by emira.

As gifts for two of my very favourite clients and close and cherished friends, I decided to pick a straightforward project from the Amy Butler In Stitches book and settled on the dressy scarf (called the "Sash with Beaded Trim" in the book). Of all the things I love about Amy Butler -- oh let me count the ways -- the fact that her patterns are geared at using quilting cottons in everyday fashion-friendly ways is ultimately what seals the deal for me. A true lover of fabric, prints and fashion, when I first got into sewing I found myself both spellbound and frustrated by the possibilities and limitations of quilting cotton. Fabulous, seemingly endless, wonderful prints! Fixed, narrowish widths and typically cottons only. Over time, as my skills have improved allowing my imagination and creativity more license in sewing, and with the help of so many crafty folks out there and leaders like Amy Butler I've been able to overcome the limitations and make good use of quilting cottons, but when I first entered that world it seemed I was doomed to pajama pants and quilts, worlds that can only hold so much sway.

Anyway.

The scarves, or sorry sashes. These are classic Amy Butler: simple, a way to add a bit of a high impact, gorgeous fabric to enhance even a basic oufit, and a good balance of "crafty" and modern. Having said all that, don't judge the loveliness of the sashes themselves by the photo you see there, as that was taken in our bathroom at the end of a very long day -- the only room with enough lighting at about 11:30 at night after too many hours of fighting with my sewing machine. I would not recommend my outfit, overly tired/half closed eyes, or total disregard for a hairbrush as accessories for what turned out to be a very lovely scarf.

So, the hardest/easy project part. This scarf -- if you have your wits and your sewing machine on your side -- should honestly take about 25 minutes from start to finish. That includes cutting out the very simple pattern pieces from In Stitches, measuring your fabric, cutting it (on the bias), pinning on your trim, sewing and pressing. Maybe an extra 10 for the hand stitching it takes to finish off, if you're wanting to do a good job. In other words, the perfect gift when you've got a stack of gifts to make for the holidays. And, I just can't say this enough, an awesome way to show off lovely quilting cottons. I made two, one with the Amy Butler Corriander print you see here, and one with a more traditional tulip print that had a lovely gold accent in it. The pattern itself is so basic and versitile that really depending on the print  you used the scarf would take on very different looks. I ended up finishing both of them with a beaded fringe as suggested in the book, but I was kind of hoping to find some dingle balls (you know what I mean right?) in a complementary colour for the Corriander print which would really change the personality of that scarf. You could also leave the trim off entirely making the sewing process that much easier and the scarf a bit less fussy/dressy.

My machine and I seem to have reconciled our differences. In the end I'm not sure what its issue was. Perhaps I ought to knock on wood as I do still have a few last minute projects to finish up which I'm hoping to get to today. Even with the false starts and stops I had trying to make these scarves I would highly recommend the pattern. And for that matter the book. If a copy doesn't make its way to you in the coming days I strongly recommend treating yourself to one. You won't notice the extra money on your VISA bill at this point, and it is an awesome source of inspiration for a crafty 2007.

Mary Jane's Farm

Did any of you know about Mary Jane's Farm? I sure didn't and I found it in the strangest of places. I'm still not totally certain how to describe Mary Jane's Farm to be honest, but I'm almost 100% certain that most of you will find it an inspiring read as I did. Here's what I can tell you:

• It is a magazine. Kind of. It has no ads. And Mary Jane (who is on the cover there) sell various mail order organic food mixes and things, which you can purchase through the order form at the back of the magazine.
• Mary Jane Butter runs the magazine (with one of her daughters and a roster of some other highly creative lovely folks).
• The articles, news snippets, letters, recipes and patterns (yes this issue had patterns more on that later) are written by Mary Jane, her friends and reader submissions.
• Mary Jane does indeed have a farm. It seems to be organic. And lovely.
• Mary Jane may also run a delightful B&B at this farm, but I gleaned that kind of on the side and it may not be true.
• This issue of Mary Jane's farm is centred around the theme of Aprons and if you're an Apron lover (like me and of course the large tibe of Tie One On folks) you will adore this issue for that fact alone. It includes several apron patterns in the issue and you can also order some of the other apron patterns from Mary Jane, the range around $8 USD per pattern.
• Mary Jane seems to regularly include recipes for vegan jello mold delights that are perversely intriguing to me and toweringly gorgeous in the photographs.
• And for the true design/crafty/photo geeks out there the typography, photos and design is pretty darn lovely to look at.

This was one of the richer and more inspiring magazines I've picked up in recent memory. The articles are admittedly of varying quality and really harken back to my own 'zine days (some of you will remember me as one of the editors of Soapboxgirls.com) when we would pick a theme and get all the gals we knew to write personal essays on that theme. As I mentioned above, this month's theme is aprons so there are pieces about sewing, apron memories, home economics adventures and more. And lest this is all sounding too precious Mary Jane sees aprons as primarily the uniform of women who get shit done (my own use of foul language but something tells me she would approve). Aprons are for gardening, cleaning, fixing cars, carpentry, making art, etc. In other words, aprons aren't just for cookies and vegan jello molds, though they're useful there too.

There are back issues of Mary Jane's Farm available and I'm tempted to buy the whole darn lot. Nestled in amongst the personal essays and stitchery patterns are hints on organic living, gardening, crafting glories and really just some beautiful imagery. I can't sum this magazine up in one small sentence (as I've duly proven), but I have a feeling that this Mary Jane gal isn't too easy to pin down either. Strangely, I found it at Chapters (while killing time waiting for Martin) and unless I do decide to subscribe I may end up having to troll their magazine isles regularly so I don't miss out on the  next issue.

Coming Out of Denial

I'll start this by saying that if you haven't already put the pieces together: I'm one of those famously irritating folks who loves to make grandiose statements about the world at the drop of a hat. In particular, I'm very fond of trying to align those statements with some kind of commentary on politics/society and/or humanity. And, while this springs from a well of good intention -- I prefer not to spend my money on questionably produced goods, I enjoy supporting local farmers with my food purchases, yadayadayada -- I am acutely aware that even my best intentions are riddled with hypocrisy. As one small but elucitating example of what I'm driving at I offer this: we're the kind of folks that don't have cable TV and never plan to get it, and yet we own almost the entire Buffy series on DVD and have been known to beg and borrow tapes of various tv shows off generous friends who do pay for cable. And yet. I do consider the "we don't have cable tv at home" aspect of my life to be in some way a part of my personality. Go figure.

My denial however at this point has nothing to do with TV. I use that only as an example of the kind of well intentioned, but contradictory person I am to help you understand the weirdness behind our current consumer obsession at the domicile: car shopping.  You see, the beloved Vanny (an 84 volkswagen vanagon) has seen better days. Those days now add up to years ago and while the concept of taking Little Miss P out to the valley every Monday morning on transit (bikes really aren't an option) to get her to school is in theory an achievable one, the 2.5 hour morning commute with a 10 year old just isn't going to happen. And you know, it would be all well and good for me to claim that we don't use the van for any other purpose than taking her back and forth to school/her mom's house, that would in fact be a bald faced lie. For when you have a vehicle sitting outside your door (that almost always starts without having to push it!) you tend to drive it. And those who know the town, and the van, have surely spotted me on city-wide treks on Saturdays getting from one end of town to the other with pseudo-hippy cred in our leopard print upholstered van. Since I cut the big hole into the side door while parallel parking last year, it's particularly hard to miss.

Anyway.

Since Martin and I met I've kind of taken Saturday control of the van, as Martin works on Saturdays and in exchange for bringing me coffee in bed I drive him to work, and then I get the car to run errands all day. And while I tried to argue with a friend (a friend who is particularly excellent at pushing my buttons) that I still held "non-car-owning" status, despite my regular access to the fine four wheeled vehicle, I had to admit he was right the day that I coughed up half of the insurance. And then again on the day that I chipped in half for the bill for the "Master Cylinder" (trust me that sounds way more fun than it was).

But inspite of Vanny and my Saturday times together and my co-owning of bills and repairs, the van really remains Martin's van in spirit if not in pratice. And soon, perhaps very soon, those days will come to a tearful end and we will not only have to say goodbye to a family treasure, I will be signing on some kind of dotted line and taking joint ownership of a real live vehicle. Just what kind of vehicle we don't yet rightly know. The gamut has run from various TDI model VWs (Jetta Wagon? Golf?) that we'd power with Biodiesel to the very unsexy but painfully practical and infinitely more affordable option of some kind of Toyota. Maybe even a half newish one? Like from this century? Honestly: the mind boggles. And I'll admit that in all the dull, dull, drudgery of online searches and driving around to dealerships, that I've had a few moments of thinking it will be kind of cool to own a car. Really I should rephrase that, as I'm actually really not so fond of owning cars. I hate paying for car repairs. I'm not a big fan of driving as an actual act. And car features bore the hell out of me. (All of these are reasons why I strongly recommend joining a car coop if you feel the same way. I've been a member of for years now and continue to use it primarily for business purposes which saves me ever having to park downtown.) But man, it would be really kind of cool to own a car that you could open all the doors on from the outside. A car that had some semblence of seals around the windows, and no visible holes in the body so that you could actually hear what the other person in the car was saying without having to yell over the windstream. Maybe, just maybe even a car that hadn't had a tape covered in recently spilled rootbeer stuck in the tapedeck rendering it useless and not worth repairing. That would frankly be kinda sweet.

And even as I get excited about the idea of all these priviledged driver features I see that same friend smirking to himself, enjoying watching me succumb to my own excess. Damn him.

Grr and Argh

I've officially reached the point where the coming holidays feel more like mounting stress than coming fun. This building sense of "argh" has most everything to do with the many hours I spent last night fighting with my sewing machine while trying to finish off some gifts. It kept doing that bunching up on the bottom stitch thing that would indicate that I've not got enough tension going, but damn it all if I didn't try just about every tension available before giving up for the night. (I would share a photo of the messy stitching with you but just looking at it has a similar effect to nails on a chalkboard for me, and I assume it would be equally cringe-worthy for all you crafty folks as well). I had little hope that messing with the tension would have much effect anyway, given that I continue to sew with quilting cotton as I have been for the past two months. Grr. Argh. I might try buying some new maching needles today just in case that performs miracles, and if not will have to bite the bullet and switch over to Martin's machine. I'm a lucky lady to have the option of a second machine, and really Martin's is a fantastic one (an old Elna), but when you're trying to finish up your mountain of projects you really want the comfort of your own sewing machine rather than trying to learn the ins and outs of a new one.

Hopefully my mother's age-old advice, which she administered liberally whenever my old dot-matrix printer crapped out the night before an essay was due, will prove wise once again: "Just dust it, turn it off and let it rest for a while." While that makes absolutely no mechanical sense, somehow it often seemed to work.

Too Late for Holiday Shipping?

Like many folks out there, I am an unabashed lover of Lori's work. I'm a little sad that I've already covered off gifts for most of the wee folks that would benefit from a copy of the children's book she's just illustrated, but once this year's holiday is over I may just order a stockpile of these to pass onto wee ones over the year. If you're in the States it looks like there's still a reasonable amount of time to get your copies from Lulu.com.

W.I.P. Friday

working kitty
Originally uploaded by emira.

I've been meaning to post a Friday Work In Progress here for weeks now, but keep failing to take photos in a timely fashion. Right now the sewing corner of our rec room downstairs is a total disaster of productivity. Fabric hanging off the ironing board, the backs of chairs and in piles that only I can really understand (I try to keep fabrics sorted by types, prints, etc most of the time but right now that has gone right out the window). I'm enjoying how much I'm getting done, though every 20 minutes or so it feels like I'm moving piles of stuff from one end of the room to the other to uncover bits of trim that I was sure I had just seen, or the second-best fabric scissors for cutting vinyl, or a new bag of zippers. I am making good progress on my gifts though and am feeling cautiously optimistic about continuing some sewing projects for myself in the new year. Perhaps the WIP posting framework will help motivate me.

The photo you see there is the body and head of a stuffed kitty in progress for a special little girl. It needs it's face put on, stuffing and final assembly which I'm hoping to get to this weekend. I'm now at the point where projects need to be prioritized a bit in terms of when they need to go in the mail to be shipped etc. but it feels good to not be in a total panic (yet).

Coincidentally, the kitty pieces were photographed ontop of a big WIP of Martins that is somewhat stalled at the moment due to him having a very hectic work schedule -- everyone needs holiday haircuts! -- and a cold having hit him mid-stride this week. I expect we won't see that project finished until the new year as it is a very ambitious one involving a new bed, dresser and hanging clothes storage.

I'm hoping this weekend will give me some more time to work on things, but I fear most of the time will be taken up with errand running, hard to complain too much though as the van is back up and running with a spanky new battery, so at least I won't be traipsing all over town on the bus!

By the Yard

  cotton thrift finds 
  Originally uploaded by emira.

I have been positively aching to get out to the big fabric store to get the necessary pieces I need to finish off my xmas crafting. Not that I'm that close to being done or anything, but it seems like every little project I start is waiting on one more bit that I only a pilgrimage to Fabricana and their expansive quilting cotton department will solve. The icy weather around these parts -- dangerous in a city that doesn't have the proper infrastructure and gear to clear the roads properly -- combined with the fact that our beloved '84 VW Van -- known affectionately as Vanny -- decided to stop running the day of the first snow has delayed my trip to get the bits and pieces I need. So today, I decided to take a blessedly free afternoon to explore my neighbourhood thrift shops in search of fabrics and general supplies. On my list (in addition to the usual eyes-peeled-for-a-score) this time were: a dutch oven (corningware, pyrex or cast iron for making the no-knead bread, wool sweaters for felting and possibly then turning into stockings in the style of the fabulous Posie, vintage fabric bed sheets to use for various projects inspired by the super-excellent Amy Butler In Stitches book (more on this jem in a later post) and a little dish/saucery thing to keep the pepper grinder on so that I'm not constantly cleaning up various piles of pepper from the counters/table. I scored on the fabric, sweaters and wee dish for the pepper mill front, but did not luck into a dutch oven. There were some nice pyrex ones about but none had lids and I decided to hold out hope for a Le Creuset. In the way that thrifting always also provides what you aren't quite looking for, I also scored a great black circle skirt that may just become my xmas party skirt and a lovely white with black polka-dots summer shirt.

In looking for fabric/crafting supplies today I became fascinated with the different way that I was looking at things. Take sweaters for felting for example: not only did I care what the contents of the sweater were -- if there was 10% nylon in that wool sweater it wasn't going to suit my purposes -- but I also cared about its size in a whole new way. Usually I start looking for second hand clothes in the "Small" section, and sometimes go up a few sizes if I think I can alter something, but today I put smalls back in favour of extra larges and men's sweaters that would afford me more yardage for the same price. As I was sorting through the racks I kept dreaming of finding one of those awesome long sweater coats in a lovely 100% pure wool, because man that would be a lot of wool. No such luck. Same with when I'm deciding between a few bed sheets to determine which ones will come home with me. Twin sheets often have very cute patterns, but are also so small they are limited in their use.

All in all, it was a nice day of thrifting and it is really kinda rare to end up getting even half the things on my list when I undertake a thrift journey. And, I'm feeling suitably inspired to put my finds to use. Hopefully the rest of the weekend will be as productive.