WIPs of the week

Last week I've got some WIPs moving (now I think I have to give status at the blog, besides the dozens of status meetings I have at work - this is a bad sign, isn't it?).

For your delight, I'll show you for the first time how my first knitting project is going. First I'd like to explain that I had already started by the obvious - a scarf - but I just gave up. The yarn and the needles were so thin that it took too long to show. The lack of experience didn't help either. So I bought a magazine and looked for something that were useful and simple to start. Scarfs are useful, but I have many that I've made in the knitting board, and we don't even have that much cold here. This is the project that caught my eye:

Sorry for the bad picture, I just couldn't make the reflex go away from the magazine... But isn't the purse gorgeous? I've already made the low part, front and back:

The color is very pretty in person (it wasn't a happy day for pictures, was it?). I also like the original color, but this was mommy's gift and I love it! ;-) It really is a very nice brown, I'll use the purse a lot when it's done.

And we also had progress in the famous nativity scene!

I finished the design, so then I had to pick a color for the sky:

Now look, in the original the fabric was dyed in dark blue, so it didn't have to be stitched. But I don't like dying fabrics - remember?, I'm not into getting dirty. Something that I'd certainly do if I decided to dye anything in the apartment. So I went to my threads and got every dark blue I got. Some were too bright when compared to the design, and I had one that was too dark. So I picked this one:

Can you imagine what it will look like? Very well, notice this detail: this color, for some reason, doesn't have the strap with the number! (note to the English version: does anyone know the name for that? I'm not sure it's called strap...) I had to wait days till I could go to the nearest needlework store (quite expensive, by the way). I've found the color - or the closest possible, sometimes it's hard to be sure. I've bought three skeins, to be safe, because after all I still have two more scenes to complete the nativity.

And speaking of knitting boards, I had started a purse to entertain myself (imagine that!). I love the knitting board, the work shows up fast! I wanted to make a black purse, but I gave up right in the beginning, I couldn't see the stitches with that yarn. Then I found a yarn ball I got as a gift and decided to use the two of them together.

I still don't know if I'll keep this purse... it ended up with a rather messy look... maybe I'll add some detail like a fabric flower and then the messy yarn mix makes more sense. We'll see.

Well, that's it. This week I'll probably attack that nativity sky, and I also wanted to make a project I've drawn up yesterday for the A Make A Month project.

Ah, yes... that's another one that Méri set me up. She decided to join the A Make A Month and there I went after her... but it will be to our own good, I'm sure! ;-) If you want to join too, follow the link! The idea from the blog Angharad is to get rid of all those things we keep buying because they're absolutely gorgeous and we keep imagining all the wonderful things we'll do with them... and we never do! So I intend to use some fabric I have here to accomplish the February challenge - keep your fingers crossed for me!

Mystery revealed

Finally! After a long week, I give you the answers for your question: "what the heck did she do for the sewing circle anyway?"

Here it is:

A paper piecing of the Eiffel Tower!

I was going to choose completely different fabrics for that, but my dear teacher gave me those - isn't she adorable? It's basically the same color choice the book I used suggests, and I thought of changing them. But I guess it turned out really good using plain colors for the tower.

So, following the sewing circle ideas, it started somewhat like this: I tried to gather a group of girls at work to join the circle. Yes, I do everything to bring more people to our crafty world. None of them seemed to be very interested, and when the date arrived, I was swamped in things to do for work, and evil people were all around - so I thought I wouldn't bring doom to myself SEWING DURING LUNCH. Imagine the nerve of being happy at the office. Nonsense.

Which made me work till late then going to my sewing supplies around 10 pm on January 13th. And the idea was to use the blog name as an inspiration - "I've been thinking of you". And then it hit me: the Eiffel Tower paper piecing! I've been to Paris last year, and I've always loved that city, don't know why. After my trip I certainly know why - it's gorgeous, to say the least. And since then I have images of the city popping in my head out of nowhere. It always makes me smile. I bought the book "365 Foundation Quilt Blocks" by Linda Causee a little while before visiting Paris, and when I saw that block I decided it would make a beautiful bag. So there I went to start my sewing circle project!

It was late and I was tired, but it felt so good to take that moment and be part of something like this. I knew that someone might be sewing a project at the same time, and it's good to feel connected through something we love, isn't it?

It was a LOT of work, I assure you.

Katherine asked us to fill some info about the project, here it is:

Wait, there's more:

Feel your surroundings: I was home, in my living/dining room. The house was quiet, the husband was in the computer, on the back of the apartment, it was late at night, so the noises were diminished. Just me and the aquarium close by, with a soothing sound of water running.

LOOK

left: the wall with a pretty painting of white flowers in a window

right: the corridor, with light coming from the room where my husband was using the computer (that darn Facebook Farm Ville...)

in front: my dining room table - and actually the whole living room (not very big apartment)

behind: my kitchen, lights off.

at your feet: my nice and light wooden floor.

above your head: just my ceiling, with bright lights.

Close your eyes what do you SMELL? - Home. And fabric. Bliss.

What can you TASTE? - Nothing, I guess.

Shut your eyes, breathe deeply and LISTEN carefully. - I have to admit it, I actually did what the sentence says. I could listen the aquarium water running, cars on the street, computer keys and mouse buttons, the pencil marking the design and then my scissors cutting the foundation fabric.

Although I have the bad habit of trying things beyond my current skills with a DUE DATE - don't do that to yourself! - I have to say: no matter how hard it was this foundation, I am so happy with the result. Now I have to pick a fabric to make the bag and find some nice text font to embroider "Paris" above the foundation. And of course, I'll try to make the embroidery in some kind of technique that I don't know yet. But I won't have a due date this time!

Thank you, Katherine, for the incentive!

P.S.: Did you like the project I chose? Sorry for turning it into a mystery... after all, the last post was full of hints, wasn't it?

Slow and constant movement

This week was another one with strong external elements negatively influencing my craft activities. Translating: working too much for others, and almost no fun. The first part I unfortunately can only comment in the presence of my lawyer, but the second one I can talk about at will.

Please note, it wouldn't be possible for me to be here writing this post if I haven't done absolutely no craft this week. Simply because I would be so weak that I wouldn't be able to use the computer! (believe me, that already happened!) Lack of craft is my kryptonite.

Which means that - oh joy! - we have pretty things to show! BUT... sorry about that, I won't. Simply because I've been working every night in the sewing circle project and I'll only show it when it's done!! Please, don't panic. I can only say two things:

1. I have the bad habit of picking things far beyond my current skills;
2. despite the (many) difficulties, it's turning out beautiful! (putting modesty aside)

(I'm using a lot of exclamation marks today!!!)

To compensate the mystery, I'll show other things - hold on to your chair! (another exclamation mark?? what's happening??)

Thanks to Crafty Frugals, I remembered that cooking is a craft that I try very little - much less that I'd like to. My mom is wonderful in the kitchen (and, thinking about it, in crafts in general - think about unattainable goals). I, on the other hand, don't have much talent - maybe if some day I have time to invest in this art I end up awakening some chef gene and turn myself into the next Jamie Oliver (I would never be like Nigella, licking my fingers and putting them back into the pan. Imagine that.). This picture was taken out of pure pride: I've cooked tomatoes stuffed with ricotta, corn and some other little things. I thought it was great. Being the only one to taste it doesn't influence the results.

The picture didn't turn out good, but look at my little one! It took me a long time to pick my first sewing machine, months of research and budget adjustments - and then a long season of husband persuasion (you don't want to know what he said about my machine). This story's worth another post, but it's been such a long time since I got to play with it that I thought she deserved to show up in the Garden.

Yes, the secret-project is being sewn by hand. Stop asking, I'm not telling what it is.

Do you know what they are? No, no potholder. I'll decorate the kitchen with them - actually, one at a time. The tulip was my first work in Foundation (or Paper piecing). It's a patchwork technique, but it uses a base - the pattern - where you sew tiny scraps following a pre-determined sequence. Following the sequence warrants a virtually perfect finishing - not following is just chaos. Impossible. Disregard the possibility. You'll never see the end of it.

It seems odd, but despite the need of a good dose of concentration, Foundation is delightful to make. My dear teacher says the tulip defines right away if the person is of the Foundation kind or not - can I say there are Foundation and non-Foundation people? Hmm. Already said it. Anyway, apparently lots of people give up right in the beginning. I LOVED it. So much that I've made the little house right after that - which I said it's a bird house (because the pattern says so), and my father insists it couldn't be more wrong. Bird houses have the entrance (the red part) ON THE BOTTOM. And that from someone who couldn't see what the cross stich designs I make are (the nativity scene was the first one he could actually understand!). Go figure.

These two "screens" still need a place to be hung on. My mom gave me something that might work - but it needs a little finishing before being put to use. I.e., put it on the list: they're WIPs.