GreenStitch Episode 26 - A winter pick-me-up

This week, we do a little vintage-style embroidery to help chase away the winter doldrums. Listen to the full episode here.

The dancing coffee pot didn't show up brilliantly on the striped tea towel (and dim winter afternoon light makes for dreary photos anyway), but the design on the striped linen was still worth doing. The designs on solid colors, of course, always turn out great. I'll definitely spice up more of my towels with fun designs like these. Here are some good sources beyond your local craft store:

• The Pattern Bee (lots of free stuff, too)
• Floresita's blog isn't active right now, but you can still find lots of good patterns and ideas - plus, her commentary is fantastic.
• A quick search on eBay will turn up tons of vintage embroidery patterns, too, as well as embroidery supply. They can often be overpriced, though, so watch carefully.

And need to brush up on your basic embroidery stitches? Mary Corbet has some super instructional videos here.

I keep dreaming of the day when Dan and I have our morning coffee and our evening glass of wine at our cafe table overlooking the garden. For now, this is what it looks like... :-(

Many thanks to listener Sharyn for her super idea of putting even the tiniest of fiber scraps to use by creating stuffing for a dog bed. I made the exterior pouch out of leftover fleece, then lined it with an old pillowcase. Felt and fleece appliques were a simple touch (and great idea from listener Laurel, the Simple Romantic.)

I sewed all day yesterday and tossed all the scraps and trimmings into this pouch, getting a good start on filling the bed for a shelter dog. Thanks again for the super idea - this is one I'll be using for a long, long time!

Finally - the giveaway winners! Congrats to Laurel, Judy, and Carrie. I'll be contacting you very soon.

And thanks so much to everyone who left comments. I love knowing that you listen to podcast even while flossing teeth, feeding chickens, and blocking out annoying colleagues in the next office! See you soon...

Episode 25 - Wow, it's Episode 25!

Thanks for celebrating podcast 25 with me! Listen in here.

Here's a partial result of our Scrap-a-palooza event at guild. At top, you can see the ever-vigilant Inspector Betty - who did not go to guild, but was happy to see the project that came home.

Here's more information on how to make these blocks. You don't have to use a foundation muslin, but it does make the project a tad easier.

And next - the giveaways!!! Just leave a comment (by noon ET on Sunday, Feb. 27) telling me where you typically listen to the podcast - I'll draw three names, e-mail you if you're one of them, and you can win one of these three prizes:

Here are 25 (it had to be!) 7-inch felted wool squares, cut from spanking-clean-washed-in-hot-water sweaters. You can add these to your own squares and have a great, cozy throw - they're also super for potholders. Have fun with them!

And here's the quilted jewelry roll! Surely you'll want this for some of your bedazzling finery when you travel to Prince William's wedding this spring.... ;-)

If one Morsbag is good, two will be better! OK, so I haven't made the second one yet, but I'll have it done by the time I draw winners on Feb. 27. Keep one, give one to a friend! Genuine vintage tablecloth at work here...a friend gave it to me after cleaning out copious amounts of table linens from her grandmother's home.

UPDATE: Forgot to add these felted hat and mittens photos last night. So thick, so warm, so cozy!

Hope you can see how these pattern pieces work - one thumbless piece for the back of the hand, two thumbed pieces for the palm. Then just add a cuff from the ribbed sweater bottom. Make the ribbed cuff just a tiny bit smaller than the bottom of your mitten, and ease it in. Instant warmth and great fit.

And as we indulge in a little toast to Episode 25, here are two lovely ladies enjoying Finger Lakes Wine Country wares with clever hand-knit wineglass holders - made out of scrap yarn, and just the ticket for a chilly night!

And here's their warm-weather cotton version -- just made out of a scrap of fabric with an elastic casing at the bottom to secure the wine glass. Suzanne even put some cute button embellishments on the top edge - so cute for a warm summer's evening. People were coming into the store all evening saying, "we just saw these women with the greatest wine glass holders...!"

Thanks so much, and don't forget to enter the giveaway drawing!! The question: Where do you listen to GreenStitch?

GreenStitch Episode 8 - Getting organized with Annie Smith

Author, teacher, podcaster and lecturer Annie Smith shared some wonderful thoughts on organizing our stashes in this episode. The advice fits whether we're stashing quilting fabric or clothes and linens for refashioning. Annie's bottom line is this -- if you can't find your materials and supplies, you'll spend more time hunting and being frustrated than you will sewing!uilt

Here are a few links to go along with Annie's interview.

Annie's Web site (where you'll also find her great podcast, Quilting Stash)

Ikea

Where Women Create magazine

Get a preview of Annie's new book (at a special pre-release price!)

In other news ...here's the Green Halloween site.

And now, two giveaways!

Leave a comment and let me know if you'd like my copy of this terrific, idea-packed organization book by Lois Hallock....

OR, if you'd like Annie's generously donated "Exploring Fabric Choices" pattern to help you make confident decisions as you shop your stash for your next project.

Just leave a comment and add whether you'd like the organization book, the fabric pattern, or either one. I'll take entries through Oct. 15.

As always, thanks for listening - and be sure and tune in next time when my sister Karen will join me.

GreenStitch Episode 2 - It's curtains for you!

In Episode 2 of the podcast, we looked at curtains as the basis for easy and creative refashioning. Plus, a giveaway for being among my first listeners! You can click on the title of this post to link to the podcast, or just click here.


Here are the before-and-after photos of the apron projects.

And below is the ruffly skirt I made out of the old shabby chic curtains in our master bedroom:

Visit the Shabby Nest to view Wendy's spectacular smocked curtains. And be sure and check out the "Non-Committal Curtains" at Sew Much Ado.

Here's where to find "Sew What! Skirts," by Francesca DenHartog, which I highly recommend.

Finally, leave a comment and get in the drawing for this little zippered pouch, made out of (what else?) curtain scraps. I think I forgot to specify in the recording, but I'll take entries through August 15.

Also, when I was reviewing this recording, I noticed that the sound seemed to cut in and out from time to time. I'm not sure if it's because of my headset or the recording software, but I'll check it out and try to fix it before next time. And I don't want you to miss a single word of the next podcast, because I'll be interviewing Ginger from Weinerdog Tricks - she's sure to be a terrific guest. Thanks for listening, and see you soon!