dancing in the rain

Spring break already started and very wet indeed. Friday night we stayed simply in the kids lounged in front of the living room and watched TV and I tortured the sewing machine. After years I actually tried sewing a shirt for myself.  I do have great friends who all said that the shirt is wearable however if it would fit me in a smaller size then I would love it a lot more.
It was an attempt using a stretching thin material including making my own pattern for a very reasonable price of the fabric called bargain.

 - me and silly Soren and the shirt - 

On Saturday it started with sprinkling and just continued with pouring down. The rain did not stop us from the leaving the house. We love the rain. We all own umbreallas, too. If we use them that's a totally different question.

We went to the public library to stock up on books for all the kids to read and to find a 'Pete the Cat' book for Soren. I never heard about Pete before, but Soren is hooked on Pete and since the book fair at the school it is all about Pete the Cat is Rocking in his School Shoes. All my kids love books. Here is proof. :)

Because there is limit possibilities what we can do in a down pour in we did not want to go shopping we stopped in McDonalds for an ice cream snack and to meet friends. Bella met her book and was occupied the whole time. Chiara was a little silly and reading, too, and Soren on the other side was just jumping off the walls. The soaked and closed playground there Can you see it in there yes?

it's called a 'whitehouse'

I promised Soren quite a while ago that I make him a floor cushion for his room. He is a big Spiderman fan right now and Oma made him a Spiderman quilt during her visit in our house.So I decided to use the leftover fabrics and a touch of yellow for his floor cushion. After I only made pillows lately I thought of switching up the style for this and turn in more into a cuboid shape. - cuboid -  I admit that I had to google for this word in English. - Soren is happy with his cushion and tested it right away, but it is intended for indoors otherwise the Brynne, our dog will take it over without thinking twice. Vincenzo, the cat, already spent last night sleeping on it right after finishing it.

We started our gardening season here, too. Perhaps a little late for our region, because our seedlings could already be growing, however the first seeds were planted yesterday in the mini greenhouse. But we don't really have much space and light for plants inside close to the window, we built our greenhouse for outside today. It is big enough to raise all seedlings even after we planted them in bigger pots before planting them actually in the ground. It is not your typical greenhouse, but I am definitely no carpenter and my budget si limited, too. So I spent $3 for some plastic foil, dug out the postal tape that works for everything and the extra storage shelf behind the shed that was just waiting to get used for something.

 - Gardening - Day 1 -

 - Gardening - Day 2 -

Even if our greenhouse or whitehouse as Bella insists calling it does not look very professional, it should work out for us of not Texas storm is blowing it all over the yard. There is a weight on the bottom of the flap included to keep the flap down and roll it up for opening and we even added velcro for extra closure on the sides. Postal tape works awesome, when it sticks once you usually don't have a chance to get it back off.

and pillow #3 - part 3

The last of the pillows for the couch corner is finished and I still have some of the fabrics left I used for the series, but I should perhaps switch it up for the next project. I chose not to use straight lines crazy all over to quilt this pillow, but went in circles all around. It is definitely time consuming and I like the result even I did not a perfect job with it. I need a lot more practice. I would love to use circle quilting patterns on one of bigger quilt tops, however I question my ability to turn it 360 degrees again and again under my machine and freehand quilting would be my only other option.

the hedgehog is just plain cute - part 2

 I am hooked on the bright color scheme. I truly admit it and it's fun to have all these fabric spread around you, a sketch of an idea in front of me, but not knowing yet how the result will turn out exactly because I do not plan the colors into details and just get started. However this pillow fits perfectly to the strip pillow I finally finish a week ago and there might be one more coming soon. There is a little bot more space left on the couch stool in the corner of our living room. The next sketch is already waiting scribbled inside of a flattened flat rate box. I will see what will be finished first the new pillow idea or the two big quilts that finally are layered, basted and ready for quilting.

After an hour on hold with Adobe without getting anybody on the line and then after an one minute wait I was chatting online with Amit from Adobe, I learned not to call Adobe customer service anymore and also got my license issue solved for the Photoshop program and was finally able to use it again.

The next day I spent preparing a sheet with different labels for my mom and some new ones for myself and printed it on iron-on paper. Already set up with big rolls of cotton tape we were busy ironing on the design on the tape. - I ordered 20 yards rolls of cotton tape online two years ago already, because I had no luck finding them in the small packages in the stores around me. - It takes a little bit of time, but the labels are so easy to make in any size and type needed for any project and I am all set for now.

english vocabulary

Soren loves school. Yesterday he barely was in the house when he pulled out his take-home folder and showed us his excited his 'I can write 100 words' sheet with already 40 words on it. I started reading the words he chose and only got till #4 when I was clueless. What in the world is 'wollex'?!

 

 





Finally Soren helped me out and we were standing there laughing - it's version of yellow.

 

However yesterday was definitely one of those days with vocabulary issues. At bedtime my little stinker and me were were reading two of his books he brought from school. The first book he read almost all by himself and I only corrected two words with his pronounciation. Even he has finished speech therapy we still work this way to make sure he is improving his language skills continously and by now adding German words more and more. The second book was my turn to read and it was all about dinosaurs with vocabulary like

 

dinosaurs

brontosaurus

tyrannosaurus

triceratops 

iguandadon

 

Soren corrected my pronounciation on every single dino-word. Payback.

 

When he was off in the land of dreams I started on a new project using the same and similar fabrics from the latest couch pillow. There were enough strips leftover that I only needed add some bigger squares for trying a wonky block in the log cabin style. It's still work in progress, however it won't take several months this time to finish. :)

 

 

 

There is another project that is probably waiting not just months, but already years to be continued and moved closer to the sewing machine this morning. It is definitely time to pick up my recycle quilt for a new picnic blanket, the temperatures are never really cold here.

 



  

lucky box

I have several bigger projects that are desperately waiting to be finished, but as much as I love to sew and quilt I do not like layering quilt tops, batting and backing and the wrinkles in my project that follow. I do have the best intentions on actually getting a bigger quilt all finished this year. Luckily there are so many inspirations for little project that are really fun to make like this little fabric box. And it is done in a snap, not even a pattern required. It's intended for a teenager's desk or shelf with simple black letter applique and line quilting and will be send off overseas by the end of this month. However I have to admit that I am still looking for more phrases or just words to put on a box. If you have an ideas then send it my way.

strip pillow - part 1

It's raining and thundering outside, the heater is turned back on and there is a pot with  hot Yukgaejang (spicy beef and vegetable soup) on the stove top. I am definitely not leaving the house today instead finished writing my paper, working on the slow computer, study more and spend time with my mom. Since she is here she is working on a quilt for each kid. Soren is following her every step she is working on his Spiderman quilt. He is all excited. 

- couch pillow -

I finally sew a little more again, too, and finished the couch pillow for the extra stool next to our window. It was only the backing left to do and filling it with fiberfill that was just waiting to be opened. The five pound box literally doubled in size in front of our eyes. Try to squeeze it all back in the box, I didn't attempt it. :)

My two little ones have lots of sillyness in their heads and now also on their heads. Last weekend we went grocery shopping at Omart, the huge asian supermarket in the next town, before heading to the airport for picking up our visitor from Germany and the kids discovered the tiger and gepard hats. These are now worn daily in the morning no matter how cold or should I better say how warm it is!

- Soren and Chiara showing of their silly but warm hats -

Somebody really loves owls

- Bella Clutch  from Violet and Clover -

Bella loves owls in any form. She truly must have gotten that from her dad. By now even I grew fond of them and couldn't resist them especially on fabric. Bella is even a bigger lover and this fabric out my stash just fit perfect for this little bag for her.
The pattern is called Bella Clutch from Clover and Violet and easy to make. On their website you can find more color combinations as examples. I like especially the little bit of ruffles and the rounded corners on the bottom of the bag . Bella already packed her things it the little bag and took it out shopping.

However Bella is busy sewing herself. My mom arrived here and showed her the hundreds of mini hexagons she is making and now Bella is hooked and she is doing a great job.

- one of Bella's hexagons -

Well ...

- Vincenzo, our tiger cat -

   Well, I haven't been updating my blog for a while. Sorry. My last post actually was exactly a year ago, but enough time passed with lots of things happening throughout the last twelve months. Now Vincenzo will keep an eye on me and most of the time I am watched very closely by him or one of his buddies in the house while I explore the new blogger changes, get my computer repaired and finally started sewing again. Yeah, even the sewing machine was covered by dust and only occasionally used.

- Project #1 in 2013 -

I need to be a little more creative again and get more motivation for everything, so here is a peek to the first new project I started in 2013 and it definitely needed to be something cheerful and colorful. I used lots of scraps again not one piece is perfectly the same as another and I am sure the result also will be one hundred percent imperfect and that's perfectly fine for this look I am going for.

My mom from Germany is visiting us right now since a couple days and she taught me how to sew, however I got her totally addicted to quilting. :) And not just her, Karin, too. This morning after the kids were all off with the school bus we slowly got ready for a road trip south to Roundrock and after a couple of stops before finally made it to Joann Fabric and Craft Store. Equipped also with Karin's shopping list - in digital form on my kindle to include her pictures - we spent almost two hours there.

- Here, Karin, the shopping list in digital form on my kindle from you, so we would be able to find exactly what you are looking for. - 

My mom just found a little bit of fabric to use here and a little bit to take home. The lady at the cutting table had lots of patience cutting it from her and also told us her story from living in Kitzingen, Germany, for a few years. The store was filled with lots of seniors due to the special discount today and quite a few were asking her what she is going to do with ALL that fabric.

- one of her favorite places in the States -

Now she is already back at the sewing machine and working on a quilt for Soren like a busy bee.

lampions in style :: made of fabric

Karin came with a handwritten pattern of simple lampion and a sample of tiered fabric lampion - probably made in china. We talked about trying to make both before she even set foot on the plane here. However we didn't really have much time for sewing this visit. With the kids home on summer break, appointments and other responsibilities time was short. After all we also had to go fabric shopping first to find the right colors for our prototypes.

We choose very different colors and patterns of fabric. Karin went with greens and blues fitting to her living room, mine were matched to the girls rooms with purple and green wall color. However I am not sure if I really can give my prototype up as planned.

The first step took a long time - the zigzag border which was needed twice and made by hand and handsewing.

The next steps were a little faster but we seriously had to make lots of breaks to get some pool time and swimming and a little bit of tan for Karin. Eventually both our first attempts of lampions came together and we love the result. I don't think you necessarily need the light inside, because even without they look pretty neat. I just picked up two cords with the light attachment on a shopping trip earlier this year to Ikea for 99 cents each. I knew I could use them for something.

No there's just the question if one of us is actually making a tiered lampion sometime. We do not have a pattern for that idea, just a simple ebay bought sample and a few pictures online. So here we need lots of planning and measuring out to make it work. Or I could simply wait until Karin did it. :)

april stash project :: fabric basket #1

Perhabs I should call it rather scrap project, because only the lining came from  my stash, the natural colored fabric was left over from the pincushions  I just finished and the rest is just scraps. It was really fun to do. I planned on adding simply colored rectangles in two rows, but didn't plan the colors well, so I cut my finished strip up one more time and added more of the natural fabric. It was a little bit more work, but if I go through the trouble making this basket I at least should like the result. I might even try another one sometime again. It's so simple to make.

for money and trinkets

It cost Soren a nap to get his hands on it. This was the first attempt to make a little wallet or trinket keeper for him. Since last November my mom and me were looking all over the place to find a simple little boys wallet. With no luck. I had so many in my hands in Germany, we even owned a Pooh Bear one, which got recycled a few years ago when the girls outgrew Pooh Bear. But it is impossible to find a BOY's wallet here.

So a few weeks ago, after another luckless attempt of finding one, I starting on this little project and I admit I am not overly excited about the result. That might be the reason why it took me til today to close up the last opening and add the little bit of velcro.

Soren on the other hand loves it. He loves that it snaps on his pants, if he wears jeans. And I promised him some money for the little wallet, because he insisted putting money in it instead of trinkets for now. He tried and asked for big money, but had to make due with coins. Little sneak.

Until he gets the real wallet from Oma she found, this has to be it, and perhabs someday I can figure out to make one a little neater. It was the first attempt.

You want a little garden update?

Texas has a drought again.
Not really helpful.
My shade building over the veggie plot is not beautiful.
The  cucumber plant that almost ripped and miraclously survived looks better as the ones in the veggie plot ?!?!?!

Do you have an idea want plant this might be? We have no clue even we planted it. Smart right.

just for little boys

Those two blue onesies are part of my stash since a little while, but I never got to them. That was perhabs good, because I have to admit that even I planned on using them all the time it took even now a little while to get an idea what to add to them and no a tie was simply NOT an option. I saw a cute dino and it took me almsot two weeks to find the pattern in one of magazines again and in the end I didn't even use it. Don't ask me why, because I am still in love with that dino. However this robot is my favorite for right now when I came across a few different robot patterns. I only decided to used fabric for the eyes, too, instead of buttons, because it is for a baby, I didn't want to include a chocking hazard in the appareal.

After we are all little owl fans here, I couldn't say no to add this little fellow on the second onsie. Still it looks like he really needs feet. He is missing feet! What do you think?

The feet have to wait for another day, it is late and I need to come up with an idea for these, but the last night was short and I am tired now. So take care.

one, two, ... four

After my little mishap at the first attempt of following the tutorial on how to make this clutch, I had to try it again - of course. And I just had to play with some more fabrics from my stash. I guess now I have a different little clutch to use for almost every day, if I get to keep them. I already have somebody eyeing them.

- #1 -

- #2 -

- #3 -

- #4 - it is a touch cricket - but I love how the fabric worked, even it was truly not my favorite. -

Garden Report

#1: All the trees, besides the one the dog chewed to the ground and the fig tree which is not showing a sign of life yet made it through winter and slowly but finally showing a sign of spring. Some just tiny yet, but we can't wait to see more growth.

#2: The dog attacked the bamboo shrub. Arrrrrrrrrg. Usually he leaves plants with leaves alone. So we built the next fence circle, we are almost pros now.

#3: Chiara probably drowned 1/3 of our cucumber seedlings with a quick swoop of water instead of a little. We only can hope for survivors.

#4: Our zucchinis seeds are out and growing awesome and soon ready to move outside, and the pepper ones are slowly sprouting, too.

#5; The next little strawberry is turning red.

fabric stash :: clean up

Our garage is a mess. It always gets cleaned up and within weeks it looks like a bomb explosion in there. In the company of my new little supervisor for outdoor activities - Antonio is  coming outside with us since last weekend while being babysitted by Vincenzo - I finally made a way through the garage again. More stuff got stored out of the way in the attic, the trash can filled and I am reorganizing all my fabric. All the fabric actually moved in the house step by step got folded nicely in stacks AGAIN and sorted by color and even by size.
Now I am actually able to find  the specific piece of fabric when I search for it. Yes, I am still using this old blue wardrobe for storing my fabric.There is no space for it in the house, but I am happy that my sewing machine has a spot that is not the kitchen table.

My scrap basket is full and I even started my own FQ sized collection. My toolbox is filled to the brim, but works great for having these little treasures handy. I finally found the perfect use for it and it fits right next the sewing machine.

How do you store your fabric? Do you keep it neat or need to reorganize them periodically, too?

This is how it look at 9 pm. By now the table is cover in red, orange and yellow scraps for tonights project. I used the Mod Mosaic technique from Oh!Fransson in a small scale. I am planning on using these blocks for a pillow cover, but still need to decide on which background fabric I want use with this combination. I would like more colord pieces in my blocks, but the finished blocks are just 6 1/2" x 7 1/2" and the white strips measure 1/2". I did not necessarily want to make the white strips even thinner to work with.