Finished? maybe evolving is a better term

O.K. I should admit that I am never finished with a project.

Since the "I finished everything" post, I have painted the bench in the craft room and found a place for only about half of the stash, and made a cushion for the newly painted bench.

I also made a second curtain for our two-windowed room.

We have had one curtain for about 3 months, and it feels good to have the windows match.

I made the curtains and the bench seat cover from a twin-sized duvet cover set that I got in the as-is section at IKEA.

There is the perfect amount of fabric.

I used the duvet cover itself for the curtains, I cut off the seams, finished the edges and added a rod pocket.

Pillowcases from IKEA are one long piece of fabric folded in half and sewn up the sides, so I had plenty of fabric for the seat cover.

I even had enough to bind the edges.

I used flannel on the underside so the cushion wouldn't slip around and I am very happy with the results.

I guess I have to make a pledge now that I will stop calling any project finished.

I also should take the time to iron, forgive the wrinkles...

Have a productive Monday,

Jess

Things I've Learned Today

I have had a productive and instructive day.

I went to the Craftstravaganza this morning.

The first thing that I learned today is that the Fine Arts Building in the State Fairgrounds has little or no heat.

On a normal visit to the Fine Arts Building that would not be an issue as it would be late August during the State Fair.

Today, however, the snow was snowing and the wind was blowing.

Our low temperature today was 30 degrees.

The vendors had on their winter coats and hats.

I was at Craftstravaganza to teach some free knitting classes.

I wore my fingerless mittens and a neck-warmer.

Despite the cold, I had a great time and I even got to teach 6 Girl Scouts who were out on a group outing to see the crafts.

Then I came home and I spent some quality time with the Hug-a-Bugs and cut out some patterns, at which time I learned my second lesson of the day.

31 is not 21.

I can't spend hours on the floor cutting out patterns to sew without really feeling it in my back.

Wow. I feel old.

The rest of the lessons of the day were much more fun.

I learned that there is enough paint in those Ralph Lauren paint swatch pouches to cover a radiator seat, with 2 coats.

I learned that my pin-cushion, which is about 50 years old, was ready for retirement.

So I pulled out my Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts book and whipped up a new one.

Here it is before I fully loaded it up with pins.

I also learned that I really missed sewing.

I have been without a sewing space during the craft room redo, and as a result I haven't done any sewing for 2 or 3 weeks.

Tonight, I made my Younger Hug-a-Bug some shorts.

I bought the fabric at Crafty Planet, which is the second best fabric store in the Twin Cities.

As you well know, nothing can replace Treadle Yard Goods in my esteem, but Crafty Planet does have a superior selection of Japanese printed fabric.

Now we just have to wait until the snow all melts and we get some sun and warm.

I am getting sleepy,

Have a good night,

Jess.

Finished!

My dear Mom just left.
We spent the last 2 hours assembling my craft space and I am so excited about it!

I made the decision to store my fabric and yarn in the closet, so organizing that is the next thing on the list.

Here is a reminder of the space as it had been.

I took out the largest piece of furniture and I also took out 4 other pieces.
The room is so light and open now.
I can not wait to start sewing again!

Here's to actually finishing something!

Jess

Knitting

This was a good weekend for knitting.

The Sacred Voice had a mini-tour this weekend and we did a concert in Staples Minnesota.

One of our tenors is from Staples, and we sang a concert at his parents' church.

They were so welcoming, and even had us all over to dinner.

We also had a good singing night, so that was a bonus.

The trip up there is about 2 hours, so that adds up to 4 hours of knitting time, if you were keeping score.

Then on Sunday, I was able to get in a little more knitting while I taught 2 classes at the Yarn Store.

Here is the Eris as it stands now-

I am pretty excited about the next 26 rows or so, because with the exception of the facings, it is all stockinette and I can do it without thinking.

I have also finished! painting the craft space, and all that remains is for me to access my inner interior designer and figure out where to put all of my furniture.

I hope that Spring is as glorious for all of you as it is here in Saint Paul!
Jess

Distraction on a Saturday

So, for the last hour and a half or so, I have been playing on Ravelry.

I am supposed to be vacuuming the living room.

I told the Hubby if he took the kids to the gym with him I would clean the living room.

Instead, I have been taking pictures of sweaters and WIPs and looking up patterns and filling up my queue and now I am thinking about going through my stash and listing that as well.

Krista and Theresa! when B asks why the house is such a mess, I will tell him to blame you.

O.K. seriously, how much fun is Ravelry?!?!

I think I am hooked, if you'll excuse the pun.

So, in that vein, I will update on the much-neglected Jess Sweater.

The back and both fronts are finished.

I have one sleeve started, but I left the book at the Elder Hug-a-Bug's dance lesson on Monday, so I have stalled out on that for now.

I was at the Yarn Store last week and saw a note from a co-worker saying that there was yarn on the back porch for a ridiculously low price if anyone wanted it.

I know, I said that I would work through my stash, and I have all of those WIPs, but it was so! cheap.

Also, since I am painting my craft room, everything is put away right now.

So, since I couldn't work on the Jess, I started Eris on Wednesday.

It is a totally cool pattern, and probably the longest one I have ever seen.

The pattern is a downloadable pdf and it is 40 pages long.

That Girl From Auntie is a detail-oriented lady.

To be fair, there are instructions for a pull-over and a cardigan included, so I didn't need pages 3-11.

O.K, I am going to go vacuum the living room now,

Have a relaxing Saturday!

Jess

The Naturalized Garden

We have two large trees and two medium trees in our backyard.

They are really very lovely in the summertime, but there is a great deal of shade back there.

I have, over the last 4 summers, tried a variety of plants in our garden plot and have had limited success.

This year I decided to order the Naturalized Shade Garden from Spring Hill Nursery.

The plants came in the mail yesterday and the Elder Hug-a-Bug and I planted the whole lot of them today.

It was so fantastic to have my hands in the dirt after a long cold winter.

There are 48 plants, including bulbs, bare roots and crowns, and small plants.

I will keep track every week or so to see if the end result is anything like this artist's rendering.

Have a great Thor's Day!
Jess

First Picnic

I love backyard picnics.

Our food tastes better if we're sitting on the ground.

We listen to and watch the birds, squirrels, and bugs.

We watch the clouds.

We look for airplanes.

We read books in the sunlight.

The clean-up is as easy as shaking our blanket and taking in the dishes.

Today I mark the First Outdoor Picnic of 2008.