A Word On Fabric Quality...

In Germany, we had a lovely MWR-run craft store. They had the most beautiful fabric I had ever seen. Coming from the land of Hobby Lobby and Joanne's Fabric, let's just say I experienced a bit of sticker shock. Ten dollars a yard?! Of quilting cotton?!?! Yes, ten, sometimes more, sometimes on sale, (sweet sweet Black Friday fabric sale) but this stuff, I had come to find, was worth every penny. See, quilters spend a whole heck of a lot of time and effort to make a quilt, and it is a worthwhile investment to use high-quality materials. Could you imagine the heartbreak of putting hours into a quilt, and washing it three times before it started to disintegrate? *full body shiver*

Well, I don't quilt. I think the people who do are math geniuses, and I bow down to them in all their glory. I DO make items that are handled a bunch though. Purses, toys, and clothing need to withstand a lot of abuse! That's why I've embraced the extra cost. If a few more dollars means years added to the lifetime of what I make, it's a small price to pay.

Why bring this up now, you ask? I was a little bit traumatized on a recent trip to one of the aforementioned big-box fabric stores. It was made alarmingly clear to me that *gasp* all fabrics are not created equal. I thought that, perhaps, the price difference had to do with buying in volume, these stores had discounts because they're national chains with tons of buying power!... WRONG! They are cheaper because they sell cheap fabric. Cheap like lousy quality. Like... see for yourself  :

(I took all of these pictures using my iPhone to maintain an equal representation)

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

I use Minky dot a lot. I love it. It is soft, wears very well, and dots are fun to pet. Exhibits A and B are the kind of Minky dot you can buy for $6.99/yard, or less if you bring in a coupon, shop on a Tuesday, or know the secret handshake. This is what they look like fresh, straight off the bolt.

Exhibit:C

Exhibit: D

Exhibit: E

Exhibits C, D, and E are $12.90/yard Minky Dot, often less on sale. I buy this online from Fabric.com. This is what it looks like after being machine washed and dried. The pile is consistent, the dots are raised and uniform, and perfect even when the pile is petted against the grain (Exhibit:E).  

As I launch my business, I want everyone to know, that while I could make what I make with supplies that cost only a few pennies, I choose not to. It's not worth my time, or the buyer's for me to do that. There are certainly people who can make what I make and charge half as much! Just take into consideration the QUALITY of said item. It makes a world of difference! 

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Dare I Blog?

My last post was in November... Of 2013. Yikes. Sorry about that. If it makes a difference, it only feels like that was 3 weeks ago to me. I had a baby, moved across the world, and now I'm settling in to a new life in Kentucky.

I look back at my early bloggings, and they fill me with warm fuzzies, as well as a bit of hopelessness. I was in a personal sweet-spot. Dom was old enough to enjoy playing with cars all day long, I was healthy, not pregnant, I had virtually no other pressing responsibilities, and beautiful materials at my fingertips. Oh my, how things are different.

By no means am I complaining (very loudly), but Dominic spends his days at school, while the small one requires my every ounce of attention, forever. I love it, I do, I also love spending some time without tiny hands pulling my hair. Just a few minutes, here and there. You know, so I can get my hands on fabric, and do what I do, because it makes my brain feel good.

I'm currently attempting to balance giving everyone my undying, bottomless, whole-hearted devotion, and opening an Etsy shop to satisfy my need to make things (and not hoard things). Forgive me for saying this because I gag when other people use the words *dream* and especially *passionate*, but this shop has been a *DREAM* of mine for years... and it's so close to being a reality.

So, I'll leave you with that small bit of excitement, and hope to be here again before November.

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So, It's November...

Something crazy happened in July. I was keeping myself busy with the sole purpose of passing the time until we went back home to the US. 365 project, my advent calendar sew-along, craft meetings, kids crafts, play dates and vacations. My days were absolutely packed, and somehow I felt like I was walking waist-deep in mud. The day I've been longing for for a while was still nine months away.

On July 12th, I stood up from my computer and felt something that I haven't in a long time, but remember clear as day. A quick strained muscle running down my side. I thought, that felt just like round ligament pain. I had no other indication that my reproductive system had been up to anything, honestly, I just stocked up on lady supplies and bought a $3.99 app to track my cycle the day before. Of course, all tests came out brain-numbingly clear... I was pregnant.

My due date landed about three weeks before we were scheduled to leave Germany, making it impossible to get baby's passport in time to leave. Not that I wasn't happy---I wasn't at all prepared. This changes not just my life plans, for the foreseeable future, but everyone in my family. This took a while to come to grips with.

Of course my husband and Dom were excited about the news, and we started moving plans around to make this addition as stress free as possible for all of us.

From week six to week eleven I had a continuous cycle of eating and eating remorse accompanied with laying on the couch pitifully. Thankfully all of my food stayed down, and Dominic is old and wise enough to leave me be on the pity couch.

From week twelve to twenty (currently) I felt fabulous. Being quite short, I look pregnant rather than chubby rather quickly. I avoided driving myself crazy over everything, like I did the last time, and I embraced full-panel maternity pants and wireless bras with wide open arms. Only recently my ability to eat massive amounts of food in one sitting has been compromised. This will take some getting used to, but still, I can't complain. I'm finally feeling thumpy kicks, reminding me multiple times a day that this is FOR REAL, and soon we should find out if this small human is a boy or a girl.

Possibly the best news of all (oddly enough) is that we will be staying here in Germany until mid 2015. I really really thought I wanted to leave. It's amazing what a difference a baby makes. I'm over-the-moon excited that we're staying put. I feel like this is an answer to a question I didn't know I was asking. After spending months wondering where we would go next... "let's just stay here" feels right. I'm so thankful we were afforded the opportunity to stay. It wasn't an easy feat, and a lot of people had to work to make it work. I feel like I can breathe again.

Now that my plans aren't up in the air, I can focus on how insanely busy November will be! Hopefully crafts will be part of my crazy month, and if they are, I will certainly attempt to write about them.

Thanks for reading, and for forgiving my absence! The next few months should be exciting! Stay tuned!

*shamefully, my first intentional pregnancy picture. 20weeks 4 days*

(note: I'm not "carrying in my butt" that's just my butt. Yes, it's ridiculous, I'm aware.) 

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Felt Advent Calendar Part 3

*As i said in Part one, the assembly for little felt guys is pretty much the same thing over and over again. So here's a pattern,you can embroider it to your personal tastes!* 

Just be sure to cut out two of the main pieces (front and Back). 

I used this cookie star as my tree topper, but if you would like to just use it as an ornament, i included a smaller size. There aren't any rules when it comes to decorating a cookie, so have fun with this one! i added sequins and beads to mine :) 

Felt Cookie Star Pattern

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Felt Advent Calendar Sew-Along Part 2

Finally, Part 2! As i said in Part one, the assembly for little felt guys is pretty much the same thing over and over again. So here's a pattern,you can embroider it to your personal tastes! 

Just be sure to cut out two of the main pieces (horse) and the pattern pieces for detail items (saddle and mane).  

Dala Horse Pattern

Enjoy! 

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Christmas In July? [Part 1 of My 25 Part, Felt Ornament Sew-Along]

Last Christmas was my first Christmas since I discovered Pinterest. Of all the unrealistic holiday crafting ideas that entered my head THIS was the king. 

Oh, yes, a harmless felt advent calendar. I think it was October when I decided to take this on. I made the tree, equipped with super strong magnets to hold my (non-existant) 25 intricately stitched ornaments, in about an hour. That is all I accomplished last year. Naked tree. 

This poor thing has been hanging around my craft area for 8 months. Last week, I made a giant leap forward and stitched around my circles. I decided that it was time to start thinking about maybe working on this again.... soon. "I'll just make an ornament a week!" No pressure, I can totally manage this. Well, I took a looksie at the calendar... I don't just need this to be done by Christmas, It needs to e done before 1 December... That leaves me with 20 1/2 weeks. Yes, friends, That's all there is between now and December. Better get my butt in gear! 

I decided this is a good way to keep me on track, and it's fun for all! Felt ornament sew-along! I'm doing all of mine with magnets, but a string or velcro can be used just as easily. This week I did an in depth, step-by-step, but the techniques will be the same, just different shapes from here on out. 

Here is a wonderful resource for embroidery stitches:

Embroidery Stitches

AND

A refresher on the joys of working with Eco-Felt:

Working with Eco-Felt

Cupcake Pattern

^First, Print out your pattern^

You will need:

Felt

embroidery floss

 fusible interfacing

needle

magnet/velcro/thread loop hanger/buttons/whatever

Now gather your felt...

...Yes, I have a problem.

I cut out my pattern, but it would be a lot smarter to just trace the pattern onto your fusible interfacing. Brain fart, I guess. You only need one of each piece cut out of the interfacing.Adorable face is optional •_•

Iron the fusible interfacing to your felt. Parchment paper is a good idea here. Use some pressure, and only keep the iron over the piece for a few seconds at a time until the interfacing appears to be stuck. 

See, stuck. 

Double your felt piece and cut. This way you'll have perfect matches (pattern is asymmetrical), and it saves some time. Leave about a millimeter of felt around the edge of the interfacing. 

Repeat the process with the frosting. Now you can decorate your frosting piece (stitch on the side with interfacing,it has more stability and if you're using a light color of felt the thread will not show through) however you like. I decided on Christmas-y French Knot sprinkles. 

Use any stitch you like to attach the front and back pieces together. For the cake, I used a running stitch, then just added a few big lines for decoration. When starting to stitch the frosting, lay the cake piece over the top to get an idea where you will need to start and stop stitching. 

I used a blanket stitch along the top of the frosting, now I have gotten to the point where I need to stuff (i Just chop up some of the scrap felt) and insert the magnet and cake piece. 

Once everything is in place, continue stitching, but rather than going all the way through the layers, only pick up the front layer of the cake and frosting...

...Like so. Then continue this process around to the back. 

Tie off your thread, and you're done! 

Woo! One down,  24 to go!

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The Comeback

Really, I'm not sure where the past few months went. It's all been very busy, which is a magical thing, but when I got blindsided with a cold a couple days ago (during the hottest days of the year so far) I kind of had no choice but to put the brakes on a bit. My head is starting to clear today, so tomorrow I will be back to editing photos and whatnot. But right now, my sweet little neglected blog, you will get some much needed updating. 

I think we left off with my newly acquired contract to sell  crafties at the local craft store. Let me tell you, I have been blown away with the response from the community. My amigurumi plushies seem to be in high demand! It really warms my heart to know there are other people around here that appreciate cute things that really have no purpose except being cute. Those are my favorite kinds of things. ^.^

I'm also completely shocked that the views of this blog have gone through the roof since I abandoned it! I've been getting hundreds of re-pin notices from Pinterest, and I actually scrolled through the DIY&Crafts board to see Dominic's sweet little face. I was like "hey, I know that kid!" Thank you to everyone who reads and Pins! I swear I'll do my best to update here more often! 

My newest undertaking: The Washi Dress. 

I've never really used a pattern before, so I'm nervous about this one. Also, I'm having a pathetically hard time picking out a fabric for this. Like, naming your child hard. You would think this is the last item of clothing I'd wear in my life. I think I'm going to do a dry run with a cute bed sheet my friend gave me. So hopefully I can get the fear out of my system without the possibility of killing $40 worth of fabric. I will keep you updated on my progress.

That's all for now, I suppose. Maybe one of these days I'll get a chance to share some of my pictures from our Greek cruise/ week in Rome! Yes, eventually I will do that :) 

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