Prototypes

For some reason there seems to be a fake moustache and beard trend, and I'm dying to get in on it. Why? I'm not quite sure. Maybe because it's just plain fun.

I'm still working on my prototypes but I wanted to give you a sneak peek. Aaron is seen here sporting "The Poirot" an homage to the Agatha Christie detective whom I adore. I'm fairly happy with it but I might make it slightly smaller.


I'm also working on "The Selleck" an homage to Tom and his bushy facial locks, "Bandit" which is based on Burt Reynolds stache of Smoky and the Bandit days, and perhaps a nice Fu Manchu.

Right now I'm having some trouble with The Selleck. I haven't yet captured that Magnum P.I. essence. It looks alright on Aaron but I want these to be wearable by adults as well and when Matt dons it, it is a little reminiscent of Hitler so it's back to the drawing board on that one.

Hope to have them in the shop soon.

Intimidated – vintage quilt blocks

Years ago my grandmother gave me a large sack full of hand pieced – let me say that again – hand pieced – quilt blocks that she had found at a church bazaar or rummage type sale. Or perhaps someone gave them to her I can’t quite remember. Anyway, she gave them to me thinking that I could possibly use them in my crafts and I was excited to receive them because they truly are beautiful. I have nine patch blocks, appliquéd sue bonnet blocks and meticulously cut and sewn honeycomb patchwork and they’re absolutely gorgeous!

However I’ve been so intimidated by them that they’ve sat in boxes under my desk for years just waiting for me to muster the nerve and inspiration to do something with them. Some of them, I’m sad to say are stained and badly disintegrated, but others are in excellent shape and they’re begging to be given new life.

I’m particularly fond of these honeycomb blocks. Whoever put these together took great care with the color palette and the placement of the fabric pattern within the block.

I’ve got a few ideas for these pieces rummaging around my head but it’s fairly intimidating. To me these items are precious and I’m afraid to waste them on any less than worthy project. However, I’ve been trying to tell myself that any use for them would be better than letting them rot away in a dark lonely box and I’m hoping this mindset will allow me the freedom to be creative with them.

So stay tuned and hopefully I’ll be able to show you some finished projects soon. Do any of you have any thoughts on possible projects for these pieces? Have you made something out of old quilt blocks that you’d like share?

Bargain Yarn

(Lion Brand Landscapes - wool blend)

I grabbed 2 skeins of each of these yarns at Big Lots for $1.50 each. Finding good yarn at a place like that is pretty rare but I’m always on the lookout for crafty bargains and I got lucky this time and found these beauties nestled within a mound of purple eyelash yarn.

Haven’t decided exactly what to make yet but I’m leaning toward a cowl (also called a tube scarf or scarflette).

They’re all the rage now and I’m one to jump on a bandwagon when it’s something I think is pretty cool. And from what I’ve heard,”cowl is the new scarf” don’t believe me? Check out this flickr blog group: Cowl is the new scarf

As much as I love scarves, sometimes the ends annoy me. They entangle the kids when I bend down to put their boots on, they get wrapped around my purse straps etc so I’m thinking a cowl would be an improvement. Of course some of those issues may be attributed to my natural awkwardness, it’s hard to say.

One of the most exciting things about this yarn, besides the softness and subtle color variations is that they take size 13 needles (cue shaft of light and angelic chorus) which means that whatever project I decide on should take minimal time with a yarn as chunky as this.

One of my fears with a cowl though is that it could make me resemble something like a tortoise or worse yet give the impression that I’ve simply knitted a cozy for my double chin. But, I think for $3 and minimal time and effort, it’s a project worth pursuing. I’ll let you know how it turns out, unless of course it does end up looking like a double chin cozy and then I think it’s best if we all just forget this ever happened.