Published on February 17, 2008
in Etsy.
The Tweed Chicken had a photoshoot today out in the lovely spring sun.
Why so much attention? Well, I’ve opened an etsy shop. Thats right, now you can get your very own tweed chicken via etsy and the US Postal Service.
I’m also selling wallets made from recycled tyvek envelopes and vinyl banners from the bart station.
You can even get a button to show your tweed chicken pride.
I havent actually sold anything through etsy yet, but I know there are a lot of people out there who could use a little tweed chicken in their lives and hopefully this will help spread the love.
abmatic on etsy
spinning, spinning, spinning and a hat…
Ah, just like a fresh bruise.. I finished spinning some merino roving that Karrie helped me dye in late November. I really, really, really like the color… I just need to decide what weight yarn I actually made so I can pick a pattern to knit myself a new hat.
Cato is proudly modeling a hat I made quickly before xmas. I used most of 2 balls of Rowan Cashsoft DK from my stash (originally purchased at the Webs booth at Stitches West 2007) one light blue and the other in navy. The pattern is the Inga Hat and I found it on Ravelry. I knit the hat using size 6 needles instead of size 5 which resulted in a really big hat, but it fits the recipient well. Oh, and the yarn is yummy…
First there was one
then there were twins
and now a whole family!
Ive been keeping a bit of a secret from you… In November after a tip-off from Karrie I went to the East Bay Depot and adopted a twin of my singer 301 sewing machine. The new 301 looks pretty, has a nice box and all of its attachments, but it also looks as if someone poured motor oil everywhere inside and then let it sit for 30 years. It was completely seized when I took it home but after some elbow grease and a good dose of advising from my dad the gears are all turning. With enough time spraying solvent into it I think I can get it running again.
Fast forward to January 2008 and an unanticipated craigslist find. Ive been looking on craigslist for the table which goes with the singer 301. I’ve seen them on there before and I’m not in a hurry so I figure that if I look long enough I’ll find one. My RSS feed picks up a lot of other sewing machines though and yesterday I saw a little featherweight listed for $100 (they usually go for $200-$400). I couldn’t resist and drove down to Mountain View to pick it up last night.
Its not in perfect condition - it looks well used - and thats the way I like it. I dont want a machine that cant be used! It runs and all the parts and attachments are there - even the original manual!
Look how tiny it is!
Just about everyone I talked to said I was crazy. 3 sewing machines in a studio apartment?
Well there is another bit of news I have yet to share…. We are moving. Our new place is still in Berkeley about 2.5 miles south of where we are now. It will have walls. More on that later…
Published on December 3, 2007
in Crafty.
or tweed chickens as the case may be…
show them your toes ladies!
its all tweed chickens all the time around here these days… I’m weaving and stuffing up a storm to get ready for the SF Bazaar Bizarre on Dec 15th! I dont have a table, but you can stop by girl on the rocks for some of my creations including tweed chickens, tweed chicken buttons, and recycled wallets made from vinyl banners and tyvek envelopes. I’ll be at the booth too helping out and sporting my new apron.
apollo gets in on the tweed chicken action too..
Published on November 12, 2007
in Sewing.
I’ve been working on this little number for wearing while crafting and also for when I help Karrie at the Bazaare Bizarre on Dec 15th.
The apron features the infamous rainbow canvas which I love so dearly as well as twill tape ties and vintage polka dotted double fold bias tape. I have made multiple variations on this theme but I’m really in love with this one - the “miniskirt” version. In fact, I like it so much I have a hard time taking it off when I leave the house…..
Published on October 31, 2007
in Crafty.
She is all dressed in her holiday best. Get this chicken some ice skates!
Published on October 16, 2007
in Quilting.
The wedding quilt: “What a Bunch of Squares” pattern from Denyse Schmidt Quilts
with a pieced back. It is machine quilted with unevenly spaced vertical lines and I added an embroidered patch with the names of the recipients and their wedding date. Most of the work was completed in the span of a month (actually, most of it the first week) - check out the progress in blogland and on flickr.
I really like it, and while its a big weight off my shoulders to have it done Im sad to give it away!
Im slowly getting better… This is one strand of domestic white top and one of something grey– honestly I dont really know. Im just practicing with all the pieces of roving ive got in my bag. I have also been really enjoying spinning some merino roving dyed by Karrie.
This weekend I received a package in the mail (always exciting) with musk ox fiber my friends found in Alaska while doing field work. So exciting! Its got some plant material in it and smells like animal, but its much cleaner than you might expect to find. The cat is pretty interested in the smell and spent a good 10 min sniffing around after I opened the envelop. Im going to need to find myself some cards that can handle it.
I also have for you today an indication that we have made progress on the wedding quilt
and a furrier version
We have actually finished all of the sewing and just need to snip off the tails of thread hanging out and take some photos before we can deliver it. Winter is coming at some point (its even supposed to rain today) and they might need it!
More baby blankets for more babies… They are everywhere!
I wish I could find a better resource for cute flannel prints. Joanns is always disappointing and my local fabric store often does not have the prints I like. Does anyone have a good suggestion for buying flannel prints online?
In other non-crafty news, N played a show with some folks on Saturday at Mamma Buzz cafe in Oakland. It was the first non-dead hensons show of his I’ve been to in many years. Maybe there will be more in the future?
Ive also been out enjoying the remnants of summer (oh, who am I kidding, it could go on like this for weeks). I went out to Point Reyes for a day of hiking and being near the ocean. There is just something special about waterfalls at the beach.
more craftiness to come soon…
Published on September 25, 2007
in Quilting.
It was strangely autumn-like last week despite still being September (in my world fall starts the last week in October and turns to winter around the second week in November). I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of actual proper rain. It was a strange feeling which triggered in me a desire to put on sweaters and wool socks and maybe even a Halloween costume. (the weather didnt last long, it was back up to the 70s again today) All the wintry feel got me in the mood for indoor activities, at least for a few days.
I finished machine quilting and sewing binding to the top of the wedding quilt a few weeks ago. Now we are almost done hand sewing the binding to the back. There has been a distinct lack of photos while Ive been working on it as the hours between 9 and midnight dont have very good lighting (funny how that works)
Ive been spinning again (a little). I picked up some wool after abandoning the silk hankie I had been working on and remembered why I thought spinning was fun.
The mead experiment is going well. My dad added a water trap to the bottle to prevent explosions and we tasted our concoction this weekend. I was very skeptical but it was really, truly, not bad. Im excited to see how it turns out in the end.
And speaking of bees, N and I joined my dad for a look inside the hive using his “bee suits” which are really painters coveralls with mosquito head nets and gloves.
The figs and pears at my parents house are out of control this year.
I recommend baking them and serving over ice cream. mmmm
The kittens are out of control too…
Streak has reached a whopping 4lbs and is twice the size of his sister who is just starting to recover from a really terrible cold. He hardly fits in the scale anymore!
The scenery is always nice up there, but notice the dark color in those clouds. Definitely not a summer look.
Its not a bad view from our apartment either, the cat always seems to find something to stare at
And sometimes I do too.
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