Random Stitching

I know I have been pretty quiet here...


been feeling that way all around.


I think winter does that to me.


I have also been a bit preoccupied with planning for some upcoming travel, (fun!)


as well as for some upcoming surgery, (not fun.)


To keep my sense of calm,


(Often easier said then done in regards to myself)


I have just been allowing myself the joy of random stitching.


I am usually so focused on making things, (and very results oriented) that I am finding this to be a very soothing place... the act of simply stitching for the sake of wanting to stitch.


Hope each one of you is finding happiness in whatever you are doing! xo

Life is Full of Lovely Surprises!

Directly after publishing my last post titled, When Door # 1 Does Not Deliver What You Expected, (which I posted just a few hours ago) I received a lovely surprise from the post office... proving that yes, sometimes door #1 does not deliver what you want but that sometimes door #2 delivers exactly what you want...


For there at my front door was a box with my name on it. A surprise care package sent by my sweet friend Michelle Engel Bencsko, filled with a selection of her beautiful Cloud 9 Fabrics!


I am going to assume that you are all familiar with the talented Michelle and Cloud 9 Fabrics, which Michelle co-created and runs with her partner Gina Pantastico. However, if you are not then let me tell you that Cloud 9 Fabrics are truly lovely and very special.


Offering an ever growing selection of various collections designed by Michelle, such as Across the Pond and Maman, (the latter of which Michelle used the delightful illustrations of her beloved grandmother Anne-Marie Murphy) as well as collections created by other wonderfully talented artists such as Miscellany, designed by Julia Rothman; Cut Out & Keep, designed by Heather Moore and the new and soon to be released collections Alegria, designed by Geninne D. Zlatkis and the Monsterz, created by Michéle Brummer Everett, Cloud 9 Fabrics manages to hit it out of the ball park every time.


Cloud 9 Fabrics is dedicated to doing it right. Not only are all the designs terrific and very original, (along with all of the colors being spot on) but all of the base fabric is 100% certified organic cotton and the dyes used for printing and dying are eco-responsible low impact dyes. The combined results is that while these fabrics are modern, they also have a vintage look, feel and sensibility to them, which I adore. Quality, quality, quality. And let me tell you, these fabrics are soft. They feel as good as they look, and they look damn good.

Thank you, Michelle! Your care package has lifted me right out of the doldrums. Perfect medicine and just what I needed! xo

When Door # 1 Does Not Deliver What You Expected.

Fate Awaits

The original plan for the last 6 weeks or so were to be ones of great productivity, with little breaks and holiday family time sprinkled in. That is what I fully expected.

Ha Ha! Joke's on me again!
You never really know what lies behind life's doorways. Despite my good intentions to have nose to the grindstone, (speaking of which, see those steps leading up to the door... I believe they are very old grindstones) the reality of the last 6 weeks or so have been anything but. Family time took top billing, (which I am grateful for. No complaints at all!) However, all that planned productivity was put further on the back burner due to a lot of just feeling and being under the weather... from an array of head and chest colds to what I assume is a peri-menopausal caused train wreak of a cycle that continually takes me by surprise, knocks me to my knees, and throws my creative cycle off the tracks.

So for now I have zilch to show! And truth be told I don't like that. Low productivity gets me on edge. But that's how it goes sometimes, and that is where I am right now. The upside is I have some time to think, and dream, and plan... all good seeds for future creative productivity!

Wherever you are in your creative cycle I wish you well. xo

All Tied Up - Make Your Own Twine Tutorial

If you find yourself with some last minute gift wrapping to do, (confession... haven't even started mine yet) and want something other then the standard ribbon to tie your gifts up in, here's a simple way to make your own lovely twine...


First you will need to cut several individual lengths of yarn. Any yarn will do, just keep in mind that the thicker the yarn, the thicker the twine will be. I like to use a thin perle cotton yarn.

For this example I am making a thin multicolored twine and am using just three strands of yarn, one in pink, one in green and one in off-white. (Note that the more individual lengths you use, the thicker the twine will be. Want rope? Just use thick yarn and more individual pieces!)

Cut the individual pieces of yarn about three times the length you would like your finished twine to be. I tend to cut my individual pieces of yarn about 6 yards long, which gives me a finished piece of twine just over a yard long. If you want a longer strand that's fine, but you may need some one to assist you towards the end so things don't get too knotted up... I will explain more later.


Next you will need some device to help you as you tightly twist the individual strands of yarn together. Pictured above are three things that I have used to make twine. The first item is that odd looking wood thing... it's used to wind boat shuttle bobbins for loom weaving, and does the job of twisting super quick. The next item is an old vintage hand drill that belonged to my grandfather. It also works great in twisting the strands of yarn together. And last but not least is the humble pencil, which is what I used for many years and works just dandy... just a bit slower then the other devices.

Whichever item you have on hand, simply tie one end of the yarn strands to the chosen tool. Take the other end of the yarn strands and tie them in a knot. Then tie them to a stationary object like a door handle or a drawer pull. You can also tie them to a clothes pin and drop the clothes pin into a drawer. Shut the drawer and the clothes pin and yarn ends stay inside.

Now, go back to your winding device. Holding your device, stand far enough away from the other end that the strings are not on the floor, but also leave some slack. Now, start winding. (If you are using a pencil the yarn ends will be tied around the middle of it. Just keep flipping the pencil around and around to twist the yarn together.)


Keep winding until the string is tight and taut and there is no slack. (The tighter the twist the better the end result will be.) It will look something like the photo above, (excuse the poor quality of these photos... it's been very cloudy and rainy here and the light has been dismal.)


We are almost done! Keeping the string taut, tightly pinch the ends attached to the winding device and cut them off, careful not to let the string unwind. Then start walking that end towards the other end that is attached to a knob or a drawer. You want to be careful to keep the strings from touching until the two ends can meet. (Note: As I walk to meet the other end, I run my free hand along the length of twisted string helping to keep the tension tight. When I get to the middle of the string I then bring the two ends together. If my yarn length is to long for me to comfortably do this, I have someone else stand at the middle, keeping the tension tight, as I move to join the two ends together.

As soon as the two lengths of twisted string meet they will immediately begin to twist upon themselves, as shown in the photo above. Knot both ends together and carefully run your hand down the length of the twisted twine, smoothing the twists down and evenly distributing them throughout...

And there you go, your very own twine!


Happy Holidays to all of you!

Quilted Patchwork Coasters available in my Rural Retro Design Etsy shop

The Search for Just the Right Stuffing

Whenever I have made pincushions in the past, I have always just used polyfil to stuff them, and it has worked out fine. But for these new tetrahedron shaped pincusions that I have been making, I wanted to use something different, and I had two goals in mind...


I wanted the material to be natural, keeping with the whole idea of rural retro living, and I also wanted the stuffing to give some weight and firmness to the pincushion, similar to the feel of those old-fashioned tomato pincushions most of us have had at one time or another.


I know that traditionally often either sawdust, sand or metal shavings were used to fill pincushions. The weight of the filling helped keep small size pincushions from moving around when inserting and pulling out the pins, and they also helped to keep the pins sharp.

Now, I have no idea where to get metal shavings and saw dust seems just plain messy to me. Sand is easy enough to come by, but it's so... well I don't know, sticky? Invasive? It just seems that if you spill some, you are sweeping it up it for days!


After I did a bit of research on the internet though, I discovered another option... pulverized english walnut shells! Have you heard of this before? I didn't know such a product even existed. From what I read this is a favorite pincushion stuffing for a lot of sewers and the tiny grains help to keep the pins sharp.(Just one word of caution... this product should not be used by folks who have nut allergies, especially walnut allergies).

Now, where do you find pulverized walnut shells? The pet store of course! It seems to be used for both bird and reptile, (in exactly what way I am not completely sure, floor and bedding I think). I found a 5.5 lb bag in the reptile section for under $8.00. Plenty enough to stuff lots of pincushions!


It's kind of pretty, isn't it? You can see in this photo that it is really ground up very well. The grains are tiny, much like sand, but not as sticky. (I spilled some and had no trouble quickly sweeping it up, and the grains never stuck to my skin as sand does).


I was worried that getting the tiny bits of walnut shell inside the opening of the pincushion would be a challenge, but all I had to do was pour some in a paper cup, pinch the edge of the cup, and pour right in. The shells packed down nicely and in no time at all I had a nice solid feeling pincushion.


It even makes for a super-duper paperweight!

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Update on this post: I now have a fully illustrated, easy to follow pattern for this pincushion available in my shop. You can find the pattern here if interested!