:: Sewing: ...And Now for the Binding ::

Well, I am down to just the binding on my auction quilt. I need to name the thing, too! I haven't had a chance to work on it since Sunday because work has been so crazy, but here's a quick picture of my pile of my yet-to-be-attached binding:

:: Reading: Coralie Bickford-Smith Edition Penguin Classics ::

I have become minorly obsessed with these gorgeous clothbound editions of classic novels designed by Coraline Bickford-Smith. Design*Sponge featured an interview with the artist last week, and today they are on the Daily Candy Weekend Guide. Each novel's colors and motif were chosen specifically to highlight a theme in the book, but also to fit cohesively with the other novels in the series. Right now there are two series available totaling 20 books in all. I actually own 12 of the 20 in other paperback editions, but I have still been trying to justify the cost...maybe just one a month for the next 20 months?...

My favorite cover is for Lousia May Alcott's Little Women. The colors are fitting: pink on brown - maybe representing the spirit and love of the characters (pink), which shines through the bleak life presented to the March family during the Civil War (brown). And the scissors...I can still remembering reading Amy's reaction to Jo cutting off her hair: "Jo, your one beauty!"

These books are available on Amazon.

:: Sewing: The Quilting Process Has Begun ::

I started quilting the auction quilt today. This will be the first quilt I have quilted using my new Bernina Aurora 440 QE BSR foot. I have only completed one square so far, but this machine makes the process a breeze. I really like the whimsical look to the stippling-style pattern. My old machine only sewed in straight lines, so this is my first time quilting freehand.

This is the quilt back. I cut out randomly sized pieces of fabric and arranged them in 4 strips in decending-size order. I am really happy with the outcome given the minimal planning.

The pinned sandwich ready for quilting

:: Photography: Comus Market ::

Some photos fitting for the season (and day) taken at David's Comus Market in Comus, Md. David Heisler, who owns the farm and stand, grows the most flavorful squash and pumpkins I have ever tasted and also keeps honey bees that pollinate his many heirloom varieties of squash. How gorgeous is this table full of colorful varieties?

:: Sewing: Quilt Back Finished, But No New Photos ::

Well, the quilt back for the auction quilt is finished. I cut and pieced the whole thing on Wednesday, but the rainy weather has produced pretty bad pictures with my very old camera. I might actually like the back more than the front! Pictures to come soon...for now, this is a photo of some beads I bought at a bead shop in Kentlands recently: turquoise, lapis, and some other stones.

:: Sewing: Auction Quilt Top Finished ::

Last night, I finished the quilt top for the auction quilt (and in record time - only 5 days since my sketch turned into a completed quilt top!). Here the quilt top mask-taped to a wall in my sewing room. I wanted a lot of neutral space when I sketched out the original design, but I wasn't too sure if I like it once I started laying out pieces, but I think I am really going to be happy with the completed quilt once I add backing and binding.

This is a new color combination for me -- teal, green, and gold. It reminds me of an early winter day at the beach. The range of fabrics used include Chloe's Imagination by Tina Givens, Prairie Gothic by Jane Sassman, Neptune by Tula Pink, Girlfriends by Jennifer Paganelli (Sis Boom), and others.

I pieced these squares together super fast thanks to this great tutorial on sew, mama, sew! from Elizabeth of oh, fransson!. This method -- attaching a lightweight interfacing to the back of pieces before sewing -- was such a timesaver.

:: Sewing: Today's Dilemma ::

I am making a quilt for a silent auction that will take place during a women's conference at Manassas Assembly of God in January. I sketched out the design on Friday night -- a nine-patch(-ish) throw-sized quilt. Last night I made a stack of the fabrics I want to use, and this morning I started cutting out squares. Besides the fact that I had cut out about 75 percent of the squares before realizing that I had originally intended to sew the pieces in strips and then cut them into squares, I am now stuck as to whether I want to create more structured (right) or less structured (left) squares.

Despite having wanted to get some blocks sewn together today, I think I am going to have to let this project sit until I get a better vision of what I want.

:: Paper:Catching up on Journaling ::

I am constantly saving magazine images and articles for project ideas and home decor inspiration, but I have been really bad about actually putting them in my journal over the past year. I bought myself nice moleskine journals because I have an obsession with the idea of filling a bookshelf with identical numbered journals over the years. I even made good progress for about a 2 week period of time. And then I just let my stack of ripped out magazine pages grow...and grow.

So, with an overflowing fabric filebox of magazine pages, I actually got to work this weekend to finally catch up and made some good progress. I have made emptying out my filebox an end of the year goal so I don't let it build up again!

Most of the pictures from the pages above are from Martha Stewart Living, Pottery Barn, and Sundance Catalog with a few other random images mixed in.

:: Sewing: Produce Bags ::

While at Tarara Winery in Leesburg on Tuesday, my boyfriend and I had a glass of wine and then picked a huge bag of apples from the property's orchard, which inspired me to make yesterday's quick 45-ish minute project - produce bags.

I used muslin for each bag and appliqued three 2"x2" squares of scrap cottons on each one. I then ran strips of knit cotton through the top to create drawstrings. Each bag is about 10.5"x12.5". I was surprised at how many apples I actually fit in each bag for this picture (about 12 to 14 a piece!).

:: Sewing: Some New Quilt Blocks ::

Between having to put in too much overtime at the office and having a sick kitty, I haven't had much time to do anything creative, but I have been slowly piecing together (both by hand and machine) some quilt blocks over the last week.

I haven't let myself use anything but scraps of scraps. I'm not sure what I will use these for yet - maybe I will complete 7 more and put them on a vanilla background with a colorful binding

:: Knitting: Fall Inspiration ::

What is it about fall weather that makes me want to abandon all my other projects, pick up some knitting needles and yarn, and get to work on some sweaters? I have no idea...but I am loving the autumny colors and textures of these projects.

1. leaves by robin hill 2. monet's sunrise by my name is yarn 3. icarus by through the loops 4. hex by andrea rangel 5. demi by zebra knits 5. autumn breeze by me 6. owls by wazz

:: Etsy Find of the Day: Osoo ::

I was scrolling through all of my favorite sellers on etsy today and came across an artist I found a few months ago: OSoo. I just love these prints. They are such a pleasing balance between soft, realistic illustration and bold, modern lines. The originals were created with watercolor and pencil. The prints are signed and reasonably priced, too!

Above: butterfly, frog, and rabbit 8.5 x 11" prints.

:: Sewing: Patchwork Cushions ::

I just finished chair cushions from scraps of amy butler, kaffe fassett, sisboom, and other fabrics. These were pretty quick to sew up as I opted for simple straight line quilting. I have also decided, as a result of how hard it was to actually capture halfway decent pictures of these with overcast weather outside, that it is about time to invest in a DSLR camera.

:: Knitting: Art Schooled Scarf ::

I finally got my act together and submitted a pattern to Knitty for the Fall 2009 issue that was just published a couple of weeks ago. My design, however, did not make the cut - oh well, guess knitwear design is not for me! I still like the scarf a lot, and maybe a few others out there will, too, so I will be posting this pattern as a Ravelry download later today. (My username is brianaarlene)

The scarf was knit in 2 colors: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in persimmon heather and tidepool heather and is gathered up the middle after blocking.