craftopia

moving moving moving

2009-04-21T15:13:00.003-04:00

I am no longer blogging on blogspot. I need a few upgrades that as of yet, they are not providing...you can now find craftopia over here.
xoxo

sewing and piecing

2009-04-02T00:08:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a lot of freelance projects lately, in addition to finishing my school apps so things have been a little hectic.

I have made a few blocks to contribute to a quilt for a friend at work that is getting married. Here are a few...
(The polka dot is the sashing, we each attach a sashing strip to the left and top edge of our blocks and that way the person that sews it together doesn't have to also sew all of the sashing.)

This one is my favorite.

And a few more.

self-portrait in progress

2009-03-05T23:57:00.000-05:00

love

2009-02-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

I really love this building.

subway portraits

2009-02-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

I have been sketching people, in secret, on the subway for the last couple months, in hopes of using these sketches for a series. I am struck by how many people I come into fairly close personal contact with on a daily basis here in nyc. Yet, there is a disconnect...I find my (and most other people) inclination is to not make eye contact, not speak or engage in any way. How do we live in such a dichotomy? As a recording of this concept I am stitching, fabric collage-ing and quilting subway portraits. First, as an excercise, and then I will decide where to take this project.
They will also be components of my Parsons application. I'm applying...we'll see what comes of it.

hand embroidered with ink- 16"x18" approx

fabric collage and painting- 20"x24" approx

fabric collage and painting- 20"x24"

reversible quilt- 18"x22"

merry christmas!

2008-12-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

I wasn't sure we were going to get a tree this year but upon further consideration (and my mom's offer to pay for it) we found a great tree from a stand in Park Slope and they even delivered! My sisters have all moved up here and my parents decided to have a nyc christmas this year. This was an especially good decision because it would have been difficult for us to afford going home this year. It has been so good to have them here. I am so close to my family and despite all of our ebbs and flows (a family of artists with all of the required moods that go with the territory) we had a very smooth christmas!
I have, sadly, only one photo of my handiwork from this year...how did that happen?

Acorn slippers I made for my dad...

We were able to gussy our apartment up a bit and somehow we fit everyone around this folding table for dinner...

Here's Olive in her christmas sweater. She tried her best to steal scraps all night.

I was able to steal an afternoon of shopping with my dad on christmas eve. We had a great time just the two of us, muji, moma store, espresso, purl, thrifting and the search for a roasting pan on christmas eve!
We had a great time talking, something that socially comes naturally but when with family is sometimes difficult, about all of the changes and difficulties that come with living a life of art and creativity. A subject he knows first hand as an artist and musician. Sometimes with our god given gifts it is hard to know which direction to take. As I get closer to 30 I find I am thinking more and doing less and I want to remember to just do. I find myself at a crossroads now. Thinking about finishing school up here and wondering about fine art programs. Have I really challenged myself creatively? Am I just producing for fun...so far I think the answer is yes. I want to push myself a little harder. We'll see where I end up!

brrrrrrr

2008-12-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

it's cold.

Walking the Bridge

2008-12-28T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today rob, dad and I went on a search for a cricket cage, found good wonton soup, walked the LES, got coffee, walked over the brooklyn bridge and took tons of photos, went to jacques torres in DUMBO and finally home for dinner.

Sand and Ocean Quilt

2008-12-21T07:46:00.000-05:00

As a christmas / thank you gift to rob's mom, I made her a beach inspired quilt. She recently relocated to the gulf coast of Florida, from Nashville, and I wanted to make her something to help her new home feel more like home :)

Christmas has Arrived

2008-12-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

We had a preemptive christmas this year with rob's family. His mom, brother and brother's girlfriend all came up for a wonderful visit. We so enjoyed seeing the nyc sights with them. Bryant Park skating...

Christmas dressed windows...

And of course, the tree...

We had a really good time and it was a much needed visit. We are loving our new home most days, but leaving home has been hard and we are really missing our friends and family. This time of year emphasizes how new we are to this city and makes me yearn for having all that comes from an established home. Cheers to the priceless joys of friends and family.

Miss Olive

2008-10-30T08:47:00.000-04:00

This little one is our latest addition to the family! I can't believe I am just now introducing her...we adopted her in May from a local shelter back home. She was abused before coming to us so she takes some time to get friendly with other dogs and strangers but has no biting issues, thank god! And once she is familiar with you, boy is she a lovey little snuggler. She and soda are two peas in a pod, and have lots of fun tearing around the apartment together. I think their favorite game is to run around our area rug in the living room chasing each other without going "out of bounds" off the rug!
I am so glad we adopted this little one and am so glad soda has a companion.

Etsy Craft Night

2008-10-08T21:37:00.001-04:00

I am going to lead a craft night this month over at Etsy Labs
Should be fun, we are going to be making these recycled knit shirt grocery bags...either by hand or by machine.
Come join in the fun!

*all of these of soda turned out soft but i had to share the cutest one....

Stacks

2008-09-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

Some finished coasters!

Making Strips

2008-09-12T22:09:00.000-04:00

I have been working on these little strip pieced coasters for the shop and they are so much fun. I can use fabrics I am afraid to cut into for fear of diminishing the amount I have stashed! And the project itself is improvised foundation piecing so it's easy and fun!

Sorry for the bad photo quality on this one...the lighting in my apt is iffy at the hours I have available to shoot some days.
Anyway, here you can see the strips stitched to the foundation and ready to sew to the backing fabric...I should do a tutorial on these actually, they are so easy!

Stocking the Shop

2008-09-05T08:08:00.000-04:00

I have been working to stock my etsy shop with goodies. Photo above is a nice little stack of flip wallets ready to post. I love getting my personal assembly line going, and when I finish a productive day of art-making or crafting I always feel satisfied. I think one of the reasons we crafters/artists/designers keep going and continue to push to find the time to create is the gratification of the finished project. These objects come to life from your own two hands and your imagination.
Something I am starting to love about new york is the idea that anything I want to learn to do / make / imagine / experience is possible. There are so many venues for education of all sorts here in this city.
Makes me feel like anything is possible. Which can be exhilarating or terrifying depending on the day!

Coney Island Bound

2008-08-29T08:03:00.000-04:00

Rob and I have been trying to soak up as much beach as we can squeeze in, and luckily Coney Island is easily accessible! We keep hearing about all that will be torn down by next year and it has motivated me to take more photos. Using up some precious polaroid film is hard to do but so much fun.

visits and birthdays

2008-08-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

We have had a busy couple of weeks. Our house has been full of hustle and bustle with two lovely guests, my sister and her new roommate rachel. There were lots of dinners out, subway mishaps, midnight snacks and giggles at the grocery store.
Rachel left on Monday and my sister just left to head back home yesterday. They were here to accomplish a lot, and they both went home happy.
In between apt hunting, interviews and exploring, Pierrette also had a birthday!
I wanted to create something for her new home that would remind her of her old one. We had quite a few discussions about nashville or tennessee tattoos, I guess being in a new city suddenly inspires pride in your hometown. All of that discussion inspired this wall hanging that I made for her.
Here it is, pieced but without the borders...or the binding

I inherited a small bag of vintage fabrics through someone that was going through her mothers old fabrics and many of them ended up in this quilt.
I embroidered the center square and placed a heart where Nashville lies on the map, and added the three stars from the tennessee flag. I then quilted the whole piece free hand on the machine and bound it with a great japanese print I found at purl soho.
So here is the finished piece, sorry for the fuzzy photo but thanks to Rachel for taking one!

pin ups

2008-08-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to beat the heat around here by working on some christmas projects early. I usually wait until the last weeks before and cram hours of sewing/knitting/crafting into that time. This year I know I won't have as much down time in December so I need to start now! I am working on theses pin-ups by Sublime Stitching, for my sister.

Hoping to make them into throw pillows for her apartment.
I am looking forward to both sisters arriving up here for good this fall. Pierrette had success finding a place and will be up here next month. Jemina is working things out and should be up here soon after! Having them here will certainly cut the homesickness!

brooklyn

2008-07-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

Inspired by our recent move to brooklyn and a new blog from an old blog cohort, I am here to say hello and yes, for the umpteenth time, I really am back to craftopia.

Rob and I packed up a truck with ourselves and our two pups and made the big move up here to NY july 1st. So far we are mostly trying to beat the heat, but are enjoying all the options available here in the city for doing so!

We are lucky to be close to prospect park, designed by the same landscape architect that designed central park, and just a couple blocks from the subway. We are enjoying brooklyn. It feels very home-ey and reminds me a lot of east nashville actually.

I have started a new job at a cute little fabric store in the city and am just starting my second week there. It is more craft and quilting oriented and has made me remember my love for that side of things! I have been so swamped with work sewing and school sewing that I haven't done much of any crafting or quilting lately. But, the project to change that is my youngest sister just turned 21...some of you may remember the last big quilt I made was for my middle sister on her 21st! So, I am now trying to finish Jemina's quilt and I am all excited about quilting again. SO, I will be posting on my progress, I have some really fun fabrics including a lot of vintage stuff picked out :)

Yesterday the hubby and I went out to coney island to get out of our hot apartment and we had a great time. We took a million pics!
Here is one of my faves...

and one of us :)

We'll go again soon and can't wait to go out there when people visit, it really is a sight!

One last tidbit for my crafty friends, if you haven't yet read kim's new blog trueup you should really get in on some fabric porn viewing!

happy valentine's day

2008-02-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

Happy valentine's day, enjoy a little love from cute overload....

what could be better than a matryoshka theramin

2008-02-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

in between work and school and life and sleep

2008-02-08T18:07:00.000-05:00

Somehow, probably because Rob has taken all the pics and worked a ton with me, we have managed to get our SAKI etsy shop stocked again. It has been WAY too long and I hope you all will go check it out. Of course, in the process of working on all of this new stuff, the dining room has become additional studio space :)
Here's a pile of lovely little things getting tagged.

and some more stuff...

shower

2008-01-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

We helped host a fun little shower last night for anne and helen, it was fun and I hope miss A had a good time. I had fun with the immaculate conception theme miss dark came up with and this is the invite I drew up...

The house was warm and cozy, the cupcakes were sugary and there were plenty of butter mints!
Here is miss A with the stroller/lap quilt I made for sparky :)It is backed with lime green and white cotton chenille.

Hopefully next time we get a visit from miss A the whole family will be in tow!

flea market find

2008-01-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

I found these great deco style dining chairs at the flea market in the fall. I had been looking for some new chairs for my work room and didn't want to spend much. Well, these beauties were $15 total and I decided to recover the seats in some Amy Butler fabric I had in my stash.
My husband helped, as it does take four hands to pull fabric, hold in place and staple to the underside of the seat!
I think they turned out really well and my total project cost was probably around $30. Not bad for two new, great looking, chairs.

long time no see

2008-01-04T17:53:00.000-05:00

wow. It has been a really long time, long enough for the new year to have arrived...oh seven was an interesting and long year. Like every year I guess, full of highs and lows unfortunately the lows in our family were much lower this year.
Rob's step-father passed in August, succumbing to a battle with lung cancer. His family is doing well and I know they are probably all happy to have the bittersweet christmas season behind them. We shared a very keyed down celebration with them this year and I know new traditions will be formed in the coming years.
The family celebration with my family this year was also different, we celebrated at our house because my parents are in the process of renovating theirs. It was fun to play host and also was surprisingly relaxed. We made Chinese food instead of the traditional fare and it was SO delicious. Although, I don't think my sister or I will ever be undertaking home made moo shu pancakes again!
Rob and I took the logical next step after being married for amost 7 years....we got a dog. His name is Soda, hi.

Between school continually consuming more and more time and family being in the forefront my poor little blog has had no life :)
But one of my non-resolutions resolutions is to blog again because i love it.
So, Happy New Year, welcome 2008!!!!!

crafters anonymous

2007-06-15T15:42:00.001-04:00

I have always , like most of us probably, been a sucker for Martha. The photography, the ideas...great inspiration. Well, I walked into Michael's a couple of weeks ago and lo and behold, Martha has a new craft line! I love it and can't wait to use this banner
at a party this summer.

In fact, I wish I had already purchased it before my brithday a few weeks ago!

The website has so many great products, there are some awesome letter stamps I am lusting over and thanks to a coupon might just have to splurge for!
I'll play nice and share my coupon ;)

just go here
even if it's just to drool a little :)

my school fashion show

2007-06-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

Here's my bridal look from the end of year fashion show. I finished twelve women's cocktail/evening looks and five childrenswear pieces. The photos aren't perfect but you can view the rest of them over on flickr.

It was amazing to see proportion and color from the vantage point a runway show provides. The scale is SO different than any other moment in the creative process and I feel that I learned a great deal about what translates from design to presentation on a runway. I can't believe I have my first runway project behind me! I put so many hours into these garments and I can't wait to do some testing with them. Just need to organize another photo shoot!

um, where to begin

2007-06-14T15:41:00.000-04:00

So, I'm still alive, if anyone had their doubts :) and have a ton (as usual) to post about.
The fashion show was great and there is an article up here about my designs! I won a serger as a "Critic's Choice" prize and can't wait to get it threaded up. I'm working on getting pics together but there are a few good ones in the Fashion Nashville article.
Summer is here, so I am out of school for a bit and trying to deal with ninety degree days. Just repeat, I love Nashville, I love Nashville, I love Nashville and eat a popsicle...most days it works. We have enjoyed some time with friends on our new-ish apartment's deck. Thankfully on those days we had some relief from the heat.
One way we have been trying to beat the heat is to eat salads for dinner. I have a couple of recipes, no glossy pics though, for some things we have enjoyed.

Tropical Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Broccoli Slaw

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts ( at our local grocer they have them in a little 1/2c bag pre-chopped)
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 cup diced pineapple (you can use fresh or canned-if you use canned drain the pineapple first)

Combine the ingredients above in a medium sized bowl.
Pt 2...the dressing

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light mayo
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (comes in a jar with a green lid and a rooster on the front)
Juice of 1 lime
a pinch of...
cayenne pepper
tarragon
thyme
oregano
and salt and pepper to taste

Combine dressing and pour over chicken mixture. Combine thoroughly with a spoon.

Spicy Broccoli Slaw

One bag (12oz I think) broccoli slaw with shredded broccoli hearts, red cabbage and carrots.
1/4 cup mayo
juice of two limes
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (same as used above) (this makes a medium hot slaw, if you like spicy add 1 tablespoon instead)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine dressing ingredients and pour over slaw. Let rest for about thirty min. in the fridge before serving. Or, if you are impatient like me, eat it right away :)

So serve this dish on a large platter with washed and dried leaves of bibb or boston lettuce, the chicken salad and the broccoli slaw. Pile a bit of each onto a piece of lettuce, wrap and eat. This goes really well with sweet potato fries on the side.

The next recipe is for a great, EASY, summer fruit dessert.

Fresh Peach Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream

6 peaches, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Amaretto Liquer
A pinch of ground clove

Combine all ingredients and let rest in the refrigerator all day. Serve about 1/4 cup of peach sauce over a serving of really good vanilla ice cream.

I'll be back soon with a big update...for now enjoy your weekend!

first deadline met!

2007-04-22T10:45:00.000-04:00

I met the first fitting deadline for the student fashion show and am glad it went as well as it did. I have twelve pieces in my womens collection and hopefully I will have 5-6 pieces in the childrens (they are having a hard time finding children for the show)
I have tons of work to post about, here's the first round of illustrations I completed for the show collection. (sorry about the horrible photos, my boards are too big for the scanner)

this is my only bridal look in my collection. This dress is almost finished.

This yellow silk draped bodice has a little less pleating in real form but it is almost done too!!
Now fitting in with my women's collection is this girls collection for ages 2-6. The little raglan sleeve dress is one I chose to actually complete and it is made of silver silk crepe back satin.

I'll have pics next week of more clothes on models and dress forms but here are two dresses I'm almost finished with. (Yes, I'm ALMOST FINISHED with all of it :) )

these two dresses are pretty different but within the collection I feel like they make more sense.

I am happy with this dress, I need to finish the sash. The bodice fabric is a silk from a vintage dress I bought maybe 8 years ago. It was meant for this project!! I ripped all the seams apart and reinforced the fabric with french fuse interfacing. (it is my favorite interfacing in the world, it is lightweight, will fuse at lower temps and always stays smooth)
Here is a pic of one of my dresses before I draped the pattern.

Anyway, I'll have more to post after I take pics on the dress form. All twelve dresses in my collection need to have zippers in by next week so I'll be sewing like crazy!

One down 10 or so to go...

2007-03-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished the first dress I draped in class. My first project from illustration

to finished dress

The fabrics are both silk crepe back satin in lemon yellow and charcoal grey.
The dress has ties on the inside side seam and a looped tie on the left side. It will be hemmed at the first model fitting for our school fashion show this may.
I have so much sewing to do but I am making pretty good progress.
On another note, I am learning some cad and have my first attempt at cad flats with prints.

I used some flats I had already drawn for work and scanned them into photoshop.
It's fun learning new tricks!
I have some illustration projects finished that I have worked tirelessly over and I'll scan those to show and tell :)

making progress

2007-03-04T23:46:00.000-05:00

I am continuing forward to the next step in the designing "process" we are following in my design and illustration class. I finished all of my roughs...here are a few

I then had to edit down to my favorite six designs, then photocopy those six and play with color and fabric.

Now I have to pick my favorite four and complete illustrations of those designs.
It is difficult to know how to edit down to six and then four and still have a cohesive "collection."
I have also been sewing on the yellow silk wrap dress and I will take a pic of that tomorrow when I have a dress form to put it on!

school work

2007-02-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

I have been working on some work for a big school project that culminates in a fashion show at the end of the semester. One of the techniques we have learned in design class is to sketch roughs of design ideas onto a smaller scaled croquis. I am enjoying the rough sketching and I have fourty due this monday...here are a few.

My designs are based on an eveningwear/cocktail market and, depending on the color palette, could be either spring or fall. So far they feel more spring to me.
I have one design sketch complete, this will be my first construction project. I have already draped my pattern for this bias cut wrap dress.

I think it will be cute, we'll see once I get it cut out of the silk crepe I will be using.
Draping class has been absolutely the MOST fun class I have taken in school so far. To be able to take a piece of cloth, place and pin it onto the dress form and express the design in my mind has been freeing. It is free of the constraints of flat pattern drafting. Flat is all about math and formulas. Draping is much more intuitive. I love it so far.

r is for rollercoaster

2007-01-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I have emerged from quite a ride. Nothing tragic or even creative writing worthy really, just an up and down kind of last six months.

Last semester was good, a lot of work as usual but we are getting into the good stuff like illustration and draping. These are the things I came to the table ready to eat up. For me, Illustration was probably at the top of the list of classes, so much fun to build the skills to put your ideas on paper. Anyway, made it out with good grades intact.
Mid way through the semester I was offered a job and a little bit more scholarship money from the school in nashville and it sorta rocked our world. At least, the world where plans become reality. I'm finding that that world is actually quite elusive. There always seems to be an unpredictable curve in the road or door in the floor.
What ensued was a month (or two) of talking, calling, making pros and cons lists and rethinking again and again our plan to move to SF.
Well, everyone I trusted (with experience in the "industry," said " take the job, get out with less debt, and finish school with two years experience under your belt" ) and so it was. We are still in nashville, I am still at O'more and we have moved 5 miles away from our previous abode to a great little apartment in lovely east nashville.
I hope that CCA is still somewhere in my future. And San Francisco too. Hey, maybe it's better to experience SF with a real job, and a real wage, than on a students budget. At any rate, I am glad not to have to say "see you later", to my family and friends in Nashville.
My position is with Mary James Inc., a childrens wear company as I mentioned in that last post, as an assistant designer. I have been thrown in head first and it's great. I am travelling some, probably working too much, and still taking thirteen hours.
I have finally come up for air and am glad to be back to my dear blog. I have missed you all!
I have had so many fun projects to share over the last six months (i can't believe it has been that long) and I'm working to get pics and scans loaded!
xoxo
alexia

back to school

2006-09-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Well, these past two weeks have been very busy. School is back in session and I am excited about the semester. I am taking some interesting classes this semester: Clothing Construction 1-this will be mostly review probably but I couldn't test out, Textiles-burning fabric is the first thing we did! sweet pyromania!, Flat Pattern 2- hmmm, little worried about this class, and Fashion Design and Illustration 1- this class is going to be fun. I am taking 12hrs this semester, down from 16 last year, so I think I will be a bit more sane this semester.
Last weekend I was out of town helping a local children's company show/sell their line at the Atlanta Apparel Market. My sister has been working for Mary James for the past couple of years and she is the reason I went and helped out. Their line is very traditional and does really well in the south. I think I'll probably go back in October and help again at that market.
It was great to spend time with my sister and we had fun, although it was tired fun, eating out every night after working the show. We hit our favorite resaurant in Atlanta, Buckhead Diner, the first night we were there. It was great!
So, I mentioned a few posts back that I had news I waiting to share. Well, people have been told so now I can tell you.
I was accepted to California College of Arts in the spring (which many of you already know) and my husband and I spent this summer discussing, fretting, and discussing some more the idea of moving so that I can transfer. Well, we finally made a descision. So at the end of the year we will be moving to San Francisco so that I can finish my degree at CCA. We are very sad to leave Nashville and our AMAZING community of friends here. But we are also very excited about the school and the adventure of life in a new place. I have a lot of extended family in the area and a couple of friends out there as well. Hopefully that will help the big adjustment be a little less traumatic :) We will probably begin our search for an apartment there in October so please pray that we find something affordable (I know, it's impossible) and not too tiny! So if you are in the bay area give me a shout and any tips for bay area life!
Oh yeah, here's a pic of the school I found on the net...

Most of my classes will be on the SF campus, which this is a pic of, but their main undergrad campus is in Oakland.
We will be having a major yard sale in a couple of weeks while the weather is still nice and come december we will be selling our car. Not only are we having a real yard sale but I will also be having a blog yard sale!!! So check back in the next couple of weeks for a slew of craft/art supplies, fabric, books and more amazing stuff!
On a creative note, I am working on that nursery and can't wait to post some pics. Probably will by the end of the week.

pink lemonade

2006-08-23T15:07:00.000-04:00

I finished this quilt the other day. Inspired by some pics of storage containers. Well, it was finally nice enough outside today to snap a photo. So, here's a new quilt! It is about 45x55in I think.

This was improvisationally pieced. It was very freeing (and exciting) to create and make choices with each and every step of the process. There's more pics over at flickr if you're interested :)
oh yeah, do you like the new banner?? about time isn't it?

s is for sewing

2006-08-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone for the sweet comments about Pierrette's quilt. I was so happy to deliver it to her last week. She loved it, and it looked great on her bed.

To answer a couple quilt related questions...
I never hand-quilt...I started (never finished) a king size quilt two years ago that is hand quilted and I hate it now! I did enjoy watching tv and stitching along but I would rather embroider than quilt.

I always make my own binding, the stuff in stores is never as soft as binding made from cotton fabric. Although, in a pinch it is tempting to use some ready made stuff! My favorite method is to use a double layer like this tutorial describes. It makes it so easy to stitch the back of the binding onto the back of the quilt because you are stitching a folded edge, not a pressed under edge. If I am using a stripe or a gingham as my binding I cut my binding on the bias because I like the look of bias stripes and checks. However for every other fabric I cut my strips on the straight and along the lengthwise grain.

Probably the greatest help to me in my process of learning to quilt was dritz temporary adhesive spray...baste with a can baby! I love this stuff. It is so worth it, for both hand or machine quilting, to use this spray instead of safety pins or thread basting. It washes out great and doesn't gum up your needle.

Anyway, I think those are the couple of questions I wanted to answer!

I am really enjoying quilting lately and I have a few WIP quilts that are going well. I look forward to taking some pics today because it is sunny for the first time in a few days. I started one somewhat modern quilt in varying shades of pink and want to capture that WIP. I also just finished a little boys quilt using some of that awesome Heather Ross gnome fabric, so I'm looking forward to taking a pic of that.
Quilting is a sewing hobby that I have done off and on for around 5 years. My first project was a patchwork bag and from there I went on to t-shirt quilts and then on to traditional quilting. (pieced cotton fabrics with batting sandwiched inside and cloth binding) At first I machine quilted on my regular sewing machine with the feed dogs down. That took a little practice to regulate my stitch length but it was great once I got the hang of it. (although I never quilted anything large on that machine...that would have been REALLY difficult) And then as I mentioned in my last post I recently got a new machine that is larger and roomier to the right of the needle so I can tackle larger quilts on it...here she is...

This machine is a great investment not only for quilting but for other heavy duty projects too. I have already used it a bunch for some custom home dec projects I have been working on and I sew through so much faster now. If you do a ton of straight stitch sewing I highly reccommend this machine. For all of you out there that make purses and whatnot to sell on etsy...this would be a great purchase. It zips through 5 layers of denim like it is butter! I wish I had bought this machine YEARS ago.

I have been doing a lot of custom projects this summer. Thankfully none of them have been bridesmaids like last year! One project I am particularly excited about is a nursery. Can't wait to show that one all done!
I finished a b-day present yesterday but I'll wait to post it till after the celebration...don't want to ruin the surprise!
I finished this headband the other day out of a treasured scrap of Liberty fabric...great for this summer heat!

I also just finished a little present for a friends daughter Ivey, a pillowcase dress in her colors...pink and orange!

and here she is modeling her new dress...

Those little pillowcase dresses are such an easy project, I love them. I used this mccalls pattern to get an idea of sizing but I made it a little wider and a decent bit longer. Well, that's all for now. I'm working on some big news but that will have to wait till my next post!

pierrette's quilt is done!!

2006-08-02T12:50:00.000-04:00

I just finished my little sister's 21st birthday quilt. I am especially ecstatic because her birthday is August 22 and I finished it before her 22nd birthday!!! I am sure that many creative families like mine have an unfortunate tradition of gifting works in progress...well I'm starting on Jemina's 21st birthday quilt 2 years in advance and dammit I AM going to give her a FINISHED quilt in 2008!
Anyhoo, here's some pics of the quilt. I have the top row folded over in this pic so you can't really see the whole thing...

It was a fun quilt to make because the squares are large enough to show off the pretty fabrics. This is an especially good pattern for using up little treasured bits of vintage fabric. It is a full/queen size. I used probably 25 different fabrics for the blocks and Kaufman kona cotton in color snow for the other blocks.

**had a question about block size on this quilt...the blocks are 4 in square FINISHED size**

here's the back

I quilted it on my new machine...have I told you I bought (along with my mother) a new sewing machine??!? It is SO fast and can be set up in a quilting frame to stitch with cruise control! It is just a straight stitch machine but it is high powered, can sew through anything AND still maintain perfect thread tension while doing so. I am in love with it. I can sew my custom projects so much faster and can do my quilting on a bigger scale too. It is a Pfaff Grand Quilter, 1600 stitches per minute!! WOOHOO :)

On a whinier note...it is hot as fucking hell here...what am I supposed to do in 100 degrees (F) and 85% humidity weather!? All I can think about is eating popsicles :) mmm las paletas here I come.

Cowboy Caviar

2006-07-14T10:05:00.000-04:00

A friend gave me this recipe quite a few years ago and it is great for all the summer cookouts that we seem to get invited to.

two cans black eyed peas drained and rinsed
one green pepper diced
half a red onion diced
three cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Wisk the oil and vinegar until emulsified, add all ingredients and let marinate for four hours or overnight. Serve with fritos scoops or tortilla chips.
YUM

today's word is...organization

2006-07-09T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is the chaos that is my sewing space. I have been working on getting organized all week. I have stacked, sorted, piled and sorted again. Again and again. But I finally have all of the "to be decided" piles of fabrics and projects decided upon. So, my discards and keepers are all in their spots and I have two bins of stuff to get rid of!
I sorted the fabrics into color piles, that was fun. I always am pleased with monochromatic stacks of fabric.

I also made a little more progress on my sisters quilt this week. I am determined to have it finished BEFORE her birthday this august...I am especially determined because this quilt was a gift for her birthday LAST YEAR!!! I have all of the nine patch blocks pieced I just need to lay them out on a large enough surface to arrange all of them...it is a queen size quilt so I will probably lay it out on the lawn!
Here it is...a partial shot of the top two rows...

The width is about double what you can see in the pic.
I also worked out a new purse pattern last week, one I have been trying to work on for awhile now. This one is a handbag size big enough for essentials but not much more. I am also working on a pattern for a larger version of the same style, a shoulder bag big enough for EVERYthing to fit.

and the details...

the black fabric is a double layer of ultrasuede. Sturdy and soft but easy to sew with!
I'm still working on some swap offerings so check back!!

swap!

2006-07-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

I received my swap package from Alison and I love evrything she sent!! Here's some pics of my contributions to Alison, I hope she likes everything!
Here's a pincushion and needlecase I made out of a piece of vintage fabric...

with linen backing and piping.
And here's a shot of more goodies I sent her.

What fun!

i'm in the mood for swapping

2006-06-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

I am working on a swap with Alison and it is the first swap I have done in awhile. It has reminded me how much fun it is to put together a present for a blogfriend. In searching through my stash to pick just the right fabrics for her I have come across a few things I'd like to put out there for potential swapping!
I'm taking pics of everything...so check back in later today for some swapping goodness!!

craft books galore

2006-06-22T17:09:00.000-04:00

I mentioned about a decade ago that I was clearing out my craft books and I finally have a stack to sell. I am posting them here for all of my blog friends before I post them for sale on ebay.
You can e-mail me with the title of whichever book you are interested in, I will try to remove each book from my blog as they sell as to lessen the confusion. I am offering free shipping on them (to the US and Canada) and will gladly ship anywhere else for the actual cost of shipping! e-mail me at sakidesignspurses(at)yahoo(dot)com.
I ordered all of these from Japan originally!
xo
alexia
click on each photo for an enlargement!

Amigurimi Petit
$8.00

Emi's Teddy Bear Collection
$16.00
These are too cute! Change the faces a little for more unique look but the patterns are great!

Teddy Bear Book
$12.00
This one has some real cuties.

well that's all for now!!
xo
alexia

more quilting

2006-06-20T10:29:00.000-04:00

Made another baby quilt last week for some friends expecting a girl...here's the front

and the back

and a shot of the binding and ric rac I added to the back.

I did a loopy floral pattern for the quilting and I like the way it turned out. I also want to try another quilt using the ric rac in the binding again, I love ric rac!

flea market find

2006-06-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

The Nashville flea market has always been good but lately it has drawn more vendors that sell the things that I really like...vintage clothes, buttons, fabric and linens. I went last month with Jemina and found this awesome dress. I love the fruity print and the white ric rac.

and a close up of the print...

I was thinking the other day about some of my attempts at using a vintage pattern to make a new dress...many of them just don't end up having the feel and look of some of my authentic vintage dresses...even the ones I have made using vintage cloth. I think a substantial part of the appeal of vintage dresses is the way they are worn in in all of the good ways and washed so many times that the fabric takes on that soft hand. I would love to get my hands on a chemical that can age fabric the way a couple hundred washes does. Anyway, I look forward to this month's flea market...I think it is next weekend. It'll be sweaty as hell but totally worth it!

nature or nurture ???

2006-06-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

I was having fun last week scanning some old photos and it got me thinking about how it is that my desire to attempt to live a creative life runs like blood in my veins. And I came across this photo. To me, it was a great example of how creative my parents were and still are. It is a christmas portrait of our family on my second christmas. A cute little tree and a cute little portrait.

When I started to look closely at the detail in the photo I first noticed our matching outfits. My mother made each of our outfits; dad's vest, my little jumper, and her own circle skirt. Mom's attempts later on to match my two sisters and I, whenever humanly possible, in clothes created by her are forshadowed in this photo. Well then I looked at the wall at the stockings hung in a row...all made by mom, quilted and embroidered. My Dad has set up the photo, using his camera and tripod with the timer carefully set. His care in arranging us and the camera for a family photo is an annual occurance. His enthusiasm for photography is something I share. Then in the background peeking out on the tree is a christmas angel that mom made, stitched and glued and placed on the small tree that dad must have chosen. Beyond just the chrismas trimmings visible there are gifts wrapped and tucked away that both of them have made from scratch. And of course waiting in an envelope is the illuminated letter written from santa/dad in a swirling script that would be repeated year after year for each of us girls. Those showers of creativity I grew up surrounded by have certainly influenced my view on the world. My parents set an example of the creative life both in their expressions at christmas and their vocational choices. Their example was learned by my sisters and I, and I hope that every time I hear fear sneaking into my conciouness to steal away a creative endeavor I can ignore it. This simple family photo reveals a glimpse of a lifestyle that carries with it a value higher than financial gains and retirement funds, spiritual enlightenment through creativity is something I believe in and I witness those efforts in my community of friends everyday.
Have you thought about family or innate influences on your creativity? Are your creative outlets something that was influenced by a particular person in your life? These, to me, are such interesting questions. And for those of you with children is setting an example of an imaginative, creative life a priority high on your list?

five years

2006-06-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

My husband, Rob, and I celebrated five years of marriage this year. I am so thankful to have Rob. I am blessed to have met someone that understands me beyond anything I could have imagined, someone that is willing to pursue a crative life with me, that is a reader and a thinker, a dreamer, a romantic, an organizer (thank god!) and loves to see movies as much as I do.
Five years is just the beginning, we are still learning about each other, learning how to live with each other, finding our way together. Getting these two paths to become one is about so much growth. I have streched my comfort zone and learned so much because of my husband and I hope that we can continue to challenge each other in all of the good ways. I trust him and love him dearly and look forward to learning to speak the same language. ;)
Here we are in Utah almost two years ago...that was a trip to remember!!! I'll tell that story another time...

summer cold

2006-06-04T18:48:00.000-04:00

I was down last week with a terrible summer cold, which started most inconveniently while we were out of town on a memorial day trip! I hate being trapped inside with the summer knocking on your window but it is always great to have a sick movie marathon. I watched...too much CSI, village of the damned, trainspotting, war of the worlds, a few episodes of unwrapped and batman begins. Nothing like a lot of action to lull a sick girl to sleep. :)
Thankfully I have been feeling much better since the end of the week!

spring summer designs

2006-06-04T15:54:00.000-04:00

so here are a few of the jewelry designs I have been working on. I must admit I've take the first few weeks of no school to slack a little, but I have accomplished a few new things in the creative department.

these are called lime fizz
here's another pair...

these are called pink turtle
The pics are a little soft but it's tough to get close ups!
I have also been working on some purses...and getting some onto etsy.com.

and

I have been using ultrasuede for straps lately and I'm really liking it. There have also been such great prints to choose from this year. Can't wait to get my hands on some of the newest Amy Butler stuff.

Spring Colors

2006-04-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

I bought some new stones to work on some new spring jewelry. I just love the colors I found and I can't wait to get started...

Most of what I'll be working on are earrings probably...for a spring trunk show that I will finally plan once I am done with the semester...NEXT WEEK!!!!!

baby henderson

2006-04-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

Today was the shower for the Hendersons, I finished a quilt for them and was glad to deliver it today! Here are some pics...the colors are a little washed out because of the sun but here they are...

This quilt was a blast to make and I like how "scrappy" it turned out. They don't know the sex of the baby so I only added a tiny bit of pink!!! :)

it's spring

2006-04-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

I made papaya salsa on monday night, and fish tacos. They were so good and the salsa is a favorite of rob's. It is so easy and light. I want to try it as a sauce on grilled fish sometime, yum.
The salsa is as follows...
2 papayas, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro ( approx. 3/4 of a standard grocery bunch)
1 chopped red onion
2-4 limes depending on the season
This recipe is just a blueprint, you can adjust all ingrediants to taste!
It is great with margaritas and fish tacos!!!

sweet vacation

2006-04-09T21:47:00.000-04:00

We've been back for 2 weeks but i am finally posting about our vacation! We went to Florida for a week with rusti and todd and had a blast. It was much needed and I am already ready to go back!!
I mean look at the georgeousness!!!

I am catching up on schoolwork (I took absolutely no work of ANY kind to the beach...I am quite proud of myself!) and trying to not procrastinate on final projects.
These are popping up all over town and I snagged some at the market...they just say spring.

fedex tyvek pak wallet

2006-03-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun little idea that has floated around the internet and I think I recall it was in Ready Made mag??
Anyway these are fun to make...if anyone is interested I made a few and they are 10USD free shipping :)

fun!

homework

2006-03-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

here is a project I am working on for school, it is a self portrait painted in soft pastel... about 24 " by 32"...
it is not done yet but is getting there.

I am thinking about how to lose 30 pounds by vacation in 2 weeks!!!!!! haha

been awhile to say the least

2006-03-07T08:59:00.000-05:00

well, if anyone out there is still checking up on my dusty blog I would like to say a welcome back and sorry I've neglected my blog :)
Needless to say school has been, um, BUSY. Just trying to keep up with work and 16hrs of school and some social life has been a challenge. So, I have a moment and I'm going to try and catch up. Been working on plans to teach a summer purse class at Watkins College of Art. That is pretty exciting. Possibly that will also include two teen classes.
I have been working on clearing out my stash of fabrics again and ebaying like CRAZY!
I have some denyse schmidt fabrics if anyone is interested e-mail me???
I am loving her new line of fabrics and am so excited that I they're here!

love the colors of all of them, so perfect.
sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com :)

homework

2006-01-25T17:31:00.000-05:00

here is my most recent drawing2 assignment, contour self portrait in compressed charcoal. It measures about 18x30" I think.

nice clouds

2006-01-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

a nice nashville sky, lately a rarity

new diaper bag

2006-01-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a new diaper bag design I just finished. It has a magnetic snap and comes with two burp cloths in coordinating cotton terry with fabric on the back.

I cut it off in the photo but it is actually rectangular. The shoulder strap is padded, I think it turned out well.
I have another colorway of the same fabric-blue and green for moms who like blue (or have baby boys.)

ahhh, back to my blog

2006-01-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

was my last post really before christmas????? well, here's a christmas pic to catch up. We had a great holiday and received so many wonderful gifts from family and friends. I finally have my hands on a gocco!!! I can't wait to start creating with it. My parents always reach so deep into their small purse to give at christmas...they are so generous.
Also, my husband got me a plane ticket for christmas to go visit Molly and some schools in oak/sf which i'm really excited about!
I have been working on finishing some work projects that have been backing up on my "to finish" list. Getting ready for school to start back tomorrow. Organizing my office and work area...and ebaying like crazy.
Check out my multitude of listings...
at my ebay store
I have missed blogging the last few weeks, our internet was down around christmas and I have been so busy so far this month.
The weather here has been wierd, record highs actually, and I wish we would get one really cozy day of snow. All the dead trees look much worse when it is sunny and 65. I don't know about you but I am a pretty upbeat person However, in January those post-holiday blues always hit. I start to think about all things related to "where am i in life?, what am I doing" and that just gets that snowball rolling. I have renewed my yoga and excercise schedule and that helps a lot. My first mini yoga practice back lasted like 15 min and HURT! I can't believe I was doing 1 1/2hrs 2-3 times a week before school started! I hope I can get back to my old flexible self VERY quickly.
I saw Brokeback Mountain last night. Some great acting but I thought it was obvious that they had adapted a short story...I wanted them to delve deeper. All of the beautiful sweeping shots of wyoming mountains made me wish I was camping out west right now. so beautiful. I will say that it was a touching story told very simply and for that it was pretty good.
I hope that in my lifetime we will see the acceptance and equal treatment of gays and lesbians.
hmm, this post is getting heavy...hmm I think it's time for me to go watch some Curb Your Enthusiasm, or a really bad movie on the sci-fi channel.

Oh, anyone interested in a homemade valentine's card swap??? Basically I was thinking each participant would make and send a card to 2-3 people. Who else can we bestow our girly valentine's cards on but our crafty sisters!
e-mail me if you are interested :) sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com make the subject valentine swap:)

dining room disguised as workshop

2005-12-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

Well, the art show is over...it was great. Matt was a great host and we had a good turnout. Here is a shot of my dining room table the day before the show. Trying to finish up a ton of stuff!

Rob had some great new paintings and sold well. I think his style is really becoming more concrete with each group of work he completes. Look at his work.
I also completed a ton of new wallets. I'll post more pics of finished work anf pics from the show later on.

So, did anyone else wait till now to go christmas shopping? We have a few gifts finished but we have SO much to do this week! I must admit, the excitement of shopping at the last minute is kind of fun.

jolly christmas tree

2005-12-12T20:22:00.000-05:00

Well, our christmas tree is up and glowing in the corner. I love, love , love the smell of christmas trees. I highly reccommend home depot for your tree purchases...they trimmed the bottom, netted it and tied it to the car!!!
I only have 2 gifts under the tree so far...I am a last minute shopper this year.

and here's a shot of the icy mantle decor!

Speaking of shopping, will have some of my creations in an art show/christmas sale this weekend ... so I have been working on these cards...

and these...

if anyone is interested, they are $1.50 each, free shipping :)
e-mail me for more designs, I have some of the pics on flickr.
Also, I just got a shipment of Japanese Craft Books-(softies, purses, felting and amigurimi mostly) and I was thinking of posting them "buy it now"on ebay before christmas but I thought I would post them here first...only if you guys are interested...leave me a comment if you are and if I get enough interest I'll post them here with paypal.
xo
alexia

merry m&m's

2005-12-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

The christmas tunes are unpacked and on regular rotation! I love christmas and almost everything that comes with it.
I love the way the tree smells, love the lights and neighbors that go overboard. Love christmas shopping, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE wrapping!!! Jenna reminded me the other day about the peppermint bark I made last year so I'm starting on a batch tonight, I'll post the recipe with a pic. It is so easy!
On another celebratory note...I am officially DONE for the semester!! AHHHHH, so relieved. I have only one grade to report...I got an A in math. also, I have my final drawing portfolio to share...

I got an A on this final portfolio, not sure what my overall grade is yet, I enjoyed this class so much. I hope to keep up the drawing and I look forward to Drawing II next semester-figure drawing.
I'll report back on my grades...I'm a little worried about design fundementals...we'll see.

Vintage ornaments

2005-11-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have the ornament lots all set up for sale...buy my vintage ornaments
If you have any questions e-mail me at sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com
xo
alexia

sparkling ornaments

2005-11-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

I have been going through my vintage ornament stash and I have culled through and picked some beauties to sell...here's a little preview

Mostly the ones I'm selling are ornaments I have two or more of. They are all in good shape and each set will be $10 plus $3.85 priority mail shipping.
You can already see the whole set on flickr...I'll post them for sale on my blog this afternoon so check back. :)

rainy day

2005-11-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

Today was quite rainy, the perfect monday weather...for staying in bed maybe! My exams start this week and I am slightly dreading a couple of them. In particular, History of Clothing. It is very hard for me to remember dates in corrolation to anything! So, needless to say, history classes are a little challenging for me. When it comes down to it, will I really ever need to know the difference between a loincloth and braies? Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate this class. I am just nervous about the 100 question, photo labeling, essay questions included-final exam.
Math exam is tomorrow, not too worried about that one. My math class is actually fairly easy. And according to my professor I have missed my calling: apparently I have the handwriting of a mathmatician. (anybody see that happening?)
For Drawing 1 all I have to do is submit all of my finished drawings for a final cumulative grade.
Ahhh, then there is the dreaded final group project. May I ask, are group projects really necessary????? It is so hard to coordinate with five people that all go to school full time AND work.
okay, I'm done bitching.
I'll post my final project in history of clothing...we had to design a historically inspired outfit and write a 5-7 pg research paper about our inspiration. I got an A, yippee!
I have to wait till there's some nice light to take a pic of my rendering. (it's my first one and I haven't taken fashion illustration yet so no laughing!)
9 days till chrismas break...I feel like I'm back in high school, little wierd.

my first meatloaf

2005-11-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

I did something last night I never, ever thought I would do... I made meatloaf! This is a combo of three recipes so I figured I could call it mine :)
Well, turkey meatloaf, but meatloaf none the less!
It was so good!
so I know there's the whole "only eat your mother's meatloaf" thing but for a lower fat version try this out!

Alexia’s Turkey Meatloaf
yield 8 servings
2 lb ground turkey
1 1/2 cups crushed ritz crackers
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons spicy mustard
1/4 cup worstershire
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Saute onion, celery, garlic, carrot in butter until soft and onions are transluscent. Let cool.
Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Add all wet ingredients, except turkey, to the veggies. Add veggie mixture and ground turkey to the dry ingredients mixing until combined but be careful not to over-mix.
Pack into a greased 10 in loaf pan and cook for about 50 min.

happy thanksgiving

2005-11-26T17:26:00.000-05:00

natalie took this great pic during thankgiving dinner at my parents house
hope you all had a great holiday...enjoy your leftovers!

more drawings

2005-11-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

My drawing class is plugging along, I am enjoying working with charcoal...it is a very forgiving medium!

This first drawing is an in-class drawing of a still life my professor set up.

This drawing is an assignment, draw three or four eggs surrounded by white fabric.

I have two more that I will post soon...they are also charcoal drawings.

mmmm...pumpkin

2005-11-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

this pic is from the montgomery advertiser

I get so jazzed about cooking and baking this time of year. It feels so good to be engulfed in the spicy smells of a fall kitchen. I am currently, brewing some chai tea to make into lattes later. The smell has infused the entire house.
I made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies last night...

here's the recipe...

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Stir in the vanilla, molasses and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

mmmmm

move over halloween, here comes christmas

2005-11-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that people already have chrismas decorations up....the green hills area is covered in wreaths already!
We had a fun halloween weekend. We watched the 70's invasion of the body snatchers, on Halloween night and had so many trick or treaters that we ran out of candy.
you can see us all dressed up on last friday night...check out our halloween album

I wish I had snapped a photo of our house....we had ghost silouettes in the windows, purple lights on the porch and the house was covered in caution tape and spider webs! It was very eerie.

14 days till halloween

2005-10-16T22:56:00.000-04:00

I went to the grocery store yesterday and wanted to share something that made me happy...look at all that halloween candy!

be your own pet

2005-10-16T22:51:00.000-04:00

Jemina's on tour this month, hope you have a great trip j! xoxo alexia

They finished in the studio, and the record sounds awesome. I can't wait to play it for all of our friends. I think it will be out in February.
I am so proud of my sister.

camping

2005-10-16T14:26:00.000-04:00

we had a great one night trip camping last weekend and here are some pics!

here we are waiting for these beauties!

yes, I love pancakes!

me and rob

Looking forward to the next, hopefully longer, trip out of town.

you can look at the whole set of photos

here

we're off for a day trip

2005-10-07T23:18:00.000-04:00

hey! Well after weeks of craziness we are escaping for a day trip...to Mammoth Cave KY, for one night of camping! This is an annual abegg family tradition and I can't wait. My dad makes these incredible lemon pancakes every year..mmm...lemon zephyrs. Anyway it is a much needed one night repreive!
Here's a couple drawings I just got back graded from my drawing class...

pepper and onion
24" by 32"

sunflower
22" by 34"

see you monday!
xo
alexia

Yard Sale

2005-09-25T08:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm trying to pare down the craft stuff! And I need money for art supplies for school so...
So I'm having a blog yard sale...
e-mail me if there's anything you want
sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com
and you can paypal me the cost at the same e-mail. I'll charge 1.00 for shipping unless it's really heavy then it will be by weight, I ship USPS and I'll be happy to ship out of the U.S. :)
Thanks!

Lot of Antique/Vintage Pink Pottery
$15.00

Hand made by me Silk brocade evening bag chocolate brown and black
$6.00

Hand made by me Blue and black wool and cashmere bag, great everyday size.
$10.00

Handmade by me, bamboo barkcloth medium sized purse with fringe
$8.00

Handmade by me cotton print with silk brocade details, good everyday size.
$6.00
SOLD

Handmade by me...Pink toile and chocolate brown velveteen tote, Big enough to be an everyday bag
$10.00
SOLD

Everything is priced for the whole piece! All are 100% cotton 45" wide unless noted otherwise.

Aunt Grace reproduction print
2 yards
$4.50
SOLD

4 fat quarters- plus 1 yard of the pink with multi dots
$5.00
SOLD

1 1/2 yard
$2.00
SOLD

and this one but in the matching colorway red mustard black cream grey (not in pink as shown)

as a set...the girls fabric 1 7/8 yards and the purses fabric 2 yards
$6.50

2 2/3 yards
$6.50
SOLD

2/3 yard
$1.00

1 yard
$2.75
SOLD

1 yard cotton Flannel
$2.00

1 1/8 yard
$2.50
SOLD

4 yards
$8.00
SOLD

1 7/8 yards
$2.80
SOLD

1 1/2 yards
$2.60

2 yards
$4.00

1 3/8 yards + some extra piece
$2.50

2 3/8 yards + some extra
$5.00

2 7/8 yards
$7.00
SOLD

2 1/3 yards
$5.00

7/8 yard with a swatch cut out of the selvage
$1.50
SOLD

2 3/4
$6.50
SOLD

7/8+ some extra
$1.50
SOLD

2 2/3
$5.00
SOLD

4 yards
$7.50

1 3/4 yards
$2.25

1 1/2
$2.00
SOLD

1 3/8
$2.75

2 1/4
$4.25

8 yards
$15.00

6 yards Flannel
$12.00
SOLD

4 yards
$10.00

1 yard
$2.00

3 yards
$6.00

1 1/2yards
$2.00
SOLD

pierrette's quilt

2005-09-19T14:54:00.000-04:00

okay, Dad fixed the pics from last night! So here's a pic of the quilt in progress...the orange floral on the bolt is going to be the back of the quilt...

and here's a pic of us!

pierrette's 21st birthday

2005-09-19T12:28:00.000-04:00

We got together with my family last night for a, very belated, celebration of Pierrette's birthday. I made this chocolate mousse with rum and vanilla soaked chocolate cake and raspberry sauce. It was really good!

I had some other pics of the dinner but the camera didn't write the files properly so....they are gone :(
I am making Pierrette a quilt for her birthday and in the usual Abegg style I didn't get it done in time....so she got a peek of the squares....I think she liked it!

cool fall air

2005-09-16T09:41:00.000-04:00

The air today smells like fall. It is cooler and makes me very excited for Halloween!
I have just finished a week of papers and drawings due and I am thrilled that is it friday.
My main work project right now is a group of 12 bridesmaids dresses...so I'm trying to finish those in the next couple of weeks. They are a beautiful cocoa brown silk duppioni with a pink sash or wrap to match. They look much like this dress...

I am really enjoying my drawing class, it feels great to be drawing again. We are working through a great method with

this book

I would reccommend it.
Also at school I am enjoying my Composition 1 class, I just finished a "remembered person" essay about my grandmother. Maybe I'll post it...I'm a little self-concious about my writing skills and it has been great to learn new things and to be forced to write. Rob has been very encouraging with all of my school work, he is a great editor!
Harvey and Natalie have arrived safely and we are happy to have them back in Nashville! Feels like they were gone for a couple of weeks not four years. They have a pool in the courtyard of their apartment building...very fun.
We had a little shindig for them and it was great to see some other old friends that Rob and I haven't seen in quite a while....hope to keep in touch better.
I know T+J are getting ready for a long trip to the UK and I hope they will post about their trip on their blog! I want to see pics!!!
Well, time for work...I hear the bridesmaids dresses calling!
xo
alexia

trying to keep my head above water

2005-08-31T11:29:00.000-04:00

whew, I have mostly recovered from a nasty cold, and I am in my third week of classes. man, I am looking forward to the end of a few work projects so that I don't feel quite so buried. classes are going well, I'll post some fun pics from my drawing class soon, and I am enjoying most of them. I am thinking and praying about a family member that I just found out has breast cancer, and thinking and praying also about all of the folks in the south with the devistation of katrina. And thinking and praying about harvey and natalie who are driving across country now on their way home to Nashville!
I'll post more soon just wanted to give a quick hello and update!
xo

2 memes

2005-08-13T10:38:00.000-04:00

okay 1st meme...
5 albums on my ipod....well no ipod but on my computer...

1.The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
2. Be your own pet - Fire Department
3. Queen - The Game
4. Elliott Smith - Kill Rock Stars
5. Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra

5 movies I've seen recently

1. Happy Endings (great)
2. Dark Water (good)
3. The never ending story (is this really for kids????)
4. Coffee and Cigarettes (hmmm, not quite finished watching this one)
5. Constantine (better than I expected)

5 nice things that have happened to me recently

1. my husband made me breakfast....yippee for biscuits
2. a friend from high school contacted me recently, looking forward to getting together.
3. abby at while she naps TOTALLY spoiled me in a swap!
4. I get so much great support and positive comments from internet friends
5. i got compliments on my newly cut short hair

5 songs in heavy rotation

1. Holiday-Bulb
2. Mr. Blue Sky-ELO
3. hell-Squirrel Nut Zippers
4. Bicycle Race- Be your own pet
5. Fat Bottomed Girls-queen

also I have been tagged with the five idiosyncrasies meme

1. I don't like to eat the last bits or the ends of food....especially the ends of french fries. (my husband will forever laugh at me for this)

2. I hoard, I mean hoard ideas...from cookbooks, craft books, internet, anywhere and everywhere. I have a rediculous number of notebooks full of tear sheets!

3. When falling asleep I have a little pattern with my toes which I think is derived from piano excercises when I was a kid.

4. I wish to someday learn to play the sitar.

5. I will eat mexican food Any time!

I'm tagging these five with BOTH of these!

Sally, jude,harvey, natalie, tania

congratulations!

2005-08-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

much love and congratulations to my good friend molly!

wishing you guys wedded bliss ;)
xoxo

whew, busy weekend

2005-08-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

I had to work a little overtime this weekend so I didn't have much of a chance to blog, oh how I have missed it.
My sister's band opened for le tigre thursday night and i was a great show...preceded by a great dinner (thanks liz it was great to see you!) here's my stub!

there's jemina...

Le tigre was awesome, I cannot tell you how much fun their music is...they are great live. And my sister was great...she rocked and the audience really seemed to get into it! I hope they had a good weekend tour.

Well, Rob, joel, and I celebrated our good friend Geoff's birthday this weekend with pizza, beer and sundae's...what more could anyone want! ha! So glad to be your friend geoff, hope you had a great year last year and hope this one is even better! Look forward to more hanging out!

I was however able to squeeze in a new purse for the weekend!

here's the other side

Also I have been memed by cassi over at bella dia
so I'm working on that!!

oh and i boxed up all my swaps today...note there are still a couple available!...so I am very excited about that!

We had the most delightful afternoon rain today...it was warm and pouring with the sun shining on the raindrops...it was really glorious. I'm glad I was out and about to be in it!

swaparoo continued...

2005-08-03T17:41:00.000-04:00

Okay here are the bundles I got organized...I came up with many more than expected and of course more than one per person is fine with me!!! I had fun grouping these fabrics together...they are mostly bigger than scraps...I have given a little description for each one...
This will be first come first serve and please just e-mail me to tell me which one you would like!
sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com
Here are some things I like...
chocolate, tea (particularly jasmine), stationery, fabric trims notions, cool yarn, anything sanrio or san-x, japanese candy, japanese craft books, japanese craft/quilt magazines, movies...um yeah

#1 cottons swapped!

#2 cottons swapped!

#3 silks, linen and cotton

#4 cotton, rayon, silk swapped!

#5 cottons, silk, velveteen swapped!

#6 cottons and cotton chenille swapped!

#7 cottons swapped!

#8 cottons and linen swapped!

#9 cottons and linen swapped!

#10 cottons, barkcloth, silk, linen

swaparoo

2005-07-31T19:36:00.000-04:00

i'm working on getting some scraps and fabric organized, I have a huge rubbermaid tote full of scraps, to swap...I'll be able to take some pics wednesday...if anyone is interested e-mail me :) I probably have enough to swap with about 4 people....maybe more. vintage, amy butler, all different weights and mostly natural fibers. :)
sakidesignspurses@yahoo.com

the water quilt has been delivered

2005-07-31T18:55:00.000-04:00

so, the water quilt for tim and elizabeth was delivered today at a very fun shower hosted by linda and jenna!
here's a shot of the whole thing...

here's one of the backing and binding

here's a detail of the pieced center...and the wavy diagonal quilting.

and you can check out many more detail pics is you click to my flickr!

fun project

2005-07-31T11:15:00.000-04:00

as linked by molly chicken, this website has some of the cutest little d.i.y. kits and other little purses and animals for sale....I love this cd player case...so cute!

i want one :)

p.s. I finished a shower gift that I have been dying to post...the shower is this afternoon so I'm going to post a pic AS SOON as I get home!!!!!

laugh or cry ????

2005-07-29T19:32:00.000-04:00

This has been entertaining our household + geoff for the past couple of weeks...

little spaceman

it will make you laugh or cry...

whew!

2005-07-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

whew, we had a busy weekend and I think I have recovered. I took a marathon nap when I got home from work last night (which I never do because I usually wake up from a nap transformed into a completely crabby monster). And I slept in a little this morning.
I hope rob has recovered too, he had to be at work at 6:30 today!!! ouch.
We (+joel) threw a fun going away party for some friends that are moving to Chicago...we will miss them! I had hoped for an outdoor party but the weather didn't really comply. It was like 105 F with the heat index, too f**king hot!!!!
Thanks to everyone that brought food, we had a great spread! I neglected the camera at the party so I have no pics to post but just imagine lots of smiling, laughing, sangria, shrimp, heat, iced tea, mocha cupcakes and you are there!
I finished a couple of projects I've been working on...
here's a diaper bag I quilted the fabric in a swirly-random pattern and quilted the fabric for the flap in stripes...

and here's a shot of the inside, it has 6 pockets...

I love these amy butler fabrics...I need more!
I also finished a laptop bag for misty but I need to get a better pic of that.
I'm also working on a couple of tutorials and some pics of my vintage fabrics...I wish I had a scanner for those but alas...
When I came home from work on saturday rob came up to me with a little tupperware container and said "I have something to show you" I thought at first he would get me all calm and concentrating on this container and then try to scare me (yes, I start easy!) but he opened it and I saw this little guy!

and then rob promptly released him :)

Time for work...I have a ton of sewing to finish today!!!!

geoff's hospitality

2005-07-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

the weekend before last we had a great little dinner over at geoff's place. he was a great host and we grilled out!

the grilled corn was great, pork tenderloin and sausage were delish and the night was very fun, thanks geoff!

back to school time!

2005-07-20T20:23:00.000-04:00

as many of you know i am somewhat obsessed with paper/office/stationary products...so the temptation to spend way too much on school supplies is astronomically high....but I have resisted temptation. I bought a bunch of 50 cent composition books and decorated them. you can see them all here but here are a few of my faves...

before...

and after...

strange dream

2005-07-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

i had a very strange dream last night...here goes...

I was hosting a rock concert at a naval base...don't know where it was but right on the water (as in apocalypse now).The stage was an opened-up airplane hangar and we hung a curtain to make the first 1/4 of it a stage. It was a very balmy, hot afternoon and the moisture in the air was on everyones faces...everyone had a warm glisten. The rock band was some made up amalgym of kiss, led zeppelin and pink floyd and this was a reunion concert that they were half-way into playing. As we are getting ready for the show some of the higher-ups from the navy kept coming side-stage to tell me how thankful they were for this show...each and everyone of them was carrying a bamboo steamer box (about the size of a hat box) . As I was talking with a member of the band I looked over to my right and noticed one sailor (he looked like a crazed Matt Damon) about 15ft away setting his steamer box on the floor. As he stood up the box top lifted on it's own as if something inside was peering out. I thought this was odd for a moment but continued about my business (whever it was????) and then I noticed that there were about 6 boxes scattered about the stage and back-stage area...all left behind by these sailors.
I started to feel some anxiety but opened the show anyway. As the music became louder, the crowd became excited and the hustle and bustle backstage died down a little. As if frozen like a marionette without a puppetteer I could do nothing but watch as the lids of all of the bamboo boxes began to lift and a slimy,sludgey, transluscent pink and green thing crept out. It grew thin and started to cover every wall and door. As it covered it became opaque and firm, like a sheet of rubber. It began to cover the stage opening and we had no defense. The sailors in the audience changed as they saw the being covering this opening...their faces grew strange and surreal. Soon the entire opening was covered and we were trapped! We tried to break through the rubber like surface but to no avail. And then....I woke up!
can anyone say too much spicy food????

some new SAKI designs

2005-07-18T10:35:00.000-04:00

here are a few new things I've been working on for the shop...

eyeglass cases

wallets...they have a pocket for a little cash and some cards and a clear pocket for id and cards

here's the outside of that one

green blossom wallet (vintage fabric) outside

inside

bird wallet (vintage fabric)

inside

pink and brown of course!

inside

I have a ton of these finished...they will be up in the shop tomorrow!

fondue!

2005-07-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

Rob got this

awesome all-clad fondue pot for his birthday (35) this year and we had the first fondue night with marinated sirloin steak, sauteed green beans and baked potato!
here we are waiting for our meat to cook...
me...

rob...

such serious stuff happeneing in the pot! ;)

Now that we have tested out the pot we can't wait to have a fondue party...we'll definitely need to make some retro jello desserts!

mmmm tempura

2005-07-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

I made some tempura last week with fresh herb from the garden in the batter, they turned out to be delish!

here's the sweet potato batch

and the zucchini ones!

if you have never made tempura I would highly reccommend it, it's so easy and great for all of the fresh summer veggies. I like to try all different dipping sauces. our favorite is chili garlic sauce mixed with mayo! yum

my brain is fried

2005-07-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

so, have i told you I'm going to college in the fall? I'm going to this school. it is a small design school in franklin. I will be attending for fashion and because they do not offer summer classes I will probably transfer to a school where I could possibly finish faster than 4 yrs.
well, I registered for classes yesterday. long day of waiting...8:30-3 , which is what I expected so I didn't mind. I definitely felt my age a little, felt slightly out of place...many of the conversations I overheard were about boys and parents. (still a topic of therapeutic conversation in my life but not quite in the same way!)
I really like the instructors I have met and the overall philosophy of the school is kind of a wholistic learning kind of idea...which I really like. Also it has a 4-1 student teacher ratio which is awesome.
So now I am trying to figure out what kind of work schedule I can manage while in school. I will be taking 16hrs and I really have no concept of how much outside the classroom work that will be. I have been thinking about going back to Fido maybe (I could also walk there which would be great) Or if I should just stick with the freelance custom sewing I have been doing. I don't think I'll be able to do hair and makeup much unless is just happens to be a shoot on a day I am not in class.
We'll see.

I am almost finished with a couple of projects so look back here for some new pics today or tomorrow!

by the way, dark water was very scary

and the flickr is up to 110,580.

more yummy cupcakes

2005-07-11T19:06:00.000-04:00

I made these cupcakes for the shower last week

The white were lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting and marzipan dots...the chocolate were mocha cupcakes with fudge-mocha frosting and marzipan dots.

We had a busy weekend, I'll post more...we're off to see dark water

have I told you I love scary movies?

p.s. the flickr is up to 97,000.

holy s**t

2005-07-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

okay....you know something strange is happening when you read this on your flickr account page...

Your photostream has been viewed 52835 times.

What the f***???

all because of some sparklers...

kat's diaper bag

2005-07-08T10:21:00.000-04:00

I just finished this bag. Sally ordered it for Katherine.
I did all of the quilting, freehand, on the machine. I used a fusible batting to make the quilting easier.

here's a shot of the inside pockets

I think it turned out nicely. I want to experiment with more quilting, more bags or maybe some baby quilts that are all one fabric...letting the quilting really stand out.
I have always liked line drawings, in whatever form. I think that's what I like so much about free-motion quilting, it reminds me of line drawings.

pyrotechnics at the abegg's

2005-07-06T00:39:00.000-04:00

we had a fun time with friends at my parents house yesterday for the fourth of july. It was great to have a long weekend, the past couple of weeks have been soooo busy. I have been finishing a lot of custom sewing projects lately. And been celebrating lots of birthdays! I am almost done with rob's anniversary quilt and I can't wait to post about that. I just have quilting in the border left to do. It has been a big project (queen size quilt), all hand quilted. In working on that quilting and the embroidery I have been doing lately, I have realised how much I enjoy the feel of fabric and a needle and thread in my hands (except for the occasional prick! ouch) It is repetitive, in it's own way meditative, and reminds me very much of knitting. I want to start a quilt project for the fall/winter although with starting school I'm not sure what my "just for fun" schedule will be like.
Well, anyway here's some fun fourth of july pics...I'm tired and I get tangent-prone when I'm tired...

view my entire set at

July 4th Photo Album

more sparkler pics in there too!

happy 4th of july

2005-07-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

there's my patriotic duty...now let's get to the fireworks and great food!!!