what i did today instead of sewing…

Some days it is just hard to sit down at the sewing machine. I thought I would post some of the other things that I did instead of sewing (like I said I would in my 12:30 post). It was a good day.

I finally created the frame collage on my living room wall…

I actually finished these pillows last week, but I think they weren’t really finished until I sat them on my favorite piece of furniture (my IKEA Stockholm chair–I bought it for $100 off of craigslist recently) and accented them with Michael’s abandoned mandolin. I really like these pillows and I think they are a good show of what my future pillow collection will look like. The lace accent on them is from vintage curtains I bought for a dollar at a garage sale last month and I love them. I will be so sad when I use the last bit of that lace.

I hung this painting that my mom painted for me. This is the third apartment that it has hung in and I love knowing that it will hang everywhere I ever live. I think it is so beautiful. I think my mom really underestimates what an amazing artist she is.

I framed this photo that I took. On President’s Day, a few of us got together and, through an exhausting process of picking ideas of “something new to do” out of a hat, finally decided on “Go on a photo expedition, take a photo, frame it, and hang it in your house”. Voila! When the cherry trees bloom in Fresno it is just so beautiful. I completely took them for granted when I lived there but can’t help but admire them every spring when I go home. That is why I took this picture. That color is just wonderful.

And I made lunch for the next few days. At first I made a parsley/spinach pesto with some of the greens from the CSA. It was a pretty strong flavor and it took a lot of improvisation to tone the flavor down, but in the end, I created a pretty delicious pesto-cream sauce with peas, onions, collard greens, and chicken over whole wheat spaghetti.

I love days like today.

inspiring quilts

It’s Sunday at 12:30 and I am gearing up for an afternoon of sewing. I’m watching the movie Towelhead which is turning out to be pretty disturbing. Not yet sure if I would recommend it.

Here are some quilts I am really inspired by. I love anything that breaks away from the typical quilt block. To me, these quilts represent the new school of quilting. Not that I don’t love some vintage-style quilts, but there is just something so fresh about these.

Making it Sell, Etsy

Liz Jaff quilts

more Liz Jaff

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Gee’s Bend

more Gee’s Bend

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Summer House in Snow by Edrica Huws

Park in Barcelona by Edrica Huws

Edrica Huws

Khiphofia – Red Hot Pokers by Edrica Huws

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via The Quilter’s Guild of The British Isles

a beautiful and long weekend

Though I meant to post many times this weekend, I had a fairly computer-free past three days. I think I need that every once in a while. I have three completely unrelated pictures to post tonight.

The first is in honor of the holiday. I saw this mural on the back of a building in Venice and it really struck me (even though the reason for it is pretty literal since the building is on the corner of Lincoln and Rose streets). But, hey, I’ll take literal murals any day.

Ok, the second picture is back to my quilt. Me and this quilt really did not get along this weekend. I finished the quilt top sometime last week and finished the back on Sunday morning. The actual sandwiching is always my least favorite part, especially with a quilt as large as this one. My seam ripper was my best friend on Sunday night. I think it took me two hours to undo a mistake that took me 30 seconds to make. Oh well. So goes quilting. Regardless of our tiff, I love this quilt and really hope you will too. Here is a second sneak peek…

And this third picture was just too sad not to share. My roommate Kina’s mom makes lots of cookies every Valentine’s Day and this year I was lucky enough to get one. It was beautiful and I couldn’t wait to get a snap of it before eating it. Unfortunately, my purse got the best of this cookie that was once so full of love. =(

But not to worry. Dan and I actually had a fantastic V day together and despite the omen of the Kinamomcookie we are going strong.

More to come soon. Also, if you have a reader (google reader, feedburner, etc.) you can add this blog to it by clicking the Entries (RSS) button at the right. Thanks for reading!

a sneak peek…

Here is a sneak peek of the quilt I am working on. Fingers crossed for finishing it by Sunday.

I love these colors!

Both my logo (see the blog header) and the concept for this quilt were fueled by the John Mayer cover of Jimi Hendrix’s song “Bold as Love”. Just awesome…

first post!

My mom and grandma gave me a sewing machine two Christmases ago. It sat alone in the top of my closet for months. The thought of using it scared me. I was sure I would fail by making something that was ugly, crooked, and unwanted. But a design came to my head and I drove to Joann’s (a new frontier for me) one day on a whim. I picked out seven (stupidly expensive) fabrics, bought two yards of each, and took about five months to make my first quilt. I still love each of those fabrics like they are my children or something. I am trying not to run out of any of them and try to use a little bit of at least one of them in every sewing project that I do. I decided early in the making of the quilt that it would be for me, and that I would not give it as a gift. I just really liked it and wanted to keep it as a show of my first sewing project. Also, it is quite flawed. It lays on my bed kind of like when businesses frame and hang their first dollar on the wall behind the counter. (And yes, I am 22 with a twin bed =).

I love the idea that I will always have it and that it will be passed down to my future kids as their mom’s first quilt. I like that I made something that keeps me warm. I like even more when I see it keeping my boyfriend warm-but I am still not going to give it to him (his will come soon!).

I have to credit my friend Lillie (www.lillieinthecity.com) for encouraging me to pursue my crafting. Without her help, advice, and general awesomeness, I would have never thought to really go all out with crafting. Like most others I have talked to in the urban craft revival, my house is full of my craft projects, I spend much of my free time looking at etsy shops, blogs, and craft/design magazines, and my hands often itch to make or remake something when I get home from a long (or, really, any) day at work. My hands have led me to buy acrylic paints and canvases, caused me to take numerous trips to Home Depot or OSH to buy hand sanders, 2x4s, varnishes, and generally have just worked with my mind to convince me that I can make anything I want. That is what this really is all focused around–my hands. viva.le.mani means “long live the hands” in italian. It’s not really a phrase that italians use, so don’t try to sound cool by saying it to your italian friends =). I love working with my hands and there is just something so beautiful about creating with le mani.

So welcome to my blog. I hope to update frequently with posts on my quilting progress, etsy sales, food, life, and beautiful things. I am working on my etsy products right now and will hopefully start posting items in a couple of weeks. Have an awesome week. Leave a comment for me if you’d like. Thanks for stopping by!