muntustitches.com

Curse you, Perry the Platypus!

This conference was geared to crafters of all sorts…jewelry makers, graphic artists, printers, knitters, etc. etc. etc. Some sell at craft fairs, some online, some both. Caitlin Phillips of Rebound Designs (shown above) makes the coolest book purses. She is a great teacher, too, and I loved hearing her tips for setting up booths and interacting with customers.

I met several kindred spirits from the world of science and technology. Richard is super-smart paleontologist/cartoonist from Ithaca, New York. His adorable fiancee Kelly is a screen printer and all-around crafty gal. Together, they form Our Secret Treehouse, which has the coolest critter-themed items. They specialize in woodland creatures and dinosaurs (of course), but they also dabble in undergarments .

I scored this great triceratops button for Louie – RAWR! Don’t you love the raised brow? If you live in Upstate NY, definitely be on the lookout for them at craft fairs.

I couldn’t resist hugging up on some of my crafty heros, and of course I had to get photographic evidence of my dorkiness. Pictured above is THE Scoutie Girl, Tara Gentile. In her talk, she did a fantastic job explaining SEO (search engine optimization) in simple, human terms.

I remember watching the first season of Project Runway and thinking “Gosh, I’d love to hang out with Jay!” He is such a honey, and even though he is a high-fashion icon, he has the soul of a crafter. It was so much fun being in sessions with him, and he gave a side-splitting keynote address on Friday. Check out his website to see all the fabulous things he is up to.

I got to meet one of my favorite authors, Kari Chapin. She wrote The Handmade Marketplace, which has been a bestseller for almost 2 years now. She gave a brilliant workshop about goals and intentions. I came away with a lot of tools that will hopefully make me more productive and organized. I actually got up and blogged today, so I must be inspired!

Jay actually took that picture of us, and my camera wasn’t cooperating. He said “It isn’t working” and I said “Make it work.” He didn’t seem amused…imagine that.

In between sessions, I got to play around with yarn, felt, and fabric in the “Make Something Awesome” area.

Button making is addictive. I knocked out a few Christmas presents at that table.

On the last day of the Summit, I had a one-on-one shop critique with Cheyne Little and Danielle Maveal from Etsy (Cheyne heads up teams and Danielle leads seller education…they are dynamite). They gave me some very helpful feedback, so I’ll be able to make the listings more concise and the shop easier to navigate. I also found out that I should be linking to my shop in blog posts, so here ya go!

I had my guys in tow, so they experienced the awesomeness while waiting for the children’s museum across the street to open. Honestly, they would have been content to make pom-poms all day.

After the summit, the family took a water taxi ride to lunch across the harbor. Can you tell someone is proud of his pom-pom? He is definitely the most huggable crafter I’ve ever met.

The pattern is actually nested quarter circles. Simply fold the fabric into fourths and align the pattern at the indicated edges…couldn’t be easier. Markings are provided to make circles from 1″ to 58″ in diameter. You can also use this pattern for making circles with perfectly centered holes so you can make things like poodle skirts, tree skirts, and giant stuffed donuts.

I used the full 58″ pattern to make an outdoor tablecloth from Jennifer Paganelli’s
Sis Boom Queen Street Line.

Look how beautifully this stuff cuts! No need for hemming…it will never fray.

I’m in love with this print (OCJP03 Jodi)…so perfect with fall flowers!

Click here to download the free printable circle pattern.

UPDATE: For some reason (probably the gazillion little lines from the circles), the PDF file was HUGE (50+ MB – gasp)! I tried lots of ways to print it smaller, but nothing worked. I ended up printing the patterns on my printer and scanning them back in. It isn’t as pretty, but it is only 1.27 MB now. Thanks so much for your patience!

I’ve been in my formal living room turned sewing room for about 6 months now. It is so nice to have room to move about, and I’m staying a lot better organized since I have places to put stuff. The only thing that was bothering me was the lack of a theme. When I was younger, I was so matchy-matchy and theme-oriented with my decor, but that kind of disintegrated once I started a family. I figured since this is my space, I could decorate it in a way that suits me perfectly. Since I *am* the Scientific Seamstress, a lab theme seemed to be the natural choice.

Don’t worry – I didn’t go too crazy…no frogs in formaldehyde or radioactive isotopes. I just incorporated the colors and images that made me happy back in my science days. The result is a fun work space where I can conduct my sewing experiments.

I installed a shiny black lab bench under the windows. I got the piece of countertop for in the scratch and dent room at Ikea. I put teloscoping legs in the front and cheap brackets in the back. It is actually 3 feet off the ground because I like to sew standing up (makes it so much easier to go back and forth to the computer or cutting table).

I turned the desk that I was using for the sewing machines into a cutting table. It is soooo nice to have a functional place to cut! The large mat is from JoAnn (got it on sale online). I had to cut it down a little bit with aviation shears, but it works just fine.

I decoupaged the sides of the table with pages from an old Merck index (if I really want to know a chemical structure, I can google it), and then painted a fun soybean plant (the subject of my graduate research) on one side.

On the other side, I installed two GRUNDTAL knife magnets from Ikea. Not only do they hold my scissors and rotary cutters, they keep little metal things like seam rippers and tiny screwdrivers close at hand.

I spray painted two desks with Eden Green by Rustoleum. To me, this is the quintessential “Biology Department Green” I remember from college. At the time, I thought the color was so pukey and ugly, but now I find it quite lovely. Above my work desk are a few things that make me feel happy and loved. The wall quilt was made by four good friends and given to me for my birthday last year. Next to it are my B.S. and Ph.D. diplomas. My dad made the frames and the cool thread rack on the adjacent wall. Above that is the Scientific Seamstress sign my friend Cathy gave me last month…she is such a doll! To the right of the quilt is a thimble collection my mom gave me – I’ll take that over dead bugs any day!

Vintage glassware makes for great little vases. You can find pieces on Etsy, or just hang around the doorways of retiring professors’ labs.

Lots of storage in the shelving next to the desk. Most of the bins are full of scraps, of course. I glued some chalkcloth to the wooden bin that holds various stabilizers. Now I have a place to write formulas or derive equations when the need arises (totally kidding…I keep my math to rudimentary geometry and algebra). Bessie, my only employee, is OSHA compliant in her lab coat.

The shelving on the opposite wall holds my reagents, equipment, and some books. Notice my copy of Girl’s World by Jennifer Paganelli? It is a must-have for the sewing library!

I purchased some beakers to store my buttons, zippers, embroidery floss, etc. They were a bit of a splurge ( each from a science supply store), but they are absolutely perfect. The 2000 mL fits my shelves nicely, and the tops are open so I can just reach in and get the item I am after.

Finally, I needed some “artwork” to hang over the beaker shelves. When I worked in a lab, sales reps were always giving us neat posters with science info (and of course their logos). I decided to make my own “Periodic Table of Sewing Elements” poster. Each element letter has a sewing term underneath (and some boxes even have a texture or pattern to correspond with the term). Periodic tables usually have groups of different colored boxes to classify the elements, but I decided to make mine all different colors to look like a patchwork quilt. One of the terms is the same for both chemical elements and sewing elements…can you figure out which one it is?

Click for larger image

Geek out your own sewing space with a Periodic Table of Sewing Elements!
Click the link above to download the small file for printing at home in 8 x 11.5″ format.
Click here to download the large file (20 x 30 format, can be printed online or at a local print shop).

May showers bring MUD! And as everyone knows, mud tends to attract small boys and dogs from all around the neighborhood.

The May flowers are lovely, however.

The pea plants are starting to make little pods.

We are growing tomatoes and greens along the driveway. Last year we grew corn in this strip, but it got “smutty” and rangy looking. Considering good sweet corn is so inexpensive in season, we’ve decided to leave that one to the experts. I’m sure the neighbors will be grateful that we made this choice.

We’ve got volunteer pumpkin plants in the spot where we let our Jack-O-Lantern rot last year. The circle of life, redneck style.

Out back we’ve got some good Southern staples – turnips, collards, and okra on the way.

More greens in the raised bed – mustard, kale, bok choy.

We had a nice crop of arugula, but it bolted and we ate it with homemade butternut squash ravioli. The squash was from last fall’s crop. Yum – makes all the messing around in the mud so worth it!

My dear friend and tester Jeanne picked me up at the airport and immediately took me on a fantastic tour of SLC. I got to see downtown, the beautiful surrounding area, and a couple of fabric shops…all before lunch!

We had a very yummy lunch at the famous Ruth’s Diner. Here we are outside. Yeah, I’m standing on a curb, and Jeanne is still a good 6″ taller. No fair.

Jeanne’s little daughter is an absolute angel child! She is so beautiful and sweet, and smart too! Check out the welcome note she wrote for Jennifer!

Thursday was our first big work day. We went over to the convention center and picked up our giant box of gorgeousness so we could get ready for our Schoolhouse Presentation.

For my science friends…giving a Schoolhouse is like giving a talk at a national meeting. You get up in front of a big group of your peers and talk about your latest breakthroughs. We made the Sis Boom Schoolhouse a group effort – Jen talked about her new book, Madeline presented the latest fabric lines, and I of course plugged patterns. Above is a pic of Jen out in the hall, waiting for showtime. She was as cool as a cucumber, but I have to admit I got a little nervous. It has been a long time since I have been in front of a group like that, but I settled right down once I saw the friendly faces streaming into the room.

It didn’t hurt that we were handing out fat quarters…those babies would thrill any audience!

On Friday, Jennifer had her book signing. So many great friends turned out ! Pictured above is Jennifer with Jennifer from Bugs and Bees (and yes, she made that Patricia Tunic with her own two hands). Don’t they look like sisters?

After the book signing, we were interviewed by Heidi from the Quilt Home crew! We talked about the new Sis Boom fabrics and our ePatterns, which are sold on their site. It was so much fun talking to her! We’ll let you know when the video is live.

We managed to get in LOTS of socializing, of course. Every night we had a dinner or a meetup to attend. It was so great seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Plus, the food was great everywhere we went!

Now I’m not one to pose for pics with every sewing celebrity I meet, but I just HAD to get a shot with Char from Crap I’ve Made. She is my bloggy hero – funny, interesting, mildy crass – and she is exactly the same in person!

Oh…did you notice the dresses we were wearing on book signing day? That pattern is in the works and should be ready in the next few weeks…I just need to come down from my Rocky Mountain Quilt Market High and transition back into work mode!

Last week, Jennifer Paganelli and I launched two new dress patterns (and of course I am the last to blog about them…that doesn’t mean I’m not excited, I’m just all wrapped up in the next set of patterns)! Jamie and Marissa are classic dresses with lots of gorgeous details that make them modern and special. The straps, the waistline, the full skirt…everyone is swooning! The fitted waistline flatters women and girls of all sizes.

To get a great fit like this, the design requires what the pros call “fit control.” It can come in many forms…shirring, ties, buttons, etc. In this case, a zipper was truly the best (and easiest) option. Now I know a lot of folks are afraid of zippers and rightly so…most patterns don’t really tell you to install them. Rather, they refer you to the zipper manufacturer’s 1/2″ wide inserted instructions, which give you multiple options in several different languages.

This pattern actually features a side zipper, so the back is nice and clean. This picture was captured mid-twirl.

Here is another mid-twirl pic…you can better see how the back of the dress hangs (and I love her curls)!

Zippers really aren’t that hard to install. In fact, it only took me two pages to describe “my way,” and I am a super wordy type. I’ve posted those two pages so you can see for yourself if it is something you want to tackle.

See??? Easy peasy!!! I had several testers who were staunchly “anti-zipper” and they were shocked and amazed at their zipper abilities! The glue stick makes it SO easy! Once you are putting in zippers, think of the sewing doors that will be opened for you!

I wear a lot of brights, so I wanted a bag that was somewhat neutral for spring. Since burlap is trendy, cheap, and durable, I decided to give it a shot.

I finished all of the edges with a 3 thread overlock stitch to prevent fraying during and after the construction process. Instead of gathering with basting stitches, I just pulled on the jute fibers – so fun and easy!

I lined the bag with unbleached cotton muslin and included pockets on each side for my phone, wallet, etc.

I trimmed the top band with vintage lace and a mix of mother-of-pearl and white plastic buttons.

Doesn’t this one look like a screaming toddler?