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Showing posts from 2008

Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi World

It's enough to make me go find my crochet hook! This morning on PBS's Knit and Crochet Today program, one of the hosts, Drew Emborsky , made that cute amigurumi coffee cup (third from left in top row above) and I was hooked! The creator of these tiny toys, Ana Paula Rimoli, has a wonderful blog, Ana Paula's Amigurumi Patterns and Random Cuteness   and an Amazon bestseller book, Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet , published by Martingale in February 2008. Or you can buy her wonderful toys on Etsy at her virtual shop Anapaulaoli , where you'll also find more patterns and lots of pictures.

Star Wizard: a holiday story about finding joy even when all the stars have fallen

Meggie Lee and Moggie Lou cowered in the window seat of the great hall at Pine Tree Knob. Outside the window silvery snowflakes embraced the Kingdom of Laurel Mountain and reflected brilliant light through the glass doors that lined the southern wall. The light jangled through the tiny hammered-gold feathers of the Winter Wizard’s wings as she stomped her red cowboy boots along the flagstone hearth. The red and gold flames of the fire snapped no brighter than her angry blue eyes.                 “You don’t want to make Christmas?” she said in a trembly, low voice that rose at the end to a babyish squeak. Her wings tinkled in accord. “Are my little princesses too regal to plait hemlock wreaths and blow glass bubbles?”                 “No-o-o, teacher . . .” moaned Meggie Lee through the tail of a blonde curl she had tucked between her teeth.                 “We’re sad,” said Moggie Lou. “The stars have fallen from the sky and we don’t know what to do.”                 “ The wizard stopp

Holiday handbag

I got the idea for this cute holiday handbag from a pattern called The Essential Bag by The Country Quilter . I made some adjustments to the materials and the construction method and made several for holiday gifts. Materials outside fabric (print) 7.25 x 16 inches lining fabric (print or geometric) 7.25 x 18 inches decorative flap 5-3/8 inch square (solid or geometric), cut on the diagonal optional: sew light interfacing to wrong side of 7.25 x16 inch fabric piece 18-50 inches coordinating cording for handle 7-inch zipper to coordinate with fabric thread to match fabric beads and findings for zipper pull and trim (if desired) Construction Use 3/8-inch seams throughout. RST means sew with right sides together. 1. Stitch triangle pieces RST along two short sides of triangle. Clip points, turn and press. Embellish with beads if desired. 2. Insert raw edges of triangle between rights sides of one of the short ends of outside fabric and lining fabric. 3. Stitch short ends of outside to

Jake's Stocking

I made a Christmas stocking for Jake from a printed panel I bought last year at Jennifer's Quilt Shop in Pinckney. The panel is called "Jolly Old St. Nick" by Susan Winget for Benartex. It's really pretty with St. Nicholas in his sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. I used waste canvas to cross stitch Jake's initials to the top of the panel, and added a few beads to highlight the design. Then I quilted the front panel, outlining the design in places with a running stitch. I made pretty, fat cording for the seam and lined the stocking. I think it turned out pretty cute. It's a good size -- 14x27-inches -- and is nice and wide with lots of room for gifts inside. Here's Jake, the boy, with his Aunt Alisa at Thanksgiving.

Brandi's bag

I tried to copy a bag that Brandi likes and here is the result. One of the most interesting aspects of the bag, to me, was the way the handles were created out of one 60-inch long piece of stitched belting that looped on either side of the bag and met on the bottom. I hope she likes it!

Pie making workshop

On the day before Thanksgiving, Alisa and Sandy and I had a pie-baking workshop, to brush-up our pastry skills. The results were yummy. Pie crust (makes two nine inch rounds): Fill a two-cup measure with ice and add water to just cover, set aside. In very large bowl combine 3 cups flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut in 1/2 cup good quality solid vegetable shortning (Crisco) till consistency of cornmeal. Cut in another 1/2 cup (1 cup total) shortning till combined coarsely. (Do not overwork.) Sprinkle in about 1/3 cup of iced-water and combine with a fork; add iced-water till dough sticks together but is not mushy or wet, tossing with fork continually. Discard any extra iced-water. Do not overwork the dough. Dump dough onto a sheet of waxed paper or freezer paper and use paper to form into a ball. (Do not touch dough with hands.) Put in freezer (no longer than 45 min. to 1 hr.) Wipe out bowl and set aside for apples. Streusel-topped Apple Pie (makes 2 nine- or ten-inch pies) For pie fillin

Autumn labyrinth

Shorter days -- Leaves pile in the paths. Labyrinth

Cedarville, Michigan -- October 1-6

Kanuga labyrinth

The concrete, Chartres-style labyrinth at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina, was built by Robert Ferre of Labyrinth Enterprises, LLC . I attended the UMMAS fall retreat Sept. 9-12 at Kanuga where the retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong spoke on four separate occasions. Based on his remarkable research and insight into the nature of the human experience, Spong joins Jimmy Carter and Fred Rogers in my personal list of people I admire for living honestly. Spong's book Jesus for the Non-Religious covers much of his philosophy according to my knowledgeable companions, Virginia and Robin. Spong's mantra is: "Live fully; love wastefully; be all that you can be." The view from the "rocker porch" at Kanuga Lodge across the tiny mountain lake inspired lovely day dreams. The Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Retreat will be held January 15-18, 2009. Among other delights, Jean Ann Wright will lead a workshop on her "Rock 'n' Ro

Labyrinth in Santa Fe, NM cathedral garden

After lunch on August 7, we walked to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi where I wanted to see the paved labyrinth in the cathedral garden. Before leaving for Santa Fe, I had looked up local labyrinth sites and found 19 cited on the online Labyrinth Locator . Alisa discovered the cathedral labyrinth and told me about it. I'm so glad she did, it's really beautiful. We did not have time to walk the labyrinth, but I took some pictures to use in the labyrinth workshop I’m giving from 9 a.m. until noon on Sept. 27 at the Bennett Recreation Center for Howell Recreation Authority --activity #6754.300

MUJI-homage tote

This tote was inspired by the clever MUJI tote my friend Rosey got from her friend in New York. The original was made of one layer of ripstop nylon with flat-felled seams. This one is cotton with a lining. You can order shibui MUJI products online at the Museum of Modern Art . Directions for MUJI-homage tote Make your pattern out of medium weight interlining fabric 31.5-inches long by 15 inches wide. 1. With the pattern's long, straight edge on the fold of the fabric, cut four pattern pieces: two of exterior bag fabric and two of lining fabric. I used cotton for both exterior and lining. (If you wish, you may cut pattern pieces from four different fabrics, as I have in this demo.) You will need a 7/8-yard (31.5 inch by 30 inch) cut of fabric for each of the four pieces cut from your pattern. (If you wish to interline, cut two interlining pieces and baste to wrong sides of bag exterior pieces. You will need two 31.5 by 30-inch cuts of interlining for each bag.) NOTE: