PinkLemonadeBoutique

Well it's finally feeling a bit springlike here in RI, can you believe it actually snowed last week? Yeah, I thought I might kill myself, then reconsidered as that might have been a wee bit drastic.  So instead I fled to my studio and sewed up some very springlike bags.

 

 

 I love the Japanese granny bag style. Easy, but a bit time consuming with all the binding detail. Plus being as it's bias binding, you have to interface the strap part so it doesn't stretch. Maybe I'll post a tutorial on how to do it, anyone interested?

In other exciting news, I'm not sure if anyone remembers that I participated in the block party quilting bee last year and the soon to be released book about it, but here's a little sneak peek  of what to expect. I'm the one sitting on the floor in the heap of scraps with cast on my arm. Broke my wrist last summer, but I still managed to sew despite limited use of my left hand.  

So that's all the heart stopping excitement around here. Looking for something fun to do this weekend, as we generally have one or two night free to ourselves because Olivia who is now 10 usually spends a night with my MIL...last week we went to see Duran Duran at the MGM grand at Foxwoods Casino in CT...then we went and had some drinks and met some very funny and very drunk people in a bar  that had also been at the concert.  We all got very silly reminiscing about the '80's and...omg am I that old?   

Great weekend kickoff.

So a fabulous Friday it was. The highlight being able to join and attend the first meeting of the New England chapter of The Modern Quilt Guild  in Boston. Arlington to be exact, in the delightful Fabric Corner, owned by the equally delightful  Mark who was so incredibly accomodating and offered us fabric at a discount. There were milk and cookies, lots of bonding a fabric swap and of course much fabric buying. I came home with some gorgeous 1/2 price Amy Butler Love home dec fabric (which i had no idea it existed) and Love flannel (ditto) omg. The rest of Nigella Grandiflora on the bolt, which admittedly might be my favorite fabric of all time. And I bought some incredible Echino fabrics, double OMG. Oh, and some Kona cotton just to keep it sensible. 

Then this morning we were up and out the door by 8:30 (why I don't know) and went to Borders and I splurged on my beloved Maria Claire Idees and a splendiferous book on how to make stuffed animals. I never have the time to make any, and so far the books I have collected on them outnumbers the actually number of stuffed animals I've made. I just can't seem to resist them. And with the cuteness contained in this particular book, I dare anyone to put it back on the shelf and walk away. Plus I had a 30% coupon.

Let's take a peek inside shall we?

I don't know about you, but I think that is a mighty fine looking lion, and the fox is killing me with his lanky stride. Olivia has requested the sleepy beagle replete with a pink twirly skirt. I may have to take a break in "work" sewing and just do something fun like that.

As if it could get any better, last night we were watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Guy Fieri was visiting his wifes hometown of Providence RI specifically the Liberty Elm Diner. He was chowing down on the fresh roasted turkey sandwich with pea shoots tomato and mayo...mmm. So we marched right down there this afternoon and ordered us up some of that goodness and it was delish. Great diner, great staff, great food, great vibe.    

I don't know what is wrong with me that whenever it's time to make a shopping list for the week and decide the dinner menus, I draw a complete blank and cannot recall any recipe that I have ever made. Even though I LOVE to cook and do so almost every day. So in an effort to get organized and streamline this whole process I have created a recipe binder. I know this is not a revolutionary idea, but it's pretty life altering for me. Plus I have some sort of romantic notion of my progeny  some day pouring over grandma's recipes and thinking what a talented and organized lady she was. So I took a utilitarian binder, some plastic sleeves and tabs, and made a pretty little cover in this fab. retro print.

This is such an easy thing to do, and I cover every book that isn't pretty. If anyone would like a tutorial on how to do this let me know, and I'll post one.

It's been a great weekend so far, and I think I just heard my husband walk into the kitchen with fixin's for lemondrop martini's...
   

 

  

 

  

Just a few new things....

Hello friends, thought I'd pop in and show you some new purses I've made over the past few days. I know that these fabrics are totally familiar, but I just got them (owing to my self-imposed fabric buying moratorium of 2009) so I was totally thrilled that some of my faves from last season were still available. Also, I used patterns for 2 of them. Which is  really wacky for me considering my pattern following disability. The scenario generally goes like this: Wow, love this bag, I'll buy the pattern...looks simple enough...get pattern...scares the hell out of me with all the official looking directions and measurements and all...study it for a few days...finally decide to go for it...walk into the studio...sneak up on pattern...spend 10 hours making bag while referencing directions about 100X. This is not an exaggeration. So without further ado, the bags. This first one is a pattern by the lovely and talented Lisa of Uhandbag.

I altered it slightly by adding a zipper and zipper charm made by my talented friend Paula of the Venerable bead  she supplies me with the most beautiful borosilicate bead pulls, similar to these:

She makes these skeleton key necklaces also like these:

Gorgeous right?

Another one of her charms adorns this new bag of mine:

Pattern courtesy  Napkittenpattern

This bag is my original pattern done up in the incomparable Amy Butler fabric:

Love this fabric. My absolute fave. Maybe of all time. I'm on the hunt to buy all the remaining yardage in eexistence. I have also listed a bunch of new wristlets in the shop , all fresh and lovely for spring. Which seems so very, very far away at this point! 

Maybe you've noticed some new style product shots I've been taking...I don't know. Is it working? I do know it's alot of work coming up with these setting and various outfits. It's kind of fun, but takes of lots of time. Ohe well, we'll see how long it lasts. Which I predict not much longer lol.

 
 
 
 

Yes, this is a painting.

I'm still in awe over this beautiful painting by my friend Julie Beck. Her paintings are technically impressive, aesthetically unique and beautiful, and sometimes haunting. This is her first painting of 2010, and I am so honored to have played a part in it. Here is her painting:

And here is my original photo:

It's crazy amazing right?

I'm officially in hibernation mode.

The snow is unstoppable, the bitter cold unrelenting and merciless. If it can't be done indoors I'm not interested. And if it can't be baked in these darling porcelain ramekins I'm not cooking it. Today, shepards pie, and apple crisp.

Tomorrow, chicken pot pies with puff pastry crusts...oversized pots de creme. Other trivial matters amusing me to no end  are citrus in crates.

And this devilishly spectacular concoction:

It's infused with black tea and elderflower, and it's green in honor of the green monster at Fenway Park.

But lest you come to the perfectly reasonable conclusion based on the aforementioned items that I am determined to transform into an obese alcoholic, I have been fixating on other matters besides food and drink.  I'm currently working on a baby quilt, here are the fabrics

It's for a boy obviously. And although quilting is a good deal of fun, math is not. And for some inexplicable reason I am again tackling those 60 deg. diamonds that I love so much. I cannot for some reason wrap my head around how many to cut, in relation to the finished size. Which is not an efficient way to piece i realize. Something I do know how to do however is make purses with nary a frustrated grumble. Here's the latest bag.

 

I also acknowledge the gratuitous shoe shot...but because I'm not putting shoes on till spring, I miss them so!

Twenty Ten

A new year, a new blog. Well not really technically new, but new in the sense that I am going to make a concerted effort to actually do some consistent posting. But there is a good reason for my long blogging lapse. Insanity. Because you'd have to be insane to do 21 days of shows in one season. Something had to give. So the blog was first to go, followed by my neglected etsy shop. Followed by my regular hair trims. So here I sit on the cusp of a new year full of promise, shaggy haired and anticipating my trusty sewing machine about to take it's last stitch. Luckily, a new industrial one is on it's way.  Just in time too...I've decided to launch a new line of LUXE bags comprised of the most divine and sumputous textiles adorned with chic hardware and leather components. Stay tuned!

This beauty is currently available in the shop.

I did have a tremendous amount of fun this year doing all my shows.

Making pretty things...

And even got a henna tattoo at the SOWA show in Boston

But in the end it was too much of a good thing. So this year I resolve to strike a little balance between work and family.

So hello to all my old blogging friends, and a warm welcome to any new ones. That's it for now. Happy new year.  
   

I really wanna quilt.

  I've been so intensly occupied with my purse making business that I can't remember the last time I made a quilt start to finish. I'm beginning to feel nostalgic. Lately I've been reading blogs and gazing at Flikr photos of quilts and quilting vicariously through these. This post would be endless if I mentioned all the quilters i really admire, so I'll just share a few with you, that lately I've been especially fond of.

First is Laurie Taylor who  makes these gorgeous, luscious, color saturated quilts. I love her wild abandon approach to color and pattern. 

Allissa makes these wonderful, eye-catching beauties. I love her use of white to frame the great fabrics. i recognize so many of them as some of my favorites. Squares are something she also uses alot of, which is my favorite patchwork shape.

 Ok, i could stare endlessly at Malka's   quilts.  And i think I have in the past week or so.  She combines her handdyed fabric in ways that will amaze you. They are an alchemy of vintage, stripy, dotty, floral goodness. A mix of tradition and innovation that is fresh and modern. I covet. 

So, armed with such inspiration, I stole a few indulgent hours yesterday and fashioned myself a wonky log cabin pillow, adorned with my first attempt at stipple quilting. I think I like it. Ok, I love it. 

      

So I'm thinking..."Pinklemonadeboutique at home", what do you think? Boy that's a mouthfull, I would need to shorten that I think. These are some  purses that I've made recently for the shop. 

  

 

   

Does anyone else find this disturbing?

Or is it just me? I swept back the shower curtain this morning and felt compelled to contact the crime lab. Apparently Olivia didn't put her Polly Pockets away after draining the tub last night. 

   

I find them all over the house like this, arms splayed, hair all a mess, various stages of nudity. I feel a bit terrorized. And annoyed. Because of this:

 

It's bad enough having to pick up after a seven year old all day long, but now I find myself picking up after a 7 yr. olds creepy little "Pollys".  I think it's because the literal matter of the clothes occupy such negligible space but requires me to spend the same amount of time picking them up off the floor and furniture and putting them away as it would legitimate articles of clothing. It doesn't seem to justify my energy expenditure. On top of the fact that the manufacturers are peeing themselves silly on account of the profit margin.    

All in all, not one of my favorite toys. But I do have to admit that once or twice whilst vacuuming, I may have sucked up a pair of shoes or two. Don't tell Liv.  

Howdy!

Hello out there in blogland, remember me? I am back from and extended, unintended blog hiatus.  During the summer I really felt the need to reduce my computer usage and emailing. I really wanted to spend the last remaining summer days interacting with my daughter more before she went back to school. I'm sure most of you can relate to this. Blogging is so fun, but it does tend to eat up considerable chunks of time, composing and responding. Like most things in life, it's a balancing act isn't it? But I've missed it so, and am eager to show some things I've made recently for etsy and the Pawtucket Arts Festival which I've done for the 2nd year in a row, and for the second year in a row it's rained cats and dogs for at least one of the days. But it was a success, and am very happy about that. 

  The next show coming up in December is the Foundry Artist Show  in Providence. I'm so honored to be a part of such a distinguished group of local artists and craftspeople.  I have already begun to prepare for this 8 day extravaganza. Oy. Here are a few things I've made so far. The first group are bags made from  my husbands cast-off suit jackets. Disclaimer: This is not my original idea. i saw these from this Etsy seller and was instantly hooked on the idea. How cool are they? These are my interpretation:

     here's the back of this one:

 

   

I am in love with Anna Maria Horner's Drawing room fabric. I paired this ornate scroll pattern with lucious Framboise velveteen.

 

 

Ok that's it for now, I need to keep is short and sweet to ease back in. Plus my computer is acting wonky right now, and I think I need to give it a rest. A rest now and then is good.  

Of Babies, Peas and Anne Geddes...

On the same day as I started a baby quilt for a friend who is expecting, my mother in law came over with a glorious bounty from her garden.

 The baby's gender shall remain a mystery until the blessed day, which of course sends us baby quilt making people into a tizzy, does it not? For me, when a friend announces that she is with child, the first thing that swirls around my head is a baby quilt! We wait with bated breath until that 4 month ultrasound reveals the gender and then as soon as we know, we head off to the quilt shop with boy fabric or girl fabric in our heads. It literally makes me giddy. I love making little baby quilts. I get to indulge in the sweetest, pinkest, girliest fabric on the planet. Or with just teeniest less enthusiasm, I am on the hunt for vintage train or stripes, or Jack Russell Terrier fabric for the boy.  So when I realize that gender neutral is the way to go, I am a deer in the headlights. Polka dots? Too girly for a boy? Blue/green, to boyish for a girl? Yellow, too obvious? Purple, too kooky? If there is a print that has a hint of even magenta and the baby turns out a male, will the father secretly fear for the boys masculinity? Such are the worries of the baby quilt maker. I love making them just the same. Especially since I make purses all the time, it is such a treat to stop and indulge in my favorite craft of all. A baby quilt is small, manageable, instantly satisfying and  I can usually piece the top in one afternoon. This particular quilt I started at noon, and had it basted by Liv's bedtime. I will show the final product when it is complete, but here is a pic of the fabrics all together. Oh, and it is gender neutral. I hope.

  

The main print is by Kaffe Fassett, and it's called "Planets" I beleive. They remind me of oblong Everlasting Gobstoppers. The background is dark plum. I am now wishing I incorporated orange in my coordinating fabrics, but I was kind of overwhelmed and overly influenced by the nice quilt shop lady (who by that point was sick of me wandering around the shop muttering to myself, and pulling every other bolt of fabric from the shelves.) 

 So with the thought of babies swirling around my head, my Mother in Law arrives with beautiful fresh peas from her garden. Here she is with Liv shelling them on the back deck. How perfect. Liv is delighted by a pod bearing a motherlode of 9 peas. 

 Understandably, I couldn't get this crazy image out of my head.