Yesterday morning while running errands I stopped in to Borders to use up the rest of my gift card from Christmas. I wanted to get a magazine and a coffee. I passed on knitting magazines because as much as I love them I tend not to use the patterns because, well, I always end up just writing them myself. Truth be told I have only sewn from patterns a few times. I can actually count on one hand the times I’ve actually cut out the pattern pieces, the fabric, followed the instructions, and made something that I love. The thing is, I wear those things still. A dress. A skirt. A shirt. I’ve made a skirt for my sister too and a dress that was my first official sewing project when I was a kid. I love sewing. I have written quite a few sewing patterns. Bags, wallets, totes, clutches, plushies. All things I make. Well. I want to make clothing. Like pants and skirts and skirts. I think I could write up my own patterns for those, but why reinvent the wheel. I think it’s time to start following the pattern - mostly.
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I’ll post in the morning. I just realized it was past midnight when infomercials clicked on - no workout needed! flat abs in 15 minutes a day! The plan was to post pictures of what I was sewing once finished, but time just got away from me. I’m happy to say though I just have button holes to make and buttons to sew on and then I’ll be finished up! I’ll post about it all tomorrow. It actually should be a pretty good post, so check back tomorrow around 3pm… oh and the whole sucked into sewing thing post poned the shop update too. You know what though, I don’t feel bad about it at all. I know I took last week off and all, but it was traveling around and you know how that goes. It felt good just to spend all evening in the studio. Anyway, anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. Have a good night!

I was pretty put off by all the leather sleeves on my coffee mugs and at one point I had finally just had enough. I just didn’t like the idea of it. So I knit a new cozy for my coffee mug from the no kill alterntive - wool. Sure an animal product, but the sheep do get to live on to graze grass another day. And best of all, you can also use this sleeve on those paper coffee cups instead of using the card board ones or double cupping. Perfect!
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I just wanted to pop in and say “hello” and that I was thinking of all of you today (and last night). I actually got some ideas hashed out for next week and can’t wait to get started!

I had a great Christmas Eve dinner last night with my family and am letting the ferrets run around in a contained space while homemade waffles and scrambled eggs are being prepared by my folks, yummy yum yum!

I’ll see you all soon!

++ Kristin Roach ++

…and all through the house, there were piles of craft supplies and disenchanted sighs… ‘oh why, oh why did I not start these projects in July!?’

Here are some of my Favorite Craft Leftovers Patterns that can all be made up in a snap and would be great gifts to your friends and family.
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I work just a block away from the library, so I go there pretty often. I shuffle through craft books pretty quickly, about 10 or so a week. I pick up 4, return 3, that sort of thing. So I decided that I should show you my favorites and that once a week I could review the ones that I picked out and kept! And better yet, maybe these books will be available in your library so you can give them a look too.
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I had pulled out a few different scraps from my fabric bin to play with. I was thinking a small something something. Nothing big. Quick. Easy. Small. Well, my hands were cold. Really cold. And it hit me! Sewn fingerless gloves! Not exactly the easy peasy tiny project I planned, but very well worth it. I dug around in what I had pulled out of the bin and bingo! Felted sweater scraps. Perfect. I had one that was the shoulder section, then another that was the bottom ribbing and a sleeve. Hmm, how to make this work. Well I figured it out and work it did! Now my hands are all toasty while I work! Spruce as in the color as well as sprucing up some old sweaters!
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