On a Lark

Jewelry Roll for a Fourth of July Baby!

Emily — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:00:29 +0000

My sister-in-law has one of the best birthdays around: Fourth of July. The weather’s usually great and everyone has the day off. For a gift, I made, you guessed it, a jewelry roll. And while I was making one for her, I made one for myself.

With ten jewelry rolls complete, I think I’ll be taking a break for a little while. There’s lots of other home improvement projects to be done and dogs to take swimming and summer to enjoy.

I found the fabric for this project at Joann’s during one of their weekend sales. This is a perfect project if you have a bunch of fat quarters laying around. One for the interior and two for the pockets and exterior is all you need.

The best part of these rolls, by far, are the buttons. I liberated them from my folk’s house. They’re buffalo nickels flattened and made into buttons.

Enough talk about sewing, it’s too nice a day to stay inside! Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!

On a Lark Goes Abroad!

Emily — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:02:07 +0000

That’s right, we’re international now. Well, sort of. My folks traveled to Ireland a few weeks ago with friends, and judging by the photos, had the most amazing time! And quite a few of my projects made the trip with them.

My Mom got the most amazing photos of their time there. I was so happy to see quite a few featuring the things I have made for her over the years!

I’m getting these photos posted just in time for one more weekend of jewelry roll sewing. I have two more on the “to-do” list and one is for me. That should take up a bit of the rainy weekend ahead.

Thanks Mom for the great photos!!

Jewelry rolls just in time for demolition

Emily — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:20:21 +0000

In my last post, I mentioned that I had some new jewelry rolls in the works. While the original jewelry roll traveled across the Atlantic and back (pictures to follow), I completed all seven rolls that I had been working on.

I really enjoyed this project (not to mention the scraps that will hopefully be part of my future Maine Crazy Quilt). I did a little embroidery, a little pattern making, a little sewing. Definitely a perfect project for the beginning of summer when the days are long and the time indoors in short.

The time indoors is getting even shorter these days because our house is in demolition mode. Although our place has a lot of storage as far as apartments go, a big knee wall storage space is going in (courtesy of my sweetheart) to hold our overflowing outdoor equipment. I can’t claim any credit for this one, but before and after pictures will be up here soon.

Once the closet is complete, and my carpenter/boyfriend has left for his month working at sea, I’m planning to pump out a few more jewelry rolls, including one for myself. Once I get a little bit more of that limited indoor time, I’m planning a tutorial to share my pattern and tips for making a roll for yourself.

The Prototype

Emily — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:30:12 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Along with all the furniture, closet space, and pets, my sweetie and I have also merged families over the years, so this Mother’s Day was a two-parter. We had lunch with my folks on Saturday and a barbeque on Sunday with his. It was a perfect way to spend the weekend.

I picked my Mom’s gift a few months ago when I agreed to make some gifts for an event this summer. As with all new projects, I’ve learned (after many, many failures) to do a trial run on a pattern, especially one you’re making yourself. What better way to experiment than as a Mother’s Day gift? Worst case scenario, I figured I could always pick up a last minute gift at our local greenhouse.

Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Mom got fresh flowers and a brand new jewelry roll. It did take a fair amount of trial and error, but in the end, I came up with a quick and easy pattern, ready to make seven more in time for June:

The hardest part was figuring out how to sew the pockets. I wanted them to be lined patch pockets with a zipper. I figured there would be tons of tutorials out there, but there wasn’t one that met my exact criteria. So I’m hoping to make my own tutorial to share in the next few weeks. Let’s just say there are a lot of half finished pockets in my scrap bag right now.

In the middle is a roll filled with batting to store rings, watches, etc. I initially used a magnetic snap, only to discover that rings didn’t fit over the snap. After I had completed the whole roll. And topstitched. Sigh.

The size of the roll is perfect to tuck into a carry on or your suitcase. I’ll be getting my first travel product review when my folks return from their trip to Ireland in a few weeks! Check back in the next week or two for a tutorial to make this jewelry roll and pictures more completed rolls!

Homemade Laundry Soap: Take Two

Emily — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:00:39 +0000

A few months ago, I made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. I went with the powdered variety and was really happy with the results. My laundry came out fluffy and clean and all the other things that you want laundry to be. There was one problem. I wash pretty much exclusively with cold water and for some reason, I could never get the soap bits to completely dissolve. Every time I took a load out of the dryer, five or six little bits of grated soap would fall to the floor. It really wasn’t a big deal, but it got me wondering whether the rest of the soap dissolved at all or was just washed away. Anyhow, enough musings about laundry. I decided to go with the liquid variety this time.

I guess the entire process wasn’t as easy as the powder variety, but it was still pretty easy. It took less than an hour start to finish and was still way more economical than the natural soaps you can find on the store shelves. I did learn one thing though, I need a bigger container. One batch made over two gallons of laundry soap. At 1/4 cup a load, I think we’ll be all set on the laundry soap for a while.

I used a slightly altered recipe from Planet Green:

1 quart boiling water plus 2 gallons from the tap

2 cups borax

2 cups grated soap (I used 1 cup Fels Naptha and 1 cup Dr. Bronners Castille Soap)

1 1/2 cups washing soda

1/2 cup baking soda

1. Add grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.

2. Take the pot off the heat and stir well until all is dissolved. If you have a big bucket for mixing, this would be a good time to make the transfer.

3. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.

4. Use 1/4 cup per load of laundry. Give the jug a shake before it load, it will gel. I didn’t have any essential oils, but if you did, toss a couple drops in there.

Not too hard right? I’ve only done a load or two, but I was pretty happy with the results. I’m considering one of those giant glass jars with a spigot at the bottom that some people use for lemonade to store my gallons of laundry soap. I guess I could just ask someone to save one of those Tide bottles with the spigot at the bottom. But honestly, I’m feeling a little attached to my laundry soap now. And I just can’t allow it to live in any old Tide bottle.

Spring doesn’t mind wrinkles

Emily — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:48:52 +0000

Spring is officially upon us. It’s finally light both when I leave for work and long after I come home. The tiny sapling that we planted last November is starting to grow. I went outside the other day without a jacket and I didn’t immediately regret it. Even some flowers are popping up out of the ground. It seemed like the perfect time to break out some linen, because even wrinkly fabric looks better in the springtime.

The warmer weather was just the push I needed to complete my second Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic. Last time, I went with a patterned quilting cotton for the fabric. Now that I know that I love the pattern, I picked a dark teal linen blend. The best part about this pattern is the time it takes to complete. An hour to cut the pieces, two or three for sewing.

I made the same pattern adjustments this time as last, and I added a few. First, I cuffed the sleeves. Then, in the front, I only used one large box pleat instead of two. I’m still really interested in added buttons to the top, but I was pretty committed to finishing in one evening, so the buttons will have to wait until next time. Also, I think I’ve decided to cut this pattern down one size next time. I ended up with about six free inches in the seam above the skirt. Thank goodness for darts.

I added two darts. Each is 12″ long, 3/4″ of an inch wide when folded. It ended up taking three inches out of the waist, just the right amount. So it’s hanging in my closet right now, waiting for the perfect spring/summer day. Even if that means I have to wait until July.

The Best of Intentions

Emily — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:09:24 +0000

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer (I’m trying to ignore our recent six inches of snow while I write this) more and more projects seem to be left undone. Like this one:

This is my key/mail/etc. table. It used to live by my door, but it has lived in our extra bedroom for the last month waiting patiently to be painted. Sorry table, looks like March wasn’t your month. April isn’t looking good either. Other projects are being neglected as well:

In February, I felt like I had a lot of extra time to learn how to crochet. So I bought this book. And this lovely crochet hook. I tried it for a snowy afternoon and it was hard. I’ll see you when falls comes around, crochet hook. But there is one project that’s on the road to completion. Another Schoolhouse Tunic, this time with a teal linen. I cut out the pattern pieces tonight. So maybe Schoolhouse Tunic Number Two will be ready just in time for some real spring weather.

I guess that’s the best part about spring. Making shorter to-do lists in favor of longer afternoons at the lake, farther hikes, and faster runs. Just as soon as we get rid of this snow.

The Last Days of Winter: Ice Fishing

Emily — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:39:55 +0000

Daylight Savings Time brought some matching weather this weekend. Although it’s nice to have a reprieve from the winter cold, it does mean that a few of my favorite past times will have to wait until next winter. Cross country skiing, snowshoeing, shoveling (just kidding about that last one!) So to officially say goodbye to winter, we went smelting!

And by smelting I mean icefishing (for smelts). These little fish are easy to catch when the river is running and delicious when breaded with cornmeal and pan fried in an old cast iron pan while you fish for more. What other type of fishing allows you to eat them as you catch them? Smelting is a pretty common winter activity up here in Maine and long rows of iceshacks can be seen all winter long along pretty much every major river in Maine.

Smelting is a great sport for beginners. You sign up for a shack for one whole tide and they provide pretty much everything. It’s warm and cozy in the shack with the fire burning and there are always old timers making the rounds to give you tips. Mostly you just bait the line, drop it in, watch for some movement, and give it a yank.

We had a great time and I think we shook the last of winter out of our systems. The rivers are breaking up as we speak and the rain is melting the snow away. I’m already looking forward to Spring.

Make way for ducklings!

Emily — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:34:09 +0000

You know it’s springtime when you pick up five new ducklings at the post office. Jumbo Peking ducklings. Fuzzy, cute, yellow ducklings:

Let’s just say I’m pretty excited about it. The ducklings are a joint effort between my boyfriend and one of his friends, and for the first two weeks, they’ll be staying with me! One puppy was excited about it.

And the other immediately adopted the duckies as her own.

It’s certainly interesting to watch. She will lay staring at the ducks for hours without batting an eye. If she’s out of sight of them and she hears one stirring, she runs over as fast as she can to check on her babies.

Beyond being a fun springtime project, the ducks are an experiment into eating more naturally. I just don’t think I’m cut out for vegetarianism. I love to eat meat too much. In my opinion, there is no better way to be a meat eater than to consume an animal that you know was raised with love and care and plenty of room to roam. Eventually we’d like to try out all sorts of other animals. For now, beyond these ducks, we’re going to try out the local farms for meat as much as we can.

How is spring showing up at your house?

New colors for a new season

Emily — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:00:29 +0000

Ok, ok, it’s not actually spring yet. In fact, it’s snowing right now. Still, our household was feeling motivated this weekend to bring some new color home. At least I think we can all agree that we’re on the down hill slope to spring time. I know this because it’s still light after 5pm.The first completed project has been a long time coming: new couch pillows.

When I moved into this place last summer, I was a little short on time and a lot short on couch pillows. So a trip to the fabric shop and a cut up new bed sheet later and I ended up with these. I was pretty happy with the results at the time. However, as the months rolled by and our two brown dogs spent a lot of time shedding and drooling on said pillows, I realized a few things. The new pillows have to be easy to remove and wash, made of a more sturdy home decorator weight, and of course, patterned to deflect from the fur that accumulates between washes.

I love the combination of colors on all three fabrics, a deep yellow, tan, brown, and wheat. Set against our deep red couch and chairs, it’s a wonderful change.

I tried to keep it really simple with the pattern for these pillows. I bought a yard of each fabric and cut long rectangular lengths with the selvage at each end. Gotta love the selvage: built in seams. Then I folded the fabric once in the length of the pillow and again on top of itself to leave the opening half way down one side of the pillow. This way, even if the opening gaps a little, you still won’t see the actual pillow. Then simply sew down the two sides, turn right side out, and shove your pillow inside. No ironing, no buttons, no velcro, pillow cases in an hour.

I wasn’t the only one checking things off the project list this weekend…check back later this week to see what else we got done. What are you doing to get ready for spring?