kitchen fashion

And that my friends, is what an apron should look like.

(Please note the pocket and hard-to-see towel loop in the upper left corner.)

Work it, girl.

So, this is my much-anticipated Short Pleated Apron from Amy Butler's In Stitches. Her directions were great great great but it was a bit mathematical for me. I'm sure you could eyeball the pleats to your taste and they would come out just as good as they do by measuring and marking every 1/4 or 5/8 inches as called for in the book. It was a meticulous project, but fairly straightforward and I completed most of it during two re-runs of Grey's Anatomy.

Thus far I have worn my glorious apron making sugar cookies, a grilled cheese and soup. It's more of a fashion statement than a practical accessory for me. I don't cook all that much. For the future, I would like to make an full apron that loops around the neck. Maybe the folks at tie one on will have some inspiring projects to tag along on.

get it together

Ooh la la, Mom and I scored matching 40-spool thread organizers.
I'm trying to figure out where to store this sweet bag-o-vintage-goods that Mom brought over for me. Some of the things are her's, some her mother's. Lots and lots of embroidery floss, a few needles, some hoops and also assorted lace, ribbon and buttons.

And finally, the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework (copyright 1979) is on loan to me with plenty of timeless advice for embroidery, needlepoint, knitting, quilting, macrame, crochet, etc.

Somehow, I need to ignore these gifts and re-focus on doing the work that my Masters' degree program requires of me.

the snowy days

As promised, here are some pictures of the Valentine's Day snow storm. Above is our street, during prime snowfall. When the city goes into "snow emergency" half the street parking is eliminated and those of us without driveways scramble to find a vehicular safehaven. Fortunately, someone plowed left field of the little league diamond behind our apartment and we hid our cars there for the night.

Below, our porch. Like that indoor couch out there? It came with the place. I'm sure all of the wet snow, dirt and other environmental allergens settle in really nicely to the upholstery. Did I mention I live in a college neighborhood?

valentine's day

So I thought, "What useless but cute valentine's day gifts should I make?" Since any valentine is inherently a bit girly and frilly, I decided to only make these gifts for the females in my life. Each little pouch is lined with the opposite fabric. I had a little trouble working with such small projects on the machine, so aside from sewing the two main panels together and making the buttonholes for the drawstring, I sewed the rest by hand.
Of course, I filled them with dark chocolate Hershey's kisses. I originally intended on putting little dove chocolate squares in them, but I ate those all during the creation process. A girl needs her fuel.


All of the valentine's together! I got these charming (but again, useless) Chinese food cartons at a craft store and thought they would make a nice package for the gifts.

There was a Valentine's Day blizzard in upstate New York (and throughout much of the country too). It was magical for a few hours and then the two feet of snow quickly became a nuisance. For those of us with our sweethearts nearby, being snowed in was a lovely way to spend the day. We made valentines together and even though I was accused of cheating and stealing his ideas, it was nice.

Pictures of the snowstorm to come soon...

coffee to go

This was my mom's travel mug, until I stole it from her. Isn't it incredible? It has a no-slip bottom so you can just rest it on the dashboard and the narrow opening makes spills much less likely. Incredible.

plaid is the new black