Quilting Inspiration from Oh, Fransson!

I reached a big milestone with my quilt over the weekend—I am off the hoop. Which means I'm just working my way around the edge, quilting the 3-5 inches that stayed out of the hoop. If you're not a quilter, that might not make much sense, but the important bit is that this is the final step before doing the binding—which is the Final step before finishing. It's big! To help me stay motivated through the final push, I've been looking at Oh Fransson's quilts, like the one's pictured here, a lot.

Elizabeth's quilts are much more geometric and planned than mine, but I think that's what I love about them—they are ordered creativity which as a person who takes as much joy in a color-coded excel spreadsheet as I do, is pure genius.

I also love how she works so well within a range of colors and uses such pretty collections of fabric.

Images via Oh Fransson, where you can find pdf patterns to purchase and pages of inspiration on her blog.

March Mini- Print of the Month: Seedlings from Abby Try Again

I first saw this print towards the end of last week and I've been thinking of it ever since. Amazingly, it was in the 50s here this weekend, and the sun came out yesterday afternoon just in time for a long walk. I realize that I'm not the only person who's feeling this way and I apoligize if this sounds trite, but I am so relieved that spring is coming I can't even begin to explain it. I'm not sure whether this feeling is more intense after the winter we've had in Iowa or if I've just blocked out how I've felt at the end of previous winters, but I'm esctatic to be wearing a coat without a layer of down.


This seedlings print is from Abby Powell of Abby Try Again, who is the source of many of the floral prints that I have in my house. I think having these seedlings on my wall will help me remember, in future years, this moment when the weather suddenly turns towards warmth.


This is my fourth purchase in this year's mini print of the month series, which is my commitment to buying a photography or illustration print from an independent artist each month this year. At the moment, each print is helping to add life to my guest/sewing room.

Photo Friday: Crocheted Flower Bed Sprouting Spring

This Hope Springs Eternal print from knittalatte's etsy shop sums up exactly how I'm feeling lately—entirely ready for brighter colors, with an eagerness to reach up and stretch out after being bundled up all winter long. They are just so pretty.

I'm taking the day off on Monday because I could use a personal day, so Josh and I are going to take a day trip to Iowa City.  I've never been and am very curious to see what it's like there. The rest of our plans for the weekend include a lot of catching up on relaxing since there's been a lot going on lately. I'm going to pop over to Ephemera for the Urban Posture trunk show (and because it's cupcake day) and if I can swing it, I'd like to spend the remainder of Saturday sewing. I'm feeling the need to dive into a project for a few hours, so check back Monday to see how things go! Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Knit Necklace/Scarves by Ohsomilla

 

I am in love with these merino wool necklace/scarves from Camilla Bourbon of Ohsomilla.

Here's how she got the idea for her line (which also includes some earrings and purses):

“OhSoMilla” was born as I was going through some of my 106-year-old grandmother’s things. I was admiring her vintage purses, which are so well made and immaculately kept, but which needed something to bring them up to date and I thought “Why not add a modern touch to them?” This process not only brought back my childhood joy of decorating practical items but it also allowed me to practice what I believe in as a designer by not contributing to the wasteful consumer culture, which throws things aside once they are out of style. OhSoMilla’s mission is to promote reinvention and re-use, combined with the magical artist’s touch.

 

I think it's sometimes hard to rethink what we're all used to making, but this new take on a scarf is seriously inspiring.

Spring is in the Air (and Around your Neck) with Luckyduct Jewelry

Rachel Pfeffer's etsy shop, Luckyduct, is filled with jewelry that's just perfect for spring. Plus, I love the simple, yet playful, way that she packages her creations.

It's also likely that since we're under flood warnings here in rainy Des Moines, I'm fixating on these items today because all I really want is for the sun to come out and to be able to take a bike ride.

But until then, I'm just going to enjoy how pretty these bikes are and dream of riding mine in a pretty dress come summer.

Sponsor Spotlight: Button Up Creative Designs

 

Name: Jacqueline, Jessica and their mom, Cheryl of Button Up Creative Designs

Location: Seattle, WA
Website: etsy.com/shop/ButtonUpCreations 

Tell me a little bit about what you make.

We make handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry created with our collection of new and vintage buttons. Each piece is unique and features our distinctive technique of stringing the buttons to achieve our desired look. We are a family-run business comprised of two sisters and their mother, all bringing their specific talent’s to the table to produce this craft which we love!  

How did you decide to start the business?

Fifteen years ago, my older sister, Jessica, encountered a very serious illness. While recovering in the hospital she filled her time with crafts and made our very first button necklace as a gift to our mother who remained at her side throughout her stay. The necklace has always been my Mom's favorite piece of jewelry in part, I believe, because it reminded her to be grateful for my sister's recovery. It also didn't hurt that strangers would approach her to admire it and ask where she purchased it, every time she wore it out. It seemed to always be a conversation starter…

…Fast-forward fifteen years later, when Jessica got engaged, we decided to make more necklaces in our small effort to help pay for her upcoming wedding. That is when the business truly got its start. Although Jessica is now happily married, we have continued making necklaces and even expanded our button line. 

 

 Why buttons?

As a child, I remember often getting in trouble for rummaging through our recycle bin to find materials to craft with. I loved turning old, useless items into something artistic and special. I think this trait has made its smooth transition into our current button business. We create beautiful pieces out of a collection of buttons that are primarily recycled and/or vintage. We are often gifted a box of buttons someone may have had in their attic for decades which, in my mind is just like creating treasure from the items in the unwanted recycling bin all over. This approach to our creations gives us an opportunity to turn “trash” into “treasure”, so to speak and to create something new and wonderful out of often old and unique materials.

What makes your creations unique?

Without a doubt, our materials. I like to think that each of these vintage buttons we use has its own story and at one time belonged to a very special garment. Some buttons look as though they must have come from an army uniform while others I can imagine lining the back of my grandmother’s wedding dress. Pulling these materials together into one piece is what gives them their distinctive special look.

One of our favorite projects is to take the old buttons from an individual's loved one who may have passed and create a special necklace for them from these buttons as a piece that will act as a reminder of their love for that individual and their gratitude for having them in their life, much like our original necklace served to do for my mother.

 

I love the idea of a female family business- how would you say that your relationships have changed? 
The three of us actually live in different areas scattered throughout the west coast. Yet despite our geographical locations, our business helps to bring us together. We meet up to represent our creations at selected handmade craft shows throughout the year and we talk often to discuss our inventory, new ideas, sales, etc. It has been a very fun experience working together and continues to give us an excuse to gather. As I mentioned we all bring different skills to the business; my mom being the most creative one, my sister the most web-savvy, and me with the wild-card ideas and creations. I think our unique combination has absolutely helped to shape our business and the products that result from it. In addition, my sister and I represent a different generation than our mom, so our ideas and tastes often vary, just as our those of our customers.

Is this your full time work? If not, do you have any tips for fitting a creative side endeavor into a busy schedule?

We each have separate full-time jobs and view this side job more as a hobby. Viewing it as a hobby allows us to enjoy creating button jewelry rather than looking at it as a job and as something that eats up our free time.

Weekend Highlights: Indian Grocery, Beer Tasting and Granola

 

While we were out and about on Saturday, Josh and I stopped for lunch at a random Indian restaurant. It wasn't really planned, but when I saw it, I immediately suggested (strongly) that we eat there since it had been too long since I'd had naan or chicken tikka masala. The food wasn't anything fancy, but it made for a nice and easy lunch, and I got to peruse the attached market. There were aisles of dried beans and grains (I bought some Kaleem Wheat because it looked like a cross between a wheat berry and barley). 

 

 There were also stacks of something that looked like a tortilla and these, which I photographed simply because I liked the packaging. It was a nice reminder that I need to explore the many ethnic markets around town more often—particularly around lunch time.

 

After lunch we headed to the Beer N' Bread event at Living History Farms (a local farm dedicated to showing how agriculture has changed over the years-with a blacksmith and authentic turn of the century farm dinners!). It was a beer tasting of micro and home brews, plus a few artisanal bread makers, which is totally my idea of a fun Saturday afternoon. I learned that I dislike hoppy beer, but that I really like Heifenwizen.

 

 I also think it's pretty fun to be able to taste a lot of beer and then stroll through the gift shop and look at vegetable seeds and books on everything you need to know to survive country life.

 

Sunday I spent a bit of quiet time quilting and did a brief stint in the kitchen. I made a big pot of veggie chili and cornbread for dinner and a tray of vanilla cranberry granola so I felt like I was sending Josh home with plenty of yummy provisions to start his week. I definitely take after my female relatives in that regard!