A Stitchy Trip to Pirmasens, Germany

Tags

embroidery, etsy, finished project

I’ve really enjoyed stitching maps for the shop as a way to combine travel and handmade. I usually concentrate on places I’ve been but a few weeks ago I was contacted for a custom order of somewhere I’d never even heard of: Pirmasens, Germany. The customer wanted a map of the little German town for her mother-in-law, who grew up there. What a sweet gift!

I did some research to familiarize myself with the town before stitching, and ended up falling for it. The next time I’m in southern Germany with time to kill, I’m heading to Pirmasens! Near the border of France in Rhineland, Germany, it’s a small city with a population of 40,000. Their claim to fame is the manufacturing of shoes: they even have a shoe museum!Besides that, it looks like a thoroughly liveable city, with cute old buildings, street markets, lots of events, plenty of parks. That dotted yellow line on the map is a pedestrian-only zone passing shops, cafes, squares, and historic buildings. What a nice place to stroll on a sunny day! (All images below are from Pirmasens city website.)

The map ended up being 8×10″ in nice dusky colors: maroon, mustard, and forest green. I love how it turned out–what a great virtual trip to Germany!

Have you ever been to Pirmasens?

Etsy Shop Opening!

Tags

embroidery, etsy

Friends and readers, I have such an exciting announcement to make. I’ve just opened my very own Etsy store, Needle and Compass!

Last year I thought embroidered city maps would be perfect for remembering past travels or favorite places, and I searched high and low for something like what I was envisioning… finding nothing. So I’ve spent the last few months tinkering with some designs and ideas, and now I’m offering them up to the world, just in case anyone else thinks they’re nifty.

Santa Fe Embroidered Map

It’s a little eerie how well this combines my two big loves, needlecraft and travel. Now when I’m visiting a new city it’s “research.” Perfect!

Prague Old Town Embroidered Map

I currently have about eight maps available, and I’ll be adding more as I go, including a few of Amsterdam, of course. Though these canals are proving difficult.

London Tube Map

I’m happy to offer custom-made maps, as well. You can find the details in the shop!

Become a fan of the store on Facebook for updates and special discounts! And if you like the look of them, I’d so appreciate if you shared it on any social media you deem worthy. It’s so tricky to start out sometimes.

Watch for a discount code on the Facebook page in the coming days, and thanks for putting up with this shameless self-promotion. Regularly scheduled programming to follow!

Friday Things

Tags

art, etsy

There’s nothing like a Friday to get your mind wandering. Here are some places mine’s been going.

• Spring Painting. Last Christmas I was lucky enough to get a Winter Painting from one of my favorite local artists. It’s still on our wall–maybe that’s why it’s still cold and wet outside? I just ordered a Spring Painting (it’s actually called Lost on the Midway, but it makes me think of warmer days), so maybe that will give the weather a needed hint.

• 

  Lost on the Midway by The Black Apple

• I’ve always been a casual fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime movies, but lately I’ve gotten really into them, and we’ve added his entire oevre to our Netflix queue. Next up: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
• Alicia Paulson’s new crewel work sampler is gorgeous. And so tempting. Add it to my ongoing list of projects…
• It’s May Day on Sunday, which always makes me want to wear a crown of flowers, a long skirt with an apron, and dance around a maypole. It just feels right. Anyone else? At the very least I think a bike ride in a pretty dress, and a picnic with cheese is in order.

The first day of Me Made May is coming up! I’ve been avoiding all my homemade clothes lately, afraid that I’ll get sick of them. I won’t post outfits every day, so check back on Monday for the first installment!

Until then!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tags

art, bikes, etsy, holidays

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is the day to celebrate all the love in your life! Personally, I’ll take any excuse to eat chocolate, drink wine, lock the bedroom door, and celebrate life. And no, you’re not required to buy a Hallmark card.

Jesse and I had big plans of making macarons, croissants, heart-shaped cookies with red frosting, and more festive things to celebrate this weekend, but…well… we didn’t. Instead we watched Harry Potter 7, drank a blueberry beer, got fondue from a food cart, ate sushi from those conveyor belt things (yay!), and tried out a candle that turns into massage oil when it melts (also yay!).  It was a successful weekend, despite the lack of baked goods.

We also had a little adventure, which deserves it’s own post. Coming tomorrow, but here’s a hint:

Vivienne Riding her Bike, via Matte Stephens

{Please click the image to check out more of his art. I’d like to wallpaper my life with it, if I could…}

I hope your Valentine’s Day is happy and full of baked goods!

Valentine’s Papercuts

Tags

art, etsy, holidays

Papercuts are one of those things that I think are super cool. Part of me really wants to dedicate many hours to perfecting it myself, but then the other part of me slaps the first part and points to all the unfinished projects that are already piling up. So, instead, I admire…

Please click the photo to visit the Etsy stores!

Love Heart, by glynwestdesign

Couple Kissing on Bike, by papercutsbyjoeLove Shack, by cozyblue

 

Love Shack, by cozyblue

Sunny Day Love, by Emerlye Arts Kirigami

Anatomical Heart, by blueshipwreck

I’m pretty sure this one was made specifically for me:

Pink Cheese Cut Out, by Storeyshop

Who’s impressed? Me! Who’s inspired to make their own? Oh, dear…

Friday Mish-Mash

Tags

etsy

A mish-mash of randomness on a lovely Friday:

 I really love this sweater, from Anthropologie, with a multicolored mallard flying around it. I can’t afford the “sale” price, and I can’t knit, but I’m wondering if I can make it another way. I’m picturing fabric appliqued onto a cardigan…but I can’t tell if that is a good or a bad picture… I might have to experiment.

 I’ve been inspired to paint our dining room table. It has some pot marks, stains, and fuzzy bits that we can sand off, and then paint it something like this. I’m super excited. I refuse to believe that this will be anything but fun and easy, so please don’t pop that bubble.

Bird and Rocket (Jesse and the band) were interviewed in Bowleg music blog. Check it out!

I’m going to Little Winter’s Handmade Market this weekend in downtown Portland, and I’m so excited. It’ll be like browsing Etsy, only with the ability to touch things. Oh, my… be still my bank account. 

I enjoyed reading Design Sponge’s post about Carson Ellis, the Decemberists’ illustrator. I just love good illustrations–it makes me want to draw things on all my walls.

Photo from Pix Patisserie

I’ve been craving macarons from Pix Patisserie, and last night I got my wish. So good. My favorite is the Violet Cassis. Light yet crunchy, sweet and creamy…too bad I’m still stuffed up and can’t fully taste all that goodness.

.

.

.

That’s about it! I’m powering through the hand-sewing for my table runner before I start any other project, so until that’s done I’m left with pricked fingers and dreams of a turquoise table.

Have a great weekend!

A Few Things of Craftiness

Tags

etsy, sewing

A few random things for today’s blog…

1) I made a tank top shirt that I completely copied off someone else’s project I saw. It was my Saturday project, and my Sunday outfit.
It was pretty easy to pull off, actually–the tank is just a regular one from Target, and all the scraps are small leftover pieces from previous (and future) projects. The only trick was sewing non-stretchy fabric to a very stretchy tank. But I like how it turned out!

2) I got a fun package from fellow blogger K*tdid. I won a give-away on her blog (lucky me!) and got two cozy and bright legwarmers recycled from an old sweater. So fun! The package also came with pink paper heart confetti, which I am to plant and watch become flowers. Yes, please. (Forgive the awful juxtaposition of baggy pajama pants and striped socks with these otherwise amazing legwarmers.)

2) Speaking of K*tdid, she just opened her Etsy shop and it is seriously cool.  I don’t knit, unfortunately (all my energy is spent trying not to curse sewing), but I can still appreciate the dedication it takes to make handspun  and handdyed wool. Yup. Pretty awesome.

3) Back in the sewing world, two buttons off two separate skirts popped off in the last week at work. Not cool, especially when they are high-waisted skirts that really require the buttons to hold tight and be seen! The first one was luckily at the end of the day, but today’s was at about 8:15am. I salvaged it with a safety pin before lunch, but it’s still a bit disheartening. Two buttons? Really? Are my handmade clothes destined to just fall apart and disintegrate while I’m wearing them? They can be fixed, but I’m still a bit gloomy about it.

4) Our community has found a house! We will be living in SE Portland near Division and 50th, which is close to many good places to eat and lots of big streets to bike in. And the house is full of hardwood floors, a cute kitchen with glass cabinets, and big open rooms! This is crafty-related because the 3rd bedroom has already been dedicated to a phenomenal craft space, with names like “Room of Amazing Craftiness,” “Imagination Station,” and “Unicorns, Rainbows, and Crafts Wonderland.”
Some names are better than others.
We’ll be moving in about two weeks! Now to packing…

Cable Car Tour Dress: A Modcloth-opy.

Tags

etsy, sewing

A few months ago I found this dress on Modcloth.com, and just loved it.

So cute and chic! But I didn’t want to pay for it, so when I saw a similar pattern on BurdaStyle, I just had to make it. I bought some basic cotton off Etsy, and started in, and ended up with this:

I made a few simple changes from the pattern (Madison), mostly in the collar, to get it to look more like the modcloth version. Here’s my version:

Just a few issues with it:
-It’s a little big, but with the belt added it looks great and you can’t tell, so not a big deal.
-The pockets stick out a little funny, but I almost think they’re supposed to. Either way, it gives me a bit more hips, so also not a big deal.
-I used leftover scraps of interfacing for the collar (I was too cheap to go out and buy more), so the back collar doesn’t have quite as much body or shape as I want. Again, probably not a big deal.
-And last, the fabric. I was focused on savings and on the houndstooth, so when I bought the fabric off Etsy I didn’t realize it was just quilting cotton. Not the best for clothing–it’s kind of cheap feeling.  But it turned out okay. The body in the fabric works well with the pattern, as it’s not supposed to be too flowing. Next time I make this, I ‘d spring for the nice wool houndstooth and maybe put a lining in it.

Overall I’m pretty happy with it, and I love the way the collar stands up and just shows hints of the neck and collarbones. Modest, but almost in a teasing way, if I do say so myself! And I love the buttons. Buttons are always very nice.

Modcloth.com version: $50 on an impulse buy.
My version:$20, a lot of time, and so much more meaningful!

Etsy Wishings for the Day

Tags

etsy, sewing

It was a slow day at work, so at lunch I found myself gazing at Etsy, and here is what I wish for.

Hungarian Scarf, from objetapetita. I just love these colors–like Saffron and Paprika. Very Hungarian indeed. Also, I particularly like browsing objetapetita’s store, because she has a little story vignette with every item. It’s so lovely!

Radish red Paisley secretary shirt dress from CapriciousTraveler. Oh what a perfect style! So proper and secretary like, but very sexy. At first I didn’t realize this is a dress, not just a blouse and skirt. I love how the red shirt pops! This seller has a TON of great finds.

Feminine navy blue high collar blouse by CapriciousTraveler. I love the color, the dainty ruffles and high collar. It’s so satisfying to wear things like this to work now that I have a job that lets me. Somehow it’s just not the same wearing it to the grocery store.

Cranberry wine bow heels, 1970s, from Thrush. I can just feel these shoes going with a pencil skirt and the navy blue blouse from above. Oh, yes!

Lovely Yellow flower cotton gauze, from UniqueShiny. I can envision an adorable little blouse being sewn out of this. Cotton gauze is so light and sheer my fingers just ache to touch it! I found so many fabric samples I wanted from her store!

So there it is, a little sampling from my “favorited” tab. My budget would perhaps let me get one of these goodies, but how to decide??