Winner!

Ah! A bit late on the announcement, but congrats to Holly Taylor, winner of a copy of Sewing With Oilcloth! Here's to many more great oil cloth projects in your future!

Sewing With Oilcloth Book Tour - and a Giveaway

 

The bright colors and bold designs of oilcloth and laminated fabrics have always intrigued me. I'm drawn to them, but I'm also a bit ... well ... scared of them. I've never sewn with oilcloth before, and I'm not really sure where to start. I know that - without the right tools and tips - it can be frustrating to work with, but I also know that projects made with oilcloth and laminated fabrics are beautiful and durable. Thankfully, one of my favorite oilcloth gurus has written a book that's a great guide to working with these fun and super functional fabrics.

I've followed Kelly McCants on Modern June and Oilcloth Addict for ages. Her new book, Sewing With Oilcloth, has loads of great projects and wonderful tips and instruction for working with oilcloth and laminated fabrics. Let's take a look, shall we?

Kelly starts Sewing With Oilcloth with great resources to help you succeed with your oil cloth sewing projects. Part of my fear of working with these fabrics was how to make my machine advance them easily and not jam up. Kelly shares several options for helping them feed easily and for what tools work best on oilcloth. She also shows you how to make and attach oilcloth bias trim, which is crazy kinds of cute.

The projects in Kelly's book range from simple to complex and are beautifully practical (something I really love). These nesting bins would be great in the garden shed or kids' bedroom.

  

These seat cushions remind me of an awesome outdoor lounger my grandparents had in their backyard. How happy would you feel seeing these bold prints on your porch every day?

And here's the project I'm dying to try first from the book: a cute and practical wallet. This one looks like a great starter project with simple lines, easy details and a resulting piece that you'll use over and over again.

A fabric pack from Kelly's Etsy shop: Oilcloth Addict! 

If you have trouble finding great oilcloth or laminated fabrics at your local independent fabric shop, be sure to check out Kelly's Oilcloth Addict shop. Her selections are extensive and beautiful.

 

I picked up this fun cherry oil cloth and dew drop laminated cotton at The Stitch Lab, and now I can't wait to try them out on the projects from Kelly's book! And you're in luck, because Kelly graciously sent a copy of Sewing With Oilcloth for me to give to one lucky Average Jane Crafter reader. Leave a comment here letting me know why you've been scared to work with oilcloth or what successes you've had with working with oilcloth. I'll close comments at 10 AM CST on September 10 and will announce the winner next Monday. For more opportunities to win a copy & to learn more about the book, keep up with the Sewing With Oilcloth blog book tour!

Since I'm personally shipping the book, I need to limit it to US residents. Thanks for understanding!

Rocket, Scissors .... Alien Boobs?

I'm happy to report that after months and months of a crafty dry spell (hey, moving and renovating a house and a sun-meltingly hot summer can do that to a gal) I'm back in full-on crafting-all-the-time mode. Now that the kids are back in school, I'm able to actually work during the day which frees up my evenings for making stuff. A novel idea, I know. I've had fun stitching projects for friends (a post on those later this week) and random just-for-fun pieces, and flexing my out-of-shape stitchy muscles.

One such project was this random cross-stitch roadtrip sampler. We went to a family wedding over the weekend, which meant I had about eight hours in the car. I'd scored a handy brand new cross-stitch kit at a thrift store last week, so I packed it up and decided to jump into cross-stitching after a long time away from it. I'm not a huge cross-stitch person. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of a craft that requires counting. I'm not number-averse, I just like to craft and let my mind wander. I've had to unpick more projects than I care to remember because my mind wandered when it should have been counting.


Fortunately, I was able to slide right back in to the soothing rhythm of cross-stitches and found it quite fun and relaxing. Since I didn't have a specific project in mind, I just picked some of my favorite motifs from the book and stitched away. When I finished, I posted a picture to Twitter, and my brilliantly hilarious friend, Kari, said, "Rocket, Scissors, Alien Boobs?" and launched us into a conversation over what trumps what (Would alien boob juice melt scissors?). At one point, I thought I'd end up cutting the cross-stitched pieces out and using them for separate projects, but now I think - thanks to Kari - it's become one of my favorite samplers of all time.

The Dreamy Mr. Gene Kelly

Well hello, fine readers! Hope you had a fantastic summer. We're still melting here in Texas, but the kids are back in school and that means the routine around here is finally getting back in order. Whew!

Today, a group of friends and I are kicking off a fun, easy-going craft-along in honor of one of our all-time favorite film and dance stars: Gene Kelly. You may remember that I have been madly in love with Gene for years, and that way back in my awesome surface design class with Kat, I made a Gene Kelly screen so I could print his face on anything and everything. Because, really, shouldn't his face be on everything?

Last week, some folks started a twitter conversation about a shared love for the dancing super star, and within a short period of time it was decided that we should do a Gene Kelly craft-along. I checked to see when his birthday was, in case it might coincide with when we'd start the craft-along, and Lo! TODAY is his birthday. Such kismet. It's as though he's speaking to us from the other side, saying, "Please! Immortalize me in craft!" Sorta.

So! What does this mean? Well, we are keeping things loose. Mostly, we are interested in sharing a common interest in this amazing actor, singer, dancer (talk about a triple threat!) and to get folks who might not have paid much attention to him before (for shame!) to learn more about and appreciate his work. Any kind of craft is welcome, and there are no firm deadlines - just fun! You can share your Gene Kelly-inspired projects over on our Gene Kelly Craft-Along Flickr group. You can also tweet pics and progress using the tag #GK4EVR. Read Diane's intro post over on CraftyPod!

Let's take a look at why Gene makes my heart swoon:

- That velvety voice: Not just in singing - in talking, too! Dreamy.

- That charming smile: I get all Monkee's Twinkly Eyed just thinking about it.

- That mischievous sense of humor: As though it's not enough that he can sing and dance, now he's gonna make me LAUGH!? Fuhgetaboudit.

- Those dance moves: Really? Turning newspaper into a dancing art form? C'mon, Gene, you had me at shuffle-ball-change.

- That bod: I'm not gonna lie. The fella had a stunning body, highlighted by beautifully made trousers that always accentuated the ... positive.

Some of my all-time favorite movies star Gene Kelly. If you haven't watched any of his films, get on it. Singin' in the Rain is, of course, one of the greatest films ever made, but some of his other lesser-known movies are great fun, too. In fact, one of my favorites will be the inspiration for my Gene Kelly project: Summer Stock. It's a hilarious movie starring Gene, Judy Garland and Phil Silvers. The clothes are simple and gorgeous (this brown and coral dress worn by Judy Garland makes me weak in the knees) and is loads of fun. And no one can forget On The Town and An American in Paris. And if you're wanting to know more about the man himself, you absolutely must watch Anatomy of a Dancer. It's a fantastic documentary on his life and is brilliantly done. (and it's available on Netflix Instant!)

There's something about watching Gene Kelly at work that lifts your spirits in a most delightful way. Blending that feeling with making stuff is a recipe for great fun, so join in on the Gene Kelly craft-along. S'Wonderful!

There she goes ...

Last launch ever ... and my art is on there

I still haven't really found the words. Be back when I have.

(Well, I found these words just minutes after the launch. They are shaky, tear-filled, nerding-out words, but they came when I was still feeling the power - on all levels - of the launch through my body. So ... ya know ... forgive my blabbering.)

I will say the easiest words to come by right now, though: THANK YOU.

Make Stuff Together! (and a giveaway)

If ever there was a book that not only inspired me creatively, but also gave me hope for the future, this is it. Kathie Sever and Bernadette Noll's Make Stuff Together book explores crafting as a community effort though creating with family and friends. Simple projects with special meaning make this book a unique treasure.


I'd love to be able to claim objectivity here, but who am I kidding? Bern and Kathie are friends of mine from my days in Austin, and I love them dearly. These are the kind of folks who make your life richer and give you hope in humanity, but not in an annoying, pretentious way. They are genuine and funny and smart and loving and down-to-earth, and Make Stuff Together is a perfect manifestation of their personalities. The essays on crafting as a family, the projects that use upcycled materials - all of it is 100% true to these ladies and how they live their lives. To know them is to love them, and to love them is to cherish this book.


Last weekend, they had a raging book release party at the Stitch Lab in Austin. I was so bummed I couldn't be there. These folks and this community are one of the things I miss most about Austin. What is so wonderful about Make Stuff Together, though, is that I can feel that connection to community and the inspiration of making things through the book - no matter where I am.

Check out their Facebook page and the other stops on their Blog Tour for more information and to see why what these two rad moms from Austin are doing is so darn important.


Lucky You! I was gifted one copy of Make Stuff Together to review, and I have one copy to give away to an Average Jane Crafter reader. I just want to know a favorite crafting memory of yours, and if it involved working with someone else. Did you stitch with your grandmother? Make pine derby cars with you dad? How do you think crafting with someone changes the experience of making things for you? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to leave a way I can get in touch with you. Comments will close at 11AM CST on Sunday, July 3.

Maker Faire prep day 1

A hugely wonderful day getting ready for Maker Faire! Here are some pics from the day - descriptions and more soon, right now we have to get back to work! :)