A special little treat from doe-c-doe

OOoooooooOoooh y'all. I got the most awesome thing in the mail this week. Straight from doe-c-doe herself, it's one of her gorgeously hand-embroidered quilt pieces. And it. is. s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g.

Here's a little back story: I've followed doe-c-doe's blog for ages. I can't remember exactly when I stumbled upon it, but I'm thinking it was from one of her projects she posted in the Flickr embroidery group. I've been absolutely hooked ever since, and she is at the top of my must-read blog list. Her photography is gorgeous, her projects are pristine and her aesthetic is just ... peachy keen. I'm consistenly floored by her perfect stictches (which, let me tell you - having seen them up close now ... holy smokes are they perfect!) and I've loved watching her projects evolve on her blog.

Some of my favorite doe-c-doe projects are the following:

Tree of Life

Doilie-turned-snowflake necklace

Your A Doll

Embroidered Insects

I Love Lucy Pillow

She also has the most incredible luck with thrifting that I've ever seen, and her dog is insanely cute (and appreantly very tolerant of being made to wear things like bonnets, aprons and ... mustaches?)

But more than anything, I've found that in my occasional correspondence with "g" (as she signs all her emails) is that she is incredibly sweet, kind and very sincere - some of my favorite qualities in a person.

A few months ago, she announced that some of her fabric/paper/embroidery vintage sewing pattern collages were being made available in her etsy shop. About 30 seconds after reading that post, I forwarded the link for the collage I coveted to my husband with a not-so-subtle "Gee, I'd *love* this for Christmas" message. A few days later, I noticed the collage had sold, and thought he'd taken the hint.

Sigh.

He hadn't - someone else had purchased the piece.

Later, after I commented on Niku's picture of her doe-c-doe purchase, apparently Niku tipped doe-c-doe off to my coveting of her work. The next thing I know, I have a very sweet Flickr mail from doe-c-doe requesting my choice of emrboidered image and my shipping address so she could send me something. I sent a picture of my favorite embroidery scissors and - viola! - soon arrived a gorgeous quilt circle with the scissors perfectly stitched right in the middle.


I was floored! The piece is so gorgeous, and it was such a generous gift. I feel totally underserving and just hope that the good karma will go back to doe-c-doe ten fold. Head on over to her blog and let her know how utterly rad she is, and be sure to check her etsy shop for some additional priceless pieces. Tell her Average Jane sent you. :)

Vintage Embroidery goodies from blogland

Last month, I was the lucky winner of an anniversary giveaway on Sweet Bee's blog. She's got some great vintage embroidery stuff going on over there. Be sure to check it out.

I received my package recently and have been late getting pictures. It was such a delightful package to open and go through!

Look at those awesome embroidered buttons. Lazy Daisies are one of my favorite stitches, and I love the tiny detail on these. I've got to try making some of these some day! And that pin cushion is adorable! I tried making a little segmented pin cushion like this once. Um .... let's just say "wonky" would be an understatement. Hers is perfect. :)

And then some fabulous vintage embroidery transfers. These are just some peeks at my favorite little pieces.




Thank you, Sweet Bee, for a fabulous gift! :)

Dreamy Vintage Sewing Pics make my day

Not all the blogs in my feed reader are craft-related, and often the ones in my "fun" category end up making reaqlly my day. I love a blog where I can just feast on some fabulous eye candy and not have to sift through loads of text. Face it, sometimes you just need to get right to the good stuff.

One of my favorite blogs in this category is Millie Motts. I can't remember how I stumbled on this one, but I'm so glad I did. The blog author describes herself as "a collector of 1940s-60s just-about-anything: fashion magazines, children's elementary school readers, textbooks, found photos, and miscellaneous ephemera. Although I wasn't born until the 70s, I'm an "old soul."

Yep. Sounds like someone I'd love to hang out with. A few times a week, she posts tidbits from her collection, and I get giddy every time I see that her blog has been updated. Some of my favorite posts have been her Prom post (even though I never went to my prom, if I could have worn a dress like the one she shows, I totally would have), The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing, and What to Wear at Home. But when I saw yesterday's post, I truly almost fell out of my chair. A post full of vintage sewing images was just what I needed to make me smile. Check it out, and I'm sure you will, too. Enjoy!

* image is from Millie Motts' blog ... and the best blog post. ever.

How I love my Google Reader ...

I've been meaning to write this post for ages, and I actually have more to write than I have time for tonight, but I've just found another way to love love love my Google Reader, so I couldn't wait any longer to profess my love from the blogtops.*

I love reading blogs. I have an addiction, actually. I love being able to tap in to content that is specifically geared to my interests. I love being able to keep up with news and information in one place. I love getting little glimpses of stuff from random small corners of the planet.

But I'm also kind of lazy. Not too lazy, but lazy enough that I don't want to bookmark and re-visit blogs I love or places where I need to get information. I like it all brought right to me and dropped right in to my lap. Which is why I'm so glad a friend introduced me to a feed reader more than a year ago. I started on Bloglines, which was fine, but at some point I switched to Google Reader and I am sooooo in love. I'd bet that a lot of the things I mention are applicable in other readers, so feel free to chime in in the comments if you use other readers for similar purposes.

The obvious: subscribing to blogs
So when I see a great post on the Craftzine blog or find a link to a random blog, I'll often want to keep up with what that blogger is posting about. Subscribing is the way to go. With Google Reader, I was able to install a little "subscribe" button in the menu bar of Firefox. Anytime I stumble on a blog I like, I just jab that little subscribe button and - whammo - it's heading straight to my Reader and I'm able to keep up with it whenever it updates. I subscribe to several new blogs a day (I told you - I have an addiction, and this all reminds me that I need to update my blog roll ....)

Mostly I'm subscribing to craft blogs, but the other kind of blogs I subscribe to are my friends' blogs. Several of my friends, especially ones with kids, have blogs and it's become a great way to keep up with them. Remember when you used to get miffed if someone didn't have an email address and you kinds of felt like, "Well, don't expect me to be able to stay in touch?" I'm starting to feel that way about blogs. If you want me to keep up with you, blog, dammit! Let me subscribe and I'll faithfully keep up with you. I've connected with several friends from high school and college recently, and through their blogs I've been able to catch up to the point where it feels like it hasn't been 10 years since we've seen each other. I love it.

News and stuff
All my favorite new sources have feeds. Boom - I'm up-to-date.

Flickr
Second to blogs, I'm a Flickr addict. Crafty inspiration, pictures from friends and families, I love seeing new pictures and hate missing out on them. I got super excited when I noticed the little RSS icon on the Flickr pages. DUH! I can subscribe and get the pictures in my Reader. I subscribe to my friends' pictures, groups I'm in, I can even subscribe to the comments I've made on pictures and discussions in the groups. I love being able to keep up with pictures this way. I used to miss a few days on Flickr and I'd go back to the Embroidery group and be overwhelmed by all the new pictures posted. Now I can just zip through them as they are posted right there in my Reader.

Searches
I can enter a Google blog search, subscribe to it and have it feed right to my Reader. It's kind of like a Google Alert, but I like it even better. I can search things in which I'm interested, something I'm researching for work, anything - and have it delivered nice and neat into my Reader.

Sharing
Ah. Sharing. This is one of my favorite things. I can set up contacts through Reader and then as I'm scrolling through items, if I find one that I think is interesting I can click a little "share" button, and the item feeds into my contacts' Readers. Right now I have just a few contacts, so when we "share" items, it's like we know we're posting something just for the other person. It's like a little secret or something. I love it.

But now I've found something with sharing items that makes me love it even more! I knew that I could make page that updated my shared item feeds, and that people can actually subscribed to my shared items, but I've just discovered I can actually add a dandy little widget to my blog sidebar (look! It's over there! Right above the Stitch Lab logo! It's all cute!) so that my shared items just update there. This is bliss to me. The one thing I love more than reading blogs is sharing fun little tidbits I find with people. Now, even if you aren't one of my contacts, you can see my little shared items. I read hundreds of blog posts and feeds and search results a day, and now I can easily pop my favorites right here for you. You can either keep up with the sidebar widget or subscribe to my shared items using this feed. (in your Reader, 'cause I'm hoping by now I've convinced you to use one if you aren't already)

Discover
This is another fun one I don't play with enough. You can click on the discover link and Reader will actually pull up blogs that are similar in content to ones to which you already subscribe. It's a great way to find new reads.

Organizing it All
To keep my Reader from getting all wonky, I've got it organized a little bit. I've got folders set up for the main categories into which my subscriptions fall. It makes it easier to scroll through items. Here's how mine are set up right now:

Crafty Blogs - obvious - right now, I'm at 257. (yikes. I didn't realize I was that far gone ...)
Fun! - kinda obvious. Here's where I've got stuff like Cute Overload, Awesome, Officially Awesome, Minor Tweaks, Garfield Minus Garfield, Bent Objects, etc.
Kids - believe it or not, some of my friends' kids have blogs of their own. I've subscribed to them here.
Mom-Blogs - I'm a mom. Most of my friends are moms. Loads of them have blogs. Here's where they go. This is great for keeping up with my friends when we don't have time to sit around and talk. Sad but true.
Flickr - Here's where I've subscribed to pictures. I've subscribed to my contacts' pictures, certain groups, people, etc.
Flickr Discussion - here's where group discussions land, as well as comments subsequent to ones I make on pictures.
Organization-Productivity - sadly, the group with the fewest subscriptions ...... but also one of my favorites.
Subscriptions - I didn't have a better name, but here's where I've put all the random searches I've subscribed to.

If you are using a feed reader in a similar way, or know of better ways to use Google Reader, feel free to comment.
*(I'd post some pictures of favorite items that have popped up in my Reader, but since I've got to be at the Gym to meet a friend and drool over Bead Simple while we ellipticize at 5:30 tomorrow morning ... I better sign off. Just go visit their blogs- there's great stuff out there. )

Some Linky Love

I don't feel like I've been making much this last week - I've had sick kiddos, work and more work, and just one of those random weeks where I can't seem to get in to the craft room and get to makin'.

I am continuing with my sewing classes, and am about half way through the Beginning II Sewing Series. I'm making this wrap dress out of a blue knit. I'm not much of a blue person (unless it's a nice aqua) but for some reason I really like this fabric. It's kind of a peacock blue. I've never sewn with a knit before, but I figured this would be a good time to start - with Leslie right there as I go. I'm nervous as all get out, but since I get to take my time with this project, I think it's going to turn out pretty darn cool. We spent all of the last class just altering the pattern to fit us, and cutting the pieces. It feel awesome to know I'll have a dress that is custom fit to me.

So - since I haven't been making stuff this week (since the last sewing class) here's some fun stuff I've been reading on blogs. Enjoy!

Indian Mirror Embroidery - This is an awesome tutorial for Indian mirror embroidery - I've got to give this a try. I found the link to the Joyful Abode blog through the Flickr Embroidery group.

Tea Wallets - my pal, Leigh, cracked me up when we went to NYC a couple of years ago. We went to a great place for breakfast, and she whipped out her own bag of tea. I laughed, but when I tried her tea, I got it - it was worth bringing her own. When I saw these Tea Wallets on DIYnamite (via a tutorial on Craftster) I instantly thought of her.

Side table makeover - I love this makeover Dabbled did on a side table. It now serves as a great play stove. This is the kind of project I always want to do for my kids, but never get around to. I need to change that. My parents made a little wooden kitchen for us when we were kids, and we loved it. They still have it at their house, and now the grandkids play with it whenever they visit.

Painting shadow box - Book Hou crafts has a beautiful shadow box project. I love this.

Loving Hands Quilt - From the Back and Forth Project gals. This is such a beautiful and thoughtful project. I love it! I'm just trying to figure out who I can do this for now .....

It's probably a good thing that this week was slow in craft land for me. There are several projects that will be popping up in the next few weeks for me. One is a super secret project that I can't wait to reveal, the other is a fun project my friend and I are putting together for the Back and Forth project. I'm also going to try to work on something for my daughter for her birthday ... which is in just a couple of weeks ... (yikes!) I'll be finishing my dress in the next few weeks, and I've got a few ATCs in the works, so a little calm before that productive storm is a good thing.

The Stitch Lab Newsletter: This week, Embroidery Love and a really cool crafty pen pal blog project

I was super excited when Leslie said this week's newsletter would focus on Embroidery. It's my favorite craft. I went a little overboard (as far as e-newsletters are concerned) and filled the thing with loads of information - not just blog love. So I'm posting the info here, 'cause there was some good stuff. Again, if you are local to Austin, you can sign up to receive the newsletter here. Even if you aren't in Austin, it's a fun newsletter to get ... see why below!

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Don't call it a comeback! The Creative, Calming influence of hand embroidery is as contemporary as ever!

Sitting down with a hoop, embroidery floss and a needle has been a creative pastime for hundreds of years. And when you pass that needle through the fabric, you are not only creating something beautiful for yourself, but you are connecting to a tradition that has been handed down for generations. Hand embroidery is a fun way to make a gift for a friend, a quick and easy craft, and can provide instant gratification.

Our Favorite Embroidery Books
Did you know that the mother of modern embroidery lives right here in Austin? That's right! Jenny Hart, founder of the amazing Sublime Stitching is a fellow Austinite, and had done some incredible things to modernize this traditional craft and get young hipsters everywhere doing some handy hand work. Jenny's book, Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To is a fantastic starter book for anyone interested in exploring hand embroidery. Her fun, easy, conversational how-tos will have you stitching in no time, and the pages and pages of reusable transfer designs will satisfy your embroidery needs for ages!

Looking to incorporate some natural inspirations in your embroidery? Try Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray. Aimee is an amazing artist who has combined her whimsical, beautiful art with some stunning embroidery. Her book has loads of fun projects - including stitching on canvas sneakers and an adorable tree stump pin cushion. Her sense of color is fantastic, and her style of art and embroidery are truly unique.

Our Favorite Embroidery Web sites:
The Embroidery Flickr Pool - needing inspiration for your next project? Five minutes in the Flickr Embroidery Pool, and your mind will be brimming with new ideas.
Needlecrafter - This site is undergoing some updates after a long hiatus, but there are still dozens of amazing FREE vintage embroidery designs that you can download, print and transfer for your next project. Enjoy!

Speaking of Embroidery, catch Leslie's free Embroidery workshop On Monday, February 4th at Design Within Reach

Our hand embroidery classes have always been favorites, and you can join in the fun with our latest scheduled classes. Enjoy this traditional craft with a few modern twists. And, if you'd like a taste of what hand embroidery can be, join Leslie at Design Within Reach this Monday (Feb. 4) for a free hand embroidery workshop. We'll even be using some transfers from none other than Sublime Stitching! There will be a large group, but it will be a great way to whet your appetite for the flossy goodness of embroidery. Click here to read more and RSVP for the event.

And my weekly Blog-spiration:

It's safe to say I am a full-blown embroidery nut. Of all the crafty goodness I explore, it really is my favorite. In fact, it's what first brought me to Leslie! I took a hand embroidery class from her almost two years ago.

I love to mix my embroidery and blog addiction, and here are a few of my favorites (if I listed them all ... well ... we'd need a full separate newsletter for that).

Feeling Stitchy - this blog accompanies the Flickr Embroidery group. Aside from posting highlights from the Flickr group, they also post tutorials, interviews with fellow needle artists, and have some great educational series as well. It's a group blog, so there are lots of talented folks writing for them.

Vintage Transfer Finds - meet Floresita, a New York-based artist with an incredible collection of vintage embroidery transfers. She scans, cleans up and posts a selection of her collection with information on the transfers. You can download the transfers and use them on your personal projects. Floresita's own embroidery projects are down-right amazing. Check out her Flickr gallery to see what I mean.

Needle N Thread - you have to scroll through some google ads at the top of the page, but the content is worth it. On this blog, you'll find some great video clips of embroidery stitches - perfect for when you need a quick refresher in the middle of a project.

And for a little more inspiration, here are some of my favorite embroidery projects I've seen through the Flickr Embroidery Group:

Thinking Embroidery
by Amiee Ray

Sad Girl Embroidery
by Floresita

The Lucy Portrait Pillow
by doe-c-doe

And, because I LOVE embroidery with a sense of humor ....

Don't Tase Me, Bro!
by SewClever

Apron of Anxious Treats
by SwampThing

And ... one of my own creations - a zombie makeover on one of Floresita's vintage embroidery patterns

Zombie Jitterbug Girl
by Average Jane Crafter

Embroidery can be beautiful, delicate, chunky, modern, retro, fun and artistic. Few crafts can cover such a range. Grab a hoop, some floss and a needle and hurry on in for one of our embroidery classes. The next embroidery enthusiast may be YOU!

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Grab a crafty pen pal and participate in the Back and Forth Project!

Austin is a hotbed of boundless creativity - we all know that. Here's a great new Austin-based project that combines crafting, good old fashioned snail mail and blogging.

Kathie Sever and Shannon Lowry have started the Back and Forth Project.

From their web site:
We'd like to build a tribute to the physicality of moving something back and forth between two people- and utilizing the internet as a means to document the beauty of getting back to a more multi sensory, visceral experience of staying connected. ... We invite YOU to submit a project you and a friend will make and pass back and forth through the mail as you each embellish it.

Read more about the project and see how you can submit your project on the Back and Forth Project Blog.

Loads of crafty goodness - or why I (heart) CraftyPod

I have a serious addiction to craft blogs. My Google Reader* is overflowing, and I find myself subscribing to new blogs almost every single day. One of my favorite things about finding a new blog is checking out the blogroll on each one I find. I've stumbled on lots of other good blogs through random blogs I find. Random web sufing and stumbling is one of my favorite things to do. A lot of it has to do with finding things I love ... like CraftyPod. Ohhhh how I love CraftyPod.

I can put my blog addiction to good use - finding things for my newsfeed at BurdaStyle.com and each week, I highlight a favorite craft blog of mine for the subscribers of the Stitch Lab newsletter. I think I'll start posting those highlights here, too. If you want to sign up for the Stitch Lab newsletter (especially if you are local to Austin - you really need to sign up!) go to the schedule page. The weekly newsletters are fun and full of great info.

So here's my "blogspiration" for this week - Treat Your Ears to the Joy of CraftyPod - Enjoy!

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(all images from CraftyPod.com)
This week, treat your ears to the fun and joy of CraftyPod - a podcast and blog that's all about making stuff. I stumbled on CP almost a year ago through a link on another blog (hooray for "blogrolls" - links in the sidebars of blogs. They speak to my love of stumbling upon things) I instantly fell in love with Diane's witty blog posts and quickly became addicted to her bi-weekly podcast.

The quirky, fun shows are sprinkled with Esquivel music and just the right length - usually 15-25 minutes. They make for excellent listening while on the treadmill. I ended up going back and listening to every show she'd ever done, and now I get all kinds of excited when she posts a new show. She's interviewed everyone from the Crafty Chica to the gals who run BurdaStyle.com, and one of my favorite shows (which actually had me in tears at one point) was an interview with her mom about their life-long tradition of making Gingerbread houses. She makes you want to get up and ... well ... make something. Through her thoughtful interviews (I swear, I think of her as the Barbara Walters of the Craft World - she's a fantastic interviewer) she inspires great love for all kinds of crafts and all levels of crafty skills.

In between posting shows, she keeps her blog full of fun projects, fabulous vintage craft book finds and information about the classes and workshops she teaches all over Portland. She leads a highly successful chapter of the Church of Craft, and her views on how crafting and community building go hand in hand make my heart sing. If you're lucky enough to live in Portland, or know someone who is, check out the DIY Alert she runs - listing all the crafty happenings in the PDX area. I don't live in Portland, but I'm still signed up for the DIY Alert newsletter. She stocks it with great interviews and handy links.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Diane in person when I visited Portland with my husband last summer. I attended one of her Church of Craft meetings, and her bubbly, warm personality made me love her even more. She's like an ambassador for crafting: you can't be around her and not fall in love with making stuff.

So go an enjoy her blog and podcast. Together, they are like an encyclopedia of all things crafty and good.

* And if you are a Google Reader user, email me at averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com. I've recently discovered the joys of "sharing" blog posts that I like through Google Reader. Come share with me!

Fabulous fabric from Jess at How About Orange

I've been enjoying How About Orange for a while now (which has been nice because I've actually been in a really orange phase for about 9 months!) Jess' designs, tutorials and random fun things she posts are fantastic.

But my jaw hit the ground this afternoon when she posted this:


It's her new fabric - as in she designed it. And myohmyohmy is it fantastic or what!? My fabric wish list just got a little bit longer. Can't wait until it comes out!

File under: Stuff I'd like to try

Ack! I've just stumbled on* a new-to-me blog, and I'm in love. I need another subscription added to my Reader like I need a hole in my head, but I can't resist this one. Check out Making it Lovely. There's some serious eye candy going on over there.

Nicole has a great tutorial on How to Make a Patterned Vase (and make it one you can change out with your mood). Simple fun things like this make me giddy. (not to mention, the cat in this picture makes me want to stick my face in her belly)

Plus, the stuff in Nicole's online shop, Pink Loves Brown, is amazing. Sewing themed stationery? A line of cards called the Periodic Table of Sentiments? (Ty = Thank You) I'm drooling and wracking up a huge mental credit card bill. Enjoy!

* found via Be Sew Stylish