Author Archives: brigitdermott

Christmas village?

Posted in Holiday, Stuff to make by

Speaking of little houses, but of a much more prosaic variety, we took a family trip to Michaels recently and my husband and daughter bonded over their love of the Christmas village. I agree they are fun. But, in my opinion, only in the bank window and not on seasonal display in my house. Wouldn’t it be more fun if we made a village? I asked. No! Apparently, painting the wooden birdhouse cabin and making peg people just didn’t appeal. Sometimes I wish my family shared my conviction that something made is usually better than something bought, but can I force them to make peg people? Probably not. In case the peg people don’t win the day, I need to know: is the Christmas village awfully tacky? I am pretty sure, yes, but sometimes I just can’t tell. If I had to choose, I do like the Dickens collection (right and left).

Meanwhile, I plan to satisfy my holiday crafting needs by making a felt tree skirt.  I am very excited!

Pink and green quilt

Posted in Stuff to make by

I’ve been working away at decorating my daughter’s new bedroom. It’s slow going, but so far we’ve managed to paint her walls green (Limonata!) and I made her this pink and green quilt.

I was inspired by these APC quilts, which are based on traditional Amish patterns.  I liked how the APC quilts used delicate patterns within the bold geometric shapes. I ordered the fabric online, and I missed testing the fabrics against one another other person. I was a little worried that the brown wasn’t quite right, but I think it works. Check out the gorgeous green (Kona Apple Green) on the back. I just love that green!

Quilt show at the Dudley Farm

Posted in Gainesville, Sewing, Stuff to make, Things to see by

The Dudley Farm, a historic Florida homestead and working farm, hosted a quilt show this weekend. Ladies in period costume–prairie bonnets!–showed off some antique quilts. There were some quilts for sale and “quilted apparel”–questionable at best. Still, these quilts looked so pretty hanging on the line, and we had a good time visiting the animals, pumping water, and playing catch with horse chestnuts.

Lovely camper art!

Posted in Paper, Stuff to make by

Meg, this one’s for you! I read about The Handmade Home’s free illustrations on How About Orange (how about that I love everything on this blog…). These campers reminded me of your ambition to freezer stencil a camper.

Some of the other freebies are very appealing, too.

(Total aside, while perusing the recommended tags for this post, including “treehugger”–nice–I see “campervan.” And remember that once upon a time I loved Camper Van Beethoven.)

Cassandra Ellis

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

The work of the British quilter Cassandra Ellis is so inspiring. Her impossibly pretty home was featured on design*sponge recently, and her quilts are scattered throughout. I often find it difficult to strike a balance between modern simplicity and lively patterns when I am thinking about making a quilt. I want to use bright colors and patterns, but I don’t want to end up with something chaotic or too patchworky. It looks to me like she is guided by the fabric–she uses gorgeous colors (yay red!) and prints, which are always a good starting point. Then she seems to piece them together improvisationally. The end results are stunning.