Category Archives: Stuff to make

Thinking about Sweden

Posted in Gainesville, Sewing, Stuff to make by

I am now living in Florida, where it is very hot and very steamy.  So, Sweden is extremely appealing. In the Truman Show-like village near my house–think very cute clapboard houses and little village green strung with lights–there is lovely shop that carries European housewares, mostly from Sweden. Marimeko and felted gnomes–hooray! Before we moved here (did I mention that my parents’ house is less than a mile from our new house?) I always made a point to visit Marianne Coveney, European Essentials. All my favorite dishes come from here. So does my favorite ornamental chicken (totally essential). I am delighted that the store is now within walking distance. I adore my new house and it deserves some Swedish knick knacks.

Some other Swedish things I love? Jessica Jones, How About Orange blogger and textile designer, has a new fabric collection, Outside Oslo. Surely something in my house needs sprucing up with this delightful fabric. I think some laundry bags will make the task of doing laundry–in my own house!–even more pleasant. Although, these pillows from the blog look pretty awesome.

Scadanavian Needlecraft. I got this book for Christmas, and have yet to make anything. It has some lovely embroidery designs and somthing in my house will soon be sporting one of them.

Painted Swedish furniture. This “hunt table,” as my parents call it, is sitting in my garage (thanks Mum and Dad!) waiting to be painted pale gray-blue. I am tempted, really tempted, to paint some sort of folksy motif on there, but I don’t think anyone else will sign off on that. Maybe just on the inside of the doors? Don’t you think that would excellent?

VW Bug Pillow

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

Tell the truth: are you focusing on the VW bug pillow or are you coveting the vinyl chair held together with lime green duct tape? Sorry, but it’s a one-of-a-kind treasure that only the luckiest few can possess.

Summertime may not be optimal for freezer paper stencils–using an iron in 90-degree heat can be a wilting experience. But well worth it, of course. (Here are step-by-step instructions.) This VW bug pillow follows the VW bus pillowcases I made earlier this year in a series I’m now calling Vehicles I Have Known and Loved.

For the VW bug pillow, I used a pattern for an envelope enclosure. Beige linen in the front, groovy cotton print in the back, and orange piping.

Next up for the vehicle stencil series is the true love of my childhood . . . the 1974 mini Winnie (that’s Winnebago, for the uninitiated). Long before I grew up to own a vinyl chair, I longed for this camper.

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Josef Albers

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

Josef Albers seems to be having a moment. I am seeing his lovely squares all over the place, and I think they would make a great quilt pattern. So easy! So colorful! Before I left New York, I stocked up on some Kona cotton in primary hues with this quilt in mind. A quilt like this would be perfect for snuggling up in a hammock in the late fall when it gets chilly (it really does get chilly in north Florida!). I still need to get the hammock, but we do have the trees, so that’s a start. Or for picnics on the beach? Or a quilt for our guest room? And which colors? They are all so appealing, but I really like the orange and gray. What about you?

Cottage Part 1: Patchwork Tablecloth

Posted in Boston, Sewing, Stuff to make by

The clouds are cumulus. The sky is robin’s egg blue. The kids are at home asking about what to do next. Must be summer.

I, for one, am dreaming of lake days at my cottage. Did I say my? I meant at your cottage. Feel free to invite me.

This patchwork tablecloth made out of colorful bandannas is a fun project from Aesthetic Nest. The AN version looks like perfection, wafting in the breeze. Mine less so. As AN points out in the instructions, not all bandannas are made to the same size. I found that the white ones are the runts–an inch smaller all around, making things a little more irregular.

But the imperfection is what I like about the project–it doesn’t require seamless seams to look breezy, whimsical, and summery.

I made a square of 4 bandannas to cover the little table on my back porch.

And a larger square (3 by 3) for my mom’s table at–you guessed it–her summer cottage. Not that I’m hinting, Ma, but my bags are packed.

P.S. I bought the bandannas at Play Time Crafts in Arlington Center–a place intimately known to any Arlingtonian who has shepherded a kid’s school project. But if you’re from close by and haven’t been, you should check it out. If the teetering aisles of crazy inventory don’t charm you, the sweet-and-sour staff will win your loyalty.)

Origami Ties for Great Guys

Posted in Holiday, Paper, Stuff to make by

A few reasons why I love my dad:

1. Sometime in my twenties, he decided he didn’t need a special occasion to pick up the phone and call his kids. He calls whenever he feels like it, just to say hello.

2. He’s the kind of grandfather who volunteered to change diapers. Now he gets down on the floor and digs into the LEGO bin alongside his grandkids.

3. Every year, he dresses up as Kate Smith for the Fourth of July parade and sings “God Bless America” in falsetto, very, very badly.

In case these reasons make him seem like he’s not a high-achieving, productive member of society, let me assure you: he’s also that.

So for this Father’s Day, I’m giving him the most original gift . . . a necktie! But this one is made of paper, is 2-inches tall, and is completely impractical. Which makes it more original.

 I learned to fold an origami necktie at the web site, Origami Club, which offers a mad assortment of origami projects with step-by-step animated instructions. The animation doesn’t necessarily illuminate some of those tricky, ever-elusive folds, but it’s cool.

Have you always wanted to fold a spotted toadstool? (Origami Club calls it by its proper name–“fly agaric”–and helpfully points out that it’s a poisonous mushroom. In case you plan to eat your origami? I don’t know.)

I love this Japanese school bag & this polka-dot dress, too.

But back to neckties: I used 2″ origami paper, but you can also use other paper and cut out a 2″ square. Make sure to use paper that is appropriately garish–who wants a tasteful tie for Father’s Day?

The trickiest fold is the tie knot–first, you fold a little triangle up, and then reverse the fold, so that the triangle is now inside the knot. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you try it. Then glue your tie to a blank card (I chose mustard-colored stationery from PaperSource) and press.

If this cute card isn’t enough to please your dad, follow up with a homemade coupon good for 1 hug.