Wordless Wednesday
Leave a reply
Author Archives: Jennifer Ofenstein
TTMT #107 – In Stitches
In Which I Learn Something New
It’s no secret that I love crafts. Sewing, crochet, DIY, you name it.
I love quilting…especially, most especially paper piecing.
In last week’s TTMT, I mentioned that I want to learn to embroider. It’s frankly getting too hot to crochet in the carpool line, which is how I usually while away my time waiting for my kids.
Also, there is a certain PROJECT that I would like use embroidery for, but I’d really like to get the hang of it before I jump in with both feet.
So, here we go.
After asking my lovely peeps over on Facebook for suggestions and opinions for getting started, I had two handy links to get going with.
First was Sublime Stitching’s How To. I have definitely been on this fabulous website before, but only to admire. The How-To was so wonderful and easy to follow, I printed it out…and then I *might* have laminated it. What? It’s fabulous, and I need to drag it along in the car with me. I also learned there are several stores in Austin that carry Sublime Stitching goodness….field trip!
The second useful link was Blue Bird Quilts’ Retro Nine Patch BOM, a lovely free pattern each month by Australian designer Lyn. I agree with her fans there, a Flickr group would be wonderful inspiration for a newbie like me! I printed month one and used my handy Sewline Ceramic Pencil
After observing of friends that embroider, I decided to back my fabric with a piece of muslin. I love the way the thread pulls through both layers of fabric and feels nice and secure. So far, the stitching has felt very natural, even though I don’t do much hand sewing and it’s been ages since I picked up my hand quilting. It’s going smoothly, and hopefully will continue to do so. As of today, I’ve only practiced the Split Stitch and the Stem Stitch. Hopefully future stitches will go as nicely!
I don’t know if I’ll follow along with the entire Blue Bird BOM, but I do like the retro designs and today’s stitching was very enjoyable. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep it up. With another month of carpool ahead of me, I might even be able to get caught up!
Do you embroider? Do you have favorite sites, blogs, etc.? I’d love to hear your pointers!
And, you know what? I can draw… and I get the feeling that may come in very handy in the future…of DOOM.
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
Upcycled Light Fixture
How many Ofensteins does it take to change a light bulb?
In this case, two.
So, we had this light fixture. It was a super-cheap, builder installed glass globe. The problem was, the light hangs on a chain in our stairwell. The glass globe, attached to the fixture by screws. It takes a broom handle with a hook attached to the end just to reach it. It takes one person to hold it with the broom while the other gingerly removes the globe, swaps the bulb and then replaces the globe. All of this while trying desperately to not drop any of the breakable pieces to the concrete of the first floor below.
In short, changing the light bulb…pain in the rear end. And the thing was not even pretty.
Some time ago, I found a fabulous silk (or silk-like) lampshade at a thrift store. It cost $2. The shade was meant to be on a floor lamp, but I really wanted to use it in the stairwell. The problem was, I could never quite figure out how, so for over a year, it hung from a hook in my bedroom ceiling.
Then the stairwell light bulb went out.
The hubby and I went to work as described above. 15 minutes into the painful act of changing the stairwell light bulb, with two dropped screws and a lot of swearing, we took a break before putting the glass globe back on.
Then, epiphany. I finally figured out how to attach the shade to the fixture.
I used a small hole punch and made evenly spaced holes around the top of the shade. Into these, I attached short chain I made out of split rings, and then to that, S-hooks. The S-hooks went into the base of the original fixture where the glass globe was attached by screws.
Wallah! A thing of beauty…and no breakable parts.
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
PoD Week 15
This is your weekly reminder that The Project of Doom, A Harry Potter Block of the Week Mystery Quilt, is taking place over on Harry Potter Paper Piecing (hp_paperpiecing on Livejournal).
The Week 15 pattern is now online*! You haven’t started yet? No worry, all the patterns up to this point are still available and you can jump in at any time!
Please note: We’re taking a one week break between Week 15 and Week 16. The PoD will resume Wednesday May 4.
Want how other quilters are interpreting the PoD patterns? You can see related photo posts here.
- Previous Patterns:
- Week One
- Week Two
- Week Three
- Week Four
- Week Five
- Week Six
- Week Seven
- Week Eight
- Week Nine
- Week Ten
- Week Eleven + corrected alternative block
- Week Twelve
- Extra Credit
- Week Thirteen
- Week Fourteen
Links go straight to posts including block samples. If you do not wish to see photos of the blocks, click this link for previous posts.
If you participate, and you’re part of the hp_paperpiecing community (it’s easy, you just need a Livejournal account), you’ll be eligible for awesome prizes every month! There are details on the site…so GO!
*New PoD pattern posts go to the PoD page, with the actual block behind a link to keep it a mystery!
Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends – Monster Madness, from the Sewhooked Shop
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
TTMT #106 – Doom and Other Things
Fabric Friday – Stars and Swirls
I have a little bit of a reputation for loving tone on tone fabrics, specifically tone on tones with stars, swirls, stripes or dots. How can that be? Because I give a little squee of excitement when I see a perfect swirl for my next magical quilt project? Could it be because dots make me think of everything from dragon hide to bubbles? Maybe, maybe. Whatever it is, I know what fabric makes me happy!
This week’s Fabric Friday offering were gifts from friend and co-worker Sue. She was the hostess of Honey Bee’s bus trip to visit all 12 shops on the Bluebonnet Patchwork Trail Shop Hop. Since the rest of us were working, she very generously brought us all fabric back from her trip. She gave me the gift of magic inspiring fabric, which is my favorite kind of all! There is an extremely good chance that one or all of these fabrics will end up in my Project of Doom quilt!
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
PoD Week 14
This is your weekly reminder that The Project of Doom, A Harry Potter Block of the Week Mystery Quilt*, is taking place over on Harry Potter Paper Piecing (hp_paperpiecing on Livejournal).
The Week 14 pattern is now online! You haven’t started yet? No worry, all the patterns up to this point are still available and you can jump in at any time!
Want how other quilters are interpreting the PoD patterns? You can see related photo posts here.
- Previous Patterns:
- Week One
- Week Two
- Week Three
- Week Four
- Week Five
- Week Six
- Week Seven
- Week Eight
- Week Nine
- Week Ten
- Week Eleven + corrected alternative block
- Week Twelve
- Extra Credit
- Week Thirteen
Links go straight to posts including block samples. If you do not wish to see photos of the blocks, click this link for previous posts.
If you participate, and you’re part of the hp_paperpiecing community (it’s easy, you just need a Livejournal account), you’ll be eligible for awesome prizes every month! There are details on the site…so GO!
*New PoD pattern posts go to the PoD page, with the actual block behind a link to keep it a mystery!
Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends – Monster Madness, from the Sewhooked Shop
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
TTMT #105 – Hopped Out
Mostly rambles about Shop Hop along with a little PoD Talk!
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
Hop!
Tomorrow is the first day of the annual Bluebonnet Patchwork Trail Shop Hop and Honey Bee Quilt Store, where I both work as a part-time employee and teach quilting classes, will be participating.
I’m excited to share this this shop hop will be a fun one! Without spilling the beans too much, I will let you know that My Magical Lens, the Harry Potter quilt I completed in 2007 is on display! If you’ll be in or around the Austin area, please stop by and have a look at one of my all-time favorite creations, the quilt that started my journey in the online quilt community.
My Magical Lens, 2007
I will be at Honey Bee all four days of the shop hop. Be sure and come by the store if you can. We’re having a lot of fun with this year’s theme and I think you’ll feel that when you get to the store! There are lots of great freebies as well as drawings for fantastic prizes at each store that participates.
Just a tip for first-timers! Bring a sheet of address labels for all the door prizes and raffle tickets you’re sure to need to fill out! It’ll save you writing your address over…and over…and over! You generally need your name, address, email & phone number so you can be tracked down in case you win!
Now, if I’m a little quiet the next few days, you’ll know just where to find me!
SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULE | SEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP
