it's not about surviving the storm, but learning to dance in the rain

halloween is quickly approaching and as i sit here and type this i can see the material for the boys' costumes peeking at me from a pile of fabric. and yet, i can't seem to motivate myself to start them. i easily have at least a dozen excuses but really there's only one and it's been a tough week.

sunday was the 6th anniversary of Piper's birth and I'd like to say that it gets easier each year, but that would be a lie and there's no point in trying to fool myself or anyone else for that matter. the realization that this is simply what it is has hit me hard but i refuse to be knocked down.

i learned how to dance in the rain again a few yrs back but there are always spells where the storm seems relentless and i worry about being washed away, when song lyrics make me cry, and every little thing is a reminder of what could have been had she been born healthy.

but i need to be hopeful and feel brave, so i'm gonna put on my red cape, bake some cookies, and watch for the storm clouds.

ku-ku for cowls

ok, so it's officially fall and even though the days are still pretty warm, my mind can't help but happily drift towards the possibility of upcoming days of cool, crisp weather. autumn is absolutely my most favorite time of year (and not just because i'm a libra) and brings with it a return of some of my favorite things, namely, pumpkin gobs, halloween costumes, fleece jackets, hats, and of course the simplest of accessories, the scarf.

i eagerly waded into my wool stash a few weeks ago, pulling out merinos, cashmere-merino-silk blends, and of course big chunky skeins. once i had myself surrounded with all the lovely colors and textures i tried to figure out what i was going to make with them all. after searching through a bunch of old patterns books and looking on the web for new scarf patterns to try, i finally stumbled upon one for a mobius cowl. now, i had never made a cowl before and certainly never anything that was a mobius but i was intrigued by what seemed to be a complex creation and decided i needed to at least try it. after watching a few tutorials on youtube (search Cat Bordhi, you won't be disappointed) and grabbing some bulky Araucania Limari yarn, i dove in to the process!

this was the first one i made:



then i decided to try some contrast on the outside edges:



verdict: i like the mobius. when you first look at it, it's hard to tell where it begins and ends, but then, that's the whole point, huh?


after that, it seemed only natural to try some other patterns. playing around with a cabled vines stitch pattern that i've used in the past for hats and fingerless gloves, i make up some more cowls. grabbing the merino-cashmere-silk blends as well as some merino-cashmere skeins that i had been holding onto, a half dozen more cowls were created. i really love the way the cable pattern pops with these yarns.





sometimes though, the yarn needs to just speak for itself. this was the last one i made. jokingly referring to it as the "candyland" yarn that jumped into my hands from a display last week at Yarn Explosion, i literally had to have it. not sure i'll be able to part with this one, the colors are just soooo pretty!



final conclusion after 2 weeks of cowl making: i hope my scarves don't take it personally, but i have a new fall LOVE :)

Quirky Quilted Bags

no big surprise but i LOVE bright colors and bold fabrics. i get mesmerized by walls lined with patterned bolts of cotton and tend to lose a fair amount of time trying to decide which ones to buy. i've heard this is a fairly common problem amongst my fellow sewing enthusiasts, which makes me feel slightly better about the ever growing stash that fills the white cabinet in the studio. sometimes though, i have trouble finding just the right combination of both pattern and colorway and need to search the web for my heart's desire. there are plenty of lovely on-line shops to fill the void, with beautiful selections and comparable prices to the brick and mortar shops around town.

i was lucky enough to find all these showcased fabrics on ETSY, browsing through their site is always inspiring, and being able to easily compare prices from shop to shop is definitely a bonus. i miss being able to run my fingers across the bolts but it's equally exciting when the ordered goodies are dropped off in my mailbox!

these are a few of the bags that will be available at the Grandin Village Community Market, Arts and Music Day on October 1st. they're even more beautiful in person, and literally have so many pockets you'll never lose your keys, phone,or chapstick again! so if you're in the neighborhood pop on over and say hi from 9am - 1pm. facebook fans of the Quirky Forest automatically get 10% off any bag that day (yes, that includes the wool felted ones too).

fun and funky felt rings

oh felt, in your lovely hues and soft texture, how i do love you...

so, i've been collecting 100% wool felt for a few yrs. bits and pieces have been used in many different projects but i had quite the stash peeking out of a bin in the studio, waiting for just the right project to come along. imagine my excitement then when i came across the cutest pattern for flower rings in issue #3 of Mollie Makes magazine!

here's a couple of pictures of the rings i made in the last 2 days:




i've been experimenting with the pattern, changing the length of the center strips and design of the outer layers, tweaking it slightly for a few different looks. a couple of examples:




all together, i've made an even dozen so far but have a feeling that these might become addictive to make :)

A Little Bit Hippy?

why yes, i am, actually :)

although not a true hippy since i was born about 25 yrs too late to ever be considered as such, i do like the values and lifestyle associated with that genre. i guess that's why i'm so excited to announce that the Quirky Forest is being featured this month at Roanoke's own, A Little Bit Hippy, located in the upper level of Tower's shopping center.

i met Heidi, the new owner, when i wondered into the store one day last month looking for some yummy smelling perfume oil (mmmmm, coco mango is divine) and we got to chit-chatting. it's so nice to meet another kindred spirit out of the blue and her ideas for revamping the store are awesome. there's plenty of new merchandise but she's stayed true to the central theme that has permeated the store for the last 12 yrs.

so, if you get a chance, check out her blog and stop in the store to take a gander at not only her merchandise but mine too! highlighted items include dresses, quilted bags, as well as a few plushie "wishes" for the kid in all of us.

A Little Bit Hippy blog (where Heidi says some very kind things about my items) plus info about shop hours, her goals, and mission to move into the next generation :)

settling into new space

the last few weeks have been pretty crazy... kids finished another school year, did some traveling, and finally wrapped up the great house purge culminating in a yard sale and 2 very large loads of items taken to Goodwill. my husband joked that the house rose a few inches once it was all gone, hahaha.

i had a purpose though and goal in mind besides just getting rid of unwanted things, i was able to move my craft space (which was previously in a small room upstairs) down to what was our living room. this was a scary proposal to Mike and it took me a while to convince him that i needed a larger and more efficient space to work. at last he agreed and i set to work moving all of my craft supplies downstairs. we reworked the room upstairs to become a game/music space where the boys could practice guitar and piano or just hang out. so far the swap has been working out fantastic. i don't have any "before" pix but here's a few of the new and improved home of the Quirky Forest:






afterward: woo hoo! we took down the old ceiling fan over the weekend and put up some stylish track lighting instead. it's so much brighter and friendly :)

spinning round and round and round

i love dresses which is funny because i was never a big fan of them when i was little. always more of a shorts/jeans and t-shirts kind of kid and then later a grungie teen in early 90's i was disdainful towards the overly girlie concept of dresses in general. foolishly equating them with being an archaic tradition. i laugh when i think about that now as i spend most days in either a skirt or a dress, be it spring, summer, fall, or winter.

versatile, comfy, and cool, dresses are a staple of my wardrobe and i'm always in search of new ones to buy or make. generally speaking though, the style of dresses that i'm most drawn to are somewhat hard to find and many of the fabric choices leave me feeling... well blah. i need colors, bright, happy colors in easy to care for cotton, not synthetics that are too tight or unflattering.

so, when i found this awesome book of patterns called Sewing Clothes Kids Love and the corresponding web site and flickr group i was very excited. now of course, as the title suggests, it's a bunch of patterns for kids but with a few modifications i realized i could adapt it to fit me! hooray!

the following are my first attempt at making the Feliz Party Dress, i went with the beautiful Amy Butler Soul Blossoms line:

i'm currently cutting fabric to make a few more, mixing up some old and new material and using different designers. can't wait to twirl around all summer in these!