November 2007

I’m pretty happy about Christmas all year long. B says that in late November and December, the world just catches up with me.

We put up some of the decorations on Thanksgiving, but I was too embarrassed to tell. I thought it was a tad early…but there it is. They’re up, and I’m glad.

About the stockings: My first name starts with M (my household nickname starts with B) and B’s real name starts with W (no, not Walter…think Beatty). If I had it to do over again, I would do two Bs. We never call each other by our “real” names, so these stockings seem like they’re for other people.

I embroidered the M using a satin stitch, and the W is a collection of French knots. All of which I learned here. I enlarged the letters from two fonts I liked, traced them on the flannel, and then filled them in with embroidery floss. I then cut out and sewed the stockings.

These paper “ornaments” are actually gift tags from the Martha line at Michaels.

This pear ornament was made by my mom.

In the form of a few images from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (illustrated by Lizbeth Zwerger).

(See the small ‘painting’ within the picture? Two small faces? I wonder about this. Are these the artist’s children? Neighbors? No significance?)

Spokane at 7 a.m. (the moon was still up).



Really enjoying these napkins. I went into Pottery Barn with a very practical plan (we have needed a coat rack for about three years). And then there were these napkins. Oh the places they’ll go (pillows? tote? scarf? pouches?). Click here for a better image (this camera and I are not sympatico…which is a nice way of saying that I can’t seem to get it to work the way I want it to).

This is an “oh” post, isn’t it?

Especially when I tell you that someone walked outside wearing garden clogs to shovel the walk and snow got in her shoe (she said “Oh!”). Serves me her right for being too lazy to dig out the boots.

…little of that. The afternoon light is weak but welcome in the living room.

I made some draft snakes (B calls them draught snakes). I saw one as I was browsing Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing book, but because I didn’t buy the book was left to my own devices for the dimensions.

I made the first one very simple: I just sewed the pieces together and then sewed the long side seam. I secured the end with three snaps (B calls them press studs).

The second one I used Denyse Schmidt’s foundation piecing method (by sewing each piece to a central piece of muslin). I used velcro to secure the end.

They are filled with rice in ziploc bags.

When B first moved to this country, he found pumpkin pie to be yet another crazy invention by nutty Americans. Pumpkin?! For dessert?! It’s squash!!

The first time he ate it (which he did to be polite) he thought it was odd. But then, the next November, he was sort of looking forward to it.

I made one. No special recipe, just the one from the can (I figure they have sorted out the glitches in their test kitchen.)

I also made mashed potatoes in the style of my sister’s mother-in-law (thank you, Mrs. Lofthouse): with cream cheese. I can highly recommend you try it.

Oh, and lastly: I saw Into Great Silence and found it to be a feast. This is the most visually beautiful film. All-around…lovely (I know I use that word a lot, but it fits a lot).

(Back to the crafty stuff soon…really)

Today is Buy Nothing Day (BND) (internationally it is tomorrow, Nov. 24). It is the start of the Christmas shopping season and traditionally stores have sales to attract shoppers.

I have celebrated BND for three years. It is easy for me to not go to malls (I hate them) and other shops for one day. I hate brick-and-mortar browsing/shopping. I really do. I’m not a big fan of stuff, period (I exclude fabric from this category…ahem). I regularly throw out things (and sometimes need them later) just because clutter drives me jolly round the bend. So how hard is it for me to celebrate the traditional Buy Nothing Day, where I avoid stores for one day? It’s super easy; I avoid stores (even Jo-Ann) most every day.

But being fully present and thinking about the consequences of my actions when ordering *online* through the year (including BND)? Not quite as easy. Especially when I see something I love from Purl or Equilter, or, Center of All Temptation, Superbuzzy.

My big plan

Am I going to buy stuff online (outside BND)? Yes. But I’m also going to recognize that my choices don’t affect only me, and I’m going to *think twice* before participating in consumer culture. How far has the item been shipped? Who made it? How are their working conditions? Could I make do with something I already have? And so on. The issue to me is more about conscious choices than not buying anything (either on BND or for Christmas).

Just think twice

So today, in the vein of Buy Nothing Day, I’m asking for Just Think Twice About It Day, and I’m asking that it starts with me.

The Christmas slant

I have celebrated BND for as long as I’ve celebrated a Buy Nothing Christmas. The simple reason (for the no-gift exchange) is that the exchange had lost its meaningfulness. The people with whom I was exchanging gifts (time, gift certificates, or straight gifts, handmade or otherwise) did not feel edified, and I felt stressed and frustrated. So I stopped doing it (with a little help from this article).

But I wish I had another term for it, because I’m not opposed to the gift exchange (even if one buys gifts). I’m opposed to doing things because we’ve always done them, even if they cause stress and unhappiness. My new term would be something like Fully Present Holiday Celebration or Meaningful Merriment (suggestions welcome), rather than Buy Nothing Christmas.

For now, for me, the plan that works best is to not exchange gifts. But everything is an experiment, so it could change tomorrow. I should also mention that I am so thrilled for the Handmade Pledge and Etsy. If I ever participate in the exchange again, Etsy will be the first stop on my list.

Because really, it’s more about the spirit of it than the letter of it. And the spirit of it is happiness: Whether that means exchanging gifts, going on walks, baking treats, writing letters, or making snow angels. That’s my holiday wish for you: Lots of what you like.

6. I’m thankful for companionship.
It is such a gift, and one that I never expected to find. I cherish it.

7. I’m thankful for poetry.
I am especially grateful for Billy Collins.

8. I’m thankful for rubber gloves.
There is no job too scary when you’re wearing rubber gloves.

9. I’m thankful for hot running water.
Two things contribute to this: 1) Two trips to Kenya as a teenager, once in a town and once on the savannah, both times with water-shortage issues. 2) My parents’ house is out in the country and has a (finite?) well.

Running water seems like a miracle to me. And hot running water is a luxury.

10. I’m thankful for children’s books.

I have a deep affection for the work of Lizbeth Zwerger.

I also really love the book Angel Pig and the Hidden Christmas, which was introduced to me by one of my nieces.

To return the favor, I sent her And Tango Makes Three. Note: Tango was on the Most Challenged Book List of 2006, so it might not be welcome in every family.

11. Art in the form of painting.

Theodore Roethke said “Art is the means we have of undoing the damage of haste. It’s what everything else isn’t.”

Two favorites: Fabrice Moireau and, as always, Carl Larsson.

3. I’m thankful for peach rings.

4. I’m thankful for automatic washing machines.

My late maternal grandmother’s hands told stories of years of boiling water and various hard-core laundry detergents. I wish she was alive, she would have the fanciest washing machine or, even better, me to do her laundry.

4b. I’m thankful for hand-made drying racks.
(Please e-mail me if you’d like the address of the woman who makes the ones I use…she doesn’t yet have a Web site.)

5. Netflix. I am thankful that DVDs show up in the mail (even if one gets accused of having a school-girl crush on Michael Wood because of the frequency of his documentaries in the queue). I am also thankful that I won’t have to go into a video store ever again.

This is a treat. We try to buy local and organic, but more often than not we end up getting food that has been shipped a long way to us. We’re working on this. But, we have not had oranges or bananas for a long, long time. (There has been the odd joke about scurvy.) These little jewels are from California…(we live two states away).

I am thankful to have eaten today. And I’m thankful for the people who spend their time learning about soil, water, compost, and climate. I feel so lucky to live in an area where there is fresh-from-the-farm produce (surprising, considering how far north we are). Granted, it’s not year-round, but I’m thankful for the time we do have.

I’m thankful for farmers.

This is a handkerchief (a bit of it). I am thankful for the hands that made it. And if hands didn’t make it, I’m thankful for the artist who drew the design before sending it off to be made by a machine.

This Thursday is when Thanksgiving is celebrated in this country (the United States). While there is a lot of valid discussion about what the holiday does/should mean, I know that for myself there is always more time to reflect and be thankful.

Traditions didn’t seem to take hold very well in my family of origin, but one that lasted awhile was the candle-lighting-and-being thankful ceremony. Not being terribly interested in lavish meals, the food was typically just-one-better than our regular dinners.* But before we ate anything, each of us had an unlit candle. We would say one thing we were thankful for and then light the candle from a central one, and put it in a rather tacky-but-meaningful candelabra.

I’m thankful for crafters. I’m thankful for the things people make that they are willing to share via the Internet, so that other crafters (all over the world) can be inspired. Thanks, crafters. You make my life happier. I look forward to your projects almost as much as I do my own. I read your blogs, look at your projects, get inspired, and feel like all will be well with the world.

I’m thankful for craft. I’m glad there is a medium to make something with one’s own hands, engaging the brain, fingers, eyes…interacting with our chosen tools (fabric, paper, paint, wax, lye, scent, etc.).

I’m thankful for crafting. I love the process of making something, even if the outcome is not what one imagined it would be. I love being surprised by the turns any given project can take. The act of making something is at once engaging, soothing, and restorative. I’m thankful for it.

*(You know how when one goes to an interview, people say to dress one-better than you would for everyday? This was like interview food.)

Addendum:

1) Etsy.
2. Supermarket.

Like many of you, I am a big fan of The Small Object.

I was pleasantly surprised to see her profiled in the December 2007 issue of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion.

Here’s what the cover looks like



(I don’t buy magazines as a rule…I am rather proactively sheltered from large segments of popular media, and experience culture shock when I am exposed to it. For instance, I bought the newest Martha Stewart magazine and, after tearing out all the advertising I found pointless/insulting/redundant, was left with a rather slim volume. I was enticed by the gingerbread houses on the cover.)

I sent out these cards a few years ago, and I loved them so much I wanted to use them again. I bought them here, and what do you know, they are still available.

Also, I took my canvas bags once again to Jo-Ann, and the checkout girl grabbed it and used it. I didn’t even have to ask! It just warms the heart…

…the holidays do sneak in.

This is the chair that lives by the front door. (We take our shoes off when we come in, and this helps…not that hopping on one foot while untying a shoelace isn’t a certain kind of fun.)

I made the pillow from a pair of boxer shorts. I remember cutting it very carefully so as to avoid the seams. I’m still not sure how I did it.

You could blame Hillary, but it wouldn’t really be fair. She mentioned some goodies on her blog, but it was me who found my own way to the local Michaels.

I take my canvas bags everywhere (which typically consists of the grocery store and Jo-Ann). I usually have to spell it out (”I brought my own bag”) because the checkers will look directly at the canvas bag you’ve placed on the counter and then begin to pack your items in a plastic bag. This time, after spelling it out, the checker replied, “You don’t like plastic?” (Note: Initially she put my canvas bag in a plastic bag. I’m absolutely serious.)

Sigh. No, frankly, I don’t. Need some resources? One. Two. Three (caution: sad image).

So, no points for *not* being a consumer today, but a few for giving the checker (and the ladies in line behind me) something to think about (reusable! what a revelation!). One of these days I’ll get some bamboo-fabric bags and feel even better.

Forgive me, but does anyone else think Craft Punk would be a funny name for a blog? (I estimate that there are 15 people in the world who will get this pun: The place where craft blogs and music collide…for those outside the 15, there is a techno band called Daft Punk). I bet this blog is already up somewhere…

Yep.

Taken out the window…

Of this cathedral.

(This photo is one block of the Christmas quilt in progress.)

I’ve been trying to put off the holiday spirit, but it’s creeping in.

I really love the Christmas season: carols, egg nog, cards, wreaths, Christmas lights, snow globes, etc.

This might be odd for a household like this (for a start, we aren’t religious and we don’t exchange gifts). But I really do try to put it off, it tends to take over a bit once I get going. Everything looks normal and three hours later it looks as though a festive tornado has hit.

We used to exchange gifts, but then we found this plan. It’s not for everyone, to be sure, but I’m a, um, convert.

I have been inspired by the Buy Handmade Pledge. I also wish I had known about Etsy back when I exchanged gifts. So many lovely things, made with care. I feel merry just thinking about it.

Have you seen this? Lots of good ideas and links to more good blogs.

Is it too early to break out the Christmas songs?

(This is a quilt I made for the holiday season a few years ago. It is called Red Rosa, in honor of Rosa Parks. On the day she died, I started this quilt. It was a way of grieving and commemorating an amazing life all at once. Thank goodness for crafting.)

Melissa’s happy news

First off, I am just so happy for Melissa. I also wish that it was my news too. “Jealous” isn’t the right word, because that would imply that I would rather have it myself than rejoice for her. And that’s not true. I just wish it could be news for both of us. And it can! I dwell in possibility…and maybe someday in Scandinavia, near Melissa.

Angry Chicken’s book signing

As many of you have read, this lady has a book out. And last night there was a signing in Portland, Oregon (which is about 5 and a half hours from here). It looks like it was a lot of fun. And this photo caught my eye especially. Does that fabric ring any bells? An apron! What a good idea…

I admit I momentarily considered driving down for the book signing. Look at the fabrics in that shop!

Jane Brocket’s book and blog

This book has caught my attention and I am calmly (ok, somewhat desperately) trying to find it here in the States. The author also has a blog, which had about the most timely and coincidental post ever a few days ago. A old friend was talking about her options for life, and was feeling somewhat confused. And then Ms. Brocket’s amazing post about changing one’s mind…which I forwarded to said old friend.

Getting the blood up

So I was somewhat surprised and disappointed at this snarky and near-sighted write-up. I thought it entirely missed the boat on lots of levels. I was heartened by some of the comments, though.

1) If your husband/spouse/partner is putting expectations on you based on something he’s seen, the issue isn’t with what he’s seen, the issue is with him.

2) There is no magic formula for a woman’s life: Some women love their jobs/home/domestic things/waterskiiing/historical fiction/emu farm. Saying that women who enjoy domestic things “raises the bar” for others is simply goofy. Do women who have successful careers/the ability to bench-press a Honda/libraries of first editions/jars of home-made jam “raise the bar” for those who don’t? There is no bar. We’re all walking our own paths. Find your own, embrace it, and don’t judge what fits someone else.

Point 1: There should be room for all of us

I can’t not make stuff. I can’t not feather the nest. It comes naturally. Some women can’t not have jobs with Fortune 500 companies. It fits them. It makes them happy. They’re good at it. It comes naturally. Should we compare lives? Should an apple be an orange? There should be room for all of us. (Which includes the female Vice Presidents of Finance who work at jobs all day and go home to knit socks, and the women who stay home all day and read economics books for fun, and all the other wonderful combinations of humans. The lines aren’t easily drawn, and it begs the question as to why we need to at all.)

Point 2: Teachable moment for myself

I pondered the article a long time, and then I went downstairs and worked on a quilt. When I’m working on a quilt, I can’t wait to wake up. Which means that I go to bed about 7:30 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. rolling ideas around and wondering if the sewing machine is loud enough to wake anyone. I can’t not make quilts, and I strive to surround myself with people who support that, even if they don’t understand/agree with it, or choose it for themselves.

I hope I return the favor.

There are quite a few things I should be doing. I’m adding “blog post” to the list, just so I can cross something off. (I can also cross off “browse Flickr for inspiring crafty projects.”)

I was reminded how much I love Lotta Jansdotter’s sensibility last night while browsing one of her books. (In the end, I bought this one instead. I know, everyone is going on and on about it, and I hate to follow trends, but I really liked it.)

Her stuff just amazes me, so simple and perfect.

I have a Lotta Jansdotter bag (I don’t see it in the bag section of her site). (It wasn’t this color when I bought it…I dyed it.) I have an unnatural love for this bag, but my fidelity is being tested by these bags. Maybe when this one wears out in five years?

I bought these labels awhile ago and have been pasting them on everything. Their only drawback is that they tend to curl (I’m re-thinking the one I put on an envelope to the lovely A…which may or may not have ever reached her. Hmmmm.)

I’m thankful for Lotta Jansdotter, her talent, and the fact that she’s willing to share it with the rest of the world. I’m also pretty happy with these labels.

I am currently at work on a quilt for the holiday season. It’s a very simple one, but along the way I became enamored with one of the fabrics (the photo above does not do it justice…it is soft and dottie and perfect). I went to Joann to buy some more of it (nothing doing, it’s gone forever). Normally, I’m with Kathy. I have a plan when I go into the store (and, yes, I admit it, a list). But a certain fabric sort of called to me, and two yards later…

As the lady was measuring the fabric, she said, “It has an Asian feel, doesn’t it? With the little doorways.” And I said, “I was thinking it was kind of Scandinavian.” We both re-looked at it, and realized that we were both right. It was a cool moment.

There are people who can walk past $2-per-yard fabric. I am *usually* one of them…

I wanted this one to do this project.

I really liked this one (does it also remind you of wallpaper a bit?).

This one struck me as sort of prairie farm-wife…and it was orange, so it came home.

I have no idea.

Want to cancel a catalog? How about a bunch of catalogs? Follow this link…

It theoretically takes 10 weeks, and I’m not sure if they can cancel catalogs for which you don’t have a customer number. I figure it’s worth a try.

This is the picture I will be looking at this month (from a Carl Larsson calendar). It is called Aftonvarden (Evening meal). Every year I say I’ll get a different artist…I never do. I love his paintings.

I recently bought a pendant from Blair’s Etsy shop (find her blog here). I’m always amazed to get things from Etsy sellers…you can feel the love, generosity, and (I like to think) the pleasure they had making their stuff.

The pendant is made from plastic (Shrinky Dinks or something similar?) with a swatch of fabric (or a photo of fabric?) on top. I haven’t figured out how she did it, but I bet it was tricky.

All is quiet here, even with a rather bright quilt up.