DIY vintage-feel tee

Here's a DIY tutorial for making your own faux-vintage tee. So comfortable!

Passion

Gotta love Pixelfarm!

Love

Mayer Hawthorne posted this image to facebook the other day. It speaks to me, but I can't for the life of me figure out where it comes from.

Urban Art (knit edition)

Recently, I have seen a few small pieces of knit urban art in my community of Logan Square, and I just love them! The following link from Deputy Dog is an older post, but houses a pretty sweet collection of knit pieces. I think the one on the tree outside the Logan Square el stop, top one below, has since been removed.

Whiskey Pie

I don't know what prompted me to start looking for a whiskey pie recipe - maybe just to discover if such a thing really existed. Well, it does. I'm not sure I ever really intended to make this pie when I stumbled across it, but I mentioned it to a friend who is having a birthday today, and he loved the idea, so I made one last night. Pretty simple process that goes really quickly, so have your ingredients pre-measured out or you will be scrambling.

Donnie, here is your whiskey pie. Enjoy!


RECIPE: (Courtesy of Group Recipes, minus the spelling errors, and with a few minor revisions)

5 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup good Irish or Bourbon Whiskey
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 large pre-baked cooled pie shell or graham cracker crust
shaved chocolate


1. beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored
2. slowly beat in sugar
3. dissolve gelatin in boiling water
4. when completely dissolved, add 1/4 cup whiskey
5. add gelatin mixture to egg/sugar mixture while stirring very quickly
6. add remaining whiskey , stirring quickly
7. whip cream until semi-soft, semi-firm peaks form
8. add 1 cup or more whipped cream to egg/whiskey mixture and fold until well blended
9. pour into pie shell and chill about 2 hours or until set
10. sprinkle chocolate shavings on top and then decorate border with remaining whipped cream

Rainbow Cake, redux

Remember way back when I did a post about rainbow cake? Well, turns out it was only like two posts ago, but nearly a year ago! I finally finished the marmalade quilt last month, and although the first rainbow cake was given away for a friend's birthday, I am finally getting around to posting pictures of subsequent rainbow cakes. Not only are they easy to make, but they are amazing looking and DELICIOUS!

New Alphabet

And I'm back! Who knows where the hell I went.

But today I stumbled across (via Love Forever) this whimsical little gem from Pentagram, such a beautifully executed little video quiz about your typeface font. The narrator's voice and the unobtrusive soundtrack in the background put me so at ease!

Turns out I'm New Alphabet, the "uncompromisingly Dutch font" that is "exceptionally striking while being almost totally illegible." Apparently New Alphabet is for me because "I am a statement maker when that statement makes perfect sense to [me and] it is immaterial if it makes no sense to anyone else."

If I Were A Robot

Look at this darling stencil of a robot, courtesy of Simply Radiant. If I were a robot, I would want to be this robot!

Of Marmalade Quilts and Rainbow Cakes

It has been suggested that this quilt top is reminiscent of marmalade. I think it is a fitting description. I based this on a pattern I think was called "Bento Box," although my lines are nowhere as crisp and perfect as the quilt I was using as inspiration. But I like it a little askew, like life. Here's a little preview:

Also, I will be making this rainbow cake today, found at the awesome food blog, Omnomicon. How freaking sweet does this thing look??? I'll let you know how it turns out. (Oh, and I'm definitely making the full fat version, none of this diet cake for me!)

Unintentional Urban Art (and some Urban Camoflage

I found some unintentional urban art on the street the other morning - I happened upon one of those mailing labels that are often tagged and then stuck up near the El or on newspaper boxes. I initially thought someone had done a little watercolor or drawn some cool spots on it, but it turns out that some rain from the night before had collected on the surface. I like the result!


While searching The Girl in the Green Dress the other day, I came upon this hilarious urban camoflage post! I trie googling it to find some other fun images like this, but a lot of the others involve intricately painted suits designed to blend into the background surroundings. I didn't like them as much - these below are more fun.
I've got Rosemary biscuits baking in the oven right now...I'll let you know how they were shortly!

Hot off the Presses

Yesterday morning I finished a quilt for my friend Soraya. It is predominantly turquoise, gold, and black, as requested. I aim to please. :-) I machine quilted it around the insides of each patch and then did a zig-zag shape down the middle of the bigger pieces to conform with the stitching directions for the batting I was using.

I called the quilt Black Hills Gold. I was at a loss for a name so I typed "black turquoise gold name" (probably without the quotes) into the great Googley Moogley and the result was a page about the properties of this type of jewelery, which while it contains rose colors, seemed the most fitting.


I also recently started making pilowcases for the ConKerr Cancer program, which provides bright cheery pillowcase to seriously ill children. I hope mine are bright and cheery enough! The program has been nationally recognized by Martha Stewart Omni Media, Talbots, Bank of America, SVP Worldwide (Singer-Viking-Pfaff), Macy’s and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children. How cool is that?

Frittata

So I made a frittata for breakfast the other day with asparagus, beet greens and tofu - it was so wonderful I had to share a photo of it:I still need to try quiche, but it intimidates me. Perhaps I just need an easy recipe (or any recipe for that matter) for the crust....hmmm...

Descartes' Angle

Apparently 42^o is the angle at which a rainbow can be seen, so I have called my rainbow quilt "Descartes' Angle" which is also sometimes known as the "rainbow angle." Click here for a scientific explanation, because that's all you're getting on it from me...


Although the back is rather plain-seeming, I quilted it in corresponding rainbow-hues, so you can also see a rainbow of stitching on the back.

I guess I have just been feeling rainbow-ey lately.

Finished Quilts and Breakfast Pizza

As mentioned in my last post, I recently finished Maggie's Color Wheel Quilt, based on the Ives Color Wheel. The quilt measures 86" x 67". It even has a button on it! :-) Here are some pictures of it:
And I finally started a quilt for my old roommate, Mik. It is currently a blue and brown stripey work-in-progress.
I also ordered a headband recently from Bryn over at BatemanHeadbands. I ordered one on a small size in the teal and autumn red because her pictures looked so good.

Lastly, I decided to make bacon and egg pizza for lunch yesterday. I used some of my homemade dough that I make in my bread maker. D-E-licious! See?

Etsy, Finally

The Atelier K site at Etsy is finally up and running, although it is only scantly stocked right now. I am working on getting a quilt up there some time soon, just to see how that works out. You can see the site here - let me know what you think!

Also, I just finished a quilt that has been in the works for 2+ years - a quilt based on the Ives Color Wheel, seen below. The quilt, while elaborate, has far fewer colors, and involved (probably) more math to get all the angles right! Pictures to follow!Also, I am currently listening to the song Sleepy Tigers by Her Space Holiday. Blogger won't let me upload it here, but you should check it out here. It makes me want to do a crazy dance around my kitchen. :-)

X-Mas Craft Time

Welcome to the belatedly posted holiday edition of my somewhat infrequently-posted blog. My mom requested a winter-themed holiday runner for the kitchen table, and even went out and bought fabric for the project, so I was more than happy to oblige. The result was so outstanding that I was commissioned to make a second one for my sister's boyfriend's mom. Here is the one I made for my mom:

Also, my sister's boyfriend, Ev, was quite taken with an away message of mine ("Make art. Or toast. Whichever comes first.") and wanted to have it stenciled onto a tee shirt. I suggested that he do a freezer paper stencil (an excellent tutorial of which can be found here), and he suggested that it be out Christmas craft done before dinner at my mom's house. So, although my sister neglected to participate, Ev and I made some fine looking tees, as evidenced below. Mine is a revolver, which was supposed to look like I have it tucked in my waistband, but the picture doesn't quite do it justice when I'm wearing it.

Lastly, I had been looking to do this project for awhile, and then I found the perfect frame a friend's give away bin. I covered a piece of foam-core board with fabric, and then inserted it into the frame, which now provides a perfect, beautiful storage space to my ever-growing collection of (mostly) vintage brooches.

New Tools!

Here is the long awaited picture of my new sewing machine (Singer Confidence Quilter), purchased about a month ago. I got a crazy deal on it at JoAnn Fabrics. The sale price tags were still on the machine even though the sale had ended 2 days before, so the saleslady honored the sale price. Apparently JoAnn doesn't usually keep the machines in stock, but instead they order it to the store after you pay for it...however, I got the last one they had on hand! I rock!

I couldn't be happier with the new machine. I had been agonizing over getting a new machine and picking out what kind I wanted for the past 6 months or so, and it was so frustrating. I was looking for a machine with a wide opening and only needed one that did straight and zig-zag. Apparently this seemingly simple machine is a thing of the days of yore (as is now my Stitchmaster Zig Zag Deluxe machine). I now have 99 stitch types, and an extension table that came with the machine - you can see it attached on the left of the picture.

Now I cannot wait to get my sewing table to I have more of a flat surface to work with! Whew! Feel free to ask me any questions about the machine, because I love talking about it! Here is also another link to information about the machine, because the Singer Confidence Quilter site (link above) is sorely lacking in information.
Lastly, I needed a new pincushion, so I made one this morning from the Heather Bailey tutorial found here. It is so cute, but unfortunately I think I need something a little more substantial - perhaps I should use a heavier weight stuffing or more of it next time!

Three Quilts and Tea

Quite a busy few weeks quilt-wise lately. I still have a color wheel quilt in the works for my friend Maggie, but it is on hold while I work out a problem I'm having with it. However, I finished the quilt top for my friend Soraya's quilt. Here is a sample of the turquoise, gold and black beauty:
I also finished the quilt top of a blue and yellow quilt, but I have no one in particular in mind to gift this one to yet. Here is a sample of that one:

I also actually finished (in record time) a quilt for my roommate's friend who is having a baby. The pink side is the front, and the green paisley is the back. It is edged with eyelet lace.


Lastly, I have fallen in love with the Marani tea from Tea Gschwendner. I was actually looking for a tea akin to the Queen of Babylon tea from Teavana, and the Marani stacks up well. It is far cheaper, and has a more rounded, less sweet flavor. Brew me up a cup!

Two Tickets

Two tickets, each more valuable than the next. Wait, actually one was far superior to the other and, ironically, more magical.

Making My Morning Better

On my way to the El most mornings, I see a car whose license plate brightens my day, so I thought I'd share it with you:

And here are the fabulous cupcakes that I decorated for our Halloween party. I think my favorite is the scared little looking cupcake near the middle of the bunch.
Finally, here are some of the pumpkins carved at the party. Mine is the one on the left. And it is totally coincidental that there are two pirate themed pumpkins - we were keeping our designs secret from each other until we had finished carving. Could it be that we were subconsciously influenced by someone's recent move to Tortola, an island once inhabited by pirates???