i’m a sucker for crafting that doesn’t involve computers. so, prior to mary’s bridal shower, when my fellow cohosts and i were trying to think of a gift to give mary that could also be something she could keep and value, i volunteered to make a gift book.

we had to create our own books in one of the photography courses i took while i was working at the university of minnesota. it’s been a while so i felt a little rusty going in, but definitely excited.

luckily, i still have a tackle box full of crafting supplies for such an occasion! i used to need crafting supplies for several classes i took and would forget to bring certain items (surprise) so i ended up buying way more than i needed during those years. i have three of those cork-backed metal rulers.

but they seriously make cutting straight edges so much quicker and easier. i’ll never throw them away.

i’m lucky to have a resource like the minnesota center for book arts for supplies like book fasteners and pva glue. maybe other places sell these items but i also feel much more hip when shopping at the mcba.

after i got all of the pages cut out, including the pocket into which we placed mary’s theatre gift ticket…

i constructed a table card to make sure it would stand up properly. and success!

almost.

remember: confirm orientation twice, glue once. (i didn’t make this mistake again.)

table cards done! on to constructing the cover.

be patient when cutting book board. it will take several swipes with the knife!

this is the paper i chose for the covers. i thought it was funky and fun — attention-getting but not overwhelming. (for twin city residents who may be reading: the paper depot is a great resource with far too many awesome choices.)

i cut the ¼” gap in the cover so it can bend easily. not something that would’ve occurred to me, so it was a good thing someone told me in advance.

halfway glued and wrapped — looking good so far!

here is a close up of one of the covers finished. the first piece of paper gets wrapped around all edges of the bookboard, but the second piece of paper just has to fit around the “inside” of the uncovered side of the book, hiding the folds from the first piece of paper.

and then it was time for the industrial hole punch. i think i chose one size too big, but oh, well — as long as the holes aren’t too small that the book fasteners don’t fit or so big that the book fasteners fall out then it’s all good.

voilá! a musical book for mary is born!

from cutting to binding, i think the creation of this book took me about four hours in one evening. and can you believe i had so much fun doing it? of course you can.

i have a whole bunch of bookboard left, too. time to make more books!!

✓ practice with the rotary cutter

✓ remember how to do basic embroidery

✓ use the new-to-me antique sewing machine

(new, low-shank ¼” foot purchased at glad creations.)

i’ve had my eye on this pattern from the purl bee for quite some time — i’m so delighted that i was finally able to use it! it served as my reintroduction to the sewing world, forcing me to find my only embroidery hoop and to ensure that my sewing machine was in good working condition.

i can still sew a straight line: hooray!

purl bee instructions read:

To make sure the pillows corners are neat you will want to sew a curve instead of a right angle. Mark this curve by using a juice glass as instructed below.

a wine glass works just as well, i’ve found. (maybe even better at times.)

everything i learned in home ec. class came flooding back with that familiar sewing machine hum. it feels so good to craft!

the finished pillow cases! they make me happy and there’s another bonus: an item on my 101 goals in 1001 days list is complete.

can’t wait to get to sewing some quilt blocks — i am currently in the process of cutting many squares. i am nervous about cutting up all of my lovely fabrics (worried i’ll do something wrong) but also really excited to finally be making some progress! i hope i can get a lot more cutting done this weekend, so i can start laying everything out by sunday night. (i’ll just have to find a good, cat-free zone for this…)

i received a wise reminder from my friend, bertine: “measure twice!” (so far, so good!)

tonight i spent some time with my antique sewing machine that jason and i inherited from our home’s previous owner. it is a wards signature sewing machine, model UHT J277E. do you happen to have a manual i could look at?

it’s been a while since i’ve looked at a sewing machine, so i decided that if i could do some test sewing tonight, that would be cool. i don’t want to use the machine to finish the pillow covers i’ve been working on until i have a good grasp on how to use it.

i had a couple challenges during my exploration tonight. first, i couldn’t figure out how to run the machine! where is the foot pedal?! i searched through the drawers again (which i’ve previously looked through and cleaned up a bit) but didn’t find anything. i was almost ready to give up. almost.

it turns out that this machine doesn’t have a foot pedal, but it does have a knee pedal! on the inside under the table foldout is the pedal. so cool! i don’t know why this excites me, but i just think its so unique. it makes the machine that much more weird and awesome to have!

i mean, the thing is already avocado green. can you buy sewing machines in this color anymore?

my next challenge was figuring out how to insert a new needle. i probably spent a half hour trying to find the right screwdriver and messing with various bits to try to figure it, when i thought i’d give up for the evening and share my photos instead. (much less frustrating.)

the only useful information i’ve found online is from jim and elizabeth and i think i see a clue for installing my needle in their photos, so hopefully i have some more success during my next attempt.

in the drawers, my favorite things are the ridiculous number of bobbins (most of them already filled with thread), the magnifying glass, and the vintage wooden thread spools. there is also a special wards signature case filled with different feet for the machine and a bunch of other little parts that i am clueless about. (again: anyone have a manual?)

i am too lazy to look this up on google at the moment: what is “stretch stitch sewing”? i don’t think i’ll need to do this for quilting. i think.

i smiled so hard when i found what was cast into the bottom of the machine. happy!

i was an embroidery fool over the weekend, but i finished that bit of my current project last night. i am making pillow covers for the sofa in our living room. it seems like a simple project, but we need new pillow covers and i thought this would be a good, small project to test out my sewing machine — which i’m planning to use for the first time tonight!

in somewhat related news, i joined in on the pinterest fun, though i haven’t yet added a lot to my craft room idea board.

this is my crafting room currently. very unsatisfying. i have my eye on a certain table and an expedit shelf from ikea — both in white. i also want to paint the walls white. this is a basement room with a north-facing window, so it needs as much help finding light as it can get. i think having white walls and white furniture will help everything look clean while helping my beautiful yarns, fabrics, and other miscellaneous decor really stand out.

speaking of, i have a really lovely little fabric collection for my first quilt (or two)!

these arrived in the mail very quickly from sew modern. i read about the shop on film in the fridge last wednesday, placed an order that evening, and the package arrived on saturday. such delicious fabrics!

i got these from jo-ann fabrics on saturday. my friend, bertine, informed me about their iphone app that has coupons — so i got 40% off that cut of navy fabric!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
   I got to see a little bit of California’s wine country! So lovely, I want to go back.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   I don’t usually make real resolutions, but in 2012 I’m going to continue improving my domestic diva-ness: canning my own food and sewing my own quilt.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   My friend, Erin, had her daughter, Lillian, last New Year’s Eve.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   Jason’s uncle (aka Dad #2), Fred, passed away in August. My mom’s uncle, Roger, passed away in September.
5. What countries did you visit?
   I decided to stay in the US this year… (I should use my passport more.)
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
   Paint on the walls in my home, a comfortable crafting room (“lady town”), and my dream bathroom. We have a lot of housework to do in 2012! (And thanks to my generous siblings, we have a very good head-start with our home improvement funds.)
7. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched your memory, and why?
   Over the 4^th of July weekend I photographed a very lovely half-Indian, half-Scottish wedding. August 21^st was the day Uncle Fred lost his battle with cancer. July 29^th was the day Jason closed on the house. (There were a lot of good days mixed in with bad days this year.)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Advancing my career as a web chick (aka web developer)!
9. What was your biggest failure?
   Not paying off more debt.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    Excellent timing: I was diagnosed with an ear infection about two days prior to my insurance ending with my previous employer — and I would’ve had to wait another month for my insurance with my new employer to kick in!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    Movers really helped me out mid-August (as did my fantastic brother-in-law).
12. Where did most of your money go?
    I’m honestly not sure — a lot of little things really add up, I guess.
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Moving into the house with the man I love! Also, becoming more of a domestic diva: cooking for Thanksgiving dinner with friends, canning, gardening (next year), knitting, and sewing.
14. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011?
    Cloud Cult’s “Running with the Wolves.”
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    • happier or sadder? Happier!
    • thinner or fatter? About the same, though my new employer feeds me a lot and I haven’t been walking or standing as much.
    • richer or poorer? A little bit richer, but still working on paying off that pile of debt!
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Crafting, reading, hanging out with friends.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Wallowing in depression about money.
18. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
    Over the last couple days, Jason and I were in South Dakota with my family. This afternoon we’re celebrating Bertine & Zach’s wedding. In another two weekends, we’ll be celebrating with Jason’s family in Iowa.
19. Did you fall in love in 2011?
    I fell more in love, if that’s even possible.
20. How many one-night stands?
    I try to stand at least once every night.
21. What was your favorite TV program?
    The Walking Dead. It makes me nervous and I can’t watch it without Jason being around, but it’s so well written and acted!
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
    I try not to use this word/feel this emotion.
23. What was the best book you read?
    The only book I read this year was The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, but I did very much enjoy it.
24. What was/were your greatest musical discoveries?
    Florence + The Machine is probably my favorite from this year.
25. What did you want and get?
    For the last five months or so, I’ve been dying to trade in my Android for an iPhone, but it was never financially feasible. I was going to wait until next month to take the plunge, but my sweetie did some sneaking around and got me an iPhone for Christmas! I may or may not have cried (just a little bit). (Excitement, you know?) (Who am I kidding? I cry at everything.)
26. What was your favorite film of this year?
    Harry Potter!
27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 30 this past November. I had a couple friends visiting, Bridget and Lindy. We went to brunch at Fat Nat’s Eggs, visited the Museum of Russian Art and IKEA, then for dinner (with Jason and Kristi joining) we made Tater Tot Hot Dish and watched both of the final Harry Potter movies back-to-back. It was a great day!
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    If our girl kitties would just (at least) tolerate each other.
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
    Too poor to shop for clothing, make do with what I have.
30. What kept you sane?
    Jason.
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    I very much enjoyed watching Will & Kate’s Royal Wedding (and seeing what she wore and her jewelry and etc. etc. etc.)
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
    I don’t know, I’m not really very political (out loud, I guess).
33. Who did you miss?
    Friends from South Dakota (I didn’t make it home enough this year).
34. Who was the best new person you met?
    I met a lot of new people this year — my new team at work, friends’ friends, or people just passing through my life’s adventures.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
    Just breathe. Everything will work out.
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
    Then lights they fill the air, or were they always there?
    I finally see it. I finally see it.
    And I heard the captain say, I heard the captain say,
    “You’re always close to it, so very close to it.”
    There’s so much energy in us.