Bibliosophy Handmade

Preparations....

As you prepare for the holidays, may I suggest some new-to-the-shop embellishments, and giftable items?

Gift tags!  For wrapping pretty packages....

Cards, for sending warm wishes....

Calendars, for gift-giving, and New Year planning.  A desk calendar....

Or a wall calendar...

And for the stocking, perhaps some recipe cards...

And a New Year's tea towel (contact me if you're interested, I have a small supply, but can order more).

****Photos by the wonderful Briana Snyder Photography!

 

Now In!

My first new product in my line of paper goods; just in time for the holidays, a 2013 Desk Calendar!  I started painting again back in August, and my intention was only to create something pretty and useful as gifts for my friends for Christmas.  But it was so much fun, I thought I would try putting it out there in the wider world. 

More to come!

A New Direction

Whew!  It's been a while!  Our little baby #3 is now 16 months, and we are (somewhat) used to the chaos of a three year old, a two year old, and a one year old.  My work has taken some twists and turns, and led back to painting and drawing.  Here is a sneak peek:

A new line of paper goods, to launch sometime next year hopefully.  I may do some test runs in the near future so keep an eye on my Etsy shop! 

Glad to be back.

 

Traveling Sweater

 This sweater has traveled many miles, and is destined to travel some more.  I started knitting this in Champaign, Illinois on our long trip up north, so it's seen Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio.  And now that it's finished, it's leaving to travel around the country some more.  To places like New York City, and Los Angleles, the deep South, and the West.

Some other crafty friends are doing a round robin with sweaters and shawls where each person sends their sweater to the other 11 people, who then embroider or embellish on it and pass it on to the next person.  So as this sweater travels around being beautified, I will be trying to beautify 11 other sweaters or shawls.  It should be fun, and I hope to have some pretty results to share here on the blog.

The details of this sweater:  the Hourglass Sweater pattern by Joelle Hoverson, knit in Noro Cash Iroha, color Aqua.  The fit is superb, and it was a great mindless knit.  If you plan to knit this though, deinitely check the errata for the pattern, there are mistakes in the older editions of the book.  And in the end, I changed the raglan shaping, as the errata was even wrong.

But overall a very fun, quick knit that produces a wardrobe-staple-sweater.  What patterns do you turn to when you need a good, basic knit?

enjoying

a little Spring decorating...

a little slow, hand stitching and reverse applique...

but most of all..................this face, which is starting to look more little boy than baby!

still gestating

Our baby, that is, but thankfully, not this quilt!  Apparently some of my projects take as long to cook as my babies; this one was started right after I found out I was pregnant.  It's been sitting, fully quilted (by a lovely local lady, not myself alas) in my workroom for months; all that remained was the binding.  With an hour and a half of babysitting by the girl across the street, the binding was made, sewn on that night, and I've enjoyed handstitching the rest in the evenings.

I love these little girls all over the quilt, there are twelve of them, all different, and someone really poured some love into the applique and embroidery.  I purchased these squares last summer on an antiques jaunt, and they are still one of my most favorite purchases! 

What great finds have you made recently?

skirt collage

Apron Skirt, by Dottie Angel

Isn't this wonderful?  It is inspiration for my spring and summer dressing.  Elastic waistbands will my friends, and skirts are just so much more comfortable in the heat than pants!

 

by Saidos da Concha on Flickr

From Green Wellies Flickr

I have a modest collection of vintage aprons, and am always sorry that I can't wear them out of the house.  So, I will be putting them to use on some "skirt collages," soon to be undertaken, as soon as I can get a realistic measurement of my presently non-existent waist!  (I may have to cheat in my eagerness and measure a skirt from last year post-baby!  It is an elastic waistband, after all.)

And a couple of goody piles for my inspiration....it's fun looking through the stash to find embellishments and odds and ends.

 

What styles are getting you excited for Spring dressing?

I'm off to a quilt show tomorrow; hope you too have something fun planned for the weekend!

In the workbasket

Embroidery has always held an attraction for me, and I've dabbled a little bit with crewel work, but have never used an embroidery transfer before.  And I don't know why not, because with the design clearly imprinted on the fabric, it makes stitching so much easier and takes out much of the guesswork.  This set is the "Sushi Bar" collection from Sublime Stitching, and it's been fun just following along the lines.  Because the stitches are small and there's less full-arm movement than knitting, it's a little more relaxing to work on in the evenings, and more absorbing!

What are your sources for great embroidery patterns?