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impromptu bear

Up early in the studio, I had every intention of working on work stuff, but then this little guy happened.

He’s all of 5″ and admittedly a bit fiddly, but thanks to pink plaid scrap and a little extra effort, he stitched up sweetly.

I ❤ his busy body! My fabric stash is mostly calico and large print florals, so options were limitlessly limited ..kinda wishing there was a rogue swatch of mohair cloth tucked up on the shelf, it would be heirloom gorgeous, but SO gross to cut & sew! ..thinking future bears of wool felt & pale velvet 💕

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Sewing Pattern: The Dear Ones Bear

Fabric: Reproduction 1930s Flour Sack

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.. ok little bear, let’s get back to it ..

💕

Driftless Scarf

When I was designing this scarf I really wanted something naturally simple that would build up softly in layers, something lovely that would help a beginner gain confidence while making,

but I also wanted it to be something expertly crafted and intricately clean, something that a more experienced maker would appreciate.

The finish leaves straight edges on all sides, ready to wear and beautifully minimal on its own,

but at the same time is the perfect surface for adding on a bold contrast or delicate lace edging. I didn’t want to overwhelm and fill the pattern with endless options, so I left it at two widths and a solid foundation with room for your creative variations. 💕

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Pattern: Driftless Scarf

(We live on the edge of the Minnesota River Valley known as the Driftless Area, surrounded by steep bluffs, where underground streams have carved out hidden caves and created natural cold springs. As a kid I would dig up kaolin clay in my backyard, look for fossils in the drift and occasionally find a bit of shale or mica for my pocket. I have always loved living in a place where some of the landscape was blurred smooth by glacial retreat and some was not, giving me the joy of having expansive fields of flat midwestern prairie to run through, mixed with high peaks and deep limestone valleys to marvel at.)

This scarf is a little bit of that simple complexity 💕

changes & discoveries

I love picking colors to make the tiny cotton NINETEEN HUNDRED HOUSE DISHCLOTH

..but the actual 1900 house is a completely different story. We decided to have our little wooden house painted and in the process we’ve come to discover several things.

1: Our little house has cedar siding 😍

2: So glad we hired this out, because every aspect I’ve witnessed so far looks like hot misery ..at least that’s the opinion from my comfortable view on the couch.

3: 100’s of color chips is at first super exciting (oh wow, possibilities!), then somewhat frustrating (zero agrees on which color, so we resorted to “let’s write down our favorites and see which ones overlap”), and finally it’s pretty terrifying (second guessing our dark dark color choice and hoping it doesn’t look like the Addams Family house of the neighborhood ..and ultimately kinda not caring if it does!)

4: Outside changes have us changing and reshuffling inside as well. Piles for sorting, keeping & donating. There are things that haven’t been gone through in years, we are finding so many forgotten and misplaced treasures, along with lots of things that have us wondering why we’ve held onto them for so long. I guess you just get lost in living, and accumulation is a side effect.