beauty that moves

we may or may not be off to a good start

And when I say we, I of course, mean me. You are all doing just fine with your New Year's lists, I am sure.

One of the things I'm attempting to do this year is schedule consistent work time for myself within the family calendar. I've never done this before. I've always just worked between it all (as mothers do).

When we started homeschooling this year, my belief was that in order for me to provide the best experience for my daughter, I would not be focusing on earning any income. I stood pretty firm about that. My job with her is full time, I couldn't really see being responsible for finances too. Ha! And what economy exactly did I think I was living in when I took that idealistic stance? Me and my silly ideas...

More important than the bank account, I am missing out on spending time on some of the work I love to do. Opportunities that should be taken, not allowed to slip through my "too busy right now" fingers.

Inspiration for a studio overhaul struck on New Year's Day. Time slots have been secured throughout the week for me to go into this room, close the door, and produce (in a variety of forms). Work was to begin precisely at 5:00 Monday evening. I knew the first few work days would be of the housekeeping sort, finishing the details of setting up this space.

Oh, there was work alright... only it wasn't the work of filling those (still empty) shelves you see in the first photo. As I opened boxes and baskets of fabric that have been in storage for too long, something other than myself seemed to take control.

Before I knew what was happening, fabrics were being cut and sewn, trim was being chosen and applied, linen was ironed and used as backing.

The shelves are still empty, but a new table scarf was born! (Or is is a table runner? I kind of like table scarf.) I think it was important motivation for me, not worrying about the room being perfectly set up and 'ready' to go... but to just get in there and make something.

I will get to those boxes at some point, but I can't promise there won't be a little making (of the sewn, painted or written variety) before all is said and done. I do think things will be spruced up enough though to show you around the room, say Monday or Tuesday? Okay then, it's a plan...

Yes, I've decided, we are indeed off to a very good start.

a folksy flannel christmas

One of the first crafty projects I made in the early days of this blog was a patchwork scarf. Remember when we all made those? I used an assortment of cotton patchwork and backed it with a remnant of a vintage chenille bedspread. It felt Springtime fresh and happy, I loved it. The only problem, as cute as it was (and if you've never made one, these scarves do get a lot of comments from people), it wasn't particularly cozy. At least on the level of cozy that I operate.

Here in New England, so many months of the year require cozy.

I wanted stylish, modern fabrics in flannel. That seemed like the perfect idea for these simple to make patchwork scarves. The only problem? Nobody at the time was desinging the sort of funky flannel I was looking for. Mostly, the flannel available in the stores (available to me) looked better suited for a baby quilt or jammie pants. Hmm...

And then Anna Maria came to the rescue. A girl who knows how to get things done. She fixed things right up for those of us craving cute and sassy flannel prints. The holidays were the perfect time to indulge, I picked up a fat quarter pack of Folksy Flannel and got to work... making a total of six scarves from the lot (with the help of Emily and her friend).

For the backing I used an incredibly soft flannel by Windham Fabrics, and I prewashed everything.

There you have it, Folksy Patchwork Scarfs were the handmade gift of the season this year, and you know what? Nobody complained.

and finally... an art sale!

Good morning!

Thank you for the opportunity over the last week to share a few holiday offerings with you. My Cash Budget Pouch FREE SHIPPING! sale will be held through the end of the month, then I will be closing that shop for a time. I'm not quite sure how long exactly, but I wanted to let you know.

To answer your questions about the coloring pages (thanks to all of you who scooped one up for yourself!), yes, there will be more designs in the future. I love the idea of offering these! Likely however, it won't be until after the new year. I will report any news here!

And finally, for those af you who are interested in art prints... there is a sale for you going on!

Buy any two prints, get a third for free! 

Write to me in "notes to seller" upon checkout stating which third print I should include.

Okay, this should conclude my handmade holiday offerings... please know that I am truly grateful for each and every moment you all spend here. Whether you are a supporter of my work through purchase or words of encouragement, I value each and every drop of your appreciation. Your generosity amazes me.

Wishing you a holiday season filled with beauty and peace.

shop news for the holidays!

Well, I rearranged my studio yet again. It's always a sure way to inspire and motivate! Over the weekend I spent some time playing around with new fabric combinations, and today I'd like to share with you a little shop update... with limited time, holiday specials!

What's new and good in my Cash Budget Pouch Shop

• Three new colorways! See photos below...
• Quantity discount - save $15 on three sets! (see that big pile above!?) Many of you order multiple sets for your budgeting needs, I hope this simplifies that process, and provides you a nice benefit for ordering so many, which I so appreciate.
• Option to order any set (including the big set) without any words stamped if you'd like to give as a gift and use your own fabric ink and rubber stamps to customize for your recipient.
• Option to leave linen strip off entirely if you just want them to be zipper pouches (toss a nice bar of chocolate inside or a modest Starbucks gift card... you got the perfect teacher/friend/hairdresser gift). The excellent price for the two options above stays the same. I am happy to offer this convenience for you.
• If you would like either of these custom options, just write me a "note to seller" upon checking out.
• FREE SHIPPING for the rest of November... while quantities last. YES!!

I hope you enjoy the new colorways, this last one is particularly modern and fun.

Everything is in the shop now! Thank you for considering Beauty That Moves for your holiday (or personal) gift giving. I appreciate your support, as always, more than you could ever know.

Oh, did you see all the wonderful book recommendations yesterday?

Delicious! And thank you!

in the end, a not so pretty potholder

I've got a couple of seventh and eighth grade homeschoolers on my hands that are chomping at the bit for home economics... really? Cooking, sewing, homemaking? Well, if we must!

I recall my first sewing project in middle school home ec. Knowing what I now know about sewing (which still isn't a whole lot), it seems asking people who have never sat at a sewing machine before to make a STUFFED ANIMAL as their first project is a completely ridiculous idea. I promise I won't do that to those under my tutelage. I was thinking maybe a potholder, then a simple tote, a log cabin square, perhaps a patchwork pillow and lap quilt. Maybe we'll end the year with a zipper pouch, a skirt, and the ever-satisfying Simplicity 3835.

Now that feels like a normal progression.

There was no such luck in my class. We were asked to choose a stuffed animal pattern. For some reason I decided to sew a gooney bird. It was huge and fluffy. Let me tell you, talk about setting a kid up for failure! Who would ever choose to sew with 1/2 thick fake fur for their first project? And the details! The tiny beak, the webbed feet, the glass eyes... so crazy. Success I did not experience. A love or interest in sewing I certainly did not experience. I never touched another sewing machine until I was 29. My gooney bird did however teach me what not to do when working with new sewists, and that is helpful.

So, on my list of possible projects is the log cabin square. But guess what? I've never made one! (I love that homeschooling will stretch me too in new directions.) Yesterday, I looked up a 'how-to' online and set to work. Oh my, I can see how people make entire quilts out of these. Very satisfying and slightly addicting. Like granny squares, I bet. Immediately, I learned the key to keeping it as square as possible is to walk over to the cutting table after each strip is sewn and trimming with the rotary cutter, using the guide on the cutting mat to keep it square. It is tempting to just trim with scissors, but a much nicer square is promised by taking this extra step.

Initially, I thought I would sew a linen boarder around all edges, then (after attaching lining) sew the front to back, right sides together, turn right side out, and topstitch to finish off the edges. But I thought, I always do that. I never sew a proper binding onto anything, and a potholder is certainly a good place to try.

Disaster. This did not come so naturally to me. I followed the instructions of a tutorial found online. It seemed to make sense, but in the end it looks clunky and not paired appropriately with the delicate log cabin. It's hard to see from the photo, but trust me, there is nothing lovely about it. My question to those of you with some experience here, is there a learning curve to this binding thing? Are there brilliant instructions in a book or on a website that I should know of?

I must confess, part of my desire to master the log cabin square (aside from appealing to my eager home ec students) has to do with making a quilt from a very special stack of Emily's baby clothes that I've been saving (love those sweet, calico, little girl dresses), but I'll need to be able to bind such a quilt!  I imagine a quilt I'd hand bind and this I did not. I wonder if that makes a difference. Does a machine make it look like it's been through the mill? That is how this potholder looks to me... hmm, I sense there will be many more of these in my future. As you can see, I have not done the second one yet, I think I need to work up a little courage. And patience. I definitely ran out of that yesterday.

I loved the log cabin square so much, and then blech... not so pretty in the end.

I think we'll save binding until lesson #64 for our home economics enthusiasts. I wouldn't want for a simple potholder to be their gooney bird.