365 : east wall of the workroom
Tag Archive for 'the workroom'
Please excuse all the exposed seams and threads, I’m stitching up a new outfit for the blog and it’s a tricky one. Things might look funny or appear broken while I’m doing some testing. I’m switching back and forth between the new look and the old look while I figure it all out.
I’m also making my first upholstered cube! the workroom was filled with the sounds of tapping hammers today as we built the wooden bases. I can’t wait to see all these little cuties finished.
I’ve missed you!
I’ve been busying myself this week with many things, including a fall cleaning at the workroom and a coat room makeover. Next week, I promise you lots of photos and completed projects.
I also got a new camera. (As the ever observant Melissa noticed) I just LOVE it! My degree is in Media Arts from Ryerson and my major was photography. Having the workroom and a flickr account has re-ignited my love of the camera. I’ve been using a little Olympus point and shoot, which takes great photos but has some serious limitations. (mostly silly rechargeable batteries that last for 5 photos) I’ve been saving up for months to upgrade to an DSLR. I did tons of research and read everything I could, but I was pretty set on something in the Nikon D-range. In the end I chose the Nikon D40 rather than one of the new models and got myself a plush lens, a Sigma 17-70mm. The lens does macro, since I never tire of getting in close on the tiny details of things. As you can see, Maisy is already bored with me taking photos of her every move.
Laural and Jen from goodEGG Industries did a lovely Toronto City Guide on Poppy Talk that you should check out. It covers Queen East and Queen West and mentions the workroom. Thanks Jen!
Lastly, I watched the latest episode of Gossip Girl last night. Can we dish about Jenny’s makeover? the Blair & Chuck saga? the artist love interest for Serena? Blair’s huge collection of lingerie?
Have a scary, fun weekend! Don’t forget about Daylight savings on Saturday night. I always do and end up being late or early the day after.
I’ve been looking back at photos of the shop over the last year, I thought you might like to see how much things have changed since I first opened up last fall. In the beginning there were just four cubes of fabric shelving that were quite sparse. Look at how much the fabric collection has taken over in the last year! Most days, I wish there was even more space for more fabric. I suppose it’s good to have some limits, but don’t be surprised if you see some more shelving and more fabric soon. I can’t help myself.
I finally got some good photos of dress 13. In all the hectic-ness of the anniversary party, I didn’t get any suitable photos that showed off the pattern. I know I keep saying so, but it’s coming up soon!
This week the workroom turned one. Actually, today (October 17) is the day I opened to the public last year and made my first sale… to Johanna, the workroom’s quilting instructor. Thank you for coming by that day and buying some fabric from me, Johanna. I was so nervous cutting fabric for the first time! It was actually almost two weeks before I made my next sale. That was a bit nerve wracking.
Tuesday night was the anniversary party and I was just so overwhelmed at how many of you dropped by to say hi and celebrate this special occasion. I was even more overwhelmed by the fact that so many of you brought sweet gifts and beautiful cards! It will take me a few more days to send each of you my personal thanks, so I wanted to make sure you knew that it meant so much to me that you were there. Your thoughtful gifts and words remind me what a beautiful and vibrant crafting community the workroom supports. the workroom exists for you and because of you.
Thank you!
I just wanted to gush a little over the darling little coin purse I made in a class taught by Reva on Sunday. Figuring out how to make these purses with the metal frames was on ‘my crafty list of things to do’, so I was delighted when Reva proposed this as a class at the workroom.
I used fabric from Denyse Schmidt’s new line ‘County Fair’, it’s a heavier canvas weight perfect for home decor and accessories. The lining is a print of antique coupons by Anna Griffin.
These little purses use very little fabric, so you can make a few from just a fat quarter or make good use of your scrap stash. With all the different sizes of frames in the shop, I see a matching token purse, sunglass case and clutch bag in my near future.
Bench for the garden, originally uploaded by the workroom.
Have you ever done something crazy for love? I have. Too many times to count. Most often it involved something I had found at the side of the road. I guess I am what some people refer to as a ‘dumpster diver’ or my new favourite, ‘urban forager’. I love to find stuff at the side of the road and bring it home. My house and now the shop are filled with these found treasures. How can people throw this amazing stuff away? But, thank goodness they do!
What is even better than finding some random thing, is finding exactly the thing you had been hoping for. I have had this experience many times. Some people call this manifestation or the power of ‘The Secret’. One of my former roommates was an astrologist and she used to say that I have a very close connection to my spiritual guide. Thus, the things I asked the universe for were more often delivered than the average Jill. All I know is that it has happened over and over again.
The universe delivered to me again yesterday. I had been thinking very hard about a bench for the back garden at the workroom. I knew exactly the style I was hoping for, just a simple homemade-looking bench. At the corner of Brock & Chesley, I found my bench. Not only is it the exact construction I was hoping for, but it is painted in my favourite colour, grey.
Over the years, I have made a few rules with myself about finding stuff and what I’m allowed to bring home with me. As a general rule, I need to be able to carry the item by myself or be able to throw it into the trunk of a cab. This bench is six feet long, so cab was out of the question. I took a deep breath and picked up the bench. It wasn’t THAT heavy. Mind you, I did also have a dog (Maisy) on a leash and two tote bags. It’s quite a hike from Chesley Avenue down to Queen Street, along Brock. It’s 1.5 km according to Google Maps. I definitely felt like a crazy lady and today I feel sore all over. But really, there was no way I could leave that bench behind. We were meant to be together.
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Fabric for Shirred Top, originally uploaded by the workroom.
This morning started off with a quick stop off at Kinkos (at Bloor & Spadina) to do some copying. Since it was such a sunny morning, Maisy & I walked down Palmerston to Queen Street and then across to the shop. I couldn’t resist stopping in at Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream even though it was before 11am. Ice cream for breakfast is perfectly acceptable in my world. I got a cone of their cinnamon ice cream, which was super yummy. I think it’s time for me to get out my ice cream maker.
Often times when someone buys the last bit of fabric off the bolt, there is an odd-sized piece left over. People worry they are leaving me with something I won’t be able to sell. What?! Not one bit of fabric goes to waste at the workroom. These odd bits actually go right into my growing collection of fabric. This particular fabric is called Connecting Flowers by Art Gallery Quilts. I’ve been plotting to make something out of this fabric since it arrived, but it keeps selling out. When i was left with .7 metres of this silver grey and yellow treasure last week, I knew just what I was going to do with it.
A while ago, I had read Field Guided’s post on shirring and saw the darling dress she made from some Henry Glass bicycle print fabric. Cute! Then a couple weeks ago Toast ‘n’ Eggs asked me if I could teach her how to do shirring. Now that I’ve done it, I think everyone should! It’s very easy, totally satisfying and the results are impressive.
I thought I would make a wider strap and I like the way they turned out. The straps are 1.5″ wide. I ran the remainder of the fabric through the serger with some silvery embroidery thread to finish the top and bottom edge with a rolled hem. The rolled hem is definitely my favourite finishing technique right now. For the shirring lines, I spaced them 1″ apart and did five of them. All you need to do is hand wind some elastic thread onto your bobbin and use a regular thread up top. I’m addicted. You’ll be seeing more shirring experiments from me for sure. Please try this, it will make you so happy.
A full tutorial for shirring can be found here.
