buzzville

Book Report - The Apron Book

Ok, let's see if I remember how to do this... I think it goes something like this: I write a (hopefully somewhat interesting) post, a few people read it, and maybe someone comments now and then. Does that sound about right? Here goes:

I received The Apron Book ages ago, and I was quite thrilled. I've been a collector of vintage aprons and apron patterns for some time (see some of them here), and I've stitched up a few. So, I was interested to see how this book would relate to a simple piece of long-lived domestic culture.

The book is cute - it includes lots of full-color photos of vintage aprons, patterns, and related ephemera. Chapters are sprinkled liberally with the "Every Apron Tells a Story" feature, where folks share their memories of aprons and the people who wore them. There is even a chapter on special occasion aprons - you know: poinsettias, hearts, and martinis! The book includes instructions for making 3 styles of aprons, plus instructions and a full-size pattern for one more (the "Basic Bib Apron"). Tips for embellishing, customizing, and modernizing apron patterns are numerous. Some fun and retro recipes (Coke and Cherry Jello salad anyone?) add to the fun. My criticisms are few: 1) although much of the photography is lovely, some of the shots leave something to be desired; and 2) the publicity insert begins: "Tie one on and join in the celebration of an American Icon". Although Amy probably doesn't own the phrase, this seems to borrow heavily from the fantastic Tie One On site without directly crediting or listing it as a resource. Just seems like a glaring omission to me - why no mention of the blog in a resources index?

Here are some pics of the aprons:

In other apron news, I was thrilled to find this while out thrifting on Monday:

I just love how the fashion drawings on patterns reflect the style of the time - I'm obsessed with these super mod graphics! Yet another one for the collection...

And, as if this weren't enough apron love, we just added a bunch of new books at superbuzzy, including two apron books here and here!   

my folklore

Sometimes I just get the shivers when we get new shipments for superbuzzy. Today we added a new line of fabrics that did just that. The line is folky, and it makes me think of Scandinavia, rosy-cheeked little blonde kids, sculpted, modern wood furniture, and warm, happy kitchens. What do you think?

We also got in some cute Raggedy Ann & Andy fabric, and a great panel that looks like vintage embroidery:

Just click to see all of the new products!   

Lion-esque!

Such a fun Halloween was had at chez buzzville, despite the fact that everything was *very* last minute and not nearly as involved as we might have liked. Our little lion charmed the neighborhood, and this is the first time she's really understood trick or treating. Last year we were able to make her candy "disappear" (daddy took it to work) and she never noticed; this year she is keeping a mental inventory of each type of candy. I swear this girl's a walking calculator if properly motivated! The true mystery to me is that she's become extremely fond of dots... Anyway, I promised photos of the beast, and here they are:

this is morning when we went (sans lion makeup) for a quick round of trick-or-treating at my work.

and here she is stepping out getting ready for the evening festivities

and here is the after shot, chewing on one of the aforementioned dots...

At some point after we had selected the lion costume, I actually thought there might have been a last minute switch to cowgirl. I found a cute, nice quality cowgirl costume (hat, vest, and skirt) at the thrift store, and I bought it for dress-up play. For a while, she was putting that cowgirl outfit on every day, and I was fully expecting her to tell me that Leo the lion was out of the picture. But, Leo appears to have staying power, even though the cowgirl is pretty darn cute too:

Now that Halloween is over, I guess that means that holiday crafting time is in full swing, right? Boy, am I in trouble...

Happy Halloween!

Loads of treats around here, including Whoppers - possibly the best candy around, no?!? Last night I quickly improvised some baking for a potluck that Jerry had at work today. I had all the ingredients to make some yummy pumpkin bread, and I happen to have a fantastic 2-part bundt pan that makes each half of a pumpkin. Put the two halves together and it makes a gorgeous 3D pumpkin cake - stem and all! Luckily, I had to do some leveling to the halves before stacking them, so we actually got to taste those discards before it was taken to work. So yummy! Here's the finished cake, surrounded by some candy corn and candy pumpkins:

and here's the recipe (adapted from a recipe that appeared in Bon Appetit in 1995):

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1.5 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin, if available)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 6 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3" loaf pans. Beat sugars and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in pecans and raisins, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until tested inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to racks and cool for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out on racks and cool completely. Makes 2 loaves.

Halloween final prep!

What a crazy weekend we had! Unfortunately, one of the down sides of the superbuzzy trip to Japan is the timing - I've had almost no time for Halloween fun. But, this weekend was a total sewing frenzy trying to get Brynne's costume finished up. I had grand plans of working on it before, but as always, everything else seemed to get in the way. Since it was obvious that Brynne would be a lion for Halloween, I tried to find the best possible lion costume pattern. I didn't want just a fuzzy jumpsuit, but something that was more complete and detailed. I came across this pattern designed by Tom Arma (McCalls 8938):

The pattern was impossible to find locally in a larger size (4T), so I ended up ordering directly from McCalls. I think it was basically designed for a baby, but I liked the details and decided to go with it. The sewing actually went very smoothly. I followed the pattern pretty closely, although I eliminated the feet because she'll wear shoes, and I only used one row of elastic at the wrist (who really needs 3 rows of elastic?!?). The real insanity is the mane. This involves cutting hundreds of strips of different colored ribbon in various lengths, using fabric glue to form the strips into loops, and then individually gluing each of the loops to the costume. Ugh! Thank goodness for patient husbands! While I was whirring away on the sewing machine, Jerry was cutting and gluing... his poor fingers were covered in the stuff! In fact, I think he's putting the final touches on the lion hood as I type this!

The good news is that Brynne loves it. Each time I had her try it on to check the fit, she would run through the house roaring and growling and generally being lion-like. I think she might just live in this costume for a while! I haven't got photos of her in it yet because of the aforementioned endless gluing, but I'll get something up tomorrow of the little lion in action. She's a pretty cute lion, if I may say so!

I hope everyone out there has a fun day tomorrow, whether or not Halloween festivities are involved! And, just as a side note, superbuzzy sent out the latest newsletter with a big shop update! If you think you should be getting a newsletter, but you didn't, please let us know!

Shop Update!

Yay! I know many of you have been waiting to hear news of the latest superbuzzy arrivals, and I'm happy to say they're up and ready! From the much anticipated hedgehogs, to fantastic lampwork beads, to cozy flannel for fall projects, we think there's something for everyone!

We've also been refining the site a bit, and we've added a Buzzy Friends Gallery where we'd love to feature pictures of your finished projects made using superbuzzy stuff! So, please let us know if you'd like to have your photos added to the gallery. We've also set up a superbuzzy flickr group, and we'd like to invite you to join!

As always, please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to chat! I'm having some technical difficulties with the newsletter, but I hope to get it out asap for all the non-blog readers.

Big News!

It's time for me to confess that I have been keeping a secret from all of you for a long time - over a year. It's been a very tough secret to keep, and I have been close to spilling the goods many times. But, today is the day when I can finally make the announcement and introduce my biggest WIP yet!

You know how some things were just meant to go together... like peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, campfires and s'mores... Well, today is the big day for the best pairing yet - a special collaboration between super eggplant and buzzville! You see, Mariko and I started talking a while back about awesome Japanese fabrics, and what a shame it was that they're nearly impossible (or at least ridiculously expensive) to get our hands on. We schemed and planned, made new friends, traveled a bit, and learned a lot. After hundreds of email messages and phone calls, many longs hours of work, and becoming more than just a bit familiar with scanners, web development, and Illustrator, we bring you:

We think that superbuzzy.com will be your best source for the cutest craft supplies, including fabric, notions, and lots of other fun stuff.

But, all of this could not and would not have been possible without the help of some fantastic and savvy crafty friends. You see, superbuzzy's first purchases were sought out and hand selected in Japan by the incredible Molly and Jan, and they have been constant resources for us throughout the development process. We've also found a tremendous ally in Kat who has helped us locate resources in Japan, navigate our way through details of Japanese business, and been available at any moment to answer loads of random questions. Huge thanks to these 3 fabulous, crafty women for supporting our venture and helping it become real.

I hope you have a few moments to check out the site and let us know what you think. Although we've tested and tested, we've probably missed something, so do let us know if you find anything weird on the site. If you're interested in finding out about new items, just create an account and sign up to receive our newsletter. We're expecting 2 big shipments in the next month, so there will be even more eye candy very soon.

New Amy Butler book

Amy Butler's new book, In Stitches, arrived in yesterday's mail, and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised. The book definitely has a bit of what I expected (patchwork throws, placemats, etc.), but also a number of fun projects that I wasn't expecting. I'm going to post a few pictures here for those who may still be sitting on the fence about getting the book for themselves.

The book is spiral bound so that it lays flat, and this is pretty handy when you're trying to follow pattern instructions. The inside of the front cover has a built-in sleeve that contains all the pattern pieces for the projects. The book is divided into 6 sections, with a total of 27 projects. I won't list them all here, but if you want a complete list, send me an email.

Here are some of my favorites after a first glance:

short pleated apron - of course, she probably knew she had to include an apron, but this one is cute and simple

I'm pretty excited about making a fabric "document duvet" - fun to think about carrying around boring paperwork in a pretty folder, rather than a boring manila one!

a cute little patchwork box bag... I've been wanting to make one of these, and this one looks just right!

love this kimono-inspired lounge robe - it could be lined for colder weather, or just as-is for warmer weather...

I can see that these lounge pants, combined with the kimono robe, could easily become my working-at-home uniform!

this one really made me laugh - a kitty tunnel! If your cats are anything like ours, they're always hiding in boxes or paper grocery bags... I bet they'd really love a soft, cozy kitty tunnel!

I expected potholders, but I like this design with the flaps so that it can be held like a glove without risking a burn. I see many holiday gifts emerging from this one...

I know there are loads of new crafty books on the horizon, so I'm really happy when I see that the new books are not just re-hashing the same old projects. Has anyone already conquered one of the projects from this book?

WIP Friday - a new dress?!?

Here it is, another Friday, and I have *so* many works in progress... and let's not even consider the vast number of *thoughts* in progress! I'm inspired to hop on the garment sewing bandwagon I've seen cropping up everywhere in blogland lately, and adding to the inspiration is the fact that the major pattern companies actually seem to have a few decent patterns out there at the moment. Although my tastes constantly vascillate between going retro and modern, I just had to pick up a few patterns reintroduced from Butterick's line in the 1950s. This one is labeled "Fast & Easy", and it really looks that way - no zippers and just 3 pattern pieces! Plus, the the outer seams are finished with bias trim to make everything even simpler... now this is my kind of pattern!

I picked up this fabric because I thought it was sweet and would go well with the style of dress, and I'm making some bias trim in the bright aqua blue color. I haven't found the perfect buttons yet, but I'm on the lookout. I'm hopeful that I may actually be able to finish most of this over the weekend, but it's always so hard to predict what might crop up in the meantime. More wip Friday folks.

green

I signed up to participate in the Project Spectrum postcard swap for the month of May, and now that the postcard is off across the world, I'll post a little bit here. I must admit that I was more than a wee bit intimidated when I discovered my partner for the May swap was the incredible craft force that is Hilda of Planeta Hilda. I wasn't sure how I could possibly create something that would hold a candle to her beautiful stuffed and sewn creations. I finally decided to go forward with what I know and do best - sewing. I rummaged through many bags of green scraps and settled on an assortment of reproduction fabrics from the 1930s. I was hoping that their sweet, innocent aesthetic would appeal to Hilda.

Having gotten a lot of practice recently in improvisational piecing (thanks to the Unfinished Business quilt!), I decided to use that technique on a small scale for a postcard-sized mini quilt. Here is the finished quilt:

After piecing the top, I trimmed it and the backing fabric to size and then sandwiched a cardstock postcard between them. I stitched in the ditch through all 3 layers and then did an intentionally rough (for that homey look) satin stictch around the edges. Here is the back:

Now that it's done, I think that maybe I should have done the "quilting" through the top and postcard and then attached the back. I thought that the quilting lines would look interesting on the backing fabric, but now that I've seen the finished product, I'm not so sure. At any rate, this little green postcard quilt is on its way to Portugal.

P.S. I must give credit to the amazing work of Gerrie, Lisa and Stephanie's mom, for the inspiration on this project. Her quilted postcards are amazing! Can you imagine what it must be like to be from such an incredible, crafty family?!?