Ya know me? Janome!

Say hello to my newest toy:

So, you can probably figure out for yourself that I'm learning to sew. Call me domesticated if you will, but I'm doing this for purely practical reasons. The Craftsman is so big with SO many windows that if we don't make the curtains ourselves we'll spend upwards of a thousand dollars just on cheap curtains. This way I figure we can use nicer fabrics that will actually fit the type of windows in old houses (TALL). I love floor-length curtains, especially those that pool on the floor, so now I'll be able to have them for cheap. Plus, I can make everything matchy-matchy (or at least coordinate-y) from the curtains to the pillows to the upholstery fabrics in each of the rooms.

Aside from the monetary aspect it's just nice to have an additional skill. In case you ever need it, ya' know?

Our gracious friend Diane is teaching me (for free!). She's been sewing for sixty years, so she knows a thing or two. She's a big-time quilter and made this wonderful quilt for the Little One.

The baby woodland animals in it are my inspiration for the theme in his bedroom in the Craftsman. More on that later.

Diane is the one who recently oversaw the sewing of my first seam. (Say that five times fast!) She also took me shopping at Edward's Sewing Center here in town. The women there are super nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. Edward's mainly carries Janome, which I had heard previously is pretty much the best brand of sewing machine...as in they'll last forever, so that's what I got. They showed me the ins and outs of how to use the machine, including a demonstration of how it "will sew tissue to denim." (When I first heard this I got a mental image of someone lining their jeans with tissues and thought "why in the world would anyone want to sew tissues to their jeans??" Come to find out that the machine is good enough to go from sewing something as delicate as tissue to something as sturdy as denim without a hiccup.)

When I picked up the Janome Magnolia a few weeks later (it had to be ordered) they showed me how to thread it and all...surprisingly easy after a few tries. I brought it home and immediately sewed this:

A sort of miniature pillow case?

I bought the fabric at Jo-Ann's in the clearance bin. You can see my practice stitches.

See that red and white fabric in the background? It's a shirt I got at St. Vincent's Thrift Store for 50 cents. I didn't like it as a shirt, but I thought it might look cute as a pillow. So, the next day:

I just used the fabric to sew a pillow-casey thing with which I covered one of the two teal pillows I got for the Victorian's living room. Before and after:

I really have nothing bad to say about this sewing machine. It has tolerated me forgetting to lower the foot many times without freaking out on me. I've even knotted the thread up, and it didn't seem to be bothered. It's computerized and has around 30 different stitches that it sews, including button holes, with each having adjustable length and width. The other features I really love are: the drop-in bobbin, a little razor-blade thingy on the side so that you don't have to use scissors to cut the thread, and an automatic tie-off (you just push a button and it ties the thread for you when you're done sewing).

Drop-in bobbin:

Thread cutter:

The needle up/down, tie-off, reverse, and start/stop buttons:



Actually, there is one thing. It makes a weird buzzing sound after it's been going for awhile. I suspect it's the light bulb.

Also, a piece of purple and cream fabric followed me home which is going to look great in the new dining room under a centerpiece maybe:

Grand total:
Sewing machine: $350
Assorted fabrics: $4.50

As close as we'll ever get to dead deer heads on the wall...

...butterflies:

(In case you were wondering, that's Argus being used as the prop behind the shadow box.)

So, I've always loved those old glass-front boxes that scientists used to show-case their bug finds in. I love imagining them hiking around a jungle with a butterfly net, catching their prey, and returning to their jungle treehouse to make a cup of hot tea and document and mount their specimens. That's the look I'm going for here, anyways.

I love naturalism, and the outdoors in general, and I want one room in the Craftsman to have a naturalist feel. I'm thinking the library/office, but still not sure. But, that's no reason not to get the decor ready. :)

I bought this shadow box almost two years ago at Big Lots with the intention of displaying Aaron's grandmother's arrow heads in it.

But, that never got done. Instead, it got stuffed in my closet in the mad rush to get ready for the Holiday Home Tour 2009. I had forgotten about it until I recently cleaned out that closet. Yes! It took over a year to clean out my closet.

I decided instead of arrow heads that I would put butterflies or bugs in the box. I originally wanted to catch them myself and do the whole gas-them-to-death/stab them with pins (sounds a little Rasputin-esk) thing. But, the other day while shopping at Jo-Ann Fabrics I saw that the fake butterflies were on sale 30% off. There and then I decided to take the easy way out. I bought all of the butterflies that didn't have glitter on them (harder to do than it sounds).

I tried a few variations on how to place them in the box:

And...

I decided on the messier look because, well, if you were hunting for butterflies in the jungle you probably wouldn't find them all on one day, so you would stick them in the box as you went. And, you wouldn't be able to be sure if you would catch three big ones, so you certainly wouldn't stick the first one smack dab in the middle. (The weird squiggly lines on the glass are dog drool. Argus was trying to help.)

Then I had to figure out how to actually put them in there. Hot glue was out because I might want to change what's in the box someday. The butterflies came with clips on the back so I decided to stick a pin in the canvas with the end hanging out and then clip the butterfly onto that.

Then, when I was all finished and showing it off to Aaron...I discoved that I had put everything in upside down. Alas. (This made me VERY glad that I hadn't used hot glue.) Turned them all around and voila!

Grand total: $25 ($10 for the shadow box and about $15 for the butterflies.)

Gotta go make a cup of tea now.

Feast or Famine

So, we're taking on another huge project. As if we didn't already have enough old buildings to rehab (two houses), we will soon be the proud occupants of the building at this link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=calhoun+st.+fort+waynt&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=S+Calhoun+St,+Fort+Wayne,+Indiana&ll=41.068319,-85.138078&spn=0,0.049438&z=15&layer=c&cbll=41.068688,-85.138153&panoid=CL3zFW4ozgtj45tJg6NTCQ&cbp=12,107.64,,0,-7


This is the soon-to-be home of Aaron J. Butler, Attorney at Law (or daddy Butler as we know him around here).

The building is pretty rough right now, but the owners will soon totally fix up the inside with some input from us. We are super excited. It's cozy, but has plenty of room to grow the firm. And, of course, I get something else to decorate. Yay!

Any ideas about decor, colors, materials, style, etc.? Your opinions are welcome (and needed). Or about what food we should serve to visitors??