no freakin' way!

BASTARD! teach your crafter it's not a dirty word!

that's right folks, the diabolical craft duo of dandelion blu and this chickadee are at it again! crafty bastards, round two! this time we're setting up shop at the marie reed learning center in adams morgan, the scene of the crafty crime since 2005. mark your calendars for september 28th! see you there.

downy ocean hon

just a quick note to say "hello from the shore!" this chickadee is enjoying a mini-vacation. it is funnel cakes, french fries and friends for a few days. be back to reality and away from salt and sugar-land later this week. stay cool!

one woman's trash is this chickadee's treasure

new brake pads: $300

number hours spent waiting for car to be fixed: 6
number of thrift stores within walking distance of car doctor: 1

the best cake stand ever: priceless

there are many things that money can't buy, for everything else the government prints these little pieces of paper called dollars and you can use two of them to buy yourself the most fantastic ceramic cake stand ever in the history of cake stands. or maybe you can't, because i now own that cake stand. and i will treasure it forever.

summer soft

what's that in the meadow? oh, it is just another chickadee placemat coaster combo lazing the day away. the tight geometry of the teal fabric is complemented by a misty meadow of berry blossoms and blue bursts. natural denim adds some accent to the front and durability to the back. grazin' in the grass is a gas, can you dig it?

who's coming to dinner?

these cute little owls are! a new chickadee creation, this parliament of placemats is made super sturdy with the addition of natural denim. it highlights the front and helps out on the back. the complementary coaster sets come in two different patterns to please every palate. and, of course, everything is cushioned with a layer of loft.

the bold and the beautiful

there are three more aprons that haven't had their chance to shine just yet. this set is full of color and crazy patterns and sure livened up the booth at july's ballston arts + craft market. the nerds rock! apron found a home that day so it won't be accompanying the other two on the cross-country trek to the pac-northwest and the festival that is bumbershoot. another apron will surely come along to take its place and you never know what it might be. the fabric stash is being updated for a frenzy of sewing activity that will soon commence. so stay tuned!

now, without further ado, feast your eyes on this tasty trio of kangaroo/joey aprons:

zip it up!




hungry hippos




nerds rock!

special delivery

my friends rachel and tom welcomed a bouncing baby girl to their twosome yesterday! little baby (not sure of the name) had her coming out party hot on the heels of a bbq/baby shower thrown in her honor on saturday. maybe it was the bite-sized brownies or the homemade slaw or all of the wonderful prezzies that got her excited to enter the world just a touch on the early side. whatever hastened her delivery, we are all happy that she's here! and this chickadee is pleased to have been able to drop off a package with the parents just before the stork dropped in and brought their bundle of joy.

here's what this chickadee delivered:

above is a front/back view of my first ever solo quilt project! the collaboration with my mom on the wise old owl quilt taught me quite a lot, but didn't quite prepare for the experience of going it alone...and making up my very own pattern...but the results are pretty in pink and purple. it is about 32" x 42" and super snuggly thanks to the flannel sashing and soft cotton fabric. those cute cotton prints are from the master mind of heather ross who creates all sorts of fantastic and fanciful designs for free spirit fabrics. here's a close-up of the front:

with leftover scraps and lotta jansdotter's simple sewing book, i set out to make a tote to transport the quilt in style. i've been wanting to try to make the all-day tote for quite some time and this seemed like a perfect occasion. not only was it the "wrapping" for the prezzie, it can hopefully provide plenty of pockets and places to stash everything for the baby. with a few modifications made to the original design, here's what happened:

to make it all match, fabric from the quilt project did double duty as it is used to accent and line the pockets on the outside of the tote. the inside is stitched from the soft flannel to cushion bottles and baby food jars. and a few more pockets were added to the interior to give plenty of organization options.

shown above is the inset zipper with matching fabric backing and the side slip pocket panel.

and just fyi, the modifications made to the original tote pattern are as follows:
* contrasting fabric added to accent and line the exterior pockets
* snaps added to exterior pockets
* two interior pockets made instead of the one called for in the pattern. these are pockets of this chickadee's design and include one inset zip and a set of slip pockets on the panel facing.

something to consider for next time:
*interfacing. the bag has no shape without content, even with the sturdy denim sides. so this would definitely be something to add for stability.
*more height. the finished dimensions come to about 10" x 14" x 6". it is a tad bit on the shallow side as far as height is concerned. maybe just a slight modification there to suit your taste.

overall the pattern was pretty simple and easy to follow. the design is definitely a great option for a diaper bag as it has a generous exterior side pocket for a bottle and plenty of room to stash all sorts of things. it was fun to make, try it!

she's crafty

wow, it's friday? time flies when you are a busy little chickadee. the monday post mentioned that you'd be meeting some new additions to the line-up this week and so far, no one has been introduced. so without further ado, please welcome some new (and newly named) craft aprons to the fold. their design is the same as the first batch, but the layout of the fabric is a bit different. here they are enjoying a summer afternoon, lazing in the shade before they were called into action at last saturday's ballston arts + craft market.

these little ladies are perfect for keeping all sorts of supplies close at hand while you are doing whatever it is that you love to do. necessity was indeed the mother of invention in this case, as i was searching for something to help me around the shop and at shows. with three generous anything pockets and two more tiny ones perfect for pens and pencils, they'll hold whatever you can throw at them. and thanks to the sturdy natural denim lining, they'll hold up too.

get to know your chickadee

i was tagged by my new friend pang! her pretty little fings blog is one of my favorite spots to visit as it is always filled to the brim with creativity and cuteness galore. she's one super talented crafter and sewer and stuffer of all things plush. some of her pretty little fings are featured in this post. perched up to is an assortment of owls and a birdie brigade. and just below is her latest creation, a plush version of the durian fruit. too much! too cute! too pretty indeed.

so, the rules of the game are as follows:


1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


without further ado, here are six random things about your friend, this chickadee:

1. the ocean creeps me out a bit.
2. some day i hope to play in a bluegrass band.
3. when blowing out birthday candles as a little one, i often wished that my stuffed panda would magically come to life.
4. i prefer vegetables to fruits.
5. my first car was a 1990 honda prelude with a sunroof, tinted windows, and a house of pain sticker. it was awesome.
6. i dream of living on a miniature farm...with miniature horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, etc... i would especially like to have miniature cows on this farm, but i'm not sure that they exist.

so now i am going to break the rules (#7. i make up my own rules) and pass this along to just one other blogger, my constant craft companion, dandelion blu. it is about high time we all get to know some things about her, besides the fact that she wields a beautiful blowtorch and makes the most magnificent adornment out of metal and glass.

my wednesday night guests

tonight the fantastic four return to our living rooms after a long absence. project runway. season five. tonight. bravo. 9 pm eastern time. you know what to do. make it work friends, make it work.

bernie goes to camp

after a sweaty day of sales on saturday, this chickadee packed up bernie, some scraps and assorted scissors and headed north to emmitsburg, maryland where the mid-appalachian quilt guild was holding their annual quilting camp. yes friends, quilting camp! this amazing annual event begins on friday night and runs through sunday afternoon offering classes for all sorts of sewers in everything from piecing patches to bias binding. this year, my mom and i were day trippers, taking but one class on sunday and oh how we enjoyed it. we set up shop in our assigned classroom to learn how to construct coasters and bowls out of fabric and clothesline. the morning was full of nervous moments as we weren't sure we could make it work on our machines. but by the end of the day, we walked out ready to head straight to the hardware store to buy up all of the clothesline we could find. after an initial struggle, it turned out to be so much fun.

here's a look at the day in pictures:

bernie takes a seat at the front of the classroom, ready to learn!


mama d makes progress on her first project.


we did it! our completed coasters showcase the difference that fabric and stitch selection make in the finished product.


no, bernie isn't being bashful. she's almost finished her first ever fiber bowl.


a close-up look at the coils.


holy cannoli! the mother/daughter duo of team chickadee completes a couple of beautiful bowls.

it is too bad that i didn't think to take a class picture. there was so much variety in the fabrics used and the finished products. and not a boring one in the bunch! you'd better watch out. this chickadee has the fever for the fiber bowl. and the brainstorming began before our class was dismissed for the day. here's what became of the remains of the clothesline and fabric remnants found on the floor just before the bell:

this bangle might be the start of something beautiful and you just might be seeing some more of them down the road. speaking of, work is currently in progress on the first dandelion blu/this chickadee collaboration. we're keeping it under wraps for now as we further customize our prototype and conduct secret consumer research...and consider a name for our joint venture. this dandelion? chickadee blu? dandedee?

feelin' hot hot hot

our second show at the ballston arts + craft market was a scorcher. many thanks to those fearless folks who braved almost certain heat stroke to come out and say hello. for those of you who chose a/c over a 90+ degree stroll through our temporary craft camp, here are a few shots of our set-up:

later on this week you'll meet some new editions to line-up who came out in a blaze of glory on saturday. and keep it tuned to this station as this chickadee amps up production in preparation for bumbershoot! watch out west coasters, this chickadee and dandelion blu are coming for you.

the heat is on!

temperatures are rising, must be time for another outdoor craft show! as the mercury moves onward and upward to ninety degrees, the tenacious craft team of dandelion blu and this chickadee pack up their wares in preparation for tomorrow's market. we'll be at the ballston arts + craft market on saturday from 10am to 4pm. we plan to keep it cool under our canopy with fresh new items for you and your (beach) house. swing on over and beat the heat with special treats from super vendors. take a look at some of the other fine folks who will be there too (click on any of the pictures to see more):

inedible jewelry


kaylala organic apothecary



finders keepers



stitchberry

this is but a sample of the terrific treasures that will be on display saturday! for a more complete listing, check the market blog. and don't forget about the live music. rock and romp is back to entertain everyone under the sun. see you and your sunscreen there!

i hear a symphony

in just a few short days, the modern postal system will produce a miracle. a tiny trove of treasures from the nest of one little chickadee will find a new home in a land far far away. yesterday you were introduced to the small bits that are now somewhere up in the sky. today, meet their travel companion, a tote with a stringed instrument slant...the oh hiroko bag!

this jazzy number will steal the show with her sideways style. there is an inset zipper pocket right up front to keep guitar picks handy for an impromptu solo. inside a trio of trusty slip pockets and a velcro patch pocket team up to make beautiful music together, and to organize you faster than you can say treble clef. shake your money maker without misplacing a note!