Sewin' and Spinnin'

I recently attempted to use my drop spindle to less than glorious results. The bruise on my shin has subsided, and I am ready to take another crack at it. Before I do, here are a few shots of my first try.





Thick and lumpy in parts, thin, knotted, and mangled in others, its far from my spinning aspirations, but its a start!




I need to read up a bit on technique before giving this another try!




A few weeks back, a family friend loaned me a little-used sewing machine, and my sewing friend Jessica taught me how to use it (thanks Jess!) Of course, the world of sewing comes with a whole new world of delicious stash to collect. Today I hit up Fabrix at 2nd and Clement in San Francisco, a discount fabric store of unimaginable cheapness. For 26 bucks I got a ton of buttons (5 bucks buys you 100 buttons!), thread, and nearly 8 yards of fabric. I am mostly into cottons, and their selection of cottons was limited, but I managed to walk away with a few treats.




I have the fabric for a skirt all pinned and cut, ready to be sewn together, but I want to make something simpler first to get the hang of things. Enter Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I love all things Scandinavian when it comes to prints and design, and this gorgeous book is no different.

I have started the tote bag pictured on the cover. My living room is destroyed with scraps, bobbins, the machine, its box, instructions on top of all the projects on the needles. The hurricane of sewing paraphernalia combined with 40 minutes of bobbin fiddling have resulted in (drum roll please).....one tote bag handle!



And a parting weekend shot: my bus stop in the Financial District. Enjoy your weekends!