an ear to the ground

have you heard about the great new magazine for hip young sewing folk? It's called Modern Seamster (sewing*style*culture) and the first issue is available for free download as a pdf!! Just click on the photo of the magazine when you get to the site to get your copy, how cool is that?!

I just got my copy the other day and am thrilled to see a sewing magazine coming out with such a fresh outlook. They seem to strike a great balance between a deep appreciation for the history of the craft as well as plenty of zip and zeal for all that is hip and newsworthy in the world of the stylish seamster of today!

p.s. just one more week to enter our giveaway!

where did she go?!

traveling distant lands? nope
working on new items for the shop? afraid not
running through a fury of errands and appointments? not quite

in reality, which is unfortunately where i live most days, i have been completely laid up with some dastardly infection of my digestive system and the doctors still haven't made a diagnosis. Tomorrow morning i will get to go back (can't you tell i'm giddy with anticipation...) to the urgent care facility for the second day in a row because it seems the doctors are finally convinced that something is actually amiss, d'oh! I guess that happens when a patient in disabling abdominal pain ends up having to call the after hours line at the after hours clinic to report that "just forcing fluids" didn't quite do the trick...it sounds like i am going to get the royal treatment now to try and find out just where and what this infection is.

i'm all for natural cures when possible, but i'm in so much pain every which way i turn that all i can focus on is getting through the night and being rewarded with mucho get-me-eating-again-drugs! i've got a huge hankering for cajun fries and a cheeseburger from a local fast food chain called Five Guys...it sounds glorious and horrific considering the state of my stomach right now but if you've ever had the supreme treat of eating there, you know just what i mean.

and on that random note i must get to bed. AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY. BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY FREE STUFF FOR YOU! AND THAT'S ALMOST AS EXCITING AS TYPING EVERYTHING IN CAPS LOCK!

FIRST EVER GVK GIVEAWAY!

Finally, we are opening up our first ever giveaway! The winner will be receiving these "spring cleaning" inspired items: a matroishka lavender sachet as well as this charming laundry bag for delicates! These are both new items from geschichtenvonkat with more arriving in the shop soon. See the bottom of this post for details on the items and more photos.

The rules are pretty simple:
–To enter this giveaway go to my shop, then return here and leave a comment on this post about something you found, nothing more to it!
–On April 4th, I will be drawing a name from a hat (literally). After the name is drawn I will contact that person. However, if they do not respond within three days another name will be picked!!

Bonus ways to win:
–I will enter your name 2 extra times if you write about my shop and our giveaway on your own blog—just leave another comment on this post with the link to your post so I can easily find it.
–I will enter your name 5 extra times if you purchase something from my shop—again, just leave another comment on this post about what you got.


Item Details:


This laundry bag is made of muslin with a drawstring cord closure. The decorative fabric on the bottom is cotton and is quilted with a delicate top-stitch. The matroishka is a linoblock print which i carved after one of my own drawings. The print was then accented with some embroidery.

The laundry bag can be used to seperate delicates in the wash (cold, gentle cycle only) or stash your delicates and other odd n' ends in it for easy organizing during travel. You could even tie the cord around a hanger in your closet and use it to store scarves, sashes, and other accessories.
Size: app. 15 x 10 inches


The second item is this lavender sachet made with cotton and natural linen on the back. It is filled with a mix of organic lavender blossoms and a small amount of organic flax seed—just scrunch them with your hand to activate the oils after they've sat for a while. The sachet can freshen up your closet or dresser drawers and you can also put them in your pillowcase to help you relax as you fall asleep or place between guest towels and sheets to make them feel like royalty when they arrive!
Size: app. 5 inches tall

keeping up the pace

ooooo i am falling behind on my blogging...but i sure have caught up on busy work for the shop! i am doing a lot of experimenting with the new sewing machine—and i've already broken and replaced a needle on it which obviously shows i am doing some serious work here ;)

i've been drawing and carving new linoblocks, making a custom clutch for a friend, learning to felt (if you are a felter i now have a deep and lasting respect for your patience level), hand sewing more matroishka sachets, working on some new designs for pillows (i've been wanting to have them in the shop for some time now), and making masses of labels to use in upcoming projects so i don't have to stop each time i need one. phew!

i'll be keeping the pace up through the end of the week at least (with a short break to watch the last BSG episode on Friday, tear) so it might be a bit quiet round the blog for a couple days more...stay tuned though because i'll be opening up GVK's first ever give-away right here on the blog on March 21st!


p.s. speaking of BSG, i think what Edward James Olmos said at the UN had to be the coolest frakin' thing EVER.

my little matroishkas

o i love these dear little matroishka sachets that i just finished with. They are cut from a great print which i backed with linen and then stuffed full of some very fragrant lavender. There is only one in the shop for now as I am saving the one with the turquoise kerchief for GVK's Spring giveaway...i am going to pair it with a few other spring cleaning themed items and will open the giveaway up on the blog here March 20th! free stuff for you, yay!

movin' on up

i owe you a post on that very bodacious of birthday gifts, my new sewing machine! for you to get the full weight of the thing, i should back up a bit and first show you the machine i've had all these years:


a Singer 401A which my grandmother Donna Mae got when it came out in 1957. This is the same year she had my mother, the eldest of four children. My grandparents were not very well off and she made what money she could as a seamstress. i always loved seeing old pictures of the clothes she made for my mother and her siblings and hearing stories of her time altering gorgeous wedding dresses in the fancy department store across town.

i learned on this machine and i love it dearly so of course i will never get rid of her, what blasphemy! truly, singer sewing machines never die, they just get ornery and decrepit, haha. my grandfather rehauled the entire thing a few years back for me and it still runs like a gem, but, alas, it just can't handle the interfacing and multiple layers of fabric i work with for my shop. this has left me sewing everything by hand. i don't mind it actually, i just can't grow the shop any more at such a dusty little pace. which brings me to the Singer HD110 Heavy Duty Professional Sewing Machine (insert choir of arch angels singing the hallelujah chorus here)!


i've already whipped out a few projects on it that otherwise would have taken me several days each and i gotta tell you, it runs like BUTTAH ;)

birthday treats

o me o my! what a lovely little birthday i had, thanks to my lovely family. buttercream frosting and brown paper packages, blt's with avocados and a couple hours of blissful napping. o yes, and some presents too!


this is my new red shift dress from Anthropologie which i got with my gift certificates from christmas. it came the very next morning after my birthday and so did the gorgeous glass earrings you see hanging near the collar which were a birthday present (thank you xty!!!!). they come from the shop of little brown bird who sells exquisite jewelry on etsy. here's a better look:

(photo talents of littlebrownbird)

i also received another etsy surprise, some handmade soap from "mom #2." thank you thank you! It's chocolate espresso soap from Kreated by Karina and it makes me terribly hungry...

(photo talents of KreatedbyKarina)

p.s. tomorrow i must tell you about the most bodacious birthday gift given to me by my fiance. i'll give you a clue: a brand spankin' new SEWING MACHINE!! photos and drool to come ;)

printing with potatoes

i spent all of this past sunday doing laundry and printing more polka dot linen towels in every color imaginable: cherry red, baby blue, hot pink, pepto bismol pink, persimmon, mint, and grassy greens to name a few. if you're interested, you can always place a custom order with me for a particular color to match your own kitchen!

I use a stamp carved into a potato for my polka dots, quite a simple technique but it works beautifully. This can be a fun project to do with kids as well—just skip the fabric paint and use paper with a kid friendly paint that won't stain clothes and walls. Soon I will have to show you the new linoblock stamps i am carving though which I'm anxious to start experimenting with.

and on a completely unrelated note, tomorrow is my birthday! i just can't help getting excited about birthdays—some think they are mostly for kids, but if that's true than i guess I am always going to be immature :)