Shop update? Reopening?

I'm finally adding some of my new stuff to the S. Jane Craft Etsy shop. It's a little scary adding new, different stuff. So here are the first two new things, now available in the shop! Click on the images to go the listing.

Diamond Pendant in Sunset

Rainy Day Brooch

Quilt progress!

Quilting class again today! I get so excited seeing it all come together. I had to trim down my white and yellow blocks because they were a little big and a little outta control. This pic is when Casie and I were working on sewing our blocks into strips. Casie is a machine and daredevil who doesn't pin so she was flying through.





I plan to never remove that little piece of painter's tape that Cherie, our instructor, put on my machine to mark 1/4 in. Unless I end up getting a 1/4 in plate or foot or whatever, but even still, I might just leave it.



So here is where I was at the end of class today. I'm really happy with how it's coming out and can't wait to sew the last couple rows on tomorrow and then maybe attempt to add the border. I'm a little nervous about that part though! Yaaaay quilting!

So many options!

I've been cross stitching so many little designs lately trying to get a good stock of stuff. I realized yesterday that there are really so many things I could do. I tried some out, but I'm still not sure which ones I like besides the necklace.



The coral colored flower is from a antique pattern and I put it on a headband. All the rest are my own designs and from top to bottom are a brooch, hair pin and necklace. This is only a few of the pieces I've been stitching but what do you think?

I need some feedback, pals!

Also, I can't get this song out of my head today! If you haven't checked out the mystery that is (or, well, was) Iammaiwhoami, I highly recommend it. Super creepy and intriguing.

Spy vs. Villain

Adam and I were at Border's a few weeks ago looking for The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis (which is pretty awesome, by the way!) when I saw something that reminded me of a couple books I own.

(The Usborne Spy's Guidebook & How to Be a Villain by, Neil Zawacki)

The spy one I got in 4th or 5th grade. I remember looking at it every time my mom and I would go to the bookstore until she eventually got it for me. It's not like I ever had anyone to spy on, but man oh man would I have been ready! It teaches you how to make pocket spy kits, how to disguise your looks and voice, sneak around and many other helpful things to learn how to be a spy.

Make a spy training course in your own back yard!

I think the most use I got out of it at the time was writing notes with my friends Lisa and Steph in secret codes. Sneaky but clearly not using our full spy potential.

The other book, How to Be a Villian, I got from my good friend Ellen for one of my early twenty-something birthdays. This one teaches you how to pick a perfect villain name, plan your world takeover and how to chose the right minions. The writing is really funny and the illustrations are great.

Choosing the right evil name takes time!

Unfortunately I've yet to put this one to use. Guess it's time to start my reign of villainous terror over the Eugene/Springfield area. Good luck trying to catch me with all my spy skills, coppers and heroes!

Seriously though, who wants to make a spy kit with me?

First blocks!

Here are my little blocks from Casie and I's beginning quilt making class:

Nothing much yet but it's exciting to see! The teacher has been showing us lots of little tips that seem to make everything feel so easy. It's great!

It's only supposed to be in the 70's today and I'm so glad. I think I might do some clean up around the house, do some stitching maybe, eat some Otter Pops?

Quilt Crushes

Adam and I just watched a bunch of X-Files episodes. Some were kind of gross out and I didn't really fell like going to bed right after so I decided to look up some quilts on Flickr. So here are some quilts that I think are really neat!

1. Zen Mini Quilt, 2. Wedding quilt top, 3. Paletas Quilt - texture, 4. zigzig, 5. Triangles in a Square Quilt, 6. me plus you quilt, 7. Lines#6, 8. 13.365, 9. Color Study: Log Cabin ~ 2001, 45"X45"

Casie and I's first class went really well and I think we are both excited to see what we will be able to do with what we learn. The class went by so fast that I didn't get to take in progress pictures but I'll take some of what we got done tomorrow. Casie took one of her progress though! You can see it over at her blog.

I'm going to go crawl in bed now and watch some Simpsons and lay in front of a fan. The summer sunshine is nice and all but I'm ready for some cooler days and when Adam and I don't live in a house that stays all hot all the time.

Night dudes.

Quilting Class!

Casie and I are starting our quilting class today at noon! It's three Sundays at Piece By Piece Fabrics . I'm excited to finally learn the quilting basics and I'm nervous because, well, I'm just that way about anything new.

These are the fabrics I got. They're a little crazy but hopefully it will turn out OK. I mean, it's my first, ok second....maaaaybe third, try anyway!

Casie thinks someone is going to make fun of her sewing machine but then I reminded her that mine had had two serious drops and I think that made her feel a little better. (One of those drops was down Mellen Street hill in Portland, ME and if you know that hill you know it's not somewhere you want your sewing machine to be rolling down. Somehow all that broke was the bulb!)

Anyway! I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Piece By Piece is a really rad shop and everyone there seems super friendly. I'm gonna bring my camera and hopefully get some in progress shots. Wish us luck!

Quick peek and bone chisels (jk not really)

Just a quick peek at some projects I'm working on!

It's been a lot of stitching and a lot of Doctor Who the past few weeks. We are finally starting to get the gross heat that everyone else has been having. It just started yesterday so it's not too bad in our house yet but I'm already dreading it. Maybe I was one of the only ones, but I really wasn't minding the unseasonably cool weather we were having.

Well, I'm going to return to trying to keep cool and then make some pizza dough! We are going to a BBQ later and we're going to bring stuff for grilled pizzas. We made them when we went up to Seattle for the 4th and they came out so delicious.

Also while in Seattle on the 4th, I took some time to study up on medical equipment sterilization procedures.

And by study up I mean look through a procedure book my dad has for work and look for the old medical tools that I have and yell.."OH GROSS OUT!" at what they were once used for. I wish I had taken a picture of one of the grosser ones (like the bone chisels or things that cut nose cartilage, totally pukatronic!) but my camera battery crapped out immediately after that pic.

I think you should play this: ImmorTall

Adam and I were chatting about indie games earlier and how frustrating it is that the mainstream view of games is all blood and guts and guns. I don't really play many games like that and never really have. What I have always loved about games is that you get to see worlds you never could have imagined and have experiences that you can't have in real life. And while I don't need to feel something when I play a game, I've realized lately that when I do, regardless of the emotion, it sticks with me for a looong time. I still remember screaming and turning off my monitor when a zombie popped out of a puddle in Half-Life 2, the horrible grinding/growling sound in grandma's house when you play as Carmen in The Path, being psyched when Pango (that stubborn bitch!) finally gave me her picture in Animal Crossing: Wild World and how I felt at the end of ImmorTall by Pixelante.

It's a very short game so I don't want to give anything away but on the Pixelante site ImmorTall is described as "a poignant walk through the life of an alien caught in the midst of humanity". 

( click on screenshots to go to the game)

The game is so beautiful in the simplicity of the story and artwork. I had been meaning to share it with Adam for so long because it just randomly pops in my head sometimes. I finally did today and then decided to post about it here in hopes of sharing it with a few more people!


So if you have a few minutes please use them to check out ImmorTall. You can literally play it in a few minutes and if you don't think it's beautiful or feel nothing at the end they you are probably a robot, or dead, or a jerk! (JK, kinda)