finished yet another one

i finished the last one of my friends' eye pillows. still have to make my own, but in the meantime, this puppy (piglet?) will be heading to ontario in a short while. huzzah!

yet again, craft planning

today has been quite the crafty one. i sketched out an outfit (check the last post), knit a pair of handshoes for a lover, baked gluten-free macaroons (although they were from a mix and involved microwaving...always question a cookie recipe that involves the microwave), and now i'm embroidering yet another eye pillow.

it is once again thundering here on the coast. i wanted to go kayaking today, but given that i've never done it before (i do love to canoe though) and that the water's a bit choppy due to the weather, i decided it would be smarter to spend the day indoors. my muscles are restless though. i need to dance or something. the soundtrack for today has included florence + the machine and mo kenney, a local musician who's as talented as they are cute. i'm hoping to finish the embroidery tonight, as well as turn a normal shirt into one that works with cuff links. back to my needle and thread. 

sometimes i doodle clothes...

every once in a while, i get an idea in my head for an outfit, and i just have to sketch it out. occasionally, it even turns out like the image in my brain. sometimes i consider buying one of those notebooks filled with models for designing clothing (i love my notebooks), but given that i'd end up drawing wider hips on all of them anyway, it's not overly important ha. colours in my brain right now are mustards, plums, greys, and rich browns. it seems like fall is in the air...or at least on my mind.

summer nights & their adventures

things that happened last night...
...cuddling on a blanket watching outdoor theatre involving singing, drag, and a certain white rabbit.
...drinking along a park path.
...watching the stars, meteors, and galaxy from the beach.
...bakasana on the rocks.
...kissing on the rocks.
...midnight garden barbeques.
...a funny cab driver.
...slugs.
...a lot of moaning.
...singing songs and reciting poetry.
...deep conversations.

being unemployed during the summer is lovely, i'm forced to admit.

eye pillow the second

i finished off my darling friend's eye pillow this morning, after fighting with my sewing machine for a while. sometimes it runs smoothly, other times it decides to be a pain in the ass. anyway, here's the result:

it was another freehand creation, which means that symmetry isn't perfect. i kind of like that though. it makes it feel more unique and loving, if that makes sense. it's a teacup with an om symbol and a heart on the tea bag string. the heart kind of resembles a bird, but that's okay. it's a simple design, which is a nice subtle reminder that simplicity is sometimes the most beautiful. i often overdo things and forget about the beauty of simplicity.

i've been spending the morning baking black bean brownies, writing a letter to my friend, and listening to shane koyczan's new album. it's been wonderful. i'll be popping this in the mail along with a pair of handshoes for another friend (check them out on my sunflowerknit creations page - they're the houndstooth ones), then going for coffee with yet another friend before rehearsal. my life is filled with incredible people and delightful things these days.

more planning

i'm making another eye pillow, this time for my best friend back in the prairies. she and i have been best friends since high school, and have supported each other through too many situations to count. she's also one of the few people i stay in regular contact with despite the distance and time since we've lived in the same city. some of our mutual loves include tea, yoga, books, and holistic healing. anytime one of us is dealing with life stuff, we talk to one another and the temporary solution is always 'do some yoga, read a good book (often 'cunt' by inga muscio), and drink herbal tea.' here's my brainstorming for her eye pillow embroidery design:

i haven't decided whether to fill in the teacup yet or not, but the colour scheme will definitely be in the warmer tones.

finished!

here's the finished project based on last post's designs:

i freehanded the whole thing, and thankfully it came out nicely. i haven't embroidered in ages, so i was pleasantly surprised with the final product. the slip cover is embroidered with dmc floss and made out of scraps of canvas and fleece (on the back). the eye pillow itself is made from scraps of cotton and stuffed with flax seeds, lentils, lavender, and calendula. fingers crossed that it gets through the border without too much trouble and gets to my friend in the states quickly! for those of you who are interested in making your own, i used the amy butler free eye pillow pattern.

(here's a pic of the back...i overstuffed the pillow a wee bit, so it's bulging a little. i'm okay with that though.)