March 14, 2008 by debi.

I always know when spring is here.  As the weather gets warmer, the sky seems bluer.  Living is Colorado is such a pleasure in spring.  It starts getting warmer, the bulbs start to bloom, and the sky is the prettiest blue.  It makes me feel happy and creative.  It makes me feel inspired to work and make new things.

It has been almost a year since my father passed away, and I am finally starting to get back to normal.  It has been hard to be creative this past year, but in the last 2 weeks I have all kinds of new ideas for patterns and clothing.

I just did a pattern for a clutch bag for summer.  I graphed a copy of a vintage card pattern, and then decided on the stitches for the purse.  It is great colors and I think it will look really good when it is done.  I want to enter it in the Crochet Guild of America contest.  I am also working on a pattern for a lace camisole for summer.  I will start selling my original patterns on the website later this spring.

I have always embellished clothing, and I have my favorite jean which I have been patching for the last several years, because the fabric has gotten so thin, that they keep getting holes in them.  I need to add a few more patches because more holes have appeared in the last few weeks, and then I will take a picture and post it for all of you to see.  The new thing that I am really enjoying redoing sweaters.  I had sweaters in my closet that did not fit right so they needed to be redone, and just were not right, so I am reworking them. 

The first one is a pale pink vneck sweater that did not hand right in the front.  I love the sweater because of the ruffles on the sleeves and bottom.  I decided that I would cut it up the front and make it a cardigan.  I love cardigans.  Then I added lace to both sides and a button that the top.  I love the way it came out.  It is really feminine and pretty.

The next sweater that I am working on is a red cashmere pullover that my husband gave me 10 to 12 years ago.  I am turning this into a cardigan also.  I cut it up the front, but it was so big that I have added darts to the front and back to help take in some of the bulk, I have also taken in the sleeves.  I have cut off the bottom, it is still a little on the long side, so I will need to cut more off of the bottom and I am adding a floral fabric to the bottom that is gathered.  I am posting the picture for this also.  It is still a work in progress, and this is taking more time, because I love the feel of the cashmere, and I do not want to wreck the sweater.  I think I am also going to cut out a few of the flowers and put them on the sweater. Since the fabric is fairly thin I think I am going to have to attach it to some muslin to give it a little stability. 

I have also been busy redoing different areas of my house.  I was really tired of all of the  burgandies and golds that were in my house.  I finally have most of my bedroom redone. It is now done in aquas, whites, and yellows.  I love it.  I finally got 2 new chairs for in front of the fireplace.  They are off white chenille recliners.  I love them, and I love my room. 

I had to leave my couch burgandy, but I slip covered my chairs an off white and I have lots of aqua, white, and burgandy pillows and blankets around the room.  It is really cozy, light.  It looks updated.  I next need to do my dining room chairs, and I think I will do them in an aqua fabric. 

And by the way the fabric colors are finally catching up with what I have been looking for for 2 years.  It has taken so long for the furniture makers to start making some lighter colored furniture.

Well enough for today.  I will try to write everyday.  

Hope you have enjoyed what I have written.  I have really enjoyed it today.  Tomorrow I am going to write about cooking.  One of my other favorit subjects. 

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August 25, 2007 by debi.

I have been so busy organizing my office/workroom that I have not taken the time to write for a while.   It is all finally done, and I love it.  I have painted furniture, and painted the room, added pretty curtains, and slipcovered a chair.  I have moved all of my fabric into the room and my sewing machine and books and patterns.  My cousin came and visited and we sorted my yarns by colors into clear plastic bins.  It feels great when I come into this special place of mine.  I feel creative and at peace. 

This week I have been busy making sure that my website is working right, which is a good thing.  I finally have the shipping rates coming up correctly and the tax is showing correctly for Colorado.  I have been adding new items, which is taking time, because I need to finish taking new pictures of all of the beautiful scarves, hats, purses, sweaters, and shawls.  I finished two pairs of wrist warmers this week out of a beautiful angora.  I make one pair in white and one pair in lavender.  I found the new pattern in the Joan McGowan laungerie book.  They are beautiful. 

I also need to finish putting together a cotton camisole that I did in an pale aqua and take a picture of it also.  It is a small, and I do not know if my maniquan will go small enough for this, so I may have to look for a very small model.  I love knitting lace.  It is so much fun to make such pretty things.  I also finished a olive green lace mohair scarf with a ruffle at each end.  I found this pattern in one of my magazines, and I absolutely love knitting this scarf.  I have now made it in a gold, a pale pink, and an olive green mohair.  I will get pictures this week and put them on the website.  I am also going to get pictures of my office and put it online also to show all of you.

I tried a new recipe the other night from my 5 Factor Fitness book and it was really good.  It was a Thai Lentil Soup with shrimp in it.  I deviated from the recipe a little.  He called for 3 tbl of green curry paste and I cut it in half, and it was still a little hot, I added chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, and only added about 2 cups, and I added double the shrimp.  It was such an easy recipe, and it was really good.  The other thing I keep thinking about are coconut cupcakes.  They are really good.  My aunt made them for my dad’s memorial service in April, and I made them once after that.  They are Rachel Ray’s recipe for the cupcakes and the Barefoot Contessa’s frosting recipe. 

I think I must really be ready for fall.  I have been organizing and cooking and knitting, all things that I like to do in the fall and winter.  I guess it is the nesting instinct.  Settling in for winter. 

I had promised some pictures from my trip to Mexico before, so I am going to add them now, and will add pictures of my workroom and new scarves in the next few days. 

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July 5, 2007 by debi.

It has been a while since I have written here.  Since my last posting, my father passed away.  It has been a struggle to get started again. 

I did finally get to Mexico. I spent about 4 weeks there.  I felt so creative in Puerto Vallarta.  I took a lot of pictures which I will edit and get online soon.  Also, I just finished a camisole today, that is beautiful.  I got the pattern from one of my magazines, and did it in a very pale aqua.  It is so pretty.  I just need to sew up the sides and the straps, take a picture, and put it online.  I hope that everyone is finding something this summer that makes them feel creative and recharged.  I have found that life can be short, and we should make the most of each day, and appreciate the little things, like seeing pretty flowers in pots on a stairway, or looking at a clothes line with clothes hanging on it.  It was great watching children play and getting pictures of them while I was in Puerto Vallarta.  They would get so excited to look at the screen on the camera and see their pictures. 

I got to spend time with friends and family, which is really important to me.  I was missing one kid down there, but he will come with us on another trip.  I also saw a sea turtle lay its eggs on the beach in the little town of Bucerias.  It was a once in a lifetime thing to see.  I did not realize that turtle eggs are considered a delicacy, so the policia actually came and stayed on the beach and guarded the eggs, so that no one could dig them up.

I spent some time alone down there between friends leaving and family arriving, and it was really nice.  I was able to spend time knitting, crocheting, and walking on the beach.  It was wonderful getting up in the mornings, having my coffee, and watching the water.

 I read and listened to lots of books.  I listened to the new Jonathon Kellerman book. I also read the new Earlene Fowler book and also the Diane Mott Davidson Book.  It was really peaceful and relaxing.  It is just to read books sometimes, because it means I can not do my other favorite pastime of knitting.  I really like to be able to listen to books, because I can knit and crochet at the same time.

I hope that all of you had a great 4th of July, and I will write again soon. 

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March 5, 2007 by debi.

I have been  in the process of moving and redecorating my studio for several monthes.  I was in this tiny room when I started my business 5 years ago.  It was cramped and cluttered, but I loved it.  We live on a lake and it had a view of the lake.  For some reason my son decided that he wanted his room back, and gave me his bigger room in the basement.  Nice to have more room, but it never inspired me.  Several monthes ago, things changed in my house, and I got my small room back.  I love this room.  I had it painted a pale sage green, and I finally got these pretty curtains for the room yesterday.  I painted my sewing table a pretty pale blue today, and ordered a slipcover for my wingback chair that goes in my office.  Now you are probably wondering why I ordered a slipcover, if you read the about me part of this blog, since I originally started out in business making custom slipcovers.  (that was a long sentence, and probably not gramatically correct.)  I really did not like making slipcovers.  I love designing patterns for clothing, and knitting, but not slipcovers.  It was boring.  I like doing my own thing,  the exciting part of making something is creating it.  With slipcovers, I had to go with other peoples taste.  It took part of the process away.  Consequently, I decided to buy a white canvas slipcover for the wingback.  Tomorrow I will hang my curtains, and paint my desk white, and start moving some of my fabric and books into the new studio.  It is fun when you feel like you have a great place of your own.  It is a small room, with charm.  It has great light.  It faces east, and it has a really peaceful view of the lake.  When you look out the window you feel like you are on a lake in Switzerland.  I just love it.  It is a place where I can just go and sit.  I can listen to music or a book or watch a movie, while I work.  Since I lost this lovely little space 4 years ago, I have used my bedroom.  It has the same view as the room downstairs, but alas it is not the same.  I can design, knit, and crochet in my bedroom, but I can not sew in here.  I found that I really miss sewing also.  I have had sundresses dancing through my head over the last few monthes, and I can not wait to get started.  And tote bags, I am on a tote bag kick. 

I just got back from Mexico two weeks ago, and I will go back again in June for a month, and I want to have lots of sundresses.  I like to buy sundresses if I can find them, but it is hard to find the perfect sundress.  It get really hot in Mexico in June, or at least it did last June.  So I want to have lots of sundresses.  They need to be light and loose, but sexy.  Little spaghetti straps, empire waist, and fun prints are pictures dancing through my head.

Our place in Mexico is on the beach.  Iit is really small, but it works for us.  My kids complain, because it is in the middle of nowhere, with no tv and no phone.  It is peaceful and beautiful, and quiet.  Not exactly what a teenager is looking for, but exactly what I need to recharge my batteries.  Last year I was on a kick with the color aqua.  It reminds me of the ocean, and I needed to cover pillows and a window seat cushion.  I also made and afghan out of multiple turqoise fabrics.  I will get a picture next time I am down there and post them.  I used a patchwork fabric with yellows, turquoise, purple, green, orange, and white for the pillows, and the shams for the bed.  I used solid aqua for the window seat cushion.  It is really pretty and bright.  It looks great when the shutters are open and you look right out the window at the ocean.  I have a white matelisse coverlet and white sheets on the bed, so the color in the room comes from the afghan and the window seat. 

I wake up there in the morning really early.  Sometimes before the sun it up.  I love sitting my little porch, listening the ocean, drinking my coffee, and knitting or reading a book.  By the way if I am knitting, I am listen to a book.  I wait for the sun to come up, and I watch the light in the sky, and then I love watching as the light plays on the ocean.  Last summer my son Danny took a picture some yellow flowers growing over my palapa roofed kitchen at sunset.  There is the orange in the wall and the beautiful oranges in the sky, and the brown of the roof, and these beautiful yellow flowers with red centers.  It is a great picture.  I need to have him give me the disc so that I can go and get it blown up and framed.  I will put it in the house down there this summer. 

      This is Danny a Captian Pablos Restaurant on the beach in Sayulita.

  My husband David and daughter Charly at the same time.

As you can tell,  places and views make a difference in my creative process.  I fell so fortunate that I get to create things, and can call it a job.  I still need to start making money from what I do,  but this is the year.

Well I’m off for the night.  I’m tired and ready for a new day of things to inspire me.

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March 2, 2007 by debi.

My new online store www.dreamsbydebi.com will be up and running soon.  I can not thank Sabaina and Zee the couple who did the store enough.  They have been wonderful incorporating all that I have asked for, and answering all of my questions.

This has been a work of love for me.  I started crocheting when I was a child.  I do not remember who taught me, but I have done it on and off for over 40 years.  I taught myself how to knit 4 years ago after my grandfather passed away, and really enjoy it.  I think it is the creative process that is so wonderful.  I am one of those people that has to touch all of the yarns in a store.  I am also one of those people that pulls my had away quickly if I touch a yarn of fabric, that feels yucky (for want of a better word).  It is like touching a piece of chalk. 

Right now I am working on a lace mohair scarf with a ruffle at the ends.  I found the pattern in Knitting Magazine.  It is so pretty.  I made one in a pale pink, and now I am working on one in mustard yellow.  The picture above is the pink scarf in progress.  This is not a color that I usually pick, but I saw the ball of yarn at my local yarn shop Knitty Cat.  Ann always has such great things in her store.  I love walking in there.  There are so many colors and textures, it is kind of like walking into a pastry shop.  I always end up spending to much.  Anne’s website is www.knittycat.com visit it if you get a chance.

I am signing off for now, but I’ll be back soon.

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