Here is a little step by step look at the making on one of my latest pillows. I didn't realize how much I would like drawing on fabric, but it's really fun!

With just about everything I do, there's usually an initial sketch. Even if it's a drawing, I like to get the overall layout down quickly, so I'll draw it out and then go and re-draw it somewhere else when it's all planned.  

This photo is good because it shows how important it is to have all your supplies laid out.  Coffee, snacks, sunglasses for some reason. I think this day they had the vanilla bean scones = awesome. Those thing are so good and they almost NEVER have them. Don't know what the problem is. If you know a Starbucks that carries them regularly I'd love to know about it.  Anyways... So in this case I was drawing on a white tee. I like to use vintage fabric, but this was a new shirt. The fabric gets stretched over a board and pinned down and I get to sketching. Should have done more progress shots, but it only occurred to me halfway through, so this is what you get.

It took maybe 3 hours to draw the whole thing. I like to be picky about shading and things. And I'll draw over the same line probably 10 times until it's the thickness and texture I want.

My original plan was to have the pillow be the shapes of the owls, but I sewed it up that way and the seams weren't laying right. It was passable, but not really nice, so I took it all apart and made it into a square shaped patchwork pillow instead. Doing the patchwork was pretty involved, but I think it came out great. And that's the story of how this pillow was made.

I used to live in an airstream. It was a 1973 Sovereign, mostly original and I got into it completely by accident. My husband and I were living near Asheville, NC and he had a job to do in South Florida. Months in a hotel sounded like not the most fun ever, so we got the Airstream and, having never camped before, decided it was going to be home. And it turned out that for about a year it was the coziest, most fun home we'd ever had.

It's been about 10 months since we came off the road and I was just sitting here remembering the good times. Yes, it's small. Sure, there are a few inconveniences. But assuming you're with someone who's company you enjoy it's actually really, really wonderful. The feeling of freedom is something you can't get any other way, you're in places you couldn't be otherwise and you spend so much more time outside in the fresh air. It feels really great. And, since you're not actually in a tent you can have your vintage dishes and such, which make all those picnics a little extra special.

Another benefit to airstream travel, easy pet transport. We lived with our cat Reef and dog Silas. They adapted just fine, as you can see, and snugged right in.

Summer vacation in Melbourne Beach. It was nice because the water was fairly close.

Cooking tikka masala over the coals outside. Some interior shots.

Trailer Trash. Stopped by the side of the road, somewhere in the middle of nowhere Florida, waiting for some friends.

So that's enough reminiscing for one day. It was a good time tho, an adventure, and I like to think I keep the same spirit with me even now that I have some roots down.

Wednesday is craft day and I'm really looking forward to it. It's nice to have a time set up to get away from the usual and try something new. I have a friend who's an amazing craftsman/artist and she lets me hang out with her from time to time. I love seeing how other people work on things.

Last week I started sketching on vintage tee fabric and came up with some cute little animals pillows. I was pretty much delighted by them. Yep, that's the word: delighted.

So this week I'm expecting to do some more fabric sketching. Found a skirt made out of beautiful linen that would look quite nice on the couch. The fabric that is, I don't decorate with skirts.  So that's what the next pillow will be out of. I'm thinking of drawing rabbits today. Little snuggly bunnies. And some owls in a row would make a good pillow as well. Trying new things. Always more exciting that doing the same old all the time. And btw, all these things I'm making will be in the etsy shop.