Monster Cookie Nieces

Monster Aprons

My practice grandkids are turning 5 and 3 this year. 




Phea has a birthday  party next week.  She is turning five years old already! Since they have about eight sets of grandparents and I'm smart, I am sending them the aprons this week so they won't compete with all the presents next week.

I picked up this pattern at Quilt Expo this year. I was not sure about how my great-nieces were going to get into these aprons themselves. I thought about re-drafting the back to cover their back with just velcro at the top. In the end, reality imploded said, don't change up the pattern because you are gone from your house 12 hours a day and you are approaching exhaustion. For once, I sewed this project as drafted and as instructed.

The bias tape forms loops so you can adjust the fit.
Afterall, my great-nieces reside over an hour from me
- it's not like I can fit the apron on them. I'm guessing at the sizing as it is.


The mouth forms a pocket for kitchen stuff.






Pink for Phea.    Rooaarr!!!!

Police Horses

One of the benefits to working downtown Portland these last couple of months has been walking during the lunch hour. My cubicle-mate, Darcy, forces me to do this every day.


We start our walk by Union Station and climb the stairs to cross over the rail yard. Then we walk through a short plaza lined with Gingko trees until we break out along the Willamette River.

Union Station is one of the favorite filming locations for the Portland-based TV show Grimm.
We have lingered for a while while film crews put the extras through their takes.



Our halfway destination is the Police horses paddock.


As we brush the workday cobwebs out of our brains, the river and the horses entertain us.
Our Portland weather has been stunning this fall.


Old mill across the Willamette River.


After we see the horses, we walk back up the Willamette, turn around to get back to Gingko Alley and then cross back over the rail yards. 47 minutes.

Dragonfly Purse

 A Dragonfly Purse Finish.




I didn't start this - it appears to be a kit.  I found it at a fabulous garage sale this summer. 
A quilter was giving it up.

Fabric, Ott lights, interfacings, kits, etc.
And at garage sale prices.


It has plenty of pockets. Light colored lining at the pockets and bottom with blue, yes blue, vinyl sewn to make pockets.

One outside pocket and a continuous vinyl pocket separated into five compartments. I like the idea of vinyl pockets - you can see what you are 'organizing'.


I love light colored linings - much easier to not lose something inside the bag.

Look at this sashiko detail. - and the round buttons.
She had completed the panels
       -- from the patchwork to the sashiko stitching to attaching the handles.

Very nice stitching.

All I had to do was put a zipper (not included) at the top,  sew lining to outside panel, insert bottom stiffener (Cardboard (not included)) and sew up the side seams. I just had the panels in my ziploc. --no directions. All that time spent making purses these last two years paid off.

I don't know what the kit was called but I love the dragonfly indigo fabrics.

This is a medium sized purse. That bottom stiffener was 11" x 3" if that helps.

I think I paid less than $5.00 for this ziploc treasure.



***Note to Kyle: Peltex is very stiff. I forget what the next level down is called but this purse has it and it's a bit more flexible. Fusible fleece but a tad stiffer.

Woven Ribbon Birds

So a friend at work was showing me  crafty things she makes. Woven Ribbon Birds.
Checking facebook tonight, I stumbled across that boy who writes to the world. He has a crafty stall and wants to sell cards to write in. They decorated the front with Thai woven Fish.

Look! you can make your own:






---and right next to the fish video was a link to weaving birds and dragons;
The bird is exactly what friend is making.




How many are you making?

Cobwebby

Fall has arrived.
Foggy with falling temps - 40'

Canbyland sometimes holds off on the frosts until late November.

Chrysanthemum with slug attachment

Nicotiana - Tobacco flower

I left two pots on the patio who are still blooming their heads off.
Gartermeister fuscia and variegated leaf Inpatients.

The last two nights dropped to 40', so we took advantage of yesterdays sunniness to clean off the patio.
Put away patio table and swing. Chairs stacked up.
Flower pots in their winter positions - protected on the north wall of the house.



Ready for winter fires in the fireplace, reading the Sunday paper, drinking my coffee.

Airplane Halloween

Just google Airplane Costume Images.

 

Desert Chica Ramblings put together several airplanes made out of cardboard boxes and duct tape.

Oh Happy Day put this spin on an airplane costume.