Pendleton 2ZH

I started this bag - the Two Zip Hipster last weekend.  This is designed by Erin of Dog Under My Desk (DUMD) and features a cross-body strap and a recessed zipper.
I made one before out of Orange Ikea fabric:



On my first one, I followed the directions with only one minor change. This time, I changed a lot.
First off, I wanted to use Pendleton wool fabric and the purse needed to be a tad wider. Having only 1/2 yard of this turquoise and brown Pendleton print meant I had to be creative in the cutting layout.
I found a great thin suede to use as an accent piece (faux piping) and as trim on the front pocket.
Like the first time, I ironed the pocket lining to peek above the edge
 
Other people have enlarged the pattern 110% but not me. I only wanted the width to be larger. The depth of the bag was just about perfect. That meant I had to study all the pattern pieces to make sure I was adding the same amount to each abutting piece. I added just less than an inch to the width.

I want this tassel on my zipper but I'm not sure how to attach it. I need me some jewelry findings. I'll go ask creative girl tomorrow. I'm sure it involves a bead header cap, a jump ring, some glue . . .

I had a thrifted cross body strap that matched well enough - so I had to change the connecting hardware.      {...but this meant I did not have to sew a 60" strap}.

Purse hardware is very spendy. I  find purses that don't look great at garage sales and cut off the metal hardware - usually a buck in my neck of the woods. The hardware on this purse could easily be $15-20 at the fabric store.

 My limited fabric meant I had to piece the front piece. Because it's hidden by then front zip pocket, no big deal - just measure against the pattern piece to make sure the end result is the correct size

I think I will hand stitch that label on more securely, or not.

Love how the recessed zip looks!

 I wanted a two-way zip, based on my last 2ZH, but I think that was because that purse was a tad narrow in width. It's nice, but it meant I had to mentally do my zipper installation a teeny  bit different.

I just received these metal zipper ends from Emmaline Bags. Best bling ever!
Looks so much less home-sewn.

Turned inside out. I added the long strappy thing to hold a double sided coin purse (not made).
I read some advice on traveling in Japan about their coinage. Some coins are best to get rid of right away, and to separate your change as you receive it so you can move it on.

***Side note: I heard the best joke at work today!
When does it rain money?
Whenever there's a change in the weather.

 I, of course, had to add an inside zip pocket for secure storage. And lined it with some airplanes  ;-)      The white background is easier to see things inside a purse.

 The opposite side holds a standard (with pattern) slip pocket. I decorated it with my trimmings.

I have two weeks to go before my trip. Tomorrow I'm shopping for a lightweight, but warm rain jacket as well as other assorted travel doodads.

I had wanted to sew a pendleton carry-on but that's too ambitious for my limited time. I can board with a carry-on and one personal item. In the ways of air travel, this purse will be in my giant black airplane purse.

I am very happy with how this turned out,  even if my seam ripper had to rip out some stupidity occasionally.


I first used this pendleton fabric on this big shopping tote bag:




***April 2015 update:
This worked terrific on Japan trip. I received many compliments.
The two-way zip actually worked very well. Just the right height for my water bottle, sometimes the bottle placement meant using one zipper pull-tab or the other. I think I'm on a mission to put two-way zips in all my bags from now on.
It was easy to manage multiple showings of passport wallet, change purse (Lots of japanese coinage!) and regular wallet. Japan is very cash-based, unlike USA & Europe.
This bag had the right amount of pockets for traveling.

Fabric Postcard

Inspired by my lovely friend in Japan (three weeks!!!) and another bloggy friend in the UK,
I made a fabric postcard. One more week of Rural Mail Count so this will make my carrier smile when she picks it up. One guess as to where it's headed?

For the address portion, I dithered about fabric markers, sharpies, or a piece of vellum. In the end, I sewed a scrap piece of vellum on and when fray-checking the corners, added a dab along the vellum seam lines. Hopefully it won't tear off from the perforations.

All other fabrics were fussy-cut from my vast collection and raw-edge sewn to a piece of peltex and batting.
Edging to secure is just a close-spaced zig-zag stitch that wraps around the edges.

The Chicken Pot Holder giveaway is still open through the end of the month {{last week}. All you have to do is send me a postcard or a letter. My address is on the original post. I've already received some really cute postcards, including an embroidered airplane. I posted some of them here.
I have had so much fun with this giveaway. Some of you don't even want the chickie - which cracks me up. I look forward to getting my mail everyday and it baffles me that some folks don't even check their mail but once every week or so (or longer). I usually have something interesting in the box even if it's only mail order vitamins.

I think I wrote almost 40 letters, postcards and parcels more than normal this month and it's true, to receive letters, you have to send letters.



Okay - I'm changing my red thread to something else now. . .

Mail Count Half Over

Flying airplane with chickie pilot - Love it. Looks like our old Cessna 170A.

Fukuoka:  Special postcrossing postcard for different regions in Japan. Vintage castle postcard.

Scandanavian Crocheted Heart - you can find how-to directions on the sidebar of Teresa's Blog:

A fellow Postcrosser: Over 4000 cards sent and she lives 20 minutes from me!!!

Benta sent a fabric postcard for my mail carrier too!

Fumikou - Japanese letter sachets. I can make my own now.

Sweet pile of February fun.

Today's outgoing mail

Taking photos today of some of the postcards I've received. So far.

My carrier is super happy with how much mail volume she has received. Normally, during count, mail volume vanishes. ** As in, everyone suspects the PO of holding back the mail, somehow. Not this time. Lots of packages, lots of hours, lots of first class. Three routes are being counted out of six rural routes for my city of Canbyland. We have five city routes which get figured differently (I know!). So complicated - it's the government at its best. I love being a federal employee (sarcasm!).





I came up with a giveaway for everyone who reads this blog - you can tell your friends too.
To win this chicken pot holder, all you have to do is send me a postcard (or a letter). It must be postmarked between Feb 7 - 24, 2015). My address is in the original giveaway post.

This helps out my amazing mail carrier with more mail volume. I will draw randomly - seriously- the best postcard photo, the best joke, the best drawing, it will be my favorite card.

International peoples are welcome, I will post this chicken hot pad to the winner at the end of February.
Rural mail count goes from February 7 - 28, but I chose to end this giveaway on the 24th so I can receive your entry during mail count.

***You might get extra points if you state on your postcard or in your letter how many other stamped pieces of mail you sent out during this time.
***Or maybe you know some good chicken jokes.
***Or, you can sketch flying airplanes, with chickie pilots.

Red Thread Stash Busting

 I am notorious for not changing thread.
Not because it's hard to do.
I'm an amazingly lazy person. I will sew Red until I am out of red projects. It's quite amazing how nice red looks on yellow.

My serger is threaded with neutral thread cones. Most of the time - Black or White. And it's an easy machine to thread too.

 However, I made a New Year's resolution to completely use the fashion fabric before I moved on so chickens were hatched.

The remains of that yellow chickie material are in tiny pieces in the scrap basket.

 Do you know what I dislike even more than changing my thread? Making flocks multiples. I can easily cut out ten but by the time I get to the fourth one, I am done. D-O-N-E. Time to move on.

I have little enough time to sew, and way too many projects percolating in my head. Sewing the same project over and over leads  to . . .

Can you sew in multiples or do you like unique projects more?

  There is a particularly difficult place to sew on these chickies. I wasn't getting my bias tape just right here. I must have sewed over it four times before I realized I had emptied another spool. I was just making needle tracks.

Underneath shot where the eggs come out. lol    Looks like a baseball mitt here.

The Chicken Pot Holder giveaway is still open through the end of the month. All you have to do is send me a postcard or a letter. My address is on the original post. I've already got some really cute postcards, including an embroidered airplane.  I'll post those in a couple of days.


This morning dawned bright and sunny - no fog!  I went out with the dog as he started on his morning patrol. As I came around the kitchen window hedge, I got dive bombed by some snarky hummingbirds and the wrens and finches were making angry chirping songs. Their feeders were empty.
While I waited for the sugar syrup to cool, I lucked out on making this video of the poor staving hummingbird.

Do you make your own hummingbird syrup? It's easy: One part sugar to four parts water. Red food coloring optional for most.

In my household, I have to add red coloring because, helpful hubby sees the 'water' in the pan and dumps it, scours the pan, and then throws it into the dishwasher. Coloring it red means I don't have to re-make it.

Spring Flowers 2015

Christmas Cheer Rhododendron

Winter Heather

Snowdrops - from my aunt ruby's

Camellia

Crocuses

Mini Iris's

Ugh! Artillery Weed

Christmas Cheer Rhody - I can them from my kitchen window.

Christmas Cheer Rhody - 24 years now.

I took these two days ago on a momentarily sunny day. 
We're back to uber thick fog that may or may not burn off.
I love that springs lasts three months here in the Willamette Valley.

Dog Bone Valentines

 

 I saw something like this in my facebook feed and I thought immediately of my nephews who got a new dog last year.

For Valentine's Day, I filled it with better treats.

These are my packages going out today - including the Valentine Bone above. My rural carrier gets counted for picking up these packages, and the number of packages. Also for dismounting from her vehicle to come to my front door.

 My giveaway of the Hot Chicken is going on all month. All you need to do is send me a postcard or a letter. My address is  on the main giveaway post.

Cluck Cluck - WIN ME.

 The lining is a thin laminate I bought in Helsinki. I finally cut into it after three years. It sewed like a dream. Doggy treats are kinda greasy so this will be washable and containable.

Back side

I found one dog print in dark colors (stash)  - a hunting scene and it did not quite fit Rose. I used some great airplane fabric instead - after all, it's from the airplane auntie.

Have A Cup Of Tea With Me

 Chicken, Chicken,  who wants a cool pot holder??
Got a giveaway going on here through the month of February.
All you need to do is send me a postcard/letter.
International peeps too.

 A customer recently sent me a surprise package with some insulbright for me. I sewed up some hot pads right away and then recalled that she had bought a couple of hot pads already so I went with my patented "Have a cup of tea with me" idea instead as a thank you.

 And then, that same week, Pencil Girl sent me a happy package as well. She's famous because she helped sew the giant lion that appeared in the super bowl half time show. I almost watched the game for her. Almost.

Still figuring out what to make her. I caught a head cold that is very drippy.
Did you notice how well the zips matched the fabric -- maybe not -  as the color on the computer twisted them. But they match the pretty green (yes) of the fabric plus some extras in my colors of aqua/turquoise.

I love getting mail. I hope you will enter my giveaway and send me a postcard or a letter this month.