Retreat Bags For The Great Nieces

 These Retreat bags from Emmaline Bags were super quick to put together. This is a free tutorial on the Emmaline Bags blog.

 There are wire frames that hold the bag open. It's not necessary to have the wires but it makes this bag Super professional. My sewing is never professional - I added handles and I haven't clipped threads nor did I switch thread colors. I had black on the sewing machine and ran with it.

These are for my great-nieces who are six and four. For sure, they will not notice.

 I used two japanese prints I bought at SewExpo over a year ago.
Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood fairy tales as only the Japanese can draw them.

You will notice I used some of my 'new' birthday airplane stripe denim to line one bag. The pink stripe came from Japan and is a remnant from a futon cover.

 You might notice some animals trying to get inside. Another garage sale score about a week ago. An entire bag of really cool animals (no repeats) that will be fabulous play toys for those great nieces.

 When's the last time you played with giraffes?

And I used two more estate sale zippers. The bigger teeth ones. Easy for little hands to pull open.

The Handles were something I added. I stitched them down about 4" from either end. Makes it easier for little girls to carry.

Memorial Day Flowers and Sedums

Poppy

Columbine

Sedum

Another Sedum

 

There's Kale in my salad greens

My Patio view towards the Hangar

Zooming out. Swing is on the right.

 

 I used to garden under fir trees until we cut them down (falling). Mostly perennials.
I am slowly changing it over to shrubs and trees. Less work, I'm sure.

 The problem lies here. How cute is this columbine? How are you supposed to rip this out of the bed? I am such an easy mark.

 This is the fullness of Spring, all leafed out. Cleaned of weeds.
It is so not a Japanese pruned garden.
My inner self thrives in chaos and wants all the plants.

My goal is to screen out the dry rot view. Getting there slowly as my new trees grow up.
And maybe put some slug bait out so my Hosta leaves aren't in ribbons.

Niece Graduating

 My youngest niece is graduating high school this year.
I mean really! Where does the time go?

 She's off to Westmont College in California next fall so I looked up her school colors and discovered I have next to nothing in Maroon & White.
I definitely have a problem with turquoise colors.

 I made her a zipper Key Fob with emergency money inside and a Zippered pouch. These YKK zips are from my estate sale find a week ago. Got the big ring pull. These retail for over $4 a pop and I get to use them at less than 10 cents a project.

 I filled the pouch with some Oregon State (OSU) Socks - just in case she changes her mind about schools, the key fob, an alligator critter card with the all-important auntie gift (check).

And most importantly, Creative Girl? I ended up not squirreling that pretty ribbon into one of my corners and I actually wrapped niece's gift and tied a bow with the pretty ribbon. I'm so proud of myself.

And look - the strawberries are turning red.

My Friend Totally Gets Me

 Creative Girl totally gets me. For my birthday, she found me airplanes.
This Blue Corsair will be hung on the patio.

 I love puzzles. Even though she probably found this at a sale, all the pieces were there.
F-14 Tomcat. Jolly Rogers insignia.

Then she followed it up with fabric -- with airplanes on it!

Nice lightweight denim with stripes.

Pretty blues.

Love the metallic blue powder coat.

We're Garage Sale buddies. Which means the best gifts are totally thrifted with bonus points for dickering/haggling.
When I say my friend is worth spending two bucks on, that's high praise indeed where most items go for two bits.

Estate Sale Bonanza

 A week ago, I went to an estate sale just out of town about three miles or so.
I hit the crafter's bonanza.

This top photo is three Hawaiian Prints (says so on the selvedge!) in beautiful rayon cotton. The fabric that drapes wonderfully.

The next photo is one of several lengths of Pendleton Wool. One is tagged Pendleton. These were all stored in a cedar chest. Lucky me. Cuz the rest of the fabrics were stored willy-nilly and I will have to double-check them for whatever lurks within.

Pendleton $6.00/yard!

 A buttload of zippers. 10 cents each or 'Let's Make A Deal'. I came back on Sunday (Half-price day) and found the rest of the zippers.

There were a lot of laces and trims but there were also a lot of musty mousiness. I left those.
A house, outbuildings, shop, barn. Filled with vintage loveliness.

 This pattern goes with the Hawaiian prints above. This is a well-known Muu-Muu designer.

 My co-worker and I both write a ton of letters. Fun critter-shaped letters. She loved these!

Vintage novelty prints.

 A stack of Hawaiian, Wools, pretty striped Swedish blue and yellow stripe.

 The orange and black is a stunning authentic batik.

 This is a Japanese style Tricot.
Yes, tricot knit. The kind you make slips out of.
I just love the colors and the japanese pictorial. Eagles, cranes, Swordfish, 60's mod water.

 What a fab haul.

I had an phone emergency last week. My barely three-month old phone slipped off the couch arm and hit the rug in just the right spot. The screen didn't break but the LCD thingy came loose and the screen is all wacky-doodle. I managed to retrieve these photos and thank god I had moved the Japan photos to my laptop a month ago.

I had finally got the new phone all set up just the way I wanted and BAM! -- dead in the water. It will cost too much to repair. I'm using the old Samsung S2 for now. My new blogging app - Blogaway - won't work on the older phone. I had gotten used to it's photo loading capabilities.

 Come to find out, a lot of the newer Samsungs: S4, S4 Mini (me), S5 all have this problem of not taking any guff. Reports of sticking it in your pocket causing the LCD to break loose, Hitting it against your keys in your purse, dropping just one time....

yeah.

I might switch to an I-Phone next time I  have spare money. Although, I will be selling the pendleton wool as well as all of the above estate goodies, so maybe some spare change will make its way to me by Christmas.

Catching up on some planned blog posts - three to go, -- now that I retrieved the photos off the S4 Mini by way of the Samsung Kies program.

Fox Face Pattern Release

 I was asked to pattern test this Fox face.

That's cuz I'm impressive. Right?
I thought this was cute and easy and I was happy to help.
The fox face is constructed via piecing techniques. Very easy pattern with row three being the most difficult. After you piece each row, then you sew them together.

The pieced pattern is for the face. As in 16 faces - for a quilt. I just had to make one and then decide myself what to make of it.
Making 16 of the same blocks is not my forte.


I like how mine turned out and I thought a reading pillow would be nice.
Looking though my fabric stash, I found this old thrifted white chenille/hobnail bedspread that wanted to lend some fringe to the project.

 I managed to sneak some subtle airplane fabric in on the ears.

You can either sew eyes out of fabric or enhance them with buttons.

 I used the face fabric - a cotton/bamboo blend to sash out the pillow.
I hand-stitched a border of  embroidery floss in orange and turquoise to coordinate.

 Don't you love these old chenille/hobnail bedspreads? My grandma had them on her twin beds when I was growing up.

You can purchase this pattern in Sandra's LimePhosphate Etsy store.

She writes about her first pattern release over on her blog here.