Happy Easter Eggs

 Happy Easter everyone.
We're having Baby Back ribs and Teresa's Carrot cake tomorrow.

 Ukrainian egg decorating. My library repeated a class they held two years ago. You start with a blown-out egg. Apparently, there is a tool to do this instead of blowing them out the hard way!
Funny girl bought a kit, so I blew out three green eggs for her - I almost get a headache doing it the hard way.

This time, we worked with white eggs. Two years ago, brown eggs.

Basically, this is a wax resist method aka batik. Using wax to trace designs, then coloring them, then more wax to enhance the design, then more dye and maybe another run through with wax and dye.

The tool in the right hand is called a kistka. A little tube to hold beeswax that is then melted over the candle flame.

Funny friend's sunny egg

Creative Girl's egg masterpiece.

 Late last week, an old friend emailed me to ask a question. As I still had a few plastic eggs left, I whipped up these drawstring pouches and mailed a wee present to the cutest little girl and her brother. This little girl used to bring me flowers at work - the kind with no stems. I had a little plastic dish to float her bouquets in.
*smile*

These were fun to make too.
These are yarn wrapped around a water balloon which you squeeze a chocolate egg or two into first. Soak the yarn in watered glue adn wrap, then let dry. Pop the balloon and you have candy trapped inside the stiff 'egg'.



My first attempt at Ukrainian eggs.

This year's eggs

October Random Ramblings

 I'm starting to like Instagram more and more. It forces you to edit yourself to one photo and photo uploading does not give me grief like my old smart phone does. I need a new smart phone but I'm waiting for spring when I change plans and shed family members who aren't paying their way.

My smart phone was with me when I took this Quilling class. Will it transfer the photo to my laptop? Will it place it right-side-up - like when I took the photo? Will it lock the dang photo so I can't rotate? It's become something of a chore to transfer photos.

As in, I don't have time for these shenanigans.

In our quilling class, we did alphabet letters. You start with the outline and glue the thin strips of paper (1/4") down. Then start filling in with pretty papers shapes. Most of us did not finish.
Serendipitously, I ran across a huge box of quilling supplies while out garage saling last weekend.

October 10th, seriously. Eggnog so early?

My new Dawgs. Ran across a lady in my friend's shop and noticed her shoes and they are really comfy and much cheaper than Birkenstock's.

 My feet are on killer concrete during the day and hardwoods at home. They are killing me. So - fun (old lady) shoes to wear at home.

 Airplane Poker Run at the neighbors. Nice to see several pilots/friends.

 Random find at the library. That's our biplane! lol ....in espanol....

Pencil Girl in her lace t-shirt. We shopped together back in May for these fabrics. This is when she tissue-fitted my tank top to me that I sewed this summer. She's gotten huge complements on this. She usually wears plain t-shirts (like I do) so this is some serious dressing up.

I need to do a post on her shirt but need  to go back to work now.
I might come back and provide helpful links tonight if I'm not too tired from work.
See ya.

An Ode To Pencil Girl

 It is almost impossible to sew for oneself without a tailors dummy. I'm this close to making a duct tape one - except I hate the smell of duct tape.
The almost 100' heat wave continues here in Oregon, making it impossible to be outside except in the early morning hours. Thank the lord we have air conditioning. And a fan. I have been sewing.

Not easy projects either.
Look - I sewed work shorts and a tank top

I succumbed to a craftsy deal a year or so ago where I bought this pattern and fabric for $25.
Even I know it was a good deal. A yard and a half of Anna Maria Horner's  "Field Study" Rayon Challis plus a Simplicity 1614 paper pattern.
{It's title is "Sinister Swarm" which I didn't know ('cuz that's just scary).}

This fabric is so soft.

I'm using Front D and Back B.

This Sinster Swarm fabric is so busy, that sewing random lines would never appear in the finished item. Plus that yoke bit in front - not so easy to fit on my adult girls. 

Pencil Girl and I met up last May and she tissue-fitted me with these pieces.
Once I cut out the fabric, I pinned the fabric pieces to my tank top I was wearing.

I dealt with an extra inch at the top front by creating 2" of tiny gathers. I also had some armhole gaping in front so I pinched a small 3" dart in as well. This fabric is so busy, I can't even see these seams, so I was doubly glad we opted out of extra seams in view A and B.

Other than that, her tissue fitting was spot on. I am very appreciative that she offered.

Here's the back view below - I think I was leaning forward fruitlessly forgetting that I had my hair chopped off a couple of weeks ago and there was no need to lean my head down.

My daughter was home for a quick weekend wedding and I made her pin my hem and take photos.

Combining different views created a weird hem and I didn't want it straight across.
Originally, I was going to put a small handkerchief hem with points at the side seams but my daughter who has way more style sense than me pinned this instead.

You can see my work shorts too. Three sets of pockets. A buttload of top stitching.
And finished!

Still have chalk marks but the first wash should smarten these up. I'm curious to see what the first wash will do for my rayon challis tank top. I think the bias tape that got a wee bit  stretched  will resume it's proper shape.

Swarm of pretty butterflies...

The top edges and the armholes are all bound with bias tape which is secure. That rayon challis on the bias stretched every which way and I might have had a few words with it before we finished. I almost went with some commercial black  bias tape but decided against because this fabric is so soft and commercial bias tape is not. At times while wrestling, I cursed my decision.

I hemmed this with a simple double hem and grabbed the photographer right before she left.

Not sure why top is rucked up on front right but you do see what's behind me?
The fuselage for the Piper J-5.
In my garage.

Thank you PENCIL GIRL!
I couldn't have started without your help and encouragment.
This tank top is so soft and comfortable. No pulling when I sit down.

*** I didn't have to re-thread anything as Navy Blue was in both the serger and the pfaff.
Me and my lazy ways...

****Pencil girl is just a code name for a dear friend. (I've known her since college!) Those friends of mine who don't blog have a screen name as my internet protection method is one of confusion.

***** Did you notice the wonder clips in the hemming process???

Bloomin' Bag

My friend, Pencil Girl, and I took a class here to make this purse. It was difficult to get time off my work to run over to St. Helen's to take this class.  I missed last month's bag class. A new bag/purse class is offered each month for just $10!

This one was fun. I finally, Thursday at 2pm - my proverbial last minute, decided on using my Pendleton fabric and found coordinating fabrics in my stash. Here's the outer bag - standing up!

 Lots of Decor Bond and fusible Pellon fleece went into this bag. It's a small bag - only 12" across but sturdy.

All hands on deck - cutting out numerous outer fabrics, linings, pockets, decor bond, fleece.

Pencil Girl sewing her outer bag. She chose a black & White theme with the flower - an eye-popping red beaded flower.


Do YOU have one of these pens? I have one now.
It's from Sewline. It's a 'chalk' line pen using pink ceramic lead. The pink color shows up really well on different colors of fabric. There are refills too.  It's similar to a mechanical pencil.
There was another pen that - with a flip of the button - would change from white to black to trace.
I almost bought that one but it didn't come with refills and it was a dollar more....

Back to the lining and pockets. Lined with Decor bond for stiffness. I have a three-way pocket going with cell phone in middle. It wasn't done on purpose -  just symmetrical.

This bag has a nice zippered compartment inside. You can just make out the zipper on the black lining to the right of the bag.

Our almost finished bags. The handle is lined and then doubled with the pellon fleece inside and I struggled to get that through the machine. I gave up ( nearly 5pm!) and I am going to redo my handle. I'll cut out a new handle and end the fusible fleece prior to the ends where you are attaching to the purse and the D-rings. Or,  I might just use the Decor Bond to give it stiffness without the bulk. I haven't decided yet.


The orange purse was nearly finished - just the detail flower thingy still to go.  I loved her choice of the stripes (middle) and the top fabric picking up a green element instead of another brown/orange.

That bag on the upper right? - she used one of the outer fabrics ( the striped fabric) to make her inside cell phone pocket.

Bloomin' Bag by Dancin' Daisy Designs