Good Sewing

 Yesterday afternoon,  I got to sew.
Yesterday's post details some frustration but I wanted to show you some good sewing.

 This cute little frame purse went together easily. I've made a few now.
Hardest part is picking out the fabric.
At a recent garage sale, I picked up this summer tablecloth is fantastic stripes.
The gal selling told me all about her summer tablecloth.
I never tell them what their precious tablecloth is gonna become. They get huffy.
The tablecloth had rust stains in the middle but I knew it had possibilities.

 Look at the fantastic fringe.


In other sewing news, I mended my hubby's swim trunks. These are old.
The cord got frayed and needed to be replaced.
He went out and bought a new pair.
Then he came crying to me because the legs were narrower and were chafing his legs.
{!!!???} chafing?

 All I had to do was remove the center back stitching holding the cord from being pulled through.
Then I attached the new cord to the old with a safety pin and wrapped some scotch tape around the join to make it go through smoother.

Except the tape came off inside the casing. I am so not going to tell him. It's still in there.
I then sewed the center back to hold the new cord in place.
(catching the tags in the seam, r-i-p, re-sew)

He's got a new cord to tie them tight and he's happy.
And he doesn't have to wear the new trunks that chafe.


I think he's just a typical guy who is uncomfortable in new clothes.
Lol

Embroidery Pouch

I saw this Embroidery-On-The-Go Pouch on SewMamaSew's website and I thought it looked like it could be fun to make.
About 10- 1/2" square, the bag looked light enough to fold up and throw in the carry-on.

Whistling away, picking out fabrics, finding where I stashed some vinyl, deciding to make my own bias tape because my ready-made red looked too red.

I picked this Japanese print - forgot the name - you can just make out the helicopter above the zipper to the left of the jumbo jet which succumbed to the light-reflecting qualities of my vinyl. A fun, little cityscape fabric that happened to include some aircraft.

I was really intrigued with how Jodi from SewFearless had you sew the bias trim around the project, covering your raw start point and then continuing to run the bias tape off the project to make a little handle. It snaps back onto the project about where it left it. Cool detail.

I started swearing at that vinyl early on. Any fabric, i.e. that red trim above the zipper, was squirrly next to the vinyl. Jodi showed some hints on how to sew, namely - post-its covering your work surface so the vinyl would not stick. I don't own a teflon foot so I stuck some tape on the underside of my feet. A combination of holding my breath and pulling the fabric from the back  helped get the seams through.

I don't know if the fancy machine I am thinking about buying would have helped. They have machines now that 'sense' the thickness of your fabric.
In other words, "SMART" sewing machines.
{About all I know is my new SMART phone is still vastly superior to me.}

I was having some trouble getting the fabric at the top of the vinyl pocket to sew neatly. The multiple layers of fabric sandwiching the top of the vinyl wanted to go their own way and not march together.
In the end, I took a page out of Kerry's book and hand-sewed it in place with some embroidery thread.

Basically this pouch is a quilted interior base. Fabric sandwiching some batting. Then a vinyl pocket is sewn to each side; one with a zipper and the other side snaps closed.
That was the other cool detail. The base fabric folds down to make that snap closing pocket.

The other side folds down to snap closed - thus creating the snapped pocket.

It's actually a really cool pouch - if you had a teflon foot and a machine that likes vinyl.
I rate this project advanced primarily because most sew-ers do not own a teflon foot.
I finally had an epiphany about 3/4's of the way through when I remembered I found an invisible zipper foot set at one of my garage sales. It's a plastic foot so it slides better along the fabric/vinyl sandwich. But how many people have those?

Advanced because of the level of frustration. Of having to think of multiple alternative ways to get the job done.

And also because you need to be careful with the iron around vinyl. My last bit of binding - so tired of working with the vinyl- came out puckering and I thought I could steam it flatter. Oops, a little hole in the vinyl - just like that.

I am not going to point it out.


I ended up hand-basting my bias tape around the edges to keep fabric more evenly fed through the machine and I might not remove those stitches.

I'll put this tutorial on the "Been there, Done that" pile.
However, you never know if I will find a teflon foot at my next garage sale. . .


***update October 2015
I have sewn on lots of vinyl since. The combination of bedding plastic bag being re-purposed and a dull needle caused most of my problems. Wonder clips are my friend when sewing bias tape to vinyl. Hand basting is useful still. Buying a nice weight vinyl at the fabric store helped me too.

I Spy

Found these photos on the memory card. From a few weeks back.
As I was backing my car into it's space at work.
From the corner of my eye.

Ms. Rabbit who lives next door in the garage somehow 'escaped'.

I helped the gal 'corral' her. Looks like she wanted a breath of fresh air.

Warm day, lying in the shade, watching, snoozing.

Taking A Call -Smartly

• When the phone rings, proceed accordingly:
   
• Answer: Slide  to the right.
• Send to voice mail: Slide  to the left.
• Reject with message: Slide  up, and then select the desired message.

 

I couldn't answer  my new Smart Phone  
      1.  Too smart to read the tutorial.  
      2.  I jabbed at the green button, knowing I am supposed to tap lightly.  
      3.  Well, fine. Three days later: read the tutorial. Dang it.   
      4.  Slide to the right.  lol   Of course!   
      5.  Don't be such an old lady. Read the tutorials on the rest.

Cake Plates

 Haven't you always wanted a  cake stand?
With the lid?
I mentioned this to my friend last month and she gave me hers. The reality is no one hauls cake stands out anymore. No one bakes anymore. I only bake one cake a year around here. I can't eat them. It's easier to buy a few slices from the bakery when the hubby gets a hankering.
I still  wanted one.

The one she gave me looks very much like this one. A little taller on the pedestal. Small pressed glass rosebuds decorating the stand.
Last week when I was headed out to a sale advertised in the paper - which turned out to be a dud, I stumbled across an amazing estate sale.
Imagine my surprise when I found the stand - almost identical to the one my friend gave me. I asked the gals if there was a cover and they went back inside and found it. They hadn't been sure it went with this stand or another that one of the gals had.  We all laughingly decided it went with mine. The stand was two bucks but the cover made it three.

A weird coincidental deal.

 And the deals kept coming.

These Christmas pieces: made in Germany, with their boxes. The tree has that Swedish feel - not sure where it was made. Besides - those girls running the sale were loving me.

CD's at 25 cents a piece. Vintage John Denver. If you admit you like his songs - great on the piano- then I'll have to like you back. Christmas - country singers: Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, etc.

Kitchen gadgets.
I will sell the pampered chef teaspoon/tablespoon measure.
Give the whisk to my sis in St. Paul.

  Gadget box with Holland blueware miniatures. 

This goes to creative friend for her shop.

Saturday, I did some garage saling in an area that is hit or miss. I was headed in that direction for AT&T and Best Buy to get Smart.
I didn't find much but one garage sale had some sheet music out on the table that I was looking through. I found a couple of pieces but my eyes lit up when I saw the music for The Happy Wanderer. My mom & I share a love for kitchy songs, campfire songs, piano music.

I thought I would learn it and then play it for my mom, maybe give it to her.

Best part was these people were obviously not liking the whole garage sale thing. So he said,"Do you play the piano?"
I answered, "Yes".
"Why don't you take it all then."

I felt somewhat guilty at my 'score' and gave him a  dollar. It was probably the only dollar they made all day.

Val-De-Re...Val-De-Ray....hm,hm hee,,hm, hm, hay.. . . . my knapsack on my back.

The Happy Wanderer

 

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back. Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"
I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.
High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.
Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!




I found the Muppets performing this song on YouTube.
In another odd coincidence, this is from episode 401 where john Denver stars.

***Dec 2014 update - sorry, the video apparently 'died'.

When Oregonians Travel To Sweden

I thought I would introduce you to how we travel.

I'm one of the few people I know who knows where all the fabric stores are in Maui. Other people stay at the resorts and soak up the sun and the MaiTai's, but I freckle and there are days when I cannot spend all day in the sun. The answer to how much rum one can drink has been answered but how much fabric one can stuff in her suitcase has not.

My husband has been a good sport about these non-touristy explorations. When I went to Ireland a few years back with my little sister, we stayed at a hotel right next to the Sewing & Knitting show in Dublin. I booked the hotel because it was near the show, which, coincidentally was during the time of our visit.

Our upcoming trip to Sweden & Finland is based on - 30 years ago, I was an exchange student to Finland. Last year, at my high school reunion, I realized I am never going to have the money to go back and I needed to figure out a Visa moment.

My friends there are finally on the internet  more (very expensive for personal use) and I have a plan of staying with one friend at the beginning (Goteberg) and another at the end (Helsinki).

After months of planning (dang airline travel sites), my husband finally jumped on board. He's going, but he was making me crazy with his non-involvement.

He has decided he wants to look up Stearman owners.

Turns out the guy who owns one near Stockholm has a camera mounted on his wing and has a ton of video on Youtube (look up  Kenneth Öhrn and Stearman).
He sounds fun and since I've seen all the sights to see in Sweden, barring the new museum dedicated to ABBA, I say, let's go vacation flying.

I'll get payback when my sole reason to visit Rovaniemi, north of the Arctic Circle and home to Santa Claus (joulupukki), is to visit the Ottobre store. Serious women's sewing design patterns.

Here's a Stearman flying in Sweden:

And another vid:



And because we wonder how much avgas costs in Sweden. . .

Skyrocket

I have less than 30 days to learn to use my new phone, appropriately called 'Skyrocket'.
The box says I am smart to get this well before our trip to Sweden & Finland as I can't type worth a darn. But wait -- I don't need to. I can speak and the phone will text for me. So cool.
I can download our airplane information, crap, stuff, folder and they can scan us through security via the phone and those little QR square thingamajigs..
I have access to google maps which will tell us how far we are gonna walk to get to that other museum in Stockholm. Or lay up instead at the Ice Bar drinking out of ice, sitting on ice, walking on ice.
You know how we all hate voicemail now? This phone lays out the voicemails visually - like texts. Much easier to access.
Texting - no worries about the hyper-sensitive buttons, just say it and the words magically appear.

I can call my friend in Helsinki to let her know we are almost there and can she pick up up at the bus station?
AT&T also has a data plan that allows for calls 'over there'. I can activate it before I go and tweak it when we get home. So - if the kids need to call, I can leave the phone on without  dying of phone bill shock.
If you use the Wifi in, say, a coffeeshop, then you are not using your data plan which is finite and costs a gazillion dollars if you go over the allotted MB. I plan to use my friends' computers and look for Wifi places to keep data usage to a minimum. We are mostly in major cities, so it shouldn't be difficult.

I had a $125 certificate to Best Buy so I bought some accessories there but they did not have the Powerskin - essentially another battery that 'gloves' the phone. I went back to the AT&T sore where I get a work discount of 50% on accessories (sweet) and bought it there.
The battery only lasts about a day so it needs to be charged every day. The extra battery will buy me some time. Definitely a power hog.

This phone also has rear & front facing cameras - so I can skype with it. So if my friends - who I have not seen in 30 years can't recognize me, we can skype. haha - they don't have this phone so this is for a future trip.

I'm going to learn how to use my new phone this weekend, install some free apps and possibly implode my aging brain cells. So cool.

Anyone out there have favorite free apps???

I just love the name of the phone - so in the airplane moment - Skyrocket - lol
And it says right on the box -- SMART.

My old phone is ten years old and will be retired to the kitchen drawer where it will lie in darkness as an emergency phone if this one dies.