Year Of The Rabbit

I found this fabric at a church rummage sale. The wine red and the rabbits drew me in.
{Not to mention I was born in the Year of the Rabbit.}
A curtain of some sort, I realized later they were Japanese Noren - hanging door curtains.
Which distracted me into thinking I needed to sew my own Noren.

Thankfully, I don't always listen to my distractions. While I would love hanging door curtains in at least one doorway of my home, hubby would just get tangled up.




Crafty Tokyo Mama sent me this fabric with Oregon on it. Perfect color match.





This free pattern with the hidden pocket started out here, but soon morphed into something better.
I added hardware from my recently deceased tote, plus an inside pocket. This is a deep tote - perfect for trolling the vendor aisles at SewExpo.



The only thing lacking is handles.
If I have to, I will sew some but I really wanted leather-like flat handles so I'm off to Joann's to see what I can discover.


A very roomy, lined, Waterfront Park Pleated Tote.

I have another tote in my queue - a more tailored pendleton one plus a messenger bag for my niece which I am hoping to get done in the next week. I also need to buckle down and sew new pajamas and a top or two - utility sewing - but all involving the super fast serger so it's really a question of procrastination.

Long Arm Quilting

I need a tote bag for SewExpo in two weeks. I got distracted into finishing up this tote bag.
A while back, Pencil Girl and I took a long arm quilting class.  It was designed and taught by the folks at Boersma's in McMinnville, Oregon.

The Boersma folks set up 16 long arm quilting machines for the class. They had prepped the fabric beforehand (main, batting, base). 
All basted together.  All we had to do was DRAW.

Here I am - driving.
Intense - as in - keep remembering to loosen up your knees and your lockjaw from concentrating so hard.


The object is to fill in the spaces - draw inside the lines.
With patterns.
A dry-erase board was very handy.

And when you drive to the left with your pattern, you have to mirror-image it coming back.

Very intense.

I did manage to free-hand 'draw' my airplanes. I was impressed with myself.


Pencil Girl drawing with chalk or tying off threads.


Pretty much done.
Except for part two - sewn into a tote bag. The lines at top are going to be the straps.

Thinking how to get out of the star into the next motif.

Boersma's drawn in thread was to be the bottom of the tote bag, but I found this bag to be very very deep, so this 4" was sacrificed.

I recently cut the hardware out of a previous (sad looking) tote bag - which had an inside pocket with zipper - which was still in good condition. I took a scrap of the base fabric and topstitched it onto the pocket front, hand-sewing it in place by the zipper. I then re-inserted the old pocket into my new tote. I am a pocket hound.

Here's what I started with. You can see the long vertical lines to the right - they will be the straps.

I serged all the edges, sewing up the sides first. I tried it with the Boersma-scribed bottom but it was way too deep, so I serged that off.
I then boxed the corners.

To finish - I just folded down the top. I pinned my pocket in place and my straps, folded the top down to cover and sewed in place. I then turned the strap back upright and sewed again near edge.

I don't think I am gonna be a long arm quilter.
This was a fun class but physically and mentally tiring.
A fascinating look into another creative world.

Pencil Girl - have you finished your bag???

Happy Valentines Day!

Borrowed from MissInformation Blog.





Here's a sweet mouse Valentine.

Owl Valentines

For my little grand-nieces - cutie pies that they are.
Mailing it today - the package should arrive tomorrow.

I saw this idea traipsing through the internet. 
Saw a pattern for five bucks.
Decided to make my own.
Just the right size to hold a few Valentine treats.

Plane Snow

I have done nothing this weekend.
I thought about sewing.
I read some patterns.
I watched several episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs. Some of the early 70's episodes and then season one & two of the 'modern' one. So funny to see the difference in TV styling. Back in the 70's, the actors/actresses sported their 70's hairstyles , the faint Laura Ashley inspiration in dress and a weebit toned down 70's makeup. The 'modern version tries to replicate the 1930's styles in makeup and hairstyles more. I suppose that's why we all love Downton Abbey. The story lines are slight but the styling is amazing.

After getting home safely Saturday morning before the truck bozos came out of the woodwork to make driving in the ice and snow more of an adventure, I hunkered down.
We had several neighbors succumb to cabin fever who declared they had no food in the house and had to go out driving in the ice & snow. I'm always amazed. The Willamette Valley has soft seasons. Our one big winter storm may incapacitate most people but it only lasted 3 1/2 days! people. We are not the eastern part of the united states in our 4th month of winter storms, nor are we Minnesota in the minus whatever degrees for days/weeks on end. We will be at 46' tomorrow. Spring will be blooming by next week.

Anyway, we didn't lose power, we had food, we had entertainment, we can occupy ourselves when conditions outside are not optimal. My birds were fed, the arthritic dog stretched some muscles, we took some walks, we read the Sunday paper today (didn't arrive yesterday). I love living here with our soft seasons.

Flower Delay

We usually have quite a few crocuses, Anemones, Camillia flowers blooming by now. Even my tiny dwarf Iris's show color but we got whacked with an actual winter storm with more coming today.



Sasanqua Camillia - 22 years old.

The Hummingbirds glare into my kitchen, reproaching me for not defrosting the feeder. They must have phenomenal eyesight and their angry chittering can obviously be interpreted.

Regular Camellia budding out.

Yesterday, before work, after defrosting the feeder.

Winter storms dumping more snow on us this afternoon with some possible icy (usual) conditions in and around this weekend. Good time to stay indoors. And sew.

This last Wednesday, I drove all the way out to St. Helen's to the Fiber & Stitches fabric store for a 'Show 'n Tell night. What fun. It didn't have to be about sewing although most of us do this as a hobby.

Lots of story telling. My friend, Pencil Girl, has been working  at Michael Curry Designs as an 'over-hire' so she shared some of the designs she has been working on. Michael Curry provided some of the event magic for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Another 'grandma' went crazy with her first grand-daughter (to be born in March!) and brought in everything she's sewn so far. Another gal doesn't sew but is knee-deep in watercolors right now.
Amazing creativity.

My Mega Pinnie

I saw this Mega Pinnie a few months ago and I put it on my list.  I needed one. I am forever tossing my sewing room looking for a sewing tool I just had in my hand.Then Hadley over at Flying Blind On A Rocket Dog won one.  Then Benta over at SLIKstitches made one. This project jumped to the top of my list.

I figured this caddy/pincushion would be great for hand-stitching times as a way to corral those pins that seem to get stuck in the couch arm (as a surprise!).

Benta made a couple of modifications. I loved her idea for the elastic to keep the thread from rolling onto the floor. She also mentioned wishing for a handle - because this caddy/pincushion is large. I added two D-rings with the idea of a detachable handle but just having something to grip while carrying seems to be enough.

This was a fun project.
I was only stupid once!  

There are six sides which are obviously square but I still read it as cut 6 x 7 squares. I know, I know, it was six 7-inch squares but my brain ignored the square part.  Four sides have pockets covering them up so I just added another inch. I also only quilted halfway on those side squares.








Tutorial from Bluepatch Quilter for the Mega Pinnie is here.


***Update:::Won Blue Ribbon at 2014 Clackamas County Fair.
This is my most used make of 2014. Extremely handy at corralling sewing tools and also for taking to the couch for hand sewing.