V8590 - A Finished Purse

Well, t's done and I have an hour and a half to go before the contest end. The purse went together very well and I am very pleased. And here it is.

Making the fastner was fun. I found a packet of plastic buttons at JoAnn's that looked interesting but weren't the right color. So I painted them with some purple acrylic paint. It took two coats, but it dried with a matte finish -- yuk! I used quick drying top coat fingernail polish to create a nice shiny surface. And here they are drying.

I used the contrasting sham as the lining and the inside of the pocket.

V8590 - Marcy Tilton's Big Bag

Pattern Review posted a contest to make a handbag. And I fell for it. I have had Marcy Tilton's tote pattern for some time and have been meaning to make it. This contest provided the impetus to get it done. I started with an upholstery fabric from my stash along with some fantastic cording. But in the meantime, I bought a comforter for my bed. This comforter came with 4 pillow shams and I never use shams. It is enough that I straighten the sheets, pull up any cover, and organize the pillows each morning. The odds of me ever using shams is nil.

So now I have this quilted material and contrasting material of something washable -- who know what the real content is. It feels like a soft polyester -- so polyester it is. The pattern is a Marcy Tilton's that I picked up a year or so ago. And the large bag's pattern pieces just fit. So now it is cut out. I cut out a very heavy piece of interfacing that I will use to strengthen and stablize the bottom. I also have some little brass feet that will work well. This will also help hold the interfacing (even glued in) in place. The sewing instructions seem very straight forward. However, the instruction to sew the bottom to the sides of the tote won't work for the weight of the fabric that I have. So my recommendation is not Pivot at the corners, but to sew one side between the dots. Another modification is the lenght of the straps. I increased the length of the straps by 10 inches. I can always shorten them. The deadline is February 17. Let's see if I can make it!

Kwik Sew 3618 - Vest

Well, it’s done and I am pleased, but there are several things that I will change if I make this pattern again. •The way the collar and facing are designed is not good. Next time, I will create a facing with the yoke by placing the yoke on the fold of the fabric. The pattern has a small facing that is meant to cover the neck line. It is not long enough to meet the shoulder seam. I would use the line that separates the yoke from the facing as the line to use on the fold of the fabric. This allows you to fully incorporate the collar in the facing with no raw/serged edges exposed. •The pockets on View A are a little low. I would raise them about an inch. This is something that is easy to forget when you are fitting a pattern. I have made jackets where the pocket is too high and that is really uncomfortable. •The pattern for the armhole facing is a bit narrow. I would cut the facing another half inch wider. If it is too wide, you can always narrow it. All in all, it is a nice little pattern and worth repeating. So here is the whole outfit.

now the back -

Marcy Tilton's Pants Pattern - Vogue 8499

I fell in love with Marcy's pattern – loose fitting pants, an interesting cut and lots of room for my own interpretation. After all that is what I love about sewing. Take something, get creative with the fabric, change the pattern, and I end up with a distinctive garment. As an opportunist when it comes to matching fabrics and patterns, I often find myself in the drapery/upholstery section of a fabric shop before I find what I want. And so it was for this pattern. I found a linen in a spring green print on a natural background that I felt would be great for this pattern. It has a great weight and a very nice hand. Marcy’s pant is created out of four sections- two in front and two in the back. There is an interesting pocket configuration on each front side. As I looked at the pattern, I realized that if I put contrasting cording down the front seam that it would extend the line and make the pants look less like pantaloons. And the contrasting cording had to be the solid green. Marcy’s website had the perfect linen blend in the spring green. I then found some nice thin strip that would do well as accent – hello, top of the pocket and trim for the pant legs. As I am tall, I can get away with a cuff look on my pants.

Next problem – what do I use for cording. Everything I found at the store was too stiff and was going to make a hard line. As the linen is soft, I wanted to keep the line soft. As I prowled around the house, I found some green garden jute. As this was made for outdoor use, I figured it was already colorfast and preshrunk – but I tested it anyway to confirm. The garden jute worked perfectly creating a nice cord that looks soft, but still produces the definition I wanted down the front of the pants.

And here are the cuffs.

And now I off to make a vest to go with my new pants. It's a Kwik Sew pattern and I am using the same idea of cording, contrasting fabric.

New direction for this blog

One of my favorite pasttimes is creating new items of clothing, using a variety of fabrics, trims, etc. And I have decided that I would like to share some of my experiences.

Max playing in the leaves

And what is it with hanging your head over the edge of the stairs?

Winter may be creeping up...

October was cool and we all thought that winter was getting ready to slam into us. Instead November arrived with weather we expect of September. Glorious weekends full of sun and mid-50 temperatures. However, today we are noticeably colder and wet. Snow is predicted for tomorrow night and Thanksgiving day.

I will be spending 2 weeks of December in NYC. Work beckons. I am doing a project for the New York City Transit, working with a team from TechProse. We are developing a master specification for their capital asset programs. It should be fun. Except being away from home in December.

I am scrambling to get packages wrapped and in the mail. Christmas cards are next on the list, but I have to write the Christmas letter first. I have one sewing project that I am trying to finish so it can also go in the mail.

The positive aspect of a trip to NYC is that I am getting to meet up with my friend, Sally, who lives across the river in New Jersey. She and I are meeting to go to a concert and dinner.

T'is the season for peonies and iris

Here are some photos of the peonies and a yellow iris in my garden.

Report on Max sent to GRRoW

GRRow is Goldren Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin. They'd asked for an update and this is what Max had to say:

Hi –

My name is Max and I told my mom to let you know that I am doing just fine at my new forever home. I have been in my new home for almost three weeks and things are going pretty good. I have some new lessons to learn, but I am catching on.

I share my new house with three cats. The old man is about 15 years old and he told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to nose him. I forgot a couple of time and he slapped me across the nose, but it didn’t hurt because he didn’t put his claws out. He comes and sits in my mom’s lap and I can put my head next to him and we both can get pets. He told me that he lived with other Goldens before and knows that they are OK—for dogs. The other two are young like me. They run and are so fun to chase. But they are getting curious and I am sure we will all have great fun in a month are so.

My mom has a bunch of child gates that she uses to block me out of certain areas, like the room that has the cat litter boxes. They smell so good, but she won’t let me in there. I tried a couple of time and she shook her finger at me. I felt bad, so I try to pretend that door doesn’t exist. I walk right by and don’t even look.

Last night was a little scary. We had thunder and lightning and it made me shake. But my daddy got up and sat with me until the worst part was over. But this morning was great. After I ate my breakfast, we went for a walk. All the ditches had water in them and some of the culverts had little furry animals living in them. It was great fun to splash through all the water and to sniff all the little animals. When we got home, Mom spread a bunch of towels all over the floor and I got to roll around in them. Towels are great to throw in the air.

Mom says I have to go to Obedience Class. She keeps telling me that the class is more for her than for me. I don’t know about it. It sounds like work to me. I’d rather go to the dog park. She takes me to the fenced dog park in Grafton. Boy, is that great! She doesn’t let me stay as long as I would like. She says I have to build up my stamina (whatever that is).

Yesterday there were three other Goldens at the park. We had a great time playing. Other dogs tried to join in, but they just don’t understand how Golden play works. It is just too hard to explain to them.

Mom took a couple of pictures of me last night and I told her to share them with you. As the summer goes along, I will get Mom to send more stuff.

Introducing Max, our new Golden Retriever

Gary and I adopted our 4th Golden Retriever on Sunday.

He is a year old and is a special needs dog. He was turned over to Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin in January with elbow dysplacia (hereditary). He has had his orthoscopic surgery and is now as fit as he will ever be. He takes an anti-inflammatory when he is sore, but otherwise is health.

The big recommendation is to make sure that he get a good walk each day. And that certainly doesn't hurt me either.

Day 1:
1. He successfully emptied the toy box (toys inherited from Ginger) and now has toys scattered on all three flours of the house.
2. He only asked to go out once during the night.
3. The old cat, Percy, gave him two firm swats on the nose for being all too familiar. (The other two haven't ventured out yet. But it is early days.)
4. He suffered a little separation anxiety. He is OK if he can see Gary or me. He fusses if he thinks he is shut up and can't see us.
5. He is eating well and is really bounding around.

Day 2:
1. I got his city license.
2. Max visited the vet for his initial check-up. I got his annual supply of heartworm meds and flea stuff.
3. He loves riding in the car.
4. He found my emery board and made mince meat of it.

Day 3 (today):
1. I have a splitting headache for most of the day, so Gary has had to "baby-sit."
2. He likes popcorn.
3. He doesn't like getting his ears cleaned.

More as we progress.

Spring is really here!

I can safely say that Spring is here. The Baltimore Orioles are back! And the ruby-throated hummingbirds are back. We just saw both at the feeders.

The Red Breasted Grossbeaks are here as well.

Lots of competition at the bird feeds! Fun to watch.

For Earth Day

Earth-Song

Mine and yours;
Mine, not yours,
Earth endures;
Stars abide—
Shine down in the old sea.

–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82)

21 April -- It is snowing.

Our first daffodil

New Compost Bin

I know. I must be really off my rocker to get excited about a new compost bin. But, guys, this one is large enough to contain tons of leaves. And that is important where we are. Last year I raked and put most of the leaves under the big area on the north side that is basically forest land. Others I spread over the garden and covered with a black tarp in the hopes that black would create heat and accelerate decomposition.

This weekend was sunny, but cool. I got about 2 hours done in the yard and I have a huge pile of dead leaves and plant remnants to put in the new compost bin. I was going to set it up yesterday or today and now we have rain, sleet, and snow. Fortunately, it is warm (33) enough so nothing sticks, but cool and nasty enough to discourage me from working outside.

Last night I had an appointment with a young man who hopefully will till my garden and lay the concrete tiles back as a nice walkway down to the lower patio. (When we had the sunroom added, I pulled up all the concrete tiles and stacked them with the intention of reusing them. He was open to doing the work and will get back to me with a price. I hope that it is affordable.

We do have the beginnings of daffodils. No flowers, just green leaves. The only green in the yard.

Missed the snow bullet

(Sigh of relief) The storm and snow stayed south of us. We got some light rain, but nothing more.

Sunshine has returned!

One day of spring, one + days of winter....

I am sorry to be so mono-focused. But I am getting tired of snow and the prediction of snow.

Yesterday was an early spring day. The sun shone. Temps in the 40s. Gary helped me move the wonderful benches that Chris made me at Christmas moved down to the lower patio. I started the massive chore of cleaning up the yard. Only got a small portion completed. But it did feel good getting a good dose of Vitamin D. (Did you know that Vitamin D is misnamed? It really is a hormone.)

Shuffling leaves, I found two little crocus popping up their little yellow heads. It warmed my soul. I then walked into the house and heard the weather report. 7 to 8 inches of snow on Sunday. What a downer!

Today is gray. It has not started snowing, but it is the right temperature. Gary brought in wood for the fire place. I am going to settle in with a book and a martini in front of a fire.

It's Winter with a Touch of Spring...

Now doesn't that headline sound like some marketing garble. Well, it's true. Winter forced his way back on to my life by dumping 3 inches of snow on my front lawn on Saturday night. Never mind that it is mostly melted. And the weather report says we are to get more on Wednesday. I think the Wednesday stuff must be part of the blizzard happening in North Dakota.

The good thing is that the air feels warm. I know that that sounds weird. It is 34 degrees. But it feels and smells warmer than February did.

I tried to get into the sewing room this weekend, but gave up. I shampooed the carpets in my bedroom and the hall instead. I know that isn't a creative thing to do, but it is something that needed to be done. I did shampoo about 2 foot into the sewing room. Does that count?

My goal for the month of April to clean up the sewing room. It has become a dumping ground. I would like to get in there and do some sewing. I have a very neat jacket pattern that will be perfect for when the weather is warmer. I also have the parson stool to finish reupholstering, a quilt that needs me to order the stitching pattern for the borders, and a pile of mending.

I think I need to establish the 15 minute rule again. You spend 15 minutes a night working at the project. You'd be surprised how much you get done.

Spring by any other name...

In most parts of the country, today would be a winter's day. It is 40 degrees with a 15 mile-an-hour wind coming off Lake Michigan. It's that damp cold that goes to the bones. Rain is marching in. I got an email from one of my local gardener friends reminding me that this time last year we were shoveling more than 12 inches of snow.

But it is Spring. Some iris rhizomes that I had dumped in the wine barrel next to garage last autumn have little green things poking out. The lawn has this hint of green under the brown. The first of the migrating birds are stuffing themselves at my bird feeders.

But how I really know it is spring--the days are longer than 12 hours of daylight. This morning's sunrise over the lake started at 6:50 (I see that from my kitchen window -- the sunrise, not the lake) and sunset (we won't see it today because of clouds) will be at 7:09.

Light really does say that winter is receding.

Spring is coming!!

Red-breasted robin
First to dance in my dead grass.
Today is bursting spring

I saw my first robin yesterday. Certainly a harbinger of spring if there ever was one. I also saw an osprey. At this time of year, ospreys are making their way up to Lake Superior.

Yesterday was glorious. I had to be inside all day, but it was still nice to know that it was in the low 70's and sunny. Gary had the house open to the fresh air and the cats were running from window to window to catch the different smells.

Today is cooler, but Mother Nature let us know yesterday that Ole Man Winter is on his way out.