Shall we talk about . . . .

Fabric?  Since you said yes, let's do.  How much do you love it?  Have you thought about moving so you would have more room for it?  Have you obtained a storage unit to accommodate it?  Do you ever buy fabric just because it's gorgeous even though you haven't any idea what you're going to do with it?  Do you think making your house look something like a fabric store would make you feel good all over?  Have you ever been to Britex?  In San Francisco?  Four stories of fabric and notions?  That is the biggest fabric store I was ever in.  Take a tour here. This takes you to the first floor, but you can see a sample of all the floors.

This is just a sample of the walls there.  Please note the ladder needed to get to those top shelves.  Ooowhee!
I actually gasped when I walked into this place the first time. (Photo from internet)







I also love The Cotton Ball.  It's in Morro Bay, California.  It's not terribly far from the Hearst Castle.  In fact, my family and I were visiting there some years ago.  In our motel room, the TV played places to go in the area. One look at The Cotton Ball and I knew I had to go there.



This is the view from the entrance.  I took a photo exactly like this, but I couldn't find it.  So again this one is from the net. This is it's second location.  It was originally on Morro Bay Blvd. Now it's on Main Street.


 Here's the family at Hearst Castle. It was a few years ago.  The baby there is my 15 year old grandson, Charles.
(See previous post)

L-R John, Alex, Charles, Gary and
Elizabeth.



Well,  I didn't start out to talk about fabric shops, but I love to go to them.  I have also bought fabric online.   These three have always come through with great fabric.  I have ordered more from eQuilter recently.  Big Horn Quilts is another favorite.  I used to ordered from Craft Connection, but they don't seem to be in business any more.  All carry brand-name fabrics.  Yay for fabric!!!

Where did she go?

Sacramento!  I've been hanging out with my wonderful grandson for a few days.  At 15, he is very capable of caring for himself, doing his homework and chores without prompting but alas, he still needs a ride to school.  He goes to a charter school which is too far to walk and there's no bus service.  So, hooray, I get to spend time with him and drive him around while his parents are off celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on the California coast.

Grandma's Brag Book here.

 

Charles at 5. Wearing kilt (by grandma) for a school program.  All right, I know he's very cute.  Thanks.

Charles at nine. Just starting to grow his hair. He's still a little boy here.

Last year he and I went together to a Road Scholar program about Crime Scene Investigation.  He's learning about evidence collection and processing. A very cool teenager.


 On the Oregon coast this summer.  That's my grandkid in the middle.  He's 6ft tall.  We had a great time learning a bit about photography. Again with Road Scholar.  Check them out here. Road Scholar




I have been knitting as much as my fingers can take and my hoodie is coming along.  I need to knit 5 more inches before I can start knitting in the side slits and hem, then onto the sleeves.  Whoa, I might actually have this very nice garment for the coming fall.

This is several versions of the hoodie,  Mine will have the hood and  long sleeves.  I purchased the pattern and yarn from Halcyon Yarn . Halcyon is the lady standing second from the left.

Now as I mentioned several times before, I am sewing for the local production of Les Miserables.  Sewing for the blog is going slowly, but I expect it to pick up when the costumes are complete.  I'm cutting and sewing shirts/blouses.  The costume gal has given me fabric and much of it is sheets.  It is absolutely amazing what one can do with sheets.  No photo of the lovely curtains I made for my bedroom (years ago) from some  tree printed sheets from Sears.  I also purchased lining fabric from their catalog.  I'm not sure they even have a catalog any more.

I just found these cute dresses made from sheets on the internet.  Vintage and lovely.  You think?

This outfit, being worn by my friend's husband for a Relay for Life event, was made from a Renaissance pattern using a king-size sheet set from the thrift store.It's too bad you can't see the lovely, rich-looking stripe on the material.  






 Keep smiling.  Happy day! More soon.

Obviously I'm not Julie

One of the reasons I thought a blog would be good to help me get going and finish some of my unfinished sewing, knitting and quilting projects was because of the movie "Julie and Julia". Did you see it?  Meryl Streep fantastic as Julia Child and Amy Adams was good as Julie (her last name escapes me).   Also Stanley Tucci and Jane Lynch and the actor playing Julie's husband were very important to the show..  Julie loved to cook and she loves to write.  She starts a blog about cooking.  She has Julia Child's book on French cuisine.  She decided to cook everything in the book in one year.  Apparently Julie, the blogger, actually did that.!  Amazing to me.

Well,  I had hoped to be all done with my unfinished things in 15 months. Sewing an item a week and knitting an item per month.  Oh, no no no, it's not going to happen.  Wait, I'm not giving up.  But I auditioned for a musical and was cast AND I took up the viola AND I am making costumes for the show.  Thankfully only some of them.  We have a cast of 74 needing 3-4 costume changes each. Yikes.

I do know I've mentioned this before. Sorry, but I've been feeling a bit guilty about not finishing the red blouse yet.  I have worked on it and I think it'll be nice when done.

Here are three sailor pants for the show and I made another pair like the ones on the left.

I made this today before my viola lesson.  It's a pouch to hold my shoulder rest.  Doesn't fit in the case because the case is meant to hold only the viola and bow.  There are cases now that are rectangular and hold much more.  It is movie film fabric.

There's the shoulder rest.  It's rather ungainly, but how wonderful when playing one's viola.




This movie film fabric was a piece left over from another project.  Want to see?

Aack!  The color is way off, It's actually black and white not beige and black.  It's a pillowcase. I made  it for a friend of mine who is an old movie buff.  I love the silver screen as well.

That is all for now but there could be more exciting news any day. Hey, did any of you see "The River of No Return"  with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum?

I will return. See you later.

Checking in

Yes, I'm just checking in.  No important Blog news as I am still working on my red blouse and my knitted hoodie.  Meanwhile I've been rehearing for Les Miserables.  Also sewing  for the show and taking care of the garden.  Oh, and Monday I started my viola lessons.  I needed to learn how to hold the bow and how to hold the viola.  I'm also working on reading viola music which is written in Alto Clef.

See that interesting clef?  On the left before the 4/4 
time ?  I am learning it, but I'm not to this page yet.

This is my rented used viola.  I like it.  Do you see the white stripe there?  That's the horse hair of the bow..  My teacher explained they are from the tails of Arabian horses.








This is the case.   Just so you know. :D

Here are some photos I like.  Some I took, some I didn't.

 Footprints
Wright's Beach. 
Photo by Alex

Sand Sculpture with Shells
Wright's Beach
    By Alex.

At Shell Beach
by me








I will close for now and continue dreaming of the coast.  Sewing updates soon. But for now, it's  . .  . .

Bye bye.

A Confession

A good Saturday morning to you.  It's good in spite of my having to make a confession.  Although I have been knitting daily on my Knitting Project #1, I haven't done very much at all on my Sewing Project #2 since my last post.  There it is. My goal of a sewing project a week has stalled in the 2nd week.  NEVER fear!  I am determined to do these remaining 66 projects in 15 months.

My friend, Helen, has taken possession of the Valentine scrub top and in February, I expect to see a photo of them both.  

Have you ever heard of the Cloud Appreciation Society?  No, really, there is one.  There are members from all over the world. It was started by a British man. I've belonged for about a year.  Once in awhile they send an email.  In it there are beautiful photos of clouds.  Here are some from them and then I'm adding some of my own.

This is a very cool fish cloud.  I didn't take this. I don't know who did. It's from the CAS.

Fire breathing cloud dragon?  Again not mine. I wish I could give the photographers credit, but I don't know who they are.

This is one I took.  I call it 'Cloud with a Claw". Can you think of a better name?

From my window, early morning with some vapor trails.  What a gift from God!




And here is one more.  I took this one on a recent trip with my grandson to Oregon.  This is near Astoria, a bit south.  When I look at it, I think of how clouds are so immense that they make the huge rocks and cliffs look tiny.

Have a lovely weekend.  More about 'finishing the unfinished' next time. Ci vediamo presto. (See you soon.)