A Thing for the Wall

It's true I made 'a thing for the wall'.  After I took that class on Saori Weaving,  I was eager to do some more so a warped my rigid heddle loom.   I started out with some yarn for the weft, but then switched to strips of batiks. You know I love them.

I'm enjoying it at this point so decided to take a photo.  The warp is some blue cotton, a bit finer than I wanted, but I didn't have what I wanted.  I'm not sure I even knew what I wanted.

A close-up after it was done.

There it is hanging in the hallway. The wall is a pale lavender.  None of the photos I took of it looked true in color.  This one came the closest.

A close-up of the fringe with beads.  Okay it's not much of a close-up.  Alas,  I am not a photographer.









That's all for the 'thing for the wall'. However I also finished another sleep-over satchel.  Here are two photos of it.

I think this makes 12 of them I've made.  There's another like this one all cut out and ready for sewing.  Might head on in there and 

Get Started.

Later.

Pretty Short

Remember  these fabrics?

I finished the shirts so here they are.

For my son-in-law

For my grandson.

Now this photo's color is washed out. See below for one I took without the flash.

See too dark, but closer to how it looks.  Maybe I will get a photo of the guys wearing them.  I made a skirt for my daughter then failed to get a photo before I gave it to her. Here's hoping I get one with her in it sometime soon.



Remember batiks? Here.   I made a blouse for myself from one. It's not one of the ones I already posted. This one has an Octobery feel.

Oh, yes, one of my favorites.  Here's another.  An oldy.  This is one I made as a scrub top to wear when I was working as an RN.  It's well worn and still loved.

Must get back to sewing.  I'm enjoying it so much.  I've neglected my other hobbies for a few weeks. Oh there was the 6 hours I spun on the second weekend of this month.   But mostly sewing.

Enjoy  Fall, maybe dress up for Halloween, be kind to Trick or Treaters,  and thank the Lord for changing seasons,   bye.

Cats and Batiks

Two cats to the vet.  Two cats home.  

Zorro, el guapo.

He has been in our family since 2001. He was an adult when he wandered up and asked for asylum from the loneliness of the world.   He is a Manx who is also nick-named, El Gordo.

He had some vomiting two nights in a row so called at the vet's.  He is extremely healthy to quote the vet.  All his lab work was excellent.  So I'm just watching him indoors for a couple of days hoping there is no obstruction.

Fig, the new kid on the block.  Only Dr. Carmody says he's about 6 years old.  He is home following his surgery and the discovery of an abscess (he was treated for it during the operation).   I just now was able to give him his eye drop.   That's for the conjunctivitis.  He is now officially part of my family.

That was the cats. Now for the batiks.

I love them, both actually, but I speak of batiks now.  Yes, it is fabric.  I have not disguised the fact that I love fabric and now you know that batiks are some of my favorite.

Remember this?

I used batiks for this tote.

So here are some great batiks.  Some I own and some I just wish for.

Most of these I do not own, I own #2 and I may add photos of my recent purchases as they are equally gorgeous.

When you are praying today, please include the firefighters and people affected by the fires here on the west coast.

Thank you for coming by.

Bag done

I am not happy with the bag.  The handles, although not hard to make, were tricky to sew together to form the loop.   See the finished item below.  Since there were four fabric on the outside I show two views outside and just a peek at the inner.

The color is bad again, but for reference the handles are a bright lime green.

Side one

Side two

Inside.  I really like that inner fabric.  It would like a nice summery top.  Instead it's where it will be seldom seen. Alas.

That's really all for now.  I have a skirt to sew (Not another one?) and after that a 1850's period correct dress for my volunteering at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.    I've been working on my corset. More later on all of that.

 

Zorro contemplates the edge of the world.

20 June 2014

If you think this is the pier in Cayucos, California on a foggy day, you'll only be partly right.  It is Cayucos at 5:30 AM.  I arrived home a couple of days ago.  This is actually the view from our window at On The Beach B&B.  My two sisters and I met up there and enjoyed the town, the hotel, the beach and each others' company.  If you do click on the link, there is a picture of the lobby with a quilt hanging on the wall.  The lady who made the quilt is also the cook.  A hot breakfast and a happy hour with appetizers were served daily as well as a great house-made dessert in the evening.  If you go to the 'rooms' link, the top photo is the room we stayed in.  Notice the view.

Here is the appetizer from day one. Clockwise from top, arugula salad with choice of toppings  (pecans, raisins for me) a yummy quiche, a savory quinoa cake.



After all the talking was done or nearly so, we went into Morro Bay about 5 miles south so I could go to The Cotton Ball. This is a favorite quilt, fabric, home decor store.  I mentioned it a previous post. Monkey on the Branch. 

I took this photo there this week.  However they are moving from this location soon.  Still in Morro Bay.

I bought this pattern. There was a sample made up from the larger version on the front of the envelope.  It was entirely different in fabric from the photo, not quite so bold.








I bought batiks.  I love batiks.  Upon arriving home I washed the chosen ones and . . .

. . . here they are.  I have spread them out on the loom while Zorro completely ignores me. They are beautiful, yes?  Yes!!!

Because I am finishing up a project this weekend, I'll start the bag on Monday or perhaps sooner. Chi sa?  (Who knows--in Italian)

                                 Please come again.

Curtains

It's so nice to sit and type while listening to some great music.  Playing now is "Bistro" by Metronome Quintet.  Very 40'/50's French bistro music.  I love it. 

You may remember back in November I was working on costumes for Les Miserables.  I mentioned the fabric resources the thrift stores sometimes have.  During a crazy moment I took down my bedroom curtain and made a skirt.  Sorry I don't have a photo.  But I thought it was time I got a new curtain.

I live in the country and this is the view from my bedroom window. There's no real reason for a curtain for privacy, but this window faces East. Soon the summer sun will be waking me early and heating up the room.




This is what I used for a curtain all winter.  I'm a bit embarrassed to show you as all I did was throw the fabric up there and pin it.   Just lazy, no other word for it.

Pretty sad, but I do love the rayon batik fabric.  So I looked in my closet and found 2 more pieces.  None are the same, but I am only making a temporary curtain.  My goal for my room is shutters.  Ah, that's another story.

So with some help from my cat I started the new curtain.

Without Zeke.

Close-up.

 

Finished.

So it's just nice and kind of Bohemian.  There's fringe which I neglected to get a picture of.  I really love this.  No,  I mean that.  It's me.

Yesterday,  I had a class on corset making.  It was good fun with four other corset minded women including Jerrie the teacher.  We measured and cut and sewed up a sample.  Mine fit!  Hooray.  Next time we'll be making the real thing with boning, stays, satin and lace.   I look forward to it.

Until next time, joy!

Where have I been?

To tell the complete truth, I've been idling.  However that seems to have passed.  I returned from Tennessee on Feb. 10 very late.  Then starting Tuesday and for a week I was idle.  This is a public confession. Frankly I thought it might be just a couple of days for idleness.  Oh, no, a full week.

The challenge?  First I finished a bag for my daughter-in-law which I finished after my infamous idling week. Here are some photos of it.

                                  These are the bits to start the bag.

The pattern called for one long pocket, but I did two using the same print in different colors.   I sewed them on correctly, but then when I went to sew the bottom of the lining in order to square the corners, I sewed the top edges together instead of the bottoms.

So then I sewed the corners and cut one of them before I realized what I had done.  Consequently I  found my error and the pockets were then upside down.  After cursing, I unsewed one of the pockets and resewed it the opposite only to find I hadn't taken care to catch the elastic at the top.  That's when after cursing and cursing I decided to stop until after I returned from TN.

The lining inside the bag, both pockets turned as in photo above.

I think it came out all right.  DDIL will get it later.  When I was visiting, I bought her gift at the local yarn shop, The Knaughty Knitter.  Meredith is the owner and a very nice person.

Next I dug out a blouse I started years ago for my daughter. Here's the photo I took when I was counting all my unfinished projects.

Well,  it had been sooooooooooo long I had to study the pattern and the pattern pieces and study them again.  I love the fabric, but this was what I discovered.  I had failed to cut out an important piece at the time and I had no more of that fabric that I could find.  What did I do?   I put the fabric into my box of batiks and chose another project.

Okay, deep breath.  I picked this one up next.  It was all cut out and all there, but I hadn't actually started sewing.  This one is a go.  Woohoo!

I'm doing this view minus the applique and lace.

Pinned bodice lining to bodice, don't we love pinning?

Bodice almost done with cute ruffles on the sleeves.   Want more?  Oops, that's all I've got for today.  I promise it won't be so long next time.  I'm hoping for Sunday.  Don't be too surprised if it's later, but not 3 weeks.


In Tennessee I visited the Stones River Civil War National Battlefield.  Here are a couple of photos I took.  It was very cold about 38 degrees.

Looking out from the museum towards the site of one of the battles. So lovely and peaceful.

This is the oldest Civil War memorial still standing. 1863.

                To end on a cheerier note, here is a photo of my cat, Zeke, who loves to get in my face.

Bye bye.