Today is the day before the bi-monthly yard waste pick-up in my neighborhood. It is also the perfect time of year to trim low hanging branches from the Live Oaks and unruly bits from the Crepe Myrtles. I should be in the yard with a variety of cutting and sawing implements so that I can take advantage of this great opportunity.
Instead I am avoiding this much needed activity to bring you, and only you, a brand new product I found the other day at Hobby Lobby.
I originally went into the store looking for alcohol based inks so that I could check out a technique from the latest Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. Instead of the inks I found something even more intriguing...Pastel Dye Sticks.
I have played with Oil Paint Sticks but the cost of the sticks ($6.00 and up), the extra long cure time (three days) and the fact that they change the hand of the fabric, have made me a little hesitant to use them in many projects. Pastel Dye Sticks look like a good solution for me. Inexpensive ( about $4.00 for a set of fifteen) and quick cure rate (heat set in seconds) make them something I can try out without a huge commitment.
Using an ancient t-shirt as my fabric, a simple stencil as my design, the brown and gold dye sticks this is what I came up with >>>
Since I have had muddy paws on this shirt (and all my shirts!) at some time or another this seemed like a perfect little test project.
Heat setting required a piece of paper over the design and a quick hot ironing.
As you can see the paper absorbed the excess pastel oil base.
The dye did not change the hand of the shirt at all and the shirt is still fully machine washable and dry-able as it was in the past.
I think I am going to try out some more ideas like sharpen the sticks so they are less like crayons , try them through a silk screen and find a better way to keep the fabric taut rather than just my fingers.
Oops! The trees are calling me but maybe I can do something else to do to avoid using my lumberjack tools....even folding laundry is beginning to look interesting to me today!
Have you ever received a gift that you liked so much you wanted more of it?
That seems a no brainer if the gift was chocolate. Who wouldn't want more chocolate? You can always buy more chocolate as it tends to be within everyone's price range.
But what about a gift that is not consumable? Diamonds are a great example. I always like diamonds but probably can't afford many more.
Some gifts you want more of but not an exact duplicate as what you have already received. Like a red jacket you would love a duplicate of but in a more conservative brown.
That was my dilemma when a friend gave me an adorable little knitting bag. Its made out of silk, has an outside and an inside pocket, a great yo-yo embellishment and it is just the right size for a sock knitting project.
See...
Isn't it cute?
I love it BUT there a couple of things that are could be better. For one thing, the interior fabric is a flimsy, black fabric which means it's probably not very durable and it is very difficult to see any bits at the bottom of the bag. Dark interiors are not good things. In addition, I didn't like the button closure which was a little wooden ball. Since it is right above the pocket embellishment I would have loved a more colorful button.
What's a girl to do?
Put up with the defects? (too irritating)
Remake the parts that are bothersome? (too much effort)
Hide it in a drawer never to see the light of day again? (but it is a great size)
Well this girl decided to make her own copy.
I have made two cousins of the original.
The first copy used simple geometry to produce a copy.
Here's how it turned out:
(LOVE THAT FABRIC!)
Boring details: the fabric is a Michael Miller fabric called called Flora and Fauna Blossoms in raspberry. The orange button is from the stash. The interior fabric is the same as the exterior and the interior pocket has an orange zipper closure.
When compared to the original though there is something our of whack.
(sorry about the poor color correction)
After remeasuring everything I realized that I had got the length of the straps wrong. The originals are 22" long while the copy has them at 12" long. The big problem is that the pointy bottom part is not a ninety degree angle but more like one hundred and ten degrees. In addition, the pocket turned out too short due to that miscalculation. The original is more like a fat Buddha like bag while my copy is more like a skinny Fifties like bag.
Here is my second try:
Boring details: the fabric is a washed dupioni silk from the stash and backed with a lightweight fusible interfacing.The pocket embellishment is part of an old thread painting class. The 'button' is an old Chinese coin, some wooden beads and a strip of the silk fabric. The interior is a striped cotton from the stash and the interior pocket has a cream zipper. Wanda McKnight (the hat stand) likes this copy the best as she is pretty conservative. Almost forgot...I added some lavender buds between the exterior and interior so it smells as good as it looks.
Now I have three new knitting bags - one the original gift, one a skinny replica and the third an orange silk Buddha bag.
If you would like copies of the patterns I created for these bags, please let me know and I'll scan them into a file for you or we can hook up and I can give you a hard copy.
Now I need to get back to my knitting so Paul can get this year's Christmas present this year:-)
In some ways I am really glad to move away from 2011 and move onto 2012. I think I have shared in the past how, as a child, I couldn't imagine living to the year 2000 whereas now I wonder how I can make it to 2050!
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| The baby Kimora |
2011 was marked by the sudden and horrific passing of Kimora, Kelis's sister. Kelis still looks for her at Paul's house and at the vet's office. Even Alex, who only seems to live for treats, belly rubs and naps, has become a little hysterical when we visit the vet's office since her passing. They know something horrible happened and that the vet was involved. On the other hand Kelis has adopted some new habits, like learning how to steal bones from Alex, and my little escape artist has not made any attempts to leave the yard since it happened.
On the other hand, 2011 had many moments of personal satisfaction for me. The wheel chair and walker bag project has been taken up by a couple of churches here and we were able to supply a local nursing home with 200 bags this summer. I even had my name in a Methodist church bulletin, very odd for someone with my mixed religious roots. I just about burst with pride when I saw the bags in use and that they really worked. In addition, although I have never sought recognition for these projects, the Kingwood Area Quilt Guild honored me with a Silver Thimble Award this September and you couldn't get the grin off my face for weeks.
On the project side of the ledger I have changed my habits quite a bit. I noticed that, in the past, I made a lot of things (totes, purses and other accessories) just to test out a book or a technique. I ended up with a lot of little useless things. I learned a lot from these projects but it seemed like a waste of time and effort. I have tried to become more focused in my sewing and knitting and have tried not to add to the UFO pile. The whole upstairs of my home has become more organized for creative work and I have become morefocused because of it. My unorganized mess has become restricted to just one closet and even that has become less cluttered as I have sorted out its contents.
I have no specific goals for 2012 but Alex and Kelis have made some specific requests. Their requests run something like this...More walks, more treats, more naps, more belly rubs, more quilts and, most of all, more bones. I think I can handle these without breaking the bank or my back. For myself, just waking up everyday is wonderful with everything following that a bonus. I intend to make the most of those bonuses and who knows where that might lead me (besides the pet store)?
Hop Around Houston is a shop hop around the vendor area of the International Quilt Festival. It works just like a regular shop hop...you travel from specific shop to specific shop and purchase a little kit at each booth for a different quilt block using a standard set of fabrics. Where I wrote shop substitute booth and you get the idea. For several years I always did the festival shop hop and I have completed a few of the quilts.
Many years ago I did the shop hop, purchased a finishing kit from somebody, made all the blocks and quietly hid it away.
Yup, for some unknown reason I hid away a quilt top that was almost complete.
What was I thinking?
I have no idea what I was thinking but when it surfaced a couple of weeks ago, from a box of books to be discarded, I came across the pieces and decided to finish the year off with a completed UFO.
Yesterday I completed the quilt and here's what it looks like:
I like some of the blocks and others not so much...a danger with this kind of quilt making. I had lost the instructions for the finishing kit so I finished it up on a wing and a prayer. Some of the blocks did not exactly fit with the other blocks so I had to make some adjustments by adding additional borders and, in a couple of cases, I actually resewed the block to get it to the right size.
I like the size of about 68" x 88" as it is perfect for one human and two dachshunds cuddling on a lazy afternoon of mystery novel reading. And, as Paul had absconded with a couple of quilts earlier this season, I needed to replenish my stock of cuddle quilts.
Finishing off the year with a completed UFO is definitely a good thing.
Now on to working on my New Year's resolutions...or not!
for the frosty mornings that are coming our way.
Yes, there are not that many when you live in Houston but there are enough that you do need some warm things to wear when walking the dogs in the morning.
My idea this year was to just stack on all the little scarves and shawls I have made lately under my quilted barn coat. Not especially attractive but I figured it would do the trick.
Then I saw this scarf that the mighty Janetta made for her daughter in Texas A & M colors. Then she started one in a cream, pink and lime green variegated sock yarn and I was hooked.
The pattern is on Ravelry by a Canadian designer, Jane Richmond and is extremely inexpensive to buy.
I, on the other hand, did not buy the pattern, just read Janetta's copy, and proceeded to make a successful Rae Scarf.
Here is it wrapped around a youngish live oak in the backyard:
And here it is draped across the fence:
It came out to approximately 50" long and 12" wide at the widest point. It's made out of Knit Picks Stroll Yarn in the color Summer Blooms Tonal. This yarn is great to work with, extra long yardage for the weight and washes and drys up beautifully in the machines. I had one problem with the yarn. About two thirds of the way through the scarf there was a knotted join in the yarn. Normally that would not be a problem but at some point when I was weaving in ends I undid the knot and the scarf started to unravel!. I tied it all back together with many, many knots and many, many curses. Unless you are looking for the error, you would not find it.
Bring on the cold weather, I'm ready for you...even if the dogs are not.
While browsing the books at Jo-Ann's a couple of weeks ago I came across a book called 'Everything Alice'. I picked it up, assuming it would be a book of patternless clothing (a la the Bog Coat), simple cooking (like donut pudding) and dachshund joy.
Imagine my surprise when I found it was a book based on Alice in Wonderland, a book I used to hate because of people calling me Alice In Wonderland when I was a child.
Hannah Read-Baldry and Christine Leech have created a book of over 50 projects to sew, glue, cut and bake in this delightful book subtitled 'The Wonderland Book of Makes and Bakes'.
To make it even better, the first project I saw when I cracked the cover was the Cheshire Cat Hand Warmer....the perfect project for someone who tries to get her dachshund companion to provide warming for her hands when the RA acts up. Alex's butt may be the perfect size but he rarely will stay still long enough for any therapeutic effect. A hand warmer is the perfect solution..
Here is the project as shown in the book:
Here is my simplified rendition:
Here is it being used by one achy hand:
Other projects I want to try are the Sugar and Spice Comfits, Lavender Cookies, Fabric covered Tea Pots and... well, just about everything!
For the Alice in Wonderland lovers out there and me.
I don't do a lot of elaborate cooking especially after my failure with individual Beef Wellingtons last year. When I do cook these days it tends to center on an Artisan style loaf of white bread.
Yup, that's me at 1:00AM covering a slice of still warm from the oven bread with unsalted butter and honey.
It seems that I can never start my day with fresh baked bread because my lack of time management skills means that these little feasts take place at very odd hours.
I call this Lazy Bread because it takes almost no skill or ability to make an excellent loaf of bread.
Yum, Yum!
Here's how I make my Lazy Bread:
Yield - one nice sized loaf
Ingredients:
3 cups of bread flour
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
Method:
Mix all the ingredients into a cohesive ball in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and wait for a couple of hours for the lump to double in size. Once doubled, put the whole thing into the refrigerator for about 10 hours.
Take the bowl from the refrigerator and scrap the dough onto a floured surface. Sprinkle more flour over the top of the loaf push and pull the lump into a loaf shape by pulling the edges under the bottom of the loaf. Remove to a parchment covered cookie sheet.
Cover lightly with a slightly damp towel and let the whole thing come to room temperature. This can take over an hour so be patient.
Preheat the oven to 450o with a large shallow pan in the oven.
When the loaf has come to room temperature and the oven is ready, put the cookie sheet in the oven, quickly pour a cup of water into the preheated pan and quickly shut the oven door.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until it is a nice color.
Remove the loaf from the oven to a rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes.
Just before you can't stand it anymore, slice and enjoy.
I store it in the microwave covered in plastic wrap for 3 - 4 days... if possible!
You can make a lot of additions and substitutions like using some whole wheat flour, or adding nuts, herbs and raisins but I usually don't bother.
There are a zillion recipes available on-line that I used to develop my lazy bread like Five minute bread, Artisan Bread Baking website and, the often intimidating, the Best Bread Recipe website.
In my quest for accurately counting stitches while knitting lace I picked a very simple pattern from Tanis Fiber Arts called the 'Prism Shawl' for my next lace adventure. It is available from Ravelry for free here. It uses about 600 yards of sock weight yarn , hand dyed from the Araucanuia Yarns' Ranco Solid line and i happened to have a lot of it in aownderful blue to go with my blue jeans..
What attracted me to this pattern was its simplicity of construction until you get to the border. With just stockinette, garter and eyelet rows randomly scattered through out the design this is a pattern I thought that even I could not mess up.
And, surprise, surprise I did not mess up the body too often. Every once in a while found I had dropped a stitch or not added a stitch when required but due to the lack of complexity I was able to fix these errors quickly and invisibly.
Then I got to the border. About two rows into the border I accidentally pulled off about 30 stitches and realized that I would need to unravel a few rows to get back on track. Off came a couple a couple of rows, on went the stitches back onto the needles..with an extra twenty on one side!
I don;t know how I did it but I ended up with more stitches on a row than I had originally. Instead of more un-stitching I decided to go with what I had and make it work.
Here is how it came out:
What you don't see is that the center back point of the shawl has a large ruffle..which sits just above my tail bone!
Someone told me it is fashionable to have ruffles this year.
I may have messed up the final border but this is a great pattern for using up odds and ends of sock yarn. Since I have a few hundred (thousand?) yards of leftover sock yarn, I think I will be using this pattern again for a more eclectic version.
PS - Guess who I found wondering around the house with this shawl in his mouth looking for a place to hide it?
Okay, so there aren't any bad quilts. What can be bad about three layers of coziness put together by loving hands?
There are badly made quilts and I seem to be an expert in making them.
I just looked over my past quilt postings and each one of them seems to have included words like 'mismatched corners', 'blunted points', 'discarded blocks that didn't fit' or some such confession of piecing disaster. I have noticed that most of my backings have a wrinkle or three in them and sometimes the quilting looks like a dog's breakfast.
But in each and every case, the final results have made me smile. Whether it is because I have no idea how it all got done, or the fabrics have disappeared, or the blocks are of many different sizes, or the borders were 'made' to fit or wrinkles were quilted to within an inch of their lives. They have made happy.
My latest Bad Quilt began in 1998 and I just took it out of the dryer this morning after a marathon quilting session yesterday. I originally posted about it here. If you look at that posting you will see that I finished the top this March and it took about another eight months to get it quilted.
Here is how it now looks....
I decided that I could not quilt it in simple straight lines as there were so many mismatched corners. In the end I did find a few straight lines to anchor it all and then I quilted circles at various points to hold it all together. I like the way it looks and I had a lot of fun(?) seeing if I could make two circles the same size one right after the other.
I couldn't.
This quilt does make me smile because of all the missteps in getting it made but the best part is that my oldest UFO quilt is now done!!
And isn't that something to smile about?
Saturday Strippers has been having a lot of fun the past few months working through the book Scrap-Basket Sensations by Kim Bracket. This is a fabulous book for using either Jelly rolls or your own fabrics that have been cut into 2 1/2" strips. Kim has a great way of putting together coordinated fabrics, of which you have limited quantities, with a larger quantity of another fabric to make beautiful quilts. Check out the link to Amazon.com where some of the quilts are shown from the book and you will see what I mean.
Back in August (!) the project for us was the Picnic Quilt. I did not make a very large quilt but I think it will work for Sweet Sadie's.
What do you think?
The fabrics are a bunch of batiks that I won as a door prize some where, the white is from Sew Crafty's closing sale and the quilting (I know you can't really see it) is a meandering leaf pattern I made up as I went along. The size is about 42" by 31" which makes it a nice little accent for the spring.
What really pleases me about this quilt is that I thought my piecing of the blocks was a little off but it all came together when I joined them together. The outside borders worked out in the end even though I didn't really think through the placement. Instead I used up some leftover pieces that sort of bring the design to the more solid borders.
Surprise, surprise....Poor planning on my part did not make an ugly quilt... or at least I don;t think it is ugly.
This is the second quilt that I took to the Quilt Guild Retreat to work on that weekend. I might as well have not brought it as all I did was take it out the basket, shake it out, and put it back in the basket. I still have one quilt that needs to be finished up from that weekend. I pin basted it and started quilting it last weekend at Saturday Strippers and I really, really plan on finishing it up before the end of November. With the Houston International Quilt Festival next week I don't think I will make much progress until later in the month.
It is a chilly day in Houston for late October and I have many windows open in the house. The dogs are not happy about that and have spent most of the day cuddled under multiple quilts on their comfy chair. I don't think they will like it when I scoot them off so I can vacuum up some of the dog hair from the chair. Maybe I will bribe them with treats? Chicken jerky or Greenies or both?
