Long time, no blog~lots to show

 First things first- these adorable little animals were what I received in the FLiPS pincushion swap, from my friend Pattiann aka bouncypoodle at Flickr!  She made me 2 amazing creatures, a bunny with a hexagon carrot and a cat that looks a lot like our Murphy!  Bun-Bun and Murph-Murph are enjoying life with us now, and I just love them!

We have a long driveway!

Time for a rest....

...and a tickle-attack!

We left a light on for them! 

Made with German mohair and fully jointed, they are very special!

I took some time while the Bitty swap group was in hiatus to make a few things for me.  

A little tote for a travel sized iron-

  It unfolds to become an ironing mat-

 ...and it is pretty, too!  Fun little project, this pattern comes in 3 sizes!  It's by Sisters Common Thread

 Then since I liked that so much, I kept going- I made a whole matching set.  Yes, I love things that match and I love to make stuff like this.  I made an insulated cover for my little Clover stick iron, a tote to put it in, a small ironing pad for it, and a little tote with an attached lid for the tools and burn cream, ha!  :)

 The big tote- inside...

 ...filled, mostly...

Late addition- a tote for my swiveling rotary mat and ruler...

The zipper makes it easier to get in and out...

That's a lot of 1" squares!

 The tool tote, attached lid...

 Like the other pieces in this set, I had no pattern for this, just made it up as I went along.  The girls at Flickr really liked it a lot so I'm about to post a tutorial for it so you can make your own.

Inside-

We took the summer off but now the Bitties are back- this month, Weather.  I made a beautiful day. 

 And there's a tutorial out there for this little sewing kit- I made it longer and used 2 elastics to hold it closed. It uses plastic canvas inside, very clever!
 Here's the tute for this...  it's by "UK lass in US".

So that's what I've been doing, in addition to helping take care of my Mum.  Next up- my tutorial for that little tote with the attached lid!

Turkey, E-Reader Stand and a Peek for Ruthie...

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!  Jim was sort of laid out on the sofa trying to recuperate from a nasty bout of sciatica, so I spent most of the day in the kitchen cooking and we watched some shows about Alaska at the same time.  I can see him from the sofa so it's like being together without having him underfoot.  It's OK, though, his dogs more than made up for it, if I said "get out of the kitchen" once, I said it, loudly, a thousand times.  Dogs, argggg!  Anyway, the bird came out nice, didn't it?  I love that rack/pan combo, too, got it several years ago at Bed, Bath and Beyond for a mere $20, and got a rebate which made it end up costing about $7.  Gotta love that and the fact that it's non-stick, clean up was a breeze!

 I got an e-reader a couple of weeks ago since our local library is now loaning e-books which will save me trips to the actual library.  I got a Sony PRS-T1, the new wi-fi version with a touch screen.  I like it a lot, it does a lot of cool things and the librarian was very impressed with it.  She's seen a lot more e-readers than I have and said this one was super user-friendly.  Yay, I need that!    Anyway, this is what I was doing when I was eating lunch, propping it against books and Jim's rubbery glasses case.  Not terribly convenient, ya know?

 I decided it deserved better and since I had made a pouch from some fabric selvages and then decided I didn't like it, I had taken it apart and kept the pieces for something.  THIS project was perfect for those pieces!  I added a little more to the top, adjust the angles on the fabric and sewed up a pyramid shaped base which I then filled with ground-up walnut shells for weight.  I made a little bumper for the bottom to hold the bottom of the reader and voilá!  A perfect little stand!

 I actually had to remake the bumper thing twice to get it to hold the reader at the right angle for me to sit and read, but still, it was a quick and very satisfying project. 

And here's a little sneak peek of the label for Ruthie's mug rug.  I had to photograph it now because it'll be hard to see once it's attached to it. 

 

Can you believe it?  A blog post with no mention of bitt........ well, you know!   Next time, for sure. 

Consider yourselves warned.  :)

The Ornament Party and Exchange 2010

I'm a little late showing off the "take" from this years ornament party.  24 women are involved, typically, and we all make and bring 24 ornaments to exchange.  We also bring good food and eat first.  After we're done eating, we do the exchange, play a couple of games and draw for a few door prizes.  We always have a wonderful time at our friend Gayla's beautifully decorated, comfortable home.  

This year, one lady crocheted us all a potholder/hotpad that looks like a reindeer head!  Incredible and so much work!

 

 All the others were actual ornaments, made from wood, wire, paper buttons, feathers, crystals, wool, communion cups, yarn, etc.  One of my favorites is from our newest member and she made these darling tiny cupcakes out of clay, they each have a tiny cherry on top that rides up and down its little stem. 

 See how precious it is?  

 

I made little reindeer bags, an original pattern but inspired by some tiny wool bags I saw on Flickr.  So tiny that I was just able to slip a Dove Promise piece into each one to give it some heft.  

 I used felted wool from a local shop, it's a pretty brown that has several other colors woven into it, like green, red, gold and blue.  The black eyes and glittery red nose are brads from the scrapbooking dept at the store.  Chenille stems for handles and the ears slide onto them.  I had the tiny wired holly. 

The girls seemed to like them.  We had a wonderful time, a few women weren't able to come so we had a smaller, more intimate crowd and that was actually nice because we were able to visit better, it was a little quieter.  Lots of laughs, though!  Another great party at Gayla's and I already think I know what I'm going to make for next December.  :)  Not telling, though!

I finally got off my duff.....

and made up some patterns for a couple of my sewing organizers and caddies. What prompted this was a phone call from a woman with an English accent named Jennifer, who lives not too far away and has run her own business for many years, a pattern and sewing accessory business, selling patterns and items all over the country and she was picked up by Butterick for some of her things. She is the nicest lady and was very generous in her praise and admiration of my work. I've known about her for a long time, I would see her things in local craft malls and at some local shows. I didn't realize she was so nice, though. :)

At the end of our conversation, she commented one more time on my work and said "you know, your work is so good, you could almost be British." lol That really cracked me up, because as some of you know, I'm what some of my friends refer to as a "Half-Brit". My mum was born and raised in London. So, Jennifer and I had a good laugh about that. It was a very enjoyable phone call.

Anyway, she wanted to order some patterns and some finished product, so I finished writing the pattern and had some printed up the other day. Ordered some zip locks and stuffed them this morning and now they are for sale in my Etsy shop. *shameless self-promotion* For now, the sewing tutorial is still available here on the blog for the travel caddy, but I may be taking it down soon as I can probably make some much needed income from selling the pattern. I'm not looking forward to an unhappy email from someone who bought the pattern and then found out she could have made up her own with a little extra trouble and effort and saved the $9. If any of you have any thoughts about that, I'd appreciate hearing them.

And Nosey Parker was SO helpful this morning as I was folding patterns up. She wanted in on the action and had a wash right where I could supervise her supervising of me.

She's so stinkin' cute, we can't hardly stand it. :)

Here's a fun project for a friend....

I made my friend Tiger a cover for her Kindle, using this tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop.

This is the inside-

The instructions were great and came in really handy since I don't have a Kindle that I could use for size as I was making it. Tiger likes animal prints and all things jungle-y so I think she'll like this fine. It didn't take too long to make, either. I cheated just a little and sewed the binding down by machine, but it actually turned out really well and looks like it will hold up forever! The most time consuming part of this project is the decorative stitching that is between each strip of fabric on the outside, those stitches take forever. They add so much interest, though, that you have to do it.

The outside- instead of a piece of velcro, I made a strap for it with a cat collar clasp and thin nylon webbing.

Close up of the inside- I love this fabric! It's so vibrant and pretty. This cat's head is why I couldn't use velcro like I wanted to.... it would have covered up that pretty face.

Hope you like, Super Tiger!

Oh, here's a shot of Murphy and Beeswax on the zigzag quilt I made last summer, they lie on this almost every day on the foot of our bed. These 2 are siblings and just love each other. Murphy has crossed blue eyes and is so funny and sweet. Beeswax has green eyes and is smart and personable. I just love these boys! Usually they'll cuddle like this for a while. Then one of them will decide to wash the other one's head. Whether he wants it washed or not! Which then leads to a disagreement as the wash-er is holding the wash-ee down against his will. lol Since Murphy outweighs Beez by a good 3 pounds, he usually gets his way, unless Beez takes off and escapes. It's a laugh a minute around here!

Psychotic Seagulls and a Message in a Bottle...

Some people make quilts using Flying Geese and then others of us have to do Psychotic Seagulls. They're made the same way, sewing 2 squares onto a rectangle, on the diagonal, but when you're making a beachy placemat, geese just didn't seem fitting. And the effect you get is different, too, as you end up with chevrons or arrows in bright colors, instead of a colored triangle surrounded by white or some other solid. Where the one in the link is a blue triangle with white below it, mine would be blue with blue below it, making the arrow. The process is exactly the same, though. In retrospect, I could have done them a different way, faster and easier, but this started out differently and evolved as it went along and turned out OK. Next time I think I would just sew strips together into a long row of piano keys and then cut them on an angle and piece the 2 rows together down the middle, forming the chevron that way.

Anyway, this is the placemat I made for the swap at Flickr. I sent it to Sudi-Laura and she received it yesterday which means I can show it to you. I had so much fun making it, I tried new things and they came out well, I think. The flying geese/seagulls were new for me but very easy to do. Only problem is that the strips of them are very unstable as to staying straight and I ended up with a placemat that doesn't want to lie down really flat, it has a couple of little waves in it. Hence the term- psychotic seagulls. Psychedelic would work, too.

I free-pieced the houses and the tree trunk and figured out a way to keep the cabana flaps open all the time. That was all a little tricky due to water/sand/sky horizons needing to match up. I have to give credit to Lynne, of The Patchery Menagerie for house and tree help, she taught me how to do them. I machine appliqued the fronds. And I did a little hand embroidery for the flying seagulls and the cabana flag, because it was all looking a little drab. :)

I did some hand applique on the back- the bottle and sand covering it.

And when you tug on the cork- out comes the label. This part was SO fun for me, I love doing quirky, odd things like this. And I just adore hidey-holes, and I think this qualifies as such!

Inspector #7 was doing a great job, too!

All in all, I am really pleased with how it came out and I think Sudi-Laura is, too. It was a little hard to send it away, but I know I can make another if I decide to. And I knew it was going to a great new home! Enjoy it, Sudi-Laura! Think of your beach when you see it or use it. xox

My husband was helpful in the making as I kept running ideas by him and asking advice about the bottle/label construction. And he said an emphatic yes to the bit of black separating the houses from the bright colored seagulls- and he was so right! Thanks, honey! You have good taste in more than just wives. (Well, wife- you didn't choose so well the first time, now, did you?) lol

Have a great weekend, everybody! Make something fun. I was kind of sad when this got finished up, it was a great weekend project!

Potholder Pass II sucessfully completed!

I participated in a potholder swap and was lucky enough to receive these from spottedstonestudio, much to my delight.  Krista also sent me 3 lovely batik fat quarters to go along with them and a really sweet note.  This is one seriously talented lady and I so appreciate the time and trouble she went to to make these for me.  She has 3 kids and one is just a sweet little baby, I don't know how she gets anything done, but she does and she does it so well.  And to add to the coolness factor, she lives way up north in Alaska!  

The front-

The back-

Thank you, Krista, for making my first potholder swap so much fun!  I had a great time and I really love my potholders.  If my OVEN WAS WORKING, grrrr, I would actually contemplate using them.  (Long story- used the self-clean feature for the first time and now the entire oven and digital display is DEAD.  Not happy, nope, not at all.  Samsung appliances?  I won't ever buy them again.  This is the 4th problem we've had with our less than 2 year old appliances and 2 of them were in the first week!)  

Here's whatI sent my partner-hopefully she'll like it.  2 wonky potholders, some Pez fabric and a condiment wallet.  I also jazzed up a note card to match. 

the front-

The back-

I had fun making them, this was my first wonky star and I think it turned out great.   I learned how to make this star from my friend Pamela, who has a great shop on Etsy.   She's another super talented lady and is very generous with her knowledge, which I so appreciate.

We had company come for the weekend so I've been busy cleaning house and then having fun with Jennifer and Charles.  The boys fished every day, all day, leaving us to our own devices, which was wonderful.  We cooked, ate, drank, watched movies, visited, laughed, ripped paper off my string blocks, sat in the sun, and just generally had a great time.  Oh, we sneaked in a visit to my mother, the Mumster, too.  That was good, she just loves Jennifer (it's mutual) and she considers her a daughter, because Jen "gets" her.  Mum is 89 but doesn't look it or act it.  

No photos of us, though, because we were too busy chillin'.  :)  It was a great weekend and we capped it off with little grown-up Easter baskets (cute Rubbermaid containers) at breakfast (I can't believe we didn't photograph them, the table looked fun) with chocolates, toys, notepad, fishing lures, gummy worms, Swedish fish, etc.  They were a hit! I hated to see them leave, but Charles and Jennifer both have to be at work tomorrow, darn it.  They're the best, easiest company, too.  SO helpful and fun.  We just LOVE them.  Travel safe, you two!

A method to my madness.....

It's taken me about 10 days to make these- 11 different sewing caddies for the Etsy shop. Each caddy has about 13 pieces of fabric and various assorted doo-dads involved. It took me 2 days just to fussy- cut them all out. (I cut out 14, I still have 3 to make but my fingertips are so sore from sewing on binding that I am taking a much needed little break.)

All of these were sewn with stash fabrics, I didn't have to buy anything except more snaps. I tried to make a nice assortment, not just ones that I like. lol You know, bright gaudy ones.... I threw in a couple of grown up ones, too, like the golden brown one and the Authentic black one and the light blue one.

This is the inside of one- maybe you can see why it takes me so long to make them, but I think I've finally figured out a way to streamline the process a bit.

I work on the accessories upstairs until I get to a point where there's handwork involved, then I move downstairs and watch the Olympics with Jim, or something else that we've recorded. (We really like having a DVR!) I call this "my homework." It helps keep him entertained too and not feeling so neglected.
I do turning, basting, gathering, wrapping (like on the hair elastics), etc, and eventually the hand sewing part of the binding. Then I go back upstairs and sew with the machine or iron on the fusible Velcro or do the assembly portion of the program.

When I'm working on so many, organization is important, especially because Nosey Parker is in a horrible stage right now of being kind of rambunctious and destructive. Nothing is safe from her and I can't even leave my typical piles of things lying around like I usually would.

I make up little kits for each caddy when I am doing a bunch at one time. This way I know that I have everything I need to complete the project, the kits hold the little things as I complete them and also the things I haven't used yet, like the binding, the Velcro, the cat collar buckle, buttons, I even make up little containers with all the snap components in them (not shown). Since I live 25 miles from the nearest shop where I can get most of my "ingredients", it's important to me to know I've got everything I need before I start. Otherwise I get stalled and I just hate that. I had 14 of these bags on the table and SOME LITTLE MONSTER decided they were toys and batted them and chewed on them and I found them all over the place. Now I have to hook them all together on a chenille stem and tie them to the wall! lol She's so rotten. It's not like she doesn't have 400 toys scattered all over!

And this is my excuse for being so absent lately- I've been sewing my fingers to the bone! I've got all 11 of these in the shop now, that's a record for me and gives my customers great selection, I like that. And hopefully I won't have to make any more of these for a while! At least, not so many at once.

Of course, the tutorial for this caddy can be found over on the sidebar, to the right. And a tip- if you're doing a bunch at once, group them by thread color so you're not always changing the thread. I did 3 with black thread, 3 with blue thread, 5 with brown and I have 3 more to do with black again. I hate changing thread, it's such a waste of time to me, so that's why I do it like this.

There you have a little peek into how I do mass-production. Hope I didn't bore you too much!