I can't stop making these bags.
The curvy clutch is my favorite Keyka Lou pattern; they are so fun to make! I am quilting the outer fabric to the batting before adding the lining. These bags close with two magnetic snaps.
Rick rack!!When piecing, I use the stitch and flip method and sew the outer fabrics right to the batting.Embroidery.
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(someone is graduating to an electric machine)
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”
The Little Engine That Could, Watty Piper, 1930.
Yesterday B and I had the pleasure of helping with the Little Red Hen activities in P's Kindergarten class. We took in ears of heirloom corn and our hand crank corn grinder.
The kids planted some of the corn and read the story The Little Red Hen.
They had fun shelling the corn and then going through all the steps to make Little Red Hen Bread. They each got a turn to turn the crank to grind the corn, then everyone helped add the ingredients and stir the batter. They even put a little cream in to baby food jars and shook them up to make their own butter to spread on the corn bread.
We had a great snack after recess! I was so busy helping that I didn't get many pictures.
I think the kids had a really fun day. There were corn kernels EVERYWHERE and it was also "pajama day"!! Fridays in kindergarten aren't called Fun Filled Friday for nothing.
We like celebrations. Years ago, when the boys were small we started celebrating 1000 day milestones. We don't have a big party - just a special dinner, cake, or pie - something special to mark the passing of the day. These celebrations are fun because they are not annual events. They are also at different times of the year than the person's birthday and sometimes even catch us by surprise. B has a spreadsheet on the computer to figure out everyone's 1000 day schedule but we do need to remember to check it every once in a while.
Today, D, my oldest, is 7000 days old. We are off to take him out to dinner to celebrate. P will have her 2000 day celebration NEXT weekend. I recently passed a 1000 milestone but we won't say how many thousand.
What special things does your family celebrate?
After finishing a few more smaller projects I am feeling a little more prepared for the craft show on December 4.
I feel like I can now calmly return to a larger project like finishing another quilt.
I put hundreds of pins in it last night. I will be quilting it on the machine but haven't decided about the design yet.
I don't want to put any quilting on the stars. I really want them to float above the background. Outlining each star would be very tedious but I kind of think it needs it. I would like a lot of quilting in the background but I don't want to do the old meandering thing either.
What are your quilting thoughts?
And isn't this backing fabric great? I had just enough for the back of this quilt!
I am busy in the sewing room these days. Starting new projects, progressing on others, and finishing some.
I even have a new pair of soft, squishy, warm socks for winter made of Artyarns Supermerino! I followed this toe up pattern to use all of the yarn.
"When the sun went down In the great green field, The big cow lowed, The little pig squealed."
Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown, 1956.
I will have a booth at the All the Trimmings show on December 4 and the Chelsea Fair Grounds and I'm starting to feel the stress. I have been making quilts like crazy and now I have several tops still to put together and quilt. I have a fear of having a booth piled high with quilts and not selling anything so, I have taken a break from those big projects to make some smaller non-quilt items for the show.
I recently found Keyka Lou patterns. I really like the clean lines and straightforward assembly of these bags. The little clutches don't use much fabric and I put batting between the layers for a soft finish.
I am really pleased with how this wristlet camera bag turned out. If I still used a point and shoot I think I might keep this one for myself. It also has batting to cushion the camera inside.
My favorite pattern has got to be this shoulder bag. I love those pockets on the front. It also has a magnetic snap closure. I had never put one of those in before. I am an instant fan!
I have done well to use fabric on hand but I have used up all of my interfacing. So, I guess I will trek to the fabric shop. I shall have to put on blinders and go directly to the interfacing and only the interfacing.
P and B are visiting Grandma this week and I am hoping to get lots of things done while they are away. Yesterday went well and I finished a quilt top. Today was not as productive.
I decided on chartreuse for the setting fabric for the string pieced triangles.
The quilt is twin/single size. I like the way that from a certain angle it looks like rows of banners or flags.
Now I need to decide on the quilting design.
My UFO pile is growing again.
B heard about this great pumpkin recipe on NPR Friday - Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good.
We had to try it with one of our pumpkins. I pretty much followed the recipe but also added a couple of apples. They had gotten soft and no one was going to eat them unless they were cooked with something.
If there had been more room in the pumpkin I also would have added some leftover potatoes from the fridge.
Oh. My. It was GOOD!I could also see this as a dessert dish with apples and cinnamon in a pudding like center. We may have to try that too. It is a good thing we have some pumpkins left.
"I think I understand," said the goat.
"The sun doesn't come up because the cock crows, the cock crows because the sun comes up."
"Pooh!" said the cow. "ANYBODY can do THAT."
Little Peep, Jack Kent, 1981
She says it is no longer a good tree for "hide and seek".
It was a cold and cloudy day.
Mother earth has put on her brown coat for winter.
I have been working on this cable sock for a couple of months. It is the next in the "two make a pair" project. I love them but the cables were a bit tedious to work on in short spurts. I was also trying cables without a cable needle. I think that would probably be easier when not using size 0 needles.
Monday evening I started a pair of simple crew socks so I would have something small and easy to work on if I had to wait at the polls on Tuesday. Well, it ended up that I didn't have to wait at all before voting. However, in two short evenings of knitting I completed the foot, turned the heel, and have started the ribbed cuff.
A quick knit project is a nice change.
If the weather is nice,
P and I sometimes go to the park after school.
I find lots of interesting things to photograph.
I like the old paint and textures of the worn equipment.
P likes the park too.
Mondays at the park can also include an interesting "Bench Monday" shot.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
We were busy with pumpkin carving,
trick or treating,
playhouse priming,
and a little quilting.
"Nothing keeps you from learning."
The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1940.
The K-2 art classes I'm teaching are fun. I have a group of 12 great kids. So far we have done some Mondrian inspired collages,
a study of Van Gogh's Starry, Starry Night with oil pastels,
and "macro" paintings of heirloom corn.
I want to make clay beads with them next. I found this great tutorial for clay made from old newspapers. I am trying it out this weekend to see if it will work as a kid project. So far I have a pot of soaked schredded paper.
I'd better go get busy!
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