At home by the Baye

Commenting and Word Verification

2012-02-26T19:38:00.005-05:00

In addition to appreciating the comments I receive, I love leaving comments, too. I do it a lot. Some of you regular posters may have noticed that. Really, I'm not virtually stalking you. I comment on the majority of the blog posts I read.

Lately, however, it seems that a large portion of bloggers have set up word verification. Often the "words" are ridiculously difficult to read such as these examples posted on Markd60's blog:

Who has the time to try to figure out what these things say? A big thank you to Mark for taking the time to collect these. I haven't had the patience to stick around and copy them. I'm usually so frustrated by that point that I just click out. Of course my nice, carefully written comment is then nothing more than wasted time.

I know that I could just NOT comment on your blogs while still keeping them on my list. However, there's no way to know that word verification is needed until after I've taken the time to compose a comment. It's the equivalent of starting a conversation with someone and then. just as that person is about to respond, asking them for two forms of identification. I read too many blogs to keep track of which ones are using WV. If you're on my list, I obviously love your blog, but I have to say that I'm seriously considering dropping some blogs to avoid the frustration and wasted time.

There are two possible solutions I want to share with you (with tutorials for Blogspot blogs). Please, please consider either:

giving a warning that verification is needed BEFORE the comment box or
removing the word verification.

Tutorials for each:

Removing Word Verification (preferred method to keep me following your blog AND commenting):
1.Go to your dashboard:

2. Click "Settings"

3. Click "Comments" in the Settings submenu (There is also a tab named "Comments" along side the above mentioned "Settings", but that is the not the place. First click "Settings", then there will be a "Comments" there for you to click on.

4. Scroll down to where it says "Show word verification for comments?" and click on the "No" button.

5. Scroll down and click the "SAVE SETTINGS" button.

Keeping Word Verification with a Note Warning Would-be Writers of Comments (I'll keep following, but probably will not comment):
1. Go into "Settings" as above
2. Click on "Comments"
3. Scroll down to "Comment Form Message"
4. Type a note in the box there stating that word verification is needed for commenting. It could be a simple," Word verification is needed in order to comment." This forwarning will let allow readers to decide whether they have the time and/or energy to deal with the extra work involved.
5. Scroll down and click on "Save Settings" at the bottom

If you use something other than Blogger, I'm sure your blog support company would be more than happy to show you how to do these. Thanks for your consideration.

Stitch and Quilt Along with Clover and Violet and Hoopla Embroidery Book Review

2012-02-25T09:53:00.008-05:00

I've decided to join Clover and Violet's Stitch and Quilt Along! The quilt will be made up of courthouse step blocks with a little bit of hand embroidery in the center of each block. If you want to check it out, click on the quilt-along button on the sidebar or on the lovely little pic here.

I was hesitant to join because of the hand embroidery. It's been years since I did any hand embroidery. However, completely by chance, Melissa brought an incredible book on embroidery home from the library yesterday. What are the chances of that happening on the very same day? I'm taking it as a sign that I should join the quilt along.

The book is Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery by Leanne Prain. Melissa thought I would be interested in it. Truthfully, had she called and asked if I would like to see a book on mostly hand embroidery, I would have said no. Taking on another form of stitchery would have seemed too daunting. Thumbing through the book when it arrived, however, I realized that some of the simplest pieces shown were such special expressions of conviction and emotion.

Embroidered poem by Jamie Chalmers

I can think of a lot of places other than an ouch pouch
where I'd like to embroider a band-aid.

(And, some are just plain fun!)

Embroidering on photos! See the mustache on the baby?

Who wouldn't want to send a special someone who's far from home a photo
like this embroidered with hearts!

IMHO, anyone who sews beyond simple repairs, has a need to express themselves creatively. Prain's book shows you how to do just that with beautiful, contemporary, artistic embroidery from the absolute simplest lines to the most complex. The book has gorgeous photos, instructions on techniques, full directions for some of the projects, and interviews with artists.

As for a few of the more complex--but still doable, how about embroidering your furniture?

Sorry for the distorted photo. It's the best I can do.
Wish I had embroidered a little something when
I reupholstered my denim set. Not this much though!

How cool is this map!

You know I own this book now, don't you? Well, it's on the way from Amazon, anyway, for $19.77, down from the $29.95 list price. Check it out at your library or click on "Amazon" above to see more about it online.

Microfiber Dust Mitt Tutorial

2012-02-23T16:53:00.010-05:00

I love my microfiber cleaning cloths. I have a LOT of them, but I could not pass up these in Joann's clearance area.

for the awesome prince of:

for two cleaning cloths! Since my dust mitts were worn to a frazzle, these were used for new ones. A look online showed that simple microfiber dust mitts are sold individually for $4.50 and up. Making your own is way cheaper even if you didn't get this great deal at Joann's ;-) And, by the way, who wants just one? Doesn't everyone dust with two hands? Two hand, people! Slap one on each hand and get that dusting done in half the time.

Dust mitts are easy to make. I created my pattern freehand drawing about an inch to an inch and a half out around my hand. You could use an oven mitt to create the pattern or find a pattern for an oven mitt online--there are several such as this one at Skip To My Lou. (Remember that an oven mitt will be thicker. You don't want to make the dust mitt that big. It might help to throw one together using scrap fabric to get an idea of how big you want to make it.)

I folded each square of fabric in half, pinned on the pattern and cut out the two pieces. Here's a picture while I was in the midst of cutting.

If you place the cuff end of the pattern at the bottom finished edge of the cloth, you won't need to do any hemming there. I decided against serging because getting around the thumb would be a pain. Instead, I sewed a scant quarter inch seam around, turned it right side out, and top stitched a quarter inch in to enclose the seam.

This fabric doesn't have a right/wrong side. If yours does, you would start this with the right sides together. In the photo below, you can see the scant quarter inch seam before turning right side out. Be sure to reinforce the ends with back stitching at each cuff end.

(Remember to reinforce the start and stop points at the cuff when top stitching, too.)

You can see the top stitching in the photo above. You can also see that I changed the pattern slightly as I went along to make the thumb area more defined.

Dusting with two of these on really is much faster. When the front gets dirty, just switch hands and use the back. You can even turn them inside out to use the other sides. It's so much easier to do lamps, vases, frames, and dining/kitchen chairs. Microfiber material holds an amazing amount of dust.

These make great little gifts for those setting up housekeeping. Also, consider making smaller versions for the kids. Mine loved the novelty of two-handed dusting with the mitts and finishing the chore quicker when they were young.

Open Book Quilt Block for Virtual Quilting Bee

2012-02-21T13:06:00.003-05:00

I joined a virtual quilting bee of sorts started by Tracey of Itching2Bstitching. We are working from the book, Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers by Susanne Woods. (You may be able to get it from your library. Click on the photo of the book at the bottom of the post to take a look at it on Amazon.)

I've never done one of these before, so I'll share how this kind of bee works for others who don't know about them. Each month one person is the queen bee. She chooses a block from the book for all of us to do. The "queen" can send the fabric she wants us to use or suggest colors and such she likes. The pic above is the block chosen by Kelleigh for February. It's called "open book."

In Modern Blocks, the center binding area of the book is actually the same color as the background fabric. It almost appears that the book is floating. Kelleigh chose to have that area in a light fabric different from the background so that each person could sign the block in that space. I chose to embroider the name 'cuz my handwriting is not the best.

Scary thing for me to do sewing for someone else! Fortunately, these are an understanding and accepting lot who are not expecting perfection. One block down, eleven more months to go! I can't wait for my turn to be on the receiving end in October.

2012 Owl Calendar--Free and Fun

2012-02-20T11:49:00.002-05:00

(Jo James)

See that little button right across on the sidebar with the cute owls? It will take you to Shivani's site where she has once again put together something that allows you to create your own personal 2012 owl calendar. She gathered the work of forty-five international artists this year--all creating pieces depicting owls. The set-up allows you to choose which piece of art you want for each month and print out the pages.

I did it last year, too. The hardest part was, once again, choosing. I wanted MOST of them, but could only have twelve. Take a look!

Ongoing Apron and Art Smock Link Party!

2012-02-18T14:54:00.007-05:00

Threading My Way has just started an ongoing apron/art smock link party. It would be great if you would add any of your posts on these items to it. I so like the idea of having one place to go that will have lots of information and inspiration on a given subject.

http://threadingmyway.blogspot.com/2012/02/
threading-your-way-aprons-and-art.html

Pam of Threading My Way already has a number of these ongoing parties on right now including these:

Bags and Totes
Girls' Dresses
Women's Dresses
Hair Accessories
Pillows and Cushions
Boys Clothes
Skirts for Girls

If there is another party you'd like to see, you can email her or leave a suggestion in Pam's comments area. I'm looking forward to seeing all your creations over there!

February's Blocks from Craftsy's BOM class

2012-02-15T08:38:00.004-05:00

As you may recall, I am doing the "block of the month" lessons from Craftsy in both browns/blues and orange/blues. Here are the browns/blues for February:

The first one is a Balkan Puzzle also know by numbers of other names as is true of many quilt blocks. I LOVE this one. The second is a Chunky Chevron. By itself, I'm not so fond of it. I'll bet it's cool when these are put together as a whole quilt, though.

Here are the orange/blues:

One of the reasons I'm not too fond of the Chunky Chevron blocks may be that I don't like my choice for the predominant pieces--that blue/yellow fabric--in this one. It's a beautiful fabric when not cut into pieces and repieced (Repieced comes out with a red line under it. I, however, am using it because I think it should be a word in quilting!) This fabric would require some incredible fussy cutting to make it work well. I'm hoping that it will blend in well once the whole quilt is together.

Here are all the January and February browns/blues together,

and the orange/blues

All in all, I am quite happy. Of course, I've been cutting these down to make them uniform rather than redoing them. If I absolutely HAVE to, I'll redo one to make it fit. For the most part, I'm not that fussy with quilting. As I have said before, I go with the , "if it can't be seen by a man riding by on horseback, it's okay" rule. I quilt for fun and to have something on the bed rather than for show. That may be because were I quilting for show, I'd still be on my first quilt;-O

Confession: I Am a Potter Head

2012-02-13T01:14:00.002-05:00

For our last day in Florida, we went to:

The lovely Mr. Easton posing before the Universal Studio globe.

Universal Studio's theme park. Mostly because I wanted to see:

I am somewhat addicted. I reread the books and/or watch the movies almost yearly. I really, really wanted to taste:

Butterbeer! I had two. The resulting sugar high is probably why I'm still up at one in the morning blogging. I know it's just cream soda with some creamy flavored foam on top, but it is so good.

The castle ride has to be the most awesome one in the park, and you get to see all kinds of cool stuff while moving through the ride line including the sorting hat,

and walls of talking pictures.

The best part of the ride was flying over the quidditch field. Never thought I'd get to do that. Flying down toward the lake was a close second. It was so like the scene in one of the movies. You honestly feel as though you are flying. I actually moved my leg at one point 'cuz I thought it was going to hit something! I dragged my husband on this ride twice.

Olivander's wand shop proved too tempting. I am now the proud owner of what they tell me is an exact replica of Professor McGonagall's wand.

Too bad it's not real. It would be so nice if it would do all my laundry when I get home.

I Finally Got the Signature Line to Work in My Blog!

2012-02-12T08:29:00.002-05:00

I saw a post at Serendipity and Spice with some suggestions for spicing up your blog. I've tried to do the signature line before without success. I get to the part about making sure you save your original html code or you will mess everything up and panic. Melissa at Serendipity suggested going to Mylivesignature.com to create the signature which I did. I copied the code I made there. Then I could not figure out WHERE to put the code. I finally emailed Melissa at Serendipity. Here was her response:

"In your blogger dashboard (main page) go to Settings, then Posts and Comments. On the right there will be a box labeled Post Template. Just insert the html code in this box. Then your signature will automatically load every time you make a post."

I went to the dashboard, then to Settings. There wasn't an exact "Posts and Comment." Maybe I have an old version or something. In any case, this is what I did. I finally tried going to "Settings." Then under that there is a tab for "Formatting." At Formatting, I scrolled down to "Post Template." I pasted it in there, saved the settings, and voila! There it was.

I know there is a way to get it to be on the old posts, too. With my lack of knowledge in this area and fear of messing up everything, I'm gonna stick with this. Here it is

Now if I can just figure out how to get the signature out of the little white box, I'll be all set. It's a start!

Hair Clips for Ipod and Other Techie Wires

2012-02-09T23:23:00.002-05:00

Traveling with my computer, two Kindles, an Ipod, and two cell phones means a lot of cords. I've been using this method to keep things from tangling for a while now. It has worked particularly well while traveling.

Nice and neat. Headphones, charging cords, and simple hair clips. The clips work great. They won't damage the cords, but firmly hold everything in place. When you are using the cords, just leave the clip around the cord. Give it a try.

I'm still enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. Thought you might enjoy a few pics.

The sun setting on our first night

This White Ibis and I were hunting together. I was so busy looking for
shells that I was next to this guy before I even realized it

Great Blue Heron. He sat on the dock
oblivious to the passersby.

Gopher tortoise!

Is this guy not the coolest? He was just hangin'
out on the side of a building. I think it is an Black Anole.

Amazing how close you can get to the birds! I think this is a
Snowy Egret.

My Front Load Washer Died, But I'm Not Too Unhappy About It

2012-02-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

First, look where I am. Yeah, in the air, on the way to Florida. Left the twenty-somethings in charge of the house. How cool is it that you can blog on top of clouds? Way cool.

Back to the washer. I had the front load washer for about seven years. It died for the second time last week. The first repair was so expensive, we knew the next time it broke we would just replace it. I liked that our water bill dropped dramatically when we got the front loader, but otherwise I wasn't really happy with it. I never had to wash my washing machine before getting the front loader. I also didn't needed to leave the door open on a washer before. I found out I needed to clean and air the machine the hard way--once the smell became awful! I would have gotten another front load one, though, if the water-saving top loaders were not around. BUT they are! Take a look at my new favorite appliance.

It's an LG with the largest tub possible. My kids do their own laundry, and even their "saved up forever" piles fit in. Love that it saves water, fits more stuff than I ever dreamed possible aside from a laundry mat machine, and has a seemingly infinite number of settings to accommodate all situations. Look at all those choices:

The part that I really love though, is that it plays music--literally. Instead of that annoying, jarring buzzer to let you know the wash is finished, it plays a little ditty. Okay, it does sound like a piece Mr. Rogers would have chosen for the kids, but it is so much better than a buzzer.

I've finally stopped staring at the laundry through the window. But look at that glass top. Who wouldn't want to stare in. Is this what they mean when they say, "Don't be showing your dirty laundry"? If so, I apologize.

The January Blocks are Finished!

2012-02-03T11:40:00.001-05:00

I started them in February--not a good idea. Fortunately Craftsy keeps the old lessons up. These are FREE block of the month lessons. I've been meaning to get back to quilting. These lessons are just the ~~kick in the butt~~ encouragement I needed. I wanted to work with these fabrics:

but these fabrics actually match something in my house:

Do not judge me on color choices. I'm not color blind, I'm color confused. If you have read my post on the ugliest quilt ever, you would understand that this is a step in the right direction. Even with several books on choosing colors, I struggle with this. I decided to do both colors. Who says I'm indecisive?

There are two blocks for each month. January's block are "the asterisk" and "the wonky block." This slashing of previous pieced fabric is new for me. I like it! Here are my yellow/orange:

The one on the right is cut to size. The other looks a bit off because the
edges have only been tucked under. Okay, so they are a bit off, too.
I go by the "if it can't be seen by a man riding by on horseback" rule.

These fabrics are much prettier close up:

(Maybe I should start buying fabric view from a distance. I'm a sucker for juvenile, colorful fabric.)

Here are the brown/blue blocks:

Excuse the edges. These are obviously not cut down to size yet.

My goal for this month is to get the February block done IN February. I'm pretty sure you can still join in the fun. Check on Craftsy. It's streaming across the bottom where they show all the videos. It's the free one--that should be easy for all you professional shoppers to find. Catching up with four block shouldn't be difficult.

Do you sing your orders at the drive-through?

2012-02-02T14:06:00.001-05:00

Check out Giorgio singing his Sonic order.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RzBpTSNLG8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Not only funny, but an cool voice.

He has a few of his songs for sale on his Facebook page. You can get there here:

www.theinterstatelife.com

You can even use PayPal. I know that 'cuz I bought them. (And no, I don't know him, just appreciate a funny guy with a great voice and cheap songs;-})

Doesn't everyone keep their plastic ziploc bags in the sewing/craft room?

2012-02-01T13:07:00.003-05:00

I was at the tail end of cleaning up my accumulation of patterns and such when I had an epiphany. I was about to make my fourth trip downstairs to get another ziploc bag to hold bits and pieces of cut patterns, directions, or fabric when I decided a box of bags should be IN the sewing room.

Now, there's only one box of these bags in the house which was in the kitchen where other people keep them. However, I only occasionally use them there to store leftovers. For that I can just say, "Honey, run upstairs and get me a ziploc bag, will ya." To the inevitable whining that will ensue about keeping the bags where normal people do, I intend to respond with, "I get enough exercise shopping for fabric and running it through the machine. What are you trying to do kill me? Isn't there some sport on television that you should be watching when we're finished cleaning up here?" The sports line is what will do it. This man has been known to watch curling even before Stephen Colbert made it hip--well, as hip as curling can be.

Sarong Swimsuit Cover

2012-01-31T14:38:00.003-05:00

After the panty purse, it was time to do something I will actually use. With my vacation around the corner, I finally made this sarong I found in a Sew Stylish magazine a while back.

It can be worn several ways. Here are a couple more pics from the magazine:

The article also mentioned folding down the top edge before tying if you want it shorter which is nice with the contrasting fabrics or using it as a shawl.

Here's mine. My usual ~~victim~~ model, Melissa, wasn't available, so this will have to do.

It looks much better on. Unfortunately, I've not figured out how to take pics of myself in an outfit! The photo doesn't do the material justice either, so I'm including a couple of close-ups. It is a Simply Silky design from Joann's.

The sarong is made from two 40x64" rectangles of lightweight, drapable fabric. You can see how the fabric is folded to 32 inches to cut the curve in the second pic above. Then you just sew the two pieces right sides together around the edges leaving an opening to turn. The seams on the one in the magazine seemed to fall better than mine. You can see the slight puff that material has at the seams better in this photo:

My material didn't hang as well. I decided to do a 1/4" top stitch all the way around which I like much better. While I like the fabric, I wish I had more choices available locally. I really need to get down to New York City to check out some of the garment district stores I've read about. I'm a couple of hours away and have never made a fabric run. Anyone with fabric store suggestions please feel free to share with us in the comments!

Yeah, It's a Panty Purse

2012-01-29T19:49:00.002-05:00

My husband's first reaction: "Are you really gonna be whipping that out
of your purse?"

How does one go from posting the elegant little Japanese knot bag to a panty bag in a matter of days? It's Sandra of SuddenlySandra.blogspot.com 's fault because she made some of these that were so freakin' cute I had to give it a try, too.

Look--all lined and everything!

Sandra also nicely directed me to the free pattern and tutorial. It's in Chinese, but Google Translator translates well enough to get the idea. If you've not done a lined, zippered bag before, check out a YouTube video tutorial or two. That should be enough for anyone to give this a try. I enlarged it to use with the 7" zipper on hand.

Before you get started, stop here to see Sandra's versions. She has all kinds of little extras that make these even more special.

Do You Use Dryer Sheets to Clean Your Shower Doors??

2012-01-27T16:37:00.005-05:00

I saw this idea on a blog and thought, "Yeah, maybe your shower doors, but my water is beyond hard. No way that will work for me." I usually have to use cleaners that require rubber gloves, bleach the color out of any clothes or towels within splatter-shot, and smell as though one should be advised to wear a gas mask and have the windows open. I was desperate enough to give this dryer sheet thing a try. On my first attempt I didn't even bother to take before pictures. I was that sure it would not work. It worked.

I took pics the second time I used them. Here's the before:

And after:

Oh, no, that is not with the shower door open.

Look at this shine:

This is what that area looked like before:

I have a certain amount of guilt because of the disposable factor with the the dryer sheets. I try not to use things that are disposable if I can avoid it. I don't use dryer sheet for the laundry! I had to "borrow" some of them from Melissa for my first try. However, those strong chemicals can't be good for the environment either. Another great reason to use the dryer sheets is that I don't have to worry about the strong cleansers corroding the caulk around the tub and the metal fixtures as the labels threaten will happen. Avoiding leaks from worn caulk and extending the life of the fixtures is good for the environment, too.

The sheets work great on the sink and tub area easily cleaning off the tub ring, too. One sheet goes a long way. Melissa's were Bounce. I bought Target's brand which worked just as well.

While I still don't like cleaning the bathrooms, I don't dread cleaning them anymore. Try the dryer sheets if you haven't already.

Very Berry Handmade Giveaway

2012-01-26T10:19:00.001-05:00

I've been doing a weekly sewing challenge this month with Sew Much 2 Luv which is about to come to an end. It has been wonderful to have the encouragement to actually get some sewing projects completed, comments from other sewers about my projects, and, most of all, seeing all the projects of the other participants. No housework getting done, but I'm so happy to be checking off a few things on my long list of projects.

In search of more sewing encouragement, I stumbled upon the Very Berry Handmade Giveaway: Resolved to Sew 2012. The fabric for the giveaway is so beautiful, bright, and cheery! There's even some crushed walnut shells for stuffing pin cushions. I've steered away from making pin cushions because I like the rough grains in the manufactured ones. Who knew you could get crushed walnut shells to stuff them?

Check it out and join in! Just click on the link above or here.

Newest Member of the Crew

2012-01-25T22:57:00.003-05:00

That's Kelsey, Kiefer's girlfriend holding one of her Christmas presents. His name is Cooper. Doesn't he look sweet there? Actually he is a little devil who runs around so much it has taken me this long to get a picture of him that doesn't look like this:

or this:

How does he move so fast that he looks like a ghost dog?

Here's the real Cooper:

So, how long does this puppy stage last???

He does sleep sometimes--kind of:

Oh, don't let that sweet little face fool you. He's just worn out from attacking everyone and everything.

Japanese Knot Bag

2012-01-25T22:26:00.002-05:00

After the dragon stuffie, I needed something nice and easy. This pattern is from Helen Heath's blog, Show Your Workings, and it's free!

This is what it looks like opened:

You slide the longer loop handle through the shorter one. You can put your hand through the longer loop and let it hang on your arm or wrist. The pattern at Helen site has pics of hers. This was so quick and easy! Check out the pattern. It's such a cool little bag.

The Dragon Has Arrived - Review of DIY Fluffies Yoki the Dragon Pattern

2012-01-24T22:38:00.004-05:00

I'm naming him Skye Blue (Yes, I am name stealing from Beyonce)

My very first dragon and likely my last. This was from a pattern, DIY Fluffies Yoki the Dragon. I paid $9 to find out that I would need to draw in the one centimeter seam allowance on most of the pieces. What an absolute pain that was! Some pieces such as the arms and wings could just be traced onto the fabric with that being the sewing line. Most of the larger body pieces, though, are sewn to other curvy pieces. The seam allowance is not only essential, but needs to be exact. Why create a pattern with sewing lines rather than seam allowance lines??? I also needed to figure out placement of the wings, arms, eyes and nostrils--no nice little dots marked on the pattern pieces. Also no nice little dots to match one pattern piece to another.

After making about 40 stuffed creatures last year, I felt I would easily be up to this, but I found the pattern to be confusing or vague in several essential places. I finally blew the pattern up to twice the size (if I'm going to do this work, I want a good size beast to show for it), ignored half the directions, and improvised. Some of the changes were to make it more kid friendly. The original seems more like a "I'm going to sit on the shelf stuffie" rather than a "I'm going to get dragged around by the ear" one. I started to write up the changes and take pics, but this would have been one very long post. Should you decide to make one and have questions, I'd be happy to share.

This is the third time in the past few years that I've gotten a pattern from a small company only to find that I am going to be doing a lot of work to actually have usable pattern pieces. Too bad we can't see what's inside before purchasing them.

The Butterfly Cabinet, A Novel by Bernie McGill

2012-01-18T13:04:00.007-05:00

I loved this book despite it's dark theme. The Butterfly Cabinet is loosely based on an actual incident that happened in l892 in Ireland. A well-to-do mother is accused of having caused the death of her child. The chapters alternate between a woman, now in her nineties, who was employed in the house at the time of the death and the prison diary of the mother. While the central mystery revolves around coming to understand what really happened that day, much of the writing brings the reader to understand why it happened, what about these characters brought them to their actions on that day.

To me McGill's is descriptive writing at it finest. With some authors, you see the descriptive writing. It jumps out at you. It is distracting. I'm usually thinking about the fact that the the author is working at being descriptive rather than focusing on the story. In this book, however, you see the story. It unfolds tugging your emotions in countless directions. Just when you think you know a character, McGill gives you more information forcing you to rethink your previous conclusions.

The only negative for me was that the modern day story (well, if you can call 1968 modern;-}) is hardly developed. The book is comparatively short. There was certainly room for showing how these past events affect later generations. The main story line, though, is well worth the read.

It's a great choice for a book club because McGill does not force answers on the reader. She presents the information. We decide--and it's not as easy as it sounds. It's the kind of story you think about long after finishing the book. I don't often push for books in my book club, but this is one I'd love to delve into with others. You can click on the book cover below to see what Amazon reviewers have to say. If you do read it, let me know what you think.

Hood from Simplicity 5857

2012-01-14T18:55:00.002-05:00

This is what you do when your resident model is still sleeping and you
want to get a photo of the new hood. Kinda creepy, isn't it?

This hood is from the same pattern I used for the beret last week. I wanted this to wear with a couple of my jackets that don't have hoods. I love both hats and hoods, but I tend to lose my hats when shopping. With this I can just push it back while I'm at the mall or getting groceries.

The pattern called for fleece, but I went with a corduroy and silky lining. I wanted it to lie flatter when I push it back. While there is no give when sliding it over the head, there was more than enough room for me to get it on and off comfortably. I will admit to having a bit of a pinhead, though. If you try the pattern in a material that doesn't have stretch, do a muslin first to be sure it will be okay for you.

Here is it on the in-house model, Melissa.

I love this fabric! It's from Joann's. Those embroidered bits look so much better in person. By the time I went back to buy more, it was gone! Maybe it will be back next year--I do hope so anyway.

Beret from Simplicity Pattern

2012-01-09T14:17:00.001-05:00

You have no idea how long I've been hanging on to this pattern (Simplicity Accessories 5857). This month's sewing challenge from Sew Much 2 Luv has given me the push to actually accomplish a few things. All the waiting to do this and it took about an hour from reading the pattern to finishing the sewing. I used a small piece of leftover fleece from last year's scarf.

Thanks to Melissa for modeling for me as always. There she was trying to eat breakfast, and I have her posing for me. (How does someone look this good right after getting up in the morning?)

You can join the challenge any week this month. No need to do it every week. Give it a go if you have some sewing project in the works or just go see what everyone's been up to. I've gotten so many great ideas and found great new blogs while wandering through the entries.

The Gym Bag is Finished!!

2012-01-05T17:42:00.006-05:00

I'm trying to do the after Christmas sewing challenge with Sew Much To Luv. I did NOT think I'd pull this week of, but I did it! This is from a Mackerilla Design pattern called Cruzer and Little Cru. This is the Cruzer version.

I love this bag! It has an open pocket divided into two on this side. And the other side has a zippered pocket--first time I've sewn one. Not hard at all.

There are side pockets for my water bottles/glasses/whatever-I'm draggin'.

You can see the zippered top flap and lining in this pic.

This is a great pattern on so many levels. It's a great bag with all kinds of pockets. It can be used as a backpack or over the shoulder. The instructions are simple and detailed enough even for the pattern-challenged like me. This pushed me into trying new techniques and working with new materials including a couple of stabilizers. (It doesn't require multiple kinds of stabilizers. I just wanted to try a few out.)

The only problem I had was finding the hardware. Heads up: go find the hardware before cutting the material for the straps. Changing the width of the straps to accommodate what your sewing center has available is much easier than trooping off to every possible store and combing the internet to find the right size. I could not find 1-1/4" loops or sliders. I could have purchased them online, but the shipping charges were outrageous. One inch sliders worked, but I couldn't get one inch loops in the same color. I finally used one and a half inch loops that are fine. I'm sure that no one will notice that the loops are slightly too large and wider than the sliders but me.

Join in the challenge! Click here.