At home by the Baye

Ponytail Hat

2013-05-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

Sewing Muse Sandra is doing a hat which reminded me that I bought a hat pattern I needed to try.

It's a reversible ponytail bucket hat.

front

Back with regular snaps instead of the magnetic ones the pattern calls for.

Other side!

The pattern directions call for magnetic snaps that are enclosed. I love my colored snaps and want to show them proudly. Besides, my snaps were easier for me to put on and already in the house.

My purchased pattern is froFrom Winnie and Clem, and you can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/104042408/pony-tail-bucket-hat-pdf-sewing-pattern
They also have a smaller size bucket ponytail hat pattern for sale.

As it turns out, there are numbers of ponytail hat patterns out there--winter, scrub, baseball, and bucket hats. Some are even free. Here are a few of the free ones:

Winter Hat/Scarf,Mitten, Fingerless Glove AND a pocket pattern: http://www.instructables.com/id/4-in-1-Hat-Scarf-Fingerless-Gloves-Mitten-Pock/

Cute Vintage Ponytail hat: http://blog.bramcostpublications.com/files/5/8/1/7/6/276039-267185/1149_pony_tail_hat_PDF.pdf

Blog tutorial to change a bucket hat to a ponytail hat: http://eatcraftsow.blogspot.com/2011/11/tutorial-wednesdaythe-ponytail-hat.html#.UZjOnZymX7M

If those don't work for you, here are a few patterns for sale:
Ponytail Scrub Hat: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/accessory/ponytail-pouch-and-mens-scrub-hat-/25244

OR you can get All 7 of her Surgical Scrub Hat Patterns: http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/121082965/all-seven-surgical-scrub-hat-sewing?ref=market

Winnie and Clem also have a Baseball-style Ponytail Hat Pattern for Girls and Women: http://www.etsy.com/listing/113008080/morgan-cap-pdf-sewing-pattern-reversible?ref=v1_other_1

Another Finish: The Garden Steps Quilt

2013-05-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

Yay! I finally finished Clover and Violet's Garden Steps Quilt. It has taken so long that the date of 2012 I so confidently embroidered in the corner block is now a bold lie.

I used one of the quilting stitches on my machine to do the front of the binding.

This method of binding (fold in half, sew to the back, and flip to the front) is new for me. For some reason, it seemed daunting. As it turned out, it was so easy to do that I finished cutting, sewing and pressing the fabric strips AND sewing on the binding in a matter of hours. It sewed the binding on entirely by machine, front and back.

Better late than never, right?

The Finished Handbag

2013-05-12T09:50:00.001-04:00

FINALLY! I do wish I had gone with the "do a muslin first" rule on this project. This bag has many things that worked out well, but others will be changed the next time. Now I wish I had saved these fabrics for that second version.

In any case, I'm going to show you the inside pieces first because the outside turned out to be just plain, old black. I didn't have the right size piping that would have given it a nice contrast. Should have waited to get that rather than rush to finish. Oh, well.

Inside, the back has three pockets, two for glasses and sunglasses and the center one for a small water bottle. I get migraines. MUST have that water with me.

This next photos show the pockets before putting the pieces together. I had no idea if this would work, but I love how it came out. I made three separate pieces and sewed them in place.

I put a pleat in the glasses pockets so that large ones would fit, too.

The other side has a one-piece pocket all the way across, split into three sections.

The center of the inside has this insert sewn into the gusset with three sections for store coupons, my Kindle, and the iPad my husband now has to buy because I have a place for it. That is how this works, right? If you make it, they will fill it.

The outside of the bag has an open pocket on one side. I put in an elastic strip across (hope you can see it!) inside there with spots to hold a my phone, a pen, and a small notepad in place. This elastic satisfies my "fear of the phone falling out" syndrome and the need to get to a ringing phone quickly.

Other side has a flat zipper---first time doing one of those! The penguin fabric in these two pockets is an homage to the original pattern that I was supposed to do. That one had penguins on the outside. I had to keep something from the original.

The outside piping was to have been in the solid rust/orange fabric I used on the inside. Okay. Gotta show it.

It's just so plain. The next bag gets piping.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers, mother-to-be, and potential mothers! I once had a friend whose boyfriend gave her mother's day gifts because she was a potential mother. Now that kind of guy is a keeper.

The New Handbag--Almost

2013-05-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

See all those squiggly drawings and attempts at figuring out the math in the back? This is a pile of all the cut pattern pieces--hopefully all of them anyway.

I missed my deadline for finishing the handbag yesterday, but I have a ton of cheap excuses that I shared with Sandra in what may have seemed like an eBook but was really just a whiny email filled with cheap, insufficient excuses...

1. I just could not NOT change the pattern. I think this should be in the psychiatric association's list of mental illnesses along with fabric hoarding. Right now (I say that because things still may change) the only things remaining from the original are some piping and gussets.

2. I am spatially and mathematically challenged. Following pattern directions is really difficult for me. Making a pattern has been the thing of nightmares--literally. I have been working on this thing in my sleep. I will admit to having come up with a couple of impressive solutions while sleeping, though.

3. My son has had to use my car for over a week now leaving me with a bicycle. It may not seem like much of a problem, but when was the last time you saw someone show up at Joann's on a bike? Let me assure that riding with a roll of heavy duty interfacing sticking up out of your backpack causes people to point fingers and stare.

Friday, May whatever Friday is, 2013. I shall get this thing completed. Maybe.

The New Challenge: Handbag vs. Baby Quilt!

2013-04-23T08:34:00.002-04:00

Sandra and I have another challenge! In the next two weeks, I will make a new handbag--this one from Lisa Lam's The Bag Making Bible:

Picture it minus the tassel and the penguins. I am not a tassel-kinda person and prefer to use my penguin fabric for my pjs.

If I can just avoid making changes to the pattern, I have a chance of achieving my goal. Unfortunately, I cannot remember a time when I have not changed a pattern to the point of making the project ten times more difficult. I'm hoping the challenge aspect will keep me on pattern.

Sandra will be putting together a special baby quilt--batting and binding and quilting.

Next time I post, I shall be the proud owner--okay, maybe just the owner of a new handbag. No point in setting expectations too high here.

Protesting CISPA on April 22

2013-04-21T17:45:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, April 22, 2013, I am joining with Anonymous in protesting against CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act by blacking out my Blogspot and dot com sites.

Why? This act, passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on April 18th will allow corporations to share their users' personal information without the government needing a warrant beforehand. CISPA will not only negate any privacy contract the companies have with users, it will also directly counter the fourth amendment of our constitution which quite clearly states:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Many large companies have supported this act including AT&T, Comcast, EMC, IBM, Intel, McAfee, Oracle, Time Warner Cable, Hewlett Packard, and Verizon. Of course, this act will give these companies complete liability protection when releasing information.

Fortunately, many other groups fiercely oppose CISPA, These include numbers of civil liberties organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, library associations such as the American Library Association and the American Association of Law Libraries, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Reporters Without Borders, Reddit, Mozilla, as well as quite a few security experts, and academic leaders.

I hope you will join me in this venture. Individually, we bloggers are a tiny fraction of the internet. Together, however, we have the potential to make an impact.

Kindle Cover Completed!

2013-04-21T11:38:00.000-04:00

After I admitted to Sandra of Sandra Sews that I have been wrapping my new Kindle in a piece of fabric when I take it out with me, she issued a challenge. By this Friday, I would complete a Kindle cover. Sandra will be making a baby dress. I need to be challenged more often.

DONE!!

Okay, I did use the simplest design I could possible come up with. If you are familiar with my blog, you should know by now that I am the queen of rectangle sewing. This is two rectangles of fabric with a heavy interfacing between. I sewed around the flap edge, then flipped the bottom up to form a pocket, and sewed those edges.

I probably should have used a Velcro closure, but I just love these new snaps. To get around the problem of pressing on the Kindle screen when closing the snap, I just need to put it in with the screen facing the back.

The pack of assorted snap colors hasn't failed me yet. Look at that pretty yellow snap!

Sandra is trying out a new-to-her pattern for the dress. Okay, Sandra, I'm all set to put the link to that new dress right "here"!

Those Squeezed In Projects

2013-04-21T11:01:00.000-04:00

I sometimes feel as though I'm not getting much done. Then I am reminded of all the squeezed-in projects that people spring on me. They are always needed NOW and end up leaving the house before I can get decent pics if any at all. (Consider that an excuse and apology for the crappy photos below.)

This was the latest "save me" project. It's just a simple quilt top, but it needed to be in the party "theme colors." The only one of those colors in the stash was the white! I spent a day and a half coming up with a design, figuring out all the dimensions, shopping, cutting, sewing, and embroidering. Non-sewers have no idea how long this stuff takes.

It will be a raffle item for a teacher appreciation party. The blue lines across the white strip with the embroidered lettering are supposed to make it look like school paper. If I had more time, I would have preferred to do these line by hand with embroidery floss to give them more emphasis.

On my "Thankful List" this week: someone else is being gifted with the quilting and binding.

What's That New Quilt Gonna Look Like?

2013-04-14T09:34:00.000-04:00

As promised and on time! So unlike me. Okay maybe I promised more than one block when I posted yesterday. Procrastinating is what I do best in life, so getting one done when I said I would is amazing progress. If I had a therapist, s/he would be so pleased with me.

What do you think? I added some of the stash to the Shades of Black charm pack I won from Quilt Taffy. I cannot wait to get this one together.

Winning, Recycling, and a Free Online Tutorial all Rolled into One Post

2013-04-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

First-- look what I won from Quilt Taffy!

Lovely little squares of Moda's Shades of Black that will soon turn into a baby quilt with a splash of red. (Thank you, Quilt Taffy, not just for the fabric but also the regular introduction to so many good sewing ideas.)

So the first thing you do when making a baby quilt is sew up the matching stuffie, right? Is it just me?

This cute little black bunny was made using Betz White's cashmere bunny tutorial found here and an old lamb's wool sweater I felted. After reading Pam's (of Threading My Way) post on felting old wool items, I finally got brave enough to actually cut into the sweaters I had felted. It worked! The sweater material didn't unravel.

Tonight I am putting together the first blocks for the quilt. Shall post them in the morning! This is so much more fun than the housework I'm supposed to be getting done.

The Shoes at the Door Issue

2013-04-12T10:48:00.000-04:00

After tripping my way through someone's front hall recently, I thought I'd post my quick, cheap, and easy solution to piles of shoes that accumulate at the front door. It has worked well for a couple of years now. We don't have a "take your shoes off at the door" policy here, mainly because I'm the one who wouldn't follow it. Still, shoes pile up there. So...

There you have it. It's one of those closet organizers for sweaters and such sitting right in the middle of the front hall closet. This one came from Target. It's fairly substantial and has held up to my son's size 13 men's shoes. There is room for six pairs and another underneath on the floor. Can you tell there are a few joggers in the family?

While we're in the closet, I'll share our hats, gloves, and scarves solution, too. The two drawer unit fits in neatly under the jackets. Two drawers has provided plenty of room for all of us, and it serves as off-season storage, too.

Now, as for the training required to get everyone to pick the shoes up off the floor and put them in the closet? I'm still working on that part.

The Continuing Saga of the Fake Veggies

2013-04-10T23:54:00.000-04:00

After making the cabbages from coffee filters, I saw these twine-covered carrots on Rachel's Holy Craft blog. My cabbages needed some carrots.

I shaved off the sharp edges of the Styrofoam pieces which was messy but not too hard. Just pressing in the foam a bit helped a lot with smoothing it all out. I used straight pins with tiny heads to hold the jute in place. Placing the pins close to Styrofoam so that they are covered by the next round of jute worked out well.

The jute got "dyed" with watered down orange paint. I'd say that process was semi-successful. Actual dye might have been brighter, but, I like this dull, mottled look. While I was dying the jute, I also spooned some of the watery paint on the Styrofoam forms, too. Didn't want any white spots showing through!

This whole mess was left to dry overnight by a heater vent.

After stealing a couple of stems from one of my plastic plants for tops we have some lovely carrots to go with the cabbages.

Linking to:

The "I Forgot My Phone" Solution

2013-04-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

According to my family, I am the only person who constantly leaves the house or car with my phone still sitting in the charger. Just in case someone else has this annoying habit, I'm sharing my solution:

I used the lettering on my machine, but there are other ways of getting lettering onto fabric. I thought about just going with a lightning bolt, but opted for what was easiest for me.

My finished circle is 4 1/2". As you can see I used my new toy, the low on tech but high on awesomeness SnapSetter from Snapsource. A button with loop/buttonhole or just Velcro would work in place of a snap.

I used a medium-stiff iron-on interfacing on both circles of fabric and top stitched after turning it right-side out. It pops in my purse when not being used. I'm hoping to get started on making a new bag soon cuz I CANNOT find one that fits all my needs. This "perfect" bag will a have place where I can just snap this to the lining.

Another project off the list!

Linking up with

Some New Bibs Finished

2013-04-06T23:46:00.001-04:00

Lately my sewing muse, Sandra has been making bibs which reminded me that I was supposed to get some of those going, too. Sandra's bibs are made from old jeans and have sweet designs with fabric appliques and trim. I used old jeans but decided to let my machines do most of the decorative work by using some of the embroidery designs I had purchased from an Etsy shop and the Embroidery Library.

This first one is for the average, easy-going baby.

Etsy shop embroidery design. Bib pattern is free from http://www.poopockets.com/free/bibs/bibs.htm

This next one is for the feistier baby--you know mild to moderate mood swings.

Again, Etsy shop design

The last bib is for those babies that really need cautionary labeling--like a cigarette pack. You know the ones that throw food and/or feces around at will.

Embroidery Library design. Okay, I have to point out that I KNOW I put the snaps on the wrong sides on this one. Hopefully the mom will be too busy to notice.

New parents who might be reading should not worry too much about these wild babies. Most of them turn out fine. Take my niece for instance. During a short nap once, she decorated herself, the crib, and the wall behind it with the contents of her diaper. Even though her mother was nauseated by the sight, there was a little maternal pride there, too. The kid had made her own art supplies! Today that girl is an art teacher. There is hope!

There you have it! Three bibs finished thanks to Sandra's inspiration.

Once last thing--I used my new SnapSetter from Snapsource. com. It's a low tech one that requires a hammer. I had one like this from Joann's that was totally worthless, but the reviews for the SnapSetter were great. I am glad I decided to give this one a try. It's easy to use and the snaps are nice and tight.

Linking up with

Fauxing up the Cabbage

2013-04-03T19:40:00.001-04:00

First Tina Lou made faux cabbage leaves. Then Danni took a step further making entire cabbage heads. As Danni says, go ahead and take a look. I'll wait. You have to see how great theirs turned out.

Mine came out looking like lettuce rather than cabbage, but that's okay!

This was a fun project!

I actually started putting these together while the filters were still wet because I have no patience. It was a bit messy, but not too bad--like working with papier mache. Once I got a filter pinned on what would be the top of the cabbage, I turned it upside down on a drinking glass and started layering the rest of the filters on, pinning them at what would be the bottom and lower sides. I put one last filter over all the pins and just pressed that one in place--no pinning. I didn't do anything with the tops of the "leaves" at this point.

I let this all dry which only took a couple of hours. Once it was dry, I took off the that last, loose filter and ran an Elmer's Glue Dot Runner all around the edges and pressed it back in place. Then I flipped the cabbage up and used the glue dots to press in and hold all the "leaves" closer to the form rather than pinning, and kind of bent them out to look like the real thing. The glue dots worked great--no pins are showing! (Danni managed to do hers without the pins showing. I'm sure she might be able to give you some advice on how to do it. I had the glue dots and gave that a try.)

Shopping: The Good and the Bad

2013-04-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

Shopping! Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. This one was a winner. I wrote a bit about it on my, "This is Me" post, and some people asked for a close-up.

It's from an Etsy shop, M D Sparks. The book opens and has two places for tiny photos. I also liked the $35 price.

Now for the bad. My son was so proud of these shorts he bought Saturday.

DKNY at a great price!

Wait a minute. Do you notice anything?

That pocket on the left? It's not just folded up. It is SEWN that way. The mistake that every home sewer has made at one time or another--catching something in a seam. When they reinforced the edge of the pocket at the factory, the inside pocket material wasn't folded out of the way.

It's not a big deal in this house. I have a seam ripper, and I know how to use it. (I should embroider that saying on something.) I'll rip it out and put in new reinforcement stitching on the pocket. It's probably not nice, but I kind of like seeing that even the pros mess up now and then. It makes me feel better about my sewing failures. I'd prefer that stores acknowledge the flaws rather than just sliding them onto the sale rack, though.

Feel free to use this as a cautionary tale when trying to train the males in the family to try on the freakin' clothes before buying them. Stop laughing! As we approach our 30th anniversary, my husband almost always tries on clothes before buying as long as I'm there with him and insist.

This is Me

2013-03-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

Danni of Silo Hill Farm is a bad influence on me. Now she has me posting strange self-portraits. I guess most of the blame goes to Amy of While Wearing Heels who has an ongoing link party entitled, This is Me. You take a self-portrait based on the theme Amy chooses each time. This week's theme: Looking Down.

Rather than give this too much thought (a mistake I often make--not giving things enough thought), I just picked up the camera, held it up high, and took a shot. Considering that I am perhaps the most unphotogenic person in the entire world, this is not half bad. Most of my photos look as thought they were done at the local police station after a hard night on the town.

The cool part of this challenge is that it gave me an opportunity to really look at and think about who I am. What does this photo say about me? Well, it's my usual day-time combination of jeans and a t-shirt with just a touch of bling. (For evenings I go for sophisticated with a touch of sleaze.) That necklace just came in this morning's mail from Etsy. It's got steampunk details set on top of a book. As a steampunk-loving bookworm. I HAD to have it. Why did I put on a blingy belt with L.L. Bean jeans and a cheap t-shirt today? Because that is who I am. I like things easy and comfortable, but still want just a little bit of something bright and shiny.

I cannot get Amy's button to work here, so I'm just going with this link below. Hope you'll join in the self-discovery at

http://whilewearingheels.blogspot.com/2013/03/this-is-me-march-link-party_29.html

Fairy Doors

2013-03-25T12:38:00.000-04:00

I have fairy doors--

all over my house. Some are as tiny as postage stamps.

Some are as much as 7 or 8 inches high.

Most of them are in closets,

behind doors, or near heating vents. Fairies like to be warm, but you know that!

Why is the house filled with fairy doors? Because little kids love them. They love searching for fairy doors and hearing stories about fairies. You can keep kids busy for quite a while as they try to find all those doors. And the stories you can make up. I love that part!

To keep the doors from being peeled off the wall (because they are vinyl--our secret), I have devised a story which I am sticking with. The door are magical. Only fairies can open then. If one tries to open a door, said door will turn into plastic and peel off the wall. Then the fairies won't want to live in my house anymore. This is powerful. Who wants to be responsible for driving fairies out of the house?

How do fairies get around? In my house they ride on dragonflies;-)

My fairy doors are from Wilson Graphics, an Etsy shop. No relation, money exchanging hands, or freebies for this post, though. Just including that info in case you want to get some to entertain any little people.

You can also get stuff to entertain the big kids like this piece that I put on the front of my washer.

Spring Gardening in Upstate New York

2013-03-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

I hope you weren't expecting flowers! Sorry about that. I just had to post this. So many of my blogs have had spring planting posts lately with all kinds of ideas for clean out the planting beds. I was reading one the other day and looking out my window at this lovely snow falling. I had to chuckle.

I remember one year at the end of April being outside washing the car, wearing shorts with a foot and a half of snow on the ground. The last frost date for my zone is May 30. It's gonna be a while before you see flowers on this blog;-)

Will a bird do? Only this one was brave enough to put up with the snow. ~~Pine Siskin, I think, maybe??~~ No, probably a female Purple Finch.

Did You All Remember To Go To Jutta's New Blog?

2013-03-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

I had been looking for things to put on the walls of my newly finished "meditation room" when I saw this photo on Jutta blog a while back. I loved the dichotomy between the zen-like statue and the drum set. I also love the simplicity of the window setting and slight touch of color in the plant and outside vegetation. After leaving her a comment about how much I liked it, Jutta offered to send me a jpeg! Now here it is hanging in my meditation room!

As you may well know, the nasty Ohio company named Organized Living had lawyers send a threatening letter forcing Jutta to change the name of her blog from Organized Living Solutions (note it's not even the same name). Jutta's blog is now named Tales of Love and Chocolate. You did all make a nice, smooth transition to Jutta's new blog, right? If not, there are a couple of links there for you!

If you aren't familiar with Jutta's blog, you should go visit. She is an excellent writer who even shares her thoughts in poetry now and then. Then there are the many awesome photographs, inventive ideas, and interesting recipes. Since Jutta lives in Namibia, you get to experience a place many of us would never see. Namibia is now on my list of places I really want to visit someday.

Tutorial for the Pocketed Nightstand Scarf

2013-03-22T15:45:00.000-04:00

If you read my previous post on my nightstand, you may remember that I turned this:

into this:

By adding these little pockets to the side side:

Some people asked for how-to info which is difficult because everyone's nightstand and "stuff" is different. To put this simply, I made three rectangles of fabric based on the size of my nightstand and the height of the items that would be in the pockets.

Supplies

I used quilting cotton, but any fabric will do.
If your fabric is on the flimsy side, you may want to use some interfacing.
Add some thread, and you are ready.

Base piece (scarf)

My base piece needed to be 60" long (30 across the top and 15" hanging down each side) by 14". That side hanging measurement resulted from measuring the height of the items that I needed to put in the pockets, adding about 1-1/2" between the pockets and another 1-1/2" under the bottom pocket for a total of 15".
Using 1/2" seam allowances, I cut a strip of fabric 29x61", folded it in half to 14-1/2", sewed along one short end and the length, turned it right-side out, folded under the 1/2" seam allowance, and top stitched it closed.
WARNING: The weight of the things you put in the pockets must be countered either by heavy items on top of the nightstand or by weights on the other end of the scarf. The items on the top of my nightstand are heavy enough and placed evenly to counter the weight in the pockets. If your top items are not, you can

add pockets to the other side for items you don't use often OR
add a couple of inches to the length that will be folded over on the end opposite the pocket end to create a sleeve to hold weights equal to the weight of your pocket "stuff." Coins, dowels, any of the small pieces of hardware that your spouse bought by the box when s/he needed only a couple can be used as weights.

Remember to include the sloped edges of the nightstand when measuring.

Pocket Rectangles

Pocket size will depend on the items you are putting in them. You will want the pockets to be tall enough to keep the items from falling out but not so tall that the items cannot be seen and easily taken out. I chose a size that was about 3/4 the height of the items.
My finished pocket strip of 5x13 required 11x14" rectangles (again 1/2" seams) sewn in the same way as the base piece. Fold the 11" in half, sew one short end and the long one, turn right-side out, fold open end in 1/2 inch, and top stitch shut.

I lined my things up to determine how wide to make the pocket strips within the 14" space.

Place the pocket strips on the scarf and pin. (You remembered that the sewn seam goes on the bottom, right?) Slide the items in to determine where to sew the lines to make separate pockets.

If you are using two rows as I did, leave space between the rows because the items will extend out of the pockets. I left about 1-1/2" between the pockets.There is still some overlap, but it's not an issue.

See, the remote control at the bottom slightly overlaps the top pocket-- not a problem

Sew the along the pin lines on the pockets and, Voila! You are finished. Hope this helps. Any questions--just ask.

Kickstarter and a Children's book

2013-03-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Kickstarter? This is the description from their site:

"Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.

Since our launch on April 28, 2009, over $500 million has been pledged by more than 3 million people, funding more than 35,000 creative projects."

I think it's a phenomenal idea. I love the idea of helping people get projects up and going that otherwise might not make it. The project I am backing right now is for a children's book written and illustrated by Dennis McGregor. It's entitled Dream Again, and is about a young girl, a quilt, and the Oregon Trail. Click below and Dennis will tell you about the project.

There are different incentives depending on the amount of money pledged. For my $25 pledge, I will get a signed copy of the book when and if it is printed. The payment goes through Amazon if the project is able to get enough funding. If you'd like to find out more about the project and see some examples of previous work by McGregor, you can visit kickstarter at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dennismcgregorsbook/dream-again-childrens-book

Even if you are not interested in pledging, it's worth a visit just to see the author's amazing artwork.

UPDATE: The pledge amount exceeded the goal! My copy of the book is due to arrive in July. I shall post about it as soon as it arrives.

Junk in the Trunk (No, not THAT Trunk)

2013-03-13T13:46:00.000-04:00

This week Danni's Tongue-in-Cheek Tuesday link party is all about junk--those places where we just seem to accumulate stuff. Since I've been unemployed for a few years now, my junk has been my work. I have gone from room to room organizing and tossing. I told my husband that I couldn't come up with anything to join in the party. He pointed to my nightstand.

Okay. Right. My bad. I clean this up and it fills right up again. There is no excuse for those socks sitting in the middle of the mess. There is really no excuse for this box of IPod and Kindle connections as well as too many headphones.

Certainly there is no reason for a book on cd set that I can only listen to in the sewing room, five pairs of reading glasses, three more headphone sets, pens and pencils, a nail file, and two lip glosses.

This is especially true since I have this drawer right underneath (and yet another pair of glasses).

I really want it to look like my husband's nightstand below. Those glasses? Mine. No wonder he pointed out my mess. I'm infringing on his side now!

Once the "really needs to be gone stuff" was taken care of, I still had a problem. I want all these things on the nightstand. Too much and most of it out of reach from the bed!

My solution once again involved sewing rectangles. I have a thing for sewing with rectangles lately. I came up with a fabric piece with pockets on the side near the bed to hold these "essentials".

How's this?

Some close-ups of my pockets in action.

Thanks for the kick in the butt, Danni!

And Then Danni Said...

2013-03-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

Danni who blogs at Silo Hill Farm and Inspiration Cafe suggested that I make a post about one of the towel creatures from Carnival's little book of towel creations so that you all can give it a try. Here it is!

I'm going to show you the book pages as well as some photos of my in-the-works creature because I know I won't write it up as well. Between the two, you should have no problems.

How ironic that I'm writing a wordy post on the very day that Danni posted her wordless one. While she is trying to cut down of the words, I seem to be heading toward novel-size posts. Most of this is photos--I promise!

Here's what Jumbo should look like when you are finished.


In case you missed it, I have owned up to being a dreadful photographer. As I always say, it is so much better nothing!

First I'm going to show you the directions from the book on how to make the body portion.

Step 2 is in the next photo! I wanted to get close so you can read it.

Step 2 as promised

For the body, you are just rolling a bath towel from the short ends into the center which will look like this:

Turn it over and fold in half.

This looked so difficult and was so easy! I had to hold mine between my arm and body to do this part: pull out a little tab of the four corners of each "tube". Once you can grab the corners, you are going to take hold of two corners in each hand and pull!

See those four corners?

Make sure you take the right two corners--see the center of the towel bundle?

This is what it looks like after you pull.

Flip it over and move on to the head

The head requires a hand towel--not one of those really small ones, though. Here are the book's directions.

I cannot get the trunk to be as nice and pointy as theirs. If you figure out how, let me know. Here are my photos.

Just folded in half

I try to roll the trunk end kind of tight

Flip it over

Pull down the two edges of the towel to form the face area.

Once you have the face area folded down, just play with it to get the trunk turned up a bit and the ears looking good. I fold the edges of the towel under for the face. I use buttons with bead-head straight pin for the eyes (and nose on other creatures). The cruise people used little circles of felt. Googly eyes would be cool, too.

Ta da! Here is the finished product.

Cruise Ship Towel Creations

2013-03-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

Since I loved coming back to the room to find some new creature made from towels while cruising on Carnival, I bought the book! My husband may well be regretting that he encouraged me to do this. Almost everyday since our return, Brian has had to admire and gently move the day's creation before getting into bed at night. I, on the hand, am having a wonderful time even though my creatures seldom look like the one in the book. Take this guy for instance.

Doesn't he look like Alf from the old television series (for those of you who are old enough to remember that ancient show)? It's supposed to be a rabbit looking like the one in the photo below.

It's not the directions which are perfectly clear with wonderful illustrations. I just need practice. Lots of practice. Can you guess what this one is?

No, not The Blob. It's supposed to be a manta ray. I keep using the same towels over and over. I think I need to move on to some fresh ones--and keep practicing. The other night Brian looked at what was my version of a pig and said, "Wow! What a great monkey! Great job!" He's so sweet. At least they look like SOME kind of beast. Close enough for me.