Running With Rocket

Clothesline Bowl Tutorial

2020-05-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've had a difficult time being creative right now at six weeks into our Oregon pandemic of Covid19.

But a couple of FB sewing pals kept pushing and I designed something instead of just doing rote, run-of-the-mill making.

This bowl is oblong. I think it is easier to start with a circle. The oblong can be a bit unwieldy when starting out to maintain that oblong shape.

I use Cotton wrapped clothesline with a poly-core. 100% cotton can get limp. A work-around is denser zigzagging. I added a photo of the rope I typically buy at the end of this post.

A microtex 12/14 needle. Some people recommend a jeans needle. The only needle I've broken was when I tried to sew thru one of my anchoring pins. Do clean out your machine after bowl making - lots of dust fluff.

To start, wind your rope around on a flat surface until you get a circle or oblong about 3-4" wide. Stick straight pins at intervals to secure it while you begin. Most rope has a poly core, so stick pins in just at the surface. On circles, I put a pin in at 12, 3, 6,& 9 o'clock positions.

Once you have it secured, feed it under your presser foot so rope feeds off to the right towards your lap.

We're going to use a wide zig zag. Maybe 4.5 - 5 mm wide for the Zig and 3.5- 4.5mm for the Zag. On my Singer Stylist, I used a 5 (no mm then) and a 12 for the Zag. You want it wide enough to catch both ropes and enough Zag to hold it together.

When using thread as color, by making the zigzag more dense (or closer together), You get more color.
On this oblong, I also pushed my first rows together as I zigzagged. Not necessary on circle as much.

I start in the center. On this oblong, I zigzagged twice down the first two rows. On a circle, I may do a cross in the middle in a natural/white thread until it feels secure.

You can also do the entire middle with white/off-white thread (which hides everything)

Once, the middle is secure, I start zigzagging in earnest, moving pins out, then back in after I pass. Pivot at the tight points.

You can see below -- I started removing pins altogether once I did four or five rounds. The pins help with shifting as you start and stop on the middle tight curves.

On circles, I start pulling up the base to do the sides around 6". That's on my pfaff machine. I noticed on my Singer Stylist that the machine is skinnier on the left-hand side of the machine, allowing you to push up more evenly right away.

On this bowl, I started tipping it up around 4 1/2" wide. Once you start tipping, you want to keep your hand fairly steady on the angle. By tipping, I mean nearly straight up.

You can also see my presser foot is centered between the two coils for the zigzag to catch both at same time.

The thing I like most about these bowls is allowing my creativity to run amuck. I do keep a pinterest board on Rope Bowls (K8Hobbies), but that's mostly for finishes. Like - what kind of knot do you want at the end?

My thoughts, oh, blue looks nice, what about a blue/turquoise graduation. The home decor/gardening rule of 3's and 5's works very well visually. Zigzag three rows in blue, switch color on the bobbin, and stitch three more rows, or change both top thread and bobbin thread. Go wild. Sew until the bobbin runs out.

This is actually a great time to use up partial bobbins and nearly used up thread spools.

Or, do the whole thing in off-white thread.

Oblongs can get wonky pretty fast. Whatever pressure you use on one end, you want to do the same on the opposite end. Get yourself into a rhythm. If you stray (cuz you got hypnotized), you can go back with natural thread and re-stitch. I promise no one will ever notice. And if your zigzag lines aren't perfectly parallel? No one has ever noticed.

Use the time of changing threads to stretch a bit, roll your neck, etc.

In this photo, I am actually pulling it away from the machine. If you want perfectly straight sides, the bowl needs to be perpendicular. I wanted my sides to taper out just a wee bit.

My inspiration bowl is below. I did pull it up at this point to see no thread color on the top rows (5+). She finished it with a round coil.

Photo credit - Lisa Maestas

Getting close.

Forgot to take photo of coil finish. I marked the centerline of the long side to zigzag to and just a wee bit past. Then I cut my rope at another 12" or so..

I pinned my 12" into a round coil with straight pins and zigzagged the coil while it was attached to the bowl. Yes, it required some machine acrobatics. I did this with off-white threads. It won't show anyway.

Then I eyeballed the coil against the centerline of the long side and pinned it in place. My button embellishment is actually an earring. I attached the earring and hand-tacked the coil down. I glued the earring down later.

I also wanted the leather handles riveted on. In the above photo, I eye-balled my strap placement, then folded bowl in half to make sure they were even.

I've also used cork scraps to hide the end of the rope. Tied the end into a monkey's fist knot and stitched that down. You can search my blog for rope bowls or clothesline bowls to see past posts (Full web version, not the mobile version).
These are so easy to sew. You have complete do-over capability if you lose your way. If your coils are separating because you strayed with your stitching, go back over the area.

I buy this locally at Wilco Store with has a Tru Value Hardware store inside. I like 1/4" width. I sometimes use 7/32". I have some 3/8" rope I might try soon.

Grandma Alert

2020-02-18T17:16:00.001-08:00

Off to Reno this weekend to give these baby booties to my son and daughter-in-law.

Trying to restrain myself to making one baby item a month. (and not overwhelm the parents with an out of control grandmother).

Cotton UnPaper Towels Out Of Double Gauze

2020-02-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

Yes! I've returned to my blog.

I have felt long-winded lately on Instagram, writing too much necessary stuff with the full compliment of photos. Today, while I was serge-zipping around these Unpaper Towels, my mind told me, It Was Time.

Anyway, a friend recently contacted me through our local FB crafting page to see if I could sew some unpaper towels.

They are all over on Etsy, averaging $20 for a set of 5-12 napkin/paper-towel size pieces of cotton gauze with a colored serged edge.

On youtube, videos are still old-school using two pieces of quilting cotton and toweling to sew, turn, and top stitch. And then add snaps to connect them together. haha. I can see kids re-snapping them back together (dirty or not), but ain't nobody got time for that kind of sewing around here.

At first, I was thinking Rolled Hem. After half an hour fiddling with settings and finally getting a stiff edge that was unevenly rolling (thanks to the single layer double gauze), I re-thought and re-set my machine to a regular 3-thread overlock stitch.

My first ones were carefully lifted and turned around the corners. Still thinking how etsy peoples can sell 5-12 for $20. Quickly moved on to the rounded corner. Gauze tends to pull and stretch, so I did have to slow down around the corners, and make sure material was next to my blade.

If you pull too much making a round corner, you end up serging into the air, or half on, half off.
See my photo above?? I can't show you the bad corner because I've been IG indoctrinated - only the good photos can be seen.

My understanding is these UnPaper Towels are better at absorbing spills and water after washing them 5-6 times. Plus, they get softer, while remaining strong.

Since I've flown over the paper tree plantations in Idaho, I also realize, these cost not only more $$ but also more resources to make the cotton cloth. Growing cotton is notorious for high chemicals in order to grow but also loads of water to process. Paper takes less resources. The bleaching is bad for the environment for both products.

Would I use these?

I already use cloth napkins. But I like paper towels for cleaning up bacon grease, the husband (who wipes first, then washes), etc. I usually buy the half-sheet paper towels.

These double gauze towels are similar in size and feel (single layer). If it was just me, maybe. But these items stain and will look fairly ratty in about 6 months. I would rather use colors to disguise stains. Do I even want to make more in six months?

I have no clue how etsy sellers are making money with these. They are all-over, so pricing is pretty cut-throat. It took me over two hours to make 16, including serger fiddling time. Once, I got my system in place, I whipped these up pretty fast.
Say an hour to do 12?

$6/yard - I'll say $3/yard wholesale. You can make 8-12 towels per yard. I made mine squarish and about 13".

I like to pay myself $20/hour, so obviously, I need to speed up the overlocker./serger.
Or, I could just buy some factory made birdseye gauze diapers instead.

Any thoughts? Would you use these in place of paper towels?

To see Etsy listings, google search "Unpaper Towels".

#unpapertowels
#clothtowels
#doublegauzetowel
#reusabletowel
#sewyourown
#rocketstitches

New Purse For Me

2018-05-14T13:44:00.003-07:00

This is a cute little crossbody purse I made for myself.

Mostly the Sunshine Wristlet by Bagstock patterns, I added some hardware to add an adjustable strap.

I used some of my favorite cork fabric along with some cotton fabric that has a cork design.
This purse has an outside pocket for my phone and a zippered security pocket inside the zippered body. Perfect small size for me.

I took it on my trip to Reno to see my son.

I cut out another to sew up for my RunningWithHandmade Etsy shop. Must sew now.

I have decided straps are my least favorite part to make.

Double-Sided Clutch

2018-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

This was a fun make.
Detailed in one of my facebook sewing groups, this double-sided clutch was super easy in it's simplicity.

I've made three so far with these Ikea fabrics.

One sold to a special person so I added in some other Canby-made goodies: hand-crocheted face scrubbies and honeysuckle lotion.

The clutch has three pocket compartments so you stay organized. Very ingenious pattern idea.

On my second one, I decided to add a leather strap to the side, riveted on. Purely decorative. The leather strap was scavenged from a vintage leather belt.

My Bloodgood Laceleaf Japanese Maple is in full leaf. It's about 27 years old and huge. I could prune it up to see the twisted trunk but then you would need to do that every year. Too much work. I just trim up from the ground so it's fairly even. My old dog, Rocket, used to love lying underneath with his head peeping out.

I've got to find our original landscape plans. I swear this variety is Bloodgood but all the internet sites say bloodgood is an upright maple.

And here it is from the other direction with my dwarf purple bearded iris's and weigelia in the foreground. ~~with the stinkin' purple violets getting all weedy in there.~~

I'm also getting my patio pots ready for the summer. The hanging baskets and the 'groupings'. We're getting some nice May weather with not too much rain so things are growing fast.

purple columbine

These rhodies were given to me free. The homeowner changed out her landscape and they've done quite well for me.

Morning dew on those delicate pink blossoms.

Unfinished Projects

2018-04-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

I had some unexpected time off the day job in April and I was able to start multiple projects.
Will I finish them?

UFO's are unfinished objects in the sewing room.

Except for this one.
My daughter came to visit and brought this dress with her. Somehow she had obtained it for free but it was a tad frumpy with full-length sleeves. She asked me to put pockets in. When my kids ask me to jump, I immediately reply, "How high?"

The dress is a sheer overlay over a base fabric. Both float free of each other in the skirt. Unpicking the side seams of both to insert a piece of pocket went well. I happened to have a pocket pattern piece out for a dress I'm working on ~~(crap, forgot to add those photos to the laptop)~~.
We drafted it a tad longer to accommodate our penchant for carrying our life in our pockets.

I promptly installed the first pocket upside-down. Did I mention the outer fabric was a sheer and fraying like crazy? Had to un-pick all the seams and re-install correctly.

This dress also had sheer long sleeves that ended in a wide 'cuff' that was elasticized. Very frumpy. So dd chopped them off neatly. Her solution was fine as she will always wear a cardigan in her office. But I was on a roll and offered to finish them with a silk rayon vintage bias binding to make them neat - just in case she were ever to encounter hot sunshine in alaska.

This is my other project I'm working on. I referred to it in a previous post. It sat in time-out until I could visit Pencil Girl (DrawnToSewing on IG!!!).

I like the back pleat but the whole shirt was too long for my 5'3" frame. So she helped me figure out the length and tinker with the neckline.

I am going to utilize the mesh around the neckline.
I originally placed a triangle of mesh at the back neckline but I will make that a more shallow design detail.

Pencil Girl said this was a bit short (about 5" shorter), I may hem it a little longer. Between Papa Bear long and baby bear short.

I'm mostly all done with this Sunshine Wristlet, aka, a nice cross-body bag for me. A little large to be called a wristlet, it's the perfect shape for my crap. I'm not a big purse gal.

This strap is to hold the wristlet in your hand and place your fingers underneath. I have zero intention of doing that but it turned out to be a nice detail.

I still need to make the cross-body strap. I don't have enough cork to make the strap lengthwise with the grain. I have enough to make it the other way - which stretches a bit. I'm figuring out how to stabilize the strap so it doesn't stretch.

I also made another little bag but haven't take photos yet. I'm kind of excited about it. It needs a finishing detail as well.

As you can see, multiple projects just needing one or two more steps to finish.

slip pocket on backside added to drop phone into

I did make a set of greeting cards from my dd's awesome photos. Sunset and Sunrise at Turnagain Arm in Alaska. If you're interested, they are in my RunningWithHandmade Etsy shop.

Four photos - four cards. Blank inside.

I have another week off in May, so I'm sure I'll be sewing like crazy.
We'll see if we make some finishes.

Knitting Project Bag

2018-04-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

My blogging buddy in the UK made a zippered pouch utilizing the Pythagorean theorem
With this method the sides stand straight-up-vertical instead of sloping up towards the zipper.

I ended up with a tall zippy pouch with a somewhat narrow opening that would be perfect for a knitting project bag.

This, of course, was never my intention, as I rarely knit.

But it's tall-ish and has plenty of room for that sweater/shawl plus an outside clear vinyl pocket for knitting stuff.

To offset all that tallness. I added a riveted leather strap and to made the proportions work very nicely.

I cannot re-create this.

On the outside I used some awesome fabric from Ikea - yes! Ikea sells fabric.
The lining fabric is a gospel quilting cotton that I bought too much of for a fabric swap.

The two fabrics pounced on the sunny yellow zip because we're all tired of grey, drizzly days. (or, the infamous minnesota blizzard, if you're over that way).

For some mid-weight structure, I quilted the inside lining. As I was winging it, I free motion quilted after I attached the zipper. ~~this is not a recommended technique~~.

Finish measurement is about 9" long x 5" wide x 8" tall.
I didn't add enough sub-structure so my sides don't stand up straight and vertical, but they are.

And, here it is. In my hand.

And, In my etsy shop, RunningWithHandmade

Wee Braw Bag

2018-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I might have had a moment a few weeks ago when I purchased three PDF sewing patterns.

God knows I dislike PDF's. Having to print out the pattern myself, tape it together.

I need to sew a dress up for myself and the pattern I liked only came in PDF form.
In a moment of madness, I went with it.

This wee drawstring bag is only five pages of instructions. It's all rectangles so you don't need a pattern piece for this. For the dress - more than 80 pages. Thank goodness it came with a copy shop option for a commercial printer to print it out on the big sheet of paper. That will be another blog post right there.

i was in a mood to sew something new and for once, I didn't have the energy to figure out the dimensions myself.

I took the pattern and ran with it.

It's fairly smallish but will hold a sewing kit. With pockets on the inside as well as the outside, it organizes small items quite well.

I just happened to have that orange and black striped trim in stash (think OSU Beavers possibilities). which jumped on the zebra bandwagon very nicely. The blue fabric is a cotton/poly that coordinated well. The zebras were purchased at the recent SewExpo so that's nice to use one item I bought already.

The picture on the wall is a needlepoint purchased at a garage sale. In fact, I recently found another that is similar. It's isn't framed, so now I'm looking for a similar frame at a garage sale so I can hang the other sewing-themed needlework art.

WeeBrawBag: A Sewing Pattern by Laura Zuckerkuss https://payhip.com/b/gmI4

The other two pdf patterns I purchased are The Fringe Dress and The Augusta Moto Pant

I almost forgot to add dd's newest Study In Blue photos.
Byron Glacier, Alaska.

Reusable Gift Bags

2018-04-14T15:03:00.004-07:00

You can't go wrong with a drawstring bag. These are smallish - about 8" wide x 10" tall.
Perfect size for these birthday gifts I picked up at the local Spring In The Country Bazaar.

Some lotion ,some face scrubbies and who doesn't enjoy a good Lemon Drop.
The lotions and face scrubbies were made in my town. The Lemon Drop mix in Oregon.

My friend in Japan sent me the "This Took Me Hours To Make" ribbon which was about right. Haha. Perfect finishing touch.

While out doing errands yesterday, some plants might have jumped into the car for a ride home. This one is a Primula and will need to stay inside for a bit longer until the night time temps go up. Then it will be part of an awesome patio pot outside.

It's on my kitchen table right now, getting in the way of taking photographs, but making me smile at the lovely lavender colors.

Do you utilize re-usable gift bags? I've seen IG posts where making a stash of these is a thing.
I have a stash of decorative paper bags. I don't think I want a stash of fabric bags too.

For the time they take - lined, reversible, I can't see someone shelling out cash for these.

Probably a bit like receiving handmade jam/jelly. If you return the jars, that person will gift you more jam.

Sequin Pillows

2018-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I was up at SewExpo this year, I found some of this sequin-flip fabric and I knew it would make my re-made quilt project shine. Perfect accessory for my son and his girlfriend.

What? You don't know about this sequin-flip fabric? I've been seeing it around in my IG feed and it's super fun to play with. Go ahead, write your stuff. With a flip of your hand, you can erase. The sequins are attached with a bigger circle punch to allow them to flip. This fabric is directional.

Once in my sewing room, I remembered my hobnail bedspread that I had meant to finish making more pillows from and I had even cut them out as 25" squares.

I decided to make them two of these pillows as well.

Well, actually, I was dithering on the sequin flip pillows. Should I do some big-ass piping around the perimeter? Should I piece the back with gingham to match the quilt? ~~(big-ass brain)~~

Making the hobnail ones first allowed my over-active brain to calm it down and decide on simple zippered pillows.

I had to make the hobnail ones zippered as they are huge at 24". This size fits most modern day pillow cushy couches. I made one plain - hob nail on both sides so I could figure out the zipper (invisible). The second one has fringe and an invisible zipper as well.

The hobnail/chenille ones will be a decorating neutral with the smaller 20" sequin ones as the focus.

You can see how the sequin ones go with the quilt backing.

For the sequin pillows I sewed the zippers at top. They aren't invisible but they are brown so they merge quite well. The bonus of keeping a large stash. Frankly, I didn't need to make zippered pillows as they aren't washable. You have to dry-clean those sequins. The flannel on the reverse will attract doggy hair. I could have just sewn them shut. But I had found the zippers in stash and I was on a zipper sewing spree.

I also sewed the sequin fabric to some cotton/poly fabric (stash) to help stabilize the slight stretch of the sequin fabric.

I used the rest of my red flannel quilt backing for the pillow backs. I had to piece the backs to get to 20" square.
I could have made them elongated/rectangular but 20" and 24" pillow forms are much easier to find (and afford) than irregular sizes.

Even though I had these pillow forms in my stash, I plan to take just the covers when I visit in a few weeks. I plan to order the forms through Joann's or Hobby Lobby and have them ship them to the new house. Usually, I can find free shipping as well as a sale on pillow forms.

The Quilt Is Done

2018-04-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

The Quilt is done.

It took just as long as the first time too.
The first photo is the 2nd quilt, the 2nd photo is the original.

This was my Christmas present to my son and his girlfriend.
A nice sized giant gingham quilt.

I mailed it off and the post office delivered it to a parcel locker at the apartment complex where they live. Who knows who got the parcel locker key? We discovered no keys were given out.

My sis sent a package that was delivered the same day. Also no key.

At first, we were suffering from disbelief. Days turned into weeks with crazy information. Lester the carrier, multiple supervisors/postmasters who would not call back, tampering with lockers, hope. A package found in one of the lockers addressed to my son from more than two months back (also NO KEY).

We moved on to the online package inquiry debacle. Both my sister and I filled out the forms. The post office officiously declared it "delivered", therefore no insurance money.

Finally, on the same day I finished the binding on the second quilt, I received a check for $50 plus postage from the post office. This was after my third appeal - where I lost it.

I almost didn't send the third appeal in. I was ready to move on. But then, I realized I was still enraged. I grabbed a piece of paper and let them have it! I may have mentioned NO KEYS!!! multiple times with lots of exclamations.

My sis hasn't seen her $50 yet.
I believe the system is designed to make you give up.

Both packages were sent priority mail which automatically gives you $50 insurance. I didn't insure my package 'cuz how can you put a price on handmade?

Here's the backside. I mathed up additional yardage plus my three main fabrics didn't shrink as much as the original three flannels. My little gingham thingy turned out great.

One of the other problems I encountered was the fabric store had moved on from wintery flannel colors to springy colors. I persevered and found my wintry palette and then went home and floundered in the "I should have re-made this in a spring gingham" funk.

By the time they receive this, it will be Spring!

Outside on a random 70' day. My japanese maples are leafing out joyously.

I also sewed up four zippered pillows. They just bought a house where they live and I will be transporting these pillow covers and quilt/throw in my suitcase. Just to be sure they receive them.

I'll talk about the awesome pillows in my next post.

Kaeli & Brian. Engaged 2018.

SewExpo 2018

2018-04-01T11:46:00.001-07:00

This years SewExpo did not disappoint.

Focused on all things in the sewing world from fabric and patterns to knitting and yarn, to experts and the classes. Not to mention meeting other sewists. Who become friends instantly.

Fabulous inspiration.

The above photo is of a Pendleton vest I would love to make. I love the black and white wool and no sleeves means no itching and not so hot for Oregon's mild temps. I bought some of the wool jersey binding for that future moment when I have time. Just fabric panels cut and then bias jersey to wrap the raw edges. Very few seams.

One of the vendors had this headgear in their space. Pretend you stuck some scissors through your head.

I liked the business concept of this shop - already a month ago and their name is erased from my memory. Pre-cut coordinating fabrics along with your choice of a free pattern. The patterns themselves were interesting. And most of their coordinating seemed coordinated.

Customers decide on their colorway, pick their choice of pattern and ~~run~~ sew with it. Cool business plan.

This was a fabric Pencil Girl picked out for me. Which I promptly bought, because she has awesome taste for me.

I've actually sewed up the pattern but have some proportional issues in a time-out for now. It's a little long on my body. I have some ideas on how to fix it up but I'll need some uninterrupted time to make it work. And those photos are still on the Iphone, so I may show them later, ~~if I have the gumption.~~

My sleeves are the solid light aqua. The stripey aqua is the base and the mesh is detailed around the back neck area and may appear on the front as well when I do get back to this shirt.

VacuumingTheLawn passed on these Mollie Makes magazine (from the UK). They come with a free stitching gift and she embroiders them all up. Kyle's mostly on IG nowadays but you can see some of her MollieMakes on her blog. ~~which she has mostly abandoned.~~

And then, because I was committed to my knit shirt, I bought some Kai scissors designed to cut knits. They have a micro serrated edge on one of the blades so they don't catch on the knit thread loops.

They worked quite well. I could cut with my rotary cutter but I don't have a great place to do that and lay out the knit so it doesn't slide all over.

I also bought two Simplicity patterns to play with. This dress has great style lines.

Some christmas presents for my friend in Japan. Three months late.

I was mostly finished putting the box together but felt it needed some extras, so I waited for SewExpo, which did not disappoint.

Some converse shoes in red and black - just because they were miniature and cutecutecute.
Sewing themed buttons for the same reason.
Not to mention the tiny scissors print.

The airplane fabric is all for me though.

Simplicity put out these tea towels and tote bags printed with pattern reprints. She needed those too.

I bought one towel for me but it can't go up because hubby thinks you should wipe first and then wash. Ahem. Guys are so backwards.

Pacific Fabris is putting out some Seattle themed fabric for the last couple of years so I had to buy this one yard piece.

Kenmore Air flies those DeHavilland Beavers. Big round engine noise designed to haul lots of crap. I first flew in one over thirty years ago up in Alaska. And here it is on fabric in my favorite colors.

And I actually managed to get a good photo of those new Kai scissors with the serrated edge.

More micro stripe knit in a nice color for a tshirt.

And the new Eloflex thread which stretches slightly for stronger seams on your regular sewing machine. It worked great too.

And finally, some springy flowers. (behind in posting those too)

This guy kept me company while I pruned the raspberries back.

Behind

2018-03-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

This was nearly a month ago.
My sis from MN came into town during a week off that I took to attend SewExpo in Puyallup. She came to help deal with the parents and our sister who is depressed.

We squirreled Mom and (surprise!) our sister away on a beach trip. Our older sis is better than last winter but was sinking fast again in the grey Oregon winter. It was a surprise that she came on the beach trip as she doesn't leave her house.

It was winter.

Blustery, rainy and snowy.

We picked Lincoln City/Newport because that mountain pass sits lower. My temperature gauge sunk to 33' as I was driving....thankfully, it went no lower.

We stopped in Lincoln City to see where the big super moon tides at the end of January hit Kyllo's Restaurant and saw the construction crews already had the windows that blew out back in. ODOT was still repairing the hwy where the tide came up to.

But it was cold and blustery so we hustled back into the car and continued on down to Newport where the weather app said it wasn't raining as much.

Baked oyster. These were so good.

We lunched at Mo's down at the dock and watched the seals in the harbor. We tried to go to the Hatfield Marine Center but *winter hours* - dang. Oh well, Rogue Brewery is always open. Here's my mom - shocking those grandkids.

Our next stop was actually a detour as we had seen fresh crab at the Newport Thriftway (supermarket) for only $5.99/lb. Awesome price. We stocked up and continued north to the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.

My little sis and I journeyed over to Galway, Ireland when my daughter was doing a study abroad and we clearly recall the Cliffs of Moher. One step forward, two steps backwards in that Atlantic wind. That wind was in both our minds at the top of the headland where the lighthouse sits.

But it wasn't raining....

Steamed Clams - afterwards.

I think I had crab three times that week. Winter - post Christmas - is the best time to get fresh dungeness crab. Yummy.

There is light at the end of the tunnel at work with a possible sighting of the new clerk starting Saturday. (six months after the other clerk retired!). Anyways, that will help downsize all the overtime and long 12-hr split shifts for me.

I've got a couple of unexpected weeks off work coming up and I have already over-scheduled it with jobs that must be done. If you need to know what unexpected means you can email or private message me.

I'm gonna try to get my backlog of photos off my computer as it has caught a wee virus and probably needs a check-up. I need to throw my photo collections onto the external hard drive beforehand. Hopefully, I'll summon up the energy to write a few blog posts with them.

My son's quilt/throw (second time around) is nearly finished. I'm hand-sewing the binding down now. I can't send it to them until April 15th when they move into their house they bought. I may just fly out to visit them with it in my suitcase instead. And I'll have news on them in another blog post!

Randomly In March Already

2018-03-08T19:52:00.001-08:00

Spring is here. Most of the east coast and midwest are buried in snow drifts. We in the Willamette valley of Oregon are just sitting back and enjoying our four month show of spring flowers. Maybe a few gray, overcast days to break up the monotonous beauty.

I am taking photos and only a few are even making it to Instagram. A fellow employee retired clear back in October and we have yet to get another body hired. Lots of 12 hour split shifts for me. I was pretty sick since December and I seemed to pick up three versions of something and it's been difficult trying to get on top of the crud with so many tiring work hours.

I took advantage of being tired and played Library Bingo where you could just read four category books and win a mug or you could play all 16 (blackout!) and be in the running to win a Kindle Fire. For some reason, this hit me at the right time of year and I was very inspired to read not just quick novels, but some new to me books in categories I normally don't read and that seemed to fit my energy level quite well.

Anyway, I took a week off last week to go to SewExpo (sewexpo.com) and used the time well. My son and girlfriend visited and my sis from MN flew in to help do some family (interventions). So the week was busy but not over the top which so often happens when my sis visits.

I also had the opportunity to be one of the first reviewers of a friend's foray into writing children's books. She is a talented illustrator. I don't know if you're familiar with Jan Brett but this gal has a similar style of making the illustrations tell a story beyond the actual story. She hasn't published yet but is very close.

This book is a version of the 12 days of Christmas. "...My true love gave to me Six Warthogs Wading...", set in a fanciful zoo of animals.

Until the princess is surrounded by all these wonderful animals and has to call mom on what to do now.

This book features a boy who drinks a sip of coffee and turns into a fanciful animal. A very simple story but gorgeous illustrations that are fun to ponder and enjoy on their own.

So, here I am with new fabric for a new quilt. The post office keeps saying since they "delivered' it to a parcel locker, the claim for insurance is denied. The not giving out keys issue is totally ignored. If you're new to this story, I made a quilt for my son for christmas. he never got a key to the parcel locker. My sis in MN also sent him a package that arrived the same day and also, NO KEY. If you can read between the lines, a few choice swear words were inserted.

So quilt no.2 is all sandwiched now and I have started the hand stitching. After that, I can bind it and re-send it either to their new house or via UPS since USPS is ridiculous in their no communication.

I was in sort of a denial place. Partly because I didn't want to re-make this and partly because winter will be over before they get it. And it was made for Christmas Wintery Cold.

And of course the fabric store didn't have the same fabrics - they had also moved onto Spring. Now I think I should have made a spring gingham but I am committed. Possibly I should be committed.

Here's a picture for Kyle of the snow that shut down Portland. Bare ground. Schools cancelled the day before it even snowed. Gone by afternoon snow. Portland did get hit much harder than my banana belt community.

And finally.
My dd nailed this photo of the Northern Lights. She's still up in Alaska.
This is what 3am looks like on a cold wintry night.

Orange Confetti Clothesline Bowl

2018-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

My third Orange Confetti Clothesline Bowl. Much happier with my third attempt. Second one was my typical, too fast, trying to make it the same, fiasco (in my mind). This third one is also a tad smaller. About 8 inches across.

Anyway, even with the leather finish, this bowl still had to have a knot. A snake knot, to be precise.

I just love how organic the bowl comes together. Not overthinking the design, just letting it evolve how it wants to.

Last Sunday, my only day off, was warm - over 60'f, and sunny. Yard work was calling. Specifically, this wild Nootka rose.

It had no redeeming qualities other than keeping the neighbors at bay. No excess of blooms, no excess winter rose hips, just excessive vicious thorns and the ability to jump over and under the aluminum flashing I put in to keep it contained.

Late in the summer I tried some Crossbow on it and I was happy to see some dieback.
It will take me two years or so to get rid of the vigorous runner roots but I am waging war.

I have a nice clumping bamboo to put there instead. Teresa gave me some of her clumping bamboo varieties for my birthday last year. They are in pots until I gain control of this spot in my flower bed.

It's all chopped back, crossbow applied and some roots dug up.

My living fence is now opened up and the neighbors got a bit closer.
Gardening is a process. That's for sure.

I did do a bit of sewing. This was all cut out on my sewing table and was finished. This little professional pouch with leather accents measures about 5 1/2" by 4 inches tall.
Nice small pouch.

For coins, stuff, timbers memorabilia.
---our local soccer team.

While the rest of the nation is enjoying the winter months, our spring has started here in the Willamette Valley. My Christmas Cheer Rhodies are starting as well as my early daffodils.

Warmer weather is expected through next week and I might even see my mini-iris's pop open.
We can still expect frosts until April but this winter has been mild - our usual state of affairs here. Last year was snowy and icy - which happens every ten years or so. Good to be back to 'normal'.

Library Bingo

2018-02-04T15:32:00.002-08:00

I'm busy playing Library Bingo.
You can win a mug by reading four across/down/diagonal.
But if you do blackout - all 16 categories - you're in the running for a new Kindle Fire.

Categories include Biography, Book translated into English, Book made into a movie, Travel, Nonfiction History, Humorous Book, Fantasy Novel, Book from Childhood, Bestseller, Poetry, Classic Novel, Mystery, Library Staff Selection, "Lucky Day" book, Graphic Novel, and Book by Oregon Author.

I need suggestions on Book translated into English, A Humorous Book, and a Fantasy Novel.

Creative Girl is providing me with a (short) graphic novel from her daughters extensive collection.

She also found me my Poetry Book. I like poetry but I don't love it enough to read a book full of poems. She found me a vintage single poem, "Sweet By and By". Complete with etched plates and illustrations. And the music score.

This is a typical time of the year for me to read more. I feel quite energized by this Library bingo game. I have until March 15 to finish, which I think I will.

Last Sunday was nice, so I had to play out in the yard (next post) instead of sewing and reading. This sunday is warmish but the wind is blowing and there's the occasional drop of rain. I was able to sew and read and do my laundry on this Sunday.

Another acquaintance in town started her own book store. She's ordered this bag from me before (twice), so I made her another to use or to sell in her shop. I plan to make her two to help get her sales going so she can stay in business - we'll see.

This is my own tote bag pattern which I am still perfecting. But I made these corners. I'm pretty pleased with myself.

Inside is this great slip pocket featuring a scrap of books.

The Lilac Girls is my bestseller. It's about WWII and three women. One is a society gal who helps french citizens from the USA and sends care packages to french orphans. The second is Polish, studying medicine, when she and her sister, mom, and boyfriend are picked up and sent to a concentration camp. The third is german, also studying medicine, who turns into the only woman doctor tried for war crimes by lethal injections/operations performed upon concentration victims.

I highly recommend this book .

First of all, the similarity between my work environment and the concentration camp really played in my subconscious. I dreamt about this book. The decisions I made to get out in a year and a half are more right than ever. I see more and more workplaces becoming authoritative, hostile - well- work is a four-letter word.

Secondly, I was really sick with the bronchial flu in December and still feel exhausted from the christmas work hours and continuing overtime. These women, underfed, forced to do hard physical labor, with less sleep than I get, were able to persevere, create bonds to survive and do more - in spite of their exhaustion. Very inspiring kick in the butt.

UPDATE on missing package: Well - we have been officially denied insurance coverage because tracking says the package was delivered. We are appealing that decision because no one bothered to give out keys to the parcel lockers. No one is addressing this issue. It's sucky.

Why did I make the book bag and some other things? While I have bought new fabric to make the replacement quilt for my son, I am procrastinating on cutting it out and sewing up the quilt top. Big sigh. Maybe after I write two blog posts. (cuz I'm NOT watching super bowl).

Missing Package And No Communication

2018-01-21T16:55:00.002-08:00

The Post Office officially sucks at communication.

They ignored my case.
They ignored my sister's case.
They ignored my son - the recipient of two christmas packages that were placed into parcel lockers at his apartment complex.
They won't even address the issue of no keys to the parcel lockers.

Other than geo-tracking them to the parcel lockers, there's been no word.

I filed my priority claim today - one month after the package disappeared.

I went to Fabric Depot today and re-bought all the fabrics. Of course that's impossible. I bought the first fabrics for the quilt in October. The store is sold out of the original fabrics.

Moving on. Pencil Girl was unable to come today, so we did about a thousand messages back and forth.

Anyway, I did want to address a concern of several of my readers. It is highly unlikely your package will go astray. If you package it well, secure the label (inside the box and outside). Utilizing a good condition new box (for stability), wrapping in plastic (in case it gets wet).

In my 40 plus years of shipping packages, I have only had a handful go stray and I send a lot of packages.

I just drew the lottery on an emotionally charged christmas package to my son who moved out of state.

Fabrics all washed and doing their drying thing. I'll cut them out next weekend.

Oh - the photo above is of the beach south of me, down by Coos Bay, Oregon, taken by my cousin. The moon and the waves conspired to provide the BIG wave.
Very exciting winter surf on the Oregon coast.

My new favorite song heard on the radio this morning.
You have to listen to that piano. mmmm..mmmmm One of the better re-makes of a classic Bob Dylan song: Don't think twice, it's all right.

Pencil Girls Christmas Gift To Me

2018-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

longer sleeves. I vote for yes.

Pencil Girl made me this Kimono Jacket. She's been a friend since college and we both worked at the same fabric store - so we've sewn our whole lives together.

Anyway - last fall, she and I went to a Sip (wine in a fabric store!) and Sew at Fabric Depot to meet MimiG (look her up) and Deb Kreiling. We'd met Deb for the first time at Sew Expo last Spring. She pretty much runs Simplicity Patterns.

Deb is shockingly short (my apologies, but she's shorter than me) and was wearing this beautiful kimono style jacket. I ran and grabbed the pattern, as did Pencil Girl. FYI: Simplicity 1108.

The jacket was so simple and so flattering.

straight from work with sweaty tshirt

Pencil Girl even egged me on to buy this georgette - a fine flowy fabric on one of our recent Fabric Depot trips. I declined - mostly because I was just starting the holiday season at work. I don't need more fabric waiting for me to find time.

Was I ever surprised to see this in my mailbox the other day. She does exquisite finishing too. And this is a muslin - made quickly to finesse the fit.

It fits!

Deb from Simplicity added some sleeve bands - lengthening the sleeve at the same time. Pencil Girl even made up some longer sleeve bands for me to try out.

Right now - I'm too lazy to change anything. And for the first time in months, I dreamed about sewing during my nap the other day. I may have the perfect fabric to make another in my stash.

I'm still a bit amazed that she sewed a wearable garment for me, and it fits, that I am showing you totally unedited photos. ~~Don't get used to it.~~

***Update on missing package - see previous posts if you're nosy:
Today - wednesday - I received an email from USPS inviting me to fill out a survey regarding our recent missing package case. I was not flattering as no one has resolved anything nor have they followed up. Hello - here's my email.............

Tonight - ds found a note from the apartment complex manager that he had a package in the office. **** Could it be the missing one suddenly visible again? Is there two?

Stay tuned. It's almost been a month. Well - longer than three weeks. I mailed it on the 20th of December?

More Bowls And A Piper J5

2018-01-15T15:21:00.003-08:00

I made a second Orange Clothesline Bowl.
Only differentiated by the amount of Satsumas left in the house!

These two - the stripey one with handles and the solid orange were destined to my mail carrier as she goes above and beyond to accurately and kindly deliver our mail. I needed a gift for her and I may have gone overboard. Her favorite color is orange. I think this set was my best ever in the clothesline obsession.

I meant to make two bowls in graduated sizes but my organic way of designing had other ideas. Once the rope is under my presser foot, anything can happen.

I came up with a new finish - little confetti dots for a design detail.
By the second one, it looked more like confetti.

I also tried out a leather accent piece, to hide the end joins. Riveting, yes? lol

If you're interested, the second bowl is now listed in my etsy store: RunningWithHandmade.

Here's the Piper J5. It will have it's maiden voyage in about a month. Still fiddling with weird small stuff. The engine cowling is rubbing behind the propeller housing, for instance.

We had a 60' sunny break from all our drizzle so it seemed like a great day to run up the engine. A trip up and down the runway to get some oil into the cylinders ~~and flash the neighbors~~.

It doesn't sound as good as the Stearman big round engine but it was a fine sound on Saturday.

***Update on pkg debacle. Well - it's MLK day and a holiday. Maybe some news on Tuesday....or at least more excuses.

Chalk Bag Number 2

2018-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I made a chalk bag for my son's girlfriend. Her request, via my son, was for a Hawaiian-style fabric.

***UPDATE on missing christmas package at bottom of post.

I didn't quite get this done in time to ship (hallalujah! see two previous posts on The Missing Package). I was also sick most of December, finishing out my year with a bad case of bronchitis and flu (and the usual forced overtime which didn't help).

I had made one before in 2010 (!) for my son and the link to the tutorial had broken so I spent most of November searching for another pattern.

Thankfully, someone else had saved the original tutorial that I liked, and this time, I printed it out to save. The internet is so capricious.

Anyway, most chalk bags patterns are round cylinders with a round bottom. This one is more ovoid-shaped with a gusset. It's narrower because of the gusset. It sits closer to the body.

Oh - for those who don't rock-climb or do gymnastics -- the chalk bag hangs from your climbing belt. You can dip your hand in to chalk up so you don't slip as much. Especially useful in rock climbing gyms. The inner bag cinches up tight to keep the chalk inside of the bag when in storage.

The Happy Face cord lock was bought in Japan

Fortunately, the son and girlfriend drove home for New Year's and I was able to present this, in person, to the girlfriend who wins the very appreciative award.

I love giving handmade but the properly appreciative recipients get more.

This is the one I made my son, 7 years ago.

These chalk bags are pretty easy to sew - I can get one done in an hour. They require some specialty parts - elastic cording, sturdy grosgrain belting/ribbon, tie strap or something similar.
I saw some newish inspiration while searching for a tutorial online of making them with anime features. Gets my mind percolating.

***Update on missing Christmas Package. Thursday afternoon we heard some (excuses) words about the parcel lockers. "They appear to have been tampered with." They did find a package addressed to ds from a while ago. They didn't say from whom.

My question is WHY have no parcel locker keys been given out? And, if someone is tampering with the parcel lockers, why is a package mailed more than two months ago - not taken? Not given a key either?
Why did it take three weeks to get to this point?

We are still awaiting word on this "Launching a big investigation."

uh-huh.
I read this to mean I will have to go through the claim process to get $50 out of USPS. (priority comes with automatic $50) --- To buy more fabric and re-make.
On a good note, ds put an offer on a house this week so we won't have to deal with apartment package delivery anymore.

The Missing Gift, Part 2

2018-01-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Supposedly this gift to my son is in a parcel locker at his apartment complex. The postmaster geo-tracked it, it must be so.

We are still in 'negotiations' to get the postmaster to get off his duff and go open the parcel lockers.

My sister also sent ds a christmas package and it too is in a parcel locker.

We blame everything on Lester.

Lester is a postal worker who threw everyone's packages into lockers and is holding the keys hostage.
We might be making that up. maybe. Not the Lester part. Who names their kids Lester nowadays?

After ascertaining that the package(s) are in the parcel lockers, the son's girlfriend actually got home in time to meet Lester. He threw all the keys on the ground amidst serious grumblings and moanings and basically refused to find the package.

Then ds met two newish postal carriers on another day who tried to open what lockers they could. They didn't have all the keys.

What keeps us hopeful on this 9th day of January is that two packages for my son are in there. Not just mine. With the handmade quilt. But my sister's (his auntie) as well.

In my despairing moments, someone else got the locker key and is now in possession of beautiful handmade gifts.

We are still negotiating with the local post office for the release of our packages.

Inside were another of my handmade gifts this year. Both my kids are amazing Instagram photographers. I took their photos and printed them and then attached them with double-sided tape to quality A4 paper and made notecards for everyone.

L to R: Bridge in Nevada, Yosemite, Seward, AK hwy. Top left is Mt Jefferson Wilderness

Another image I printed: My daughter in our Stearman biplane.

My niece in Glacier National Park.

My kids still write letters. My mom was a noted letter writer (haha - pun!)

These are all gifts I can re-create.

My UPS package arrived safely to my son but we have had trouble with the post office at this apt complex. I probably will utilize UPS in the future.

The Gift That Went Missing

2018-01-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Wonder clips holding binding in place. While it was foggy outside, it wasn't raining on this sunday for a photo shoot. I work during daylight hours, so this was my opportunity to get the whole quilt photographed.

I made a quilt for my son and his girlfriend. A huge gingham style flannel throw.

A while back, he sent me a photo of their living room and the used rug his girlfriend had just bought on ebay.
A few days later, I saw my inspiration quilt over at SOTAK's site and I started planning a quilt.

What could go wrong?

Other than the fact that I don't quilt. ahem.

I carefully worked out the yardage and then grabbed Pencil Girl for a Fabric Depot visit.
We found the gingham colors of black, grey and white right away. The backing fabric in a deep red was easily located as well.
But then it took an hour and a half to decide on the binding fabric.
(this is number one of my reasons for why I don't quilt - endless fabric decisions that take hours).

Pencil Girl saved me by reminding me there isn't an even amount of squares of each color. We had to find an actual gingham and pen out a mini-map of the squares.

Then I washed my flannels - cuz they shrink. Even though they were quilter's flannels, they still shrunk and not in the same way.

I cut my first squares with no problem. The 2nd fabric wasn't long enough to yield the same squares because the stupid fabric shrunk widthwise instead of lengthwise.

I left plenty of time for this quilt . I started it in October for a christmas finish knowing how busy I am during the holiday season at work.

This super easy large-block quilt required way too many overnight decisions. I decided to piece my squares on the 2nd and 3rd colors to get the right amount instead of going back to the store and hoping they still had the same fabrics.

It's flannel and no one would notice.

Uhhh...did I mention that flannel stretches? Each time I handled it, or ironed the seams flat, it stretched. It was a fun party attempting to get my squares to line up as I sewed the rows together.

I wanted to add a small gingham motif to the backing to break it up but because of the afore-mentioned piecing of the squares, I barely had enough scraps to create a smallish motif.

I thought I had pieced my backing to the same size as the front. 70 inches x 70 inches across for a square quilt. But I didn't.

More overnight decisions. It's coming on Thanksgiving and I need to be further along on this project.
I decided a square throw is over-rated and decided to lop off one column of the gingham. Each square is 10" wide. So now my throw will be 60" wide x 70" tall. Better all around.

I finally get my quilt sandwich together and because of the stretching I encountered while piecing, I decide to hand-quilt this puppy. Machine quilting would probably result in wonky and wrinkly on the other side.

The hand-quilting went very well - probably the only thing in this darn quilt that did. I was contemplating stitching on both sides of the seams but it's flannel and there's enough nap to hold the fabric layers stable. And the christmas time-crunch.

I used a sashiko stitch which is really just a running stitch but a tad more refined.
For instance, in sashiko, you don't meet at intersections. There's a little space left in the middle, by design.

For the binding, I used pillow ticking fabric to recreate the stripe
This fabric behaved as expected.

I hand-stitched the binding down. I zig-zagged my edges of the quilt to compress the layers. I machine-sewed one side of the binding down and then folded it over to hand-stitch and finish.

And got it finished in time to ship to ds and girlfriend to arrive before christmas. Which the tracking showed it did.

But it didn't.
Stay tuned for part two of why I don't quilt.

Another Super Quick Christmas Gift

2018-01-02T19:57:00.001-08:00

A Portland Timbers Soccer Team Pillow.
Done as a no-sew fleece cover.

I had a 20" Ikea pillow form - which is not lofty enough folks. Instead, I used a pillow form from a garage sale acquired pillow that was fuller.

To begin with, I bought enough polar fleece fabric to cover the pillow with fringe.
20" plus 3" fringe all around. 20 + 3 + 3 = 26". Fleece is generally 60" wide. I bought 27" aka 3/4 yard and had enough to cover one pillow.

I squared up my two pillow sides (back and front) and started cutting my fringe. 1 1/4" wide snipping 3 inches in. I used tape to make my snips even.

Then I folded one fringette back and snipped a small hole in the middle of the four layers and fed the end of the fringette through, thus securing it.

When you have three sides done, slip your pillow form inside. If you need to cut more to tighten up the cover, this is your chance. Mine was fine and I continued flipping the end of the fringettes through the small slits.

Twenty minutes. Promise. Easy peasy.

And off it went, mailed to Alaska and the only Portland Timbers Soccer team fan up in the far north.

Simple Round Clothesline Bowl Tutorial aka Rope Bowls

2017-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

You will need some cotton clothesline. Some clothesline comes with a polyester core and some without. Your bowl will be sturdier with the poly core. There is also polyester cord aka paracord but it doesn't give the organic look regular old cotton clothesline does.
I used 3/8", 7/32" & 1/4" inch clothesline.

Your basic sewing machine with a zigzag stitch.

Size 14 sewing machine needle.

Neutral threads -whatever colors you want to use up.
This tutorial is just for a basic bowl. Any color comes from the thread.

2-5 bobbins filled with thread. This is actually a great time to use up those bobbins that are partially used up. Whenever your bobbin runs out, get up and stretch.

I start coiling the rope on itself, utilizing four straight pins to hold my disc steady. The pins won't penetrate the poly core so just skim the pin thru on top.

I clip a wee bit of the core out and smush the cotton fibers close. You can also utilize some glue/fraycheck to help.

Wind until you get a 2 inch disc.

To start a circular bowl, you'll need to wind your cord in a circle and stick some straight pins through from the side to secure. Then carefully start zigzagging so the stitch catches both coils.
At the beginning, take two stitches, lift your presser foot, pivot, and sew another two stitches and repeat. At about 2 1/2" wide (see photo) you don't have to lift your presser foot so much and can start feeding it through on the curve.

I tried to sew over my pins at the beginning and ended up hitting one and breaking my needle. This is really the trickiest part of making the bowl. Keeping the bottom coils flat enough as you zig zag in stops and starts. Maybe pull your pin out enough as you pass and then stick it back in. The pins are only there for a few rounds.

My machine has a needle down button. The needle stays down while you pivot the disc.

My zigzag varies according to the diameter of the rope. You'll need a wider zig on wider cord. Mostly, I'm somewhere around 4.8 - 5.0 in width.
The zag is set around 4.0 - 5.0 length.

Some tutorials have you do a cross on the bottom disc with your zigzag stitches. They mostly don't show unless you are using up strong colors.

I tend to criss-cross the bottom with my zigzag until I feel it is secure. Moving pins in/out as they get in the way. Then as soon as I can see clearly, I start zigzagging around the circle joining two coils together with the zigzag stitch.

I also have my disc with the coil feeding off to the right towards me. If it goes to the left then you can stop and cut threads and flip it over to match the photos above.

Remove the pins at about 2.5". Or when you don't need them to help hold things steady.

The neutral threads don't show. If you can't sew a straight line, this simple project allows do-overs. Just sew again - right on top of your wayward stitches. They won't show, I promise.

When I first started making these bowls, I would occasionally wander in my stitching as I did the endless circles. Easy fix - just make sure thread in bobbin and spool is neutral colored like the clothesline. No one will notice.

For most bowls, I sew a flat disc until 6 inches. Then, I raise the whole bowl against the machine for several rotations. If you want steeper sides, smash that bowl against your machine. Easier sloping sides, use your left hand to gently lift as you sew.

Sloping sides here. My hand is not lifting as I sew.

Here is my hand gently lifting. straighter sides result. Straighter? Smush it against your sewing machine - up high.

A close-up of my bottom - ha! not mine, the bowl's bottom. That first darker teal is where I broke the needle. The second is where I ran out of bobbin thread and started again. The thread tail got caught up in the stitching.

Here's my wobbly stitching. Which no one has ever mentioned.
Run with it.

How to finish.

Well - you have to eventually. I liked a knot here so I sewed up to the knot as close as I could get and then back-stitched the end in place.

I've seen handles. Holes left purposely to make handles, etc.
You just sew to the place where you want a handle in place and run your zigzag so it doesn't catch the upper coil for 3 or 4 inches (5?). The handle will be a bit fuller than the previous coil so when you want to end the handle hole, you bring the outer coil down with enough give to create a visible hole. Move your zigzag stitch back so it catches both coils. Continue sewing to the other side and repeat. It probably would be helpful to mark those places with a pin or wonder clip to keep handles at even intervals.

I have a pinterest board with several finishes I liked (K8hobbies under Rope Bowls). Some people hide the end join with a piece of leather riveted on. I tend to just make knots.

At times I hand-stitch my coils or knots down. Have fun and let your creativity loose.

The cotton clothesline does create some lint fluff. Clean out your bobbin case after you make a few.

Fabric-wrapped bowls. Pain in the patuttie. My tip? Skip the long strips. Go with 1.25" wide strips by 3 inches long. Easier to control until you've made at least one. Put a strip here and there. Use some scraps.

Notes on time and other questions:

My first bowl took a solid hour - maybe 1 1/4 hours to make the first one. The smaller one took 15 minutes.

I had been thinking about it for months. I knew I did NOT want to try the fabric wrapped version. Other than securing the bottom and angling the bowl 'plate' UP at 6". it was very organic. Look again at my Pinterest board. I added some ideas. Odd # stripes is from landscaping and window dressing advice: group in 3's and/or 5's.

You can only sew until your bobbin runs out. I used five on the the large bowl, most of two on the small bowl.

The body hurt is all at the beginning where you are hunched over trying to get the zigzag to catch both coils. When you angle the bowl up and start the shaping, then you can consciously sit tall in your sewing chair, relax, and find your sewing rhythm. My clear foot has two red dots on it on either side of the center 'opening' (toes). I try to eyeball the dots to guide me. Staring at the neutral rope will hypnotize you.

Because of the bobbin changes, it's easy to take breaks. The designing is very organic.

Rope tips;

1. I liked the 7/32" wide cotton clothesline to begin with. The 3/8 (6/32) was a tad more fiddly. It was a different brand as well.

2. In my little town, I have four stores that sell cotton clothesline. Varying in price, thickness, and strength. Buying for me and a few 'skeins' for friend in Japan has emptied the town. Yes, I could buy online. For cheaper. But I feel clothesline is one of those staples that if we buy online, we help close another brick & mortar store. {opinionated} I made four bowls out of what I bought. I'll wait until someone re-stocks to have another go at it.

3. A wide zigzag of 4.0 to 5.0 is good for catching both cords as you sew the bowl together. Again, the larger 7/32 cording was a great starter.

4. Your white or off-white thread disappears into the clothesline weave. If you wobble off your join line, go back and have another go at it.

5. I have a Pinterest board to help focus my 'organic' rope sewing.

6. While out researching my town, I was tempted by some turquoise para-cord but -- I don't like the feel of the polyester stuff and I can't imagine having a para-cord bowl sitting on my counter unless a grandchild made it and I had to. Neutral, organic, cotton clothesline gave me the feel I was after.

7. Have fun. Use up some thread spools.

For more inspirational photos, you can search my sidebar on the full sized web page for "Clothesline", "Rope" and "Bowls".
(Apparently I am not good at tagging projects consistently.)

Quick Extra Christmas Gifts

2017-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

By now, you know about my fetish for quick sewing gifts.

These clothesline bowls still do not bore me. They have infinite design possibilities. With fabric and thread, each bowl takes on it's own personality. Made of simple cotton clothesline, these rope bowls are much admired which makes my heart beat in gladness.

When I start each bowl, my biggest thought is what color. Then as I wind the clothesline in on itself, ideas for what it will become, start playing through my fingers. I love the loosening of creativity. I tend to copy more than dream up projects. These clothesline bowls teach me of my creativity, that sits there, waiting for the right project. That something I view as simple, provides much enjoyment for the recipient.

My mom and dad stopped off with a christmas bouquet for me.

My co-worker, who has worn these tights the past three christmas seasons, was told by customers that her snowflakes, weren't, ahem, snowflakes. Let me know if you see it too.

And, finally, my shining moment of Christmas cheer was with Santa.