Tag Archives: sewing

Hey, are you still out there?

Posted on by
4

Hello, yeah, it’s been awhile.

Not much, how ’bout you?*

We’re into Day Five of rainy weather. If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic area of the USA, you probably have the same weather. We had a bit of a reprieve yesterday with just dampness but the clouds just couldn’t hold it in all day and night. At least we don’t have to water the vegetables and flowers! How did Noah do it with forty days and nights of rain?

You’re not here for a weather report but where to start?

Let’s begin with January.

Last year ended and this year started with cold/flu/the bat-poop virus. After ten days of dealing with it, I finally got in to see the doctor. He wasn’t sure what I had but started me on the road to recovery with medicine. I lost eight pounds when everyone else was gaining from all the holiday goodies. I lost my sense of taste, so why eat when I couldn’t taste anything?

I finished a sweater for Pepper with odds and ends of acrylic yarn. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft and it is super, super soft and stretchy. I knit it twice as it kept growing and growing. Ripped it out and got a better fit the second time. She still hates anything that goes over her head but we managed.

Coats from old/new quilts has been a “thing” for a few winters. I bought a pattern (from See Kate Sew) to make one and finally decided to give it a try using one my my M-I-L’s quilts. When she died, Mr. Aitch and his two brothers found her quilt stash and started tossing them into three piles without looking at any of them. Ten made it to our house. Some beautiful, some not so much. I used a not-so-much pretty quilt to test out the pattern.

I made the large and it fit perfectly!

Even though it is not much to look at, I did manage to match the seams and finish it, though these pictures are not of the completed coat. I used snaps for closures but one kept falling off so I made a buttonhole and sewed on a button. It’s warm enough to take Pepper outside. That’s about as far as I’ll go in wearing it.

With that success, I was ready to make the “real” coat to actually wear in public!

Shannon Fraser Designs

My first idea was a total patchwork quilted coat. After I got the back pieced and quilted, I threw that idea out the window. The back was perfect for the patchwork and the rest would be a solid. Red.

See my inspiration to the right.

iPad Aunt loved reds and purples. I used fabric scraps from her, my mother-in-law, my BFF, and me. Plus I had enough solid red for the front and sleeves. I wanted the inside to look just as nice so I pieced one large quilt block from some of the reds and grey from my stash for the back panel.

I quilted each piece before assembling it all together.

I LOVE it! I get lots of compliments on the coat.

  • Fabric from stash = $0
  • Batting, leftover from another quilt = $0
  • Buttons, from a top I made in college = $0
  • Thread from stash = $0
  • TOTAL COST : FREE (except for my time and electricity)

I will definitely make another one of these coats…Not sure if I will use pre-quilted fabric, a quilt, or start from scratch.

On another note – Today is Memorial Day in the US. A day we honor and remember our fallen soldiers. We must remember that our freedoms are not free. They were bought with people’s lives. Thank you and God Bless America! 🇺🇸🪦

Patti nona

*England Dan and John Ford Coley

four things | thirty-three

Posted on by
3

Happy Birthday, Mr. Aitch!

Friends invited us for drinks and a mini birthday celebration for Mr. Aitch Thursday evening. We sat around their firepit sipping wine. We also had some snacks and a homemade cherry pie.

what I’m reading

I had a few pieces of Dove chocolates after dinner this week and liked this one saying on the inside wrapper.

what I’m loving

I forgot to include this one last week…

what I saw on my walk

Since the weather is changing and not so hot, Pepper and I started walking around our neighborhood again this week. Several of my neighbors walk in the evenings but I prefer the cooler mornings. We used to walk two miles before it got too hot and humid. It’s almost like starting over since both of us are a bit out of shape so we’re only walking a little over a mile.

I saw this “tree” in a wooded area and had to find out what it was. I had never seen such broad leaves that were almost 2-feet across! The plant ID app on my phone identified it as a Foxglove Tree. I’ll have to keep an eye on it next spring to see if it blooms

what I’m working on

I made a Carry-All Caddy last month as a prototype for a tool bag. Why I never bought/made a tool bag before is a mystery to me. Mr. Aitch and I just make several trips to the basement when we need various tools and can’t carry them all at the same time.

I’m almost finished with this one. I just have to hand sew the binding around the edges to cover the exposed seams. I’m afraid it’s too thick for my sewing machine and I don’t want to damage/destroy it!

That’s all for this week. Take care.

four things | eight

Posted on by
7

March is finally here and spring is just around the corner. The snow flurries we had Thursday are just a memory. The wind has picked up so even though the sun is shining, it’s still cold. This is what March is all about.

what I’m loving

Our new dishwasher was installed this week! YAY!!

It was a “special” order because of the color – black stainless. It’s right next to the refrigerator so I thought it should match.

It’s got three racks and holds much more than the old one. The inside is stainless as opposed to my old one which was white so that makes it seem darker, however, it won’t stain! Looking at you spaghetti sauce and wine drips. I read the manual and evidently some models come with a light inside. I didn’t know that, did you? I never had a light so I don’t miss it but the next one….

what I accomplished

I finally finished the yarn swift bag that I started in January. The fabric is a heavier weight cotton from my stash and at least 35 years old. I bought it to make curtains for my daughter’s bedroom but never did. The lining is cotton from my M-I-L’s stash (also old). I sewed a pocket on the inside with a snap flap to keep the dowels and washers in for easier access. The cardboard square helps stabilize the bottom.

I miscalculated where the grommets should go and didn’t leave enough fabric to fold down for the casing for the draw string. It took me two months to figure out how to fix it. I cut out the grommets, added another piece of fabric to hide the hole, bound the top edge, and sewed on a casing. I had some nylon cord for the draw string and a spring action cord holder (or whatever they are called).

what I’m giving up

Lent began on Wednesday. No, we didn’t have pancakes on Pancake/Fat Tuesday. Actually I didn’t know that was a thing until ten or twelve years ago. My understanding is that (before my time) people gave up butter, eggs, and sugar for Lent so they indulged in pancakes before having abstaining from those foods. In my family we gave up candy. Our parents didn’t give us a choice – we were told that was the edict from God.

We also don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday or any Fridays during Lent as a form of penance in honor of the death of Jesus Christ. Before 1966 Catholics didn’t eat meat on any Friday but Pope Paul VI changed that to just during Lent. Fish sticks, mac and cheese, tuna noodle casserole, salmon cakes, or meatless spaghetti were common Friday meals in our home.

So for Lent this year I’m abstaining from two iPad games that I’m addicted to and candy…not all sweets, just candy. I have a stash of chocolates in one of the drawers next to my knitting chair. The temptation is there but so far, so good. I’m also getting back into walking around our neighborhood (weather permitting) everyday. Maybe by giving up candy and burning extra calories by walking, I’ll lose the five pounds (or more) that I gained in December.

what I’m working on

Our house sits on about eight-tenths of an acre. That might sound like a lot of land or not so much. When we built our house, we tried to keep as many trees as possible – less to mow, shade in the summer, birdwatching, etc. The downside? More leaves to rake and twigs and branches to pick up!

Over the years we’ve lost some trees, some dead or dying and some that grew too tall and close to the house. We had seven trees removed last summer. Yesterday I marked more trees that (IMHO) should come down.

A few of the dead trees are too big for Mr. Aitch to cut down and several are too close to our house or our neighbor’s fence and shed so we need to get a professional to take those down. Wish us luck in finding someone to do the job!

Have a great week…and don’t forget to turn your clocks an hour ahead tonight.

Patti nona

Things I want to do this year

Posted on by
8

We’re already two weeks into the year and I’ve been thinking and writing down things I want to get done this year. If they are good, I can keep doing them in future years.

  1. Post at least once a week. And on a schedule. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Pick a day and stick with it.
  2. Knit at least one row a day though I tell myself it’s five rows a day. That’s not really hard when it comes to socks which I seem to knit most of the time. I’m joining a KAL this month and surprise, I’ll be knitting a sock.
  3. Plan and finish one sewing project a month. The first project is a bag to hold my new yarn swift. Our church will have a baby shower in the spring with items donated to a local pregnancy center. I will sew burp cloths and perhaps knit a few hats.
  4. Practice makes perfect (or at least improvement). I painted wooden sorority and fraternity paddles for pledges in college which it was quite profitable. My Old English calligraphy was pretty good back then as that was the most popular font style. I even designed and printed invitations for a wedding and parties many years ago. Now that skill has all but disappeared. Lindsey at The Postman’s Knock is my go-to for inspiration to get back into calligraphy. I have the materials. I need to sit down and do it at least 30 minutes every day.
  5. Organize and declutter the basement is on my list Every. Single. Year. My grandson helped me paint one cinderblock wall one summer. I painted another wall myself. Two more walls to go so it’s brighter and cleaner looking. It’s cool in the summer but cold in the winter so this will be a warm weather project. Making zones might be best: craft zone, workshop zone, paint zone, storage zone, etc. Having rubber-type flooring would make standing on the cold, hard concrete floor much more comfortable, too. I could make space for a sewing room and get my sewing machine out of the tiny laundry room.
  6. Speaking of cleaning and decluttering…this blog needs some major work. Posts, tutorials, and how-tos need updated tags and categories that include specific words about the content. All posts related to the Dots and Stripes Purse should be tagged as such so all posts pertaining to that sock would appear in a search for that particular project. That will be time-consuming with over a thousand posts but tackling a couple a day should make that go faster.
  7. Include some self-care by relaxing and unwinding in healthy ways. I started getting a pedicure every month last fall and will continue this year.
  8. Stop playing mind-numbing games on my iPad for hours and use my time wisely. I’m pretty sure I have fewer days ahead than behind. I seriously doubt I’ll live to be 144 years old so I shouldn’t waste time with nonsense. Life is too short.
  9. Learn something new.
  10. Show gratitude.

Those are some goals, resolutions, things I want to do this year.

What are you doing this year?

Patti nona