holiday…. celebrate!

The day job ended yesterday.  The plane leaves tomorrow morning.

VACATION!!!

I am lead to believe that my condo in Mexico will have wireless internet, but just in case that turns out to be a little less than true, I thought I’d best say farewell, hasta luego, ciao!

The weather forecast is not so good to begin with, but there’s plenty of time for that to turn into fabulous beach weather, right?

Long Term Forecast Updated: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 3:53 MST

	Saturday Jan. 30	Sunday Jan. 31	Monday Feb. 1	Tuesday Feb. 2	Wednesday Feb. 3
	Variable cloudiness	Cloudy with sunny breaks	Thunder- showers	Thunder- showers	Thunder- showers
High	29°C	27°C	26°C	28°C	26°C
Low	24°C	23°C	24°C	24°C	24°C

 

thing one and thing two

Thing One:

Someone keep me off Ebay – please!  I decided that I would like to add more embellishment to the scarves I’m making, so I went on Ebay to see what kind of beads and charms are out there.  And I found a site that has free shipping, and lots of 100 metal beads starting a low as 99 cents.  So I’ve been a bidding maniac… and will be returning from Mexico to a package of lots of great metal beads and charms to go a-embellishing with.

Example:

beads

Thing Two:

I have a thing for pillowcases.  In particular pillowcases that complement my sheets.  So I’ve sewn myself quite a few over the years, generally in playful prints that I wouldn’t be caught dead making into bags or scarves or throw pillows.  Prints like these two:

playful pillowcases

Somehow its just more fun to sleep on pillows featuring cherries and ladybugs than just plain old cotton.  So when a print catches my fancy, I buy a yard of it and sew myself a pillow slip, then use the leftovers for smaller projects.

pillow slips on the bed

Unfortunately my pillows are smaller than others out there.  I started out sewing pillowcases for myself, but then thought they might be a fun novelty item to sell.  I made several the same size as my pillows.  As I found out when I gifted my favourite urban cowboy with a set, other people’s pillows tend to be larger than mine and my pillow slips don’t adequately keep their pillows contained.  Future project – sewing contrasting flaps on to all the pillowcases already sewn to make them the right size.  You know, for some rainy day when I have nothing else to do!

 

mad for plaid

I didn’t get as much accomplished on my sewing day as I had hoped.  Perhaps it was unrealistic to think that I could sew all 8 of the scarves I cut the session before, but I certainly had hoped to get more than half way through.  Alas, I only finished three of the scarves.

This first one, for my sweetie, used one of the shorter pieces of red plaid flannel for the backing, and plain black flannel for the front.  Because the red plaid fabric was wider than the black, the cut piece ended up several inches longer.  Rather than cutting off the excess, I sewed the two ends together first, then folded the red plaid over onto the black side to make a sort of cuff on the ends of the scarf.

flannel scarf

The scarf ended up being 6.5″ wide and 84″ long, with the fold over cuff measuring 2 3/4″.

The second scarf I finished is the “Bad to the Bone” Robert Kaufman print.

bad to the bone

The colours in the photo don’t look like they match very well on my screen, but again that’s just the lousy photography.  In real life they look quite nice together.  I decided not to turn the excess red plaid over from back to front on this scarf.  Instead I sewed two diagonal rickrack rows on one end.  I think it adds a little something to what otherwise might have been a rather boring scarf end.

rickrack detail

Bad to the bone measures in at 82″ long.

The final scarf I managed to finish is the insanely long skull patchwork scarf.  I cut patches of various cotton skull fabrics to match the 92″ length of the red plaid flannel piece, making a finished scarf of the whole 92″ long – enough to wrap around a neck twice with plenty of length left to dangle in front and/or back.

patchwork skulls

The patches are made from prints by Alexander Henry and Robert Kaufman, featuring skulls, roses and some flaming dragons – chosen because they all feature the colours red and black, and all but the dragon print are all about skulls – yummy!

end patches

middle patches

I’m pretty darned pleased with all three scarves, and my sweetie is thrilled to be the recipient of the black flannel scarf.

The other five scarves will have to wait until March to be finished, as I’m off to Mexico for the month of February, lucky me!

 

exponentiality dos

I ordered all this cotton fabric from Ebay as well… Its true, no denying it, so I might as well revel in it!  The fabric stash runneth over.

black and white and red

I bought a half yard of the Timeless Treasures red gingham and the checkerboard, and a full yard of the lingerie.  I plan to use them all in a patchwork scarf along with some red and black lingerie fabric I already have, plus the burlesque girls, with embellishments too of course.

timeless treasures era

I bought a set of fat quarters of this Timeless Treasures “Era” collection.  Perfect for a patchwork scarf and matching bag, among other things I’m sure.

checkers, tattoos and leopard

I purchased a half yard of the blue checkers, intending it to provide border material for a scarf I have planned, but the blues aren’t quite right, so I don’t know what this cotton print will end up being a part of.  Meaning I’m still on the hunt for more fabric…  I bought a half yard of the leopard print for a project I am in the planning and acquiring stages of for a friend’s birthday in April.  Its called “Secret Jungle” by Laurel Burch for Clothworks.

I purchased a whole yard of the pink tattoo fabric, featuring glitter, hearts, skulls, roses and butterflies.  I have no project in mind for this fabric, but I’m sure something will come to me eventually.  I have quite the collection of pink skull fabric in the stash, so its only a matter of time before I come up with some pink projects.

There was a flannel purchase as well, but that was to provide me with soft scarf backing fabric which I don’t think really counts towards the fabric stash’s bursting at the seams as it will be used up quickly.  Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

 

exponentiality

I just (accidentally) grew my fabric stash exponentially.  I forgot to buy the 3mm double-pointed needles that I need to knit the pompon mittens, so I had to go back to the cheapo fabric store to pick them up.  And while I was there I got dragged into the cotton vortex and just HAD to buy some fabric.  Really, it was a need rather than a want.  An irrepressible force.  A fool and her savings are soon parted in the fabric shop.

michael miller paisley

I plan to use these delightful Michael Miller paisleys (which, despite the appearance they have on my computer screen and so probably yours too, are shades of green and brown) for a patchwork scarf.  I think a matching bag would be fabulous too, but tote bag or purse?

pirates and flowers

These pirates are by Exclusively Quilters and the flowers don’t have a name in the piece I had cut.  I wish the photo showed the real colours and detail of the fabric, but alas, my camera is failing on that front.

As if those additions to my fabric stash weren’t over the top enough, I also did some Ebay purchasing recently.

alexander henry "azucar"

I ordered half a yard of Alexander Henry’s day of the dead skulls, called “azucar”.  A bag I think is in this fabric’s future.  I love all the colours and the interplay of the flowers and skulls.  So apropos for my impending trip to Mexico.

tiger, tiger burning bright

This fabulous tiger fabric has no name on the yard I purchased, but it is ribbed!  Its just a little heavier than regular quilting cotton and has ribs that look very much like corduroy but without the nap.  I am undecided about what is in this fabric’s future, but I did pick up some fringe and rickrack that match the orange perfectly, so I have embellishments for whatever this fabric is destined to become.

I wish I could say that this is all that I purchased.  But I’d be lying.  There’s more…

 

knitty

I stopped by the cheapo fabric store this evening to pick up some more flannel for scarf backings and got pulled in by the cheap yarn.  $1.99 a ball for all the yarn they have.  So I picked up two balls of Rowan “ribbon twist” and two of Regia “Pompon” in similar shades of red.  They are both wrapped with black, so they look like they belong together.  The Regia has yellow, orange and red pompons; the Rowan has a ribbon of variegated colours ranging from yellow to orange to pink to purple and back again.

regia and rowan

The Regia is 43% wool, the Rowan is 70% wool.  I plan to make mittens with the two balls of Regia.  I need to go and pick up a couple more balls of the Rowan as one ball only got me 2 feet into a scarf.  I want to make at least a 5 foot scarf and a matching hat.  For the scarf I am using 8mm needles (even though the yarn calls for 12mm ones).  I cast on fifteen stitches and am working them in a 3×3 rib.  If I can learn to crochet in the near future, I figure I’ll add a bit of a border around the scarf with the Regia leftover from knitting myself mittens.  I might actually pick up another ball of the Regia just to be safe as it would be a shame to run out.  I would like to put a bit of the Rowan into the mittens as well… maybe at the cuff?

scarf so far

Neither the mitten pattern nor the hat pattern that I plan to use actually call for the gauge of yarn that I bought, or the size of needles that I’ll be using, so I’ll be doing some math, some experimenting and quite possibly some unraveling when I get to knitting the hat and mitts.

 

pillowy softness

Two more previously completed projects.  This time its two summery pillows.

cherries

I’m trying out some new approaches to photographing pillows in the hopes that I’ll figure out something etsy-worthy.   This is my attempt at showing pillows in situ.

red cherries

This particular pillow is 14″ x 10″ and features Alexander Henry cotton cherries in red and turquoise.  Yep that’s right, its one pillow with two different coloured sides.

blue side red side

This pillow is 13″ x 13″ and made out of blue cotton Alexander Henry flip flops – bringing a little of the beach inside.

flippy floppies

I think the photos are still not the best quality ever, but I think they convey the idea and give the pillows some scale versus just cropped photos of them alone.  I think they’ll do for now.  Which leaves just writing up descriptions and finalizing postage decisions before I am ready to open my etsy shop.  I figure if I get it all up-loaded the last week in February I’ll be positioned to ship any instant purchases within a week, which is acceptable, and also have the shop up and running at the earliest date possible.

pin up girls

And here are those Alexander Henry pin-up girls again, looking better than a body has a right to!

 

scurvy scarves

I very much enjoyed my sewing afternoon with my guru – and got a fair bit accomplished.  Only one project got finished this session:

pirate treasure scarf construction

I started and completed a pirate treasure scarf.  The front side is a Timeless Treasures cotton print and the backing is a brown remnant that may or may not be wool.  The backing is pretty soft though, and should make for a cozy and comfortable garment.

The remnant was an odd shape, approximately 26″ wide at one point and closer to 30″ at another.  Rather than cutting two identical pieces at 7″ x 26″ to join together to form the backing, I decided to cut one a little longer than the other so as to add a little length to the scarf (finished size of 6 1/4″ x 53 1/2″).  I cut two pieces of the pirate ship fabric to the same dimensions so that the middle seams match.   And when its on, you can’t tell that the middle seam is not actually in the centre of the scarf.

pirate treasure scarf

Overall I’m very pleased with how the scarf turned out.

both sides of pirate scarf

In addition to the finished pirate treasure scarf, I cut the pieces for seven other scarves, featuring this lovely flannel plaid:

plaid flannel

The flannel was a remnant I’ve had kicking around for at least 10 years.  It was a sizeable piece of 92″ wide fabric, approximately 58″ in length and I had been saving it to possibly be part of a duvet cover or quilt backing.  But for those 10 long years it did nothing besides sit in my stash, so into soft scarf backs is has been cut.  A few small pieces had been cut from one of the sides, so not all the pieces will be the full 92″ length, some are closer to 84″.  I don’t think that will be a problem as all of the cottons for the front sides of the scarves are 42″ wide fabrics so will only be approximately 84″ when doubled.  I am also considering folding some of the flannel over to the cotton print side on a couple of the 92″ pieces to form a border on the front side of the scarves.

scarves in progress

I cut six single prints for front sides: the Jolly Rogers shown above, Alexander Henry’s “skullfinity”, “skulls & bones” and “the rose tattoo”, plus two Robert Kaufman prints called “Bad to the Bone”.  The seventh scarf will be a patchwork of the Alexander Henry prints, one of the Robert Kaufmans plus some flaming dragons.  The eighth scarf is currently frontless.  I believe that one will be a custom scarf for my sweetie.

skullfinity detail

skullfinity

skull & bones

the rose tattoo

bad to the bone

My work for my next sewing afternoon is literally cut out for me!

 

literally

My guru gifted me with a book of sewing patterns!

They look amazing – my head is already awhirl with possible projects.

sew simple

133 pages of patterns and photos, plus 69 pages of instructions, tips and advice.  That’s a whole lot packed into one book – it’ll take me forever to exhaust all of its possibilities.  I’m looking forward to getting started on trying though!

Here’s what the book says about itself:

Welcome to the world of simple sewing! With this treasury of the best of Sew Simple magazine’s fresh projects and easy instructions, you now have the freedom to express yourself. Even if you’ve never sewn a stitch, you’ll learn the basic skills while creating polished projects that you’ll be proud to flaunt. If you’re a seasoned seamstress, you’ll find tons of inspiration and dozens of irresistible ideas.   With Sew Simple’s easy-to-follow illustrated instructions, comprehensive technique guide, and timesaving tips, it’s never been easier to express your personal style without breaking the bank! Revamp a room or make over your wardrobe. You can easily customize your world with these 50+ projects for home decor, clothing, and gifts. Happy sewing!

Item # 4826

ISBN 9781601406149

UPC 028906048261

Author/designer: CK Media LLC

And some sample projects:

coasters

pillow

purse

 

woolly bully

I had one of those sad happy moments today.  A local tailor is going out of business.  Renzo’s on Commercial Drive is selling everything off and Renzo is retiring after several decades on the Drive.  One more little piece of Italy that is leaving “Little Italy”.  That is the sad part of the moment.

I stopped in today to tell Renzo how sorry I was that he was closing up shop, but that I’m glad for him that he’s retiring while he still has his health and can enjoy being retired.  And I have to admit it, I stopped in to see what kind of remnants he had that I could snap up at bargain prices.

beautiful wool fabrics

I just played on the remnant table as Renzo was offering all his remnants at $5 each.  I may have to go back and see what he wants for yardage off his remaining bolts as there were quite a few beautiful wool fabrics I drooled over.  However, my budget was limited so I satisfied my need to acquire with these 8 wool remnants.  A few of them are not much more than a 1/4 yard, but one of them is easily 2 1/2 yards.  Renzo told me that a couple of them retailed for $200 a yard.  And they’re beautiful.  That is the happy part of my moment.

I think I will hang on to the larger pieces to make sure I don’t want to make clothing from them (or get the remaining Commercial Drive tailor, Angelo Papa, to make me something).  The smaller pieces are currently destined to become the backs of scarves, and possibly an entire patchwork woollen scarf.

Sewing afternoon tomorrow:  projects on the list are scarves, with red plaid flannel backs and red and black skulls for the fronts.  I seem to have a whole schwack of red and black skull patterned cottons that look just dandy with the red plaid flannel.  Who knew?