Mesh - not just for screens! ;)

I haven't been sewing much for the past week - it's been too hot, I was waiting for my kitty to get better (and I think he is, now, whew!), and I just didn't feel like it :D I did make some gift bags, and today I decided to try making a mesh tote, like the ones I've seen online. The black mesh - normally used for screens - is quite cheap even here in Canada - something like $7 for a roll that's 24" X (84? I can't remember). The colored stuff is way more expensive - a friend in Ohio just bought some and paid $9.99/yard (36" wide). It's something like $25/metre here in Canada - isn't that awful? Anyways - I wanted to try with the black first because it's very cheap, and if I didn't like using it, or if it didn't work well, the cost would have been minimal.

I quite enjoyed working with it, and had no problems. I had to be careful pressing the project because I'm pretty sure that the iron would have melted the mesh, lol. I'm going to test using a pressing cloth to see if that works. The tote came out fine, although I prefer lined bags so next time around, I'll line it. But for a first try - I'm very happy!

C'est finis :)

Finished and installed, and I'm very happy with the results :D The colors are truer in the top picture - they seem to be a bit faded in the bottom one. I did learn a valuable lesson tho - make sure your machine is switched off before covering it up!!! I went downstairs today to finish the project, and realized that I had put the cover on last night to fit for size, but I left it on overnight, and the machine was still on - OOPS!



I've received a weblog award from my fellow Canuck (fellow Ontarian, too!)Nancy-Rose - isn't this cool! She likes my eye candy! :) I'm struttin!!! Thank you kindly, neighbouroonie ... I'm honored! Please check out her blog to see her fabulous projects, stories and pictures of her yard sale finds - I never find goodies like that - everybody in this area seems to specialize in baby and kid stuff - been there, done that, not going there again until I get grandies!

Relief at last :)

Our incessant and seemingly never-ending computer/internet problems may finally be over and done with - we had TWO Bell techs come out to the house last week. Routers were replaced and moved, ethernet wires were replaced and rerouted, two laptops went in for servicing (that HURT! LOL!!!), fingers were crossed, curses were uttered, patience was stretched, but in the end, it seems everything fell into place. Our sons went without XBox live for months, and now that's up and running too, as are our laptops. Even my old clunky dinosaur back-up desktop computer is now online! Life is GOOD!!! I LOVE THE INTERNET, lolol!!

I haven't gotten much done in the last week - it was hot, and I was stressed and cranky. I did make this little bag last night to use as a gift bag ... I've LONG wanted to do this kind of project. This flickr album is what originally inspired me, and this particular picture is the one that got me going! Check out her fun blog for fun reading with lots of eye candy :) YAY for Vicki H. @ Turkey Feathers!

Here's what I'm working on today - a sewing machine cover, starring my delightful model Zoomer (lol) :) - using this pattern :)

Yo yos are fun to make ;)

More computer/internet problems - thats the story of my life now!! Yadda yadda yadda Sympatico yadda yadda yadda nice technician today yadda yadda yadda :D

I finally learned how to use my Clover yoyo makers - they're fast and fun - I have two sizes of the round ones, and I think I have the heart and flower, but I'm not sure where they are in my studio, lol. I've made a couple now to decorate some of my grab bags, and I decorated a couple of gift bags ... I keep finding great ways to use them!


I got a few more small projects done in the last few days - one of my favorites is a couple of gift bags I made using some fabric a girlfriend had given me. Thanks Chris - check out what your scraps turned into!! ;)



I also got a few more pillowcases made for ConKerrCancer.org ... some bibs for my great/grand nephew Matteo, and a couple more grab bags for the gift box - these are the ones I've already made yo yos for (for decoration), but I haven't attached them yet. Will do that soon :)

Happy sewing!! :)

The housework never ends - more tea towels ;)

I've sent my applique projects through the washer and dryer and they came out just fine, so I'm considering them an unqualified success :) Here are 3 more I finished yesterday :)

Tea towels, anyone?

I made these babies last night --- they're in the washing machine right now so I can test to make sure I did enough zigzag stitching so the appliques don't shred when they get washed! If they don't come out of the washer and dryer looking this good, I'm going to delete this post!

P.S. They made it through the washer and dryer just fine, so the post is in no danger of removal, LOL.

7+/7 done :)

Last night I cut out the pieces, and this afternoon I sewed up 3 more pillowcases for ConKerrCancer.org --- thats 12 or 13 cases I have ready for them now, and it means I finished my "7 in 7" resolution - days early :D Admittedly these were all small projects made with stash fabric, but --- 4 pillowcases --- 3 grab bags - 4 bibs - done in 5 days - thats pretty good! And it's certainly a nice little chunk out of my stash :) Each pillowcase takes about a metre, each grab bag is almost a metre, 4 bibs is 3/4ish of a metre - thats about 7 metres of fabric used up!

Tonight's dessert - Fruity Soda Bread - blogged and recipe here - DELICIOUS!

I, Applique Again :) (6/7 done!)

This site had a freebie pattern online a while back for Lobster Time Placemats. I downloaded it with the intention of lobsterizing a project some day. Well - some day was today, and I whipped up this applique'd bib for someone who shall remain nameless until she receives this in the mail ;) Her initials are JDB tho! (Aunt Sandra is such a card!) I'm not an applique expert but this came out quite well, I think - I'm pleased :) This is a surprise gift, so if it had gone shitty, I would have tossed it into the trashcan without a thought - I guess the lack of stress contributed to my success!

I'm counting this as completion #6 in my "7 in 7" resolution :D

Not happy with the results ...

Inspired by this project, I decided to try a chickenscratch bookmark. It worked out quite well, actually, but I found the gingham fabric very thin - broadcloth thin - and hard to work with. It was hard to get nice crisp seams and nice stitching - and I had an awfully hard time getting the smaller square to finish up to a small enough size - the fabric was so soft/pliable it was hard to handle.

I'm not giving up --- I have a couple of things to try - one is to spray starch the fabric before working on it - to give it some body. If that isn't good enough, I'll look for the gingham designed fabric that has more body to it - thicker cotton, like you would use for a tablecloth. That wouldn't work for bookmarks, really, but for other projects it would be great - pillow cover, apron, tote bag etc.

I enjoyed the embroidery but the assembly just didn't work as nicely as I would like. This bookmark won't be gifted to anyone, but I'll consider it my trial run, and will try this craft again :) Definitely not counting this in my 7 in 7 resolution!

5/7 done ...

I finished the two (cat and batik) grab bags earlier tonight but didn't feel like going upstairs, so I whipped up 3 girl bibs for a gift - a gentleman my oldest son works with, has just had a baby girl - I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog - LOL - so I'm safe posting a picture ;) I'll count this as one project completion, as they're all for one gift.

Here's the fabric I got yesterday at Sew Sisters Quilt Shop in Toronto - I could have done a lot more $$ damage, but I refrained, so my credit card will live to purchase another day ;)

Now I've completed 5/7ths of my resolution, so I'm doing good! I wish I was always this productive, LOL!!

4/7 done ;)

My 7 in 7 goal is moving along ... I finished up two more grab bags today - thats 4 projects done, with several days left to go. I really didn't enjoy these bags the first time I tried the pattern - now I can't stop making them, LOL. I really didn't like the way they did the pockets so I've been doing them my own way - it's made a huge difference. In the (black) cat bag (on the left) the little pocket inside is decorated with a piece of eyelet lace and pink trim - I just happened to find the pieces in my trim box, and they were the exact width of the pocket. Obviously it was meant to be ;)

Judy - I'm looking forward to seeing more project completion pictures! :D

A rose by any other name ...

I took these pictures a few days ago - I don't have much of a green thumb so when something blooms nicely, I'm always surprised, LOL. These two miniature rose bushes were given to me by a girlfriend (hi, Mona!) last year - they wintered really well, and are blooming like crazy! Aren't they gorgeous?

Want to see some food eye candy? Here's what I made for supper last night, LOL. *insert blatant self-promotion here* :D

7 in 7 !!

Inspired by Judy @ Sew Sisters resolution to complete a project a day for 7 days (and she's made some cutie items already - check out her blog!) - I've decided to do something similar - I want to finish 7 projects in 7 days. I hadn't been at my sewing machine for about a week, so I needed a little bit of a kick in the hiney to get in gear!

For some reason now that my youngest son (18) is home from school for the summer, I haven't felt like coming down to the studio. I'm not sure why - he certainly doesn't need my attention, and in fact, spends most of the time with his girlfriend, at work, or anywhere but here at home, lol! He got called in to work today, I came down to the studio, and finished 2 projects, wooooooohooooooooooo. A grab bag from All People Quilt, and a (teenage girl, I think) pillowcase for ConKerrCancer.org :)

Goal status: 2/7 done :)

A is for ... Abbigale!

Now that the recipient has received this bib, I can post the picture --- if I do say so myself, it's mighty cute!! I made this for my bloggy friend Barb, who has a gorgeous new grand-niece named Abbigale - isn't she precious?



Here's what I made for supper tonight :D