Category: handmade (Page 3 of 14)

Graduation Time of Year

June 2, 2015 / Patty

It’s graduation time of year again. I don’t really have close to me relatives graduating this year but do know two ladies that I want to recognize. Graduation is a big accomplishment if it is high school or college. The first lady is a high school graduate and like I’ve done many times over the last several years I’ve made a zip bag. I love to make these and they are so handy to have around. I have odds and ends in my purse, like Tylenol, eye drops etc. I have one for my cell phone, I have one for my Kindle and I have one for all of my charging cords. The usefulness can go on and on. I hope this lady will like her zip pouch as she heads off to college and finds it useful for some of life’s odd and ends.

The second lady is older and a college graduate. She has put herself through school while working full-time and I have lots of admiration for her and her hard work. She is also a Girl Scout volunteer and for many years has volunteered one week of her vacation at a summer overnight Girl Scout camp. As I puzzled about how to recognize her I decided I could make her a pillowcase that was designed especially for camp. Her camp name relates to a small animal and there are many interesting small wildlife creatures at camp so I thought this was a fitting recognition and something that she will use, enjoy and it will not show any dirt. At camp this is always a bonus even if you do sleep inside!.

So for this year, graduation sewing is done. Next on the agenda is a couple of aprons and at least two baby quilts. One of those quilts has been pieced so now it’s just layering, quilting and binding.

A few more odds and ends

April 18, 2015 / Patty

Here are a few more odds and ends. Mostly pictures.

I’m still making and decorating towels.

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Also some embroidery

And a custom yoga bag for an oversize yoga mat.

A long time coming..

November 20, 2014 / Patty

This post has been a long time coming. Sometimes life just gets in the way. So far this year hubby has broken a foot, and then broke his leg, was in the hospital and in rehab and not walking for 3 months. Just before he got the ok to start putting weight on his leg my mother passed away. Now we’re approaching the holidays and I’m trying to get things in order. I think it may be awhile.

I have done some sewing but not much really. I did make this cute apron for a young woman getting married. I find that often these younger folks not only don’t do as much cooking but have never owned an apron but are grateful to have one and find they are really quite handy. I like aprons and have many and will continue to make more. It was a bit of a shock to count the number of apron patterns that I own and I told a friend that if she caught me looking at apron patterns to remind me I was on restriction!

Quick graduation gift

July 9, 2014 / Patty

I knew a couple of young ladies that were graduating and needed a quick graduation gift. I’ve made pouches for young ladies this age before and found they have been well received. They seem to be useful for odds and end and all kinds of other things. I made these a tad bigger so they could be used for charging cords. I don’t know about you, but it seems like I am taking more of these with me when I travel places and it’s hard to find a convenient place to store them where you can find them again. I hate to keep looking for my things and try to keep them all together and be consistent about where I put my belongings so this is important to me. These young ladies will not have mothers with them to keep track of their things when they leave for college in a few weeks so I’m hopeful that these pouches will be useful.

In my dreams..

July 7, 2014 / Patty

In my dreams I update this blog frequently with new projects and fun sewing activities. In reality, I just dream about it because there really has not been a lot of sewing. I did make a couple of skirts for a daughter’s birthday. I’ve also done a few zippered pouches and a bit of mending. I’ve also made a few dish towels with some applique. I would love to do more and maybe that will happen and maybe only a dream for a while. Part of the reason is just far more hours spent working. You know those adult kind of work things. I’ve also done some reading and tending to family issues.

This week is camp week however. After 21 years of attending Girl Scout camp as an adult and many more years as a girl, camp seems to be a part of my summer. I “retired” from camp a couple of years ago but still have lots of friends who attend and carry on this fabulous tradition. It looks like they will have a great week this week too. I try to send some mail but it needs to be sent at the beginning of the week or it will not arrive in time.

Although I didn’t think of this very far in advance I wanted to send mail and thought it should be a bit different. I’ve read about fabric post cards and have some leftover Girl Scout fabric so thought I would give it a try. Although these are not very elegant or elaborate it was a fun diversion and I’m going to make some more. Because it was a last minute thought I decided that I would use what I had on hand. I had some Peltex and Wonder Under so I created my own double stick post card base and then experimented with ironing on the fabric and doing some simple applique. I got some permanent fabric markers and sent them through the postal mail. I do hope they receive them and if not I do have a picture.

Off to make a couple more. I have several friends that were not able to go due to health reasons. I thought they might like camping@home mail.

Oh So Long…

April 11, 2014 / Patty

Oh so long since I’ve been here. I keep thinking about posting and when I get to the computer there are always so many things to do that it slips by again. I’m really getting anxious to start sewing again. Daughter 2 is back on her own and feeling better after chemo and I’m trying to get organized and get my life in order again. Not sure if that will ever happen but I am optimistic!

The month of December was chaotic in many ways. I took a road trip with one of my brothers and got back about the 10th of December. This really limited my getting ready for Christmas events. Never did seem to get organized. One of the things I did spend several months doing however was making folded star Christmas ornaments. I cut all the pieces and kept the supplies next to my rocking chair and every night I made ornaments. I really enjoyed the process and the combinations. As with any project there are some that I liked better than others and some fabrics were better suited to this project and it took me some time to figure it all out. I could continue making these but not sure what else to do with them once they are all complete. I think most folks I know now have one. I guess I could finally open the Etsy story I have registered and sell them. Something to think about and that will remain to be seen. For now however, here is a picture of all that loveliness.

Thread nest

December 13, 2013 / Patty

I have a thread nest in a bowl. These are the remains from stitching the week I was in Palm Springs. Really, I had a good week. A little visiting, some sight-seeing and lots of down time. It really was a good change for me. This has been a hectic and chaotic year. The stitching was for more towels. There are still some folks in my world that don’t have these towels yet and I’m still enjoying working on them.. Not sure when I will stop but until then it’s a great evening activity while I’m watching TV. More to come. It’s that time of year.

A Halloween Mat

October 8, 2013 / Patty

A Halloween mat is now on my desk at work. I have this wonderful wooden desk and I hate to put water glasses and coffee cups on the desk. I also don’t like to put food directly on the desk top because let’s face it, it’s really not very clean! This is a desk that has been used by many people over the years and is cleaned by a cleaning team at night and I really don’t know what has been on it . My solution has been a little mat, coaster etc. that will serve several purposes. Protecting the lovely wood and also protecting my lunch. I’ve wanted a new little mat for some time. I’ve used the last one every day for about a year and a half and although I still like it, it was time for a change. I made this little Halloween one in a hurry. I had an idea in mind when I started that didn’t turn out at all like I planned so this was the second choice. It’s fine with me. I like the way it turned out. Kind of sloppy binding job but I’m really the only one that sees it so that’s fine with me. This is about it for my Halloween decorations this year. How about you. Any decorating at your house?

One For Me

August 26, 2013 / Patty

One for me. I actually decided that I was going to sew something for myself today. The nice thing was that I decided I wanted to do it and actually finished! Now I have to admit it’s not a very complicated sewing job or even very time-consuming but it is something I’ve wanted for several months. A little bag to carry my iPad and maybe a snack in when we go to chemo. We have been going to chemo every week since the beginning of May and only have one month left so I decided I better not puzzle over this any longer but just get ‘er done. I had a piece of fabric that I’ve bought tn both the blue and orange colorways but decided to use the blue. For the lining I used a chrysanthemum print that is not a favorite but looked good with the fabric and actually looks nice in the bag interior. I made simple fabric handles, used iron on batting to give it a little shape, used an elastic band and a spare button and now it’s done. I made a shallow boxed bottom to create a little depth and I think it will be perfect. Just a little bag but a satisfying finish. Yes, one for me.

Red, white and blue.

July 4, 2013 / Patty

Red white and blue is the theme for today. Yes, even here in Edmonds it’s a holiday. Our little town has a children’s parade, a regular parade, a holiday run, activities in the park and even fireworks. It’s been fun to drive around town the day before these activities and see the people preparing for this big day. This photo was taken yesterday morning.By 10 pm last night the chairs were elbow to elbow. Too bad it was too dark to take a picture because it certainly made me chuckle.

It has been a quiet day here at our house. I finished the binding on the red, white and blue table runner. It was cut from a remnant that I found at JoAnn’s last summer. It was nice to have it in my stash so when the motivation struck, I was able to pull the fabric, use the AccuQuilt Go cutter and get to work.

We did have some folks stop in the afternoon. Soon we’ll have some barbecued hamburgers and beans. A traditional kind of 4th meal. The sun is out and I may go and finish the baby quilt that is sitting waiting for some batting and quilting. That needs to be finished by next Friday so I’ll have to get in gear. Second choice is to sit in the sun and read. Hope you are having a wonderful day too.

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