Starfish Alley

Tag: friends (Page 2 of 2)

Orange you glad you did?

October 21, 2011 /

When my kids were little they really loved knock knock jokes.  This was the punchline of one of them..  In this care,orange you glad you told me how to adjust the sock measurements because these will probably fit a bit better.  I talked to my victim friend with the cold feet and decided what adjustments we would like to make to the socks.  I ended up making them a bit narrower at the front as he has narrow feet.  I also lengthen the hight of the sock a bit so he could wear them inside boots without them rubbing.  This is more vintage fleece.  It seems like it might have been from an old Halloween costume although I can’t remember for sure.  It really is a bit more cantaloupe colored than the picture shows.  I found a remnant of some black swimsuit fabric when I was at Joann’s last week and it made perfect ribbing.  It has a higher lycra content than ribbing so the stretch recovery and is better and it should not overstretch as easily.  It also has a high cotton content so it should feel good on the legs.  I normally wouldn’t use black thread either but it was on the machine and it’s close to Halloween so I decided you could wear them as part of a costume if you wanted to be a pumpkin.  Also, I wanted to try the pattern adjustments and decided that once they’re inside shoes or worn around the house it didn’t really matter what the color looked like.  The contrast is fine with me also and adds a bit of interest to plain old socks.

A new shawl

October 16, 2011 /

My dear friend Gretchen knit me a pair of slippers last fall.  She knew that my office floor can be cold in the winter and the cozy felted slippers would keep my feet warm.

Now this wonderful friend has knit me a lovely warm sea-foam colored shawl.  It’s very lacy and warm.  I’ve never had a shawl before so I’m looking forward to using it.  It’s soft and lightweight and very pretty.  I’m sure that I’ll get a lot of use from it.  I did show my bridge friends the other night and they were impressed.  Thanks Gretchen, I’m pleased!

Fleece Socks

October 11, 2011 /

Many moons ago…or at least fifteen years I think, I was in a fleece sock making mode.  I made big socks, little socks, lightweight socks, heavy socks, patterned sock and plain socks.  Yes I had a great time.  They were fast and easy with my new serger.  When my family was no longer interested in fleece socks, I mean how many pair of fleece socks can a person wear, I gave socks to friends and finally had to give up the fleece sock adventure and move to something else.  Now I’ve had one of those friends ask for new fleece socks.  It’s getting to be fall and the feet are getting cold and the old socks have finally worn out.

This was such a fun project.  I went into the storage room where all the “vintage” fabrics and patterns are located and shopped.  I located fleece and my favorite sock pattern. This is a Rain Shed pattern.  The Rain Shed company is located in Corvallis Oregon so they really understand the local climate and needs.  This pattern is very high quality, it fits well and is fast to sew.  It also produces a professional end product which makes it very satisfying to sew.

The first pair is done.  Now the victim or I mean friend can come and test the fit and I’ll be inclined to sew a few more pair.

fleece socks

Birthdays and more birthdays

October 5, 2011 /

It seems like I have lots of friend with birthdays in the next few weeks.  I’m having fun sewing up some new things and each friend will receive something different.  It’s a great way for me to try new things and fun to think of something each friend might use.  I really hate the idea of giving a gift that is not useful in some way.  Then it’s just clutter and something to pass along as a white elephant gift.  Well, I guess the holidays are coming if they want to get rid of these things…  Today I’ve created a dishtowel with some decoration at the bottom.  I had some Huck towelling yardage and that works great for towels.  It’s soft and absorbent and you can bleach it when it becomes dingy.  I also made a rice bag that can either be frozen or heated.  This friend is having a knee replacement the day before her birthday so I was trying to think of something she might find useful in the next few weeks.  This surgery event also made it difficult to choose a birthday card.  Was kind of hard to pick on that said to have a great day or some such thought.  It will soon be a good day but I suspect that may not be her happiest birthday in recent years.  She will be happy with the end result however and that is good.

 

Sewing with Snoopy

September 8, 2011 /

Yesterday I went to Tacoma to celebrate with a good friend who had an 80th birthday.  This “young” man lives in a nursing home and doesn’t have much space so I’ve been thinking about what to bring to celebrate the big birthday.  When I was in Joann Fabrics a couple of weeks ago I found a piece of flannel in the remnant bin (I always check out the remnants) and knew this would be perfect for a pillow case for Don.  He loves Snoopy and Charlie Brown and whenever I find something Snoopy related I buy it and save it so I can send it off to a new home.  I also had some Snoopy post it notes, magnets and some pens.  The next thought of course was what to put them in.  A bag certainly was the answer and I found this really cute Peanuts fabric so I made a bag.  It’s light weight and rolls up so it can be stored in a small space or tucked in a pocket or the basket of the walker and it will be ready when he needs it.  Very compact and easy to take when he goes to the store the  bookmobile or on a short visit to friends or relatives.  Happy Birthday Mr. B!

A wedding gift.

August 8, 2011 /

The daughter of a good friend has just gotten married.  She and the gentleman have both had their own homes and also lived together for several years which always creates the dilemma of how to recognize this new union and give them something that they might have a use for.  I hate to spend money on something that’s just going to be clutter.  I know that they have outdoor activities that they enjoy and go to sporting events and such so maybe a “picnic sports blanket” would be a suitable addition to their household.  This pattern by Nancy Zieman of Sewing with Nancy fame was a project that turned out well.  As with any new pattern, when I’m in the middle I wonder if this is really going to work or if it’s going to be recycled into something else.  The biggest challenge was with the velcro closure strap that ended up being too short.  The pattern instructions said how far in to place the handle straps but they did not tell you how far from the top of the blanket they needed to be.  I must have put them lower than was intended because the closure strap was too short.  It did work ok but I was not pleased with the appearance so I removed the strap, recut a new one and sewed it into place.  I’m so pleased I made that decision because now it does look good and I will feel good about giving it as a gift.  I do have several other large pieces of fleece in my stash from projects that were planned but not executed so this one will probably get made again.  All in all, a success!

Girs Scouts Together.

July 20, 2011 /

Well, the last few weeks have certainly been busy.  I’ve just spent a week at Girl Scout camp.  It’s always a great time but this year the weather was not as cooperative as sometimes.  We did have a bit of blue skies but mostly it was cool and grey.  Not much rain until the end of the week which was nice however.  We usually have about 160 girls and 52 staff so it’s a busy place with lots of laughter, friends and great outdoor activities.  This picture is from a trip on the lake by some of the staff about 9 in the evening.  We raft the canoes together and travel around the lake and sing for about an hour or so.  For those of us “vintage” scouts we get to sing all the old songs that we love and have the pleasure of teaching these wonderful old traditions to the younger leaders who have not had an opportunity to sing them all for these years.  It was a terribly windy day this year until about 5 minutes before we were to make the decision to go or not.  The GS Gods were with us and we got to go and once again celebrate this wonderful tradition.

Poulsbo

June 8, 2011 /

Yesterday I took the ferry across the water to meet a dear friend.  We met on our first day of college and our friendship has endured through all the years and all sorts of good times and hard times.  Nice to have a friend like that. We can always pick up where the last conversation ended even if it’s been months or sometimes it has been a year or two.  She lives about an hour and a half from me so although we share regular email we only get a real visit every few months.  Yesterday was the day!  She has a niece getting married next summer and that child has asked for a king sized quilt.  Now my DF is an accomplished seamstress but in recent years has found knitting to be more her calling.  It was with great pleasure that we met at Heirloom Quilts and Fabrics in Poulsbo.  With the a bit of time and some help from the sewing experts in the store we picked out some gorgeous batik fabric for the quilt.  She has a year to craft this lovely gift and is anxious to get it started.  She is going to piece the top and have it professionally quilted.  I’m excited to see the end result.

What would a trip to a quilt shop be however if I didn’t make a purchase as well.  I certainly need to support the local economy.  Actually, I was very restrained and only came home with three pieces of fabric.  I was a very good girl!  Now I’m anxious to get back to some sewing however.  I did manage to get a few blocks sewn yesterday but there will be no more time for several days.  For now I will just have to be content to stare at the new additions and dream the dream of projects yet to come.

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