Friday, November 22, 2013

Friday Mishmash

First up...squirrel!!! 
My one shot, before Paco noticed the squirrel and banged on the window to scare the poor thing away.  Please note the acorn in his mouth - so cute!

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At our last knitting guild meeting, we made project bags.  Everyone who had a sewing machine brought one, plus we all brought "fat quarters" of fabric to make the bags.  Side note:  it's a good thing I'm not into sewing, because our local quilt fabric store makes it look so enticing - all the beautiful fabrics, arranged by color and theme, plus tons of sample quilts hung on the walls...I spent nearly an hour there marveling at all the pretty things when I was choosing the fabric for my bag.  I ended up with two sets of fabric (couldn't decide, bought 'em both).  I took on the important job of ironing the fabric, while Amy did some magic math and folded the fabric so we could cut it in just two swipes with the rotary cutter.  I provided strong moral support for her as she sewed both of our bags...oh and I also pinned the fabric together.  Basically what I'm saying is that Amy sewed my bag for me, and she did it with a smile on her face:
It looked like a happy little sweatshop at our knitting guild last week!

Here's my bags:
This one is already in use, too!  Check out the print on the fabric - old-school VW Bugs and Campervans!  I love all the pops of orange - this one came out really well, thanks to Amy.
 
This is the bag I finished at home.  My seams are a little wider, but you wouldn't have known that if I hadn't told you...so pretend you don't know about the difference. ;)

Generally, if I'm sewing there is a "rage against the machine" vibe happening.  Frustration is the name of the game with me and sewing - I think it's a combination of my lack of precision plus a sewing machine that kept jamming, even after I had it serviced a couple of times.  So I was banned from sewing by my family...the mom rage that accompanied it disturbed too many humans and animals in my house.  But, we didn't quite get my second bag finished that night, so Amy offered to let me take her machine home (this is her travel one, she has a fancier one that stays home) to sew it.  And you know what?  I managed to finish it (and only had to rip out one seam...pinning would have helped avoid it, but who has time for that?).  And, and??  I decided to make another bag, so I went back to the quilt store and found the most appropriate fabric that they'd just gotten in:
Knitting sheep!  Yarn!  Needles!  Knitty words - so cute, right?!

I decided that Amy needed (NEEDED) a bag in this fabric as well, so I bought enough for both of us.  And I'm in the process of sewing them - go me!  Now, it'd doubtful that I'll jump into sewing like I have with knitting, but this has been fun and I'm happy to realize that I can sew a little. 

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I loved all of the feedback from my knitting/dieting post on Monday - thank you!  Since I'm in the middle of making some things for Christmas gifts, I've decided to employ the "knit for 10 minutes" tactic that Debby suggested...this way, I'm getting a little progress made, and then I can set it aside, guilt-free, and work on my gifts.

Speaking of which, here's a peek at a hat I made (don't worry, the recipient doesn't read my blog) - it's still damp from blocking, so the styrofoam head will have to be the model:
I had enough yarn leftover from Jeff's hat, and I didn't want to make the same thing, so I held both strands together (the solid green and the varigated one) to make it a bulky weight, which mean that I could make the Sugar Pine hat that I liked so much.  This is sooooo soft - I really love how it feels!

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We only have to run 8 miles tomorrow - wheee!  Although, the weather might be pretty harsh - it's looking like rain, north winds of up to 20 MPH, and temps in the low 40s.  Good thing we scheduled coffee day for this run, right?  We'll have a Starbucks traveler waiting for our runners afterward...and then?  Off to Blue Baker, where they better have some bagels waiting for us!

Have a great weekend!

16 comments:

  1. OOH LOVE LOVE LOVE THE HAT!!!!!
    duly noted is is not for me ;-)

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  2. Listen up Blue Baker! LOL.

    I'm glad we're friends because you're so crafty that if I ever need anything Ima just send a request your way. Yes, that mean in addition to not knitting, I may even be worse at sewing!

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    1. Don't send any sewing requests my way - I'm barely able to sew a straight line without breaking into flopsweat!

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  3. Oh my! I was confused and delighted at the same time! Where am I? WHAT guild is she talking about?? (I see you put knitting, but my eyes glossed over that.) Anyway, very delightful post! I love the bags. They look like a great gift project--any chance the pattern is on the web?

    Yes, a good sewing machine makes all the difference. And a little understanding of what makes it misbehave :)) I can see that in a few years, you will follow the "natural" progression and become a quilter. And, I had to check out that store online--what a great looking store. Quilt stores always list the number of bolts they have in a store, so you know just how big it is. And yours is a pretty big store!

    I love the bulky hat--great pattern.

    And good luck on your run tomorrow. How delightful to have hot coffee waiting for you at the end of a long cold run. World's best running club director : )

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    1. LOL, yes I guess seeing that sewing machine and fabric would be a shock! You would love the quilt store here in town - it's full of beautiful stuff. How funny about the bolt number listing - I never knew!

      The bag is the Lotus Drawstring Bag - several patterns seem to be on the web. The person who led us in our guild typed it up and handed it out. I can send you a copy if you'd like.

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  4. Oy with the weather "down there"! I hope you can get it to behave for your run and then tell me how to do it for Sunday. It never rains here in Oregon so I don't know how to handle it.

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    1. LOL - wait, you're in Oregon, it rains all the time there! ;)

      My biggest thing is a hat/visor with a brim to keep the rain out of my eyes. Neck gaiter is also helpful when it's so cold (I use my HooRag). Gloves. And a complete change of clothes so you can get out of the cold, wet ones as soon as you're finished!

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  5. You have your own Kyle or Lyle! Love it. I am convinced the squirrels are being way more friendly because Ed isn't here to scare them away!

    Love the sewing bags - I used to sew many moons ago - and knit, crochet and needlepoint - haven't done it in years but you are inspiring me Shelley!

    Good luck on your run tomorrow. Our morning tomorrow will start out at 12 degrees. :(

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  6. LOVE the hat, LOVE the bags, and LOVE the yoga pose that the squirrel is doing. It's the "on the stump cobra with optional acorn". Very relaxing. Have a great run tomorrow!!

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  7. Knitting guild with a sewing machine and no yarn? What is this crazy world you live in?

    I used to sew a lot more. When I was a vet tech, I did my own scrubs because the patterns were easy. Now I have forgotten all those skills, even though I still have the machines.

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  8. I used to sew, before kids!! My machine died, and it was never replaced!! I love that purple bag!! And that hat!! LOT IT!!

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  9. Awesome! Could you share the squirrel in high resolution?

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  10. Oh my goodness: now she sews too! My sewing machine is collecting dust in the addict but I used to sew a lot when I was younger. I made a lot of my own clothes myself. I even followed a study to draw patterns myself. But when I was in my 30's I didn't want to sew anymore. The knitting isn't a success either :) but I still love to cross stitch, something I have been doing since I was 16.

    Love the bags and love the hat and love your squirrel. Who by the way wouldn't last long in our garden either with Bella guarding the house and garden :)

    Hope the run went great.

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    1. And see? I used to cross stitch but haven't done that in close to 20 years...I think we all try things, but stick with what we love.

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