Christmas 2012--More Photos

Well, blogger has been unwilling to let me add images for a few days, so finally here's a few more photos from this Christmas....

We made gingerbread cookies this year, but we don't stand on tradition.

We make regular gingerbread girls and boys...

Yum! Cinnamon candies and icing make for a nice simple gingerbread man.

 ...and not so regular.

Zombies and vampires, oh my!

Our favorite recipe is an old pioneer one, only we substitute Crisco vegetable shortening for the lard.  I like how mild it is which goes perfectly with cocoa or cider.

Mom piping out the requests.

Lots of presents all around.  We had a really great year and everyone was very generous and thoughtful.


Everyone got presents this year...

...a new outfit for Kara,

This adorable Supergirl outfit was handmade and purchased on Etsy.  That's Krypto in the wagon, he's Kara's best friend!

 and one for Adyn too.

A retired AG outfit with a cute button down flannel shirt and corduroy pants.  That's  me right behind her in my new flannel shirt.  And of course, Stars the Little had to sneak in for the photo!

Pillowcase Bags for Brother

I had my brother's name for Christmas this year and decided to make him a bag for all his adventures.  But, then he sent a list of ideas, none of which were bags.  Well, I'd already bought the fabric and hardware, so he was just going to have to live with a bag.  Still, I wanted him to have something he wanted so I saw the custom pillowcase idea and went with it.  (Apparently he has some odd size pillows due to a groupon purchase by an ex-girlfriend.)

Well, I'd just finished watching the two free bag making classes on Craftsy (which you should definitely check out) and one of them was on a lined drawstring bag---bingo!  So with measurements of the weird pillow in hand, I calculated out what I hope is the correct dimensions for manly pillowcases. 

Yes, that is my foot in the corner!  These sheets are soft and have a kind of sheen to them.

I used two twin size sheets for these and had some of each leftover.  I picked navy and chocolate brown as colors as they would go with whatever sheets he has, don't look grungy as fast and are "manly" colors.  (Apparently he didn't want the polka dots, hehe.)  Also, sheets are pretty thick and sturdy for multiple washings and where he goes to a laundry mat (and is a single guy) I figured anything remotely resembling a delicate or casual cycle is nowhere to be seen.

The inside is reversed with chocolate for the main part and navy for the stripe.  The blue side has the drawstrings.  This makes them into pretty sturdy fabric bags that can be used for things like stuffing the bedding in when going to the laundry mat.  Not a bad idea for college kids either.

So, there you go--four pillowcases that take up the space of two!

Christmas for Stars

Well, once again, Stars made out like a bandit this Christmas--but he's so sweet, that it's fun to give him things.  He got lots of tasty treats from my brother including his favorite salmon bites from Zukes and a can of Taste of the Wild (the prairie one) canned food (has bison and venison and lamb in it) because my brother thought it was too cool to think of Stars eating on a buffalo.  Stars, the dire wolf baby, scarfed that stuff down like it was cheese.  Watch out Montana!

Stars likes to unwrap his own presents!  Some help from a sister is needed at times though.

From one sister he got a pile of beanie babies which he will lovingly rip out the eyes on at some future date.  (He's very particular about taking out all hard safety eyes on every toy.) From the other sister he got a really brightly colored pillow pal bear (right bottom corner in above photo) which he has happily dragged around the house to shake furiously at random moments (usually near my head).  He also likes to lay his head on it.  Mom and Dad gave him lots of treats too.

Grandma sent him a polar fleece blanket.  She makes "quilts" from polar fleece using her serger and they're quite wonderful to wrap in while reading a book.

All cuddled up in a blanket from Grandma, well, until the rather bright flash went off!

I made Stars a new bed pad for by the front door where he likes to take up watch.  You can see part of it in the above photo--its the green stripe fabric thing folded up funny on the right.  I also made him his traditional Christmas blanket and a new coat.

The blanket is made from upcycled denim and corduroy on the front and one of those plush cuddle minky throws you find in the stores.  The corduroys include a dark navy, plum, lilac, bright pink, a couple of reds and a dark teal color.  There's even three rectangles with a puffy scottie dog applique on them.  Needless to say this baby is soft and squishy, perfect to cuddle my Stars in.

Thanks sis for holding that up while I tried not to trip over Christmas presents!

 I wanted something modern and free form but not wobbly curvy.  So I stuck with strips, squares and rectangles, some of which I cut at angles.  It turned out pretty much like what I was envisioning, so I'm happy with it.

Here you can see a bit closer how the pieces are not wobbly but are skewed and and wonky sometimes to add to the overall mod art look that I was going for.

Stars adores his new quilt which he has slept under for the past few nights and guards from any who might think they're going to borrow it!

Finally a few minutes of sunshine.  Stars happily went out for photos... well, he went out happily, but he didn't want to cooperate for photos.

His new coat is from a lovely raspberry corduroy (not so pink as the photos show, more purple in it) and lined with a baby blue sweatshirt fleece sewn fuzzy side out.

Look fast!  Here's the blue lining used.  Stars was busy chasing anything he saw, so I was busy chasing him!

I used my typical Butterick 4226, this time with the collar which is rather oversized but gives a classy touch to this basic coat.  I did skip the whole add binding hassle and just sewed each piece up wrong sides together and then turned right sides out.  I attached the belly band straps and collars to the exterior body piece before sewing it to the lining body piece so that the ends would all be neatly concealed in the seams. 

See the top stitching around all the edges and the stitching for the velcro strips.

I again used the 12 inch strips of wide velcro which is something I will continue to do--it makes it easier to adjust for size changes and gives a more secure attachment.  (The last thing I need is a strap coming undone while he's tearing through the yard at top speed!)  I simply zigzag around the edges.  Also, I put the soft side on the straps that will face Stars so that he won't be irritated by the prickly side or get his hair caught in it.


A bit fuzzy because cooperating was not on the menu, but you can see the side of the coat where the straps open at.

And after being told to settle down so I could get decently focused pictures....

Little mopey face!  He really is a good little guy.  He just has a bit of a cold and was finally getting some sunshine.

So, all is forgiven and I'll just make do with chasing down a happy border collie for out of focus pictures.

There's my smile!  And a great view of the other side of the coat.

So, Stars loved his Christmas presents along with the beautiful lights on the tree and constant Christmas music, but the photo shoot was definitely over!

Enough is enough!

Sew Buzzy November block

Just a really quick post to show you the block made for November in Sew Buzzy.

Muriel (a member from round 1) asked for the converging corners block.  She always sends lovely fabrics to work with, great taste.  Basically, the block is a log cabin but two of the corners are prints and two are solids around a center of print.  When all the blocks are together it creates a very cool looking quilt!



I like that she didn't use white for the solid, something not expected.  I'd like to do one in blues with a navy solid.

So, if you'd like to give this block a try (and its very easy, I promise) here's the tutorial from Film in the Fridge.  You'll want to make a quilt too!

I've got lots of projects to show you from Christmas, but I've got to resize the photos first.  Hope you all had a marvelous time with family and friends!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

There's a lot, and I do mean a lot, of great deals out there.  Where will you shop?  While there are some awesome finds in stores, those lines can be nightmares and the crowds, goodness!  Avoid both with some online fun (yes, I do love the online shopping).

Here are some great places to check out (and no, I'm not a sales rep, just a happy customer):

Craftsy is offering classes for $19.99!  I'm enrolled in several (a great way to spend my RSI recovery time) and they are well produced and a fun way to take a class (because sometimes 1 AM in my pjs is the best way to learn, or at least the only quiet time).  Quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, cake making--they've got the range.  Heck, there's even a cheesemaking class on there!  Want to make a skirt--boom!  There's a class.  Learning to sew--boom!  Another class.  Modern quilt making or free motion quilting?  Well, you get the idea.

Fashion Sewing Supply is offering 15% off popular interfacings!  Those of you who've ordered from here know that Pam's interfacings just can't be beat.  There's a whole range of both sew-in and fusible, many of which are offered in both white or ivory and black.  Pick up some fusible pro-tricot deluxe and pro-sheer elegance, two of my favs.  Maybe you signed up for that shirt making class on Craftsy--don't forget the interfacing!  I like the pro-woven light crisp and pro-woven shirt crisp, two great fusibles that any shirtmaker should have on hand.  While you're shopping, get some of the elastic for skirts and pjs (I use the 3/4 inch for pjs all the time.)

Of course there are places like Amazon which runs deals all day, as well as their regular discounts on books.  (I'm such a sucker for books!) 

Patternreview has a sale going on their classes (just signed up for a couple of the online ones to try), membership fee is discounted, and they've got a sale on some of their patterns and cd/e-books!  A great community over there too!

Most of the fabric stores are having sales too.  Here's a few:

Fabric Mart
Fabric Depot (if you're near Portland, the retail location has lots of sales too)
Nature's Fabrics
Fat Quarter Shop (code "jingle" gets you 25% off)
Fabric.com (go to their coupon corner for additional savings codes)

So check out your favorite spots (don't forget sellers on Etsy) for some great deals and have fun!

Hug Monkey

A month and a half ago, my sister asked me to create a monkey toy for a baby shower she was attending (for her boss).  She wanted something infant safe, easy to clean, bright boy-appropriate colors and, of course, adorable.  I decided to add a bit of quirky in as well when I was sketching him up.

Presenting, the hug monkey...

Hug Monkey says "hi".

I know, totally fun and adorable.  It's the fabric, stripes make the monkey. 

Weird how the stripes underneath show up in photos but not when you're right there looking at it.  Hmm...

Because this is going to a new baby, I didn't want any possible choking hazards, so no buttons or attachments or any kind.  I also used a narrow zigzag (almost a satin stitch) around all the face parts which were also fused down.  Probably overkill, but I didn't want it to have any possibility of falling apart with (I hope) the constant handling of a baby and small child.  If this toy becomes the favorite, which would be totally awesome, then it'll get gooed and drooled on, taken everywhere, the occasional bath, pulled and squeezed, and somewhat dirty.  This monkey is prepared.

Talk to the tail.  LOL

Hug Monkey's tail is a lovely coordinating green that's been fused and stitched down.  I thought about making it a free hanging tail, but decided against it as this one will be starting life with a baby and I wasn't sure a long tail would make it through childhood (and the more paranoid side of me thought it could become a choking hazard...you never know with little boys).  Arms and legs are made from some PUL fabric.  I figured those would be the most handled parts (and infants often stuff things in their mouth when teething) so the choice of PUL was for easier cleaning.  If a fabric can hold up for diapers, then it should work for a toy just fine!  And that beautiful stripey fabric?  I found a fabulous set of infant/toddler sheets (with plenty of fabric for future hug monkeys).

Quirky face and a little heart makes him super lovable!

The fabric face and heart are made from quilting cotton.  The mouth was hand embroidered.  Deliberately different sizes and set at different levels, the appendages help add to the overall whimsy of this goofy fellow.  Hug Monkey is stuffed heavily in the body for years of hugging and has a little bit in the appendages for a nice squishy feel and easy grabbing for little hands.

Overall, I think this hug monkey fits the bill.  At the baby shower, the mom-to-be had to keep taking Hug Monkey away from the toddler sibling, so he'll definitely do as this new baby comes and grows.

Hug Monkey loves you!

Update:  Mom-to-be went into the hospital with labor Wednesday.  Future hug-monkey-lover is on the way!  Congratulations to the entire family!

RSI or Repetitive Stress Injury

RSI.  Ever heard of it?  Maybe you've heard of carpal tunnel, which is a type of repetitive stress injury.  Well, I don't have carpal tunnel (at least I don't think I do), but I definitely have some RSI going on in my forearms and wrists.  Talk about painful...and highly annoying.

Last June, when cleaning the kitchen at the school where I work part-time, I did some way overboard scrubbing trying to get everything cleaned for summer shutdown.  The lead cook had simply stuffed pans in the storage room and left without cleaning a thing.  In fact, she hadn't really cleaned anything all year long...but that's a different story. 

Well, after four hours of scrubbing my arms were somewhat numb and dead feeling (kind of like how you feel after running a marathon) and I went home tired and exhausted to take a nap.  When I woke up my arms felt like they were on fire with pain from the elbows to the hands.  Lots of pain killers, some proDHA and some heat packs later, the inflammation went down and over about a week the pain went away and I felt better.  I didn't really think about filling out a worker's comp claim as school had closed for the summer and I was busy with everything else.  (Yes, I'm filling one out now and will try and find a competent doctor.)  With all the hassle of legal issues this summer, I didn't really do any sewing or computer work so that let my arms rest which really made a difference.

Unfortunately, after only 2 1/2 months of work (okay September was full time as I was filling in for an open position along with my shift), my arms and wrists are back to hurting--although, thankfully, not anywhere near as bad as back in June.  I've got a brace coming for my right hand (if I like it, I'll snag one for the left) and a book that, hopefully, will teach me some exercises and ways to avoid making things worse.  But, it does mean a major cut back in my extra online activities and sewing.  Which stinks big time.  Scissors...rotary cutter...not my friends right now!  Christmas is going to be hard to get ready for even with having already cut out most of my sewing projects.  (I've even got some already sewn, so that's good!)

I've got some projects already done and photographed still to share and some projects all cut out which I should be able to sew together after a bit of rest, so hopefully you'll still enjoy reading my blog.  But I would love to hear any great tips or advice you have for healing up RSI.  I really don't think the permanent use of pain pills and braces are a solution.  I'm thinking of trying some acupuncture, therapeutic exercises and such to actually heal the problem, not just mask it.  After all, I want to continue sewing and quilting and doing the things I love.  So bring on the suggestions!