That's Kelsey, Kiefer's girlfriend holding one of her Christmas presents. His name is Cooper. Doesn't he look sweet there? Actually he is a little devil who runs around so much it has taken me this long to get a picture of him that doesn't look like this:
or this:
How does he move so fast that he looks like a ghost dog?
Here's the real Cooper:
So, how long does this puppy stage last???
He does sleep sometimes--kind of:
Oh, don't let that sweet little face fool you. He's just worn out from attacking everyone and everything.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Japanese Knot Bag
After the dragon stuffie, I needed something nice and easy. This pattern is from Helen Heath's blog, Show Your Workings, and it's free!
This is what it looks like opened:
You slide the longer loop handle through the shorter one. You can put your hand through the longer loop and let it hang on your arm or wrist. The pattern at Helen site has pics of hers. This was so quick and easy! Check out the pattern. It's such a cool little bag.
This is what it looks like opened:
You slide the longer loop handle through the shorter one. You can put your hand through the longer loop and let it hang on your arm or wrist. The pattern at Helen site has pics of hers. This was so quick and easy! Check out the pattern. It's such a cool little bag.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Dragon Has Arrived - Review of DIY Fluffies Yoki the Dragon Pattern
I'm naming him Skye Blue (Yes, I am name stealing from Beyonce) |
After making about 40 stuffed creatures last year, I felt I would easily be up to this, but I found the pattern to be confusing or vague in several essential places. I finally blew the pattern up to twice the size (if I'm going to do this work, I want a good size beast to show for it), ignored half the directions, and improvised. Some of the changes were to make it more kid friendly. The original seems more like a "I'm going to sit on the shelf stuffie" rather than a "I'm going to get dragged around by the ear" one. I started to write up the changes and take pics, but this would have been one very long post. Should you decide to make one and have questions, I'd be happy to share.
This is the third time in the past few years that I've gotten a pattern from a small company only to find that I am going to be doing a lot of work to actually have usable pattern pieces. Too bad we can't see what's inside before purchasing them.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Butterfly Cabinet, A Novel by Bernie McGill
I loved this book despite it's dark theme. The Butterfly Cabinet is loosely based on an actual incident that happened in l892 in Ireland. A well-to-do mother is accused of having caused the death of her child. The chapters alternate between a woman, now in her nineties, who was employed in the house at the time of the death and the prison diary of the mother. While the central mystery revolves around coming to understand what really happened that day, much of the writing brings the reader to understand why it happened, what about these characters brought them to their actions on that day.
The only negative for me was that the modern day story (well, if you can call 1968 modern;-}) is hardly developed. The book is comparatively short. There was certainly room for showing how these past events affect later generations. The main story line, though, is well worth the read.
It's a great choice for a book club because McGill does not force answers on the reader. She presents the information. We decide--and it's not as easy as it sounds. It's the kind of story you think about long after finishing the book. I don't often push for books in my book club, but this is one I'd love to delve into with others. You can click on the book cover below to see what Amazon reviewers have to say. If you do read it, let me know what you think.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Hood from Simplicity 5857
This is what you do when your resident model is still sleeping and you want to get a photo of the new hood. Kinda creepy, isn't it? |
The pattern called for fleece, but I went with a corduroy and silky lining. I wanted it to lie flatter when I push it back. While there is no give when sliding it over the head, there was more than enough room for me to get it on and off comfortably. I will admit to having a bit of a pinhead, though. If you try the pattern in a material that doesn't have stretch, do a muslin first to be sure it will be okay for you.
Here is it on the in-house model, Melissa. |
Monday, January 9, 2012
Beret from Simplicity Pattern
You have no idea how long I've been hanging on to this pattern (Simplicity Accessories 5857). This month's sewing challenge from Sew Much 2 Luv has given me the push to actually accomplish a few things. All the waiting to do this and it took about an hour from reading the pattern to finishing the sewing. I used a small piece of leftover fleece from last year's scarf.
Thanks to Melissa for modeling for me as always. There she was trying to eat breakfast, and I have her posing for me. (How does someone look this good right after getting up in the morning?)
You can join the challenge any week this month. No need to do it every week. Give it a go if you have some sewing project in the works or just go see what everyone's been up to. I've gotten so many great ideas and found great new blogs while wandering through the entries.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Gym Bag is Finished!!
I'm trying to do the after Christmas sewing challenge with Sew Much To Luv. I did NOT think I'd pull this week off, but I did it! This is from a Mackerilla Design pattern called Cruzer and Little Cru. This is the Cruzer version.
I love this bag! It has an open pocket divided into two on this side. And the other side has a zippered pocket--first time I've sewn one. Not hard at all.
There are side pockets for my water bottles/glasses/whatever-I'm draggin'.
You can see the zippered top flap and lining in this pic.
This is a great pattern on so many levels. It's a great bag with all kinds of pockets. It can be used as a backpack or over the shoulder. The instructions are simple and detailed enough even for the pattern-challenged like me. This pushed me into trying new techniques and working with new materials including a couple of stabilizers. (It doesn't require multiple kinds of stabilizers. I just wanted to try a few out.)
The only problem I had was finding the hardware. Heads up: go find the hardware before cutting the material for the straps. Changing the width of the straps to accommodate what your sewing center has available is much easier than trooping off to every possible store and combing the internet to find the right size. I could not find 1-1/4" loops or sliders. I could have purchased them online, but the shipping charges were outrageous. One inch sliders worked, but I couldn't get one inch loops in the same color. I finally used one and a half inch loops that are fine. I'm sure that no one will notice that the loops are slightly too large and wider than the sliders but me.
Join in the challenge! Click here.
I love this bag! It has an open pocket divided into two on this side. And the other side has a zippered pocket--first time I've sewn one. Not hard at all.
There are side pockets for my water bottles/glasses/whatever-I'm draggin'.
You can see the zippered top flap and lining in this pic.
This is a great pattern on so many levels. It's a great bag with all kinds of pockets. It can be used as a backpack or over the shoulder. The instructions are simple and detailed enough even for the pattern-challenged like me. This pushed me into trying new techniques and working with new materials including a couple of stabilizers. (It doesn't require multiple kinds of stabilizers. I just wanted to try a few out.)
The only problem I had was finding the hardware. Heads up: go find the hardware before cutting the material for the straps. Changing the width of the straps to accommodate what your sewing center has available is much easier than trooping off to every possible store and combing the internet to find the right size. I could not find 1-1/4" loops or sliders. I could have purchased them online, but the shipping charges were outrageous. One inch sliders worked, but I couldn't get one inch loops in the same color. I finally used one and a half inch loops that are fine. I'm sure that no one will notice that the loops are slightly too large and wider than the sliders but me.
Join in the challenge! Click here.
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