Just 3 Things

I've had a busy week. I feel like it was a week with a lot of accomplishments. So, that is always a good thing. I've done quite a bit of sewing. The Mister and I got flu vaccinations. We attended a couple of meetings related to our volunteer work. We've cooked some tasty meals and completed some home maintenance chores. 

- What I've Been Working On -

After a mistake bag was created earlier in the week, I was not going to give up on the idea that was in my head. I pulled out my upcycle jeans again and cut the pieces for a new bag. This time, I decided to run a quilting stitch across the denim to give it a little different look but still follow the same concept. This time I watched the tutorial and paused for stitching. Then, watched a bit more and paused for stitching, and so on. This time, I didn't have the same sort of mistake. This time I made the bag that was in my head.

This time I had a different mistake, however. I set up the monogram using the same font as before but this time I set it up in a more traditional way. I placed the quilted fabric on my magnetic hoop just like I did for the previous one. However, this time, the movement of the hoop brought the presser foot much closer to the magnets holding the fabric. That caused the fabric to move because the magnetic force pulled the magnet toward the presser foot. I had left the machine to make a quick trip to the bathroom and when I returned, I had a mess. I stopped the machine, took the fabric out of the hoop and picked out the mess. Then, realigned it and picked up where it had left off. The the first letter - the H - looked alright and the 'fix' wasn't even noticeable. Then, I started the machine to work on the second letter. Again, the magnet interfered and caused a mess before I could stop it. This time, I couldn't get the fabric rehooped precisely and was not satisfied with the result I was going toward. So, I stopped the stitching and went back to the drawing board with another piece of the denim. That meant I had to repeat the quilting process on a new piece of fabric. It was a small price to pay to satisfy my own standards. Thank goodness I hadn't already attached the zipper. That made it far easier to choose starting all over again with that side. This time I used a different hoop with no magnets and just spent more time pressing out the creases from the hoop when it finished embroidering. I added loops at the end of the zipper like the Boxy Bag Tutorial suggested. I also added a strap for a handle using a contrasting denim from a different pair of jeans.

Boxy Bag for Harris

I really like working with the denim. I'm wondering if I should have used foam to give the bag a little bit more structure. The batting gives it a nice heft but the weight of the denim just doesn't hold the shape like I thought it would. It is soft and will hold a lot of toiletries or whatever needs a teen boy might have for traveling, a sleepover, or storage. I showed both bags I had created to another grandson and he suggested using the taller tote for toiletries and that a pair of shoes might fit in the boxy bag. I don't think Harris's shoes would fit, though - he's got a pretty big foundation! 

I believe the boxy bag would be a good size toiletry bag even if I cut it down a couple of inches like I mentioned I could have salvaged the mistake bag. That would have just made it about 3-4 inches more narrow. I guess I have some tweaks to make before stitching up my next one.

Denim Bag Set

I like the idea that I've created something by upcycling old jeans. Most of the garment was in good shape with just a rip or small thread-bare spot. The jeans had been washed enough times that the fabric is soft but not worn out. I've been reading about how much of our clothing goes to the landfill and I'm glad I didn't add to this problem. 

This makes sort of a set for a guy. Everything is not created using the exact same contrasting and lining fabric but the denim and font choice is a consistent thread that ties it all together. I've stitched up a pencil pouch, a boxy bag, and the zipped tote. If I have time, I may make some sort of coin pouch for lip balm or coins or a pouch for some sort of small treasure. Even with the different shades of denim, the bags all look good together and are all functional without being feminine. That is the goal I was shooting for.

- What I'm Loving -

I've continued down the baby gift path this week. This is a gift for another former co-worker. She is a fellow alumni of The University of Tennessee and her blood runs orange. Almost ten years ago she gave birth to a son and my daughter and I constructed a UT themed gift for the little fellow. When my friend, Jessica, announced to me that she was expecting a baby later this year, she mentioned that she loved the UT gift I had given her for her eldest. So, that made it easy for me to know just what to stitch up. 

Power T Appliqued on a Onsie

I tried my hand at stitching on a ready-made garment. Boy! Wrangling that tiny little onsie into a hoop and getting it stitched was a lesson in dexterity. It is so cute, though. The miniature nature of it just makes me smile. 

I also stitched up some personalized burp cloths. One side of each features Tennessee fan favorites. 

Two Burp Cloths for a Tennessee Fan

The other side covers up the back side stitching and makes it softer for baby. I added the new little fellow's initials to personalize and make them unique.

Personalized back side of Burp Cloths

I picked up some light grey flannel and orange gingham to make a swaddling blanket as well. That will be today's project, I guess.

    

I created a Christmas ornament for big brother. He is a baseball player and I asked mom what his number and team colors were this past season. So, he is getting a personalized ornament in team colors of two-toned blue.

I love having the opportunity to give personalized gifts without a huge investment. I don't have to order and wonder how things will turn out and wait for a shipment. Plus, I can create them myself and that makes me even happier. 

- What I've Been Watching -

I haven't been watching much TV lately. I've spent more time watching tutorials, I guess! One thing that we have enjoyed watching is the Drummond Ranch videos on YouTube. Some are as short as seven minutes and others are a little over a half-hour in length. We tend to wait and watch several at a time so that we have an hour or so of TV time watching life on their ranch. We love watching them work their cattle and seeing the equipment and setup. For farmers, I guess that is speaking a language we know and helping us to envision how we would like to have our place set up. We can relate to the hurdles they have in a lot of ways - washout of cattle gaps and weather issues and fixing fences. If you love farming and ranching, we highly recommend it. If you just want to learn more about where and how beef gets to your table, it is pretty good to watch as well.

Fall is in the air and landing on the ground around here. The leaves are steadily drifting down all the time. The Mister blew the leaves off the porch one day and it was noticeably littered with more a day or so later when one of the granddaughters blew them off again. We are grateful for the shade and appreciate the beauty of all the trees in our yard but they do cause a bit more work in the fall. We are planning to attend a cattle grooming workshop this weekend and take along a couple of the grandsons. If we are going to continue to exhibit these Hereford cattle, we feel like we need to learn to fluff them up and make them show ready. Hope you have a fun weekend!

Mistake Bags

I stitched up a zipper pouch/bag yesterday that is a really nice one. However, it is a big old mistake!

I watched a really clear video tutorial for making a Boxy Bag. It looked like the perfect size for what I wanted and seemed pretty simple. Much like smaller pouches I had made for the granddaughters but a good size for guys to use for deodorant, shampoo, soap, etc. for traveling. So, after watching the tutorial no less than three times, I decided to give it a try.

I cued up the tutorial one more time and listened to what size the creator recommended for cutting the fabric and size for the zipper before pausing the video and cutting my pieces. I was even confident enough that the process would be fairly simple after watching the straightforward, wonderful video that I went ahead and cut the outside layer pieces to make three of the bags - one for each grandson. 

Then, I went back to the video and watched the next part. I decided that I wasn't going to use a heavy loft batting and would just use the same sort of batting I'd used for the girls' similar pouches. I did, however, adapt it a bit and added a strip of cotton quilting fabric for attaching the zipper to because I was using a heavier weight fabric for the bag. I thought that would reduce the bulk at the zipper and make it easier to zip. I reinforced the cotton with a piece of interfacing to give it a bit more structure but not be so thick for attaching the zipper. Construction was running along smoothly. I monogrammed one side of the outside of the bag and it turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

Then, I stitched up the bottom of the bag and lining like the tutorial showed, leaving an opening in the lining pieces for turning the bag. For some reason, I didn't go back to the tutorial after that. For some reason, I went into autopilot and proceeded like I've done numerous times. I took my nice, sharp shears and cut the squares out on the bottom edges to form the corners. Then, I realized my mistake. I could have salvaged it by cutting the bottom off but that would have made the bag four inches smaller. I didn't know if that would be large enough. So, I just proceeded and completed the boxed bottom pouch that I have stitched up several times. It is just in a much larger size.

The good news is that I have very little invested in the bag. Of course, I had purchased the batting, interfacing, and zipper, but the lining is a fabric that I bought before this grandson was even born. I saw it when I was purchasing fabrics for swaddling blankets for him and liked it. So, I got it and thought I would make him something with it later. Well, thirteen years later, here I am stitching something up with it! The outer fabric was an upcycle of some of the Mister's jeans. He had ripped a pocket or torn a hole in the knee or something and I was about to toss them before I had the brilliant idea to upcycle them somehow. So, free fabric!

The bag turned out pretty nice and will be useful, I'm sure. It just isn't the design that I first had in mind. In retrospect, since I added the strip of cotton at the top for attaching the zipper, I probably could have cut the bottom off the bag and rolled with it in the design I had first intended and it would have been approximately the same size. At any rate, I have a completed bag that will be useful for something with low investment cost, and it is personalized for the eldest grandson. I'm going to call that a win!

Stitching Gifts

I'm focused on stitching up gifts right now. I have so many things I want to try out and create. Having this sewing and embroidery machine has inspired me to be creative and each day I look forward to making something new. 

I was recently invited to a couple of baby showers for gals I used to work closely with before I retired. One of the new mothers is expecting her first child. She has wisely chosen some sweet items and registered locally to give friends an idea of what sort of things they would like to have for their new little one. When I chatted with her, she told me that they have not decided on a name as yet. So, adding a good old southern monogram is out of the question unless I simply stitch the last name initial. That is what I decided I would do.

Swaddle Blanket

I noticed that most of the sweet little items my friend had added to her gift registry were soft blue or sage green in color. So, I browsed online for a fabric that might work within that color palette. I stumbled across a sweet periwinkle blue Laura Ashley fabric that has a vine and alphabet print. What could be better for a teacher's child than the alphabet? I quickly ordered the fabric from an Etsy shop. Then, I looked for a companion fabric to use with it and landed on a periwinkle gingham. For the swaddle blanket, I used the same tutorial that I had used for my own grandchildren because it is a nice size and the grandchildren all enjoyed using the blanket even after they were beyond the swaddle stage. The tutorial can be found HERE. 

Burp Cloth #1

I decorated a couple of pre-folded cloth diapers for her to use as burp cloths. For one, I used the fabric print and appliqued the initial onto one side and stitched the entire last name below it using he same color thread. (I cropped out the last name to respect their privacy.) Then, stitched a rectangle of the fabric to the back to soften up the back side and cover up the back side of the stitching.

Burp Cloth #2

For the other burp cloth, I monogrammed a large initial and stitched the name below it as well as added a strip of the gingham to the back side. 

Monogrammed Zip Pouch

With some of the remaining fabric, I stitched up an 8" x 10" simple zip pouch. The print fabric shows on the outside with a lining of the gingham fabric. I appliqued a scalloped circle of the gingham fabric on one side and added a monogram to the center. Then, trimmed out the bag with a gingham zipper pull and loop for the D-ring and swivel hook. I made a wristlet that snaps onto the swivel hook and added my friend's last name to it. 

Pouch, Bag Tag, and Wristlet

I used the same applique shape and created my friend a bag tag by adding her initials. I thought she could use a little treat created just for her!

Christmas Ornament

The last addition to the gift is a Christmas Ornament. The back side of the ornament is pictured above. I monogrammed the last name initial onto the center of a piece of stiff felt and added the year right below. The front side features the print fabric with an overlayed applique of the gingham right through the center where the half-moon shapes are on the right and left of the ornament. I stitched the last name onto the gingham. 

All of the pieces really turned out to look sweet and beautiful. The companion fabrics and using just the simplest of appliques and fonts stitched with one color thread really brought the whole look together. I love the embroidery designs that come in several size options for one price. That makes it so easy to coordinate different pieces and uses for the design. I hope the new mom likes the gift as much as I enjoyed stitching it up!

Just 3 Things

I'm looking forward to senior night at one of the granddaughter's school tonight. She will be honored as one of the senior band members. Tonight will be the first night of true fall football weather as we are expecting temperatures to dip into the forties overnight.

Lydia and her Sax

- What I've Been Working On -

I finished up another granddaughter set this week. She's also getting a Tote bag constructed from bandanas. These are certainly not the traditional bandanas I think of but I thought the print was cute. They were a bugger to work with, though. They are not American made nor were they 100% cotton. They were rather thin; so, I used iron on interfacing for each and every bandana to give it a bit of substance. 

Granddaughter's Bandana Bags

Once again, I did a little tweaking on the tote bag. I like the size - width - a bit better but I want to make it just a wee bit shorter. It will be good for toting a laptop around, though, when she is off to college next fall. 

The bandanas in this print came in a set of four different color ways. So, I used three of them for this set. The tote features the tan and brown print on the outside and is lined with the black and tan print on the inside. I used the other black and tan print to make a couple of medium bags. One is the boxy pouch shown above. 

The other medium-small sized one is called a Nami Knot design. It starts as a couple of squares and there are a couple of strips added to form the handles that are tied in a knot on top. I'm not sure it is really practical but it is cute and was relatively simple to construct. 

I made a little keychain card pouch and a wristlet key fob to go along with the other pouches. I chose the swirly, swoopy L because I wanted it to look a little bit like Laverne and Shirley. I'm not sure she will even know that reference but it makes me smile!

- What I've Been Watching -

I've been enjoying the new season of network television this week. Several years ago when the Mister was talking to a friend just before dinnertime, his friend said, "Well, I'd better get off of here and go make my nest in my recliner. Tonight I'm going to Chicago. I'll watch Chicago Med and Fire and Police and then shuffle off to bed." We chuckled about that but on Wednesdays for the past couple of weeks I've gone to Chicago for their new season showings. I kind of like how they reference and have guest cast members from one of those programs to the next. It sort of seems more like it really is a connected town.

- What I've Been Loving -

This week I've also been working on some birthday gifts. Part of the gift is personalized cup towels. I love personalizing them. It is such a quick and easy project! I bought a big chunk of dish towels. Then, I just pull one out and stitch something cute on it, press them, tie them up with a colorful piece of twine and it makes for a really cute gift!

Changing out the font for the name really changes up the look a bit and truly makes each one a unique and personalized gift. Plus, who doesn't use a good, absorbent cup towel in the kitchen? When it is decorated and cute, that seems to make the chores of cleaning up the kitchen a bit more pleasant.

I'm thinking that some sort of soup or stew might be on the menu this weekend since fall is truly here for us, what suggestions do you have for that sort of simmering pot?

Today I noticed...Some road trips can be dubbed chat trips.

Yesterday my favorite sister-in-law and I took a road trip to see a long-time friend that we had not visited in quite a while. We put together a meal, loaded the food and ourselves into her SUV, and trekked off three hours to our friend's house. 

Now, my sister-in-law and I had just visited and caught up about a month ago when our grands were exhibiting livestock at a local fair. Then, we've also chatted via phone a couple or three times since. Yet, I noticed that the moment we got face to face for loading the food, we began chatting. 

For the entire trip to and from our friend's house, we chatted - never a quiet moment. The entire time we were at our friend's house one of the three of us was yakking. We talked about children, grandchildren, parents, housekeeping, sewing, cooking, health and our current medications... you name it, we touched on it. 

While our bodies were probably a bit tired from sitting still on the drive to and fro, neither of us was too tired to chat. Even when we returned to the house, my sister-in-law came in and checked out my recent stitching projects and we kept on chatting till she climbed into her SUV and backed out of the driveway. 

Maybe, instead of Wednesday, yesterday should be referenced as Chat Day!

Just 3 Things | #48

I've had a week that is pretty typical for me lately. I've had fun stitching and playing and learning using my sewing and embroidery machine.

- What I've Been Working On -

I worked on birthday gifts this week. We have a trio of family birthdays this month. So, I've stitched out a few things for gifts. 

I used some fabric left over from different projects to make a reversible table runner. One side has a pumpkin stitched on it and the other has a monogram. I thought that would make it nice for a fall Halloween or Thanksgiving table or could be used most any time of the year.

Reversible Table Runner

I also made a couple of potholders/hot pads from the same fabrics and added a monogram to them. 

Monogrammed Pot Holder

I decorated a couple of cup towels with the fabrics. I noticed that these particular fabrics are probably a bit heavy for decorating cup towels. I'm sure they will launder up alright but something like that would probably be better done with a light weight fabric stitched onto the towel. I love that kind of towel and I want to give a practical gift that will be used. I'll just have to remember next time to use a lighter weight fabric for decorating.

Decorated Cup Towels

The towel on the left with the points was a fun new learning experience for me. I cut squares and folded them into triangles. Then, stitched the raw edge between the decorative check fabric strip and the edge of the cup towel. The towel on the right was made sort of like a burrito pillowcase so that there are no stiff seams or raw edges.

I spent a bit of time learning to make a different kind of card and coin purse this week as well. It turned out alright but I've got some practicing to do before I decide that I am accomplished at creating something like that. I like that the snap is at the top to hold the card(s) in the center. The zipper is nice for keeping coins corralled and not losing out all over the place. I like that it has a loop with a swivel that can snap onto a lanyard, tote, or bag. It would also be handy on a wristlet/key fob, too. The other side has a monogram.

Monogrammed Wristlets/Key Fobs

I also made a try of making some wristlets/key fobs. I had gotten these cute little clamp thingies and wanted to give them a try. I like them and how they work. However, they are only an inch wide and I like the inch and a half width. So, I've got to figure out how to make that concept work. 

One Inch Wristlet

Bridgette has suffered with a kidney stone this week. I thought she needed a little treat. So, I stitched up a one-inch wide wristlet with her monogram on it in her school colors. 

One Inch Wristlet and Basketball Bag Tag

Luci was in a play at her school last weekend and I stitched up a wristlet and bag tag to take to her instead of taking flowers. She is into the color purple right now. So, I knew how t start on her gift. Her school colors are black, navy, and orange. So, I trimmed it out by stitching her name and lining it with school colors. Because she recently made the middle school basketball, I also stitched up a bag tag for her. On the opposite side of the bag tag I put a pretty loopy L. Every time I monogram something for one of the granddaughters whose name begins with L, I think of the swoopy L used in Laverne and Shirley for Laverne's sweaters. 

 

Swoopy, Laverne-type L!

- What I've Been Reading -

I haven't made a lot of time for reading this week. After finishing my last book, I decided that I would dig into something that is engaging but not provoking deep thought. Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez fits the bill. It was promoted as a beach read and, while I am not lolling on the beach, I do have that sort of frame of mind when I make the time to read lately. So, it is perfect for short jags of reading without immersing myself into a story. 

- What I've Been Loving -

Every fall for years and years I found myself at a big box store or an office supply store browsing through items and gathering needs for back to school. Since I retired a couple of years ago, I didn't have that ritual and, frankly, it has been pretty nice. This week, however, my volunteer work required that I get a copy of an eighteen by twenty-four inch map. I also needed an enlarged copy of an eleven by fourteen map. So, off to a local Staples store I trekked. I was under a bit of a time crunch. I had exactly ninety minutes and I knew that my travel time was going to be at least twenty minutes both ways. Thankfully, everything worked out beautifully and I made it back home for a virtual meeting with fifteen minutes to spare!

I walked in the door of the Staples store, asked the associate at the front of the store to point me in the right direction, and only had to walk about twenty-five feet to the next counter for service. The young woman took a look at my maps and made quick work of enlarging what I requested. The other map looked pretty delicate to her - translation - It was old and a wee bit fragile. So, she suggested that I download a scanning app to my phone and send her a digital photo for reproducing it. She talked me through each step with patience and pleasantry. Soon, I was walking out the door with clear, easy to read copies that I needed. I cannot say how much I appreciate a friendly, efficient, and helpful associate when I have business to conduct. 

At the end of every summer, the Mister is tired and frazzled from mowing so much grass, harvesting hay, and generally maintaining our farm. He always talks about wanting to move during that time of year. So, earlier this week I suggested that we go looking for some place that would be better than here. He mentioned such an interest to an acquaintance one day and had an offer to show off a place the next day. Yesterday, we enjoyed a nice drive through the country and a tour around a place that we truly enjoyed and might even consider as a new perch. We are in the thinking and wondering phases. All that to say, again, efficient and helpful responses really made a difference and encouraged us. 

I guess you could say that I'm really loving the fact that there still are folks out there who listen when you talk, who are truly wanting to be helpful, who are kind and encouraging. Sometimes I hold on to a negative attitude about things because I listen to a newscaster or read an informative piece , or encounter a person who is not the most pleasant. This week, it seems, that I came in contact with folks who are a breath of sunshine and I am loving that!

I hope your week had some breaths of sunshine to hold onto and that this weekend is one that helps to embrace fall and coziness. Lest I make the mistake of not mentioning the weather, we have had cooler temperatures this week and rain is predicted for our weekend and I am really looking forward to it!

Today I noticed...The flutter of falling leaves.

Off and on today I sat at my desk, which is right in front of a double window. I couldn't help but notice that each time I looked out there was a steady stream of leaves fluttering down and twirling along. 

I know that the dry weather has caused some of the leaves to dry up and fall already but it is also a sure sign that fall is in the air.