Practical Pre-Surgery Sewing

Before my surgery, I completed two other projects.

My daughter had purchased a little purse like this one, from which I made a pattern and sewed my own.  I had thought I would use this after surgery when I went to doctor's appointments, but as it turned out, I only used it while in the hospital.  It was just large enough for my cell phone, a small packet of kleenex, and . . . well, I forget what I put in it!  But it was very helpful.  And by the time I saw the doctor for the first time, I was using a cane and could carry a regular purse.

For about three weeks, I had to use a walker to get around.  After looking around on the Internet for free patterns for walker totes, I came up with my own.

(That's Kelly helping me with my picture taking.)  My thought was to make a bag large enough to turn into a tote bag once I no longer needed it for the walker, so the ties you see on the sides were sewn on by hand, and the straps on the top were stitched on using buttons (I sewed through the buttons and the straps).  These have also been removed.  I've stitched webbing straps to one side of the bag, but alas, it remains on my sewing table, waiting for me to take the 15 minutes to pin and sew the other sides down.

A note on the fabric:  it's a heavy-weight utility-type fabric that I found in the remnant bin and paid next to nothing for.  It was a great purchase since I got two projects out of it, and still have some left over.

Candice

Way back in August, I made myself a new purse.  (I am supposed to make one for Sarah, too.)  Her name is Candice, and she is a Lazy Girl design. 

While sewing the pockets, you can customize one to fit an e-Reader, iPad, or other tablet.  My pocket holds my Kindle in the pouch I made for it.

You can see there are lots of pockets, something I love about Lazy Girl patterns.

This purse has a zipper at the top, which is why I chose to use it when Phil was in the hospital.  It provided an extra measure of security for when I walked back and forth from the parking garage to the cancer center every day.

Overall, I found the pattern easy to follow.  The only tip I have is to label your pieces as you cut them out; I became confused when it came time to sew and it took me quite a while to figure out which piece was what.

Bed Skirt

Is anybody there?  Yes?  Great!  I'm relieved.

I know it's been nearly three weeks since I last posted anything.  I had a nasty cold, and although most of the symptoms went away after about a week, I was very tired (and had trouble sleeping) for some time.  Just before I came down with the cold, my doctor told me that what I had thought was fibromyalgia pain was most likely tendinitis.  Since it's in my right shoulder (and I'm right handed), my crafting has been slowed down.

One project that I have been wanted to do since I purchased a new comforter set over two years ago was to take apart my old homemade bed skirt and use the fabric to lengthen the one that came with the comforter.  It took me quite a while to take that old bed skirt apart, carefully hem it, then attach it to the new one.  Here's the result.

It turns out my measurements weren't exactly right, so it's a bit too long, so I simply tucked it under the mattress for now.  Not the best solution, but with the weight of the mattress, it's easier to do that than to take it off the bed and make it shorter.  Besides, it hides all the things we store UNDER the bed all that much better!

I'm continuing to work on the gift I've mentioned, and it's going well, despite the pain in my shoulder.  I hope I'll have it done in the next couple of weeks - and I hope that's a generous estimate!  Once I finish it, I need to stitch a small gift for my mother-in-law's birthday.  She is turning 90 at the end of April, and there will be a party in mid-May.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend because I'll be recovering from one of my knee injections. 

We have had lovely summer-like weather this week.  It has been wonderful to have the windows open!  My hyacinths have spread and are nearly in full bloom, and the tulips are budding.  Earlier tonight, my husband and I cut back the Rose of Sharon and Russian Sage, but I'm afraid I didn't do my shoulder any favors.  Back to resting it for sure.

Infinity Scarf - Cowl Length

There was a time when I never missed an episode of Sewing with Nancy, but as the show evolved, there were more and more episodes on quilting, and since I'm not a quilter, I wasn't interested.  Recently, however, I learned through Nancy's blog that you can watch episodes online, so I have been doing exactly that.  The two entitled Sensational Scarves made me want to start wearing scarves again, so I ordered the booklet and DVD.  Last week, I found a knit fabric at JoAnn Fabrics from which to make the Infinity Scarf.  I chose this version because I don't like things tight around my neck (like turtleneck shirts). 

This fabric was the only one I found that was suitable for a scarf and which I liked. 

I will probably try making several more of these from silky fabrics.  Each scarf requires just a 24" x 30" rectangle, so I'm sure I can find something in my stash.

If you'd like to view the two episodes of Sensational Scarves, you can find them here and here.  They are a year old, so I'm not sure how much longer they will be available online.  You can also purchase the booklet and DVD from Nancy's Notions by clicking here.

Shopping Trip

One of my Christmas gifts was a gift certificate to a locally owned fabric store.  When I received their newsletter announcing their Sweetheart Sale, I just had to make a trip.  Nearly everything in the store was 30% off, and while that didn't do much for their high prices (in comparison to JoAnn Fabrics), it was certainly better than paying full price.  Here's what I found:

I plan to use these cuts for finishing cross stitch projects.

I would like to make a miniature or small blue and white quilt.  This will be perfect, don't you think?

This purse pattern is the Boutique Shoulder Bag by Bella Nonna.  There are two sizes:  12" x 17" or 10" x 13".  I'll make the smaller version.  They had a sample of this purse in the store, which is what sold me on the pattern.  I need another purse like I need another opening in my head, but I just can't resist!  

I need to finish cutting the fabric for Candice from Lazy Girl Designs - I'm making one for me, and one for Sarah.  Then I would like to make a tote bag to use for when I sing with the praise band at church.  I have to carry my binder of music, my Bible and notebook, my folding footstool that helps with my bad knee, a pillow that I have been putting behind my back since I hurt it, and my shoes for those rare weekends when we have snow and I must wear my boots.  I purchased a Dresden plate ruler that I'm itching to use to make a motif for the front of the tote bag.

Guess I'd better get busy!

Purse Project Planning

Last week was quite a week for errands!  I had a few more to do on Friday afternoon, so I headed out to do them in the afternoon.  One of my stops was JoAnn's (it's the only fabric store in the area, although our WalMart does still carry a good selection of fabric, which I've often found to be of better quality than what they sell at JoAnn's, but that's another post.)  I decided to check out the special patterns in the quilting area, which include a lot of bag patterns.  You know how I can't resist a good purse pattern, so when I spotted Juliet by Me and My Sister Designs, I knew I had to get it.  It didn't hurt that I had a 40% off coupon, either! 

The entire bag is cute, but I especially love the bow that is threaded through the handles on the upper edge of the purse.  I have seen other patterns with a similar bow treatment.

This pattern doesn't require much fabric, so I'm sure I'll be able to find enough in my stash to make it.  It calls for 1-1/4 yards for the exterior and handles, 3/4 yard for the cuff and pockets, and 1 yard for the lining and tie.  I may need to add extra pockets to the inside because I love pockets, but I'll have to carefully read through the instructions first.

My motto:  A girl can never have too many purses!

Clothespin Holder

My poor clothespins have been languishing in a plastic store bag for several years, ever since the holder that I've had for more years than I can recall literally fell apart.  During one of my fabric buying trips to JoAnn Fabrics this spring, I picked up some fun fabric to make a new one. 

I used a McCall's pattern, #M6051, which contains a number of cute laundry room accessories, some of which would look great in other rooms of the house, too.

I made a couple of changes to the pattern.  First, I interfaced the lining fabric with Craft Bond to give the bag extra stability.  I chose the lining fabric because it was thinner than the outer fabric.  I also used packaged double fold bias tape because I still find making my own to be tedious. 

Now all we have to do is start hanging the laundry outside, instead of using the dryer.

Lunch Bag

We broke a record on Thursday - 98 sultry degrees.  It rarely gets that hot here!  I decided that tackling a sewing project after dinner would be a good way to stay cool.

Sarah asked for a new lunch bag, so a couple of weeks ago, I started sewing one.  I kept asking myself when the lining should be added . . . turns out it was step two, and I was nearly done when I realized that.  So off came the pockets and straps.  With a little fudging, I got the lining sewn on and the bag completed.

The pattern is Simplicity 3822, View B.  I used purchased bias binding instead of making my own.

For the lining, we bought vinyl tablecloth yardage, an economical alternative to oilcloth or similar waterproof fabrics.

I will make some type of zipper pull, either beaded or a machine embroidered tag, depending on what Sarah wants.

Too bad Sarah's job is ending in a couple of weeks.  But maybe when she gets another job she'll be taking her lunch, too.

Valentine Pillows

Since I made a Valentine's Day gift for Phil, I thought I should do something for Grace & Anthony, and also for Sarah.  I had originally planned to make wall hangings, but decided pillows would be easier. 

I found this cute machine embroidery design called Monkeys in Valentine Pajamas, and since Grace loves monkeys, and Anthony supports her obsession, I decided it was perfect for them.  Next time I'll try to find something film related for Anthony. 

This is the backing fabric I used.

 On this pillow for Sarah, I used this wonderful heirloom heart I found on my hard drive, and used cotton heirloom lace and entredeux to join everything together.  I ended up sewing the lace around the outside by hand because I forgot to sandwich it between the front and back pieces before stitching them together.  The last picture is the backing fabric I chose. 

For both these projects I used materials from my stash, so other than the $1.07 for the sale-priced monkey design, there was no outlay of cash.  I love projects like that!

Dishcloths & Pillow

Two more dishcloths for you:

I also made a pillow:

The stitching was done by my aunt.  You can see more of her stitching that I've taken off her lovely greeting cards and turned into decorative items here, here, and here. 

I still have a pile of finished stitching that needs finish finishing, but I can't decide how to complete the items.  Such decisions I have to make!

Vacation Part 1

We had our first vacation in six long years August 10 - 16.  We traveled down to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about a 6.5 hour drive from home (including rest stops), which is home to the oldest settlement of Amish in the United States.  [You can read more about the Amish and Lancaster county here and here.]  This is one of my favorite places - it's peaceful, beautiful, and quaint, with farms as far as the eye can see.  For the first time, I was the designated driver, so I missed a lot of photo opportunities.  And because we had five people to please, two of whom are dealing with chronic illness which slows us down, we didn't get to do as much as we have in previous visits.  I would love to visit craft and quilt shops all day, but other than Sarah, no one in our family would enjoy that!  I do have picture of one quilt to share with you today.  This one was in the window of the Old Country Store in Intercourse.  Unfortunately, I don't have the name of it, but it sure is pretty!

 The octagonal part in the middle was defined using lovely white braid.  There was also braid incorporated into the scallops at the bottom.  Beautiful!

Coasters

At Christmastime, I won some lovely coasters in one of Heidi's giveaways.  So when Sarah needed a wedding gift that wasn't going to cost much, I immediately thought of the coasters, and contacted Heidi for the instructions.   Sarah's coasters were lovely, and I was inspired to make some of my own.  I did mine with triangles instead of squares, which was more challenging.  On two of the coasters, I had trouble with the triangles in the corners, but since they are just coasters, and just for us, I'm not going to fuss.