A little ta-da moment…

Dropping in to share a quick ScrapHappy project for my neighbour, a link over to Kate’s ScrapHappy post, and share another project just restarted for the umpteenth time.

Several weeks ago I was about to start downstairs in my building, when I saw my neighbour trying to manage 2 crutches, a booted foot, and some small packages before coming up the stairs.

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We decided I’m come down first. On the way down I realised she needed a shoulder bag to put small bags in, and I had the very bag with me. A solution! I showed her what I had in mind and watched her easily and very adroitly balance herself upstairs.

Being a non-sewist, she had no idea how easy it was for me to make her a bag of her own… but a bit of thinking and we reasoned that a cross-body bag would be even better.

So that’s what she’s got, and it works a real treat. Mission accomplished! (Now I want one, too…. hehee! 🤣)

Over the weekend I had the urge to crochet, but I didn’t want to continue the project that’d been sitting untouched for weeks. What to do . . .

I ripped that forlorn-looking project down to zero and started over. And am happy to report it’s going great guns. At last I think I’ve found a good way to use this lovely yarn. Another little yippee!

🧶 🧶 💛 🧶 🧶

wordless wednesday

STEM = Science + Technology + Engineering + Mathematics

red straps

My current slow-sewing-’cause-I’m-slammed project is a cross-body bag for my upstairs neighbor. She’s on crutches & currently has another cloth bag of mine, but it’s a shoulder version and can slip, messing with balance.

I know, ’cause I sometimes have the same problem when I’m carting heavy trash downstairs in my shoulder version!

I mean, can you imagine?! Up & down two looong flights of stairs on 2 crutches. AGHHHH!!!!!!!!

Better get these attached to something… catch ya later!

Have yourselves a fantastic weekend!

Memorial Day 2022

I used this same photo in 2015, when we had an early Memorial Day weekend, and the fabric was still a tablecloth. Have a click here to see that post, and read a bit more about this U.S. holiday’s history.

This year the tablecloth fabric’s become a blouse. Well, sort of.

At the moment it’s just 2 pieces sewn together with an elastic-gathered top & slits at the sides. But I’m thinking of adding some straps, because I found some extra fabric the last time I went through my scrap drawer.

Ain’t it amazing what can come to mind whilst rootling around in a bunch of scraps!

What have you discovered lately?!

Stormy Monday

Managed to do something with fabrics last week besides moving it from pile to pile, or tabletop to box. Wonder of wonders! So thought I’d drop by and show you what I’ve been up to.

Colours aren’t too true here.

This shirt’s been languishing in my Autumn/Winte/Spring selection of tops for years. YEARS! And I like both the colours and the high quality smooth cotton fabric.

A bit of history — At one point I put tucks in at the shoulders to give it a more fitted look. And didn’t wear it. It felt cumbersome and never sat well on my shoulders — too much fabric in too small a space.

Last Friday afternoon/evening, with storms raging outside & local telly’s severe-weather team live streaming numbers of lightening strikes per city & and projecting tornado paths, I decided to get on with the changes.

Taking off the collar but leaving the collar stand.

Yes, that’s my newest, and therefore sharpest, Clover seam ripper you see in action. I know Leslie S kindly suggested she’d used her sharpest & smallest scissors on a similar reno, but I don’t have any.

If you’re inclined to read labels, you might recognize this as a very nice men’s shirt-maker. I grabbed it soon as I saw it at a local thrift store because I know fabric & workmanship are quality. It’s only been aging for . .. . . . uh . . several years. 🙈

I sliced off one layer at a time, exposing the wonderfully soft interfacing they’d used.

Six inches more got lopped off the sleeve length, some thread tidying up, and I’m ready to take another look and those underarm seams. We’ve another potential series of storms tonight, so it might get revisited then . . . . . . Oops! Editing’s taking too long, thunder’s arriving hours earlier, so I’m uploading & signing off!

✂️ 🧵 ✂️ Happy sewing, Everyone! ✂️ 🧵 ✂️

catching up to silly saturday

Hello! It’s been a bit since my last post, but lots of things are developing around here, and that’s taken away most blogging time (and all IG time). Mostly interesting stuff, but can’t discuss yet.

What I can offer today is a suggestion to try a tasty citrus fruit next time you see some at your grocers.

Called Blood Oranges over here, because of their colour. I discovered, after reading the Wiki article about them, that the one I ate, and did not like at all, just wasn’t ripe.

Seems they’re sort of tangerine-like, and not like regular oranges at all!

They sort of remind me of persimmons, which can look lovely, bright and shiney orange. You’d think they were ripe & ready to eat, but YUCK if you try. You have to wait until they start getting black and gelatinous and quite rotten-looking. Then they are sooooooo good!

In my very limited experience, blood oranges won’t appear that yucky, but might seem slightly shrunken, like a citrus that’s drying out. The outer skin might start showing red streaks.

If what you buy doesn’t look ripe, leave them to ripen! Mine have been aging in the bottom of my fridge in a drawer. Which reminds me . . .

Time to get another out and enjoy . . . . . . . Do tell if you’ve tried them!

Post Script!

PS/Thought I’d just add that today’s blood orange tasted quite orangey. Guess it’s like a chocolate box – you never quite know what you’ll get!

silly saturday

Guess who’s still around? I know they take their time, but . . . .

As seen early this morning. Click for previous appearance. . .

Happy Easter . . .

My traditional Spring/Easter bunny candle, never lit & forever young!

… or Passover, Ramadan, Spring, or whatever you may be celebrating!

It’s been busy ’round here, but not blog-busy. The computer is somewhat stable, and I solved one tablet problem with a new power cord, but I still can’t get into IG.

I finally located their “help/service/whatever-they-call-it” desk. The statement above the box where you type in your problem’s details says they will not answer your submission.

Somehow, that didn’t give me much encouragement. Nevertheless, I typed in the exact wording of the error message that keeps coming up when I try to log in. 🤞🤞

(Side note to Helga & Nic, if you read blogs – I’ll still be sewing up my skirt on Monday, but wish I could be reading everyone’s comments.)

Meanwhile . . . . . . .

These colours are more accurate.

And these aren’t.

Have been re-evaluating these 2 tops. The striped shirt was purchased from a Virginia charity shop because I loved the colours and cotton quality (designer is French – Façonnable). If memory serves, I found the cami in Chicago at TJ Maxx.

Yes, I know the cami’s stretchy centre-front lace bags in the photo, but after a wash & dry it’s fine. (I hauled it outta the laundry when I got the idea to try them together.) Do they look okay? I can’t decide. What do you think??

I’m nervous about cutting off more of the shirt’s sleeve length, so I can wear it in warmer weather. Currently it hangs in the closet in “winter” which is too cold & damp for it without something underneath.

The cotton of the shirt is superb – hence my reluctance to cut into it too much. The shoulders are wide (it’s a size L) so I’d altered them with some bulky pleats. (Didn’t wanna cut that cotton!) Then spent a recent afternoon carefully ripping out the pleats. Lol! Now it looks like dropped shoulder with sleeves.

Stand measures a fraction over 1″ (please excuse bad lighting).

I really want to remove the collar because it’s too hot for summer. Would it be really weird if I left the 1″ collar stand?

In the photo on the left, I folded the top collar underneath. What do you think??

Will keep thinking about changes to make this a more wearable shirt, but your suggestions would be much appreciated, Dear Readers!

Meanwhile, hope everyone’s computers/laptops/tablets/phones never become too old to update easily, and the Easter Bunny, or whatever, bring you delectable treats!

🐣 🐇 🐣 🐇 🐣 🐇