Am feeling chuffed to bits because I finally got both my shawls washed last week, and just finished weaving in the last of the loose threads.
Yeah! Ready to wear, and I’ve got the black ‘n gold on right now.
I’m also luxuriating in the empty floor, where all that cardboard used to reside. Even a week after the last trip to recycling, it’s still wonderfully novel. Don’t want to fill it with anything, now that the sewing machine is there.
Part of the WordPress Photo Challenge.
What a mixed bag this week’s been, and not over yet! Time to catch up, and thank you Lovely Readers again for suggesting that sandwich test. The plates came home empty, and not because there weren’t a lot of delicious choices at the party.
click any of today’s photos to go to complete captions & larger piccies
At the same event, we had been asked to bring contributes for members of a young women’s group we’re sponsoring this year. In addition to store-bought socks, I included a fleece scarf, sewn up quickly on faithful Bernie, who made the move beautifully. It took more time to trim the two cut edges of the fleece than it did to sew up, but boring telly made the task pass quickly!
Yesterday morning delightful crafting friend Karen called: Did I want to go shopping? Hmmm, does a mouse like cheese?
After a mammoth grocery run ~ I’m still restocking ~ and making certain frozen items were well insulated ~ we stopped in a few more places. . .
Submitted for WordPress Photo Challenge
The shirt renovation continues. Slo-o-o-wly.
Took a page or two from Diane Ericson’s YouTube video, and removed cuffs, then pinned in pleats on the yoke, just atop the sleeves.
Am still thinking about them, and trying on from time to time to see if anything else comes to thought. Meanwhile . . .
D’you ever make a list of very important stuff, file it, and forget about it for months?
I do.
Clearing out files last weekend, I found another.
Saw a book that looked fascinating, researched it a bit, and discovered my library had a copy. Whee!
Just Pockets by Patricia Moye, [🇬🇧 Amazon UK & 🇺🇸 Amazon US] published by Taunton (a good U.S. crafts publishing house).
After looking through it, I decided to put a clean, used copy on my Wish List.
Then I got a wee bit sidetracked . . . into Colette’s blog. She’s got more reference books.
Categories include Beginners, General Reference, Fabric & Textiles, Fitting, Home Pattern-making, Details & Embellishments, Menswear, Lingerie, Other Specialty Techniques
There’s another list just for beginners.
Just had to share ~ hope everyone enjoys!
Remember this fabric from a couple of weeks past?
Here’s a quick update on that package sent to Australia ~
A piccie of my friend’s mum wearing said poncho!
Phew! Looks like my fit guesses weren’t too far off.
Am told she wanted to pose doing a thumbs up, but my friend reminded her I’d rather see the fit.
Am delighted with this version, but would have loved either!
As you can see from those trimmings on the left, although it’s still summer heat & humidity outside, have finally gotten a bit of local pottery to send off to my Aussie mate. . . for her Christmas gifty.
Which meant I needed to get the “wrapping” completed for her mum. 
Can’t bring myself to ship them cold weather gear for their holiday gifts, knowing they usually are in the midst of a heat wave.
So I delay and do it during our summer. Which got delayed again this year because of the painting & window construction.
At least that’s what I’m telling meself!
So yesterday I spread out my 2+ yards of extra wide, wild & crazy fleece for mum’s “wrapping” poncho.
As she likes wild, crazy prints this was purchased specifically with her in mind, although I have grown rather fond of it, too.
As I’ve never met Sheila, I guess at her sizing… maybe my height (5’2″)? Maybe my width? (Cut a full 45″ wide piece.) And if it fits over my head, I know it fits over hers!
✂️✂️ After trimming off those edges, debating whether or not to try some sort of edging (not), voila ~ a poncho is born!
On another day I found the latest Threads magazine and decided to purchase. Beware: They list lots of things, but when you click the link, all you get is their advert to pay for some online thingey.
Here’s what I enjoyed…
As a rare treat-to-self, they had copies of Scottish Life with a glorious Autumn-coloured cover for me to drool over!
For a better look at the gleaming brass AND fabric, click.
Sometimes a day can turn right-side up in a tic.
Firstly, the lovely package from Thimberlia’s give-away arrived – yeah!!! Cannot thank her enough for sending these all the way from the U.K. Extra-extra-extra special treats!!!
Secondly, enough breezes kicked in so I didn’t have to spend another night in an hotel.
Should explain my ickle flat is detached on 5 sides, in a very strange arrangement in a complex of mostly traditionally attached-&-stacked flats. Below are before & after photos. Those windows on the right aren’t mine. Soo the brown doors at the ends of hallways? those will go!
Am submitting this to both Ailsa’s & WordPress’ photo challenges.
PS/All the doors get painted this coming Thursday… fingers crossed!
SYM”BOL, n. [L. symbolum; Gr. with, and to throw; to compare.] … An emblem or representation of something else.
More on Mary Brooks Picken’s The One Hour Dress booklet here.
Ailsa’s travel theme, independence
Both black & red tea cozies are lined with the same cotton fabric, by Mary Engelbreit, whose work I’ve admired for years.
Happy holiday, everyone!
To read in order, click the top left photo first (“thought something must be better…”).
Missouri Quilting’s excellent tutorial was my guide.
click any photo to go to slide show
Wanted to sneak this hankie in before we’ve another topic to consider.
In my humble opinion, its an example of some details not quite to scale: it was ages before I realized all those flowers were words.
What do you think?
For years, the difference has been clear to me. Every time I pull on my RTW faux suede winter coat I remember and appreciate the difference, doubly when I throw it in the washer.
In my experience, the place to really be spoilt for choice is The Rain Shed, in Oregon. As I’ve been exploring more and more on their site, I’ve ordered several samples of Lycra fleece, wondering if making my own leggings might be more comfortable (warmer) than RTW. Which I don’t wear because by the time it’s warm enough, I don’t need them. If that makes sense.
Drat. My wrist is still bothering me, so that’s all my typing for today.
Go check them out for more weights of fleece than you can possibly imagine! (And really nice customer service people, too.)
click any photo to go to slide show
One of the things I love to collect when I find them are handkerchiefs. They’re small, and often quite inexpensive.
Here are two that I pulled out yesterday, in keeping with next week’s Valentine’s Day.
Hope you enjoy seeing the details, and how appropriately their small size hasn’t negated colours and stitches in their to-scale details.
(Also hope you don’t mind my combining both photo challenges in 1 post.)
There’s another posty on details to-scale over here.
Curls n Skirls 
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