The sun is done...

All finished, it seemed easy but .... the eyes and the mouth are off center ... but Mia likes it and that's all that matters in the end. It was a fun little crochet project.

Skirt...

Finally finished this skirt...believe it or not the pattern is only two peices, very, very simple, but it still took me 3 weeks to complete, next I will tackle the top...I hope I can complete it a little faster!

A doll for Mia...

This is my first attempt at making a Waldorf type doll, I followed the instructions here. Waldorf dolls are usually made with all natural materials, mostly cotton and wool. But I decided to make this at the last minute for my granddaughter's birthday so I used what I had on hand...now that the doll is finished I know I should have used wool. I used polyfill stuffing for the body but cotton and wool for the head which makes the doll top heavy...

These dolls are very cute, very huggable and Mia loved it...many more are on the way Mia..

Wrap around skirt

This super simple skirt that should have been done in two hours took me the better part of 3 weeks...why? 24 hour days are just not long enough...

It's very comfortable especially with the soft corduroy fabric I picked.

My husband can't take a photo to save his life so I want to mention that it looks much better than this picture might lead you to believe but then again I can't take a great picture either ... even with the help of the awesome camera we own, a Nikon D90... that neither of us really knows how to use it...

The week....

...I would like to say, is almost over but for me it's just starting. Regardless...it's been a crazy week and I'm glad that today was quiet and I had a chance to sit, drink some coffee, read the paper and oh happy days, I got bathroom breaks to.

It's been busy, really busy, top it off with the dinner event I had on Feb. 14th and my feet are just now starting to feel somewhat normal.

This post is really about last weekend, I'm just now getting to write about it. It started with chaos and ended with chaos! Run Margaret run. See how Margaret runs? Will Margaret blow a gasket? Oh yes...

Then a small miracle, a customer comes in with a brown paper bag full of sewing patterns. She read my blog and knows that I like to sew. My customer, Lee Mackenzie, a local artist, used to sew professionally but decided some time ago that painting was her artistic passion. It was time to clear out some of her sewing patterns...and... I got them. Lee. together with two other local artists share a storefront studio on Marine Drive in Powell River. You can view Lee's art at Monkey tree Studio.

Now you might ask yourself what a bag of patterns and a busy weekend have in common. Well... I did not have any time to look through the bag when Lee first dropped it off but I knew the contents, and the anticipation alone got me through the weekend. I was thinking about what I would sew, what materials I might use and how I would fit the patterns. That bag of patterns got me through a very chaotic weekend, Monday and Tuesday and into a blissful Wednesday, my day off.

I quietly sat in my craft room, with the snow falling outside, a cup of coffee in hand, and slowly I went through the bag of patterns. It was wonderful. Thanks Lee.

Pants

Remember the post about the pants I was going to sew? Well they are finished, and I'm wearing them.

They were very easy to sew and I'm mostly happy with the way they turned out. The crotch is not quite right, it's a little too long even after cutting away what I thought was a significant amount, thus making the waist a little high. I'm not sure I'll make any more pants, I think I'll just stick with skirts and tops. All the pants I've made over the years have never been quite right...and I can't sew a fly zipper to save my life so I think I'll just leave it.

Next on the cutting table is a wrap around skirt made with soft hazelnut corduroy...this one should work out quite well...

Leather...leather and more leather

My dear brother in law asked if I wanted some leather samples he no longer needs from his furniture store...of course I do, I said.

I don't really have any great ideas but I must be able to use these somehow. They are all different colors and all are 17 inches square and I think I must have about 200 samples.

Purses, wallets, slipper bottoms, patches....

Any ideas? Anyone? Patterns.....

Thanks JJ, love the leather, now I just have to get busy with it.

Aprons

I need some aprons...at the diner. The ones I currently use are OK but boring, plain old black, faded black at that.

I was looking online to buy some fabric and came upon Galena Bay Fabrics. The website caught my attention for two reasons, they are a Canadian company and they have $5.00 per yard fabric.

I was looking at all their fabric, taking my time, trying to make up mind, finally I decided on some cute checkered fabric. I follow the instructions for purchase and start to complete the order form and when it's time to choose the delivery I see an option for pick up, I click on it and find out they are located in Powell River, wow... Not just anywhere in Powell River but a block from me. Double wow.

Anyway, I complete my order and walk the one block to Galena Bay. The proprietor's show room is in her home, open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursday from 1pm to 5pm and it turns out she has the largest selection of quilting fabric in Powell River, triple wow and she has plans to move to a larger home and add fashion fabric to the selection, OK so now I'm starting to shake, my knees are weak and I might just faint...I can hardly wait.

So back to the apron, I use my existing drab blackish apron for the pattern, and I finished one apron today...

And cut out a second apron with a bright red pocket.

I have a third cut out but I've run out of the white material I used for the lining. I'll have to go back to Galena Bay for....

Need some pants....

I purchased some jean material at my favorite fabric, yarn and craft store, Dressew on one of my Vancouver trips. Finally I have a chance to get started and so far they are cut, zig zagged, and inside seams sewn...almost there!



I'll post pictures when finished...but only if the pants fit and look decent!

Finished

Finally...finished my knitting project. I have been knitting for many, many years but I can not read a pattern to save my life. So this year I decided to make knit something from a pattern. I picked this sweet little scarf that I found on a fun blog I have been following for some time now, Said the Hobbit. You can see her scarf here and if you would like to try knitting this scarf, the pattern is here.

The pattern is very easy except for "dividing" which I never did it before, never knew such a thing existed but in this scarf it's very important because that's how the passthrough is made.

So with some help from the hobbit and lots of help from my mother in law I was able to complete it and I really love it.

Tea cozy

I came across a Bernat pattern book with a reduced price. The pattern included Daisies...my most favorite flower so I could not pass it up.

The pattern was for a round teapot so I had to improvise..I don't know what made me think I could improvise when I can hardly read a pattern, I had to look up each coded stitch on YouTube..I didn't know even one, sheesh!!! But I made this...doesn't fit all that well but I still love it, it's a daisy after all.

Forget the diner...

Maybe I'll just get into baby shoes. These are really simple to sew and they are so cute.

The pattern is here.

And now I'm off to bed..cup of tea first. Good night all.

margaret

On the needles

The weather is still gray, windy and rainy, perfect for staying indoors and knitting. I am by no means a good knitter and I can not read a pattern to save my life, but I can knit and pearl which is enough to knit a scarf.

This is my third attempt. The first was unravelled because I was told my needles were much too small for the type of yarn I'm using. The second time I unravelled the scarf because I just didn't like it so here is hoping the third time is a charm.

In the shop...well not really

This cute kitchen towel was for my shop but the colors ran so into my linen drawer it will go.

And with a new grandchild scheduled to debut in January 2010 I best get busy on a new quilt for him/her...the shop will just have to wait.

No more paper!!!

About a year ago I decided not use any paper products (except for toilet paper). Time to get rid of the paper. Particularly paper tissues, napkins and paper towels. I already made a bunch of hankies, I have about a dozen cloth table napkins and I use old cotton t-shirts and bath towels for rags. Just cut them up and zig zag the edges, really easy.

At Christmas and other gift giving occasions I use recycled gift bags, fabric, tea towels and baskets. Just look around, be creative, you will surprise yourself at how easy it is to stop using paper.

I found myself very short on dish cloths and with inspiration from Said the Hobbit I tried my hand at knitting my very own.

Ta-da!!!




With a fourth one almost half way done.



My mom knits these up in mere minutes and with her eyes closed. I'm on my way to Vancouver and this weekend mom will show me some new patterns. I won't get them done in minutes but I'm working towards that.

Margaret

Heading to Vancouver

New in my shop. A vintage style kitchen towel made of 100% lint free cotton.






I'm heading to Vancouver for a few days..talk to you Wednesday.

Woodwork

My son and daughter in law purchased a house about a month ago. To help with the mortgage they are turning the basement into a one bedroom suite. They took the basement right down to the studs, added a bathroom, changed some doorways...and the work continues. They had some leftover 2X4 in 14 foot lengths as well as some old fir 2 x6 in eight foot lengths which Art planed, sanded and turned into a picnic table and bench seat. Just waiting for me to paint it and make some cushions..add them to the list..


I love them and we dine al fresco under the grape vines...

Seeking shade

The temperature is heading towards 30C and our yard has very little shade. Last year we spent long hot days under the grape vine but in an attempt to harvest grapes this year we severely pruned the vine. Soooo where to now?

The cherry tree looks good.



But no seating...Art to the rescue. With plans from Lee Valley and some ingenuity (we don't want to spend any money).




Art built this.



Now it's my turn..I have to make some cushions and we'll be set.

And the winner is....

Natalija Shkomare is the winner of the Sew Mama Sew give away, check out her blog http://craftsbazar.blogspot.com/ she also embroiders.

This cute dishtowel is on the way to Italy.




Thanks to everyone who participated I really appreciate the time you spent looking in my Etsy store.

Margaret

Give away day - May 27

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a huge give away day tomorrow May 27th and everyone can participate, it's easy.

Visit my Etsy shop, pick something you like, tell me what you want in a comment on my blog, and I'll randomly pick a winner on June 1st. I'll ship the item by June 3rd to any destination, Domestic or International.

There will be hundreds of participants giving away their handmade crafts, for a complete list please visit Sew Mama Sew on May 27th.

Good Luck!