Half Way Through A Month of Letters!

Last week's outgoing mail:

Also, the Barbie Overload postcard I've already shown you, and there were a couple that were so rushed, I forgot to take pictures.

Bryce Eleanor spent Saturday and Sunday with me.  

 She painted.

 Made postcards for her cousins

that will go out in today's mail

since yesterday was President's Day.

 Mila loves the Warrior series by Erin Hunter.  

Max supposedly is a 5 Nights at Freddy's fan.

 We also had to make some

 5 Nights at Freddy's (fnaf)

fabric creatures.

She did most of the sewing and stuffing.

So...why was I so exhausted?

Observing can be tedious,

especially if you are trying to oversee the sewing machine.

Next time, we are definitely making larger figures.

The tallest is only about 5 inches.

Boro Jacket Finished

I finished the boro jacket nearly a month ago.  I like it!  You've seen all the "in progress" photos, so this is the finished jacket--well, except for a fastening.  Jeogori jackets tie closed, but I'm not sure if I'll use ties or a button.

It is really quite warm!

Bryce Eleanor arrived in her PJs Monday morning and showed me some of her "awesome" gymnastic moves with a hulu hoop.

She tried to get me to do a handstand; I told her I was too old, but eventually complied (but unlike the days when I walked around the house on my hands--this time I used a wall).  Then she said, "Try  this...you're not too old for this!"  on several other moves.  Yeah, sure.

Another of the recent encrusted pieces this one mostly with coton a broder.

I'm teaching chair yoga at Horizon Bay, an assisted living facility.  My oldest student is 90, and she is in excellent shape; she says she played softball until she was 78.  She's my hero!

Today I'm going to introduce some qi gong exercise to the mix.  I love qi gong because working with the breath is so relaxing.  

Mid-week, mid-month already.  Where does the time go?

Monday Musings

Work on the boro jacket continues.  Patch after patch.  No one would recognize Fee's shirt now that the collar and cuffs have been removed, sleeves shortened, neckline altered, and length cut off.

I wish I'd had more blue scraps.  It began to be a bit of a problem finding a way to keep from repeating the same fabrics too close to each other.  Still not finished, but with the front all patched, I can get a better idea of how it will look.

The milkweed is producing flowers again.  Just when I thought they were completely through for the summer and collected seeds for next year, more buds arrived.

Scattered crepe myrtle "confetti" nestle in shrubs and ground cover; makes it look as if the shrubs and ground cover are blooming.   I've long neglected some serious trimming of the ground cover which will soon take over the patio, if I don't do something about it.

Fee and I had planned to take a short trip this month, but as often happens, work has interfered.  We will be heading to Baton Rouge later this month for Max's birthday, and hopefully, we can schedule a little side venture at that time.

The white on white has received no attention in quite some time.  Maybe when (and if) I finish the jeogori style boro jacket, I will return to the white on white.

Have a good week!

And So He Grows

Wee Jack now weighs 3 lbs., 3 oz.

From this




To this



Almost two handfuls!  And Megan and Drew now get to hold him for 30 minutes twice a day!

Yesterday was the baby shower, and of course, I left my camera on the table again, so I will have to hijack pictures from Amelia.  Wee Jack will be in sartorial splendor when he gets big enough to wear newborn clothes, and boy, the clothes for little boys are so much cuter now.
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Work on the boro jacket continues.

I really need to get back to the white on white project, but for some reason, when I go upstairs, I pick up this to work on.  At least I am working again.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Wednesday

I noticed the sweet potato seemed to be vibrating on its own this morning.  I watched from the door wondering what was going on and eventually a cardinal hopped out.  Guess there were some tasty insects on the menu!

Wish I'd had my camera ready to show you the cardinal, but once he hopped out, he was quickly gone.

Continuing to work on the boro shirt, which I want to look like a jeogori jacket.  I wish I could have signed up for Jude's class !

Yesterday, I showed you one sleeve; here is other sleeve in progress.  Not that I've finished the first sleeve...

Sri Threads (a textile gallery) has a website and a blog specializing in antique Japanese boro; the following pic is from the blog.  The Japanese and Korean style jackets are different, but have similarities.

These worn and homely garments are beautiful examples of the utilitarian and the imperfect.  Real boro garments, those created by necessity, have a simplicity and elegance worthy of survivors.  They have been patched and patched again, cared for because there was little possibility of replacement, and ultimately, they have achieved a sense of dignity.

In that respect, what I'm doing is not true boro, but imitation.  Although using an old torn and paint-stained shirt, the patches I'm using are left over scraps from various projects, bought new.  Nor is this jacket being created through necessity, but through an appreciation of the genuine article.

Handwork is so slow, even when just doing kantha stitching, but I can watch television while working, and as long as I'm not stitching through seams, it goes fairly smoothly.  I've put in a couple of hours this afternoon and will work on it more tonight.

Too hot to work outside; air conditioning is a beautiful thing.

Nancy, over at Pomegranate Trail,  has a great post on prayer flags.  Lots of information and some great links to some prayer flag sites that were new to me--go check it out!

Wow!


via May Your Bobbin Always Be Full.

You can make a contribution here.  Very cool!

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I'm doing more reading again.  Still, slowly working on 1Q84, and strange as it is, I'm enjoying it very much.  It is, however, slow reading.  Very dense and very strange.  It isn't a page turner in the usual sense, but rather, a "read a while then come back later" kind of experience.

I went to the library on Friday (I wanted some "in between" books), and Deborah Lawrenson's The  Lantern had finally arrived on the new book shelf.  I checked several times last fall, and it was still on order each time, so finding a copy was a nice surprise.  Sadly, however, despite many glowing reviews, the book wasn't grabbing my attention.  It may work better for me later, but it wasn't what I wanted right now.

I wanted a book that immediately drew me in, one that would read quickly.  Rummaging through my library bag, Lars Kepler's The Hypnotist found its way to my hands.  Another book that I checked on several times, only to find the library didn't yet have a copy and another pleasant find on the new book shelf.

Amelia had read and liked it.  It is another Scandinavian mystery/crime novel (last year was a big one for me and Swedish crime novels--Hakan Nesser, Kjell Erikson, Asa Larsson, Steig Larsson, Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Johan Theorin, Jussi Adler-Olsen, and Camilla Lackberg were some of last year's reads-- thank heavens for translators).  The Hypnotist begins with some  gruesome murders, but certainly grabs the attention.
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Two and a half hours of yoga this morning.  A Yin yoga series and later, a Kundalini series; slow, relaxing, emphasis on breath--just what I needed on a Sunday morning.

This evening, more work on prayer flags.  Tomorrow? More of the same...unless Fee doesn't have to go out of town, and we have a chance to do something.  We had planned to go to the Robinson this weekend for the Bollywood Film Festival, but he ended up in Texas and didn't get back until tonight.

Damn good thing I'm so easily entertained with my little projects!  Reading, yoga, planning my garden, and working on prayer flags-- the weekend has flown by.

Here and There

A Spoonful of Sugar offers a tutorial for making these beautiful pattern weights!  I love them!  What a great use for yoyo s!

I've had so much fun visiting some of the links for the pictures of "Where I Sew" -- a series hosted by Pink Chalk Studios.

Shanghai & a Patchwork Scarf

Our friend Thomas recently returned from his month long stay in Shanghai where he and another friend went to study Tai Chi with Master Wu. These are pictures of The Listening Garden where they did their twice daily instruction and practice.

What a lovely place to practice Tai Chi!
Monday, we all met for lunch--Thomas, Beth, Nina, and myself--to hear all about the trip. Of course, we didn't have enough time. Will have to schedule another lunch to hear the rest!

A week or so ago, I began this patchwork scarf.
All of the white patches ended up looking a bit Christmas-y...
so I'm embroidering some of the white space.

Scrappy Stuff, Soup, and Casseroles

Hanging things up...

I've had making covered hangers on my list of "to make" for a long time. In my sorting and organizing frenzy, I found a bunch of strips I'd pieced together for a purpose that now escapes me. Three infant-size plastic hangers discovered in the closet... and thus began the hanger project.

After quilting the pieced strips to a scrap piece of batting (just the top and the batting, only two layers), I traced the plastic hanger shape onto the quilted piece, cut it out, added a pleated strip to the bottom, sewed it up, and Voila!

Digging more scraps from the pile, I quilted and sewed another version. Now, are they worth the time involved? Only if you enjoy the process! But I enjoyed using up some scraps and plan to make a few more.This is really the perfect time of year for sewing. It has been rainy and chilly for the last few days, and staying in becomes a bit of a treat.

I have beans soaking for bean soup right now. This weather makes me crave the comfort of soups, which I love anyway.

Connie posted this recipe for a hashbrown casserole (how could this recipe have eluded me? it looks scrumptious) that seems like a great fall dish. Of course, I can't serve it to Fee who is having to watch his cholesterol, but it would make a great casserole for a fall get-together.

What recipes are fall-comfort-food for you?

Sunday Sewing

All my little herbal eye pillows are tucked into my backpack. Some will go to Monday's yoga class and some to Wednesday's. There are two of all but one of these fabrics. The covers are little pillow slips so they can be removed and washed if necessary.I made 3 more covers this afternoon that are less flowery for the men.

It warmed up again today (from 34 this morning to 67 this afternoon) and I did a little gardening. Planted basil, parsley, and dill. It has really been a lovely Sunday. Hope your weekend has been pleasant!

Progress

Stylishly appareled in my new apron, I've continued working on the herbal eye pillows. Finished filling all the muslin bags with lavender and flax seed, and they do smell wonderful . Here are some of the finished muslin bags piled on the ironing board.A couple of years ago, I bought some fat quarters with Asian designs, and they are perfect for the covers since they will be going to folks in the yoga class. Chain stitched the hems. Quick and easy.
After cutting about half of them away, I realized that strung together, the strips looked a bit like prayer flags, so I taped the rest on the wall for a picture.I'll be finishing the covers this afternoon. Whew!

Missed the photo of the gorgeous cardinal, but here is Peter (or Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail--can't tell them apart).

Reading Pillow How-To

I'm not too sure about this tutorial. Most of you could whip the pillow up in a jiffy just by looking at it. I'm still fiddling with the idea and have not yet decided the best solution for the page holders. Oh, well, here it goes:

Measure your pillow and add 3/4' to each side. The pillows I bought were 12 x 16, and for this pillow, I cut 2 pieces 12 3/4' x 16 3/4".

Heavier, home dec fabric works much better than regular fabric as the pillow needs some stiffness. (none of the pictures show the color accurately)

I've done the back two different ways, but this is the simplest. (See the bottom of this post for a two-piece back.)

Sooooo...you have 2 pieces the same size for front and back, and a piece the same length as the pill0w and 6" deep for the pocket.

Turn under 1/4" along the top of the pocket piece and press; turn under 1/4" again and sew to finish top edge of pocket

Pin the pocket to the front piece and pin.
Mark the pocket with chalk or water-soluble pen. I have made 3 pockets, a small one on each side, a larger one in the middle on mine. Two lines of stitching.


Sew the pocket from the bottom to the top of the pocket and back stitch to make it secure.I've done the page holders differently on every pillow. You can see the variations at the bottom of this post.

For this pillow , I decided to start at the bottom instead of the top and to use some rat tail that I already had (no elastic on this one). The rat tail was too bright, so it had to have a strong coffee soak to dull it down. Experiment with how long the ribbon/rat tail should be to hold your book securely, including enough to wrap around the buttons.

Pin the ribbon/rat tail to the center of the right side, at the bottom of the pocket.

Pin the pillow back to the front, right sides together (you can tuck the ribbon/rat tail in one of the pockets to keep the loose ends out of the way). Leave a large gap at the top to stuff the pillow in!Sew. I used a 1/2" seam on this one (but I found the pillow sizes varied slightly...maybe because of the stuffing or brand). I know that isn't what the picture shows, because I just put the fabric under the foot and snapped the shot. Should have paid more attention.
Turn the pillow inside out to see how the pillow fits. I've had to go back and make a bigger seam on some pillows. One pillow was just too puffy, and I took some of the stuffing out. When the fit is satisfactory, trim the corners to reduce bulk, turn again, and stuff the pillow in, pin and slip stitch the insertion opening.
On this one, I covered some buttons with the same material and sewed them to the top of the pillow. On another, I used vintage buttons.
When you're ready to read, place your book on the pillow and wrap the rat tail around the buttons to secure the pages, put a book mark, high lighter, pen, or whatever in the pockets,and its good to go.
I hope this makes sufficient sense. Such an easy process, but explaining it seems iffy.

Page holder variations:

covered 1/4" elastic version
elastic band version
grosgrain ribbon and buttons at bottom version
I have done the solid back on two pillows and the envelope back on two.

Here is the envelope back being pinned to the front. Instead of one back piece, I cut two pieces long enough to overlap and finished the edges and then pinned it on. You can insert and remove the pillow much more easily.
I have a couple of other things I want to try for holding the pages, but I'm a little tired of the darn things right now.

If there is anything I can clarify, please let me know, and I'll try.