Monday and Tuesday Making

Monday I took some expensive clothes that had some fatal flaws in them and were 1.00 a piece and recreated them into new garments or resized them for Aimee.

She will be sporting this wonderful ribbed ( shrunken) cashmere sweater coat, alpaca and cotton swing dress cut from a flawed sweater and these wonderful leggings refashioned from a delicious feeling T shirt.

I can't wait to see her wear it.

 This morning I got up early to make stollen after several years of not having it at Christmas. I made a wheat free lifestyle change.

This week I found a gluten free recipe and it is pretty good! I love all the peel and fruit and nuts in it! Cardamom gives it a delicious aroma. I made a big, flat, low loaf and a smaller, taller one

Delicious!

Merry Christmas All!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Made

Chocolate Bark with nuts and cherries and coconut and candy cane. Yum!

Handmade label lino stamp for my special sewmance girl so she can label her clothes she is making.

 Card for a Gift Certificate made with my Babylock 12 needle embellishment machine and some of my lovely hand dyed locks

Oh I'm so lucky to have all these ways to play, I hope you are able to play too.

Thursday Make A Thing

I love wooden spools and thanks to my friend Debbie I have about a dozen to play with.

I wanted to use left over hooking strips and make a little charm.

One of the drawbacks of Make A Thing a Day is the inability to reflect and improve. There just isn't time for it. I thought it might  be interesting to Make A ____________ a Day, have some targeted subject, like a bee or anything really, to be made over and over for a month. That seems like something I could get my teeth into right about now. You'll forgive me if I try this charm idea again this month won't you? I feel I have much more to say with a woolly wooden spool.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Making A Thing a Day

I was thinking of you today and hoping you're getting done what's needed and keeping yourself calm and content.  I can't get my act together but I hope a miracle will enter the scene and I'll leap into the action phase soon.

Monday

I found this wonderfully soft fabric and decided to make a play blanket for Aimee, she can cuddle in it , lay it out for her animals or use it for a tent or a sail on an imaginary boat.

I simply mitred the corners and zig zagged the raw edge down.

It's big enough for later on too.

Tuesday - Will the real Pashmina please stand up?

I love dots and circles of all kinds.

I found this poorly coloured scarf (for my complexion) at the Clothes Mentor in Asheville in the summer, I had great plans to dye it and today was the day.

Here's a before shot.

I made up a formula of strong equals parts Pro Chem Chinese Red and Hot Pink

I want to quash the tanny peach with a hot punch of liveliness!

20 minutes later I checked to see how it was going.

It should only take a few minutes for loosely woven, thin stranded wool to take up dye.

hmmm, label said 100% pashmina.

Dye pot says NO.

I pulled out the wrap and cracked open a package of tintex. 

Yup just as I thought, it was very soft cotton.

Here is the end result.

Not as bright as I first envisioned but it is still ok.

Now what to do with that pot of red power....

I fixed me some roving, still drying over the heating vent.

That whole process took the starch out of my drawers.

A label that lied.

tsk tsk

Wednesday

Today I dyed over a gossamer of Miss Havershams.

It has holes intentional and otherwise and is delightfully webby.

A spider web scarf from Great Britain I brought home from Value Village, $1.99 

It was a sad peach, mint green and white stripes.

I emboldened it with blue and turquoise.

I'm looking forward to when I want it to be black sometime in the future meanwhile I'm wearing it as I write, so delightful!

Because this is what it looks like outside here right now.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Making

Friday was the day for spinning and yawning, I was tired and it was all I could do to make this batt and spin this single before I feel alseep. 

Do you think a spell might have been cast?

If my spinning wheel had a spindle, luckily it does not, 

 I might have only been awakened by a Prince.

They are in short supply around here.

I'm still a little suspicious.

Reds and lots of the red support actors, greens and browns and violets

 Saturday was a day filled with too many things but I did finish something right off, I had it in a bit of stasis and took the final completing stitches. This is filled with steel wool and sheep's wool. The steel wool is supposed to keep things in my pin cushion sharp, if only I could put my mind in there.

Today it was another enjoyably busy day. I find I can't simmer down to create if I'm going every which way geographically. All I could make you was this heart of hand dyed mohair. 

Tomorrow I have firmer plans.

PS I did finish my sweet pink gloves and sent them on their way during the week end too.

Too befuddled to photo them. 

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Make A Thing

Today was the last hook-in until the new year.

Sadly it snowed and snowed and snowed and then commenced to blow.

Just two dear hookers showed up, unfazed we had a rollicking afternoon and here is what I made us to eat:

Toblerone Shortbread

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

Beat until it cries out for help.

Add 

1/4 cup corn starch

1, 1/2 cups flour

Beat until it is light and fluffy.

Chill  for 30 minutes.

2 or maybe 3 mini toblerone bars separated into wee mountains.

Take a tbsp of dough, flatten out into a disc on your hand, you may need to flour your hands.

Lay the toblerone in the middle of disc. Fold up the edges of the circle to cover the chocolate. Add pinches more of dough if needed to cover completely. No cracks fissures or thin areas allowed or the chocolate will escape.

375˚F for 12 to 14 minutes.Truly, you must try these.

+++++

Yesterday I dyed some new original colours over Dorr's Sparkle Wool, yes you can dye it, the sparkle is polyester and won't hurt your cutter.

I also spun some wool to contrast with the colours for our little star man project.

And today I made started some fingerless gloves, not quite done the other one.

Look here soon for a little pattern, recipes and tutorial to make this sweet guy.

It's my Christmas gift to you.

Get your Sparkle Wool at Dorr! Gold or Silver, pictured is silver.

Scroll down to see it on their main page.

Make My Thing Sparkly

Hi 

Do you remember a few days ago when I spun that weird grey ball of yarn?

Such a strange colour to be spinning during this a cheery time of year!

This is a long story so you might want to get comfortable, unbutton your pants maybe, I understand we all can't have perfectly fitting franken pants.

So a while ago I got some great sparkly wool from Dorr, they had it made just for them,  I got silver #8313 and gold #8413 and you can go here to get some, go right now and look for yourself.  I loves it.

When it arrived I happened to see these books and thought them be the colours "o" my Christmas.

So I grabbed my dyes and dyed up the inspired  red, gold, the blue and violet you see above.

 I dyed the warm colours over the gold sparkle and the cool colours over the silver. 

I want to dye the green and teal and brown this week  too, I just love these colours!!!!!

Later this week I'll be sharing with you the recipes and the the pattern and instructions, a little tutorial on making this fella as a special gift to you my lovely readers.

 This is what I used that wool in and I finished making it today.

I can't tell if he is an over fed baby in a snow suit, a little space man or an elf.

But he is mine, all mine.

This week at hook -in we are all gonna be making him/her up for our little wind up party for the year. It is my little present/curse.

Don't you wish you were coming?

Well you can if you like.

See the grey yarn in his extremities?

He is actually the colour of the book Pope's Poems.

AND HE SPARKLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPARKLES I SAY

You must get yourself some of that glitter glammer.

That's enough jibber jabber for tonight.

What I made today!

I've been making these for 38 years, won Man with them by sending them through the mail.

I know what I'm doing. I added walnuts - give them a try, they'll make anyone happy.

Made Something 2 days in a row

For the past few days I've had to make a choice - post what I made or make.
I'm always going to choose make.
Friday was a low day... low I say.
I laid low, my expectations were low and I was low down tired.

I did a couple of yds of spinning with all sorts of gray, roving and as is fleece and dyed fleece.
And then I spun it back on itself.
I'm using it for trim for our Ornament Day at WandaWorks later this week.

Today I worked up a pair of FrankenTrousers.
I've vowed to try to not buy any new clothes,  trying to make them from new cloth or restructure already made clothes or use already made clothes for cloth to make clothes .... seems confusing! I assure you it isn't. It is fun as hell.

Last Sunday for $20 I got 19 items of clothing to redo.
A few weeks ago I got several things from The Village, great things.
One idea I had..
Well before I start with that I'm going to tell you flat out I'm not a body type that excels in pant wearing. I would say I can't even get a passing grade.
Even though I don't look my best in them I do need them sometimes.
I have had very disappointing attempts at every weight I've been during my adult life buying them.
They never feel good. Too tight at the thigh, too loose by inches and inches at the waist.
It feels terrible.
Now that I'm back sewing I have pants that fit. That said they don't always look great. Pants are notorious for being difficult to fit and there are experts who will make you a pattern just suited to your body. It is also dead hard to fit yourself.

The idea I had was to take two pants and unite them into one pair that fit. I tried that out today. The two pants that I bought to join, one of them fit me pretty well so I used fabric I had to create the inset I needed.

 I got back.

I didn't style myself or my area before I snapped these selfies either!

I have the FrankenTrousers on right now and I tell you, they feel terrific.

To make them I opened up the side seam, crafted an insert with a waist band, and a fancy inset at the ankle, put that in and adjusted the waist. Got them hemmed up and put them on, LOL about my hair, never bothered with it today.

 Could be worse.

I betcha that bitch's pant fit!

Make Something Yesterday and All Day Today - Hook in Show

Finished Off My Reversible Bag 

Pattern right here from the delightful VeryPurplePerson

Taught my young sewists this bag, they did a great job.

Somebody get that judy some bottoms.

Clever young women!!!

Wound my hand dyed balls (I know you wish you had some) for punching to replicate the piece in front for my punchers

Pam's snowman campfire, so cute!

Karen's joy in her Spirit Owl

Erin's jubilation with her spirit owl

Pam rejoicing with her spirit moose

Dianne's Spirit Owl causes great happiness

Linda is making her nutcracker and cracking us up!

Helen's Name Mandela - we got the love there. Helen and I are getting married ....

Amy is the name in the Mandela, look for red letters. It's an exuberant piece.

Barb - euphoric, hooking makes her happy. 

Shirley proud and pleased with her great rug, bravo!

And with Maude Lewis, Sandy escaped before we caught her amazing geometric.

And we missed Dianne's punching.

Make a Thing A Day

Today I finished off all the parts to my bubbies little wool housecoat and got them sewn together and on.

An teeny upcycled angora sweater with tons of hand crocheted trim I made from my hand dyed merino fingering. It will make morning more palatable for little ladies. It's Celie approved. 

Make Something Every Day - Sweater Remake

Here on Mondays and sometimes on Tuesdays it is a sewing day.

I found a very shriven Barney's of New York cashmere sweater on the weekend, paid my dollar and took it home.

It was a women's size medium felted down to a size 18 months with very long sleeves. I feel it is a sweater with a back story.... this mishap might have ended a relationship along the line.

I was tempted to hook with it... so soft.

But Aimee is just that size but with a completely normal arm length. So there was nothing for it but I make her a cashmere sweater coat.

I cut in the sides, left the bottom belled, cut off the sleeves and removed half the length of them, serged it up, cover stitched the seams so the chain was on the outside and made a hat of the leavings.

I think I just might put a little fall of darker grey hearts on the sweater front.

It is the cutest little thing Barney's has ever put a label to.

I lightened this one so you can see the detail better.

Make Something Everyday

If you read this blog you will know I make something every day in December and then I post about it in this blog. 

I was inspired by Man to provide a special "nut house" for my squirrels which are lovely fat and sassy but no match for a flock of jays.

He came up with this idea to put nuts in a store house that only squirrels could go in. He made it, I was dubious but look - it is black squirrel approved! 

Today I decorated it. 

Sew Good

On Tuesday morning I made a skirt for my friend. Oh how I loved making it. She is a hair artist and so I principally used fabric that wouldn't let hair adhere to it. I added a tie, some kimono silk and some lovely boon buttons from Waetchters. Long ago when we were fresh out of the wrapping I made her clothes and we were so happy. Now we are delighted to be in this dance again. We both hear the same music.

Flat on the front with plenty of playfulness, layer upon layer but only look that way. Just two skirts differently shaped and flounce added in rolling wave and the red one is just a patched in frill with it's own crinoline.

The whole kit and kaboodle gets thrown into the washer and dryer. Easy.

Here is the side view to show you the fancy spanish lace on the skirt waist, it appear for short distances on the underskirt near the bottom too.

The back gathers so my baby can get some fake back.

I have made dz of articles of clothing lately but shared none of the because of my crappy photos. Too much busyness behind them. I saw what my betters did and did the same. Nothing a little wool quilt batt won't solve.

Turn Back Time

About 23 months ago I got a great super duper sewing machine.

I loved it.

I've never had a computerized sewing machine before and didn't know it shouldn't be INSANE.

I liked to think it had a lot of "personality".

It made drumbeats that required a hard shutdown, it wound half bobbins and frequently for a mile of stitches or so would not create even tension with no input or correcting from me would transmute. Just did. Then didn't.

In the nick of time, still under warranty, it really threw a hissy fit and would only loose chain stitch or sew in a lovely fashion but tell me every 4 stitches my thread was broken and shut me down.

Hard to get anything done.

Off we went to the dealer, off it went back to the factory, apparently it is bedevilled with a foul and loathsome mother board.

I may never see it again.

Gulp.

Meanwhile what can I sew with? 

It's cold, my ass cannot be bared to the wind, I need pants and a multitude of other things. I have my young sewists coming and must be prepared.

Gulp.

They had a model at the store that looked wonderfully familiar, yes it was my old friend, my first personal sewing machine, the one Man bought me when I was a young bride 150 years ago.

It came home with me for $85.

Straight stitch, zig zag, has zipper foot.

Sounds like a jet engine.

We are set to roll.

Canadians sometimes need to take desperate measures to keep warm!