Rayen

There was one piece of fabric in the vintage bundle I bought at the Coop that was perfect for a much-needed quick project, so I took that and a piece of yellow print that worked with it and made a mat for my nephew's dog's food and water bowl stand. I just sandwiched the two pieces of fabric together with some batting, and machine quilted it in a diamond hatch pattern that followed the lines on the print. It turned out to be good machine quilting practice for me, something I really need to do every week now. I've been using placemats for this bowl stand so I'm glad to have a nice new mat for it. I might make a few more since we seem to be dog sitting quite a bit lately.

In three weeks fall will arrive , and that's the season I dislike most. Everything beautiful and green from summer begins to brown and wither. Pumpkin spice, which I don't care for at all, is everywhere. This is the worst stretch of the hurricane season, too. I saw Halloween decor being put out in stores back in July, and I was so not ready for it. Christmas decor will follow, probably well before Halloween. Fall ends four days before the winter holidays, which I really dread every year. I am trying to change my attitude toward everything I dislike, so I'm going to enjoy these last three weeks of summer, and then find ways to appreciate fall rather than hate it. Be the observer instead of the prisoner, my spiritual teachings say. I can do that. I can also steer myself into happier directions. For example, Halloween was wonderful last year because I really got into it. I made Halloween costumes for thrifted stuffed animals. I had a Halloween party and...

My guy and I had the chance to visit Ormond Beach in the middle of the week, which was beautiful and almost completely empty. To see more pics, check out my album here .

I found this patchwork quilt top for a song at one of the antique markets we visited, and it's kind of a mess. It's unfinished, the fabric choices are odd, and sewn so poorly it doesn't lay flat. It was also sewn together with zig zag stitches, which I've never before seen a quilter do. Anyway, as it is I can't save it or finish it, so I decided to recycle it into stitch practice pieces. I do want to hand stitch some reclaimed patchwork into my September tote, so I really need to practice and see what I am still capable of doing. I put together two mug rugs and a mat for practice stitching. The rest of the quilt top will be repurposed for other projects. I also learned some things doing this. I'm not going to be able to feather stitch or embroider much longer, as I fought my fingers just to get this much done. I can only manage huge straight stitches unless I use a very small, very sharp quilting needle, which was a nice revelati...

At the moment I'm thinking about what I want to do next year. My guy and I are not getting younger, and he's having issues now that require more of my attention (not yet in decline, just getting older.) One thing I spend about an hour a day on that I don't need to is updating my three blogs. Should I finally give them up and quit online journaling? Pros: I'd gain an hour of free time every day. I don't have much of an audience now, and that will continue to dwindle as online friends and any other interested parties go elsewhere for content. I'm not really contributing anything meaningful to the online writing community anymore since going freelance (nor do I feel I have to. Did that for fourteen years.) It is a time sink, and since I maintain my own handwritten personal journals I will still have a place to put my thoughts. Cons: I would probably not spend that free hour doing anything for my guy, as he sleeps in these days, so my mornings would b...

I do love to cook. It reminds me of my dad, it makes me decompress and my guy (and my nephew!) are very appreciative. That said, there are some things I refuse to cook or eat, and I will not apologize for that. Why? Take a look at the list and my reasons: Ten Things I Refuse to Cook and/or Eat Anything with the word "dump" in the recipe title. I associate that word with abandoned children, bowel movements, and landfills. It's also not cooking to me if you dump everything together in a crockpot and walk away. Beets as an ingredient: Alas, beets are not allowed in my cooking, my house or my mouth. You can thank my cousin Arnold for traumatizing me at a very young age by telling me they were blood eggs. Clams and Clam Chowder: I will eat just about any kind of seafood except clams. They look and smell nasty. I don't care if they're ground up in the soup and I probably won't taste them. That's what my mother said about squash. Liver: I...

This shabby little Vera Bradley wristlet was well-loved by the original owner, as evidenced by the amount of wear and tear. I actually love worn-out purses like this because they're fun to rehab and repurpose. The wrist strap is pretty threadbare. I want to shore up that and the weaker spots, cover the damage and turn it into a needle and scissor holder pouch. Let's see if I can. Because they are usually 100% fabric Vera Bradley purses are easy to hand sew. I found some antique lace that would suit the colors and design and starting stitching it over the areas of wear. I used strips of lace on both sides and two wee crocheted doilies over the bottom corners where the fabric had worn away. I added a few vintage buttons for fun. The rehabbed wristlet. It's not perfect, and I didn't intend for it to be. I wanted to give it a second life here in my sewing room. I'm always hunting for my embroidery scissors and yarn needles; now I know exact...

Future me here. I've gotten ahead of myself again, so I'll be double posting until I catch up to my one-week-only prepublication schedule. My guy and I went to walk an antique mall yesterday, and then stopped by the local church thrift store on the way home, where I found some neat cookbooks. I'm getting into the cooking doldrums again, and with the holidays on the horizon I really need some new inspiration. Here's my receipt for the cookbooks. I also donated $5.00 in cash to the store's pantry fund, as they provide free food for the needy in our community. They were actually handing out bread and sacks of potatoes under the fair share program while we were there, and I saw a lot of seniors taking advantage of that. People on fixed incomes can't afford the prices at the market these days, hence my donation. When I got home I jumped on my thrifted fabric bundle challenge by selecting these two upholstery samples for a dog bowl mat. I genera...

I picked up The Astral Library by Kate Quinn on a whim, as I so often do. Whim books for me sometimes end up being stunners and keepers (while others turn out to be groaners.) I generally pay full price and I always hope not to regret that, as retail for harcover books these days is pretty outrageous. I do not regret paying full price for this novel -- one of my highest compliments. The premise: Alexandria (Alix) Watson is having one of the worst days of her young life: her credit card is declined at the market while she's trying to buy survival foods, she gets fired from one of her three part-time jobs for being profanely honest, she's losing the dismal room where she lives due to her roommate's jealous girlfriend, and then discovers what little money in her checking account (and her incoming paychecks) are being stolen by a stranger. She finally escapes it all at the public library. There she steps through a secret door into another, far grander library where t...

Rather than torture myself by trying to do more than my hands were capable of, I kept the August tote for my calendar project simple, and finished it after a few nights of work. It's basic, but the execution was better than I've accomplished in some months past. There is minimal sewing (all done on the machine), no quilting other then the embroidery (a single stretch of feather stitching by hand on each side.) I beaded the embroidery with seed beads and Swarovski crystals. The little chili pepper brooch was one I decided not to use on the January tote, and I'm glad I saved it because it's perfect for this one. I made the handles extra wide because I will be using this tote to do things like hold food I buy at Farmer's markets, transport food when we go visiting, etc. The bugs novelty print might not be matchy, but I like it.

I admit, I've become entirely addicted to crochet. It's not only helped my spirits as much as my arthritic hands, but I can finish things. Finishing things is the best feeling in the world to me. That said, I'm going through yarn so fast I should probably be leaving scorch marks on my crochet hooks. It's also a good idea for me to not become completely obsessed and risk burning out. I decided to spend one day off last weekend doing things other than crochet (in other words, fun cooking, project cleaning, machine sewing and even some beading, but no crochet whatsoever.) It wasn't difficult; I had a lot of things to keep me busy. First I gave my latest lot of Vera Bradley bags a much-needed bath. One reason I love this brand is that they are entirely washable. I hand wash them because the fabric tends to be thin and not colorfast. To eliminate the inevitable leftovers I converted my recipe for puff pasty chicken pot pie into single-serve chicken ...

My guy wanted to stretch his legs last week, so we went to walk our local Goodwill. There was no yarn or fabric on the shelves, so I drifted back to the books, and found a brand new hardcover copy of a cookbook I wanted to give my nephew, and four paperbacks for myself. The books cost me $3.00 total -- here's my receipt. That cookbook alone retails for $28.00. When we got home my latest thrifted lot arrived. Although the package was soiled, the six Vera Bradley bags inside were none the worse for wear. These two are in brand new condition. I thrifted this lot mainly for the big solid navy purse, which I plan to use over winter. These three need a bath, but otherwise are in very good shape. This little wristlet is on the shabby side, but I'm going to rehab it in a fun way. I paid $9.99 for the bag lot, which makes each bag cost $1.66. Can't beat that price.

Ten Things You Should Not Do (Even When the Internet Tells You To): Bathe only twice or three times a week: Unless you are living in a plastic bubble, you sweat and get dirty and generally stink by the end of every day. You always do, even if you think otherwise, because of the bacteria on your skin, the things you come in contact with over the course of the day and night, and your own (and perhaps other people's) body fluids. Please ignore poor hygiene advice wrapped in a "healthy" banner and bathe yourself every day. Every. Day. Also, use soap. It would be nice if you washed your hair, too, but I won't push it. Buy and Collect [pricey, worthless, or pricey worthless item] as an investment: Two words for you: Beanie Babies. Stop believing the get rich from collecting folks, who are getting rich off your obsession to get rich quick and spend your money on things like groceries, paying off your credit cards, saving up for a vacation or new car, etc. Fa...

Last week I had two pairs of thrifted trousers to alter: a pair of black capris to make into shorts, and a pair of jeans that were a wee bit too big in the waist. These are nice knit capris, but they look a little ridiculous on me, and the waistband gapes a bit so I don't mind chopping them up and tailoring them to make shorts. I hemmed the legs, put a couple of darts in the waist, and it's done. A nice pair of shorts for cheap. I'm having the same fitting problem lately with all bottoms -- my waist has grown smaller than my hips -- so I put a couple of darts in the waistline of these jeans, too. Now they fit perfectly. :)