::Wordless{ish} Wednesday is where I post a picture(s) without words. Feel free to link up your own post without words in the comments so I can check out your image too!::
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Remember those patterns I won? This is another one that I was really excited about. The Dot dot Dash bag by Sew Sweetness.
I decided that I wanted to make it smaller than the pattern suggests. So I drew it up and followed all the steps in the packet.
There are three small separate compartments on the front. And I made them work! I re-sized mine to 2.5 inches wide instead of 4. They are perfect for all the small stuff we seem to take on hikes.
It was going fantastically well… (and if you follow my page on Facebook, you know where this story is going)
until I put the zipper in upside down. Then sewed all the layers together. Then top stitched around to finish it off. THEN I noticed it.
*sigh*
I think I am going to just lop off the top of the bag and insert a whole new zipper, which is a good thing, since the strap extenders got all wonky when I put the zip in anyway.
This pattern was a lot trickier than I thought it would be (or than I thought I could handle flawlessly). It does say it is intermediate/advanced. I think I have more work to do until I can call myself that.
Any tips from you experienced sewsists? How would you handle installing a zipper upside down (uh, other than throwing the bag on the floor and stomping it a bit, *ahem*)?
We had a very pleasant relaxed Father’s Day. The weather was gorgeous, and we had no plans.
I love those days. We don’t often get unscheduled days. My husband’s wish was to mow the lawn, then go to the park and let the kids ride their bikes while we walked. I whipped up some easy mushroom risotto for dinner once we got home, and he was over-the-moon.
Very simple and sweet.
The kids showered him with handmade gifts. Falafel actually made really great things in school before it ended. I love that they incorporate clay and sewing into their projects and really make such beautiful things for all the Holidays.
I made some shaving cream for him. I am allergic to most things, and he hasn’t found one that hasn’t made me rash or sneeze! So I found this very cool recipe for Rosemary Mint Shaving Cream and decided to give it a go. I am hoping I can be around it!
Overall, Jim, at the end of the day, felt celebrated and we all had a fun no-pressure day.
Today we are back to “scheduled”.
How did you spend Father’s Day?
Happy Father’s Day to all of you wonderful Dads out there!
Personally, I am wishing my own husband a very special day because we truly appreciate all he does. He is a good Father. He loves our girls with all of his heart, and it shows.
He is always up for a walk on the beach with them. He gives very sound advice when they ask. He always keeps his cool and has a very even temper with them. I admire how he can stay so calm. Even with our teenager.
I hope, Jim, that we can make your day as wonderful for you as you are to us.
Did I mention that he always makes us laugh?
Well, he does.
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PS- I wish my own Dad a very Happy Father’s Day too…but on the phone since he doesn’t know how to work these here internets. LOVE you Dad!
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Come back next week for On-Our-Shelves Sunday!
Yesterday I shared the first Aeroplane bag I made. Today I will show you what I did differently for my second one!
Months ago, our dear friend, Carolyn gave me a bunch of thrifted fabrics as a gift (she knows me so well). In that lovely package was a quilted mat-type blanket. Not really sure what it was meant to be, but it was perfect for this project! Since the first bag was claimed by The Bee, Falafel got to choose the lining fabric for this one. She picked another thrifted sheet in my stash.
The quilted fabric was stiff enough that I didn’t need to have any interfacing on the lining.
Another couple of things I changed was I made the front one piece instead of two and added a pocket out of the lining fabric.
This time I fit a throw pillow and a large twin sized blanket. Seriously huge.
You can see the scale a little better on my little Falafel.
Another change I made was to use store bought straps (shorter because she requested them so) and attach them to the bottom seam, and over the front pocket (separating the large pocket into three). I must say that I really appreciate the ease of these straps. Sturdy. No ironing. Perfect.
Needless to say, this is a good pattern that I know will get some more use. The best part is the flexibility. You can really get creative!
I told her that she wouldn’t have to carry this bag so much because it seemed to stress her out a bit. It will just be in the car. Ha!
What a relief.
What have you made today?
A few months ago I won a contest over at A Little Gray for 3 patterns from Sew Sweetness Patterns Shop!
It has taken me this long to get to one of them, but I finally had the motivation of an upcoming trip.
I started with the Aeroplane Bag. I followed the pattern pretty closely for this first one. Although, I didn’t use heavy interfacing. Honestly, I didn’t want to invest in it if it wasn’t going to be a bag I loved, so I used what I had.
It ended up being a bag I really do love! The Bee claimed this one, already.It is absolutely huge. Big enough to pack two bath towels and a lap blanket (just for the photos), and there’s STILL room!
This is the first time I ever used a sports zipper. So very chunky and smooth. Lovely.
Her pattern didn’t call for a tab, but since I left a good portion of the zipper end hanging out, I added one.
I loved it so much that I made another one! Come back tomorrow to see what I did to the second one.
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I’m linking to:
OK, my kids don’t lose teeth until they almost are 8, and apparently cannot ride a 2 wheeler without training wheels until that age as well. Coincidence??
Probably.
With The Bee, I remember very clearly the day when she was 5 years old that she came up to us and said, “I don’t want to learn how to ride a bike. I retire“. And she did.
Until one day when she was 8, she took out her bike (we had taken off the training wheels in hopes that one day she might want to try it again), went outside, and taught herself how to ride it in an afternoon. All on her own.
Jim and I just looked at each other. We had never seen such will before. First to decide she would “retire” at 5 and stick to it until three years later when she decided she was ready. And she was.
Our second child, we thought, would be different. She is, slightly. She has never declared that she never wanted to ride again. But she wouldn’t even try riding her bike without training wheels, until now.
She is 7 1/2. And she rides beautifully. All on her own.
The one thing she did tell us is that she thinks bicycle shorts are really the perfect riding attire. They don’t get stuck in the wheels, and they allow her to move freely. And she does.
So I whipped up a pair of totally comfy bike shorts for our new rider. In yellow. To match her bike.
And a matching headband.
She loves them. And I love that she is riding every day.
Do your kids ride bikes? What age did they start?
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::Wordless{ish} Wednesday is where I post a picture(s) without words. Feel free to link up your own post without words in the comments so I can check out your image too!::
This is cause for two cupcakes.
Happy Summer Vacation!
It is (more accurately) the last few days of school, here. I am amazed at how many field trip/outings they jam in the last month!
Last week, we went to the beach (actually both kids’ classes did, but I could only go to one) and said a farewell to Falafel’s teacher who is retiring this year.
We couldn’t have had a more beautiful day here, complete with a backdrop of all the mountain ranges in clear view. *sigh* Mt. Rainier is so ghostly, isn’t it? It just seems to float.
The kids continued their learning, outside. There were plenty of things to discover at the beach.
This year flew by so quickly. I am still trying to believe that I will soon be the Mom of an Eighth grader and a Second grader! Didn’t we just start this school year???
Is school out, yet, for your kids?
No, really. An actual Eagle landed just a little bit away from us on the beach.
I couldn’t help but take a few photos of this majestic bird.
I couldn’t believe he was so close!
We got quite the show.
What have YOU seen today?
