Pots and Pins

Christmas Lights Tablecloth...

Back in 1998 I thought it would be SO fun to applique Christmas lights on a white tablecloth...crazy is as crazy does.  I started my project with joy - cutting white fabric so it would perfectly fit our kitchen table.  I worked feverishly on it for about a month and then put it aside.  I picked it up again 6 months or so later, determined to get it finished for Christmas. 

 

Never happened.  Over the last 21 years I worked on this tablecloth every now and then - mostly it just sat in my to-do-basket, aging away.  About 15 years ago we got a new kitchen table and when I pulled out the tablecloth to work on it I realized that it no longer fit our table!  That had me tossing it back into the to-do-basket in a hurry!

The plug might be my favorite part of the entire thing.  I really struggled with this project - first I really don't like applique.  I pretend I do but I'm just not good at it so what's to like?!?  And my work on this really proves that point.  Second, when I realized that it didn't fit our table I was just deflated...but after years of working on it, little by little, I had to finish it!  It was just hard to keep going - to find more of each color of fabric because I WaaaaaaY underestimated the amount I needed and ran out pretty quickly.  But I am glad I persevered!

It's done!  And while it doesn't fit my table it does fit my moms!  I gave it to her when she and dad were here for Thanksgiving - I know she will love it.   I used black ribbon as the cord and tried to depict how utterly awful the cord can be - all tangled up and such - I think I managed to do okay on that aspect.

I started this project using freezer paper on all of the pieces.  That all went out the window a few years later - who has time for all that ironing?!?  So some of the lights might not be the same size...just sayin'...I believe that's called creative license.

When I finally took the last stitch I decided it needed a binding, not just a white hemmed edge so I added the red plaid fabric.  It's cute, happy and definitely Christmas-y, so now that it's done I can tell you that I love it!

And I know mom loves it, too.  I might just be able to see the bottom of my to-do-basket...in a year or so.

Sophie's Quiet Book...

My little friend Sophie has been such a blessing in my life - she only speaks Mandarin, I only speak English, but somehow we manage to communicate.  Sophie and her mom come over to my house several times a week and it's always a joy to see them!  They don't stay long, just long enough for Sophie to walk around and collect "her" toys, while her mom and I catch up.

Sophie and her family are in China visiting family now and I miss that little girl so much!  This is a picture of Sophie that her mom sent me, Sophie is celebrating her 3rd birthday with butterfly wings and headband - and she's sportin' a new haircut!  Sophie always wears her blue and orange shoes, too, which I love, they make me laugh.  Sophie looks very serious in this picture but when that little girl laughs, it is the cutest thing in the world - and we laugh a lot together!  

For Sophie's 3rd birthday and for her long flight to China, I decided to make her a Quiet Book.  I know I swore I would never, ever make another one...but there you have it.

On the way to the airport I gave the book to Sophie, I'm not sure she knew what to do with it but when we got to the airport, her mom tried to take it away from her to put into her backpack and Sophie was NOT letting go!  Made me SO happy!

Making this book was much easier than the last one I made...I learned a few tricks along the way that helped!

Also it helped that I used some of the same ideas from when I made Elsa's Quiet Book ...I didn't have to reinvent the wheel/page!

This "I Spy" page was a new one for me - Sophie has a list of all the things that are inside the plastic and she can try to find them.  It's harder than it looks! 

I had to put in a bunny page because Sophie loves bunnies!  Sophie has a real bunny at her house, they keep "Bunny" in a hutch in the garage and yours truly has been feeding it ever since they left...I only have to keep it alive for another week!!!  Bunny weighs MORE than Rosie, like 12 pounds!  She is HUGE! 

Bunny might weigh even more now as I suspect I'm feeding her more than she's used to...oh well...what else has Bunny got to do but eat?!  Bunny and I have SO much in common!

I started Sophie's Quiet Book on February 1st and I finished it on March 15th...and I worked on it every day in between...so maybe this was a 150 200 hour Quiet Book, either that or I'm slowing down!

Because I loaded up the inside of the front and back pages with treats and goodies, the book was heavy.  When I saw Sophie holding it tight, walking into the airport, I regretted not putting handles on her book!  Sophie's mom told me she liked it very much and that she used it on the plane ride.   Too bad the airlines don't pass out Quiet Books for all of the toddler passengers...our flights might just be a bit quieter!

Happy Birthday my little friend!  I miss you, come home safe!

 

 

Zipper Pouch...

Happy 4th Day of Christmas Everyone!  We're still celebrating - or trying to - I did a finger wave this morning when I got up, does that count?  Christmas just isn't the same without little kids - no chaos or mess or noise or pure joy.  I missed it all so very much!!  Still, we did manage to have a very nice Christmas, it was just noise-less and mess-less and very different.  The mister thought it was perfect, no surprise there.  On Christmas Eve, the mister was so pleased there wasn't a creature stirring he even offered to help me wrap a few gifts!  Never, ever has he done that before!  He passed the tape and scissors and put on the tags - a right jolly ol' elf was he!  Then he watched as I filled the stockings for the boy and his bride...and I made him turn his head as I filled his.  We grabbed the gifts and the stockings and as we were loading up I asked the mister to make sure to grab my stocking, which was still on my work table - empty - so very empty.  I didn't have to point out the obvious but I did, because that's the kind of elf I am...not once in all of our Christmases has there ever been anything in my stocking because I do the stockings and what's the point in filling my own?  Cut to Christmas day - the boy and his bride come over - we light the fire, pass around the gifts, hand out the stockings and the mister pipes up, tells the boy to hand me my stocking - which looks every bit as empty and sad as ever.  I feel the stocking, very funny I say, but the mister assures me there is something inside - so I reach my hand in and pull out one $20 bill.  One.  The mister was proud as punch - started laughing - then coughing - then hacking - he about killed himself with glee.  Who knew $20 could provide so much joy?!  Now, as the mister pointed out, because that's the kind of elf he is, I cannot say I've never had anything in my stocking ever again...after this post.

Making something hand-made is part of the fun of Christmas for me and every year I drive myself crazy trying to make something last minute.  This year was no exception.  Five days before Christmas I decided my sisters needed zipper pouches so I headed into the nerve center, my work room, and got busy.  I made these five zipper pouches in ONE HOUR.  Not kidding.  They are SO easy to make - sew up super fast - and, if I do say so myself, look pretty darn cute! 

Mixing up the outside fabrics with the lining was the fun part - and if I'd had more time I might have added a few more embellishments to the outside of the pouch - but they really didn't need it.

Lipsticks were wrapped up with a pouch and sent off that day...so easy and fast and I thought they made such a cute gift that I made several for myself!

If you want to sew some up for yourself or your sisters, Dana over at  Dana Made It has a great tutorial.  Dana has a lot of great sewing tutorials - I love everything she comes up with and so will you. 

I'll leave you this morning with the parting words the mister had for me as he left for Global Headquarters today, "Geeze Nan, can you get any more crap on that cabinet?"  The crap on the cabinet has been there since the day before Thanksgiving...and he said that now?!?  He just noticed?  Should I be worried about his mental health...or mine?  Of course, the answer to his question is yes...yes I can get more crap on and in that cabinet...do you think that was a dare?  I said in reply, as sweetly as I could, "Happy 4th Day of Christmas ya filthy animal - now go to work!" 

Be the first one to name the movie that line (paraphrased) is from and I'll send you a zipper pouch!

Elsa's Paper Dolls...

O.M.Geeee.  What a week!  I drove to Salt Lake City with friends and once there we all went our separate ways.  (800 miles in the car, 13 hours, non-stop talking, laughing, eating - the only way to fly!)  So that is why I've been a little remiss in my posts lately...and usually I'm always posted ahead but I've been a bit off my game these past few months - lots of stuff going on and I hope to get back to normal soon!  Last week was a week of non-stop family celebrations...more about those in a later post.  Today I want to show you the Paper Dolls I made for Elsa - she loved them - which made making them worth every second!

This idea was not mine, I saw this at our local Ben Franklin and could not wait to make them for Elsa!  I bought a yard of the paper doll fabric and two packages of Fast 2 Fuse, and that's all you really need to make adorable "paper dolls" for your grand-daughter!

Handing Elsa a bunch of paper dolls would be fine, but that would also be the last we would see them - so I had to make a little "book" to hold her paper dolls - and this is what I came up with!  Velcroed tabs hold the book shut so none of the dolls or their clothing can fall out.

Inside the book there is a clear plastic/vinyl zippered pouch where Elsa can keep all of the clothes, shoes and toys her paper dolls need.  (This is actually in the back of the book - I'm starting from the back, I start all books that way, don't you?)

You can see the plastic zippered pouch on the left above.  On the right is a pocket that holds the paper dolls, there is also a pocket in the front of the book.

The middle of the book is a big piece of stiffened felt (It's called Felties and I purchased it at Ben Franklin, just sewed a piece of fabric around the edges to make it look more finished.)  This is where Elsa can stick her dollies and play with them.  The backing of the iron-on fuse stuff is kind of nubby so it sticks to the felt.

Just look at everything that comes on the paper doll fabric!  Elsa had so much fun moving things around, dressing her dollies and playing with the dog and cats.  Of course, Elsa loves to be in the kitchen so she really liked the baking things!

This is the front inside page - a pocket to hold the paper dolls (there are 8 of them!) and the back of the felt page so Elsa can "audition" which doll she wants to dress!

 

Just a little book for a little girl - it measures 9 x 12 inches. 

 

I signed the inside of the book, "For Elsa with lots of love from Gramma, April 2015."  I don't want her to forget me! 

Isn't she just the cutest thing?  I love her to pieces!  A few days after these pictures were taken, Elsa took a nasty spill, into a fireplace hearth.  She fractured the bone in her upper jaw, broke her front two teeth at the roots and has a bad cut on her chin.  She ended up at Primary Children's Hospital (thank you to everyone who helped her!!) where they surgically removed the broken teeth, stitched her gums, and stitched up her chin, inside and out.  We were all so very, very sad - seeing her with a mouthful of blood and hearing her scream just tore us all up!  But children are resilient and mouth wounds heal fast...three days later, little Elsa was herself again, all smiles, and as she said, "Just wiff no "teef!" 

Luckily Elsa could still suck on her binky.  In the car on the way to the hospital she asked for it through her sobs - and we thought it might make things worse or hurt her more but the minute she put the "b" in her mouth, she settled down, it was the only thing that gave her comfort before the doctors sedated her.  I could only get to part with it for only a few seconds at a time, so I was lucky to get ONE shot of her without it!  Even with a scraped up chin and stitches, she is still the most beautiful and the sweetest little girl on the planet!!  

 

Tie Pockets...

Yesterday at church one of the speakers said we should enjoy the small and simple things in life...he might have been talking about reading the scriptures or prayer, I have no idea because he lost me at small and simple.  My mind went straight to my Tie Pocket in my handbag - it's definitely small and simple and I smile every time I see it.  

 

 

 

 

 

It's entirely possible to make a Tie Pocket for everyone you know in a matter of minutes - as in it takes ONE MINUTE to make ONE Tie Pocket...no kidding!  First you start with a tie.  From the wide end, measure 11-inches from the point and then cut.  Fold the cut end over and stitch down.  Save the remainder of the tie for something else - like maybe you'll sew all of those pieces end to end and then roll them up into a giant TIE BALL?

Giant tie balls are quite heavy!  I think there are 75 tie pieces in that thing!  What does one do with a giant tie ball?  Glad you asked...I used it when I taught a lesson to the girls at church about us all being "tie-d together"...as the girls sat in a circle, if they wanted to talk they had to have the tie ball, so it was thrown back and forth and around the circle while I asked them questions and dispensed my pearls of wisdom...by the end of the lesson they were all tied together, clever, no?  (If I had been talking to a group of women I would have mentioned the ties that bind...and gag...and suffocate...but since they were young I left all that out!)   I gave them all a Tie Pocket...they were thrilled...it is the small and simple things that bring joy!  So, after you fold the cut end over and sew it down, you fold the tie into thirds:

  

 

 

 

 

Sew down each side, forming the pocket.  Three little seams and you're done!  You just fold the flap (pointed end) over the pocket and press, see?  Easy-peasy!  Now you have a nice little Tie Pocket to maybe keep some tissue in, or your driver's license, or a pack of gum or a supply of Advil/Vicodin, name your poison. 

 

If you don't happen to have a huge stash of men's ties, you can find them on ebay for cheap - I ordered some years ago and I've used them in different things...but this is one of my favorite ways to use them - who doesn't need a Tie Pocket?!?

Yeti Hunting...

Two years ago I introduced my grandson Max to the fine art of Sasquatch Hunting.  When he was here that summer, I took him Sasquatch hunting in the forest at night.  It was great fun - we each had a flashlight, and a bucket of Squatch Food (turns out they like chocolate chip cookies) and a rope, just in case we found one so we could tie it up and lead it home to be our pet.  Max is a great Sasquatch hunter - and he looked the part with the shirt I made him with a Target T-shirt.  I added the Sasquatch and stuffed him so he would look, you know, more real!

 

Since that very first hunt, Max and I have hunted Sasquatch on many occasions - alas, we've yet to capture one.  Just when I thought Max's interest in Sasquatch was about to wane, someone told him about the Yeti.  Of course, everyone knows the Sasquatch hibernate in the winter and can only be hunted in warmer weather but the Yeti lurks in snow-capped mountains and forests all winter long, trudging around looking for small animals to tease and large humans to scare.  Naturally, Max wanted to hunt the Yeti.  So we did.  Max was prepared with a map he drew himself and his Yeti-hunting-flashlight.  You can see in the pic in the middle above that Max is investigating a lump of snow...sometimes Yeti babies curl up on the ground to hide from humans...one needs to be very careful.  Max was also equipped with night-vision-glasses - helpful in spotting Yeti at night.   

Max needed a Yeti shirt, he must look the part.  With another Target T-shirt and a picture from Pinterest, Max will be sportin' his new shirt today at school.  (I would happily credit the person who's picture I saw on Pinterest but the link went to a Flickr page with hundreds of pics and no names or other links.  Sorry!) 

 

Just in case you were thinking this was all a bunch of Max/Tom-foolery, I have provided you with proof.  Yeti is alive and well and lives in Utawrrrrrh!

Max happily posed with Yeti, who we found frozen with fear on someone's porch...well played Yeti, well played!

That was all the encouragement Max needed to continue the Yeti hunts - night after night. 

Just a word of caution to you other grandmas out there...be careful what you start with your grandchildren...apparently I will be hunting Sasquatch and Yeti till the end of my days!!

Mens Ties = Skirt = Ottoman...

Years ago I was walking through Nordstrom when I spied a very cool skirt made from mens ties.  It was in Brass Plum and it was $275.00.  I thought my daughter would love it...but not for $275.00.  If it had been $27.50 I might have sprung for it.  On the way home I thought about the skirt, how easy it would be to make - if only one had a basket full of mens ties...well one did!  And I had been saving them for just the right project and a skirt for my daughter was it!

Cute, no?  It's made from all silk ties, looks exactly like the one I saw at Nordstrom and I was so excited to give it to my daughter and she loved it.   Fast forward about 8 years...on a recent visit to my daughter's home I found this skirt in a heap in her GARAGE!  She said it no longer fit (it's a size 4, she's now a 6) and she didn't want to give it away (thank heavens!) and she didn't know what to do with it so it was in her garage with a bunch of other crap.  Well, that was that.  I took it back, told her I would find someone to give it to or do something with it - I just couldn't let it sit in her garage!

This hideous little mushroom ottoman was a garage sale find - I have been letting it "age" while trying to decide how to recover it.  When I got home from SLC with the tie skirt I casually tossed it on top of the mushroom, which was sitting in my workroom.  Every day I would see the skirt on top of the mushroom and yet nothing sparked...and then one day...I thought...what if...what if I put the entire skirt, without taking it apart at all, over the mushroom for a slip-cover? 

That's what I did!  I took a needle and carpet thread and gathered up the top of the skirt, about 2-inches down from the waistband (which made it the perfect length to cover the ottoman) and folded it under to form a nice circle.    Now all I needed was another piece of silk, a piece for backing and some batting...presto-chango, my mushroom ottoman would have a "Dresden quilt block kind of look" for a cover!

 

 

 

 

 

The center of the ottoman kind of sinks in a bit so I stuffed the cover piece with batting.  It looks like a bubble in the pic above but only half of it had been sewn down.  I sewed it on by hand and after it was all attached, it looked great and wasn't all that "bubbly."

It's more than an ottoman...it's a conversation piece!  And look!  It's working!  We're already having a conversation about it!  I love how it turned out - love that I could rescue the skirt into something fun!  I tried the ottoman out in our little sitting room...but it didn't speak to me.  So I tried it in the living room...nothing heard there either.  When I took it into our family room, it had found it's home!

This might be one of those projects that will have some people thinking I've lost my mind...but I love it SO much!  I love that it reminds me of my daughter (I'm trying to block out seeing it in her garage!) and I love that I know there's a brown velvet mushroom underneath and no one else does - well, except you - let's just keep it as our little secret. 

My little tie ottoman fits in perfectly in a room full of conversation pieces.  A friend once told me my entire house was a conversation piece...I was all, "Stop, I'm blushing!" as she was rolling her eyes and snickering...whatever...the next time she comes I'm going to show her my mens-ties-skirt-ottoman and watch her turn green with envy...or puke...either way a conversation will ensue!

Chocolate Aprons...

That title is a little mis-leading...today's post is not about aprons made from chocolate or apron-shaped chocolates but rather aprons with "chocolates" on them - er, fabric with chocolates, oh just have a look! They have been in the works since our great chocolate day back in December but then they got lost in the Christmas chaos until I rescued them a few days ago!  They turned out so cute - perfect for dipping chocolates or maybe just eating them!

***Breaking News***  The mister finished his THIRD book in as many years!!!  Yep, three books read cover to cover in just 1,095 days!  He's on some kind of roll!  I picked those three books for him and so when he announced he'd finished the last of the three he asked me what his next book was...I felt like JK Rowling must have felt when she inspired a world of children to read!  However, I didn't have another book ready in the wings - I had no idea he'd finish within the year!  The mister, hankering for another great read, went in search for one by himself and he returned with Washington, A Life by Ron Chernow.  I smirked.  I've read that book and it's not an easy read...interesting yes, but it's long and at times a bit tedious...and there aren't any pictures.  After one hour and eleven pages (perhaps it takes him so long due to his simian tendencies or maybe it's because he watches TV while he reads, either way he must read each page ten times!) he said, "I can't read this book, it's got too many big words - like phlegmatic, what the hell does that mean?!"  I told him I was phlegmatic and he said, "Well get in and get that looked at!"  (To be phlegmatic is to be calm, composed, content...which I normally am until the mister walks in the door!)

 

 

 

 

 

Made with broadcloth so they are durable and will wash up great, these aprons sew up in no time.  I use an apron I have as a pattern.  I put the apron on top of my fabric, added one inch around and cut out around the apron.  I special ordered the chocolates fabric - it's a few years old and I had remembered seeing it - thought it would work nicely with the red.  These aprons were a gift/thank you/bribe to the ladies who helped us with our chocolate dipping this year - it worked so great, in part, because of their organization!!  Hopefully they'll come help again next year!  And, of course, I made one for myself because one can never have too many aprons, feel free to quote me on that!

Okay, remember the cake plate I broke?   And remember how my friend said, "There are certain rules in life, particularly in the kitchen...and when one breaks a cake plate it must be replaced!"  And then she gave me a beautiful new cake plate?   Too, too generous and kind!!  Well, it happened again!  Oh no, I didn't break another cake plate...I was given another!!!  A dear friend's mom read that post and she's a "researcher" so she did some digging and found an exact replica of the cake plate I broke!  How sweet was that?!? 

 

What is it about cake plates?!?  I surely don't know but I do love them!  A cake served on a cake plate just seems to taste better - am I right?

 

Thank you  Stasia!!  I will handle it with kid gloves!  That was SO very kind of you!

 

Aprons for The Giggle Girls...

The Giggle Girls have known each other since they were all in grade school...and every year they get together for a long weekend visit at one of their homes.  This year they are at my friend Carol's house here in Seattle - so Carol rolled out the welcome mat.  She wanted everything to be perfect for her long-time friends and she planned to spoil them with plenty of gifts, too!  She asked me to make each of her friends an apron...

This apron is for Carol, she has the most beautiful garden - flowers blooming everywhere!  I love going to her home - flowers greet me when I arrive and wave to me when I leave - her green thumb is pretty spectacular.

This apron is for Carol's friend who loves to bake and cook...that's my version of a whisk and measuring spoons, in case you couldn't tell!

Do you see the stack of books with the apple on top?  This apron is for Carol's friend who is a teacher...all of the aprons have machine-applique and ribbon ties.  And as you can see, all are made from pink checked fabric with coordinating prints.

This last apron is for the friend who, according to Carol, doesn't really do anything but shop!  Sounds fun to me!  I'm hoping she likes jewelry because I appliqued two rings onto her apron...yes, those are rings!

 

 

 

Carol also asked me to put together some flower arrangements for her home, so she'd have flowers inside and out - it's a regular Garden of Eden I'm teling you!  I wish you all could see it, but since you can't see her yard I'll let you see the some of the flowers I put together for her...

When Carol told me she and her friends called themselves the Giggle Girls, I guess I added in the word girly...because when I went to the flower market I kept thinking Girly Giggle Girls and I came home with a lot of pink flowers!

Transporting flowers is always tricky...I stuffed the bucket/box and pan with newsprint then carefully set the flowers in  and I drove at a snails pace but still managed to spill water all over my car!  More flowers are on tap this week for a wedding...and I'll have plenty of help from my Grands!!  Yikes!  Talk about poor timing!  If you come to my house please do not comment on the petals/leaves that will surely be all over the place!   Say a little prayer for me, I'm going to need it!

Golf Bags for the Bachelor Golf Party...

As the Mother of the Groom, you would think I have nothing to do but putter around all day while waiting for the big event...and you would be wrong!  I do know some MOG's who did nothing but walk in the door five minutes before the wedding/reception and then walk out with nothing in their hands after...but I don't understand that and have no idea how to do that...if I can make (busy) work for myself then I will do it!  I'm an expert in busy work!  I can't seem to help myself - and neither can anyone around me so I've been busy, mostly trying to wedge myself out of self-created sand traps for several weeks now!

The boy is having a golf outing the day before his wedding as his bachelor party.  Yours truly has made all the arrangements...you might think it's a bit weird for the MOG to plan her son's bachelor party, but as you know, men don't plan things in advance and since the boy and his friends work and travel and some are coming from out of town, something had to be set in stone!  They all love to golf so a golf outing was a no-brainer...plus with me planning the party I could guarandamtee the only hookers on the course will have 9 irons in their hands!  I ordered up a few goodies for the boys - and then set about sewing up some bags to hold them - and that's where my involvement ends...I promise I won't be joining them on the links!

 

 

 

 

 

Each golfer will get a sleeve of golf balls that have been personalized with the couple's names and date of their wedding, I ordered them from here.  I also ordered the tees from them but didn't have them personalized - they just get broken!  I found these great protein bars, 10th Tee, ordered from here.

 

 

 

 

 

The goodie bag will also have a water bottle, with a new label (just another example of extra work for myself!) some chocolate foil covered golf balls, ordered from here, a nice honey crisp apple and a Cow Pie Cookie (not pictured).  I found the fabric for the bags at JoAnn Fabrics - it was kind of thin, so I lined the bags with muslin - worked like a charm!

Fore!  Glad to have these done and ticked off my list...next up, tablescapes for the bridal party/family luncheon at Sahalee...why have just a vase of flowers when I can make it more complicated and involved?!?!  And once those are done I'll take aim at the monogramed pillowcases and get-away basket and finish up sewing the quilt blocks that will be used in the guest book - which I will later sew together into a quilt for the love birds...there is no end!  And that's just this week's list!  I can't even begin to think about next week!!  The only good thing about staying so busy is it takes my mind off the boy getting married and moving away...he's finally cutting the umbilical cord...pray for me to perfect a non-ugly cry face!!