Pot Pinchers

Due to the wild weather we have been having I have been staying home as much as possible.  The main reason is I love my little car and trees are being blown down and ripped apart all over town.  Our houseboat marina is a mess and the jetty has been torn apart.  My car has been hit by small flying debris on the journeys I haven't been able to avoid, like going to work or buying food, and the risk is too great.  My car is 20 years old so I can't just go out and replace it.

The benefits of staying home means I get to do some sewing.  I have been making a doll and is turning out cuter than expected.  I just have the clothes to make and then she will be ready to show. 

I have been making a bit of patchwork from a book I purchased called "Playful Patchwork" by Suzuko Koseki.  It has turned into a "completely done by hand" project so will be a slow on going project.  I may show photos as I go along or else you will never see it!  ha ha.

I have made some Pot Pinchers for me and I love them.  They were a necessity after taking a saucepan over to my daughters for a cooking lesson and her stove made the handle hot.

 

 As you can probably see, the pattern is from a magazine called "Making" (issue 20).  

The part I like the most about these pot pinchers is the fact that you only need your fabric scraps and the scraps of insulbright leftover from making oven mitts and casserole carriers.  

I like the charging station pictured also so will make one of those as soon as I find a suitable plastic container to cut up.  There is also an awesome messenger bag pattern in the magazine that has been put on my 'to do' list.  That list is getting pretty long!

NOTE:  I am getting rather slack/forgetful and forgot to add the link to the tutorial I used for my kitchen towel in the previous post.  It is here as well as added to previous post.

Also  I am going to update my blog with a makeover.  Change the layout etc.  If anyone has any ideas/suggestions on how to improve it or advice on what not to do, I would be extremely grateful.

Take care! 

xxoo

Thank you Internet!

The internet really paid its way today!  And about time too because its not cheap!!  How it saved a huge wad of money today is a DIY job it assisted in.  Here's the little story:

My daughter rang to say that the toilet in her rented home is leaking water.  Being a non plumber person but wanting to continue my daughters illusion that I can do anything.  I ummed and arred, asked some plumbing sounding questions and told her that first I needed to pop over to assess the problem.

Once I had seen what was going on I went home and hopped on the internet to find a fixing toilet tutorial.  Firstly I needed to find out what the different parts were called and so googled toilet parts and looked at pictures and found out that the part I was looking at fixing was called the Flush Cone which is connected to the Flush Pipe.

After that it was easy to find a tutorial on replacing a deteriorated flush cone with a new one.  They only cost a few dollars too!!  A plumber would have charged a few hundred dollars so my internet is paying for itself! Hooray!

My sewing has been taken up with sewing simple things for friends, ball gowns for my sister and making a dress for my mother in law.  The ball gown is a massive headache.  I made it according to the size she said she was and at the "fitting" I found out she has put on just a tad more weight than her dress would have liked.  So it doesn't fit and never will.

A friend who likes the kitchen hand towels I made for myself mentioned she would really love one that ties to the stove as her husband and kids always run off with her towels.  I can't resist a good sob story so I made her one.  Now her older daughter wants one and is currently thinking up her own sob story for me!

I used a tutorial from Pin Sew Press to make this towel. It was very easy to follow and the towel was whipped up in no time.

This photo is the best I could do due to the weather.  For the past three or four months it has been dark and grey EVERYDAY except when I am stuck in an office at work.  Then it is beautiful outside!!!

The sun is on its way so my photo's should improve!

Bye for now!


(PSST:  hello Wendy)

I'm ok

I am still alive and well.

I am sorry for no blogging but I have found no joy in computers at the moment.

My laptop overheats really quickly and now only gives me around 15 mins before it shuts down. 

This had been going on for awhile and finally my computer tech hubby decided to give it a look.  So currently it has been pulled apart and is in a thousand pieces.  Ok about 5 pieces.

If your questioning why somebody that has a computer techie for a hubby doesn't have the best working computer in the world, go ask someone who has a kitchen cabinet maker hubby why their kitchen is still not finished (10 years later). Or the wife of a mechanic why she carries a hammer in her car to start the faulty old bomb she drives around! lol

My hard-drive has been put into my hubby's laptop temporarily while he fix's mine.  Which by the way has been bagged and put in a cupboard because he is too busy building a bulldozer!  Let's see how long before I get my laptop back!

Sewing!  I should mention sewing since this is primarily a sewing blog.

Well fabric has been getting me in trouble.  How? I hear you ask.  Well I am ashamed to say by the piles of fabric and projects all over the house (ok just lounge room, dining room and sewing room).  I have been accused of having three sewing rooms and I must admit it is selfish of me when I nag at them to put their junk away.  ( I mean junk in the old fashion way! not the new hip hop way!) lol.  For those who don't know the modern meaning of the word 'junk' then I will enlighten you (sorry).  It means your private sexy bits.  Mainly a woman's butt or a mans genitalia.

Also until tonight, I thought this computer had destroyed all the photo's I have been taking the last few weeks.  My hubby used 'Parted Magic' to do a recovery and I have my photo's back but I still have to try and upload them again and do some minor editing. So sorry no photo's tonight.

AND if I have any more PC problems I am shutting down my blog and throwing out ALL technology and electrical crap in my house and am going back to the dark ages!!!!!!

checking in

Hi!

This past week has flown by in a blur!  It always does when my boss goes off on holidays and I have more work days than I normally am use to.  

Believe it or not but I managed to sneak in a bit of crafting.  Still not 100% finished as first I ran out of thread.  Then, I ran out of light (the sun has been hiding behind the darkest clouds).  Also it's cold and wet.  So I have been in front of the heater (again) with a few hand sewing/ stuffing projects.

But I have no pictures of them as my days have been regimented into:

1) get up and go to work early in the morning.
2) come home 5.30pm and tiredly think about whats for dinner.
3) Order takeaway because I am too tired and nobody else wants to cook.
4) Veg out in front of heater as its freezing cold.
5) Flake out at 9.00pm and get shooed off to bed.

Doing this everyday.

One miracle or blessing for me was the pile of dirty dishes that had stacked up by the sink were magically washed clean!!!!  "Whats going on here?" I thought to myself.  Also "What has he done/wrecked that needs this big suck up?".  Nothing as it turned out.  Must just be that love thing again.

I promise some photo's as soon as the sun gives me a little bit of light. (Not of the washed dishes or that love thing..sorry.  Just the crafts I have been doing)

I do have a bag that I made a few weeks ago and never got around to blogging about because I am not that happy with it.  Its too small to be any use to me.  Really, its about the size of a pencil case and should have a zip closure not a flap.

What I do like about this bag is what the flap is made out of.

My old sofa!  Yes I love recycling and when I couldn't keep my extremely comfortable sofa any more because it was becoming very worn out, I cut off and kept all the good bits of vinyl, calico, and stuffing.  Very soft fluffy stuffing for my softies and the calico will become some dolls.  The wooden frame is looking like it may become a mobile hen house!

So don't throw away your lounge suit.  There is a crafter's delight hiding inside.

My little nest

Thanks everyone for the well wishes.  I'm not doing too badly because this cold has given me a couple days off work.  I have spent that time in front of the heater doing a little bit of sewing or reading those new craft books I got in the mail the other day.

This is one spot I have been hanging out.  Either watching tv or reading my 5 new craft books.  The books are fabulous.  One is Wee Wonderful's book.  It's  full of softies to make.  The other is Hop Skip Jumps softies book.  So many cute projects just asking/begging me to stop what I am doing and start something new.  I am trying to be tough and finish off some stuff that's been hanging around for ages unfinished.

 

I have also been nesting in front of this heater doing some crafty stuff.  Mostly I have been making a mess with bits and pieces scattered over the floor.  Also reading Melly and Me's softie book to finish off Bella Boo.

Bella Boo.  She is so sweet and a wonderful softie to make.  I used some soft flannel fabric for her body.  I found it in an op shop years ago and the scrap was too small to make any baby clothes with.  Perfect for Bella Boo.

She has gone off with my cousins little girl.  Most of my softies fly the coup really early.  I guess that's good right?  I just would like one or two for myself but can't say no to any little tacker that wants to take one home!

Gotta go and curl up on my sofa.  Hubby's putting Farscape on to watch.

Hi

I hope you are all keeping well.  I have the flu but I am doing my best to keep as many people well as I can by staying home these last few days. It's been hard especially when the postie delivered some new craft books for me to read.  

Speaking of the postie.  He is the first person I have come across in a long time who has such as strong sense of self survival.  When I told him to stay clear, as I was not only sick but felt like patient zero, he wouldn't hand me my package but placed it on the ground in front of him and quickly turned tail and ran for his delivery van.  I must look like crap.

Also a telemarketing caller rang with some scheme to sell and after I politely croaked "no" she quickly hung up.  No keeping on with the sales pitch and falling into full hostile abuse when I keep politely saying "no thanks".  I must sound a fright too.

I made this bag a while ago but only just finished it recently. 

It's a little orphan purple bag.  It has no where to go yet.  I don't why I made it really.  I think its just because I love cutting up fabric!

CraftyStacie has kindly made a tutorial for this bag on her blog and you can jump into this portal to get there and make your own.

I have had a visitor the last few mornings.  A beautiful red robin.  Every time I race back inside to get my camera she flies away. 

I managed to stalk her a bit and by using my telescopic lens got this burred pic.  Still, it's better than nothing.

A project finish

Actually I am happy to say I have finished a couple of bags.  But I am only showing one today as I want this to be a quick post not a novel.

Love the colours of pink and chocolate!  This bag was a joy to make.  I used cotton for the outer fabric and the lining.  For the interfacing I used some soft cotton flannel.  It gave the bag some shape without making it too stiff and rigid.  I used the Phoebe pattern from  Artsy Crafty Babe.

The lining has a inserted zipper.  (not part of the Phoebe bag tutorial).
I also added the lobster claw thingy to attach my keys to.

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging much.  Well I am going to be honest and say I have lost my blogging mojo.  Its got to the stage where I am afraid to do a post!  Yes strange I know. 

So to try and combat this I am going to do short posts for awhile and hopefully two or more a week.  I haven't decided on which day of the week this will be.  It all depends on when I get regular free time and access to my own laptop.

Back soon with another bag finished.