Sunday, July 20, 2025

The Big Reveal!

 Not such a big reveal, just the bag I finished last weekend, and sent off to it's new home. I received confirmation that the parcel arrived, so I will reveal it to the world.



This is the Heidi Clutch by Swoon.  It started out as a scrap of fabric, that was asking to become a bag. This was further confirmed by the fact that I had everything I needed in my stash. If I needed more confirmation, I had the perfect cork fabric to match.



This is the back of the bag.



The phone pocket on the back, and the cute charm on the zipper.

The bag opens out.


The inside is open. Not my usual pockets on the inside.


Of course, this is the strap I showed you last time.


The strap is my own design, the pattern has a wrist strap, but a crossbody strap is so much more convenient.

Meanwhile, my 8 YO helper learned how to wind yarn into cakes this week, and a new pair of socks have been  started.


And we turned last week's jam into Strawberry JamJam muffins. (JamJams are a cookie popular cookie from the Newfoundland.)


The muffins have a dollop of jam in the middle. The recipe can be found here.

https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/recipes/yogurt-strawberry-jam-jam-muffins



Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Hot Times

 We have a heat warning and an air quality warning, today. The sky has a grey haze, so  I am hiding in the house.

Sewing has been hit and miss, but I got another bag finished. It is on its way to its new owner, so let me show you the strap.


The bag is entirely from my stash, so it was free, right?

Meanwhile, our garden is blooming.




We have a bell pepper plant. I'm not sure what has happened to the first pepper, but, we have a pepper.


I started a pair of top up socks, and it was going well, until I got to the heel. I now remember that it is the heels that give me problems in toe up socks.


This is before I started the heel, and things went wrong. Last night, I decided I wasn't having fun, and the yarn is now wound into a ball, and will have to be something else.

Yesterday, I visited a new-to-me quilt group. They have a lovely room, with big windows, and air conditioning.  I was asked to join, and  of course, I agreed. It seems that quilt groups need a computer support person, so apparently I already have a new job.

This week, we are going to swimming lessons. Our not so little guy goes every morning, at the public pool near our house. It brings back memories of when his dad did the same thing.



Thursday, July 3, 2025

Some of the starts are now finished !

 I am not a fan of hot weather. My sewing space is the hottest in the house, so sewing is done in brief sprints. However, progress is being made.

The socks I showed you in the last blog have been finished.


Nice warm boot socks knit in 30C temperatures.

The slipper I had started last time was suppose to be a preview knit for a designer. The preview knitters found some problems that the designer realized were bigger than she first thought, so that knit is now on hold. I am glad there are designers who test patterns with a wide range of knitters, so the pattern problems are ironed out before the pattern is put into the designers shop. In this case the problem only showed up when the pattern was knit with a variety of yarns.

Since I had some spare knitting time, I made a pair of baby socks from the leftovers of my May socks.


Because I was using the leftovers, it wasn't possible to make them match, but I bet the baby won't mind.

I made a bag. This is the Emmaline Retreat Bag, in size small. It has a metal frame to keep it open when in use. I filled it with tools and gave it as a graduation gift to my young friend who just graduated in Computer Engineering. She likes the fabric. 




I used a rainbow zipper because it suited the bright colours. I no longer try to match my zippers to the fabric, exactly and instead try for something that compliments the fabric. The zipper pull is a Baby Yoda.

Once I got started on the big sort of the basement, I just can't stop. This week, I sorted through all the hats, mittens, and scarves. I found this treasure.


These are "courting mittens". I saw a set in a store, when I was a university student. I decided to try and make them, since the ones in the store were out of my price range. I gave them to my then boyfriend, and I still have the mitts, and married the boyfriend.

I need to go and plan tomorrow's program at "Camp Nana". I think we are making strawberry freezer jam.