Victoria was sick, passed it to Travis. He has had laryngitis and last night started getting croupy and having difficulty breathing. I took him to the Emergency Room around 1 a.m. and they administered an oral steroid and a breathing treatment. Yes on croup, and they also think he has asthma. He gets the breating problems every time he gets ill, which admittedly is very rare. SO, I will follow up with the regular pediatrician this week.
Tomorrow I have an art class up in Everett. It's on composition and should be interesting. I printed out the approval form for the ANG MTP and have been looking for my scissors for a while now. *sigh*
Right now I'm stitching on a Melissa Shirley Easter egg when I have time - pretty much only while watching the girls at swimming. It's been a busy couple weeks!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
A few more purses...
I think I'm going to call these Pick-Me-Ups. They're fun to make, fun to pick out materials, and fun to buy. I actually sit there smiling as I'm sewing them. :)
Crisp linen with a lime green interior. Trimmed with multi-colored bead trim and printed red ribbon. Natural wood handles with red silk accent.
Deep orange is accented with dogs wearing sweaters to match. Amber beads complement the amber handle.
Teal blue is harmonized with a woven ribbon in teal, purple, and black. Accented with round beads and a black leather strap.
A lovely ribbon of grey, black and pink really shines with the paillette and bead trim. Fun pink handles. Almost to shiny to photograph!
Swim Meet - Spring Grand Pentathlon
Saturday the 21st Victoria had a swim meet up in Marysville. She'd been sick all week so we thought she would be slower. Anyway, here are her times from that meet.
Event Time
8 & U 25 Y Freestyle 28:21 *new fast time*
8 & U 25 Y Backstroke 29:64 *new fast time*
8 & U 25 Y Breaststroke (DQ'ed)
8 & U 25 Y Butterfly (DQ'ed)
10 & U 100 Y Individual Medley (DQ'ed)
You can see she gave it her all and then was too tired and got sloppy with strokes, thus disqualifying. She's funny, though. No one has told her what the arm raise means so she just swims her little heart out. Then asks for more peanut butter crackers. :)
Event Time
8 & U 25 Y Freestyle 28:21 *new fast time*
8 & U 25 Y Backstroke 29:64 *new fast time*
8 & U 25 Y Breaststroke (DQ'ed)
8 & U 25 Y Butterfly (DQ'ed)
10 & U 100 Y Individual Medley (DQ'ed)
You can see she gave it her all and then was too tired and got sloppy with strokes, thus disqualifying. She's funny, though. No one has told her what the arm raise means so she just swims her little heart out. Then asks for more peanut butter crackers. :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
What a week...
It's been a busy, and tiring week. I have boxes of stuff to list on eBay. My house is a big mess. I've done pretty much no stitching, sewing, quilting etc. But that's ok! We had a friend come visit from Germany (stayed at a hotel) so we spent Sunday and Monday with her.
Monday night at swimming Victoria started feeling ill. She was sick Tuesday through Thursday and started feeling better on Friday. Saturday morning she had a swim meet... she did great for being so newly recovered and finished all her races. We popped into the Quilter's Anonymous show for about an hour on the way home and then I napped the evening away.
Today I took Madeline to the Broadway Festival at Pacific Northwest Ballet. I loved Carousel, Slaughter on Fifth Avenue, and Take Five. I wasn't thrilled with West Side Story.
Right now I'm watching Kings and am about to go clean up the kitchen. My darling mother-in-law gets here Tuesday and there is a lot to do before then. :)
Monday night at swimming Victoria started feeling ill. She was sick Tuesday through Thursday and started feeling better on Friday. Saturday morning she had a swim meet... she did great for being so newly recovered and finished all her races. We popped into the Quilter's Anonymous show for about an hour on the way home and then I napped the evening away.
Today I took Madeline to the Broadway Festival at Pacific Northwest Ballet. I loved Carousel, Slaughter on Fifth Avenue, and Take Five. I wasn't thrilled with West Side Story.
Right now I'm watching Kings and am about to go clean up the kitchen. My darling mother-in-law gets here Tuesday and there is a lot to do before then. :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Learn to Finish a Kimono...
These are fun to finish. Hang them on a kimono stand, with a chopstick, or mount the finished kimono onto a pillow by topstitching into place.
These instructions are copyright 2008 Summer Louise Truswell. You may print one copy for your own personal use or to make items as gifts. If you'd like to reprint in a newsletter please contact me for a print-ready layout.
Materials Needed:
· Stitched needlework kimono
· Clear plastic bag (such as Ziploc)
· Backing material
· Lining material
· Fast 2 Fuse Double-Sided Heavy-Weight Fusible Interfacing
· Twisted cording for trim
· Tassels, if desired
· Sewing thread
· Scissors
Directions:
1. Lay the plastic bag over the kimono design. Use a permanent marker (such as Sharpie) to trace the kimono outline directly over the stitching.
2. Cut out the plastic template. Place the plastic over the Fast 2 Fuse Interfacing and trace again on the interfacing. Cut out the fusible interfacing, cutting along the inside lines of the marker lines. Check to make sure that the interfacing fits just inside the kimono design.
3. Cut a piece of backing fabric and a piece of lining fabric. Follow the manufacturer's directions to fuse the two layers together with the heavy-weight lining inside.
4. Trim the stitched piece and the backing piece so there is approximately a 3/4" fabric margin around the design.
5. The edges of the canvas are not trimmed all at once. The canvas, if overworked, would unravel all the way to the stitching. The interior corners will need to be notched in to 2 canvas threads from the design but this should be done one corner at a time as the stitching approaches that area.
Notch the corner under one of the sleeves.
6. Fold the raw edges of the canvas towards the back, fingerpressing into place. Fold the raw edges of the silk towards the back. Place the two pieces together, right sides outward, and use matching sewing thread to stitch the pieces together.
As the stitching approaches the corners, fold the canvas inwards and stitch around the corners.
When you approach an inward corner, clip both the canvas and the background fabric to allow the fabric to fold inwards smoothly.
Stitch around the entire perimeter of the design. If the piece is to be hung on a dowel or chopstick remember to leave unstitched openings at the top of each sleeve as well as a small hole in the corner to insert the twisted cording.
7. To attach the twisted cording, begin stitching again in the corner below the sleeve. Insert one knotted end into the small opening underneath the sleeve. Using matching thread, overcast whipstitch the twisted cording to the edge of the kimono. Manipulate the twist of the cording so that the thread lays down in the valley of the twisted cording; it should be almost invisible.
Continue to sew the twisted cording around the perimeter of the design.
Knot off the extra cording, trim the length, and insert the knot into the hold behind the beginning of the cording. Sew the hole closed.
Admire your finished Kimono!
These instructions are copyright 2008 Summer Louise Truswell. You may print one copy for your own personal use or to make items as gifts. If you'd like to reprint in a newsletter please contact me for a print-ready layout.
Materials Needed:
· Stitched needlework kimono
· Clear plastic bag (such as Ziploc)
· Backing material
· Lining material
· Fast 2 Fuse Double-Sided Heavy-Weight Fusible Interfacing
· Twisted cording for trim
· Tassels, if desired
· Sewing thread
· Scissors
Directions:
1. Lay the plastic bag over the kimono design. Use a permanent marker (such as Sharpie) to trace the kimono outline directly over the stitching.
2. Cut out the plastic template. Place the plastic over the Fast 2 Fuse Interfacing and trace again on the interfacing. Cut out the fusible interfacing, cutting along the inside lines of the marker lines. Check to make sure that the interfacing fits just inside the kimono design.
3. Cut a piece of backing fabric and a piece of lining fabric. Follow the manufacturer's directions to fuse the two layers together with the heavy-weight lining inside.
4. Trim the stitched piece and the backing piece so there is approximately a 3/4" fabric margin around the design.
5. The edges of the canvas are not trimmed all at once. The canvas, if overworked, would unravel all the way to the stitching. The interior corners will need to be notched in to 2 canvas threads from the design but this should be done one corner at a time as the stitching approaches that area.
Notch the corner under one of the sleeves.
6. Fold the raw edges of the canvas towards the back, fingerpressing into place. Fold the raw edges of the silk towards the back. Place the two pieces together, right sides outward, and use matching sewing thread to stitch the pieces together.
As the stitching approaches the corners, fold the canvas inwards and stitch around the corners.
When you approach an inward corner, clip both the canvas and the background fabric to allow the fabric to fold inwards smoothly.
Stitch around the entire perimeter of the design. If the piece is to be hung on a dowel or chopstick remember to leave unstitched openings at the top of each sleeve as well as a small hole in the corner to insert the twisted cording.
7. To attach the twisted cording, begin stitching again in the corner below the sleeve. Insert one knotted end into the small opening underneath the sleeve. Using matching thread, overcast whipstitch the twisted cording to the edge of the kimono. Manipulate the twist of the cording so that the thread lays down in the valley of the twisted cording; it should be almost invisible.
Continue to sew the twisted cording around the perimeter of the design.
Knot off the extra cording, trim the length, and insert the knot into the hold behind the beginning of the cording. Sew the hole closed.
Admire your finished Kimono!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Three more purses...
I sewed three more purses this weekend. I started a fourth purse but still need to attach the handle on that one.
This one is a darker olive green. The ribbon trim is woven and beautifully shaded. The handle is made of natural fiber. Beaded trim is made of shells and small glass seed beads.
Darker lime green with glass bead trim. Satin zebra print ribbon, black velvet ribbon, and zebra print handles. Very fun!
This one is a darker olive green. The ribbon trim is woven and beautifully shaded. The handle is made of natural fiber. Beaded trim is made of shells and small glass seed beads.
Darker lime green with glass bead trim. Satin zebra print ribbon, black velvet ribbon, and zebra print handles. Very fun!
Just an update...
I've been moderately busy... nothing out of the ordinary, just day-to-day life.
Last Thursday I did take the girls and we went down to the Seattle Asian Art Museum to see the "Garden and Cosmos" exhibit. It was beautiful and interesting and inspiring... everything that I love in art. The girls, hmm, not so interested. It is a large exhibit and while they did behave well they were more interested in the handsets to walk around and listen to the docent recording. Yes, that is educational, but it doesn't mean that they looked at the paintings for very long.
Victoria is doing a report on Mongolia for our homeschool World Geography Fair. It was originally supposed to be tonight but due to the snow is postponed until next month. She picked Mongolia, by the way. :)
Friday in the afternoon I drove down to Maple Valley to meet up with Denise, the wonder organizer, and pick up a van full of rubber stamps and craft stuff to list on eBay. I'm about 30% through. There's a lot of stamps!
I did get out on Sunday and plant more bulbs. I had two bags of fall bulbs that I put in the back yard. My plan last fall was to rip out the old weed block, remulch, split my hostas from the front yard and put some in the back, and add some evergreens along the fence. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to any of that - my yard was lucky it got any bulbs in the ground at all. So Sunday I went out and ripped out the old weed block, shoveled the mulch smooth again, and planted those last fall bulbs. I also had some new bulbs I bought at Costco on Saturday - giant canna lilies that went in the front yard so we'll see how those look. Should be fun!
Last Thursday I did take the girls and we went down to the Seattle Asian Art Museum to see the "Garden and Cosmos" exhibit. It was beautiful and interesting and inspiring... everything that I love in art. The girls, hmm, not so interested. It is a large exhibit and while they did behave well they were more interested in the handsets to walk around and listen to the docent recording. Yes, that is educational, but it doesn't mean that they looked at the paintings for very long.
Victoria is doing a report on Mongolia for our homeschool World Geography Fair. It was originally supposed to be tonight but due to the snow is postponed until next month. She picked Mongolia, by the way. :)
Friday in the afternoon I drove down to Maple Valley to meet up with Denise, the wonder organizer, and pick up a van full of rubber stamps and craft stuff to list on eBay. I'm about 30% through. There's a lot of stamps!
I did get out on Sunday and plant more bulbs. I had two bags of fall bulbs that I put in the back yard. My plan last fall was to rip out the old weed block, remulch, split my hostas from the front yard and put some in the back, and add some evergreens along the fence. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to any of that - my yard was lucky it got any bulbs in the ground at all. So Sunday I went out and ripped out the old weed block, shoveled the mulch smooth again, and planted those last fall bulbs. I also had some new bulbs I bought at Costco on Saturday - giant canna lilies that went in the front yard so we'll see how those look. Should be fun!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Two more purses...
My friend Crystal saw the lime green purse and really wanted one of her own... so that one belongs to her now. :) She also wanted to make some for her mom and mother-in-law for upcoming mother's day. She has never sewn before so we did a basic sewing lesson in which we made two purses and plan on making a few more.
This one is teal blue with purple and pink beads. The trims are so gorgeous! The ribbon is ruched in the center and woven on the edges. We used purple silk dupioni to attach the black handles. It's very striking.
This purse is printed cotton with a solid lining. The woven ribbon is layered over the bead trim. There are little green beads over the pink buttons.
Yay Crystal! You weren't interested in quilting, sewing clothes, sewing curtains, pillows, cross-stitch or needlepoint. But I got you with purses!!! :-)
This one is teal blue with purple and pink beads. The trims are so gorgeous! The ribbon is ruched in the center and woven on the edges. We used purple silk dupioni to attach the black handles. It's very striking.
This purse is printed cotton with a solid lining. The woven ribbon is layered over the bead trim. There are little green beads over the pink buttons.
Yay Crystal! You weren't interested in quilting, sewing clothes, sewing curtains, pillows, cross-stitch or needlepoint. But I got you with purses!!! :-)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
I just love lime green...
I love lime green, especially with black! I'm planning on making several more of these tomorrow with a friend. She wants one for herself, and then one for her mother and mother-in-law. Very fun. :-)
The ribbon on the handle loops is layered and hand beaded, as is the button.
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