Cycling, Upcycling, and Little Risks

Tags

alterations, Cascade 1200, clothing, Columbia Park, cycling, Kennewick, Mattawa, Seattle International Randonneurs, Sew-Along Dinner Date Dresses., sewing, travel, upcycling, Vogue 9314, Washington

It’s a lovely time of year here.  Here’s our old buddy Mr. Moon rising over Columbia Park one recent evening.

Happy Saturday!

I have some random bits and pieces for you today, because, well, it’s been kind of a random couple of weeks.

We had another cycling event near here, this time with an actual sewing connection!  The Cascade 1200, a 1200-kilometer randonnée, began at the Space Needle in Seattle on Saturday, June 23rd.  The cyclists traveled across Washington state in a big loop, finishing up in Snohomish on the following Tuesday.

My part in that–not being the sort of person who rides a bike for 750 miles at a stretch–was to set up a control in the little farming town of Mattawa so that the cyclists could get water and food out there after everything closed down for the night.  My partner had originally intended to do the ride, but later decided against it and came out to help me with the control.

Here we are all set up under a street light with a cooler full of drinks in the back of the car, coffee brewing, and me making sandwiches out of frame on the right.

(I have these strange moments of self-awareness when I do this kind of thing.  I suddenly realize that I’m sitting in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere at 1:00 a.m. feeding meals to a bunch of people I don’t know, and I wonder how I ever got into this situation.  Volunteering can be quite surprising, like the hug I got from a South African cyclist because she was so excited that I had hummus to feed her.  And running across a parking lot after your camp stove at 2:00 a.m. because a storm suddenly came up and blew all your stuff off your tables.)

Anyway, the sewing connection is this:  all the volunteers were wearing event tees, and I hadn’t planned to because it fit me like, well, like this.

I feel like a lumpy sausage.  😦

It was too long, too tight, and the neck was too high.

But then I noticed all the pictures on Facebook of the volunteers wearing them, and I started to hear a little voice in my head:  psst . . . you know you could alter it . . . c’mon, it won’t take that long . . . .

So the morning of the day we were supposed to go out to Mattawa, I decided to do it.

The only knit fabric I could find in my stash that even kinda sorta went with this slate blue tee was this scrap of cotton jersey:

No, it doesn’t go, but at least it’s busy and cheerful.

I cut a few inches off the bottom of the shirt and cut off the side seams from armpit to bottom; the sleeves and bust on this fit fine, so I only had to worry about adding width to the waist and hips.  Using a rotary cutter and mat, I cut two wedges of the jersey, 1/2″ wide at one end and 4″ at the other.  I’ve been hearing for a while now that cutting knits with a rotary cutter is the way to go, and it worked surprisingly well on this fabric.  I was worried that the knit would shift around or not cut cleanly, but no problems at all.

Then I inserted the wedges into the side seams and pressed them.

I cut off the neck ribbing maybe 1/4″ below the stitching and sewed on some binding.  Quick hem and I was done–literally about 15 minutes before we needed to leave for Mattawa.

It still looks a little lumpy, but I AM lumpy, so that’s gonna happen.

It was a rush job, and most definitely not anywhere near being my best work, but it’s much more comfy now and just feels a lot more like ME.  I really intended to only wear it that one time, and then maybe use it for exercising, but I’ve found myself wearing it a fair bit.  The fabric is so soft, and the shirt is so comfortable now, that it’s just really nice to wear.

More importantly, I’ve been wanting to get into upcycling for a while now, and this alteration is my first tentative step in that direction.  More to come on that–I’ve actually got a second alteration project to show you, but I’ll wait until I can get some decent pictures.

In the meantime, here’s something interesting to consider.  I’m running a sew-along on Facebook again this July-August in the Sew-Along Dinner Date Dresses group.  I agreed to do the sew-along last fall, but it took me the longest time to find a designer dress pattern that I thought might work for larger or apple-shaped women.

Here’s the pattern and the fabric I got for it:

This is one weird design!  There are no side seams, just a front and back that extend and have ties; you can tie it in the front or back.  I have no idea if this is actually going to work, much less look good on me, but I think it will be fun to find out!

The fabric is a lightweight “burnout” cotton found in the “specialty cotton” section of the Joann’s in East Wenatchee.  I still need to come up with a contrast fabric for the binding, hopefully from the stash; I’m planning on making a muslin tomorrow, and that will help me get a better sense of whether this is a disaster in the making.  (Plan B, if this indeed does turn out to be a disaster, is to recut those big pieces into something else.)

So if you’re on Facebook and want to try this very weird pattern, join us!  It’s an easy pattern, but there are opportunities for practicing skills like making bias binding and doing narrow hems.  There aren’t many steps in this pattern, so making it over a two-month period will produce a nice, easy pace that won’t interfere with all your other summer fun.

Have a great week, everybody, and take a little risk if the opportunity presents itself.  You can always re-use your fabric for something else.

STH

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Sunday Sevens 05-07-17

Tags

cats, Columbia Park, Columbia River, Kennewick, Pooh, recipe, sewing, Sunday Sevens, Washington

WILDLIFE!  (Well, not all that wild, considering she came out of the tree to beg for food from the people walking by.)

Busy week here, and more busy times ahead!  Plans are being made for spring and summer travels and activities, and there will be a fair bit of both.  Much sewing to be finished first.  Let’s see what’s been happening.

Things are greening up in Columbia Park.  Look how high the Columbia River is here–a few warm days plus rain has led to some flood warnings for the Yakima River.

Yep, over 90 on Thursday, then a spectacular lightning storm that night.

Quilting continues, and I had to get some new marking tools and thread.

Sewing projects continue to multiply at a somewhat alarming rate.  I found this nifty textured blue knit remnant in the stash that I can combine with the yard of cotton/lycra I got the other day.  Picked up some black duck for another cycling cap (oy, this guy and his boring black clothing).  Hunting for fabric for another cycling jersey, too.

Favorite dinner of the week:  Chicken Enchilada Soup.  I obviously need a food stylist to arrange my avocado perfectly for me, but this was delicious.

I swear he doesn’t actually sleep ALL the time–just during the day.  According to my partner, Pooh and Shelby do all their playtime in the middle of the night.  Then they wait just outside the bedroom door for him to get up early in the morning so they can jump on the bed for cuddles with me.

Many thanks to Natalie of Threads and Bobbins for hatching the idea of Sunday Sevens and giving me an excuse to take (even more) cat pictures.

Have a great week, everybody!

STH

Sunday Sevens 04-30-17

Tags

cats, Columbia Park, food, Kennewick, Olympia, politics, quilting, randonneuring, SCRAP Tri-Cities, sewing, Sunday Sevens

Baby geese!  Many, many baby geese!

I was too fried to post last Sunday when we got home from Olympia, so I’ll try to catch up on the last couple of weeks in this post without burying you in zillions of pictures.

Last weekend was the annual Northwest Fleche ride, a one-way (fleche=arrow) bike ride to Olympia, WA.  I drove up to meet my partner and his team at the end of the ride and participate in the March for Science at the state capitol in Olympia.

All of us old hippies on the way to the capitol.  All of these marches I’ve been to since January have been majority women, often majority middle-aged and older women.  We know a bully when we see one.

A few short speeches before the March.  It rained BUCKETS as I was driving over there and searching for a parking place, but the rain petered out as I was walking to the capitol, thankfully.

I enjoyed this sign.

Off and marching.  Estimated attendance 5,000 people, which I thought was pretty impressive considering that nearby Seattle also had a huge march.

Tacos for dinner.  Partner advised me that you really don’t want to hang out with randonneurs if you’re trying to lose weight because this is how they eat.  (Not shown:  equally impressive lunch.)

We came home on Sunday afternoon to find that my Nature’s Fabrics order had arrived!  I waited until they had a discount code available for members of their Facebook group, then used that and the gift certificate I won a while ago.  I got these two cotton/lycra knits, plus two heavier cotton knits for leggings.  I LOVE THEM.

Tuesday night clean-out-the-fridge-before-I-go-grocery-shopping pizza.  Sauce was a weird pesto made with leftover parsley, mint, tarragon, basil, and some broccoli.  Covered with random bits of veg, some ham that needed using, and various cheeses.  A little strange, but we ate it.

Quilt top is finished and sandwiched!  The back is also pieced–used up a LOT of scraps on this.   More scrap quilting to come, as I’ve realized that scrap stash is a bigger problem for me than actual yardage.  (BTW, Shelby is contemplating the napping possibilities here, you can just tell.)

I was inspired by this lovely post over at Mona’s place and filled another bag of clothing for the local shelter (partner also contributed).  The white bag in front is filled with 8 1/2 yards (plus some large scraps) of fabric to go to SCRAP.  Yay!

As always, all credit to Natalie of Threads and Bobbins for coming up with the idea for Sunday Sevens and giving us an excuse to talk about (very) random pizzas.

Have a great week, everybody, and I hope that you find some beauty in the world this week.  Sometimes it’s hard to find, and sometimes you have to make it yourself, but it’s there.  Hang on to it, and each other.

STH

Sunday Sevens 04-02-17

Tags

cats, Columbia Park, Columbia River, Shelby, Sunday Sevens

Shelby is very serious about her cuddle time.

Hi, everybody, and I hope you’re all having (or had) a great weekend!

I missed Sunday Sevens last week, as I was knee-deep in baby quilting, so let’s see what’s been happening over here.

Some fun stuff has been showing up in the mail!  I won these fat quarters from Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation . . .

. . . and these charm squares, some gridded interfacing, and a Craftsy class from Caroline at Sew Can She!

Two of those fat quarters have already gone into a small project that I’m hoping to finish tonight.

Now that the weather’s a bit better, I’m taking my mother out for walks again.  The grass is greening up nicely, with the trees close behind; the forsythia is already glowing, as are the willow trees (yep, willow trees in the desert . . . I don’t get it, either).

But what’s that stuff on the right side of the picture there?

Tasting it didn’t seem like a super-great idea, but this ground cover looks and smells just like a wild type of parsley.

All sorts of flora and fauna down here by the river . . . .

Asparagus is starting to show up in stores here, though I don’t think the local crop is in yet.  This made a nice side dish for my bacon-spinach-tomato-avocado sandwich.

And one more shot of Shelby, just because she’s so cute with her lopsided exclamation point markings.  I was cradling her with my left arm, shooting like mad with my right hand, and trying not to move and make her run away.  She’s been through some rough times with humans, and she’s still working on that whole trust thing.

As always, the ever-fabulous Natalie at Threads and Bobbins gets credit for starting Sunday Sevens.

Have a wonderful week and I hope there’s some cuddle time in there for ya.

STH

Still Here

Tags

bags, cats, clothing, Columbia Park, Kennewick, Make-A-List Monday, personal, Potholes, SCRAP Tri-Cities, sewing, Washington

Thank you, Mr. Anonymous Cyclist Guy, for providing a photographic metaphor for my June.

OY

YOU GUYS

OY THE MONTH I’VE HAD

I just checked and I haven’t posted in a month.  That’s probably because June was a big old steaming pile of shite.

First, partner’s knee blew up, followed by many doctor’s appointments and the scheduling of surgery for late July.  This meant that basically his whole summer of cycling now had to be cancelled, including the two 1200k rides he had planned and the accompanying travel and fun times.  Fun times in general are going to be in short supply for the summer, as he can’t walk very far without pain and swelling.  A very large bummer for both of us.

This was followed by financial trouble, computer trouble, more medical trouble (mine this time, and thankfully minor), and, inevitably, relationship trouble.  Near the beginning of all this, my doctor suggested I go off my blood pressure meds; needless to say, I’m back on them.

But, as I put it to the doctor the other day, I am coping furiously.  One BIG problem was resolved on Wednesday, and progress is being made on all of them.  I apologize to my online friends for my absence and lack of comments on your blogs–I’ve been reading what you’re writing, but I haven’t always felt able to write anything positive (and positive is what I would like to be with online friends).

My life currently–some good stuff with some crap getting in the way.  (Yes, as I mentioned previously, I am not a poet.)

So let’s focus on the good stuff, yes?  Let’s see how I did on my list from a month ago.  (And I apologize in advance for my photos, which are even worse than usual this time.)

• Hack the Blanc again to make a colorblocked tee.

Done!

Observant readers may notice that these aren’t the knit scraps that I planned to use.  That’s because I had had an idea to make a sort of a muslin (inspiration), and I wasn’t quite sold on it, so I was going to use scraps I wasn’t all that crazy about.  But then I came across this post (scroll down to the black tee with the flowered skirt) and I came up with something that I knew would show off this flowered knit, which I LOVELOVELOVE.

The white and flowered knits were bits and pieces from SCRAP; the green was from the stash, a remnant of a project made so long ago that I don’t even remember what it was.

The white turned out to have some stains, including fold lines, so I used it with the wrong side out.  Also, since it was in somewhat smallish pieces, I had to piece the back again, so I made it a design feature.

I’m a bit cranky about the fact that I forgot to adjust the neckline to make it narrower after the first Blanc I did.  So it’s a bit wider than I would like, but it’s wearable.  And the quality of these fabrics is really nice, so the top is very soft and comfy.  Win!

I expect to take another stab at colorblocking when fall gets closer; I picked up some pretty cool fleece and sweatshirt knit pieces the other day at SCRAP and I’ve got some more ideas cooking (more inspiration is here).

• Finish the wallet.

Done!  And, man, is this pattern a BEAST.  Lot of seam ripper action on this one.

I had to redo the tab on the outside (picture with Shelby above) and my wrist strap turned out to be a bit messier than I would like, but the biggest problem was the final seams attaching the pockets to the zipper.  No matter what I did, I just could not catch all the layers in the seams.  I wound up having to slip stitch some of the edges by hand, and I’m so glad I did that rather than ripping it all out again.

The pattern recommends duck or denim for the “base” that all the pockets are attached to (see the black denim I used in the center of the pic above).  I think things would probably have been easier if I’d used a lighter-weight cotton for that; you don’t really need the extra heft of duck or denim with all those bajillion layers of fabric in the pockets.

And then, after all that, my phone doesn’t fit in the outer pockets!  I can just zip it inside the wallet, but I’m a bit disappointed. 

• Finish my black skirt.  I came across this tutorial for a shirred skirt and used it to re-cut the black fabric from my failed wrap skirt.

Done!  And it worked!

This was a new technique to me and it’s pretty cool–you just put elastic thread in your bobbin, sew a bunch of rows, and press to make the thread shrink up.  Seems like it would be a super fun project to do with a kid who’s learning to sew.

I ordered the thread Melly suggested in the post and it worked just as described.  My sewing machine seemed to cope all right with the elastic, much to my surprise.  The biggest problem I had was my bobbins running out, as the thread is a bit thicker than regular thread, so you can’t actually get that much of it on a bobbin.  I wound up using the entire spool for the skirt.

I’m really liking this, though I have yet to wear it a full day.  The 3″ of shirring doesn’t feel tight or constricting, but it stays in place.  And the skirt has enough fullness to be comfy, but not enough to get in your way.  Mine hits me at about mid-calf, just where I wanted it, and I’ve left it unhemmed–it feels a bit like cheating to do that, but I really like the drape of the skirt the way it is, so I left it alone.  I’m really glad my original plan for the wrap skirt didn’t work out, as I like this much better.  🙂

 

I’m going to skip making my weekly lists for a while, as I really don’t need to add any more pressure on myself at the moment.  I will be back soon, though, to tell you about my latest project, which is another ambitious one.  I’m not at all convinced that I’m still able to follow a pattern as written.  😉

In the meantime, though, I leave you with some pictures from Thursday’s walk around the fishing pond in Columbia Park.  No birds this time, unfortunately, but there are trees and wildflowers, anyway.  Oh, and the two pictures up top are from the Cascade 1200k bike ride; since my partner wasn’t able to ride it, he helped me run the control at Potholes, a barely-there town near Moses Lake.  We set up in the 76 parking lot and fed about 80 cyclists pb&j sandwiches, homemade cake and blondies, soda, chips, and bananas.

I hope the weekend is treating you well.  Hello July!

STH

 

 

Make-a-List Monday 05-03-16

Tags

bags, cats, Columbia Park, Kennewick, Make-A-List Monday, SCRAP Tri-Cities, sewing, Washington

Columbia Park–fishing pond is behind me, Blue Bridge to Pasco just visible on the right.

Make-A-List Monday is an idea that I borrowed from Sarah Craig over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and I thank her for inspiring me to try it!

The week has been something of a mixed bag, productivity-wise.  Let’s see how I did on last week’s list.

• Make a tote bag for SCRAP.

Done!  Took much longer than anticipated, though.

Here’s what I started with, a Fabric Pack consisting of a focal piece (an embroidery sampler, in this case) and some coordinating fabric scraps:  some dark brown wool suiting, green polyester felt, yellow and white striped cotton, gold synthetic drapery-type fabric, blue stretchy nylon (yuck), pink cotton knit, green and white striped cotton with animals on it, some yellow and white fabric ribbon, two blue flannel quilt blocks, and about half a yard of pink cotton with lighter pink stripes.  My goal was to use at least a little of everything, but what a motley assortment of stuff!

And here’s what I came up with.

I washed everything first–I never make bags that aren’t washable, so all the components had to be–then cut the sampler in half and trimmed the halves to be even.  The gold drapery fabric was already cut in strips, so the wider one became the bottom and sides, and the thinner one became the handles.  The pink stripe was the only big piece I had, so that became the lining, and I set the pink knit aside for the bottle holder.  All the other scraps were cut into 1″ strips and pieced together.

The quilt blocks–just two layers of flannel sewn together–became the pockets and were bound with leftover strips of the pink stripe.  (The colors are a bit wonky here; the pink is more accurate in the other photos.)

The bottle holder came out so cute!  This is two layers of cotton knit, with the ribbon used to cinch it tight.  The stretch in the fabric is side to side so it won’t droop.  I am definitely going to use this idea again!

The only supplies I used from the stash were thread and a little bit of white cotton that I cut into strips and used to stabilize the blue nylon and make it opaque.

This was a fun project!  It was an interesting challenge, trying to get all those different fabrics to work together, some of them fabrics I’d never normally use.  I think in some ways I chose the safest possible project for these materials, partly because I am planning to use this as advertising, so I wanted it to be appealing to lots of different people; I’d be very interested to see what somebody with a different crafting background than mine could come up with to combine them.

• Make the skirt. 

Hmmm, well, yeah, about that . . . .

This is a bit of a mystery, but it appears the skirt is too small.  The pattern is meant for woven fabrics, but I used a knit, and cut the size that corresponded to my hip measurement.  And somehow it’s too small?  What?  A Big 4 pattern cut to your measurements and it’s too small–when does that ever happen?

Given the style–it’s basically a big rectangle of fabric that you wrap around and button–I could probably just sew a strip onto it to make it long enough.  At this point, I’m not sure I want to expend the effort.  I’m going to ponder that, but I’m onto my next obsession at this point (more on that later!)

• Finish the cat scratcher.

Sigh.  Nope, haven’t had time to work on it.

I think I’m going to skip making a list for this week.  Partner and I are headed to Oregon again this weekend (600k bike ride for him, exploration of those amazing Oregon parks for me!) and won’t be back until Monday afternoon.  And there won’t be much time for crafting before then; if I do find some, it will be spent on the scratcher.

Hopefully, I’ll be back next week with some fantastically GREEN park pictures for you, but until then, here’s a pic of Shelby with her new friend.  This gray cat has been coming by in the evenings, and the two of them sit together for a while until she goes home.  Every once in a while, one of them will hiss at the other in the laziest, least-threatening manner possible, the other one will ignore it, and then they’ll go back to sitting quietly together.

This picture is from a few days ago.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get one this evening when Shelby was rolling around on her back with her friend there.  It seems that the friendship is progressing.  😉

Have a great week, everybody!

STH

Make-a-List Monday 02-15-16

Tags

#2016FAL, 2016 FAL, Butterick 6247, clothing, Columbia Park, Ellensburg, Kennewick, Make-A-List Monday, Seattle, sewing, travel, Washington

You want to watch where you step in eastern Washington (taken at a rest stop between Yakima and Ellensburg).

Well, I didn’t really intend to, but I managed to let two weeks go between posts.  I’m still here, though, and still sewing, so let’s see how I did on my last list.

 

• Finish the purple top.

Done!

This project made me a little nervous–I was worried the fabric was going to be a nightmare to work with, I didn’t know if the style would work on me, I was unsure about the sizing, etc.  I cut a large, which was a bit of a risk, but the pattern has 5 1/2 inches of ease, so I figured that was plenty; I’m really glad I didn’t just go by my measurements, or this would have been MAMMOTH on me.  And I wasn’t sure what finished length I’d want on this style, so I didn’t shorten the pattern, as I do with pretty much everything.  I wound up cutting off 4 inches at the hem, and it’s still fairly long and drapey.

Oy, I took a record number of bad photos recently.  Blech.

Everything went well until it came time to sew the hems.  The bottom layer was hard enough, but I used my machine’s stretch stitch and rolled hem foot to get it done.  The top layer was a major hassle, though; I made this hem narrower and, for some reason, the sewing machine just didn’t want to move the fabric along, and the stitches wound up tiny.  Partway through, I decided to go to a regular straight stitch, as this part of the shirt really doesn’t need to stretch, anyway.  So I’m a little embarrassed by the way the hem looks, but there’s no way I could rip it out without destroying the fabric.

I’m still loving this top, though.  It’s so soft and cuddly and purple!  I’ve seen so many cheap and nasty jerseys, but this fabric is just lovely, and I love the swingy drape of the style.  And it’s purple!

(Mark your scorecards, everybody–this is my finish #2 for the 2016 Q1 Finish-Along.)

• Cut out the lining for the jacket.

Done!

• Finish the jacket.

Um, nope.  I actually spent the last week making these:

My partner and I had a table at the Bike Swap in Seattle last weekend, and I decided to make some little zipper bags to sell along with all the bike gear.  Sold a few, gave one to my honey, and the rest will probably go to SCRAP to be sold there.

So, next week’s list:

• Finish the jacket.

That’s it.  I’m tired of it and I want it finished so I can move on.  I’ve been nervous about it, so I’ve been busily procrastinating away with other projects, but I need to just stop thinking about it and DO IT.  I’ve decided that my reward for finishing it is going to be making my lovely Kaffe Fassett dress.

And I’ll leave you with some recent photos from my travels.

Yep, eastern Washington in February, complete with tumbleweed.  This is a wheat field on a hill above Kennewick; partner and I were scouting possible bike routes.

Interesting tree bark with moss from a walk with my mother near the fishing pond in Columbia Park.

Snowy hills outside Ellensburg on our way to Seattle.

Obligatory tourist shot, taken on a very soggy, gray Seattle day.

Needed to get a little color in there!  This is the Experience Music Project, which was very busy, despite the weather.

Have a great week everybody, and I hope you’re feeling bright and sunny, even if the weather is gray where you are.  Only two more weeks of February!

STH

 

Sunday Sevens, 11-15-15

Tags

cats, Columbia Park, Columbia River, Kennewick, Sunday Sevens, Washington

Sunday Sevens is a blog series in which we post some pictures from our week to show the non-bloggy business we’ve been up to.  It’s all the fault of Natalie over at Threads and Bobbins and you should totally join in!

Yeah, I tend to run a little bit late but I get there in the end.

Another walk in Columbia Park with my mother this week.  Sunny weather and many, many well-fed geese.

Now here’s something you don’t see every day:  fresh sprouts in the market alongside the last of my mother’s homegrown tomatoes.

Another walk with the MeetUp group on Saturday.  Not much in the way of a trail out here–it’s called the Richland Bend Habitat Management Unit and is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers–but a disturbing number of animal bones.

Hmmm . . . .

(Don’t worry–no pictures of animal bones here.)

Did a big push to get the quilting done on my runner this weekend.  It’s not actually finished, but the end is in sight and all the hard decisions have been made.

I’m SO glad I’m quilting this in two pieces–would’ve been even better in three pieces, but good enough.  And I feel like I’m gradually honing in on the kind of quilting I want to do–I’m interested less and less in traditional designs and colors and more and more attracted to irregular, free-form shapes.  I’ve realized as I’ve worked on quilting this that the runner combines very non-traditional fabrics and colors with very classic-looking blocks, and the farther I get from the traditional, the happier I am with quilting.  The usual super-precision, sharp points, and straight lines are feeling very constraining right now.

I was going to do straight-line quilting on these setting triangles, but the thought felt so . . . straight.  I wanted something softer, more welcoming and tranquil, and nothing feels more welcoming and soothing to me than a flower shaped like a rising sun.

And, finally, not a very exciting picture, but watching this last night reminded me of the good, hopeful things that humans can do.  Very uplifting and positive after the sadness and violence of the past few days.

And, just for fun, here’s Shelby looking like she’s in the middle of a dive.

Have a great week, everybody.

STH

 

Sunday Sevens 10-25-15

Tags

2015 FAL, Columbia Park, Kennewick, Oregon, Oregon Zoo, Portland, sewing, Sunday Sevens, Washington

Sunday Sevens is a series in which we post some pictures from our week and show a little bit of what we’ve been up to.  See Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for more info.

A bit late to the party after a fun weekend in Portland.

Preparations for my mother’s new carpet continue.  I brought her some boxes this week so that she could start packing some things up.  I’m also hoping she might donate a few things, as her three-bedroom house is jam-packed full of stuff.

So far, she’s donated this jar, a throw, and an unused set of sheets.

Three down, ten million to go.

More thinking about sewing than actual sewing this week, but I did do some darning on my honey’s jeans; they were in excellent condition except for tears at the inner corners of both back pockets.

Saving usable clothing from the landfill feels like a big ol’ win.

And I got the super-sized snaps onto my fleece jacket!  For those following along at home, that’s two finishes toward my goal of ten by the end of the year.

Took a walk with my mother to the fishing pond at the far end of Columbia Park.

We spent the weekend in Portland; on Saturday, my partner went off on a bike ride with his buddies, and I went to the Oregon Zoo.

Here’s an eagle for ya (another one is behind the trunk of the tree).

Isn’t this a beautiful place?

And a cheetah:

And (slightly less majestic) Naked Mole Rats sleeping in a heap.

And, just for fun, a couple of bonus pictures of the fall colors from the drive back home on Sunday.

This is at the Starbuck’s in Hood River, OR.

And a tree farm near the Oregon-Washington border:

Have a great week, everybody.

STH

Sunday Sevens 10-18-15

Tags

cats, Chamna Nature Preserve, Columbia Park, cooking, Kennewick, Richland, Sunday Sevens

Sunday Sevens is a weekly post where we share some photos from our week and yak a bit about what we’ve been up to.  It’s fun and you should join us!  See Natalie over at Threads and Bobbins for more info.

My favorite dinner this week was actually a brinner:  breakfast burritos.  Spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, sauteed veg, cheese, a little fresh tomato and green onion on top, and leftover guacamole.

SO GOOD.

I took a walk in Columbia Park this week and had to get a picture of all the geese.  Please note that they are standing under a “don’t feed the birds” sign because THAT’S WHERE THE MORONS ALWAYS FEED THEM–right under the sign.

*facepalm*

(They were actually edging away from me when I took this, as they’d decided I was a little bit too close and didn’t appear to be packing snacks.)

And then there was this guy.

Yes, the squirrels have the morons pretty well figured out as well.

Butterick patterns were on sale this week, so picked up this one I’ve been eyeing for a while.  Lots of interesting possibilities for mixing and matching knits here.

I feel like I might be falling a little bit in love with sewing knits after pretty much diligently avoiding them for years.

On Saturday, I went on another MeetUp walk, this time to Chamna Natural Preserve in Richland.  Fun time–cool autumn morning with sunshine, some nice people, TWO dogs to pet, AND my honey came along, too.  🙂

That afternoon, after puttering around uselessly for hours without getting anything done, I finally gave in and took a nap with the cats.

Notice that there’s no room for me on MY side of the bed because it’s full of cats.  I had to steal a quilt off the couch and sleep on the other side.  Shelby is deeply suspicious of people sleeping on the wrong side of the bed, but Pooh’s just happy to be taking a nap with his mom.

Busy week ahead.  I’ve finished the birthday present, so now it’s on to the Cozy Afternoon runner (well, after some mending–bleh).  Birthday festivities are happening Thursday, then we’re off to Portland on Friday for another bike ride and another potluck.

Have a great week, everybody.

STH