THE Bag!

BAGS! and More bags are very popular this season so why not make one or two or three. The perfect fabric was found at the Quilt fair for brown haired kid who wanted a new school bag. She had an old one that had outlived its usefulness. The fabric in the old bag was great fabric too--just right for a school teacher to carry her supplies to and from. The 'new' fabric is bright and displays school related objects just like the old one. Getting down to making the bag--that was the major problem; just seemed too many other things got in the way or maybe it was just the thought of replacing the old bag. That old bag was SO perfect! But, a new bag was needed. The pattern was supplied by friend Judy. She had made several bags from this pattern and it was quite straight forward--easy peazy. What is the sewers saying "measure twice, cut once"? There was plenty of fabric to accomplish this pattern, cut front & back, some pockets as well. Then the wrong interfacing was used on the pockets--bummer--need to cut more fabric. Oh, look, there is that nice piece just lying around! Sew up another couple of pockets using that 'spare' piece of fabric. When the lining was finished and it was time to sandwich with the front--where is that front piece any way? Drats! I cut it for the spare pockets!!! How stupid!! Where was my brain? Put the bag aside, hang one's head in shame, kick myself a thousand times and put off the completion for another day. Later in the week there were errands to run and a stop in the quilt shop was on the agenda--needed to replace that front for the bag--only, this shop didn't have anything remotely like the original--think fast--what to do? The quilt shop gal offered her opinion, "why not stripe it with a compliment fabric?" Good suggestion, but there wasn't enough of the front fabric left to make the complete bag so a substitute fabric was found that would work--not quite what was thought of first but it would work. Here is the striped front side. and the other side with the pencil 'perfect' fabric! and the inside with the 'perfect twice made' pockets!
Now, I'm on the outlook for another piece of 'perfect' fabric to try my hand at another bag for brown haired kid and this time I'll make sure to have my brain fully engaged!!!

Good-bye to Colorado August

As the last day of August rolls out the door, we bid a fond farewell. There are good times in Colorado during August--some warm days with little rain. The produce is plentiful and delicious--peaches from the western slopes to corn from the plains; not to mention the Rocky Ford cantaloupes that are considered the best in the West!
Another good thing about August is the end of year sale at Celestial Seasons in Boulder. We stock up! Boxes of teas are discounted to bargain prices plus inside the shop you can find bins with marked down teas (those that have gone thru the wrapping equipment wrong). It's a fun day to scoop up your favorite tea for future drinking.

Good-bye August! Hello September--and the beginning of fall.

One Year, Eight Months and 16 Days!

A countdown to completion of BOM (block of month) that took almost two years to finish--well, technically, it isn't finished until the binding is sewn on and stitched in place. But, we'll call this one complete!

Earlier blog had shown only the center block that needed applique; here is the rest of the quilt that needed applique. Not one to be precise or exact, you will notice that the outside of the applique is not uniform--hurrah! It's difficult to get that uniqueness.
Now, we'll move onto another project that needs to be finished, complete, done, over with, concluded, polished off, brought to an end, terminated--well, maybe that word is not appropriate for UFO!

MEAD!

Meet Jessica--she's the greeter at
And what is MEAD you inquire. Jessica can give you the lowdown on mead as she is also the tour guide. Mead is an alcoholic beverage, made from honey and water via fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine. It may be still, carbonated, or sparkling. It may be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. Mead is often referred to as "honey wine."
Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be brewed with spices, fruits, or grain mash. It may be produced by fermentation of honey with grain mash; mead may also, like beer, be flavored with hops to produce a bitter, beer-like flavor. Mead is independently multicultural. It is known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, although archaeological evidence of it is ambiguous. Its origins are lost in prehistory; "it can be regarded as the ancestor of all fermented drinks," Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat has observed, "antedating the cultivation of the soil." Claude Lévi-Strauss makes a case for the invention of mead as a marker of the passage "from nature to culture." The earliest archaeological evidence for the production of mead dates to around 7000 BC.
How many Medival books have you read that refer to Mead as the drink of the house? Well, now you know--and mead is gaining in popularity. Meaderies are popping up all over the country--mostly small productions but non the less available to drink.
Come on over, we have a bottle chilling!

Handspun

Let's talk handspun fibers today--those waiting in the wings as they age; waiting to be created into something truly exceptional and worthy of their fiber qualities. Wools of various breeds (we're talking sheep here)basking in their glory as they decorate a basket or two and bring color to an ordinary room.
But what will they become in a future life? The fibers haven't spoken to the hands yet! How about these single yarns, just hugging themselves and mellowing out for the time being? And these fibers which were 'leftovers' from a mysterious project to become a skein of two plied yarn. Another spun ball of lovely fibers, which did become a pair of whimsical socks for January spin-in 2010 "sock it to me" theme.
And then there is this wonderful fiber, happily named "South Beach Dye-it", containing 70% Superwash Merino / 10% Banana / 10% Soybean / 10% Bamboo--what fun it was to spin! These last two fibers are found at Weaving Studio
Spun fibers just waiting around, aging gracefully, to be knit or woven into that magical perfect item.

BLUEWORK

Ahhhhhh, did you hear that sigh at your location? Project completed! Well, we can almost say completed, but first the quilt top will need to go to the magic hands of the long arm quilter. The quilt top is bluework from Bird Brain Designs Snowmen and Reindeer


This is a BOM (block of the month) project, if you are wise. But, these 12 blocks were embroidered earlier this summer, doing all 12 blocks one after the other--guess I really got into bluework! Then the blocks were finished and once they kept getting in the way of other projects, it was time to put them together. Drum roll please---blocks set and an almost finished UFO out of the way!!

Cold Pressed

Since there are so many of our friends suffering with hot temperatures and unseasonable weather changes, this post is for you. Let's make some cold pressed coffee! First, you will need this wonderful gadget
This box contains everything you need, except the coffee beans, to make a refreshing brew that is stored in the refrigerator.
First, place the small cork into the bottom of the plastic container--make sure it's placed on the outside! Yes, you would think that would be standard procedure, but there are some brains that don't work that way (yes, count my brain as one of those!)
Then place the wet filter into the bottom and and add 2 cups of cold filtered water.
Have your coffee ground coarse; pour half of the coffee into the container, then slowly pour 5 cups of water over. Add the rest of the coffee and wait five minutes before adding 2 more cups of cold water.Now comes the hard part--waiting for the water and coffee to make their magic--waiting those 12 hours and the aroma of the fresh brewed coffee fills the air. Pull the plug and let it drain.
This liquid is concentrated coffee; just add water and heat to make a delicious cup of coffee any time of the day. But, we prefer to make iced coffee, especially on those hot days. Taking 1/4 cup of the liquid gold, add water and half & half, along with ice cubes and you have a delicious coffee drink.
You say--you are a tea drinker! There is the perfect solution coming for you!