My New Besty

As I get older I need simpler, less buttons, less options, less bells and whistles or in other words just plain Jane. When I first saw the Juki 2010q it was love at first sight, but I can be cheap and the price tag made me think and rethink the purchase. Finally after many trips to the quilt shop I took a chance and bought the Juki.






Very simple put she is a work horse. This machine stitches one stitch only-- straight. That takes all the guess work out of it for me. As an added bonus the machine is made out of metal not a plastic casing like so many.






8 months later and my only regret is not purchasing it sooner. I can machine quilt a good size quilt on this machine and it free motion quilts like a dream.

I think me and this plain Jane Juki are happily in it for the long haul.


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Shutter Slats

Low maintenance, easy installation, time saving......never needs any painting or repair are all catch phrases in this day and age of no sweat home repairs.   The old wooden shutter seems to be fast becoming one of those remember when.    Vintage shops are finding a plethora of uses for these classic pieces in home decor from shelving to wall art.

We picked up old wooden shutters found at a swap shop at the local dump and brought them home.  They were pretty beaten up and with no immediate project in mind they sat waiting patiently.

My first trial and error was making a sign.   I traced some graphics on the sign and painted it on.   I am by no means a painter and thank goodness sanding it by to give an aged look helps hide my multitude of sins. Check The Graphics Fairy for ideas and patterns for a wide array of projects.  Beware though the possibilties are endless at this site!












This find at a yard sale was turned into our coffee table and is a great place for me to keep some yarn.  My husband picked up some legs at Home Depot, antiqued them to try to match the finish.  He then glued the shutter slats in place.












The last of our shutter slat projects is in our kitchen with the story and pics to follow. 

Stocking Up

The holiday season is upon us and I am busy stocking my Etsy shop. It has been much too long since I posted and time for me to get back at it!




A basketful of sweaters and hats ready for the shop. Now it's time to rest the knitting fingers and start the sewing machine. Sometimes it is hard to find the balance between projects that I should be working on and much easier to go with what I feel like working on.


The projects are hanging on the wall waiting.


The projects are also on the machine. Time for me to stop talking about it and get to work.



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A Couple of Gnomes

Check out Etsy for some great knitting patterns.   Keeping with small knitting projects I found a pattern for a couple of gnomes.   The pair are about 6" in height from base to tip of the hat.

Fun to knit in the round with sock yarn. 

I like to knit up a bunch of the parts and then put them in baggies until I am ready to put  them together.  

These guys were so much fun to make and real easy! 

I had some small wooded bases left over from another project and hot glued then onto the base so they stand securely.

The pattern was very easy to follow and I can't wait to make my own touches.   A fishing gnome, wood cutter gnome, baker, reader or skier are some of the possibilities.  Check out Etsy for the pattern at denizal17.

NEW YEAR

Here I am again reviewing the past year and many projects unfinished or even started.  But the good news is so many were completed.   My Etsy shop did well thru the holidays giving me more ideas and motivation for the upcoming year.  The goal for the shop was to try it out for one year without getting discouraged and the results were great.

I did fail miserably at this blog.  Both my Etsy shop and this blog were suppose to go hand in hand for the one year.  So here we go again to give it a try and see were it leads.

I have become somewhat obsessed with knitting small things in the round.  This past holiday season miniature knitted sweaters, some mittens also for tree decorations.   It is a wonderful project to keep in my bag so I can make use of a few free minutes and simple to pick up at any point in the pattern.

Changing colors and carrying yarn behind the stitches has long been my nemesis in knitting.  Okay I avoid at all cost, but this year I am going to concur my fears.  I started with a pattern I found on Ravelry which was a free download and I had some yarn on hand that would work perfect for this trial project.

Patience was the theme for this project. I had no expectations or deadlines so this project is just a learning experience.......no pressure.

Reversing the pattern was my biggest challenge and as usual I made it much harder than it should of been. The mittens are done and I am happy that I tackled changing colors....still awkward at it, but it's a start.

Spring is finally here.

The past few days have been a wonderful taste of spring.  The worms have found their new home in the compost container and the amount of yard work still ahead can be daunting.  

A sea of dandelions in our back yard are waiting patiently to be dug up.  When I dig up one I think 3 more pop up the next day in it's place. 

We let these guys get out of control not wanting to put down any pesticides.   So either we hand dig or embrace the beautiful yellow color!  For now I am going to hand dig........I am always ambitious at the beginning of the season.   By the fourth of July I have usually given up and love the color yellow.  

Moxie is my yard work supervisor today enjoying her job from the comforts of the deck.

Compost or Not to Compost

 For a few years we have been half heartedly composting.  It very rarely if ever gets turned and I can't tell you the last time I added anything to it because of the poor results we were having.  I did try a compost starter, but perhaps I was expecting miracles and I did get some compost to add to the raised beds last year.  

But this year I have a new plan, yes, red wiggler worms....

 One pound of worms arrived at the end of last week via mail

I divided them up into some trays until it gets a little warmer around here.  I added dirt, greens and coffee grounds to start them growing.   No they don't climb out of the trays. 

Until we see some sunshine and warmer temps these guys are happily living indoors.

But the first warm day the majority will be headed to our composter to hopefully help out our flower beds.  

Warmer weather seems a little slow to arrive this year and as usual I am impatient to get my hands out into the garden.

Summer Breeze Please

Starfish, scallops, mermaids, lobster and crabs. The only thing missing is the warm breeze and some hot sand between the toes.  Although we have had a tease of the weather ahead again today is raw, damp and rainy.  I would guess a perfect day to clean the sewing room up a bit.  




My Etsy shop   The Old Bag and More  is back up and running and I am adding new items weekly.  








Table runners and wall hangings are the plan for these embroidered sea creatures.

Mostly items will be in line with the Cape Cod beachy theme, but as the shop evolves more I  may go in different directions.  

Be sure to check out Etsy and see what's being added!!!!!

Appreciation of the Humdrum Button

Growing up my Mother had an old cookie tin full of buttons. They were all shapes, sizes, colors and all types of metals, wood and plastics. I now have a mason jar filled with buttons. My collection pales in comparison to the one my mother had.

A button jar is one of the staple items in almost any household.  You just never know when you may need them for the traditional use, craft use or for the wintery snowman.  Perhaps replacing game pieces or when teaching someone how to count.....the possibilities are endless.

Buttons have been around forever and take their place in our history.   Buttons were issued by George Washington and continued to be a part of politics until the early 1900's.

Now though our buttons seem to be either decorative or functional.  

 The button or buttons can revamp the ordinary felted bag into an original stand out bag.

In a jar, box, tin or a drawer wherever they are kept a good button collection is a staple because you just never know when you will need one.

Dolls, Dolls and More Dolls!!!!

Paper dolls are such a classic toy and luckily not a thing of the past.  Gingermelon Dolls is an inspirational blog full of ideas, patterns and Gingermelon Etsy Shop that brings the gift back of paper dolls and dolls to life.

The Gingermelon shop is the perfect little shop for the original gift, pattern, or supply.  She sells patterns, wool felt, hardware for the projects or you can purchase completed items.   

Moda has a panel of dolls call The Flats that is fairly easy and fun to make.  Also there is a pattern for a flat doll house that also doubles as a carrying case.

No project is every as quick and easy as it appears to be, but this is fun.

I am not quite thru yet, there are alot of different outfits to put together and some pets to make also.  Be sure to check out the Gingermelon Shop and Blog for some original and unique dolls, doll patterns and supplies.

Mini Ski Hat

Using the Skacel luggage tag pattern the ski hat also would make a great Christmas tree ornament or a garland either on the tree or hung across the fireplace. Tie them on packages or make them into a key chain the possibilities are endless.


The hat works up quickly using size 0 dock needles. I find using a short 5 inch double pointed needle the easiest to work with.




The ear flaps are knitted on separate needles and then joined with the first round.


After the first round the hat works up easily.


3 strands of yarn are used for the braided ties. I used a darning needle to start the braid picking the lower center of the ear flap the thread the yarn thru.




Divide the yarn into 3 pairs of two and begin braiding until desired length then tie in a knot.










Fun, quick and a great way to use up that left over yarn.

On The Go

Small knitting projects are great to take on the go.   I almost always keep a small knitting project in my bag, tote or car just in case.   Most of the time on my lunch hour it's nice to get lost in a few rows and accomplish sometimes a little or sometimes oodles depending on the pattern.   

My bag of needles, small scissors and darning needle.  

This is the fancy ziploc baggie I use to carry the yarn and projects in the works.

Check out the free patterns at Skacel Yarns.  The patterns are free to download .   The luggage tags are great for using up left over sock yarn.   

I am working on ski hats.   After I block the hat I will be adding perhaps a pom pom and then braided ties. My thought for the ties will be braiding embroidery floss as I am thinking the yarn may be too thick.   By skipping the icord  on the top the option is there for either making them as Christmas ornaments or stringing them to make a garland. 

The possibilities are endless with these four patterns.  Maybe the luggage tag would make a great photo frame and mittens ornaments tree ornaments.    I will be sure to post the picks when I complete some of the hats and if you try any of these be sure to send me a pic I would love to see what you are working on.