You Can Call Me Gwen: October 2012

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October 2012

10/30/2012

Favors - Pennie Pockets for Quilt Camp

I mentioned in my trip journal that while I was in Prescott I made favors for JulieJulieJulie to take to quilt camp.

You can find the instructions and pattern for the Pennie Pockets over at the Happy Zombie (whose site is full of other wonderful eye-candy, too).

Here are some not-very-good photos of the ones I made this month:

It was the first time I'd ever made a fabric yo-yo, and I think I could become addicted to making them; I love hand sewing.

Of course, JulieJulieJulie needed just the right thing to put in the little pockets, so we got a few things out of the kitchen cabinets and pantry and made these little button sugar cookies.

You can gauge the size of our cookies by noting that a communion cup was used for the inner ring, and a straw on the more slender side was used to make the button holes.

It was easy-peasy and lots of fun, but I do wish we'd remembered to add color to the dough.

We added icing 'thread' to some of them...

...and then wrapped them in parchment paper and tied it shut with a ribbon.

Off into the freezer for a week or two and then off to quilt camp with JulieJulieJulie.

I wish I was going,too.

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I'm rich. You are, too.

I took my sweet, orange Porsche...

...for a spin around the lake yesterday evening after work.

The big harvest moon, low on the horizon, and the glowing pink sky were speaking loudly of the majesty of God.

I took a photo with my phone as I whizzed by this particular view:

It was a beautiful fall evening and my thoughts were running to all the things that made me smile (or laugh) over the busy weekend just past.

The Prince and I were cleaning out "my side" of the garage Saturday when Sam-I-Am stopped by.

He gave the Prince a hand moving a piece of furniture-I-got-for-free-and-am-going-to-redo-some-day.

He was clearing the top of it when he said, "I draw the line at moving this; you guys creep me out with your dried toad".

Yep.

Our garage mascot.

We found him a couple years ago while cleaning the garage, and he gets moved from place to place whenever we're working out there.

He's resting sweetly on my mitre saw now.

Bwahahaha.

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We kept Little Man and Baby Girl overnight Saturday.

Little Man got up (too) early, asked for, and ate, a scrambled egg, and then sat on the sofa under my blankie playing on my iPad and finishing off Mary's leftover popcorn.

Baby Girl got up much later and there was a crowd of drowsy people here (which included her parents) when she decided she was hungry.

Mary let her have the bag of baked tortilla chips for breakfast.

I think she knew she was getting away with something.

It rocks to be the grandparents (or the auntie).

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I had a pile of 'stuff' sitting on the stairs ready to take up next time I went to my studio, but Baby Girl found the tin of sequins before I did, and her Momma had to do a tedious clean-up task.

When I decided (later) I'd better take that pile up and put it away, the same tin of sequins slid off the top and...

...made one of the loveliest messes ever.

I hated to clean it up.

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The Cable Guy's Bride is good to me.

She brought me this big bag of gently used wrapping tissue to recycle.

She also brought me two magazines.

My Beeg Seester bought me a subscription to Martha Stewart's Living magazine and, for some inexplicable reason, the good people at Living send it to my son every month.

I think his only use for it would be as a sleeping pill.

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Creative Genius and his Bride brought my precious Goomba over for a visit...

... and were telling me about his nose being orange from eating too much squash and carrots.

You can poke my eyes out, 'cuz now I've seen everything.

I got a big chuckle when Creative Genius asked me for some help making this little person's Elroy Jetson costume and then pulled out this ginormous piece of green felt...

...for me to make it with.

That's a whole lotta felt for a little bit of boy!

To be fair, Creative Genius didn't know you could have less than a yard cut at the fabric store, but still...

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Miss Mary Mack has discovered Pinterest. (Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness! I have a daughter whose brain is on crafts! Someone pinch me! Am I dreaming?)

I found her at the kitchen table, in the midst of all this visiting family, sewing (!) lace to one of the back pockets on a pair of her jeans. (Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness! I have a daughter who is sewing! Someone pinch me! Am I dreaming?)

Be still, my beating heart!

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Yep.

I'm rich.

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10/28/2012

Making Lingerie

Can you guess what this is?

It is about the third step in the process of making lingerie (I forgot about my camera until we were settled into the rhythm of repetiton).

If you'll forgive my poor photos (the natural light was gone and I dropped out of my photography class), I'll show what the rest of the steps were.

First, "we" did some design work and drafted patterns, and then we choose "fabrics" and trim.

We did some tracing and cutting and then used a glue stick to adhere our pieces to the strip of black "fabric".

Next, we cut the strip down the middle...

...and then cut each piece loose at its sides.

We used one of my favorite decorative shears to trim the "lace"; the postal edge scissors were perfect for this.

Of course, the top needed a little trimming, too, so we repeated the whole process with the pieces upside down.

Next, I did a little work with a fine-tip black Sharpie, and started making tiny bows from eighth inch black satin ribbon.

I have to cut the ribbon longer than I need for a bow, because my fingers are just too big to manipulate a short length.

I had a bunch of little bits leftover.

They were perfect for making straps.

Now, while was at one workdesk making these little nighties, Miss Helping Hands was at the other making some that are a little, um, spicier.

I don't know if you can tell yet, but soon you'll see.

She put lace at the tops and hems of hers as well, but she used the small scallop shears.

And now we skip all the steps that took place while the Grandshoots were here and we were working downstairs, sporadically, and not quite as serenely (which made me forget the camera again).

Those steps included a little more work with the Sharpie marker, and the addition of another "garment".

We printed off our invitations, drew a little clothesline at the top, "pinned" our lingerie on the line, and then backed the whole thing with some red cardstock.

Voila! Miss Helping Hands has completed another task as the maid-of-honor for an upcoming Christmas season wedding.