Since I can’t sew I got out my bead collection and made a pair of earrings:

They’re vintage glass beads. I always wear the same little silver earrings, so this is a big change. I’m getting all daring and colorful with these. Look out, I might even go crazy and make a necklace next week.

Anyway, I get to go pick up my sewing machine today, so maybe I’ll finish that apron and get started on my backtack project. Not that there is any pressure to make something fabulous. What a bunch of overachievers. Seriously though, how cool would it be to receive any of those great projects?

I was sewing away happily on an apron to share at tie one on when my sewing machine started making a very ugly clattering sound. No! I tried everything, but to no avail, it’s sick and I’ve had to take it to the nice repairman to make it better. Sad sewing machine:

And I need to work on my Backtack project as well. Gah! Ah well, I dropped it off yesterday and he said it would only take a couple of days, so I will be back in sewing machine land by the weekend. Meanwhile, here is the partially finished apron:

Linen with pintucks and a scalloped bottom in a cute print. It has chickens on it! Since I can’t sew, I guess I could work on my Scoop du jour. Or maybe I’ll just play a computer game tonight.

I joined up with the Scoop du Jour Knitalong weeks and weeks ago and then proceeded to do nothing. Finally I’ve gotten it together enough to cast on and start knitting the ribbing for the back:

I’m using Cascade 220 Quattro, in a salmon-y color that I love. It’s actually four (hence the name "Quattro", heh) strands, one red, one orange, one bright pink and one a darker pink, all plyed together. I have no idea how to photograph it so you can see it properly, but trust me, it’s juicy and lovely. I seldom feel like knitting in the summer, so I expect progress on this to be slow. Maybe next month I’ll post a picture of the back and it will be 6 inches longer. Don’t hold your breath.

I also was lucky enough to get more cd’s this week:

These are from Luke and Nat. Excellent work! I’ve listened to them just once, and lots of songs just grabbed me right away. I feel like I’m just swimming in new, good music and it’s going to take me a few weeks to absorb it all. Everyone involved in this swap has done such a great job!

This weekend I got to one of those projects that I’ve been wanting to do for months and months. I had these hemp pants that I just loved, but they were worn beyond repair in the bum and inseam. They were loose and flowey, so I figured they’d be great as a skirt. First I cut out the inseam from hem to hem, then laid it flat on my ironing board. I pinned and pressed the front seam to be topstitched in place:

Then I made sure the legs were all flat, and measured the triangle they made, to be cut out of another fabric:

I sewed that in place, did something similar for the back, added a band of contrast fabric around the bottom, and voila! a skirt!

I couldn’t take a picture of it on because a) we don’t have a full length mirror and b) I didn’t want to share my fat belly with the internet. I like it, and I got lots of compliments when I wore it yesterday, so I’m going to call it a succesful project!

UPDATE: Laural is doing a little reconstruction of her own. So pretty!

UPDATE #2: Another pretty skirt (although this one isn’t recycled) .

Good things still happen. I got several happy packages in the mail last week:

My back-tack package arrived on Wednesday! It looks like a fiesta! Check out all those beads and buttons.  I think I will be making something heavily beaded.

I also got the first of my cd’s from Crafty Little Cow’s music swap:

The lovely blue one on the right is from Karen, and the fabulous polka dotted one on the left is from the other Karin. They are both so, so good. Both included songs from artists that I love, like Paris Combo, Lucinda Williams and Indigo Girls, and both included lots of new-to-me stuff that I am digging. Not only that, look at that packaging! They’re both so beautiful! I have to apologize to the recipients of my cd’s. I had only a tiny window of time to make them, and while I’m happy with the music I included, the actual package design is pretty lame. I just used a vintage photo of surfer girls that I liked and photocopied them, trimmed them badly, and stuck them in the case. I had big plans for a cool, funky design, but it was not to be. I also wanted to spend a little more time making sure the music flowed well, but I just ended up putting some favorite songs on there, in alphabetical order. Lame! I hope you will enjoy them despite my lameness. And I hope you will forgive me for the indulgence of including my little brother on there too. I really like the song I included, although I only had a live version, so you have to listen to him babble a bit at the beginning.

A couple weeks ago I made another mixed cd for my brothers and sister. All five of us loved music growing up, and we had quite a range of musical tastes. I put together a mix of songs that make me think of them and growing up together. I didn’t include the song titles on the cd, because I wanted everyone to just listen and enjoy, but promised I’d post them here. So for them, here is a taste of what you might have heard at any given time in our house in the 80’s and 90’s:

1. Let it Ride-Bachman Turner Overdrive (one of the first songs Cary-aka CJ3-learned to play on the guitar)
2. Jane Says-Jane’s Addiction
3. New World Man-Rush (CJ1 was obsessed with Rush in high school, to the annoyance of the rest of us. To his credit, he is now embarressed by this)
4. Life in One Day-Howard Jones (who couldn’t love this song? I included it on my swap cd too)
5. Step by Step-New Kids on the Block (My little sister actually went to the NKOTB concert, and I made fun of her. She was only 13, so it’s okay)
6. Belong-REM (Cary taught me to strum a G-Chord on one guitar while he played lead on another and I pretended to be Mike Mills singing back up. We sounded just like REM. Really, I’m not kidding)
7. Be Near Me-ABC (CJ1’s other obsession in high school. He had diverse taste in music)
8. Forever Young-Alphaville
9. Shake it Up-The Cars (My obsession in 7th and 8th grade, I had every Cars tape, included Heartbeat City, which is when they started to suck)
10. We Got the Beat-The Go-Go’s (this says 9th grade to me like nothing else)
11. Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)-Pet Shop Boys
12. Where the Streets Have No Name-U2 (One band all 5 of us can agree on)
13. White Room-Cream (CJ2 went through an extended classic rock period. I think all of us did, but I remember him getting the Eric Clapton Boxed set, and it was a Big Deal)
14. The Lovecats-The Cure (CJ3 still claims The Cure as one of his biggest influences)
15. Run to the Hills-Iron Maiden (When CJ2 was in high school he got tickets to the Iron Maiden concert at Irvine Meadows with a bunch of friends. His friends got in trouble and were grounded, so my mom made me drive him. We ended up in the orchestra pit. My ears rang for a full 24 hours after that show)
16. Roadhouse Blues-The Doors (In college CJ2 and I went to see The Doors movie-the one starring Val Kilmer-on Opening Night. We were hardcore fans)
17. Invisible Touch-Genesis
18. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World-Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (my little sister used to sit in her room in front of her record player listening and singing along to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. What a Wonderful World was my Grandparents song, and was played at my Grandmother’s funeral)

I deleted my last post because it was just too sad. We’ll make it through, but things will never be just the same. Who will I call when I need to fix a leaky faucet? The phone was eerily quiet last night. Sunday night tradition was a phone call from dad. Thank you so much to those who left such kind comments-they were truly comforting.

I moved on to phase 2 of the great decluttering of the creative space this weekend. There is no photographic documentation this time because I think I’ve publicized my slovenliness enough for now. I rearranged furniture in my guest house, laid down a shabby yet still appealing rug, and found hanging space for the two prized paint-by-number still life’s I snagged at the antique mall for a mere $18 for the pair, framed no less! I do have pictures of those little treasures: 

I can only show you a corner of the rug, as the rest is covered with piles of stuff, which brings me to phase 3.

Phase 3 consists of major organizing of Stuff*, much of which will be tossed in the trash or donated to the local library’s rummage sale. And then on to phase 4-paint and window treatments. The plan is to cover the walls and ceiling and mismatched bits of wood trim with the same pale pink I used in the work room/closet (Harmony from Dunn-Edwards, if you are curious) and make some curtains out of natural linen with a wide border at the top of a pretty floral-something from Amy Butler, perhaps. Why oh why were the walls painted in four different colors by some previous owner? All of which are hideously ugly. I do not understand. Then again, this was were they grew some "mystery plants", so I suppose I should not ask such questions.

*including but not limited to: books, fabric, paper, knick-knacks, and junk that I don’t know what to do with but feel that I ought to save for some later need.

I finished my little collage this weekend:

Close-up to show beading and quilting detail:

I really like hand quilting, but on a full sized quilt it just takes too darn long. So I’m thinking I’ll make more mini quilts, they’re so fun! I wonder if anyone would buy such things?

I also practiced a little embroidery, inspired by this charming book from the Japanese market:

Tiny Garden! Tiny Embroidery! I made my tiny practice bits into little (but bigger than tiny) cards.