Did you miss me?
It seems just a little while ago I packed my bag and my travel buddy, Jerry the Minion, and left my sewing machine behind. I did have a couple of weeks off there – it went by so fast. I had a blast!
I made a few new friends on my trip. This is Olive. While I was visiting, Olive had a small medical condition. Olive’s goals in life were to be given continuous and abundant attention by someone, anyone … and get out of her “cone”. Olive succeeded at both!
This is Pip. Pip doesn’t entertain guests. Instead, he saunters under the bed and stays there until you leave. Amazingly enough though he stuck around for most of my visit and was very friendly with us. Quite unusual behaviour; although by the look on his face, he doesn’t seem too pleased with the attention!
My last new friend was a little “spitfire” called Rudy. Rudy is a young little pup, a rescue dog, full of energy and determined to do a proper job protecting his family by barking at you for the first few minutes of the first few mornings of your visit. Just a noisy little “Good morning!” But in my efforts to make him “purr” (yes, I have cats) by scratching him under the chin, he gave me such a loving look!
What did I do on my holidays?
Well, I ate healthy meals.
I got plenty of exercise. This is a photo of me at the Telus Spark Centre pushing the handle so I could produce electricity to get the most colours lit up!
I worked so hard creating electricity that afterwards I had to have a rest on the bed of nails. Seriously, I cannot describe how COMFORTABLE it was to lie down on this bed!
Of course, we couldn’t miss out on the Calgary Stampede Dog Bowl Show and neither should you. So many excited, enthusiastic, loving, well trained canines – it just makes you want to get a dog of your own to play with and hug!
And how did I fare for two weeks without a sewing machine?
Well, first off, I did have my sewing pattern drafting to keep me busy in the few down times. I’ll be looking for pattern testers again in a month or so. Then again, I did collect quite a few emails during my last call for pattern testers here. But hey, if you haven’t already, don’t hesitate to sign up with the form on that blog post. You never know what might happen!
Secondly, it turns out my sister, Susan on the Soapbox, wanted new curtains on her guest bedroom window. So I went to Fabricland with her, fondled some fabric, and helped her pick out something nice. As if she needed my help … she has great taste. I helped with the measuring and cutting, and supervised her sewing … as if she needed it. Well done, Susan! Your new curtains look FABULOUS DARHLING!
Did you notice the new WordPress Theme? Every year I try to shake things up a bit and I thought this year would be the year of the “Maxwell” theme.
Notice the heading at the top of the page? A dear friend of mine gifted me with a pretty box of antique and retro sewing supplies, which were collected from shops in Paris! I took a few photos of the box and the supplies and uploaded them onto my blog. Better yet, I uploaded a few of the photos, so every time you come back for a visit you will see a new random photo! I want to give a special “thank you” to Tracy for these very chic supplies!
So what sewing project is next for me? JEANS! I have had them cut out for a while now and although they won’t be the first pair I have ever made, I do have something special in mind this time to “decorate” them. Stick around and you will see step by step what I get up to!
What projects are you getting into now? Share with us!
Happy Sewing!
STASH BUSTING WITH THIS PROJECT? None yet, but soon! Still 131.2 meters left!
Looks like a great holiday!
It definitely was! Thanks Km!
I’ve just done one of my batch cutting-out sessions, mostly summer tops and T shirts, pretty but not madly exciting. Nice fabrics though!
Yes, I remember you like cutting in batches. I always like having special fabrics matched with simpler styles! I’ll have to “come over” and have a look see at what your up too!
Welcome back! that ice cream looks amazing and those pets are cute!!! The curtains look good too! I can’t wait to hear about making jeans! would you be willing to share some tips on the types of needles/machine to use and best practices for sewing with denim? I haven’t made those before and I can’t wait to see how you do it!
Thank you! Yes I’ll definitely be giving details on everything and if I miss something don’t be shy to ask. I just might have an answer for you! 😁👍
yay! Can’t wait & wishing you luck as you start working on it!
Thank you! ☺️
I am on a jeans making quest now, too. I made one pair in a cheap denim, and could not get them closed. I put a wedge in at the sides at the waist. Then I decorated them with a plaid ribbon down each side to cover the wedge. Once you have jeans sewn up you cannot get the whole leg under the machine anymore! So I had to hand sew those ribbons. The jeans are cute and wearable, except for being a cheap looking fabric. I have printed out the pattern now in a larger size and I am ready to cut into my good denim. After sewing one pair I have a good tip for sewing jeans. Three machines! My serger sews the safety seam, chain along the seam line and three thread overcast at the same time. Perfect for denim jeans. I am waiting for my daughter to bring back my old sewing machine tomorrow, and I will have one machine set up with all purpose thread and one set up with top stitching thread, so I won’t be spending so much time changing thread. Now that I know how to make jeans and with the third machine the whole process should go faster.
Having three machines set up is definitely a bonus! Sounds like you got a lot of practice and any sizing problems taken care of with your first pair. Now you are ready to go through the process again … this time it will be easier and more successful! Good for you!
Welcome back, Linda!
Awww! Such adorable new friends! I hope Olive is feeling better, poor thing!
I LOVE Susan’s curtains! The fabric is to die for! I’m going to have to try and track down some of it myself! 😉
I hope you had a wonderful time in Calgary! ❤
Yes, Olive is on the mend. I did have a wonderful time, thank you! My sister got the fabric from the upholstery department of Fabricland. Fabricville on line has much the same stock.
Oh good!! I’m so glad to hear sweet Olive is on the mend (she and my little niece actually share a name, by the way!) And that you had a good trip! I’ll definitely be making a trip to fabricland or the fabricville site to check out that lovely fabric! Thank you for letting me know!! 🙂
Olive is such a lovely name! Oh yes, I must mention that we used the WRONG side of the fabric if you look for it. It was softer, the design was “blurred” (?) more than the right side! Tricky, huh? 😁
It really is!
Oooh, thanks for letting me know!! The wrong side of this fabric sure is gorgeous!! 🙂
Linda, we really enjoyed your visit with us. I notice you didn’t mention the highlight of our trip to the Telus Spark Centre, the volt machine which delivered a “gentle” shock to your fingertips when we cranked the wheel. We cranked and you went “yip!” SIX times!
PS, thanks again for supervising me with the curtain :).
Yes… well… I was trying to keep that a secret! ☺️ now I know what the first word out of my mouth is going to be if I ever get “electrocuted” again!
Indeed. I’ll take “YIP!” over “#@*%&$$” any day! 🙂
😂😂😂
Welcome home! And yes, you were missed, but I thought you might be designing another bag for your collection. Sounds like that’s partly true, and I look forward to seeing your latest! So glad you and your sister had such a happy time together. 😘
Thank you! Yes I couldn’t drop all thoughts of sewing, even if it was drawing bags on paper! Nice to be back to the usual routine though, too!
And sweet new pets to coddle and cuddle with!
😁🐈🐈🐕
I like all of your new friends! Sounds like you had a very relaxing holiday.
I did, they were all very friendly little buddies! 😁
Welcome home! It sounds like a great time with your sis! Alas, I have barely touched my sewing machine this summer. I opted for a part time job this summer, and working 10-2:30 with no real pattern has been a big adjustment! I’m starting to figure it out, but now the garden is starting to come into play, so it may be September before I am really back at it!
Gardening is a very relaxing, enjoyable pastime too. And the resulting flowers or vegetables, depending on what type of gardening you do, can be a real bonus too! 🌺 🌽
Such a great holiday, full of activity, healthy food (!) and pets! I think holidays away from the machine are good to decompress, but I’m always twitchy to get back in the sewing room, and I guess you were too!
It was a blast! I am back at work but still thinking about my holidays! I am very happy to be back at my sewing machine though!
I noticed your new banner. I like it a lot. If I have time I would love to illustrate your banner with your permission. I’m glad you had a great vacation. Lots of fun activities. 😁
Yes, definitely, you can illustrate it! It revolves through about six different photos. You’ll have to pick the one you like! 😁👍 I did have a wonderful time! Now life is back to normal, including sewing! 😁