Category Archives: Uncategorized

i’m still around! just lazy.

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The jury is in and I’m guilty of being the world’s laziest blogger. I’ve been happily unemployed and crafting…and not updating my blog. Without an excuse in the world. Anyway, I’ve got a backlist of creations to report, which I shall do.

Oh yes, and in one week’s time I will be on a plane headed to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a year-long M.A. program…or “programme,” rather. (I should get used to having to switch off US spelling mode). Feeling excited, nervous, and all those things one would be expected to feel when leaving home and husband for a full year in a foreign land. So, yes, the Incurable Homebody will actually be away from home for a while. 😕

Now, onto the neglected creations:

It occurs to me that I never blogged last year’s Christmas creations for fear that the recipients might have their surprises spoiled. So in the spirit of better-late-than-never, here they are:

A couple of improvised mug cozies. Great projects if you’ve got leftover yarn lying about.

  

  

Teddy bear baby hat. Made two of these — one for my sis-in-law’s wee girl, and another for my brother’s youngest (the little lady pictured below, throwing up a peace sign before retiring for the evening). I couldn’t find a pattern that I liked in its entirety, so created a mashup of these two: The Hat Menagerie bear and Bernat’s Cottontotts hat. As you can see, I made the lined beanie and ears using the Bernat pattern (though shorter so not to have a fold-over edge) and for the face, I used the Hat Menagerie pattern. Note: the afterthought nose is something of an upside-down heart shape sewn on and stuffed with some fiberfill.

  

A stuffed kitty made from scrap material:

More long-overdue updates to come!

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Handmade Christmas Gifts & Some Big News

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Little Bailey in her teddy bear hat, courtesy of Auntie Homebody.

The jury is in and I’m guilty of being the world’s laziest blogger. I’ve been happily unemployed and crafting…and not updating my blog. Without an excuse in the world. Anyway, I’ve got a few handmade Christmas gifts to report, which I shall do. Continue reading →

fabric appliques + old boots = new boots!

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First, a Facebook friend posted this…and then I remembered seeing this…and so I did this…


…using some leftover outdoor fabric I used for bistro chair cushions a few months back. These old faux leather boots had been sitting in the back of my closet unworn for over a year, as I have too many brown pairs of boots  to keep track of. After today, no longer shall these be lost in the crowd! I simply cut out some pretty floral motifs from my fabric, coated the backs with Fabric Mod Podge (paying close attention to the edges), and applied them to the boots. I’m currently waiting for them to dry so I can seal the appliques with more Mod Podge. Before I actually wear them out, I plan to treat them with a couple more coats of Outdoor Modge Podge (once I buy some, that is). Now I’m off to see if I’ve got any more footwear needing a makeover!

yes, it’s been far too long…

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…since I’ve posted or have even visited my favorite sewing blogs. Oh, the crafting withdrawals! So what’s been stealing my attention? Well, a few things really…

First, I’ve been writing/recording/rehearsing with my new band, then work got a bit distracting, and finally, a medical scare struck our otherwise serene household. It’s a long story involving a frantic 911 call and an ambulance ride to the ER. I won’t regale you with details (and my hubby probably wouldn’t want me discussing it here!) but please be assured that everyone is now safe and sound.

Anyway, there was something about this episode that made me want to take a break from my projects — to slow down, smell the proverbial flowers, count my many blessings and all that jazz. Of course this meant spending lots of quiet time with Dane, the kitties, myself and of course, a load of good books!

Some of my reads over the past couple months:

And I haven’t completely neglected my sewing machine! I did find the time to whip up a cheerful fabric bookmarker…

…as well as couple of fast and easy dresses, but I’ll save them for my next post!

i’ve been tagged

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I’ve been tagged by oona to carry on this little book “meme.” Now, the stickler in me questions whether this is technically a meme, but since it’s to do with books, I’m game! Here are the directions:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

The book nearest me is The Transcendence of the Ego by Jean Paul Satre, which doesn’t even have 123 pages… So, I must go with the book second nearest me which is The Concord Quartet by Samuel Schreiner Jr. — a work of non-fiction about four figures from the American intellectual renaissance of the 1830s: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I’d read it a while ago, but pulled it from my shelf recently because I wanted to write a song in commemoration of these literary/philosophical figures of yesteryear. Yes, I’m fully aware of how geeky this sounds. Anyhow, here are the sentences from page 123:

Although it was not to Emerson’s taste, Hawthorne’s writing revealed him to be a keen observer, but his personal convictions about the events and characters that he rendered so vividly into fiction remained a mystery, as they did in social conversation. The man was almost pathologically shy. With their interest in children and their own brood to amuse, the Emersons staged outdoor entertainment for children of the neighborhood in good weather.

Sorry it wasn’t something jucier.

Alright, I tag Jed, Jill, Liesl, Cici and Davina.

sculpture of the week

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My lovely sister-in-law Jill was over from the UK for a visit and I was able to take a week off of work to spend some time with her. Mainly, our days consisted of shopping, eating junk food and watching Project Runway. It was bliss.

We were also able to visit the Getty Center and while there, we saw a fun toy in the gift shop called “Shapescapes – Sculpture in a Box” which Jill described as “adult legos.” She very kindly bought them for me as a gift, so I’ve promised to create at least one sculpture per week.

Here’s #1:

And here’s Jill’s masterpiece which I definitely prefer over mine: