Snow Day!

It doesn't snow much in Oregon. So when it does, all routine tasks are put on hold for FUN!

A surprise storm left us with two inches on Tuesday night. We live on a hill, so our driveway is the perfect sledding hill. The kids kept sledding until they were running on slush.

The snow only stayed a day, then it was back to business. It was fun while it lasted!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Looks like somebody gave herself a haircut for the occasion!

Thanks to my sister-in-law for the kitty flannel. Her nightgown is from McCall's M5510. This her second one from this pattern and she LOVES the ruffles. His jammies are a McCall's Easy M5216.

Last Minute Gifts!

These were so easy. I made them all in one evening, and (mostly) from things I had in my stash.A scarf that I copied from one I saw at the GAP (for $15). It's cotton/linen shirting with gold pinstripes that I found at Joanne's in the clearance section. I cut it 15" wide by 2.5 yards long. I used my quilting ruler to square everything up nicely, then I just straight stitched 1/4" from the rough edge.

Pull a few of the loose threads to unravel the edge a bit (it won't unravel beyond the stitching). Trim any loose threads (as you can see, I missed a few). Cost of four scarves: $12, but the clearance fabric will be half-priced after Christmas!

Dish towels. pretty and plain. This is one of Amy Butler's home dec fabric. I've tested these out and they're absorbent after a few washes. Just cut the rectangle to the desired size, then hem by turning the edges under 1/4 " (twice). Edge stitch and be done! These would be lovely with ribbon trim if you have time.

Bean bags for juggling. These are made from 4" of scrap squares and filled with black beans. They're a good child size. For an adult, I'd start with 5" squares.

This is from one of Amy Butler's free patterns. Since it's cut on the bias, You need to have a yard of fabric. I didn't have any beaded trim, like the pattern called for. I stitched on some crystal beads from my "rescued" beads.

and the Winner is....

Laurie Anne who said,

Laurie Anne said...

Yipeeeee! You'll ship to Canada!! :)
Great tutorial...you make it look so simple...
Love the new header by the way~
Have a fabulous 44th birthday! xx

Congratulations to Laurie Anne, and thank you to everyone who reads My Inner Old Lady. You give me a reason to sew and create and grateful to you all!

By the way, I did have a great birthday. It was full of warm wishes, good family and friends, homemade soup, a warm fire, an awesome cake and (no kidding) third graders and their lovely, crazy teacher who serenaded my with their ukulele's.

Make Your Own Wristlet - (and another giveaway)

As promised, here is tutorial to make your own wristlet. I've made lots of zippered bags, using a variety of tutorials, and I think I found a method that's simple and looks nicely finished.

1. Plan the dimensions of your bag around the length of your zipper. I cut mine to the exact width so that the zipper lays nicely on top of the bag. This zipper is 8.5 " so the pieces are 8.5 wide by 6" high. Cut four pieces of fusible interfacing the same size. The strap is 2" wide by 14" long.

2. Make the strap by folding it in half, lengthwise, and pressing. Open it up and then press each side to the middle. Fold the whole thing in half again.

3. Edge stitch down each side.

4. Fold the strap in half, ends together and trim at a 45 degree angle.

5. Attach the fusible interfacing to the outer fabric and the lining fabric, following the manufacturer's direction. You can make zippered bags without interfacing, but I would suggest that you do this only for very small bags (like credit card holders). Otherwise the bag is too floppy.

6. Make a sandwich:

1. lining fabric right side up

2. zipper right side up

3. outer fabric right side down

Pin at the top.

7. Using your zipper foot, stitch through all three layers. I use the middle of my zipper foot to gage the seam. At some point, you'll have to stop, lift the presser foot and move the zipper to the other side of the foot.

8. Make another sandwich:

1. lining piece (the one you haven't sewn) right side up.

2. the zipper with the side you haven't sewn at the top.

3. the remaining outer piece, right side down.

9. Pin and sew as you did in step 7

10. Press the bag flat around the zipper.

11. Lay the outer panels together and lining panels together, with the zipper open. Slip the strap between the outer panels right under the zipper, matching the edges of the strap with the edges of the outer fabric seam (the strap should lay toward the bottom of the bag at an angle). Pin around the edges, keeping careful attention that the zipper is matched up.

12. Stitch around the edges with a 1/2" seam, leaving 4" opening at the bottom of the lining. Reinforce the seam at the zipper edges and the strap by back-stitching over those areas.

13. Trim the corners. Trim the seams with pinking shears to make everything lay flat and keep the seams from unraveling.

14. Turn the whole thing right side out through the opening in the lining fabric. Use a chopstick to poke your corners square. Press the outer portion of the bag.

15. Slip stitch the opening in the lining. Tuck the lining in the bag and press the whole thing.

16. Well done!

Now, if you don't want to go through all of this and would just like to have one of these, I'm giving away the wristlet in this picture. A lot of readers poked their nose in during the Sew Mama Sew giveaway, so I would like to thank you for sticking around. Just leave a comment by December 17th (which happens to be my 44th birthday). And yes, I WILL ship to Canada this time:)

Images From The Art Sale

Despite temperatures in the 20s and a strong wind, we managed to pull off a successful art sale. Thanks to everyone who braved the frigid weather to join us last weekend.Tiny books, with tiny boxes

Vintage western aprons, pretty tea towels and a messenger bag

Snacks for fuel to shop

Pretty ruffled napping pillows

A beautiful and artful coloring book

The lovely hostesses

Photography

Block print cards.

One of a kind beaded jewelry.

We had a great time, but I'm tired! I'll rest up for a few days before I'm back at my machine, finishing up my Christmas gifts.

And the Winner is....

Thanks to all who entered. I'm going to enjoy checking out all of your favorite songs. The random number generator has chosen:

Corvus, who said:

Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick, for the chorus:

"'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table

No one can find the rewind button, girl.

So cradle your head in your hands

And breathe... just breathe."

Corvus, I'll be contacting you. For the rest of you, I'll put up the tutorial this week so you can make your own wristlet.

Happy Giveaway Day!

Woo hoo! I'm participating in the giveaway day sponsored by Sew Mama Sew. Leave a comment for a chance to win one of these lovely little wristlets. I will be giving one away to the lucky winner after the comments close on December 6th.
In order to win, answer the following question:

What's your favorite song at the moment and why?

Check back after December 6th to see if you won.

Sorry, I can only ship within the USA.