A Little Knitting

I haven't done any sewing lately, though I did cut out a blouse. I still need to take my serger in for repair, so my slip is currently a UFO as well. I walk into the sewing area in the basement and it is a M.E.S.S. Never mind though because in a couple of weeks, the entire area will be emptied out so we can fix the sagging kitchen floor before we remodel the kitchen.


Yep. So much organization and cleaning out to do, and at the moment it has me a little overwhelmed. What did I do today about it? I went shopping and out to lunch with a friend. Ah, yes, the old avoid at all costs technique. I did get some super cute shoes for $22! I'll take a picture soon, I promise.


In the meantime, I didn't make too many Christmas presents. OK, I only made one. And it's a cowl I knitted for a friend of mine. She's a huge Ohio State fan (a former cheerleader), and a huge Atlanta Falcons fan, as as luck would have it, they have the same colors. For pattern info, I'll have to direct you to Tasia's Sewaholic blog where I got my inspiration.


Meet the Ohio State/Atlanta Falcon Honey Cowl:

It's a mid-length version, and is really a little tight if it's doubled. Possible, but tight. And it's chock full of mistakes. Luckily, no one can really find them. Not even me. Well, maybe someone can, and there is one glaring one, but well, there you go. Oh! I got the yarn on Etsy at Huckleberry Knits, and it is gorgeous!


I do enjoy knitting, but I am really slow, so my projects are a bit few and far between, but there is almost always something in the works!

Should I Go With the Blue?

The Blue Gardenia, that is. The time is especially good right now for heading over to see what Denise has on sale! But don't delay! The sale runs now until 11:59 PST January 15. You have to buy 3 or more patterns, but it's 35% off! What a deal... the Blue Gardenia ... don't miss it.


After I do some shopping, I'm going to start with some interior design. With my son moving into a rental house, he needed a bed, and the extra queen size that was hanging out in my sewing room is heading south. And that leaves me with the opportunity to move out of the unfinished part of the basement, and into an actual finished room.


Here's the before picture:

You can see in the lower right hand corner, where my sewing machine table is, and behind the door on the left edge... my ironing board, and a dresser that Kyle is also taking with him.


Lots more will be happening in our house, so occasionally, some other interior design projects might be mentioned. New kitchen, anyone?


But back in this little corner of mine, I'm first going to declutter and then repaint, color still to be determined...

Sewing? What sewing?

It seems that I haven't been doing any sewing lately, but that's not entirely true. I have made some progress on my Ruby Slip (click the badge in the sidebar for more info). Slow progress. Like perhaps, I have turned on my machine for 10 minutes on a couple of days.


Still, the skirt part is cut on the bias, and it has to hang, right? I'm loving my lace bodice part. My lace wasn't quite wide enough, but realized that the only piece affected was the bodice side, so I used Chris' method, and just added a little bit. You'd have to get really close to be able to tell.


Today, I was going to hem the skirt, after I serged the side seams. I changed the thread to gray, and have finally come to the conclusion that I need to get my serger serviced. The tension discs for one of the needle threads just will not hold the thread, and that makes everything go wonky.


Perhaps that will force me to cut out a new blouse project, and fix the zipper on Kyle's jacket this weekend.

Wilma on Wednesday Makes Oatmeal Caramel Bars

If your New Year's resolutions include losing some weight, or eating healthier, than this recipe is not for you. Thankfully for my NY resolution to just those very things, I made these right after Christmas, and sent the leftovers packing with young, thin people.


Nevertheless, in spite of a major mistake in following directions on my part, they were (and will be if you make them the right way) delicious!

OATMEAL CARAMEL BARS


1 (14 oz.) package caramels
1/3 c. milk
2 c. flour
2 c. regular oats, uncooked
1-1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c. butter or margarine
1 (12 oz.) package chocolate morsels
1 c. chopped pecans


Combine caramels and milk in a saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramels melt. Set aside.


Combine flour, oats, sugar, soda and salt. Add eggs and butter, stirring until mixture is crumbly. Press half of mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.


Bake at 350 deg. F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate morsels and pecans; pour caramel mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle remaining crumbly oat mixture on top. Bake at 350 deg. F for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. (they cut better if they have been refrigerated).


These are very rich, and just a small bar is enough... think cutting that bar in the picture into 3! It will serve a lot!


Some sewing has started to happen, and I'll have a ruby slip update tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Boy, that's an original title. I've been reading blogs on and off all day, and really enjoying the wrap ups of last year, and the plans for this year. Some of you are really ambitious! And some of you really did a lot of sewing last year!


I haven't added anything up. I made a lot of things, and have some favorites, and some that were not as successful. And a couple of things that I haven't worn at all.


But, today's post isn't about sewing. It's about art and the process. I think that sewing is definitely a creative process, and it's one of the things that I have been able to do at least fairly successfully most of my adult life. It just comes easy to me. And this year, artistically, I decided to stretch myself. In December, a friend, pointed me to a possibility for an art workshop of sorts on Etsy. 366 Pages, a yearlong, online, mixed media journaling workshop. After briefly contemplating, I leapt in (sorry). If you check it out, it's not too late to join. And what a deal! $20 for a year of encouragement, ideas and fun.


OK, the promotion is over, and I've done my first day's journal entry.

You will have to click on the picture to learn a little more about it.


And don't worry, this will stay a mostly sewing blog, with Wilma still making some appearances with a recipe on Wednesdays, and the occasional post about family or dogs. I may put some kind of flickr slideshow thing-y here, but that's still TBD.


Finally, I'll leave you to ponder on the size of my ironing basket when I tell you that my #1 resolution right now is to iron everything in said basket before the end of January (and hopefully sooner).

Here's to 2012!!!

Laura Learns to Sew

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! I've spent the last few days enjoying the company of my daughter, Laura and her husband, Thomas, and their 2 puppies. Chaos! But fun chaos. They left this morning, and my 2 dogs have done nothing but sleep, sleep, sleep all day!


For Christmas, I had purchased Laura a new Babylock sewing machine, so it was time for some sewing lessons! As much as I sew now, I did most of my sewing for kids when they were younger than 6, and then just sewed sporadically, so she wasn't actually exposed to it that much.


Fast forward to this year though, and she had mentioned a few times that "if she had a sewing machine, she could make XXX ". That was enough encouragement for me.

In addition to the machine, I also purchased the Colette Sewing Handbook, which she promptly read cover to cover. She's also an avid blog reader, so she's been reading the sewing blogs too.


And the first thing she made? A pair of clover pants! Really, we're calling these a wearable muslin, but they do fit pretty well. I'll adjust her pattern pieces just a bit, and she says maybe in a year she'll attempt another pair! For her next project, she says perhaps a skirt. The hardest things for her seemed to be keeping her stitching an even 5/8" away from the edge, going around curves, and "seeing" how it was all going to work out in the end. Things seasoned sewists (like myself) take for granted, but it really is just a matter of practice and experience.


Enough about all that though... you just want to see the finished product, right? Right! And I am so proud... they look great!

A fantastic fit in the back! (She is wearing my shoes which are a couple sizes too small... all in the interest of a cute look).


Before you know it, maybe she'll have her own sewing blog.


A final look, with Ella (Sam is the black one... say their names together... yep, you got it right):

Peace, Love, Joy

and memories...

1961

1971

1987

1988

1990

1994

2008

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!