Page 4

cut & sew

This is the day my life is going to change ..well probably not, but there is a pink light in the studio and it’s perfect.

I’ve had the Sandill Sling pattern for almost 2 years and I’m finally ready to get started on it, but before I can sew, I have to get through all of the cutting (my least favorite part) and I’m making Jason one first just in case I screw it up, so really I’ll be double cutting everything, gross.

Ok it wasn’t too bad, because the pattern has these handy printable tags that give the cutting dimensions for each pattern piece, it also lists out what needs to be cut of each of the materials and has check boxes so you can mark it off once complete, most importantly for me are the check boxes, I could’ve lost my mind.

Jason picked a dark brown canvas and vintage graphic floral for his bag. (P.S. The floral matches a face mask I made him and I love that he picked it again! Yep we are still masking and just got our updated boosters, because Covid is still very much a thing.)

Brown bag trial run success.

Finished size is roughly 11″ x 7″ x 3″

A few things: I made the adjustable sling strap out of the same brown canvas so it would match, there is a section in the pattern detailing exactly how to do this. I also added a few inches to the strap length, because I wasn’t sure if the sizing took into account all body sizes and I hate it when a bag rides high and looks like it doesn’t fit right or looks baby sized on my big body. This one’s good, the extra length wasn’t really needed, but I also don’t mind that the strap is not maxed out.

Officially starting my own sling.

Cream bags are it, I’ll take mine fruity on the inside. 🍊

I’m starting to not completely hate putting in zippers.

I only changed a couple of things the second time through, I opted to skip the top elastic on the inside pocket, and added a slotted lower pocket for my cute pens & pencils.

I also added a hang loop to the top.

Oh, and I only had 1″ cotton webbing and hardware so I trimmed the width of the shoulder connector down to fit, no problem.

I moved the D-ring strap holder from the bottom of the bag to the side, because it felt like a more comfortable placement to me, and I followed the pattern tip about making two of the strap holders, one for each side, so you can change it depending on if you want to wear it slung over your left or right shoulder.

One more peek at the inside.

Cream bag ready to be destroyed.

Some August

We’ve had some really perfect August days, windows open and not completely melting. I can’t remember why there are fans in every window here, maybe to pull in the cool air or reversed because we burnt popcorn? I do remember sitting here looking at this view and loving our house, weird shit everywhere, so many clocks all keeping slightly different time, chalkware, moss balls, robot heros, just out of frame is a 6 foot Jango Fett wearing nerf blasters, you know home stuff.

I was looking for something else when I ran across this deep stash linen cotton blend, ahhhh such a gorgeous oat color.

Ok I know, more hooks.. but these ones are metal (aluminum), they’re cold to the touch, weighty, and tink like (no disrespect) crappy wind chimes, I only bought 3, but now regret not getting more, they sold out in a snap so there’s that.

I don’t even care, it’s a thing I do, and I’ve been on a spree.

This was the yarn I was looking for, it’s Madelinetosh Pashmina in the color Norway Spruce for a Trasnú, the pattern is a summer cross back tube top, but mine will be a fall woolly cross back apron top to wear over long sleveed dresses, like the true layer cake I am (or wish to be).

Starts.

Just moving my pile from one sunny spot in the house to another.

My cute piece of porcelain popcorn is from the wonderfully quirky French ceramicist/artist monochromatiques, it’s a treat to have several of their beautiful porcelain pieces in my funny little collection.

I couldn’t get over how tied up these skeins were, granted there were no tangles, but damn.

Same bags, same progress, getting nowhere slowly. My favorite handmade bags, a Field Bag stuffed in a Wool and Wax Tote ..like they were made for each other, oh wait they literally were.

P.S I made my Field Bag prior to there being an “official” pattern, I based it off the one I already owned. If you’d like to make one, Grainline Studio x Fringe Supply Co. have released a sewing pattern and video tutorial for the original Field Bag.

Last year I tumbled out the back of the garage, then Jason built me some giant grandma steps so it would never happen again. ♡ Oh, and the lilies are blooming!

coming back to me

I’m usually so good at documenting my projects, even/especially the boring bits (I love capturing average everyday moments), but I think I just got caught up in all the terrible things going on everywhere that I just emotionally worked through the first sock without even blinking. So we’re beginning with the necessary rewinding of the sloppy yarn cake after finishing the first sock.

Second sock 5 stripes in, nothing to add but effort.

I was going for really cute paper sack, but in heavy cotton canvas with french seams. This is ridiculously stiff cotton duck, it feels industrial, like it would be used on a boat or something, I love it.

I’ve made so many versions of this little sack, trying to get it just right, this might be my favorite one so far ..or it might be my favorite because it has my name tag on it. I’m having a love hate moment with these little f’d up peachy tags.

When I first moved out my mom gave me some of her old kitchen stuff to get us started, in the mix were a few of my grandmas dishes. Over the past 28 years some things were lost in moves, others broken, this is one of the last pieces and we still use it all the time. Featuring one of the prettiest almond danishes ever.

Sock & sack, looking good together but going nowhere slowly.

I’ve been doing so much behind the scenes junk, WordPress made some root changes which caused some formatting issues with my past blog posts and pages (for some reason my older posts get more reads than my recent ones?) ..anyways, I wanted it fixed and was told that it would have to be manually done, so I straightened up all of the posts (since 2011!), streamlined pages and links to near perfection. Yes, the website/blog looks a little different now, but it feels good and weird and timely. Hello again. 🥰

I bought tiny paintbrushes just so I could, one is a frosted peony cookie, one is a heart shaped chunk of today’s sky, neither are bigger than a fingertip.

“When giving up remove your shoes and socks for maximum effect.”

I let too much rage pass between sock 1 and 2, they are like two different socks with two different tensions, looking very similar, but feeling incredibly different. These are not my usual universal whichever foot socks, these are.. that specific one goes on your bigger foot socks.