Wednesday, November 28, 2012

A new video...

Well, it's been over two years since I said I was going to be doing a video log and I suppose things just got in the way.  With that in mind, here I am two years later saying hello.


For one thing, I'd like to apologize for the sniffing throughout the video.  In the winter my nose gets wonky and that's all it is.  I'm not on any kind of nose candy, or whatever they call that stuff on Intervention.  I know that I really don't look this goofy in real life, nor do I sound like this.  I cannot, for the life of me, use my real voice when I am being video taped.

With that being said, watch and hopefully, enjoy.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Fabric coils...

Remember back several years ago when I got the book about fabric coil crafting?

I had very good luck, making mats and baskets...

and who can forget the handbag that I made...

This bag served me well and I still have it.

All of this is bringing me to what I will be experimenting with tomorrow.  I was thinking about covering some clothesline and coiling it and stitching it, leaving both ends open.  The end result will hopefully resemble a bangle bracelet.  Since I will be using fabric, it shouldn't be too difficult to embellish it with beads or coins or buttons.

So, that's the plan for tomorrow.  We'll see how it ends up. 

I know that none of you ever run into anyone who is less than pleasant.  In the event that you EVER do, remember the sentiment on this sign that I saw on the internet.  Normally I don't post bad words, but it really is funny.


That's it for now.  We'll talk soon.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

   
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing
Sing praises to His name; he forgets not His own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning
Thou, Lord, was at our side; all glory be thine!
We all do extol thee thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender will be.
Let they congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O lord, make us free!

I sang this song as a child in Thanksgiving church service. The words still touch me. I pray that you and your family and friends have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

My, my, how taste does change

I have always been a "rocker".  I loved the British Invasion and every electric guitar fed genre that followed them.  Marrying a musician just seemed to be a natural step in this  progression.  I really wasn't that into rock until high school and even then I marched to my own drummer.

Being a fan of The Monkees, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Creedence Clearwater Revival didn't mean that I didn't have time for groups like Queen and Led Zep.  The thing is, lots of my memories are from listening to the radio.  I had lots of albums, but I was quite selective in purchasing them. Therefore I know lots of songs and liked them, but didn't really know who the group was.  My hubby is like an encyclopedia of musical information.  He knows a little about almost all of it, but he know a lot about rock and classic country.  Over the years, he has introduced me to bands that I liked but really didn't know.

This week we watched a documentary on Jeff Lynne so, Timbo has been playing his music in it's many forms and bands for me to absorb.  Gotta love it.  Yesterday we were listening to classic country on the music stations of the cable tv and so many came on that I remember and really liked.  I got a mini lesson on country music and found out that I have even liked a certain type of country music, I just didn't know how to explain it.  He likes bluegrass, which is not may favorite.  People have asked me what I don't like about bluegrass and I always say, "if it just had some electric guitar and some drums and maybe a bit of keyboard" I would really dig it.  I like the twangy-ness of the vocals and just want it to...well, rock more.  The following song came on and I got excited because I remembered it from my youth and I said, this guy!  I really like this guy!  To which my husband (and he should know) said this guy is a "long hair".

Well, this guy turns out to be John Anderson and his sound is more what I would call cowboy country or country swing.  You might remember this as a bit of a novelty song, but he sounds just the same now as he did back then.  Here he is from back in the day, Swingin.


He has a crazy twangy voice and not the shiniest spoon in the drawer, but you gotta love this song.  In fact, go to YouTube and check out his videos.  This is what I think bluegrass,(and shoot, all country music) should sound like, electric with drums and keys.  Rock on long hair, rock on!


Saturday, November 10, 2012

Happy Saturday!

Well, elections are over and my guy didn't win, but life will go on.  It may not be life as we know it, but it will go on.  Since the last few years have been occupied with political websites by my hubby (and to a somewhat lesser degree) me, I am finding that I need to throw out the old and bring in some new.   I've cleaned up my computer of lots of the news sites that I was following and have been delving into some new things. 

When not blogging or reading tweets, I go to the craft web sites.  As you know I have a page on Pinterest and I like to browse on Craftgawker and Etsy. If you aren't on Pinterest and need an invite, please let me know and I'll "hook you up" as they say.  I'm not sure if anyone still says that, or if it means the same thing these days, but that's another story altogether.

Keeping all this in mind, me looking for something new to try and such, I have been researching recycling sweaters.  I love to sew and I thought it would be fun to work with sweaters.  I have always wanted to felt a sweater but never realized that you could do it in the washing machine.  I recently got a new top loading washing machine (my old faithful front-loader finally needed to be replaced due to an unknown mold problem) and this top loader is great for felting because you can stop the wash cycle and look at the garment.

I hit the Goodwill several times looking for 100% wool sweaters and there are not as many as you would think.  I found a mohair monstrosity and a small cashmere twinset.  Almost all sweaters are cotton or acrylic.  Who would have known?  I did find a striped wool scarf/muffler that looked promising and something I was willing to cut into.  It's hard to destroy a perfectly good garment in order to makes something else out of it.  But anyway, onward and upward.

If you aren't familiar with felting (not to be confused with needle felting, btw) here is a quick tutorial.  The one thing I wasn't prepared for was the smell.  Remember that "wet dog" smell that your sweaters got when you came in from playing in the snow as a kid?  Yep, that's what hot wet wool smells like, even with detergent added. Not my favorite aroma.

Long story short, I felted my items and got the scissors and went to work.  There is a learning curve, to be sure.  After several hours I finished a felted sweater pillow and I kind of like it.

I have been seeing lots of sweater items with the seams on the outside for texture, so I mixed it up and little bit with some seams showing.  I made the star simply by placing a star template on the sweater and basting around it before sewing it on the machine, then I cut out the star shape.  Much easier than trying to sew around a pre-cut shape.  Learned that trick from making doll appendages.

While the last sweater was in the dryer I made two pin cushions that were fun.

The fish is simply cut out from a printed piece of fabric, sewed right sides together and turned. To do this, I split the back of the fish, turned it right sides out and added fiber fill, then whipped stitched it closed.  I attached an additional piece of fabric and ran a wrist band from an old pincushion and there you go.  The little hat shaped one is made with a jar lid as a base and a circle of fabric stuffed and tacked on to the base.  A bit of ribbon hides the boo-boos and it's ready to use.

While I haven't found the stash of sweaters one would need to make something like this...

I'm happy with the direction I'm taking.  Speaking of that monstrosity of a mohair sweater, a very large loosely knitted sweater when felted, turns into a dense heavy piece of fuzzy wool.  I didn't know about taking the sweater apart first, so this is what I ended up with.  What's next for it? Any ideas?

That's all for now.  Have a great weekend and stay healthy and happy.  I do have another project in the works and that will probably be next week's post. 

xoxo to you all.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

There is a Morning After

I've always loved this song and for now it says what I want to say...


Those of you that know me, know what I mean.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

It's Election Day.

Vote, vote and vote.  

Oh, and if I forget to remind you...be sure to VOTE!




Yes, this means you.  If you don't vote, how will your true voice be heard? 


If you can't vote because you're a felon, you probably are not even reading this blog, (so you won't come and get me) but, boo hoo hoo.  You knew the rules, so there.