The Gods must be laughing...

Maybe it´s pregnancy or maybe it´s just a massive brain fart, but today I managed the mother of all sewing feats. I love fusible interfacing and use it frequently. I am no stranger to the ins and outs of using it. I am well aquainted with its limitations and multiple uses. I know that the iron should not be too hot, that it´s best to use a scrap of fabric or other cloth between the project and the iron, but if you´re careful you can get away with not doing it. Not that I´d recommend that, but it can be done. I know to check to make sure that the side to be fused should be face down. But today, well today I seem to have completely forgotten all I know and have learned about working with fusible interfacing...

Today I wanted to make a bonnet for my baby. I found some cute fabric in my stash that would work with the pattern and there was even enough of it to make the project!! I found a coordinating fabric to use as well. I pinned and cut the fabric, then reached for the light-weight fusible interfacing, pinned and cut it as well. And then.....and then I turned on the iron ignoring the temperature setting of max, plunked the iron down on top of my "fusible interfacing" and picked it up to move to the next spot, only the interfacing was now melted goo on my iron. Because it wasn´t fusible interfacing, and because the iron was too hot. I discovered to my horror that the entire sole plate of my iron was covered in melted plastic which was now beginning to burn. I turned of the iron and quickly began trying to "scrape" the iron clean with a piece of cardboard that I happened to have at hand. Of course I burned my fingertips in the process, and off course my iron will now probably never be the same, but I did manage to get most of it off, and with the help of a quetip I got the gunk out of the steam holes. And then I discovered that I had been trying to fuse regular, synthetic interfacing to fabric. I have no idea where the plain interfacing came from, nor can I remember ever having used plain interfacing, but apparently at some point in time I bought some to use....and then I discovered that I don´t have any light-weight fusible interfacing in white, but only in black. My project will now have to wait until I can get some suitable interfacing and be sure my iron won´t gunk up my project.

Baby Projects

Last Summer I made this diaper bag from a really easy Simplicity pattern. I improvised on the changing pad, used a micro fleece towel I had on hand...shhh don´t tell my MIL about it (hey, I thought it was ugly, and it was a terrible size, and my husband never liked the feel of it).

After I finished that, I saw so many tutorials for making burp rags, that I thought I could do that, and it would be easy. Well, no prefolds to be had, at least not cheaply, so I found some birdseye at Nancy´s Notions, ordered it along with some cute baby fabrics, and made my own. I think they turned out pretty well all things considered.

Then I had some fabric left over and saw this really cute tutorial on the net a few weeks ago, decided that my baby might really like a tag blanket, ordered some minky and then went to work. It was really easy to do, and I hope it´s a hit with our little one. We´ll see!


I frequently read this and she had another easy tutorial for making a laminated changing pad, and I happened to have some laminated fabric to use for it. It doesn´t exactly match my diaper bag, but who cares?! Sewing with laminated fabric is a bit fussy, and I cursed a few times as my layers slipped, but in the end it worked out ok.


Now I´m busy learning about smocking, and can´t wait to get started on my first project....

Roses!

Constance Spry--
she only blooms once, but she is a gorgeous, showey climber. This is her second year in the garden.

The Pink Panther
Unfortunately he got frost bitten and isn´t as vigerous this year... I´m hoping he will make a full recovery because these blooms are awesome in arrangements.

I have no idea what this one is called, it was only labelled "pink rose" and put on sale for two Euros, and I couldn´t resist.

Also have no idea about this one. It was labelled white rose, and also cost only two Euros. It´s a bit of a pain though, the blossoms are huge and great for cutting, but I only get 2-3 at a time, and the rest of the bush is some wild rose which I have to keep cutting back...grrrrr. So much for hybradizing!

Peace. A gorgeous one, but unfortunately mine is not hardy and gets terrible black spot despite spraying, and spraying and spraying....

There are lots more roses in my rose garden, but blogger isn´t allowing me to upload any more pictures in this post :-( I´m particularly pleased with my Empress Josephine which is covered in blooms. She´s almost finished, though. I haven´t had any problems with disease with her, and she is super, super winterhardy. She and Jeaque Cartier, and Louise Odier make-up the pinks, and they smell divine. I added a Winchester Cathedral and Teasing Georgia this year, but they are still very small. I imagine that next year or the year after will be payday for those. I´ll share again next year!

Summer in the garden!

I really could have sworn that I took more pictures of the flowers in my garden, but apparently I spent more time enjoying them than photographing them, so these aren´t even the best ones! The delphiniums are almost finished, so they´ve been cut back in hopes of encouraging a second, later show in late August/ mid September. We will see if it works--last year was so so.

My salvia and Lady´s Mantle is gorgeous, and I cut some regularly for using inside. This one doesn´t actually have any Salvia, though! Guess I forget it when I was out cutting the delphiniums back....must be pregnancy dementia!

I´ve been busy

Making stuff, that is. And I´m just getting started, so stay tuned. Maybe I´ll actually get good at this making stuff thing.

Poor Ralphie

It must be love when your master gives up his warm and cozy spot in the bed to come spend the whole night on the kitchen floor with you.
Eating with the lampshade is a bit of a challenge as you can see, but it can be done if you´re hungry enough!
Pouting. What else is there to do when they take you to have your balls chopped off, and then they make you wear the shade?
I´m not moving. I think I´ll just stand here until someone rescues me. Somebody is going to rescue me from this torture, right?

Tea for Two?

Actually, it´s just tea for me. Sometimes you just have to pull out all the stops (or a few) on a rainy day. I guess if I´d really been pulling out all the stops I would have gone to the swanky pattiserie in Radebeul and gotten some Petit Fours and other goodies, but the sandwich from the local grocery and fresh strawberries were all I needed, or wanted for that matter. Tea lights, a favorite tea cup and a good cup of tea along with other treasures are like chicken soup for the soul. Really, I ought to do this more often. It wasn´t that much work to get out the silver, linens and china.