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WIP: Knit Bowls
August 30, 2007Well,I have the knit bowls all knitted, I just need to full them now, and see how they turn out. Gee, I’d love to post a picture, but Nikon still has my lens!!!!! grr.

WIP: Felted Knit Bowls
August 27, 2007Well, I’ve been bed-bound for about a day and a half, so I started knitting on the felted bowls. I have one all knit, and one in progress. I’ll make a few more before felting them.
I’m using this pattern, from knitty.com. Took me FOREVER to figure out how to put I-cord around the top of the first bowl, but now that I know what the heck I’m doing, it should go much easier.

“works in progress”
August 2, 2007At this point, works in progress should be titled “things I’d like to get started on.”
Fall Skirts – I’m going to need a few new skirts for fall. I actually have several of these skirts cut out as of today. I decided to wait on cutting out another one. I have the fabric for it sitting on my table, but I’m not entirely sure what type of skirt to make, so I’m stalling on that one.
Knit with Fabric – Over the years, I’ve accumulated a number of cast-off fabrics and old clothes (not good enough to give away) that I have stashed in a Rubbermaid. The Rubbermaid’s full now and overflowing into a second Rubbermaid. Not Good. Time to use some of that up. I’ve decided to try knitting with fabric. I think I’ll make a tote bag or something first.
Tshirt Quilt – Another project to eat up those cast-off Tshirts. A good many of them are only Tshirt backs, and plain white ones at that, given to me after a Tshirt Quilt project used up the fronts. I think I’m going to dye them and cut them into squares and make a very basic quilt.
Knit Rug – And then if I have leftover old Tshirts after those projects (and I will), I’ll cut them into strips and knit them into a rug. Should be fun. Probably requires new needles? Not sure.
DVD Player Case – ours is ratty.
Backpack Bag – for me. I’m scoping out some ready-made bags for ideas. I need something stylish but very functional and with lots of interior organized storage.
Knit Bowls - I’ve wanted to try these for a while.
Bedroom Curtains – Well, we need them. I know what I want to use for appliques, and I bought the linen on clearance a few months ago.

New Themes
August 1, 2007Hm. Well the theme for Sew Retro for August and September is Dresses. So, I guess I won’t be participating. I really don’t wear dresses, they are wholly impractical for me. I haven’t found an acceptable way to make dresses I can nurse in, and I feel a little strange nursing through holes in my clothing anyway, so I just don’t wear them any more.
I wonder if jumpers would count? Hm. Probably won’t make a jumper, though. Oh well.
The theme for Project Spectrum is Brown, Orange, and Purple. Colors I actually have and use. Doable!

Completed: 1950s Wrap Dress
July 11, 2007And my entry for Sew Retro’s bimonthly theme: A Little Summer Something.
It’s a 1950s wrap dress, made from a lime green and blue printed linen and lined with a nice yellow linen. I’m making a blouse, as well, from the same pattern, out of a light yellow linen, but as you can see, the dress can be worn without a blouse.
The dress also has little matching shorts, which feel like they go practically up to my armpits in comparison to where today’s waistlines are.

Completed: Stencil Shirts
July 9, 2007Randy had some plain Tshirts that he wanted me to dress up for him. I made him some practical ones with the Swing Des Moines logo and the Second Sunday Swingout logo. Then another swing-dance related one using some art I found online.
Then I made him two that are strictly for fun – The man with the yellow hat from Curious George and an octopus.
While I was at it, I also made myself a shark shirt (I picked this red shirt up for 99 cents at Goodwill a while back) and a Curious George shirt.
Then, what the heck, Wally got a Curious George shirt, too.
awww, aren’t we cute.

WIP: Giant Beanbag Chair
July 8, 2007I know the graph shows that this is completed, but we decided it’s not done. Notice something odd in the picture?
The footrest is taller than the chair. Yes, we have put four giant bags of stuffing in that chair and still it is not full enough. I’m going to order more shredded foam, then also take in the cover a bit to make it smaller. Hopefully, that’ll do the trick, because I’m getting a little sick of this project!

Completed: Laptop cases
July 8, 2007I finished up Case #3 yesterday, and also put the finishing touches on Case #1. Suffice it to say, I will NOT be making these for sale any time soon! I still have enough foam left for one more case, but I’m going to store it away for a few months. Something tells me I’ll be desperate enough for something new and fun come January that making another of these will seem like fun.
For case #3, I made it a cube like case #1, but I sewed it with the seams on the outside, then covered the seams with bias tape. It doesn’t look altogether bad, though if you look at it closely, you can see that it’s kind of rough in places. The perfectionist in me wants to fix it, but most of me wants to just be done and call it good enough. So – it’s good enough.
I liked the fabric a lot, but I think I’d like it better on something else. It kind of made this project look a little old-lady-ish. Ah, well, it’s not altogether bad.
And here is case #1, finished. Just added bias tape around the top edges.








