Zipping things up

I could have sworn that I already posted about this last week, but I guess not! I have finished my first bag of the season! It was extra exciting because the middle where the zipper and front and back fabric collide was too thick for me to have the foot down, so I had to pivot a bit. I ended up hand stitching on top of the few stitches the machine was able to make with some nylon thread, so I feel pretty good that it will hold. Also, the interfacing is the perfect weight! Yay. Of course, I forgot to take a photo, but it was one of several similar bags for Team Cats, so I will have others to show you what it looks like. I actually finished that on Sunday (Dec 7). I was hoping to finish three bags that day, but just ran out of time. 

In the meantime, I have washed and dried the cross-stitch; here's an in progress shot with all the supplies for most of the pencil cases laid out together.

I sewed those together with the other fabric that will make that side of the pencil case (and sewed together some interior fabric that wasn't quite the right shape), cut the rest of the interfacing (in fact, I wasn't paying attention and cut too much; now I have to buy some more for the last larger bag), ironed it all on, and have been sewing up a storm. I had hoped to finish the three bags that I need to mail out soonest (to your house!) last Wednesday, but instead our power went out for 2.5 days and everything got messed up, so now I am just in full assembly line mode, trying to power through all 11 Christmas present bags. Here's the latest - you can see that there are: 1) three bags where the zipper assembly is done, top stitching is complete, and I just need to sew the outer seams together/close up the final opening (top left); 2) five bags that need to be ironed so I can do the top stitching (bottom left), and 3) three bags where I'm still inserting the zipper (right). 

After Christmas, I will need to come back to the other two Team Cats bags before I see my team members in early January, and I have three bags to make for myself that I'll get to at some point. Oof!

I realized that I forgot to show you the final bicycle man, so here he is:

And, we have left one piece of fabric down in the living room, as Nairo seems to think it's his new bed. See? He's so cute.

I've got three days to get these wrapped up. Fingers crossed!!

- Catherine

Whew!

Your little pieces are so cute! I think that the gardener sitting under the flower is perhaps a fairy with a white sleeve?  And their hat might be a flower?  Perhaps that would be less problematic?

Nairo is such a good helper.

I did not get much knitting time over the holiday weekend, but I have finished the front of the vest for Smallest, and I've started on the back.  In the second picture, the back is laying on top of the front.  I did talk with Middle while they were here about the Hoodola, and we've selected some yarn.  I think that will be a quick project.  We will see!

I wasn't able to work on the quilt because of table usage, but hopefully I can get some done between now and Christmas.  

We went on several outings.  We went to the Renaissance Festival, and this is from a shop we went into.  Who knew Christmas Mice were a thing?  We also went to a place called the George Ranch.  They have saved things from the owners across many generations, and this is one woman's house dress.  I think Gaga used to wear a dress like this, so it was fun to think of her on her birthday weekend.

Lauren and Sarah wanted to put up Christmas decorations while they were here, so we are decorated now.  Lauren liked the pillow I cross-stitched many years ago, so perhaps I can make her one sometime in the future.

I don't know much more.  I did ride the bus on Monday and Tuesday.  I gave my bus card to a homeless guy on Monday night, so I need to get a new one.  I don't like using the app on my phone.  The scanners for the tickets on the buses don't work so well.

Oh! Jeff finished the fireplace before everyone arrived.  It looks very nice.  He did a good job.

That's all I know!  Here is a silly for you!

Margie

Christmas is a' coming

I finished the final cross-stitching for the pencil cases - see? Here is the gardener for my sister-in-law and girl-on-scooter for the youngest niece. 

I changed my mind about this last pattern (below) because when I looked closer at the second gardener scene that I had in mind, I realized that the person didn't seem to have a middle part of their body? See also below. Very strange! Also, this book is from 1962 and upon further assessment, I started to worry that the "gardeners" are racial stereotypes (I think the one gardener in isolation (above) doesn't give the same impression, hopefully). So I went back to the potted plants from a previous pattern book; I had already made the other two of four, so here is the second installment! 

I also bought many zippers and some interfacing (have yet to test if it is the right weight), and have washed/ironed all of the fabrics that I had picked. Nairo is helping me keep some of them flat. :P

Next step: Testing the interfacing and starting to make bags! I will see three of my bag recipients in person next week, so will prioritize finishing those first. I'll also use an assembly line approach to get all of the fabric cut (allowing us to reclaim the living room). I also need to figure out a new pattern for some of the other presents I had in mind, due to some behind the scenes complications. 

Hope your crafting is going well! :D

- Catherine