Project Catchup

This year's projects are off to a roaring start. I finished six projects in January and managed to get most of the way through a quilt. Not bad for a procrastinator, eh?

The little dragon is named Fugloid Wright. See all the ugly stitching? Me too. I was pretty excited to try this pattern out, so I rushed through many of the parts that I should have taken my time with.

This was my first Etsy purchase. The pattern was created by Lynne Henson and was very easy to follow. The pieces are incredibly small and the bulk of it is handsewn. Still, it came together quite quickly and I'm pleased with my new little winged friend, even if the construction is sloppier than if I had taken my time.

If you pick up the pattern to make a dragon of your own, I recommend forgoing the wing stiffening and instead, extend the wire along the entire leading edge of the wings. This will allow the entire wingspan to be poseable, and help keep the shape without making the fabric stiff.

Stuffing the beastie is trickier than it seems. Too much stuffing and it becomes difficult to pose the dragon. Too little stuffing and the dragon won't hold it's shape. I found this fantastic variation on the design and I may have to incorporate some of those ideas in my next dragon.

The pants are actually made from a Simplicity pattern for PJ bottoms. I had leftover fleece from Christmas presents and I wanted a pair of close fitting exercise pants.

I started by tracing the pattern onto my fleece, cutting it off just below the knees. I sewed them together following the directions, but didn't hem the bottoms. Once they were together, I turned them inside out and put them on. I pinned the seams on the outside of the legs so they fit closely. I sewed the new seams and trimmed off the excess. Voila! Exercise pants!

You can't really see, but the ribbon for tying up the pants is a very cool black and white floral pattern on grosgrain. Yay for discount ribbon!

Of course, there are probably tons of better ways to do this sort of thing, especially if you have any sewing skills and/or experience drafting your own patterns. This method worked good enough for me though and I'm please with how they turned out. They fit perfect and are so soft and fuzzy.

One of Buttercups little friends just had her first birthday. Since Bella's parents are fond of homemade, I thought that she might enjoy a handmade doll.

I'm hoping to get some more of these put up in my Etsy shop this winter. The face is hand embroidered and I put a little pocket on her chest with a red felt heart. The idea is that on one side of the heart will be Bellas name and on the other side will be the name of whatever she decides to call the doll.

Bella seemed to enjoy her new doll. At least, she spent some time chewing on dolly's head.

More project photos and write-ups coming, including my first complete quilt (going to a friend of mine who's currently in Iraq), my very cool gear for next football season, a tutorial on customized thumbtacks and a little recipe that I'm calling Coconut Popcorn Shrimp of DAAAAAAMN!

Mesh Produce Bags

I only ever make one New Year's resolution per year. Sure, there are a million things I probably should resolve to do, but I have found that trying to do them all at once is a recipe for poached brain. Then, more often than not, I don't do any of them. One change that I can dedicate myself to does the trick and I actually stand a chance at altering my behavior.

This year, I have resolved to get rid of all the plastic bags that come into the house. Not just the plastic grocery bags mind you, but the ones from other stores as well. I've put a note in the middle of my steering wheel to remind me to bring bags into stores. I have a running total of how many bags actually make it into the house (so far - 4). I should probably have also started a list of how many bags I managed to avoid. It's gotta be around 30 or so by now.

I have an abundance of large cloth grocery bags but I realize that I was still bringing home plastic produce bags. Fortunately, it's an easy thing to sew together reusable produce bags with cheap-o tulle and scrap yarn.

Tools & Bits for 4 Produce Bags

• 1 yard of 54" wide tulle netting in a color of your choice
  
• 4 pieces of yarn, about 42 inches long
  
• thread to match your yarn, scissors and a sewing machine

Start by folding the tulle in half so that you have a double thickness 18" long by 54" wide. Cut four strips 13 inches wide. Set your machine to a medium width zig-zag stitch. Leave the fabric folded, as this is the basic shape of the bag.

Starting at top of the bag, stitch down the right side. Don't worry if the fabric puckers, just make sure that both layers of fabric are secure. Continue stitching across the bottom of the fabric, then up the other side. You are now in possession of a basic net pouch.

Trim the fabric on the sides to make it look neat, but leave the fabric intact across the bottom.

To finish the bag, fold the top down about 3/4". To save the hassle of snaking the yarn through the finished casing, lay it inside the folded fabric before stitching the tulle down. Use a straight stitch to sew the casing in place. Start stitching the casing at one seam. Leave about a 1/2 inch of space before you begin stitching. This will form the opening for the yarn so the bag can be cinched closed.

Tie the two pieces of yarn together so that it doesn't pull out of the casing. Trim the tulle close to the stitching to make it look neat and turn the bag right-side out.

Now go fill it with seasonal fruits and veggies!

Planning for this year's garden

The Johnny's catalog is here! While I've had a great time reading over all the great varieties of seeds, I'm going to really limit what I order. You see, I have yet to experience a truly successful growing year in this garden.

2007 was all about moving in, although I did get some tasty veg from the old Gorham garden. 2008 saw almost no gardening (except for my beautiful little Buttercup. Growing kids counts, right?). The rain and slugs of 2009 were not only devastating but also demoralizing.

Since I'm feeling the need for a success story in the garden this year, I'm going back to the vegetables that have always preformed well for me. Perhaps it is no small coincidence that most of these are also varieties that Johnny's marks as 'Easy To Grow'. In fact, if you're considering your own garden this year and you've never grown anything before, I recommend the following varieties.

• Tomatoes - Juliet
• Squashes -Raven Zucchini & Racer Pumpkins
• Beans - Provider
• Peas - Lincoln
  
• Carrots - Nelson
• Greens - Buttercrunch Lettuce, Claremont Romaine, Red Russian Kale
• Pikant Shallots
• German Extra Hardy Garlic

There are some vegetables that grow best for me in pots, so I'll continue with this method for Little Leaf Cucumbers and for the peppers - Ace & Islander & Early Jalapeno.

I'm still on the fence about growing leeks this year. They take a long time to grow, but I have seeds left over from years previous. They are also, typically, the seedlings that attract George the Menace Cat.