Happy Father’s Day

Hope you all are enjoying a nice day with the daddies in your life. I made MrCatHead a lovely brunch but had a bit of trouble with our blender. Instead of mango lassis, we now have mango pudding because I ended up having to put all the ingredients in the food processor when the blender started smoking!

For brunch, I made a baked dish with polenta slices, spicy tomato sauce, linguica, cheddar cheese and eggs. It was amazing!

Tonight, I have another yummy meal planned for him. That man loves food! It’s the easiest way to make him happy. I’d already made the ricotta pudding (which actually is more of a cheesecake) for dessert but he valiantly offered to have mango pudding as well. What a guy.

In flux

I’ve been neglecting my blog for quite some time. We flew off to San Francisco to see one of my step-sons graduate and to meet up with family we haven’t seen for over a decade. LittlestCatHead got to meet her step-grandmother and another of her dad’s brothers for the very first time.

Also, I’ve been feeling like my sewing is quite amateurish. I feel I’m not progressing fast enough, learning enough new techniques. I’m not taking risks. I’ve been focusing on getting ready for my first craft fair and I’m not satisfied at all with what I’ve made. I feel like I’m right on the edge of something. Ever feel that way in your sewing or crafting journey? I’ve got to move forward or try something different.

A treat for myself

I don’t usually make things for myself. But this fabric seemed perfect for my wardrobe. It has brown and grey and blue, which are colors I wear often. Then I met someone at HipStitch who had a cute little bag and when I asked her where she got the pattern, she told me it was The Buttercup Bag.

I made a few changes cuz after feeling how the interfacing felt against the lining, I decided to skip the magnetic snap. It felt too heavy for such a cute little bag. I might make this again with a zipper closure…

Mine! All mine! I'm not sharing this one!

Lining

Pattern: Made by Rae’s Buttercup Bag
Fabric: Amy Butler’s Lotus Faded China in Olive/Geisha Fans for exterior and pocket, Lotus Faded China in Linen/ Full Moon Polka Dot for interior
Music to sew by: Vitas’ Blessed Guru, over and over because I like it that much

Again, my second pic is huge. I really feel stupid because I can’t fix it. Also, the pic is dark…I’ll have to take another one tomorrow but I wanted to get this post up now. I love this bag!!!

Why I’m behind in my ironing

A prime napping spot for Raja

Something for myself

Here’s the beaded sash I mentioned earlier:

Beaded Scarf

Close-up of gorgeous fabric

Fabric: Amy Butler’s Lotus: Sky/Temple Garland
Pattern: Amy Butler’s Sash with Beaded Fringe

Elephant Bag

Even with help from the flickr group for Last-Minute Patchwork Gifts, I was confounded by the wee elephant, Peanut.

So I decided to make use of the templates for the elephant’s body and ears and put him on the front a bag I was making as a gift. I stuffed the body with a bit of fiberfill to make him stand out a bit from the body of the bag. I forgot to photograph the contrasting fabric on the inside of his ears. And I can’t do it now because it’s already wrapped!

He looks so cute! I’m going to make more. Definitely. LittlestCatHead has already requested one.

Close-up of Elephant Bag

Lining for Elephant Bag

Fabric:Heather Bailey’s Fresh Cut for the elephant himself and Erin McMorris’ Park Slope: Lime Circles and Stems for bag with a simple muslin lining (I have a lot of muslin to use up!)
Pattern: modified from Last-Minute Patchwork Gifts’s Wee Elephant project

Bedside Pocket

Bedside Pocket

Simple muslin lining for pocket

Fabric: Japanese canvas with Alice in Wonderland motif
Pattern: modified pattern from Amy Butler’s In Stitches and Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing

The way my daughter’s bed is designed, I had to make straps which velcroed to the back of the pocket. I lined the back and the pocket with muslin.