10.10.12 ... icy hot bags

a few months ago i designed and stitched up some handmade hot or cold bags. ev and scout surprised me with this pretty fabric well over a year ago and i finally got around to using it. doesn't it make beautiful covers?

the bags themselves are made out of muslin and filled with rice. we stick them in the freezer in summer and over the hot spot on the stove in winter. they are nice and small. we haven't had a microwave for a few years now so i chose to make them smaller than my original bags.  i lived with those things during those freezing new england winters.

we won't have that problem here. 

it just gets a bit chilly.

they'll come in handy. 

i like them because i made them with fabric from my housemates. :)

thanks for stopping by. until next time. happiness to you. from me. with heart. 

ox joon

Posted via email from just joon

9.10.11 ... freehand cross stitch, paper cut ups and a new recipe

today scout and i did some embroidery - cross stitch freehand. i have a small collection of patterns that are very complex, involved projects but i like to do small bits and pieces. i finished this tonight after the sun went down so i will post the end creation tomorrow night. can you tell what it became? i also clipped a lot of magazines and discarded vintage books. here is what i salvaged from a really cool old james thurber book called the thirteen clocks. well, i say it is cool. the illustrations are. the story - just from scanning it as i clipped - seemed pretty twisted.

i am not sure if i will keep them and do something with them myself or offer them in my shop.

in one of the magazines today i found this recipe and ev just served this beauty to us. it's a lemon coconut pound cake.  scout snapped these photos.  aren't they pretty?

it is sooooo good.

sweet dreams, everyone. thanks for stopping by. until tomorrow. happiness to you. from me. with heart. ox joon

Posted via email from just joon

2.9.11 ... bracelet part ii . the bracelet returns

phase ii: it is almost completed. my back is still cranky making for a quiet, frustrating day. but this afternoon i did spend some time working on my bracelet and i'm glad. it evolved somewhat from my initial design, as most of my creations do. my original concept was to use the tiny fabric scraps, but i did not anticipate adding buttons. i love that addition. i was unable to finish it completely because it took much longer than i should have spent on it today and because i was planning on using a snap for the closure but my snap dealie is too lightweight. so i will use a button and either a loop or a buttonhole. i haven't decided. the third photo shows the button i've chosen. i'm looking forward to finishing this bracelet soon and will share it here when i do.

this is the unfinished end. the prototype for this bracelet is shown in yesterday's post. that one is made of paper. it's pretty nifty. i have been planning on making more --- guess how long ago i designed and made the original? --- august 2009. this 365 days in a row creating is proving to be very good for me in the things-i've-been-wanting-to-do category.

 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

this is the reverse side that will be against the wearer's arm. i left the raggedly look because that's what i like, a folk art element. it has more personality to me.

it's a challenge choosing the buttons. i have so many and i can sort through and fixate on my choices for hours. i love these.

and here is another assistant, ginny weasley. she's shy and a loves to keep me company in the evenings, which is especially nice this month because i am cold!

sweet dreams, everyone. thanks for stopping by. until tomorrow. happiness to you. from me. with heart. ox joon

Posted via email from just joon

1.21.11 ... scissors rest

i have a scissor fetish. and even though it is close to impossible to choose favorites because i am lucky enough to have quite a wonderful collection, these sewing scissors are indispensably fantastic. they're very heavy and i usually keep them in their boxes to protect them and my table but that is not very convenient, as i am sure you can imagine. i made this rest for them using heavy muslin, the old mattress pad {used in yesterday's project}, and this groovy vintage astrology cocktail linen that i've been saving for just the right moment. yes, i am a leo.

i know i will enjoy having this and wonder how i ever lived without it.

i started another ~ rather involved ~ mending project, added some more miniature patches to one of my t shirts and worked on my zine today. i have photos of the mending project in progress that i will add to the post on the day i complete the task. i hope you enjoy today's entry. stay warm. sweet dreams, everyone. thanks for stopping by. until tomorrow. happiness to you. from me. with heart. ox joon

Posted via email from just joon

Freestyle Quilting

I have been thinking about 'painting' with thread. No forethought or planning. Just start somewhere and doodle until something comes to me and go with it. This is with the sewing machine foot down - not in darning mode. Today was a busy day so I decided to try a tiny sample for my TaD. I love this little thing. It is three layers of heavy duty {theater use} cotton muslin. The photos show both front and reverse views. It's just a few minutes old and already a bevy of ideas are circling around in my brain for what this might become. I'd love to hear yours. Have a wonderful evening.

See the full gallery on posterous

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010