{michellepatterns.com}

Doggy TV

Working at home poses special challenges and one of them is keeping other people and pets who might be home with you occupied so you can get some work done. 

Once Lila is fed and walked and I'm ready to get to work in the morning Lila goes to hang out on my bed to watch what I've come to think of as Doggy TV. 

I open the blinds and window so she can watch birds, cats, bugs, rats...yes I said rats (thanks neighbors)...go by.  There are only three channels on Doggy TV--Shubbery, Garbage Collection and Landscaping.  Garbage Collection and Landscaping are too much for her so those get turned off (i.e. window closed-blinds down) immediately when they come on.  Shrubbery is on all the time though and it works really well for keeping her out of the way and happy for most of the day.

Interfacing

Since a lot of people ask what kind of interfacing I use I thought a quick post was in order.  To answer the question I use Form Flex All-Purpose for almost everything.  It is a fusible woven interfacing and doesn't melt and get all wrinkly like the non-woven interfacing.  It is designed for medium weight fabrics but I find it works well even on lighter weight cotton fabrics. 

It comes in black and white.  The black doesn't seem to adhere quite as well and sometimes comes up off the fabric in places, but it still works fine and it is wonderful to have the darker color when using dark fabrics.  I recommend giving it the max fuse time (10 seconds each press) and let it sit and totally cool off before picking it up. 

Found

Yesterday I needed to stuff more things into a very large closet but before I could get the new things in there I had to rearrange the boxes and junk already cluttering up this closet.  While digging around I was delighted to find...

A cute embroidered picture of a happy dog.  This is something I made a few years back and stuffed away in a box.  Now it is hanging on my wall.  It would look sweet in a child's bedroom so someday I'll find the right person to give it away to and for now I'll enjoy it. 

Vintage glass grapes!  These look great in front of my window.  They are real glass not the plastic ones (though I'm fond of those too). 

Bridesmaids Gifts - Fabric Selection

Update: I'm no longer taking orders for these clutches.  If you would like to make these yourself, the pattern is available right here.

A lot of people are interested in seeing the fabrics for the bridesmaids clutches, but there is really no efficient way to share the photos through an etsy convo. So I've set up a couple documents with pictures of the fabrics below. 

I keep these files current but because multiple people might be looking and/or ordering at the same time I can't 100% guarantee the fabric selection. It shouldn't be a problem but I have to mention the remote possibility...just in case.  Send me a convo through etsy before placing your order if you'd like to confirm your fabric choices are available before your purchase. 

Small Print Fabrics

These prints run 0.25"-0.75" for the smaller elements which are usually very closely spaced, so more of the print will show on the finished clutch.  The cream clutches in photo above are examples of small print fabrics and how they look on the finished clutch.  Click the link below to view these fabrics:

Download small_print_swatches.pdf

Medium-Large Print Fabrics

These are larger prints where only part of the print will show on the clutch.  The brown clutch in the picture above is an example of a medium-large print.  Click the link below to view these fabrics:

Download mediumlarge_print_swatches.pdf

BYOB

Last night I had to run to the store to buy an iron.  Mine hadn't died but suddenly just started smelling funny.  Oh well...it was a decent iron and lasted 3+ years of very regular use.  While I was there the clerk started to tell me that they would begin charging $0.20 for a grocery bag very soon. 

I didn't quite catch all the details but the bottom line is if you want a bag you pay.  This will probably only last a short time and in the near future I suspect Portland will completely ban them.  Fine by me.  Even though I often bring my own bag I still have a bin of them in my kitchen and a giant bag of them in the basement waiting for me to remember to take them back to be recyled.  It is pretty ridiculous. 

China, Ireland, Uganda, San Francisco, Paris, London and many other countries and cities have already banned or taxed them so you can bet your city will be doing the same soon.  So it's time to make your own bag or buy a reusable one.   

Of course the plastic industry is having fits and while I can't blame them the fact is industries come and go and well this is one that is on the way out.  Bye-bye!

If you are looking to buy a bag here are some links:

melissavest makes the screenprinted tote shown above.  She has a large selection of other images on nice cotton canvas bags.

Lightweight, reusable produce bags!  $6.00 for 3...good deal.  Buy them here from daisydots on etsy.

jenhintz on etsy makes crocheted reusuable bags in a many different colors.  They hold up to 15lbs each and are very stretchy and accomodating. 

 

Too Hot to Sew

It was sooo hot here in Oregon over the weekend!  I'm not good in hot weather and couldn't seem to get anything done over the weekend, so I rented some DVDs instead.  I really like documentaries and have already watched most of the ones available online here, so I wandered down to Video Lair and checked out two movies:

1. A Crude Awakening

Very interesting and troubling movie about Peak Oil and a glimpse into our future if we don't find a way to become less dependent on oil--not just foreign oil--but petroleum products in general.  It was quite enlightening to hear how even our alternative energies are still tied to oil.  It was also more than a little sobering to realize the effect of high oil prices on our economy (and the world economy).  After the last few months of high gas prices and watching how the financial markets reacted so strongly to the price of oil it really hit home that we are probably looking at some tough years ahead. 

2. The Universe

Absolutely fascinating series from The History Channel about astronomy presented in an easy to understand format.  It's really amazing and definitely worth watching.  I can't wait to see the other episodes.  The first four shows were:

Secrets of the Sun - Awe inspiring...really.   

Mars: The Red Planet - Sorry, I got sidetracked during this one.  It did have a good segment about Martians and how we got so stuck on the concept of Martians.   

The End of the Earth: Deep Space Threats To Our Planet - Scary stuff you can't control anyway.  Interesting though.   

Jupiter: The Giant Planet - Jupiter is HUGE!  And it has this crazy electromagnetic field around it that is gigantic and gives off a lot of sound. 

Jupiter's Great Red Spot.  This red spot is bigger than the earth.