March 29

Well I have had no time for crafting for the past week or more, but today Evie and I went for one of our exploratory walks, this time in Echo Park and Angelino Heights, an historical neighbourhood of Victorian homes built in the 1880s and, for the most part, beautifully restored and upkept. You can see all the photos here.

I am really enjoying my new job, even though it's removed any 'me' time from my week. Those of you following my reading progress on Goodreads will notice that my galloping pace of 3 books a week has stumbled and collapsed. That horse is now lame. My sewing machine is gathering dust. But maybe tomorrow, after shopping for groceries, cooking meals for the week, and layout out a freelance client's web site, I'll have time to whip up some of these. I have the fabric picked out and ready to go ...

March 17

I made a couple of manly aprons today, both adult-sized and tween-sized. They'll be going in the Christmas boutique.

I also whipped up a cape for a SuperToddler of my acquaintance. Whew, what a burst of sewing I've done over the past four days. Now it's time to take care of some other types of work, and get ready for the New Job.

March 16

From the small to the large: potholders (to keep the warmth out) and a cuddly robe (to keep the warmth in), both completed today.

March 15

Remember a while ago I said I'd be starting a new job very soon? Well, that turned out to be not quite true, because I didn't understand that the hiring process would move like molasses. BUT! It's true now. Starting on Monday week, I'll be a Senior Print Producer at a big name international ad agency, with a loooong commute. Which means that my crafting time is going to be slashed. Which means I need to get a few advance birthday gifts made. Here's a start:

This is an "I Spy" blanket made of snuggly flannel. I saw the idea on someone's blog and loved it. A great way to keep a little person occupied in the car, finding pictures, learning colours and vocab, making up stories, etc.

This is a wall-hanger/organizer thingy for a certain special young man who will be turning 10 soon (Tui, don't let him look). The groovy background fabric was one of my 75c a yard scores of last week. It's heavy weight decorator fabric, and I got 7.5 yards of it! Woohoo! I pulled a man's shirt from my stash to make the pockets, and decided to incorporate some of its shirt-ish features.


I am REALLY happy with how it turned out. I might make another one for my nephew, and write a tutorial as I go.

March 13

Last night I innocently popped down to my local Joann's to buy some bias binding. There was a lady at the cutting table with THREE CARTS full of fabric, buying the entire bolt of each. I expressed my amazement at the amount of fabric she was buying, and she said, "Don't you know about the sale? All the red-tagged bolts are 75% off! So these are $1 or 75c a yard! Go down the back and see!" So an hour later, and not very many dollars poorer, I came home with these lovelies. Don't they look like jewels? My mind is racing with possibilities!

March 12

Four years ago and counting.

March 11

Josh is going on his almost-annual 'guy trip' to baseball spring training in Arizona. He himself is a Dodger fan, but his accompanying mates are Giants fans, and they spend all season giving each other a hard time. Josh enlisted my help to create this tshirt last night, which he will proudly wear on the trip. Apologies to my non-American readers, who probably won't 'get it'. It's a baseball thing.

March 10

I tore myself away from my book to make a gender-neutral flannel receiving blanket and a couple of burp cloths for my pregnant sister-in-law.

March 8

Hmm, it's been a while since I posted. I have noticed that my interests go in cycles, and since I've started blogging I've been through phases of collage, drawing, cooking, sewing, and now, reading. I'm devouring about three books a week at the moment, to the detriment of everything else. Unfortunately this latter obsession doesn't have much in the way of visual output, thus the lack of blog entries.

But! I do have something to share. Evie and I did Walk 28 from our book today (there are only 36 walks in total, so we are drawing closer to the end). This one was in East Silver Lake, which has views of the now empty Silver Lake Reservoir ... ack! Not a pretty sight in its present condition! The neighbourhood also boasts a half dozen or so homes designed by the famed Richard Neutra. But for me, the main allure of the walk was the delightful Loma Vista Pl. path, one of the longest combination steps/walkways in LA. It is heavily overgrown in places and lined with bungalows and cottages, all with no vehicular access. I would LOVE to live in a place like the one pictured above! So close to the city yet so secluded too. You can see all the photos here.