February 27

Another doorstop for the gift boutique.

February 26

I did a largish collage last night, and this morning decided to cut it into strips and make some of the interesting bits into bookmarks. I think I'll give this set to a reading friend on an upcoming birthday.

February 25

It's "High School Stereotype Day" at Josh's school, so he went dressed as .... Josh, circa 1974.

February 23

I haven't done anything more on the quilt, but I did make a large floor cushion out of some of the leftover corduroy.

February 21

My sweet sister has opened her birthday gift early, so I can now safely post a pic. She writes:
"Darling sister,
I’ve come home early to get ready for my coast trip. I stopped in via the PO and, with delight, collected a parcel from you. Now, of course, I could not possibly wait until next Wednesday to open it. And….. I love it, love it, love THEM. A beautiful knitting bag (complete with feet and bendy opening thing) and the sweet little knitting markers (is there nothing you cannot do??), in a gorgeous knit-y box. And I love the paper, and I love the card, and I love the NY envelope. And I adore my lovely pin cushion, my week 1 prize (I was secretly coveting one of these when I saw your friends with their pin cushion gifts). And of course, it will go very nicely with my brand new sewing machine (in which you held a conspiring role!!).
Oh, dearest sister. I feel so elated. And I feel pretty loved, too, after reading the birthday notes from all the Meltzerz.
I love you very very much.
sister"

Gave me the warm fuzzies, it did.

February 15

In a rare turn of events, Ian (nearly 17) was actually home on a Friday night. While I made my end-of-the-week curry (yes, this week it's curry, not chili) he hung out with me in the kitchen, playing Janis Joplin, Cat Stevens, and the Beatles, while we both sang along with gusto.

I had no idea, when I married Josh nearly four years ago, that I was also getting a son who would spend an hour or two in my kitchen on a Friday night rocking out with me to classic oldies music at loud volume.

How lucky am I?

February 13

We found ourselves unexpectedly child-free last night, so I decided to give Josh his Valentine's gift early. I think he loved it, though I'm not sure ... he didn't keep it on for long.

February 9

Evie and I again went exploring the stairways of our city, this time in West Silver Lake. This particular set of steps was immortalized in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy short film shown here. Suzanne kindly brought this to my attention. The surroundings have changed somewhat in the past 76 years, have they not? I would never have recognised the stairs if it wasn't for the plaque and signpost. You can see the rest of the photos from our walk here.

February 5

I picked up this remnant the other day for 50 cents, and tonight turned it into a little shoulder bag, just large enough for my essentials: wallet, keys, phone, glasses (reading and sun), pen, tissue holder, spare shopping bag (I get soooo much use out of this), business card holder and dental floss. What are YOUR essentials?

February 3

I've been buying corduroy clothes off the dollar rack for a while, with the aim of making a winter quilt for our bed. While I still love the bedding we bought two years ago, when it gets chilly (er ... that means 50°F/10°C) I yearn for some darker colours. With nap. (Only a sewist will get that pun.)

Anyway, today the planets aligned (males absent at Superbowl parties, daughter occupied with visiting friend, enough corduroy accumulated, weekend therefore little guilt about not doing "real" work) and I commenced The Quilt.

But now, Evie, I really need your advice. I have never made a quilt bigger than baby size, and this is huge. 75" x 95" (190 x 240 cm). How on earth do I feed this through my sewing machine?? (Damn, I knew I should have paid the extra $100 for the quilting attachments ....)

February 2

This morning Evie and I explored the hidden staircases of Franklin Hills, nestled between Los Feliz and Silver Lake. We are still walking our way through "Walking L.A.," and continuing to expand our knowledge and appreciation of the many, varied, delightful neighbourhoods in this amazing city.

And how can one possibly complain about a sky this blue in the middle of winter? I talk with my friends who are knee deep in snow, and know why the traffic is so bad on our freeways. It's the price we pay for our winter weather. Mmmm.
(Click on the pic to enlarge. That's the Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sign in the background.) More photos here.

January 31

In anticipation of starting a new job very soon, I made myself a lunch bag. This puppy is BIG. Big enough to hold my large square lunch-salad-sized plastic container. And a bunch of fruit, veggies, cottage cheese and high fibre bars on top. And a water bottle. Because when I start this new job, I'll be EATING RIGHT! I've heard that new employees at this company gain 15 pounds in the first six months, because of all the free, bad, food there. But not me, no-siree. I'll be LOSING fifteen pounds, all thanks to my new lunch bag that's large enough to hold a day's worth of healthy eating. Ignore the disbelieving expression on the button. You'll see.

January 27

The dark green grapeyness on the piano stool had to go. This was my first attempt at upholstery, and the results are pretty wonky. It's all in getting even tension while stapling, I've learned. Obviously, my tension was anything but even. Nevermind, we all think it's a great improvement and I'm glad to have tackled (if not yet mastered!) something new. Yay for the new sewing machine ... my old one would never have managed this job.

January 26

Following Barb's lead, I made some burp cloths for a friend who's expecting.

Some points to note:

(a) When I was little, I heard my mother refer to someone who was expecting a baby. I was surprised to later learn that this friend did, indeed, go on and have a baby. To my young mind, "expecting" didn't mean "having". I guess it meant more like "hoping". I mean, expectation and certainty aren't the same thing, are they?

(b) These burp cloths are made from what Josh calls "diaper rags" and Gerber calls "cloth diapers". This discombobulates me on three levels.

(1) We have many dozens of ratty diaper rags around here. Josh would buy them by the ton when he was a prop master, probably paying pennies apiece. But he's not a prop master anymore, so I was reduced to paying $13 for 6 of them at Babies R Us. That felt weird.

(2) I had to go to three different stores to even find cloth diapers. They seem to be going extinct. Except at the places that prop masters shop, presumably. But I didn't want a ton of them. I only wanted six, or twelve.

(3) Maybe they are going extinct because they are so thin and inconsequential compared to the luscious, thick, terry towelling nappies I wrapped my babies' bottoms in 20 years ago. How does this little thing soak up ANYTHING that spurts from the nether regions? They do seem quite bulky and absorbent enough for burp cloths, however, so I am satisfied with the results.

Oh, and speaking of nappies, it's Australia Day. And Rhea's birthday (the baby whose bottom I first wrapped in nappies 20 years ago.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!!

January 25

Another cushion -- paisley velvet enhanced with running stitch embroidery.

January 24

I've had a run on cushions this week. I've been wanting to re-cover the daggy toss pillows on the couch for a long time, and I was finally inspired by some great striped remnants, and got stuck into it. The patchwork one I made from my stash.
I made this one this morning, from a groovy knitted cardigan. I used the buttoned-up section of a man's shirt for the closure. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and am now eyeing all the thrifted clothes in my stash for more cushiony possibilities.

January 20

Lola and Sara loved their birthday gifts :-)

January 19

A regular Saturday morning event in my kitchen, before the weekly grocery shopping, is the making of what I call End-of-the-Week Chili. I sauté onions and garlic in a big stockpot, then throw in all the perishable vegetables remaining from the week. Today that included carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, scallions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas, snow peas, and collard greens. I add anything else from the fridge that I think won't clash too much: salsa, steamed or roasted veggies, tofu, pasta sauce, tomato paste. Then I throw in a can of beans, and usually a large can of tomatoes (though today I used vegetable juice instead). Sometimes I'll add a can of corn too. At that point, I can add some broth and call it soup, but usually I finely chop one or two chipotles en adobe, because I happen to have five cans of them in my pantry (thank you, Lola), and call it chili. As the only vegetarian in a houseful of omnivores, this stockpot of veggie goodness provides me with daily lunches (and sometimes breakfasts) as well as dinners on the nights when I'm serving the family meat. Every week it's different, delicious, filling, and oh so easy.

It was another glorious day today, and I was itching for some exercise and beach time. Everyone else in the family had plans, so I took myself off to Point Dume alone. Since my childhood summers spent on the rocks at Kiama, I've always loved tidepools, so when I saw that we were expecting exceptionally low tides this afternoon, I had a yen to photograph starfish and anemones. I was hoping to spot some migrating whales, too, but no such luck ... I'll just have to go back again soon.

January 18

An apron made from the back of a skirt, complete with pockets, and ...
...following Juliette's lead I used three yards of flannel to make a blanket, change pad, and burp cloths for a dear friend's impending grandson. Fun, fast, and very cute!

January 17

I made two successful hacky sacks, and then the third one, for no apparent reason, turned out really huge. I'd used the same pattern, same yarn, same hook, but it was, like, fifty percent bigger. So I tried again, paying very careful attention to the number of stitches and increases, and this, my fourth hacky sack, turned out just right. I think maybe I started with one stitch too many on the previous attempt. By the time I did all the increase rows, I ended with a dozen more stitches, which did indeed make for a larger sack.

Anyway, I was relieved to manage another good one, but I have to say, I'm done with hacky sacks for now. I've nearly used all my share of the crochet cotton my sister and I dyed last year. Come back soon, Sister. We need to find more yarn and dye it. Among other fun things. I miss you.