Monday, July 28, 2014

Monday, Monday!


Can't tell you what I've been doing lately... because it feels as though I'm doing... nothing. 
Which isn't true.
Ruminating, recuperating, re-organizing.
I'm moving into a new life, one where the previous occupant left behind a pile of baggage.  I'm physically and emotionally sorting out the old stuff to make room for myself.
This is not such a tedious job as it sounds.  I'm delighting in re-discovered treasures, giving away things that will be useful to someone else, making a spectacular bonfire of the rest.
I am becoming a happier person!
Every once in a while I look out the window and see  the season progressing, and I worry that the world out there is carrying on and passing me by during this period of uncommunicative self-sorting-out.  Then so be it.  I'm busy.  Can't come out to play. 

Wishing you a good week, friends!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Project 52 - Miniature Bear Making - #15

Make a bolero jacket

A bolero jacket is a short tailored jacket.  This is possibly one of the easiest pieces of clothing to make for your teddy bear.  The pattern requires very little sewing and is best made from fabric that does not fray, such as wool felt or suede.  Apryl is modelling a sleeveless bolero for us.
Start by folding a piece of scrap paper so that it is doubled.  The doubled up part should be at least as wide as your bear when it is lying on it's back.
Move the bear so that it is lying on its side, with its back against the folded part of the paper.  The fold in the paper represents the center seam at the back of the jacket.
Draw a straight line out from the top of the bear's neck, long enough to reach the end of the shoulder.  Then draw an armhole, draw a shoulder at the top of the jacket (another straight line) and draw the front of the jacket, taking the line down to the center back of the jacket.
Cut the jacket from paper and test to see if it fits.  Do you notice that the jacket is gaping a bit at the back of the neck?  Gaping neck holes are often a problem because bears have a slight hump.  The jacket covers Apryl's tail.  I'm going to shape the it at the bottom to accommodate the tail, and make a dart at the back to reduce the fabric at the neck. 
 
If there is too much fabric over the shoulders, cut the shoulders down at an angle for a better fit.
When you are happy with the shape of the jacket, cut it from fabric.
Sew the dart at the back (if you made one), then sew the shoulder seams.
Turn right side out, and Voila!  You have a little bolero jacket to dress your teddy.
Notice how the jacket fits neatly over the shoulders, and how the shaping at the bottom accommodates the tail?  It is worth adjusting the pattern until you are completely satisfied with the fit. 
This is my pattern template after several adjustments.  If you are making Angus, it should fit him well. 
A simple bolero can be accessorized with beads, buttons and embroidery stitches. I would love to see a picture of your completed jacket!

My book page for Lesson 15.

Next time we are going to make a more intricate waistcoat with side seams and lining, and the week after, buttons. 

In this miniature bear making series, we are using the Angus pattern, which you will find in my Etsy Shop, and on the Tin Soldiers Website.  Every week, you will find printable templates for Project 52 HERE .

Friday, July 11, 2014

Encounter at 2AM



I wake up at 2am with a parched throat and feverish brow.  Still busy processing anaesthesia and the horror of surgery.  I reach out to take a sip from the water glass next to my bed and feel a soft caress on my cheek, followed by a feathery touch on my hand and then something lands in bed next to me with an audible plop.
With a girlish shriek I levitate several feet into the air, and hang there while groping for the light switch.  I do not appreciate supernatural visitations in the middle of the night.
In blazing light, and with reason restored, I shake out blankets in search of the mysterious being, and am rewarded with an awesomely large arachnid.  
My eight legged visitor was shooed into a plastic dish and deposited in a far corner of the garden.  I don’t mind spiders nearly as much as ghosts.  But I don’t share my water with just anyone.  I’m getting a tankard with a hinged lid! 

If you thought spiders drinking from your water glass is a myth, here is conclusive evidence to the contrary.  While we sleep, the creepies do come out to take a sip or two. 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

It's nearly 9am and there's still no freakin' water to have a shower.  Pipes frozen... Temperatures overnight minus 6 degrees Celsius, that's about as cold as it ever gets in our temperate region.
Here are some pictures taken yesterday morning of the fountain, which the dogs also regard as their big water bowl.  Yesterday it was only minus 4.
Fish don't mind the frigid water either, but I seriously object to taking my meds with a slug of fruit juice instead of tea.  I must be a very weak animal.   I must also remember to fill the kettle at night.
Icicles are pretty though.

Good news for those of you following Project 52 - Miniature Bear.  I am up and about, cutting fabric.  Look out for a post next week.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Good News

I'm dog tired after an outing to the doctor.  Wanted to tell you the good news though, before I crawl into bed for a long snooze.

There will be no further surgery.  Healing is on track now.  We are going to blast the rest of this illness with a mega dose of medicine.  I WILL be me again.

The man went along to hold my hand for moral support today.  I thought he probably just wanted an opportunity to tell tales about how many times I went up the stairs (strictly forbidden), how I picked up heavy stuff (strictly forbidden) and how my eyes seem to have sprung a leak.  I realize that this is a difficult time for him. 
In the sonar room he and the doctor had a good laugh.  Henning said now that he's seen what's inside my body he understands me completely.  He thought the screen looked like a satellite weather picture.  There were storm fronts along the coast and pressure systems all over the place.  Not to mention cloudy weather and scattered showers, lots of rain!  So there's one of life's mysteries solved.

For the next three months I will need to take things slowly.  But I am allowed to go up the stairs, and pick up stuff that is not too heavy.  I don't have to stay in bed as long as I don't feel tired.  By now I'm so used to staying in bed, I have no idea what to do tomorrow. Think I will start by going up the stairs!