wrapping my own bday present

jimmy got me a kindle paperwhite for my bday, so off i went to make it its own case, using some of the same couch cushion cover i used to make my yoga mat bag.  

i included a small navy zipper along the top

and even added some of this plastic binder divider to protect the screen from being cracked.

i tucked the plastic screen protector in between the outer layer of the pouch and this cheap lining layer (that was also the underside of the couch cushion cover).  unfortunately this pouch is REAL snug, so i have to use it more to stretch it out.  i currently have to peel off the case to get to the kindle.

thanks, jimmikins!  i'm making mom and i matching bday presents using the orange and pink houndstooth fabric below.  still cutting the pattern out...  this may take a while.

happy bday to meeeeeeeeeeeeee!

lululemon's got nothin' on me!

lululemon sells yoga mat bags for $48-$58.  that's highway robbery.  sewaholic had a simple pattern for a yoga mat, so off i went to indulge my newest yogic tendencies.  i used a $4 couch cushion cover i snagged from the as-is section of ikea for the body fabric.  i wish my couch was made of this fabric.  there's a nice thick grey weave with black in the background so that it isn't too light.  (my couch is cream... i'm scared of how easy it is to get it dirty.)

i was surprised that this bag used most of the fabric (the back side isn't of the same fabric, but of something cheaper).  i made a little pocket for my keys and wallet using scraps of the couch cover and this little blue zipper from a sweater that i used to make a small grey throw pillow for my bed ages ago (not sure if you remember it from this blog).  yes, i saved this zipper.  i couldn't throw away such a cute combo of shiny silver metal teeth and baby blue.  

the drawstring was half of a drawstring from another sweater that i eventually tossed because it shrank so badly in the wash.  i had stripped it of all its buttons and drawstrings...  i'm thrifty, what can i say?  and also terrible at laundry, hehe.

i made a strong strap to sling over my shoulder from the body fabric.

here's minnie-me modeling the bag with my yoga mat in it.

i love it!  too bad my fav yoga teacher is on vacay for the next 2 weeks.  i'm scared to go to someone else's class because no one else has been as attentive to my pegleg as this teacher.  i'm stoked to go show off the bag though, hehe!

concealing the dirty laundry

you know the expression "to air dirty laundry in public?"  yeah, i'd rather hide my dirty laundry.  i mean who wants to see your filth?  it's embarrassing.  so, i made myself a little cover for my laundry basket, something i've been intending to make for the past 2 years, hehe.  better late than never!

nothing too complicated.  double layered natural cotton canvas with 2 flaps which tuck into the handles of the basket.  i put velcros on the flaps 

so they can stick up to the body part of the lid

to keep the cover on top of the basket and not drooping in.

i topstitched around the top to tie it into the shower curtain, next to which the laundry basket sits in my wee bathroom.

puppy #6

last puppy, hopefully for a longggg time.  my fingers hurt.  whew.  i saved the best for last.  this puppy is for stef's high school friend's baby's 1st bday.  max.  he's a cutie.  here's the puppy as i'm sewing on the ears.  peekaboo!

shirley dug the color combo.  i agree.  i did a terrible job on the nose.  not gonna lie.  not gonna zoom in for you.  nope.  secret.

main body color on the tail!  hehe so cute.

the contrast fabric is hilarious.  it's leftover from the bballin' bugs bunny flannel of the pj shorts i gave jimmy years ago.  stef's got a great sense of humor.  i picked this just for her, hehe.

happy bday, max!  i guess i'll forgive you for stealing my thunder on my bday  =)

fabric shopping

for someone else... is... such... a... tease!  it's no secret that i could run my own fabric store, so when emma and i went to the garment district to choose 2 jersey knits for me to remake one of her melted dresses, she was on strict orders to prevent me from buying ANYTHING.  dude, even though i've been sewing seriously for 5ish years, i still have never really been to the garment district.  (i have enough fabric, remember?  so well-behaved, hehehehe)  at the top of the subway is a giant sewing needle and button,

along with a statue of a dude on a classic sewing machine!  i was a tourist in my own city!

we hit up paron fabrics and fabrics for less, 2 stores that the sewing bloggers i follow frequent.  (ok, secret is out, i read a lot of sewing blogs hehe.)  emma, who is between 5'10 and 5'11, and i had very different views in the store apparently.  she'd pick out some fabric and ask me my opinion, but i could never see to which one she was referring.  she thought i was nuts, so i took an eye-level pic to demonstrate:

yeah, fabric stores are not intended for shorties.  but, imagine my bliss at being surrounded by so much fabric!!!!  none of which i could buy, of course.  it was fun though.  emma is prewashing her fabric for me (she has a washer and dryer in her new apartment!  lucky girl!) and then i will start her dresses after mom's bday present.  omg, time is ticking.

another pic of the bday boy.  love you, bday boy!

montanny and the birth of the bunny

i'm back from an epic hiking trip in montanny with shirley!  goodness, it was stunning.  i flew into southern oregon so we could start the road trip together.  we went through portland, past mount hood (see below, the tiny white mound next to the white sign in the center of the pic, destination of my next hikey trip!!!)...

through coeur d'alene, a sleepy little lakeside town in the skinny part of idaho (goodness, the lake was huge and so pretty!  i picked up some killer buffalo jerky here for the road trip.  gonna have to order more online!)...

then up to glacier national park in northern montana (i hiked 17 miles on the first day, shirley did 20, i thought i'd lose my right knee, the good one!  we stayed in a modern log cabin here!!!)...

then we stayed in bozeman and took a road trip down to the grand tetons (below is a pic of a hike i did around half of jenny lake)...

and the western half of yellowstone park (geyser country... actually my least fav part of the trip)...

back through missoula, mt (a pic of folks rafting down the clark fork river- looks fun doesn't it???)...

back through spokane, washington (we dined at the davenport hotel, so posh!)...

and finally i flew home on a red-eye from portland.  most importantly, i arrived back in nyc and ct on aug 10, the 7th bday of the bunks!!!!  reunited!  here he is in his bunny bag enroute to nyc.  so cute isn't he???

and final note:  i also did not buy any new fabric while in montana!  #stillwinning!!