Felt iPod Touch Case

Last weekend I became the owner of a brand new iPod Touch. Husband bought a MacBook Pro, I received the iPod as part of the deal. Immediately I knew it would need a case. The metal back attracts fingerprints and the iPod slips right out of my hands; I am a klutz and would be needing some protection from myself! I spent a whooping $0.29 on some blue felt, pulled out my embroidery box, and went to work.


I love the way the 'free motion embroidery' on the medallion turned out. The case is held closed by a strip of elastic sewn onto the front panel. Headphones go in one side and iPod goes in the other. Simple enough. Did I mention the felt is reincarnated plastic soda bottles? Goodbye Diet Pepsi, hello Pedro the Lion.

Unrelated note... do you see my lack of album art? It was all lost when transferring music from one computer to another long ago. Makes Cover Flow pretty sad. One of the downfalls of not having internet at home, I suppose.

Place Mat Setback

Well, I locked myself in the office tonight to sew place mats. I will finish them before fall ends. Really, I will.

Ironed all my fabric, figured out measurements that worked with my one beautiful AB Mustard Garden Maze fat quarter as trim, cut, and then decided that these place mats were going to be way too small! Guess they'll have to wait until I can get my hands on another fat quarter. At least I started some good by which music to sew (Husband's 'Indie Rock Mix' + Fleet Foxes). Playlist below. There is still a lot of time in October to complete these projects, right?



After writing this post I have decided that 'the Fat Quarters' would be an interesting band name; real meaning only understood by quilters and seamstresses. 18 x 22, baby!

A Charming Day

This morning, while husband perused the music blogs (he does this a LOT), I cleaned up the sewing table. Well, I started cleaning the table but then decided sewing is always time better spent, so I started another Charming Handbag from BTRS. It was half done when I left for work and quickly completed in less than an hour this afternoon.

Made entirely from scraps, and totally matching the placemats I made for the BTRS swap, this is another perfect little bag. Outside is green home dec, dotted inside is cotton. Orange is ribbon.

I've discovered that I always have music playing. Always. At work, during yoga, while sewing. Music focuses my mind on something other than the million things I'm constantly thinking about! Here's what I listened to while sewing (Husband's Indie Acoustic mix from iTunes; click for a larger photo.).

It was the perfect low key list for this afternoon. And as Conor sang the last lines of Lua I was threading the handles into place. Perfection.

P.S. Hey all of you reading in Google Reader or the like... pop out and check out the new layout and the *beautiful* new banner Andy made for me. As Paris Hilton would say (how many thousands of times have we all seen her new campaign video?) LOVES IT! What a great (and creative) hubby!

This Will Destroy You (Or Make You More Flexible)

My yoga count for the week is 1/2. Felt really great to get up this morning and really move for 30 minutes before starting the day. Music without words today; not just music, but the most beautiful wordless music out there. Might not be right for all, as they do get quite rocking in some songs, but I've found that the thicker/heavier/louder music spurs me on in my practice.

I think I'm developing a Pavlovian reaction to This Will Destroy You. Just listening to it makes me feel stronger and more in tune with my muscles and body. If only it were that easy, right?

So good. I suggest listening to 'Quiet' or 'Thread'.

Also (unrelated), I picked the first yield from our garden yesterday. One tiny vine tomato. I added it to our pasta sauce last night just so we could say we ate it. There are more tomatoes on the way, along with TONS of watermelons (the largest right now is as big as a fist), and jalapeños. The basil and oregano are always ready to go. I think my green peppers aren't going to produce; they look quite sickly, and my cucumber plant seems to have disappeared?

My Long Lost Friend... Practicing Yoga

Friday morning I kicked myself in the butt and did yoga for the first time in a long time. I had previously been practicing almost daily, proceeded to get sick, stopped, and then never started again. Not so anymore! I could tell that I was out of practice and not as flexible/strong as I had been. My out-of-practice body still felt at home in certain poses; tree, warrior, plow.

I also put on music with lyrics as opposed to instrumental music. I think the words actually helped me to focus better, as having lyrics running through my head helped block out the normal flow of random thought that plagues my practice. No to-do lists on Friday morning, just the beautiful words of Jon Foreman. (Music starts at 0:35. If you don't have the time [coughpatiencecough] to watch the whole video, skip to 5:05 for one of the most incredible songs from Foreman's EP project)

My goal for this week... morning yoga 4/7 days. Hold me to that, would ya?

On Emotions -or-Reason #317 Why I Love Husband

Funny things, those emotions. Funny how for some of us (eh em... ladies) emotions are not always something to be enjoyed and expressed, but rather something to be controlled, tolerated, and waited out. And while I would guess that most women are in tune and understanding of their emotions, it's the people in her path that are left wondering 'what just happened?'.

Perhaps it's not the emotions that are so hard to understand. We all get sad, angry, jealous, excited, happy. It's the combination of them all in a rapid succession that disorient and destroy. A punch in the face you understand. 'I just got punched in the face.' But how do you reconcile a punch in the face, a pat on the back, a kick to the groin, and a kiss on the lips in rapid succession? Again, the questions 'what just happened?' comes to mind. (By no means am I beating up Husband. Don't worry.)

A good friend and/or partner is one who can keep up. Maybe not reacting to each and every rapid fire feeling, but always moving forward, not stuck in the previous emotion, because, let's be honest, it's long gone (only to return in a few hours). Isn't that what we all want? Someone to understand us where we are and say 'I am here for you.'? And 'here' could be in any number of places; a sadness, an anger, a love, a tear, a rage. Knowing that you are not alone in your emotion gives you the strength to move through it, to face it, to shove it out the window, to live in it; whatever the appropriate response might be.

Let me get through this week without beating Husband with ridiculous requests, tears, death stares, needy embraces, or any combination thereof.

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(Totally 100% unrelated... I wish I could give all the guys in My Morning Jacket tips on how to enhance the natural curl in their hair. They need my help. You can thank Austin City Limits for that one.)

A Charming Evening

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have the perfect evening with Husband. We enjoyed a nice dinner at home (not fast food, not frozen pizza- that doesn't happen too often for us). After eating and cleaning up, we spent a few hours in the office; me working on my sewing projects, Husband checking out his favorite music blogs.

I've begun working through my Amy Butler fat quarters. One down, 14 to go. Last night I made the Charming Handbag from Bend the Rules Sewing. No problem at all finishing this one in an evening. Word to the wise... it's little! Such a cute little bag, and one fat quarter is all it took for the outside and handle. I will most likely by making this again, maybe even out of another ABfq. Next up... a set of fall-ish placemats.

June Swap WIPs

My first swap project is coming along nicely. I need to get some heavy interfacing tomorrow so I can finish the bottom and get it in the mail on Tuesday. The black is the exterior and the print is the lining.
My second swap project is all ready to be ironed, cut, and sewn. I hate ironing and cutting so much. So much! But this should be an easy one; multiples of the same dimensions. The green is limier in real life. I do believe I have already shared what is what, so I'll refrain from boring you with the details AGAIN. Look for the finished product on Tuesday.
The most exciting part of these swaps for me is that I SO want to include a CD of the music I listened to while sewing them. Judging from one of my swap partner's blog, we have very, very similar taste in music, so hopefully I can share some great tracks with her. Husband always has some odd secret track or taping hiding in iTunes. Recently it's been all alt-country/folk/etc. bands covering other alt-country/folk/etc. and/or rock songs. How do you not love that? This is one of my favs, Ryan Adams covering Willie Nelson (and Elvis & Brenda Lee, too, I guess). Pop out of Google Reader for a second to listen to the song, would ya?

Simplicity 3835

So, like everyone else in blogland, I sewed together Built By Wendy Simplicity 3835 this weekend. I've started it before, but didn't like the way the pattern fell after I cut it, so I abandoned it. Not this time! Bought some shirting on sale at JoAnns for $5. $5! I widened the bottom of the front panel and tightened the arms and neckline. Perfect fit. I'll be making this again, many, many times. However, I will not be making three sleeves. Note to self- don't sew two left sleeves. You have a left AND a right arm.

Next up, another BBW pattern. One that involves buttonholes (gasp!) and lots of pieces. I'll be sure to come back to 3835 after torturing myself with the new pattern for awhile.

Accompanying me during this project; David Bazan and The National.