Sewing Project - TV Chair Outfit - Blanket

This is my TV chair with its new outfit.

I received this chair from my aunt as a gift this summer and it reclines to bring a footstool.  I loved it.

I have been using the fleece blanket I had on the couch but it is too big and get caught in footstool when I get up and close it.

I wanted a new blanket, a new cover for the cushion I have been using and an updated head rest cover.

There is still a remote control holder to come but I have not decided and designed it.

I was grateful for the work I had done this summer when I found the great fabric. You can check out this post. 

I went shopping for fabric last week.  I found an large IKEA duvet cover in 100% cotton for a steal of a deal in mustard yellow, white and warm yellow. Then, a warm grey small fleece blanket in a good color.

I decided that the blanket had to be shorter and narrower than the one I had been using.  I spread the grey fleece blanket (50 x 50 inches) and decided I could cut some off the side (10 inches) to make it narrower.  The chair is 33 inches wide so 40 inches wide would be good. 

This was perfect because I had decided that I wanted a footwell on the back side where I could tuck my feet so the blanket would not let my feet get cold.

I first lined my yellow front with some white 100% cotton fabric. The final size is 61 inches tall by 42 inches wide. I created an envelope, turned it inside out and top stitched all the way around.

I stitched the grey fleece blanket to the back of the yellow one with a wavy stitch along the top and bottom edge leaving the fringe hang off the bottom.  

You can see here that the fringe is hidden on the back of the blanket. 

I used the bit left over of the fleece to create a grey fold over at the top where my hands are going to be touching a lot.  This will keep the white and yellow edge cleaner.

I then pinned the 10 inches x 40 inch piece of grey fleece at the bottom and sewed it on the back white side of the blanket. I sewed 2 additional seams to create a narrower footwell in the center of the blanket.

Now that I had the bottom and top edges stitched together I needed to work on the middle.  I decided that I would quilt around the squares on the front of the blanket in the top, middle and bottom rows.

I used yellow thread on the top and grey thread on the bottom so it would neaten up the look of the blanket on both side.

I sewed around the squares on the outside of the square so I was always sewing on the yellow fabric with the yellow thead.

Once I was done,  I later realized that I had sewed over my footwell on the quilting of the squares on the bottom row.  I did have to unravel some and redo it making sure that my footwell was free.

I have tried it out for several days and it works really well. Nice to have a bespoke blanket just the way I wanted it.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It's the first Sunday of Advent.  I placed my advent wreath on the pine secretary this year as furniture shifted when the sofa was removed from the living room.

I added pine cones in the cylinders this year with a small bird perching on a branch in the front.

The first candle is lit which is the candle of HOPE. 

The first candle harkens us back to Isaiah’s foretelling of the birth of Christ and all of the promises God gave us in the Old Testament that would be fulfilled by the birth of Jesus.

I had police cars all over the block this evening.  I was not able to discover till Monday what had happened.  There were many crusiers and officers on the main road which had been closed to traffic. 

Turns out that police were called when a man armed with a knife was approaching people on the street. A confrontation occurred and a police officer discharged his weapon, killing the man. An ASIRT investigation continued into the early morning hours. A TV crew from one of the local news station was on the scene for a while. 

That is totally scary!

We had a bit of snow fall overnight.  There has been very little snow fall this fall.

With the temperature hovering near freezing it disappeared by weeks end.

The Paris Bookseller by Kerry Maher is the book I finished this week.  It is a novel based on a real woman named Sylvia Beach from the USA. When a young woman opens her shop - Shakespeare and Company in 1919 on a quiet Paris street in 1919, she has no idea that she and her book store will change the course of literature itself. 

Her bookstore becomes the hub for English book readers and writers.  Famous writers spend time in her little shop and she becomes friends with many.  James Joyce, the Irish writer is one of these.  When his book Ulysses is banned she takes a great risk and publishes it under the the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.  

She was very loyal to Joyce and went over and beyond to get his book published but the writer was not appreciative. He could not pay his rent, had marital strife, and health issues which consumed him.  Eventually, he did repay the debts owed and the money due her from books sales with a short thank you note. It was a very interesting book.

It was the time of year again to deal with a low pressure tire warning on the car.

It was much less stressful this year knowing what I had learned last year.  I headed off to the service station, put my money in the machine and topped all the tires to 35 psi.

At least it was not -20C like last year.

All is well!

I discovered these cookies this week. I do love ginger and they deliver a great taste.  I am not a fan of a gingersnap and after talking to my sister it was suggested that there may not be any molasses in these.  I believe that is the difference.

It makes a nice end to a meal and they can be in the house and I will not eat the whole box in a sitting.  That is what I need,

Loving them.

They were on sale as well so that is a bonus.

We had our opening of the Christmas Store on Saturday.

We had good attendance.  I met and spoke to quite a few folks from our group. 

I believe several folks left with bags in hand so that is a good thing.

I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate which was very good along with some beautiful short bread cookies.  There was a nice variety of flavors of hot chocolate and tea and some other holiday goodies.

It was a very good time.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It is that time of year!

December 1st. 

The star wreath went up on the front door.  This is the same one as last year.

That wonderful carved pine cone was done by an artist at the Allied Arts Council.  I purchased it last year at the Christmas Store.

I had a bit of a visit with my neighbour and he was waiting a bit to put up his Christmas decor.  It was a busy day with stuff going on at the building along with my prep for my family get together.

Another tradition for me is to put on one of my many yule log videos in the DVD and enjoy the crackling fire with Christmas carols being sung.

I always do this while I am making my Caramel Popcorn gifts.

It was 4 batches this year to make enough for family and friends.

I have been making this every year since about 1980.

About 43 years that is.  Amazing how that happens.  

There were years when I sold it to coworkers and I did 12 or 14 batches.

The cost of ingredients keeps going up so it is a precious commodity.

I had several folks ask if I was making it again this year!  It was a resounding YES!  They were happy.

Not all things stay the same.  The Glad Storage bags that I have used for years are not longer available.  I used the last of them last year so I had to try and source new ones.   I need food grade plastic so that was a bit harder to find.  I bought these at Michaels but they are pretty short but did okay in the pinch that was this year.

I met my aunt at the Allied Arts Christmas Store that opened this week.  She had been not feeling well and was on the upside and want to get out.

We had 16 tables I believed filled with wonderful art.  It was fun to look through the fiber art, the watercolor, the jewelery, and much more.

I bought this little composite stone bird.  It is made by Lisa Douziech.  It is so metallic and sparkly.  Beautiful color and shine on the resin.

@lisadouziech

We went over the Perks around the corner for coffee and a visit.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath is a sequel to the book a read recently.  This is again by Garth Nix.  

The story continues with Susan and Merlin and the rest of the magical entourage.  This one starts with a sorcerous map which Merlin gets sucked into and has to be rescued.  Susan has discovered her magical heritage and her powers with stone came in handy during this rescue.

An Ancient Sovereign is running amock in the underworld and needs to be stopped to ensure the safety of human and magical folk alike.

Another great book.

Some of my family got together again this week for a Christmas lunch.  It was organized by one of my sisters and hosted by another.

Tourtiere was on the menu with a great salad.  Then strawberry bavarian for dessert.  I bought caramel popcorn, another brought a cheese ball, there was nibbles and goodies to munch on all afternoon.

This is my sisters tree which rotates and sparkles like crazy!  It was December 2nd and I am glad she made the effort to have it up for your time together as family.

Check out the bling on her tree!  It was wonderful.  With Mom and Dad both gone now we have to navigate what family gatherings will look like going forward.  With our get together in October and this lunch it is looking good!

Christmas Cards - Watercolor - Siblings

I made some special watercolor ornaments to put on my siblings Christmas cards this year.  This is the first year that Mom and Dad are both gone. We are getting together early December for a get together which is close to what would be Dad's birthday. 

This is an ornament I designed myself.  You can read more about the process here.  The ornaments were cut out by hand.

All the designs were hand drawn then I used a permanent black marker for all the outlining.  

I used my Stampin Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons for all the painting. The background is watercolor paper with a mixture of Always Artichoke and Garden Green.  I painted a wash on a couple of 9x12 sheets of wc paper.  I made it a bit darker at the top and lighter at the bottom. I did put salt on but it was not wet enough to produce much of an effect. When dry I added a spatter of Always Artichoke.  Once cut to the 4.00 x 5.25 inches I pained the branch and I spattered the pieces with Always Artichoke. 

The ornament has a Bethlehem Star in the night sky colored with More Mustard.  Some Elegant Eggplant and Night of Navy for the sky. On the snow banks in the foreground I used Marina Mist for the wash and Night of Navy for the contours.  Always Artichoke for the tree.

The card base is Elegant Eggplant.

A full moon in the night sky.  The moon is colored with Daffodil Delight with a light wash of Night of Navy for the sky.  I drew a house on the hills with was colored with Ruby Red and More Mustard for the windows.  Elegant Eggplant for the hills.  

The card base is Ruby Red.

This one features a sunrise which I had experience drawing when I did my glass art piece for the window a couple of years ago.

The sky is a light wash of Tempting Turquoise with the sunrise rays being first wash of Daffodil Delight, then More Mustard closer to the center then Tango Tangerine at the center. The hills are a combination of Garden Green, Always Artichoke. 

The card base is More Mustard.

I decided on a water theme for this one and drew a light house.  The sky is a light wash of Tempting Turquoise.  The lighthouse and rocks are done with a light wash of black gouache. The sea is Night of Navy.

The card base is Basic Grey.

This one here is a Christmas flower but I would not go so far as saying a poinsettia.  It turned out like a sunflower in the shape.  The ornament is Tango Tangerine wash.  The flower is a mix of Ruby Red, Bravo Burgundy and Cherry Cobbler.

The card base is Ruby Red.

This one features another Bethlehem Star in the night sky.  The star is More Mustard with a light wash of Marina Mist for the sky.  The mountains are 3 gradient washes of Elegant Eggplant.  Tiny black marker dots in the sky with a touch of More Mustard.

The card base is Elegant Eggplant.

This one features a large star in the center of the ornament.  I did trace the shape from the Stampin Up Star thinlit set, using the smallest one.

The star was washed in Daffodil Delight all over then one half of the points was painted with More Mustard. The ornament is a dark wash of Night of Navy.

The card base is Night of Navy. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I am always on the look out for small nativity sets that I can photograph for Christmas cards. 

I found this one at a thrift store a few weeks back.   They are snow people. 

My new ceramic tree has come in handy again. That was a good purchase.

The NOEL came from the ReUse Center.  The tiny lights also came from the thrift store.  They use AA batteries which I always have on hand.

I plan on applying a wash to these ceramic figures to give them more definition.  This was a very quick set up. I will have to take a few shots on the nativity while it is white because I will not be able to reverse the process.

Here's the box for the nativity.  I expect it is discount store purchase which did not cost a lot to buy new.

As you can see it has more characters which includes the 3 wisemen, a couple of animals so there is plenty of potential there.

The construction in my area just continues.  I am not sure who will occupy these tall apartment buildings when they are done.

The very tall building they built several years ago which limits the sun that hits my window is about half full.

This project started late summer so I heard through my open windows for all the fall.  At least we have very good windows and now that they are closed I don't hear it any more.

I finished this book this week. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix.  When I looked it up online it is designated as a teen novel.  I really enjoyed the book.

The main character is Susan Arkshaw who is a twenty something looking for her father.  She has the summer to look before she started class at university in the fall in London.  She finds herself a job and a place to stay. Her Mom is keeping the details of his identity to herself so she turns to the man who has been a family friend for years.  He always sent gifts at Christmas and her birthday - Frank Thringley. When she is at his house things get really weird. He is dispatched by Merlin a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones).  With the right-handed bookseller they form an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world - in addition to running several bookshops.

Her life is turned upside down that summer as the magical beings help her make sense of who she is and the powers that are just being awakened in her which leads to the identify of her father.

I replaced the glass in my bathroom.  I bought the glass at the thrift shop for less than $2.  The one I had been using was a Mikasa which I purchased at least a year ago.  I was now finding that it's bowl was too large now it seemed for my hand. 

This is a great drinking vessel of very thin glass. Very nice quality.  I looked up the name Spielgelau - this is a water glass from the Definition series.  It is 16 ounces.  A set of 4 small ones retails for $80.00 so I guess I did alright.

I like to start my day with a large glass of water and this fits the bill.  The bowl is a better size for my hand.

Easy to clean as my hand fits into the top easily.

An excellent addition.

Christmas Cards - Watercolor Ornaments - Process

I decided I wanted to make some special cards for my family.  I wanted to use watercolor and ink. What to make? I considered using die cuts so that I would have a framework to work within.  I did get rid of quite a few so I had to investigate what I had left.

Gingerbread - nice size but not enough artistic options

Snowman - too big and limited artistic options

I have quite a few ornament dies.  

Some too big.  These don't leave any room for a branch or other thing to have the ornament hang.

Others too small.  Not enough to stand alone, then I could make 3 three but that is 3 times the painting and design.  Are they all the same color and design? 

This one is one of the Stampin Up Keepsakes Ornaments as are the 2 small ones above. 

I could have used the three different ones but again a lot of decisions to make and designs to come up with.  

It was very cute.

I decided to use a permanent marker instead of the dip pen because I had watercolor containers, several brushes and several palettes out so I could have easily dip the wrong tool into the wrong liquid.

This is the Sizzix Ornament #2 die which was the right size. It had a nice hanger. 

It had this bump below the round part and here was my first attempt.  I did not like to highlight it by tracing it with the marker. Then it should be shaded to make it look nice.

I could cut the bump off as you can see in this photo.  Yes, that was better.  I was inclined to create the main part of the ornament as a circle which would limit my options.

Then, I remembered that I had designed a digital ornament quite a few years ago. You can see it in this post.   I decided to pursue this option.      Pros: Using my own design was a great idea.  It meant I could size it exactly the height I wanted. It had a hanger. Cons: I would have to cut them out myself.  I decided that would add to the handmade original feel.

I traced the shape onto my nice mixed media paper with a pencil.  I then cut them out and then added the black line with the marker. Eventually, I learned it was better to do the line first then erase the pencil lines and then cut out the shape.  Here is one of my rejects.  I was not happy with the green watercolor on the outside, the circle limited my designs, then I used acrylic gold to try and save this one and I was not happy to mix mediums.

After a lot of trial and error I finally found a process that worked for me. I wanted to put these ornaments on a green watercolor background then onto a card base.   I had problems with the green watercolor layer as well.  I used salt to create texture but it must not have been wet enough so I got very little of it. This is one of my cards.  I'm not sure about just having it stuck there.  It should have a connection but I don't what it will be. Should it be a bow? a ribbon?  Would have been better to think of that before I adhered it.  We shall see what I come up with. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took this shot at the Sturgeon River a few days ago.  

Ice is forming along the edge of the river but we still do not have snow.

We have had some flurries which whitened the ground for a few days and then disappeared.  I have to say that it has made driving wonderful in November.  I am so thankful.

I took a trip to the south this week in search of C7 light bulbs for my Mom's Christmas Light Window Candelabra.  I wanted to make sure that I had replacements when one burned out.

I checked the website which indicated that they had several packages of just yellow bulbs but when I arrived and inquired I was told they don't have any - data error.  So I bought a large box to get the 5 yellow ones.

I have taken photos of these lights many times over the years that Mom had them.  She loved them and it was one of the decorations she took with for her year at the lodge. 

These were in the picture window at the house every year.  She loved them and I loved them.  I just love the halos.

It was the only thing I wanted to inherit of hers when she passed.  They bring me comfort.  It is a little thing but a big deal to me.

I will enjoy them the whole season.

This is a cobalt blue glass bottle made from recycled glass made in Spain.

I love the pattern on the bottom, the texture of the glass and the fact that it is a flat bottle so does not take a lot of space despite it's height.

It will serve as a flower vase when I want flowers on the table and I have the yellow table cloth.

I have some blue linen that I want to make a table runner - the project is on the back burner.

I have been working on Christmas stuff a lot.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton.  This is my thirteenth novel in this series.

This one was a bit slow in my reading of it.  I could be my mood.

Kinsey Millhone witnesses a shoplifting incident at a shopping mall. What are the chances.  She so rarely visits department stores so to get embroiled in a conspiracy was a surprise.  Turns out Audrey Vance, the lady Kinsey saw take lingerie from the department store turns up dead a few days later.

This story involves a highly sophisticated fencing operation of stolen goods.  It is well organized where cells don't know all the players, works like a well oiled machine until Audrey is found dead.  She had her cog in the wheel and now there is no one to prepared the stolen goods and the stuff backs in the system. Kinsey is hired by her fiance to investigate and find out why Audrey died.

The mastermind of the operation is a crime boss, financier, "private banker" Lorenzo Dante.  He inherited the family business from his father who got into from his father. They all live on a large compound that Lorenzo supports for the aging members of his family.  He also supports a brother who has not inherited the gift for the business and has been in and out prison.  The should have cut those ties but it's family.  The brother makes a decision that will cost Dante all of it.

1 of a Kind - Tree Scent Oranments - Set 4

It has been very enjoyable to pick up needle and thread while I watch TV in the evenings.

I pulled out another 5 wooden spools from my stash and started another set of One of a Kind Christmas Tree Scent Ornaments.

Here we have red wool with black blanket stitch around the top and bottom edges.

I added open circled around the center of the essential oil diffuser.

A black felt circle cut with the smallest die in the large smooth circle set for both ends.

The buttons matched the wool very nicely.

I did find a few new small pieces of felted wool at the ReUse Center again last week.

This is one is charcoal grey.  

I added plum blanket stitch on the top and bottom edges.

A turquoise daisy flowers with a yellow center in the middle.

Turquoise felt circles on both ends topped with warm golden yellow buttons.

The hanger is the same turquoise thread as the flowers.

This Tree Scent ornament starts with felted wool with a herringbone pattern.

I used ivory thread on the blanket stitch as well as the arrow pattern around the middle.

Black felt circles on top and bottom with tan buttons which coordinate with the wood in the spool.

This is a more masculine pattern as every one can use aromatherapy.  Essential oils diffuse completely which allows for a change of scent the next time. 

Most do not stain the fabric but the black is for sure not going to show.

This is the felted wool has aqua stitching accents.  

I followed suit and used aqua for the blanket stitching around the top and bottom edges.

The short and long stitch pattern around the middle in the same thread color.

Dark felt circles and aqua buttons on the top and bottom with stitching pattern around the outside edge.

The tree scent ornament mimics the warm green tones of a real live tree.

The felted wool is multi colored in warm tones.

I added a coordinating tiny button on the front with arrow pattern around the middle with brown thread.

The felt circles were cut from the same wool and I added warm green button on both ends.

I really anticipate a good response to these precious hand made gems.

They are all unique - One of a Kind - and will be a special ornament even if not used as a diffuser.

I really love this one!