Texas is heating up and Griffin the dog is starting to pant in his winter coat. Time for a shave. I do it myself because he is not a show dog and the clippers pay for themselves after only a few trims. Since it is hot here I take his fur down quite short. He is usually very laid back, he knows how much better he’ll feel when the heavy layer of hair is gone. This time, though, halfway through, he had had enough.
Photo description: black dog half shaved as seen from above
I gave him a break, cleaned up three whole dust pan loads of fur, let the clippers cool, and later I coaxed him back and finished the job. I missed a few spots, and there are uneven areas, but he is a much happier dog.
No, I didn’t save the fur to spin. His hair is wiry, short, and stiff, which does not produce a nice yarn.
I don’t like the U shaped travel pillows. I’ve tried several, and the bulk pressing against the back of my neck (really anything around my neck) drives me nuts. So I made a different kind of pillow. It is ideal for reclining chairs because it has two side pillows so my neck doesn’t twist too far, and no stuffing behind my head. The best part is that I made it with one fat quarter, some thread, and poly fil stuffing.
Photo description: fat quarter (18”x21”) of quilting fabric with a pineapple motif
To make the pillow, fold a fat quarter in half lengthwise, right sides together (9” x 21”, doubled). Sew along the edges, leaving two 4” gaps on the outside thirds of the long edge (for stuffing later).
Photo description: fat quarter folded in half and sewn with two gaps on the far edge, on a model 66 treadle sewing machine
Clip the corners and turn the pillow right side out. Fold the case in thirds, mark the line, then sew seams along the lines. This divides the pillow into three parts.
Photo description: pillow case divided into thirds and being sewn using the fold as a guide
Fill the outside sections with stuffing, then sew the gaps closed. I usually do this by hand, but the foot on my model 66 has such a nice tiny toe, I thought I would try on the treadle sewing machine. It worked well.
Photo description: sewing the pillow gap closed using a treadle machine fitted with a standard footPhoto description: finished travel pillow laying on the work surface of a 1916 Singer treadle sewing machine
It amuses me that the fabric coordinates with the “red eye” decals on the sewing machine. I can report that the pillow works great, especially for naps.
In May of 2013 I made this arm chair organizer that has pockets on the side for magazines and notebooks. I’m not sure why I didn’t sew on something to hold it down on the seat cushion, instead relying on butt power, but I am pleased how nicely I trimmed out the pockets using bias tape.
Photo description: floral fabric with a black background sewn with three overlapping pockets trimmed in green and filled with booksPhoto description: other side of the organizer with different sized pockets to hold different books, electronics, and magazinesPhoto description: over exposed photo of the chair from the front and the organizer stretched across the arms of the chair, no butt anchor
If I were to remake this project, I would add fabric to tuck down on the sides of the cushion, or maybe even go all the way around or under the cushion. Hm. Maybe I didn’t have enough fabric so had to rely on butt power. It would have made more sense to run the center section under the cushion.
I have found a new patch of clover in the front yard that is producing four-leaf varieties. I took two pictures of the same patch, a few days apart. How many can you spot? Swipe left to see the ones I found circled in red.
When I was photographing the clover patch, I thought I counted eight, but in the photos I can’t switch my perspective and confirm that a fourth leaf is attached or part of a different cluster. I only circled the four-leaf clovers that I was sure of. Still, six in a single patch is a fun find.
P.S. the slideshow function I used for the images apparently only works in a browser. Bummer.
I liked the two-tone Jacob’s sheep roving spun up so much that I decided to make more marled yarn with the other two colors of Jacob’s roving I bought from Sweetgrass Jacobs farm.
Photo description: a dark brown ball of roving and a light brown/gray ball of roving in the bottom of a popup hamper with a jumbo bobbin
I pulled the ends from both balls of roving and am spinning them together on my Ashford Traveller spinning wheel.
Photo description: single spun marled yarn on a regular sized bobbin with a sliding loop flyer
It will take longer to spin this two color yarn, just because there is more. My plan is to chain ply it like I did for my other marled yarn, and then make plans for a warm vest.
Critters and Craft 