Peas In A Pod

E-Reader Cover--Pattern Review

Thanks again for all your well wishes, everyone.  I'm starting to feel better, and now the trick is to not overdo it and get sick again, right?  :-)

Sweet Pea and I had a nice trip to Florida, although she came down with pneumonia while we were there, so that was a downer.  And Papa Pea came down with bronchitis.  I don't know what we got into, but it was bad!  We are all on antibiotics and on the mend.

I tried to get in a Really Random Thursday post yesterday, but our Internet was being funky, so.....

While I was sick, I did do a little bit of sewing.  But I tell you, the projects had to be small, easy, and not require too much concentration.  I was so tired and couldn't really focus too well.

I did do some Internet shopping, though during that time.  (Internet shopping is way too easy!)  I bought a pattern from Amy for a cute Celebrate mug rug.  You have to see it.  Very fun.

Well, she is the sweetest thing and also sent me her e-reader cover pattern as a get well gift.  How sweet!  I almost cried!  She said, "No strings attached!  I just want you to enjoy it!"  Wow.

I told her I have been needing a case for my new Paperwhite Kindle, and I was going to make one for my trip to Florida.  So, it was perfect timing.

Here it is!  I am so happy with it!  I just love it.  The pattern is super easy to follow and creates a really nice, sleek cover that is not too bulky.  There is a pocket in front (where you see the deer fabric), and some nice padding for your e-reader. 

Her pattern allows you to measure your e-reader, enter the measurements on a table she created, and figure out how big to cut things for any size of e-reader.  Awesome!  I love this so much, I'm going to make some covers for new tablets we just got for my resarch lab at work.  I can't wait to show you the fabrics I got for that!

I put this fun lining on the inside.  I love doing that so that you get a nice surprise when you look inside.

Amy's instructions include how to make a covered button for your e-reader, which I really liked.  But I had these vintage buttons in my stash that I've been dying to use on something.  This seemed to be the perfect project and fabric.  You use an elastic to close it with.  In my stash of hair elastics, I didn't have one I liked for this.  I had to go raid Sweet Pea's drawer of hair ties.  LOL.  I had to use a fat one to get the right color.  But I quite like it!

Here is the back.  I used this steel Essex linen I got from Marmalade a while back.  This is the first time I have used Essex linen, and OMO, I love it!  It is nice and thick.  It has a very nice hand to it.  I wish I had used this on my Urban Nine Patch project.  The linen I used on that was very lightweight and flimsy.  I am now hoping it will turn out okay.  I am totally hooked on this linen, though!  Can't wait to work with it more.

The fabric on the front is Folk Tale from Cinderberry Stitches.  I absolutely adore it.  I had picked up a fat quarter of a few of the prints a while ago.  I was glad to use it out of my stash.  But then I decided I loved it so much, I had to have more.  I am very bad.

I highly recommend this pattern.  The instructions are clear and concise.  It is fun to make and doesn't require too much concentration.  I would say this is an easy, beginner project.  I hope you have fun with it, too.

Thank you so much, Amy, for the wonderful pick-me-up while I was sick.  It meant so much to me.  And Tammy of Marmalade, thank you for your generosity and patience with me!

I'll try to get back to blogging more regularly, but I start my new position on Monday.  Things are likely to be spotty for a while.  Hang in there with me.  I have so many blog posts to catch up on!  I am stockpiling photos!  LOL.

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Full disclosure:  Amy gave me this pattern, but she did not ask for a review of it in return.  I just decided to do one, because I like the pattern so much.  Tammy at Marmalade provided some of this linen to me at no charge as one of my awesome sponsors.  She also asked for nothing in return.  And by the way, her customer service is AWESOME!

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Really Kinda Random--It's a Sign Edition

Hello All!

I'm happy to report that yesterday was the first day I actually started feeling "normal" again.  Now, this morning I woke up achy, but I think this means I've finally turned a corner in feeling better.  Yay!  Thanks again for all your well wishes.

Time for a new edition of Really Kinda Random, don't you think?  :-)

For a long time, I had been planning to travel to Florida to visit my parents.  Thankfully, the doctor said I was well enough to go, and the pressure of the plane would probably not be too harmful to my lungs.  I convinced the doctor I would be able to really rest if I could go visit my parents.  :-)  When I got down there, Dad treated me to a pedicure.  See what I mean?  Nice rest!

I used the rest room while I was there.  They had all kinds of great signs hanging in the restroom and just before you enter the rest room.  I took some photos of my favorites for you.  This one is always a classic.  (Some of these are kind of blurry.  Sorry.  Was taking them with my cell phone.  You can click on the photos to make them bigger, if you need to.)

I can really relate to this one.  I guess this explains why I love flip flops so much.

Haha.  I want this one in my own bathroom!

I had a colleague when I taught at The Ohio State University who would say to our graduate students, "Ya' just gotta be there."  It was his way of saying what this sign is saying.  Showing up, being there, is really half of the key to success.  And I interpret "showing up" broadly.  I think it means, saying "yes," being part of the game, trying even when you think you can't do it, etc...  Remember that.  I have found this to be very true!

Hee hee.  My dark side agrees with this.

I lost 5 pounds last week when I was sick, so this made me laugh.

This just made me laugh.

This one was right by the mirror.

This is really true also.  I think it means, SMILE!

Ha!  Yes.

And while we're on the subject of mirrors, although not a sign, I thought you'd like to see the mirror in the bathroom, too.  Loved it.

These were out in the hallway outside the bathroom.  I loved this one, of course!

Abe Lincoln was just really wise.  He is one of my idols.

Believe in yourself!

I actually have a version of this one in my office. I love it.  If you can't read it, it says, "Life is tough.  I recommend getting a manicure and a really cute helmet."  And I couldn't agree more.  There were lots, lots more signs.  These are just a few that appealed to me.  I loved the idea of a big wall littered with signs and fun sayings.  Decorating idea?

I have a friend whose husband works for the microbrewery here in town.  She has this sticker on her car.  I love it.  I told her I want one.  He gets them at work.

I love it when people take the time and effort to address envelopes in fun ways.  When Larissa sent me the needlebook pattern to test, along with some supplies, check out how she addressed the envelope to me.  How awesome is that?  I don't have the heart to throw it away.

Mom and I took Sweet Pea to the zoo in Naples, FL.  I was feeling pretty good yesterday, so I went along.  Probably a mistake.  It wiped me out.  It was pretty hot and humid.  This tiger gives you a sign of how hot it was.  Almost all the animals were snoozing in the shade.  And this is a sign of what I've been doing a lot of for the last two weeks.  (As an aside, I was amazed by the powerfulness of this tiger's shoulders and "arms."  Wow.  Amazing creatures.)

I think giraffes are a sign of elegance.  I love them.  Sweet Pea had fun getting to feed the giraffe.

Strawberries are always a sign of summer.  I saw a "sign" (post) on Facebook that our local berry farm had strawberries a couple of weeks ago.  They used to do u-pick, but no longer.  Something about FDA regulations?  (By the way, I think this sucks.)  But I was too sick to u-pick anyway.  Papa Pea drove Sweet Pea and me out there, and we bought a 10-lb flat of strawberries.  Papa Pea made strawberry shortcake, and I froze a bunch of them for later.  They were really fresh and delicious.

The night before we went out to the strawberry/blueberry farm, we had had some pretty significant storms.  Here's a sign of how significant the storms had been....  I had seen on Facebook that one of their facilities didn't have power, but the other one did.  We went to the one that did.  When we got there, we realized the reason they had power was they had hooked up this tractor to the power pole.  They had the diesel engine running on the tractor and were using the engine as a generator.  Pretty dang resourceful, if you ask me.  A sign of humen ingenuity!

Well, that's my Really Kinda Random post for you today.  Hope you enjoyed.  I hope you all have a really great weekend (in case I don't get back to the computer tomorrow).

I'm linking up with Cindy over at Live a Colorful Life.  Hop on over there for lots more lovely randomness.

Until next time,

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Flora Needlebook--Pattern Review

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are doing well.  Sorry again for my absence....Remember in my last blog post how I said I wasn't feeling well?  That persisted, and when I went to the doctor (the second time), she told me I had pneumonia.  Ouch.  So, I've sort of been down for the count for a while.  I'm starting to feel better, but it is a slow healing process.  Thanks for all the well wishes that some of you have sent me.  I really appreciate it.

Ok...Onward!  While I was sick, because I couldn't work or focus on too much, I did get a few stitching projects done.  I am hoping to share some of those with you this week, as well as start getting caught up on some stuff about my recent travels.  Because it's time sensitive, I wanted to start with this one today.

Do you remember a while back when I showed you a new needlebook I had received?  If not, you can check out my blog post about that here.  I just adored these needlebooks so much.  They were made by Larissa Holland of mmmcrafts.

And now, Larissa has written a pattern for these little beauties so you can make one yourself.  I was very privileged to be asked to test her pattern for her.  I was so happy to be asked to do this and eagerly approached this task, because I have made several things from Larissa's patterns.  (For example, check out the totally adorable Wee Mouse Tin House Sweet Pea and I made from her pattern for that.  And check out the really cute Binky Baby Bunny the "Easter Bunny" made for Sweet Pea from another of her patterns.  Oh, yes, and let us not forget the Gadget Cozy, from yet another of her patterns.)  So, I knew firsthand how wonderful her patterns are.  I also know what a terrificly nice person Larissa is.  I knew it would be a pleasure to work with her on this project.  And I was not mistaken!  Above is my version of her needlebook, based on her pattern.

Here is the back of my needlebook.  I just love that I was able to have a lot of success on the very first try, as well as a professional finish, as a result of Larissa's excellent instructions.

Here it is from the side.  You can see what a cute little "book" shape this needlebook takes.  Larissa introduced me a to a new product as a supply for this project (a spray-on fabric stiffener).  This supply is one thing that contributes to the professional finish.  I love it when patterns teach me something new and give me new skills to add to my repertoire.

Here is the inside of the book.  There are four pages for your pins and needles  Love it.  Plenty of room to store pins and needles.  The whole book is made of wool, with a combination of hand and machine stitching.

I am just pleased as punch with how my needlebook turned out.  Sweet Pea has already tried to abscond with it, so we have actually started making another for her.  She even helped with the cutting (and did a great job!), and she is planning to work on the stitching herself as well. 

As far as a pattern review, I will say that this pattern is as impeccable as all of Larissa's other patterns.  The instructions are well written and clear.  Larissa draws beautiful diagrams to illustrate steps in the pattern.  The pattern is extremely wonderful to look at, as well.  Larissa's computer skills on designing a clean layout even for her instructions are amazing.  I highly recommend this pattern and would suggest that a beginner could accomplish this project without too much difficulty.  The only tricky step is sewing the needlebook cofer to the backing and making sure not to hit any of the appliqués as you are doing so.  However, if you follow Larissa's instructions and take it slow on this step, I think even a beginner can accomplish it without a problem.  Her pattern includes tips, tricks, and resources for additional help and supplies.  I find her patterns to be very thorough and instructive.

If you want to purchase the pattern, you can do so by heading to her Etsy shop or to her Craftsy pattern shop.

And (sorry for the late notice), if you head on over to Larissa's blog, she is giving away a couple of patterns, and she is also giving away a finished needlebook!  But she is doing the drawing tomorrow (June 18), so head on over there quick to get in on that action.

While you are there, you can check out several color variations on this needlebook for inspiration.  Larissa shows you lots of different ones she has made.  You might want to see those.  I find her color palette very inspiring.

Hope you enjoyed the review and found it helpful.  I will try to get more blog posts in this week!

Until next time,

Full Disclosure:  Larissa did provide the pattern to me free of charge to help her in pattern testing.  However, she did not ask for a pattern review in return.  There were no strings attached to the free pattern (other than to make the project and give her feedback on the instructions).  I decided to write the review on my own accord, because I like the pattern so much.

 

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Monkey Spank

I woke up the other morning and put on my favorite jeans, and much to my horror, I discovered a hole had formed right on my left hip of my jeans.  I gasped! 

Could it be time to get rid of these jeans, finally?  But I love these jeans!

Sweet Pea ran downstairs to the sewing room with me to help me find suitable fabric for a patch.  She pulled this out of her stash and said I could use some.  Sock Monkey to the rescue!  I thought it was perfect.  She even told me which monkey to cut.  (Many thanks to Sweet Pea for taking this picture for me.)

I put some Heat N Bond Ultra on the back, ironed it over the hole, and then used a decorative stitch around the edge for good measure.  Don't know how pretty the stitching is, but I think it will be very functional.  (I took this photo myself.  Do you know how difficult it is to take a photo of your own hip?!)

Problem solved.  And in about 10 minutes.  Another day of life breathed into my favorite jeans--and hopefully many more! You can probably tell how soft and comfy they are by how worn they are!  I absolutely HATE mending, so you now have a sense of how much I did NOT want to give up these jeans.

Monkey spank.

I sent these photos to Fancy Nancy, just for fun.

(For the backstory on monkey spank, go here.)

This is pretty random.  Probably shoulda saved it for Thursday.  But it's all I got today.  I have been sick as a dog since last Wednesday.  (We got home from our trip two days before.)  No sewing, no blogging, no nothing, except sleeping, coughing, fevering, and feeling miserable!  I'll be back soon with my report of my trip.  Sorry for my absence!

Hope you are all just swell.

Until next time,