Work is Done

Stix n Brix, NC

This week was my last few days at work.  It felt odd to turn in all my uniforms and other property and walk out feeling naked.  It sure emptied out the closet quite a bit.  Friday was the last day so there was one last bit of formality to tend to.  A party at the Downtown District.  It was a very hot, pretty day.

 

I showed a few pics from the stationhouse the other day but I like this one too.  The badge is painted on the wall in the locker room.

Chief Dolan presented me with my retirement badge (yes he’s 6’8” tall) and Deputy Chief Deck-Brown presented me with a plaque.

 

Captain Craghead gave me a nice card that included a very generous collection from the District guys.  The note said it was for RV gas.  It was a heartfelt thanks and a surprise.

I had an opportunity to express a few words of thanks.  There was more that I wanted to say but I had to make it short and sweet so that I wouldn’t get choked up.  After the formalities, it was time to cut the cake.  It’s neat how it’s decorated with the badge.  I love the bouquet of flowers.

 

I’m glad Gin was able to join in on the fun.  She was behind the camera, but she was there along with about 50 folks.  I got lots of hugs and handshakes.

 

Those beautiful flowers made it home to our dining room and they smell so good.  Maybe they will bring us luck because Saturday was another house showing.  The house has been on the market since the beginning of June and this was the third showing, two of which look promising.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Best trip ever.

I didn't want to go home , It was only 5 days but it felt like 2 weeks. It was a blast finding roads, camp sites, and rivers and lakes to swim in . No engine problems which was great. I overpacked so bad my bike was nicknamed the mother ship. I had everything in that bike. Woke up in the best mood every morning excited about the sites to see that day and getting loose on the mother ship. I am addicted to this and were going again soon.

Funky Friday Feature: Hoot Designs

Hi, My name is Chrissy and I blog over at Hoot Designs. You can also find me on Twitter.
I'm excited to be guest posting a fun tutorial for you today!

This jean purse is so super easy to make for yourself or for your daughter and her friends!!
I sewed 10 bags so forgive the jean brand changes through the post!!

I'm going to write the step by step directions for you between the photos!!

Start with a pair of jeans, any size will do.

Next you will cut off the legs which will become the straps for the purse

Here you will cut the crotch open (across) under the bulky seam

The crotch area will need to be folded over, both the front of the jeans and the back of the jeans, as seen on the photo.

So now turn inside out and fold over left or right, it will depend on your jeans and which way they fold best

Here you can see the bottom folded to the right and the top folded to the left. How you will measure across as far down as you can to have the deepest purse you can get from your jeans.

Now you will stitch across this line twice to be sure it's secure. Turn to the right side and you have a "purse" with no straps.

Here are the jean legs that were cut off. Choose the best seam,

I like the double needle stitched seam.

Now you will cut about 2 inches on either side all the way down the leg

You will need to cut off the bulky strip of the hem on your leg strip (to thick to sew through)

Now fold the sides under to make a long strip and sew down the middle or on either side of the double needle hem. The bag strap is somewhat unfinished, but that's the shabby nature of the bag. The one or two stitches down the length is to secure it as a strip.

Now you are ready to sew the front strap to the bag

Now you will stitch across the waist band edge on the top and on the bottom right over the mustard colored jean thread. Now I also stitched down the sides creating a "box" like you might see on a tote bag.

You can see in this photo how I made the square when securing the strap to the waist of the jeans. You will do this 4 times securing the front and back strap. When securing the second strap be sure its not longer then the other, or they won't rest on your shoulder correctly.

I had my daughters Girl Scout troop each bring in a pair of jeans that no longer fit and I sewed them into purses for each of them and then I brought one pair of jeans in to show how it's done from beginning to the end! Then they decorated them with buttons and ribbons! I sewed 10 bags for the troop! The girls loved them.

And now you have a Jean Purse!!

Tutorial Thursday: Hooded Surfer's Poncho

Just in case you missed my guest post over at Tatertots & Jello
I'm sharing it here today!
It's not too late to make one and save the swimming lessons day!

It's the Surfer's Poncho -
or a new spin on the classic and much loved, hooded towel.



We have swimming lessons again next week
and one thing that drives me crazy is
the dragging of the towels across the parking lot or
the crying 2 year old because she can't keep her towel
on and she's "freezing".
The insanity!!!!

So I was brainstorming with my husband about
the problem - he's a good sounding board -
and he said, "You should make a surfer's towel."
And I was like, huh?
He explained that surfers cut holes in the top
of a towel so they have a makeshift changing room on the beach.
The towels don't fall off - because they are poncho style.
So I changed the plans a little bit and this is what I came up with.

What you'll need:
1 large towel
1 hand towel
thread
sewing machine

STEP ONE

Fold your hand towel in half.
You can use the decorative edge or a finished edge of the
towel to save you the time of having to "hem" the outside edge.
Lay your pattern down and pin.
I used a hood from a hooded towel we already had
to make my pattern.

STEP TWO
Cut your hood pieces out, cutting a little extra for seam allowance
if you didn't already allow for that in the sizing.
I added extra, because the pattern was actually for my
daughter's towel and my son has a BIG-ger head :)


STEP THREE
Sew around the outside edge where the arrows outline.
I sewed a 1/4" seam allowance with a zig zag stitch
and then went over the seam again with a straight stitch.


STEP FOUR
Fold your towel in half to form the poncho.
Then, find the center of the folded edge.
You could measure and be exact, but I folded it in half again
and marked with a pin.


STEP FIVE
Use the neck hole of a shirt and make a pattern
piece for the neck opening.
You can also estimate and eye it if you're comfortable with that.




STEP SIX
Open up your neck opening and pin down the front
half of the ellipse.
Then sew a 1/4" seam around the pinned edge -
again I did a zig zag and then a straight stitch.





STEP SEVEN
Find the center of the back part of the ellipse and mark with a pin.
Then match the center of the hood to the center of the ellipse
and pin the hood to the poncho right sides together.




STEP EIGHT
Sew the hood to the poncho with a 1/4" seam.
I did a zig zag and went back over with a straight stitch.
Woohoo! Now you have a Surfer Poncho!


STEP NINE
Time to add the pocket.
I grabbed my son's sweatshirt and took a pattern from the pocket.



STEP TEN
Cut a little extra for seam allowances, then fold the edges
under where the arrows are and sew down the raw edge
so you have a finished edge.



STEP ELEVEN
Position in the pocket where you'd like it to lay.
Then, holding the top edge of the pocket in place,
flip the pocket up toward the hood,
so that with right sides are together now.
Sew with a 1/4" seam along the top seam -
that looks like the bottom seam of the pocket right now.


STEP TWELVE
After you've sewn the top seam,
flip it back down and sew the bottom portion down,
leave the holes open for the pocket.


And there you have it - The Surfer's Poncho!

And just in case you have a Surfette :)