Not So Productive Sewing Week

Before I tell you about my week, let me give you an update on Dave’s raspberry plants that I told you about last week.  They are doing great in my sewing room.   They are growing and getting new leaves.  There were four that looked like just bare sticks when they entered my room.  Now even those have new growth.   A picture is provided below.

  

His ground cherries seem to be doing nothing.  They are all still underground.  None have poked their heads out yet.  When and if they do, I will give you an update.   Also, the onions I planted for Dave are not looking well.  He said we may have to replant them because the cold weather has not treated them kindly.  I am not sure I am up to a replanting.  I am a sewist, not a farmer!

This was a not so productive sewing week for me.  I tried.  I really did, but sometimes even the best laid plans don’t work.  My plan was to complete the purse I was making and feature it in my post this week.  However, I had other commitments that needed to be met first.  I started my week with those.  I made more masks for some friends in Indiana.  Then I sewed a few scrub caps that I promised to do.  After those were completed, I began work on my purse.    I was using the Sallie Tomato purse pattern, “Audrey”.  I purchased it last year on the way to Lansing Clippers Sewing Retreat in Shipshewana with Stoney B.  We usually stop at Sew Unique Threads in Battle Creek on the way. 

I was at the point of putting on the D-rings and attaching the strap connectors.  That was when I discovered I did not have the appropriate D-rings.  I need ¾” gunmetal D-rings and I had none.  Those needed to be attached before I could proceed.  That meant the purse would not be finished in time for my post this week.  Today I called Sew Unique Threads and requested  a hardware kit for the Audrey purse.  The owner of the shop will mail it to me today.  Even though Sew Unique Threads is closed, they will accept phone or online orders for mailing or curbside pickup.  Maybe I can complete the purse before my next post.   A picture of the pattern is shown below.

  

I searched my pattern stash for a purse I could make in a couple of days.  I found one I liked and cut it out.  It is McCall’s M6532.  I am still searching my stash for fabric for the lining and pockets. Obviously, I did not complete it before writing this post.    I love the look of the bag, but am shocked at its size.  It measures 18” x 12 ½” x 6”.  I know that is too large for me for a regular purse.  I could probably use it as an overnight bag or a sewing bag.  My plan is to make one as a test and then perhaps I can cut the pattern down in size to use as a purse.   A picture of this pattern is shown below.

Another thing that took me away from sewing this week was ordering groceries for pickup.  That can be a time-consuming event, but is very necessary now that we are confined to our homes during the Covod-19 virus outbreak.  It is always a challenge to be able to get a pickup date from one of the stores in St. Johns.  The last time I ordered, I had to go to East Lansing to pick up my groceries.  This time I was fortunate enough to get a pickup date at one of the local stores for next week.  I look at ordering groceries as just one of the challenges we face during these “stay at home” times.  If we can just keep our health, I will be happy and more than willing to stay at home and face a few challenges.

Speaking of challenges, this morning I cut Dave’s hair for the first time.  I have been telling him to let me cut it before it got really long.  That way it would be a “trim” and not a “chop job”.  He didn’t listen to my advice.  A full-blown hair cut or “chop job” was necessary.  He had hair hanging over his ears, down the back of his neck, on his face and sticking out of his ears.  I took a pair of my best scissors and designated them as “barber” scissors.  I did a lot of chopping!  I am not sure he liked his cut, but he did tell me “Thank you”.  His mother taught him that.

I think we completed week number 6 of the “Stay at Home” request and are now in the 7^th week.  I noticed more people out this past week when we drove through St. Johns, but most of them were wearing masks and staying 6 feet or more away from each other.  If you run out of supplies for your sewing projects, remember you can email or telephone some businesses like Country Stitches in East Lansing and have an ordered mailed to you or delivered curbside. 

Keep sewing and be safe!

Judy