Tuesday Project Roundup: Patch Jacket!

I started working on this right when I lost my job and have been chipping away at it slowly, sewing on patches and making very fancy seam finishes. And now it’s done! Aaaaaaand I can’t even wear it to a Zoom meeting! That’s OK, I will wear it to Trader Joe’s.

This is the Closet Core Fowler Barn Coat in a 10 oz. bull denim I had in the stash (originally from Nick of Time Fabric). I made a Small and it’s plenty oversized; I also had to shorten the sleeves about 1/4″ when I usually have to lengthen them by an inch, so it’s true unisex sizing.

I had 90% of the patches on hand–I would pick them up when I was at a yarn or fabric or record shop and then they’d sit around, sometimes for years, waiting for a project. (I did specifically buy the 4H one [for my state fair win] and the two kittens [for the kitty boys!] for this project.)

I had black-and-orange shirting scraps so I used those for collar and sleeve facings, and then I decided to bias-bind all the seams that I couldn’t flat fell.

I used my rivet press to reinforce the pockets and set the jeans tacks for buttons–that really was a great buy. My favorite feature is the double-entry pockets, complete with anarchist goose and Maud’dib the mouse:

One More Golden Afternoon

We got one more leaf hike in Friday, before wind and rain rolled in and blew everything off the trees. This time we went up Little Cottonwood–we were just going to hike some of the way to Red Pine Lake, but we saw a marker for Gloria Falls and detoured there. Neither of us had heard of it, but it was lovely.

A waterfall cascading over rocks among pine trees

There are Bob Rosses everywhere for those with eyes to see.

Looking At Leaves Every Three Days

Going on a hike three times a week is the type of unemployed thing you can do when you’re waiting on some freelance stuff and your partner has a random day off. Monday we went up to Willow Heights for the aspens and they were putting everything into it. (So was that blue sky.)

Doc took a new favorite picture of me and I took…a picture of his back! This might be our relationship in a nutshell. 😂

Tuesday Project Roundup: Paper Stuff

When you start new hobbies and buy every supply under the sun for them, you’re able to Keep Busy and Save Money for years to come. Case in point: I broke out the paper stuff and made a tissue box cover for my office for FREE, because I had all the book board, glue, and paper already.

I’d made a box cover before and started a “recipe book” with dimensions for projects, so this didn’t even require engineering, just cutting to measurements. I used some of my favorite temari ball washi paper for a pop of red in there.

It’s Happening

Being unemployed means I can drag Doc into the mountains with me whenever he has a day off, which was both Thursday and Sunday this past week. We went up around Lake Solitude/Silver Lake on Thursday to beat the crowds and the aspens were near their peak–just a gorgeous day:

 

Sunday was 15 degrees above normal so we decided to hang by the stream in Millcreek, but things are starting to turn there too:

Thursday Poem

The kitty boys have a routine now of getting on the bed together about 5:00 a.m. and just purring and rolling around and flopping down (still only on me though) and getting pets. I saw this Mary Oliver poem about her dog but it’s so appropriate for any little creature you have in your house.

 

Little Dog’s Rhapsody in the Night
by Mary Oliver

He puts his cheek against mine
and makes small, expressive sounds.
And when I’m awake, or awake enough

he turns upside down, his four paws in
the air and his eyes dark and fervent.

“Tell me you love me,” he says.
“Tell me again.”

Could there be a sweeter arrangement?
Over and over he gets to ask.
I get to tell.

Wednesday Project Roundup: Another Seasonal Sweater

I got so excited about finishing summer knitwear back in August that I decided to do it again.Flatlay of an ocher yellow sleeveless knit tank with rolled trim

This is the Nolita Tank, without the contrast edging (who am I?!) in Cascade Anchor Bay, a 50/50 cotton/wool blend.

Technically this was finished after the equinox, but it’s still 80 degrees here so I’ll get to wear it a bit. I took it on vacation with me too–here’s my outfit in the splendor of the Best Western (why yes I did sew another pair of huge pants for the trip):

A mirror selfie of a woman wearing an ocher knit tank and camo drawstring balloon trousers