On The Case

I really thought I was making an extra large pencil case, one that would hold all my PITT pens, scissors, glue stick, pencils (not my pencil crayons – they need a separate case), small ruler, eraser, xacto knife and a paintbrush or two. Perhaps I have Too Much Stuff. I filled up my new case so that hardly another thing will fit!

Art Case


Begun: January 13, 2009
Completed: February 3, 2009

Finished Size: 11" long x 5" high

Materials:
Fabrics - cotton samples from Spectrum Study Group play times. Black: broadcloth with woodblock rubbings using Shiva paintsticks; Rose: unbleached muslin with clamp resisted iron stains on alizarin dye and some monoprinting with fabric paint; Cream: muslin with rubber stamps and woodblock prints with fabric paint; Green: broadcloth with fern leaf sunprints using fabric paint. Cotton quilt batting. Heavy non-woven fusible interfacing. Steam-a-Seam II fusible.
Threads – cotton/poly sewing thread. Variegated rayon embroidery thread: red/black/gold.
Zipper – 11" heavy-duty, black with bronze coloured metal teeth, closed end.
Velcro – 1-1/4" piece, black.

Pattern: My own. Outside: 12" square of batting and pieced top to size. 11-5/8" after free-motion quilting. Inner pocket: pieced and covered 11-5/8" x 10" piece of the fusible interfacing and wrapped to back, last seam topstitched on the fold. Free-motion quilted the pocket sandwich. Lining: covered 11-5/8" square Rose fabric with Steam-a-Seam and peeled off second paper. Layered Outside (batting side up), Lining (fusible side down) and Pocket (inside up) and stitched together through the middle where the bottom crease of the case would be. Folded so the Outside was right sides together and the Lining enclosed the Pocket with the seamline just stitched holding the two sections together. Stitched each sides of Lining/Pocket and Outside in one long 1/4" seam each side. Folded the Outside up over the Lining/Pocket and poked out corners. Stitched zipper to top opening being careful not to catch Lining. Slip-stitched lining over zipper tape on inside. Pressed with steam to flatten seams and adhere lining to batting. Stitched a small piece of Velcro to hold inside pocket closed.

Comments: I would have stitched the Velcro on earlier in the procedure but didn’t realize I needed it until I’d finished stitching. Luckily it wasn’t hard to apply. The zipper was a bit of a PITA because the pull is so big I had trouble getting around it. I was glad to be able to use some of the sample pieces that I’d made over the last few years using different dyeing and surfaced design techniques. Didn’t think they’d go together so well! I’m quite happy with how this turned out but I think the zipper needs a fancy zipper pull of some sort. Maybe later.

Meanwhile, I’ve been enjoying the fact that T-Man has gone back to a more normal work shift. Though we’ve both had a bit of trouble with our sleep patterns this week. I’m having trouble going to sleep even though it’s pretty much the same time as usual and T is wakeful in the middle of the night so that he’s tired when it’s actually time to get up. I don’t mind as long as he’s quiet and not squiggling around but if he is, I wake up also. Last night our room was filled with skunk smell too so that didn’t help. Yuck. I figure we’ll settle down when we get more used to being back to what passes for normal around here. At least we’re both getting up earlier and getting more accomplished.

I’m halfway down the foot of the Sea Monkey Socks and finding it an easy pattern. I modified it slightly by using my usual heel flap instead of Cookie’s version and plan to do the toe my usual way also. They only differ slightly from the pattern anyway. I think I’ll make another pair soon because I like how easy it is to knit and the results are pleasing.

I’ve spun some more of the silk/wool but haven’t got enough to ply yet. I want lots rather than be worried I’m going to run out. After I dye this stuff there won’t be any chance of matching it again so better to have too much. It’s a bit fiddly to spin as fine as I’m doing and needs some concentration but it’s not difficult. Though I do think that sometimes the silk spins out first and leaves the short wool for later giving a kind of blotchy blend. But so far you can’t really tell in the results. We’ll see if it shows up after dyeing however. It doesn’t really bother me much since I figure unevenness is a sign of handwork rather than machine.

The weather has been alternating sunny and cloudy for the last couple of days. There’s a bit more warmth in the afternoons than there has been and I notice that some people have been using the time to good advantage in the garden. Maybe we’ll do some work outside when T gets home today. Yesterday he dragged me off to rent a movie instead. BTW “The Secret Life of Bees” is really good. I was just about Lily’s age at the same time as the film takes place. Totally different life experiences though! Thank goodness. Don’t think I would have been able to handle her father with such understanding. Even though I’m very sensitive to bee stings (and wasp stings send me to the hospital), I would have been far more afraid of him than the bees. Bees are fascinating. But unfortunately I don’t much like honey.