bodner010

Don't you just hate it when in the middle of sewing you run out of thread on the bobbin, or worse you run out of thread on the spool or can't seem to find the right color, preferably at 9:00 in the evening when all stores are closed. I find it so disruptive, having to wind a new bobbin while in the midst of a seam or having to run to the store when you were about to start on your freshly cut fabric. I try to anticipate, but it does not always work out that way. Anyway, in an attempt to 'organize' my bobbin and spool collection, I use these plastic containers and boxes now. I'm not a big fan of plastic containers in general. I find them highly unattractive. But in this case there's something about them I like. The bobbin holder, for instance, I believe, is really cool. It's abstract art almost. The different colors arranged randomly in neat rows - pieces of thread sticking out stubbornly, capriciously, trying to reach out, to tangle up with the other ones. Th...

Yesterday, I felt like sewing a new bag. Only problem: I didn't have any of my favorite oatmeal colored linen left. It took me some rummaging through my stash to come up with something else: an old pair of jeans. We like a little challenge once in awhile! Since our last move, I keep a whole stash of jeans in a box in my crafts cabinet. Originally, the idea was to keep the jeans until I had enough for making a quilt. However, with one quilt still waiting for the binding to get finished and the quilting as well, I must admit I'm not much of a quilter. Not when it comes to the bigger projects, anyway. Too intimidating, I'm afraid.... Anyway, since that quilt probably never is going to happen, I figured I might as well cut one pair to pieces for another project without doing much harm. This particular pair was a high-rise (!) that never really felt comfortable - probably because of its high-rise but mainly because of its unreliable zipper. Very annoying, even with a long shirt!...

It's been a weird week. Fast and slow at the same time. Both girls had a 24hr bug, not on the same day, luckily. Both are fine now. And then, I woke up with swollen and numb lips. They felt as if I had just been given an anesthetic - an allergic reaction to a new tooth paste I bought, it turns out. And I'm not the only one, apparently. Although from a good brand, this particular tooth paste has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to allergic reactions. Anyway, for a day or two I looked like someone with 'a Botox treatment gone totally wrong'. My lips are almost back to normal now, thank goodness, and I threw out the paste. There was some sewing this week as well. I started making pillows. Lots of them. For the girls. For the living room. In an attempt to make our place a bit more colorful and cozy. As pillows are considered cozy here. We like to hang in the couch, bundled up with pillows and a blanket. For the pillows I followed these instructions (in Dutch, but the ...

It's been a while since my last post. I hope you all had nice holidays and a smooth transition into the new year. Our holidays were fun, seeing relatives and friends again. There was a lot of traveling involved but it all went much smoother than last year as the weather gods were a bit friendlier this time. No snow and icy roads only rain and wind. But this is not the weather channel, so time to move-on! With a new tutorial! And as a matter of fact, this is a special one. It's a video-tutorial - an absolute first on // BTL //- made by... my girls. A little while ago we got an Ipad. It never occurred to me that besides pictures one could also make videos with it. That was until my girls presented me this movie one afternoon during our holiday break. For a couple of days M. had been making these really awesome origami paper cubes. And then, they decided to shoot a 'making-of' movie. I had no idea what they were doing in their room - 'Don't come in, mommy! It's...