It All Started With A Joke...

I have a friend who loves jokes as much as I do. If we're in the same room

together for more than an hour, we start telling them. One joke leads to another.

Handsome told me a joke about a year ago that involves a penguin, car 

troubles and an ice cream shop. I'm not going to tell you the joke here 

because it's kind of naughty. But, if you really want to hear it, you can send 

me an email with your return email address and I'll share it with you.

Anyway, I told my friend this joke and she loved it. She told her husband as

soon as she got home, and then she told another group of friends - some of

whom she said "didn't get it". When she told me that, we laughed even more!

So you can imagine my delight when she just walked up to me one 

evening, said, "I found a present for you." and plopped this fabric down 

in front of me. We were in a roomful of women and they all wondered 

what happened to me, because I fell apart. I broke out laughing (and my 

laugh can be quite raucous when something funny tickles me). 

I knew right away that I'd be making something special for her out of part 

of the fabric - and that I'd make the same thing for myself to remind me of 

this shared joke. I decided to make it yesterday to give to her at our retreat.

Of course, I'm taking a huge gamble, hoping she's too busy to see my blog

before I give it to her. I want her to giggle just as much giving this to her

as I did when she plopped that fabric down in front of me. There's even

enough of the penguin fabric for an iPad case, which Handsome requested!

(This is the Sewing Organizer pattern that I designed and have available 

for purchase in my Craftsy shop. Click HERE if you'd like your own copy.)

The coordinating fabrics came from my stash. I hope she thinks of me each time she sees (and uses) this...and remembers our shared sense of humor. I really can't wait to see and her her reaction... all because of one, silly joke.

This Is More Like It...

This is how I've spent the past two days. I've been back in the studio, playing!

First, I made the mug mat that Kris won in Tag's Third Birthday Giveaway.

I had these great, little pins made and will include one in Kris' gift package.

It's an accurate caricature of Tag! He wanted her to have one.

I'm also including these sweet Corgi bells! I wonder what she'll do with them?

I'm including a few other goodies, but if I showed them here, Kris wouldn't

have any surprises at all, would she? I'll be popping her gifts in the mail today.

I also finished the binding(s) on my organizer, along with a few other special 

touches. (Yes, Sherry. I added the green dot fabric as an accent, as suggested.)

I added a pretty stork scissors charm to the zipper pull..

and a touch of embroidery to the pin/needle holders. You like?

All finished and ready to be used! What shall I do with this one?

If you like an organizer but you don't sew, you can contact me to request

that I make one for you. I'm happy to do special commissions. (Please allow

a week turnaround time.) Just send an email to me for details. I'll provide 

you with prices and work closely with you to create your custom organizer. 

If you sew, you can purchase a pattern in my "Brynwood Needleworks" 

Craftsy shop. Just click on the Craftsy button link  in my left sidebar.

(<--------------- Over there.)

I really feel so much better for tying up a few loose ends. Back in the studio

today to see what else I can get into. I'll be back tomorrow to show you!

Decisions, Decisions...

Interior of my sewing organizer

I'm still sorting and putting things away, but I came across this project in the mix.

I taught this class a couple of weeks ago and I only have to attach and sew on the

binding and it will be finished. These are all the fabrics I pulled for the organizer.

Organizer exterior

This is the exterior of the organizer, and I really like the fresh colors for the outside.

I only have to decide which fabric to use for the binding. I'm partial to the red. What do you think? If you're interested in the pattern for this organizer, you can find it in my Craftsy  shop (here). Zippers, ties and pockets combine for a great little project. Don't worry about installing a zipper. I've got a really simple solution that makes for an easy install. You can also add ribbons and embroidery to further personalize yours.   Back to work for me. I really want to finish the studio and house "reclamation". I'd love to be able to play over the weekend, so I have to concentrate today. Have a great Friday!

Happy Birthday, Mom...

 Today is Mom's Birthday. 

She'd give me a stern talking to if I said how old 

she is, so I'll keep that information to myself.

I finished her gift and it's already on its way to Wisconsin.

 I used the same fabric for her organizer that I used for her Christmas gift.

 She loves it when I make things for her...it doesn't even matter what it is,

  but I just happen to know that she thought these were cool. Heck, I'd give

 her the moon if I could, but every Birthday I give her one more thing.

 I order a huge bouquet of daisies to be delivered to her.

I've been doing it for decades. Daisies are her absolute favorite flower.

Do you remember the song about daisies?

Mom knows that this section of the lyrics is the reason I give them to her:

"I'll give you a daisy a day, dear,
I'll give you a daisy a day;
I'll love you until the rivers run still,
And the four winds we know blow away."

Happy Birthday, Mom.

I love you...'til the four winds we know blow away. 

Productive Studio Time...

 I finally got back into the studio yesterday!

I had a list of things with deadlines, and

I managed to complete everything on my list.

Yay, me!

We'll be celebrating Joni's Birthday at Coffee Club

on Saturday and my hands are the last to touch her gift

from us. Joni loves ducks - specifically Rubber Ducky -

so choosing her fabric was easy for the girls. 

Nora, Kathy, Fay and Brenda assembled the whole quilt.

 My tasks were to bind the quilt, add the hanging sleeve and label.

 We included Flo's name on the quilt label for all the quilts made in

 2013. Because Joni's quilt is actually the last one in this cycle, her 

label has Flo's name on it, too. We'll miss Flo for a long time to come.

I can share this with you because Joni doesn't have a computer, tablet

or smart phone. She won't see it until we give it to her Saturday.

No surprises were ruined by sharing this finish with you!

 I also finished these cases to take to our Guild meeting last night.

I added velcro to these two cases and they're now finished "sleeves".

The velcro will keep the tablet from slipping out unexpectedly.

 I added flaps to these two, so they're finished cases. I wanted to

give the Guild members an idea of what I'm working on. Only

twenty to go! I have until the third week in February to finish the

rest of them. I know that Pat, who is in charge of the Boutique was

really happy to have them, and I know she'll like having more to sell.

Today, I'll be working on Mom's Birthday gift. I'm going to make one of

my sewing organizers for her that will match the armchair pincushion I

gave her for Christmas. She told me she liked the organizer idea last 

month, so I'm happy to surprise her with one. I know she'll love it.

I have a full day ahead, so I'd better get back to the studio.

See you tomorrow with a few more finishes.

Wishing you a creative day, my friends.

First Finish Of The New Year...

 I was so happy to spend some time in the studio yesterday. I made a

new Sewing Organizer to use as a model for classes I'll be teaching.

 I chose Moda's Basic Grey "Figgy Pudding" fabrics from my stash. 

The outside fabric reminded me of colorful swim rings, so I decided

 to add some of my beach cabin tape from LillaLotta to the outside.

 The lining and binding is done in another Moda fabric in red and white polka

dots. (Thinking, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny" polka dot bikini...but not yellow.)

 By dinnertime, I was finished sewing on the binding! I'll take it over 

to the shop so they can start signing up students for me to teach.

 If you're interested in making an organizer of your own, you can visit

my Craftsy shop (Brynwood Needleworks) to get your own pattern.

If you look for my listings by my name, search for Brynwood Donna.

(There's a quick link to my Craftsy shop in my left sidebar.)

Well, I'm happy to have spent a little time in the studio and finish my first

 project of the new year. Today, I'll be checking in with the Coffee Club.

Nothing like a few hours with the girls to kick off the weekend!

Arbor Day At Brynwood...

Backyard looking in

This is a project I've been wanting to do for quite a while. The first

time our son and daughter-in-law visited, they brought a tiny star jasmine

 bush as a gift for us. (It's the one on the right side.) I immediately got a

second one to place across the walkway from it when our pool was built. 

Since then, they've grown like gangbusters. I've kept them pruned, but I got

this idea to put an arbor between them to create a "secret courtyard" from

the "Holidome" (pool area) into the backyard. After months of growing, the

 bushes were starting to close off the courtyard, so I needed to get this done.

Holidome toward courtyard

 The arch I ordered arrived on Friday, and I was anxious to get it installed.

After last Coffee Club, I hurried home and opened the box. Handsome

helped me get it put together and we carried it around to the courtyard.

It was a bit of a chore lifting up the overgrown section I'd been grooming

to cover the arch once it would be installed, but between the two of us we

managed to place it without damaging either of the bushes. After we got it

 into its proper place, we arranged the stray tendrils, trimmed the overgrown 

branches and stood back to admire the vast improvement we'd wrought.

Courtyard looking toward backyard

 I'm not finished yet either. I have empty pots to fill with flowers, and perhaps 

a new working birdbath. (The raccoons broke the one on the left side of this 

picture, and because it has oak leaves and acorns on it, I just can't bring myself

 to toss it!) I think the next birdbath will sit closer to the ground to protect it. 

Oh! Wouldn't one of those rocks with the cupped-out centers be cool?

I may add a few Adirondack-style chairs or a bench to this area, too. It's a

 nice quiet place to just sit and enjoy the view! We also have a chiminea

in the courtyard, and we could sit out there on cool, Florida-style winter 

evenings and enjoy the fire. I'll have to give that a little more thought. 

There's no rush, after all. I'll take my time so it's "just right".

My little snoopervisor

 Handsome, Tag and I hope you had a great weekend, too.

P.S. My Sewing Organizer pattern is now available!
Just click on the link to my shop in the left sidebar, or go to
"Brynwood Needleworks" shop on Craftsy. Thanks for looking!