So, It Got Me to Thinking.....

Biothane; if it can hold up for horse gear why not for dog gear? Now wouldn't it be nice if there were dog collars made from this stuff, NARROW dog collars. And with real buckles and holes instead of those hard to release and bulky plastic snap locks?  So I did a search. If you have bigger dogs then there are a number of places that do dog collars out of biothane or beta biothane. Three quarter inch and one inch are easy to find, half inch not so much. Lo and behold though, I did find a place. American Trail Gear up in Washington state and their raw material is American made, a bonus. The collars were well priced so that everyone could have a new one, and lots of colors too. And since they prefer to talk to each one of their customers, you have to call to place an order. I talked with Diana, you might get Sherri, but either way, the collars are well made and the service top notch. I had my custom made collars within 5 days of ordering. God, I love small companies where what I ask for I get! You can bet if I need to add more collars or leashes or horse gear, I've got their number saved.  Without further ado lets roll out a few pics of these wonderful collars.

Charlotte-Hot Pink!

Jack-Dark Teal 

Robin-Bright Apple Green 

Pogo-Burgundy 

Peter-Sunshine Yellow

Stella-White (Gene refers to this as the "Stealth" collar).


No pics of Smoochie, his collar is neon orange and he is too hairy to even see it.

Up in the sewing room I have been doing quite a bit of stash busting. In fact I have over 10 empty little mini bolts. I showed the pile to Gene and mentioned I needed to do something about the "empties", like fill them. :) No telling how that went over. Grunts can be hard to decipher and eye rolling may or may not be a good thing. I did try out a new to me pattern, twice, with varying results. The first run through of Vogue 1345 I used a bright orange and pale yellow rayon.



 Rayon is soft and drapey, people love it. I understand that but I am not one of them. I am sure it will be cool and comfortable come summer but sewing it is like sewing limp noodles. Since this was a stash buster what I had was all there was. I just made it through the pattern with mere scraps to spare. I didn't even try to match with this new pattern. I knew this was going to be a muslin, a great wearable one around the house and for riding. Good bright colors and some protection from the sun.

The second rendition is also from stash, this time a Japanese cotton dobby. Beautiful fabric that has been marinating long enough. I went down a size, ditched the front opening opting instead for a simple lined bodice and back yoke.





 I also did this sleeveless and shortened the overall length. As the first one, I did not do the collar. I feel it is unnecessary and for me, adds little in the way of design. I like the pattern but am not in love with it.
And let's not forget pockets!



Over the weekend I drafted my own pattern, nothing too complicated. I used my ever faithful Scout tee pattern as a sloper and did a wide A line tunic. The first run through was out of a soft gold oxford cloth from stash. It came out nicely, but not quite A line enough even with the wedged shaped center panel that was drafted for both front and back. (In fact you won't see pics because it is in the laundry. I stole it off of Rhonda when it was done and wore it on Sunday.)  Second version I added volume on the sides to give that twirly effect keeping the A angle the same.



 End result....love it.



 So much so I grabbed my favorite piece of linen from stash. The one I saved after making a top sheet and pillow cases and went to work on it. This is top stitched and embellished to the nines and I had a lot of fun doing it.



 I can see a few more versions and maybe a sleeveless long dress for a hot summer evening.

Big Sal is waiting for me to sley the reed. While our weekend was lovely, this week and next is going to be wet and wild. Rain, snow, thunderstorms, wind. A typical Northwest spring pattern. I had been feeding the horses and goats out in the pasture area, and had gated the horses out of their shelter area. The goats always have access, since they easily can go under anything that keeps the big guys out but it all needed some serious stall mucking. The incoming weather dictated I get it done now since they would need their run in. I did the mucking inside and Gene did the shoveling and carting off of the "debris". Bob is still laid up in town and I'm told a fuel something or other has gone off to Klamath Falls for a rebuild. The cart was probably the better choice as the ground there is still quite muddy and mucky.

Next post I really need to get a book list together and who knows what else will have gone on around the place.

Parting shot: A starving Chunk Russell.....;) I love his little chin.