Two Out of Three

Not perfect, but better than we first thought. Wynken and Blynken in the tack room catching breakfast together.



 I cropped these but it was around 6:00 a.m. on 4/5/15 I believe. And here is Wynken mid afternoon last Wednesday. Comfortable enough in her surroundings to be seen at least!





 Blynken is a bit more silver and the face markings not quite so dark. I doubt a casual observer could tell the difference. These two females are likely litter mates.

As an aside, yesterday morning a black cat came flying out of my barn when I went out to feed. I have no idea if it is Nod or the black tom cat that has frequented the area for years. I suspect it is the tom by the lingering odor. Nothing smells quite like an un-neutered male cat.

While last post was about weaving, this one is about sewing. The warps on both the looms are well past the halfway point. The Macomber towel warp probably only has a single towel left on it, maybe a bread cloth afterwards but that's it.

Up in the sewing salon, I have been keeping an eye more towards warmer weather. This Green Bee Lela tunic is out of a standard cotton, large pockets, easy loose styling and long enough to wear as a dress on hot days around the house puttering.



A linen Merchant & Mills Dress Shirt pattern was the next make.



 I like this pattern but I'm not in love with the sleeve fit. I may franken pattern this with the Grainline Scout Tee pattern to get the nicer fitting arm hole and sleeve head.

You might have noticed the bear on the M&M tunic. I fell in love with this rather silly fabric. Bears with cheerleading pompoms. And these are not really cuddly friendly bears. They are rather fierce looking ones.



 As much as I adored this fabric I just couldn't see myself making a whole garment out of it, but the lightweight canvas is perfect for a big tote bag!

So that's what I did. I used the same pattern used for my Mom's bags, made it a little wider, to mimic the size of those larger reusable grocery bags and went to town with some fun matching fabrics. I have enough to make a second bag. All in all I need 4 or 5 of these to replace the old store brand "sort of fabric" reusable bags (which are looking grungy), and can't be washed like these nice canvas and linen bags can.

I spent a good half day cutting out fabric. Some summer weight pants, a couple of tops and this new lightweight summer top & dress pattern.



What cute styling! As a muslin, I used fabric I had in mind for sleepwear. What a sweet little summer nightgown this pattern will make for a test run!

In the next week or so we will be starting a massive spring painting project, both floors open areas, stairwells and hallways will be painted, walls and trim. A big clean needs to be done anyway, so I might as well paint it all and really have a fresh start this spring. This coming week things will start coming down off the walls and furniture tops cleared to make moving and covering easy. I want to weave off both looms and fold/cover them for the duration. I don't have plans to do individual rooms but the downstairs bathroom might get a complete paint change. I'm still working on the concept and color choices. Last thing I'll do is drag out the oil base paint and do the kitchen island in the same green as the lower cabinets. Cream is just not working out in our multi dog household!

I think that about covers things in a nutshell for now.

Parting shot: Not all tack room visitors are welcome! We have met a few times in person and exchanged words. Wasted breath on my part I see! ;-)