Suitcase Update

Bottom half complete!

This is probably my last update before the big reveal of Sidekick Suitcase for Ben.

I was thinking about just waiting until I finished,

but I thought I would share my experience so far

especially in regard to my first experience with piping.

Top half complete!

In my last update, I showed you how I had made the piping.

Jodi's tips and tricks really helped in that department.

But I was still feeling overwhelmed by attaching the piping to the suitcase pieces.

Bottom half inside. My lining still makes me swoon.
LOVE this fabric.

Let me just say that it wasn't as difficult as I had originally thought.

However, I did have my fair share of frustrations.

Not with the directions/pattern, mind you.

Those were crystal clear (Thanks, Jodi!)

It was just quite a process to get through the middle steps of attaching the piping

and then sewing all of the pieces together.

Top half inside.

The biggest frustration for me was repeatedly breaking my needle trying to sew through so many layers (some of them being pretty thick fabrics).

This is, of course, my fault (it usually is).

I was rather excited to use an additional accent fabric for the corner patches and the handle,

a pretty, slate gray (thick) corduroy that I had left over from another project.

yes, THIS was the part that gave me the most trouble.
Darn corduroy. If only you weren't so great.

While I'm really happy with the way it looks,

and I did get it eventually,

as I progressed in the steps of the pattern, it became increasingly difficult to get through the layers of fabric without breaking my needle (which I should mention, drives. me. BONKERS.)

zippity zip zip zipper.

Anyway, I ended up sewing with a 120 needle (jean weight) instead of a 100 needle for the heavier parts, and that worked much better.

So there you have it.

I'm almost done... I've gotten a little bit ahead of the sew along and only have a few steps left, but I'll wait to share all of that until I have it completely finished. :)

My Biggest Fan

Is my mom.

(She's that one person who comments on my posts)

Hi Mom!

My second biggest fan is, perhaps, Grace.

Her blog is, after all, my largest traffic source.

I'm guessing because oodles of people read her blog.

Which was why I was so happy that she won my giveaway earlier in the year.

A giveaway for a knitted cowl scarf, the pattern for which can be found here.

I was even more excited the other day when I saw this...

Grace's husband wearing the aforementioned cowl...
and a (maybe too small) polo.



Whether she talked her husband into wearing it willingly

or he did this of his own volition,

I am just not sure.

But they are equally amazing.

Virtual high five, Grace!

So there you have it. A blog post about a blog post.

If you missed one of the gazillion links to her blog above, click here and check it out.

She'll have you laughing (out loud) and  headed to the store to buy chia seeds in no time.

Have a great day!

Noteworthy Events from the Weekend

because, obviously, you were wondering...

Here are the highlights:

I went to going away party for my best friend, Sarah, who is moving across the country.

Depressing? Yes.

But it was a great party.

I went to my pottery class and make a garlic keeper.

Ha. I know, but I was so proud of myself.

I found myself swimming in fabric and yarn to keep up with the orders from my Etsy shop.

Lot and LOTS of bunny ears.

Continued gardening and prepping of seedlings for the Spring 2012 garden.

I ate a whole (large) bag of peanut M&Ms.

Made continued progress on my Sidekick Suitcase for Ben.

Watched The Descendents which was not what I was expecting, but no George Clooney movie ever is, so why was I even surprised???
This clearly says more about my expectations than it does about George Clooney, yes?

I made zucchini chips.

Delicious,

but absolutely NO substitute for potato chips, in case you were wondering.

And, last but not least, I received a gift card for my birthday which I will most likely be using to (don't hate me) purchase theeeeese.

Things I DID NOT do:
Go to the gym.

It's amazing what you can accomplish in a weekend when you aren't wasting your days and nights away anticipating a new episode Downton Abbey.



Fish in 7-Up Batter

Papa and a fish. :)

I had every intention of doing the usual today.

That is, making something and then writing about it.

Unfortunately, though, my mom called to tell me that my Papa, my dad's dad, passed away last night.

And to be honest, I don't really feel like making anything, which is rare.

I'm not trying to be dramatic, trust me.

Anyway, I thought I would share a recipe instead.

It's my Meme's (my dad's mom).

My grandparents both loved to fish and spent their adult lives saving money so they could retire to the lake and fish everyday.

And that's just what they did.

But then my dad died.

My Meme died shortly after,

and Papa got older so I'm sure he couldn't get out on the lake nearly as often as he would have liked.

But that will always be how remember them: 

fishing, that is.

And as cheesy as it sounds I'm fairly certain that their Beatific Vision is somehow fish-related. :)

The original recipe card that Meme wrote out for my mom.

So here's the recipe (in the case that you can't read my Meme's writing on the recipe card).

Fillet fish, making sure all bones are out- Preheat deep fryer to 365-400 degrees. Put fillets in a plastic bag with some pancake mix and shake to coat- remove and let coating dry for a few minutes.

Batter- Add 1 egg to 1 cup of pancake mix- stir in 1 cup (8oz) of 7-up until batter is thin. Dip coated fillets into batter and fry. If deep frying about 4 minutes.

Nothing gourmet, but it is tasty. :)