a sewing repose

this weekend is the annual madrigal feast put on by the music department of the h.s. the kids go to. this is the only year both kids will be in it. this will be the big guy's fourth and final year; and it is my sweet friend's first. it is a real joy to see them both performing in the same production. except for the costumes.

i have known about this weekend and all of it's responsibilities since forever. unfortunately, possessing that knowledge did not inspire me to get started on the costumes until about a week and a half ago. luckily the big guy had most of his costume. he just needed a few additions. it was my sweet friend who needed a whole costume from scratch. the last few days have found me glued to the sewing machine. i came home from work early today so i could finish putting bone in her vest as well as finishing some other odds and ends. i don't think the fam has heard such gnashing of teeth and cursing since...well..forever. it is what happens when i continually prick myself with the pins and sew the shoulders of the vest in such a way it resembles a horse harness instead of a young woman's vest. but amazingly, it all resolved itself. they are at dress rehersal, as i type, with costumes completed. well, everything except for a muffin hat!

i miss sewing. i have sewn my whole adult life. i love being able to make something new to wear. then i discovered knitting. with these last few days of sewing i found i missed sitting with the fam and catching up on their day while i knit. sometimes in the quiteness of knitting, my sweet friend and i have the best talks. that can't happen while sewing. at least not while crunch sewing! so, though muffin hats still need to be made, i can take a breather and knit a bit.

with that said, here are some pictures of the felted bags! i love the way they came out. i shared them at the LYS this past weekend and they were oohhed and aaahhhed over. i love the tweedy look knitting with two colored yarns held together gives. and i love the spice the third yarn contributes. i like the surprise of felting. when knitting, i liked the look of the red yarn combo and was concerned about the green yarn combo. after felting, i love the look of the green yarns. the size of the bag is just what i envisioned. the pattern had called for knitting 6.25 inches before starting the keyhole handle. i knitted 7.25 inches which made the bag a bit bigger. after i finished knitting them, i was concerned the bags were to big. when felting, i let them agitate five times in a row, each time adding a full kettle of boiling water to get them to this size. they came out much better than i expected. i can't wait for christmas to come so i can give them to my friends. i may even make one for me.

and sew a new christmas blouse to match.