ornaments on the horizon

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I know it has been pretty quiet over here. It has not been quiet in my life! I am making great progress on my ornament patterns and hope to publish 5 designs in mid-July, when I get back from Portland, Oregon.

7:2:ornaments 1

And, I took another trip down to Brooklyn for some West Elm business- that made the 3rd trip to NY in 5 weeks! I stopped in Connecticut to see family. I’ve spent some time making new clothes- I really ought to do a post about that. But, mostly I have been concentrating on pattern writing and photo taking.

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And, wow, is my desk messy. Lots and lots of tiny bits of paper and thread and felt.

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And samples and more samples.

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I’m hoping to be back to the regular making schedule once I am back from my trip and the patterns are ready.

everyday working (man) fox

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6:14:fox 5a

Some of these foxes are made from wool I dyed last summer. My not-very-good dye job means slight variations in color which I happen to like a lot!

6:14:fox 5b

I think he has a very nice face- he looks sincere.

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His vest is a print of ginkgo leaves.

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A close-up of his pipe and briefcase.

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6:14:fox 5d

dark fox girl

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This dark blue dress fabric has always seemed a bit witch-y to me. Are there little fox girl witches?

6:11:fox 3e

Her jacket is a printed flannel and she has a spider web-by scarf around her neck.

6:11:fox 3a

6:11:fox 3b

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In this photo you can see the pattern on the flannel jacket.

6:11:fox 3dAnd of course she has her school bag because even little fox witches have to go to school.

 

Cooper Bag by Colette Patterns

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I am so behind on all the things I want to post about! I wanted a travel bag and so bought a pattern for the Cooper Bag. After I bought the pattern, I realized that I would never make it unless I scheduled a time. So, I signed up for a class at Gather Here– 3 evenings in May. It was a lot of fun to get out of the house and make something completely different and spend time with other makers!

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Here it is, all finished, front and back.

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And the inside-

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And here I am, testing it out on my recent trip to NYC.

6:8:bag 4

My thoughts on it after my trip. It is a great size for an overnight or weekend bag. I could fit everything I needed into it. It is too big for what I want in an everyday bag though, so that means I need to find something else to cover that. I think I would prefer strap closure to the snaps (or in addition to)- the snaps worked well but if I tried to over-stuff, even a little, I couldn’t secure the bag closed. I wish it had a secure outside pocket for things like tickets. The pockets at the bottom back edge are so public (?)- it felt like anything I put there could so easily be slipped out by someone behind me. I put an umbrella in one and a notebook in another. Those are all minor criticisms though- the bag worked well for my trip and I know I will get a LOT of use out of it!