Yesterday was great. The weather was perfect: hot, but not too hot, and windy enough to keep the bugs off. We walked down to Old Town the Old Town Ramble and Ride with Abby.


There was lots of good food to eat: we had barbequed whitefish, hot dogs, fries and ice cream. Abby got some too as consolation for being tied up on a short leash.


I found some caribou antler buttons at the craft market and we heard all sorts of music as we walked around.


The highlight of the afternoon was Abby getting away (while being released from the temporary captivity that ensured we could actually eat our hot dogs) and falling in the lake. She hasn't done much swimming yet and the lake is still very cold; the look on her face as she came back up to the surface was pure shock. Fortunately Rob was right there and able to haul her out by her collar; she ran on adrenaline for the next twenty minutes and we were both glad she's a small dog and not something more powerful.


We did some much needed clean up around the house and yard when we got home. Abby snoozed, the adrenaline and ice cream having worn off, and Zeke wandered the house freely. I made Jell-o (peach with bits of peach) and filled our popsicle moulds and two custard cups for some cold snacks later on.


I got a nice picture of Zeke (the impossible to photograph black cat). He's getting a little more salt in his face and shoulders these days. I hadn't really noticed so much until now. He's about 15 but still very healthy and lively (has to be with Abby around).


And I started another sundress.

Last Monday was sticky. I've lived in the north most of my life and just can't handle heat at all. When it gets hot I want to be wearing the coolest thing in my closet and it will not involve any waistbands or tight fitting sleeves or body hugging bodice. A skirt and tank top usually work but really I wanted something totally loose and I wanted it quickly.

When I looked around my sewing room I found depressingly few large cuts of fabric, most of which I already have projects in mind for (one of them is a sundress but it was a specific sundress and I didn't have all the stuff yet). I sat down on the floor and tried to decide which future project to sacrifice (and which fabric would not show my underwear through - what's the point of a sundress that requires a slip?) when I glanced to the left and saw the Hamper of Random Things: fabric to be washed, things I was working on but needed somewhere to put so I could work on something else, thrift store finds that haven't found homes yet, blouses that don't fit but might work as quilt fabric, old clothes from my sister's closet ...

Did you notice that last category? That's the important one this time because among the bits and pieces sticking out at me was a long pink and purple cotton skirt that I'd nabbed from Jane's give-away pile as future fabric. I pulled it out, gave it a look and pulled it over my head. If I set the hem just below my knees there were about two inches of extra fabric at the top of the skirt - looked like straps to me.

Off went the skirt and out came the scissors. I cut off the top two inches and started picking out the seams. When I was done I had two pieces of 2" wide cotton - one pink, one purple - and one piece about 1" wide - also purple. I pulled the zipper out of the skirt too. The narrow strip became button loops to close the zipper placket (my favourite detail on this dress), the wide purple strip became straps and the pink became the top band.  There were darts in what was probably the back of the skirt; they worked out perfectly for the front of my dress; I ran some gathers between them to make the top of the dress fit the band and dress things up a bit.


I've worn this dress twice since I finished it and it is so comfortable and easy to wear. I'm seeing more dresses in my future.

I decided to tidy my studio Sunday afternoon and found some forgotten treasures for my effort. This little plaque finally made it onto the wall.


One box held a carefully collected pile along with a few apron ideas. I think it might be leftover from the swap I did last year. Perhaps I can finish it.


My owls were still hanging out along with a few more waiting to be finished. I have some more fabrics that would be great as owls. I'll have to finish them up and hang them in the house this fall.

That red underneath is silk from China. Carefully brought back for me by Katy, it is an authentic Chinese wedding red (though, she said, the pattern is not traditional). It needs to be part of something special but I can never quite decide what; maybe special pouches for my wedding jewellery.


A package sent to me by my grandmother when I was getting all my things together for our wedding a couple of years ago. The bag (age unknown) contains remnants from my mother's and my grandmother's wedding gowns that I worked into my wedding outfit.


Moda charm packs. Working out to roughly 115 squares (if the little ones are pieces together) all I need to get is some sashing to make a vintagey charm quilt. I think a white or a cream would be nice.


And this bag of scraps. This came from Erin and I've been trying to decide for a while what to do with it. Lots of the pieces are pretty small but there are some really cool things in there: marbles, apples, monkeys, frogs, flowers, butterflies ...


I decided to start piecing things together and see where I end up.