Getting My Jog On

I finally got around to a project that I've been mulling over for quite some time. I usually jog with my cell phone, keys, and a few dollars in my jacket pocket, but when I get warm and take off my jacket there's no comfortable way to keep running. If I tie my jacket around my waist, everything in the pocket flaps around. If I hold my jacket, I can't run. It gets worse on long runs when I need to bring water.

My solution: a very thin, very light backpack that lies flat against my back under my jacket, and that's just big enough to hold a rolled up jacket and a bottle of water, with a cross-chest strap. I love the fun fabric. I might need to shorten the main bag section, adjust the strap length (hence the end I've left dangling at the bottom), or add a button closure. But I'm going to take it for a few runs and see what works best before making final adjustments.

A close up of the fab pattern. Crafting is usually pretty expensive, and cute fabric really comes at a premium. But thanks to Peapod Fabric's "no cheesy fabric" approach to sales, this entire project cost me about $5; pretty great, huh?

Baby Quilt and Sofa Pillow

The next post will be about food, I promise. I'm exhausted, I feel cross-eyed, and my back is all bent out of shape. That, and my stash of fabric has been severely diminished.

Crazy pillow! I got this fabric at the Marimekko store in DC. I love Marimekko prints, they are so colorful and unusual. I made the pillow extra surprising by making the back hot pink. It makes for a bold color contrast and means I only use half of the rather expensive Marimekko print.

And, voila! Finally finished another quilt. I completely lucked out at a Britex sale and snagged that quilted back for $5. That's not only about 80% off, it saves me from having to by filler, backing fabric, and then having to actually quilt the whole thing. My quilts are getting bigger each time; hopefully my next one will be big enough for an adult bed. This one is about 44x44" so it's good as either a lap pillow or for a baby. Anyone pregnant?

A Present for Me, and a Present for ???

More crafting today. I told you I was stash busting! But first, thank you to my lovely sister L, whose present arrived in the mail yesterday. She remembered that I'd spent the better part of an afternoon ogling this butterfly teapot. It's just so cute!

The other item is the latest result of my attempt to whittle down the old fabric stash. It is also my first attempt at embroidering! Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

The inside is soft, fuzzy polka dot flannel.

Raw Silk Handbag

Among crafters, what I did today is called "stash busting." Among normal people, it's called finally getting sick of having a box of uncut fabric in my closet and wanting to show it off as finished products.

This was a true labor of love. I've never made a proper handbag before, because like most things worth having it took a lot more work than you'd think. Today, I finally took the plunge. I'm really excited about the results, especially because I've been hanging on to those wooden handles for years. Literally! Years! I bought them when I took my roadtrip to Portland with CC because they were handmade and super adorable. The bag's shape actually mimcs the triangular handles, but I couldn't get it to not slouch in my chair.

I won't get into all the nitty gritty, but I am pretty proud that the finished bag has two small pockets on one side (for camera and phone) and a very large pocket on the other side (for a book). Because both the teal raw silk I used and the swirly mustard yellow and chocolate brown cotton I used are high quality fabrics with some natural sheen, they don't photograph well on my cheap camera. The colors are a lot more saturated and fun to look at in real life. I can't wait to take my new pouch out on the town!

And because today was a busy crafting day, dinner is going to be simple. I made a large batch of ro zao because I want to freeze some, and I added pressed tofu and quail eggs to tonight's dinner.

Weston Wear Scarf

Sometimes I need a break from cooking, and crafting is usually the direction I take. I have a lot of more complicated projects in the works, but today I opted for instant gratification with a Weston Wear scarf.

For those who don't know, WW makes most of its clothing using a lightweight, stretchy, mesh fabric in bold patterns. I think their clothes are really fun to wear, comfortable, and great for travel because they're easy to handwash and dry quickly. Sometimes, their flagship store/outlet in San Francisco sells fabric leftover from large factory runs. Because of the way the fabric is woven, all I had to do to make a scarf was cut along the edge of the leaf pattern. No hemming necessary! The scarf drapes to about knee length, but is lightweight enough to loop around my neck several times or open up as a wrap/blanket. So fun, and perfect for what San Francisco jokingly calls summer.