Amanda's Mandala Tree Day 4

Amanda's Mandala Tree

Day 4

Amanda's Mandala Tree

 "Mandala Tree"

Day 3

These really aren't true mandalas but since they also don't really grow on trees I guess I can fudge it a bit. 

(It's called "artistic license".)

A makeover and a WIP

Don't fall over! I am working on a tote WIP today! But it's a new project so I can't really count it toward my PhD. I do have a good excuse for starting something new, though. Notice the cute new logo? Well, I have been wanting a cat-on-a-sewing-machine logo for a while now and finally conned someone into an art trade. 

 

My shirt-tail cousin/friend, Amanda (who incidentally has a new blog and a new Etsy store), designed this for me. Amanda is an amazing artist and also an elementary art teacher. So she is getting a special teacher tote and I got a supercute logo. 

 

This is a panel that will be worked into her tote bag. I thread painted the tree trunk, raw edge appliqued the circles and now am embellishing by hand embroidering. Eventually there will be leaves- I am thinking paisleys for leaves, but I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal so we'll see what happens after I put green thread in my needle. Always an adventure here.

 some closeups

 This was my first attempt at thread painting and I liked it. And it looks ok! I can definitely see myself doing this again.

Conversations from a public restroom

Me (in one of two stalls) (hovering over the WET toilet seat): "Lukey, can you hand me some toilet paper? I don't have any."
Sounds of rustling from other of two stalls. Very LONG pause.
Luke: "Here."
Hands me a wet piece of toilet paper about the size of my fingernail... ok, I'm exaggerating. It was probably the size of my big toenail.
Me: "Uh, Bud, that's not big enough. Can you get me a bigger one?"
Rustling noises commence. Long pause.
Luke: "I have to pee. BAD."
Me: "Ok. Ok. Go pee."
Pee sounds.
Flushing sounds.
(I am still hovering. Almost air dry by this point.)
Me: "Ok, Luke, can you get me a bigger piece?"
Rustling sounds.
Luke: "Auugh!"
Me: "Take your gloves off, Bud."
I see the gloves fall on the floor.
Many rustling noises. I start to worry that he is unwinding the whole industrial roll.
Luke: "Here you go."
Hands me a damp piece of toilet paper about the size of my hand.
I give in and use it, figuring I will just wash my hands REALLY good. And take a Clorox bath tonight.
We exit the stalls at the same time.
Luke: "That was YOU in there?!"


Seriously people, I couldn't make this stuff up.

Conversations from little kids

Brady: (storming out of bedroom) "I am not playing anymore if you're going to be invisible!"
Luke: (coming out also) "I don't want to be invisible!"
Olivia: (From bedroom-????) :"How about we ALL be invisible?"
Brady: "No!!! How can we play if we can't see each other?"
Luke: "We could all be invisible."
Olivia: "How about we can only be invisible 10 times?"
Luke: "We can all be invisible 10 times."
Brady: (very upset) "NO!!! I'M NOT PLAYING!!"
Olivia: "How about we can each be invisible ONE time?"
Brady: "You're invisible NOW."
Luke: "No one should be invisible."
Brady: "I'm not playing."
Me: "I have to go downstairs."

I think I'll let them work this one out on their own. I can't see them anyway.

Kindergartener Tote Bag 2010

Last year I made Brady's kindergarten teacher a giant tote bag. 

(Some of you might remember this- at the time my children were suffering from the common childhood ailment "Koolaid Moustache". We are having another fairly serious bout of it this year.) 

The bag was so big and sturdy that you could put a kindergartner in it so I named it the Kindergartner Bag. All of my teacher friends/family loved it and wanted one, so I decided it would be my go-to gift for all teachers- even non-kindergarten teachers. 

(You never know when you'll have to carry around a little kid in a giant tote bag.)

Here is this year's "kindergartner bag":

The teacher has this butterfly print in her classroom as a curtain and a pillow so I know she likes it.

Her favorite color is yellow. The lining on this is a vintage sheet.

Added yellow rick rack too- fun! And it helps stabilize the interfacing where I had to piece it. These bags are so big that I have to piece the interfacing before I can use it.

This bag has 3 pen pockets and a cell phone sized pocket on top of a book/folder pocket. There is also a book/folder pocket on the other side. Brady chose a "Where's Waldo?" book at the used book store to put inside the pocket.

 Stats: 

28" wide on top
20" tall
20" wide on bottom
8" deep

I feel like I am a bag lady instead of a quilter lately. I have gone through two BOLTS of interfacing since Thanksgiving. I'm gonna have to see about getting that stuff wholesale!

Conversations from a Fierce Jungle Cat

"I am a Fierce Jungle Cat! I must HUNT my prey- the lowly thread.. I mean STRINGSNAKE!"

"HA! Gotcha!"

"And you thought you could escape by slithering down here... There is no escape! I will BITE you!"

"Rawwwwrrrrrr!"

"I will pull it out of the machine and BITE it and EAT it. I must protect my Human! The Stringsnake could hurt her!"

("Look close- you can see my tongue sticking out.")

("This is what I am trying to stop from being finished.")

("Drat! She managed to get this far. I must step up my efforts.")