Bella Dia

Pillowcase Skirt

I've made myself a few skirts to take
on vacation - actually dipping my toe into the big pool of making my own clothes. I picked a very basic pattern that has only two pieces and an elastic waist, thinking that it can't get any easier than this... but then I found out that it actually can! I was going through my stash looking for fabric that my daughter might like for a skirt when I came across this vintage pillowcase I had found thrifting awhile back. I love the border print and thought it would make a cool looking skirt so this is what I did:

1- cut open the end of the pillowcase;
2 - try on and decide what length you want it; trim any excess from the end you just cut open but leave an extra 1" or so for the casing;
3 - fold over the raw edge to create
a casing for the elastic (I fold over ¼" first and then ¾" so you don't see the raw edge) and press, then stitch the casing closed leaving a 1" opening to insert the elastic;
4 - insert the elastic (I used ½") through
the casing and sew up the ends;
5 - stitch the opening in the
casing closed and you're done!

Super-de-duper easy :)
I'll be back in about a week, take care 'til then!

Another Trip, Another Bag

Well, we're going on vacation - what I call a real vacation, a holiday. Resort hotel, drinks by the pool, room service, and sandals! It's been at least six years since I've been on any sort of holiday that wasn't visiting family so this is quite a treat that the kids and I have been looking forward to. So, the last bag I made for a road trip was The Big Bag but this time I wanted something to carry with me, more of a tote, so this is what I came up with. I am absolutely in love with this fabric with all its shades of yellow and orange and big bold flowers. I also just happened to have the perfect limey green for the lining already in my stash.

Of course it has to have pockets - two small ones on one side....

and a large one on the other.

I had two of these glitter lucite buttons that I've been wanting to use and I think they look pretty good with the fabric. I like boxing up the bottom this way because it creates another spot to add a fun detail.

I think I also have the blog lethargy that's been going around; even though I'm really busy with projects, a new job, house spring cleaning and stuff like that, when I sit down at the computer my brain goes into sleep mode. I'm hoping after I get back from our trip that I'll feel more motivated for blogging. I really appreciate all the comments and apologize for not getting back to everyone - I love keeping up that correspondence but I've been so squeezed for time lately that I haven't been able to, but I do read all the comments and they are very special to me. Being a part of this community has been such an awakening for me and taken me down paths I never even thought to explore - thank you to each and every one of you who read my blog and are so supportive of my work, I am blessed, truly blessed.

Chou Chou's Story

It's a one hour drive along a high desert highway to get to the nearest major town where we do our big shopping - you know, Costco, Target, Old Navy. What isn't desert is farmland and ranches and just a handful of homes along the way. Coming down from a rise in the road, I could see a little black spot on one of the yellow stripes running down the middle of the highway. As I got closer I could see it moving but still thought it was some sort of trash or debris fallen from one of the many trucks that travel through. As suddenly as I was on top of it I realized that it was a little black kitten standing on the yellow stripe mewing as loud as he could to the wind! I pulled over as fast as I could and ran back down the highway to get him, panicing that he would be hit by a car right before my eyes. His voice sounded dry and hoarse but determined too - somebody help me! I scooped him up and ran sobbing back to the car so thankful that I had gotten him but worried that he wouldn't last long too. I handed him off to my daughter and he immediately fell asleep in her lap. We weren't far from town now so we got him food and water which he took to right away but then I noticed that his whiskers were singed and the tip of his ear looked almost melted. The vet thought that maybe he had gotten up into someone's car engine to keep warm but burned himself in the process and then fell out on the highway. He still had his baby blue eyes and wasn't much bigger than the palm of my hand but had a strong will to survive. We named him Chou Chou (shoo-shoo) - it's a French expression of endearment meaning "my little cabbage" - like we might say, "my little pumpkin." (Anyone that speaks French correct me if I'm wrong :) ) We've had him for five years now and he's grown into such a handsome boy with beautiful pale green eyes. He doesn't like to be held but he's extremely affectionate. Recently, he got in a fight with one of the other cats (I think I know who but I'm not naming names) and he got a nasty bite on his neck that became infected. We've been doctoring him up and it's healing well but one thing that really helped was snipping off the end of a felted sweater sleeve and slipping it on like a big thick collar. It's so dense that he can't scratch at it but comfortable for him too - not like those goofy plastic Elizabethan collars that make your pet act like a drunken sailor. So that's the story of Chou Chou *and* another use for felted sweaters ;)

Japanese Craft Books (part 2)

Book #39 cover
ISBN 4-579-11088-9

Book #39 excerpt - I love this idea of a little embroidered bit made into a necklace!

Book #40 cover
ISBN 4-529-04204-9

Book #40 excerpt - lots of cute ideas for embroidery in this book

Book #41 cover
ISBN 4-309-28044-7

Book #41 excerpt - needle felting technique and ideas

Book #42 cover
ISBN 4-579-11032-3

Book #42 excerpt - more embroidery technique, designs, and ideas

Book #43 cover
ISBN 4-579-11012-9

Book #43 excerpt - I thought this small piece was so inspiring :)

Japanese Craft Books (part 1)

I bought these new Japanese craft books several months ago but I'm just now getting around to posting about them. I'll have the second installment in a few days. A lot of these lean towards embroidery, I guess that's what I was in the mood for when I was ordering. I'll be putting these and the others into my Japanese Craft Book Library on Flickr as soon as I can and you can see the whole collection there. Enjoy!

Book #35 cover
ISBN#07-245782-5

Book #35 excerpt

Book #36 cover
ISBN#4-277-43069-4

Book #36 excerpt

Book #37 cover
ISBN#4-07-250040-2

Book #37 excerpt

Book #38 cover
ISBN#4-8347-2368-2

Book #38 excerpt

Isn't this a wonderful stoneware pendant
I got from Molly?! For some reason it brings out my inner Hippy and I feel so cool when I wear it - pretty powerful stuff since being cool is
definitely not a way I would describe myself! The adjustable leather cord is great and the pendant itself has a nice heft to it. Take a look for yourself at her Etsy shop.

I also have some of Molly's buttons
that I'm in love with. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll have time to make a big totebag with these for the closure before summer ends.

Vicki tagged me awhile back for the 5 Things meme (thanks Vicki!) but I haven't gotten around to it since I've been behind on my blogging and blog reading. Anyway, here goes...

1.  Five minutes to yourself:  how would you spend them, ideally?
sitting in the sun with my eyes closed

2.  Five bucks to spend right now: how would you spend it?
I'd head for the thrift shop with my fingers crossed

3. Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?
oh, just 30 seconds in the kids room and I could find plenty to throw out - I just have to make sure they’re not looking

4.  Five items you absolutely, positively could never part with in your house?
boxes of family pictures, my computer because it has tons of family pictures and lots of other important info, a small statue that my mother made, momentos from my children’s childhood, Christmas ornaments

5. Five words you love?
wonderland, lollipop, loopy, ruffles, chickadee

I'm not tagging anyone 'cause it seems this has been done by most of you but feel free to tag yourself and join along :)