from Harriet in PWYC:
An evening of sorting fabrics.
HRH came down and said,
"I see fabric. That's a good sign."
YES!! Yes, it is.
1) Yesterday afternoon I helped DSis with a project that involved some waiting time. I took along my knitting loom and a skein of yarn to start knitting a hat. My 6yo great-niece was interested in the loom so I wound the yarn on all the pegs and let her use the tool to pull the bottom loop up and over the top loop. We did that for a couple of rows and then she was ready to go eat her snack. I have an extra large skein of gray yarn that I'm hoping will be enough for 3 hats to donate to the library's mittens & hats tree. Almost all of the hats that arrive at the library are bright colors, so I like to make some in neutral colors.
2) Today while I was at work, the animal shelter cat volunteer I've helped in the past stopped by the library and gave me 2 big bags of fleece. I will take the yards of fabric to sewing group day camp Friday & Saturday to cut into little cat mats. I may or may not sew them right away. I may or may not try to get a group together at the library sometime this winter to sew them. The cat volunteer said they don't need them for several months because they still have lots from the last batch I did. Someone donated this fleece, though, and she didn't want it sitting around her house. My priority is to cut the yards of fleece into the small size mats so they'll be ready to sew whenever I want.
There is usually a lot of competition for the raised cutting tables at the sewing day camps, meaning a lot of waiting time with several people taking turns for the cutting mats. We have plenty of tables available in the room but not everyone owns a mat so we usually run short. Therefore, I'm going to take my own cutting mat and set up a separate table that I can reserve for both days. I need to remember to take a new blade with me, too, because I don't remember if I changed it when I cut all the fleece for cats last time.
3) I ordered a handle with suction cups to attach to my 6"x24" ruler to make it easier to hold in place while I'm cutting the fleece cat mats. Unfortunately, it is backordered until Monday and might not arrive in time for this camp Friday & Saturday. I decided to order it anyway as I am assuming that the cat mats will continue to be an ongoing project. Plus, I had a gift card.
I hope the handle gadget works as well as the multiple reviews say it does. If not, I have a package of little grippy circles to attach to the bottom of the ruler that are supposed to stop it from sliding out of place.
4) If I get all of the fleece cat mats cut and my back still feels ok, then I will move on to cut a bunch of nylon netting into strips that I can crochet into dish scrubbies. The nylon net is slippery enough to be a challenge to cut into the strips, so I want to take advantage of the raised table for that as well.
5) For actual sewing at camp if I feel like doing it, I still have several baby sleep sacks to put together that I cut out months ago. Even if I'd had time to sew them over the summer, I had no desire to work with heavy fabric when it was so blazing hot. Also, other members of the group had sewn so many last winter and spring that the organization we were doing them for asked us to stop because they had enough and didn't have room to store any more. Nevertheless, the ones I have cut out are taking up a lot of room in my project pile. I could count them as a decluttering project if I could finish sewing them and deliver them by the end of October.
6) Before diving into the baby sleepers, though, I should do a sample of an idea for coworker Christmas gifts. I saw a free online pattern for a bag that looks quick and easy but might be deceptive. I should find the pattern again to try to find test fabric in my stash.
7) Of course, while I'm pulling those things together to pack for Friday, I know I'll run into a bunch of other Works In Progress. Must not get sidetracked!!