My beef with the ham.

I recently made seats for some round chairs and was reminded how hard it is to press slipcovers at times. I have a pressing ham
that works sometimes, but not that often. (Not to be confused with a ham press ). For a while I have been wanting to make one myself.


I decided that I need something shaped more like a roast. I cut two layers of wool for the top and two for the bottom and two strips for the "boxing". Since the pressing roast needs to be extra firm and I didn't want to go out looking for sawdust, I used cut up wool scraps.





I was having a hard time getting it firm enough, so I added a core of rolled up wool.



The finished product looks more like a giant pork chop, but will work nicely for those hard to press slipcover arm-fronts. For the round cushions I actually need a big pie slice. Maybe I will tackle that next.

set free

A couple of weeks ago, I found this old box at an outdoor rummage sale. It looks like it had small bottles of wine in it originally. I filled it with notebooks and a small sketch book that I found in a nearby box, and said, "How much?" I love rescuing items that might have continued to collect dust somewhere if I hadn't come along.






I've been reading some great books about journal making, and decided to make an attempt. Maybe I will actually write down some of those thoughts and ideas that have been locked up in my brain for a while, before they slink off to a far corner and starve to death.





I took the cover off the sketch book, and rejoined the pages with a piece of green elastic cord, secured with buttons at the top and bottom, and tied on the back.



I used my husband's fly-tying technique to secure the knots...brush-on nail repair stuff, that is actually just super-glue with a brush in it.




Then, I just sewed a pocket from nice, strong paper that I saved from a Mother's Day gift.




I guess you could call it a pocket-book.

What's left is right.

As you can see by his smile, Max made it to the beach.


I was asked to come up with some table decorations for a brunch this weekend and decided to use what I have around here. I had some sheer yellow ribbon left from the rehearsal dinner candle holders, and I also have a craft drawer full of silk flower heads. (Rescued from my daughter's yard sale.) I tied some of the petals on the ribbon into a long string.




I think I will use my "yard birds" in the middle of the tables, with the bepetalled ribbon strewn around, along with votive holders left over from Raya's wedding.




I just pulled the ribbon through the holes in the middle of the petals with a crochet hook.....




...and tied a knot.



Wouldn't this be cute as a window treatment in a little girl's room?

Trying to catch up.

The pictures from the rehearsal dinner are here on Raya's blog.

I am now trying to get caught up on all the sewing projects that are filling up my work space.



Max has turned to the stuffed kitty on my newly slipcovered chair for company because he can see that I am way too busy to spend much time with him.
" Be patient, Max, and we will go to the B-E-A-C-H soon. Oops, I forgot you know what that spells."