Appleton Dance

I wasn’t sure what I’d find when the snow melted last month. I trudged around in the mud a little and it seemed like there might be enough information left in the labyrinth, that I wouldn’t have to start over from scratch. I never anticipated that I’d be able to re-use the layout from the year before, but it seemed like it might be possible. By this past weekend the ground had dried enough so I could get out there and take a look around. I got out the little 18-inch push mower and thought I’d just start at the beginning and see if I could mow a path through the leaves and debris. Hopeless confusion soon put that idea to rest. Since I didn’t want to risk cutting across grass path boundaries, I put the mower away and decided I needed to mark what I could see of the paths and go from there. I bought some paint at Home Depot. I meant to buy inverted marking paint, but I purchased striping paint instead. The only difference, I think, is that the striping paint has a type of nozzle made to u...

This classy zippered clutch was inspired by a cute, free bag from Clinique cosmetics that turned out to be a perfect size and shape for taking to the opera. The clutch is eight-inches wide and six-inches tall with a two-inch wide, squared-off base. The shape tapers to a point at the top and features a zipper set-in one inch from the top of the clutch. The clutch is constructed similarly to the pyramid pouch in that a zipper is used to form a tube of fabric and the bag is formed by shaping the tube with seams. A lining is constructed in the same fashion as the bag, without the zipper. The lining is hand-stitched in place. Beading embellishment may be added before the lining is inserted. I attached a beaded toggle to the zipper pull on this bag. Materials: 12 x 16 inch upholstery, decorator, or heavy weight dress fabric for bag 12 x 16 inch medium weight interfacing 12 x 16 inch lightweight fabric for lining 12-inch zipper to match fabric thread to match fabric beads and beading thread f...

My daughter saw this cute pyramid pouch in a store and liked it, so when I saw a pyramid bag mentioned on the Craftster site I wanted to try to make one for her. Directions were also available as Teepee bag from Marie's Sewing Center online. I tried making the bag several different ways in several sizes and decided I didn't like making the bag any smaller than 6.5 inches on a side when finished. That size is made with a 7.5 x 15-inch piece of cotton and uses a 7-inch zipper. After following directions for making the basic bag, I made a lining by sewing a second pyramid with coordinating fabric, didn't install the zipper, and inserted the lining separately by hand with a running stitch along the zipper tape. Installing a lining was fast and easy and made the pouch both sturdier and prettier.

Jerzy Drozd's comic book workshop at this year's Kerrytown Bookfest was superb. He crammed a lot of info into a short time and I learned a lot about storytelling in a highly compressed package: big picture = big event. Now I want to storyboard everything! I left the class very happy with my tiny comic about a sunflower who ran away from the drought-plagued acres to freedom by the roadside. I picked up a really great book in Hollander's while I was waiting for my class: Creating Handmade Books by Alisa Golden . This is a treasure trove of excellent instructions for making every type of artists' book.

The grass is getting longer in the labyrinth. I marked the turns with little glass balls like the one in the herb planter.

I saw this watermelon-slice placemat at my local quilt shop, The Stitchery , and liked the look of it as well as the fact that it is a log-cabin, quilt-as-you-go design. I enjoy the quilt-as-you-go method and had never tried this log-cabin technique so I was eager to give it a try. Karen at The Stitchery said the design was " Quilt a Summertime Table Runner " by Shelley Robson from Better Homes and Gardens' spring 2007 edition of their American Patchwork magazine. I made some changes to the pattern to make a placemat for a 36-inch round table instead of a runner. My adaptation didn't turn out perfectly, but I had fun and enjoyed learning something new. I love this log-cabin, quilt-as-you-go method and want to try it again.

Montreal was glorious. We took the train from Windsor and stayed at the Hotel XIX Siecle on the Rue St. Jacques in the Old Port. We walked everywhere in the narrow streets, stopping at churches and museums and enjoying the exuberant architecture. We took a boat ride on the St. Lawrence and a subway ride across town to the Museums Nature Montreal where a visitor could spend a lifetime enjoying all there is to see. Take a virtual tour of the botanical garden.