Cranes, Coyotes, and Banners

Short story: the crane couple was stalked by a single coyote. We watched through binoculars as the coyote would make a dash for them and the cranes would fly a short distance away then it would repeat this went on a long time with no luck for the coyote. If you recall last year a coyote did get one of their chicks for a meal. I wondered why the cranes just didn't take off and leave the area but they stayed almost teasing the coyote and making me very nervous. 

This is a pintail duck and a pair of mallards. There were two male pintails and one female in our pond with the crane couple on the side too. We want to get the pond enlarged but the road restrictions are still on meaning it's too soft to drive on with loads. The backhoe has to come in here and dig.

Been making a lot of banners lately, my student and I.
She is finished now for the summer and will return in the Fall. The red in the banners is red satin. 

A Valentine banner. The front I used 1" pink ribbon and the back is banner fabric. 

 Kalen so comfortable on any chair or loveseat he picks!

Kalen on the right is not this much smaller than Pan it's the camera angle. I have a dog sitter coming to live here while we are off to Iceland next week with our daughter and two grandsons. I also have my student and her Mom coming over twice a day to exercise the dogs properly, they live close by. I also have back up people if something goes wrong. It's such a worry to find the right people to do this as I have a very hard time leaving these boys w/o worrying about them the entire time. I felt it best they stay home as they have never been left at a kennel. 
I should have some very different photos then when I return. 
Happy Mother's Day to all my friends!

card image from Sandy
Nan

Around the sewing room

Love this little blue deer that sits on top of a painting in my craftroom. 

New sparklie collars for the boys.

The crane couple has arrived here from CA. 

Soon they will be 'painting' their feathers rust color to hid themselves when nesting. There are spots around the bay when they go to do their painting. 

My student's lastest creation, a drop waist skirt with a beautiful hand installed zipper she did. Lessons will be ending this month for the summer. If we ever get a summer that is. Fairbanks had 4 inches of snow this week! I'm making more banners in a 4th of July theme. 

Nan

Happy Birthday Kalen

Photos taken out at the Homer Spit 8:15 pm Saturday April 27 which is Kalen's third birthday. Here he is with Bob on the beach. If Bob looks cold he is the wind is blowing hard and it's 44 degrees.

The boys on another walk closer to Home. I don't use leashes for walks here as we're not on a busy street and the boys come sit by me when a car does go by, they mind very well. 

How corn grows in Alaska inside a heated green house in April. I made my hanging baskets at Cookies the other day it will be weeks before they can be put outside, right now they are growing in her greenhouse. This year I went with a pink wave petunia along with white lobelia. 

 Sewing you bet. I made this flannel blouse using the same pattern I've been using in my former post. It's a woven flannel. Now I like it so much I'm going to make a silk one next. My student will soon be taking the summer off as so much goes on in our fast and furious summers here. My other student got herself a job in CO. 

Saturday I made this banner from fabric my student gave me. It has a sewing theme. I line my banners with batting to give them more body. Now to make one for July 4th.

Nan 

Two more clothing items finished

 I love this pattern it's vintage, long darts front and back and fits perfect too with my alterations to the shoulder width where my arms are. I add an inch there. Pattern is Butterick 8479 from the 50's I'd say.

This is a modern pattern. I kind of have the sleeves pushed up here, the cuff has a split and I think I have them about 1" too long, I can turn them up there perhaps. The lining is the black dots and I used a modern pattern using black wool gabardine. The pattern has princess seams front and back and there is a seam down the back as well. Nothing special or spectacular about a black blazer is there. 

* We had snow today while sitting in church, oh when will it all end?

Nan

Silk and Quilt

Kalen posing for me by the Dupoini silk blouse I finished. Such an easy silk to work on, so substantial and the fabric has a 'glow' to it. I buy it on line at fabric.com for $21. a yard for the wide fabric. I happen to love this color as I feel good wearing it. It's best to dry clean it over hand wash.

Autumn finishing up a quilt another student started and left for a couple years. She added the two borders and put together the two lines of quilting adding a few more rectangles. She added a red/white checked binding which she is now sewing down by hand on the inside. Next I think we'll be making some 4th of July banners. 

Nan

Cashmere Jacket finished

 This new jacket took only 7 hours to make compared with the Chanel @ 75. It didn't call for lining but looks so much nicer with lining I used the gold poplin/silk. Those are drop pleats at the hems so the lining has 'give' to it. It's all put in by hand at the outside edges. I'm pretty quick these days with the 'fell stitch.' 

This is the next project a pistachio dupoini silk blouse in a pattern I have used before twice. I have a red silk one and it's so gorgeous. The problem was getting it on and off. I have changed the pattern to have a zipper in the back and I enlarged the whole blouse by 1/2 inch just to give me extra room so I'm not splitting seams when I wear it. You know it fit once I had it on getting it off was a problem that is when seams split!

Took the dogs to the beach the other day. Did you know there is no ocean smell at our beaches? The reason being it's cold here. The forest has no smell either. 

That is a lump of coal washed up on the beach. These can be picked up to burn as fuel. I thought the dogs would really love this but I realize they don't care where they go as long as they are near us!

Chanel finally finished! New jacket started!

 The Chanel jacket finally completed and worn to a tea at the Ivory Goose on Wed! 75 hours to complete.

The real star is the inside of this jacket it's just so beautiful. Lots of hand work in this and I love the gold chain at the bottom. 

I cut out this jacket on Tue. It's a beautiful gold wool cashmere with a magenta velveteen collar facing. 

The lining is a cotton/silk poplin gold in a 55% cotton/45% silk. I love this fabric. Have you ever used it?

The back has a low back panel it's a cute pattern and pretty darn easy next to the Chanel. I'm going to set-in the sleeves today. I have the lining put together but for the sleeves that is next. The pattern does not call for lining but I think lining it will add so much beauty and comfort to the wearing.

Nan

Easter

Easter was a sunny day the temps won't sound warm to you but here in Alaska they are to us.

I'm finally wearing my 1940's retro dress with pink gloves found on Etsy (they are darker than shown here). I had some looks at the gloves as people do not see this anymore, that's okay I'm starting a trend here in Homer! There is no reason why we can't go back to the beautiful styles of the past! 

Sleeve inside work

Chanel report! These sleeves are in the jacket and I am on the very final step of hand sewing the pockets on. I have 75 hours into this and a world of new techniques learned. I encourage anyone to try one of these jackets using Claire Shaeffer's Vogue pattern on making an authentic Chanel. It looks plain but oh it is not on the inside, nothing simple about making one of these and it's so comfortable and feels so heavy when you pick it up. I'm hoping 100 years from now someone somewhere looks at the inside and says 'This is a couture garment all hand sew and not made in factory assembly line in China. 

This image from a Couture book inspired me to go in this direction. Made years ago, no label it's recognized as a couture garment years and years later.

Nan