Valerean

The first three months of 2025 proved very tough to get through for me, but I finished my first big work project of the year and got my income taxes filed on time. I did so well with my taxes that I beat last year's medical insurance underage (+$9.00) by six bucks, which amazed my preparer. It's very hard to estimate my income, but I was only $3.00 off this year, and I didn't have to pay anything because my rollover prepaid tax covered it. That's why when we went on a road trip to Dunellon to cruise the antique and junk shops I gave myself permission to buy whatever I wanted, like this little haul of vintage fabrics, a pair of embroidered napkins, and a bundle of romance books. :) The petite point on the napkins is just gorgeous. At a local artist collective shop I bought a fabric-covered notebook, some sketched cards and a bottle of delicious carrot cake linen and room spray. At the local yarn and sewing shop I found some half-price Rozetti Polari...

Torn handles are a common problem with thrifted bags; they're one of the most stressed parts, and any that are made of fabric often end up shredded as the bag ages. What I needed to do was strengthen and cover the frayed area. I picked out a fabric from my scrap bin that I thought would work well with the Vera Bradley print, and cut two strips from it. Before I started the repair work I ironed the frayed area on both straps flat. That was when I discovered there is some kind of heat fuseable glue in the white interfacing under the frayed fabric, and had to clean glue residue off my iron. Just thought I'd mention it in case someone else tries ironing a Vera Bradley product. It was then a matter of wrapping the new fabric over the damage, pinning it in place, and sewing it on with the machine. Before I did that I ironed my edges on the strips so that they had a 1/4" hem on all sides. If you don't do this then your raw edges will fray. The fix came o...

After laundering my small lot of Vera Bradley purses and a wallet, I hung them to dry. This takes a couple days but helps me avoid warping, wrinkling and other problems that can arises from putting purses in the dryer. I was able to get out most of the brown coffee stain on the blue-green tote, which is old and well-loved but still remains fairly sturdy and quite pretty. It will work nicely as a project bag. Washing it did fray both handles on the tote, so I'll need to patch those. Stop by tomorrow and I'll show you the results.

Back in November I got this blind date with a book at Writer's Block in Winter Garden. The thing that sold me on it was the description, especially the final bullet point. It turned out to be The Monstrous Kind by Ludia Gregovic, a gothic fantasy romance extremely loosely based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (basically, one setting.) Definitely got a lot of hype, but was it worth it? Upfront let me say that I am a fan of Jane Austen, and in the past I have actually borrowed an element from her universe for a ghost writing gig. While her works are in the public domain, which means anyone can do pretty much anything they like to them with impunity, there are still some ethical problems with that. I am not a fan of writers who cut and paste her work, reword it just enough to escape plagiarism, and then claim the work as their own original work. It's a practice I find disrespectful and dishonest as well as disgusting. Thankfully Austen only inspired th...

I finished that crocheted throw started back in February. The uneven rows didn't look as wavy as I hoped, but I'm still happy with it (and I used eight skeins of thrifted yarn that might otherwise end up in a landfill.) I cleaned and touched up the veneer on this sturdy thrifted table to make it the new home for my sewing machines, iron and other stuff. I sewed some easter bunnies from some free patterns I found online. My first mini-quilt of March was a visual poem about life, luck and lemons. The second mini-quilt was all about vintage lace, velvet, buttons and bling. From a box of scrap yarn I made two small baskets, a ponytail tie, three hair scrunchies, a braided keychain, an embroidered book cover, a coaster, a trinket dish, a bookmark, two cup sleeves and about a yard of ribbon for gift wrapping. The only thing I used a variation of a pattern for is the round basket; everything else is improvised. I made this spring table topper from a charm pack I ...

I like to buy thrift store bundles like this one from Goodwill, as they often are cheaper than single items. You have to get a good idea of what's inside, which is sometimes difficult because you often can't open the bundles. This bag of seven yarn skeins caught my eye because of the big white one-pound skein. I use a lot of white yarn. Caron one-pound skeins retail for around twenty bucks new now. Also I like Red Heart yarns, and these super savers are $3 to $4 new. So this bundle would have cost me at least $38.00 if I paid retail. Some bundles I buy just because I'm intrigued by the contents, and they catch my eye at the perfect time (I'll do another post in the future about why with this particular bundle.) Although there were only three skeins of yarn, the bundle had so much more fun inside, from a dozen different crochet hooks and knitting needles to pretty craft edging scissors (the first pair I've ever owned!). The very long crochet ho...

I want to make another crocheted throw, but I'm undecided on which pattern to use. So pondering that while I pull the colors I want to use for it from my stash. Since I'm not ready to commit to a bigger project, I decided to use up two jumbo skeins of this Caron ombre yarn that I thrifted to keep my fingers exercised. Crochet has turned out to be the best physical therapy for me at this stage of my RA; it helps me maintain some flexibility and works out the stiffness in my joints. I'm also having fewer episodes with my trigger finger problem on both hands since I began crocheting every night. This is a patternless project; it'll be a V-stitched wrap I can wear around my shoulders while I work on cold mornings. I do my own version of V-stitch in double instead of treble crochet because I can work that pretty mindlessly. I just made the foundation chain as wide as I wanted the piece, and I'll use up both skeins (and possibly a third in a cream color t...

I was taught old-fashioned manners, like always be polite, wait for your turn, don't depend on others to do your work, etc. I grew up in a time when being mannerly was expected. Wait for your turn is a no-brainer; if everyone is standing in line you don't cut in front of them, right? Even when there's food involved. That's just fairness at its essence. Last month I read an article about a lawyer who was arrested for assaulting a man with a plate while waiting in line at the food buffet. This turned into a fist and food fight (during a wedding, no less) because someone cut the line and everyone went nuts, or so the lawyer claims. I had the same situation happen to me during the holidays. My guy took me out for dinner, and I ordered the endless salad bar and soup. I then went to the salad bar, waiting for my turn behind six other people who were already there. After five minutes it was finally my turn, but then this woman got up from a table, stepped right in ...

This video helped me a lot last month. The visuals are a little annoying, but the lesson is a powerful one. I think it's something that can blow away the crap other people do to you, frankly, and bring you to a place of peace.

My fifteen year old wallet has finally fallen apart, so I decided to thrift a replacement. The one I liked came in a small lot of bags, so I decided to bid on it for the minimum, and won it with no challengers. Let's see if it was worth it. The purple bag at the top left is actually the wallet. It has all the compartments a girl could need, and is in mint condition. With the outer strap I can even carry it like a purse if I want. Vera Bradley wallets like this one retails new for $75.00 to $145.00. The black bag with the red stripe is nice, and in good condition. It just needs a bath. The blue and green tote was well loved by someone who used it for a long time. It's worn and soft, and will make a lovely project bag. It has what looks to be a coffee spill stain on one side, so I'll see if I can get that out. The black and white purse is in good used condition, and only has a bit of soiling. I'll be giving all four a good cleani...

Generally speaking an art quilt, especially one that has been embellished with hot fix pearls and crystals, should not be washed. Thread painting and applique work like the kind done on both can be delicate, too. That said, the pair I just thrifted needed a bath. I decided to roll the dice once more and see if I could clean them (anything of value should only be cleaned by a professional textile cleaning service with experience handling such things.) They were both a bit too big for my hand washing basin, so I soaked them in cold water and some mild detergent in the bathroom sink. I'm glad I didn't wash them together, as the green and violet runner shed a bit of dye in the water. The panel quilt's dust and storage residue came out in the water, turning it a light beige. I didn't soak either piece long; just about fifteen minutes. I then rinsed them out in cold water and hung them to dry. The green runner came out brighter with no damage or loss of ...