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I love otedama, don’t ask me to do it, I’m just an admirer. I am about as coordinated as a drunken moose. But I can make the ojami just fine which does take a little coordination, but at least when it comes to avoiding needle pricks and sewing my own thumbs into the bag I can manage.

This is such a good craft for using up strips of scrap fabric. Each one is made of 4 pieces. For a western sized juggling bag, about 1.5 by 3 inches stitched with a scant 3/8 seam, and for otedama sized bags just slightly larger (the proportions should be length= width*2) about 2.75 inches wide to 5.5 inches long with a scant 3/8th inch seam.

Arrange the strips into a pin wheel, then sew the face of 4 strips so that they meet. Then sew the each strip down and around the corners (this is easier done than described) leaving one side of the opposite face open to fill with azuki beans, but not stuffing the beans, and then blind stitching the final seam closed. Otedama is played like jacks (at first) so too many beans makes it harder to manipulate the ojami.

Mine are made with batik dyed linen scraps (I didn’t sew the texture, the fabric came like that) left over from a fish shaped pillow that I made for a friend many years ago. The texture equaled fish scales to me, unfortunately it was one of those projects that worked much better in concept than execution but at least I had the gorgeous scraps to play with on a slow rainy Oregon day.

I’m having so much fun making vinyl bags for two very good reasons:

1. Doesn’t take long
2. No shopping for supplies

I made this one with the idea of a light duty tote, something that I take to the library on a rainy day and use to carry home a few paperbacks. I was stumped when it came to attaching the handles (cheapo vinyl tubing) to the body of the tote.

That’s when I resorted to sifting through the office supplies, and found the cherry paper clips.

Here’s a close up of how I wrapped the wire on the tubing and used the paper clip. When heated the coating of the wire bonds to the vinyl tubing. It’s better than using vinyl glue and unlike the glue, using heat won’t yellow the either vinyl.

ETA: Make your own tote!

Matt surprised me by recanting his battery-less faith and acquiring batteries for the camera.

Which means I can show you this little bag that I was rambling on about last night.

I added the crochet top and yarn handles this morning (the fabric inside had to be stuffed in there otherwise it would have looked like yarn and a weird reflection in the pic.)

Lexi immediately said “Oh my new bag.” and made off with it. (She does this quite a bit with things that I make, that means she approves of the item and I have no hope of ever having it returned to me. Fortunately, Josey brought it back just long enough for me to take a photo.)

I know, it’s not my usual sewing mantra, usually I manage to put so many straight pins in a project that I need to grab the wire cutters in order to extract a few when I’m finished.

But tonight I managed to sew a clear vinyl bag from some clear vinyl that was in the selvage bin at a deep discount because it was ruined.

“You can’t iron it!” The woman at the counter scolded, scolded, me as I scooped it up.

I figured the flat bits would be good enough for wallet windows and clear pockets so no big deal if I had to throw away the wrinkles.

So I cleaned up the sewing area and fickled around for a while trying to think of how I could mess it up again– and a tote sounded like a good quicky project. Then it occurred to me that I often iron things that I shouldn’t, so I cut off some of the vinyl, stuck it between two sheets of paper and ironed the snot out of it. It did grow somewhat, so I cut two pieces for the front and back of the tote to about the size I wanted, then ironed the snot out of those (between two sheets of paper) and lo–! Still a little wobbly but not nearly as bad as before.

Right on. Trim the vinyl back to the desired size.

Next thing I know I have the sewing machine ready with a roller foot and leather needle. Try a few different stitches on a scrap, decide I like one. I stick the pieces together, sew the seams, clip the gussets, sew the gussets– turn the thing inside out and..

Are you ready for this?

A tote bag. Constructed entirely without the assistance of pins; a fact that sort of freaks me out. It was so fast, nothing broke or died, and I didn’t even feel compelled to throw the sewing machine out the window.

P.S. No pictures because the husband has joined a cult that forsakes the convenience of  batteries for digital cameras. It’s rather upsetting.

After searching high and low for the card of blue-gray buttons meant for Lexi’s frock, I gave up. As a parent though it’s possible to give up without giving in. For me this meant digging out the scraps and making two coordinating fabric covered buttons.

Thinking I was really clever I measured, sewed and cut the button holes. Assembled said buttons from coordinating scraps and fixed them to the front of the frock.

Lexi seemed to have forgotten all about the coveted frog buttons and wore the frock around the house, happily twirling and twisting the long hemmed skirt of it, testing it for tricycle safety and showing it off to her brother and father.

Then my husband informed me that she’d taken off the dress and left it in my sewing area. Now there’s only one reason anyone leaves anything in the sewing area and thats for mending.

I picked up the dress wondering if one of the seams had given way, or if indeed the hemline was not exactly tricycle proofed.

No.

It’s missing a button.

“Lexi, what happened to the button?”

“I cut it off.”

“Why?”

“It was wet.”

“How did it get wet?”

“There was spit on it.”

“How did it get spit on it?”

“I spit on it.”

“You spit on it and cut it off your dress?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to fix it.”

“Oh, you need a button!” Lexi produces the card of frog buttons.

Now at this point I have to give her credit for being persistent if nothing else and for planning ahead to create some kind of (demented as it may be) cover story. I could have asked her why she spit on the button in the first place, but I figure that’s probably self evident as she seems to hate all buttons excluding the frog buttons.

After a virtual storm of paperwork and forms concerning school, an online tour of the virtual campus, and faxing papers back and forth for financial aid over the course of three weeks I have nothing more to do than wait for my books.

And wait.

And do a little more waiting.

I finished another frock for Lexi, all but the buttons. I don’t exactly know why some of her dresses are “dresses” and some are “frocks” but she differentiates the two and this one is a “frock.” The mind of a four year old is a mysterious thing. I have buttons for it somewhere but we’re having creative differences. I want to sew modest matching blue-gray plastic buttons onto the dress and she wants bright green frog buttons.

Usually I’ll go along with her requests, this time– no. The bright green frog buttons are slated for use on another dress (frock?) that I’m going to make using pink printed fabric that features bright green frogs. The cuteness quotient of the next dress (or frock) will be off the scale with those buttons and I am *not* using the frog buttons before that dress (or frock) is made.

This has resulted in the disappearance of the blue-gray buttons.

Well played Lexi. Well played.

Adorable and not at all creepy.

Just because it sits there and stares at me.

Wearing the sweater I knit for it.

Staring.

Watching.

Waiting.

I’m working on the Flower Basket Shawl it’s a fun little knit, originally I planned doing it on size 5 needles using a single ply of yarn, but I ended up frogging it and using the doubled yarn on size 7s. As is it’s still a very small shawl but I plan on giving it to Lexi when I’m done and she’s a very small person.

Since I have to tink back a few rows I’m not exactly in the mood to photograph my progress at the moment.

I’ve also been doing some linen dyeing and a little spontenious sewing. This is a ruck sack that I made with some of the fabric. The patterning on the fabric is a bit overwhelming so I kept the design of the bag as simple as possible, I tend to like it much more now that it’s been sewn up.

At 12 inches high and 22 inches around, the bag is a nice size for the fabric, I don’t think it would have worked so well visually if I’d gone much larger. The draw-string and the straps are one in the same, it can’t be seen in the picture but at the bottom of the sack there are buttons and the ends of the drawstring have button holes so it can be unbuttoned and carried, or buttoned and worn like a backpack.

Since I’m a little obsessive about finishing it’s fully lined with undyed linen.

The husband and I have a few communication problems around this time of year. About 2-3 years ago I ran out of essential oils which I use for candles. Sure, I have a huge honkin’ thing of clove oil, and a small smattering of cedar oil– but the clove and cedar oils are not for soap and candle making, they are for household stuff (like refreshing those little fat goddess ceramic thingies I use instead of sachets and not things that actually get eaten, burned, or bathed with.)

So I haven’t made soap, candles or anything that required essential oils for a long time since I was completely out. The exception was a Christmas exchange where my recipient had specifically said she had a desire for clove soap, I think so she could use it as a satchet. That was two holiday seasons ago.

I have gone too long without stocking up. I knew in theory that Stayton had a health food store, I’d never been in there. Matt says we’ll just visit one of the larger ones in Salem, but somehow in the six or so years we’ve lived here we’ve never gone. Yesterday we finally made it to the little one here in Stayton. I bought my oils.

I think Matt has a fear of herb and healthfood stores (like suddenly I’m going to wake up and say “You know, I think we need to be on some hippy macrobiotic vegetarian diet. I hate bacon.”) Either that or he knows of precious jewels hidden somewhere in the house and he’s driving me crazy intentionally so that he can search for them (ala Angel Street or Gaslight)– just a theory.< /p>

Anyway this makes me extremely happy to at last have the oils, but it also means that I’m going to have to twist my husband’s arm a little to go on two more teeny tiny supply runs, one for wax and one for lye and olive oil. For some reason when time is limited (and it is) he decides he’s too busy up until the eleventh hour, then lectures me on doing things at the last minute. It’s very passive agressive of him.

I informed him that it’s easy enough to buy these things without me, then he claims he doesn’t know what to get. Buy a big chunk of wax, it’s just @#$!ing wax! You know wax?! It comes in big ten pound blocks, don’t worry about the hardness, just get out the wallet pay for it and bring it home!

It’s just wax.

It’s just olive oil– I have a plethora of soap recipes, I swear you can’t buy the wrong stuff. It’s just lye. Both can come from the grocery store with little or no ceremony at all.

I don’t want to hear how I do everything at the last minute for the g’zillionth time because when I have a choice about things I do most things well ahead of time. Lately, I haven’t had a reasonable alternative, if I order my supplies online the we pay oodles and gobbles for shipping which is ridiculous to pay when the stuff can come from the grocery store.

If I start now I’ll have plenty of time to make the soap and candles I need for both Christmas goodies and craft fair goodies. Otherwise, there won’t be enough time for the soap to cure even if I stick it in the closet with a dehumidifier, and I’ll be up the night before the craft fair topping off the candles and sticking them in the freezer– and nobody wants to buy goodies from a surly sleep deprived woman bearing pointy sticks.

His answer to this? “Well I thought you’d want to knit the stuff.” Nice try Buddy.

He knows, and I know; this is not a high end craft fair. This is the sort of craft fair where little old ladies go and sell bunnies made from washcloths for barely enough to cover the price of the washcloth. This is the sort of craft fair where I’m constantly asked to justify my existence by customers, who are sincerely shocked that handmade items cost more than the stuff at Wally World. I go as a favor to the organizer kind of craft show.

Okay, so I’m in a surly mood already, that doesn’t help and to be fair Matt is busy with his own projects. However, I think it’s fair to be a little cranky about what is clearly a pattern of behavior. It’s the holiday season so I can try extra hard to be nice, I’ve been patient this far– I guess I can go a little farther.

If I have to.

In the meantime, just to be safe I’m going to [cringe] plug in the sewing machine and start making some small goodies at least for the craft fair.