Thursday, February 14, 2008

My Sweet Valentine

This was what my husband made me for Valentine's day! He's so sweet. He made me a heart-shaped swivel box out of wood. But what's even sweeter is what he put inside:


My man, who does not cook except for his own breakfast (because I just can't handle the sight of food too early in the morning), made these chocolate dipped almonds just for me. He made them from roasted almonds and sugar-free dark chocolate because he knows I'm on a diet. What a guy I married twenty-three years ago!

And he doesn't just make me chocolate, he kills bugs for me, too!

Unbeknownst to me, this centipede had made himself very comfortable napping in my quilt frame while I was hand-quilting. I'd been quilting for thirty minutes before it decided to make its presence known. I screamed and did the standard centipede dance (quite hilarious to watch) and my knight in shining armor showed up to rescue me with his leather gloves and centipede whomping mallet.

I was bit by a centipede for the first time last year, and let me tell you, it hurts. A lot. The swelling didn't go down for a couple of months, either. The worst part? It bit me in bed. That's right, it was in bed with me. Centipedes like cozy places like bedsheets and pillowcases. Since that night, I check my bed thoroughly before I get into it. Hawaii is not for wimps, let me tell you.


My sweetie makes me stuff all the time. Practical stuff, like this spool holder. I use this thing almost every day! It's a coat hanger stuffed into a block of wood and I've had it since 1990. I could get a nice stainless spool holder, but I love this one. Every time I use it, I just have to smile. I'm a lucky woman.

Okay, enough about family. Let's get to the quilting stuff, eh?



I wanted to make a knitting bag, so I bought this pattern at Ready-to-Sew Bernina in Round Rock, Texas last June. (My good friend Karen works there and was kind enough to show me around Austin and Round Rock last year. I loved Texas.) I bought the pattern not realizing that I needed pre-quilted fabric to make the bag. When I got back to Kauai, the only pre-quilted fabric on the island was dark green solid. Bleah. So I decided to make my own quilted fabric, and then make the bag from my own pre-quilted fabric.


I love the way the bag came out, but let me tell you, I sweated and cursed my way through the construction of it. I didn't realize that commercial polyester pre-quilted fabric is much, much thinner than quilted fabric using a cotton blend batting. Argh! My machine could barely sew through the french seams the pattern called for! But that's okay. I like it anyway even though my french seams are too chunky.


The back side. Lots of pockets for knitting notions and a sturdy handle construction.


This is the inside of the bag, obviously. This picture makes me laugh. It reminds me of "Jaws." Do dee do deee do deee....it's coming eat your sock yarn!!!

Heh heh...a predatory knitting bag. You saw it here first.

Reminder: sign up for the Happy Hula Hut pattern and fabric giveaway! You have until Tuesday midnight. Enter a comment under the February 12th post entitled "A Very Happy Hula Hut Day." Only one comment per person, please!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your knitting bag is very sweet! I don´t like that kind of creepers! We have them in summer in our maibox and guess what happens, when I happy go to see if I got nice letters and cards...
The wooden box is very beautiful!!!

Anonymous said...

PS I made an error! I wanted to write that the creepers are in my mailbox! Have a nice weekend!

Lisa said...

I would have screamed too! We have had bats fly into our house and hubby wasn't home to help get rid of it!
I love, love the quilt under the spool holder!!!! What is that pattern?

Opal said...

I love that bag! Lately I've been obsessed with fabric bags. I don't sew, so I might have to give in and buy one.

That centipede would have sent me screaming for dear life. O.O

Unknown said...

Love your new bag. You can remove the batting from the seam allowance when you sew the French seams--that's what I do with prequilted fabric. Even so, those seams are a challenge. I know you used a walking foot, too.

I think I might have to put my bed in a mesh zip-loc bag if I had centipedes longing to snuggle with me! Ugh.

CONNIE W said...

Re bags...I was planning to (someday) quilt some layers on the longarm to use for making bags but your comment about the difficulty in doing the French seams now leaves me wondering if I'll still do so. I have some pre-quilted fabric in my stash but not necessarily the color I would like to use for bags. Now I have to re-think the whole thing. I don't like creepy crawling things so I would not do well with your 'visitor'.

Jenna said...

Eeewww that bug is creepy! It gives me shivers. The bag came out great. It's good to know your comment about the batting. I also have a project planned with prequilted fabric.

Mary Anne said...

WHAT A GUY !!!!!He mad the heart swivel box AND the candy inside ..... AND shows up in his super hero suit and KILLS GROSS BUGS TOO ?!?!?!? WHAT A GUY !!!

..... oh , and LOVE your tote bag !! gorgeous colors!! AND I'm sure I would never have noticed any flaws with it IF YOU HADN'T POINTED THEM OUT !!! It looks good to me !!

Mary Anne said...

Oops! I should proof - read more thoroughly before I hit the "send button" ..... I meant to say re: your hubby " What A guy!! He MADE (not mad) the heart swivel box ........

Anonymous said...

I've been bit three times. Three times! I still have the scars (mentally). I can't tell you how shocked I was to see the nasty-pede.... and in your husband's hand to boot! And then reading about your bite, and your almost bite... I need some air.

Glad you didn't get bit again!!!

Sally said...

Love that bag! I may have to make one for myself. Me, too, I can't stand creepy crawlies. I just love that line from "Everybody Loves Raymond" - " You only keep me around to open jars and kill bugs." Well, yeah!!!!

Mar said...

Love the bag and the quilt on your frame! I don't think I could hang out on the islands without a bug killer! ewwwwww!

Anonymous said...

You are a lucky woman. Handmade practical items are the best. I hear you when you say Hawaii is not for whimps. If those centipedes don't get you, those B-52 bomber roaches will (but atleast they don't bite, just scare the hell out of you).
Aloha!

Dawn said...

Good grief! You could put a saddle on that centipede!

Your purse is gorgeous! And so is your husband in that gorgeous-manly sort of way.

Brooke said...

OK I wanted (notice past tense) to move to Hawaii and enjoy its beauty and be quilty friends with you...but forget it now. I would lose my mind if I saw that creature IN my house!!!!!
Your husband gets a gold star for the adorable box and yummies AND especially for the centipede removal!
The bag is soooo very cute. Good job!

Anonymous said...

really cute purse--I bought one at a craft sale on the mainland almost like it, I love the pockets inside.

Valerie said...

I am ignoring the creeper talk. Lalalalalala...I can't hear you people (or see the pictures!).

So I decided to make my own quilted fabric, and then make the bag from my own pre-quilted fabric.

This is TOTALLY something I would do. When I was about 10, I was babysitting my brothers one day and decided to make a fancy dinner for my family to greet my parents when they got home. So, I pulled out the trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and picked a recipe (I have no idea what the recipe is anymore). It called for a can of cream of celery soup. We didn't have any, so I looked in the soup section of the cookbook and made some from scratch. Well, I was 10. I didn't understand really understand that a can of soup would be quite different from soup-to-serve. Whatever I made was REALLY soupy (and let's not even discuss the attempt at the angel food cake, which turned out much more like a pound cake). But, hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time!

We're just resourceful girls. That's all!

cinnamongirl93 said...

Yikes! My skin was crawling when I saw the picture of the centipede! I shuddered at the sight! I've never seen one that big! I also didn't know that those buggers bite! Och! I just love brown and blue together. Very nice bag!
P.S. Your quilted fabric is way better than anything for sale in the stores! Maybe next time try a piece of flannel instead of batting? Maybe...who knows it might work better if you decide to make another.

Cathie said...

Hi, Lisa!

I happened upon your books at the library Wednesday when I was looking for crochet books... "Stash Envy" caught my eye and I KNEW that I was gonna love the book! I've been reading them out loud after supper; we've been laughing and laughing, and Storm says that you are CLEARLY me. Only I don't remember writing the books, and I haven't learned to quilt yet, so I guess you can keep the royalties. (I surely wouldn't want to deprive myself of a well-earned reward, after all! lol!)

Anyhow, once I started reading I realized I'd found the Yarn Harlot of Quilting--woooohooooo!!!--so I came hurrying over to see if you have a blog, and voila! Here you are!! I am so glad you're here and so glad I found you... predatory knitting bag and all! *grin*

I've been telling everyone since I was in my twenties that I come from a parallel universe, going upside down in the opposite direction (well, it made sense in my twenties... I think), and so learning about quilting in a parallel universe pretty much works for me.

Finding out you make doilies just CINCHES it because I have the "101 Crochet Edgings" book too!! And honnnnneyyyyyy, I am DROOLING over that Southmaid pattern book. Those are ELEGANT and you did a BEAUTIFUL job on them! I especially loved the four-pineapple-and-fan doily... but I'm guessing that the doily under the vase of pink roses is also from that book?

Until I started reading your books and blog, I thought maybe I was the only doily-maker left on the planet, lol.... can't be or we couldn't get the thread anymore, but I bet you know what I mean.

You've inspired me. As soon as I get a sewing machine--this coming week if I am lucky!--I'm going to teach myself scrap quilting--with the old clothes that I just have never been able to bear throwing away, no less! Thank you SOOO much for taking the anxiety out of it!!! I'm just going to start and see what happens... oh, and I promise not to quilt at Two O'Clock. *wink*

Thanks again for writing the books and for being here online!!

Cathie in Kansas

Mokihana said...

Nani da bag!

That's one thing I don't miss about Hawai'i... the centipedes! I've been bitten by them too, and you're right, it hurts like crazy! I still prefer them to cockroaches though. Cockroaches move too dang fast. Oh, and scorpions. Found one in the laundry basket once!

The box your hubby made is absolutely lovely. What a gem of a man!

susan said...

okay...that is one thing i diffenately do not miss about kauai...the bugs especially the centipeds. whenever i saw one, that was it, everything stopped until it was dead dead dead. my boys used to pull off the pinchers and let it crawl all over them... and once they chased me with one, the got the true meaning of restriction from that...geez... boys!!!!
lisa, is there anything you do not do?!! that teas cup doily was, well, i was relieved to read you DID NOT make that one :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa...
And the quilt under your spool holder is? What pattern? Did you hide that in your closet? I haven't seen that!!!

Aloha...
Jo
P.S. That centipede is so disgusting! Hurrah for DH!!!