YooHoo Cindy Lou
Crafts, DIY, Sewing, Lifestyle, Family, Inspiration, Life with Cindy Lou
Friday, January 26, 2024
Blue Shadows (On the Trail), 1986
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Sweetheart...
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Word of the Day: Callow
- (of a young person) inexperienced and immature."earnest and callow undergraduates"
I heard the word "callow" in a song that my music streaming station played, and the word is nestled into the first part of the song. The song became popular in 1965 when RCA Records recorded a version sang by Ed Ames. That same year the song was recorded by Roger Williams and The Brothers Four. These recordings pushed the song up on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by two Texans, the song debuted in the Broadway musical "The Fantasticks", 1960.
Jump a few years later to 1975, and the song was recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips as part of a medley with Barbra Streisand's song "The Way We Were", written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch.
When life was slow and oh, so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow, follow
That no one wept except the willow
Try to remember the kind of September
When love was an ember about to billow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow, follow
Although you know the snow will follow
Deep in December, it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made us mellow
Deep in December, our hearts should remember
And follow, follow, follow
Monday, February 10, 2020
Weaving Fabric Strips into a Bag, Part #3
What a fun project with fun results! This OOAK bag can take you from Casual Fridays to Saturday Night Parties! And knowing its history, makes it even more fabulous!
I have to admit that I slowed down on this project after part #2. The lining needed to be shiny & bright, and I wanted a tone on tone print. However, I couldn't find anything like that in my fabric stash, nor did I find the perfect fabric at the stores. The fabric I ended up with is a basic polyester satin from my local Hobby Lobby. It was on sale and thick enough to be durable.
Ready to cut the lining fabric. |
The inside pocket is black velvet with blue fabric trim. That trim matches one of the blue fabric layers woven into the bag, so there is continuity with the design. The pocket had to be hand stitched to the lining because I forgot to machine stitch it in place before I seamed up the side & bottom of the lining. (Maybe next time I'll remember to attach the pocket BEFORE I sew up the lining.)
Stitched pocket, stitched lining & fabric strip for the strap. |
Parts of the woven outside needed to be stitched to stabilize the fabric strips. Good old fashioned hand stitching came to the rescue. I felt that necessary since I plan to sell the bag. I believe in making quality products even if it does require doing the little extra steps.
If you're curious about the strap, it's made from a 4" strip of black velvet that belonged to the black velvet skirt (part #1). It was easy to sew, then I machine stitched the strap onto the outer bag. The next step was to hand stitch the finished lining to the outer bag.
Embellishing the bag excited me, and after playing with buttons, I realized that the embellishments needed to be kept at a minimum and not distract from the beautiful woven fibers. Plastic & metal buttons cheapened the look, and so did this big rhinestone brooch.
Choices... |
This brooch is too gaudy! |
This button is too garish! |
This glass button that I picked up in Santa Fe, New Mexico felt just right. The black circle stripes on the turquoise glass compliment the black & blue lines on the bag. A few faceted blue crystal beads were chosen for the final touch. Each bead is securely stitched, and the threads are knotted several times to prevent the beads from falling off. That needed to be done because this bag is going places!
Artisan's glass bead & faceted glass beads, hand stitched. |
The finished bag measures 9" x 7.5" with a 52" crossover strap. It's fully lined with turquoise satin & one inside pocket, and a magnetic snap closure snaps it shut. The snap is positioned in the middle of the bag.
Bag's interior view. |
This bag turned out to be most charming and very, very soft. It's lightweight, but very durable. I can see a bright future for it, and some lucky lady will love all the compliments she receives every time she carries it. She can tell her admirers that it is One of a Kind and that she heard the artist who made it is a legend in her own time. Well... a girl can dream, can't she??? πππ
Back side of the bag. Cute streamers of yarn & ribbon! |
Inside view showing magnetic snap & trimmed pocket. |
Finished woven bag with Artisan's glass button... Viola! |
@Copyright 2020 Cindy Lou Hodges All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Thrifted Bag Redo
Revamped bag with OOAK background for Victorian brooch. Beautiful! |
Cute fabric bag that needed a makeover. I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like when I found it, but it was rather sad. The top of the bag had elastic, so the bag gathered at the top scrunching up the opening. I removed the elastic and pressed the bag top. The original strap was turquoise braid, and it was only 30" long.
I removed both the turquoise braid & elastic by ripping open the seams on the sides, then sewed on a 52" gold cord. Now the bag is a crossover bag, and it doesn't that "scrunchy pouch" look.
The fold over flap is a nice feature, but it was plain. I chose to add a Victorian flare with the rhinestone brooch. It looked great, but wasn't quite the look I wanted. So I made the black velvet circle with decorative stitches using variegated turquoise thread. Nice! I went with the sheer ruffle accent on the black medallion, giving it one more feminine touch.
There were no pockets on this bag. A girl must have pockets, so I cut up a quilted pillow sham (Thrifted, of course!), and chose a gold cotton fabric that I purchased in Las Vegas, New Mexico at my favorite shop on the square... Thread Bear. (Beautiful quilting fabrics & a fun place to visit!) https://www.threadbear-nm.com/ The gold fabric has a gold metallic design in it, and that compliments the gold thread in the outside fabric.
Back Side with new pocket: recycled fabric, new lace, vintage button. |
Newly added pocket out of recycled pillow sham. |
Sometimes I feel like doing the unexpected, and the additional flower brooch is just that. The whimsical green, white & black brooch is layers of animal printed fabric. And the center button & bow have nothing in common with the bag fabric, nothing other than, I like them, and I like them together.
So, this particular bag has several personalities the Casual look...
Revamped thrifted bag without embellishments. |
One rhinestone brooch added... |
Beautiful brooch, but gets lost on top of the busy printed fabric. |
Victorian Look #2...
Revamped bag with OOAK background for Victorian brooch. Beautiful! |
the Whimsical look...
Revamped bag with crazy animal print brooch... one of Cindy Lou's Wacky Woses! |
Backside of Wacky Wose brooch. |
Revamped bag with OOAK background for Victorian brooch. Beautiful! |
Friday, January 24, 2020
Charro Beans Recipe, Slow Cooker
My house is filled with the aroma of simmering Charro Beans, and I can hardly wait to fill my bowl to the top! Craft projects are waiting in my art studio, and clothes for Poshmark are hanging on the racks to be photographed. Instead of focusing on the obvious tasks, I chose to cook, and I'm glad I did.
This time I chose to cook only one cup of dried pinto beans. Stupid me! What was I thinking? This recipe is one of my favorites, and I have always cooked 2 cups at a time. Guess it's in my genetic makeup to make a big pot of beans or soup, so a small pot cooking just doesn't feel right, but it certainly does smell right! π
Here's the recipe I use. Found it online at Pinterest, and it's a winner! Thank you, Samantha, from Five Heart Home. Your recipe is delicious!
Link to Pinterest Recipe: https://www.fivehearthome.com/slow-cooker-charro-beans/
Slow Cooker Charro Beans
Ingredients
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any stones or shriveled beans.
- Cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain, chop, and set aside.
- Pour the beans into the slow cooker. Cover with water and beef broth. Add chopped bacon, garlic, jalapeΓ±o (if using), cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until almost done. Stir in the Rotel and chopped cilantro; cover and cook for an additional hour or until tender (the total cooking time will likely be between 8 to 10 hours, depending on how hot your particular slow cooker runs). When the beans are done, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt at a time, tasting before adding more).
Notes
- My favorite way to cook bacon is to lay it in a deep, foil-lined baking pan and bake it on the center rack at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- The first time you cook beans in your slow cooker, periodically check that they remain covered with liquid. Add additional hot water during the cooking process, if necessary.
- One jalapeΓ±o cooked for that many hours should add flavor rather than spice. If you prefer mild beans, scrape out and discard the seeds and membranes before dicing the jalapeΓ±o, and use mild Rotel. On the other hand, if you prefer spicy beans, feel free to add more jalapeΓ±os (leaving the seeds/membranes intact) and use regular or hot Rotel.
- For Borracho Beans, swap out 6 ounces of the beef broth with Mexican beer.
- If you prefer to soak your beans, simply rinse, drain, and pick over your beans. Place them in a pot, cover with 2 inches of water, and soak overnight. Drain off the soaking water before proceeding with the recipe. If beans are soaked, cooking time will probably be shortened by a couple of hours.
- Always use fresh dried beans, as old beans can take much longer to become tender (and may possibly never soften!).
@Copyright 2020 Cindy Lou Hodges All Rights Reserved.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Weaving Fabric Strips into a Bag, Part #2
Last week's post took us through the process of weaving fabric strips onto a cardboard loom. Hemp string was the base (warp), and assorted 3" wide fabric strips were woven over & under the hemp. The combination of colors & textures turned out to be beautiful!
The next step was to remove the cardboard. Since this was my first time to weave both the front AND the back, I wasn't sure that it would all stay together without the cardboard.
However, I am very happy to report that it worked! The cardboard resisted due to the tight weaving, but after a few minutes of effort, the cardboard easily slid out, and I had an intact, solid, beautiful bag!
Here it is... no more cardboard!
Side #1 Fabric Strip Bag without the cardboard loom. |
Side #2 Fabric Strip Bag without the cardboard loom. |
Top view of Fabric Strip Bag, looking inside the bag. |
Success! Hooray!!!
Stay tuned for the final steps to this project... Part #3, Weaving Fabric Strips into a Bag.
You're gonna' love it!
Cindy Lou
@Copyright 2020 Cindy Lou Hodges All Rights Reserved.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Weaving Fabric Strips into a Bag
Not finished, but it does look like a bag! Woo-Hoo! |
Plenty to choose from: 3" fabric strips in blacks & blues, yarns & ribbons. |
Cardboard loom with warp & woof ready to be removed. |
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Monday, January 6, 2020
Scrap Quilted Denim Bag
During the holidays I watched DIY videos, and I discovered this fun craft! Basically, I built a rectangular fabric sandwich with two pieces of denim (recycled, of course). Inside I played with small pieces of fabric, layering them in a jumbled pattern. After pinning around the edges of my rectangle, and a couple of pins towards the middle, I machine stitched around the outside of the traced on heart. Allowing 1/2 inch width, I machine stitched the inside of the heart one time.
Because the interior stitching was curved, I had to pay attention to my needle placement and carefully tug the fabric & slightly spin the fabric with each stitch. So, I decided to make the center of the heart with vertical lines. Good decision. Time to cut between the machine stitched rows, cutting through the denim & scrap pieces. (Do not cut the back lining.) Scratch the fibers to fluff the fringe, or machine wash for more fraying.
Then, I cut out the 6" heart, but added almost 1 inch extra around the outside. That's so I could zig-zag stitch twice around the perimeter (so the edges don't fray too much). It was time to stitch the heart to the bag, but in this case I stitched the heart to the pocket. π Then stitched the pocket to the front of the denim panel. (The left & right side of the heart needed to be stitched to the denim panel. No problem!)
Four inch fringe is easy to add. Just cut it to size. Pin, then hand baste to the front of the denim panel. (Stitch 1/2" along the edge. Note the fringe is pointing towards the middle... very important!)
The outside front after stitching. Note top raw edge. |
Pocket is pinned to the right side of the lining, then stitched in place on 2 sides & the bottom. |
Turn down top edge & machine stitch. Turn down top edge of denim bag, 1.5". Press. |
Insert lining into the bag. Looking so cute! |
Strap involved piecing together coordinating fabrics to make 57" x 4" strip. Press in half long-ways. |
Then fold in 1/2" from edge towards the middle & press. Fold & press both sides. |
Fold together, and press. Machine stitch both sides to complete strap. |
Hand stitched magnetic snap closure. I watched TV while I sewed them on. Pretty surprise with that textured fabric inside! |
So, it's all finished, and I am very pleased! The backside showcases the leather tag from the upcycled jeans, and 3 vintage buttons... metal, of course, to coordinate with the front button.
This one will be offered for sale on my next LIVE show on Bling on the Crafts, Facebook! Tuesday nights, 7:00 pm Central. |
Finished bag is for sale... listed in my Etsy shop, Lady Rose Lane...
https://www.etsy.com/listing/768869561/upcycled-denim-crossover-bag-fringed?ref=shop_home_active_10&frs=1
Cindy Lou
@Copyright 2020 Cindy Lou Hodges All Rights Reserved.
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Blue Shadows (On the Trail), 1986
Buckle up, partners, for this sparkling rhinestone and soothing lullaby brought to you by The Three Amigos! Actors Steve Martin, Chevy Chase...
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Woven bag is finished, and it's fabulous! What a fun project with fun results! This OOAK bag can take you from Casual Frid...
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Buckle up, partners, for this sparkling rhinestone and soothing lullaby brought to you by The Three Amigos! Actors Steve Martin, Chevy Chase...