The blog saves the day!!

Happily, the stencil brush and paint crayon did NOT even make the lost and found list. While walking the girls, I had my thinking cap on. Where the heck could that little bag be? Then I thought that if I searched the blog, I might have mentioned the darn thing. When I got home, I searched the blog for "stencil brush." I had to go through several posts about stencil brushes for applique, which I use all the time. But then there it was - a picture! The post was relatively recent - May 8, 2024. I wasn't even working on it, I was cleaning and happened upon that box of MORE embellishments. Sigh. 

At that time, I was in the box looking for something else, which I don't believe I found, but I now know where I can repurchase the machine embroidery designs in question. Let's say that I'm a whole lot more knowledgeable about the entire process than I was before! 

As I rifled through the massive box of embellishments, guess what I found about halfway down? 

The stencil brushes and the paint crayon

Yes --- there is that fold-over top plastic bag! Yeah!!! The blog saved the day. Alas, when I searched, and I think I had done before about the missing templates, I came up empty. Then my brain got to thinking, did I even purchase the templates, or did I wander around the store with them in my hand and just imagine that I bought them? I've contacted the store to see if they can check my order history to confirm if I bought them. 

I used the brush and paint crayon, but the paint was pretty sticky. Actually, I can't explain the crayon's consistency, but it wasn't like I remembered it. Even after cutting off a substantial end, the inside was not the best. I think it has seen its day. I suppose I can toss this and just use a small amount of blush with the stencil brush. But where should it be stored now that it's been found, since it shouldn't go back into the project box? 

How about the drawer where all my other markers are? It's a marker after all, so that is its new home. 

The stencil brush and paint crayon in the marker drawer

I've been thinking about which project to pick next for the Many Blocks or UFO club, and I think the one I was in is a good candidate! Good grief -- I taught that quilt as a class in 2010. Yes - It's time to get that done! 

Currently, only those templates are on the lost and found list. I'm sure there are other things I haven't written down, but as I recall what's been lost (which's hilarious!), I'll add to the list. 

Now you want to see where the paint crayon and the brush were used? To add some color to the face of my witch. 

Blush on my witch's face

Then I decided to add a hanging ribbon to it as well. 

And I added a hanging ribbon

And now the witch candle mat/ornament is done and hanging up for the season. OK -- I'm ecstatic about those decor rods for the table. At first, I thought it was a hokey idea - decorations above you, but I love it! And it doesn't "clutter" the space at all. 

My Halloween ornament

Now, it might feel cluttered at some point when I add more to the hanging rod, but that's OK. I have some S-hooks in my cart, so when I find something else to order, I'll get the S-hooks, which will make it super easy to hang things along that rod! I LOVE it. 

Someone asked about the cups that were on the table. Well, have a closer look at them. Here they are in the storage box, along with another pattern, a bag of sparkling Halloween colored pompoms, and another pattern with its embellishment kit. 

More Halloween projects

I put everything else away, except the four cups. They are the packaging for a small ornament kit. The label on the cup is what's inside! 

Four Halloween kits

The method of construction for these is a fusible interfacing with a grid on it. I am not a fan of that method, so I've been piecing them as usual and twirling the seams. That makes it a wee bit more challenging to sew with the weird shapes, but the ornaments are much flatter. I finished sewing the front of the pumpkin last night. And ready for the next step. 

I cut the colored picture off the cup, threw away the "how to sew on the grid" instructions, and then discarded the cup itself. All that's left is the decorative items - buttons and trim in this case, and the backing. I might add a bit of batting or some kind of stiffener to the inside since it doesn't have the fusible interfacing in there. But the issue with the grid method is the BULK!!

I'm not a fan, so I sew without. 

The pumpkin ornament

Patterns from this company were all the rage many years ago, and sadly, I ended up with my fair share of them. But that's OK - I still like them, but their packaging was weird and bulky. The kit is inside the cup in a small plastic bag. So, while the packaging was cute, it must have been a nightmare for shop owners, with shipping costs and other expenses. And the lids on those cups never stayed on!

The kit inside the cup

I will say that the kits are kind of pricey, but that didn't bother me in the least at the time. I had better get them done, so I left out the four Halloween-themed ones and will putter on them. I KNOW -- I'm adding something to the pile that I shouldn't, but this is partly why I needed to get things under control, so I would have time for a quick diversion or two! 

I mentioned the kits were pricey, and considering how much polyester fabric I've found in two of them, YES - they were pricey. I've substituted some fabrics already and will continue to do so as I find the awful stuff. WAIT -- I shouldn't say that, but in a quilting kit? I expect cotton even if the ornament won't be washed. It's the principle of the thing. Make an item out of either polyester or cotton, but not both. Especially when you need to fuse things well to that grid! I'm surprised she didn't get complaints about the polyester, but maybe she did. I have no idea. 

OH ---- am I unhappy? No --- just being an honest reviewer of a product. I'm not sure about the more recent kits, but that's what I've found in the kits so far. The kits, by the way, were in the $15 - $16 range, and that was in 2009, which was pricey for such a small ornament kit!

I also got some other sewing done - I was pretty productive for a Monday sewing, and I'll show you why in a second. And I managed to complete the second task of that odd job I'm doing for someone else. That took 1 hour, which was what I figured, and now the heavy job is for later today. I have it all planned in my head, so I figure that will make the process easier to manage, even if it doesn't necessarily speed it up. 

All my technology is sitting on this two-tier table with wheels. I have to use that large mic because the microphone on my computer is dead (some setting needs to be changed), and I get interference on my open ear headphones. It's the most annoying thing in the entire world. This sits right behind my sewing table, but that mike picks up a lot and I can hear the conversation in my headphones. 

My technology station

But what if I need to do something in another area? That's easy, there is an extension cord and the table is on wheels, so I can wheel it anywhere in the room and have it handy to me! That's also what I have wanted for a long time, and now it's finally working. 

An extension cord so I can travel

That allowed me to move to the cutting table and get some cutting done, and then I moved back to the sewing table. That is NOT what I'm supposed to be doing on Zoom! I'm supposed to be tackling that other table! But I have two classes to prep for the weekend, and I don't want to have to rush and do it all in a day! Let's say that the setup is working very well so far, and I'm a happy camper. 

I'm keeping the work areas clear and putting things away in their home, and everything is working very well. 

Notice it's been how many days since I wanted to pull a different project off those tables, and I'm not there yet. Well, I did pull one of the homework projects off it. 

But I don't really care what I'm working on, as long as progress is being made! 

And on that note, I'm out of here! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!