Zip Itself Coin Purse #'s 3, 4, 5

Nearly five years ago (wow, can it be that long already?! I was thinking 2 or 3!), I showed you two little projects I'd made called the Zip Itself Coin Purse(s), from a tutorial found here. It was mainly to show the new ribbons Jess had designed. She's designed a lot more since then (you can see them all, and even her smiling face, here), and she coerced me into making some more of the purses because she loves them so much.

I made this one. For some reason, it got a little wonky and doesn't sit up quite right unless I bend the zipper underneath it. But hey, the ribbon is cute! ;)

Then I made another one, because I was determined to get it right. I did! Here it is, perched on Jess's hand. More cute ribbon!

They're not a quick sew job. The first one I made all those years ago was sewn completely by hand. But I figured out that I could sew at least some of the ribbon to the zipper with the machine and then do the rest by hand. That saved a little time, but they still do take a long time to make. Lots of hand sewing still.

This is how they work, from completely unzipped to zipped into the little pouch.

Delighted that the second one turned out so well, I decided to try just one more... because the ribbon is just so darn cute, right? Look how this one turned out, when I thought I was doing exactly the same thing!

Yes, it's square... and flat! I have no clue why. BUT, Jess loved it and begged to have it. So here's her hand again. I have to admit, it is still pretty cute, despite its "wrong" shape.

So here they are. One "right" out of three.

I won't be making any more. ;-P

I have other finished projects to show you, too. One of them, in fact, is the pattern test I was working on. I still have to take photos of that. And the pattern is undergoing a lot of tweaking, so it isn't quite ready to purchase yet. Soon! Hopefully. :)

Another first

I saw something new today. I happened to glance out the kitchen window (as I do a bazillion times a day), and this is what I saw on top of our light pole.

No, it's not a turkey, but it's nearly that big. It's a buzzard! A.K.A. vulture, turkey buzzard or turkey vulture. I've seen them before, but usually either flying high in the sky or along the roadside having some yummy roadkill for lunch. But I have NEVER seen one on top of our light pole before.

This one posed very nicely for me and gave me a great display of its huge wings.

Then off it went...

......

... high in the sky...

... to sniff out some more dead stuff, I guess. I read that they have a terrific sense of smell. All they eat is stuff that's already dead. They're good for cleaning up roadsides, etc. They don't hunt live prey, so I don't have to worry about my cats/kittens.

They have majestic wings... but such ugly heads. Look at this cropped pic of its head below. You can see right through that hole in its beak.

I was amazed to see it up there, much less get a chance to photograph it!

The Izzy Purse

Courtney is in 4-H this year, and she asked me if I'd help her make a sewing project. Of course that's right up my alley, so I readily agreed. I kept my eye open online for simple sewing machine projects that she might like, and this one for a felt ladybug purse met with her approval.

We printed out the pattern, I dug out my felt, and she went to work. With a little guidance, she did all the pinning and cutting herself. 

Under the watchful eyes of her inspector, that is.

She's getting better at the sewing machine, having more control over the speed, particularly. So I don't have to hover quite so close (or hold my breath as much).

Had you noticed the ladybug colors weren't placed quite ladybug-like? Look below... this little purse has ears and whiskers!

Here it is, finished.

It was designed by Courtney to look like her cat, Izzy!

This is the back.

The face is the flap, and it fastens shut with velcro. This is what it looks like when opened.

Below is our happy little seamstress holding her Izzy purse and giving you some size reference.

She did a fantastic job! All those little colored bits were appliqued on, very slowly and carefully, a stitch at a time. Talk about a way to get practice sewing curves! A couple pieces were glued on (e.g. the whiskers) because they were too small for stitching. I did the harder part of sewing the head onto the back because those ears had to be caught in that seam and lined up just right. The pupils in the eyes were drawn on with a marker.

I know Courtney is hoping for a good score when her project is judged for 4-H. She'll be taking it to the fair, and she said if she gets a ribbon, we can take another photo to show you here. So be prepared (a few weeks down the road)!

They're back

Sorry... more turkey news. But there are some interesting photos, so I hope I'm not boring you. I'm not fond of the turkeys myself... but I do like taking pics, and if I can get some great or unusual shots, I'll do it... even if they're of turkeys. ;)

I hadn't seen the hen and chicks for nearly two weeks. I was hoping they'd found a better place to live permanently... like over at the neighbors' or something. However, Saturday evening I happened to see them along our driveway again.

It was roosting time, and one by one, they were heading up into the trees. They flew effortlessly. Here goes one of them, as one on the ground awaits its turn...

... higher and higher...

... till it made it up into the tree!

Mom flew up, too, but they were pretty wary of me and my camera...

... so she called them all back down again and off they went.

There were two hens out there. I don't know if they each had some chicks or if they all belonged to the one. I saw at least six chicks, but I may have missed a few. They hide so well in the long grass.

Unrelated, but... down at my feet there happened to be a baby robin who kept calling over and over to its mama.

Do you know how hard it is to get a photo of it at the exact instant it has its mouth open in that call?! I took over a hundred pics of that little birdie! (Thanks to the continuous shooting setting.)

Okay, enough turkeys! (In more ways than one. "Calling cards" left behind on the deck railing lead me to believe that the young'uns are getting drinks of water from the birdbath early in the mornings. Ugh.)

I do have some sewing photos to show you... even some of an adorable little project Courtney made for 4-H! I'll try to show them soon. However, I'm testing a new pattern this week, and it needs to be done as quickly as I can (and you know I'm not a fast sewer), so that has to take priority. And on that note, I'd best get busy!

Belated update

I meant to post this shortly after my last post, but didn't get the job done. So sue me (as if there's anybody reading anymore besides Geneviève). :)  Anyway, here's an update to that post. These first two photos were taken the same day as those in that post, later in the day. The empty nest and eggs had been found by our pasture renter, and thanks to him (also unbeknownst to him), I managed to brave the long grass, tick potential and nettle to get the pics.

The nest had been hidden just outside the cattle yard fence next to a corner post, in the middle of a patch of nettle.

A closer look revealed the empty eggs plus two that hadn't hatched.

Three days later, I had stepped outside early in the evening, and I heard the mama turkey clucking to her chicks. I couldn't see her, but I happened to look up and saw the chicks lined up on a tree branch across the driveway! I ran for the camera, but by the time I got back, there was only one left up there.

I couldn't believe they were big enough already to get up that high to roost, but this last one flew down quite easily. Apparently their mom decided this wasn't the best place to spend the night, so off they went.

They grow up so fast! Look below at the second from the left one, how it's stretching its wings. It must be a male learning to strut already! ;)

Off they went, but only 7 of the original 9 chicks. Predators can be hard on them when they're that little, and no doubt it's hard for mom to defend that many at once.

They ambled in the direction of the garden...

... as I headed back to the house... and I haven't seen them since. That was a week ago.