Hardworking, that Ryan

Thanks for being so patient. As I foreshadowed last week, I have some photos to show you of a fun project I did recently for one of our very best friends, Ryan. He asked me to make him a holster to wear at work back when he and Emily visited us in November. November was a while ago! I've been busy, as you well know.

Ryan is a server at the bustling South Philly Cantina and he wanted something to carry a check presenter, an iPhone, a pen and a pencil and his chapstick, with possibly a secret pocket thrown in for good measure and belt loops to attach to his belt. My schedule had a tiny window in it two weeks back and I headed to this year's legendary White Elephant Sale (a great source for fabric and raw material for crafting projects) on the hunt for interesting plaids and inspiration.

I decided to make him two. One for business and one for pleasure, you might say. One classic red and black plaid with brown leather accents and one crazier one, featuring vintage/awesome hand screened canvas in a neon green and yellow and purple pattern. That way, if Ryan is feeling fruitier one day and lumberjacked the next, he need not sacrifice self-expression while working.







In the end each included designated pockets for each of his aforementioned necessities, plus a few extra, with two reinforced belt loops of leather or seatbelt, two secret pockets for small things in back and a stitch-suggested pocket for chapstick.

It was so nice to be sewing again. So nice.

**John's modeling here, as Ryan lives in Philadelphia.

I'm With Stupid

Sometimes, John and I totally lose it. We're both really busy right now--he with the regular rigor of graduate school and me with the regular chaos that chases me around--so that when we take communal breaks from our respective work...all bets are off. Sometimes we gossip about the cats in our neighborhood. Sometimes we make jokes about who is the smart one and who is the funny one. And other times, well other times, the only thing in the fridge are two dozen eggs and we do really pretty ridiculous things while trying to figure out dinner.





I finished a really exciting project over the weekend, but because it's in the mail to someone, I want to wait to post until it's been received. Please stay your appetite for fun with these funny pictures until then.