Hello 2016

This has been my view from my upstairs office/guest room for a few days - brilliant sunshine on snowy mountains! A great way to start the new year.

And when pulling back the blinds from my studio window, I am greeted by icicles!

There's been some finishing up going on. Those ear warmers are done with only a few yards of yarn to spare. I used a matching vintage button from my grandmother's/mother's collection for the closure at the back. It is about 4 inches wide and fits perfectly. The wool yarn with that textured stitch makes them very warm.

And four of the remaining 5 padfolios now have closures and are ready to go. This group has been about buttons and decorative yarn or Perle cotton cords. It's the problem I've been trying to solve with the elastic, how to thread it through a button to hold things in place, but with the elastic, I didn't want loose ends. With the yarn, I can thread it through and knot it (which creates a slight gap for the yarn end once it wraps around the padfolio and then the button to secure it), then pull the ends through the flap and knot once more to secure it. 

Teal maple leaves w/green lining - front

Teal maple leaves w/green lining - back

Teal maple leaves w/hand-dyed lining, batik pockets

Teal maple leaves w/batik lining - front

Teal maple leaves w/batik lining - back

Teal maple leaves w/batik lining, hand-dyed pockets

I might not have bothered with buttons on these teal maple leaves, except that I found such perfectly matching vintage buttons (the same as on the ear warmers) and yarn. I am so very pleased with these.

Muted pink - front

Muted pink - back

Muted pink w/commercial cotton lining, hand-dyed pockets

This one might have been ok with a Velcro closure but I only have black or tan on hand and couldn't bear using either. Plus it just needed more. I searched for the right color of purple button (one left over from my clothing construction days) and was excited to find a yarn that closely matched the dark parts of the pattern as well as the satin stitching thread.

Deep purple w/blue accents - front

Deep purple w/blue accents - back

Deep purple w/blue accents - hand-dyed lining, batik pockets

This one would have easily got along with some black Velcro or a magnet but it is so plain along the flap that I wanted a bit more. There are purple undertones in the hand-dye of both the cover and the lining, that the royal blue of the satin stitching thread worked better with than any of the purple threads I had on hand. I found a vintage button in my stash that was that same blue but didn't have an appropriate yarn or decorative thread that was working. Suddenly, I remembered my Perle cotton stash and was delighted to find this heretofore unused perfect blue. This one wraps twice around the padfolio before taking a turn around the button and tucking under the wrap.

That leaves the yellow and orange maple leaves one. I'd been dithering over using Velcro or doing the button/yarn closure. Very seduced by the way that yarn looked, not happy with my choice of red buttons. And the point of the leaf on the flap is right at dead center where a button would go. Was having trouble living with covering up any part of that leaf. I did come up with a solution which I am still working on so you will have to wait.

While putting the final touches on these, I started the tidying up that comes at the end of a project. Now there's a good feeling, clearing the clutter in preparation for the next round of inspiration. A good way to start the year.