The Friday 15 - The New Books are Here!

An exciting Friday 15 today! Well, at least for two of the 15.

2 BOOKS ARE DONE!!!

Done and published. (Ebook published, that is.) So exciting! I decided to split the one book into two which actually works out better for the readers (and crafters) because now I can price them at only 99 cents each!

Pick up your copy HERE

Pick up your copy HERE

If you do pick one up and try out the crafts, let me know how it goes. It's my first attempt at writing directions for projects so I'd love your feedback and suggestions. And if you like the books and have some time, please leave a kind review on Amazon HERE. 

Now for the boring other Friday 15 items...the other 13 came from cleaning out kitchen cabinets this morning. Plastic knives and straws and napkins and cutlery and a leftover Christmas bucket and a little random container.

Top 5 Things to do in Sisters, Oregon

Today we're talking about five different activities you can do when visiting the town of Sisters, Oregon.

In the 1880s Sisters was a supply station for sheep men passing through to pastures in the high Cascades in the summer. In the 1930s, the timber industry boomed and Sisters had several sawmills in or near town. By 1963 the last sawmill closed and the population declined. 

Fortunately, tourist-related travel increased and Sisters became known as the Gateway to the Cascades. Now Sisters is a tourist destination. Winter has nearby skiing and summer has things like the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Held since 1975, the quilt show brings people from all over. 12,000+ on quilt show day!

In no particular order, here are my top five things to do in Sisters, Oregon.

1. Stop by the Stitchin' Post, Sisters' magnificent quilt shop. Pick up some fabric, patterns, or buy tickets for the quilt show raffle.

2. Eat healthy and search out that vegan bakery. Our choice is Angeline's Bakery & Cafe. We don't go for the bakery items, but for the fresh juice. Beet based and kale based are both yummy. (What kind of freaks search out a vegan bakery for juice - and love it?)

3. Check out the llamas. Stay at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge and you'll find llamas in the corral right there.

You'll also find Canadian Geese and squirrels sharing breakfast.

And deer are roaming right there, too.

4. Check out the Three Sisters, the potentially active volcanoes in central Oregon. An old story suggests that the mountains were originally named Faith, Hope, and Charity in the 1840's by members of a Methodist missions. The Three Sisters mountains are a popular location for hiking, climbing, and camping.

But right now they are best viewed by me through my camera lens on a spectacularly beautiful morning. And they are best viewed with Canadian Geese flying by.

5. Eat unhealthy. Every time we come to Sisters I stop at the same place and have the same dessert. 

If you ever stop in Sisters, you have to go to The Gallery Restaurant and have a piece of their marionberry pie. Best pie in the world. Or at least in the United States. (Remember, I've been to all 50 states so I know what I'm talking about.)

Make a Fabric Luggage Handle Wrap - Tutorial Tuesday

"I always have a suitcase ready to go. My wife and I are both very much like this. We're both vagabonds, and we have been since the time we were married."
~Kevin Bacon

I get that. We have a container of things in the closet, just ready to go. Who knows where and who knows when, but when the feeling strikes we just pick up and go.

And now we pick up and go with a new luggage handle wrap.

For this project you will need:

• Fabric
• Piece of batting
• Piece of Velcro® 
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Iron
• Rotary cutter, cutting ruler, cutting mat or scissors
• Template from the pattern here

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Now available in my Etsy store as a digital download with the written directions, step-by-step photos, printable template, and link to the tutorial video. Click to find out more!

Looking for more travel accessory ideas? Check out these projects!

Otherwise, watch the tutorial to make your own homemade fabric luggage handle wrap here:

Sunday Sew-In

Since it's a Sunday Sew-In and I get lots of questions about what’s in my sewing room, I decided to give you a look at some of the ways I've organized my supplies. I move furniture and reorganize a lot so my set-up changes a lot.

I love how my fabric looks in these wooden ClosetMaid stackable units.

More fabric in more wooden ClosetMaid stackable units.

Even more fabric in some Martha Stewart china hutches.

Smaller objects organized in plastic storage drawers. 

Buttons get their own plastic storage. 

Thread and other sewing supplies organized in other plastic storage drawer units.

And some other general things:
My sewing machine is in the corner by the window. The table is really a door from the closet. My ironing board is to the right of the machine and is made from a piece of plywood covered with cotton batting and fabric. Yeah, my bulletin board needs some cleaning up.

On another wall of the room is one of the closets with no doors (because they are the sewing table). I keep patterns in the drawers, lace and binding and rick rack in ArtBin plastic storage containers and yarn up above, and have my 30 yard roll of cotton batting hanging on the closet rod above the Ikea dresser I got off Craigslist.

Like I said, the set-up changes a lot. Who know what next year will look like?