KTgreen – Page 286

Back to the trail and some other stuff

October 4, 2013October 4, 2013 by KTgreen

The government shutdown has hit Old Homosassa!

Salt Marsh Trails — This gate has NEVER been open! So I’m not sure how they could close it?

Government shutdown on Salt Marsh trails — This is what the small signs say!

Sad news. Smokin’ Mos, our favorite breakfast place, closed down. We’d heard rumors but refused to believe. Then we heard more rumors and today there’s a new sign up saying soon to open, The Starting Line. Over the last decade that little place has been the Yulee Café, Patriotic Café, Pepper Café, and Smokin’ Mos. Perhaps we should put bets on how long this place lasts?

And bike trail news…..we did manage to squeeze in one more bicycle ride on the Withlacoochee State Trail. We had a small section from just north of Istachatta to the swamp north of the Ridge Manor trail head to cover. Plus that 6.1 mile section from Ridge Manor to Trilby. (That’s not going happen anytime soon since the big bike ride is this Sunday! )

So we headed to Lake Townsen Park trail head. Little did we know that Lake Townsen is actually a Hernando County park. County parks in Florida are dog haters. Michelle, Maggie and I got kicked out of Tom Varn park in Brooksville because one of us had paws. (We told the park attendant that it was un-American.) Dogs are allowed in state parks but you have to get from the county parking lot to the trail. Breakin’ the law!

No Pets Sign

Since we aren’t allowed into any county parks, we didn’t know that Hernando County parks post sexual predator signs and pictures! We think that’s a good idea!

Predator Sign

Maggie in SUV — Here’s Maggie looking for the park attendant.

So we rode south to the swamp (saw no zombies or swamp creatures) and turned around and rode north to Istachatta.

Post Office Sign in Istachatta This bunny was at the general store at Istachatta.

Bunny at general store in Istachatta — Help Me!

We are all ready for the big ride on Sunday morning.

Here’s a picture from yesterday morning. Whenever there’s a tropical depression hanging out there in the gulf, we get some real pretty mornings.

Have a great weekend!

DIY Handy Tote

October 3, 2013 by KTgreen

I’m still on the mission to use up some of the fabric that I have stuffed away in my many storage containers. I love this print.

DIY Handy Tote, Flamingo Fabric

I used it for a glider cushion years ago then decided to move the glider. And you know that if I move it to a different room, there will be a different color scheme. One that “retro pink flamingo” will just not work in. But the flamingo fabric was still in good shape so I washed it and tucked it into a basket with intentions to make something. Someday. Somewhere. Somehow.

So a few weeks ago I was getting ready to play golf. I’m a very timely person, never late but rarely early. My golf purse hangs right by the garage door and I grab it as I’m running to the car and stuff my wallet, glasses, iPhone, water and sun screen into it as Terry is getting ready to back out of the garage. The golf purse already has things like pencils, crackers, first aid kit, ball markers, and brush which stay in there permanently. (One time I forgot my golf shoes–won’t live that down) And that’s when inspiration hit. I needed a bigger tote. Insulated so my bottle of water wouldn’t sweat. With lots of pockets. A place for everything and everything in it’s place. And a nice wide handle. And my pink flamingo fabric would be perfect!

Golf Purse stuff — And these are the necessities that get crammed into that little bag.

So I designed a new tote! I’m calling it my “handy tote” because it will come in handy for many occasions besides golf.

Handy golf tote, purse, bag, tote — How cute is this?

Handy Tote interior, purse, bag — And everything fits with room to spare!

Toggle and Button — I even love the little toggle and button!

I used muslin for the lining and added three different pockets to the inside of the bag–the first is a zippered pocket that holds a bunch of small items, the second holds two water bottles, and the third is for my phone and sunglasses. No pockets on the outside because I didn’t want to cover up any of the tropical theme.

I used fusible fleece on the outer fabric just to add stability. On the lining I used Insul-Bright, a thermal lining. I also used it in the lining for the water bottle holder. I thought it might keep the water cold but after testing the tote for a week, I don’t think it does any better than plain old fleece. I also added a new bottom insert using Peltex which I sewed into both the lining and the outer bag–pretty pleased with how the insert turned out. Because I used Peltex, the tote is sturdy and washable!

I’ve made some instructions and attached them in a PDF format. I usually make my designs twice before I post them. Once to record the instructions and then I follow my steps the second time to make sure I didn’t miss anything. But I have new fabric and new projects that I want to start on. Too excited about new things to make this tote again right now. But I have gone over the instructions several times and think they are good! If you have any questions, let me know!

PDF for DIY Handy Tote