hiking – Sewtropolis

I did it! Actually my sister and I did it! We hiked the Clackamas River trail from end to end – a full 8 miles and it was beautiful!

At the trailhead getting ready for our adventure.

We decided to start on the end of the trail that had the highest elevation so that most of our hike was on a downhill slope. Not that it was easy, but there was one part in the trail that we both agreed would have been a bitch to hike up!

There is a beautiful waterfall right at the 4 mile mark where we decided to stop and have lunch. Besides the main waterfall there were 3-4 other smaller waterfalls – even one where you could walk behind.

And everything was SO green! It was just beautiful!

Grace found a nice mossy rock to scratch her chin on… until Leo showed up.

At the end of the trail there was a bench that had a bunch of trinkets imbedded in it. My guess is that the items were found on the trail at one point or another.

If you are ever in the Mt. Hood area and are looking for a beautiful hike to do, I highly recommend the Clackamas River trail. It’s beautiful and even though it was rated ‘difficult’ it wasn’t too difficult. We were exhausted afterwards, and pretty sore the next day – but still glad we did it!

Okay, now onto project news. As you know I have been working on three projects simultaneously: A bra, a fusion quilt and a shower curtain for Athena. Well, I finished the bra!

I knew going in that this was a practice bra so I allowed myself to make plenty of mistakes. I did ‘unsew’ some parts, but not too much – I didn’t want to waste too much time picking out stitches knowing this was just a practice piece.

Before I cut out the pieces, I took my measurements as instructed… and made the recommended size based off of those measurements even though it was MUCH larger than the ‘ready-to-wear’ size I normally wear. Turns out – it was too small. But now I know I can increase the band measurement AND the cup size for the next one.

I used some scrap fabric I had left over from a top I’m working on for the main fabric. I still have enough left over for another bra. I’m not too thrilled with the lining fabric and will probably try to find something with more substance to it.

and I really don’t like the ‘super mesh’ so think I’ll try to find something else to use. (the Super Mesh is used for the back piece – it’s hard to see in the picture because it’s so thin).

As you can see I didn’t get the elastic on right so the piece is a little large for the ‘hook & eyes’. Overall it was a good learning experience and I did print off the next size up so I can get started on the next bra right away. However, I’m not sure how much sewing I’ll get done this weekend. My goal is to try to paint Athena while the weather is still nice. Water somehow seeped in last winter and I want to make sure it doesn’t seep in again this winter. I did put some sealant on the seams, but I’m thinking a coat a paint can only help.

Happy sewing!

Hello! What a week I’ve had -so far. As you know I’ve been staying at the KOA for the past few weeks. The good news is I love it… the bad news is, they are SO PACKED this time of year that I had to leave for 11 days! Long story, but when I went to extend my stay they had already booked up and had no room at the inn until Aug 10th. So I will be staying with family and friends for the next 2 weeks. Yay for family and friends!

First stop: Spokane! I dropped my trailer off at the Spokane Airstream dealer to have them figure out why there is water leakage under the trailer when I hookup to city water. Hopefully it will be as simple as tightening a few hoses and won’t cost an arm or leg.

I stayed with my sister for the weekend and while there she, her friend Shirley and I went to a Powwow in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – which was so much fun!! All I can say was WOW at all the color!! There were so many people that I could not get close enough to take pictures of all the dancers in main arena. This is the best I could do – sorry – it does nothing to show off how beautiful and elaborate all the outfits were!

But I managed to put my brave pants on (pun intended) and ask a couple of dancers if I could take my picture with them. The one on the left looks all mean without a smile, but he was super nice and was all smiles before and after the picture. Same with the hottie on the right.

My sister and Shirley were giving me a hard time about missing my chance to grab a husband. So to get back at them, I asked another dancer, who was dressed up in a gorgeous outfit if he would take a picture with my sister. We nicknamed this guy “Chief I’m Single” because his friend was trying to set him up! So many missed opportunities! LOL

Now onto the creative stuff – In my last post I teased that I would show you how I make Raspberry jam – well, here it goes:

Step 1: go for a long walk along the Green River trail where raspberries grow wild along the river!!

step 2: Pick about a gallon of berries! You will need the extra for your yogurt parfait or smoothies.

Step 3: enjoy how beautiful the trail is!

Step4: get down to jam making business! I used about 1/2 gallon of berries and the juice of one lemon. I love experimenting with different flavors and since I am planning on giving these jars of jelly away I though lemon would be a safe and refreshing option. I washed the berries off real good – (I was more concerned with critters than chemicals spray). I then put them in a pot over medium heat with about 2.5 cups of sugar and let it boil for about 10 min stirring constantly!

I did not use pectin in my jelly – instead I boiled the mixture until it had the consistency of a thick syrup and then boiled a few minutes more. Then I laddeled it into sterilized canning jars, covered with a lid and canning ring then boiled in a canning pot for about 10 min. I found with Jellies you don’t have to boil very long before you hear the lid seal. Sometimes it will seal even before I put it in the pot! All good signs!

I did all of this in the comfort of my own trailer! It makes me happy that so far I haven’t had to give up anything but debt by downsizing to a 27′ trailer.

Tag: hiking

Hiking the Clackamas and a Bra

A Powwow and Raspberry Jelly