Sewn Coin Purse

I have been using my Sash bag that I love carrying especially for traveling.  It has great slot for credit cards, however, cash in bills and coins are troublesome to carry.  I had a Tom Bihn coin purse that I tried to use, but the size was a bit too big and it has a clasp that makes it bulky.

I was on the search for a smaller coin purse with at least two slots - one for folded bills and the other for coins and I could not find one that met all my criteria.

I happened upon a pattern in Craftsy for the Zipper Wallet that I hoped would fit the bill.

I dug around my scrap stash and found this cute pig fabric and some white fabric from a finished quilt.

I purchased two zippers at Beverly's and some fusible interfacing and spent about 2 hours making the project.

It was a little tricky for the front zippered pocket and my zipper sewing was a bit off, but I used the folded fabric right against the zipper and the raw edges out so I was able to zig zag all the raw edges.

I had to rip out for the second zipper since I sewed it in the wrong order, but when it was all said and done, I got the perfect little wallet that is the exact fit.

The inside could have been a bit neater and I should have changed the thread to white.  I had a little struggle turning everything outside in and the next one will have a bigger opening for the final reveal.

Seattle Field Trip

I went to Seattle for an overnight work field trip and it was cold and rainy as usual here.  It was a nice change from the warm and sun, but I could not live in that grey for very long.

The day was long but productive.  I stayed at the Doubletree which had Seaports restaurant.

I ordered a cup of clam chowder which was very tasty.

And the oysters and chips.  However, once my meal arrived and I cut into the battered lumps, I discovered that I had fish instead.

It was good fish, but not what I expected.  After flagging down the waitress, she brought me another plate.

It was all very good for a hotel restaurant.

I was also able to stop by Pike's Market before heading to the airport and home.

It was not very crowded during the week in the morning and I was able to get street parking.

The air was crisp and it was interesting to hear and see all the set up of the vendors.

I was tempted to buy some wild salmon but couldn't maneuver the luggage without paying a fee.  I flew up on Alaska Airlines and sat in the very back of the plane both ways with the same flight crew.

I stopped by the first Starbucks for some mugs.

And I picked up some lavender and some chocolate covered cherries before heading back to the car.  I saw this interesting covered area where it seems there is an ongoing art project with chewed gum.

At the airport, I grabbed something to eat at Anthony's.

Which consisted of salmon poke - too much sauce, and a bowl of chowder - not as good as the hotel.  Service was super slow and I was glad I had a lot of time before departure.

The view from the table was pretty good since I had this huge plate glass wall to look out.

Productive trip.  It will depend if I get to keep this case or not since my territory does not cover Washington state.

There were a bunch of dejected Seahawks fans on the plane and around town.  Everything Seahawks were on super discount.

Surf and Turf at Jo's

Had another awesome meal at Jo's where we indulged in a movie in the afternoon with tea and a surf and turf dinner with salmon and steak.

We watched Kung Fu Hustle and had tea and snacks.

Dinner consisted of salmon and steak with vegetables and sweet rice.

We also started with a yummy Honey Baked ham bone soup with vegetables.  I was able to take some leftovers home for dinner the next day.

Season 52 - Los Angeles

An overnight trip to Los Angeles offered the opportunity to DineLA at Seasons 52.  On the way to the restaurant, the sky was super colorful based on the rain that the city almost got.

After arriving at the restaurant, dusk had settled.

We ordered off the DineLA menu.

We shared the meat flatbreads.  The steak one had a very strong cheese flavor and the chicken one had very mild pesto.

I ordered the field green salad.

But the spinach salad had roasted pears which was delicious. I can't wait to try roasting some at home.

My main entree was the scallops that were cooked perfectly.

Dessert consisted of mini shots and I chose the strawberry cream and s'more death by chocolate.

Great meal with large portions.  A follow-up visit is in order.

Bice in the Gaslamp

Janet and I had our supper club date at Bice in the Gaslamp finally using the Groupon we got.  We were a bit trepidatious as the reviews either totally panned or totally raved it.

We took advantage of the valet parking as there is minimal parking in the neighborhood and the price was $15 for ACE parking.

We were seated directly at our appointed reservation time.  The restaurant is elegantly decorated and was not too busy when we arrived at 6:00.

We were presented with multiple menus and the restaurant is known for its cheese platters.  We tried one of these 3 for $18 with the chef's choice of the second category up from the soft cheeses.  The plate came with a few pieces of bread and some apricots and figs.  Two were very tasty and the other was creamy without much flavor.

I had originally ordered the sea scallop dish, but after a few other diners stated that the scallops had a bitter taste, the manager came over to inform me of the situation and allowed me to place an order for something else.

I ordered the seafood spaghetti in parchment paper, but the dish came out with the food wrapped in a piece of plastic with a clothes pin which was removed and poured into the dish at the table.

It was very tasty and fresh.  Janet had the sea bass which she stated was also delicious.

The dinner was expensive and I'm not sure if it would be worth the money for the super small portions without the Groupon special.

Ototo Sushi in the Neighborhood

I was able to try out the new sushi restaurant, Ototo, new in the neighborhood with Grace.

We stopped in for lunch and I had some sushi - Chuck and a Spicy Tuna roll and Grace had the Salmon Kama and a Caterpillar roll.  We shared the fries which were very good as they came out hot and crispy with a bit of aioli.

The sushi was fresh and quite a lot for the price.  Total lunch came to $30 and we were stuffed.

Good addition to the neighborhood eats and I will visit again.

Serged Box Bag

After all the holiday traffic and some free time, I was able to tackle the box bag that I had cut out fabric for ages ago.

The zipper function worked best with the thinner foot and it was pretty easy to do.

All pinned up with the zipper sandwiched between the fused front and the lining.

I kept the stitch length the same instead of going smaller as recommended in the Craftsy class.  After turning and pressing, it looked pretty professional although I should have chosen a different color zipper.

Flipping and serging the other size made a tube.

After using scissors to cut the excess zipper off, the sides were serged with the bag inside out including the little tabs at each end.

After marking and serging the corners, I ended up with a cool little box bag.

A bit of pressing finished it off.  I have the fabric for another one exactly like it but am waiting for a delivery of zippers.