Offhand, Off track

Sometimes I forget to think about the day to day stuff, because, well...I'm in the middle of day to day stuff.  Summer in particular is that way, and about this time in the season I am half buried in cucumbers which doesn't help.  Nor does the all 90, all the time weather we've had for the last month and a half.  Ugh.

Anyone want pickles?  My latest is curry bread and butter chips.  Pickle chips, that is. I'll let you know in a month or so how they are.  

Canning is annoying that way, at least for impatient people like me.

Did I mention it's hot?

I've been sewing some weird things lately.  A while back I became obsessed with a couple of my little-used, oddball knives and decided they needed cases so they could live happily in a drawer during the 363 days a year I don't need to use them:

 

They're my new favorite nifty thing, even if I do only see them two days a year.  They make me want to take a trip or go camping or something.  

Have meat cleaver and Ulu knife, will travel.

I just did one for this crazy breaking knife with a 14" long blade which could totally do double duty as part of a Halloween costume. In hindsight, I definitely should have put a belt loop or a shoulder harness on that one. 

I have also been meaning to show you this great canvas and leather backpack I did for a client:

These are my other new favorite thing.  Still loving the canvas with bits of leather in all forms. I've got a flap-less variation of this design on my worktable now just itching to be finished.  I think it's going to be a keeper.