Warm and Cozy

Warm and cozy flannel pajama pants, cut out and ready to be sewn. Now...if we can all just get over being sick so I can make them!

The boys' quilts

Here are the pics of the boys' quilts for Christmas. They are hand quilted in the center panel and tied around the borders, largely because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the borders. :) But I really liked how they turned out, and I think the boys will love the ties to mess with. :) The backing is made out of soft flannel...cozy and warm, just right for the weather lately! I only have to finish the binding on one, and I'm nearly finished with Little Bit's, too. (which looks nothing like these). I just started the binding tonight. Pics to come soon!

Old and New

Well, I finished my throw/afghan, and I wanted to share with you the finished project. It's very "Fall" and VERY warm and cozy. :) I used Wool Ease from Lion Brand Yarn, so I get the washability but still have the warmth and lovliness that is wool. :) It matches the quilt in my living room almost perfectly. (I wish these pictures really did the color justice. They are much more "full" than they appear in these shots. My apologies.)

And the next is a photo of my newest crochet project. :) (To be announced)

Note: The latter was a picture of a scarf I crocheted for one of my dearest friends for Christmas, and wouldn't ya' know it, I FORGOT to take a picture of the finished project. Naturally. I...uh...do that a lot with gifts. I get so excited to send them on, that I don't take the time to shoot a picture of it. shrug. Oh, well. It turned out nice, and I want one. :) Of course, now that it's springtime...

Pie Making

I love to bake. And though I do like pumpkin pies, I've never actually made one. Usually, it's apple or pecan or a fruit cobbler or crumble. But I wanted to make pumpkin pie...good ole' fashioned festive pumpkin pie. So, I made two...one for church yesterday (We had our Thanksgiving potluck after Sunday morning service) and one to freeze to eat on Thanksgiving with the family. Since I had to make one for Sunday, it seemed kind of non-productive to not go ahead and make them all at once...and so I froze it. shrug. It will have to do. I only have about a thousand things to do that day. :)

And so, at about 9 pm, I got my rolling cloth out and had at it. (Yeah, I can also be kind of a night owl...hmm...maybe THAT's why I like owls so much??? LOL) Anyway, a nice helping of Celtic music on the ipod, a nice quiet, dark house (everywhere but the kitchen where I was...and the bedroom where my husband was running on the treadmill), and I was in baker's bliss. :)

Now...I just have to make something CHOCOLATE. :)

Ready to Assemble

Finally finished all my blocks, the other day, and now I'm ready to assemble them all. I'll let you see the finished product when I get it done. (Oh, these are the smaller blocks...For some of the bigger blocks, I'm sewing four of them together to make one bigger block, to add variety...)

Cookie Costumes

Been working on these for a friend of mine. I am pleased with how they turned out. Very easy to wear, over jeans or shorts or whatever, depending on the weather, and easy for a child to take on/off.
(I do apologize for the lousy lighting. Sigh. I really should either get some brighter hall lights, or do all my picture taking outside. LOL But as I had to mail these out right away, I was in a hurry to get a quick shot of them.)

Queen Bee

I couldn't think of anything to be for Halloween this year...at least that I had the time and money to invest into. :) I would have loved to have been Alice from the new movie, but there was no way I had that kind of extra money to put into a costume I'd wear once, maybe twice, nor did I have the time to invest in making it. So...Martha Stewart came in handy this year. This was on her show, and I thought..."HEY! I can do that!" It was cool, because it wasn't hard (but very time consuming), and it wouldn't scare the kids (vampires are out for now), and VERY cheap. :) Cheap is good. I had forgotten I even had this yarn leftover, so that was a plus. :)

I will say this, though...the first picture was taken before the rest of my makeup, and the second one after our Fall Festival at church AND trick or treating, so my bees are looking a little tired and sad in THAT one. shrug. Should have taken a better picture BEFORE leaving, huh?

NOTE: No, I do not have jaundice. LOL I have yellow sparkle fairy dust (Ben Nye Stage Makeup...gotta' love it!) on for "pollen" but it doesn't show up very well in the hallway where we took the picture. Not the best lighting, but it was too dark outside to do pics.

They're Supposed to Be Bees...

But do they look like them? (Though by looking, I can easily see which ones were the first and which ones were the last ones I made...the last ones look better. LOL)



This is my attempt at part of Halloween costume that is to be continued...

Getting Festive

Well, I'm finally getting around to decorating for Halloween...and I sooo love Halloween--always have. I mean, dressing up in costume, pretending to be someone of fantasy, and then getting fed mounds of candy for your efforts...and, of course, add in all the beautiful fall colors, the pretty plump orange pumkins (my very favorite color!), the nice cooler weather, not to mention it's the start of all the holiday season...so much still to look forward to. I mean, come on! What's NOT to love about it?!

Of course, the boys aren't really into costumes...as in, they HATE to put anything on their head or wear anything that's not absolutely comfortable, so they're going to be the same thing they were last year--skeletons (The bones are printed on sweats, so they like those. LOL) Still, never thought I'd see the day when I was okay with the same costume two years in a row (New costumes is half the fun!) shrug. Kids have their own way of doing things, that's for sure! :) They do, at least, love the IDEA of Halloween and are totally into the ghosts (which they call "Boos"), bats, and pumpkins. You should have seen them at the grocery store, going down the frozen food aisle the other week... It was done up elaborately in ghosts, bats, skeletons, the works! The boys would both go "It's a BOO! Agh!" then shiver and say "I skeered!" And then both would break out into very loud giggles. They love PRETENDING to be scared! So funny!

And now if Little Bit can just make up her MIND, I'll be all set...that is, if I finish my hat in time...(pics later...when I get it done...)

A nice day at the beach

Hard to believe it's Fall already! Especially on sunny, pretty days like this!

Crocheted Purse

This is a new little passport bag-style purse I made for Little Bit. It was supposed to be for her birthday, but it actually came around about four days later. Oh, well. It's a little too Pepto Bismol pink for my liking, but she loves it. She's going through this pink phase. I guess every little girl does. I was mostly a tom boy when I was little, and I STILL had that pink and purple stage. Go figure. But she really likes the beads on it, too, and I was quite pleased with how that turned out. They're not sewn on separately, but actually crocheted right in. That way, it not only looks nice, but they're a lot sturdier, which is good when I have two three-year-olds running around the house. I need to make me one like this, only in fall colors (and no beads). Would be nice to grab when I just have to run to the store and don't want to take my tote bag of a purse with me. :)

Homemade Butter

Well, I finally did it, after talking about it for months and months. I've finally made my very own homemade butter. And am AMAZED at how quick and easy it was. Seriously. Just popped the cream into the food processor and BAM! In just a few minutes...not even that long, I had butter. I must've had it at EXACTLY the right temp. or whatever, because it didn't even take the 5-8 min. everyone online said it should have. More like two. Cool.

Of course I did have to pour up the buttermilk and then rinse the butter repeatedly with ice water until it ran clear (which was easy enough)...then get all the leftover water out. (If you've never made butter, the ice water doesn't mix with the butter, but you have to squish and mash the butter really good to get all the remaining droplets that stick in all the little nooks and crannies.) That last part was slightly a pain (and stupidly, I let a big hunk of the butter fall into a dirty bowl in the sink while trying to do this...I didn't have it squished good to the side...sigh), but I think it would be much easier if I could find my cheesecloth, which, of course, I can't. Naturally. And the store didn't have any that I could find, so I guess I'll have to order me some more or wait until I go to the kitchen store next time.

But back to the butter...I saved some just salted, then jazzed up the other as honey butter. And oh my goodness, it's good! I tried some on some homemade blueberry mini muffins just last night, and "OH! MAN!" I am seriously going to start doing this on a regular basis. I am most certainly sold on this and esp. the honey butter, though my Little Bit insists the plain butter is best. SHRUG Go figure. To each his own, huh? :) Still, never thought I'd see the day when my child was telling me the plain was better than the SWEET. Kind of odd. Oh, well. :)

Anyway, this is what they looked like, only there was much more...this is after having eaten a big portion of it...

Migraines

I want to apologized for being scarce lately, but I have been hit with a plague of migraines these past few weeks and so, of course, haven't gotten nearly as much done as I would have liked. I will try and be back soon with a few pics of some stuff I finished a bit ago. Despite the pain and suffering over here, I am optimistic things will be much better soon, as I can already feel Fall in the air, see it in the angle of the sun, despite the still 90 degrees temps during the day. Fall is coming, and that always makes me happy!

Happy Monday everybody!

Stop Its

This was just too funny not to share. For some reason, unbeknownst to all but them, my baby boys have decided that Cocoa Puffs are called "Stop Its." You can imagine the look on my face the first time they asked for these. And how hard I laughed when I figured out what they were talking about. The ONLY (and I mean ONLY) thing I can think of is one of the first days I offered them some, one of them (I don't remember which one now) was trying to take his brother's, and he didn't like it. (Get it? Stop its?) So, I figured maybe that was it...they think of them as those things they have to defend from the other, maybe? LOL They are so hilarious, my babies. And SOOOO in sync with each other. They are, of course, identical twins, so this makes sense, but it constantly amazes me how they ALWAYS understand each other, even when they say things that apparently make no sense to me. Like Stop Its. :)

And I still get a little giggle every time I get to say, "Hurry up and eat your stop its, hun." :)

One More

And here we go again. Same pattern, different sleeves and a contrasting strip sewn to the bottom (that matches the sleeves and bodice). This is my favorite pattern for her so far, though she's about to outgrow it...I'm having to alter it already. Wanted to get a few more tops out of it before I couldn't use it any more.

And the plus...I made the whole thing (minus cutting out, which I already did) in one day! WITH (and here's the clencher) the kids playing around me. I put my old machine in the kitchen and went at it while they played. AND I even took them, GASP, in my sewing room to do the button holes (my new machine does that SO much better.) And they didn't destroy anything! LOL Finally, the boys are getting old enough to start (slowly) taking them with me in the sewing room. They're just so rambunctious and there's so much for them to get hurt on in there, that I've tried to keep them out most of the time. But it's coming!! Yea!!

New Fall Top

I love the way this top turned out for my Little Bit. The sleeves are a tad bit longer, the brown fabric, a bit thicker (for fall), and the colors, perfect. What makes it even better was it was practically a freebie. The pattern is from fabric.com's grab bag of cottom remnants, and the brown is leftover from something I made myself years ago...not even sure any more, to be honest. Anyway, she loves it, and so do I. I especially like the flower-shaped mother of pearl buttons at the back. The finishing touch. :)

Repurposed Dress

My Little Bit has grown a lot lately, right out of a lot of her dresses! And so I was left with a couple (and one in particular) dresses that I just HATED to put away. You might remember this one I made a while back. Anyway, it dawned on me that the same pattern for this dress is the same one I used to make her some tops, so I just lopped off the bottom, hemmed it up nice and neat and WAH-LAH. New shirt. :) She likes it, and it's the perfect length to wear to school with the jeans. It's very cute, and she's very happy with it. After all, this was the dress she designed. :)

Getting Ready for School

I promised Little Bit I'd make her a pencil case out of her favorite new "penguin" material (it actually has a LOT of other animals on it, but THAT's the one she zones in on, of course!). But it was kinda' thin, and I was afraid she'd rip it or poke a sharpened pencil through it. (She is certainly NOT dainty or even CAREFUL with anything...more like a tornado through a china shop most days.) So, I opted for denim with a reverse applique of one of the little penguins. I used the adorable pattern/tutorial from orange flower. I didn't do the pieced fabric, as the tutorial did, so I just kinda' quilted in little patterns over the whole thing and used coordinating (with the penguin fabric) dots for the inside. I think it turned out quite nice. :) (Though sewing the second half of the zipper up was a PAIN AND A HALF!) Still, success. And she loves it, which is what matters, anyway. :)





(note: I really need to find a better place to take pictures...the lighting stinks!)

Amigurumi II

For the boys' birthday, I made them two little arigurumi elephants.




I thought they turned out cute, especially considering they were pretty much my first attempt at amigurumi. I was pleased. They like them, taking their trunks and moving them and making very adorable baby elephant noises that I cannot replicate either in type or in person. :)

Earrings

I told Little Bit she could get her ears pierced if she wanted to, when she turned five. At first, when she turned five, she didnn't want to, but then, some 10 months later, she decided she was brave enough. And here they are...

She was so sweet and so terrified and so brave.
I was very VERY proud of her.
She seemed to age three years that day.
I think I aged about thirty. Sigh...

Amigurumi

Here's a "Happy Friday!" from a little purple penguin friend. She was Little Bit's "Happy Brother's Birthday" present. She loved her and named her Annie.

New Skirt

I have had this skirt for me cut out for well over a year now. (Tells how often I actually sew for MYSELF, right? LOL) I kept pushing it aside, needing to work on more urgent projects, like clothes for the kids, or more interesting projects, like my fall quilt. But FINALLY, I got around to this the other day. And while I won't put it in my favorite things ever catagory, I'm fairly pleased with it, I must say.

New Look 6811




I will say that I shouldn't have used such a busy fabric and still did the pockets. They blend in and you can't even see them. It would have made more sense to just do simple ones for all that they almost disappear into the pattern. Also, as cute as I thought the fabric was (and I wasn't about to use expensive or my favorite to try out a pattern I wasn't sure I'd like anyway), it's really hard to match, actually, and I don't think this particular shade of pink (almost a salmon, but not exactly) is actually anyone's color. LOL Also, since I cut it out a YEAR ago, I've actually lost a smidge of weight since then (no complaining here) and it's a tad too big. (ah. Darn.) Of course, I had added a little bit of width to it, so now I can make it exactly by the pattern and not have to worry about that. So, that's good. :) But all in all, I have to say it's a simple, good pattern, and a nice skirt. :) Best of all, it's COMFORTABLE!! Which is a HUGE plus for me. I think I will definately use this pattern again, though this time, I will use a khaki or a linen for it, maybe, and I think I want one long one for this fall. (Though as hot as it's been lately, it's hard to think it will EVER be cool again! LOL)

Squares and More Squares

As I've recently mentioned, I've just learned how to crochet. Or at least, how to read patterns and crochet in the round and...gasp...make granny squares (giggle). Long, long, long ago, my grandmother taught me how to make a granny square, and for the life of me, I'd forgotten it all. I tried once, about two years ago, with very little success, but later, when I had more time to sit and actually pay close attention to what I was doing, the steps just fell into place like it was the easiest thing in the world. And so, because it's fun and kinda' addictive...and pretty cool looking, I think...I decided to make an afghan for me, using some of my favorite yarn. Or, I should say, my favorite affordable yarn. Oh, I could happily pick out some nicer, more luxurious yarns...cashmere? lambswool? But I also didn't really want to spend $100 or more on my afghan. LOL Plus, I wanted something easy to throw in the wash for when, say, my sweet little baby throws up on it. (As all parents know will likely happen eventually.) I also didn't want to do the traditional little squares, so I'm doing a lot fewer BIGGER squares (note the hot wheel car for reference to size...they're pretty big.) in the colors of my living room. And I think it's going to turn out quite nicely. I plan on doing some sort of border, too, but I'm undecided on the color. In reality, it may wind up being whichever color I have the most leftover in the end. LOL

Oh, the yarn. Guess I could tell WHAT I'm using, huh? It's Lion Brand Yarn's Wool Ease in various colors. As I said, they match my living room, especially the wall quilt I made that hangs in my living room.





I'm quite excited about the whole thing, since it practically makes itself while I sit and watch TV at night with the hubby or ride in the car. I hardly have to even think about what I'm doing now, and since I'm the kind of person who can't STAND to sit and not DO something (watch TV while not sewing or something? Gasp! Are you KIDDING???), this is a WONDERFUL project to pull out or take along with me somewhere. Esp. since it's not big and bulky (yet. As they're still in individual squares). It's hard to take, say, a quilt in the car to work on. Anyway, I'll have to keep you updated on my progress. I also want to make Little Bit and me some new ponchos for this fall. We'll see how that goes, as well.

:) Happy Wednesday to all!

Soup and Blueberry Jam

Well, I've begun my preserving for this year, that is, if you don't count freezing, as I've already frozen quite a LOT of hand-picked blueberries from the farm nearby. But I managed 13 pints, if I remember correctly, of homemade vegetable soup and 7 and a half jelly jars (1/2 pints) of blueberry jam. I also put up five quarts of frozen fresh corn. I'm quite pleased with myself, though I am hardly finished. I plan to make some blackberry and strawberry jams, as well. Hopefully, in the next week or so, though this week I've a birthday party to plan. :)