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. :)