hats

I was commissioned to knit an Aang hat for my nephew for Halloween. I don't know this character, but I know the words Avatar and Airbender are involved....Oliver is modeling it for me. Hope it works for you, Carly!

I also test knit my friend Gilda's new lacy hat pattern. Cute! Pardon the self portraits...my arms are never long enough! ha. I was concerned it was too short, but after I blocked it, it stretched out and now it's perfect!

Love it, Gilda!

I frogged my dinosaur sweater. It was causing me anxiety. Next up is winter gear for the kids. I am going for classic outerwear this year.

craft fair, part III

I like ruffles a lot. These scarves broke my rule of only using stash fabric, but I think they were worth it. The idea came from my awesome neighbor. Thanks, Angie!

I really need to recruit someone to take a decent picture for me.

Also, my dolls got faces. I thought about making a couple sad ones, but decided that would be...sad. So yeah, all happiness in the doll basket.

craft fair, part II

Mini clutches. (tutorial found here)

With pleats.

And lots of different fabrics.I want to keep them all.

What do you think--do they need a wrist strap?

Also, would you buy this for $10? I am terrible at prices. I typically give away everything I make.

Oh, PS, I got a sitter, so the craft fair is really a go! A good thing, since I now have 15 dolls and 10 mini clutches staring at me. I want a third item, and I am thinking baby bonnets, but I'm not completely sure since winter is not really bonnet season. I want something I can make completely from my stash. So far everything has been. I am not sure if you know, but I am a fabric hoarder. *hanging head in shame*

craft fair, part I

I think I am doing a craft fair. Handmade MN Market. With my awesome friend Gilda (her etsy store here). But it depends on if I can find childcare that day, because I will be a single mama that weekend.

Part I: faceless masses. (adapted from doll tutorial found here)

They will obviously get faces before I sell them.

September stuff

Hi!

Oliver turned three.

I bought a clearance shirt at Target for $3 and added a T-Rex and a 3 on it.

I made a dinosaur cake (easy fondant dinos...playing playdoh really paid off! ha).

Of course Clara needed a new dress for the start of preschool.

It's the sweet dress pattern, and I lengthened the sleeves, skipped the elastic on the arms, and added a waist with elastic. Oh and the tulle trim! I like it. :)

I just got this book. I am going to start with some pants. It looks great so far, and the best part, the pattern pieces are real paper, not that anxiety-inducing tissue stuff (seriously stressful to me for some reason!).

Dino sweater still on the needles. Me = slacker.

baby star quilt

Everything except the batting was in my stash.

I was worried the back was too boyish, but I think it is mostly still gender-neutral. I just think of the blue and red as "boy colors" because that is what Oliver's quilt was made from.

Final measurements: 30" x 40". A good baby quilt for the stroller or tummy time.

I wasn't patient enough to hand sew the binding onto the back...so I machine sewed it (stitch-in-the-ditch style), but it is not perfect. I get so impatient at the end of a project. I get this overwhelming urge to just stop the whole thing and move on to the next project lined up. Why is that?

I kind of fell in love with star blocks. I might need to make another one. Maybe a Christmas quilt for myself? Star block tutorial here.

charity quilt preview

Happy end of summer to you. Labor Day weekend gets me excited; I love the crisp fall air coming in and the start of schedules and daily structure (yes, yes, I am Type A). Anyway, I thought I would drop a quick note -

The dinosaur sweater is coming along, but not finished yet. I am not going to post pics until the end because it will look so very much better after some good blocking. I kind of love/hate color work.

I decided to make a baby quilt for my friend's charity auction. Here's a teaser (bad night time photo, sorry!):

Her organization is called Ted E. Bear Hollow, and it is a place for grieving children and families. I hope my little contributions will help.

In a week my baby boy will be three. How did that happen so quickly? This last year has changed him so much. When he turned two, he was grunting as his main form of communication, and now I can't stop his chatter if I try! He has really become a little man. We will be celebrating with the MOA aquarium, pizza and a T-Rex cake (his requests) and oh yeah, he wants his cake *blueberry.* I am thinking it will be this.