Baby Quilt and Dolls for Raffle

The baby quilt has been top stitched and bound, and a couple matching dolls have been made. If you are interested in this little baby set, it will be up for a fundraiser this Saturday night! Come and get it for yourself. Details below. This soldier was in Iraq with my sister, and died tragically a few weeks ago.

Puppy Skirts

What can I say? Crafting is an all or nothing hobby for me. Lately, it has been constant. I found this puppy fabric on my knitting trip and it scream RUTHIE all the way. Then, I found the polka dotted fabric that was just a perfect match for the balls in the puppy fabric. I followed the simple skirt tutorial from Dana Made It. Love that blog. Warmer weather is on the way, and now the girls have some puppy skirts to twirl in. Happy.

Knitting Retreat 2013

The third annual knitting retreat came and went, leaving nuggets of wisdom for all who participated. Here are a few:

1. If you are from out of town and you go to the family restaurant in town and if it is hopping and if everyone inside is very dressed up, you should leave. Because it is a funeral reception, and you just crashed it and made someone cry by asking about it.

2. If you go to a Mexican restaurant, even though you don't speak Mexican, and you order El Diablo and you drink it all, don't go to Walgreens right after. You will be too giggly and the cashier will eye you suspiciously.

3. If you want to get tattoos and you go to a tattoo parlor and the owner is there and literally has horns on his head and if he says the F word A LOT and if your tattoo designs are small and discreet instead of large and obvious, you should leave. Because he does not want to tattoo you, despite the fact that he is running a tattoo parlor.

4. You might knit something. You might not.



5. Cherry Berry is an acceptable dinner. So is taco pizza. So are vodka tonics.

6. You can crank up the heat on the thermostat at the bed and breakfast, because the owners are never there anyway and they refuse to give you breakfast in bed.

7. You will get lost. Especially if you use your GPS.

8. You will all pack and wear the same gray and black striped shirt. 

9. Stomping on asian lady beetles is fun. Crunch, crunch.

10. Brown food is delicious.



I cannot wait for next year!

another washi tunic

I can't help myself. I love this pattern. I found the fabric on clearance at a quilt shop while on my knitting retreat (more on THAT later).

Simplicity 1609

I bought this during a $1 pattern sale. It is a reproduced Simplicity pattern from the 1960s. I love love love it! The fabric is a cheap polyester and cost me all of $2.00. The zipper is from my father in law's jacket, so grand total for this little gem was $3.00.

Washi Tunic

Apparently when it is 20º below normal temperatures and there is snow on the ground in mid April, I make myself sleeveless shirts and dresses. It must be the optimist in me.

This is the Washi Dress pattern, and it was lovely to sew. I made it into a tunic because I was using fabric from the stash (green Kona cotton) and didn't want to buy more. Next time I will do a dress. Best part: pockets! I love pockets. By the way, when you ask your four year old to take the pictures, you will have no head. :)

I see more of these in my future.

Petals Quilt

 This was my project this week. I have had the pattern forever, and finally sorted through my scraps and got around to making it. It was my first ever applique quilt top. Size is 32" x 42" - baby quilt. Now to decide if I want to pay for some professional top quilting, or just try it myself. I am not sure who this is going to, but I am surrounded by fresh little baby girls these days, so it will find a home sooner or later. The original pattern calls for 12 evenly spaced circles, but obviously, I don't like symmetry.

Clara helpfully pointed out the gap right there..."Mommy, you should put something right here. It's empty."

Easter Dresses + Ties

The boys got ties from this pattern, which is very easy but seems to run narrow and long, especially in the little boy version. After a frustrating many hours with a bad Simplicity pattern (seriously, don't get it, it is NOT easy like it says), I decided to take the girls' dresses into my own hands and winged it with this bodice pattern and a simple, narrow pleated skirt. I then bought a little shrug pattern, which I made with a knit fabric because I am lazy like that (no finishing!).  My dress is my retro bridesmaid dress, with a clearance cardi and flats thanks to Old Navy.

Elephant

I randomly was going through a pattern book I won last year and decided to use some fabric I was hoarding on a little elephant. There was a lot of hand sewing involved with her - I think I might never make another one.