To be the child of a crafter...

...means your mother (or father, as the case may be!) will invariably say, "I can make something like that!" when you mention some store-bought item your friends have.  This time, in anticipation of the first lost tooth, I made this:

 

This was a pattern from a Pine Mountain kit that I stitched up last year as part of the Smalls SAL.  Since the tooth in question is probably within a few days of falling out (!!!), I figured I needed to get cracking on this!  The little bag isn't perfect, but I think it is cute.  The front is a bit taller than the back, and the front edge is curved because I forgot to account for the height of the crown when I started sewing the lining to the bag.  And the side seam pulled apart a bit - darned opalescent fabric - so I hand-stitched a bit to reinforce the seam.  It probably won't last forever, but it will serve its purpose, and that's what matters.
We've convinced the Little Person that when she finally loses the tooth, she needs to hang the bag on the OUTSIDE of her bedroom door - thereby making things easier for the fairy.

Baby gifts

After doing a fall photo shoot with the Wee One, I spent the rest of my free time this weekend finishing up some gifts for friend.The bag is one of my favorite baby gifts -- it seems more practical than a sampler, you know? And the square is the chorus to James Taylor's song, "Sweet Baby James." It will be a part of a quilt that another friend is making!

I'm a bag lady

It is true, I do love a good bag. So when I found Made by Rae's free "buttercup bag" pattern last summer, I just had to try it. I picked some fabric, cut all the pieces...and then put them in a drawer and forgot about them. Found them last night and decided it was time to conqure my fear of sewing pleats and curves...Here is the inside, complete with lining and a little pocket.The pattern uses just a fat quarter of fabric, so it is a little small for most grown-ups -- however, my daughter thinks it is a perfect tote. LOL She puts it up on her shoulder and cocks her head to the side to keep it from slipping. So cute!

And I've been stitching, too! Here is the latest progress on "Count Your Blessings." I think it will be done soon!

Another baby gift done

Well, after a pass or 2 with the seam ripper, I finished this little gift up today.
The pattern is from the free David & Charles "Best for Baby Collection" that came with a recent issue of The World of Cross Stitching. I know the pigs are a bit closer to the edge of the fabric than the ducks at the bottom....that was a result of an error on my part (over-zealous fabric cutting, the first piece of print fabric I sewed at the top wouldn't have left me with enough room for a nice ribbon casing & "ruffle").

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Coping mechanisms

Well, it has been a strange year so far. This past Friday I was at the hospital for a surgical procedure, and have spent the weekend resting, recovering, and crafting. (Creating things is the cornerstone of my coping skills....the last time something like this happened, I finished about a dozen scrapbook pages.) So I started and finished Lizzie Kate's "Welcome Baby" snippet, for my step-sister-in-law's new little one. I was going to frame it, but a bag finish seemed a bit more useful. I might put a few things in it, and then Mommy can use it in the future to store baby momentos or something.

Lizzie Kate's "Welcome Baby" snippet (girl)
stitched on a 32-ct. Sugar Maple hand-dye

floss colors:

- The Dye is Cast's "Thyme"
- Carrie's Creations "Magenta"
- Six Strand Sweets' "Blackberry Cordial" and "Blueberry Pie"
I used a heart button from my stash instead of the rose button called for

I also worked on "Labyrinth" a bit more, but I was getting bored with the yellow and blue......

Along came a...

...SPIDER!

Spider by Heather Holland-Daly, in "Stitch Graffiti"
stitched on 28-ct. Victorian red lugana using DMC
(beads added for eyes)
finished as a lined drawstring bag

This is my "guilty finish"....it will be a gift for a friend on the renaissance faire circuit. Now, this friend happens to be male, and DH happens to not like him very much (with good reason). So I stitched and finished this rather surreptitiously. But really, stitching this helped me close that chapter in my life, so I don't feel TOO guilty! As I was working on it, I found myself humming a little tune from South Pacific (the musical) -- "gonna stitch that man right out of my hair....gonna stitch that man right out of my hair..."

I keep telling DH that stitching really IS therapeutic!

I'm going to put one of my favorite books in the bag and give it to my friend this weekend.

Ahoy there, matey!!

I felt the need to do some sewing this evening....so this is what I came up with....

The little bear is from Sue Cook's Cross Stitch Collection, and I stitched him on 14-ct. light blue aida (still a bit of aida left in the stash drawer!). I picked up the fabric on sale at Jo-Ann's last weekend -- it was too cute to pass up, even though I didn't have a project in mind then. I lined it with some peachy-colored fabric I had in the cupboard, and then did my first drawstring "casing." I think it turned out pretty well! Now I have no idea what to do with it, though.....maybe one of my Rennie friends knows a little boy who might like it? Or there's always eBay...

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Sewing project and thoughts at the beach

After spending the past 6 weekends at the renaissance faire (Great Lakes Medieval Faire, if you were curious!), my gypsy spirit has gotten restless again. I'm sure it doesn't help that I met a man there, either. He works for my friend's garb business, and he's....well.......interesting. He's a little crazy, and his life has certainly not been lived "within the lines," so to speak. He was a runaway and a homeless street kid for over a decade, and carries a lot of baggage as a result of that. But he speaks to that little bit of my soul that wants to run, be carefree, innocent and irresponsible and silly. Fitting back into my "real" life has really not been fun. I'm full of unanswerable questions, and DH can't help. For my married readers -- what do you do when you look at your husband, your life, and think, "how did I get HERE?" *sigh*

Friday night I went to the beach with my camera and my journal, hoping to think and write for a bit. It helped some.....and then I put my camera on an empty lifeguard chair, set the auto-timer, and just walked away. This was the result.

(There is a bigger version in my Flickr gallery.) For some reason, just looking at this shot makes me feel better, somehow. Although there is still a bit of me that wants to run...to be at the wheel of the Black Pearl, growling, "bring me that horizon..."

Anyway.

So, back to the stitching. Last night I got inspired to finish my Vermillion freebie into a faire bag. This one, purchased last year, was my inspiration:

And here's what I created:
My outer pocket came out a bit smaller than I would have liked...but all in all, not too bad! The green is a corduroy I had in my stash, and the brocade is scraps from the "Dress That Wasn't" for the renaissance wedding. Oh, and while I was merrily sewing along, with all that brocade and the heavy-duty needle on my machine...I managed to sew through my fingertip!! Ow!!! (Now all my sewing friends tell me I've been "initiated," though. hehehe) It really didn't hurt TOO much, thanks to years of testing my blood sugar, but now it is hard to stitch with the big gash in my fingertip. LOL

I must be a glutton for punishment...

...because even after the recent rejection of an intended wedding gift, I did another one. (Here's hoping this one gets a warmer reception...)

This is Alodi Wolfsong's "Celtic Knot Heart," finished as a drawstring belt pouch to hold the wedding rings at my brother-in-law's renaissance-themed wedding this summer. I stitched the heart on 22-ct. blueberry Janina, using DMC white and 282 light gold metallic thread. I don't particularly like 22-ct., but it was the only fabric I could find in that shade of blue! (For the wedding, the boys will be wearing blue and the bridesmaids will wear green - there is no ring bearer, so the pouch will be worn by the best man.) The lining is a bit of cheap tan velveteen/microsuede, and I used satin rat tail cording instead of ribbon for the drawstring. It took me the better part of the 3-day weekend to stitch this up...I was bitten by one of those "gotta finish it!" bugs, and only took a brief break this morning when I ran out of the metallic gold. Now, I was not ASKED to make this, and I didn't get the go-ahead from the bride or groom before making it...so I know I'm totally going out on a limb here. But if they don't like it....well, it matches the dress I'm having made to wear to the wedding - to match my DH, who will be a groomsman - and it holds my camera perfectly!! LOL

I hope everyone else had as lovely and productive a long weekend as I did - I even got to see Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on Saturday night!!

Crazy Weekend Finishing Frenzy

After finishing the Old Books sampler last week, I was itching to get out the sewing machine again (not for that piece, though, it will definitely be framed!). Here's what I accomplished....
1) I made the "Fairy and the Swan" piece into a little pocket pillow, which is currently holding a pouch of potpourri. It is hard to tell in the pic, but the back fabric is purple.2) I tried another padded wall banner - this time with "Share Love" by Twisted Threads. The stitched piece is teeny, so this made it look a little bit bigger. I'm not completely pleased with the finished product, though.....eh. (FYI, the purple fabric is the same as the pillow back above.)
3) I made Whimsical Element's "Sensational Summer" into a lined drawstring bag. The proportions didn't come out quite right...I didn't mean for it to be so tall! But I love the colors. This was the piece that was intended as a wedding gift....who knows, maybe I'll still give it to them. If not, since we are going to St. Thomas for the wedding, I'll just keep it as a trip momento for US. LOL4) Finally, I tried my first flat-fold. It definitely is NOT perfect....an impatient perfectionist and a hot glue gun are a BAD combination...but it will still look cute on my bookshelves. Now, back to watching the Oscars...

With a Giant THANK YOU to Dani...

....another "finished" finish!!


The design is be Homespun Elegance, I believe it is just called "Sisters." The finished size of the stitching is about 3 1/2" x 4". And I used Dani's instructions to finish it as a lined bag! I did ok....although the one visible stitching (at the top) is a bit "drunken" because the bag opening was just barely big enough to fit over the sewing platform on my machine, and it slipped a few times as I was zipping along. But once it is drawn shut, my amateur sewing skills are not so obvious. hehe And my sister is not at ALL crafty, so I know she won't mind! I'm going to fill it with potpourri, so she can put it in/on her dresser or in her closet. For the pic I just stuck a handful of fiberfill in there.

You know, I absolutely love all of you internet stitchers out there. If it weren't for the helpful hints and directions I've collected (from Jo and Dani and others), I'd NEVER have tried some of these finishing techniques. Not to mention all of the encouragement, enabling, and wonderful compliments!! You all are the best.