~UFO Bust Report~

I had a UFO hidden away which I forgot about when I listed all my UFO's: a stenciled tote.



For Christmas, we made each of our moms one of these totes. I got a smudge of black paint on one of the totes so I set it aside to make one for myself. Kevin did all the work on the silhouette, which was a lot of work, and he did it three times over for these totes.

So this week I got it done. I think it took five minutes? Maybe ten. Certainly it didn't need to be sitting in my closet for the past three months!



My inspiration for this project was this tote, and this pillow. Painting over the paper doily was a little tricky, but I finally figured out the best way to do it, which is a little different than the tutorial I linked to above:
1) Use spray adhesive to attach the doily to the tote.
2) Paint over the doily, making sure to get paint in all the spaces and holes. Make sure the paint on the doily is very thin, you don't want paint puddled up on the doily, because it will seep through to the tote.
3) Use a hair dryer to dry the paint.
4) Remove the doily. This part is time-consuming, but you can use an exacto knife or some other sharp tool to help pull the doily bits off.

For the silhouette, I used a hair dryer as well, rather than leaving it to dry over night.

For other UFO Bust Reports, visit Susan at Blackberry Creek.

~Wow~

This is pretty incredible. Just look at the detail! But I want to know where the groom's cake is? Oh wait. It's all about the bride. I wonder how long this marriage is going to last!

~UFO Bust Report~

This is my UFO bust report for this week...not much progress, but some! For other UFO bust reports, visit Blackberry Creek

I finished the afghan:


The squares on this afghan were made my grandma. She has lost almost all of her sight, and yet she still continues to do the things she enjoys! She wanted to give me this afghan for my daughter, and since I know how to crochet, I was able to finish it up.

The UFO part of this project was to weave in the tails and to block it. It is made out of acrylic yarn, so I was able to wet it/spin it dry in the washer. Then I just laid it across a table, stretching it into shape. It wasn't a "true" block, but I think drying it stretched out really helped everything lay right.

I have made some progress on my socks. However, I strained my wrist some time back and it makes it difficult to knit or crochet. So I am working on spending less time on the computer, no time for now knitting or crocheting, and my wrist is feeling much better. I'm hoping I can get back to my needlecrafts soon!

Nothing to do with UFO's, but I thought it was funny...

Pretty kitty:


Met a 2-year old:

~Upcycled Bibs~

I've been in a mood to purge, purge, purge! So when my daughter pulled some Christmas hand towels out of my linen storage cabinet, I realized that I never use them, not even when I have company at Christmas! I was going to put them aside with the donation/yard sale pile, but then I took a closer look at them.



I have been wanting to make my daughter some towel-backed bibs since Sew, Mama, Sew! posted this this tutorial by Rae. I even looked through my dish towel drawer to see if I had any suitable towels, but I didn't. These two towels turned out to be the perfect size. I was able to cut the bib out without having any of the Christmas design on the bib. I used fabric I already had for the fronts.

So this afternoon, I drafted my pattern, and sewed away! I always get in the mood to sew when it is overcast outside, and then of course I want to blog about my finished project right away, so my pictures always end up a little on the dark side.

Teddy Bear Picnic and Breakfast with Polka-dots:



I used my snap press to install the snaps:



I'd like to make a few more to have on hand. I have some plastic bibs that wash up really well, but I always seem to be out of clean bibs when it is time to eat! Plus the back side of these can be used to wipe sticky fingers before we hop down from the table!

~Sniff, sniff~

Oh dear! It's funny, my husband was just talking to our daughter tonight about how she can't drive yet, then this came on later in the evening. Oh my...we joke about how we won't let our daughter do certain things till she's a ridiculous age (no dating till she's 32 years old, for instance). What age should driving be? 28? Hehe.

~Black Bean Dip~

Breakfast was too skimpy this morning, and my stomach was growling! I needed something else to eat before lunch. So I made this:


It's a dark, rainy day here, so excuse the poor photo quality.

Black Bean Dip
1 can beans
salsa to taste
shredded cheese

Pre-heat broiler to high. Heat beans on stove top. Drain. Pour into a oven-safe dish, top with desired amount of salsa, and sprinkle cheese on top. Heat under broiler till cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy with corn chips!

The high protein of the beans will help keep me full till lunch, and will give my daughter more energy to run and play! :-)

I need some more ideas like this! Especially since I have a toddler who needs to eat every few hours! My mind goes blank and she ends up eating the same thing every day. It's nice to mix things up a bit! Do you have any ideas for quick, healthy snacks? Please share!

~Thrifting~

Thrift stores and I just do not get along very well. I try. I really do. I go in with a positive outlook. Dig through racks of clothes? Sure, no problem. Try on 30 things? Why not?

But then I come out of the store with nothing. Well, nothing for me. Last week I tried on so many clothes and found one shirt for myself. When I took it to the check out, examined it better and discovered a stain and a hole. Back on the rack it went. I came home with this:


Ninety-nine cents isn't bad for a barely-used Old Navy jumper. Too bad it wasn't in my size. ;-)

Then on Saturday I was out shopping and decided to stop in to another thrift store. But this time I didn't even glance at the women's clothing racks. I didn't feel like trying on dirty laundry. (Yes, I know they supposedly wash it all, but it still feels gross to me!). Instead I hit the linen racks. I have been looking for vintage sheets and coming up empty. But look what I found! Two pillowcases and a full flat sheet! Suh-weet!


I don't know what I'll be doing with these, but I'm excited to have found them. :-)

~Summer Outfit~

I purchased some sale fabric from Sew, Mama, Sew!, and was excited when it came in the mail! I got two cuts for a play outfit and some voile for my daughter's Easter dress.

I started on the play outfit first, using Simplicity 7189, view D (minus the lace on the bottom of the shorts).


The shorts are cute - fitting more like culottes than shorts - and the top has lots of room for growth. I wasn't a fan of how they have the neckline finished, and some of the instructions weren't very clear. But otherwise, it was a pretty straightforward, fun sew.


I love blue and red together!

~UFO Bust~

UFO = UnFinished Object

I have been greatly enjoying Deb's UFO Bust progress so I decided to join in the fun! I rounded up my UFO's and took pictures of them the other day. I'm linking up with Susan at Blackberry Creek who is heading up this great UFO bust! :-)

First up, an afghan that my grandma (dad's mom) made. She gave the blocks to me and I just had to crochet them together. I just needed to weave in the tails and lightly block it. I sat down and took care of the tails (50 minutes worth of tail-weaving!) and now all that's left is the blocking.


My Twilight Lace Wrap (Ravelry link), which is halfway finished:


Pink Rivulet (Ravelry link), about 2/3's of the way done:


Posie Gets Cozy's Pleasant Kitchen Dishtowels...I have 3 completely finished and the other 4 are not even started. But I think of this as a UFO because I don't want to use the ones I've finished until I make the other ones!


My Oatmeal and Brown Sugar socks (Ravelry link). These got a rough start, what with knitting and ripping, knitting and ripping, knitting and ripping, and then finally getting things right! I have progress on one sock:


I'm including this project, I really don't know what to do with the finished lace but I have a bit of lace that I've been "working on" for ages. My Serpentine Lace (Ravelry link) is a pretty good length of lace already, so I might just need to finish it off, depending on what I decide to put it on!


I started this counted cross stitch while I was expecting my daughter, but my hands were so swollen I couldn't work on it long, and it got set by the wayside. I don't have much done on it at all!


And then, my ever-present hanging-over-my-head UFO's:
Charm Quilt


Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt


and Jack's Chain quilt top - not even close to being done. I have toyed with the idea of making this into a table runner, we'll see what happens!


So that's it! I hope to bust through some of these in quick order!

~My New Machine and First Project~

My new new-to-me machine:


and my first project:


Butterick 4176, view B in length D.


"Pretty buttons" (my daughter's comment as she pointed them out) :-)


The buttons are vintage mother of pearl and add a sweet accent to this play dress.


On Sunday we were snowed in, and I was bored. My husband suggested a sewing project but I protested, saying that I would have to cut it out first, as I didn't have a project cut out. He said it would give me something to do anyhow, so I went with it. ;-) Then I sewed and sewed and forgot to make dinner, so he made dinner while I continued sewing. The fabric is from my mother-in-law, and I had purchased the pattern for $1.99 a few weeks back. All I had to buy was the elastic for the sleeves.

This machine is a dream to sew with. I am so happy with it!

~Doing Dishes by the Seaside~

Doesn't this washcloth remind you of seaside colors? Such pretty greens and blues! My neighbor gave this to me. I love handmade gifts!



That was the short story. The long story is this:

I went out to an errand, leaving my napping daughter at home with my husband. The car's brakes had been behaving oddly, and as I headed out, I thought about going to a car shop to have them checked first. But I really wanted to get my errand finished first so I proceeded on. As I kept driving, and especially on the way back, I realized that that had been a mistake. The brakes kept getting worse and worse. I prayed for safety each time I had to brake, and tried to keep a good distance from the cars in front of me.

I got to the shop safely and after a very.long.wait. they told me that my master cylinder was bad. I either needed to tow the car or leave it there for them to replace. I called Kevin and we decided to have the work done. But there was a problem. I was at the shop with no way to get home. Kevin was at home with no way to come get me, since our daughter's car seat was in the car.

Thankfully our next-door neighbors were home and willing to watch our daughter. She hasn't had much interaction with them, but when we got back she was very happy. They told me that she had enjoyed unloading their groceries. And as I was thanking them for watching my daughter, the neighbor-lady pressed the dishcloth into my hands. So that is the very long story of how I got the dishcloth. ;-)

I praise the Lord for the safety He provided me as I was driving with failing brakes. There were several times when I wondered if the car was going to stop!

~Dino~

We my daughter is now the proud owner of a blue plastic dinosaur. When we ask her where she got it, she says (in a tone to let us know that she knows we know where it came from), "the dock-tor".

Ah, yes. We do know. We paid for that dinosaur; in fact, we paid enough for hundreds of them. ;-) But the dinosaur really wasn't the point of the doctor visit! Her health was.

We've had sickness in our house for a while, going into our 4th week now! The virus we caught was a nasty bug, hanging on ferociously. After 8 days of fever though, we did start to worry that something else was going on. So we trekked to the "dock-tor". While there, we were very pleased to discover that: our daughter did not have a fever, there was no problem to be found in her ears, throat, glands, or lungs. Which of course, is the news that we wanted to hear. The doctor even questioned our thermometer (YES it does work, thankyouverymuch, and I took her temperature with other thermometers as well.)

If only we'd waited just one more day. Her fever was completely gone today. She's still sick though, just not with a fever. Ahhhhh....such is life. I'm just so thankful there wasn't an underlying problem!

Now to get 100% well and stay away from other germs! :-)

~Misc.~

These last three weeks have been filled with sickness. A lingering sickness for each one of us, spaced about a week apart. Thus the lack of blog content.

I have exciting news (well, it's exciting news for me anyhow! LOL)! My hard work and penny pinching paid off and I am now the proud owner of a new-to-me sewing machine. I was in the market for a brand-spankin'-new sewing machine, but as I got closer to amount I would need for my new machine, I called a dealer and asked if they had anything used in my price range that would be a higher-end machine. And they did! After looking it over and trying it out I took it home with me. [Insert wild cheers and dancing here.]

I still have to get some foot issues worked out. I bought a walking foot but it doesn't work for my machine, so I have to take it back. I also want to get a rolled hem foot. But I'm very happy with it. Oh, it's a Husqvarna Viking #1. I'll be posting pictures soon. :-)

I did shed a tear or two when I had the thought, "I can't wait to tell my grandma about my new machine!"...only to realize a split second later that I can't call her...I know she would have been happy for me to get a new machine.

And moving on...apparently I can count but I cannot add. I haven't been able to go out grocery shopping so dinner tonight was a Taco Bell run. I counted my items and came home. As I divvied up the items I realized that I was missing an item. I counted again...had the correct number...and then realized I hadn't added correctly. Duh...

I just finished reading Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster. Such a sweet, sweet book. I wish that a good movie would be made based on this book. I've attempted (two minutes? maybe) to watch a Mary Pickford version, and the Fred Astaire version veers sharply from the book so that disappoints as well.

And...I'm done rambling. ;-) Have a lovely day!

~Feathers~

The zipper on my winter coat went out last year, so this year I got a coat for *only* $4.99 at Goodwill. A great bargain until I discovered that everywhere I go, I leave a trail of feathers...

Today I was out running errands, and I took my coat off. My fleece pullover had down and feathers completely covering it. I was slightly embarrased to be "shedding" feathers all over the place! A lady commented on my feathery situation, to which I replied that the coat keeps me warm, but when I take it off, I look like a goose. We got a good laugh at that. LOL

~So Close!~

For almost a year now, I have been saving my pennies for a new sewing machine. The Husqvarna Viking Emerald, to be exact. I don't even know how to say "Husqvarna" but that's ok. :-P

I was saving for the 203 model, which has a few more features than the 183 model. However, I went in to a machine dealer yesterday to get another look at machines and make sure they were still the same price as last year. The owner told me that Viking had discontinued the 203 model, but he might be able to get it for me. Well, come to find out, the features that I am most interested in on the 203 (walking foot and extension platform) are only an additional $70. The other features that the 203 has are not worth the extra $200 that the machine costs.

So guess what? I have an additional $50-75 to save and then I can waltz into the store and get my new machine. I may not literally waltz while in the store but you can bet I will be waltzing at home when I get my new machine!!!

~Molly Monkey~

I made this stuffed monkey for my daughter for Christmas. I was not going to be working on it in the wee hours of Christmas morning, but that's exactly what happened! I was stuffing arms and legs, and shedding tears out of exhaustion and frustration over everything. Kevin thought I should skip the skirt because it didn't really matter, but it mattered to me. So I stayed up and made that skirt. It's funny because Molly's mommy doesn't think she needs her skirt, so she usually has it off. I was going to make the shoes (you'll see if you click the link), but they would just be pulled off too, and if I sewed them on that would definitely be a point of frustration for my daughter.

As you can see in the picture, Molly Monkey is already well-loved. She got a sloppy kiss on her face shortly after having been opened on Christmas morning.

I had most of the fabric and supplies needed for Molly, so it was a fairly inexpensive project. I had to buy the brown corduroy and a few pieces of felt. I'm really happy with how she turned out. I do think that if I were to make Molly again, I would use something besides felt for the face.

~Irony~

When Kevin and I were opening our wedding presents, we came to a box with no card, which contained a large cast iron skillet filled with unshelled pecans. I took one look at that huge skillet, and thought I would never use such a ginormous skillet. So I gave it to my parents to use. I never did find out who gave that to me!



In the past year, I've been exploring healthy living a little more, and I have come to the conclusion that Teflon probably isn't the healthiest to cook with. Now, I know there are studies citing that if you heat Teflon to 500 degrees the fumes from it will kill pet birds. That's nice and all but 1) I'm not a bird and 2) a draft of air can kill a pet bird too. So that wasn't enough to convince me but still, I know that there are other pans much better and safer than Teflon.



So I turned to cast iron. And guess what? I bought the exact same skillet that I had given to my parents ten years ago. Kevin thought I should ask for the pan back, since it was ours to start with (LOL) but I thought that would be a little on the rude side (Indian giver, much?). So I bought a new one for less than $20, and also a glass lid to go with it.

I'm still getting the hang with cooking on cast iron. Sometimes I forget and put tomato sauce in it, then I have to start the seasoning process all over again. But otherwise, it's been great for cooking in! It's very versatile. I can use it on the stove top or in the oven. It's a great size too!

Images are from Lodge's site and depict the items I bought and am very pleased with. :-)

~Again and Again~

Do you know that feeling you get as a homemaker, that you do the same things over and over again? Some tasks feel like you're on a treadmill or something! Dishes, laundry, sweeping the floor...didn't I just do that? and it's time to do that again?

Well, for one load of towels, I didn't even get a chance to use them and yet I've had to wash them three times over! Wash #1, because they were dirty of course. Wash #2, because *blush* I left them in the washer too long. Wash #3, because when they finally made it up the stairs, my daughter took the basket, dumped the towels on my sparkling clean, er, not-so-very-clean kitchen floor and took off with the basket over her head.

So that's the story of my towels. Yes, enthralling, I know. ;-)

~Right now~

Drinking vanilla chai tea with a splash of cream, while I browse through patterns on Ravelry.

A very relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

~Shop Notes~

Hello, 2011!

I celebrated by going for a long walk. My ears were nice and warm thanks to my new earwarmer:



Now I need to knit a nosewarmer and I'll be all set for my cold weather walks. ;-)

There's one in my shop as well:


And a little pair of socks:


I have several new ideas for my shop, that I am really excited about! I hope to be adding items to my shop on a regular basis, so stay tuned. :-)

~Busy Day~

This morning was busy and this afternoon will be even more so!

I ran errands this morning...four stops total. Winter gear makes it harder to get in and out of the car. Is winter almost over???

Now this afternoon I have a lot of housework to do. Company is coming for Christmas afterall, and it would be nice if the house looked a little more presentable. :-)

Hope your day is wonderful!

~Felt Ornaments~

What a hoot! owl ornaments:


I made them all the same, because I'm keeping one, giving one in an ornament exchange, and giving the last one to a friend. I didn't stuff them because, a) I liked the way they looked unstuffed, and b) I was too lazy to get up and get the stuffing.


A keepsake ornament I made for my daughter:


I traced her hand, so it's her hand size, and I embroidered her name and "2010" on the back.

Embroidery and hand sewing isn't something I typically do, so though this was enjoyable it was also a bit of a challenge, as I figured out the best needle to use, the best way to get the stitches to look nice, etc.

~Soup~

Winter is the perfect time for soups, stews, and chili, don't you think?

Last night as Kevin and I were doing the dishes, we were talking about soup in particular. I had switched the menu up, and made chili instead of my scheduled spicy peanut chicken. I didn't realize that Kevin had looked at the menu and was planning on enjoying the chicken dish. He was fine with the chili, but he was teasing me about sticking to my menu. ;-) I made the chili because it was so cold out! It was the perfect dish for a cold winter day. I was teasing him that I was going to make chicken noodle soup the next day, rather than the peanut chicken.

I said that in the winter I could have soup every day for a week and not get tired of it. Kevin said, "I know. But I couldn't." So then I countered by saying that there are so many different kinds of soup, I could have soup every day for a month and not get tired of it!

It reminds me of my grandpa. At one point while I was growing up, we lived just one mile from my dad's parents. On nights that my grandma made soup, my grandpa would call us up and invite us over for dinner. His theory was that there were a lot of us, and we would eat up the soup so he wouldn't have lots of leftovers to eat in the coming days. LOL

So what about you? Do you like soup? Could you eat it every day for a month and not get tired of it? :-)

~Apple Jumper~

In my sewing flurry, this was the first garment I finished the actual sewing on, but the last to get a finishing touch.



Made out of cozy flannel, adorned with a luscious pink bow. I love it. *smiles*

When I made the little strawberry outfit last summer, I had to shorten it so much. While I was doing so, I thought how perfect the pattern would be for a jumper, it was so long.

Pattern details:

Simplicity 2625, size large
variation of View D, with the addition of lace trim and a huge pink bow

I didn't have enough fabric to cut the bottom band on the bias. It worked fine because of the softness of the flannel, but it would have worked better if it were on the bias, because of the curved edge.

~First Christmas~

The following poem was written by my friend Kristi, who gave me permission to republish this on my blog. Kristi is a mom to four - one here on earth with her and three waiting for her in heaven. If you have gone through loss, I'm sure you will find her blog very uplifting. I know that I have! Please visit her blog and look through her past posts and the links she's provided.

As I read this, tears poured freely but joy abounded in my heart. Very bittersweet...I wouldn't want to take my baby from the glorious place called Heaven...but I sure do miss my little one!

First Christmas

I hear that on the Earth below
This is a special season
With lights and songs and gifts and such,
And Jesus is the reason!

In the place I would have lived
Are strings of light that blink and shine,
But you should see the light up here
That glows from Jesus all the time!

In the place I would have lived
Carols play, and special songs,
But you should hear the music that
The angels sing here all day long!

In the place I would have lived,
Gifts are giv’n on Christmas Day,
But you should feel the joy we feel
Because God’s gift is here to stay!

In the place I would have lived,
Tears have flowed because I’m gone.
My family wishes I were there
To see and hear and feel it all.

But in this place where I now live,
It’s Christmas all day, all year long,
And the sights and sounds I’d see with them
Are pure, unblemished by all wrong.

So on this day that would have been
My first Christmas on the Earth,
Mama, Daddy, you need to know
I’m celebrating Jesus’ birth!

When you sing songs to worship Him,
I’m singing with the angels, too.
I’m never closer than when we all
Praise Him for our life anew.

I know that life began for me
Sooner than you thought it would.
I know your hearts are hurting now,
And you would change things if you could.

But in this place, where you’ll come, too,
We’ll be together, forever.
And there will be no more good-byes
When we celebrate Christmas in heaven – together!

~Flowered Tunic~

Also over Thanksgiving, I made this tunic. I already had it cut out--I cut it out in September for the Kid's Clothes Week Challenge which I signed up for and didn't sew for. LOL It's made out of cozy flannel.


It was supposed to be a dress but the pattern was a bit short, and I didn't have enough fabric to cut it longer. So I took a chance and sewed it the way it was. It turned out shorter than I like for a dress so I'm calling it a tunic, and bought a pair of leggings to go with it. =)

It felt like it needed trimming of some sort, so I applied ribbon right on top of the ruffle, which I randomly pleated. I found an applique flower that matched the fabric perfectly, and added that too. I've seen instructions for the pleated ribbon in various places and I really like the randomness of it.



This is also going under the Christmas tree. :-)

Pattern details:
McCalls M5916, View C
Size Large

~Thanksgiving~

I was looking back through my blog post drafts and realized I have one titled "Happy Thanksgiving", meant to be posted on Thanksgiving Day. Oops.

Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving? I know I did! *Smiles* As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, we had our brother here during his school break. It's always nice to spend time with family, and this time was no different!

We didn't do anything extravagant. We just had a nice time together. When Kevin and I got married, my brother was still very much the bratty-yet-lovable brother that he aspired to be. LOL But somewhere along the line he became the best brother a girl could ever want! Seriously, this guy is awesome. I'm so blessed to have him for my brother. He's kind and compassionate, thoughtful and caring.

So we...ate a lot, watched movies, football (not me! just the guys), ate some more (LOL) and hung out.

Oh, and my turkey turned out wonderful. Several mentioned olive oil and salt and that's what I did. It was perfect! Turkeys were such a good price, that I ended up with two extra in the freezer, besides our Thanksgiving bird. So I'll be roasting turkey again in the near future, and I'll try out some of the other ideas. Maybe brine? We'll see!

I have much to be thankful for, and I appreciate the reminder to give thanks that Thanksgiving Day brings. It helps me to be more thankful.

Now it is just 21 days--three weeks!--till Christmas. What? Really? Wait! Didn't we just hang up the calendar for 2010? Where has this year flown??? We're having Kevin's family here for Christmas and I'm really looking forward to it!

~Little Smock~

A few days ago I tied one of my half aprons on my daughter and she loved it! She was Mommy's big girl helper, putting away toys and zipping around in her apron. The next time I tied an apron on she wanted one on too! So I knew I had to make her an apron!

My brother was here over his Thanksgiving break from school, and it was just a lazy type of visit. Food, football (for the guys), and hanging out. While the guys got their fill of football, I went to town sewing!





For the bias tape application, I zig-zagged rather than straight stitched. I like the way it turned out! It wasn't any faster or anything, but I think it adds a nice finishing touch.



I made this same pattern for my youngest sister, a long time ago! She wore it for several years. I don't know if this pattern is still available, but here are the details:
Simplicity 8916, View D
Size 3



This will be under the Christmas tree, probably the last year I can make gifts right under my daugther's nose! As I was photographing the smock this afternoon, she said, "Oh, how cute!"

~Christmas Napkins~

I've been sewing up a storm lately, and I'll be sharing my projects that I've been working on over the next few days! :-)

This year we're having Christmas at our house, and Kevin's side of the family will be here to celebrate Christmas with us. I'm looking forward to them being here.

I haven't bought paper napkins for well over a year now. With company coming, I needed to add to my cloth napkin collection, so we will have enough napkins.

So I did:


I thought this fabric was festive, and I already had it in my fabric bin! I got six napkins out of the piece. Perfect for using up a piece of fabric I bought about 8 years ago!

I had to look back at my tutorial to see how to do the corners. :-)