It's my 100th post, but don't get too excited.

Really, I'm not kidding.
Sadly, I have no gifts to send out, no drawings to host or snazzy suggestions for a swap.
It's just me and some more stuff I made and my oh, so brilliant wit. (hee hee)

This is a little tote that I made for Christmas. I used some of the Amy Butler "lotus" pattern. The design is very simple. It's just 13 x17 rectangles and I squared the bottom. I used canvas as the interfacing and made a cardboard bottom to give it some stability.

The lining isn't what I initially wanted but we were hit by a pretty big snow storm and I wasn't able to make it to the fabric store so I worked with what I had. I think it turned out pretty well.

In all honesty, I liked this bag so much that I had to buy "condolence fabric" and promise myself that I'd make one for me that was just as nice. And actually, that project is at the top of my list.

I do love the promise of a new year. Maybe that's why they put Christmas in December... so that when the new year comes around, we're all ready to slow down and just enjoy things for a while.

Here's wishing everyone a peaceful new year!

Favorite Things - December 2007 edition

so, uh, I've been pretty terrible at this blogging thing lately. I think it has something to do with the fact that I've almost hit 100 posts and for some reason that makes me anxious, or maybe it's the holidays, or being busy or being tired or.....Who knows!?! and Who cares!?!
But I do know that I want to make it up to you in my own small way, so here are some of my favorites of this holiday season.....

Latch Hook rug my Grandma made me 25 yrs ago. He actually gets to stay up all the way through January because he's cool like that.

My cheesy 1970's decorations.

My christmas gorilla given to me by my best friend/ neighborhood when I was 5.

My impromptu tree topper. I lost my favorite star a while ago and have been searching for just the right something to put on top of our tree. The other night an idea comes to me! Just put this cute little elf in front of a crocheted snow flake and voila! Vintagie, funky little tree topper.

Works in progress- 2 bears to match the quilts for the kids. I love this pattern. It goes together quickly and only uses a 1/4 of a yard!

And last but not least, my 3 favorite people all together in the same picture.

Here's hoping that everyone is enjoying their favorite people, places and things this holiday season!

Honestly, I'm a little bit impressed with myself.

But probably not for the reasons you think.
I'm impressed that I finished it.
That it doesn't look terrible.
That it actually looks pretty nice.
(and please, please, please ignore my stained carpet. Someday we'll get new stuff, you know, when the children go to college or something.)

And you know, I can say this to you guys because you already know I'm hokey. But I think you'll understand too. There's just something about making a quilt. There's a feeling that comes with it, a sort of connection with the women who came before us. While I worked, I thought a lot about my grandmother who quilted but I also of the women who trekked across Kansas with their families a hundred and fifty years ago. And the women before them. And the women before them. By simply sewing together these scraps of fabric, I feel like I've entered a legacy of women (and some men) who worked to create something functional yet beautiful in it's own way. And I'm pretty impressed by that too.

Work in Progress also known as My First Quilt

For Arlo's birthday, I had the grand idea to make him a quilt using the horse print from Heather Ross and some corduroy I found on super sale.

In my impatience, I did not really use a pattern. I got the inspiration from a quilt in the winter 2007 Quilts and More magazine. But it was for a large quilt and I wanted to make a crib sized one so I attempted to figure out the math myself. Big Mistake.

And since I'm terrible at waiting for a finished project, I only cut enough pieces for the first two rows so I could see what it would look like. Big Mistake number 2.

Now I'm mired down by it's imperfections. Nothing really matched up and I have no idea how I'm going to quilt it once I get to that point. But I keep reminding myself that it's my first quilt. First quilt, Michelle! And as Matt keeps saying, the hard part is finishing. So tonight I'm going to cut out the rest of my pieces (oh, and by the way, does anyone have any advice about cutting quilt pieces?? Because that's where I'm really screwing up!!) and keep sewing. Eventually it will be done, the two year old wont' care about the mismatched seams, and I'll have better idea of how to do things when I start on my second quilt. You know, someday.

Two years ago today...

my little man was born.
I can't believe it's only been two years.
It seems like he's been here since the very beginning.

Arlo, you've become such a little man. You are opinionated, vocal and desperately trying to be independent. I love how much you enjoy discovering things and how you insistently show them to us. Once again I am reminded to look at the world, not just walk through it blindly. I am amazed at how well you've learned to make yourself heard (I think I have your big sister to thank for that) and I hope that you continue to do so throughout your life. I'm so proud of you for all the things you have accomplished and all that you will. I love you little dude. Happy Birthday!

Things I have learned......

1. not to think about how many times the cat has probably drank out of my cup that I don't know about.

2. my almost two year old son can climb to the top of the diaper changing table.

3. I don't look good in fancy dresses but my daughter does.

4. I'm massively uncomfortable purchasing strapless bras especially if a sales woman is standing outside my dressing room. (also why I don't like fancy dresses)

5. mindfulness is really difficult for me. Not so hard that I want to give up but hard enough that I realize how much pointless clutter is constantly in my mind.

6. that maybe teaching my children to say "Shake Your Booty" was a bad idea.

7. three weeks goes by quickly even though you thought about blogging every day.

8. that Christmas is coming waaaay too soon.

9. at age 31, I finally used some of my math skills. Woo Hoo, all those painful math classes weren't in vain!

10. that if you drop your camera while shopping with Lori, it will break. Leaving you sad and your posts pictureless.

11. it's a good thing to be married to a photographer who doesn't mind when you borrow his pictures, especially since he got a good one of the Halloween skirt.

I am not a sweat shop, or atleast that's what I keep telling myself.....

I'm in that rut again. The one where I don't want to sew because it feels like work. Now this isn't anyones fault but my own. I'm the one who feels like she has to make homemade gifts for EVERYONE and not just one simple gift but many, many gifts. I'm the one who looks at a very nice baby blanket and goes "Well, it's not very much. I should make a softee and some burp rags and a bib to go with it". And low and behold, that is when I burn myself out.

BUT I have decided to change my ways.

This lovely blanket is all my cousin and his wife are going to get for their new baby. It's a perfectly nice gift especially since I haven't seen or talked to my cousin in god knows how long. Really, I'm sitting here and I can't remember the last time I even saw him. Yet this blanket will be able to convey my well wishes for their new little one and I'm pretty darn sure that when they open it no one is going to say "Well, it's nice and all but she really should have made some burp rags and a bib to go with it". And if they do, I don't want to know about it!

Construction wise I used 100% cotton fabric with some fake "minkee" that I bought for $9 a yard. I think it's just as good as the real stuff but then again I haven't ever gathered up enough courage to pay $17 a yard. This is the second blanket I've made with the fake stuff and this time I used my walking foot. OH MY GOODNESS, it made a heck of a difference. Nothing shifted or came out wonky and my top stitching turned out so pretty I wanted to cry. Rachel was right, having the right tools makes all the difference. (And thanks to Lori for having the guts to ask what was the difference between a Quilting Foot and a Walking Foot because when you're dumb like me you'll buy the Quilting foot thinking it's the former and be completely confused about why everyone is recommending it. )


This is just an extraneous picture of my porch with it's new railing. It's sooo pretty. I can't wait until it's painted.

Oh, last but not least, check out my sister-in-laws brand new blog...With Vanilla and Honey.
It's fun to read and will definitely make you hungry!
Can you tell she's a Culinary Student at the Culinary Institute of America?

I'm supposed to be working on costumes???

Because I've been way too busy working on Halloween themed clothes for the kids.

And due to my crappy photo taking, you can't really tell but the fabric for her skirt is an awesome 30's/ 40's reproduction of witches, cauldrons and black cats. She's been wearing it every chance she gets. It was originally supposed to be a jumper but low and behold, you need to buy a lot of fabric when the pattern is directional. Gee, who knew.

For the little man, I made some bat pants from some fabric I bought on super sale last year. For my first try at pants I think they turned out pretty well even if they look a little MC Hammerish. Next time I'll just trace off a current pair of pants rather than following the pattern.
Okay, so I am working on Maisy's costume. If you can't tell, she is going to be a witch. Luckily my mom spotted this jumper/ shirt combo that works perfectly as little witch costume.
I just find it really funny that it's actually supposed to be "high" fashion.

A message from the Crafty Gods....

Dear Michelle,

We just wanted to remind you of a few simple rules that we truly believe you should follow.

1. Read the directions first! We know that making you cut out 6 left pant legs may be a little excessive but really, if you had just looked at the directions on the pattern then you wouldn't have had to learn this important lesson.

2. Don't begin your projects after 10pm. It's just a bad idea. You're tired and not paying attention. We made you run out of white thread for a reason. So no more late night sewing!

3. Um, we're not sure how to say this but goodness sakes girl, it really is time to clean your craft room. You can't find anything, there's no room and it's all painfully unorganized. We promise that projects will be easier and go much more smoothly once you de-clutter your space.

4. Also, come on, you know you have to iron your fabric before you sew. I mean, we're really happy you finally started washing things first but now just take it that extra step and iron it. Seriously, crafting is not the time to be lazy.

5. Lastly, and it's sort of a moot point but quit sewing when you're hot. Dang girl, nobody wants a gift that you sweated all over (literally). You know, if you cleaned then you could fit a fan in your room, just saying.



Now don't get us wrong, we are awful proud of how far you've come over this past year. Why it seems like just yesterday that you dusted off the sewing machine and got to work for the first time. Just keep it up, follow our simple rules and we'll try to keep our lessons to a minimum.



Sincerely,

The Crafty Gods - Kansas Division





Ps. We really liked this cloth grocery sack you made for your lovely friend Deborah.

Good job following the tutorial.

It's official, I'm 31.

You know, I was going to bitch and complain a little about getting older and all that hoo ha. But after celebrating my birthday with lots of my favorite people this past week (and Lori tomorrow) and having a wonderful dinner with my family all I can really say is that I'm blessed. I'm really lucky to have good friends who care enough to celebrate my birthday in real life and virtually. I'm lucky that they call from across the country to sing to me and send me good wishes. I'm lucky that they get me gift certificates to the local fabric store because they know I'll love it. Or give me one of their favorite books that helped to shape their own life. I'm lucky that my daughter made me cupcakes all by herself (they were delicious by the way) and that my son sang me his version of Happy Birthday (it was beautiful). I'm lucky to have a husband who buys me cool chickens and in-laws who are so generous. I'm also lucky to have parents who live close, are waaaaay too nice to me and somehow managed to forgive me for my teenage years.

And reading this, I realize it sounds like bragging or gloating over the material possessions I received which is not what I want to do. I just want to say whole heartedly to all my loved ones Thank You! Not for all the kind and thoughtful gifts but for being a part of my life. I really am the lucky one because I have all of you in my world.


But next time I swear, there'll be lots of bitching about gray hairs, ankle fat and being too tired to craft.

Nothing I like more than ruining a good surprise.

Yep, me and surprises don't do so well.
If you truly want torture me, tell me you have a surprise for me & then don't tell me what it is. I swear, I revert to my 5 year old self and will HOUND you until I find out what it is, just ask my poor husband. I'm also horrible about keeping a surprise from anyone else. I cannot purchase presents early because I get really excited about giving them away so I wind up forcing people to open their gifts early. This wouldn't be all that bad but then I feel guilty that they don't have anything on their actual birthday or Christmas so I have to make or buy another gift. It's a terrible cycle.

But today I just can't resist spilling the beans because I have some things to cross off my ever growing To Do list. The Crafty Pay it Forward gifts are finally ready to mail! WOO HOO! I won't ruin it completely by telling who's getting what but here's a picture of all of them together.

I used the No Cash Wallet pattern from Sewing Outside the Lines. It's a nice little pattern but I did wind up making some revisions. One, I quit making the rounded top and just squared it off. I was having just too much trouble with top stitching on a curve. Is there a good trick for feeding it through the machine? I just can't seem to keep it uniform. I also left off the snap, sorry girls, but by the end I just couldn't do it and wimped out by using hook & loop. It's still darn cute so I think it worked out.

I also made this cutie from a free pattern at The Purl Bee. He's taking the place of a robot I had on my list. Hopefully the little guy who this is for will like it just as well. The frog has a great bean bag feel to him since he's filled with buckwheat.
Oh, I forgot to embroider his eyes on before I sewed him together so I improvised and used my sharpie. The patten recommends beads but the little dude is just too young for that. Personally, I feel like I'm tempting fate with the buckwheat...so Molly, I'm apologizing ahead of time if anything goes wrong and I'll be right over with my vacuum if it does.

Whew, I've gotta say it feels good to get somethings done. It's AMAZING how much you can accomplish when your children are gone for 4 hours. Thank goodness for grandparents!!!

*** I didn't not sew all of that in 4 hours! I realized my post made it sound like I had. I just finished up the gift packages and made the frog. Sadly, I'd been working on the Pay it Forward stuff for about a month.

You Know, Me and Murphy Just Don't Get Along

Being a firm believer in Murphy's Law, I really should have known that my last post would jinx me. Now I'm not only fighting my busy schedule but a nasty cold too.

But soon, soon, I will have some new projects up!

It feels like the sun is finally coming up....

(Photo Courtesy of Matt Needham Photography)

You're wondering , what the heck does a sunrise have to do with my little ol' craft blog? Not a lot, it just seemed to fit my mood. I feel like I'm coming around, waking up a little and getting more excited about creating. Once again I've let myself get bogged down by the ins and outs of daily life. Working, time with the kids, helping my girl adjust to kindergarten, chasing an almost 2 year old boy, joining the PTO and trying to keep the house somewhat orderly left little to no time for myself. But finally it seems like everything is starting to fall into place and I can see the light on the horizon. (Except for when I remember that Christmas is less than 3 months away)

So I'm going to leave you with my TO DO Lists (that way I can pretend I'm ready for the holidays)

Current To Do List:

• Finish Crafty Pay it Forwards
• Halloween dress for Maisy
• Halloween pants for Arlo
• Two tote bags
• Two little tote bags for collecting candy
• Lap Quilt
• Elvis Quilt
• Doll Blankets and Quilts (future post, I swear)
• Robot for a cute little boy
• Turtle for another cute boy
• Olive Doll
• Archie Doll
• And whatever else I happen to be forgetting.....

Future List (to remind me where I want to go)

• Learn how to knit because some day I HAVE to make something as awesome as THIS! Even if I'll be 80 before I finish it!
  
• Learn how to quilt because my grandma did & I have one of her quilts to finish.
• Learn more crochet stitches because people are tired of simple chain stitch scarves.
  
• Make more of my own wardrobe because I know deep down I'm much cooler than these fat girl clothes I wear.
• And whatever else inspires me......

I just need a few more hours in my day.

So I can spend more time with my favorite people, create more, move my big hiney more

(& make it a smaller hiney), and um, clean my house.

It was one of those kind of nights....

So last night, I decide that gosh darn it, I am going to make something for myself. I've been wanting a new purse and was itching to use this lovely green fabric that I've been holding on to for quite a while.
Unfortunately the gods of craftiness were not on my side. The first snag in my plan was that my daughter, who normally has a very reasonable bedtime, refused to go to bed. Now don't get me wrong, this was no normal anti-bedtime fit. Noooo she stayed up 2 whole hours past her bedtime which ate into my precious bag making time and my patience. Finally she went to sleep only to have her little brother wake up crying. After a quick "mommy is here" and a back rub, he fell back asleep. Sadly, by this point I was so frustrated and worn out that all I wanted to do was eat a giant bowl of ice cream and sit on the couch. BUT NO! I rallied myself and started working on my bag, only to find out once again the craft gods were against me.... I didn't have enough iron-on interfacing. Did I let that stop me? NO! I simply went to my pile and pulled out a yard of washed canvas and basted my fabric to that! I could not be stopped. I would not be thwarted in my bag making endeavors. I WOULD PREVAIL!!

Luckily the crafty gods must have thought I was worthy because the rest of the bag went without a hitch.

Mostly I'm proud of it because I made it all by myself. No pattern, no book, no tutorial or instructions. I just used what I've learned and put it together on my own.

There's a certain kind of pride in that.

I have been doing something.

Not a lot but something...Putting together fabrics for a softee turtle from Bend the Rules Sewing AND cutting out the pattern pieces.

Trying to decide which would make a better lining for the brown corduroy.

Deciding between these darling prints, I like them both so much.

And thinking of what I should do with these. I've been "visiting" them at Hancock's for a while now but they finally went on sale for less than $3 a yard. I just had to buy them but I have no idea what to do with them.

So see I've been working hard.
Yep, really, really hard.
All this fabric can really wear a girl out.

A picture's worth a thousand words......

(One of the joys of being married to a photographer....all moments are documented)

So sadly, this is how I've been feeling lately, completely pooped.

But with this new school year (Maisy started Kindergarten. Woo Hoo!) I've decided to make some new resolutions.

1. I'm going to be nicer to myself. I've been really mean to myself lately and I've decided to stop. There's enough crap in this world without me making snarky comments about the size of my fat girl arms. Seriously when they are unleashed, they are a truly frightening sight. (damn, okay, last one I swear. )

2. Possibly blog more. I know I don't say all that much or anything terribly deep but I feel better when I write, I feel more connected to a community of interesting, creative, smart women and well, that's important.

3. Exercise more and eat more fruits and veggies. And I'll just let it be known that I have to get up at 5:20am to exercise. *Insert sympathy here * I swear, there's nothing like having to wear a bridesmaid's dress to motivate a girl.

Okay, that's enough for now. I don't want to get carried away and trust me, I could. Lately so many things have been weighing heavily on my mind that I decided it was time to focus. So thanks for listening and think kindly of me at 5:20am.

See, I told you so.....

*Dang art time! You are the destroyer of all shirts!!!!
(heehee, actually it all washed out. Anyways that's why I embroider cheap t-shirts, they're so easy to replace. )

One more quick picture

okay, here's one of my quick vacation projects snapped right before the girl went to school. I knew if I didn't get a picture right then I'd never get one with out a stain.

I'm trying to get excited about embroidery again and I sort of am..... I still love the end result but I'm just kind of bored with the process. Oh, well, maybe it's because embroidery is my winter project. The ones I work on when the craft room is too cold for sewing and I can curl up with a blanket, my needle & thread and just veg out to some tv. Geez, with all this horrible hot weather, winter is starting to sound really good about now.

whew, I'm back.

Okay, first things first, Please forgive the hasty and slightly crappy photos below. It was one of those times when you worked hard on gifts but finished them last minute and barely remembered to snap a photo before you gave them away. It's just crazy how I've become so insistent on documenting all of my work. ( my high school math teacher would be so proud) So here are two of the projects I've been working on.....

Appliquéing on bath towels is my new addiction. It's really easy, the terry cloth is very forgiving and you don't even have to use Wonder-under to keep everything in place. This is the second set of towels I've made and I'm still not sure how well they hold up to everyday use. But they would also be cute just as decoration.

I really wish I had gotten a better picture of this pencil roll. I'm actually pretty proud of it. It's a combination of Lori's pencil roll pattern and the color coordination from Pink Chalk Studios. It was one of those tricky homemade gifts for a man, I just never know if it's going to be seen as lame or truly appreciated. Luckily, I think my friend really liked it or at least he was nice enough to pretend he did.


Well, it sure feels good to be back. We went on an extended family vacation that was a wonderful time beginning to end. But I sure am happy to be home, especially since I cleaned the whole house before we left and I don't have to do anything this weekend. woo hoo.

Back in a Bit

Just thought I 'd show off another project in real life. This is the dress I made for Maisy's birthday. Sadly, I made it WAY too big and she has to wear an undershirt to keep things modest.
Along with her dress is the fantastic tote that Lori made for Maisy's B-day.
She loves wearing her dress and carrying her bag. She adores how everything matches.

Well, folks, that's about it for right now. I'm going to take a brief hiatus for about a week so I can get some things done. Hope you all have a lovely end of July and I'll be back soon!

Nothing Much

1.) An actually picture of the little man wearing his tie shirt. We were at a birthday party and wanted to look spiffy!



2.) For the two lovely ladies, Geri and Lightening, who were brave enough to enter the Crafty Pay It Forward, please email me with your addresses at microuse1407 at yahoo dot com
And thank you for de-lurking!! :)

3.) Now I have been working on lots of stuff, unfortunately they are all gifts for some lovely people who read my blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise. (especially since I found out my sister-in-law peeked and saw her finished bag before I gave it to her. From now on, all gift pics will be kept under lock and key!)

Well, that's about it. Hope you're all doing well and have a wonderful Monday!

okay, so I've been a little busy

But for some very good reasons.... The first is a good friend of mine celebrated her birthday today. So what do you get a woman who's not really into gifts for herself?? Why you make stuff for the darling children in her life. That's what.

First I made another comfort blanket from some of the great fabric Jenny gave away at the last blog ladies gathering I was able to attend. I also used a scallop stitch instead of a zigzag and I have to say I love the results.I also made a few shirts for her son. I couldn't resist using my sock monkey fabric to make a tie shirt.

And I threw in a train shirt and another sock monkey, because what little boy doesn't love monkeys and trains.

And while I was at it, I made another comfort blanket and matching onsie for Matt's friend who is expecting.

And a Tie Shirt for Arlo.

And I finally ironed on the Monkey Patch I won from Lori a couple of months ago. Maisy will be so excited when I show her.

Oh and speaking of Lori, I am now a part of the Crafty Pay it Forward. The first 3 people who comment on my blog will get a lovely homemade gift in the mail. The only catch is that you have to post the Crafty Pay it Forward on your blog and make 3 gifts for the first 3 commenters.
So to quote Lori "let's make this painless and please don't make me beg. :) "