Another day, another project...

So yesterday, my youngest girl comes up to me and says, "Mom, did you finish my quilt yet?" The answer, of course, is no. And I should totally get on that too, because she's been extremely patient, considering I meant to make it for her 9th birthday -- which was back in November!!

I have, however, made another of those little bags. I'm kind of in love with them. They're maybe big enough for a cell phone, or a change purse & keys, whatever. Small stuff!



Oh, I do like the little things. :)

So, anyway, I'm thinking of learning embroidery. As far as fancy needlework goes, I can only cross-stitch, which I do love, but I want to branch out a little. Also, I should hook up my printer to print out some free patterns I've bookmarked. I want to do a whole bunch of those vintage fruits & veggies for my kitchen -- you know, like smiling apples & grumpy tomatoes & such? I'd really like that. :)

Is it really almost February? Yikes! I've done very little in the way of crafting, especially cross stitch, as my last pair of contacts is acting up on me, and I won't have new ones for maybe a week. I did go to the optometrist last week, and the good news is that my eyes are extremely healthy -- I just can't see outta them!

I am behind on so many projects right now that I'm embarrassed to even admit how much. Still, I am no longer working nights, so the first thing I did was clean most of the apartment, except for my room & my desk. And it isn't that I'm not going to -- it's that I haven't done them yet. It's amazing how much clutter seems to breed when you haven't got the time to stay on top of it! But I figure that if I'm going to catch up on my craft projects, it'll be nice to have a tidy place in which to do it.

Yesterday my oldest girl turned 12. She didn't want a party (though her best friend came over) but there was cake! And what she wanted, it turned out, was a Minecraft cake -- specifically a creeper. I mixed up the icing, and she frosted the cake...



Sssay... That'sss a nice cake you have there... It'd be a ssshame if sssomething happened to it...

Boy, I don't update much, do I?

So I haven't been doing much of anything lately -- except working late nights, which sucks, because then I spend half the next day napping! Only one more week of that... just one more week... And then I actually managed to give myself food poisoning over the weekend. Luckily it was something I ate somewhere else, and NOT at home, so I know my family isn't going to suffer! The funny thing is, I'm usually ridiculously paranoid about food safety, and I had ONE lapse in common sense -- and this is what happened! Oh well, my own fault.

I'm surprised I'm getting anything done today, actually, as my 2 older girls are home sick from school (just coughs -- the youngest had it first & she's over it already) and usually they're in my hair constantly. However, I managed to finish a little bag I'd been making for a while. It's not very big, about 3x4 inches, if that.



It was my first attempt at anything using decreasing stitches (I'm not that capable of a knitter, I must confess!) and I think it turned out pretty well. :)

Now, of course, Maddy wants one in pink, and when Liv sees it, she'll want one in blue... I feel like I should be taking requests!

quilts, sort of

I like to be cosy. This might be why I like quilts -- they're cosy. Snuggling up in a quilt is cosy!

I don't really quilt; I "fake-quilt". I sew the quilt top, and then -- instead of using the usual batting -- I use an old cotton blanket or something similar between the top & the backing. Then I make sure when I sew all 'round the outside that all 3 layers are firmly sewn together. Sure, it's not REAL quilting, but I enjoy it anyway.

My oldest daughter, Emily, received this quilt for her 11th birthday last year:


Now, I'm behind the quilt, holding it up. I'm about 5'5", so you can get a good idea of the size.

My middle daughter, Maddy, turned 10 in May. Guess what she got?


Yes... it's very pink. She's by far the girliest of my 3 girls. The youngest, Liv, will be 9 in November. I guess I had better get cracking on hers, seeing as 2011 seems to be "year of the quilt" in this house!

Maddy & Liv were also the recipients of doll quilts for their baby dolls to share:


Oh, hey, did I mention they're all sewn by hand? And it's not that I'm bragging so much, but it's rather a confession that I simply cannot figure out how to use my sewing machine! :D