Tablecloth!

I have a very tiny kitchen. If you've ever been to my house, you know that it's barely big enough for two people to work in without constantly smacking into each other. The nicest thing I can say about my kitchen is that it's functional... barely. There are things I do love about my kitchen, though: the stove runs on natural gas, which is what I grew up using, and far prefer to electic stoves; the fridge is incredibly cold; and there are wee knicknack shelves framing the one window. But one of the coolest things is my table, which folds out to twice its size, easily seating all 5 of my family members (and 1 guest, should I have one).

I was on a cleaning blitz last week, and while cleaning up some shelves, I unearthed a cute little blue & white checked tablecloth, just big enough for my table when it's closed, and, if I put it on a diagonal, mostly big enough for the table when it's fully extended. Eventually, though, that tablecloth had to go in the laundry. When it was bare again, the table looked sad & forlorn, but I didn't have any other tablecloths -- so off to my fabric stash I went! I found an ecru-coloured lace one (little big, but ok when the table's opened up), a heavy linen one (where'd I even get this?) and a length of bold stripey cloth. I hauled out my pinking shears and cut a square off the stripey cloth, and voila! New tablecloth!



You can tell we're a quality establishment 'cause of the paper napkins. :P In this pic, the table is only half-up. It's twice as big when it's fully open.


Now I feel all crafty without having done any actual work!

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