Two Onesies

Gina commissioned these latest onesies for her cousins' babies, Meghan and Riley, born within a day of each other. I'm pleased with the improved monograms...chain stitch stands out much better than the backstitch I usually use.

Hat Joy

I've discovered an amazingly gratifying project: crocheting hats. I made these two recently for Bean's Winter Warm-Up Drive. The pattern is the "Boy Beanie," originally published in Stitch & Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker (an awesome book!) but also available for free on the Open Source Crochet Project. I added a couple of extra rows to make it warmer.














And this one came together while we watched the delightful Kit Kittredge movie this afternoon. The pattern is the Crazy Easy Urban Chunky Newsboy Cap by Nutella Dreams Late Night Crafts.














I really need one of those styrofoam hat models!

Words of Wisdom

Courtesy of tonight's cup of tea.

Turkey Placecards

Olivia and I were feeling crafty this afternoon, but we couldn't decide what to make so we went outside to swing. That's where the gorgeous autumn leaves caught our attention, and she saw them as turkey tail-feathers. Ah-ha! Together we hot-glued sweet-gum balls, leaves, and helio-seeds to make placecards for our Thanksgiving dinner guests.

Sugar Rush

These are our first attempt at "Fairy Cakes," which I've long admired at Yarnstorm. We used the glossy, lemony icing recipe in The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

Wishing you a sweet and happy Halloween.














P.S. Heartfelt thanks to all who left comments in response to Monday's post. I really appreciate your kind and caring thoughts.

In loving memory

My sweet Sula passed away this morning. We were together for almost 18 years. Olivia says I'll see him in Heaven, but until then I'm going to miss my little man dearly.

Coyote Kindness

I've been a long-time admirer of Bean's Coyote Craft blog, not just for her inspiring projects (her crochet hook/knitting needle organizers are my favorites), but also her focus on charity, kindness, and tolerance.

I'm working on a hat for her Winter Warm-Up Drive, and I'm also working on a thank-you gift for the awesome package she recently sent. To celebrate her Patchwork Hot Pads tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew, she held a give-away for the completed set of hot pads. Although I didn't win them, Bean sent me a surprise package featuring a sweet note, a handmade pincushion, vintage embroidery and sewing patterns, some luscious skeins of embroidery floss, and an embroidery hoop.
















Hooray for the online crafting community and the generosity of bloggers. Bean, you rock!

Another Afghan in the Works

I've been carrying this cheerful orange bag around with me everywhere, and the segments of a new afghan are starting to pile up.














The growing stacks, sorted by size and color, make my inner Virgo very happy.

Cowboy Pillow

I made this pillowcase for our little friend Jimmy, who needed a smallish, toddler-size pillow. The pillow form came from Ikea years ago...I wish I'd stocked up on more of them because kids love this size.

The hem features a lasso-type stitch.

Little Wooden House

This was a birthday gift for a crafty little girl in Olivia's class. O and I had such fun putting together the bag of supplies, and the birthday girl's mom reported that it was a big hit. Best of all: total cost was only around $12. I purchased the wooden house from our local Michael's for $6; paints were on sale for $1.49; and the rest of the goodies were scraps from my sewing room.

Temptation

Kathy Mack sent me these luscious Pop Garden FQs for being one of the first people to participate in her Pink Chalk Fabrics Pool. (Big thanks, Kathy!!)

Sadly, I'm going to have to remove them from the table so I can focus on the PowerPoint briefing I'm supposed to be writing. They've been noisy this morning: "Grab your scissors! Turn on the sewing machine! You know you want to. We'd make such a lovely pillow...."

Monogrammed Onesies

More onesies decorated using Angry Chicken's 2007 Mailorder foundation-piecing instructions. These were monogrammed for triplets Sarah, John, and Sam.

Why I Love Autumn (Hint: Involves Fruit)

Signs of Autumn here in the Shenandoah Valley...















Warm pies, applesauce, and cake are in the works.

Afghan Adventures

Gina, who received the soy afghan blogged last week, sent me this photo of her sweet dog, Pilot. She wrote, "Pilot is strictly forbidden to be anywhere near the afghan, but a special 2-second exception was made when he saw Violet snuggled on top of it on your blog! Notice him licking his lips: did someone say 'soy'?"

Owl Towel

Embroidery is becoming an obsession around here. This project is the result of a tee-ball game and a camping trip. The pattern is #3771, "Hooty Owls," from Colonial Patterns. (This little fellow is the Thursday owl.)

Today's the Day!

I've been so excited for Sew, Mama, Sew to post my bulletin board tutorial. Here's the one I did for "Sewing for the Home" month, using a tea towel.


















And this one, made last year for Liv's pink bedroom, inspired the tutorial.

Soy Afghan

I finished this afghan last week. (Actually I finished putting it together in June but didn't get around to weaving in the ends and blocking it until the last minute. My mother was a hero and helped me with the ends. There must have been thousands!) Violet was hoping we'd keep it...















...but it was a birthday gift for Gina.














The silky soy yarn from Bernat was a joy to crochet. The pattern is "Garden of Flowers" from Afghans for All Seasons, Book 2.

Peeps

Yesterday we visited some friends who have added 10 little hens-to-be to their household. The chicks will be moving into the barn in a week or two, and after that they'll have a fox-proof, hawk-proof coop outdoors, but for now they're right at home in the kitchen.












Can you stand that fluffy little butt?

Flickring

It took me a while...but I'm getting into Flickr lately.

The old man is snoring

As in "It's raining, it's pouring...." Today is the first rainy day we've had in months. At school drop-off this morning, the sidewalks were filled with colorful umbrellas and stiff, new raincoats. Here at home, it's a nice day for a cozy nap.

Wristlet

I was able to spend some time in my sewing room yesterday with Oh, Fransson's pattern, "Wristlets Three Ways," and Anna Maria Horner's fabulous "Volumes" print from the Drawing Room collection. I'm so tickled with the result that I had wristlet dreams last night. I think an embroidered linen version is next.

Coloring Bags

I bought this pattern at a Quilters Unlimited show, and it has become one of my favorites. These bags, filled with crayons and a coloring book or two, make great gifts for artsy kids...not to mention a good portable activity for driving, eating out, and vacationing. And with the back-to-school sales happening this month, it's a perfect time to stock up on crayons for next to nothing. The crayon pockets hold 20.

For a 5-year-old dreamer of mermaids...


















For a 7-year-old ballerina...


















For a 5-year-old soccer star...


















And for a 9-year-old "tween," who's growing up fast but still loves to color...

Airstream

Our newly acquired travel trailer (an '86 Airstream) has been the object of our affection this summer. We've taken it to Bentonville and Lewisetta; and we're hoping to fit in Sherando Lake, Lake Anna, and the NC Outer Banks before the Fall weather arrives. It's stocked with quilts and afghans for chilly nights, and I'm telling you...it's the coziest feeling to be able to travel with our own little "house."

There's lots of Airstream love on the Internet.

My favorite article, which I return to over and over again, is Loobylu's "Vintage Holidaying."

Jessica at How About Orange designed some fabulous ribbon featuring Airstream trailers.

The Vintage Airstream site is loaded with photos and info.

And of course, Etsy and Cafe Press have all sorts of Airstream goodies. (I'm going back to Etsy in a minute to order the stamp!)

A Tutu for a Baby Girl

I made this for my niece, Madison (who is quickly becoming a big girl). It was fabulously easy to make...but I never got around to making more of them. I guess we need more baby girls around here!

A Robot and a Kitty

If you're a fan of sewing blogs, you'll know where these patterns came from. They were great fun to make...but not easy to part with!

Oilcloth Bookbag

Another project from the past...this was inspired by the charming oilcloth bookbags at Cath Kidston. My version cost less than $10 to make, and the oilcloth was surprisingly easy to work with.

Oldies

It's not that I'm being unproductive; it's just that I'm busy with top secret Christmas gifts. In lieu of zucchini bread photos, I thought I'd post a few older creations...things I made before I began this blog.

For starters, here's the pink flamingo wall-hanging I made for Elizabeth's birthday last year. Iron-on fusing and machine applique. Fun! I bought the pattern at AQ a couple of years ago.

Why I Love Summer

Raspberries picked along a mountain roadside this morning.














A pie to keep and one to give away.

Carrot Cake for Breakfast

Doesn't the cake stand look lovely on my Anna Banana table runner? Problem is, my laptop has been parked at the dining room table this week, and therefore so have I. And I swear the cake keeps talking to me. I'm listening, too...I've gained two pounds in two days.














The recipe is fabulous. Secret ingredient: olive oil.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Two problems with this skirt: (1) my daughter wore it only after significant pressure from me, and (2) I couldn't get a good photo during all the whining that went on. But I guess those issues have to do with this 5-year-old diva phase we're experiencing, rather than the skirt itself. It came together in one night, and the fabric line is cute as can be. The top row features duck faces, middle row is text ("Duck, duck, goose"), and the third is duck eggs. It's an Andover line, but it's no longer featured on their website. I bought it a few months ago at the Artful Quilter.


















Update: Kathleen at Grosgrain is giving away a fabulously sweet pinafore! Check it out at Roosters-N-Rickrack Pinafore GIVEAWAY!!!!