Sewing

Thank you all so much for your great advice for the bleeding tree skirt. I told MeMum about all the great suggestions, but she’s afraid doing anything will cause more bleeding. I’m thinking I’ll probably have to kidnap the tree skirt and then if I ruin it, I’ll just have to make her another one. (It’s just more embroidery and quilting, right?) I’ll keep you posted when the deed is done.
This years pre-Christmas sewing frenzy included several backpacks that I couldn’t show you, for obvious reasons. You may remember that I made a backpack for myself several months ago and I LOVE it! I originally made mine to carry my laptop when I have to go on a work trip, but recently I was without a purse for a month (while it was being repaired) and I started using my backpack for everyday use. I have my purse back now, but I’m still using my backpack as a purse. I love that I can throw lots of stuff in there.

Anyway, I made two backpacks for my almost 11 and 15 year old nieces.

I used this pattern from Cindy Taylor Oates. This is the small backpack view. I love, love, LOVE this pattern. The instructions are easy to follow and Cindy uses some really solid construction techniques. I love the way the straps are constructed on this small backpack. Bag straps have always been a pet peeve of mine, ’cause they are often flimsy. Cindy uses my favorite method of covering webbing straps. Nice and sturdy!

Then, for SweetiePie, I made a “Bride-to-Be” backpack out of the large backpack pattern. This is the same pattern as my backpack. This backpack is made from the black and white fabric that SweetiePie will be using a little bit in the wedding. SweetiePie loves polkies.

Knowing, that SweetiePie will only be a bride-to-be for 5 more months, I made the bride-to-be tag removable and put her new married monogram under the bride tag.

If you need a backpack, I can’t say enough about this pattern. I did a few things differently than Cindy suggested, but I suspect that’s ’cause I’ve been sewing since the stoneage and it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks Cindy, for another great pattern!

XOXO,
Anna

Whew! I’m pooped! I’ve been cleaning and putting away all the Christmas stuff for three days — why does it take me so long??? I used to be able to clean a whole house in a day — must be my advancing age LOL! Just a few more hours tomorrow to clean our bedroom and bathroom and I’ll be DONE! Sadly, it will just get dirty again. I really do love being at home and having the time to clean, but it’s really frustrating to know that it won’t stay clean for long.

Anyway, since I think you wouldn’t enjoy a picture of me on my hands and knees mopping the floors, I’ll show you one of my Christmas projects. For about 10 years, I’ve been making boxers for the boys. I love making them ’cause it’s a great way to use some fun fabrics. And there’s not much else (besides quilts) that you can make for boys. It’s hard to take pictures of boxers, but here’s this year’s selection:

The pin-up girls are fabrics that I bought in Hawaii last March. I love making boxers out of pin-up girl prints — I’ve used pin-ups with hearts for Valentine’s Day and with pumpkins for Halloween. When the boys were younger, I used to use a pajama pattern cut short, but then one day, I found this pattern and I love it. It’s a little fussy, because it has flat-felled seams. I’ve been tempted to just serge the seams, but I love the way the flat-felled seams look — all neat and tidy.

The boys each got two pair of boxers this year, and if you’re counting, you’ll notice there’s a fifth pair there. Not only that, if you have an eagle eye, you might be wondering what’s going on with that pink pair on the left side. Since TheFirstChild was about 10 yrs. old, MeMum has had a running joke with him and she calls him “My Little Princess.” She usually gives him some sort of little girly birthday card on his birthdays. When we were fabric shopping in the fall and we saw this fabric, SweetiePie and MeMum thought it would be perfect for boxers for the “Little Princess”, so I made them for her to give to him.

SweetiePie and I have a bet — she says he’ll actuall wear them, I say he won’t. We haven’t come right out and asked him yet, but they haven’t turned up in the laundry yet either. ;-)

Thanks for all the great bunny comments — you guys are the best! If you’re just catching up, don’t forget to sign up for my blogaversary draw if you’d like a chance at a bunny — there’s one more day.

Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Anna

Ok, I’m thinking of starting a 12-step program for all you over-achievers out there in blogland who have your Christmas decorating all done.  You guys are making the rest of us look bad!  What the Hey!  I still have leaves on the ground.  A TON of leaves.  They came down so late this year, it’s ridiculous.  In fact, some of them are still in the trees.  We spent all day yesterday with BigDaddy’s Big Leaf Blower, in the sleet and rain, cleaning up leaves.  And we only got the front yard done.  This means another wasted Saturday to get the backyard cleaned up.  Assuming snow or ice don’t beat us to it.  I think I’m going to be sick.

So, here’s Step 1 for you over-achievers.  I have to go on a work trip tomorrow.  While I’m gone, how ’bout you guys come and get those *^%$%#ng leaves out of my backyard.  Deal?  ‘Cause I have things to do.  I’m WAY behind on the making gifts list.  My giftees will probably get half-finished projects with IOUs in their gift boxes.  And I don’t even want to talk about the decorating yet — the house is dirty.  It’s a never-ending cycle.  I’m starting to feel the panic in the pit of my stomach.  Just another week or two and I suspect it will float to the top.  Aaack!

Anyhoo, enough complaining.  Because I need a picture to cheer me up, I’ll show you a project I completed a few weeks ago.  I needed some baby gifts and I had to wait until they were received to post them.

When I heard last spring that Jill was having a baby, I thought how fun it would be to make her a little treat.  I hadn’t made a baby gift in years and I missed it — baby gifts are my favorite thing to do.  Then, shortly after Victor was born, I received a baby announcement from an old work friend, so I made two hooded baby towel sets.

I also hadn’t played with my embroidery machine in quite awhile, so that was fun too.  (If you have an embroidery machine, the little duck design is a freebie available in the baby section of Ann the Gran’s free designs.)  The towels are made from a 36″ square piece of terry cloth.  The hood is made from a 14″ square that has been cut on the diagonal.  The whole thing was edged with bias binding, just like you would bind a quilt.

Naturally, TheEmptyNestChild had to get in on the action, checking out the new baby.  I briefly contemplated having him be the baby model, but thought that the recipients might not appreciate a new baby towel covered in cat hair!

I’m off to throw a few things into a suitcase.  Over-achievers — Chill Out!  LOL!!!

XOXO,
Anna

This blog world is a funny place. In July, Holly wrote a post about her friend Cheryl, Cheryl’s harley, and the “bulging knapsack on her back.” So, with that knapsack image fresh in my mind, and being smitten with Holly’s La Belle Rose Collection, I did the only thing I could. I suggested that the La Belle Rose fabric would make a cool backpack for Cheryl because all the black in the fabric would coordinate with the Cheryl’s black leather Harley outfit.

And presto-chango Holly produces a backpack out of La Belle Rose fabric and a Cindy Taylor Oates pattern on her very next blog post. (And btw Holly, all this time I’ve been thinking that you or a minion threw that backpack together in four days. As I’m reviewing your blog to set up the links here, I notice that you posted after my comment (I rarely ever make it back to the comments section on other posts) that Cindy Taylor Oates had already made that backpack. So that’s how you got that backpack so fast! Don’t worry though — you haven’t burst my bubble — I still believe you could whip that backpack up on short notice — you’re still the Lakehouse Goddess!)

Back to this story…I didn’t even know Cindy Taylor Oates had a backpack pattern. But I’m thinking, it’s just what I need! ‘Cause when I have my work trips to NJ and I go into NYC to go shopping, I always have to lug my laptop around with me. (Everyone knows you can’t leave your laptop in your hotel room and if you leave it in the trunk of your car, some slimeball will steal it — been there, done that.) That heavy laptop will be so much easier to handle hanging on my back, rather than my shoulder. So I ordered the backpack pattern and searched my stash for a fun backpack worthy fabric. And whaddyaknow, right there in my stash is one of my favorite fabrics — this adorable candy print by none other than Holly herself.

I love this candy fabric. I love the bright colors. And what’s not to love about candy? I’ve loved it from the first time I laid eyes on it. I first saw it in a quilt at a shop, but they’d sold out of the fabric. My wonderful quilty peep Jewels was with me that day, she took note of how much I loved that fabric, and a few weeks later she found some and sent it to me. Thanks again Jewels, you’re a sweetie!

I think I got a little carried away on the size of the monogram on this backpack — it could certainly be a little smaller. And lucky for me, along the selvedges of one of the candy prints, there was a candycane-like print. I used that print to make the piping that lines the edges of the backpack. It’s wrinkly looking now, but it will work itself out.

Pretty goofy for a woman of a “certain age” to have a candy print backpack, huh? I don’t care. Everyone knows, as you get older, you’re entitled to be more childish!

XOXO,
Anna