Happy Halloween!

"Thank You" Totes

My daughter recently got married! She planned and executed the whole thing in 2 1/2 months. Hard to believe but when she makes her mind up about something...well let's just say, "Get the hell out of the way"! She did have help though. Three of her friends did a lot of work and helped make the reception a success. She wanted to thank them in some way. I suggested she make them totes from some Alexander Henry fabric. We came up with a plan. I cut all the pieces out for the bags. I went to her house one Saturday and we set up shop. I pressed and pinned and she sewed. It took us about 3 1/2 hours but we did get it done in one day. She is a beginner but you'd never know looking at these bags! She did a great job and her friends loved them.




The other lady in the house...not so much help.

Dear Skie

As you well know, there is a new handmade quilt living with you. I can only imagine your excitement when you first laid eyes on this new potential playground...tail wagging, body wiggling, tongue hanging. I'm here to ask you to "Just Say No"! "Just Say No" to playing tug of war with the quilt. "Just Say No" to dragging it around the house to see how many things you can knock over. "Just Say No" to gripping it by a corner and dragging it through the doggie door and into the back yard for who knows what fate. "Just Say No"! There will be an extra treat for you next time I see you and a big hunk of fleece to take it's place. :)

The quilt I made my daughter and her husband. Fabric is from the City Girl collection. I LOVE it.

Another Helping of Pumpkin Pie Anyone?

Well, I'm up for another slice. Here's baby N sporting her pumpkin hat.


And, in case you don't remember, you can see the first course here.
I think everyone should have one...don't you?

Amy Butler's Birdie Sling Bag

A friend of my daughter always comments on the bags I make her. Occasionally, her friends ask if I make things for money. I don't like the idea of that because I like to make what I want, when I want. I did agree to make a bag for Miss Sarah. She gave me free reign. She has a little one so she wanted a fairly good sized bag. She also told me that she likes greens and blues. Ok...armed with that information I decided on the Birdie Sling Bag by Amy Butler. I wanted to use fabric from her new decorator fabric collection, August Fields. I've made a few things using Amy Butler patterns and I'm not always happy with the way things go together. This bag however, was a pleasant surprise. It went together well and there weren't and "challenging" areas. The handle is comprised of two pieces...one for the outer layer and the other for the lining/underside. The outer layer as well as the lining is cut from one piece of fabric. As I was getting ready to sew it together, I realized that the directional fabric I used for the handle was going to throw the handle off. The pattern would be going up one side and then down the other. Yuck. I cut the 2 handle pieces in half right at the shoulder. I then sewed them back together using one half from the outer layer and the lining for each new handle. The outer handle now has the fabric direction going the same way. The lining section is going in the opposite direction. I don't mind that so much because it's the lining and at least it's consistent. I really like the bag and would make it again. The August Fields fabric seems heavier to me than Amy Butler decorator fabric in past collections. I would probably use a regular weight cotton next time.

The bottom of the handle is very wide. It starts in the front, wraps around the side and finishes in the back. If I hadn't rearranged the handles the way I did, you would see the pattern on the left side going in the opposite direction as the right side. This is much better.

There are also 2 very nice pockets...one small and one large.


Hope she likes it!

I'm Stingy With My Hand Knit Socks

That's usually my motto when I make socks. I'm very generous with everything else but socks is a differnt matter. They take me a while to knit and I absolutely love wearing them and of course they are so nice to look at. That said, by the time they are off the needles I can't think about giving them up. BUT, I did just that recently. My neighbor has always admired my socks. She's like a real fan. I knew she would really appreciate them and I had the perfect yarn that would suit her. It took me most of the summer but they are complete and in her posession. She LOVED them. Here they are:



I used the Peak Experience pattern from Fiber Trends.
It's good she lives close by. I can visit them if I need to. :)

BTW...There's a new blog in town. Stop by and check out MrsMamaMia. If this blog ends up half as good as her cooking then we are in for a treat!