the dorothy bag

this is amy butler's dorothy bag that i made recently. after i finished it, i thought, what was i thinking? i never use handbags that i have to hold. duh!?!

it is cute, though. i got the fabric last year in the outer banks from cute li'l fabric shop. i wish i had more of it so I could make the clutch from the same pattern. i love the flip flop fabric and, as many of you know, i'm crazy about polka dots.

the bag was fairly easy to make up. sewing the lining into the outer bag was the hardest thing. i found it challenging to get nice corners. i like the handles. they have upholstery cord in them. i think that's innovative.

i used fusible batt on the main bag pieces, which the pattern didn't call for. i'd use it for the next bag, only cut off 2 and a half inches from the top. the extra batt made making the channel for the handle more difficult than it needed to be. i put snaps on the tabs instead of velcro. don't like velcro.

if i made this bag again, i'd add a zippered (small) pocket in the lining. it's a rather simple, unpocketed bag, unlike the other ab bags i've done.

having said all that, i do like the bag, and i think this style is versatile and would be good for fast (and appreciated:-) gifts.

valentine's day

here is a pic of our valentine's day breakfast. if you look closely, you can see the heart-shaped biscuits that 10yo dd made. 8yo ds bought me a heart-shaped box of lindt truffles. yum! dh gave me the lovely bouquet that graces the table.

look out the window. that's our ice storm. not a day to venture forth! ah, but homeschoolers never get the day off, much to their chagrin. :-)

may i say a word in praise of my babylock coverstitch only machine? yes, i may, 'cause it's my blog. i love that machine! it's so easy to use, adds a professional touch to my work. i am so glad i took debbie cook's ( http://stitchesandseams.blogspot.com/ ) advice and bought the c/s only machine. thanks, debbie!

cross over shirt

it's a goofy picture, i know. 10yodd took it. this was made from ks3307. the pattern is actually a dress and designed for wovens, but i wanted to try it in a knit. i used a size smaller than i'd normally use and did a muslin out of an old tshirt before cutting one out of this fabric. i only had to do a couple of small alterations to the muslin, and off i went! it's a good feeling to be cutting out your pattern knowing that it will basically fit when you're done. :-)

i got the fabric when visiting my friend michele. it's very soft and stretchy and of unknown fibers. i enjoyed putting the foe on the neckline. it's a little low; i may have to add a piece there, but mostly i'm happy with it. i really like paisley.

now all i have to do is hem the shirt and sleeves.

first socks of the year

these are for my friend d, who is going hiking next month in the west.

they were done on sz 7 needles and went very fast. i love self-striping yarns. this one is called "big mexico" by staller and stahl. it's a superwash. very fun to make.

a needle roll

this is something i've wanted to make for ever so long. my dpns--short 5" for socks--have never had a nice home. they've spend their lives in a vase which was too tall for them. as a result, i always have to fumble for sock needles.

someone had shared this link http://www.kissyourshadow.com/images/crafts/needle_case_pattern.jpg . i made some adjustments to the pattern, most notably using a layer of cotton batting inside. although i wanted to take a trip to the lqs to get some "really kewl" novelty print, i decided to buckle down and use some stash. surprisingly, it was hard to find enough stash fabric that looked good together. i finally settled on the grapes. i am absolutely thrilled with this needle case. don't my dpns look happy in it, all snuggled down in their pockets?

nautical rb skirt and the first pie

i liked mk's ruffle back skirt so much, i went back into the stash and made one for diana. the khaki and navy blue struck me as being nautical, so diana chose a sailboat applique, which i put on the pocket.








as a bonus, here are a couple of pics of diana's first pie. it's apple. :-) she did it all by herself, using freshly ground whole wheat *and* seven grain flour. the recipe for the crust came from a booklet published by keepers at home. we loved it!

a ruffle back skirt

sheila from nmsl sent me this pattern to test. it is too cute. i used fabrics from the stash and came up with this. miss m really likes it, too! as a side benefit, i learned how to gather on my cs machine. this works very well, esp. when you have to gather lots of ruffles.