Hey, it's OK...October 15, 2010

The past two weeks: BIG client jobs, small client jobs, Brett's "new job," soup, stitches, storytimes, crepes, babies, and reunions with friends. Sharing the chaos of life with these awesome ladies.

Hey, it's ok...

...to picnic a lot - in the front yard, at the park, at the apple orchard, in the living room. It adds interest to the day.

...to be amazed at how broad a 15-month-old's vocabulary can be. This kid is trying to say a lot, and she understands just about everything I say. The best part...Claire says "thank you" to just about everything - changing her diaper, getting her out of the high chair, picking her up, putting her shoes on. It is so gratifying, but it can get on your nerves after a while. And if you ask her a question...any question...she answers "yeah." It's too cute.

...to be THIS CLOSE to being finished with a big freelance job that will not only pay my third quarter taxes (which are terribly overdue), but also be able to pay off my computer. Woo hoo! And more business is pouring in. I guess people are using up the rest of their yearly budgets on marketing.

...to finally have a set date for when Brett starts his training classes. Be prepared, people. November 10. I'll be going crazy shortly after that.

...to understand why Claire started to go a little batty when we went to get her stitches out and the doctor, a nurse, and three med students in lab coats walked in the room. I would be uneasy too.

...to play "where's Sophia" a lot lately. She's taken to sitting in small containers, ie old diaper boxes, laundry baskets, and plastic storage bins. It must be a phase.

...to be ready for soup weather. I think mothers are always thankful for soup weather because it is so flippin' easy to make a meal by pouring everything in to one pot. Dump everything in a dutch oven, add water, turn on the heat. Easy peasy.

...to, once again, be thankful for Facebook. As addicting as social networking websites can be, they are definitely a vehicle for reuniting old friends. I finally got to see an old high school friend this week, who I haven't seen SINCE MY WEDDING. It was too long. And now I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture. Bummer.

...to end the week with the living room looking like this. If this is shocking, you should see my bedroom with all the sewing stuff all over the floor. But my bed is made! Small victories are celebrated around here.

Latest creations

I've been busy!

I haven't done a post about sewing in a while, so here's what I've been up to.

I hit an amazing Groupon a while back - $25 for $50 of Gap merchandise. So Sophia and I went shopping a few weeks ago. I hit the sale rack and got some nice, all-purpose fall shirts. We went to check out, and I was $4 short of my $50 total. Argh. So I went over to the kids section and found a cute top for Sophia. It was so cute that I decided to develop a pattern from it. This pattern is still in development, but all the pieces are there. I really love the straps, which are cotton yarn that I braided and then attached to the neckline. Love, love, love it.

This is a cute top that I found in Emma Hardy's book, "Making Children's Clothes." If you are in to making kid's clothes and want to experiment with patterns, I would highly recommend this book. This is her Sleeveless Top, and I used a lovely Anna Maria Horner print for the main fabric. And, yes, I made my own binding.

This is another pattern from Emma Hardy's book. She calls this pattern the Petal Top. I'm not sure about it. I think it looks a bit like a clown shirt, but it does look good in the nightgowns below. It's the same pattern, minus the elastic in the sleeves, and it's a bit longer. Sophia loves the nightgowns and can't decide which to wear to bed. It's flattering.

This is a little sleep sack that I made from a pattern from Anna Maria Horner's new book, entitled "Handmade Beginings." The original design called for a patchwork panel for the front. I swapped that out for a brown knit fabric that I appliqued. Can't beat a big flower on a sleep sack for a certain family's first baby girl. Can't wait to gift this one away.

Ah...the knobs. I bought the knob in the lower left at Anthropologie about, oh, a year and a half ago. My intention was to use it on a bedside table for Sophia's room, which I still plan to do. Since then, we found a larger dresser that needed three more knobs. I couldn't find these knobs online, so I made ones to match. The top three knobs are just wood that I painted and then varnish. Fancy! And for very little $$$!

I installed my darning foot on my sewing machine today. It's the first time I've ever used it. I've always kind of been afraid of free motion quilting, but after working on it a bit, I could really get in to it. I'm going to have to practice some more, but all in all, I think my first attempt worked out well. All I have to do is bind this quilt, and I'm done!