greetingarts

just bananas

Wow.  I started making Pinkmoufth last Friday, finished her up Saturday night, took pictures and wrote about her on Sunday.  Then I hit the "post" button, and promptly turned off my computer and headed up North with my two kids for a whirlwind three day visit with my parents (two days spent driving).  Who would've thought I'd come back to seventeen comments (don't laugh, that's a *lot* to me!) and over four hundred people visiting my site during the past week!  It's nutty!  And then, to look on Whip Up today and see Pinkmoufth with a special mention... well, how kooky is that?  I'm clapping my hands with glee, and Becca says Pinkmoufth is famous.  I'm so incredibly glad I submitted my little link in the end -- I almost didn't because the week had been really rough, and preparing for an impromptu trip with a one and three year old was not the easiest thing.  But I really wanted to get it done.  I'd gone 5 weeks without being able to finish a Whiplash project, and I felt like I needed to push myself this time.  And look what happened.  It really gave me a lift, and I feel refreshed.

So, not to let that burst of energy go to waste, I finished my pincushion for Julie's Pincushion Challenge. 



Yup, a banana.  Sorry 'bout the icky photo, I never have a spare moment until late at night when the lighting is terrible.  Hmmm.  Guess I probably could've made use of that thing in the closet they call an iron, huh?  Ah, well, just nevermind the background.  My banana was made with scraps, five different yellows and a lime green batik.  All sewn by hand, as you can probably tell...  Took hardly any time at all, and it even sits there on its own, without any propping up.  Of course, I'll have to take the pins out, as it's already been promised to Rebecca.  Oh well, in a couple of days there will be a new theme, and I'll get to make another pincushion, maybe one that I'll get to keep for myself, this time.

Again, thanks for coming to visit me here.  It means so much to me, and I'm starting to feel like I'm a part of this community that I've been stalking lurking in for so long.  I hope you'll come back again soon.

Pinkmoufth

My daughter's drawings have taken over.  They're stuck all over the living and dining room walls (below three feet), the kitchen cupboards, my desk drawers, the printer, all closet doors.  And yes, of course, on the refrigerator.  So I've been collecting them, surreptitiously, gently untaping my favorites and gathering them in a stack next to the computer.  But my daughter is quite prolific, and the pile is growing, and what am I supposed to do with them all?  I've been wanting to turn them into embroidery, make some pillows, quilts, maybe put a little design on a T-shirt or bag?



And then came the last week of Whiplash, with color as the theme. 

So from Rebecca's original drawing



I'd like to introduce Pinkmoufth, who has half a pink mouth.  My daughter's quite literal.  I guess the softie should be happy her name isn't Halfpinkmoufth.



I used my window as a lightbox and traced part of Becca's drawing onto muslin.  Then she picked out all the floss colors, and I used three strands and stem stitch and french knots to embroider the face.  Becca picked out strips from my fabric scraps, I sewed them together horizontally, then cut 1" vertical strips to make little quarter inch tubes for the stick legs and arms.  Ohmygosh, turning those things was such a booger!  I almost gave up, after spending 26 minutes to turn just one of them.  But I swore, pushed, prodded, stuck them with needles and teensy tiny crochet hooks, had a bit of dark chocolate, and finally they were all turned right side out.  I was happy that I remembered to put them on the inside of the head as I was sewing the front and back together, though I had a tough time positioning them so that the limbs would end up pointing in the right directions... I'll have to work on figuring out how to determine what the angles should be.

Here's another shot, with Becca holding Pinkmoufth.



It was fun, Rebecca now has a softie of a drawing that she made come alive, and I'm never going to make a 1" tube again. 

Oh, drat!  I still can't get rid of that original drawing.  The pile remains, and grows.

green goodies

I received my Project: Colorswap package in the mail, and it was so wonderful!  I've not been having good luck with swaps lately, but Dyann has restored my faith in swaps and fellow swappers.  Thank you so much!  Just look at all the green goodness:



Two balls of dark green sock yarn, that gorgeous ceramic button, fabric, tea, a woven bracelet, gel pen,
bamboo sock needles, gum, an adorable card, and a dark/white chocolate bar.  It's a miracle that last item made it into the picture and not straight into my stomach!  Again, I forgot to take a picture of the things I sent off, but maybe Dyann will be able to post something once she gets it...  Thank you so much, Dyann, I can't wait to cast on with those beautiful, smooth new needles.

And I do need to find something new to cast on, because i just finished up two pairs of socks for charity. CIC is just one charity that my knitting guild regularly contributes to, and I've knit many pairs of socks for them in the past.



The pattern is the same as the previous pair, and I just used up some really dark green 100% wool worsted weight stuff from my stash.  But, oops!  Of course, in typical me fashion, I ran out of yarn at the very end of the fourth sock, and had to find something else.  Since CIC only accepts wool items, I was a little bit limited in what I had to choose from, and did the best I could...



Gee.  Think anybody will notice?  Ah, well, I'm sure they'll still help keep some child's feet warm.

Oh, and I think there are still a few spaces left for June's Colorswap, so if you want to get in on it, click the link at the beginning of this post, and let Lynne know you're interested!

happy mother's day

To all the dedicated, inspiring, nurturing, bone-tired Moms, enjoy your day.  May it be filled with love and laughter.

mermaid makeover

Well, I've been working on some small things at night, for Stacy who mentioned that her daughter would love the mermaid I made a while back.  I couldn't stop at just the mermaid, though, and added a few other things as well.  Now, if you don't want to see what's in your package, Stacy, don't look any further!  Just in case, I won't include a photo of your little giftie...





I like her hairdo much better this time.  Again, all thanks to Myra.  I'm practicing, and I swear I'll get the hair thing down yet! 

There was one more friend who was late for the first photo shoot, and after I found out Stacy has a little boy, too, I obviously had to include something for him.  Wish I could have done a little more, but my mom is in town until Monday, and I wanted to get this package out the door before things got a little hectic. 

I really enjoyed making these, and hope they get played with a lot.

mama's got a brand new bag

Though I haven't completely shaken off that fussy, irritable feeling, I did manage to complete a few things lately.  Here's a picture of that bag I was working on when I made a mess of the dining room table.  And no, we didn't have any more picnics on the living room floor, I managed to finish it over the next couple of days and nights.  Gotta love those 2 to 3 hours after the kids go to bed.



I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, and I'm loving the size, even though it's a lot bigger than I thought.  Not the Girl's Night Out Bag I'd envisioned at all, but it's a great Mommy's Got It! Bag, and is a heck of a lot more stylish than the backpack I usually use.   And let's face it, how often do I have a girl's night out?  Ha.  Anyway, I still use the backpack when we're going to be gone for a whole day, or if we're going to have a meal out, but for shopping, playing in the park, or libraries, this is perfect.

The fabric came from some remnant bolts I got at the Rose Bowl Flea Market way back when, before I was pregnant with Becca.  I got like six or seven bolts of 60" decorator/upholstery fabric, at least a yard or more (some were like 4 yards!) per bolt (the kind that's on a long tube, rolled up), for $1 each.  A dollar!  At the time, I had no clue what I was going to do with them, I don't even know if I had a sewing machine yet, but who the heck can pass that up?  Certainly not me.  I did manage not to buy the woman's entire stock, but that's only because my husband and I couldn't carry everything.



The inside has two pockets, one on each side.  I tried to line up the stripes, and was pretty successful at that, I think.  Next time I will probably line the pockets, that seam showing there in the corners kinda bugs me.  The pattern didn't call for it, but... I like modifying patterns, anyway.  Makes me feel more creative-seamstress-y.  I was supposed to use interfacing for everything, but I didn't have any and really wanted my bag, so I just forged ahead and I think it turned out fine.  Floppy and fine.  The top band probably could use a little stiffness, but, oh well.  The bottom piece didn't exactly match up with the sides, but I fudged it, and hey, it's the bottom, you're never gonna see the few little puckers.  The handles were cannibalized from a freebie tote bag I got last year, that was really really ugly and had advertising all over it.  Why did I get it in the first place?  I dunno.  It was free.  And why did I still have it, a year later?  I dunno.  But it sure came in handy!

Now I've got to go fill my bag, and find somewhere to go.  It's the time of year when I need to start putting in a couple of hats and some sunscreen.  And that's okay, my bag can take it!

tag, you're it

Is this what it would feel like to *not* be one of the last people picked for a team?  Or to be part of some "in" crowd?  I always looked at people who got tagged kind of admiringly.  No matter how you feel about the questions themselves, or the act of "tagging" and passing it on (kind of like a nice chain letter, I guess), still, the fact that someone feels like they know you well enough to tag you, that they are interested in your answers, that they think about you and your blog, all that is pretty heartwarming when you think about it.  Thanks, Ragan, for being the first person ever to tag me.   Here are my answers in no particular order...

Seven things to do before I die:
1.  Go back to Italy and go inside the Pantheon, this time.
2.  Make a Quilted Diamonds quilt (I already have all the fabric).

3.  Go to France.
4.  Make a Dear Jane quilt in 30's reproductions (already have the fabric for this one, too).

5.  Have a well-organized, functional, all-mine craft room.
6.  Maintain a lush, English-type garden.
7.  Have afternoon tea with my two girls at MacKenzie-Childs in New York City.

Seven things I cannot do:
1.  Ride a bike.
2.  Drive a stick shift.
3.  Watch TV without a craft project in hand.
4.  See a horror movie.
5.  Curl my tongue.
6.  Listen to music in the car without singing along.
7.  Do Kitchener stitch without looking at a reference book or "how to" first.

Seven things that attract me to my husband:
1.  Ability to cook, and willingness to do so daily.
2.  Parenting skills.
3.  The way he feels about and treats animals.
4.  Do-it-yourself-ness (he can fix things).
5.  Wealth of information.
6.  Sentimental side.
7.  Supportive and accepting.

Seven books that I love:
1.  Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
2.  Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
3.  The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein

4.  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
5.  anything by Ernest Hemingway
6.  Our Town, Thornton Wilder
7.  Circle of Friends, Maeve Binchy

Seven things I say:
1.  doh
2.  ticked off
3.  hold on, I'm talking to Daddy
4.  no way
5.  just calm down
6.  that's cool
7.  so anyway

Seven movies I've loved:
1.  It's a Wonderful Life
2.  Shall We Dance?
3.  Groundhog Day
4.  Gone With the Wind
5.  Independence Day (yeah, I know, but that Will Smith cracks me up!)
6.  Return to Me
7.  Ocean's Eleven

Seven ladies I'm gonna tag: (I apologize if you don't like this sort of thing, please feel free to ignore, and don't be mad at me!)
1.  Stacy
2.  Dyann
3.  Lynne
4.  Myra
5.  Cynthia
6.  Jenny
7.  Julia