Happy Holidays!

Consider this your Christmas card!  I texted this photo to everyone on my phone list telling them to start humming Jingle Bells before reading my holiday message. So much better than writing out all those cards. I'm also hoping it will start a trend so that I won't have to read the tome-like missives that have grown so popular over the years.  Maybe I'm just jealous because mine would have said things like "Keegan hasn't bitten anyone in a week, and gosh, we're excited about that!" or Kyle got thrown out of the choir for faking singing which is such a hoot, right!" or "Kiefer refused to play any sports this year.  He can't possibly take the time away from video games."  

Still lovin' the chalkboard door. This is the best way to make a snowperson and the only way you will see me making  one.  I feel like I'm seven again playing with all this chalk, and my snowperson looks like a seven-year-old created it. 

Got the new tree up!

Went with a new lighted tulle tree skirt from Pinterest because this new tree is much narrower and lower to the floor than the old one.  My old tree skirt (also known as all the stuffed animals the kids accumulated) just wouldn't work.  You can see that original tulle pin here. 

I was surprised that it took twelve yards of fabric to fill out the area under my skinny tree.  Kinda elegant looking, though,  isn't it!

I turned my old tree skirt into a cell phone charging station.  Too much???

Most importantly, 

WISHING YOU A HAPPY, FUN, RELAXING, MAGICAL HOLIDAY!

The Hand Embroidered Gingers

I promised Sandra, who is a ginger by the way, that I'd show her some of the hand embroidered gingers I've been accumulating.  The goal is to make a quilt eventually.  I'm trying to give each one a different shade of red hair.  This next one will have to be a centerpiece.  She looks like a bit of a hussy which is probably why I'm particularly fond of her.

I'll be changing the floss I am using for her hair because I recently found a bright red, slightly furry embroidery floss with bits of metallic fiber in it that I think will be perfect for this little floozie's hair.  Can't remember the Etsy shop that sells these, but I'm sure I can find it if someone is interested.  Now, if I could just find some boys to add to the mix.  Let me know if you see any out there on the interwebs.  Should you care to draw some, I'll be your first customer! 

Quick Peek at the Christmas Aprons and Towels

Okay!  After sitting around wasting time agonizing about which fabric to use, what colors, which embroidery designs, I've finally gotten busy with the aprons.  I decided months ago that I would make unisex aprons for my three kids and their mates or, as my son  likes to say, their counterparts. This apron is for one of the girls.

I'm using a heavier-weight denim which is making sewing on the straps a pain with the multiple layers of heavy fabric.  I've ordered some nylon webbing that I may end up using instead.  The embroidery design is from Urban Threads, and I'm quite happy with it.

There's a theme going here believe it or not.  This design goes with the "you wash, I'll dry" designs I put on sets of white with denim blue trim kitchen towels.

Design is from The Embroidery Library

I have a set of yellow towels to match the yellow apron design and teal towels for the apron designs in teal.  I do hope this is making sense.  It's after midnight here.  I probably shouldn't be allowed to put things on the internet at this hour.  Feel free to let me know of any errors.

Moving on!  The last couple will be spending Christmas in Mongolia which will give me a few more weeks to stress out about colors for them.

My latest setback is this design which I planned to use of the guys' aprons.

It just looks wonky cuz it's hanging wrong.  

First, it turns out that most people have no idea what this means.  For those people, the urban dictionary defines it as being a response to a statement that something cannot be done.  Example:  "You cannot possibly do that recipe.  It's too hard." Response "Challenge Accepted"  To me, it seemed like such a male response to cooking--the men in my family anyway.

 Second issue with this design is that all those curly lines look too feminine to me now that it's on an apron.  The shiny embroidery thread further adds to this problem.  My daughter's counterpart (I can't believe i just typed that word) is a weight-lifting, motorcycle-driving mechanic. Only his tools can  shine.  Any suggestions for a replacement design or quote would be most appreciated.

Cutest Little Girl Holiday Dresses

This is one of the best parts about having little girls in the family--

getting to  buy frilly dresses.  Blingy sequins are sewn into the center of each flower.  It's so cute I hung it on the Christmas tree.  This one is for sixteen-month-old Arabella.  Big sister Angelica is getting this one--

Look at that black tulle crinoline at the bottom!  It's a "twirly dress" that Angelica is gonna love.

Must get back to the sewing room.  I'm working on four aprons, changing the pattern as I go along, changing my mind about the embroidery designs, and just generally making life difficult for myself.  Hopefully, I'm get to post about them soon!

Towels for Brian

My lovely husband Brian has been in Pittsburgh this week, and I missed him, of course.  That got me to thinking about making him something.  He's always saying that I make things for everyone but us which is not true at all.  It may seem that way, though, because most of my sewing for us is house things. 

No, they are not for the kitchen.  They're for Brian so that he doesn't have to go find something at the most inconvenient of times. Enough said.  Yes, Sandra, that is what these are for.  Now the question is, do I need a new category for these on Pinterest or can I just put them under sewing?

In the interest of keeping this about sewing, and just in case anyone is still here rather than off to remove my blog from their list, here are a couple of pics showing just why you really need to wash these towels before embroidering. 

 See how much the white one has "waffled" from washing above and shrunk in size below?  I love the after, so I'm happy.  They are from Target, $2.99. 

A much more manageable rice heating pad

Okay!  I now realized that smaller is better with rice pads.  This one is for the neck and doesn't weigh enough to compact the spinal column like the last one, so it can get tied on.  I am wearing it at the moment just because I can.  Also it's providing me with some heat since winter has finally descended on New York's capital district area with a sprinkling of snow and cold this morning.

The sewing went well.  Unfortunately, I could not find my funnel and ended up doing this:

which resulted in scenes like this:

and this:

Something tells me I will be finding grains of rice in my sewing room for some time to come. 

This was made with two 9x13" pieces of fabric for the base.  When I finished, I thought I had over-stuffed it because it was rigid, not forming to the neck.  However, just bending and playing with it a bit made it softer so that it bent to the neck nicely.  I don't know whether the flannel stretched out or the rice just needed to settle more.  Either way, it turned out perfectly for me.   

New Towel Emboidery Design

I've been searching high and low for nice towels to embroider, both kitchen and bath.  Some I purchased on Amazon that turned out to be much more utilitarian and dull when they arrived than they appeared in the online photos. I was going to just keep them myself til I found this design from Embroidery Library.

There is another one that say's "I'll Dry."  The design fits perfectly with the rather rustic looking towels.  It gave me the idea of creating sets of these towels with some denim aprons and potholder items for my kids for Christmas.  I'm going to try to take most of the denim from my hoard of old jeans I've saved from the kids to make them more personal.

In order to accomplish this, I am going to have to stop doing housework from now until Christmas.  I know.  It's a lot to give up, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice for my children.  Who knew I'd still be able to use the kids for an excuse for not doing housework even after they were grown and gone!