For my MIL

I made this journal cover for my lovely mother-in-law for Christmas. I used pre-quilted fabric and made my own bias binding. I had some instructions from a quilt magazine I had bought a few months ago. I think it's pretty great and she really liked it. Well, I think that wraps up my Christmas sewing, but I have some current projects in the works that I'll share soon.

Tonight I'm going to a girls' scrapbooking party at a friend's house while our hubbies are here at our house (with the sleeping babies) playing X-Box, so tomorrow I should have some great layouts to share. I'm not known for getting more than a few pages done over several hours, but I've fallen a little bit behind with the girls' books, so maybe I need to learn to speed it up a little! Anyway, around 11 pm, we're coming back here so we can watch the ball drop together and kiss our men at midnight. Hehehe.

More happy news, my Mom's in Spokane at my sister's house! Yay! (I've mentioned before, my parents live in Mongolia.) She'll be here with us in a couple of weeks, but for now, it's nice to chat with her every day while she's at Jana's.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!!!!

For Jenn

Here is what I made Jenn for Christmas. I used this quilted fabric wallet tutorial and it came together so cool. I was only a tiny bit tempted to keep it for myself, hehehe ;) All these fabrics are from Heather Bailey, my favorite fabrics EVER.

On another subject, I've been reading the best book by Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness and it is really changing my life, so if anyone needs a good book recommendation, there ya go!

AND, there is a pretty funny Politically Correct Christmas greeting here. Happy Saturday everyone!

Finally...

...I can start posting the pics of the rest of the things I made for Christmas gifts! Yay! I'm starting with this puppet theater I made for my sister's kiddos. It hangs in a doorway by a tension rod and goes all the way to the floor (please overlook the bathroom scene in the background.) I got the instructions from Bend the Rules Sewing, by Amy Karol, one of my favorite sewing books ever. The puppets were a regular pattern made out of fleece scraps that I had on hand. It was not hard to make, I loooove how it turned out and they love it too. More to come tomorrow!

White Christmas!

Here are some pics of our Christmas morning! The first is of Christmas Eve, I guess. And the last is a video of Natalie making a snow angel. I don't know why it looks like a blank screen and I'm not enough of a techy to figure it out and fix it, but if you just push play, it really will be there :) Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, audio/visual style

Yay! Our first attempt at videos with our camera and it seems to have worked! The first is a pretty hilarious Christmas greeting from the girls, the second is of Layla walking. Merry Christmas to everyone, especially to Granny and Papa, who are in Mongolia this Christmas. We love you and miss you! Can't wait to see you soon.

Liar, Liar

Okay, every time I say I'm done with Christmas gifts and such, I'm lying, because I keep deciding to make more things for people, "since I have the time." Last week I almost tossed a bunch of already-cut-up quilt fabrics into the trash because they were cut so crooked and so off-grain that they were not even usable for the quilt I was making. Instead, I turned the pieces into these coasters for one sister-in-law and this draft-blocker for the other. (I don't actually know if that's what they're called.) She has a big gap under her front door and the one I made her a few years ago finally bit the dust. So, I guess all this fabric wasn't wasted, although I'll still be writing the company!
I also had to post this picture of what mischief Layla found to get into while I was sewing today ;) That's my stash of embroidery floss draped all about her.

Oh, Christmas Tree

Natalie made this Christmas tree at church on Sunday. Isn't she talented? Crafting runs in our family :) I'm happy to say that all our Christmas making and shopping and wrapping are all done! Too bad the laundry's not! How come mothers don't get vacations? It feels like there's more work to do when Casey has time off :) Oh, well, I still wouldn't trade it. Whoever first said, "A woman's work is never done" was so right.
If anyone's interested, there is a great post about parenting siblings on Femina today.
Happy Holy-Days!!!!

Let's Review

I finished my Amy Butler High Street Messenger Bag and so I though I'd write a little pattern review! For starters, there are a lot of pieces and the cutting takes forever, since each pattern piece is folded to make other pattern pieces and careful marking must be done so you don't lose track of what's what. Also, there are a lot of steps, this bag is not for the feint of heart! This pattern has one major flaw: it calls for heavyweight home decorator fabric for the exterior and lining and a heavy cotton canvas to use as interfacing. These heavy fabrics make it WAY too thick. A lesser machine could not have handled it. I had to take the canvas off of certain pieces and just use regular interfacing to make it less thick. Another more minor flaw, it asks for 12" zippers, but the bag is about 13" wide so of course I have gaps at the ends of two of my zippers! So, I do really love it, it has tons of great pockets, which I like and I know I will use it often (although it weighs about 10 pounds empty because of all the heavy fabric.) BUT, if I make it again, which I'd rather not for a long time :), I will use regular cotton fabrics, a less heavy fabric for interfacing, and I'll buy longer zippers and just cut them off after sewing the side seams. There ya go, in case any one of you wants to try this pattern!