Recent Sewing photos, as requested.... or, "I like orange."

Mr. Turtle Quilt, for my own sweet Baby Boy :)

Quilt detail


Full quilt shot (with flash, unfortunately)

New decorations hanging over Baby's crib. This spot on our wall has been bare ever since we moved here-- it's nice to have something there now! It goes well for Baby without being overly babyish, which is nice since his crib is in our room :)

Beignet skirt... almost done! I placed the unattached buttons on the yet-to-be-finished skirt, to give you an idea of what the finished product should look like. Let's pretend I don't have mega-prego-brain and let's pretend I haven't misplaced the last pair of matching brown buttons. Let's pretend those last two maroon buttons are brown, shall we? The skirt could probably use a good pressing. The fabric is an orange, wool fabric (I think). I got it from a friend who was cleaning out her fabric stash. I had the perfect amount for this skirt! The skirt is lined with fabric from an old sheet (see below). I'm so thrilled that this skirt has pockets! I love a good skirt with pockets! My only regret is that I have to be so very patient before I can actually fit into this... maybe by Fall? Hence, the wool will be perfect. I'll definitely make more from this pattern in the future (well, unless the skirt ends up looking horrible on me! :D). It was great to try something more involved, and I know I learned a lot from the clear instructions.


Lastly, a nice, comfy "postpartum" shirt. I've used this pattern five times now, and it's finally, FINALLY easy! I cut out the fabric and sewed half of it in an evening. I finished most of it the following evening, and today I just added the finished touches while the girls ate their lunch.

It's a beautiful "April Cornell" fabric made my Moda, I think? It is supposedly cotton, but it feels a little different than a normal quilting cotton. Very smooth and has a nice, comfy feel to it. Could use a pressing, too... don't mind the wrinkles :)
I can't wait to wear it! It fits everywhere... except over my belly. Which is why it will be a perfect postpartum shirt :) Here's a shot of the top half. I'll spare you the monstrous, exposed belly shot!

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments, your encouragement and your prayers!!! I appreciate it so much-- I feel so loved!

If you'd like to see more of my sewing work from the past year, check out my new Flickr gallery (see sidebar) if you haven't already.

Mail Time!

If you come to my house, you'll find "letters" written by a certain now-four-year-old everywhere. Pages of scrawlings, drawings and painstakingly executed chicken scratches.... folded into incongruent shapes, and stuffed into envelopes. Sometimes she asks me to really place them in the mail (uh... sure, honey...). Other times she tapes them to a wall or a surface of her choice. Currently the interior of our front door has about 3 "letters" on it. Many of these letters, as endearing as they are, accumulate into a nondescript pile and end up en route to a new life via the recycling bin.

When Susy's godbrother received a mail toy for his birthday, Vasi was more than intrigued. She cried because she wanted to stay at the party and play with the plastic envelopes and the little push cart. I thought, really? That's kind of a baby toy... But it made sense. She plays "mail" all of the time!

So, I revisited this tutorial I found at Sew Mama Sew.. Back in Feb. I had made one of these fabric keepsake envelopes for my parents' anniversary. Then I thought I'd add some custom touches to make a set of reusable fabric envelopes for Vasi and her prolific letter-writing... and a whole concept was born!

First... the envelopes.
Then, stamps (squares of white felt with pinked edges, a decorative fabric square and a velcro on the back).



We filled each envelope with birthday greetings. I also stuffed an envelope with "real stamps" for V. Mainly, a sheet of .01 cent stamps we never used, and some leftover complimentary Nativity seals that Goarch sent out this past year.

But I couldn't stop there.... Every mail kit needs a mail bag! And a mailbox... An unused Ikea storage box we had on hand (Kassett, I think). One of those impulse Ikea buys that ended up going unused... until now! I cut a mail slot in the top with an x-acto knife and painted the surface with acrylic craft paint.
(as you can see, it's already been defaced a bit... the surface isn't so compatible with "real stamps" or stickers! Eek... Oh well. It's already well-loved, right?)I included a pack of unused stationery cards in the mail bag.
Today my little postal worker has been busy making letters and invitations and delivering mail up and down the driveway on her scooter. We were playing outside when our own mail carrier came, and Vasi showed her new treasure to him. I wish I'd had taken a picture! It was so funny seeing them talking to one another with their blue mail messenger bags slung across their shoulders. :)

This project was so FUN and so worth it, even if it ended up being more involved than I thought. Mainly due to the hand-stitched edges on the envelopes and the buttons (4x over!). But, it gave me something to do when I had to lay down/ veg out and take a break from the sewing machine (which requires a posture that isn't so fabulous for long stretches when you're 8 mos. pregnant). I'm so glad that V. likes it, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Dandelions and Window Quilts

Vasi seized an oppourtinty to harvest some dandelions... or "horta" as my sister sees them. V.'s fistful of "blossoms" ended up in a petite vase on my window sill. My sister's harvest of dandelion leafs became, I'm assuming, dinner? And why not? :) Apparently my weeds are good for something... yay! Good thing, too, because they are plentiful. But you won't find this prego mama bent over, pulling weeds over a round and cumbersome belly anytime soon.

The dress that my sweet daughter is wearing was meant to be a practice dress for a new pattern. The pattern was supposed to be "easy", but I'm finding that anything with interfacing is just a pill. So, my "practice dress", with it's dandelion fabric fashioned out of a faded, vintage bedsheet (every little girl's top pick, right?), became more a labor of love than I anticipated. Once V. saw it, though, she instantly wanted to put it on (before I was able to hem it or sew the buttons on the back :D).

I was going to use this pattern to sew Pascha dresses for the girls and for my goddaughter, but I opted for another pattern in my stash that proved to be much easier, even without a practice round. One pretty, white eyelet dress down, two more to go!


Below is the latest baby quilt I made. Our friends weren't finding out the gender, so I had to keep it fairly "neutral." Then, the baby was born-- a girl! Suddenly the quilt looked so boy-ish... I fought the urge to make a re-do; something more feminine.

My happy quilt models!
Job might have a future in quilt modeling... Vasi cuddles the soft, red flannel on the back. I found some brown minky fabric remnants, which adds some softness, too.Detail of ladybug embroidered patch on the back. I had originally set out to embroider lots of little quilt squares, but opted for a different method... yet this lovely little ladybug yearned for a spot on the quilt.

Latest one

For a future football star...

(his parent's alma mater, above)


(sorry, sideways....)


This is the latest! It was for a little boy, whose parents are friends of the family. His dad is a huge football fan and former player, so I wanted to add that element to the quilt.

The ONLY thing I regret about the quilt is... I did NOT prewash the fabrics before I made the quilt. OOOYYY!!! WHYYYY???? I guess I got antsy to start and just couldn't be held back by such important, precautionary steps. So, after I completed it, I popped it into the washing machine so it would be nice and clean for the new baby. And it came out a pinkish and faded-looking. Some of the fabrics (ahem... the JoAnn's fabrics) were affected the most, while others surprisingly held up well. It was all of that red flannel used for the backing and border that caused all of the bleeding. Yikes. I felt really bad. My little, masculine football quilt-- PINK!

It could have been a lot worse. I learned a big lesson (pre wash... ALWAYS!). The gift was given and accepted with grace and enthusiasm, so I'm happy.

Next up? Christmas gifts!!! Seriously, I'd really like to try and make most of my Christmas presents this year. Ideally, before December... but I am not sure that'll happen. It'd be nice to get all of the gifts made/ bought BEFORE the Nativity fast begins, or at least the beginning of December, so that I can focus on the true meaning of the season. I'd really like to make things at home to avoid shopping... I can barely eek out a trip the grocery store once, twice a week; the idea of taking my kids to the mall for lots of overpriced sweaters that won't fit and will be returned does not appeal to me in the slightest.

So: family; any requests? Handmade or store bought?

I wish I could post my gift creations, but since my family reads here, I won't be able to. If you want to hold me accountable and are interested in seeing my completed TOP SECRET HOLIDAY PROJECTS, just shoot me an e-mail (xktussing -at- yahoo -dot- com).

Can you guess?

Can you guess the theme of this baby quilt I made? Each patch was hand-embroidered, then sewn together with other fabric.













(this is just a detail of the back flannel that I used)


I finished this quilt back in August for my dear friend, who just gave birth a few weeks ago :D Welcome Maddy!!! Unfortunately this was the best I could do as far as photos go. I didn't think to take pictures until in the car, on the way to the baby shower! So, it's not the best but it's the best I could manage :D

SO... any guesses as to what my theme was?? No cheating, if I already told you :D

Outside my window... An less-than-exhilirating view of our covered driveway and storage shed. A pile of wood, a few dozen strollers, a rubbermaid trash can full of cans and bottles to be recycled. The view from our "office" isn't all that great :D

I am thinking... of hitting the hay pretty soon. My body is so tired, but for some reason I have this anxious energy and I feel like I need to "do" something, even though I've been going non-stop all day. Oh... could it have been that mocha I drank at 5:00 pm? Ooops.

From the learning rooms... V. has been fascinated with 'The Magic School Bus", particularly the book about the human body. Imagine my delight when my dad recently asked V. "What's in here?" (while pointing to her stomach) and she replied "My small intestine". Hahahaha! It's fun to watch her learn, she is a bookworm and I'm thrilled. What am I learning? Patience. Endurance. The increasingly painful reminder that all things fade away... asking God to help me re-prioritize that which is eternal.

I am thankful for... My grandma's life, and the example she set as a woman of faith, a wife and a mother of six.

From the kitchen... Not a whole lot, I must admit. This week has been a whirlwind of family gatherings and restaurant visits. Tonight I made macaroni and cheese with some gussied-up canned salmon. Sugar peas from our "garden" (ha!) were also consumed, at least by me.

I am wearing... a knee length skirt (sky blue), a striped t and a navy blue cardigan.

I am reading... Slowly, but surely, Nicholas and Alexandra. Fascinating book; although I'm looking forward to reading additional accounts from an Orthodox-fortified perspective. Also browsing Home Grown Kids.

I am hoping... the kitten we get on Wednesday will be a good fit for our family. Yikes! Here we go, into the world of cat ownership. Also, I'm hoping to visit my sister Christy this summer! I'm also hoping to make it to church on time tomorrow.

I am creating... a tidy backyard that doesn't make my eyes bleed each time I look at it! Oy! I can't wait for our new lawnmower to arrive. I usually have some kind of art/sewing project in the works, but these days my "art" is lawn care maintenance and all that other fun home ownership stuff. And keeping my house is some livable order. That's always nice too. Although if you'd like to see last week's creation, just scroll down...

I am praying... for peace of soul and firm conviction that God's will governs all.

Around the house... I spent the day cleaning inside and outside, while Job took the kids down the street to Grandma's house. And YET... I still have things to tidy up. At least it's quiet and the children are nestled soundly.

One of my favorite things.. Free samples at Trader Joe's.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Go to church tomorrow. Spend time with some friends after church, looking forward to getting to know them better! Finish the backyard chaos and mow the lawn(s). Get a kitten-- eek! Maybe, oh maybe, get out the watercolors again. Visit the fabric store for some light-blocking drape fabric. A visit to see Thomas the Tank Engine on Mt. Hood (with kids, naturally). Typical summer busy-ness.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
Have a blessed Sunday! ("priest" sock doll I made for my saintly little nephew, who turned 2 last week and who LOVES all things Liturgical)