Where DOES the time go

Really, I want to know.

It seems like just yesterday I was putting my daughter in her crib for the first time. She was soooo tiny.

And in a blink there she was learning to smile and seeing herself in a mirror for the first time.

And another blink and poof -- she's really too big to be in that crib. Though, she still seems to be enjoying playing with her feet. Hmmmn.

Nope, no doubt about it -- time to go out with the old, and in with the new, cribless, era. Hmmmn...needs a quilt. Of course, that would mean I'd have to get off my duff and finish it. Though discovery of a slight construction error (ok, so my seam allowance was so far off that one of the strips on a block is a scant 1/16" or maybe 1/32"?) means I need to remake one of the blocks. Thank goodness I have more of the fabrics (there is SOMETHING to be said for over purchasing fabrics at times).

But she seems to love her major present even if Mommy didn't finish her blankie.

And this is my roundabout way of saying a, belated, Happy birthday to my Miss Tinkerbell. Her actual birthday was Sunday but we spent most of last week and the weekend celebrating. Can you guess how old she is? And I still want to know -- where DOES all of that time go?

So Happy Birthday Tinkerbell. I'm glad your day (days) were special.

And just so I don't seem like a total craft slacker, I DID finish one of her hand made gifts. I finally finished the sewing up of her pink and purple fairy dress. And she loved it so much when she opened it she HAD to put it on RIGHT then. Sniff. It does a mother proud. Though, looking at the photo -- um, need to do something about that skirt and the ties on the top need to be tied lower...hmmnn.

Though, to be honest, the fairy dress did get put away when another present showed up. Priorities hunh? So here's to time passing, even if I don't know where it's gone. As for me? Um, I think I hear a leftover cupcake calling my name...

Under the Lilacs

The title of today's post pretty much describes how I spent part of my weekend (thank you Louisa May Alcott for the lovely title as well). Spring seems to finally have come to Northern Illinois and the lilacs are in full bloom. While I don't have any planted near my house, there is a park in the suburbs where I can go and be in absolute lilac heaven.


The park has literally hundreds (if not thousands) of lilac bushes along winding paths. The number of varieties of lilacs are amazing as well. It's enough to make me wish I had a place where I could plant dozens of bushes. The scent is just heavenly. We could smell the fragrance a block and 1/2 away from the park entrance. Mmmmnnn.



The trip to the park for the day was my Mother's Day gift from my husband and daughter. (though my daughter also brought home a plaster of paris hand print she made at daycare -- I always wondered if the stuff I made for my Mom was appreciated. Being on the receiving end now -- oh yeah, it was. The darned thing had me tearing up) It's all I asked for and it was just perfect. Because of the weather forecast we went on Saturday and had a great time playing in the park and looking at the flowers.


As you can see from the photos, Lilacs are not the only attraction -- there are tons and tons of tulips as well. When I've gone in the past the tulips were pretty much gone before the lilacs were ready. This year? Oh my!


And the varieties of tulips were amazing as well. I mean, look at this one -- yes, it is a tulip. And in the patch you see above? With pinks and light pinks that all have those multiple petals? Amazing.


One of my favorites was this grouping. There has to be a quilt in this somehow. The orange with the white and deep purple against the spring green? Oh my, oh my.


One of the nicest parts of the park is the fact that they clearly label all of the varieties of lilacs and tulips. That orange tulip that I fell in love with? Imagine my surprise when I found out its name. I KNEW there was a reason I fell in love with it. It shares a name with one of my favorite quilt blogs. (Hi Clare!) And if any of you think I've been googling tulip bulb suppliers and dreaming of planting some of these beauties in the fall? Umm...you would be absolutely correct.


All in all it was a perfect way for me to spend my Mother's Day celebration. Add in the fact that I got a wonderful package in the mail last week with my Spring Four Seasons quilt in it? Oh yeah, what more could I ask for? Gwen of Scrappy Angel Quilts was my partner and I LOVE my spring baskets. I can't wait to hang it up in my office.


In addition to the wonderful quilt, she also sent some yummy sock yarns for me to play with. This should be some serious inspiration to actually FINISH the purple socks that have been languishing around here (yes, they are still in the same state as they are in that post -- ugh). I know what pattern I want to try next and now I have the yarn to play with. I just have to decide on whether to use the green or the purple/blue/yellow/green combo. Decisions, decisions. Either way THANK YOU GWEN!!!!


And speaking of knitting...I did manage to get something finished this weekend! The sweater I started for my daughter way back in February, the one I confidently claimed would be ready for Easter? Yeah...um, I finally got around to finishing it this weekend. Finally. And it fits!


Mostly. It seems in the 2+ months since I started this one my little one has gotten taller. Not any heavier, but taller. The sleeves fit perfectly. It fits around her waist with room to spare. But, um the length?!? Yeah, it's a bolero sweater. This is fine -- it's for spring so it's cool. I'm thinking she may need a little empire waist dress to go under it though. At the time I started this (and finished knitting the front and back sections) the measurements worked with a bit of room to spare. Now?? Yeah. Oh well -- such is life when making things for children. :0). And since I stole took the yarn from my Mom's stash with permission, you can't beat the price :0).

So, that's it from the cornfields for today. I'm trying to finish up a few projects so hopefully I will have more to report soon!

It's ALIVE...

Or, rather, I am. Really. I seriously can't believe it's been over a month since I posted to my blog, but I am still alive and kicking. As for what's been keeping me away from my blog (and most of the blogs I regularly read too -- we won't even go into how many posts bloglines says I haven't read) take your pick from the following:

• Sick husband


• Sick child


• Child deciding to learn how to slide head first into home plate but using a steel door frame as her target


• The blahs (probably the biggest reason folks -- I was having a major tail end of winter funk that just would not go away)


• Getting some substitute teaching jobs (love the money, teaching, etc. but you usually don't find out whether or not you are working the next day until sometime between 6 and 9 pm)


• Scratching an eye because of something getting in my contact lens which made light painful and meant I had to wear my soooo out of date glasses for two weeks (um, yeah, I actually had to try and thread a quilting between during that period -- luckily Tink was asleep or she would have had way too many new words to add to her vocabulary. This was also another major reason for not posting -- when it hurts to look at a computer screen, um, yeah.)

And -- just because I'm in the mood for lists here are some sure signs you haven't posted to your blog in much too long:

• You get wonderful emails from blog friends asking if you are ok. (thank you everyone who wrote -- I'm catching up on my email so if you haven't heard from me yet -- you will soon!)


• You get a call from one of your favorite quilt shop owners saying you haven't written on the blog lately and she and the staff are wondering if you are ok. (thank you for calling -- it means a whole lot to me -- I'll be in soon!)


• Every conversation with your mother includes a reminder that you need to post to your blog.

Soooo -- what have I been up to in the past month? Well...I did hold the drawing for my 1 year/100th + post giveaway. Tink decided when I asked her to "mix" the slips of paper that she absolutely needed to use a spoon to do it. Hey, who am I to argue? She also decided that "one" was not enough -- so she chose two names: Gwen of Scrappy Angel Quilts and Lisa of Upstatelisa. I DID notify the winners via email. Now to just get their packages in the mail (it isn't just the blog that I'm behind on folks...).

I also managed to finish a gift for a coworker of my mother's who retired in April. This is someone who has been a great help to my mother and who has been generous in her praise of my humble efforts at crafting. I just HAD to make her something. After seeing a book that had some wonderful Japanese designs I decided to use a sashiko/applique design of a cherry blossom (a sakura) but instead of the sashiko technique use western embroidery. I then turned it into a decorative pillow with some pretty spring colored fabrics. I LOVE how this piece turned out. It's hard to tell from the photo (click to make it bigger) but the embroidery is done in pale pinks that shade out to almost white. I think I'm going to have to try this one again -- maybe with one of the other traditional Japanese designs.

I also finished my Four Seasons Spring piece!!! Wooo Hoooo! I'm kind of conflicted about this one. One the one hand, I put a lot of myself into it. It represents a lot of hours and a lot of things I haven't experimented with before. It's the first piece I've ever hand quilted that had seams. (check another thing off of my new year's list). It's the first piece I've ever done that has incorporated both knitting and quilting. Yes, call me an over achiever -- but that lace edging is the one I was working on here.

And, yes, the base of this piece is the trip around the world I talked about here. I took some of the suggestions and added embroidery to try and make it pop a bit more. There's a bit in the upper right hand corner.

And a bigger section in the lower left. I also added in some knit flowers to add some dimension. So why the conflict? Well -- I love the individual elements, but, somehow, I'm just not sure about the finished piece. This one is also just, well, despite the fact that I designed most of it -- just so not ME. Maybe because of it, it was really hard to let this one go. I think I may have to repeat this one again. It is on its way to its new owner and I hope she enjoys it. I really did have fun making it, even if I am a bit unsure about how it turned out. Maybe it's just nerves.

Yikes -- I don't post for over a month and then I end up going on and on. I do have more to say (so since when is that a surprise) and show (you should see the lovely swap piece I received -- and you will, I promise!) but I think this one is getting a bit long! I'll post more soon. I won't promise tomorrow, but hopefully this weekend!

Quarterly Review

Here we are on April 1st (and nope, no April Fool's jokes here) and it seems like a good time to do a business style review of my progress this quarter. Based on my New Year's goals and projections -- let's see how my work has been progressing (or not -- which is much more to the point here).


Skills:


Hand quilting -- actually, I've been working on this one. I still have a bit more to do on my second mini-wholecloth but not bad. I figured it would take much longer to get to this one.


Applique -- still a total and complete wimp.


Embroidery -- I have at least two projects in progress and one that I've finished the embroidery part but I can't show yet (and need to finish the other part and get it in the mail -- eeek!). I also finished the embroidery on my Winter Four Season's Swap. So -- not too bad here. It would be better if I FINISHED a few more things -- but, I'm working on it. And just to prove that I am -- a hint about some of the work on my current Four Season's piece.



Knitting -- well, actually there is more to report here than anywhere else. I've made three and 1/2 pairs of mitts over the past three months, finished a scarf, started another scarf, almost finished a sweater for my daughter, almost finished a princess/fairy dress for my daughter, made three washcloths, a couple of bath scrubbies, and a really long piece of lace and some flowers for embellishments. Whew. That actually is a lot. If you would like to see photos of most of these -- you can check out my Flickr page. I'm still enjoying knitting so it's likely to continue -- though, I have an experiment that I tried over the weekend that is getting frogged when I have enough heart to do it. UGH. As for not adding to the stash -- um, yeah, we just aren't going to go there.


Projects (this is the category that is going to just KILL my stock values here):


PIBS -- (projects in bins) Yeah, haven't touched them. They're still there. They're still waiting for me. See above for some reasons why they haven't been touched.


UFOs -- still there. Still UFO's. Though -- I did finally buy a backing for one UFO (though if I'm kind I'll call it a WISP -- Work in Slow Progress though I haven't touched it since -- let's see -- um, LAST March) that needs to be a FO by June 1st for my daughter's birthday.


Bags -- not going there. Have plans for three or four, have two I need to make pronto. Yep. Not going there.


Stash:


Um, haven't been sewing much, haven't been using up what I have. Though, I will say -- I did find a use for this piece from my stash while Mom was here visiting. Yep -- another new project. There's a surprise.


And if I keep on giving in to lovely new fabrics that I just want to play with -- how I'm ever going to get to use what I have is beyond me. But, really, these? Can you blame me???


And well -- when kind friends decide they want to send you bits and bobs to help you have MORE fabric -- can you REALLY say no? And, let's be honest -- do you really WANT to say no? Especially when you have a little one with a shoe fetish? No -- I didn't think so. (but I will say thank you so much KATE!!!)

As for hoarding fabrics (a nasty little tendency) -- um, is it really hoarding if you haven't been using much fabric AT ALL?!?
Christmas:

It sounded like a good idea, get Christmas presents done throughout the year so that my November/December isn't totally crazy. Started well -- hasn't been working out all that great. The one present I had managed to make has already been given away. NEED to get on top of this one if I don't want a repeat of last year's sweat shop.

Life:

Trying. Best I can do some days.


So -- overall report. Um, yeah, not so great. I have a ton of projects started, in the works, plots and plans and not much action. Not to mention I've been neglecting my blog. I won't even mention the number of posts I have plotted out in my head and haven't gotten to yet. Not to mention how far behind I am in my blog reading (yeah -- when bloglines tells you there are over 1000 posts you haven't read -- time to do some serious reading and/or editing of your lists -- so I apologize if I haven't been commenting much lately).


As for my giveaway -- I've had a terrible work stoppage problem here at my house (Tink and Mr. Cornfields have been sick). The drawing that was supposed to happen while my Mom was here didn't -- so I will be drawing names TONIGHT and posting winners tomorrow. My helper is feeling better so -- time to get her back to work!

Wips, gifts, and other assorted stuff

First -- thanks so much to everyone who has been cheering me on in the "mommy vs. toddler" nighttime wars. (we won't even mention the potty wars) It helps knowing I'm not alone in this one -- and that it will end. Eventually. In the meantime -- sleep, ah yes, I remember it fondly :0).


On the plus side, I have had a few spare moments to work on some projects. Mostly handwork since, well, by the time I get all the machine stuff set up -- someone is daring me to come up and tell her to go to bed -- again. But, hey, couch time is good :0). I've been able to work a bit on my hand quilting.


And weave in the (seemingly) bazillion ends for this sweater. There weren't really a bazillion -- but, more than I really wanted to deal with anyway. I still need to sew in the sleeves and the side seams and knit a little bit of trim (more ends, yippee!).


Oh, and work on some little tiny flowers. These are part of my solution for this quilt top.


And so is this. Speaking of which, I need to do some blocking tonight so I can get an accurate read on the length of it. More will be revealed in time :0).



And I did get the bunny houses done as well. Here's the front of the finished Victorian number -- may I say that glitter and small children is a BAD idea? Yeah -- thought I could :0). I think I'll save pictures of the other house for Sunday. Yeah, um, Easter and all.


I also got some great mail this week. A beautiful whole cloth quilt that I just CAN NOT get a good picture of. I won it in a blog drawing a few months ago from Suzanne over at Art, Quilts and Other Adventures. And since I, of course, chose the option of a mini-whole cloth rather than the faster, and easier, fabric -- yes, it's my fault, and not Suzanne's. I WISH I could have gotten a better picture. The machine quilting on this is just sooooo incredible. Maybe, someday, if I work really, really hard -- um, yeah, I can be something like 1/10 as good. Thank you Suzanne -- this one is getting hung in my office. Mostly so I can walk past it and pet it every day :0).


I also got a lovely goodie package from Sharon over at Red Geranium Cottage. When I posted about some of the mitts I've been knitting, she commented (once, or maybe twice) about really liking them but that she can't knit. Soooo -- I proposed a trade. Mitts for some fabric. :0). I think I came out waaaaay ahead in this deal. Thank you so much Sharon!!! I love, love, love these Japanese fabrics she sent as well as the little koala -- um, I think it's for making muffins or something? Help?!?! (if I'm not careful Miss Tink's gonna take it over for her play doh!) I can't wait to play with these -- and the hedgehogs?!? oh yeah I NEED to get some projects out of the way!


Ok, well, that's it for now (more than enough don't you think?). A lot of things in the works -- not a whole lot done. Kind of like my cleaning, but hey, Mom won't be here for another 12 hours or so...


Ooops -- almost forgot. Again. Geesh, my mind is full of swiss cheese. See -- last weekend wasn't just my hubby's birthday (he got some lovely sushi delivered to him as a special lunch/dinner together -- I wasn't quite THAT forgetful). It also wan't just National Quilting Day. Seems it was also my one year blogaversary as well (take THAT Ides of March). Oh, and I passed the whole 100 posts celebration thing sometime last January too. Sooooo -- I should probably do something about that shouldn't I?!? Yeah -- I think so. Post a comment to this post to be entered into a drawing. What, exactly the prize is I'm not sure. It may be fabric. It may be a hand made goodie from me. It may be a combination of the two :0). I'll keep the comment/blog drawing open until Midnight, Easter Sunday (sounds like a good enough time to me) and announce the winner next week :0). Thanks for sticking around and listening to my angst and my quilting/knitting/crafting babble for the past year. When I started this blog I had NO idea how much I would come to enjoy it and/or how many great friends I would make on the net. Just goes to show -- quilters (and other crafters) are some of the best kinds of people!

Calgon take me away

Please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that commercial. The woman in the lovely bubble filled tub who is blissfully soaking while images of all the other stuff going crazy around her float around her head? I want that Calgon moment (without having to use calgon actually, nothing wrong with it, just kind of makes my skin itch). I especially want it since my day, which was all planned out, has so not gone as I wanted it to today.


I had a whole list of things that needed to get done today. Bank. Library. Post office. Grocery store. Job applications (time to look for employment for the fall if you are a teacher, which is what I have been doing all week). All so that I could be done with that list by sometime around 2:00 which would have given me time to tackle my sewing area. It's a disaster. If I was quick, I would even have had time to, gasp, sew today. Oh bliss.


And for those of you who don't believe me when I say how awful my sewing area currently is? (gwen, Nan, you know who you are) Um, let me show you JUST how bad it is. You see, I went out of town for five (only five really) days. My sewing "room" is also the eat-in dining room/kitchen. Now I did leave in a hurry and there were a few (just a few mind you) things piled here when I left. But, well, I came back to this. And -- in the just over a week and 1/2 since I've been back? Um -- I may have added just a bit to it (just a little mind you). But -- well, hey -- I've had a sick kid, a job fair, etc. going on.


Oh yeah, and I've had to work on digging out the REST of the house (trust me folks, those photos I'm scared to take -- the health department may just come and threaten to take Miss Tink away for her own safety). Now, some of this mess is mine, I will admit. But -- um, I don't remember putting the stuffed fish in my chair. Or the Olivia books hanging out there either. Hmmn...I wonder who thought that would be a good place for those things to hang out? I'm thinking she's adorable and about 3 feet tall, but still...


And just for yucks, how about a photo from the other side? If you squint really hard and look closely enough you MIGHT be able to see some fabric hanging out there. Maybe. I know there's a cutting mat somewhere under there as well -- somewhere. Where? I'm not entirely certain -- oh wait, I do see a small corner of it peeking out. Ah, good, it does still exist. I was beginning to wonder.


And Libby's challenge to show our ironing boards on our blogs? Yeah -- I was thinking about that one -- and then realized that THIS is the state of my ironing board. I'll cop to the Target bags (thanks Suzanne for telling me about them -- reusable and a whole $.99 each -- wooo hooo). But, um, -- while I like Tinkerbell (the fairy as opposed to Miss Tinkerbell whom I love to pieces) -- the purse so does NOT match my ensemble. Any of my ensembles. Again, I wonder who it could belong to?



Though, since I was taking pictures I did manage to shove aside move a few things to take a photo of the actual state of the pressing surface. It's not too bad really, then again -- this is just the wear since December when I replaced the darned cover. I go through about one new cover ever six months or so. I usually stick with the plain duck cloth covered ones because -- well, I destroy them. The last one went to ironing board cover heaven because of the holes I had burned through it. Yep -- I do love me some steam, but, well, um, it does take its toll.




So -- why am I here asking for a Calgon moment rather than working on the huge honking mess that used to be my sewing area? Or better yet -- done with the decontamination clean-up and blissfully sewing away? Miss Tinkerbell herself. I've spent the better part of my day at one Dr.'s office or another trying to have them find one of these. No, not the penny. The green thing. It's one of my knitting stitch markers. Lovely little things, soft, simple. Great. I love it for marking stitches for my knitting.


So where were Dr.'s looking for it? Um, yeah, that would be up Miss Tink's nose. Go ahead. Laugh. I know I've been doing a lot of it today. There is a point at which things are so absurd you have to laugh. Right before leaving for daycare this morning she announced that she had shoved it up her nose. My husband looked, I looked, couldn't see it. Ok, off to convenient care. Um, yeah, you remember that place right? Only this time, since I had a 2 year old to entertain, no knitting. UGH. And then, the convenient care Dr. couldn't find it either. Referral to the ear, nose throat specialist. Nope, not seeing it. So, a lovely scope (which I explained to Tink as a camera up her nose). All the while folks are asking -- are you sure she did it? And bad mother that I am -- "um, sure, I guess so" I'm taking the word of a 2 yo here folks. While the nose stuffing was occurring, I was upstairs throwing on my jeans and getting ready to drop her off at daycare -- I wasn't actually present. My husband was with her. On the plus side for the toddler's story -- she's pretty specific (pointed to which nostril and very sure about what color it was) oh, yeah, and my husband totally believed her so -- I'm going with it. When she's making up things -- usually it's NOT something she's going to get in trouble for. So, nothing on the scope either. Best guess is that she sniffed it back to her throat and has since swallowed it. Ok, so we get to (oh yuck) keep on eye on the poop situation and see if it comes out the other end. Fun. (we also get to keep an eye on her "booger" production and make sure it didn't go into her lungs and start an infection -- again -- joy oh joy).


On the plus side -- Miss Tinkerbell is a trooper and every single doctor and nurse was amazed at how cheerful (she gleefully told them it was a 'geen stich mawker' up her nose while pointing to her left nostril -- little scamp) and well behaved she was. Not a lick of complaint, even when they were shoving things up her nose and/or squirting liquids up there so they could get a better look. She was even polite and said "thank you" to the Dr.'s. ALMOST enough for me to forgive her for shoving it up there in the first place. Almost.


So, what did I get done today? Bank? If I hurry maybe. Food? Looks like we're going out to eat tonight. Library? What's one more day of late fees? Applications? They're online -- I can work on them tonight. Post office? Luckily open tomorrow -- sorry Sharon and Aunt L. One more day. Sewing table? Um...yeah, pretty much the same state as in the photos. And, given the day I've had -- the applications may wait for tomorrow with the sewing table getting attention tonight. I NEED some fabric therapy. And hey, if I can get in some fabric therapy -- I may have a third package to send off tomorrow. Woo Hoo!


So -- Calgon? Nah -- I don't have any (though I do have some absolutely yummy vanilla sugar scrub and salts). I think tonight's stress relievers of choice will be some fabric play and some lovely hot chocolate. With homemade marshmallows. (note -- the marshmallows are already made. And pink. Tinkerbell helped :0) ) And if a little bit of the Irish manages to find its way into my mug? Yeah, just about perfect.

Oh, yes, I'm also going to be hiding all of my knitting supplies. ALL of them. I mean, this time it was a stitch marker. I don't want to KNOW where she would think of putting my bamboo double pointed needles. *shudder* Or my Addi's -- um, yeah. Lesson learned for Mom too -- don't leave ANY crafting supplies out where small one can get to them. Maybe a touch more of the Irish will be needed?!?

Goodies, goodies, and a few wips

I knew the song lyric thing had to end sometime -- looks like this post is it. I do still have some older projects to share, but all this nostalgia is reminding me that I need to show you the new stuff I bought and am working on.

First up, the goodies I purchased while I was in New Mexico. Mom isn't a quilter, but she does knit. Given my recent knitting jag, I had to hit the local yarn shop, Unravel. They've got some absolutely lovely yarns and super friendly service. In addition to yarns and other knitting goodies, they also have some embroidery and other needlecraft supplies. Since I had limited space in my suitcase, and wallet, I was good. Just these two skeins of cotton/alpaca mix yarns and some stitchery transfers/patterns. I do love those Sublime Stitching patterns -- one is just words and an alphabet, but the other has cobwebs, and gravestones. I'm thinking Halloween here folks. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm thinking my husband would get a real kick out of something from these. In fact, his birthday is coming up....

I also picked these up at the same shop. Two Shashiko (Japanese quilting design) kits and thread. I actually had managed to walk out of the shop without these lovelies -- then I couldn't stop talking about them to my mother. Yeah, I went back. I had to. One is a set of fans, and the other is dragonflies. I really can't wait to try these out, though, the instructions are in Japanese. Hmmnnn...I also can't decide whether or not to do it with a backing or just treat it as a single layer embroidery...I'll figure it out eventually. (Unravel doesn't have an online ordering site -- but, I did find the same kits online here, not that I would try and convince others to join in my madness).

And wouldn't you just know, there is a quilt shop right across the courtyard from the knit shop? Don't you hate it when that happens? Organ Mountain Quilt Shop has a lovely selection of fabrics, notions, books and patterns. I was drooling over their wall 'o Batiks as well as some of the full collections from Moda and Robert Kaufman they carry. Oh my. But, again, I was soooooo good. I only walked out with one little quilt book (on sale for 20% off!) and one little 1/2 yard of fabric. I know, I wasn't sick -- just, well, I knew how much room I left myself in my suitcase. And how many projects I currently have going at home (which I think has more to do with it). I actually have a book review planned for this book (but, hey, it came home with me so that tells you something right there) so I'm not going to say much about it now.

While I was at Mom's I did get some work done. When I was packing, my biggest worry was what to bring on the plane with me to work on. Yeah, I know, I should have been thinking about clothes and stuff -- but, well, I knew I'd have some serious waiting around time. There was the three hour flight, surgery, hanging around at home while Mom was sleeping off anesthesia, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't have any quilting/embroidery handwork prepped, but oh my, I did take some knitting. I already showed you the mitt I finished (which still needs its mate), but I did do some other stuff. I brought Miss Tinkerbell's pink and purple with me and all of the knitting is done. I still need to seam up the other side, get some ribbons for the ties and make the skirt, but, hey, it's for her birthday. I have time.

I also may have raided, borrowed, looked through Mom's yarn stash and got permission to take some lovely cotton yarn she had. I may have also had a look through her patterns and found one that would be perfect for said yarn. And, since I happened to have the right sized needles with me, I may have cast on a sweater for my daughter. And well, since it's easy and fun, I may have gotten a whole lot done on said sweater. Like, darned near 1/2 of it. It's a fun little wrap sweater from this book. It's the pattern on the cover. The pattern is actually for a 12 month size, but Miss Tinkerbell is so skinny, the width fits. So, I'm just making it a bit longer in the length. Since coming home I've finished one of the sleeves and I should have the other one done this week. I'm thinking this one is going to be a lovely little lightweight Easter sweater. I'm being optimistic that the weather will allow for a lightweight sweater for Easter (but I'm not gonna hold my breath).

I also got some great mail while I was gone. This was waiting for me when I got home. A lovely mini quilt from the Calico Cat. This is part of a private swap we're doing -- I still need to get hers out in the mail but it will be done this week. Oh yes. It will be done. (points for the movie reference for this one). I love the bright colors and the cat print in the border :0).

She also sent along a bunch of goodies including some star blocks that didn't make the cut and this little tin full of Moda Cinnamon Stars charms. I'm thinking the mini-quilt pattern in the tin is just about perfect and I feel another mini quilt coming on. Thanks so much!!!

And there was some fabric included to make her a mini-messenger bag like the one I made for my cousin for Christmas. So, that tutorial I was promising? It will be coming up shortly folks! And hey, it's a chance to play with this absolutely adorable Japanese fabric. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I can't wait to cut into this one -- it's just going to be fun!

I also found out when I got back that I had won a blog contest over at Wool and Company. Since I not only guessed the yarn, but also the pattern, I was the big winner. Ok, so I've done one scarf in that pattern and am working on another -- it isn't cheating. And, well, I've been in the shop often enough lately that I know they're in love with the new Noro sock yarns...still, it's just using my knowledge for good right? So, here's my winnings. A skein of each of the yarns used in the scarf and a pair of needles in the right size to make one of my own. Can I just say yummy? Of course, I should finish a few other projects first...but, oh, the temptation...

And speaking of finishes. I do have two to report. First up, the Bella quilt. I did get it quilted before I left -- but the binding had to wait until I got back. It's now hanging at the shop, and I have to say it's adorable. It also is one of those projects that looks like it took a heck of a lot more time than it really did (minus the getting sick, getting called out of town, etc.). This one is nothing more than fussy cut letters from the Lakehouse alphabet panel and charm squares straight out of the pack. Add a 1/4 yard of binding and some backing and you're set. The quilting is super simple, but the letters look like applique if you don't know about the panels. In fact, it fooled one of the shop employees for a second or two. A totally fun project and wouldn't it be adorable for a new baby?

I also finished this one (well, kinda, still needs the ends woven in) as a Valentine's present for my husband before I left. It's just a knit washcloth -- but, since he loved the Transformers when he was younger I just HAD to make it for him. He appreciated the humor and that I made it. So, way cool.

Oh, and one last thing (as if this post hasn't gone on long enough -- can you tell I'm still playing catch-up? I was only gone 5 days, you would think I would be caught up by now wouldn't you? yeah, that whole sick toddler thing when I got back kind of put a kink in the works) -- this is a teaser hint for another blogger. Nope, I'm gonna keep the soon to be finish a surprise, but I hope you like the hint!

That is sooooo much more than enough for now. Time for me to dig out my sewing area -- FINALLY! I'll take a before picture so you'll believe me when I say how messy my house gets (not to mention my sewing area if I don't police it pretty regularly). UGH. My kingdom for a cleaning service. Or a separate craft room -- yeah, that would be nice!