Well, day three didn't go so well.  The girls didn't end up with their skirts.  I was too busy working on something else.

I was hoping to have the entire quilt finished by tomorrow, but I am going to settle for the quilt top.  Please come back tomorrow.  Anna Maria Horner is stopping by for a quick chat about her new book, Handmade Beginnings.  If that isn't enough in itself, there's a giveaway, too.

Back with more kids' clothes on Saturday.

I mentioned yesterday that this was more challenge and less clothes.  Well, I have myself to blame for that.

First, I should mention that I am not spending much more than an hour working on these clothes each day.  That includes pressing and cutting fabric as well as the sewing.  I have another project in the works and it is taking up a good amount of my free time.  Second, it is difficult for me to sew for my kids and then have to wait until they wake up or get home from school to try things on.  I want to finish these things on my schedule and having to adapt to theirs is a bit frustrating.  It may sound silly, but it's true.  Finally, for this little number, I didn't use a pattern.  I made it up.  Like I said, I am at fault.

Jane chose the fabric from my stash.  It's a Lecien print that I've had for a few years and I didn't think I would have enough to make this, but I barely did.  The red straps and red bit at the bottom were design choices by Jane.  She definitely has an opinion and really thinks she can design (thank you, Project Runway).  Anyhow, the band at the top is faced and is a weird shape.  This band is the third version I drafted and it still has problems.  Jane's ok with it and therefore so am I.  I will fix it for Kate's top, though.

I do like how the back turned out.  The top has a small casing with elastic so it gathers naturally and helps keep the top in place without being fitted.  I think it could be equally as good with a few close rows of shirring.  I may try that on Kate's.

We needed to add something to the bottom of the shirt to get a little more length because we didn't have enough bird fabric.  I suggested sewing a band of red at the bottom, but Jane came up with the idea of layering the two fabrics.  I think it's a charming hem and a great example of how details can really make a garment sing.  I'm glad the idea was Jane's.  I bet she'll actually wear the shirt seeing as how she helped design it.

Up next, some super simple skirts.  And have you been to the flickr group?  AMAZING.  I'm blown over every time I visit. 

When I was growing up, my dad was the official family photographer.  He was, and still is, the one who takes photos at every event.  I've been meaning to make him a camera strap for a long while and finally did so this week as a birthday present to him.  The challenge was to make it masculine, but still somewhat colorful and with some patchwork.  I came up with this simplified version, using three fabrics and a limited color palette.  I think it works.  He liked it so there's that, too.

We went to Florida for a long weekend. The weather was glorious and it was nice to spend time with family.  I read two books and took naps.  All good stuff.

When we arrived home, I began inspecting all that had happened while we were gone.  The peas have sprouted and so has the chard.  I'm still waiting on the potatoes.  And construction wise, the floor is keyed in and some drywall was finished among other things.  Progress all around.

I may have found my sewing mojo.  I'm not sure if spring's arrival or the time away that did it and it doesn't matter as long as it stays around for a while.  I spent some time working on a little project yesterday and am so charmed with the results.  It's been a long while since I have felt that way.  Too long.  I felt energized and I felt creative.  Do you know that feeling?  That creative spark that just makes you want to keep going, keep doing, keep making?  I'm rolling with it.  It'll be exciting to see what develops.

And I am going to restock the shop next Thursday, April 15th.  More details on that next week.

Thanks for stopping by.  I don't say it often enough, but I really do appreciate your visits and thoughtful comments.

Back here soon.

I made the girls some pajama pants - two pairs of pants and one pair of shorts each.  This happened about three weeks ago and I just haven't found the time to blog about it.  And they want me to blog about it.  So I am.

They wear the same size clothes despite being two years apart in age which helped make this a fairly easy project.  I didn't use a commercial pattern.  Instead, I took a pair of p.j. pants that fits them both well and used that to make a paper pattern.  The hardest part of that was adding the seam allowances.  Seriously.  I cut all 6 pairs out and then sewed them together assembly line style.  Fast and a great stash buster to boot.  I'm working on some embellished tank tops to go with them and then I plan on making a nightgown or two to round out their night time wardrobe.

I wish I had a better photo, but I don't. Our kitchen remodel has started and it's pretty hectic around here. I'm hoping to hole up in the studio for a good chunk of time tomorrow.  Cross your fingers for me.

Yesterday morning, I put the finishing touches on this pincushion that has been sitting around my studio for the better part of a year, maybe even longer.  I don't know why I never finished it before.  I guess I was just waiting for the right moment and wouldn't you know, it had arrived.  I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Dorie and her delightful daughter for coffee.  They were in my neck of the woods and I practically jumped at the opportunity to meet in person.  Kate and I chose a nice sunny table in the window of the coffee shop and spent an hour or so with our new friends.  We had such a nice visit - lots of chatting, some drawing and a couple great rounds of hangman complete with misspelled words.  I wanted to bring a little gift and my choices were pincushion or fingerless mitts.  It being March, I thought the mitts weren't the best choice.  And although I've made Dorie a pincushion before, I thought that, like me, she probably likes having more than one hanging around.

You see what I mean?  Dorie made a pincushion for me, too!  Great minds think alike, you know.

(The pattern for the pincushion that I made can be found in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. Dorie's pincushion is her own design.)

I'm not going to let this month get the best of me.  No sir, not one bit.  I've got flowers and hot cocoa with whipped cream and a quilt top.

And it's only just begun.

Would you look at that?  I'm sewing today and it made me think of this post.  That was 15 months ago and that sewing journey started six months before that day.  So yeah, I've been working on this project for 21 months.  And as of today, I've finished piecing 96 out of 96 single girl squares and pieced 24 pairs together.  By the end of the day I hope to have one of two twin quilt tops put together.  I think it's a great way to end the month of January.

Of course, February will start with more of the same which is also good.  I'm ready to put this baby to bed.