Random projects

Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics, when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew;

especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts

than while so occupied.

- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, 1859

Here are some pictures of some of the projects I've done in the last few months.

My first sewing project on my Mom's machine, curtains for my kitchen:

A skirt for maternity pictures, Maddie had a matching top:

Little boy burp cloths for James, please ignore the staining on my computer chair where Maddie has emptied out her bottle a few times:

Mother's Day apron, made one for my Mom and for Grammy, I love the bright, cheery fabric:

front view

back view

The only place where housework comes

before needlework is in the dictionary.

- Mary Kurtz

Backyard farm girl

Nature will bear the closest inspection.

She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.

-Henry David Thoreau

In our backyard we have a dwarf citrus that has five types of fruit on it. We are going to have some great lemons in just a few weeks but this week we had a ripe honey mandarin.

Maddie and I went out and picked it . . .

And ate it . . .

And had fun hanging out on the grass . . .

And playing backyard farm girl . . .

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food."

Genesis 1:29

Repurposed craft

For Maddie's first birthday we had a Minnie Mouse theme and I, of course, went a bit overboard (I am already trying to decide on birthday themes for next year so I can get a head start . . . I have to have my ideas percolate in ye ol' noggin for awhile). One of the projects I decided to do - at the extreme last minute, as in the night before the party - was a high chair cover and skirt. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I basically just traced the top the the high chair to get the basic curve pattern to use in cutting my fabric pieces, and then cut and hemmed slits up the side to fit over the legs. The felt Minnie Mouse head matched the one on Maddie's dress. I gathered the tulle into sections tied with ribbon then quickly hot glued the sections onto the high chair tray, et voila - a high chair fit for a Minnie Princess!

(please note it was a very blustery day outside)

The problem with projects like this is that they are really only used once! How many times am I going to need a Minnie Mouse high chair cover? It made me kind of sad, because the fabric I used was actually a really snuggly and sturdy type of fabric, and so fun with the polka dots. So I tucked it away in the sewing bin hoping I could use it in the future. A few months ago I noticed that Maddie liked putting the couch cushions on the floor and then sprawling on them, and realized she needed a floor pillow. I then further realized that the high chair cover was just about the right size! I have been meaning to repurpose the cover into a floor pillow for several months, and I finally got around to it! Minnie got removed - she came off in the wash actually, which was perfect because she was only hot glued on and I was concerned about pulling her off and ruining the fabric, but she came off like a dream after a quick spin in the washer. I just double hemmed the sides for sturdiness, following the "pattern" of the high chair cover. I ended up with a big, fluffy, if oddly-shaped, floor pillow.

Here is Maddie trying it out on the couch . . . we will see if she will snuggle up with it on the floor when she watches her t.v. show.