Made For A Very Quiet Night

There was hardly an interruption to my stitches this evening.....

 



.....as Halloween was postponed until Sunday.

 

 



Made a Rescue

I saved the last of the fairy roses yesterday before the wind picked up. All in all our immediate neighborhood was very lucky. Walking around this afternoon I saw little damage beyond the occasional downed tree limb and of course oodles of yard debris everywhere. A far cry from the devastating destruction in other areas of the country. Around about town seems to be a different story however as quite a few people remain without power and live wires are still unattended. Seems school may be called off for yet one more day (yeah!) and Trick or Treating postponed a bit (BOO!) 

 

 



Made Preparations

Seems company is on the way.....

 

The first effects of Sandy are expected in our area by the morning. School has already been canceled, all town offices will be closed, and we've been asked to stay off the roads. It was, however, the  widespread power outages we are expected to have that had me hustling the most today. Last year this time we lost power for almost a week due to that freak snow storm and what sticks most in my mind from that time is the unbelievable pile of laundry that accumulated (of course it didn't help that I already had an overflowing hamper going into the storm.) 

 

And so today, in addition to braving the grocery aisles, clearing the yard, and outfitting the flashlights, I washed every single piece of dirty laundry in this house!!!

 

 



Made a Zombie!

Gone are the days when Child #3 wants to dress as a teddy bear or a Power Ranger for Halloween. Instead of sewing up something sweet and rubbing on rosy cheeks we're ripping old clothes to shreds and creating fake blood. How Lovely!!! Regardless, he's still my baby boy and as such makes for the cutest zombie of them all!

 

 

 

Made It Tidy

 All done.....and it wasn't so bad after all!

Time given to a bit of sorting, a tad of tossing, and a whole bunch of folding was well worth the pleasure I now get each time I open the closet door (which for the time being happens to be every time I pass it by!)

 

Oh, and just in case your wondering, I found those Christmas prints I was looking for in the process!

 



Made Me Shutter

I went in search of some Christmas prints earlier today and was greeted with this terrifying scenario in the sewing nook closet. Not too long ago it was clean.....I mean really clean. I just don't understand how this happens? I am, however, well aware of the steps that need to be taken in order to whip it back in to shape and unfortunately I'll be taking them tomorrow...UGH!!!

 

 



Made Something Summery

When it's as cold and dreary out as it was today I find it best to stay inside and whip up something bright and flowery to cheer me up. Perhaps I best get a stash of such projects ready to work on just in case Hurricane Sandy decides to head our way!

 

 

Made My Mom Do It

Oh how I wish I had a "before" picture to show you!

All of this had been a giant jumbled rat's nest, stashed in a tattered gift bag, and my worst nightmare for over a month now. I'd had the best of intentions to sort through it....eventually. But then, this afternoon, my mom popped in for tea and took matters into her own hands. The results are amazing. THANKS MOM!!!




Made Me Appreciate What I Have

 You are not going to believe what I am about to tell you.....

 

I LEFT THE DOLL SHOW EMPTY HANDED!!!!!

 

Never ever has that happened before. I have always found a few wooden treasures to snatch up in the past but there was nary a matchstick of wood to be found throughout the place yesterday. Well....that's not entirely true. There was a box full of very old, jointed peg dolls which at first I was joyous to discover. Upon closer inspection, however, it became apparent that the entire lot of them seemed to be in a very bad mood. Each one had an expression that was downright ornery and did not welcome company! Considering I already have two teenagers in the house did I really need to bring home someone else with an attitude? NO!!! 

 

But even if a doll was not in the cards for me I thought for sure to stumble upon a trinket to bring home to Lily Red's happy, helping hands.

I thought wrong.

 

 Luckily I had back up! Tucked away with my Christmas booty was a collection of sweet wooden dishes I had scored on Etsy earlier this year and stashed away as a special holiday gift. After yesterday's confrontation with the wooden witches how could I not but want to host a little appreciation party for Lily Red and gift her with with something sweet.

And so I did!!!

 

A few of the pieces from the set may have been long missing and the paint not quite as bright as it once was but Lily Red is a "glass half full" type of doll who takes stock of what's on hand and makes the very best out of any situation. She is definitely a keeper!!!

 

 

Made Some Announcements To Tie Up loose Ends

ANNOUNCEMENT # 1

Oops...I seem to have omitted a few Hitty cape details in yesterday's post! 

The capes sell for $32 each with an additional fee of $3 to ship within the states or $5.50 to ship internationally. 

(Thanks Debbie!)

 

ANNOUNCEMENT #2

Not that I even mentioned it here before but....I finally received a shipment of wooden clothespin pieces I'd been waiting for! They are the finest quality I've yet to come across and I can't wait to get some new kit assortments in the shop. There's a fair share of drilling and packaging ahead of me but I plan to have the fresh stock listed by Monday afternoon.

 

ANNOUNCEMENT #3

I'd like to have the kits up earlier than Monday but I won't be here this weekend. I'll be gallivanting about and helping out with this.....

 

The Southern NH Doll Show & Sale, sponsored by the Granite State Doll Club and the Nellie Perkins

Doll and Miniature Society,

invites you to be a part of our doll show and sale to be held on Sunday,

Oct. 21, 2012

at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, at Exit 1 off the Everett Turnpike. (Coming from the

south, be ready for the exit as soon as you cross the NH state line!)

Time:

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Admission

Adults $5 ($1 off adult admission with coupon), Under 12: $1admission:

 

 I've got my fingers crossed that I return home with a treasure or two in tow AND that you'll excuse me for skipping my Saturday post as I'm not a very techno-on-the-go type of gal!

 

Be Back Soon!!!

 

 



Made....For You?

 Who knew an eleven year old could get the croup? It certainly came as a surprise to me when Child #3 bolted up from a dead sleep struggling to get his breath. While a good spell of time outside in the chill air seemed to alleviate the worst of it, the rest of the night was spent dealing with that lovely seal bark of a croupy cough.

Needless to say we both navigated our way through the day in a sleep deprived fog. Eventually he gave in and took a nap which, in retrospect, was the smart thing to do. I took up my embroidery or should I say attempted to do so. Blurry eyes and mistaken stitches soon put an end to the attempt and forced me to downgrade my goal of completing 4 Hitty capes by tomorrow morning. I needed two for orders and wanted two for the shop since, for the most part, it remains barren of their presence. The cape orders were not a concern since they were actually completed yesterday but the shop it appears will have to wait a bit longer.

I feel bad about this because I know some of you are patiently waiting to see what pops up as "available" in the shop. But guess what? You don't have to wait if you don't want to. Let me know here (or over Etsy way) if you'd like one made up. I always attend to custom orders before I fuss with items for the shop so getting a request in will put you ahead of the game. On top of that, you get to pick the colors!!!

      

Made Some Very Familiar Stitches

Taking tiny stitches makes me happy.

And so does watching

THIS!

 



Made One More

Somewhere along the way I do believe I've stepped behind on my blocks of the month. This here (fairly dreary if I do say so myself) specimen is only the seventh block to now be stashed away in my hidey draw and yet by all counts there should be nine completed.  This definitely requires some looking into!  

 

 



Made My Sink Shine

Today was one of those days where I just couldn't seem to get out of my own way.

Washing up all of the dishes was actually my biggest accomplishment!

Made It a Surprise!

 There's been quite a bit of covert crafting going on these past few weeks. Secrets are always so hard to keep but keep it we did.....until today. Today we finally got to let the cat out of the bag.

SURPRISE!!!

At least that's what we said to our unsuspecting neighbor as she came through the door to help me "frost a cake."

 

 Little did she know the cake had already been completed by some other hands and was simply waiting for the celebration to begin. The popping belly on the cake was a huge hit and fit in so well with all the popcorn, popovers, cake pops, soda pop and such served up in honor of her quickly approaching due date.

(Did anyone spy my little quilt? I had first intended to whip up a table runner for the party but then thought to be a bit more practical and have it be able to function as a diaper changing pad down the road.)
 

More than a few creative minds and hands were the driving force behind today's shindig. Aside from the fun foods, there were silly games, amazing decorations, balloons (thanks Jim!) and blinged out favors. My little tidbits included some polka dotted pins for the gift clothesline and paper flowers for the garland streamers (see one way back there?) 

 



Overall, I do believe a good time was had by all. Many thanks to all the party guests, my co-conspirators, and of course our dear neighbor who was willing to drag her oh so pregnant body over to help me "frost that cake!"

 

 

Made It To The Last Step!

Step #6

Finish the Binding

Finally, a bit of handwork! Oh how I love each and every stitch I take!

 



Made It 'Round

Step #5

Attatch the Binding!

A quick trim to the edges, 



followed by the creation of a long length of  fabric,



and before you know it the binding is stitched on all the way around.

Next up....my favorite part!!!




Made It Puffy

 Step #4

Layers!

With the topper done it was time to make it just that...the top! I'm not sure if it was this cozy bit of Claire Murry flannel I intended to use as the backing or the fact that it's turned a bit nippy in these parts but I decided I wanted to make this tiny quilt extra soft, warm, and puffy by using two layers of batting in stead of one.

 

 Pinning it as such proved a bit awkward.

 

The true heroine in this endeavour, however, proved to be my dear little Featherweight who used all her might to tough it through the tug of war topstitching challenge!!!

 

 

Made Many Into One

 Step #3

Piecing!!!

After spending far too long determining a layout.....

 

 .....the sewing machine was finally put to work.

 

Seams were pressed open.

 

And more sewing took place.

 

Until, by the end of the day, my topper was finished!!!

 



Made Quick Work of It

 Itchin' to get stitchin' so I dove right in today and completed

Step #2

Cutting!!!

First I made strips.....

 

.....and then transformed them into squares.

4" squares to be precise in case you're wondering!

 



Made Up My Mind

I've got a hankering to make something patchy this week.

Step #1 

 Fabric selections!



Made Some Dots

I love polka dots and I'd love to tell you what these are for but it's yet another "top secret" project in the works. Stay tuned a little while longer.....

 



Made A Trip Down Memory Lane

I can't begin to tell you how excited this jumble of papers made me today. I was looking for some "old" pictures the kiddies needed for a school project. By "old" I mean pre-digital and as such it required some physical digging around in the basement. There's a deep dark corner down there dedicated to the storage of all those photos, clippings, school papers, tickets stubs, and everything else I had once planned to organize into scrapbooks. It was within the everything else category that these were found.

 

Years and years ago when I worked as a "domestic" (aka kitchen maid) I was responsible for tracking the menus and collecting the recipes for future reference. At the end of each summer I would take all the scraps of notes and rewrite them into a big binder to be stored on site in the kitchen. I never thought much about it at the time because it was all so familiar to me but years later, as the recipes began to fade from my memory, I'd often wished I'd saved those scribbled pages. Things like chicken hash, sorrel soup, and kedgeree became a mystery and beyond my ability to recreate. But not anymore!

 

 Seems I had practiced some mild hoarding tendencies in the early 90's and saved these trash scraps for who knows what? Could I have planned to scrapbook them? No matter now, the fact that I've got them in hand is amazing and requires no additional embellishment to emphasize what a treasure they are to me. Kedgeree anyone?

 

Made Like A Short Order Cook

Today was one of those days in which I swear I  passed myself coming and going several times over.Each kiddo had a full agenda of places to go and things to do and I was responsible to get them there. Our household of 5 parted ways at seven this morning and did not regroup as a whole until eleven tonight. Needless to say "family dinner" was not in the cards. Instead I supplemented my career as "taxi cab driver" with a part time position as  "short order cook." Breakfast at sundown was on the menu and proved easy enough to slop on a plate and hand off to the hungry mouths as they passed through the kitchen on their way out the door.

Made Me Want To Cry

Breaking news.....breaking hearts....

A  favorite neighborhood quilt shop is closing.

I miss it already.

 

Made Something Unexpected

I knew I had plans to make something but I wasn't sure what. What I didn't know was how much fun it would be! It's still a work in progress and as such quite "top secret" for the time being.

Stay tuned.....

 

 

Made a Match

 A quick pop in to the fabric store this morning was in order. I'm trying to finish up a few projects that have been hanging around these parts far to long, all because they were lacking a matching spool of thread with which to make the final stitches. 

 

But not anymore!!!

 



Made Lots More

With rain in the forecast for the next few days I decided to make the best of today's sunshine to head outside and cut some more cottages. Like it or not Christmas is right around the corner and I thought they might make a cheery holiday addition to the shop, especially the sparkle coated ones!