Cole's stuffed "animal"

Going to the fabric store with 3 boys in tow is an unfortunate reality for me. Because we homeschool, I am rarely without them. Some fabric store trips are better than others; we've had some pretty good ones lately because I have learned that offering a Krispy Kreme donut as a reward for good behavior works wonders. Sometimes, they are happy to help me locate a fabric if I give them a swatch and say, "find me something this color." Pattern books are usually a big hit; I can usually get away with a good 10 or 15 minutes while they look at the Halloween costume section, and now I can give the older boys an assignment and ask them to find a particular pattern in the drawer for me.

During our time in pattern land this week, Cole discovered a pattern that he *had* to have. And when they're on sale for a dollar, I generally appease such a request. The last such request resulted in me making this parrot for Finn. So this time, Cole got his pattern and 1/2 yard of fabric-of-his-choosing. After 24 hours of unrelenting begging, I helped him make his creature last night. Here is the chronicle of his "animal."



Here are the fabric and pattern he chose.



The pattern gives several options for which body, ears, arms, and legs to combine; here is his combination after I addeed the felt mouth with hand-stitched teeth and button eyes.



After I stitched the body together, Cole dutifully stuffed his little guy for nearly 10 minutes before he got bored. I finished the stuffing & sewed him up, resulting in...


A happy Cole, and his "animal" named Crazy.

Spring flowers are blooming

It's been a while since I've created anything new, due to the CPSIA crisis that is now, thankfully, resolved. It's been pretty cold and gloomy around here (it is winter, after all), so I decided to make something nice and spring-y. Using the very last smidgens of this cute Michael Miller daisy print, I created this one of a kind set, size 3T. You can find it here in my etsy store.

I've also been sewing a custom Feliz dress for one of my favorite customers, helping a 12 year old girl create a Regency era dress for an English Country dance she is attending (think Jane Austin!), sewing costumes for 4 children who will be visiting Colonial Williamsburg in period attire, and working on my first eBook pattern. Whew! Guess I should be spending more time in the sewing room and less on the computer...