While I was without internet, but with electricity, I tackled some bigger sewing projects.  By big, I mean size-wise, not necessarily level of difficulty.  Both were made out of squares and rectangles - really simple once I got the measurements right.

We have lived in our house for a little over two and a half years.  When we moved in, Fatty and I upgraded to a king size bed from a queen.  Making that jump required all new linens.  Sheets were an obvious necessity that I took care of right away.  And we were lucky enough to have a wonderful king size down comforter that my parents gave us when we got engaged.  At the time I really didn't understand why they got us a king when we had a queen, but now I understand my mother's good reasoning.  It just took us longer to get that king than she thought it would.  Anyhow, I am happy to say the comforter now has its very own duvet cover and the bed finally has a skirt.

Can I just say bed skirts are hard to photograph?  They are.  I made this skirt in five pieces:  one for each of the three sides of the bed and two for the corners.  I did this just in case the math didn't work out - I figured that it would be easier to fix my mistake(s).  Thankfully, though, my math was good and it all lines up well.  There is a box pleat in the middle of each side to hide the seam where I sewed two widths of fabric together.  I also sewed each piece to a four inch band that I attached to the box spring with twist pins.  I have done it both ways and I find this much, much easier than making a big sheet to cover the box spring.  I used the blind hem on my machine for the bottoms and sides of each piece and serged the raw edges to cut down on the bulk.  Make sense?

The duvet was easy, peasy.  My mother-in-law helped me cut it out backin August so I really just needed to sew it up.  It closes withbuttons, but you can't see them.  Along with their corresponding buttonholes, they are sewn on a flap of fabric that folds to the inside ofthe opening.  I know this might not make sense.  But trust me, it'scool.

I know someone is going to ask me where I got the fabric.  The chocolate brown solid came from Calico Corners, I think.  The floral for the duvet is from Les Tissus Colbert, which is outside of Chicago.  I bought it over two years ago and it's 110" wide.  It is perfect for a king sized bed - there were no patterns to match - just one cut for the top and one for the bottom.

I promise a full shot of the bed once the pillow shams are finished.  Right now, though, I am just happy that my list is getting shorter.

We have phone.  And internet.  Phew.  That was no fun.

No internet = a LOT of sewing.  Let's start with my apron for Tie One On.

The theme was polka dots and although you can't see it well in this photo, they are there.  Teeny tiny chartreuse polka dots trimmed with tennis ball yellow pom poms.  I love this fabric.  When I was finished cutting this out, I threw the scraps in to the x string quilt pile.  They look happy there.

See the dots now?  Cute, aren't they?  I am not sure where I got the idea, but I HAD to add pin tucks to this apron.  And you know what?  I love them.  So so much.  I can just see them on a summer skirt for the girls - well, Kate, I guess.  She's the one who would wear it.  OK, I can see them on a skirt for me, too, but that is an entirely different post.  Back to the kids - Jane does like this fabric - she made mention of that.  When I asked if she would like a dress or a skirt out of it, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Maybe an apron?"  With the pom poms, of course.

I used chartreuse colored thread for contrast on the entire apron.  I love the way it picks up the color in the dots, but is still subtle.  I think I should do that more often.

Back to regular posting starting now.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.

I have quilts on the brain.

I don't doubt that it has something to do with The Virtual Quilting Bee.  I am excited to be working with these talented ladies.  Excited, but so nervous.  Really nervous.  Just so you know.

And Daria's pillows have added fuel to the fire.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

Then there is this beauty that Stefani owns.  I've had dreams about it.  Multiple dreams.

But then I stumbled across this one.  After I saw these squares.  Oh me, oh my!

I started a pile.  My X string quilt pile.  In colors that go in my guest room.  You can't see all the fabrics here - the pile is too big.  Maybe I should edit it.  Maybe not.  I think it needs some darker greens.  And maybe some mustard-y yellows.  I'm wrapping my brain around it all, figuring how I can make it so it will look like a stash quilt (which it is, by the way) without being too entirely random.  Does that make sense?  Random looking, but actually very well thought out is the goal.  I wonder how I can do that without it taking entirely too much time.

There are practical issues, too.  Like geometry and math.  You know - calculating exactly how many x's I will need to make the right size quilt.

Pass the calculator, please.

I just found out that this apron

is on the cover of this book.  I have two other apron projects in there, too.

Eeeee!  What a way to start the weekend!  Hope yours is great.

I really like blogging in the morning.  I'm not sure why, but that is when it feels right to me.  Today I didn't have time - Tuesday is the Iactuallygotomyparttimefivehouraweekjob day.  And in reality, I don't have too much to report.

The light is nice this afternoon - finally!  I took this photo of myself in the carpool line.  I didn't even have to crop it - nice, huh?  The necklace was made by the ever so talented Kristen. It was a gift to me from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Heather bought it from Kristen in person without knowing that I already have some of her jewelry.  Serendipity?  I think so.  Anyhow, I love it.  You can check out Kristen's other baubles at her own little web store, Mood Swing Studios.  I bet you like what you see.

I squeezed some knitting in, too.  Maybe about five minutes worth.  Better than nothing.  Tomorrow is the day I conquer the sewing room.  I left it a huge, gigantic, really horribly bad mess after my bout of Christmas crafting.  I think the twill from Fatty's apron is sitting on the floor next to leftover patchwork strips from the blanket.  When will I ever learn?  Apparently, um, never.  I must get it spiffed up, though.  I've got something in the works.

Jane and Kate love to draw.  In our house, we go through paper and crayons and markers and pencils at a very fast rate.  And it is just not possible to keep all those masterpieces.  We keep a pile of artwork and edit it down from time to time, keeping the ones that tug at my heart the heart and the ones they absolutely cannot bear to let go.  Some have been embroidered - the tree shirt that Kate made last year being my favorite.  My idea for Fatty's gifts from the girls was to transform something that they drew into a shirt for him.  I was thinking freezer paper stencils like Hannah did for her husband's birthday.  But then we had a change of plan.  Enter the print gocco.

The first time I used the gocco, the girls were mesmerized.  After I had printed about 10 cards, Kate said, "Can I use it, please?"  I looked at her and a light bulb went off over my head.  I said, "Another time" and thought, "Oh yeah - she can make something for Fatty with the gocco."  A week or so later, she was home sick from school and in a matter of 15 minutes, we had the drawing.  Ten minutes later we had the shirt.

Not to be left out, Jane wanted in on the action.

Jane came up with her idea on her own.  That's a bowl of cashews next to the frothy beer, in case you were wondering.  Perfect gifts for the beer-selling (and drinking), bike-riding dad who happens to like t-shirts very much.  He loved them and has worn them both - in public!

Something else that Fatty enjoys is cooking.  He does grill duty on a regular basis and often cooks one-pot meals on Sunday.  So you can probably guess what I made him.....his very own apron.

He had made a comment about how much he liked that blue and green fabric when I was making Finn's elephant.  I already had bought the blue twill for his apron and was going to use a different print, but this one really is perfect.  The straps are a bit long - I need to fix that sometime.  My favorite part was using the print to hold the d-rings up by the neck.  I am pretty sure he was surprised.  I don't think he had any idea what I was making - in fact, if I would bet he thought whatever it was would be knitted.  He really likes it - he's told me so many times.  And I am sure he will wear it.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for Sunday.  I am counting on a nice one pot meal.

Get your cup of coffee and settle in.  This is a long one.

Let's start with Fatty's gifts for the girls.  Remember how I told him that he could burn me a CD and I would be happy?  Well, that is what he did for the girls.  Jane and Kate both have CD players in their rooms and are constantly asking us to make them copies of our CDs.  So Fatty spent the better part of a Sunday creating playlists for each of them on itunes.  He burned the CDs and put them in a CD case of their own.  They loved this.

Jane's disc:
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
Way Back When - Donna the Buffalo
Shine - Dolly Parton
Lakes of Pontchartain - The Be Good Tanyas
Penny Lane - The Beatles
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Jayhawks
My Right Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
Laughing - R.E.M.
Singular Girl - Rhett Miller
Children of December - The Slip
6 String Belief - Son Volt
Mysterious Ways - U2
The Long Cut - Uncle Tupelo
Everything I Do - Whiskeytown

Kate's disc:
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
Walking On The Moon - The Police
Hello, Goodbye - The Beatles
Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Waiting for the Sun - The Jayhawks
Blankets - The Gourds
Life Is Just A Tire Swing - Jimmy Buffett
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
Catapult - R.E.M.
Get Off My Cloud - The Rolling Stones
Windfall - Son Volt
One - U2
We've Been Had - Uncle Tupelo
Either Way - Wilco

And me....well, I knitted ponchos for the girls.  Completely inspired by the one Kristin made for her daughter, I started with Kate's.

This is the back so you can see the hood.  Kristin told me that she wished she could make the hood bigger - I am so glad she did.  Kate has a big noggin, so I made some adjustments to accommodate it.

I also added pom poms to the drawsting for a little whimsy.  I would be lying if I told you that I didn't think they would add to the appeal.  My kids are all about the pom poms.

When it came time to knit Jane's, my plan was to make it the same, but just in a different color.  When it came time to pick up the stitches for the hood, I hesitated.  Given her pickiness in clothing, I wasn't sure if the hood was such a good idea.  I knew she would like the pom poms, but I wasn't convinced that she would want the hood.  I asked Fatty what he thought and he agreed with me.  I decided to leave the hood off and if she really wanted it, I could always add it on later.

Without the hood, it needed something.  I added a sweet flower pin, in her favorite color turquoise.  I actually showed her 5 fabrics and asked if I were to make her something out of one or two of them, which would she want.  She chose two Denyse Schmidt prints and I pulled out my copy of Blair's great pattern and whipped this up in less than fifteen minutes.  I took the Sarah route and cut circles with my pinking sheers instead of the scallops because time was not on my side.

For you knitters out there, here is the scoop:
Pattern:  Knitting Pure and Simple, Children's Ponch (#243)
Yarn:  Nashua, Creative Focus Worsted, 3 skeins of hot pink for Kate and brown for Jane (I probably could have done Jane's with two if I had made it about 1/2" shorter)
Needles:  16" and 32" circulars, size 8
Modifications:  I added 1" of length to Kate's hood and made 3 sets of increases along the center back of the hood to allow more room for her big head.  I added pom poms to the i-cord drawstring on Kate's also.  Jane's didn't get a hood.
Notes:  This pattern runs small.  My girls wear about a size 8 - I knit the size 10 to 12.

Kate loves hers - she wore it all Christmas day!  I was standing in my brother's kitchen and saw her running in the back yard, hood on, pom poms flying with a huge smile one her face.  I wish I could have captured it on film.

And Jane....well, at first I think she was disappointed she didn't have pom poms.  But I knew that was a gamble.  In the end, I think it paid off.   She has decided against the hood which is fine by me.  She wears her poncho all the time - sometimes with the pin, sometimes without.  She would sleep in it if she could.  Well, if I would let her.

Little does she know that by loving something I made her, she gave me the best Christmas present of all.

You are good guessers....the puppy wasn't mine.  That is the work of Anna Maria Horner - it's available as a download at her site.  I did reduce it significantly to fit on the baby t-shirt.  The rest were mine.

OK, back to the handmade.  Did you wonder what those mysterious gifts in the muslin bags were?  I made all of my nephews softies.  Three got patchwork elephants -the pattern is in Last-Minute Patchwork Gifts and is by Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls.

From top to bottom:  for Kenan, for Declan and for Finn.

I loved sewing this pattern and can see myself making more.  It is really straight forward and surprisingly easy to put together.  I used corduroy for the bodies and cotton for the ears and blankets.  I love how the textures and the fabrics are both patchwork.  I wish I would have made the eyes smaller, but I didn't follow the pattern for that part.  Lesson learned.

The other three nephews got robots.  This is also a Wee Wonderfuls pattern.

on the left, for Evan, and on the right, for Ian.

for Miles.

I have made this pattern before and it is easy, too.  There is more sewing involved than there is with the elephants and the embellishing can be simple or very intricate.  I went with simple here.  Miles's robot had his control panel sewn on the machine and I like it just fine although the hand embroidery does show up a bit better.  Also, I had originally planned on making Finn a robot instead of an elephant, but I cut through the seam on one of the robots and had to remake one item.  The elephant was faster so that is what he got.

That's it for the nephews.  There is more handmade to come....I am saving my favorite for last.