Peace

Lately I've been feeling a sense of balance and calm in my life. Things are moving steadily along at a manageable and enjoyable pace. Often in the last several years I have felt like one aspect of my duties is suffering - like the housework or responsibilities to the kids or making good dinners or checking in with dear friends or any number of things. It seemed I could only be good at one thing at a time while the others suffered. But lately I feel like hours I didn't know existed have opened up to me and things are just getting done! I can't explain it except that I spent a lot of time in thought and prayer about it, and things seem to have fallen into place. A little organization and prioritizing have gone a long way. I've even found time to enjoy guilt-free crafting and sewing. Awwww, sewing time just is that much more enjoyable when I don't have a nagging feeling that I really should be doing something else.

Or, that nagging feeling that I really should be finishing a custom order before I start any more projects :). So I tackled this one recently: (sorry about the lousy lighting in these pics - I took them first thing in the morning just before they were picked up.)



I was asked to make a few items for a little girl's room. I made a comforter out of some gorgeous butterfly fabric picked out by her mom. The original plan was to make a toddler-size comforter, but later Mom decided a twin-size would allow her to grow into it. I agreed, and set to work making some changes to the original design. I added a piece of mauve fabric to the middle, but I thought it was a touch boring. A few pintucks and an appliqued butterfly later, and it looked just right. I hope she likes it as much as I do!

The mom also asked if I could make a little pillow for her bed too. The lovely satin-like fabric she picked out inspired me to make something with gathers to show off the sheen. After some playing with the fabric, I decided on the pillow above. It's the first decorative pillow I've made, so it was a fun new project.



Next up is a little chair to match the comforter, but sadly I bought the wrong kind of Velcro (FYI, don't buy adhesive Velcro for sewing...gummed up needles are no fun...), so I have to wait until my next trip to the fabric store.

So....onto some more guilt-free sewing for Sweet Pea!

I've been eying some darling little fabric boots on Flikr. I bookmarked them months ago, but now that my daughter is walking, I think she's ready for a pair :). I made a muslin mock-up first, made some changes and then made this version out of some vintage fabric that was given to me. Gotta love a pair of (almost) free shoes!



The main part of the boot is a Robeez-style, but I added to the height to make them look like boots. There is elastic around the ankles and a Velcro strap around the upper part so they stay on nice a snug. Sweet Pea has been walking around in them for an hour now with no problems!





While I love this fabric and have decided to make her a little dress out of this same stuff, I'm not sure if I like it as a boot. I'm thinking it's kind of busy. My plan is to make another pair in brown or black, which will be much more versatile. What do you think?

A monkey for my little monkey

Peanut is growing up so fast! He's about ready to be moved into his 'big boy' room. *sniff* *sniff* The upside to this is that I'm having a blast planning projects for his new room. Too many ideas, actually :). I'll have to tackle the major ones now and get to the other ones over the next year or so.

This is just one of the many projects I hope to complete for his new room. I bought Amy Butler's "Little Stitches for Little Ones" last year, and ever since I saw the "Cheeky Monkey", I knew I had to make him a part of Peanut's new room. I'll be venturing out of the theme a bit (the quilt and most of the decor will be bug and nature related), but I couldn't resist adding this cute laundry bag.



The brown stripe fabric will be incorporated in the new quilt as well. I thought the chocolate brown would wash out Mr. Monkey, so I used it for the lining fabric instead. I also LOVE the blue diamond fabric for the outside fabric. I'm so glad I could put it to good use. The monkey is made out of micro-fleece, so he is cuddly and soft despite his inevitable home on the bedroom door. :)