The Set that Will Likely Never Be...

Did you create a holiday sewing list? I'm wondering if your vision for all the things you were going to make for the loved ones in your life was as unattainable as mine. I seriously overestimated how much I could accomplish! And even more than that, each day seemed to trigger a new idea for something else that would make someone in my life (mostly my girls) smile.

Meet Gingerbread Baby.

Are you familiar with Jan Brett's books? Each and every one is truly amazing! And many of them make a nice addition to your holiday/winter reading rotation. The Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends are two of our favorites! With gorgeous illustrations and a slightly new take on this classic story, they are highly engaging. [Insert former literacy teacher's comments on repetitive text, the value of following characters from one book to the next etc.]

And so, our Gingerbread Baby was born. After reading the books at bedtime one night, I thought to myself, "You know, Belle would really love to have a Gingerbread Baby to carry around. I think I'll make her one tonight." Was this a project on my previously established holiday sewing list? No, but it's just one quick little doll. And she'll really love it...

A few hours and a small stack of wool felt later, I snuck into Belle's room and tucked Gingie into her clothes for the next day. A fun little surprise!

If only the insanity had stopped there...

Because at this point, I realized that we were headed to the Nutcracker in a few days. And, the gingerbread cookies just happen to be one of my favorite parts. And this little gal really did look just like the costumes in the ballet. And Belle would really fall in love with ALL the characters. And, of course, I should just make her an entire Nutcracker play set...right???

Can you see how I get myself in trouble around here???

I sat for a few hours and sketched patterns for Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Nutcracker, and the Mouse King. Then I meticuously traced each of those patterns (why didn't I pull out the scanner here?), so that I could have a copy of each to save. Then I cut each tiny piece. And well, you can see where this is headed.

At this point, Gingerbread Baby remains a loner, though the skirt part of Clara's nightdress is finished. Of course, once we actually saw the ballet, Belle's favorite was the Sugar Plum Fairy and I haven't even cut those pieces out yet.

So, as the title suggests, this set will never be complete. Especially not before Christmas. But maybe over time I'll finish it up for next year. But then, who am I kidding? I will have thought of a million and one other projects to do between now and then.

So, am I the only one whose brain works faster than her hands? Do you all struggle to control zillions of creative thoughts that just can't feasibly be brought to fruition? Or am I the only one who gets herself into these kinds of situations?

Pinwheel Quilt Along

So, a while back, I told you that one of my sewing goals for 2011 was to return to my quilting roots. I think I might have taken that one a little TOO seriously! Right now, I currently have 4 quilts in process that I hope to finish in the next few days. And I have finished two others in the last week. That's a whole lot of quilting! Now mind you...they are all doll or baby/crib size. Nothing large has been completed, though there are 3 of those in the works too! YIKES! Oh, and I just remembered a mini that's almost finished too, good grief! So when my new friends at Sew Lux Fabrics let me in on their little quilt along, of course, I jumped right in:) This one was a no brainer. I could whip it up in a jiffy and I could make use of some of my stash (the other sewing goal that I've revealed...there's one left that I refuse to admit because I'm just too scared to pursue it!). This little cutie is intended for my Belle. She's been a little jealous ever since Bee got a baby quilt for Christmas. Belle plays with her dolls every morning before the rest of the family gets up. She has the doll cradle that my grandfather made for me when I was little in her bedroom now. It already has a hand-knit blanket that her Aunt made her when she was born folded up in it as the mattress, but those poor dollies just look cold:) So it seemed right that she needed a new quilt for the cradle. We won't even mention how CRAZY she has been going since there have been so many dolls and doll quilts flying out the door for orders recently, while none were heading her way:)

This quilt has actually already been quilted and the binding is attached. It's just waiting for the binding to be completed. But, I don't have pictures of it since then, so just take my word for it...and I promise I'll show it to you when it is finished.

And just a note of thanks - My mom sent me the charm pack that I used for this quilt quite a while ago...so thanks, Mom! You've made Belle a very happy little girl yet again (and she thanks you doubly for her new movie!).

Treasure Seeker - Once Upon a Thread

I'm not sure how this happened! I left this book out of my earlier post of selections for Once Upon a Thread! I must have been completely insane...or maybe just sleep-deprived:)



We first introduced this book to Belle on a trip to the beach when I was pregnant with Bee (7 months pregnant + bathing suit = really scary vacation pictures!). She fell in love with it instantly!

The basic idea of the story is that the boy is bored because no one in his family will play with him at the beach. So when a band of pirates offer to take him on a treasure hunt, he decides to go along. At first, he is in love with the life of a pirate, but when he discovers that pirates don't read bedtime stories, it starts to lose its appeal.

The language, illustrations, and plot are lively and fun! It's a must-read for summer...or for any land-lubber with a pirate's spirit.

So, in honor of pirate adventures...a treasure bag with built-in treasure map:)

I used my friend, Courtney's, drawstring bag tutorial...and she isn't kidding when she says it's the easiest one ever! I really wish I had seen this before I made a gazillion treat bags for Bee's birthday. But, you can bet that I'll be smarter for Belle's birthday coming up in a few weeks!

And then a little DMC perle (I told you I was obsessed!) in black for the route and red for the X. I think you can probably see the stitches in the pic...it took about 5 minutes. I didn't even bother to draw out the design. I just started in one spot and worked my way around until I felt like it looked right.

Now if I could just convince Belle to have a pirate themed birthday party:)

Once Upon a Thread

Have you heard about Once Upon a Thread??? If not, look over there to the right and click on that button. You aren't going to want to miss this! Katy over at No Big Dill is hosting a MONTH of projects based on children's books. Clothes, toys, and who knows what else! I'm just a tiny bit excited!

A little background for those of you who don't know me personally...I used to be a teacher, an elementary teacher, an elementary LITERACY teacher. To say that we have a lot of children's books in our house would be like saying there are a few stars in the night sky. Maybe one day I'll share some pics of all the books you can find in all the various places in our house, but for now, let's just say that I didn't need to head to our local library to prep for this challenge.

The problem was narrowing the selection! I spent nap time today thumbing through the books in our playroom. After pulling a stack of possibilities as tall as Bee, I curled up in the rocking chair to read and brainstorm. And a couple of hours later, I think I've made my final choices.

It's a mix of award winners, old favorites, new classics, and some just for fun stories (and not a princess story in the whole mix!). I have projects planned for each of the books, but I make no promises that I will actually get around to all of them this month. But, I'll do my best and hopefully we'll have some fun along the way.

Now being a former literacy teacher and all, I can't pass up the opportunity to share some of that knowledge stored in the dark recesses of my brain. So along with the projects, I'll include a little about each of the books, as well as ideas for engaging your child in the stories, words, pictures, and letters found in each title. You may even find some "do with your child" projects for a few of the books.

I hope you have as much fun as I do!

What's your favorite children's book?