A pink dress

A dress for "the other Emilee". Made from Heather Ross Lightening Bug Wild Flowers fabric. Pattern is the smocked dress from the Heather Ross book Weekend Sewing. My Emily chose the fabric.

I didn't do a very good job on the lines. They are a little wonky and because I used a thread that was not a great match, you can see the lines getting wobbly.

My Emily wore the dress 1st then I took pictures of the other Emilee wearing it. This dress is so easy and fast. I started it while diner was cooking and finished after we ate. An hour or two at the most I think is all it took. It's very satisfying because it can be finished so fast.

Ava...

The *special* glasses.

Emily's new (used off eBay) bathing suit. Isn't it adorable??? It's a smocked top!! And it's all bathing suit material. I was thinking this would be somewhat easy to make. This one is from Ralph Lauren.

baby scrappy x quilt

I had left over from the queen size so I made a baby one. It's backed in a white with blue polka dots.

I love this backing fabric.

I quilted it on the long arm last weekend.

And now it's washed and all puckery:O

I discovered a fabric softener I can't live without. It's called Suavitel. It's so yummy. I ran out of my Restoration Hardware fabric softener in the scent Shore. Does anyone know if they still sell fabric softener? This stuff was heaven.

Today we went downtown for Frappachinos and bagel thingies.

You all in America have it so good with your Starbucks literally on every corner. We have 4 (?) downtown (all of these are very close together) but none anywhere else! You have to go to another major city I think. When we travel, I often print out where the Starbucks are. Lately I've been thinking a lot about the U.S. and what I miss. We are trying to visit in August. Cross you fingers! It's been 4.5 years since I've been in the States. Jon has been home Twice. Only my parents have met Ava and she was only about 2 weeks old at the time.

I just remembered I have to get my license renewed...

So we're walking in this area where people are laying out and one guy has no shirt on. Jon asks me if I wanted him to take his shirt off (he was joking). I made a face and he asked if that would embarrass me. Before I could answer, Emily says, "no one wants to see your boobies daddy". I'm not kidding, she really said that. I asked Jon if she made that up herself and he said yeah and the other day she told him she could see his boobies through the shirt he was wearing. She says the funniest things. I can't even tell you some of the things she comes up with. They are not fit for some peoples ears:)

There's Ava trying to disrobe..

A historical monument in beautiful Stuttgart.

I'm almost done reading the 2nd book in the Sword of Truth series and am seriously addicted. I LOVE these books. I can't stop thinking about them during the day (I mostly read right before I go to bed). I'm listening to the 1st one on audio book:) We just watched the 1st and 2nd episode of True Blood 3rd season. If you don't already know who is playing Alcide and want to know, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0542133/look here. I know I've was wondering who it would be...

Who you calling a peasant?

I finished it! Except for the hem but otherwise it's done!!!

Pattern is from Simplicity 2931 but sleeves are Butterick 5217.
Same as the other's.

The embroidery is mainly Sublime Stitching Dutch-Russian Dolls and the Dala horse is from a Japanese embroidery book. The circles are from this Wee Wonderful stichette pattern.

The fabric is a cotton batiste. Since it's pretty sheer, I lined the front and back. not just the facings but the whole thing.

Scrappy X mendocino Quilt

6 pictures of the same quilt.

It's my Scrappy X Mendocino Quilt! It's done! Except for the binding. Does anyone have an opinion? I'm actually thinking of doing white.

The quilt was inspired by Katelyn's beautiful X quilts.

Almost all the fabrics I used are Mendocino by Heather Ross. The only ones that aren't are the polka dots and the blue grid fabric.

It's a queen size even though you can't tell here.

Katelyn had to walk me through getting started on the long arm. It had been too long and my notes were awful. Thanks Katelyn:)

The back is all the little fish print. See below? You can see my mistake. I guess I didn't' have my backing taught enough. oops:)

What I've been working on for the past week (below). I took this photo the other day and now all the blue has been filled in with embroidery. Now i have to do the back. Can you guess what it is? The white is a cotton batiste.

Which One?

I think I like this top one the best.

I didn't even bother messing around with the other photos I took because none of the poses were as good as this one. She was either trying not to smile or slumping or looking surprised, etc. I think trying the Girl with the Pearl Earring is an excellent idea Kelly! Lisa suggested the Mona Lisa..any other ideas? It was fun except that I almost killed Emily. Not by accident. But because she was making this the most difficult she could. I aged 10 years yesterday:)

Ode to Frida

*click on image to make it larger*

Frida Kahlo when she was a little girl...

About a year or so ago, I found some pictures from a Frida Kahlo tribute photo shoot. I saved the photos and said I'd one day do the same thing with Emily. Well I finally made myself do it!

I found some photos here and here in case you don't know who she is or don't remember what she looked like.

I used some eyebrow shadow to make a uni brow and stretched some teal cotton around foam core for the background. I'm super excited with how they came out!! When I edit some of the other's I'll post them but I didn't have her vary much in her pose so they kind of all look the same. I'm thinking of having it printed on canvas and then famed with a big gold tacky frame.

Alice Bucket

The rain took a break the other day so i was able to spray paint this bucket. Spray painting metal is soooo much better than acrylic and a brush! It still wanted to flake off but after the Outside Mod Podge and then a final spray with clear varnish, it's not so bad. The Outside Mod Podge left it very tacky so that's why I sprayed it with the clear stuff.

I only had one sticker to put in the inside this time.

These last two photos Emily took. I thought the bucket picture might show the color better. The spray paint is called Piggy Pink.

I bought a frame at Ikea and had the frame shop cut a mat for this picture to fit. The picture is 11x14.

"my hump, my lovely little stumps.."

*this post title is for Jenny B*

Little tree stump from this pattern.

I've already got the mushroom and owl cut to go with it!

Unfortunately, i only had enough wool felt for one.

The other two are acrylic and I HATE acrylic felt.

I'm sure you can tell which one is wool, right?

I love this pattern. It goes together so quickly.

I made 3 more hedgies but like the stumps, I only had so much wool felt. the two pictured above are: one half wool/half acrylic, one acrylic. And I accidentally started the hedgie spikes too far up his face on the acrylic one.

I have some wool felt on order so more hedgies and tree stumps will be born:)

I Heart Hedgie

My new little Hedgie made from this pattern. I love him! He was printed out at 130% so I could make him bigger. He's nice and big at about 5 inches tall in the butt area and about 6 inches long from nose to butt.

*I had to add fake sunflare to one of the photos just because:)*
He's made from acrylic (only because I didn't have his base body color in wool felt) and wool felt (the dark brown).
His butt.

His belly has a heart on it.

And out of the grass so you can really see what he looks like.

Up next (it's already done, I just have to take pictures of it) is another woodlands staple...the tree Stump! It's a pin cushion. And the pattern is by the same person. More on that in the next post.

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I have been meaning to say thank you if you voted for my brothers picture a while back. I never checked to see who did but he won!

Kindle Case

Dear Aunt Karen, I am so sorry this took so long to make!! In my defense I did have to draft my own pattern:) And we all know how much I hate doing that. Really I just modified the diaper/wipe holders I make. But still..I did include a zippered pocket in the back and I'm crossing my fingers that your Kindle fits. I hope you like it:)

I think it came out pretty cute though! The mushroom fabric is brown and by Michael Miller.

I added a zippered pocket on the back for ear phones a travel light or whatever. I don't carry mine around so I have no idea what you'd need but you can never have to many pockets, right?

I hate the Velcro (it's sooooo ghetto) but the other alternatives didn't seem good.
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Below is my sister Julia with the Weekender bag I made her for her birthday back in February. I'm so happy to see her using it! I guess it could be a staged photo...hmm

And below are more pictures from last week.

This picture below has an action run on it that simulates sun flare!! How cool is that???? Notice my new header?

*florabella actions

Of course she had to have some clothes removed during the picture taking.

So ethereal... he looks like an angel.