Inspiring!

Life has been busy, but in a good way.  Getting things done.  Unfortunately, daily blogging not being one of those things.  Daily blogging is hard!  Its not easy to get on the computer with all the crazy stuff going on all the time.  My hat is off to all of you out there that can pull it together and say something meaningful every day!  Clearly, getting back to writing daily is going to be a huge challenge for me.  But I am not going to give up just yet!

Today was an incredible day for me!  Went with ERL and all the kiddos to see this:
 

He is my very favorite painter, ever.  As soon as my eyes set on an original work by him, I have to admit I cried a little.  Of course my favorite painting, Starry Night wasn't there, but a ton of amazing paintings and sketches were, including three of his self portraits.  Such an amazing experience, and I'm so glad I got to share it with my kids!

This painting simply took my breath away.  I don't think I will ever forget the way I felt when I stepped in front of it.

I would encourage anyone in the Denver area to spend a few bucks and check out the exhibit  It was really cool, they even have an audio tour for adults and kids.  Ah, check out the Denver Art Museum anyway, its awesome!  Lucky for me, there was a bit of a mix up with the tickets for the exhibit and we now have a family membership to the DAM!  Looks like me and Babygirl are going to be spending much more time getting artsy this winter!

Felt Time!

So it's Election Day.  I love my country and the fact that I have a right to vote.  I also love the state of Colorado with all my heart, the only unfortunate thing about that is that we are a "swing" state.  Which basically means we've been bombarded on local TV for many months with political ads.  Like non-stop.  Thank the stars for Netflix!

Ok no more complaining about commercials, I mean, I should be feeling blessed that I even have a TV.  Anyway, this evening there will be more holiday crafting in the works.  ERL scanned and re-sized some of the templates from this lovely book for me, and I can't wait to do some hand stitching!

Have a lovely day!

s

New to the Family

I love that people continue to bring new little bundles into the world, especially given the fact that I myself am so over having babies!  The latest addition to my family was born in September, and shamefully, I am just now finishing up his Welcome to the World gifts!

I used the corner to corner afghan technique (which I thankfully have memorized because the link to that pattern was another thing lost in my stinkin' laptop crash!) and some half skeins of Red Heart from Yarn Mountain.  It measures 32"x36", I really don't know anything about proper baby blanket sizing, but it seemed to be a nice size for wrapping baby in and more importantly, still big enough for a toddler to cuddle up in.  This is my favorite color combination and stripe pattern I've done so far.

A dear friend has a little one coming at the end of this month as well.  I think I'm going to use some of the browns I have left to make his blanket, and maybe add in a little blue or green to mix it up.

Hoping to have a less cloudy day tomorrow so I can get some better photos to share.  Also, trying to learn my camera more, and admitting that I really should make a light box and learn photoshop too.  Ah well, all in good time I suppose.  As much as I'd love to learn more about taking great photos, I really love spending the free time I do have actually making the stuff!

It Begins!

I have  started my christmas crocheting!  

It seems so early, and yet I know that I always end up crocheting things at the last minute at holiday time, so here's hoping starting way early will help minimize the panic!

Today was spend my favorite way-- on the couch in comfy pants, hook in hand, watching football!  What's your favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

S

8 Years!

Celebrating 8 years with my ERL this week :)  Had a lovely dinner at a small place where he and I frequently lunched when we were first dating.  Just the two of us, it is so rare to have a dinner out where I get to have a complete conversation and not even have to shush a short person or wipe a nose.  Bliss!

Anyway, as I said yesterday, he's my favorite guy I've ever met.  We're like peas and carrots.
I made this for him a few Valentine's Days ago because it perfectly expresses how I feel about us.
Forever.

On another note, omigolly I had no idea how difficult it would be to blog daily!  

ERL Is My Favorite

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I will say once again, my ERL is the best guy ever.   He buys me books ALL the time, from my Amazon wishlist.  This weeks surprise book in the mail, Crochet Boutique!  Woohoo!  Just in time for some holiday hookin!

Loving this book, tons of great chunky cowls and cute hats!  Its been a hectic week, so I haven't had much time to dig in, but so far I've made this from the book:

Isn't it cute?!  Babygirl has requested a pink and a purple one, which should be the perfect motivation to get crackin on some of the cute things from this book!

Happy Friday!

NaBloPoMo

I've been away, but here I am again!  Yesterday I came across something about National Blog Post Month on BlogHer, and thought I'd give it a shot and am up for the challenge of posting something every day in November.  I originally started this blog as an outlet to share crafty stuff, but also, to return to an old abandoned love, WRITING.  Clearly I have not kept up on it and I'm hoping this will help encourage me to speak up and remember that I don't always have to share a completed project, or preach on social commentary, I just have to write, even if no one is reading!

If you are reading, THANK YOU!  I love you and I love comments.  Also, I sincerely hope I don't bore you to tears or annoy the heck out of you with my daily postings :)  I swear I'll try to keep it interesting!

For today, a photo of the cutest city critter around...I don't know about you, but I have a serious love/hate relationship with these little buggers!

See ya tomorrow!

A Farewell To Summer (sort of)

Ahh, finally, back to school!  I always feel slightly mean when I excitedly count down the days until the kids are back in school, but its true.  This year they started a little later than normal, an effort by the district to keep the kids out of very old buildings with no air conditioning, due to the fact that Colorado is quickly becoming a desert. (sort of)  First day of school was Monday, and the high for the day was a whopping 98 degrees...so much for that idea.

We had a great summer!  Had lots of fun here in the city, and still had time to participate in a few Craftster swaps!  I've got a back log of photos of things I made over the summer that I haven't had time to share with y'all, so the next couple of posts will get you caught up on my latest adventures in makin' stuff.

This trio was made for the Sew Something Summery Swap--so much fun to dive in to a sewing themed swap when I still consider myself very much a beginner.  A very simple (and reversible) tote bag, wristlet, and lined zipper purse.

I found some PVC shower curtain in the remnant bin at JoAnn and lined the inside with it.  I didn't write down the measurement of the bag (duh) but it is big enough and designed for a wet swimming suit to be thrown into.  This came out better than expected, and while I didn't have time/will/energy to make more, it is definitely on my list of items to make for the kids for next summer.

 Of course I had to throw in some fancy embroidery to try to make up for the sewing  being so simple.

The center of the flower is all french knots!  Honestly, I was very happy to have a project that would give me the opportunity to make a bazillion of them, is that twisted or what?  Also, any chance to practice satin stitching is a good one, so I used tons of that too!

Ah, I think I'll enjoy the quiet of only have one kid at home for the rest of the afternoon, in the A/C, of course.  Because, back to school may say fall, but around here, mother nature says it going to be 95 degrees today.  Yay summer!

Crochet! Remember that?

I've been super lazy about the blog lately!  Also, had a few minor catastrophic events in my life...#1-had another birthday.  Every year I dislike the number attached even more!  #2-my laptop died!  Ok, this was the real catastrophic event.  I didn't lose anything precious or irreplaceable like family photos or anything, as they are backed up elsewhere, but oh my! the craft info I lost was huge!  So many bookmarks, saved freebie patterns, folders full of pics of finished projects just waiting to be posted to the old bloggy blog....it is an information gathering and organizational nightmare that I haven't had the energy to tackle just yet!

However, I have (as usual) been working on a bazillion projects at once!

I completed my first "granny square" afghan.  Actually, its a lapghan.  It took forever!  Truly, I don't know how people have the will to complete full sized afghans made from tiny squares.  I must have spent four hours just weaving in the ends on the squares, not to mention putting them all together, and there are only thirty six of them!  (I used the single crochet method, the jury is still out on whether or not I'll use that method again).

The squares are called "circle in a square" and work up very quickly once you get the hang of it.  I would sit watching TV and make four or so in a sitting (note to future self--weave in those ends every couple of squares!!!)   Once the squares were sewn together, the blanket still seemed to small so I did a few rounds of double crochet around the edge the make it larger.

I didn't take a final measurement but it fit nicely across my lap.  All in all, this project was a major pain in the butt, but in the end, I think it came out fun and bright because of the color combination, and was absolutely a learning experience!

I've actually been finishing projects lately, so more stuff to come!  Happy Weekend!

Adventures in Sewing Part 6--Look! Up in the Sky!

Its...Superdude!

This is my absolute favorite sewing project to date!  So much fun to make and all of my own design :)  This was all pulled together for my sweet little buddy in Canada's 3rd birthday.

My original plan was to do the emblem with the fancy freezer paper applique method using regular cotton fabric.  I quickly realized that it was too much thinking/cutting so I switched to felt.  Much easier!  Was not, however, much easier to actually sew down.  I discovered that felt is very hard to keep still while machine sewing, so there was a little bit of puckering at the end of the circle.

When figuring this all out in my head, I remembered when NinjaBoy was little, and that things to tie around your neck aren't always the best things for play!  I was inspired by the old Superman pajamas that had velcro right on the shoulders to attach the cape, and went with it by attaching a strip of Velcro to the back of each shirt and to the inside of the cape.

The cape!  Crazy for this fabric I found at JoAnn!  I cut two pieces using NinjaBoy's old cape that lanikins made him way back when as a template.  My thinking was that it would be too flimsy if it was only one piece of fabric, plus, who wants to see the wrong side of printed fabric?

Yet another project that taught me that single fold bias tape is the devil.  Luckily, I had this lovely satin-y ribbon in the stash that matched almost perfectly!  It was tricky holding it on there for the sewing, discovered quickly that pins left nasty holes in the ribbon so here's a pic of what I used to hold it all together:

Woohoo!  I love clothespins!  Seriously, they are handy in so many ways!

Here's a group shot of the whole costume together!

So whattya think?

Saying Yes

Today, a brief detour from my sewing machine fabric frenzy to remember how lucky I am to be able to spend most days teaching myself the womanly arts and chasing the kids.  This morning during my normal morning coffee and computer time, I came across this great article for stay-at-home moms, about having more fun and truly enjoying being home.  Gave me so much to think about!

Shorty is off doing teenager things and the little ones were asking every ten minutes, "What are we doing today?  Are we doing anything today?  Are we going somewhere?".  Inspired by number one in the article, I said "Yes.  Yes we are going to Target, because we need Tide."  I have to admit, I wasn't sold on the idea of being happier by saying yes.  Going to target with the kids is usually a battle of wills about whether or not treats and toys will be purchased for them, so I pretty much always go in prepped for maximum irritation.

For whatever reason, the stars aligned properly or something, my kids accepted my spending limits and didn't make me repeat myself.  Amazing!

Sometimes they surprise me, and because they do, I decided to surprise them by stopping by a playground instead of going straight home.

Saying yes isn't always a painful experience, and giving it a shot today reminded me why being a stay at home mom is awesome.  Look at me, it's 3:30 p.m. and I'm on a park bench under a huge tree listening to the beautiful music of giggling children, can't get better than that!

Adventures In Sewing Part 5--Popover Sundress

Would you believe I'm feeling so confident making the toddler a-line dress that I actually started feeling bored with it?  I decided to check around the web to see if there were any easy peasy freebies around, just to try something new.  I found an adorable dress from Oliver + S, the Popover Sundress, a completely free downloadable pattern and instructions.  Score!

The great thing about the Kwik Sew pattern is that it takes up almost exactly one yard of fabric with very little scrap.  Downside to the Oliver + S pattern is that it takes up a little more fabric because it is much longer than the a-line dress.   Okay, its not really a downside because it gave me and babygirl a great excuse to go fabric shopping!  This was an adorable adventure, it was so fun to see her picking out fabrics, hefting all those bolts into the cart was so cute!  She made some great choices but boy did I learn my lesson about taking her to the fabric store, girl has less self control than me! ;)

On to the dresses...this was my first time making bias straps, which turned out to be not as bad as I thought it would be.  Ended up having some trouble with the ends of the straps, but thanks to my dear Ruby Murray's brilliant solution of knotting the ends to stop fraying, the day was saved and I finished it up rather quickly.

This fabric was an absolute STEAL!!!  Had only planned to buy two yards to make the Popover Sundress, but when we got to the cutting table the employee told me that it was only 58 cents a yard!  Woohoo I bought all they had left, a little over four yards.  It reminds me of Little House on the Prairie for some reason, and ERL called it "the carrot fabric", but babygirl loves the dress so much!  What to do with the other two and a half yards?

A few days after making the carrot dress, ERL came home early and took all three monsters to the library so I could have a little peace and quiet (he's so cool!).  Decided it was a great chance to get some uninterrupted sewing time and make another sundress.  This fabric babygirl calls the dandelion fabric, and after a closer look i realized the little circles do kinda look like her favorite phase of dandelion :)

She's attempting some sort of fashion diva pose here, the silly girl.  Took a bunch of photos and this was the best one, heehee.  This was done in just over two hours and was completed with ZERO seam ripping involved woooooohooo!

We've got a laundry basket full of fabric for babygirls' future dresses, and I compulsively bought four yards of this at IKEA the other night...

I'm thinking its about time for momma to get a sundress...anybody know a good commercial sundress pattern for women?

Adventures In Sewing Part 4--Not A Drawstring Bag

A while back, I found this adorable fabric in a remnant bin, somewhere...maybe Hobby Lobby?  It's like that with remnants, I never remember where they came from and I never have a real plan for what I'm going to do with them.  I was excited to find some "boy" fabric though, as I've realized my stash is quite floral!

I have a little buddy in Canada with a birthday coming up, so I thought a little bag would be a great way to practice some sewing skills while making a cute gift/book/toy bag.  Found the Book Buddies tutorial over at Sew, Mama, Sew! and set to it.  This was my first attempt at making a bag with a lining, which would have been pretty funny to watch, I'm sure, except for those easily offended as there was a high level of swearing involved.  And seam ripping.  And more swearing.

Long story short, I managed to get the stinkin lining in but somehow sewed it wonky, not allowing for the casing I was supposed to make for the drawstring.  Oooops.  I threw it.  I picked it up, took it to my bedroom and threw it on the floor in the closet.  It sat there a good two weeks.

I finished up my other birthday gifts for my little friend, and decided to pick up the wadded up "bag" and give it a look.  I decided that all of that ripping and swearing would be wasted if I didn't do anything to the bag, so I made some little straps for it.

The straps match the lining, which I forgot to take a picture of, but was another random remnant from somewhere.

Hooray for forced ingenuity!  Lanikins always says sometimes the best things come from "winging it" and in this case, I don't think it came out too bad!

Adventures in Sewing Part 3--At Least Two More Dresses

Per babygirls request, I have been slaving away at the sewing machine!  I'm really starting to get the hang of this particular pattern, which is handy since she doesn't want to wear any of her other dresses anymore!

I still think zippers are a major pain, and they both were semi-botched in one way or another, but I'm ok with it!  I keep reminding myself that these are dresses for a four year old to jump around in, no need to be perfect!

This one was made in record time, just over 2 1/2 hours.  Not bad!  Also, I only used the seam ripper once!  Woohoo!

New Adventures coming soon!  I have several projects in the works, one of which I'm drafting my own "pattern" for!

Adventures In Sewing Part 2--Gardening Apron For Mom

Time to share another successful sewing project!  This one comes from the awesome book One Yard Wonders and was made for my lovely Mommy.  Mom is an avid gardener and I always get her something related to playing in the dirt for Mother's Day, so this seemed a perfect gift and a perfect challenge for my beginning sewing skills!

A whole lot of "firsts" with this project....first pockets, first loop-y things and first time using bias tape!  I confess I almost chickened out on the "loopy things" but then talked myself down with the realization that it isn't really a gardening apron if you you don't have a place to hang your tools!

Action shot of me trying it on, you can see the loopy things better in this photo.

This project was a blast, and for those of us keeping score--I only used the seam ripper twice!

Adventures in Sewing Part 1--Toddler A-line Dress

Upon bringing home my new sewing machine, Babygirl immediately insisted that I make her a dress.  Definitely an intimidating request for a beginner that is just now getting over the fear of sewing through my finger!  I set out to find the most simple dress pattern I could find, and after looking through tons I was too chicken to attempt (ruffles, darts, gathering, etc) found Kwik Sew Pattern 3862.  Can't get more simple than an A-line dress!

I'm proud to announce that I only used the seam ripper 3 times for this project!  But I will also publicly confess that the inside is an absolute mess and I am afraid to see what happens to it once its gone through the wash!

This was my first attempt at putting a zipper in anything, come to find out it really wasn't as difficult as I had invisioned.  (action shot of the back--ah the fun of photographing a moving target!)

During the process I kept reminding myself that it doesn't have to be perfect, this is a learning process and hey, its a play dress for a four year old!  Turns out she loves it and it took me a full 24 hours to peel it off of her!  She's now requesting "at least two" more dresses just like it!

Sewing up a storm these last few days so more projects to follow soon!

On Learning to Sew...

Pretty much sums up my experience thus far in learning to machine sew!

After successfully completing a few envelope back cushion covers, I decided to venture out and try something a little more difficult for dear friend and (biggest cheerleader) as her birthday was coming up.  I came across this lovely, seemingly easy to follow for a beginner, tea wallet tutorial and set to work.  Amazingly, it came out right on the first try!

The stitches aren't even all that crooked! ;)  Must have a few more photos because I'm so proud of it!

This was the first time I sewed something without lanikins looking over my shoulder for support.

Not bad for a newbie eh?  Feeling very confident, I set to make another using some lovely fat quarters I bought a while back.  Breezing along, thinking how wonderful I am I can do this no problem.....

This is how it ended up.

Sigh.  Swear.  Throw things.

Fortunately for me, I have two amazing seamstresses as mentors, the lovely Ruby Murray and dear sister lanikins.  Both have been awesomely encouraging, reminding me that EVERYBODY has to use a seam ripper now and then.  I'm not going to give up!

Working on a "simple" (sarcastically worded, since everything seems complicated to me right now!) a-line dress for Babygirl, hope to share successful results with you soon!

Have you seen this beautiful machine??

Drool worthy, isn't it?  Pricey too!  Here's the details, if you're interested.  This gorgeous beast does tons of awesome things and will very soon be delivered to dear sister lanikins' house.  Jealous!  However, it means that I will be getting her old machine!

The last few Crafty Friday's have been spent practicing on the machine, with lanikins patiently answering my stupid questions and telling me to stop being a chicken.  One of the projects was this neck pillow for NinjaBoy out of a fabric remnant I picked up super cheap that has been sitting in a drawer for the last six months or so.  (compulsive buying much?).  I have enough fabric left over to make a removable cushion cover for a pillow form that was also purchased on impulse because of its drastically reduced price.  See?  Hoarded things get used eventually!

Last night, Mom and I had a little outing to the Not-So-Stinky-Thrift and I found these lovely and completely necessary books.  I've only spent a few minutes browsing through the Singer book, but I can tell already it will be a valuable reference book to have on hand.  The other book is just so much fun, and it is the oldest craft book I've ever found at a thrift store, published in 1966.  I will definitely be giving some of these old projects a try, especially since it is full of groovy sewing and embroidery patterns, as well as lovely recycling projects to do with the kids.

Also found at the thrift, a lovely assortment of vintage thread for a mere $3.49!  Pretty nice selection of colors for a grab bag too.  These will definitely be used in the very near future as I gain confidence and read up on sewing.

And once they're used up, most of them are on wooden spools that I can't wait to re-purpose!

Anybody else have an inspiring crafty find this week?

Lady Crafts

I finally succumbed to peer pressure and read The Hunger Games.  I remember two years ago when Shorty was raving about it, and as she told me about it, I kept thinking how it may not be appropriate subject matter for a sixth grader--sounded so violent!  I also have a tendency to avoid teen fiction (don't get me started about Twilight!) because, while I still don't quite feel like a grown up, I am a realist and have a hard time relating to 16 year old girls.

Anyway, while it is quite the gory read, I am so glad I finally sat down and gave it a chance.  Katniss is not your typical teen age girl and after I spent two nights with my nose buried in a book for the first time in ages, I had a lot to think about.  Like fear and control and oppression and strength and survival and love in the most horrible of places.  For some reason it kept bringing me back to thinking about a conversation I had with ERL after watching a Twilight Zone (or was it Outer Limits?).  Either way, it was about a post-apocalyptic future and he turned to me and said, "You know, you ladies with your needles and hooks are really going to save us all."

He's so right!  I've read a few things about the feminist movement and that many woman dropped crafts, not only to go into the workforce, but because they felt knitting, crocheting, embroidery and things of that nature were anti-feminist.  Things have shifted back the other way and woman are learning to do those things once again, learning the skills from their mothers, friends, books and the wonderful world wide web.  I for one intend to pass down what I've learned (and am still learning) to my daughters so that they too can learn that there is nothing more feminist then women sharing valuable skills with one another and the world.  I know that I can mend torn clothing and crochet a basket out of anything rope-like, and for that, I feel empowered.

Maybe these skills aren't the most important on the survival skills ladder, but since I know I will likely struggle to kill something for food, the least I can do is make a pretty pillow.

Oh yeah, I made a pretty pillow!

Yet another gorgeous design from Doodle Stitching :)

Get out there and make something pretty (or useful) ladies!  I think I might just find a stick and a blade and whittle myself a crochet hook...

X Stitchin

Productive week here at home!  Not only have I been spring cleaning/organizing, but I have also checked an item off of my WIP list (huge granny square blanket for the couch, started, oh I dunno, a year ago???) and completed a swap over on Craftster!

This was for the Hoopla swap (check out the gallery!).  The theme was Negative Space or Silhouette, which was a great opportunity to make one of the patterns from A Rainbow of Stitches that I've just been itching to do.   It pales in comparison to some of the amazingly creative hoops made for this swap, but I'm very happy with it and it was really fun to try!

I have a nice running list of more projects from that book, which has both embroidery and cross stitch designs in it, so I'm all set to stitch up a storm.

I've also discovered that I LOVE cross stitch magazines from the UK.  A little steep in price for a magazine at $9.99 a piece, but when I looked into getting a subscription it was going to be around 150 USD yikes!  I'll stitck to buying them when I can find them at Jo-Ann!  They are packed full of charts though, so worth the price if you plan on doing a lot of stitching!

This little one was from Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, Issue 155, which was packed full of really cute small, Asian themed charts.  I'm definitely making more of these, there are 5 different Geisha and tons of cherry blossoms and koi fish designs.

Two more needlework swaps in the work so I'll get to stitchin!  Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!

Totally Radical!

Can I just start by saying is it spring yet???  A nasty cold has descended on the House of Spidermom, taking down four out of five of us staggered over the last two weeks, ick!

Being mostly homebound does have its benefits though, lots of stitching, hooking and general organization happening around here.  If you'll notice, I've decided to publicly shame myself but publishing my ridiculous list of Works In Progress.  I'm really hoping this helps motivate me to finish these items, so that I can work towards de-stashing the over grown beast that is Yarn Mountain.

So part of this process is embracing things that I kind of hate, in this case it is neon colors, which remind me of another thing I hate, the 1980's.  You know, when my bangs were all poofy and my favorite color was "seafoam green".  Gross, like, gag me with a spoon, for sure!   I can't bring myself to give any further examples of that horrible, tacky decade, but I'm sure you get the same pictures in your head when the 80's are mentioned.  Sickening, no?

Anyway, I came across some horrible bright Red Heart Super Saver in my stash, pulled out two colors and said (aloud to myself, of course), why the bleep did I buy this awful color???  I felt an urgent need to get them out of my house, and so the Totally Radical Granny was born.

I took a ton of pictures but none of them could really capture the frightening brightness of the colors!  Gave this one to one of Shorty's friends, because of course the kids all think the neon and the 80's were cool because they don't remember it, seeing as they weren't even born yet.

Blah, I can hardly bear to look at the photos, the colors hurt my eyes!  Unfortunately, the blanket didn't entirely eat up all of the yarn due to how I did the pattern so I've still got a few balls waiting to be used up in some other way.  They'll be shoved in a drawer for who knows how long until I can stand to look at them again.

So here we have it, one item off the WIP list woohoo!

Hope everyone is well and maybe even getting a sneak preview of spring where ever you may be!

Welcome to the World Little One!

Today I'm sending out well wishes and congratulations to my bestie Ruby Murray on the birth of her gorgeous baby girl!  While I'm sitting thousands of miles away just wishing I could squish that little bundle of beauty, thought I'd share some things I've made for and picture her wearing them :)

There is something so satisfying about crocheting baby clothes.  They work up quick, don't require a whole lot of yarn and their tiny nature makes them instantly adorable.  This is the Angel Wings Pinafore from Bev's Country Cottage.  I cannot say enough good things about this website!  Tons of free patterns for all things crochet and despite my out of control collection of crochet books and magazines, it is always the first place I go for baby items.

This pattern was so quick and easy to follow, and only used about a half a skein of yarn.  I made a second one with the other half for another girlfriend who is expecting any day now!  I decided not to seam it up like a dress and put a button on it so that it can be worn open and used for layering.

And of course I couldn't go with making her something with just one type of craft I'm currently obsessed with...I had to do a little stitchin' for her as well!  Found this lovely little cardigan for a great price and couldn't wait to fancy it up!

This was my first time using interfacing to stitch on stretchy fabric, and honestly I don't know why I waited so long!  The image came from the awesome book Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray which I'm sure I've mentioned before because I love that book so much!  How about a close up?

Makes me feel happy just looking at it!

Congrats again to Ruby Murray and sorry for the spoiler as the cardi hasn't been shipped yet!