Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Crafting

With the beginning of Spring currently bringing only snow, I have had to put all of my warm weather excitement on hold.  I have been passing the time crafting; with the kids mostly, but also on my own when I can manage it.  




We love to get craft books from the library, and last week we got an especially good one.  Lincoln and Audrey have been pouring over it, so much so that I have only caught glimpses of the crafts while Audrey "reads" it to me.  The first inspired project was the flower garden in the 2nd picture above; I drew the flowers, Lincoln cut, and Audrey glued.  We cut down the snow storm in the play room, then hung the garden to welcome Spring.  

The next day we switched to paint.  We intended to draw butterflies, but decided that it would be better just to paint and cut out butterflies from the painted paper later.  That suited my little artists just fine, and now we have yards of beautiful, pastel colored paper to cut and paste.

When the kids are sleeping or otherwise occupied I have managed to slip in a little crafting of my own.  I decided a few months ago that I wanted to make a quilt.  I really had no idea what that meant other than some sewing and pretty fabric, so I consulted Wes's Granny, a quilt-making expert.  She gave me a few priceless tips and even gifted me with a quilt frame, which doubles as a jungle gym when not in use.  (Granny and her daughter, Wes's Aunt Alice, are my crafting Fairy Godmothers.  They have gifted me with enough fabric, yarn, needles, and the like to keep me busy for years.  I couldn't be more grateful to them!)



Right around the time I decided to make a quilt, my sister-in-law mentioned that she could not find a comforter for my niece in her favorite colors - yellow and orange.  That was the spark.  The next thing I knew I was picking out fabrics and Presley's quilt was in the works.  It is nothing too fancy, just squares (and uneven ones at that), but I have had fun and learned so much while working on it.  It will not be my last quilt.  

 
I have also been knitting.  I love to knit.  Above is the second take on a seed stitch tie for Lincoln.  It is a quick knit, but I am still a novice knitter and not terribly fast.  I plan to have it finished in time for him to wear it on Easter.  After that comes off the needles I am going to start the sweater I promised Lincoln months ago, and then a sweater for me.  Not to mention all the sewing I have planned.  Yes, I have plenty to do while I wait out the weather. 

5 comments:

  1. My comment doesn't pertain much to the topic at hand, but I must say, I love the tri-colored couch/chair setup! ; )

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    1. Ha! That has inadvertently become our furniture style - if it matches we don't want it :) I guess that could apply to pretty much everything we own...

      I could say the same thing about Abbey! How can it be that she is 1?! We miss you guys lots, too!!

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  2. Also, I can't believe how big Audrey is getting. Or maybe I can??? Sure do miss you guys.

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  3. You must post a pic of the finished quilt! Are you sewing the top stitch on in the picture that attaches the front & back together?

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    1. I will, at least in instagram if not on the blog. I actually took kind of a cheater way out of the quilting part and tied it (it is actually a valid method, just faster and potentially not as sturdy as the standard sewn quilt top). I used embroidery floss and tied a knot through all the layers every 3-4". It looks nice enough and will make the quilt puffy. I am sewing the edges in the pic above and on the instagram pic. I read "The Idiots Guide to Quilting" and got a few tips from Granny, but am otherwise really winging it. I don't know if what I am doing for the edging is a good idea or not, but I think it will look nice enough. Hopefully it won't all fall apart the first time it is washed... :)

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