SEWmuchKNITting

I'm back from a extended hiatus from blogging.....seems everything I am working on is a Christmas gift for a family member, and I'm happy to say they all read my blog :-) But, my daughter saved the day by sending along a picture of the baby quilt I made for her boyfriend's (holding up the quilt for all to see!) new nephew and godson Conor.  I'll be posting some updated pics of Christmas knitting after the holiday, when gifts have been opened and hopefully enjoyed!

I know my Mom doesn't use a computer so there is no chance she will see this picture of the scarf  I am knitting for her birthday in December. This is the novelty yarn from KnittingFever called Sparkle , and it's right up her alley: purple with bling! I've told my knitting buddies to remind me next time I consider knitting with novelty yarn how much I HATE it! Give me natural fibers any day: wool, alpaca, even cotton! I find the novelty yarns tedious to work with, and I don't care for the fabric that they make, although this scarf is not at all scratchy or stiff, even with the sparkle fiber. But saying all that, my Mom will love this scarf , I'm sure, and I guess that's what it's all about.

Mother Nature got a little stirred up last night, and one of our two Cleveland Pear trees got a natural pruning: They are always so lovely this time of year, and are the last trees to lose their leaves. This one lost a little more than just a few leaves this year!

The holidays are fast approaching, along with all the yummy goodies that go along with them. Frankly, Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite dinner of the year: turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows and brown sugar-of course!), and pie, pie, pie! Follow that up with the Christmas sweets and ..... whew!  So, I've decided to head into the 'madness' with a clear head and a plan to enjoy all the delicious foods but to do so in moderation.  Starting with this: Juicing up some fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables: kale, carrot, cucumber, beet with the apple and pear thrown in for their natural sweetness. Sweet nectar....God's food!

A few weeks ago my quilting buddy Margaret asked me to join her in attending the Michigan Quilt Network's first quilt retreat getaway. It was held at a State Of Michigan Dept of Natural Resources facility on North Higgins Lake. The weather was cooperative, and we were treated to a picture-perfect Michigan autumn weekend!  Taking advantage of the lovely weather, I stepped away from my sewing machine for a bit on Saturday afternoon to talk a walk with my camera down by the lake. So peaceful. Since our sewing time was limited to just Saturday, I decided to participate in the mystery quilt project. I  used Christmas fabrics, in a fresh red, lime green and pink color palette.  I finished piecing the top this morning, but I think it needs one more border.  I'm not sure whether I will choose to quilt it for this Christmas or not. All in all, it was an enjoyable and productive weekend!

Pattern: Rusted Root by Zephyr Style Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, colorway: Seaspray Needles: US size 6

I'm wrapping up the last few pieces of summer sewing for this year, although the weather continues to flirt with 90 degrees F and heavy humidity. I've been curious about the 'slouchy' linen pants that I've been seeing everywhere this summer, so I thought I'd sew up a pair from some very soft linen (a blend, perhaps?) that I've had in my stash for awhile now. I have sewn the skirt from Simplicity 2224 before, and although I don't think it is the most flattering skirt I own, it is so comfortable! When I cut out the skirt , I went ahead and cut the pants too. I was worried that the pants might be as full as the skirt, but that wasn't true. The fullness is just enough to allow for a narrow elasticized waist, the fit is relaxed but smooth through the hip and falls from there with just the amount of  'slouchiness' that I was looking for :-) I feared looking like I was wearing my PJ  pants, but I was pleasantly surprised that I don't. It helps ...

My daughter picked out  Simplicity 2212 , for Mom to make a short, strapless dress for the Chicago summers. She had purchased fabric at Mood on our trip last year to NYC, which worked out perfectly! This is a butter-soft cotton, which was a joy to work with. This was the first time that I've worked with boning.....and I can't believe that, actually. I think of all those prom dresses I made that probably would have benefited from more structure :-)  But now I am a more knowledgeable sewist since I read so many sewing blogs!                                                                                                                                   ...

I knew there was a reason why I love Tom Hanks!:

Kids are home for a nice, long weekend and we are having a blast on our stay-cation! I'm trying out some new recipes :        Perfect weather to be pool-side, with a cool drink after some competitive family pool-volleyball:                                                     spending some time at the ballpark : (yes, the sky was really that color: gray to green to orange! We waited out the almost 3-hour rain delay to watch the Detroit Tigers lose to the San Francisco Giants, but we still had fun! Life is good!

This cute little summer clutch purse was made using Simplicity 2205 . Pattern directions call for using fusible interfacing, and also fusible fleece. I did use both, but I'm not thrilled with the fusible fleece. I usually use the fusible interfacing and then sew in canvas-weight fabric for added stability. There is one interior pocket, perfect for a cell phone or camera: A band wraps around the clutch, and uses a magnetic snap for closure: This bag meets my personal size requirements for a clutch, and it was an easy and quick project! I just might make one or two more :-)! (Linked to the Sew Darn Crafty Party at  http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2011/06/sew-darn-crafty-partyweek-19.html