Puppies Putting Their Bed to Good Use

Love those pups.

Dog (and cat) Bed

Here's the dog bed I whipped up last night:



I love the fabric - I saw it at Ikea awhile ago, and once I figured out a use for it, I was super excited. I also hadn't made any buttonholes with my new sewing machine, so I figured this was a good opportunity to try that out. I used 4 buttons to secure the cover on the back of one of the ends.
Rufus & Sophie love it (while I was sitting on the couch, I was holding it in my lap finishing up a seam & Rufus actually jumped up on the couch & then proceeded to try to get on top of the pillow to lay down.) They're not the only fans though...when I woke up this morning, both Woody & Charlie were snuggled up in the middle of it.

Quilt = Complete

Finally! I'm done w/ the quilt. Done, done, done. Lots o' love (and just as much frustration) went into it. I'm glad Nate convinced me to keep making it, but I'm also glad I decided to just make it a lap quilt instead of a quilt for our bed. Maybe another time. I think I'm done with quilts for awhile. But, I am happy with the way this one turned out:



I couldn't get a very good pic of the back of it, but it's a dark green heathery flannel with orange lines through it:


Next project - dog bed.

The Saturday I Didn't Get Out of My Pajamas

Yes, it's true. On Saturday, I woke-up, cleaned house, picked my quilt up and didn't put it down until I went to bed at 1 am on Sunday. My posture was horrible for the majority of the time I was doing this, so, needless to say, I could barely stand up on Sunday. I made it to yoga last night though, so I'm feeling quite a bit better.

When I was at the fabric store last, I decided not to buy a leather thimble (which was recommended in a book I have) and so I spent the entire time I was quilting, regretting that decision. I made due by wrapping some blue painter's tape around my finger (since that was all that I had near me that would work) and it helped a bit, but my poor fingers are still sore today. Lesson learned.

I quilted all of the squares and just need to do some quilting in between them. Hopefully, I will be done by next week. Here are some pics (Nate wanted some "X" stitches...I don't think they're your normal quilting stitches, but I think they're cute):

Sewing Class

Last night was my first (of two) sewing classes. So fun! It's been such a long time since I've sewn anything (aside from the squares for my quilt & hems in my pants) that I was very nervous to make that first cut in the fabric! But, I did it...and it looks like everything's going to turn out okay.
In addition to cutting my fabric, I also sewed in 1/2 of my invisible zipper. I have to get the side seams basted & my skirt lining put together this weekend & then we assemble everything in class next week.

They are offering a t-shirt making class, and I think I'm going to take that next. Sounds like fun to me. I tend to be particular about the fit of my t-shirts, so I think it would be great to make my own. Now that I think about it, Nate's even more particular about them than I am...I can't tell you how many t-shirts he buys, wears once, and decides that they don't fit right & he never wears them again...drives me crazy!

Square Completion

Squares for my quilt are pretty much done, I just need to trim all of the edges to make them 'square.' Now, I'm just waiting for the fabric sale to buy the rest of the fabric to finish it up. Here's what the second set looks like:

Sweater #2 = Complete!

Completion!

Once again, I probably would have finished it sooner if I:
1) would have paid attention to what I was doing
2) would read the entire pattern & be better about making notes of what I need to do
3) could let little mistakes go

After awhile, hearing myself utter "oh no!" made me smile. It's okay though - I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I think I like knitting stripes, it makes it easier to keep track of the rows & makes it easier to match up the seams. The first sweater I made was knit from the top down & there wasn't any seam sewing. This one was knit in pieces & all sewn together. I think it turned out really nice.

Next project...a skirt sewing class at the fabric store up the street. Yea!




To my surprise, I finished my sweater already!

Once again, I probably would have finished it sooner if I:
1) would have paid attention to what I was doing
2) would read the entire pattern & be better about making notes of what I need to do
3) could let little mistakes go

After awhile, hearing myself utter "oh no!" made me smile. It's okay though - I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I think I like knitting stripes, it makes it easier to keep track of the rows & makes it easier to match up the seams. The first sweater I made was knit from the top down & there wasn't any seam sewing. This one was knit in pieces & all sewn together. I think it turned out really nice.



Next project...a skirt sewing class at the fabric store up the street. Yea!

What am I Thinking?

I have a few too many pending projects. I was working on my quilt, but the fabric store up the street has their annual sale towards the end of October, so I've put that project on hold for a bit. Then, I knit Elsie a little sweater, but I'm not happy with the way it turned out, so I've picked another pattern to work on. Nana also asked me to make her a sweater for x-mas, so I must be sure to get that one done in time to gift it to her. And, I still need to make the original quilt that started all of this (a x-mas gift.) I should stop right there and finish up those things before I move on. But no.

Tracy came down last weekend for a lovely little visit & she inspired me to take on even more projects! This was through no fault of her own, she's just such a crafty girl, that it makes me think that I have all the time in the world to be as crafty as she is (and I don't.) So, post-Tracy visit, I now have: our quilt, Elsie's sweater, a sweater for Nana, a quilt for an x-mas present, a sweater for myself (which I am currently working on), a sweater for Nate, a purse, and an overnight bag for myself (and possibly one for a x-mas gift if it turns out alright.)

I also saw some neat, knit floor pillows in the West Elm catalog that I'd like to make.