Completed Projects...

A few more projects I've wrapped up. I know, where do I get the time? Sleep is over-rated. No, actually it's called super supportive husband and great kids. Plus, they know they benefit from my projects. Sometimes they even watch. 


I've been waiting on posting these first few photos because the package needed to be delivered. Now that it's no longer a surprise to the family, I can show the finished project for our friends the B Family.

This is a baby afghan. They will not know the gender of their baby until it's born so we went with something neutral. The pattern is out of one of my mom's old crochet books from the 1970's. Since it will be a spring baby I figured it needed to be somewhat lightweight for the warmer weather. I also opted for a softer yarn. The yarn choice was not the best with this pattern but it is really soft so I hope that makes up for the trouble it caused in the crafting process. 

Little A.L., the soon-to-be big sister, needs a baby to take care of, too. So with the help of Lil Sis, we selected this baby doll. She liked it because it had a binkie as well as the capability of thumb sucking (one of her favorite past-times). I crafted a hat and matching booties to make it a bit more unique. 

The baby doll also needed a blanket of its own. I used several left-over yarns to pull this together. The top portion from the same as the afghan, the pink portion from the left-over yarn from the booties I made A.L. when she was born, and the last of the yarn from Lil Sister's baby afghan her Grandma N made.

I was quite pleased with the baby doll project. The afghan was pretty tough and long work but I was not as delighted with it as I was A.L.'s gift. However, most babies are not too particular so I suppose it will be alright. My afghans take about 1 1/2 to 2 months on average so completing one like this is kind of a big deal. I have another that is also completed but I am waiting to post photos until I present the gift to the expectant family. It is in the same style as the photo above - ripple style.

Switching gears from baby gifts to wedding gifts. For our Good Neighbor's son and new daughter-in-law. I pulled these together kind of last minute but in the end it all worked out. Pot holder and trivet. Then I made a couple of dishcloths to go along with them and added some bars of my homemade soap to complete the set. The gift needed to travel in a suitcase so I kept it small. Everything was done in 100% cotton so fine with high temperatures, too. These were fun, fast projects. Each potholder/trivet takes about 2-3 hours. The dishcloths are about an hour each.

T Rex has been asking me to make him miniatures of the characters from The Brave Little Toaster - a movie from the 1980s. I made the toaster out of an old sweater. Then I crocheted the lamp followed by the Blankie. If you'd like to see the homemade toaster and hear more of the back story from T Rex you can go here. Here's a photo of Lampy:

Here's a photo of Blankie (my favorite character of the movie):

Since this past week I only worked 24 hours, I had some extra days off to enjoy the kids as well as work on Lil Sister's spring/summer wardrobe. Remember, I told you, I have expensive taste on a tight budget. T Rex Dad has been wonderful in allowing me some time for sewing which is a huge stress reliever and a pretty good outlet for my stress. Plus, it produces some fun results. Here are some of the outfits I've pulled together.

The watermelon outfit - I purchased this material last summer but never found the right style of pattern for it. I actually used a dress pattern and adapted it to make a little tunic shirt and then some matching shorts. It was so fun to finally use this fabric.

Several months ago Lil Sis saw some Tinkerbell PJs at the store and so earnestly asked for them but being on the tight budget we are, I had to decline thinking I could go back and get then at a later time. (Did I ever mention she does not ask for toys at the store but rather clothes and shoes?) I went back a few weeks later and there were no Tinkerbell PJs in sight. I found this fabric and pulled together a super simple dress for her. She loved it so much she insisted on wearing it the moment it came off the sewing machine and even put the flannel pants on insisting she wear those to our dinner. They are not intended to go together - I made bloomers but it's too cold so she wore a long-sleeve shirt and her flannel pants - silly girl but a very happy girl. Her favorite project - not mine.

 

T Rex Dad calls Lil Sis his ladybug so he always enjoys seeing her wear outfits with little ladybugs on them - he was charmed but this outfit:

I know it seems like a lot but this is a culmination of about 3 months worth of work. T Rex Dad said when he was young he never saw his mother without a project in the works - never saw her sitting without something in her hand. I completely embrace this. It is nice to close the computer, take a break from school work, and craft something my children will enjoy. I think it has also made me a better clinician as I seem to have a knack for stitching up people, too. I guess I have years of experience working with a variety of other fabrics, what's one more to add to the repertoire.