You Go Girl!

Pillow Talk...

Remember this little patchwork project I told you about? As Carolina pointed out: It's a bit on the small side if it's a really cold night. She cracks me up. She is right, though. It would be a small quilt for a cold night unless you were a squirrel. But guess what? I'm not a squirrel and this is not a quilt for the Nutkin family. No, it's not a quilt at all. Instead, it's a patchwork pillow. See...

I discovered another bit o' magic when I put this pillow together...the invisible zipper foot. Bernina magic. There is no other way to describe it. You simply line up the zipper teeth in the groove on the foot, push the power pedal, sit back, and let the feed dogs and the foot do the work. Voila. A perfectly stitched zipper. Magical.

A Purse with Hips...

I was the queen of lame gift giving this Christmas. It seems like the only handmade-with-love gift I gave that was truly complete was Emily's hat. One of my sisters received a baggie with a half-sewn ornament in it. Instead of a lovely purse, I gave my mom this packet of fabric with a promise to make a purse out of it. Lame, huh?

I did not finish the purse before she and my dad returned to their winter home in Arizona. Lame again. But it is finished now.

This is the Teardrop Bag found in  Amy Butler's new book. It's a cute purse, but there is another reason I HAD to make this purse. See the fabric sewn to the sides of the purse? They are called hips. 

Yes, a purse with hips. HIPS! I felt an immediate affinity for this purse. When sweet Jesus was passing out hips, I thought he said lips. I asked him to make mine full and round. He did. A gal with hips. A purse with hips. It was meant to be. 

Tootles,

Cassie

If you decide to give the pattern a try, there is one correction for the large Teardrop Bag on A. Butler's website. Just saying. I found out the hard way. Not fun. ;-)

Yes I Can...

My sweet Emily wanted a hat for Christmas. Not just any hat. She wanted a hat that she spotted at Rockin' Rudy's, a groovy little store full of lots of fun and sometimes quirky things. The hat was the bomb. I even thought so. It was crocheted in a lovely woolen yarn. It had a scalloped edge and an amazing crocheted froufrou flower that was stitched to it in just the right place. It was cute, and jaunty, and perfect. It also had a $42 price tag. OUCH!! Forty two dollars for a hat that may or may not find its way home from school each day seemed like A LOT. What's a girl to do? Of course. Why didn't I think of it sooner? I could make one...maybe...perhaps...hmmm, I don't know. My original enthusiasm for the plan was dulled by uncertainty and doubt. After all, I only kind of know how to crochet. It seemed a wee bit risky. I shushed the voices in my head. "Breath deep and carry on," I told myself.

One skein of blue yarn, a little ball of magenta yarn, the tail-end of green yarn, and some determination...Yes, I can. I can crochet a hat with scallops and a froufrou flower. Tah-Dah...

Sweet Emily told me it was better than the one at Rockin' Rudy's because I made it. Awww, shucks. Stop it already, Emily. 

Breath deep and carry on...I think that will be my mantra for 2011. It works for so many different situations. Try it.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2011.

Breath deep and carry on, friends~

Cassie