creative little daisy

I'm like a grandma bird

feathering the nest

making ready- soft and flowery and oh-so-girly ready

for our sweet little baby bird

Bayleigh

I must get back to feathering...

I made a prom dress

For my desk chair

Inspired by this fancy, dressed-up chair.

More of the same quilt used for the seat portion was used  to make a cushion cover for this chair, also in my sewing room.

It's happening...

I'm morphing into a grandma. Here's the proof:

If this isn't a granny smock, I don't know what is.

I used this apron, that really was a grandma smock, as a pattern.

It belonged to my great-grandma, Mamie. I wonder how many biscuits were made wearing this apron, how many bushels of peas were shelled, how many chickens fed... It's getting pretty sheer from many washings over many years, so I made one of my own. I'll hang this one on a hook so I can see and enjoy it, but retire it from everyday use and maybe one day give both to my granddaughter, one day when my own grandma smock has seen many days of wear and washings, but probably not so many biscuits or chickens. Surely I won't morph that much.

Happy Friday after Valentine's Day!!

I made this little apron for Alyssa. It's a dishtowel, with some ruffles and ric-rac and a heart made from felt. I enjoy making aprons, but the cute ones aren't always so practical. Alyssa told me she wears the apron I made her for Christmas when she washes dishes to keep her ever growing belly from getting wet, so I wanted to make this one absorbent. Cute and practical.

I'll get a picture of the soon-to-be mama wearing her apron later today, for now, you get me ... and Toby and Lucky. (Toby is the dark spot by my leg)

Yesterday's title wasn't entirely true

I didn't have much sewing progress to share, but progress was made, nonetheless.

I can't truthfully call this a before, it's more like a during. Yes it was worse than this, a  lot worse. I really, really, do not enjoy doing laundry and this nightmare of a room didn't help matters any. What is all that crap you ask? It's sheets and towels and pillowcases. Light bubs. Paper towels. An Iron. A pillow. Curtains. Stray socks. I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea. I have a linen closet, it's a narrow little closet, but it will hold quite a bit of linen if folded neatly, and it has a door. Why then are the shelves in my laundry room stacked with towels and sheets and curtains and pillowcases? Because Alyssa convinced me to let her use the linen closet for shoes. Her bedroom has two closets, yet she still felt the need for a separate closet to house her shoes. I reluctantly agreed, only if she would find a new home for the linen. She spent the better part of a day folding linen and stacking it on my laundry room shelves. It was neatly organized and all was well with the world. That was oh, about 2 years ago. Alyssa doesn't live here anymore. Yet, still, my linen closet continues to house the shoes she's not currently wearing and my laundry room is doing a lousy job of housing my linen. I love my sweet daughter dearly and I'm in no hurry to turn her room into something else, but her shoes have got to find a new home... perhaps in her own house... just a thought. Anyway, until Alyssa can work out the shoe logistics, they got the boot (corny pun intended) to a couple of laundry baskets and I reclaimed my linen closet. This in turn allowed me to reclaim the shelves in the laundry room. I think what kick-started this endeavor was seeing this photo on flickr. I was sure the world would be a better place if only I had a laundry room that looked like that.  I spent several days imagining the joy that could be had washing clothes in just such a room, then I had to accept the fact that this room only exists in a magical, mythical world. The same world where you'll find this pantry and this garage and unicorns and the tooth fairy. Such open, airy, soft-light-filled,  pristine laundry rooms cannot coexist in my world, my reality that includes dogs and cats a husband and teenage son and, well, laundry. East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.  I'll have to settle for this.

There is no soft light filtering in, because there is no window. I don't have pretty containers to hold my detergent. Necessities are not housed discreetly in matching canvas bins, spaced perfectly along the shelves. I did gather up, around the house, enough baskets and bins to hold what has to live here. I even made some labels-

just in case one wonders what's in that clear, lidless container, one need look no further than the label on front, that plainly reads Light Bulbs.   I also designated a container for stuff you need to wash the dog and one with stuff for washing the floor- both clearly labeled, so that in the event someone other than myself should ever wish to wash the floor or dogs, they will have no trouble locating the supplies. There I go again, drifting off into that dream world. I know my laundry room will never look like this, but it has come a long way and doing laundry is a tiny bit more pleasant.... OK,  laundry is never going to be pleasant, but at least I'm no longer afraid something is going to fall on my head. That's progress.

Not a lot of progress to share

And I'm OK with that.

I've been working on Bayleigh's crib bedding at what seems to me a snail's pace. Much time has been spent looking at fabric combinations. When I purchased fabric, it was not with a concrete plan, just a feeling. I pulled fabrics that spoke to me and knew they would all come together later. Once home those chatty little fabrics didn't have much to say. Still with no concrete plan I began to cut and stitch and things started to take shape. This has gone on all week. Cutting and sewing in little snippets.

It's been so unlike me. I'm not a snippet sewer. Nothing I do is in snippets actually. I'm full on, all the way, get it done NOW kinda girl. I don't have lots of little works in progress laying about, because when I start something, I finish it. Focus, I have focus. Some may say that's a good thing. My focus is very narrow though, and doesn't allow for multi tasking. People often comment they can't believe how much I can get done. It's because whatever it is that I'm doing, it's all I'm doing. My focus has served me well at times, but mostly it makes me feel very stressed and worn thin. While one project is getting my full attention, everything else falls by the wayside.

This week I've taken my time. I've put much thought into this, my first gift to my first granddaughter. I want it to be right and I don't want to rush it. For the first time I've allowed myself that, time to enjoy the process, instead of a steady race to complete the job. In the process an unexpected thing happened. I found the bottom of my hamper. The laundry room does in fact have a floor. A floor that was much in need of cleaning. I sewed a little each day, but not all day. I did some laundry each day, but not all day. At the end of the week, I don't have a big completed project to share, but I have made slow progress that I am proud of and I've learned that with slow progress,  I have time and energy to focus on other things too. It feels pretty good.

Hey! I'm on HGTV!

Well, not exactly HGTV, it's HGTV.com- and it's not exactly me on HGTV.com, just my pillow... but still.

Scroll down to the Weekly 6. There she is, my little patchwork pillow, telling folks about Share My Craft.*

Oh, my... does this mean my pillow is a celebrity now? Should I get her an agent? What if she ends up like so many other young celebrities, running about town, partying and flashing what's under her patchwork?  I'm going now to cover her up so the paparazzi can't snap any unflattering photos.

Thank you Stacey for letting me know my little pillow has made her big debut.

*Share My Craft seems to be light on sewing type crafts. ( I did see one familiar name while browsing) All you wonderful quilters, go post some projects. I also noticed there are only a few crocheted/knitted projects, go show off those granny squares ladies!

Fabric has been purchased

and there's a naked nursery waiting for some duds. I may be short on words for a little while, as I have some very important sewing to get done.

Hey  granny, I know you're looking down. Can you believe your little brown-eyed Susan is about to start sewing for her very own granddaughter? Me neither.