Busy Busy Me

Things have been busy in our house this week. Soccer practice, basketball playoffs, summer reading and computer problems are just a few of the things that have kept us preoccupied. I have quite a few projects in the works and so little time to work on them! Right now I have an assortment of different projects that need my attention like needlepoint, quilting, crocheting and a re-upholstery project. It's hard to choose what to work on when I do have spare time because I enjoy each one. You may wonder why I have so many in the works - but then again, if you are an avid crafter like me, you probably have just as many (if not more)! I really just like having a variety of stuff to work on. I can pick and choose depending on my mood. In all honesty - I tend to avoid all of the real work I need to do like hemming and sewing up holes in my brother's jeans (he only dropped his clothes off 2 months ago!!).

I did manage to finish one project earlier this week and I would have posted it sooner but my computer was suffering from major problems. And it's really not 100% finished but it only has a few stitches to go. This is the baby blanket that I quilted for the newest addition to our family - my brother's second child Ryan. He's such an adorable baby! The colors of the blanket match his nursery. I especially love the backer - it's super soft chenille and the dots match the border fabric from the front of the quilt. Here it is:

I picked busy patterns for two of the fabrics and I just wish that I had spent more time figuring out the best placement to isolate the different characters. That would have taken me a lot longer and I probably would have had to sew individual squares together and it would have been hard to keep straight, etc. Keep in mind that I am self taught, haha! Hopefully Ryan likes it:) That's all I have for now. We have an early appointment with Andrea's hearing specialists in the morning and we have to be up and out of the house before 6:45 am. I hope to have another finish posted by the end of the weekend. We'll see...

Another Baby Blanket

As a follow up to my previous post, I loved the first baby blanket so much that I made a similar one for my baby niece a few months later. It also has picot edging with white ribbon interlaced between the stitches. You may not be able to see it clearly, but the design is in the shape of rows of hearts. Here it is:

*Both blanket patterns are from Leisure Arts "So Sweet Baby Afghans" #75015

My First Crochet Finish

In my previous post, I mentioned that I am self taught at all my crafts. For each craft, I have a different motivation for learning the art. As a little girl, my grandmother loved to crochet and she used to crochet small magnets, doorknob covers, etc., for my classmates in grade school. She tried to teach me when I was 8 and I just couldn't focus on it long enough to learn. In 2004, she passed from cancer. In 2005, my husband and I moved out of state for his job and soon after, my grandfather (same side of the family) was also diagnosed with cancer. I decided to postpone my job search to take him to/from all of his cancer treatments. My hubby bought me a book on crochet and I took it with me to each and every appointment along with some needles and yarn. Slowly I would practice all the different stitches and a few easy patterns. My grandfather would joke with me that I would never finish a project if I kept ripping it apart every few stitches and I would always respond with "practice makes perfect"!

The first crochet project that I actually completed was a blanket for my brother's first baby. It was by no means perfect but I enjoyed making it and I think my brother and his wife were pleased. My favorite part of the blanket is the edging. Notice the tiny white ribbon interlaced with the stitches. Here it is:

Greetings

After a lot of time and much resisting, I have finally caved and decided to start blogging. I love to do all sorts of things like baking, gardening, reading and a variety of crafts. This seems like a great place to showcase the fruits of my labor so that other people can appreciate my handiwork. I am self taught with all of my crafts and my creations reflect that. For the last 5+ years, my husband and I have devoted most of our time to raising my brother Jeffrey (13) and sister Andrea (9). I manage to squeeze my crafting in between sports practices, school, work and other kid activities. I welcome you to my blog and thanks for visiting!