This is what has been depriving me of computer time for the past few days:

Yes, I finally finished this quilt, which is destined to be a Christmas present for my son. It took me a little over a year to complete Why so long? Hunting down the perfect fabric for each part occupied a lot of my time. I also discovered that my old sewing machine just wasn’t cut out for creating a bed-sized quilt, so I had to shop for a nicer machine–and I do love my Bernina!

Then, there was the episode where I tried to quilt the thing myself, broke four needles and injured my shoulder. As much as I wanted to do the whole thing myself, I just couldn’t. I sent it out to the Quilting Loft for long-arm quilting. I’m so glad I did! They did a fantastic job! If only the lighting were better, I’d show you a close-up of the border. It’s amazing…really. The quilter stitched little cars and “beep beep” along the top and bottom portions. The sides are decorated with little airplanes and pilots.

If my son isn’t totally ga-ga over it when I give it to him on Christmas day, then I’ll gladly keep it! I not-so-secretly think this is the best thing I’ve ever made.

The pattern is by Hot Possum, an Australian company. They offer a number of patterns for cute kids’ quilts. Now that I see how this applique thing works, though, I’m more likely to try drawing my own patterns in the future. The technique would lend itself well to personal expression.

I started out my day by pouring coffee on my Golden Grahams. Thankfully, the flavor combination wasn’t half bad. However, due to that not-so-auspicious beginning, I’ve been trying to play it safe and stick to tasks I shouldn’t be able to screw up too much. I thought laundry was a good idea, but managed to shrink my husband’s favorite wool stocking cap. It looks as if it would fit a Lilliputian now. Hey, at least it’s a clean Lilliputian hat!

So, for now, I’m going to sit in this here chair and read through my favorite blogs. That seems fairly harmless, right? I can also show off my latest creation. Voila! The orange apple dress!

It’s a dismal grey day outside and I couldn’t coax my model into venturing forth to take prettier photos. That’s all right. She hammed it up pretty good indoors.

She gave the dress two thumbs up for its twirliness (is that a word?).

The number of pieces invovled in this project daunted me initially, but the actual construction was straightforward. I just had to take my time (two weeks or so) and proceed carefully. I’m really pleased with the result. I made it a little bit on the large side so she’ll have room to grow.

I found the fabric at a thrift store a few weeks back. Claire says she’s going to pretend the orange apples are really pumpkins. Hey, if she’s happy with it, even if it requires a dose of her imagination, I’m happy too.

The pattern is from Ottobre – Autumn 3/2005.

With the arrival of the colder weather, my family’s inclination has been to slow down and take life easy. Robert’s wandering around the house in a fleece jacket and Sam has actually been persuaded to wear socks when indoors. (He usually sheds them within seconds of entering the house. I wish I could induce him to shed footwear into the laundry basket instead of directly onto the floor, but that’s a battle for another day.)

Claire has spent a fair amount of time cuddled up on the couch with a good book and some friends.

She’s also made sure her bunnies are warm and cozy before bedtime.

All of us have been nibbling away at the Amish friendship bread I baked the other day.

Everyone seems peaceful, except me. It’s like a creative bomb has gone off inside my head. I’m full of ideas of things I want to make and am working on half a dozen projects all at once.

I’ve started sewing a dress for Claire from the thrifted apple fabric I showed you a few days ago.

I found the pattern in an old Ottobre magazine. It’s one of those projects that’s fun, but requires a lot of attention to the little details. Although my progress is slow, I have high hopes for the finished outfit. It’s going to have an underskirt to make it fluffy and especially good for twirling.

Meanwhile, I’m decorating t-shirts using freezer paper stencils, drawing cats and bats and owls with my son for a school project, and, yes, I’m even knitting a little bit. I’ve decided to finish off a couple of projects that have been marinating in my closet for far too long. One is the Chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and the other is a Kureyon cardigan. The scarf will take FOREVER, since it’s made out of sock yarn. I must have lost my mind when I started that thing. The cardigan could be finished very soon, if I would just buckle down and work on it. All it needs is a collar and a front band. As some of you know, I have to take it easy with knitting, so I don’t aggravate a painful problem I have in my neck and shoulder area. I’m trying to be good about it, but it’s hard when you’re really excited!