Apron and Chef Hat

I've been whipping out these aprons and hats for the past few birthday parties my kiddos have been invited to. I just love how the moms are so touched that someone would take the time and effort to make their child something. But these are so easy to make it's almost embarrassing, really. I've written up tutorials for these, and they are now on the Michael Miller Fabrics blog. The apron can be sized up or down for a child or adult, and the hat, also, is adjustable to fit heads of all sizes--this one fit my 2 year old as well as my husband.

Have a great weekend, my friends! :)

My Space

The Christmas Report

I guess it's time to give a little report on what I got for Christmas. I love presents from my kids, of course...D picked me out a beautiful gold necklace--which I wear almost everyday because it is my most favorite piece of jewelry ever, M bought me a new ironing board cover (badly needed), and K spotted a blanket in the store that was EXACTLY like the one he sleeps with every night and decided I needed a "nordegreen" too. I'm so lucky!!! :)


But perhaps the most meaningful gift was in an envelope my mom sent me containing tatted ornaments that grandma made. I'm sure it was hard for mom to part with these, but I'll take good care of them. I'll have to find a way to display these treasures. I didn't really know my grandmother very well, having grown up on the other side of the world from her. The summer I graduated from high school and was getting ready to move to the U.S. for college, thinking I'd be able to visit her on school breaks, call her on the phone, and get to know her better--that was the summer she passed away. I feel like I was cheated from an opportunity to get to know her, but it is wonderful to have some items that were made by her hands.


We also had a trip down memory lane this Christmas. Most of my childhood pictures are on slides, and about 6 years ago, my mom divvied the the slides up among the kids. I finally went and got my set developed, and can I say WOW!!!??? Having not seen these pictures in years and years made looking at them rather emotional for me. I made up copies for my parents and sibs. These are the gifts I was talking about in my post here.

My sis, moi and my bro. Loving the groovy sofa in the background.

My gorgeous mommy and bro. (Like her dress? She made it herself! Did I mention she took classes in patternless dressmaking? She's a dynamo.) (Oh, and my bro--he's a hottie. In high school he could have been a member of Menudo. Then he went through the Keanu Reeves phase. I can get away with writing stuff like that here because he doesn't read my blog.)

If you made it this far down, I'm proud of you!!! And by the way--I'm so excited you guys like the idea of the advent calendar sew-along. At last glance the flickr group was at 97 and growing. Woo hoo!!!

2009 Advent Calendar Sew Along

Happy New Year!!! Yes you are looking at a picture of Christmas stockings, but these are not leftover from last year. These are for this year--2009!

Every year around the end of November or early December I have this pang of regret: "how did I go an entire year and not get around to making an advent calendar AGAIN!!!" I get so busy with all these other projects that somehow the Christmas season has a way of sneaking up on me. I know I'm not the only one with this problem. My sis apparently feels the same way. So we decided to do an advent calendar sew-along, and we'd like to invite YOU to join us. Here's the catch: it starts now. Yes, January. But since we have a such a big head start, we have the leisure of taking our time and doing it right. There is also the advantage of being able to do 2 to 3 portions of it per month, or if we really get into it, get it done way ahead of the Christmas season.

I have decided to make mini-stockings. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to do the numbers (stamps or embroidery?). I've made a tutorial (the link is HERE), so that you can make some with me if you want. These cuffed stockings can be hung with a clothespin or strung garland-style on a line. One could attach grommets and hook them to a painted wood panel, use velcro to attach them to a quilted panel, or use pushpins to pin them to a bulletin board...so many possibilities! The pattern is just a starting point for you. Feel free to make changes to it (i.e. make the toes more pointy for a grinchier look.) Note: you do not have to use the stocking tutorial to be a part of the advent calendar sew-along. If you want to make something different, that's great too. Please post your progress on your blog and the flickr group, so we can check each other out. Also, Linda has made a button for you to use on your blog, if you wish--and we hope you do!