While all my crafty friends are creating beautiful things (just look at the web sites on the right side of the page - Sherry (quilts), Lydia (potholders and pincushions), Martha (daygowns, christening gowns, lots of things), Pat (tote bags and buying fabric!), I'm out of the mood. Well, not out of the mood of thinking about and planning and reading about what I'm going to do, but I'm just hitting roadblocks everywhere. My sewing machine is in the sunroom (which is cold right now) and I don't want to clutter up the dining room when someone might unexpectedly want to look at the house. I keep losing my directions or running out of a color of thread and just generally end up running in circles until my time for sewing is gone. I once had a sewing room and I might once again, but right now, as disorganized as I am, I just end up messing up lots of little spaces and getting nothing accomplished.

Well, I guess that sounded whiny. It's not meant to be. Just my excuse. What I did accomplish just now is starching and ironing and folding various things - 2 daygowns, some quilting fabric, and some flannel and seersucker that I just bought. That was a nice warm activity and nice to make some neat piles of things.

And I started these:

When I was poking around in my cross-stitch drawer and finding socks to smock, I found these little shoes. I made a pair for my daughter-in-law's niece when she was born (she's now 11, I think!), so I decided to do something that doesn't require a sewing machine. It's awful to maneuver that needle into the small space, but it's so rewarding. Once I outline these and put in the ribbon (and do the other one - I HOPE I'll do the other one), they should be cute. I'm not sure if they sell these shoes any more to embroider, but I have patterns for every month - an Easter bunny, pumpkin, Santa face, duck with an umbrella, etc - and would like to do a whole set.

So I'm not totally needle-free.

The last of my two long-time-ago creations I freshened up and ironed to hang in the closet with the other things.

I made the pink one so long ago I don't even remember where I lived when I did it. It's from this pattern:

Just starting out, I didn't do a lot of lace or tucks, and it was before I knew how to do the bullion stitches, so I'm not sure what these little flowers are. My grandmother did little daygowns like this for all our children, and I have some of them in the attic now.


My favorite part is the back. I'm going to have to learn how to make these cute little hangers like Martha. That's funny. I'd better worry about making the things to go on them first.

I think this is the favorite of all the things I've made. It was my first project in the heirloom sewing class, and I fell in love with shadow embroidery. Not so much rolling and whipping lace and putting in entredeaux, but that got easier too. Bias neck bands? Never have learned to love those, and it shows!
So they're all hanging in the closet and waiting for me to get inspired again. It won't be long.

Sleeves are my favorite.