Creativity...Mine and That of Others

well, first i must apologize for what the banner at the top of my blog has looked like for about the past month. i was changing and fiddling with some things a few weeks ago and i changed something that i didn't mean to and it ended up looking like it does. i have wanted my husband...a graphic designer...to help me do more designing for the site for awhile, but i have never gotten around to asking and planning. so, when i messed this up, i just didn't have the energy to poke back in there to see where i messed it up. i'm sure i could find it pretty quickly, but in the grand scheme of things...it hasn't made it to the top of my 'to-do' list. :)

in other news, i have actually been getting some sewing and other crafty type things done around the house, which i find sort of strange for a heftily pregnant woman that still has two months to go and is frankly starting to wonder how much more time she has before she ceases to be able to walk. seriously folks. this one is lying low and interfering with the ol' hip joints. i guess i'll just rent a hoover-round. i'm sure the kids and i could have a jolly old time with it. but anywho. my first project...actually first two projects...was to make two diaper bags for friends of mine who were having their little boys baptized a few weeks ago. here is the first one...and after searching through my pictures, i obviously must not have taken a picture of the second one. it was the same style, but with one pattern of darker purple, yellow and green plaid and a contrasting pattern of these squished oval sort of shapes in the same colors. how do you like that for a description? they were both made from this pattern by sew baby. i love their patterns. they are quick, practical and easy to use. this bag is "technically" a diaper bag but i have made tons of them and given them for all sorts of occasions. it uses two complementary fabrics (well, i guess you could use whatever you want...if you're into ugly bags) and is completely reversible. one side is solid fabric and the other has six deep pockets on the sides. the fabric is a home dec type so it is strong enough to withstand use yet still not too stiff. i particularly like the extra long straps on it as i am one to throw any bag i have over my shoulder. trying to wrangle three children just doesn't seem to lend itself well to a clutch purse. i am told these bags also make a great gardening organizer when stretched (pocket side out) over the outside of a bucket. i was remarking to my husband the other day that i have made about eight of these now for other people but have not kept even one for myself. i am now on the mission to find the perfect fabric and make a new diaper bag for me before this little one makes his or her appearance.

my second project was to make myself a new maternity skirt (ok, actually a couple, but only one is done as of yet). i have a maternity skirt i purchased a few years back with pregnancy number three that i really like. my plan was to fashion one off of that one without a pattern. i actually like not using a pattern if i can pull it off. patterns anger me. i think it's all the cutting and measuring and cutting again. much to precise for me. i'm just sewing for functionality here people, not to win some prize for the straightest seems. anyway, i'm not sure how but try number one came out a bit too narrow at the hips for my taste. so, since i had plenty of fabric left over, we went for try number two. here is what i ended up with...i was rather pleased. it fits and looks nice. that's all i needed. the bottom is a sort of pumkiny-brown with flowers embroidered in shades of rose and light green. i used a dark brown stretch knit for the stomach and top back area. i cut the stomach section a little deeper down than the back and it seemed to work well to keep the skirt in place and be very comfortable. i am hoping to get a denim one in the same style completed in the next few days. the lovely michele also lent me some great maternity patterns (the big pattern companies just don't sell many of them these days). i have a great fabric i picked up for a skirt for easter for myself that i am really excited about and i need to figure out if i would like to try one of the patterns on it or go with this 'model' i made. we shall see.

i have also been at work on my etsy shop again. i had left it completely empty for quite some time and thought maybe it was time to get it back up and running. it is mostly filled with jewelry and rosaries i have completed but there are also t-shirts and bags in there that my husband designed and we had printed awhile back. i don't sell much but i keep praying for that day i open it up and i've sold out. ha ha.

and last, but definitely not least, i received my first block for my quilt the other day. i am part of an online quilting bee and november was my month to send out my fabric. i don't think i actually got my fabric sent out until january though, truth be told. here is my lovely quilt block from the sweet and talented meredith...isn't it just too cute! i sent out the two different types of brown fabric on the block and i just love the green fabric she paired up with it. my plan for this quilt is for it to be something we can use outside to lay on when we go out in the yard and to the park. this springy first block sets the tone wonderfully!

and i need to think about spring with all the snow we have been getting. but, i can finally see some of the grass out there, which is quite the change from just a week or so ago when it looked like this outside.

over the period of less than a week we received about four feet of snow. it pretty much close everything around here for quite awhile but the kids loved it. we especially thought it was cool when the township had to bring in this big equipment to make our streets passable.sure, it was sort of interesting since they weren't plowed at all for about three days but you would be amazed at the large sections of roads a development can get cleaned off without the help of plows attached to trucks when each homeowner decides to shovel the street in front of their house. but, alot of it is gone now and it doesn't look like we will be getting the gigantic beginning of march storm that has been rumored for quite a few weeks. i can't say that i'm sad about that. i really didn't want to hide easter eggs in the snow and i'm afraid snow boots wouldn't look that great with the girl's dresses.