Black and White Challenge

This is Olivia the Octoherpodite. This was done for a yahoo group called Black and White Challenge. She was done in October but she didn't win. I still love her tho. The rules were that everything had to be black & white, but could have subtle color in the makeup and skin tone. My DH built her cage and I love it. Didnt he do a fabulous job? I got the idea for her from Circus De Soleil. The group has changed their name to Technicolor something and every year there is a new pattern and new colors. This year is a circus, mardi gras theme and the colors are purple and gold. I don't know if I'll enter this year or not. Right now I have no ideas but they aren't due till end of October so there is time. Everyone used the same pattern to start with and they, as usual, came out very different.

New Year Projects

My new year resolution was to try and finish up some "stuff" that has been languishing for a long time. I got started on this because of the house/dog sitting for my SIL. I was going to have 2-1/2 weeks of uninterrupted time. I knew that trying to pack up stuff to work on dolls would be next to impossible unless I wanted to move my entire sewing room. We use so much stuff when making a doll don't we? So, I went through my unfinished project piles and pulled out stuff that I could do without dragging everything. Unfortunately, that can be astounding and I am just disgusted with myself for not finishing. That is how I decided this was ridiculous and I was finishing old before starting new.

The first thing I tackled was the large quilt which I had started for DD #3 when she was still in high school and she is now 25!! I had already made her brother and sister a quilt then got waylayed on hers. This is a simple quilt, like quilt in a day. You sew the top strip, batting, bottom strip to the quilt all at once. Since they are less than 6" wide and I used cotton batting, no additional quilting is necessary. I had seen this technique on Simply Quilts and they were using it to make quilts fast to give away to homeless children/hospitalized children. This thing is huge! I wanted to use the pillow panels that came with the center panel as the four corners and they are 8-10". That area of the quilt needed to be quilted and that is where I got hung up on it. My DD made me feel so bad that she never got her quilt that I had to finish it. Yippee.

The table runner was the first thing that DD #1 had ever sewn. I thought she did a fabulous job. I did need to quilt it and bind it for her, but now she let me keep it and I love it.

Then I started on the quilt from h----. DD #1 had cut and pieced the quilt top and it was a mess. I made her tear it out and I tried to get it back together and be usable, at least around the house. After two weeks of fighting with this quilt, I threw it in the trash. I mean, I do have my limits, and boy had I reached it with this top. That day my girlfriend came over and saw it in the trash, dug it out and is using it to make pillows. I consider that a very happy ending to that story. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it before she took it. Maybe I can get a pic of her pillows to post when she finishes.

That burnt me out and I had another top about 2/3 finished that I was going to start I next. I did start on it, but I was very stressed from the last two weeks about square blocks and things fitting together. So, I sew a bit on the quilt top, then I took a break and decided to get the feathers on my Harpy. I think she has been in the birthing stage about a year now. I really like these feathers. I got an actual bird wing at a shop near here and pulled it apart for the feathers. Boy the colors are gorgeous and change with the sun. God certainly can make some beautiful stuff can't he?

Well that gets me pretty up to date with what I have been doing. The last week I have not been too productive and I don't know why. I have been doing a great job at holding the couch down, but I guess we don't need any pics of that!! LOL

I did sign up for Cyndi Mal...... Caterpillar Class at Lisa Risler's site and Colleen Babcocks Water Lily at Cloth Doll Connection. I can't wait to get started on them, but so far, I am sticking to my resolution.

Christmas

Hello everyone or anyone. I too feel like I am talking to myself, but, hey, at least I listen. VBG I haven't been posting since October. Geez. Above are pictures of the jammies I made for my 3 little princesses for Christmas. Don't they look sweet? Fooled you!! I was house sitting for my SIL and sewing up these jammies in the country, all alone, no distractions and enjoying every minute of it. Taking breaks from sewing in the hot tub. I know it is a tough job but someone had to do it. She paid me to house/doggie sit so I was having dreams of what I was going to buy when my oh so expensive Janome sewing machine froze up. Jammies not done. So, I packed up and came home the day before Christmas eve trying to think who I knew that I could borrow a machine to at least get these jammies finished. Oh, and no more hot tub breaks. Boo Hiss. Couldn't find anyone with a portable machine. So, out I go on Christmas Eve to buy a sewing machine. This was not what I was daydreaming about spending my newly and unexpected riches on, but isn't that the way it always works?
The other pic is of granddaughter #2 dressed up like the princess she is. I have two more coming. A girl in Feb and finally a boy in April. The two older girls got another pair made from fabric with frogs with big red lips. #2 says they have on "lipis" (aka lipstick).