Bees and Bugs

Last year, EV was totally into the Bee Movie. She loved seeing bees in the garden and even got excited when they flew into the house. It was not surprise that she wanted to be a bee for Halloween. I found a super cute pattern for a toddler bee costume, but only had a week to sew it all together. This was when I only had a treadle sewing machine and did not sew on a regular basis. It was a very slow process but well worth it. So, this year I'm doing it again . . . times 3! EV's going to be a dragonfly, CW's going to be a spider, EV's best friend's going to be a lady bug, and her little brother is going to be a bee.

Quilting Memories

 Last spring, as I was cleaning out all my kids' baby stuff, I found quite a few clothes of my daughter's that I couldn't bear to part with. The only problem is that they took up so much space and our little place doesn't have any space to spare. So, I thought I could keep the memories of my favorite (and E's favorite) clothes from her first 3 years of life by making them into a quilt. Keep in mind that I've never made a quilt before. I mentioned it to my mom and we decided it would be a nice summer project to do while I was visiting California. I found a pattern I liked on The Stitchin Post and we got to work.  There was a solid week that we were at the fabric and crafts shops on a daily basis, realizing what supplies I needed along the way. I have to admit that there were moments during one or two gorgeous summer days that I deeply wished to be at the beach soaking in the sun instead of cutting out squares or ironing bias. Those moments inspired me to use simple methods in putting the quilt together. For instance, tying instead of hand quilting. Thanks to my mom's help, it was finished in time to pack into a suitcase for its long journey back to England.

What I think is most hilarious is how excited my daughter was about it while she watched us making it...and then our second night in England, she decided she didn't want anything to do with it. I convinced her to at least keep it on her bed even if she doesn't actually use it. I know she'll love it keeping her warm during the cold winter nights and in the future will hopefully enjoy the memories from which it was made.