Cuteness Cure

I made a couple of cute items this weekend. Two tag blankets and a pacifier clip. They are presents for a baby shower.

It took a lot of effort to get off the couch, but deadlines motivate and this time I was grateful for them. The cuteness helped my lift my mood as well. You can't help but smile when working with bunnies and bears driving cars.

This was my first time making both of these items. The pacifier clip tutorial is here and I just winged it for the blankets. I found a super soft minky fabric for the back of the blankets and the car fabric is from Japan. It's about 10 inches square and has different size and textured ribbons.

Most importantly, I made two blankets because I know how devastating it is when you blanket wears through or you lose it. Always good to have a spare.

The pacifier clip was super fast to make, particularly because of my new serger. (Wee!) This was my first project on it. I practiced on some scraps before making this and then switched over to the rolled hem setting for the pacifier clip. I can't believe how easy it was to switch settings and to use it general. No issues thus far.

Look at that rolled hem! Wow. And I've already made my first knit shirt as well. Pictures soon.

Zoo Monster

I've been putting off posting this, but my cat Zooey died a week and a half ago. He was 8. It was sudden.

I'll miss this guy so much. I can't even believe how much I miss him. But as so many people have told me, it's easier to grieve for an animal. There were no complicated feelings in our relationship. He was cute, so weird, and the most affectionate cat I've ever had.

We miss him so much and I think his sister, Franny does as well.

Disappointment in Fabric Town

Oh wait. Remember Japan? I never showed you my purchases from Fabric Town.

Well, here they are. Not too impressive for someone who brought an extra duffel bag along to carry her purchases.

The solitary trek out to Fabric Town in Nippori didn't actually go very well. I found an English map here and was so excited to see the endless supply of stores to browse. Somehow, even though I knew that I should be bring cash, I forgot to get extra before boarding the train. I figured it wouldn't be that bad because we had been able to find ATMs that worked all over the city quite easily. But no. It wasn't the same in Nippori.  I searched for an hour trying about 5 or more ATMs to no avail. I was getting very mad at myself. I knew better! The websites warned me. How could I do this to myself.

Finally, I asked a travel agency if there was a 7-11 nearby and to my amazement there was. That seemed to be the only place that would take American cards.

So... if you're an idiot like me, you'll find the 7-11 near the post office, only a block away from the station.

My other mistake was just assuming that there would be tons of cuteness everywhere. I don't know why I thought this except that that's what I normally buy from Japan, so it must be everywhere, right? Again, no. Most of the shops were for apparel. I really should have done more research.

I did manage to find a couple of places with the cuteness. Most of them had pre-cut fabrics in little cellophane pouches. This was my favorite purchase and I probably should have bought more. I love these cute bunnies and bears driving.

My second favorite purchase was this purple polka dot number. It's cotton, almost a double gauze feel. I love it. Oh, and I've already ruined that white sweater knit next to it, so that's great.

Christmas Prezzies

Hello!

I'm back from South Africa. I'm sure you want to see the highlight of my trip: these two little guys (two and half month old white lions) that I got to pet and cuddle in South Africa! Can you believe that? It was amazing.

But anyway, now it's safe to show you those Christmas presents I made. Or should I say "prezzies" because everyone is South Africa is obsessed with diminutives like choppies (lamb chops) and cozzies (costumes or swimsuits).

I made my niece this pink tote bag because she's four years old and obsessed with pink. Wears nothing but pink.

This was one of the first really nice pieces of fabric I bought when I started to sew, yet somehow it sat around waiting for the perfect project, whatever that may be. This is the one that had a sun bleached line, but I was able to avoid it for the bag, of course.

I filled the bag with a really awesome coloring book, some twist-up colored pencils, and plain notepad. I thought this might be as much of a gift for the parents as for her. They can take this little set with them to restaurants and she can keep busy while they enjoy themselves out.

For my brother in law and father in law, I made some Braii gloves (aka oven mitts for grilling). These gloves are long, so that they come almost all the way down to the elbow. I decided to make them this way after hearing about how the grill lid fell down onto my brother in law's arm and burned him.

Again, it's time to use the fabrics I love and I can be happy that these elephants are going to a good home. Luckily, these guys both like whimsical fabrics.

Saving

It's time to start using all of the cute fabrics I've been collecting and saving. What was I saving them for anyway? Just to look at them? I realized this when we moved because I noticed that one fabric I bought so long ago had been bleached from the sun on the fold line. No good. That's just a waste.

Might as well get started on those Christmas presents...