So, yeah, I'm still making stuff

So, yeah, I'm still making stuff, but I've been really horrible about posting here. I'm thinking of getting rid of the craft blog altogether. I don't know. I seem to have a hard time taking pictures of my projects and then posting here. I just haven't been making the time. I'm going to try to do better this summer. Maybe I'll set a goal of minimum postings per month.

So recent crafts are, sadly, unphotographed. I crocheted a girls' throw based on the free Lion Brand pattern "Birds' Nest Throw". It was using all the pink acrylics I had laying around. I gave that to my bestest friend Jen who volunteers for a blanket charity in Austin, Texas, Linus Connection of Central Texas.  It will go to a child/teen in crisis. It turned out cute, but I had misplaced my camera. If she takes a pic before donating it I will ask for permission to snag it and post it here along with a link to the Linus Connection website.

What else? For my bestest friend Jen's birthday I made a quilted perpetual calendar. The fabric line was called "Espresso Yourself" and I purchased that from Quiltworks here in Alb. I picked up the project sheet with the instructions from JoAnn's Fabrics in early March, then proceeded to change it all up, lol. No pics of that either, (see misplaced camera above). It was a mixture of quilting, gluing, freezer paper stencil and fabric paint, fabric-covered buttons, stamping fabric with fabric paint and months of the year and number stamps, etc. I should have chronicled the process. I'm thinking the next one I make will be metal with magnets, so I'm currently checking the local thrift stores for items I can repurpose for that.

My friend and coworker Doreen and I were going to work together on a baby quilt for another long-time coworker's impending grand daughter...sadly, Doreen's dad passed away a few weeks ago,  and our schedules never seemed to mesh enough for us to shop for supplies and actually get it done.

The baby shower was this weekend (it came way sooner than we thought it would since the baby isn't due until August!). I found several onesies with cute embroidery on them at the thrift store last week that looked brand new. I was going to turn them into bibs, but when the time came I just couldn't bring myself to cut them up, like I said they looked brand new. So Saturday I dug in my stash of cotton yarn and managed to find two different pinks, one variegated pink-lavender-white Bernat Cottontots (which are super soft) left from a tank top a knit a couple of years ago, maybe a third to a half a skein... and most of a skein of hot pink Sugar n' Cream. Using the Cottontots I knit a "Baby Bib of Love" from the book "Mason Dixon Knitting". I modified it a bit by using a slightly larger needle (since 100% cotton shrinks... a lot!) and instead of two straps I knit one long strap that buttons onto the corner of the bib. Sunday I used what was left of the cottontots and most of the other to crochet two more bibs, these circular instead of square. I alternated colors every now and then so each of those was unique as well.

They all matched, but were different. I like that kind of set. The young mom-to-be whipped through everything pretty quick, but stopped on mine to look at each bib and feel the softness (I washed and dried them before putting them in the gift bag). *beams* It was the only handmade gift she received, and I think she appeared to be drawn to them. Maybe she'll pick up a craft of her own, that would be great. She's in the Air Force stationed here, and the dad is in the Army, has served 3 tours in Iraq already, and sadly, I learned that a week before the baby is due he is being shipped out to Afghanistan. *sigh* guess I better learn how to knit those helmet-liner thingies... Afghanistan is supposed to be pretty darn cold at night I hear. Again, due to the misplaced camera, I have no pictures, but will ask my coworker if she happened to take any.

Of course, upon returning from the shower I sat down to watch the Tony Awards last night and I picked up the bag next to the couch that had the throw I'm crocheting for Doreen's mom, who has just shut down since her husband passed away a few weeks ago. When I stick my hand in what do I find? Yup, my camera. *smacks head*