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undead dolls

Here are the little dolls that I poured my heart and soul into for my daughter. They sit on her window sill practically untouched. She got a “Thomas the Choo Choo Train Coloring Book” the other day so the dolls’ heyday is officially over. Although she now knows four new words: vampire, ghost, skeleton and zombie.

undead dolls

They are an early Halloween present. I say that because it sounds much more on the ball than calling them a late birthday present.

If you don’t know me all that well, you may think it’s weird that I would make these for my two year old. I’m a pretty big horror fiction freak. My favorites are Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and her Mayfair Witch books. I have watched every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel too many times to count. (When I was in labor with M, I watched almost all of season seven.) I’ve seen most of the Jason, Michael and Freddie movies. I own the Bela Lugosi and Gary Oldam versions of Dracula (love them both!) and my favorite horror film of all time is The Hunger.

Not that I’m going to encourage her to watch or read any of these. I simply fell in love with the pattern and it seemed too self-indulgent to make them for myself.

Occasionally I find find them in her bed after nap time or in her Lego bin. I’d really like to put them on the window sill in my office, but they were a gift. I’ll just sneak in her room and visit them every once and awhile.

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just some thoughts for today

I hate how it sneaks up on me, almost daily, around this time of year.

I was confirming the day of my hair appointment: “That’s September 11th, correct?”

While paying the mortgage I notice the due date: September 11.

Sometimes it’s really dumb things, like looking at the clock when the time is 9:11.

Walking past the television during the GOP Convention and out of the corner of my eye seeing a plane crash into one of the towers.

Painted on the police car at the stop light: dial 911 for emergencies.

Some things really make me mad. Like hearing a Talking Head on the news say “nine one one” instead of “nine eleven” or “September 11th.” 911 is a phone number not a date. Why is that such a hard concept for some otherwise intelligent people to grasp? No one celebrates Independence Day as “seven four.” No one calls New Year’s Day “one one.” That lack of attention to such a little detail seems hugely disrespectful.

Why do these things bother me so much? Why can’t I look at my watch and just simply think, “It’s eleven minutes after nine o’clock?”

That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. I don’t have an answer and I don’t think there is one.

Maybe they’re little reminders of how lucky we are. Lucky we have each other. Lucky when my husband comes home in the evening. Lucky that a plane didn’t fall out of the sky two blocks from the White House.

There are some things that we do every day since then. We kiss goodnight every night. We say, “I love you!” whenever we leave to do an errand. We never forget that so many people lost loved ones simply because they went to work.

We live more in the present. Sometimes I just sit and soak in my husband and my daughter. I notice the details: their smiles, their hugs. I try to absorb them somehow. Store them inside. Live in the moment. Feel grateful for every day we have and don’t take life for granted.

These are just some thoughts for today.

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i made it myself: amigurimi apple

Last Saturday we went over Lauren and Paul’s to watch the game. I have a hard time sitting still while watching television. I always need to be doing something with my hands. I didn’t have any small knitting projects to take with me, so I brought a hook and some red yarn. (Red because it was a Husker game. Aren’t you proud of my Nebraska spirit?) Here’s the result:

I thought M might like to have it, but she’s totally uninterested. I just finished her undead dolls (more on them in another post), and with her birthday presents, she’s got plenty to keep herself busy. So, the little apple is for sale over at etsy. I plan on making a pumpkin next. These little amigurumis are SO addicting. I just can’t stop!

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here!

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i made it myself: felt board

I saw this tutorial for a felt board and knew instantly I wanted to make one for M. I used my Michael’s coupon for the canvas and my Joann’s coupon for the felt. Usually handmade doesn’t mean inexpensive, especially when it comes to knitting, but this project was easy on the budget and easy to make.

felt board

The best payoff is that M totally loves it. I think the first time I gave it to her she played with it for over an hour. That’s like an eternity in toddler time! In fact, while I was writing this, she saw her picture and then went to the closet and pulled it out!

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here!

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i made it myself: baby bela

Yes, baby Bela. I talked about this project before. This one was actually for Liz. He’s a thank you gift for all the sewing help she has given me over the past year. If you read her blog, you’ve probably already seen him.

bela

For the yarnies, here are the stats: This was my first crochet project. I used Red Heart Soft Yarn. Probably not a great choice for my first project. It’s kind of splitty. Starting with black was also not such a good idea. I think I did four bases before I finally got one I liked. (The others became cat toys. Chloe isn’t picky when it comes to cat toys.)

The finished Bela was about two inches bigger than the pattern was written. I had to use a pretty large crochet hook to navigate the stitches in the black yarn. I’m definitely going to make more, but I am going try an easier yarn next time.

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here!

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i made it myself: moleskine journals

This week’s I Made it Myself post is from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. The pattern is called “Scrapbooks,” but they were a gift for my brother-in-law. I’m not sure “scrapbook” is the right positioning for a guy gift, so I’m calling them journals.

journals

Anyway, these were super easy and fun. I practiced first on some card stock because I didn’t want to sacrifice any of the Moleskines. I did them in one night. There were a lot of ends to trim, but other than that, I totally love them. In fact, now I want to make some for myself! I have a feeling lots of friends and family will be getting these for gifts in the coming year.

journals

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remote control pillow pattern

UPDATE: Thanks to WhipUp for their link to my pattern!

When it comes to gift giving, it’s really hard to buy for my brother. Same with his girlfriend. They don’t have a lot of time for hobbies because they both work really hard at their jobs and at school. The only thing that is consistent with them is the Hokies. Something burgundy and orange usually goes over well, but how much VT gear can one really want? I decided to ask him. I told him to be honest. Do they both really love the Hokies that much? The answer was YES. So for his birthday, I made him this:

easy remote pillow pattern front

And that’s not even the cool part. Look at the other side:

easy remote pillow pattern front

Because they are so busy with work and school, they wind up watching more games in their living room than down in Blacksburg. I figured a VT-themed remote control pillow would be perfect! What’s even better, I made this out of one of his old VT sweatshirts. He had handed it down to me a few years ago and it had been sitting in my closet for awhile. I figured I’d give it back to him new and improved!

I think this would be a cool gift to make for any sports junkie in your life. It would probably work just as well with a t-shirt. I’d just use a more substantial interfacing to give it structure. I’ve written up a pattern and you can download it here. Let me know if you make one! And as always, drop me a line if you have any questions.

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five easy steps to silencing your inner elmo

You know what I’m talking about. The Inner Elmo. The la, la, la, la that runs through your head all day. You just want to make it stop. I can imagine that parents with a talking Elmo doll are probably on the brink of insanity. I think that’s maybe what happened to Christy.

We were at knitting one Saturday afternoon and I was talking about how much Bella LOVED Elmo. Christy said she had an Elmo to give me if I wanted one. It was in her closet. I told her thanks, but I don’t need an Elmo that continues to sing la, la, la, la after I turn Sesame Street off. She said no worries. This Elmo doesn’t work anymore. Oh. Well, in that case, cool! We’d love to have an Elmo!

When I brought him home a few weeks later and showed T he had two things to say: “Oh my god, Bella is going to LOVE that!” and “Oh my god, does it talk?” I told him that Elmo was broken and he said, “Cool!”

I showed him the doll and he commented on how heavy Elmo was. All that mechanical stuff inside made him kind of clunky. T suggested that I take it out. Huh? He reminded me that I can sew and that I could do anything I wanted with Elmo. Yes, knowing how to sew can sometimes be dangerous. It makes you fearless with regards to Opening. Up. Elmo.

5 Easy Steps for Silencing your Inner Elmo

  1. With a seam ripper, carefully open up the fabric around the battery box.
  2. The battery box is part of a bigger box, which is held in place by a heavy duty plastic tie. Cut the tie.
  3. The box is also connected to the mouth and hand by small wires. Cut the wires as close to the hand and mouth as possible.
  4. At this point, you might want to throw Elmo in the washer on the gentle cycle. I didn’t put him in the dryer, but rather let him air dry. (I’m not sure why I was so cavalier about ripping him apart and throwing him in the washer, but timid about putting him in the dryer.)
  5. When dry, stuff him with some FiberFil and sew him up!

I did all of this in the evening after Bella was in bed. I was afraid she’d get upset if she saw me cutting Elmo’s insides out. A few days after he was finished, Bella was freaking out about getting dressed because OH MY GOD PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME TAKE OFF MY ELMO PAJAMAS. I was in a hurry get out of the house, so I made a deal with her: take off the Elmo PJs and I’ll let you play with a real Elmo.

They have been best friends ever since.

bella and elmo

 

Thank you, Christy!
 

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i made it myself: bicycle pants cuff

T has been riding his bike to work the past few weeks. He needed something to keep his pants from getting caught in the chain. I offered to make him something out my scrap fabric.

bicycle pants cuff

We measured twice, with his pants on. Somehow the first one turned out too small and the second one too big. Hopefully, this one will be just right. Once I get the measurements down, I’m going to make a second one for him. I might also write up a tutorial, although it’s pretty straight forward. I used a cotton fabric that looks like denim, but is lighter in weight (and hopefully cooler, too!). I also used some fusible interfacing and velcro.

Did you make something yourself this week? Post it here.