by small means

wow! thanks for all the quilt love. did someone link to my blog? i have received so much traffic and so many e-mails the past few days. anyway, thank you.

so, my summer is coming to the end. i have one more week until we start homeschooling again, and than at the end of september i will start taking classes again. last year once school started for me i had very little time to do anything other than school related stuff for my kiddies or myself. it was kinda depressing not to be able to hang out with friends or go to church functions (other than sunday) or anything. if i had finished my homework and was willing to stay up late i could squeeze in a little crafting time but that didn't happen very often at all. oh well. i figure that this year will be the same, so i dont have any grand plans in the works as far as projects go. i do however have a short list of things i want to finish before i start classes.

first let me show you the cute blankie i finished this last week. i followed the happy things tutorial again. it turned out way cute. i took my time and top-stitched each stripe since i wasn't going to use batting and quilt it. when i finished the top i simply cut out some flannel the same size and bound it pillowcase style. i also added a few ties using embroidery floss, to keep the back from shifting away from the top. oh wait, before i sewed the flannel to the top i appliqued on an "e" with matching fabric. than i stitched around it with contrasting floss.  i love blankies like this. just perfect for wrapping a little one.

the e stands for elliot. a little boy who just arrived last week.

ok, now for my plans. i want to finish up these projects before school starts at the end of september.

the robot quilt: the top is done now i just need to quilt and bind it. the only problem is that i am not sure how i want to quilt it.

the self striping yarn project: i knit up a tube when i was on vacation in idaho but decided it was way to big to make as a purse so i frogged it, reset the yarn and started over with a smaller purse. the tube is completed as well as the strap. now i need to sew up one end of the tube add lining and a zipper and sew on the straps. i am much happier with the size. the biggest dilemma with this project is that i can't decide if like the side showing or the inside better. i turned the tube inside out a realized that i like that side as well.

and than i have this fabric that i am dying to make into another quilt.

oh and one last thing. i have a friend who is need a pair of booties. i think the booties will come first since this week i will be traveling and they can come with me. i could also sew up the lining on the purse and bring it since it needs to be sew in by hand. yes, i think i will do that.

so anyway that is the plan. who knows how much of it i'll get done. i'll see you again if i make any progress.