Recently made a little friend for myself. I figured it would be an easy project - a couple pieces of cut up felt, glue, embroidery, and a handful of cotton for stuffing. Turns out my embroidery skills are a bit rusty - that french knot got me cursing up a storm! I ended up fudging around and “faking” a french knot. Who would know?

My friend in pieces:

My friend fully formed! Little Miss Squirrel - tada!

Her backside (she doesn’t mind showing it off):

Playing in my potpourri:

Climbing up a tree:

I will be making more little friends in the near future. She’s not as perfect as I’d like her to be, but she’s my first one, so hopefully the others will be better. =)

This weekend a close friend will be getting married, and moving away. I’m so incredibly happy for her, yet have mixed feelings about her leaving town. Selfishly, I want her to be close by for myself! But I know life must go on, love will guide her, and the best I can ever do for her is to continue to shower her with my support, love, blessings, and prayers. I know God is guiding her and watching over her.

And… I also made a handbag for her:

Side view:

I actually asked to make a bag for her - these Amy Butler patterns are cute, easy, and good sewing practice for me. And this pattern was a cinch, plus, I’ve done it before. We agreed on fabrics together - good thing she liked my previous blue floral fabric (they are her wedding colors!), and she picked out her lining:

Here are the front and back button closures. Instead of using a ribbon, I chose an elastic and more sturdier option:

I’ll be gifting this to her at the rehearsal - hopefully she won’t be checking this blog anytime before then (My guess is that she is so busy/stressed about last minute details that she won’t have time to do any web browsing). After I finished this bag, I really wanted to keep it for myself (it matches my bridesmaid dress perfectly!) but too bad, I already promised this for her… haha! This is the sturdiest bag I’ve ever made (I used peltex interfacing so it’s strong and not flimsy).

Okay, off to putting together her bridal emergency kit! =)

A good friend is expecting in May, and having a lovely baby shower this weekend. However, I can’t make the shower (boo), but decided instead to make it up by giving a handmade gift of my own. Presenting, Rowan’s Odette Blanket!

I’ve been itching to make this blanket. The pattern book shows it in a light blue, but I thought it would look more precious in a soft pink. Here are a couple close-ups of the top edging and the stripes:

All folded neatly and ready to be wrapped!

I hope the mother likes it as much as I had fun knitting it. The yarn I used was Rowan’s Soft Baby, and it is SO INCREDIBLY soft. However, it isn’t machine washable. In fact, when it hits water, it can stretch and grow, so it’s important to dry flat. So yes, it’s going to be a high maintanence type of blanket, but I couldn’t resist such a girly and precious looking (and feeling) blanket. =)

This is a completely different topic, but today I went to my third quilting class. My first class was exciting and overwhelming at the same time. My second class was disappointing and discouraging (due to a substitute teacher’s attitude and teaching style). I was dreading the third class, but was pleasantly surprised that the original teacher (from the first class) was teaching it and I learned alot and was encouraged once again to try it again and not give up!

We practiced on making squares and triangles:

I used to thinking the 1/4″ seam was too difficult to accurately sew, but in a couple weeks, I overcame that. Lately I’ve been thinking that the most difficult part was accurately measuring and cutting, but after this class, I’m feeling alot more confident with my skills. I’m still making mistakes, but I know how to correct/fix them and I feel that I’m capable of not repeating those mistakes. This could actually work for me! =)

Have a wonderful weekend!