This all happened while I was driving by the Joann's in Draper.

A car, mauve Subaru Legacy wagon, had a vanity plate stating "4RDOGS" with a license plate cover that said, "Doin' it Doggy-Style." The woman driving was a plain-looking middle-aged woman who I now imagined "doin' it doggy style." Thanks, lady.

A sweaty, young man ran by with a chest strap heart rate monitor on. It looked like he was wearing a bra, but I could still see his boobies. Put a shirt on man!

For some reason, I was listening to a song about a worm on X96. The girls were singing along to the Twelve Dancing Princesses they were watching on DVD, and I was thinking about Owen Wilson's suicide attempt. Then the song Float On came on.
"Don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy..."

There are apparently too many people in my head at the moment.

A study done by the American Home Sewing Association found that 95 percent of sewers (15 expert and 15 novice) experienced a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure after sewing.

I came home and sewed.

Okay, I'm first to admit this is a bit cheesey, but hey, that's me! My brother, famous brother, flew us to a party in LA in May. So, to thank him, I sewed some tea towels with different kinds of guitars. Really, what else do you get someone who has everything?
Well, sister, he didn't have this:



This is my favorite one-the double guitar:


Now, tell me that's not cute! I hope his housekeeper appreciates them!

Well, my daughter lost a tooth, her first. So, of course she needed a tooth pillow. She and I designed it together. She was very specific about the look of the fairy-black curly hair, big basket for the teeth, etc. She also wanted to include a note every time the fairy came to visit, so we did:


Seriously cute, don't you think?

Embroidery can be a fun, quick, and satisfying project. You can frame them, make a pillow, use as a quilt square, use on a card or for scrapbooking. I enjoy a little hand sewing now and then.

So, Lisa, aka Oh, Judy, is having a baby girl. I thought some of these fabrics would be great for her baby quilt (since I started this da-- tradition of making pieced quilts for my nieces and nephews). Check them out:

So, perhaps some graphic black/white combo with one solid, either a green or pink because we're children of the 80s!

Or, I could take it very floral:

Of course, these are the starting points, and would be paired with other kinds of fabrics (not all these together, silly!) But I do think some minkee and/or satin should be in this one. Have you felt the stuff? It's like woven heaven! Well, Lisa, get choosing because if it's anything like the other quilt I (just) made for you, this baby will be 2 years old by the time you get it!

Do you know about Company C? I've been looking for a rug for my living room. I can't afford these, but SOMEONE, please buy one and I'll come to your house and oooohh and ahhhh! These are my favorites:

I'd like to show you more favorites, but I have this new iMac and I don't know how to copy photos from online without my right clicker-help me! Anyway, check out the website.

Baby Blankets

I've been going gang-busters for baby blankets. Well, people keep having babies and for lack of a better baby gift, I keep sewing. Who doesn't love a cuddly blanket? This size 1 to 1 1/4 yds, so roughly 45" X 45", is even perfect for a toddler or in the car. So, a couple of options here, both simple: Rag edge and Decorative edge. Here are the directions:

Rag Edge

Get 1 or 1 1/4 yds each of two different kinds of FLANNEL fabric. DON'T prewash!!! (Two flannels work better than one simple cotton and one flannel although it does work, it's just not as fuzzy.) Iron if really wrinkled. Lay out on top of each other-WRONG sides facing- and trim. You want to cut it to a blanket size you want (see how easy this is? Only the cutting counter ladies have to measure!) Stitch a straight stitch 1/2 inch from the edge-all the way around the blanket. Clip perpendicular to this stitch approximately 1/8 inch apart all the way around the quilt. Wash and dry! Done! Takes about an hour (if no one is begging for carrots and Ranch dressing!)

Decorative Edge (photos from first posting)

Get 1 to 1 1/4 yds of fabric. I like one flannel and one cotton for summer babies and two different flannels for winter babies. I like to prewash so it's baby-ready when you give it as a gift. When washed and ironed (if needed), lay RIGHT sides together and trim to size desired. Stitch 1/2 inch from edge ALMOST all the way around. Leave an opening so you can turn it right side out. Then, turn it right side out (clip your corners first). Press the edges so everything lines up nicely. Then add a decorative edge by 1) rick rack 2) decorative stitch 3) ribbon 4) upholstery trim 5) puff paint-just seeing if anyone is actually reading this! Under no circumstances EVER use puff paint.

RICK RACK: Stitch in a straight line through the center. Don't try to follow all the squiggles. I put the edge of the rick rack about 1/8 inch from the edge of the blanket.
DECORATIVE STICH: Check out some of the stitches on your machine that you never use. Do it in a contrasting color. I stitch 1/2 inch from the edge of the blanket.
RIBBON: Haven't done this, but would be cute. Use a heavier ribbon, such as grosgrain. Don't use a sheer for obvious reasons.
UPHOLSTERY TRIM: I've seen pom pom fringe and heavier fringes. Just watch out that the baby can't pull them off and choke.

A few more notes:

The blanket can tend to shift after washing. You may want to stitch a shape in the center of the blanket to hold it together. I've followed the design in the fabric before and that works well and doesn't stand out too much.

You can add a light cotton batting if you want more of a quilt feel than a blanket, but you will need to quilt it-with the spacing recommended by the manufacturer.

BURP CLOTHS: I'll get 1 1/2 yds of fabric and use 1 1/4 for the blanket and the rest to make a burp cloth or cloths. Just make them the same way as the blanket. A friend gave me the perfect size-9" by 18". I cut that size, but if you have the fabric you may want to cut an inch larger.

Now, go make a baby happy!