Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Stitches

The dog bone Christmas stockings have had their photo shoot and are now ready to head off to their new homes. Rosie and I had so much fun setting up for all of the pictures. She was such a good girl, and the perfect assistant.

Every stocking is personalized with a name and a choice of fabric to match individual holiday decor. I had lots of fun sewing these up, but more fun will be had with filling them up with treats. This week I am planning on sewing up a few stockings for the humans in my family, and of course, a very special stocking for the model, Rosie. We got plenty of perfect shots, but also had a few bloopers! Are you sticking that tongue out at me Miss Rosie?

Really, Mom? Do I have to do this? I do like the treats though!

That treat was super yummy!

I would say the good pics outnumber the bad, but I'll let you be the judge.

Feeling a bit of holiday spirit yet? I know I am! I hope these pictures have given you a good dose of "cute", but remember - the doggie doesn't come with a stocking purchase! Have a happy day. 

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Stitches

Today was a beautiful day and it was filled with all kinds of my favourite things. Of course, it included lots of time spent in my sewing room working on some very special orders. The doggie Christmas stockings are coming along so well! I love the colours and I am getting into some early holiday spirit. These stockings are a generous size, but I know these pups have been extra good and lots of treats will arrive on Christmas morning!

Choosing fabrics and embroidery colours in only the beginning of the process. Every stocking exterior and lining has to be cut out. Before embroidery, the design must be centered using a water soluble pen. After hooping and embroidering, the basting stitches are removed and the stocking is ready for the sewing machine. Sewing the stocking up actually takes less time than designing and embroidering the name. A couple of the stockings are now at the sewing machine stage, but mostly my sewing room is littered with fabric dog bones! Tomorrow will be a big sewing day for sure.

The final touch on every stocking, of course, is a special little label that is dog-gone cute!

Fall is upon us, and this wonderfully sunny day offered us a chance to visit one of our favourite hiking spots in the York Forest. The sun was shining down through golden yellow leaves and it was almost as though we were walking along a magical path. We meandered along 5 kilometres of leaf covered trails and stumbled upon all kinds of interesting woodland sights.

All in all, a wonderful Sunday! After the dog stockings are complete, I am planning a new project. This time it is for all of my feline friends - bet you can't guess what it is? Meow. Have a happy day!

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful

There hasn't been too much sewing going on over here lately! That's because we celebrated Thanksgiving this past weekend, and we were so very busy. We were very lucky to have all of the grandparents visiting and the cousins even got to decorate some pumpkins. We do have so much to be thankful for and it was wonderful to have everyone around.

 The weather cooperated for the most part, providing lovely sunny days for walking in the woods. We drove out to York Forest, where we were able to hike in short sleeves if you can believe it.  Sunday was rainy and dark, so we headed over to the McMichael Gallery to enjoy some amazing art exhibits. On our way home, we drove by a turkey waddling along the road. The irony was a bit much, and I felt a little bit guilty about heading home to our mouth watering dinner. I trust that particular turkey had made a hasty retreat from the specific danger his kind faces at Thanksgiving. I'm sure he was one grateful bird.

Three generations and one pup!

There was no shortage of delicious food, that's for sure! Everyone worked hard to create a Thanksgiving feast that was a huge success.

Sorry Mr.Turkey. I hope that wasn't your friend we passed on the highway!

 We have decided to make an effort to use our good china more often. It is such a pretty pattern and the table looks so beautiful all set for a holiday dinner. I am hoping the girls remember all of the special touches that go into preparing and celebrating together. We gave them the job of setting the table and they quite enjoyed it - even if it wasn't set up to Downton Abbey standards!

All of the goings on were a little much for one member of the family, who sought refuge under a dining room chair. She peeked out a few times as the scent of turkey piqued her interest, but otherwise, she enjoyed her little cocoon. 

This week it is back into the sewing room to prepare for the next big holiday - Christmas! Many dog bone stocking are awaiting my attention, along with a few Santa sacks that will be great for gift giving. Have a happy day!

Sunday Stitches...or Stirrings?

Well, there really wasn't too much time to spend in my sewing room today, but that's alright! I was busy   stirring up a storm and getting all ready for our Thanksgiving festivities. It's always the same lovely routine where we gather up all of our cookbooks and set about making our grocery list.  After all of these years, I think we can almost get the veggies dishes whipped up without looking at the recipes, but every year it starts the same way, and that's just how we like it! We flip through our dog-eared cookbooks to find our favourites. The cookbooks are showing their age - full of marks and rips from so much use which makes them all that much better!

Then, off to Starbucks to fuel up for our grocery shopping adventures (ok, that part is probably not crucial, but it sure makes the process more fun!) : ) After heading home to unload our groceries, we were all set to get to work. Before long the kitchen smelled delicious!

We like to get a lot of the cooking done before all of our family arrives so that we can enjoy their company over the weekend. We managed to get three casseroles finished up and put in the freezer, and we even ordered out turkey. In all honesty, I have delegated a few jobs this year. We ordered some pumpkin pies from a lovely local bakery, and most exciting, some amazing cookies from http://sugarandlovebakery.com. I can't wait to pick them up, and I'm sure these beautiful cookies will be a perfect centrepiece for our holiday table.  I'll be sure to post a picture when I receive them.

Sweet potato casserole, veggies supreme, and turnips with apples

My sewing room was not totally neglected though. I did get a few dog bone patterns cut out and am getting ready to sew up a whole big bunch of doggie stockings for the next big holiday. Yup! That would be Christmas. It will be here before we know it so I had better get sewing!

When Is Laundry More Than Laundry?

 Truer words have never been spoken:

Over here at our house, we certainly agree with this quote! Our twin arrivals came as quite the little surprises fourteen years ago, and they created no small number of challenges/adventures for us to navigate. Some of these issues are ongoing. One in particular leads me to amend this quote to say, "There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: Twins. And the laundry they create." 

It lives!!! Run and hide!

The laundry at our house is never ending. We have moved along the continuum from tiny preemie sleepers to piles of jeans with legs so long they give me pause.  In fact, it has become almost like another member of the family. Soon I am going to set it a place at the dinner table, and I am considering buying "Laundry" a Christmas present. The washer and dryer are on permanent full time shifts, and I don't even want to think about the electricity and energy involved in the whole affair. Let's just say it probably equals a luxury trip around the world (in clean clothes!).  My machines have a lovely little song to let me know when a cycle is complete, like they are trying to fool me with lyrical trickery. Doesn't matter if it is a loud buzzer, or a sweet song. It's still my call to action, and the end result is the same. I am no laundry novice, and I won't be fooled.

In order to cope, I have had to change my attitude with regards to the ongoing struggle. I am trying to be glad that my girls want to change outfits so many times because it means they are establishing a firm sense of their own individual styles. I have decided that my untold trips up and down the stairs carrying baskets of clothing is a perfectly good form of exercise. Having sports uniforms to launder is a sign that my kids are engaged, healthy, and involved, albeit a bit smelly : ).  Lastly, I feel that having laundry to fold is a reasonable excuse to catch up on some TV shows that I have been missing. All this work is a sign that life is good, and I know that like all stages, the "Laundry Overload" will morph into some other form eventually. I might even miss it, and all it entails. Because it is about so much more than soap, bubbles and folding. So, you see? So many positives come from the piles that emerge from all bedrooms in this house. If I'm really lucky, I even get a little "help" from a friend!

Rosie the wonder dog always at the ready!

Happy Friday! Wishing you all a great weekend, full of good things. Like laundry.

Wordless Wednesday

There's an Elephant in the Room!

Recently I had an order for a tote bag and bib to be given as a gift for a baby shower. Elephants are really big (if you'll pardon the pun!) at the moment, and I think they are a very gender neutral option as well. The baby shower had a very fun theme; bring a book along with something to do with the year 2013. So, I created a sweet book bag and embroidered the year on the front.

I chose a neutral grey and added cherry red to keep things fairly neutral, given that it is not known if the baby is a boy or a girl. I used lots of polka dots (of course!) to add whimsy and fun. The handles are accented with a grey and white polka dot and Ellie the Elephant is soft and cozy flannel. The inside is my absolute favourite part though - red and white polka dots!!! Nothing could be better ; )

You know what? That elephant was just so darn cute, that I had to add it to a bib as well. I used the grey and white flannel polka dots again, thinking that the soft flannel would be so gentle for wiping baby's chubby cheeks : ) I used my favourite bib pattern , it is generous in size and covers little tummies during feeding. The bib is made from a durable cotton/polyester blend that washes beautifully. I added a bright red snap and there you have it - a matching bib! 

This combo was really fun to create. It headed off to the baby shower stuffed with books and goodies for the new baby. I'm sure that both bag and bib will come in handy for the new mom.