Passing the Torch

My mother was an accomplished sewer. She even made she and my dad matching shirts and dresses for square dancing. I have been passionately sewing since my early 20's. (No, I won't say how many years that has been). My repertoire includes adult and children's clothing, household items, crafts and quilting. No, much to my delight, the torch has passed on to my daughter. She has made window treatments for her home and a friend's home. She sewed almost all her Christmas gifts, including handbags and aprons.

I was so delighted to receive an apron from her on Christmas morning. The apron is even lined - a step further than I think I would have taken it. She is even talking about making a quilt. So sew much to share with her. No doubt, I will be learning from her!

Bags, Bags, Bags

Handbags and Tote Bags - I am finding these to be so much fun! For Christmas gifts, I made a cute and simple summer bag for a teen. It has interior pockets including one just the right size for a cell phone. For a dancer, I made a large tote - good for dancing shoes and dance wear. The flower pattern on the fabric was perfect for beading. What started out as a few beads turned into hours of beading. I've never been much on handwork, but for some reason the beading is so much fun. It adds some great bling to the work!
A while back I had also made a bag for my daughter, using three different fabrics in the same design family. It also had interior pockets and a zipper closure.

Hand made bags make great gifts and they are a great way to accessorize without spending too much money. Watch out Louis Vuitton - Joyce is the new bag lady!

New Quilt, New Baby

Welcome to Madison Faith Coleman, my great niece. I've done a quilt for each of my sister's grandchildren - hopefully they won't have too many! This one is called "Cuddle Bugs", because there are just the cutest little bugs on the fabric. She was born in November, so at least I wasn't too tardy. My daughter's baby quilt turned in to her "10 year old quilt", and I haven't heard the last of it yet. The piecing was easy and I did a fair amount of handquilting using pearl cotton. Madison also has a cute little older sister, Ella, who is three. The sad part is that I have not met either one of them yet, but hope to in 2009.