The Tien Times: We've got the Crafty Bug

I don't know if it's the winter chill or all the time that Tim's parents were here helping out with the kids that allowed me some extra time to clean and organize. But I've been fairly productive in the craft department lately. I have always loved being crafty since I'm not artistic. I've tried my hand at most of the major categories. Knitting, Cross-stitch, sewing and quilting were my favorites.

When I first started working as a RN, I worked nights. For nine long miserable months, I attempted to keep on a night shift schedule by staying up all night even on my days off. To stay entertained....I quilted. Almost everyone I knew got a quilt that year! My quilting madness slowed once I switched to Evening shift, but I still loved to shop for patterns and materials. There was this summer event "Western Washington Quilt shop hop" which I attended 3 times I think. Thirty to forty quilt shops up and down the entire length of Western WA participated in a 3-4 day weekend of shopping madness. You could get your "passport" stamped, get a free pattern and fabric for a quilt block, and be entered for prizes, and of course shop in their store. Each participating store had to use the theme fabric in their free block pattern, and then could supplement and/or sell you the rest of the material needed to finish the block. I absolutely loved the quilt shop hop. One year I went alone, trading my boring Forester for my friend Gennie's "cool" Jeep! (put the top down!). I got carried away, and ended up driving home from the border of WA/OR where the last store was at like 10pm (making it to Seattle around 1am!) Another year my dear friend and fellow quilt lover Carolyn came all the way from Florida to join me on my crazy adventure! It was super fun, but she got this very annoying cough (poor girl!) that we still remember to this day! I remember telling her "Please stop coughing!!" It was really bad. But we did get some shopping done!

All that to say, I had made 8 squares from one of these shop hops, probably 15 years ago. Then finally a few years ago found them again and made them into a quilt top, and then just over Christmas break finished the project into a small lap quilt that is officially Henry's now!

Henry's Quilt

While I was sewing and quilting, Lucy was interested in the sewing machine, and we made her a little doll quilt. She chose the fabrics and did the top quilting on the sewing machine, essentially on her own. I threaded the machine, but she loved using the foot pedal and controlling where the stitches went. I only got videos of that, but here is her finished quilt.

Knitting seems to be the next most practical. Lucy was able to learn some basic knitting this fall and was eager to make Daddy a scarf. She really can do it, but as soon as I stop watching each stitch, and correcting the wrong ones, it's a tangled mess! She saw me looking thru a knitting book, and begged me to make her a knitted bear. I was excited to have a challenge. So I went and bought the yarn (which cost almost as much as an American Girl doll...yikes!), but OH MY GOODNESS! A challenge it was. The knitting itself was straightforward, but sewing the individual pieces into a bear was a nightmare. I did finish, and Lucy loves her. It's not Etsy worthy by any standard, but I'm happy that Lucy loves her, and immediately named her Betsy (after a character in a book she is currently reading.)

She found some doll clothes that fit her for now, but I'm working on some knitted PJs that will be removeable. She is playing hide and seek right now, carrying Betsy around in her doll sized quilt. New BFF! She stopped for a quick pic while searching for Tim.

I also have several cross stitch pieces unfinished, but I found this one DONE! I just need to frame it.

Remembering how much I loved my crafts, and seeing Lucy's desire to do the things I am doing, I got a couple of beginner kits from Amazon. They came today, and we are so thrilled! A beginning needlepoint kit, and a latch hook kit!!!