Fun with Appliques

Hi...it's me again! It seems to be that my posts are getting farther apart...sorry. My everyday life is still a little CRAZY and I am not getting the chance to sew much...let alone keep up with my friends' "happenings"...UGH!! My MIL had a spill last week and we took her into the ER to find out what is going on!! Turns out she had a terrible bladder infection, which caused MORE confusion than usual and threw her equilibrium out of whack bad enough to make her fall back every time she tried to stand. Add seeing "spots" on top of that, and you've got a trip to the ER for lots of TESTS! Thankfully the antibiotic worked quickly and she is somewhat back to "normal", except the confusion has seemed to hang around. This episode has further made us realize that we just can't take care of her anymore and we are trying to step up our plans for putting her in a Nursing Home. The only thing is the MOUNTAIN of paperwork and LOTS of doctor visits that need to be done before any of this can happen. So like I said...CRAZY everyday life!!

Anyway...I did get a chance to do some sewing last week, in between the craziness. We had a couple of birthday parties and here is the first gift for a three year old girl, who loves pink AND Minnie Mouse!

I did not feel like spending $12 on an "official" Minnie Mouse applique, so I went to work on my Embroidery software and arranged some applique circles. At first, I had an embroidered bow, but decided it would look much cuter with an actual ribbon bow sewed on. Plus, I got to match the the ribbon that I added to the hood of this towel.

I really like how it turned out! I have another hooded towel to make for her sister, since I'd made one for her other sister a couple of years back for her birthday. This next one will involve more pink and something princess...of course! :D

Next up, another appliqued shirt for my sweet niece.

To my defense...this shirt was sewn CROOKED!! My SIL bought a couple of shirts online and had them sent to me to embroider. It is so funny the way this shirt was sewn. The top button epaulets, for a better word, are WAY off. And the arms don't match up...AND the bottom hem is DIAGONAL!! So, I did my best at centering it...thankfully my SIL told me that once the shirt was on, you couldn't tell!! :D

The next couple of items are for my other niece and birthday girl. My cousin did not want anything saying 1st bday, because she wanted to be able to use this bib again.

SOOOO CUTE!!! I LOVE the little fringe bunny! It was my first time doing a fringe applique, but it was so easy!! I got this design and several other fringe embroidery designs from my FAVORITE site, Sew Forum! I am ALWAYS appreciative for anything they are willing to give! :D This bib has a terry cloth backing, and a vinyl covering...so it should be super absorbent and MESS proof!

I also did a couple of inserts to put in her Christmas bib! Remember?

I thought the ant and watermelon would go great with the whole checkered tablecloth theme!! Only, my cousin decided that a red watermelon would look better than this pink one...oops!

So, as you can see...I am managing to squeeze in a little bit of sewing time. AND when I was at my cousin's I noticed that she had the Twilight books....YES CHELLE.... I AM HOOKED!! I read the first two books ALL DAY Sunday (when I wasn't driving back to Lafayette...although I was seriously trying to figure out a way to read AND drive!!), and then Monday...much to my husband's displeasure of coming home to a messy house (what else is new) AND no dinner...but he cooked and let me read...isn't he the most AWESOME MAN!! :D I've decided that I will have to wait before getting to the other two...or at least try NOT to devour them in ONE DAY!! Until later...