May Has Been BUSY!!!

WOW!! I know that I am not alone when I say that May is CRAZY BUSY!! The end of school always brings lots of goings-on and this past month has been no exception!! Today is the last day of school and it brings lots of HOORAYS and lots of UGHS!!! Hooray...no getting up early, no having to be SOMEWHERE all of the time, no homework and scheduled events that I am ALWAYS late for!! Ugh...all three kiddos home ALL DAY wanting to snack and BE ENTERTAINED!! Having to hear "I'm bored" and the bickering of siblings that is usually brought on by bouts of boredom! No matter what kinds of activities I plan or crafts we make or MOUNTAINS of toys, videos, games, etc...boredom is inevitable...UGH!!! But I am excited about the end of the school year and will hope for a fun, relaxing Summer!! So...updates...The MIL has been in the Nursing Home for about a month now, and it was a good transition. Other than a few "issues" with her roommate, she seems to be happy and getting along well. My SIL came in from Phoenix for my MIL's 80th bday....MISS YOU GIRL!! We grilled enough Ribeyes to feed a small country, and The MIL LOVED her new flat screen TV and CD headphone set....which is perfect for tuning out irritating roomies!! :D So without going on and on...once the MIL was moved out there was LOTS of cleaning, packing things away, and furniture moving (most of which I did myself because of my impatience to wait for help....dumb, I know!!) And now I plan on the 20 yo moving home...AGAIN, shortly!! That is what I expect..hopefully it will be temporary, but I will enjoy having a grass-cutter for the Summer!! HA!
So...anyway....I have been sewing a little. Lots of events for May...a couple of birthdays, teachers' gifts, Mother's day, and miscellaneous gift-giving!

I have decided that if I can NOT embroider directly on tee-shirts, I will be much happier and LESS stressed!! The hardest thing for me when I monogram shirts and onesies is the centering. I always worry and then PRAY when I am pulling the shirt off my hoop that the design is centered and that I haven't RUINED it!! So from now on...at least for my kids..I will be doing all monograms on scrap fabric squares and then sewing them on tee-shirts!!! I have declared it, and it will be so!! :)

Next up, a couple of hooded-towels for some SAINTS fans!!

My friend Jane's twins celebrated their 7th birthday!

I've made a couple of these before and through feedback have learned that the vinyl tends to get stiff and "holds" its shape when hung for long periods of time. So I added some cotton fabric for a backing to see if it works out better!

For Mother's Day, I decided to try my hand at making an updated version of the Fanny Pack for my Momma.

I got the pattern and instructions from the book, One-Yard Wonders...fabulous book!! I look forward to making much more from it!! My sister was not very pleased with me, since she is trying to get my mom AWAY from Fanny packs...oh well!! :D While my SIL was visiting, she noticed my mom's Pretty, Pleated Purse I made using the pattern I won from Tenth Muse Studio, so I guess I will be making my second one soon!!

Then came gifts for Teachers!! Really WHAT can you give teachers? They do soooo much for our kids and I know they appreciate gift cards, but they are so impersonal. Well, my good friend "commissioned" me to make a couple of Rice Heat Therapy bags, which I've never gotten around to making after seeing THIS awesome tutorial featured on Sew Mama Sew! last year.

So I made one for Ms. Priss' teacher, also. Instead of using Velcro, I just did a pillowcase style closure. I used muslin for the rice bags, and 100% cotton fabric for covers. Here are a couple more:

Now, the embroidery thread is a Poly/Rayon blend so I was a little worried as to how they would react in the microwave....no fires or meltdowns..YAY!!

I had a couple of family friends that had babies in the last year and I wanted to make something for them. Now one friend is a corporate lawyer with twin girls....THEY HAVE EVERYTHING!! They are coming up on a year and I still hadn't decided WHAT to make for them!! She would send me emails every day and there would be a new outfit (BOUTIQUE, OF COURSE), or a new toy or baby "needs" item...so my options were LIMITED to say the least!! Beatrix to the RESCUE!! Her Elise Doll pattern is the gift that keeps on giving!!! Thank you sooooo much for allowing me to "test" your AWESOME pattern!!

The one in the middle is for my other friend who had a sweet baby girl in March...can you believe I am ON-TIME with something?? Well, sort of! I decided to monogram names on the back because of the twins...I think it is something I will do from now on!

And lastly....FINALLY, sorry ya'll I know this post is soooo LONG!! Another good friend of mine gave me this outfit in DECEMBER to add an embroidery design to...I just gave it to her last week!! Thankfully she IS a good friend!! :D

I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but this is a Fringe design...my second...so I was worried I would RUIN the outfit...that is why it took me soooo long to do! I am pleased that I didn't mess it up! :) Here is the whole outfit...the little bows are on clippies, just something to "girl" it up some!

Well...that's it!! May has been busy, so I am looking forward to getting back to my lazy days of sewing and reading sewing blogs!! Hope to catch up with all of my sweeties real soon!! Until later...