Chaos

Things feel really crazy today. Yesterday I heard way too much crying, today I have to balance a home office and children who aren't napping. I need to figure out what I want and how to achieve it, especially with small children. Time management might be the biggest issue for me right now (doesn't help the Olympics are on and I love watching Olympics). I also need a little break I think, and I'm going out for coffee with a few friends tonight and I'm excited about that. I'll update if I find anything that gives me some more sanity.

Gifts

I made some homemade gifts for Christmas. Now I'm finally going to post about them! In the process of making these, I learned how to use a serger! This will be a great asset for future projects. My mom had a serger, but didn't know how to use it, so I took it, pulled out the manual and figured out how to thread it. I'm a beginner, and don't know any serger tricks, but it's a start!

I made an eternity scarf for my sister. I took an old sweater, cut it into strips, then used the serger to sew them all together and sergered the edges. Turned out pretty good!

I made a ruffled scarf for another sister, using the instructions from here. It was really easy too! Again, I used an old sweater (I love re-purposing clothes I don't wear anymore) and my sister was wowed by the results.

My brother and sister-in-law are expecting in February, so I made them some baby gifts.

I made a nursing cover (hooter hider) for my SIL, and was very proud of how it turned out. I ironed all the seams before I sewed them, and I think that made the difference and gave it a very clean, professional look. I used the instructions I found on this website.

I also made a onesie/receiving blanket set for the baby. I used the logo from my brother's business card, blew it up with a photocopier and traced it on the items. Then I used a sewing machine set on zig-zag and went over the lines. I had some trouble with the machine not feeding properly, but otherwise it turned out good. My brother was pumped, quote "it would cost $50 if I got that done by the embroidery place." Soon we get to meet this baby and then I will see that my baby (she's almost one) is not as small as I think she is!