I'm back!!! Sorry I've been away so long!!!

So I haven't really done any crafts, quilting or postings for a while...and I hope I haven't driven away my loyal followers. My father had been terminally ill and passed away peacefully on July 9, 2009 - so I have been a traveling like crazy. But now I'm back and hope to get some quilting done and posted on here....

Me and my Dad - circa 1979

Finally Finished CSQ - for Alora

I signed up for a Crazy Shortcut Quilts class in April...It is for my newest Niece Alora - she was born in September. But she will eventually have a twin sized bed - in the house Jamey and Mike had built - crossed fingers for a closing soon!!! I am really happy with the way it all turned out. It took 40 fat quarters and 1 1/2 yards for sashing and binding. I also made a matching pillowcase.....

Teacher Gifts

I needed 3 teacher gifts this year...Jakob's Mr. Carson, Tessah's Mrs. Caole & Mrs. Mastroyanis -

Tessah desperately wanted to give Mrs. M. an apron... but I could not make 2 - not enough time...so I reworkd a PartyLite candle for Mrs. Caole.

Mr. Carson was a bit more difficult, but I jazzed up jar I had laying around and in the morning we will go to the store and fill it with candy....I'm tired.

Projects in action.....

Indiya in her dress with purse!!!! Her barbie dress is packed away for the trip to the new house.

Another project....

Back at Christmas I drew my 60-ish year old MALE boss's name for Secret Santa. It is hard to buy a gift for a man you know well...let alone one you have only worked for for 2 months... Since our office is dog friendly, his canine children are often at at work with him....so I snuck pictures of them, re-worked them on one of my favorite picture editing sites www.picnik.com, framed them and...he LOVED them. Since then, another co-worker asked me to do one of her dogs for her sister's birthday. I wish I would have taken a picture of the first one I did...this time I added the dogs names - and VIOLA! I am going to be doing one of Olive soon I think.

Let them eat Cake!!!!

And they did!!
I made the princess cake and the cupcakes for Indiya's party....cute cute cute

Fabric Stash put to use

Tomorrow is my neice Indiya's 5th birthday party! I am making her cake (which I will post pics of later) and making her present this year. As I have said in earlier posts - we are financially challenged- so from now on homemade gifts with materials I already have is my goal. According to my sis-in-law - the last thing Indiya needs is another Barbie (although that's what she wants - she is a 5 year old girl, y'know) So I waded through my fabric stash and found some perfect little girl fabric (confession: I had to buy the ribbon at Joann's - but I had a coupon - it cost me $1.29) and made her a sundress with a mtaching dress for one of her 17 Barbies. It actually fits Tessah as a shirt - so I'm sure I will be making this again.

I stole the idea for this dress from here....

http://daisyjanie.typepad.com/daisyjanie/2007/12/how-to-bandana.html
AND here
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2009/03/bandanna-dress/

I had no bandannas so I Googled the "standard bandanna size" and cut my fabric appropriately.

What do you think?