What will turn you into a sleeping beauty?

For quite some time I used to put a drop of lavender essence on my pillow. Lavender scent, just a hint of it, makes you feel relaxed and helps you settle down. It worked wonders.

These days though I no longer need extra tricks. Just any regular day filled with my two beauties, the husband, house and garden will do to make me go comatose as soon as the sun sets. I feel a bit like a woodland critter preparing for hibernation... but hey, I've been informed that's it autumn after all. 

Anyhow, last week I forfeited my aim to finish all the unfinished projects on my table - oh dear- and I went back to the idea of putting a light lavender scent in the room. And I made Lolly. Without doubt, the most fanciful lavender sachet ever to leave my sewing table.

She's worked as a regular little toy bear, measuring about 16 cm in height. Her nose and belly are made out of felt, her blushing face is hand embroidered and she's highly fashionable with her ear corsage and her striped cotton scarf. She's waving her wishes for you around on a small paper flag and she's stuffed with a mixture of soft filling and dried royal English lavender. Oh boy, no bear has ever smelled that good!

She just loves hanging around bed posts or door knobs where she'll quietly send lavender goodness your way.

Oh and just for fun, she comes with her own little storage bag. Mind you, she wouldn't mind if that bag was used to store other things in, besides herself... :)

It has been a long time since I made anything like this. A lot of fiddling around but she came out the way I was hoping she would. I might go and make her some sisters and brothers.

After I finish all the other unfinished work that's still lingering on my sewing table. Yes, need to be strict that way or I'll loose my sanity once and for all. Not too mention my available free sewing space...

The daughter who was saving for long hair to be braided and brushed changed her mind.

Her bangs were getting into her eyes and her hairpins and elastic bands were getting into her pockets instead of staying in the pigtails she ordered each morning. And quite frankly she had had enough. She wanted a short bob.

Her words, not mine.

But I can't say that I was disappointed. Her hair was rather flimsy and looking back at last year's pictures when it was still much shorter, I noticed how it made her face so much more defined.

So on her request, the hairdresser gave her a short bob that just covers her ears. It's beautiful. Suits her to the bone. And strangely enough, now her hair looks luscious.

But let's get to the point of all this, being that short hair offers very little refuge to hide underneath when the cold sets in. So apart from knitting scarfs, I added a hat for her to the list:

The pattern for this hat is by Phidar. This season they have some great cable patterns available. And I just love knitting cables, they always seem to come together so magically. This one was no exception. I used an aubergine wool that I had lingering around as this will match up perfectly with her yellow winter coat. And then I went for the 10 year old size... even though she isn't 4 yet. But it's that big head thing. It's congenital yet harmless. And you see, it fits like a glove.

A fortnight ago I came across a bit of embroidery that was half done and hiding underneath a cascade of fabric.

As I was in an 'efficient-housewife' mood I took it upon me to not only finish the embroidery bit but to also turn it into something practical. That same night, as I laid down my scissors and needles, I was marveling at this:

Oh I was, still am for that matter, so chuffed. It's sweet. It's cute. It's practical. Mission accomplished.

A pillowcase. Made to measure to fit a small toddler pillow.

The front is a plain white cotton on which a patchwork band sits at about 2/3rds down the right hand side. The different pink fabrics, the white eyelet lace and the embroidery are complemented by a hand crocheted brighter pink picot edging. Granted, crocheting 218 stitches with a 1.25mm needle is tedious but fortunately my efficient mood could see the benefits of the delicate result I was aiming for.

The back, and the inner envelope part to close the pillow case, are made from the soft pink with white dots fabric that runs underneath the white eyelet lace.

I was thinking of putting this one up in the shop.

And then my youngest offspring entered the room. She headed straight for it and announced:" Oh mum, what a magnificent pillow case you made for me. I just looooooove the pink. I'll sleep on those ballerina's straight away tonight."

Given the utter disappointment that started to show on her face as I began to mutter:" Yes, well hang on dear, actually...",

a change of plans unfolded. It's now on her bed.

She claims the ballerina's tell her that she can keep her eyes wide open during the night, which she then does. All night long. According to her. And the ballerina's.

But as long as she and the ballerina's are quitely keeping their eyes wide shut I'm fine with that.

But as for my plans, what do you think... Should I make another one to go in the shop?

Literally down to business I went this morning. Time to sandwich and pin a rather large size quilt...

So large that I had to move a bit of furniture around downstairs to get enough open floor space to lay it out. Oh why do I always tend to make quilts in full and queen sizes?

Anyhow, equipped with a jar filled with around 250 quilt pins I set to work. Having a finger that's still behaving super sensitive after the needle incident, and having a bruised and battered knee -a pushchair meets storm wind incident yesterday- didn't really help matters along. But as the furniture needed to be back in place by the end of school, there was no turning back. Me and my great 'early morning' ideas...

But hey, we're quite a bit later and tadah, here we have a pinned quilt. The jar is about 200 pins lighter, the quilt is substantially heavier carrying all that metal.

The top of this quilt was actually finished before the summer. But the combination of kids to entertain in gloomy weather and the urge to spend those rare sunny days out in the open meant that it kind of sat on the unfinished-projects-side of my sewing table for all this time. But now it's moved sides and is on the get-a-grip-and-start-sewing-lady-pile. At last. Will this pile proof to be faster than the other one though?