Project List Status: Done!

There's something wonderful about checking things off the Project List.  Perhaps it's because some things have been on that List faaar too long.  Or maybe it's because things are continually being added to that List.  So while I'll never see the end of it, I might just get closer to the Latest and Greatest Project Idea!  And we all know that those are not in short supply!  So here are a few things that I've been finishing up in those precious hours after the kids are in bed.

Project #1:  I started this wool braided rug over a year ago.  I ripped, literally, wool yardage into 2 inch stripes, folded in the raw edges (like double fold bias binding) and started braiding.  It was great fun putting colors together, and it made a huge dent in my wool collection.  I planned to use the light grey throughout the whole rug and then shade the other colors lighter and darker as I went.  And yes, I said rug.  Originally I had wanted to make a 6 foot circle rug for my daughter's playhouse.  Oh, she would have loved it, but a thrift store rag rug seemed a more prudent option.  Having been stuck at this size for well over 6 months, I decided to add ties and voila! chair seat cover!  All the other yardage went back into the stash and now I have some great pieces for winter clothes!

  Project #2: Last month I knitted up a pink 1940s tie-on cap to match my pink coat.  I blogged about it over at the Hometown Victory Girls if you're interested.  Well, my daughter, who is young enough to still want to be like her mom, asked for one.  So a quick rummage through the yarn supply produced a skein of variegated pink left over from her slippers I did last winter. This little beauty works up so fast and is easy to size (I may make another one for myself).  So check off the List one going-to-church hat!

Project #3:  Last week my niece was confirmed in the Catholic Church and asked me to be her sponsor.  For her gift, I sewed up this cute little shoulder bag using Wild Kat's tutorial for reusable shopping bags.  Instead of using two carrying handles, I improvised a single shoulder strap.  I made a drawstring top and ran a heavy cord.  It closes with a sliding toggle, and the cord is sewn into the seam at the bottom of the bag.

The fabric was a remnant I picked up at the local thrift store (shocking, I know).  I think it may have been a valance at one time.  These whimsical birds scream 1960s and you can't help but smile!

Project #4:  It's so easy to come up with sewing projects for my daughter!  I used McCalls 8471 to make a simple bathrobe for her out of flannel.  I left off the cuffs and took some of the fullness out of the back.  And I only put one vintage button at the neck. 

She told me it's like wearing a blanket.  What could be better?!  And there are her slippers peeking out, made from the same yarn as her hat.  She and the cat, Zehny, are sitting in front of the wood stove (which stands just outside the picture).  This is the most coveted spot in the house during the winter!

Next up on the Project List is a wool pencil skirt for myself, a pair of corduroys for my daughter and a crocheted shrug.  The work never ends, but then it's not always work.  It's therapy!