rose hip

all over the map....

...that pretty much sums up my last two weeks! So, let's see - if I can remember it right - two weeks ago, I decided that it was high time to finish some patchwork duvet covers that I first started in the summer of 2006... (blogging is great for keeping a record of your progress or, in my case, lack of it). On January 12, 2007, according to my post on that day, these covers-to-be looked like this:

Now, I did manage to finish a few of them since then, but the top one in the lavender-blue-green tones along with three very close copies remained untouched. Motivated by the fact that someone has been waiting to buy one for a little -- ahem -- while now, I decided to tackle finishing them. As of yet however, I  haven't managed to finish a single one, because my brand new serger broke down on me after only an hour of serging! (I'm starting to seriously believe that I am serger-challenged...)

With no serger and my youngest daughter Nicola's (or Nico, as we call her) 6th birthday just around the corner, I decided to make her something I haven't made in a while and have been dying to make: a cloth doll suitable for dressing up with fun and fabulous clothes! Well, after a solid week of very piecemeal work drafting her and sewing many variations of her different body parts up, I think I have a design I like, close to what I originally envisioned! The photo above shows my  _____teenth and final draft version of her (minus her ears, yarn hair, embroidered face, etc...). I'm quite pleased with her and am looking forward to finishing her up (not going to happen for Nico's birthday though since it was last Friday...) and, especially, making all those fabulous clothes. I'm planning on showing you how she comes together as I finish her up, but first, I thought I should shift gears and think about something like this :

I've had a few ongoing and more recent requests for patchwork coverlets backed with cotton chenille like the one above, but in different color schemes and sizes. Hmmm...with no serger in sight and no finished doll for last Friday's birthday, I decided to start cutting fabric squares today for coverlets. Will I finish anything in the near future?! -- to be continued....

Erleperle...

...that's the name of a beautiful blog authored by Mette, who lives in Denmark. Her blog showcases her creations which, like the little babushkas above, are absolutely charming! Luckily for us, she sells these pretty items in her Etsy shop. I was lucky enough to win a beautiful babushka (the blue one) and the pretty pincushion shown below in her giveaway, (ahem...) a little while back. I then bought little miss blue her three babushkas-in-waiting so she wouldn't be too lonely on her own -- aren't they sweet?!...

shipping news...

...all the babushkas are on their way to their new homes -- they should definitely arrive within the next two weeks (please contact me if this isn't the case).

Thank you for all the comments and e-mails you have sent me in the last two weeks; I haven't yet responded to any of them though, because I honestly haven't had any time since coming back from holidays last weekend... there is so much to do around the house! I really feel that spring has arrived in Vancouver -- I'm itching to be outside in my garden, trimming, planting, digging, tidying up and, most importantly, simply enjoying all the promising fresh new spring growth! Our holiday was spent in one of British Columbia's snowy wonderlands, Big White, to do some skiing and, let me tell you, there was not a single sign of spring there! I think that coming back down to balmy Vancouver (relatively speaking) from the mountains is the reason for my first little bout of spring fever...

When I get a moment away from doing all that has to be done around here, I'd like to share with you some of the amazing treasures I've received in the mail in the last little while...