If you spent the last two months in your sewing room (or even your workshop!) in order to get ready for Christmas I’m sure that you are currently looking around at the mess that remains. At least, that’s what I’ve been doing. Chester and I went upstairs to try to tackle it, but she didn’t make it very far before she had to rest.

Poor Chester!

While she napped I carried on…

I ironed and put away the 10 yards of fabric I had purchased (during a great sale) to be used for ruffles on dresses:

I like to wash and iron my fabric before using it. Yes, I bought this pink specifically for ruffles because I have a LOT of fabric on my shelf that will coordinate with this color.

Then I started working on my yarn corner. I had finished a Project Linus blanket and realized that I didn’t have anymore kitted up and ready to go. So, I spent a few hours sorting through yarn, coming up with different patterns, and kitting them.

I now have 8 afghans kitted up and ready to be placed in my project bags.

Maybe we should go check on Chester…

Whoops! I woke her up. All of my sorting and color coordinating must have tuckered Bob out, too. Life is rough in our house!

Now, keep in mind I have kitted up 8 afghans and taken those skeins of yarn out of my pile. This is what I had left:

It’s a sickness. It’s called Yarnitis. You always worry if you have enough and if you should get more “just in case.” I am hanging my head in shame as I admit that since this picture was taken I have added more to that pile. I blame Jay. I told him about the $10 off coupon that A.C. Moore had emailed me, which could be used on sale yarn, and he encouraged me to go get more. To show Jay that I love him and that I take his advice to heart… I went and bought more yarn. My hands were tied! I had no other option.

I had one last corner to clean up. Actually, it wasn’t a corner as it was smack-dab in the middle of my sewing area.

Joann’s had been running some really great sales on flannel… so I stocked up. To be fair, I’ve actually used some of it already.

I purchased it for the bags to hold the bowling pins and marbles for the bowling alleys that Jay made as gifts. As I was purchasing that fabric I couldn’t resist a few of the other prints that they had. Despite the fact that Chester thought I had purchased it as a very nice bed for her in my sewing room (I keep a clothes roller upstairs for this very reason), I did manage to get it cleaned up. And I made these:

Flannel pillowcases!

They were okay for my first try, but I definitely won’t give them to anybody I actually like. I’m using them for our bed, and I’ll send a set to my sister (she won’t care because she has to share her pillow with a couple of cats, too).

I got the idea when I was thumbing through one of my mom’s quilting magazines. I saw an ad for a Pillowcase charity thing and decided to check it out. There is a pillowcase challenge happening through the All People Quilt website. I couldn’t find any local drop-off sites, but I was intrigued by the instructions for the burrito roll method of making this pillowcase and I had to try it. It leaves no exposed seams and the cases are easy enough to make. If I hadn’t been working on six of them it would have been a quick and easy project. I’m very picky about the pillowcases that I use on my bed, so now I will just make my own as I need them.

My sewing room is still a mess, but at least it’s somewhat more organized. I have another project that I’ve been working on using some of Jay’s old t-shirts that are too stained to give away. It’s a very interesting project and prepping for it was one of those simple things that intrigued me way too much. Let’s just say that what I was working on was akin to popping bubbles on bubble wrap. I’ll explain when I actually post about it.

Oh, look who’s up from her nap and ready for a snack!