A Pillow for Pengui

One Saturday, D2 came to me looking for something to do.  He has a short list of standard requests, but that day, he wanted "something I don't usually do."  I suggested a sewing project.  It only took him a minute to remember one he'd planned to do some time ago: a bed for Pengui.

 D2 chose some material, and started with a pillow.

 A very small pillow, even for Pengui.

Then he moved on to the mattress.  He planned, measured, cut, sewed, turned, stuffed, and stitched it all closed with minimal help.

Pengui soon passed the bed onto a smaller member of the menagerie, but it was definitely a sewing success for D2!

Stash to Treasure: Peasant Top

I found this lovely print in Grandma O's stock, and thought it would make a nice top.  The only problem--it was pre-cut into six fat quarters.  I would need to do some piecing for the front and back.  So I decided to decorate the seams with some lace. 

I pressed an edge under, and used a simple hemstitch to create reinforced holes.  Then I used my smallest crochet hook to force the yarn (CoBaSi in Curacao, left over from this sweater) through the holes, and slip-stitched along the edge.  Switching to larger hooks, I single-crocheted in every other slip stitch, then crocheted some decorative lace.

I used two patterns from The Finer Edge, by Kristin Omdahl.  I've returned the book to the library, so I don't remember their names, but I used this big fan for the front, and the smaller pearls for the back and sleeve edges.

After I sewed the decorated edges to the plain cloth, I cut the pieces according to Simplicity 1162, more or less.  I raised the neckline, which is a little complicated with raglan sleeves and  gathers.  And I did some less decorative piecing, since parts of me are a bit wider than a fat quarter.  (What does that make me?  A broad?)  I didn't have a long strip for the neck binding, so I used white bias tape to make an elastic casing inside. 

When I was crocheting the lace, the Caterpillar asked what I was up to.  I explained my ideas, and he was impressed.  "Everything you do is an experiment," he said, or words to that effect.  "You teach yourself five new skills just to make one thing."  Well, maybe not every time.  But this was fun to figure out, and I like my new top!