My Productive Monday...

Monday began with me deciding to make the heirloom
garment bag to protect Liam's christening ensemble.

I began with the pocket detail on the back of the garment bag.
It will be used to hold the photo and information about
me, Liam, and all the future babies to wear this ensemble.

This is the front of the garment bag.
I've added a special acorn charm to the zipper pull...

and, the pocket is on the back of the finished piece.

The only thing left is to write my letter to Liam
and my descendants to place in the pocket.
I need to put some thought to that, and if
you'd like, I'll share it with you when it's written.

Then, the entire ensemble will be ready to travel
with me to Wisconsin this month.

But that wasn't all I did on Monday.
I also sewed this project...

On Wednesday, I'm going to Sarasota to meet my friend, Marion.

She and I met online through Ravelry a couple of years ago and
really hit it off because we have a lot in common.

She's a lover of all things outdoors; hunts and fishes like me;
and this gal also has her own motorcycle! She's another
creative soul, making the most beautiful glass beads, too!

She's in Sarasota for her niece's graduation now, and we're
going to spend the day together on Wednesday. We've spent
time getting acquainted online and on the telephone, and now
I'm so tickled that we will finally meet one another face-to-face.

Because I don't want to meet her empty-handed,
I decided to make one of my Sweet Treat bags for her.
These make up quickly and are so useful.
It could come in handy for her knitting,
sewing or jewelry projects-in-progress.

I chose a fabric that I hope will remind her of her trip to FL (she
lives in Michigan, so we have the Midwest in common, too),
and I'll be tucking a few surprises inside the bag to fill it out.
I had such fun choosing the sweet, little fish button to adorn it.
Think she'll like it?

Last, but not least, I want to show you the fabrics for my next project.
It's time to make the Williamsburg Consort fund raiser quilt to take
to Virginia in September. I need to finish it with plenty of time for
the long-arm quilt artist to do her magic after I do all the piecing.

Hope you'll follow along on this project, too.
Handsome is going to be in Pennsylvania for ten days
(he was invited to attend Allegheny College School of Adult Music),
so my plan is to make up this quilt and have it ready for the
long-arm by the time he returns. Think I can do it?

Today's Completed Projects...

My friend, Amy, is celebrating her birthday this week and we're planning to get together for a belated birthday lunch today. She's a knitter who I met on a trip to the LYS in Sarasota five or six years ago. She is a former Wisconsin girl, too. That may be one of the reasons we really hit it off. I love her sense of humor, her level head, and she's a talented knitter. I always enjoy the time we spend together.

Because she's a knitter, I thought she might like a few handcrafted gifts. I made a Moda Sweet Treat Bag for her in nautical-themed fabrics. I used one of my starfish buttons to embellish the flap and then set about making a few goodies to put inside.

The photo on the right is a closeup of the cloisonne' button I used to spiff up the flap.

I made a little stitch counter that I saw on a Ravelry post last week. One of my online friends there created one for her swap partner. We had all been participating in a stitch marker swap, and we always add a few little extras to the package we send to our partner. I loved the idea of the stitch counter, so I decided to try my hand at making one myself. (Sorry I didn't take a photo of it before I wrapped her gift.)

Then, because I had so much fun making stitch markers for my swap partner, I decided to make a set for my friend. What do you think? Inspirational words, light blue beads and sterling silver sand dollars. I hope she likes them.

We'll be getting together after my much-needed haircut today to share a meal. I'm like a little kid - I can't wait to see her reaction! Happy Belated Birthday, Amy!

You can click here to go to the Moda website for your own Sweet Treat Bag. Just scroll down the free pattern images until you find it. You can always get to it from my "Free Patterns" link in my right sidebar. The photograph there is one of the other ones I made a while back. They're simple to make with a great "wow" factor. Really, you can whip one up in about an hour!