Note!
If you're looking for my professional MouseTrax site, see:
http://www.mousetrax.com
If you're looking for my Soldiers' Angels 'blanket making' page, see:
http://www.mousetrax.com/angels/Blankets.html
Dian's Craft Projects
When menopause makes you insane...
make cool stuff!
(Updated as new stuff is done.
Started, Nov 2007; now I love these crafts so much, I just can't stop!<g>
)
Update 2010: In July 2010, Greg and I moved to a new dream home. Thrilled, I now have my own sewing room where I can keep all my craft junk out of the daily house environment and work on projects as needed. I LOVE having this inspiring space. Below are two quick photos of my pretty new view from my sewing machine, as well as a view of my new sewing/crochet closet, which I am just crazy about having! Finally, I can now keep all my craft items neatly sorted in one place! What a dream come true!
Lessons! I do NOT profess to be any type of expert, but I have figured out a few things. And, as with the free technical support I so often provide, I enjoy sharing my knowledge with others who may not have figured things out yet. So, I hope to post the occasional video and/or instructions to provide tips to others. To date, I only have one video, which I share below. But I do hope to have more in the near future. With that, if you've ever wanted to figure out how to crochet a STAR, see my video here: How to Crochet a Small Star
Quilts/Blankets |
Crochet... |
...more Crochet |
Misc Sewing/Crafts |
American Flag for Severely Wounded Soldier...October, 2011
An acquaintence I met via Facebook has seen the blankets I make for soldiers (see http://www.mousetrax.com/angels/Blankets.html). He recently learned that a friend of his from high school, who became a soldier and was deployed to the Afghanistan war, was severely wounded...he lost both his legs to an explosion. He wanted to do something special, so he commissioned me to make this American Flag 'lapghan' as a get well gift to his friend. For a reasonable fee, I made this lapghan and sent it off to his friend recovering at a Military Hospital.
If you'd like to have me made one for you...or any specially colored afghan or quilt, contact me at: dian@mousetrax.com and I'll see what I can do for you.
Pink and Blue for Autumn...October, 2011
A neighbor friend's young daughter is named Autumn. Her favorite colors are baby blue, dark pink and pink. She's a sweet kid who I'd recently met. So I whipped out this youth afghan for her.
Warmth for our RV...September, 2011
Greg felt bad that I had to stay home for several years to care for my elderly, stroke victim mom and wasn't able to travel as the rest of my siblings regularly enjoy their vacations. Now that some siblings have finally stepped up to help care for mom and I'm able to get away, we want to do some make-up traveling. However, we are still somewhat chained to our home due to having three, large dogs who I hate to put in the local kennel as we run off. Seeing this...Greg decided to buy us a beautiful mobile home. Now we all can travel in comfort as the dogs feel like it's still part of being home with us (just new 'sniffies' all the time<g>). But to help keep dog hair off the furniture, as well as give us a dedicated afghan to keep in the RV, I whipped off this one. Doesn't quite match the interior greenish decor, but it was 'on-hand yarn' and worked out well enough in a pinch. (FYI...mom passed away in Oct/2011 at nearly 92 yrs.)
Photo Banner for Maggie May & Lucy Lou...September, 2011
Bill and Linda are our neighbors...and wonderful ones! Just after we moved in they invited us to a nice dinner party so we could get to know our neighbors. They've also been terrific about bringing goodies to our parties and inviting us to more dinner parties. They happen to have two beautiful and sweet golden retriever dogs, who are their babies. They're all often seen walking by our house and were one of the first neighbors who welcomed us to the neighborhood. Greg and I wanted to do something special to thank them and let them know how special they are. I offered to make dog beds for their pooches, but they're so spoiled...they have their own bedroom! HA!So, I decided to make them this photo banner to put in their house. Since I didn't have photos of their dogs to adhere to fabric, I sewed clear plastic pockets (displayed here with cartoon dog pictures) so they can insert their own, favorite photos and/or change them as they wished. I also added folded 'hangers' at the top, but sewed them in a way that would allow them to easily be pinned back should Bill/Linda wish to just use it as a throw. But were available if they wanted to hang it from a rod/bar.
Linda told me she has it hanging in her office at home and smiles whenever she looks at it...they love it! Cool!
Soldiers' Angel 'Banner of Hope'...August, 2011
As a Soldiers' Angel, I make a lot of items that I ship to deployed soldiers and the VA Hospitals for wounded soldiers or hospitalized vets. In August, I organized a Soldiers' Angel booth at a Military Appreciation event in Barrington. Prior to the event, I made this quilted 'Banner of Hope'...like a big, quilted 'get well card.' It will be send to the US Military Hospital in Germany and the nurses there will give it to a recently wounded soldier...one they feel is most in need of good wishes and 'hope' to get well. We had it at the booth event so visitors to our booth could sign it and pass along their wishes of hope and thanks for the soldiers' service. It was a big hit at the booth and the sentiments written on it will, hopefully, give some soldier the will for a speedy recovery.This picture was taken just after I finished it. The top (hard to see in this photo) is a fabric banner from Soldiers' Angels saying "May No Soldier Go Unloved." Below you can see what it looked like once it was signed.
We used only red and blue pens/markers to keep with the R/W/B theme.
Bobby's Blanket...August, 2011
We had a little BBQ in our yard this summer and hadn't yet found a kennel for the day to spare the little kids any potential torture, since our big dogs are not fond of little kids...who used to tease them at our old house. So we had to tell people that kids under 12 yrs old could not attend that party. (We've since found a kennel to house the dogs on any party days so kids can now attend.)Anyway, I felt bad that Bobby, a little neighbor boy, could not come by and even worse that his mom, June, wasn't able to attend because she didn't have anyone to baby sit. So to make up for having to slight Bobby...I made him this blanket with his favorite items. Favorite color = Green, favorite things = Sponge Bob and Cars. One side is green cars fleece and the other is cool, cotton with a Sponge Bob design. And because he also loves dogs...I created the binding (border) using black/white fabric with a 'paw print' design.
Needless to say...Bobby loves his new blankie! And mom loves it cos' now Bobby is anxious to go to bed with his favorite blanket!<wink>
"Chark's" (our boat) Seat Afghan...July, 2011
This summer, after moving to a lakeland vacation village, we realized you gotta have a boat! So we bought a 21' Cuddy Cabin. But after one hot day of sitting on the back seat, we realized it gets hot FAST! So I quickly knocked out a matching afghan. Works great because we put it under the back 'lid' and close it. That way we can flip it onto the bench seat or...if we're sitting in the far back for fishing or just hanging around while at a swimming hole...we can flip it over the back to keep that area cooler so as not to burn your buns when you're in the sun. (By the way, 'Chark' is the name of our boat...named after a blanket game we play with our Lab, Lexi. Long story, don't ask...but we knew it was the perfect name.)
This afghan...on the bench seat and then flipped over the back cushions. It may not match the design exactly, but it is in the design that Greg really likes.
Bob's Daughter's Sweet 16 Afghan...June, 2011
A neighbor, Bob, has a daughter who turned 16 this summer. In honor of this momentous birthday, I checked with Bob to find out her favorite colors and made her this afghan.
Pink Afghan for Shellie...March, 2011
Through the Patriot Guard Riders, I met a cool chick named Shellie...who actually reminds me a lot of myself at a younger age. She's a sweetie who does a LOT of compassionate work with the Soldiers and Veterans, as well as rides motorcycles. After working on some American Flags, I needed a break from red/white/blue yarn. Shellie told me her favorite colors are: "pink, pink, Pink...and, oh yeah, PINK."<g> So I made her this fun afghan with various shades of pink and a little violet and purple tossed in as accent colors, which are also within the "rainbow" yarn segments.A couple friends have a hard time believing I made this in less than two weeks, so I'm including some progress photos w/dates that I took as I was showing Shellie how it was coming along. Yes, I can crochet this simple half-double stitch quite fast and just work on it when I have a moment where I'm not doing anything else...like waiting for a computer to process code, watching TV or relaxing outside, so it can go quickly. Working with colors I find pleasing to the eye is also a bonus that motivates me to work on a project often.
March 18, then March 22...
...and the finished version, March 28.
Dian/Greg Blue & Purple Afghans...February, 2011
I hate February cos' it's cold and you usually can't get out of the house to do much due to the weather, so I made us a couple new afghans for the house to keep my mind busy so I didn't go nuts, as well as keep us warm by having a few extra afghans tossed around where they are handy when things get a bit chilly.
HERO Blanket for Kevin...January, 2011
One of my other passions over the last few years is to help out our veterans and deployed soldiers where/when I can. I post these efforts to my Angel web site. Through Soldiers Angels, I help deployed soldiers and through my efforts with the Patriot Guard Riders, I honor fallen soldiers and welcome home returning ones. I'm also a member of the Soldiers' Angels Letter Writing Team...writing letters to lonely soldiers in the sandbox and occasionally sending them requested items to help make their deployment more comfortable. One such soldier I got to know was Kevin. I wrote him...he wrote back...we became online friends. As he returned home to his two children, I made/sent him a HERO blanket, which holds the lettering Thank You For Your Courage! I shipped it off to him shortly after his arrival. You can read more about Kevin HERE.I used a no-sew fleece panel, purchased last year from Joanns.com for the front, as Kevin was in the Army. To finish the blanket, I used a cotton fabric with a various patriotic button design for the reverse side of the blanket. I used red satin ribbon to bind the two sides together with a slight overlap of the fleece to help match up the two widths better. A blanket fold/stitch for the bottom and a white ribbon along the top. Added to the middle of the white ribbon is the red lettering THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE!
Kevin emailed me that he LOVED it and will be displaying the Army side of it on the wall in his home. Cool!
Fashion Scarves...December, 2010
As I mention further below, I fell in love with the colors of Bonnie's blanket, as well as the look/feel of the Caron Simply Soft yarn. So I used some of the left over to make myself a fall Fashion Scarf. It turned out so nice that I made myself a red/white one for the holidays and then made a brown colored one for Lisa, our neighbor and a blue one for our female letter carrier, and am currently finalizing a pink/gray one for our other neighbor. These are long, thin and go great with jeans and a blazer as a cold weather out/indoor fashion accessory.
Bonnie Blanket...December, 2010
Greg's aircraft mechanic, Chuck, is a very good friend of his. His wife, Bonnie, is very sweet. When they both dropped by to see our new home, Bonnie loved seeing my sewing room and loved some of my afghans she saw in the house. So I asked her what colors she liked and knew just what I'd make them for Christmas. She loved autumn colors, so I created this "Autumn Leaves" full-size bed afghan for Chuck and Bonnie. Made with Caron Simply Soft yarn, it not only had a nice, heavy weight to it, but was very satiny soft to the touch. I decided to create it with absolutely no pattern in mind, just random colors mixed up in random stitches (single, double, triple). This "random" look/feel would resemble the random affect of a "pile of leaves." The white edge represented the coming frost. HA and "Frosty" just happened to also be the name of Bonnie's beloved Cockatoo. So I changed the name of this design to Frosty Leaves. They loved it! And I must say...once finished, so did I.
Brown Lapghan...December, 2010
Yet another item I realized we needed was a better matching afghan for our new home. We bought a few new pieces of furniture after our move. I had a few afghans around the house for our use, but realized none really matched up nicely with our new furniture, as the older ones were more multi-color. So I quickly made this lapghan to have handy and which matched up nicely.
More Veteran Scarves...November, 2010
As the temperatures began to turn, I realized it was time to make some scarves for our homeless vets and mail them to Hines VA hospital to ensure they had some to give to vets showing up for medical attention who may need a little extra care. So I whipped off these nine scarves, using up some excess yarn balls I had. Being fast/easy to make, I was able to make all these in about a week (an hour+ per scarf) and quickly get them mailed off to Barb, Director of Volunteer Services at Hines VA Hospital in Chicagoland.
Big Dog Beds...November, 2010
We soon got to meet our other new neighbors, a Marine, Doug, and his wife, Lisa, and their two big dogs...a Golden and a Husky. I made these two big dog/fleece beds for them.
Bathroom Curtains...October, 2010
Another needed item in our new home was the need for some curtains in the master bath. The ones left by the previous owners were very pretty, but a bit too sheer for me to be running past as I moved into the shower. So I took those down and made my own. I'd never made curtains before, but this simple design was manageable and worked out well to bring in the red of the one wall in the adjoining bedroom.
Dresser Runner...October, 2010
In our new home, I realized dad's old dresser had taken a beating. I want to keep it as it was one of the last pieces of furniture he touched before he died, suddenly, back in the mid-70s. He put his glasses on his dresser...then planned to take a nap, but had a heart attack and died in his bed, which was next to this dresser. So it stays with me! But it needed help and, not being a furniture finisher...I used my sewing skills to cover the dents and scratches on the top. Also, a wonderful, new feature of my new sewing room affords me a wall where I can finally hang my felt design panel. So now I have a place to play around with fabric designs before sewing them. Below is a demo photo of how that looks. Fabric sticks to felt, so you just toss it up onto the felt like a giant post-it...then you can move the fabric around with no need for pins, etc.
Little Dog Bed...October, 2010
After moving to our new home, I had the pleasure of meeting one of our new neighbors...Dusty, the terrier/sheltie dog next door. I made him his own little dog bed. I forgot to take a photo of it, but later used leftover fabric to make a similar one for Greg's cat, Bugsy, to make a favorite spot of his more comfy. Here's how both turned out.
Angels for Soldiers...Start date???
I can't remember when I started making these, sometime in 2009, I think, but I wanted to make sure to include them here, as well as within my Angel site. I saw the pattern online once and felt they would be nice to make for soldiers. So, as time/energy permits, I make one and occasionally slip one into a letter to a soldier when I get a "profile" from a soldier who appears to be particularly religious (as a member of Soldiers' Angels Letter Writing Team, I regularly write to soldiers). To date, most who have received one have thanked me for putting an "Angel in their pocket" and they've literally put them in their pockets and taken them into battle. I'm not very religious anymore, but it makes me feel good to think that my angels do give some added comfort and peace of mind to the soldiers who carry them.
Crochet Seat Cover for Greg's Plane...July, 2010
In an effort to make his plane's back seat not only look classier, but also protect the seat from dirt and dog hair, Greg asked me to crochet him an afghan to fit his plane's back seat. He really liked the black/red afghan I made for my sister, so he calculated out the measurements for me, to decipher the rows per the design, bought me the yarn and let me at it. Leaving a bit of an adjustment on either side of the seat for the latches, he was very happy with the results.
Afghan for Pattie...June, 2010
Back at the beginning of 7th grade, a new girl walked into our class and was introduced as Pattiann, our new classmate. She soon became one of my very best friends. We moved on to high school where we remained best friends at first, then remained close friends as situations moved us a bit further from each other's lives. After high school, we lost touch. But many times over the long years, I often thought of Pattiann and wondered how she was doing...particularly after the 2000 death of our very close, mutual friend, Debby.Patti, Debby and I had been the best of friends throughout those early high school years. Debby and I continued on as best friends after high school, standing up to each others weddings and commiserating through letters about our lives with kids...until those kids took over our lives and we lost touch. I deeply regretted losing touch with Deb over the last 10+ years, only to later hunt for her on the Internet and sadly discover she'd passed away from cancer just a few years prior to me reconnecting with her family! So my hunt for Pattiann became more intense.
Happily, Pattiann (now "Pattie") and I finally found each other again in 2010 (thanks to SusieQ, another school friend who pointed me to Pattie through an Internet posting). And just like true friends, that first phone call to each other...after over 35 years...seemed like we'd just chatted last week, as we gabbed like teens catching up on our lives. We now keep up with each other via the Internet, since she moved to another state (HA...but has warned me she hopes to move back to our area...woohoo!)
To commemorate our reunion and also as a gift to her for her birthday, which I still remembered was June 25th, I made her this blanket, which I'll be shipping off to her shortly. I'd passed her links to the yarn to allow her to select her own, preferred colors for the pattern.
Happy Birthday, Pattie...so glad you're back in my life and look forward to you moving back "home."
Baby Blankets for Aislynn...April & May, 2010
My nephew and his wife were due with their first baby in May. I ordered some pretty green/white yarns for a new baby blanket pattern I wanted to try and figured I had a month to do it. I was using greens not only because they're Irish, but also because they didn't want to know the sex of the baby before it arrived. HA! And as Patrick told me...'he's learning a lot about babies, particularly...girls come in pink, boys come in blue and babies whose sex is unknown before their birth...come in green.'<g>But 'it'...(SHE)...decided to arrive a month early! Since I hadn't even received the green yarns in the mail yet, I whipped off a couple of quick blankets for my new grand niece, Aislinn (Gaelic spelling for Ashlynn).
The multi color one is a larger baby afghan...in very soft baby yarn. The pink one is also baby yarn, but notice the triangle addition on the one corner. That's a hood. This is a tubbie wrap for baby. Slide baby's head under the hood and wrap her up...to keep her warn & cozy all over, particularly after a tubbie.
A few weeks later, I finished the new pattern blanket. It was confusing to try to learn how to read the cryptic crochet pattern instructions (due to their length, crochet patterns are written in abbreviated "code" that takes time to learn/understand). Here's the finished blanket:
Update!
Pat & Tamera sent photos of Aislinn (isn't she a cutie!!) with each of her new blankets. HA...either the hood on the tubby wrap is a bit too big or Aislinn's head is yet a bit too small. But they loved my gifts and thanked me with these photos...photos I love getting of my work with their recipients.
NOTE! If you've ever thought of learning to crochet...I must tell you that I'm so HAPPY that I taught myself to crochet and although learning to read/understand new patterns is challenging, it's fun, too. Being able to now quickly make gifts like these for friends and family is very rewarding, as well as a great way to wind down after a busy day. And I know from my own experience that they can last a lifetime. My daughter was born in 1984, yet she still has/uses baby afghans that I received for her at my own baby shower back when she was born.
Afghan for Naylene...March, 2010
Naylene was the only person who was with me in my attempt to create a neighborhood sewing group for our Soldiers. She was there each week...through snow and rain...sewing stars, cutting fabric and showing newbies how to make blankets. (After a year of struggling to get more members signed up and show up, I gave up and went back to working on my own. See photos from the group, here: PPSA) She never sewed before, but wanted to help our soldiers and was a faithful friend throughout. I wanted to thank her for her efforts, so I discovered her favorite colors (grayish blue & black) and made her this afghan, which she loved. Thanks for all your help, chick!
Bark Place Dog Beds...March, 2010
As a gift to my daughter's boss, I had made a bunch of matching dog crate beds for the day care doggies to use at his doggie daycare shop, Bark Place ChicagoPeople saw them and they were so well received that Stacy informed me they'd like me to make some bigger ones to sell to the customers' who'd been asking to get some. So I made eight different ones to see what might sell. Not that I want to get into the dog bed making business<g>, but as a way to help out and satisfy their customers. Here are some of the beds I made for them to sell.
And, of course, I also had to make a couple for our Barker Gang here at home. I made theirs first so they could test them and let me know if they were doggie approved. As you can see...they definitely were!
Afghan Jeannette...March, 2010
The last afghan I made for my sister was a multi color one, that pretty much was just to give her an extra blanket to have around for the grand kids to snuggle and helped me use up much of my yarn stash.This time it was more about me wanting to experiment with blacks and reds, as well as give her something more classy for her guest room.
Greg really liked this color combination, too. So he now wants a similar color one for his plane since the burgundy matches the interior of his plane's seat covers. Something nice for the back seat and to help keep the dog hair (and occasional dog barf<g>) off the seats themselves. Something easier to wash!
Afghan for Suz & James...February, 2010
I checked with my good bud, Suz, regarding her favorite colors to see what would go with your house. She picked out the colors...I made the afghan. An extra long one to fit her day bed so she can James can both snuggle with it.
Mini Afghans for my nephew's kids...January, 2010
When my nephew and his family was in this summer to visit mom, I promised the kids I'd make them their own blankets. It took me several months to get around to finishing them all along with other projects, but I finally did get them done and in the mail.Christian wanted red, white and blue. Here's my finished pic and one of Christian with his new blankie.
Aidan liked green, red and black...so here's his blanket.
And, of course, Marissa wanted pinks and purples...as most girls do. Here's hers. (Note the color differences are due to the cameras, not some magical mailing color change mishap.<g> HER photo is more true life.)
GLAD you like them, kiddies...and thanks for remembering to send pics, Sean!
Doggie Beds (mats for crates)...January, 2010
My daughter, Stacy, works for BarkPlaceChicago.com and I worked there over the 2009 holidays to help out with the extra load of guests who were being housed there while their people went to visit their families for holiday vacations. Because things were crowded, some of the dogs who hung out with Stacy by her desk didn't have a bed to sleep on. I'd recently made my own dogs some easy-to-clean mats for the deck, so I made a bunch extra for Stacy to take to work as a little gift to Anthony, the owner. I had so much fun working there with all the dogs that I almost felt guilty getting paid!Dog bone fleece with a layer of batting in the middle and a few, quick quilting stitches. I used a blanket stitch to seal the edges versus taking the extra time to close them with binding, because I wanted to whip out a bunch in short order. I made 10 for Bark Place. The doggies love them and they work out great in the crates versus thicker pads that are a bigger hassle to wash all the time.
Our sheltie, Shelby, approves and LOVES his!
Linda's Mom's Lapghan...January, 2010
Linda's mom is 93 and also suffered a stroke just prior to when my mom did. So Linda and I are both not only (very much alike) Aries who are computer geeks, but we also both take care of our moms.So while waiting for yarn to arrive for my next project...and going a bit stir-crazy not having a cool, working project to help me unwind at night...I asked Linda what colors her mom would like. She said blue and brown, since her mom's favorite chair was a light brown. I checked my yarn stash and just happened to see I still had a full pounder skein left over from Linda's blue afghan—promising! Digging deeper into my yarn cabinet I was thrilled to also discovered a full, unopened pounder skein of espresso (dark brown) yarn. PERFECT! So over the weekend, I whipped out a quick lapghan (smaller afghan) for Linda's mom. Since this one was only about 4.5x4' and I used a double, rather than my normally preferred half double stitch...the work went quite fast and I managed to knock this one out in three nights' work.
Seeing the smile on Linda's mom's face proves they were very worthwhile nights!
Enjoy, ladies!
The finished lapghan prior to mailing it off. I ruffled (two doubles per stitch) the edging for this one.
Linda's mom snuggling up with her new lapghan.
Linda's Afghan...January, 2010
Linda Johnson is a fellow computer geek and over the last many years, we've become good friends through emails while working together in tech groups. We also share the fact that we are both primary caretakers of our elderly mothers who had strokes...nearly at the same time. So we've commiserated together about technology and family issues. We're also both Aries...we have a lot in common.I wanted to make her an afghan as a thanks for being a good friend over the years. She said she likes "shades of blues." I found a picture of an afghan on the web that gave me a great idea for a beautiful design. So I created this afghan and sent it off to Linda. HA...although now she may have to fight her mom for it...as mom really likes it, too!
This is definitely one of the prettiest ones I've ever made and plan to make this basic design one of my staple afghan designs.
A picture Linda sent showing me how well the afghan matches her favorite reading couch. (Love the fabric on that couch!)
Linda's mom enjoying my afghan. I may have to make another, smaller one for her mom so Linda can get this one back!<smile>
More Scarves for Needy Veterans...November, 2009
I make good use of leftover yarn by making scarves, which I send to Hines VA Hospital in Chicagoland so the volunteer services there can give them out to vets who arrive at the hospital and are in need a little extra warmth during winter. To see my many other Soldiers Angels project, visit my Angel site here: http://www.mousetrax.com/Angels
Carolyn's Dad, Frank's, Afghan...December, 2009
Carolyn and I both watch over our elderly parents. So we can both appreciate their needs to keep warm. I made this blue mini afghan to help keep Frank cozy. As Carolyn suggested...blue to match his eyes.Carolyn has since informed me it was a big hit with Frank...and made him the envy of his friends! I also received a sweet Thank You note from Frank.
Update!
Sadly, Frank passed away in May, 2010 at the age of 94. I'm glad I made his blanket in time for him to enjoy it a bit and be the envy of his friends. Carolyn plans to give his blanket away to a veteran to enjoy.Frank N. Phillips, Jr., 94, died on Friday, May 21, 2010, at Friends Homes West in Greensboro after an extended illness. During World War II when Southern Mapping and Engineering had work for the Corps of Engineers in Brazil planning and developing air strips, Frank led the company's work and operations there. Over the years, Frank's work took him to many different states performing mapping, surveying and engineering services. He participated in work for the Transcontinental Pipe Line Company, Plantation Pipe Line Company, Colonial Pipeline Company and Piedmont Natural Gas Company. In later years, Frank was particularly proud of his work with Piedmont Natural Gas Company and his involvement with work at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy B. ("Dot") Phillips. Dot and Frank lived in Greensboro since 1951 and were charter members of Christ United Methodist Church. Frank is survived by his daughter, Carolyn Phillips, of Greensboro, and brother-in-law, Lake Woods, also of Greensboro.
Patty's Afghan...July, 2009
A friend of mine...who is also the proud mama of several Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties, like our Shelby)...was the recipient of this peach and sage/light green, long afghan...to help keep her and her hubby...and all their pupsters...warm in the chilly Carolina winters. She later reported, during winter, that it was indeed doing a good job at doing just that!
Here's a picture of it on Patty's couch.
Carolyn's Afghan...June, 2009
A friend has been very generous in helping to support my Bark in the Park and Soldiers' Angels activities, so while waiting for a shipment of more red, white and blue yarn to make more blankets for soldiers, I used up some pink baby yarn I had to make her a little thank you gift. I think I got carried away with the starting stitches, cos' this was a LONG one! But that just makes it more fun to wrap yourself...or yourself and others<eg>...in it!
Carolyn enjoying her new afghan.
Made an Afghan for my sister, Jeannette (NetNet)...May, 2009
With a house load of family dropping by and staying over, she could always use another blanket. So I used up a bunch of extra yarn I had to make her this multi-color, LONG, afghan. Because it was so big, Greg is holding it up but had to fold it over at the top since it was about nine feet in length. Knowing she has a very long/angled couch, it'll come in handy when everyone piles on the couch to watch TV during those cooler months.
Muff...hand warmer for mom...Jan, 2009
Mom will be 89 early in 2009. Although we keep her apartment area warm and she has extra bed jackets and crocheted blankets that keep her warm, her hands occasionally get cold, even when the rest of her is warm. I was having trouble thinking what to give her for Christmas...then it hit me one day when she told me her hands were cold. I'd make her a muff to keep her hands warm!I found this great pink fleece. I filled it with batting and folded it over so it was the same inside as out. Granted, it was rough sewing the edges together because it was so thick. I added the pink satin ends and then turned it inside out so the seam was inside...trimming it close so it isn't annoying against her hands.
Now she can keep it handy and put her hands inside to keep them warm should they get cold. Works great...I tried it before giving it to her and it does keep the hands quite warm. I thought about cutting a little pocket inside so she could nuke one of those warm/ice packets to slip inside for extra warmth. But I didn't think of that until it was done and adding it at that point would have been difficult. However, it is quite warm even without it.
US Flag Blanket with Satin top...for my adopted Soldier, Sgt Kelly...Jan, 2009
I'd been making smaller lap blanket flags for the VA Hospitals. Soldiers' Angels crochet team, of which I am a member, ask for lap blankets to give to the vets to keep them warm when moving around in wheel chairs. Those measure 48" x 36". But this time I wanted to make a bigger one. And as it turned out, Greg and I adopted a soldier servicing in Iraq, so once finished, I sent this blanket to him.However, I messed up the size a bit, so I added a satin, quilted top to the left end. This not only added a few more inches so that it would be more twin bed sized, but also meant that the edge that would be pulled up to our soldier's face would be nice and soft. The gold edge represents a military flag.
This blanket measured approximately 70" x 48".
See more of my Soldiers' Angels blankets and lapghans at these sites: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html and http://www.mousetrax.com/ppsa
Draft Dodgers for the door...Winter 2008
In past years, we'd just toss an old towel by the front door and dog window, where drafts can blow in on rough winter days. But this year, I made stuffed draft blockers with velcro sewn on them, so they stick to the bottom of the door, which helps keep them in place when the door is opened. I liked them so much...and they worked so well...that I made more for other windows and also made a set for my daughter's house to put on their front and back doors.
I sewed velcro to the wintry fabric, then sewed the one end and sides. They're then turned inside out and stuffed with polyester stuffing. The end is then sewn shut. Pull the tape off the "grabbing" side of the velcro and stick it to the door. The soft side of the velcro was sewn to the fabric so it won't "catch" if they need to be washed. Works great and they move with the door keeping drafts out.
Veteran's Winter Scarves...Winter 2008
Some vets, particularly older ones, need items to keep them warm during the winter. So there are many VA hospitals requesting winter scarves from Soldiers' Angels. These are quick to make and help use up left over balls of yarn. Here are three I sent off to Hines VA in the Chicago area.
Veteran's Flag Blankets...Nov 2008...and beyond
Many veteran's hospitals around the US have requests for homemade blankets for the vets...to cheer them up. Many vets request US flag afghans. So I taught myself to make them. They're actually called lap blankets because they are smaller so the vets can put them on their laps when in wheel chairs...they are shorter than full afghans. But some requests for larger bed afghans are made, too. So I'm currently (Dec 2008) working to finish up a larger one.Below is a picture of my first American Flag lap blanket. They size approx 3 feet wide and 4 feet long. I added gold trim to represent US Military Flags and added a satin binding along the top to make it soft at the top and represent a pole.
I finished two in time to send them off for the 2008 holidays. I sent them to Dayton, OH because Greg worked at the Wright-Pat base for many years with the Air Force. I sent them in honor of his time there. But there are many requests for blankets like these at VA hospitals...all over the US.
I folded them properly, as I learned to do back in Girl Scouts. To see all the items I've made and sent to our vets, including details about how you can get involved and help, too (we could use it!)...see my Soldiers' Angel page, here: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html
Hailey's Rag Quilt...October, 2008
My daughter, Stacy, discovered Rag Quilts and sent me a link to learn about them because she wanted me to make her one since they looked "so comfy." I read up, learned and made a test run with a smaller baby quilt that I sent to my niece for her new baby, Hailey. The quilt is not made the conventional way...sewing opposite sides so seams are inside, but rather sewing outside so the seams remain on the outside/top of the quilt. Then, using special spring scissors (to save your hands because they're extremely sharp and easily snap back to save hand movements), you clip the seam ends every 1/4 inch throughout the top of the quilt.Because the fabric used is flannel, after cutting up all the seams and giving the quilt a couple of blasting washes, the ends fray and become a soft divider for your fabric patterns. A neat quilt that only gets softer with age. But I'm also learning...requires less brain power to make, but more work overall sewing "sandwiches" of fabric/batting in individual pieces. A lot more work in my mind...so Stacy's quilt is an ongoing project I work on now and then when I have time. Soon it'll be finished...I hope!
Playmat for Amanda ...October 2008
I saw a fun idea for a playmat for young kids, so I put together this one for my grand niece, Amanda...which I'll give her for Christmas this year. One side is domestic animals with wording showing the sound they make. The reverse is a collection of wild animals. I first quilted the two fleece fabrics together. Then applied plastic to each side and added a blue satin binding.The idea is that she'll have a soft, warm place to play on the floor. The plastic will help protect the blanket and the floor from spills.
Once the plastic was added...a wide zigzag stitch was added in various spots to hold the plastic in place. Although I did learn that trying to sew plastic is HARD to do! It sticks to the machine, so it's quite a wrestling match to get it right!
The reverse side has wild animals for a little girl to identify.
Football Blanket for Mark...October 2008
Mark is a football fan, so he and Stacy have attended a few Bears games. It's cold here in Chicago, so I made them a blanket they can take with them to help keep them warm. I found a nice wilderness fleece for one side, so they don't always have to have the football blanket showing. The football theme went on the other side. Then a nice, thick batting was placed in the middle to add to the warmth. Below you can see the cross-section showing the thickness of the batting.
This side is a nice eagle/wilderness blanket.
Close up of this fleece.
The reverse is a football theme.
Three sides got green binding...the top got brown.
Afghan for Mark...October 2008
Stacy got a pink afghan...a color not suited for Mark. So I created one for him as an upcoming Xmas present...something more his colors. No specific pattern to the colors...just varied width of each of three colors...gives it a nice eclectic look.
Harem Pants for Stacy's dancing ...September 2008
As I've mention previously, Stacy took up belly-dancing a year or more ago...mostly in an effort to have a regular exercise routine to keep in shape. But it turned out that she loves dancing and is getting very good at it. (That's Stacy on the left.)
For a recent performance, she needed a special pair of Harem Pants. She had basic instruction, but her sewing machine was acting up and her time was running short, so I offered to do what I could to toss the project together.
First I used her very basic instructions to make a prototype to make sure that I knew what I was doing. Trying to visualize pants wasn't working...so I grabbed some spare fabric and tossed together a little pair, just to make sure I had the process thought out right in my head. I just inserted a quick tie closure for the sample version.
Then it was time to start cutting the fabric Stacy purchased. Unfortunately, I totally messed up the elastic top on the first version with the real fabric, so it was a rush to Joann's Fabric Store to purchase three more yard so I could start over. I had to start over because once I cut off my messed up top and tried again...the finished product turned out to be too short for her.
So I did a better measuring job with the new fabric and made a simple casting for the elastic versus my first attempt at trying to actually sew the elastic to the fabric. The ankles were pretty rough to do, because the fabric was very wide...her ankles are not. That caused quite a wrestling match getting all that fabric stuffed into a tiny circle since the piece of elastic to fit her ankles was so short. Jamming that mess under my machine needle for the final closing stitches was a riot.
But it all turned out quite well. Stacy gives a quick modeling shot (below) before she ran out with them to work on finishing her costume. She loved them...just what she needed. Lots of fabric pulled in to fit so that they flop around as she dances. And now I have a good idea how to make pants. I may make myself some yoga pants in the future?
As you can see from this sample image I found on the web, they're supposed to be quite wide. Stacy has hip scarves, so she would also be wrapping one around the top, as shown below. With luck, I'll get a good picture from her performance so you can see her complete, final costume.
Post performance note...her dance mates were so impressed when she showed up with the pants I'd made, they accused her of buying them off the rack...which was not something they'd been allowed to do. Part of the process was to learn to make their own costumes. Although help from mom WAS allowed.
Update! Below is a photo of Stacy during her performance. All members had to make their costumes. Stacy, far left, is wearing the harem pants I made. As you can see in comparison...I didn't do too bad a job!
Partially rippled afghan for Stacy...August 2008
I've been busy working on more and more Blankets of Belief for our soldiers but I did keep the yard twirling now and then. I wanted to see if I could create a rippled afghan. I did manage to do it for several rows, but I realized it was too much work having to count. These are more mental therapy, so I just want to work the blanket and not worry so much about counting or using markers.
So after a few rippled rows, I decided to just make the rows straight. This one turned out to be a pretty big one.
And now that I've been adding ribbon to the edges, I love the look, so this one got a satin ribbon on both sides, too.
Dog blanket for "Steve" the rescued Grayhound...July, 2008
I'll be taking mom to Amanda's birthday party and to see my brother, who is battling cancer. He had to sadly put is long-time dog to rest not long ago. Recently, they got a new dog...a rescued Greyhound race dog! So to help welcome their new dog, Steve, to the family...I whipped off a quick dog bed/quilt for him.A fun dog footprint fleece, front and back, with batting between to make it extra cushy...and a little wavy quilting, along with a black satin binding.
And, as you can see, Steve likes his new blanket!
Amanda's Blanket and Blocks, July, 2008
My grand niece will be 2 yrs old soon, so I made her her own, soft blanket and a set of squishy blocks...one with each letter of her name. This way she can not only have fun squishing them and safely tossing them around, but she can also learn to spell her name!The blanket is a Care Bears fleece fabric on top, batting in the middle to make it softer and satin for the backing. Below is the beginning of assembling the layers and pinning.
The finished blanket. I quilted around most of the squares, but then also freehand (w/machine) quilted around the bears...as you can see on the satin side.
I added a discreet HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA lettering along the top.
These blocks are fun and fairly easy to make...stuffing them is the pain part. Thankfully, Greg volunteered to take on that part of the project, so I was able to deal with all the sewing and assembling, while he stuffed and squared the stuffing.
Amanda approved of both her blanket and her blocks!
Soldiers' Angel Blankets...Ongoing, 2008
Update!
Be sure to check out my main Soldiers' Angels blanket page HERE, where you can not only see all the details of my blankets, but also see that Soldiers' Angels requested my permission to feature my blankets on their web site! I'm extremely proud and humbled by that fact!
Greg and I are members of the Patriot Guard Riders, who support soldier and vet funerals and homecomings. A similar group who supports the men and women who protect us are the Soldiers' Angels. I recently joined them to be a member of their sewing team and their crochet team. They make Blankets of Hope to send to wounded soldiers and are now working to collect 180,000 Blankets of Belief to send to all soldiers who will be away from home for the holidays.So I spent my mother's day making a couple blankets to send to the soldiers...and I'm sure I'll be sending more. Especially since I just ordered more patriot fabric and yarn!
I found a great patriotic fleece to use for the backing. Since there are specific measurements that need to be met and the average cotton fabric, which is the flag fabric I used for the front, generally measures only 44", I used the wider fleece to fold over to add a little to the blanket width. I pinned the two together, not using batting since the fleece adds to the blanket's thickness and warmth.
To add enhancement to the blanket, as well as cover the seam where the fleece was folded over, I added ribbon to both sides to add as a border. Then I added some quilting down the length of the blanket in various areas to neatly hold it all together.
So one side is warm fleece, the other side cool cotton, with a fleece and satin ribbon border on each side. The bottom is simply rolled over and finished with a blanket stitch. The top gets a white, satin ribbon.
Since my new sewing machine has this great lettering feature, I take advantage of that to add a few words of support along the top border.
(Greg playing hidden model by holding them up for the full photo shot.)
The second blanket I've done so far is pretty much the same. This is a nice, pretty and fairly fast design and seems to work well with the fabric I can get, so I may keep this style for now. Purchasing six yards of fleece allowed me enough for three blankets. Number three to come as soon as I get a few hours to put it together.
This one got the same backing and ribbon work done, but I used a new fabric design for the main area. Rather than flags, this one has sayings like Home of the Brave, Land of the Free and America the Beautiful.
A slightly different words of thanks on this one.
And a shot of the back...which is the same for both and will be for the third, too...since I have two more yard of this to use.
Blanket #3 so far. for this one I still had some of the same fleece left, but found some great, military fabric.
This one says Thank you...For Your Courage!!
Each blanket sent by a Soldiers' Angel should have a tag to the soldier with the name of the person who made it for them. Here's mine.
Ready to be shipped off to soldiers. Three down...only a few hundred thousand to go!
Want to help? You don't need to sew or crochet...there are lots of ways you can support the troops, including donating to help with shipping costs or writing letters to lonely soldiers! See the Soldiers' Angel site HERE for ideas and ways you can get involved!
To see more of the blankets Dian's made, as each new one is added, see this page: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html
Baby Blocks for Erin ...May, 2008
Adding to the fun of making baby stuff for Erin's baby shower, I found an idea for making little, stuffed baby blocks. What fun! I got some baby fat quarters and got to work making an "A" block. Then I showed Stacy how to make them, as she wanted more sewing practice as well as to contribute to Erin's shower by making something special. So she made the B and C blocks!Stacy, concentrating on making that locking stitch at the end...
Stuffing with toy stuffing...
Tada!
How fun...and soft. Perfect for baby to squish and toss!
Two baby quilts for Erin ...May, 2008
My niece is about to have her first baby. After a severe car crash in her teens that nearly killed her, we're all thrilled to know Erin is able to move on with a normal life now. Her baby shower in at the end of May, with the baby due around the end of July/early August. I made her a couple quilted baby blankets.I found some fleece baby fabric at Joann.com that made the project quick because it was simply a matter of quilting it and binding...no piecing.
I added lettering to ensure they would always know who made it. Unfortunately, trying to sew on satin, along a short edge, was difficult! So it came out a little cockeyed due to me having to continually realign the needle to stop it from running off the edge of the smooth fabric. But it didn't come out TOO bad!
Since they don't want to know if it is a boy/girl yet...this fabric was great because it covered all the bases.
The backing is all yellow satin, which was also rolled over to be used as binding.
The second quilt was a piecing project, but also pretty fast because I purchased the matching fabrics as a kit, so I didn't have to think too hard about the design...I just had to make it.
However, the instructions called for simply sewing the edges and turning it right-side-out to finish the sewing...like an unstuffed pillow. I wanted to make it more secure and soft. So I quilted it as usual...adding batting to the middle, stitching in the ditch, as well as some wide cross quilting and a little decorative quilting along the plush border fabric.
Since the plush fabric was blue...I used pink thread throughout to ensure equal boy/girl qualities. The signature on this one says: LOVE AUNTIE DIDI, [hearts]...2008. The writing came out nicely this time, but it is a bit hard to see since the threads sink into the plush, blue fabric.
The backing is a simple cotton fabric with matching colors/symbols.
Cute kit! These are available at Joann.com for about $20 and make the job easier because you get the fabric, design and instructions...you just cut and sew, as well as add any personal touches or enhancements.
Tote Bag for Stacy...Apr, 2008
My 20-something daughter, Stacy, has taken up dancing...belly dancing to be specific, and she's getting quite good at it.
But that means she's regularly off to dance classes and needs to carry a lot of paraphernalia for her costumes. I made this pretty tote bag for her, from a design in a book I got called Quilted Bags in a Weekend
, although this bag only took me about 6 hrs to make. And that included 1 hour to run back to the fabric store to grab the fusible interfacing that I'd forgotten to get previously.
Squares of Stacy's favorite earthy tone fabric are used, along with silk and velvet. Four panels of squares are sewn as if you were quilting, along with a panel of satin to divide the squares. Buttons sewn on the middle panel for interest.
A quick lining sewn together and stuffed inside, rolled over the top and sewed...I used a cute leaf stitch to match the designs...hides all the sewing and interfacing. Folded/stitched velvet strips make up the soft handles. And I tossed on something I felt the design missed...a rolled button that slips through a casual buttonhole just to keep things from easily falling out if you toss the bag on the floor.
The bag is for Stacy, but mom thought it was very nice, too...so I used her as my model to demonstrate its size. (I think her parrot, Peg, particularly liked the colors!<g>)
Mother's Day "Legacy" Quilt...Apr, 2008
For mother's day, 2008, I designed and created a special Legacy quilt for mom.
The top panel is a photo of mom and dad's wedding picture...
Then three additional panels hold photos of their Legacy.
The first generation of children...since we're all much older now, I used our High School graduation photos to keep the timeline the same for each of us.
...the second generation...the grandchildren...
And the last panel shows photos of all the great grandchildren...saving a spot in the lower right for the next grandbaby, who is on the way and should arrive August, 2008.
To see full details of the entire process of making this quilt, see this link: Mom's Quilt
(Note! Mom finally passed away in Oct/2011...at nearly 92 yrs! LOVE YOU, mom! Sadly, my siblings would not return mom's quilt to me. I'd hoped it could go with mom to ensure she'd always have her family close with her (as I told her we could do, a fact she liked)...but now I have no idea where it ended up!<sigh>)
Greg's Afghan...Apr, 2008
Using some manly colors...Greg got an afghan, too. I used a ribbon and blanket stitch on the sewing machine to frame this one.
Greg seems to love it!
A simple half-double stitch was used throughout the blanket, except for the first row on the top border, which is a double. No ribbon was added to the top to make sure it was soft against the face.
Baskets...Mar, 2008
I learned about how to create these fun/cool baskets from this book: http://www.sulky.com/books/quickneasy.php. I purchased it for the quilting info, but was thrilled to discover these great baskets that were displayed throughout the book and then it showed me how to create them.
Now the above one was really a cheat because I just happened to have this wonderful, old, decorative cord around the house.
So I used it to make my first basket and hot pad.
The way you're supposed to create these is by wrapping fabric strips around plain, white clothes line and sewing the line together as you roll it. But then I went to Lowe's to get regular clothes line and discovered they had some cool colored lines. So I got some of those to make this next basket and pad.
The way you make these are like this...
...start by folding the cord and running a wide zigzag stitch to grab both cords...making sure that you're starting the "roll" so that it ends up rolling to the outside of your machine. Continue sewing, making sure your zigzag hits both cords as you hold the cords and turn the pad. Note: A clear appliqué foot helps to see what you're doing.
After you have the bottom of the basket to the size/shape you want, begin tilting the pad up so that the cord you're feeding has a shorter distance to stitch, which causes the shape to start to form as it tightens and pulls up.
Continue tilting and rolling as you sew both sides of the cords together.
Eventually, the basket is formed. When you have it to the height you want, cut the cord on an angle so you can sew it and it sort of blends into the basket, versus a cross cut that would end sharply. And as you can see in one of the images above, you can pull the cord out a bit to create handles to hang your hot pad or for handles on two sides of a basket.
These were great fun and I was able to make them very quickly...about 20 mins each for the above. Then I attempted to do it the way they showed me in the book...by wrapping my favorite fabric over white clothes line and sewing that together.
NOW THAT was a trick and much more difficult than the previous baskets because you have to manage, not only the cord that tends to tangle on you as you turn it, but also the fabric. I soon discovered that a few straight pins helps a lot!
I'd twist the fabric around some cord and stick a pin through the cord to hold it in place. Another pin through the rolled fabric helped keep it from twisting up on me. Then I'd sew the portion I had wrapped. Once only a few inches were left, it was time to stop the sewing and get back to wrapping.
Wrap another foot or so of cord with fabric...lock it in place with straight pins so it doesn't unravel...also lock the rolled fabric back together with a straight pin in/out of the pile...and sew a bit more into the basket.
The wrapped fabric basket is beautiful and since you can use strips of your favorite fabrics, the color combinations you can create are endless. But wrapping white cord is pretty hard for a beginner. So if you want to get hooked on this very fun craft, go hit your hardware store and try to find some fancy/colored clothes line to start with.
And make sure you purchase a sturdy denim needle to handle sewing through the cord, as well as some matching thread, since the zigzag thread plays a big part in the design.
Dian's Afghan...Mar, 2008
Time to work on one for myself (and for Greg's use, too, of course). I used up several skeins of yard I had to create this tri colored afghan. Great practice learning to work with three yarns continually hanging from it as I worked them into their respective rows.
The black rows is single crochet (Sc), the blue rows are half doubles (Hdc) and the cream is double (Dc). Then some blue trim all the way around followed by a thin Hdc of cream all the way around except at the top, which was mostly Hdc, finally finished with a last row of triples (Tr).
Fleece Dog quilt ...Mar, 2008
I got hold of his great, fleece panel of dog pictures. Rather than just finishing the edges and having a regular fleece blanket, I added batting and satin to make it a quilt.
Greg's suggestion to outline the individual dogs gave me a great chance to learn/practice stippling and outlining using an embroidery foot.
The outline didn't turn out too bad on the satin backing.
Stacy & Mark's puppy quilt...Feb, 2008
As members of a dog rescue organization, Stacy volunteered for Anti-Cruelty, and owners of several rescued dogs over the last few years...what better design than a puppy/dog quilt for Stacy & Mark.Various dog/puppy piecings on the front, including bits of white to represent the several Eskie dogs they've helped live out the ends of their lives, music fabric covers Mark's musician skills and Stacy's belly dancing skills, topped off with a binding of paw prints, makes up the front.
The backing is a soft baby blue fabric with yellow moons, stars and suns.
Mom's Photo Placemat...Feb, 2008
A quick Valentine's present for mom! A quilted place mat with a picture taken at Thanksgiving printed on fabric using our color laserjet, then sewn onto the mat.
Using up some beautiful red fabric I had left...I made mom a quilted place mat.
With the help of freezer paper, I was able to fuse this photo to a piece of fabric that was then added to the mat.
Stacy's Zill Mufflers...Feb, 2008
Stacy is a belly dancer (and getting quite good at it!). The tiny cymbals they use on their fingers are called Zills. When dancers continually practice at home, the sound of them chiming can be annoying to housemates AND cats! So many girls put baby socks over the zills to quiet them when they practice.This web site showed me how to make pretty, crocheted Zill Mufflers. So I made a set for Stacy. (Note...This picture was taken prior to me getting the proper elastic to close the top of the muffler...I just used string to pull it closed for testing/sizing.)
Three designs I've come up with...a web, a star and a spiral...for both smaller and larger zills.
Pillowcase for Greg...to go with his plane quilt (soft, T-shirt material)...Feb, 2008.
I had some extra material left that I didn't use for his quilt, so it became a pillow case.<g>
My first baby afghan went to Erin, due in August 2008...Jan/Feb, 2008.
Reupholstered dining room chairs (gray/old to red/new)...Jan/Feb 2008.
Quilted runner for top of Granny's buffet cabinet...Jan, 2008.
The working version of the quilting process. Quilted with X design.
The folded, finished product. It's actually 84 inches long, 24 inches wide.
Now the top of granny's Buffet is protected.
And it fits just right. Couldn't add a tassel at the end (as many have) due to 2 cats who love tassels!
Stacy & Mark's afghan...Jan, 2008
My first quilt went to Greg...airplane theme, Dec, finished New Year's Eve, 2007.
My first afghan went to mom...Dec, for Christmas, 2007.
Mark's scarf...Nov, for Christmas, 2007
Stacy's scarf...Nov, for Christmas, 2007
* * *
