Deprived Childhood

A rare weekday sewing event for me. One of the ladies that works for me needed this done for a family friend for Christmas. I was happy to embroider it.

When I first started designing the card table play house I asked David if one of the guys he works with wanted one. Donald has twin girls just under 3 years old and I thought they would love it. Oddly enough Donald wanted no part of a play house, was extremely negative about it, the direct quote was... his girls were too big and couldn't stand under a card table to play. I just rolled my eyes. Poor guy must have had deprived childhood and never played fort under the table. I gave up, it wasn't worth my effort at that point.

Last night my husband came home from work and handed me the measurements of Donald's card table. I am guessing he mentioned it to his wife, who apparently didn't have a deprived childhood.

The Answer

I went back to the first wall of the play house and added a double heart window to it. It was a toss up between a heart and a princess crown opening for the window. The heart won out being the eaiser choice.

A couple years ago I bought a box of sticky velcro dots on clearance. Actually two boxes one of white and a second box of black dots. I have used them on all sorts of things around the house except they can't be sewn on to anything. Sewing machine needle globs up with adhesive immediately and I can't even pull a needle through the adhesive backing. The answer finally came to me if "you can't beat them join them"... Use a stronger adhesive. I tried a sample of felt glue with the velcro dot onto fabric last night it seems to have held up pretty well.

In the Dog House

I traded the dog dish for the puppy in the dog house. The wall looks a little bare but once I add the velcro dots for the leaves, hearts and apples it shouldn't need anything else. Anyone under the age of 7 should fit through the door with no problem.

Last weekend I lost a pair of embroidery scissors. Sometimes I knock stuff off the table into the trash by accident. I sorted through a very full trash can and couldn't find them. Picked up everything off the tables and floor, still no luck. And then today I was digging for some fabric and what do I find?? Blue handled scissors blended in perfectly with the blue fabric. If you enlarge the photo you might be able to see them on top of the owl fabric on the far right. Now if I could just find my missing camera charger I would be set.

Going for Easy

I need help on the curtains for the playhouse. Should I use the white flower sheer fabric or the bright flower fabric? What do you like better? I am procrastinating the window so you may have a few days to offer an opinion.

A few weeks ago Karen at Sew Many Ways posted on her Tool Time Tuesday about using tension rods for a ribbon holder. Of course I had to try that. Emptied two boxes off ribbon off the shelf and used the wasted space above my serger thread, which will probably be moved in a few days.

In our shopping adventure yesterday we found this shelf unit at the antique mall. Hopefully my serger thread will fit in it. Just need to take some time to get it mounted to the wall.

Got the tree appliqued to the pink side. While I was at it I decided to put the other half on the green side.

Then I decided to go for the easy project and applique the dog house. If you can't tell I am really avoiding the windows on the pink side. I am headed back to the sewing room to go for another easy project on the play house... if I can find an easy project.

Wall Two In Pieces

Year end always gets a bit hectic at the office. I really am not getting a chance to sew except for the weekends. I have the pieces for the second wall of the play house. David and I did some last minute Christmas shopping this morning. The boys are leaving in a few minutes to go see Tron and I get the rest of the day to myself. Hopefully I can get most of the window and window box completed today.

More Gardening

The flowers have taken over the little garden by the door. Can't wait to get another wall done and replant some of them.

David says my ears of dorn look like loaves of bread. I need another bag of poly fill and hopefully I can prove him wrong.

Gardening

When it is snowing outside where else would I go? To the garden to play. Our few flurries are nothing to what my sister is getting hit with in Minnesota. Memphis is just mild in comparision. Flower and carrot in the garden ready for picking.

The three parts to a carrot body. I line them with batting before sewing them together. It makes for a smoother finish after I stuff them.

Carrot bodies and leaves just waiting to stuffed.

While I was serging the satin for the inside of the fleece caps my thread boxes fell of the table. What a mess. Took me a while to get them untangled and sorted.

I haven't totally neglected Mason and David. I cooked them a few meals and even did all the laundry in the house this weekend.

Wall One

So far the play house is turning out how I invisioned it. Each wall is a mini quilt of its own. The walls will be attached to the top but tie together on the sides. I still need to make and attach a door.

And then need to cut out and finish the inside of the mailbox. Every play house needs to be able to receive mail.

I thought I took a photo of the removable flowers, will have to get one tomorrow. Proof of concept is done on the carrot also. It needs a top but worked out fabulously.

Nice to get some of this out of my head and into a final product.

Reality

I think I have totally lost touch with reality. I have looked at these little card table playhouses online in the past. We just don't have little kids around us at this point in our lives. And I am in no rush for grandkids of my own. So no need to make one.

Then after a totally random conversation with my Mother she gave me a reason to make one for a family friend and I am totally hooked. So hooked I woke up at 2am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep thinking of these playhouses. If I lived alone I would have gotten up and started sewing. But out of fear David would have me committed I stayed in bed. I cannot draw or sketch so you get my PowerPoint slides instead. Wonder how close the final house will look to my current pictures?

I have free reign to do whatever I want. And this is my vision as of today.
If I do window panes the window will have curtains or I may just totally change it out for a puppet theatre instead. Haven't decided yet. Have an idea in my head how to make the flowers removable from the "dirt" so they can be picked. Love the hearts on the tree. Thinking about having them interchangable with leaves... apples etc.

The tree will wrap around to the "boys" side. Make the opening to the dog house an entrance to the play house. More removable flowers and maybe a bird or two.

Tractor window open to the inside of the play house. Removable carrots, corn ears and more flowers. Still think I need to add a pig, got to figure that out.

Then back to the main entrance. Door will be an opening to the play house with a window. Mailbox will open for letter delivery. And the door may need an awning or something over the top.

I told you I have completly lost touch with reality on this one. Luckily the kids don't need it for Christmas. That will give me a chance to add more details that I have in my head.

Anything else I should add or anything I should change? Totally winging it on this one.

Christmas Shopping

What do you get the husband that has everything for Christmas?

A Mustang Club of America shirt. And a toy Mustang car he can play with. Do we see a trend here?

If you have seen the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo commercial with this guy...

My husband has had the Turbo-Face since he got the Mustang back in September. And I actually got to drive it last weekend.