A Cute Fleece-y Hat

Isn't this cute?! I made it for my sweet little niece. She is all about the color pink, right now. I hope it fits. She's almost 4 years old, but tiny. It was very easy to make from a free pattern on the Grand Revival blog. I used a super soft pink fleece. I didn't line it because I wanted it to be soft on the inside, too. I really like the shape of it. Hmmmm...I wonder if I can resize the pattern to fit me. :)

I've Learned A New Trick!!! Thanks Katherine!

Ok...this is probably not a big deal to anyone who has been sewing for any length of time, but for me, this is BIG. I've learned to machine embroider! I knew there had to be a way to do this, but even after reading my sewing tips manual (I have a middle-of-the-line Viking) I still wasn't getting the results I wanted.
Then, one day while visiting the Four Friends and a Blog blog, Katherine posted this wonderful tutorial. I don't know if it was the pictures, the step-by-step instructions, or the see through satin stitch foot, but it all made sense. I was embroidering appliques!
This cute bag was my first project after learning my new technique. Although the curly ended leaves were probably a touch ambitious, they still turned out pretty good. They're suppose to mimic the leaves in the fabric on the front side of the bag. So, a big "Thank You" to Katherine! She shares lots of fun projects on her solo blog as well. You should go visit her at Sew Me Something Good. :)

I hope to get back into the swing of things in a couple of weeks, or so. I've been completely bogged down with inventory, taxes, and year end paper work. ugh...I hate paper work.
I also have some pictures of the living room to share, as soon as I get the last pillow finished. And the kitchen sink and granite counter is scheduled to be installed at the end of the month. There have been so many delays, though, I'm not getting my hopes up.
Have a great week, everyone. See ya soon!