needle & thREAD, fabric, dolls, and St. Valentine's Day

Happy Thursday ya'll!  I've been sewing along this week whenever I can steal a few minutes during the day and sometimes in the evenings if the kiddos decide to stop carousing before ten at night.  (Is it just me, or does anyone else find the thought of picking up a project after 10 p.m. not at all appealing?)

Anywho, this is what I'm up to.  Creating new stock for my Etsy shop.  I had to take a break from that type of sewing over Christmas to create some handmade gifts, so it feels really good to get back into the groove.

I have six plush dolls in the works and they take about 3 hours a piece.  As you can see from the pictures, this is one of the very rare times I'm sewing assembly-line style.  Usually it turns my brain to mush and creates more work if I do something wrong.  There is nothing more disheartening than messing up and redoing a half dozen things!  This time it has gone reasonably well, thank goodness.  I ran out of stuffing so I'm on hold until this afternoon.

In other news I'm relatively new to the area I live and finally took the time to search out some local-ish quilt shops. About a half hour away is a little place that carries a lot of Moda fabrics.  I had been hoping for a greater selection of designers and prints, but I did pick up a few colorful and kid-friendly fat 8ths and a couple of fat quarters.

The big purchase was a length of gorgeous high quality peach solid cotton for my dolls. Up until now, I've used an ivory color because that's the traditional color, but I've been edging to mix things up and have had my eye out for the perfect skin color.  I finally found it!

It's really pretty.  *Happy sigh*

Of course, those six dolls need something to wear, so I'll be busy for a while here.

Somewhere along the line, I might have to stop and and do some sewing for St. Valentine's day. I found the cutest little heart print (I think it is called "Flirt") that I can't wait to jump into.  This picture doesn't do it justice.

Have I mentioned how much I love fabric yet in this post?  Seriously.  I love it.

And what have I been reading?  Well our church handed out copies of this book at all of the Christmas Masses.

In general, I like these kinds of books, but I've only just cracked it.  In the first chapter he talks about the universal hunger for truth and how the desire for truth has not diminished, but "People are tired; they are worn out, overloaded with information, overwhelmed with the social, political, and economic climate.  They are not striving to thrive, they are merely trying to survive.  This is a tired culture."  Hmmmm.....he may be onto something...

Thank you to Elizabeth at In the Heart of My Home for hosting!  Head on over there for more needle and thREADers when you get the chance!