Hats For The Little Men and a couple of other things

 I finally am getting to post about these hats.  I've actually had the first one(pictured to the left) made for days.  I made the second one(pictured on the right), and then my husband decided that HE NEEDED HIS CAMERA.  He's a real estate agent, and the camera I use is his work camera.  He had to take pictures of a house that he's listing, so I was without a camera for days!  He left it at the office.  He brought it back last night.  In the meantime, I decided that I didn't think the second hat I made was going to fit either Little Man, so I made another one yesterday(the one in the middle).  I didn't have anymore of the tan herringbone woven fabric, but I had this dark brown canvas-like fabric, which I think worked just as well.

 I am going to count this as one of the NEW things I've learned to do this month.  I've made a few hats and bonnets, but I've always had a pattern and they were much more simple than these.  I did learn a little more with each one I made.  For example, I started with the brim and went UP to the crown of the hat on the first two.  While that worked ok, it was difficult getting into the crown part to sew.  So, on the third one, I began at the crown and worked DOWN to the brim.  That was much easier.  However, none of it was REAL EASY to get to, inside the hat. 

Inside the first hat, I used the binding that was in the store bought hat that I had.  The stitching isn't very neat, but it is inside the hat and won't really be seen.

In the second hat, I used some bias binding that I had.  I didn't get a photo of the inside of that one.  For the third hat, I used some fake suede fabric cut on the bias.  It doesn't ravel, and it's really soft to the touch.  It worked just as well as the other two.      

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I've tweaked a couple of things on this dress.  Remember the button that was out of line with the rest?  It was the second one from the top on the left side.  I moved it over.

 Also, I raised the growth tuck that I put in this dress.  The bottom of the tuck was actually right at the very top of the Boutis quilting and I wanted it to be a little higher.  It wasn't hiding the quilting, but it gave that impression.

 Now, for another project altogether.  I am almost finished with Miss J's sweater.  I have the back and both fronts done.  I'm only showing one front here.  I am beginning to think, I should make this a vest rather than a sweater with sleeves.  I mean, it is almost April.  But, she lives in the NE where they've had snow this week.  But, as a sweater vest she could wear it longer.  She could wear it over a long sleeved shirt for now.  What do you think?

 Here's a close up of the crochet pattern.  This is another NEW technique ( the shell stitch) for me.  So, that makes two things that I've challenged myself to learn in March.  I am still going to start on the cable knit stitch.  As soon as I finish this sweater, that one is next. 

I guess I could count piping icing onto cupcakes as a new skill.  I've always just spread it on with a knife, but I've been watching CUPCAKE WARS (love that show) and I wanted to try piping it on.  I used a baggie with the corner cut off to pipe with. I have a lot of practice to do before I get them all the same and centered and all that.  I actually made the cupcakes below for a Lenten Luncheon at our church.  Several churches in our community come together during Lent every Wednesday for soup and sandwiches, a little devotion, and to take up an offering for a food and clothing store that we sponsor for the needy in our area.  This past week was our turn.  These are really messy, and I'm a little embarrassed to show them, but hey, I never professed to be a baker.  I made a smaller hole in the baggie to do these and circled around the top of the cupcake.  I added the jelly beans and pipe cleaners for decoration.  They aren't perfect by any means of the word, but they do taste good.  I ate two bites of one to make sure.                                                        

I'm trying very hard to stay away from sugar, and I've given up bread (my all time favorite food in the world) for Lent.  It really hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be.