by Meghan

So I’ve been away from this space for a while.

I had great intentions of writing while on holiday. In my head it was going to go something like this: balmy summer days spent languidly alternating between a book and a laptop while the kids amused themselves exploring our new surroundings. Hahahahaha!!! I’m not sure what I was thinking. I don’t even own a laptop! Needless to say our month in Canada slipped by without me writing (or reading). Not that I’m complaining, we had a really great time.

(Canadians for a day!)

So what to tell you?

I could mention the kid’s hats, which I finished before we left, but there has been quite a lot of hat talk on the blog these days. Having said that, these really are great kids hats and I fully intended to write to Oliver + s and ask them to size up the pattern for older kids (I and F are wearing the largest size in this picture). Keep your fingers crossed.

I could also show you the finished banner for the school Summer Fete, and perhaps muse on the emotional rollercoaster that comes with helping to organize an outdoor event in Northern Ireland in June (Is it going to rain? It’s not going to rain. It’s totally going to rain. What are we going to do if it rains? Maybe it won’t rain. Who are we kidding, of course it’s going to rain). But that seems like a long time ago now.

So instead I’ll talk about gifts. It seems like everything I’ve made recently, I’ve given away.  Again, I’m not complaining. Handmade gifts are one of my favourite things. I love working on things for the special people in my life. This is a doll’s blanket that I made for my youngest daughter’s second birthday. I was inspired by this tutorial on Sew Mama Sew, and I really enjoyed making it. It’s great for using up scraps and really quick to make. I only wish I could think of a way to make a larger version.

And here is what my daughter made for her teacher. She picked out all the fabrics, we sewed it up together and then she wrote the message which I embroidered. She was so proud of her gift and couldn’t wait to show her teacher.

*Sigh.* I heart handmade.