a bit of sickness, a lot of sewing, and a smidge of sand

Aaahhhh...everyone seems to be feeling better today. What a relief! We'll be leaving for the beach in a few days and I'd rather get all of the sickness done and over with now so we can enjoy our vacation without the need for buckets and bleach. Hurricanes? Well, that's another story. We're hoping it's gone by the time we get there. I did, however, manage to get some sewing done this weekend while I was trapped in the house home taking care of my sick children. The easiest and most effective way to get my girls to sit still and rest (instead of whine and get wound up) while they are sick is to let them watch cartoons educational animated stories on the television...hehe! While they enjoyed their TV time I enjoyed some sewing time.

The first project I finished was a carrying case for our Tim's GPS. The poor little GPS came in the box with no covers. We looked at some carrying cases at the store, but they were a bit too pricey for such simple construction. "I can make that!" I said to myself...and out loud evidently, because Tim started giving me his preferences as to how I should construct this thing. We had similar ideas, but he added more details so that it would be just right. No problem! I already had all of the materials needed...now I just needed some time. Here's what I started with...
I used striped upholstery fabric for the outside and for the lining I used 2 layers of black cotton with 2 layers of batting in between so as to make it a little cushion-y...just in case the thing were ever dropped. In the picture it shows the beginning of the quilt-y sewing. My machine did such a great job...I really should get her a treat for working so hard without stopping. I didn't take any more pictures of the work-in-progress, but here is the finished product.

Tim wanted a snug cover so I measured twice and cut once. It came out just right. Oh, you can see the quilt-y lining here. Also, that black strap at the top is elastic so that once it's closed you can stretch that over to the other side...it keeps it all closed up.For extra security to keep the GPS safely tucked into it's cover I added a black ribbon that velcros over the top so that it can't slide out accidentally. Oh, and there's a better shot of the quilted lining. And lastly....Here it is all closed up, strapped in, and cushioned for the safety, security, and longevity of the GPS. Now, all we need to do is go on a trip! Oh, that's right, we're heading for the beach in a few days. Yippee! The second project I finished is a birthday gift. I'll have to save those pictures until after the birthday girl receives the gift. Now, you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise, would you?

For your viewing pleasure here is a new picture of the girls. They wanted to play in the sandbox today...mentally preparing for the beach-y fun coming soon, I suppose. And yes, before playing in the sandbox they were superheroes...hence the mask on E's head.Oh, one more thing! I must confess that the idea for the new header was stolen from Adrienne over at Some of a Kind. She had the cutest header written in chalk, which she has since changed, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. I kinda like it...don't you? Thanks Adrienne for such a great idea! :o)