A New Resolution

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself today. Over the weekend, I managed to finish a baby dress for my granddaughter. 

I'd gotten bogged down with zipper foot troubles, and pretty much ditched the whole thing some time back. It'd been lying in one of my many project stacks, staring at me reproachfully every time I walked past, and finally I decided to haul it out for another "think". With my trusty seam-ripper I took out the zipper altogether, stitched the seam most of the way up the back, and opted for a button-and-loop fastener instead. The women I know who really sew wouldn't be impressed with the overall results, but Benita won't care, and I'm feeling very productive, having actually finished something for a change.

Stop laughing!  I already know it's not even.

 It's sweet fabric, isn't it? Another rummage sale vintage fabric find.

Now, this warm-cockles-of-my-heart feeling has set me thinking. (What is a cockle of the heart, by the way, and why does it need warming? But I digress.)

The shameful truth is that I am a project-planning junkie. 
 It would be humiliating to list all the projects I have begun and not finished, or bought patterns and materials for, and not started. My closets are filled with my good intentions. It's got to stop or, at least, slow down a smidgen. Finishing these items would be a real emotional boost.

Therefore, I'm resolved to finish one project a week, and I'm asking you, intrepid reader, to hound me if I fail to do so and report it here faithfully. Maybe I ought to make it a rule that I can't start  a new project until I've completed two old ones. 

I guess this is what comes of being a crafting wannabe instead of the genuine article.  (Or genuine artisan?)

The next project I'm itching to try is to duplicate one of these:

It's a little crocheted drawstring bag (minus the string) which I found at an estate sale Saturday morning. (It was a freebie.) I have gotten so far as to sit down and count the stitches and figure out the increases for the all but trim at the top, and I've jotted those down on a scrap of paper. I was thinking little crocheted favor bags in pretty colors might go over well in my Red Letter Day Bags shop.
And it's pleasant to have something not overly complicated to work on in the evenings when the hubby and I are watching telly. (Midsomer Murders is my favorite; he prefers Inspector Morse.)

Last night while watching, I cut out bookmarks for the My Pal Peppy shop. I hope to sell some as stocking stuffers (for some reason, I loathe that term), and they're also handy to tuck into a package as an extra goodie when someone's placed an especially nice order. They're very detailed, though, so after I've cut out about four, I'm done for the night. Aren't they cute?

They're for sale here:  www.etsy.com/listing/81061025/magnetic-bookmark-vtg-style-kittens
They ship free, too, in the U.S.A.

Well, duty calls...  With the return of autumn, it's time to help load firewood. We haven't had to use the woodstove yet, but it's probably not going to be long until we do. 

Until next time, then...