Time to get this sweat shop underway

I am planning on sewing a lot A LOT of Christmas gifts this year. After sewing Hope's Halloween costume I rediscovered how much I triple love sewing. I find it really creative and it satisifies my need for instant gratification. I start sewing and within 10 minutes I've turned that fabric into something new, not yet complete, but starting to look like... something. And I love that.

I love knitting too but the instant gratification thing is definitely not there. It is lovely to work on a pair of socks over a month but sewing gives me that two hours of work and voila! I have something finished. Thank you Mr Singer for inventing the sewing machine so that I could satisify my mild case of ADD.

Having said all that, I have a lot of projects planned as Christmas gifts. We're a one-salary family which means I have to be frugal with my gift-giving and sewing gifts is a great way to do that while still giving family something original and, if every works out as planned, nice.

That also means a lot of time in front of the sewing machine, which is in no way a complaint, it's just a bit hard to fit it in sometimes. The evenings are my time to sew. Unfortunately it is also my time to lay about on the couch, catch up on The Office and eat bonbons. You can see my dilemma.

This Christmas I am exclusively working from Quik-Sew patterns, the Cadillac of sewing patterns. They actually make sense most of the time (shocker!) and the pattern pieces are on real paper not that onion skin that rips when you breathe on it. Apparently someone with a brain designed them. Also, they have some great patterns available. For example, the vintage apron, the puppet theatre and the girl's flannel nightgown, all of which I will be working on in the next few weeks (if you are in my family DO NOT write me an email (Hteb) asking me which one is for you. I WILL NOT TELL YOU HTEB! Perhaps I didn't even list it here!). And there are a couple of other small projects I will be doing that will be an hour at the most.

In other words, if I'm not answering the phone or email or look at you with a very confused expression when you ask me what I thought Dwight's reveal concerning the beets, you'll know that I'm spending all my time with Ms. Husqvarna and she's a jealous woman.