no rest for the weary, unless you're a stuffed bear

Have I mentioned recently that things are really busy around here? I always think that once fall comes around, things will slow down. I'm always wrong. There is soooo much to do.

Anyway, to add to the busy season, I signed up for a big holiday craft fair the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Anchorage Etsy team received a grant to cover some of the costs of a group booth, so if all goes well, I'll need to make a lot of stuff! I've got a whole slew of ideas to try. One thing that's been on my list for possible sale is the Three Bears' Sleeping Bag by Florence at Flossie Teacakes.

I made the middle size (for Mama Bear) out of some cute hedgehog fabric I've been wanting to use for ages.

I'll admit, I only read bits of the pattern before I started. Because of this, I quilted the back of the sleeping bag (unnecessary), chose a precious pink Lecien stripe for the lining pieces (which no one will ever see) and skipped all instructions on applying bias tape around the edges (not smart for someone new to the stuff). So I ended up making bias binding like I would for a quilt, then folded it over and machine stitched it all around. Honestly, it doesn't look that great on the back and there is too much bulk. All my fault. I might need to suck it up and do it the right way (imagine that?). Although if I'm going to sell these things at a reasonable price, I'll still need to figure out the best way to machine stitch the bindings.

A big thank you to my sleeping bag model, Purple Baby. She was Claire's favorite for many years, but has been stuck in an under-the-bed bin for so long that I'm afraid she's been forgotten. Hopefully seeing her in the new sleeping bag will encourage Claire to add her back with the dozen or so stuffed animals that cover her bed. If not, I'm sure Cooper will adopt her as a friend for his Baby.

On a separate note, my sweet girls have decided that they only want to dress up as scary things for Halloween from now on. Claire insists on being a vampire, and Avery will be a zombie. Long gone are the days of hot dog and cow girl costumes :( I'm trying to feel better about it by making their costumes (see why I'm so busy?) and having some control, maybe by adding some humor or cuteness. Any zombie/vampire costume tutorials you've seen out there?