Mittens for kittens...or gloves for small people

So, it's been a while. I've been working full time, naps are no more, and I've neglected my blogging if not my sewing. I have been busy making things, and even bough a new sewing machine! Here are a few highlights:

A friend and I made this quilt for a charity we both support - MUMs, which stands for Malawi Underprivileged Mothers. It was raffled off in September, making almost £4000. It was the definitely the most high-profile bit of sewing either of us had done, and got us a few media hits in quilting magazines (see below). The quilt even spent a week in the Scottish Parliament (here it is with one of the charity workers). It was a huge amount of energy and time, but an amazing experience.

Another big project finished was my second baby clothes quilt. This one had been ready to sew for about a year, but I waited until I got my new machine in August to put it together. Like its companion, it has flannel borders and is very cuddly. It's now at home on my little girl's bed, but I think I love it more than she does.

Then there was this quilt for a friend's grandchild:

And this one for a nephew's wedding:

I made a skirt from a pattern:

I finally framed a sampler I started when I was 12:

And of course there were various appliqued t-shirts (including this one, for an Edinburgh friend's wee boy):

And always costumes, like this dragon hoodie:

And some cushions, and Christmas ornaments.

There! Consider yourselves caught up. If you want details on how to do any of the above, just drop me a line. And I really should update more often.

But I came up with this tonight and wanted to share.  It ticks all my boxes: definitely do-able in even the shortest of naps, practical and fun. Almost no sewing skills and materials required. And it solves the ever-present problem: how to keep hold of gloves when the small people insist that they are too old for the string through their coats sleeves but haven't managed to remember about putting them in their pockets/hoods/etc.

The solution came in the form of the button box. A happy half hour spent sorting buttons and younger child selected two Peter Rabbit ones. A £1 pack of gloves from Tesco, some thread and a needle and you are ready to go. Oh - and you need a Winter coat that has button holes somewhere on it.

Simply sew your buttons onto the gloves (one on each). They don't have to be as big as the button-holes, but big enough to get some kind of a grip. And voila - when the gloves come off, hook them through a button-hole. Magic, and a fun way of spicing up some otherwise rather dull gloves.