What have I been doing?  Taking the kids to the pool, eating blueberries, burying dead aquarium fish.  The usual.

But not much sewing around here.  However, I have been making some last-minute birthday gifts for kids.  Last week I made this superhero cape that I posted about last year and it honestly took only 20 minutes.  It’s reversible too!  If you’ve never made this before, it may take you a little longer on the first try but it’s still a very easy project.  And it has a velcro closure which is handy so the kiddos can dress themselves.  This also works sort of like our cat’s break-away collar in case a kid gets hung up on something.  Seriously.  I say this because my kid got hers caught going down a slide and a tied cape might have been a problem.  Yikes.  Anyone on the CPSC recall e-mail list?  There is a drawstring hooded sweatshirt recalled just about every week.  Anyway, I keep a muslin pattern for this cape on hand so I can make them anytime.  This one is made from a vintage sheet and some shiny polka dot fabric.  Fit for a queen!

Oh, and the girls and I made this popsicle stick project for my husband’s birthday last week.  So it was supposed to be a pencil holder, but he walked in and said “Oh, a beer holder!”, so OK –  a beer holder.  Truly, he doesn’t need a pencil holder anyway.  The man never writes anything down on paper, never prints out paper either.  He’s all digital.  I’m thinking of making a quilted lining to keep the brew cold, but that’s a project for another day (possibly another lifetime).