When dad takes the boys swimming...

...mom gets stuff done! And after they go to bed, of course.

Today I finally finished my niece's baby afghan. So she will get it before her first birthday (gulp!). There is no reason why it took so long. Well, life. But it is done now. WOOT!

These blocks are from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks, and you can read all about it on my ravelry project page.

It is now washed, and this week I need to pack it up and mail it. Next up is a nephew's afghan, which is waaaaay behind.

Tying and gluing the cut strings.

 The day's big project? The swimming-at-the-Y-project? Shortening, lining, and rehanging my 10-year-old's bamboo blinds. The boys got their own rooms a week ago--much furniture moving, toy sorting, book purging, donating, painting. So yesterday I finally made it to The Cotton Shop and got some lightweight muslin for a bamboo blind liner. (And also got some skirt fabric, and some fabric for a quilt idea, and...)

Lining up the lining.

This went surprisingly well. I simply measured (about 20 times, just to be sure), marked, and then glued the strings below my folding point and right at the bottom piece I was leaving in. I then cut about 3 inches below my folding point, removed the bottom (which may be turning into placemats), then pulled out 2" of slats. Then nervously tied the sets of 3 strings, and glued, while my "helpers" tromped around, chewed bamboo pieces, and generally got into trouble.

Rehung--a whole foot shorter!

Then I practice folding, and moved that glue gun as fast as possible to get the strings glued down and the bottom folded up about 1". Then sized up the lining--and YAY!--was able to use the selvages as the sides. Hemmed top and bottom on the machine, hand sewed it to the blind, and voila lined blinds. Yes, the boys were home by the time I finished, but the stressful cutting and gluing were done.

How does the boy like them? Unknown as yet. It's still light out. But I am sure if he's not satisfied I will hear all about it in the morning :)

The helpers.

And, of course, as soon as this project was done? My help sacked out on the couch. Nice.