Sew Many Things to Say

Fabric Give Away!!

2014-03-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't been around much lately. I'll tell you more later and also tell you that is going to change. In the last year I have started my own business it's called 5 Daughters Quilts. Wonder where I got the name from? LOL. Yes, me and my 5 daughters run the business together. We have a new website and we have had a facebook page for a while. You can check out our website at www.5daughtersquilts.com .

Please check out our facebook page and enter our drawing. Enter HERE.

I will be back soon to catch you up on all that's been going on. Here are some hints, weddings, babies, and business.

Happy Sewing!
Susan

Free Sewing Machine Class

2012-05-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Craftsy is offering a free Sewing Machine 101 class. I have signed up but have not had a chance to watch it yet. I did watch the video advertisement and it looks great. Once you sign up for the class you can keep it as long as you want and watch over and over. It teaches how to trouble shoot and make minor repairs to your machine to keep it running great. They teach about vintage machines and modern computerized machines. It's certainly worth checking out.

I am going to be away from blogging for a few days but I want to wish all the mothers a very Happy Mothers Day. May God bless you and your families.

Happy Sewing!
Susan

Baby Quilt and Getting Organized

2012-05-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

If you don't like to read long blog posts, then you are in luck cause this one will be short and sweet. I have been extremely busy lately but I have been trying to get my sewing stuff organized. I may not have a lot of money but thankfully I have a lot of fabric, thread and sewing notions. Because I have worked in several quilt stores and have gotten wonderful discounts I have enough "toys" to keep my busy for a long time. I have organized all of my thread and am going through a lot of my fabric. Along the way I keep finding "UFO" aka un-finished objects and I plan to get a lot of them finished. I had to make a wedding gift for a friend this week and then I started on this baby quilt that I found. There were only a few blocks finished so I've basically pieced this quilt over the weekend. I believe I started this quilt years ago for one of my children, but I don't remember who. Anway, I love the way it turned out. The colors are gorgeous! Gotta run for now.

This is my organized embroidery thread inside of my sewing cabinet. I sorted according to brand not color.

Sewing stand with sewing thread

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Upcycle Project: Men's Shirt to Baby Pants and Onesie

2012-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

I really began to sew when my first child was due. I was pretty much self taught at that time. I sewed out of neccesity, as funds were tight (aren't they always?) and because it helped me feed that "nesting feeling". I loved sewing for all my babies but sadly my babies are big now. Well, yesterday a friend of mine found out that her soon to be 6th child (I have six too) is going to be a boy. Wow! I'm sew excited for her. They only have one boy now and a whole lot of girls, just like me.

I went to my local thrift store and got some great deals. Lots of baby boy clothes and it was one of those fill a bag for $5. She likes to shop at thrift stores too, so I knew she'd appreciate my bounty. I brought them home and washed them and delivered them to her but I kept a few because I plan on adding to them and making them even better. One of them is a little white newborn onesie. I also got a supply of men's shirts from a friend so I used the sleeves of one of the shirts to make newborn pants and to embellish the onesie with a 'tie' applique.

Here's a little tutorial of how I did it.

First of all, you need a simple pants pattern. I got this newborn pattern from the Made By Rae blog. You can find it here. Check out her blog, it's great. Her pattern is not for lined pants but it is easy to line them. The shirt fabric I used was very thin and my friends baby is due in October so I thought I should line them. I had some medium blue flannel in my stash so it worked out great. I basically made the outfit for free.

First I cut the sleeves off of the shirt. This was an extra large men's shirt and it was the perfect size for newborn pants.

As you can see the sleeve is the perfect size for baby pants.

Cut out 2 pattern pieces in your outer fabric and in your lining fabric, in my case, the flannel.

Two pieces cut from each fabric

Pin the outer fabric to the lining with right sides together and stich along the bottom of the legs with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Press the seam, then flip over where wrong sides are facing each other and press again. Then top stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance.
I also used a basting stitch along the top to help keep the lining and outer fabric together.

Now that the outer fabric and lining is joined, treat each leg as one piece.

Pin the two legs together and stitch the two pieces together from the top of the pants to the crotch but be sure not to stitch the legs. Use a 1/2" seam allowance and finish and reinforce the seam in whatever manner you like. I used my serger.

Now match up the two pieces and stitch from the bottom of the leg, up the crotch and back down the other leg.

Now follow your pattern directions for adding elastic. My pattern called for a 13" waist. If you use the Made By Rae pattern, she has complete directions with her pattern.

I like the look of the cuff turned up so you can see the lining.

Now on to the onesie. I drew a little tie and ironed some fusible interfacing to the back of the fabric then used spray adhesive and pins and attached it to the onesie. I used a small zig zag stitch along the edges of the tie. Be sure and use some stabilizer inside the shirt for best results. This onesie was so small that it was a little difficult to do the stitching, but was able to do it.

Isn't it cute?

Isn't this a cute little outfit? And I only had to use the sleeves of the shirt which leaves the rest of the shirt for something else.

This was great sewing therapy and my friend has a nice new baby outfit.

Happy Sewing,

Susan

Friday Night Sew In Results

2012-04-21T14:59:00.001-07:00

Have you every tried sewing with a child? Well, I have taught sewing for years and have enjoyed sewing with all my kids but it does slow you down. First, she couldn't decide what she wanted to sew, then she decided and changed her mind. Then, she decided to make a dress for a stuffed dog out of very slinky fabric. Well, that was a fail. So, I decided to direct her in making a pillow case dress for her doll. Not only did she do all the sewing on her own, but she put princess seams in the dress. I was so proud of her.

In between helping her I was trying to make a camera strap cover. I did make it and it looked good until I accidentally cut the strap after I finished the cover.

I was able to finish one pillow case but nothing like the 35 we made last year. I made it in a bright flannel so it will be suitable for a boy or a girl. I will try to make another one before I put this one in the mail on Monday. So, my FNSI had some successes and some failures. However, the smile on my little girl's face after she finished her dress was priceless.

I hope you had a good Friday night.

Happy Sewing,
Susan

Friday Night Sew In

2012-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've decided at the last minute to participate in tonight's Friday Night Sew In. This month is a special one because bloggers from all over are going to make Pillow Cases for Conkerr Cancer. I've got to hurry up and find fabric in my stash for pillow cases. My family and I made 35 of them last year, but I'm sure I have more fabric to use for the cause.

Here are the 35 pillow cases we made last year. I will probably only make one pillow case tonight. My youngest daughter is going to sew with me tonight. I'm not sure what she is going to make yet, but I hope to make a camera strap cover, since my strap was mysterioulsy cut last week (no one knows how it happened). I hope you all are having a great night. Happy Sewing, Susan

My New Favorite Sewing Tool

2012-04-20T05:02:00.001-07:00

This week I've been busy hemming jeans for a friend. I'll share a secret with you. I hate to hem jeans. Actually, I hate doing alterations all together. I'd much rather make something from scratch than to alter it. When people hear that you sew they assume you can do all forms of sewing but not all sewing is the same. However, I agreed to hem these jeans. In the process, I broke the screw that holds my presser foot off in the machine, I broke 4 needles and jammed my machine up pretty good. I was fortunate to find a local sewing machine repair man and he got me back in business really quick. His name is George and I will share his information at the end of this post, in case you are in the Jacksonville, Florida area. I did a little research on the computer as to how to make this jean hemming process easier. I found several videos on Youtube and several of them shared a hint that I wish I had know years ago. And it is to use your hammer on the flat felled seams. It's so simple. You just pin the hem the way you want it and take the jeans outside to a concrete area and whack the seams a few times. It's amazing! It flattens the seams without causing damage to the denim. You want to use caution and not whack too hard and you can use a cloth underneath the jeans for extra protection, however, I didn't find it neccesary. I was so excited about this new trick that I showed my daugthers and told them this was a life lesson they needed to know. If you have jeans to hem or thick seams to deal with you should give it a try. You many have heard this tip before but if you haven't I hope you find it helpful. Happy Sewing, Susan Sewing Machine Repair George's Mobile Sewing Machine Repair George Hamric 904-571-4493

NoBunny loves you Like Jesus/ Goodies

2012-04-06T14:55:00.002-07:00

I came across a really cute idea when I found the blog Detail Oriented Diva. She had some really cute goodie bags with 2 Bunny Peeps in them with a tag that said "For my Peeps". It is adorable. You should check out her blog, she has some really cute things.

I loved the idea but I changed it up a little. I found some small clear zip lock bags in the craft department at Walmart. I got 100 of them for about $2. I bought some blue and pink Bunny Peeps. I only wanted one bunny in my bag and it fit perfectly. I wanted the label to staple to the top of the bag instead of tying it on. After I decided how I wanted it and what I wanted it to say, I handed it over to my tech support (aka my teenage daughter) and she designed it on the computer. I wish I could do that stuff but I'm just not there yet.

Next, I decided the bunny needed a little grass in his baggie, so I used some green food coloring to color some sweetened coconut. I just put the coconut in a ziplock bag and added about 2 drops of food coloring. Then I used it to play catch with my youngest daughter, but you can just shake it up if you prefer. I put one teaspoon of grass in the bag, added a peep. The labels have a greeting on the back. I cut up the printed labels and folded them in half so you could read the message and the front and the back. I stapled each side near the edge. I am so happy with how these turned out. I am making about a hundred of these to give to people at my church on Easter.

I was hoping to make pdf file to share with you but my 'tech support' had a date and didn't have time to do it for me. But please feel free to use the idea and make some for yourself. I can't wait to give these out on Sunday.

Welll, my peeps, I've gotta go get dinner on the table. I wish you all a Wonderful Easter.

Happy Everything,
Susan

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Daisy Kingdom Easter....Apron??

2012-04-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Being the mom of five daughters, I have bought my share of Daisy Kingdom fabric and Daisy Kingdom patterns. You know...the nice frilly dresses with puffy sleeves and big twirly skirts. Yes, I bought them, stored them and sadly did not make them in time. My youngest daughter is 10 and my oldest just turned 18 and I am going through some strange emotions. My son is 22 and out of the house, my 18 year old could be soon and I am feeling time fly way too soon. So, I'm trying to hold on to those precious moments with my younger girls.

I was determined to make a nice Easter dress for my youngest daughter so I went digging in my stash and I found my Daisy Kingdom Easter fabric. I found it in blue and pink and I called her in the studio to choose her favorite. That's when she informed me that she had already chosen an Easter dress from some hand me down dresses given to her by some friends. And that's when it hit me. You missed the frilly dress stage with all of them. Wow! Time flies way too fast.

I decided to make lemonade from lemons, so to speak. I was determined to make something for Easter with my Daisy Kingdom fabric that I have held on to for so long. I made myself a really cute apron. I took the design from the bottom of the panel and added to the top part of the apron and added a cute little yo yo. I think it's cute and hey....someday one of my girls may want it. One can hope. I also decided to make a Easter basket/tote bag for my daughter. It is almost finished, I just have to add handles. I will try to post a photo tomorrow.

If you are reading this and you are a mom, just a word of advice. Don't worry so much about whether the house is totally clean. Instead, play with the kids when they ask you, go for that nature walk and by all means, make those frilly dresses while they are young enough to enjoy them.

Happy Sewing and enjoy being a mom,
Susan

Yikes! My Baby Girl is Eighteen!

2012-03-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

It's 12:48 am. This time 18 years ago, I was in the middle of labor and it would still be another 17 hours before I would see my first daughter. I had a precious baby boy who was 4 years old and was excitedly waiting for his baby sister, Abby. I had prayed and prayed for children and since I already had a son, I desperately wanted a little girl. God blessed me with Abby plus four more daughters. I am truly blessed. I actually had fertility problems and my husband had to have a vasectomy reversal before we could have our children. The Dr.s gave us little hope, but we asked that they just do the reversal and we would leave the rest to God. And...well...let's just say that God showed off with granting us with 6 children including a set of twins. God is so good. I just had to share with you, my readers. I pray that God will answer your prayers the way He has answered mine.

Be Blessed!
Susan

Please Vote For Me

2012-03-23T07:51:00.002-07:00

Hi Friends,
I've entered my Hexagon Baby Quilt in the Quilting Gallery's Contest this week.
This quilt is what kept me sane during my mandatory bed rest while I was pregnant with my 6th child. I have since written this pattern and taught it to more than 50 students. The photo is not that great, cause I was in a hurry but it is truly pretty. Please vote for me, here.
Thanks,
Susan

Are We There Yet?

2012-03-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally in the mood to sew and I will be stuck in the car for 15 out of the next 24 hours. My girlfriend, who is a hairstylist has to drive to North Carolina tonight to style the a bride and her wedding party. She asked me to keep her company and being the good friend that I am, I said yes. You would know I am in the mood to lock myself in the studio and sew for days. My solution: I'm going to look for some hand sewing projects I can do in the car. It might be piecing hexagons or some embroidery, not sure what. I just know for sanity's sake, I'd better find something.

I hope you have a fun and productive weekend.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Made Baby a New Outfit

2012-02-18T07:04:00.001-08:00

Baby's New Outfit

Side View
Yesterday was a very successful Friday Night Sew In. I actually started around 2:00pm and cleaned the studio a little because a friend was supposed to come sew with me. She never showed up but I got SEW much done. I made something I've wanted to make for a long time. I made a cover for my baby, my Brother 8500 sewing/embroidery machine. I bought her when I worked at a Brother/Bernina dealership many years ago. She is old in today's standards but she is very dependable and I love her.

I made my own pattern and used an design from Emblibrary. I had a glitch when it embroidered the "I". I was heart broken but not enough to start all over. I used fabric from my stash which is always good. I am planning on making a cover for the embroidery unit, hopefully, today. Then soon I will make one that says "I love Quilting" for my Grand quilter.

I hope you have an amazing day!
Happy Sewing!!
Susan

TGIF & Friday Night Sew In

2012-02-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

Well, another Friday is here. And what makes it even more special is it's another Friday Night Sew In. I love participating in these cause it makes me get busy and get some sewing done. It's also really neat to think that there are women all over the world doing the same thing. I like that we are all sewing 'together but apart'. :)

I am having a sewing friend come over and sew with me tonight so it should be extra fun. I have been so busy this week with homeschooling the girls and looking for a job so I've been extra stressed. Sewing is my favorite form of therapy. Speaking of therapy...there will be no chocolate or goodies for me this FNSI. Nope. I'm back on my diet. I've lost 40 lbs. since August and have stabilized pretty well. I am now going to try and lose the last 20 lbs. I've lost another 4.2 lbs in the last two days. Yay Me!

I started a huge project this last week, which was unpacking boxes and boxes that we have not unpacked since we moved last year. I found a bunch of fabric and more UFOs. I have no clue what I'm going to work on tonight. I just have too many choices. I do know I've got to spend some time organizing my studio before I can do any sewing. On that note, I'm gonna get to work and wish you all a very Happy Friday! I hope you can join us for Friday Night Sew In. Just click on the picture to follow the link.

Happy Sewing!
Susan

Valentine Dish Towel

2012-02-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

This is one of the projects I was working on during the last Friday night Sew In. I got these plain pink dish towels on clearance at Target. I used an embroidery design from EmbLibrary and made a little border with the scraps. I love projects that are short and sweet. We've had to cancel the girl's Valentine party because my husband lost his job again. The girls aren't that upset about it. I think I was looking forward to it more than they were. They still like to see the house 'dressed up' a little for holidays and so do I.

I hope you are getting to do something that makes you happy today.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

A New Wreath and Pattern Testing

2012-01-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

I am slowly but surely decorating for my girl's preteen Valentine's Day party. So far I've made pennants and table runners (see earlier posts) and now I've made a new wreath for the front door. I found a cheap straw wreath at a thrift store, for a grand total of $1.29 and I had scrap fabric that I used to cover it. I decided to tear the fabric strips instead of cutting because I like the look. I simply used straight pins in the back of the wreath to hold the strips in place. I finished if off by making 3 yo yo's and pinning them on. A very, cheap, fast and fun project.

After

Before

I tested a cosmetic bag pattern designed by blogger "A Heart of Mary". She will be selling these patterns in her etsy store. You can find more information HERE.

Gotta get back to my crazy life. Have a great day.
Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Happy Friday and My Sewing Plans

2012-01-27T06:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, everyone. I don't have any big plans for the weekend but I do love Fridays. I think I just love that my normal Monday through Friday schedule gets interupted.

I had a new sewing student start taking classes from me this week. She is a young lady and is very interested in sewing. My youngest daughter took the class with her and I over heard my student tell my daughter, "I would love to live here!" My daughter asked her "Why?" and the she replied "Because you get to sew whenever you want!". It was really cute.

I am testing a pattern for a fellow blogger/designer. I'm a little behind but I hope to have it finished and posted before the weekend is over. I'm excited about it. Her directions are really clear and well written and she has lots of great photos which is always good. Check back soon, for all the details and pic of my finished project.

After I finish that project it's back to Valentine sewing for my Jr. High Girls Valentine party we are hosting. We have picked at date and made plans and I am going to keep things simple and inexpensive, as always. I do love decorating for Valentine's Day becasue I love the pretty pinks, reds and whites.

I'd better get back to work. I still have homeschool lessons to finish and chores to do, after it's not Saturday yet. I hope you can do something you love this weekend.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Friday Night Sew In

2012-01-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

Last night was so nice. My younger girls and my hubby all had to be out so it was nice and quiet. It's almost never quiet at my house. I started sewing in the afternoon because I had a Lady's Night Out planned with some ladies in my church. My oldest daughter and I went out to eat with the girls. Then some of the ladies came to my house for coffee. After they left, I decided to make more pennants because I didn't want to leave that job unfinished before I moved on to another project. I had an embroidery project planned but I didn't have time to get to it before I was too tired to stay awake. I love the way the pennants came out. I will probably make a few more sets but I need to get more double fold bias tape first. My daughter didn't sew with me because she was getting a cold and she is very busy with her classes right now. We can't afford for her to be sick, so I sent her to bed which made her happy. I'm going to continue FNSI today since the house is still quiet. I'm going to embroider my pink dish towels but I'm debating as to whether I am going to keep them dish towels or make them into child size aprons. I hope you stop by later to see what I decided.

I'm off to enjoy this beautiful Saturday. Do something fun today.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

There's a Lot Going On In My Studio

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Yesterday I got to do some machine embroidery. Some good friends of ours became grandparents last week. The baby was a month early but all is well with mommy and baby. I embroidered some bibs. Parents and Grandparents love to see their new baby's name in print...or thread. You can never go wrong with personalized baby gifts.

Friday night, my oldest daughter and I are participating in Friday Night Sew In (see sidebar for link). It is my first time and I'm very excited. It really works out great for us because my hubby and younger girls all have somewhere else to be on Friday night. My daughter is wanting to make some sleep shorts. I am not positive what I am going to be working on but I think it will have to do with these...

Check back on Saturday and see what I did with these pink towels. I'm excited!

Now, for some eye candy.

Can you say, YUMMY? Fat Quarter Shop had a 1/2 price sale on this fat quarter bundle last week and I just couldn't resist. I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it, in fact, I'm not sure when I will be able to bring myself to unwrapping it.
It's just SEW pretty all bundled up. Ok...yes, I have issues. :)

I hope you all have a great week and if you are available on Friday night, consider joining the Friday Night Sew In. Please let me know if you are sewing this week and what you are making. I love to hear from my readers. Oh, that reminds me, I have a give away coming up for my followers. It is gonna be a good one, so become a follower so you don't miss out.

Take care and Happy Sewing!
Susan

Valentine Scrap Quilt

2012-01-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is my finished quilt. I've used up almost all of my Valentine fabric scraps. I used a soft pink flannel for the backing, also from my existing stash. I washed and dried to give it that qreat 'krinkly' look. I think it turned out great. The blocks inside the quilt were cut to 5" square. I added the border and strips just to mix it up a little. This was the first time I used a single layer binding and that was because I only had a small ammount of that fabric and the store was sold out too. I actually liked the single layer binding. It was cut on the straight of grain and was 1.5" wide. It went on really easily. I'm sorry for the quality of the photo. I hope to get a better one soon, but I was in a hurry to share. I hope you are all working on using your scraps, too.

Last year, I made some cute table runners from my Valentine scraps. Here is the link:
http://sewmanythingstosay.blogspot.com/2010/02/quilted-valentine-table-runner.html

Happy Sewing~
Susan

Scraps to Quilt

2012-01-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that one of my sewing goals for 2012 was to use a lot of my stash and that I've joined Pleasant Home's Sew Scraps Along. Well, I'm being true to my word. I had a bunch of Valentine's Day fabric scraps and I've been busy making a small quilt to lay on the back of our sofa. I would like to have a different quilt for every holiday or atleast every season. I'm sure my family will be glad to see the Christmas quilt go away for a while. I've been making my own pattern for this quilt and I'm loving it so far. I am thinking of adding prairie points. I've always wanted to add prairie points to a quilt and I've never done it. I will post pics of my progress.

Being a large family, we do not have Birthday parties for each child because, well, it's just a lot of work. We have small family parties for most birthdays. Two years ago I decided to have a Valentine's Day Party and let each child invite a few friends. It worked really well, because most people don't do much to celebrate Valentine's Day and most are available. It was so much fun that I've decided to do it again this year. So, of course, I have the party in mind when I'm making this quilt. I've also been making Valentine Pennants. I love pennants. I've made Birthday pennants, so we can re-use our party decorations and I made them for Thanksgiving as well. I just love these pretty pink fabrics. They just make me so happy.

I've got to get back to playing taxi driver for my daugthers and hopefully I can work on my quilt a little today, too. I hope you have a wonderful day and can do something for yourself today.

Happy Sewing!
Susan

Two Sewing Goals for 2012!

2012-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hey there. As I mentioned in my last post, I am SEW excited about the new year. There is something so neat about new beginnings. And, as always happens, as soon as Christmas is over, I want to organize everything.That brings me to my first sewing goal.

1. Organize all of my fabric and sewing supplies.

Even though I just set up my studio a year ago, when we moved into this house, sadly there are still boxes that are not unpacked. Also, everytime I do a project my studio gets more and more dishoveled.

To show you how this un-organization takes it's toll, I'm going to share a true blonde moment with you. Feel free to laugh, it's pretty funny.

I was looking for my 1930's reproduction fabrics last night. I looked everywhere and I just couldn't find them. I have a ton of them, cause I've been collecting them for years. Well, I had given up and went to bed feeling defeated. I was lying there a while when all of the sudden I thought of a place to look. I got up and looked in my rolling sewing machine case that was under one of my cutting tables. There was definatley something in there.....but it wasnt fabric. No, it was wrapped Christmas presents for my kids. But...they were not from last month, Christmas 2011. NO! They were from Christmas 2010! I knew I was missing two gifts from that year but there was a whole case full. Wow! I'm a good hider, for sure.

Hidden Gifts from 2010

Now to my second sewing goal.

2. To use my stash of fabric.

Yes this has been a goal in the past but I am hopeful that I can do a lot better this year. I have found two ways to help me in this. The first is that I signed up to do a block of the month club at Craftsy. This looks really fun. For beginners it is great because each block is made with a video instructor. She makes the entire block with you. For those of us who are a litte more advanced, you can also get printed instructions. I hope you'll check it out. I plan on using my 1930's fabrics....um...that is if I ever find them. Anyway, this would be a good way to use up your stash.

A second way to use my stash is to use my scraps. I love, love, love the look of scrappy quilts. I can't throw those pretty little scraps away, just like our ancestors couldn't and they used every little piece. I was very exciting when I found Pleasant Home's Sew Scraps Along. They have some beautiful ideas and tutorials of how to use your scraps. I love a challenge and the thought of sewing scraps with others. I plan on participating and I hope you do too.

So, these are my first two sewing goals for 2012.

1. Organize my fabric and sewing supplies.
2. To use my fabric stash.

Participating in the Block of the Month and the Sew Scraps Along will surely help my with goal #2.

A personal goal I have is to lose 20 to 30 more pounds. I've lost almost 40 since August. I plan to be at my college weight by my Birthday in the spring. I hope and pray that you can meet your personal goals and that you make time for your self by sewing or crafting or whatever brings you joy. God bless you in 2012.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Happy New Year and What I've Been Up To

2012-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Hello my Blogging Friends. I have certainly missed you all. I'm so excited to see 2012. Last year was full of stress and sadness and I so thankful for new beginnings and a new year. I am sure most of you, you are happy to be done with the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

I was actually very productive during the month of December. Along with the Christmas preparations I finished two projects. The first project was to finish a quilt for a 91 year old woman. Her daughter commissioned me to finish a quilt that her mother began years ago. She gave me a box with a handful drawings of she planned the quilt and some finished sqauares. The lady put so much time in this quilt. The log cabin blocks and strips were hand cut(no rotary cutters) and she even drew each 1/4 seam allowance. All together I had in over 30 hours in this but the lady must have had hundreds of hours in it. I really felt privileged to complete this for her and her family. The quilt creator is now in a nursing home and the quilt graces her bed. At some point her daughter is going to take it home and put it on her guest room bed.

The family seemed very happy with the finished project and I felt like a surrogate mother who had given birth to this quilt. It was a very special experience.

The other project was to get my girls some warm clothes. I took them on a little winter adventure and I knew we would all need hats and scarves. I found some fleece for $2.78 a yard. I used only 2/3's of a yard to make each girl and myself and hat and scarf. They were super easy and very economical. We got good use of them too as our adventure turned out to pretty cold.

I'll be back tomorrow to share some of my sewing goals for 2012. I hope you stop by and shares some of yours, as well.

Happy Sewing!!
Susan

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving.

2011-11-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. I know I've been gone a long time. Infact, this is the longest I've ever been gone. To catch you up a little bit, I am feeling much better. This past summer was terrible. I had to deal with the death of my mom, my ex-husband almost died, my husband was unemployeed and I was unable to walk for over four months due to an acute case of Plantar Fasciitis is both feet. I am dealing with my mom's death, I don't think the pain ever goes away completely. My exhusband is doing much better. My husband finally found a job but it will take us a long time to catch up from months and months of being unemployed. I have lost 35 pounds since August in hopes that it would help take some pressure off of my feet. The good news is that my left foot is totally healed. My right foot still gives me trouble when I stand or walk for long periods of time. I think there is something else going on there, but I haven't been able to see a Dr. about it yet.

We have new issues and problems going on that I won't go into detail. I have come to realize that everyone will always have some kind of problems. I think it is so we will appreciate heaven so much more when we get there.

So, today I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to my followers and show you some free or inexpensive decorating ideas. I am all about saving money and I wanted to decorate for Thanksgiving without spending any money. I only wanted to use things that I had on hand. It was really fun. My girls enjoy these challenges as much as I do.

First of all, I took a glass jar that we already had and we filled it with what we call "Pokey Balls". These grow on a Sweet Gum tree in our back yard. We normally hate Pokey Balls because they hurt when we walk on them barefooted. I put them in a paper bag in our microwave and nuked them for 2 minutes, to kill any critters that might be in them. I told the girls to look through my stash of ribbon for something that looked fallish and low and behold we had this remnant of orange ribbon. I didn't even have to trim it. It was the exact length we needed. This jar will be placed on our buffet table with all the food.

Next we made place cards with scraps of paper from my scrapbooking supplies. I wanted to add a little something to them and I thought I had some little fall leaf stickers but I couldn't find them. So, I sent the girls on a nature walk to find acorn 'hats' or tops. I glued them in the corner of each place card with a glue gun. I think they came out really cute.

Finally, I wanted to make a Thanksgiving Pennant to hang in the dinning room. Since we rent our home, I can't change the wall color or the drapes, but I wanted to add some of my own flair. I was looking in my stash for burlap or something like it. I was so excited to find remnants for of a fabric that I had used to make a client's drapes a few years ago. It has a texture like a soft burlap and it has flowers with a cranberry color in it, which is the color of my table cloth. I painted the words Give Thanks by cutting out templates from freezer paper and pressing it to the fabric. I then painted in the template and then removed the freezer paper. I sewed the pieces on the a jute type, thin rope and pinned them to our drapes. I wish I could have gotten a better photo, but I had to use my phone and it has no flash on it. I am really happy with how it turned out.

We are having a simple family dinner with my parents who are coming to dinner. It was really nice to decorate a little without going crazy or spending any money. I hope you all have a joyous Thanksgiving and are thankful for the blessings that you have.

Happy Sewing and Living,
Susan

Happy Sunday!!

2011-07-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all having a great day. Mine has been overwhelming. My 12 year old daughter sang an awesome solo in church today. My oldest daughter was asked to sing in a video of a Christian rapper who attends our Church. The video was released today and it is very cool. So, I just wanted to share it with you.

Blessings,
Susan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSlKxtDwcjU