Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!

Art Nest Pincushion RingGIVEAWAY!!!!

Where Is My Laptop??

By the time I get it back, I'm going to have several posts to catch up on. Hubby took my laptop to work with him last week and he has forgotten to bring it home. I don't have a working SD drive on the desktop, so I am patiently (sort of) waiting for my computer to come back to me so that I can get the ball rolling here! I have another diaper bag done, and have just started a fresh batch. I have had some interest from family and friends in this area, and I am eager to get pictures of fabrics posted that interested buyers can put a hold on a featured fabric for a bag. I'm still grappling with the ins and outs of sewing for profit, but I'm hoping to have a solid business plan and schedule set up by the end of May. I might even look at an Etsy store if I decide to go the online route. These are the things I am mentally tackling all day long. With three very young children and a part time job, it could be difficult balancing it all.

If you have not explored Etsy.com before, I highly recommend it! I could easily spend a couple hours browsing all the amazing hand made items out there!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

It Lives!

The day after I "fixed" my Elna, I discovered a startling problem. While winding a bobbin, and not having much luck, smoke began to pour out the top of it. I cried a little and then went back to using my Brother for the current diaper bag I was sewing.

Today I realized that my plastic shell Brother was having a very hard time sewing through the multiple layers of fabric and interfacing I was dealing with. Out came the Elna again, this time determined to solve the problem once and for all. I took off the top and ran the machine for a couple minutes, hoping to see where the smoke signals were coming from. It turns out the light bulb was either very dirty, or just very old. Once it was removed I had no problems at all. Safe to say I won't be sewing in the dark any time soon.

With that figured out, I have been able to continue my bag without any problems! While my Brother had fits over the thick fabrics, the Elna runs through it like a hot knife though butter. It's great! I may have to sink some money into it and get it cleaned though - it's kind of nasty in there!

Eight Years Ago...

The first year I was married, my husband conspired with my Mom to gift me with a sewing machine for Christmas. I was thrilled and for the first few months did a lot of thinking about sewing. However, I didn't know much except how to sew a somewhat straight line. The machine went into storage and I didn't pull it out again until the last few months of my first pregnancy. The desire to sew a bevy of wonderful things for our new son's bedroom was overwhelming and I attacked each project with gusto. Until my machine stopped working. Back it went into storage and I finished my projects using my Mom's Bernina. Two years ago I purchased a second hand Brother machine and have been stitching away ever since.

Last week I had the honor of attempting to "fix" a friend's machine. I've learned a little over the past couple years and asked her if I could take a look at it before she wrote it off or paid someone else good money to fix it. It turned out the bobbin was just a little touchy with threading and there was nothing wrong with it at all.

After the girls went to bed this afternoon, I took the Elna out, wiped a few years worth of dust off it and then started to take it apart. I quickly figured out where the problem was and within a few minutes it was sewing a super smooth seam! I also discovered all the machine feet that my mom had purchased with it! It's like Christmas all over again! I even have a foot that folds a perfect hem! So now I have two machines. I have to say, my 1971 Elna is a much smoother stitch than the 2007 Brother. It's a heavy metal beast that sews like a dream!

Big Bird

My husbands response to the fabric I purchased for my dress- "It reminds me of Big Bird!"

Ha ha ha.

I was more than mortified that the dress, once completed, did in fact make me look like Big Bird. I thought the pattern would be slimming, but I screwed up my own measurements and made the dress about 4 sizes too big on top. The skirt poofed out so much that my already significant derriere looked like I had padded it with a couch cushion. No problem, I can alter it, right? Wrong. I over altered and now it is too small. In a moment of sheer madness I had chopped off the excess fabric, and now I am left with scraps of yellow fabric and no dress. I think I have enough fabric left over to redo the top. I'll take another stab at it!

Bunny's Jacket

After seeing Grosgrain's Conservatory jacket here, I decided to try my hand at one as well - in kid size. I had a beautiful blue fabric that brought out Bunny's eyes. There were several firsts with this project. Up until lately I had been sticking to simple projects mostly consisting of rectangles and squares. I had never done a jacket before and this meant learning how to do sleeves and multiple pleats. After a rapid search through the patterns at Fabricland I decided that I would just make my own pattern - sort of. I had another dress pattern that I hadn't used, so I used the bodice and sleeves as a guide. I then free-handed the bottom of the jacket and the collar. I can't really recall how I did it, but I managed to make it work. Now if I could just get Bunny to let me take a picture of her in it!

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

It would never fit me - but I could stare at it lovingly.

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Born 2 Impress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Utterly adorable hair clips!

Smell The Cotton

I love cotton. I love how easy it is to iron, to sew. Most of the time I work with quilter's cotton. It comes in so many amazing patterns that I never seem to run out of uses for it. I used to get the same happy feelings from new notebooks at the beginning of every school year.



The problem is that basic cotton no longer holds a challenge for me. I'm craving a new experience and I think my senses are leading me towards something.....stretchy. My fear of stretch fabrics goes back to about grade 6, when my mom let me do some light sewing with some stretch cotton fabric, leftover from some t-shirts she made me. It was awful. Traumatizing. All I remember is wanting to sob in frustration while the fabric bunched up and my thread gathered into gigantic knots.



I'm also taking a leap and making an attempt at sewing something for myself to wear. I love sewing for kids. Kids are more forgiving about fit and they don't care if their hips look big. I care deeply. For my first project I am going to be sewing a dress from the pattern pictured below. It's a Simplicity pattern, and one of the "It's So Easy" variety. I didn't realize until after I bought it that it requires boning in the bodice. Who decided that boning was easy???

The main reason for choosing this particular pattern is the cut. It's very forgiving in the hip area, plus it accentuates the waistline - or hopefully it will give me one! I'm also a sucker for anything that remotely resembles the style of the 50's. Pair this baby with a cute little cardigan and I am all over it!

April Tea Party

After the guests had gone home to nap, I set up a mini studio and had some fun with my mom's china!

Photoblog

I've decided to take a leap and start my own photoblog. I hope that you enjoy it!