Stop staring and start sewing!

Autumn Schmautumn

Well, while everyone else is blogging about the golden leaves in their yard and pumpkin spice muffins in their oven we've still got 100 degrees here.  Ughetty ugh ugh.  On the bright side it's supposed to drop into the 90s on Saturday.  I bought some apple spice Glade Plug-ins to stir up some fall ambiance here but it only works if I keep the doors shut and the A/C turned down low.

This last week has been nuts and I'm glad to have some sit-down time with my computer (hopefully I'll get some time with my sewing machine tomorrow).  I did do a few more scrappy squares so I have a small sense of accomplishment.  I think I'm getting better with experience.  Here are my 3 new ones.

So I'm up to 8 now and I think they make a happy collection!  You really need to try this, it's actually very relaxing.

Since I don't have anything else to blog about I figured it was about time I responded to one of those "taggings" and post 6 odd facts about myself.  I've lost track of some of the people who have tagged me over the past year but I know Blayne did, and Myrinda, Michelle, and Marie.  I hope I remembered everyone so I can tell them to knock it off.

So here are 6 random and odd facts about me:

1.  I'm the youngest child in my family (which explains the whole "look at me! look at me!  over here!! watch me!" thing).

2.  I've been in 38 of the states.  You can ask my husband and my brothers-in-law about "The Trip" and I'm sure they'd love to share the stories we've told them (my dad bought a motor home and took us all over the country in the summer of 1975 and we talk about it all the time.  Drives them nuts, ha!).

3.  I can touch my nose with my tongue (I can actually sort of pick my nose with it too but that would be rude to share).

4.  I love word puzzles.  Not so much crosswords, but the cryptograms and cryptic crosswords (I've heard it keeps dementia at bay too, so check back with me in 30 years).

5.  I was in gymnastics in Jr. High and on the dance team in high school (Go Falconettes!) and I can still do the splits.  Here I am in all my awkward 8th grade glory.  Braces, dorky hair (could never quite get my "feathers" right), the whole package (angst included).

6.  I made international news in 1996 when I found a snake in my toilet while I was 8 months pregnant.  I was on Inside Edition and was interviewed by radio stations as far away as New Zealand.  I actually found one reference to it on the internet here (this was back in the pre-internet days).  I'm not going to post a picture because it's gross (it was a 6 ft boa constrictor) but if you really want to see it, email me and I'll send it to you (weirdo).  ;)

Okay, that's it.  I can't think of anyone to tag right now and I want to keep all of my friends so I'll have to think on it some more.

Okay, fine!  Here's the dumb snake!  I can NOT believe how many of you actually want to see it!   This is just the top part of the snake, the rest of his body is still stuck down the toilet.  If you need me I'll be at my therapists.

Happy?

Hang on. I'm going to try something.

Ideas can come in such interesting ways.  A little pile of fabric scraps caught my eye yesterday and they way they were laying gave me an idea.  I thought it would be cute to have a strip of contrasting fabric going up a skirt seam with a little bow to top it off.  I figure the Insa skirt (Farbenmix) would be the perfect fit for my idea and since I was already planning to make one out of Heather's Pop Garden Paisley in the Ivory and Ice colorways I got straight to work.

Here are my skirt pieces all cut out.  The red strip on the bottom is 16 inches by 1 inch (keep an eye on it).

I folded the strip under on both edges to make it 1/2 inch wide.  I cut 4 pieces from this strip (each 4 inches by 1/2 inch).  You'll see what I'm using it for further along.

These are my bows.  They are 3.5 by 2 inches (they're shaggy looking because I'm too lazy to cut  the fabric so I tore it on the grainline).

Here I folded it in half and stitched the end on two sides (leaving a gap to turn it).

Okay, so here I pressed the seam open and made sure it's in the middle of the (future) bow.

I stitched the ends shut (I know it's sloppy looking but it'll work out).

Then I turned it right side through that little gap I left in the back (I just left the gap unsewn because it's so little and it won't show anyway).

Now here is another strip of fabric that I folded over like the first one (it's about 8 inches long) but I stitched this one up both edges.

I cut it into 4 little strips.

I wrapped the strips around the little bows (I used a running stitch to gather it up a bit since I knew the strip would cover it) and stitched it together on the back part of the bow (where the opening is).  Sloppy looking I know but it won't even show in the end!

I sewed one of those 4 x 1/2 inch strips I made at first on each seam from the bottom up.

Then I hand stitched the little bow on the top (I decided to tack down the edges of the bows too just to keep them from flopping around).  I did this on every seam (while watching Sense and Sensibility and cursing that stupid Willoughby for being such a snake).

Tada!  I really really love this skirt!!  Aren't those bows the bees knees?!

Here it is with another one of those sweaters I have.  I put together a cute little pin with a crocheted flower (purchased, not made) to tie it together.  So that was fun to get an idea and have it work out so nicely!

And now that I got that out of my system, it's going in my store (which is what I intended all along, I just wasn't planning the bows at first). Fun!

Kids begging for blog attention

I've been crazy busy packing fabric and patterns for shipping but the kids have been up to some fun stuff. 

Peety followed my tutorial and made this pillowcase all by herself (I like the fuchsia trim, it makes it snappy!). She made her bed just for this picture so I think I'm on to something.

Olivia made this funny little softy.

And she regularly raids my scraps for this rug (I had to make her bed for this picture).

Sofia did this. She's not really into sewing yet (note another bed in need of making).

And I'm loving the boys for this. I can't wait until they can mow the lawn and change lightbulbs.

And these kids (and their parents) want to wish a happy  anniversary to their Grandma and Grandpa (my mom and dad)!  47 years, 3 kids, 9 grandkids, and 4 great-grandkids (so far!).   Better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness, health....they've done it all! 

Thanks for showing us how it's done!  We love you!

Alright, a couple readers have asked for a more recent photo. This one was taken a few years ago. As you can see, they still got it!

Haiku! Gesundheit?

Thank you for all your nice comments (begging comments included!) on my last post!  I feel like Sally Fields ("You like me!  You really like me!") today.  The winner of the apron pattern and  cherry fabric drawing was #110 (out of 190 comments, dang!), Shelley Jo.  Yippy for Shelley Jo!

I've been cracking up at all the people who took me seriously and wrote haikus.  Some were very creative, some were a bit strange (in a creative sort of way though) and some had too many syllables (what's the Japanese work for a haiku with too many syllables?).  But I enjoyed them all.  I really think that sort of bravery and silliness needs to be rewarded so rather than let that random number picking site do the work I decided to pick my favorite.  Karen (at 5:40 am on the 17th) wrote this one:

I love sewing clothes
Jona G encouraged me...
My daughter looks great!

I'm going to send an envelope full of various scraps to Karen (enough for a whole bunch of scrappy squares). Fun!

We are getting close to finishing my next pattern and I'm really happy with it.  I've added a pocket option and some tutorials on how to spice up a top to wear with it.  I think I have a name for it but I won't really know until it's born and I look at it's face (if you know what I mean).  Here's my newest rendition.

And I had a chance to sew for fun yesterday. I made this cute Insa skirt (Farbenmix) with Sandi's vintage cherry fabric. I found 4 of these great sweaters made by Timberland (acrylic I think) at a clearance store last year. I always intended to make coordinating skirts but as with most things, it took me awhile to get around to it. I even made a matching pin to jazz up the sweater. I love it (it's in my store now, with some other samples I just added)!

I shortened the outer layer by about an inch because of the added ruffle (I wanted more of that cute Sis Boom fabric to peek out). 

Oh and for those of you not on my mailing list (what?!), I just got my last 4 bolts of Farmer's Market this week so now I have the whole line. And to celebrate, I've dropped the price to 7.00 yd until the 27th. Go crazy!

And Flirt is still on sale until the end of September. Again, go crazy (can you tell I need to make room here)!

I just added a couple of Christmas trims too. I took pics awhile back and then forgot. But, they're cute and interesting (and Christmasy!), and they look nice with Mary Engelbreit's fabric.

Oh, and I'm getting the next Mary Engelbreit line (Recipe for Friendship) from Moda in a couple of weeks. It has lots and lots of cherries (and paisleys with cherries in them!). Cute times ten and oh so Mary (I love her)!

It's my 1st Blogversary!

It's been one year since my first post and what a wonderful year it has been!  I was a little worried that people would think I was bossy when they first read "Stop Staring and Start Sewing" at the top of the page.  I really just wanted to encourage people (in a bossy sort of way) to actually try some of the fun things we all see when we are surfing through all those great craft blogs out there.  I'm amazed at all the talented and fun friends I've made and I'm thrilled with all the notes I've gotten from gals who have actually decided to stop staring and start sewing (you "get it")!

I'm having a fun little give-away (I love these!) to celebrate.  Just leave a comment in the form of a haiku (just kidding!  Any old comment will do), and I will run it through that random number site later this week to pick a lucky winner. 

Here's the prize!  A Lola apron pattern and 1 1/2 yards of Sandi Henderson's fabulous Vintage Cherries print.  I'll even throw in some of that pink Paris Bebe fabric for fun!

Thank you for an exciting year!!

Big day for the little guy

Well today was our day to take Skate to the doctor to see if his arm has healed enough to remove the cast.  All morning long I kept asking him "Skate, are you ready to go see the doctor?" to which he would reply "No docker!".  Cracks me up.

So we dressed him appropriately and got him there on time.

They had such cute paintings on the wall!

He did great when they removed it (and we got to take the stinky, crusty ol' thing home with us as a souvenir!). He cried a little but recovered quickly. He kept rubbing his arm the whole way home (it probably feels as light as a feather now).

Thanks for all the sympathy and well wishes!  All better now!

Joey and I had a little Saturday morning breakfast date and went to Barnes and Noble to wander (does anyone else do this on their dates?).  I picked up a copy of the latest Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine and couldn't wait until I got home to start in on it. Fortunately for the other folks on the road I wasn't driving, Joey was. I would never text and drive because that would be stupid. But I'm not sure if I would be able to overcome the temptation to read my favorite magazine while driving.  Anyway, before I opened it up I said "I wonder how many of my bloggy friends are in this issue?" and sure enough, there are some great ones!

Look! The oh-so-kind and talented Jennifer Paganelli! I just can't get enough of her great designs and colors!  I've heard faint whisperings of another line coming but no sneak peeks yet.

And look! Hillary Lang's pointy kitty! You can download this pattern for free on her great site.

So darn cute!

I've had a few sweet folks ask me to offer sewing kits for the Edith Twirl Skirt in my store so I've put a few together. They include all the fabric (including the lining) and the embroidery floss you need to make a real sweet skirt!  Let me know what you think and if there are some other fabric combos you would like to see.  Here are some:

Zesty!

Sweet!

Spicy!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!!  Keep sewing!!

Silence is golden. And so are my new pillows!

I finally got around to sprucing up my living room a little with some pretty pillow action.  My couch is the first thing people see when they walk in the door and it's been a pretty sore sight up until today.  Finally something worth looking at!

I've been wanting to re-do this old pillow for ages, it's so outdated. The embroidery design is from a kit I bought about 23 years ago when I decided I wanted to learn how to embroider. It's pretty faded (the brown leaves used to be green!) but I remember how proud I felt when I finished it so I want to hang on to that part of it.

I cut the buttons off so I could re-use them. I made some yo-yos and cinched them tight around the old buttons so I didn't have to dig through my stuff for more button covering kits.

I added some brighter french knots to the embroidery design just to freshen it up and I added a little bit of gold to it to tie it in with my other new pillows (I couldn't just stop at one!). I found these little (14 x 14) pillows at Target for 2.50 and covered them with these gorgeous Garden Party prints. Fun!

Now people get to see this when they walk in the door!  I'm loving the gold and teal colors together!  The room still looks a little bland (a new rug maybe?) but it's a far sight better than it was!  Yay!

In the process I discovered this wonderful criss cross stitch on my machine and it's my new favorite!

And...I finally found time to draw a winner from all the August buyers of my Edith Twirl Skirt pattern (I'll probably do it again for you September buyers). Stephanie Secada, C'mon down!!!! You are now the lucky owner of this sweet skirt kit made from Sandi Henderson's beautiful Farmer's Market fabric! I'll get this out to you right away and add some fabric just in case you want to applique a matching shirt or something.  Congratulations Stephanie!

I'll have some skirt kits available in my store real soon (I'll even include the embroidery floss!). I'll try to pick some cute combinations!  And I'm expecting 10 more bolts of Pop Garden to show up here any second now. 

Be sure to check out the flickr group I started (and join it!) and take a look at this gorgeous version of my pattern (I love it!).  And could this one be any sweeter?  Oh, and another one (Yay Kelci!).  Have a wonderful weekend!