Grandson

On our recent trip, our cowboy admired one of his grandfather's shirts. I just happened to have some material leftover, so here you go cowboy. Consider it a belated birthday gift. A supplement to that other gift we got for you.

Bernina Record with NO number!

Call me crazy, but that is really a great looking piece of machinery. Check out those cams!! That is the guts of a Bernina Record from 1974, a 38 year old machine that I found in the Hug-A-Bear closets at church today. I brought it home for some TLC and a little cleaning and oiling. I had no idea that our little group had that much real estate or a Bernina at our disposal, as it was my understanding that we had ONE little closet, not three. Two were clogged with "donations" that were really not suitable to our projects, and with the help of another in our group, we purged and organized. It was wonderful.

Today we had 11 servants show up and we stuffed and closed 151 bears. We also laughed and enjoyed one another's company and admired some lovely fabrics. We also had a little party in memory of our recently passed leader. We all miss J, and will carry on in her memory.

I am using my moms Bernina Record 930 along with my Pfaff. I used a Bernina Record 830 for about 25 years. This one is SO familiar, it's really cool. Even has the knee lever.

Son

Almost birthday time, if I can wait that long. I am SO bad. Once something is done, I see no point in it sitting around here when it can be out being useful.

Mucking about

This is a moomoo that was my mother-in-law's from a trip to Hawaii. My youngest took it from her grandma's house after she passed and then gave me a shirt that I used to make a pattern to make the moomoo into a shirt.

Success!

A pattern I made from another skirt, just the top part, the rest is layered gathers. Couldn't find the original pattern, argh.

Youngest wants this pattern used to transform several circle skirts and old dresses she gave me into a simple straight skirt. All present a specific challenge and I am not sure will be suitable. We'll talk.

A new favorite (sacred) space

down a little path

underneath the trees

sitting in the shadows

feeling the breeze

of a high summer day

a little sacred space

shaded from the sun

to appreciate

to sit quietly

to pray

to read

to contemplate

Three little boys, three little shirts

A very dear friend is a grandma to five lovely boys. Her son adding to his family of two of the boys recently with another son. Now he and his wife have a baby, a two year old, and a four year old. Dad was born and raised in TX (I've known him before he could walk) but now lives in the north east where his wife grew up. These little shirts that I will be sending will remind the boys of their dad's roots in TEXAS! When I saw this fabric, I HAD to use it. I am sure in the future their home might feel like a herd of longhorns are running through it! I had four brothers, a herd of cattle . . . yeah, sometimes!

The 25 year old Bernina in my closet

I dragged out my mom's Bernina that she bought in 1987. Hard to believe that was 25 years ago. It is one of the last mechanical machines made by Bernina and I am SO glad she decided to pass it on to me rather than selling/giving it away to someone else. I have been asked to teach a young lady how to sew. My first foray into instruction. My girls were never interested, the oldest being a bookworm/scholar and the youngest, always dancing and playing sports. So I just happily sewed for them. Son never showed any interest either, but I would have been happy to teach him! This will be an awfully nice machine for learning. A workhorse and so well made. Easy to use and smooth as butter. I have been playing with it today to get the feel back. I may not put it away again, but then, I have taken over three rooms now. The sewing room, the guest room (where do I put all those supplies, fabrics and patterns?) and the dining room (where do I do all my cutting and organizing?). I have a very patient husband.

Hug A Bear #1

I am going to track the cute fabrics and faces of some of the hug a bears I am coordinating. Just for fun and because I have to do a report at the end of the year.

Enough for at least 20 bears. Have some pink and lavender solids to go with.

This is a flannel, SO CUTE.

This one will make at least 34, as there are solids that will help stretch this fabric, by using it only on the front of the bear. Again, too cute!!!

Master Matcher?

Maybe NOT a "master" as it seemed to take forEVER to get it matched this nicely. I think that part took longer than it took to put the shirt together. Fuss, fuss, fuss. Yes, there is an overlap (no buttons yet, gotta head back to the fabric store AGAIN - oh darn) and a pocket. The collar and pins are a clue. This is for hubby's friend. I did an earlier shirt, but having finally cracked the code of matching the front, we had to make and send him the new and improved. Plus hubby likes the black background much better than the teal background of the other shirt. Same "woodie" design.

what girls?

Another work dress

I had to take a break from working with fine fabrics and solving problems yesterday. I just needed to do something mindless so I could talk to God easier and not be distracted by challenges that took up my attention. I had already cut this one out. Love the color, the bubbles and the perfectly matched buttons. This is another work dress for oldest. She must have an entire wardrobe of shirt waist dresses these days, I have lost count of how many of these I have made for her. Her birthday is coming up, but I am so bad, I don't always wait. It's done, it's useful, why not USE it.

Goodbye my friend

I had to say goodbye to a mentor and friend this week. Her faith and spirit were an inspiration to me. She seemed almost giddy with excitement to meet her Lord and Savior and join the FEAST. I found making this itty bitty Hug-A-Bear made me feel better. It is a reminder of all loss and all hope for me. It seems that each day brings not only joy, but also sorrow, sometimes having profound swings, sometimes inexpressible. I hold HIS hand quietly, firmly, knowing that all is well.

I love this from

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/goodbye

Word History: No doubt more than one reader has wondered exactly how goodbye is derived from the phrase "God be with you." To understand this, it is helpful to see earlier forms of the expression, such as God be wy you, god b'w'y, godbwye, god buy' ye, and good-b'wy. The first word of the expression is now good and not God, for good replaced Godby analogy with such expressions as good day, perhaps after people no longer had a clear idea of the original sense of the expression. A letter of 1573 written by Gabriel Harvey contains the first recorded use of goodbye: "To requite your gallonde [gallon] of godbwyes, I regive you a pottle of howdyes," recalling another contraction that is still used.

Labels

Recently I have sewn for several people and at least one has asked why I don't have a label inside. I have had labels that mom gave me in the past, but for the most part they are long gone. I have not found them to be readily available, at least not ones that appeal to me, so I started researching online for custom labels. I found some, but not interested in buying 500. I sew a lot, but come on. REALLY? That is for commercial production, I am a small personal "production" company. I sew for you if I love you, for the most part, and pray for you while I sew for you. Of coarse I pray for whoever comes to mind, so you are all included.

So, hubby has a coworker who owns an embroidery machine, perfect. But she recommends that the small wording needed for labels gets lost in the threads. She recommended having them printed and gave me some recommendations. While checking that out, it occurred to me that I have some fabric for printers left from my mom and dad's anniversary quilt sitting in my closet! I get that out, messed around on the computer, and voila! I have labels. And, I can make all kinds, personalized, any size, and any time! Brilliant! So far I have put them into hubby's sleep shorts, won't show pics, but he does know the front from the back now.

The fabric that can be purchased and sent through my printer.

Here are some of the older ones I made with my Pfaff that does lettering and the few I have left from some that mom gave me with my creations at the bottom.

Aren't these the coolest? And now I can take the chains off my brains and create some truely awesome labels. I am so excited.

Triple Threat

I have been sewing for many years and have had five machines. A Kenmore that I received as a teenager that caused no end of grief for a girl who proceeded to always end up using her mom's Singer. Then a garage sale Penny's machine for our first years of marriage, that was great. After that a Bernina that I ran into the ground. It was even taken overseas with a 220 motor installed on it. Then my mom's old Pfaff that finally started "losing it" due to old age (it was NOT mechanical), and my current Pfaff, which I love and hope to use for at least 10 plus years. I have a mechanical Bernina off to the side (again, mom's donation) that I will keep forever.

Then my supplements . . . on the left is a twenty year old Hobby Lock serger which has been a godsend. Thanks AGAIN, mom! I am not sure how I ever managed without it. I have had it for 10 years and it is showing it's age, but so far only cosmetically, as it still seems to be running like a dream. Then my NEWEST addition to my tools . . . and something I have been dreaming about for about 8 years, a COVERLOCK machine.

For those who have no idea what a coverlock machine does, no point in explaining, but rest assured, it is a wonderful time saver and makes the best finishing on knits and wovens. They have fancy (really expensive) machines that can go back and forth and do all sorts of tricks, but I sew in a very practical way, and this machine is perfect for me.

Hey, a gardener has more than one tool, a chef has many, rarely does a photographer have only one camera/lense, and many other occupations have a variety of tools at their disposal, and I finally have a tool that I have dreamed of and will make my time in my sewing room even more fun, pleasant and productive than it already is.

Two examples of my first efforts!

Wool

Been working on a wool skirt for youngest, using a skirt she likes and fits into perfectly as my pattern. LOVE working with this gorgeous fabric that she picked out, probably a year ago. SO scary sometimes to make that initial CUT! I used iron in tricote in the waistline and also the front facing, which is just a turn under, so much flatter at the seam. Spent quite a while last night hand sewing in the lining, SO worth it. Not done yet, and have NO idea of button and button holes, but have decided I will get out my couture book and do the buttonholes by hand. Never done it, LOVE the look, and while I am doing such a tedious task . . . . I'll be praying.

Silk

I played with silk today and learned a few things.

Wash (or sit in cool water for a couple of minutes) the silk first. If you do not, you get the bottom affect. Also on the right, that WAS a 4 x 4 square. After, it was definitely distorted. Very tricky fabric, but a most lovely drape and feel. The fabric was from my mom, she gave it to me probably 10 years ago. My youngest prefers all natural fabrics, wools, silks and cottons and I sure have enjoyed sewing with these fine fabrics. I have a resource book that I refer to, and most are very easy to work with if you are willing to take the extra time. Me, that is definitely worth it.

I have enough for two blouses, I think I may make myself one as well.

Today it was about patterns

This one is for the dress skirt, all ready to go.

This will be for the new lining of the jacket. I just took half of the old lining apart.

This one is for the blouse she gave me.

Here is the blouse.

Not sure what will become of all this. Now I have to locate the fabrics, I know they are around here somewhere! HA!

Happy Birthday Baby D

Baby D had a birthday a few days ago. His grandma isn't the most organized at all times, but his requests presented more of a challenge than I expected! I discovered most toy stores are just licensing depots. You see a movie, buy all this stuff from the movie, or TV show, or whoever else is trying to increase their profits. There was still some stuff, but even Legos are not just Legos any more, they are themes. My baby bro had logos and had to use his IMAGINATION to build things. Again not totally, but 90% of the toy store was a commercial for some OTHER thing.

Oh, and I did find a piggy bank, but it needed THREE double A batteries, was HARD HARD HARD to get the coins into and would nag "feed me, feed me" in the most obnoxious voice! Yes, it did keep track of how much was in there, but I think doing what my kids did, taking out the money and actually counting it is a better lesson in counting, identifying and organizing. Amount tendered anyone? Yikes, who would want that in their home. Took it back.

So this was his list of requests. A piggy bank. Rainbow jelly beans. A boat (he gets THREE!). A train. A school bus. A whistle. A fishing pole. We won't send the fishing pole til later, as it won't fit in a regular size box, we'll take that when we visit next time. The band-aids and baseballs are just an extra bonus. We have spent the last two weeks in lots of stores, so it did take a lot longer to find everything. I hope he will be pleased. Even though it will be a little late.

Happy Birthday Baby D, we are privileged and blessed to have the miracle of YOU in our lives.

Two pants, one skirt

I managed to get both pair of yoga pants hemmed for my youngest and even measured and made a pattern for a very simple skirt that she purchased. She wanted a denim skirt made exactly the same way. So that is what I did! She'll get to try it Saturday.

Right now I am making a pattern from a dress skirt she likes. I have a lightweight wool to make a lined skirt just like this one.

My dining room now looks like this. A jacket to reline, 2 skirts and a blouse to make patterns from, two pair of pants to hem and several items to re-purpose/redo. We'll see how much progress I make this week. I am pretty much done with company and travel, which has been delightful, until late summer. It will feel good to get back in the sewing room.