AMK Stitches

work: if it's not something...

2011-10-24T07:14:00.005-10:00

It's something else. there's always something going on. That's good! I would rather be busy than bored. I am rarely bored. More often I'm in a heap on the floor because I am so overwhelmed with everything I have to do (exaggeration) but never bored. I have accomplished A LOT in the last few months. I couldn't have done it without help from my family and church friends.

Above are some beautiful cases I made for the Triplets. I capitalize that because in our house everyone knows them as the Triplets. People who don't know them have heard of them. they are sweet little girls and they turned 8! I love these cases and want to offer them on Etsy but ...(see the part about being so busy I'm in a heap on the floor)

See this? I have always wanted a red door! Now I have one! And I painted my porch ceiling "Haint Blue". I first saw this while living in TX. We visited Lyndon B. Johnson State Park with some young women from church. (I remember this day very well. The blue ceilings left an impression but so did LBJ's steer whose smell triggered nausea. I found out a week later I was pregnant with my first baby)

I fell in love with the blue porch ceilings in his childhood homes. Now I have it and I really love it. And my trim has begun to be painted. This is thanks to my sweet friends. I love my home, but these touches (and my trim not molding and peeling) has really brightened my mood. Just in time too, since it is getting cold and dark.
Theses cases are for my little friends. The difference is below their names in glow in the dark thread it says "Daughter of a King". You may already believe you're a princess but you need to always believe in Christ and walk in the light so that when you go through dark times you will remember that you are a daughter of God. The thread must go in light before it can glow. Just like us. I love this!

Here are some of my newest oneses! As popular as I thought they would be. How fun to receive or give as a baby gift!

We live on one acre which is HUGE for a family used to living on an Army post. I rented a tractor and my dad came and helped me put in a yard. I couldn't have done this without the friends who helped mow, weed eat, take down trees, cut wood etc. I am so grateful! Especially when we had a high windstorm and those trees could have landed on my house!

Don't I look awesome on a tractor? This was the 3rd time we rented it and I was determined it would be the last. The yard is looking great! The kids love it!
I saw Carter be born and he just turned 8! He loves all sports so this pillowcase with glow in the dark name was perfect!

I don't blog because I sew

2011-10-11T19:53:00.004-10:00

I like to read blogs but don't very often because I'm too busy. I like to write on my blog but don't very often because I'm too busy. I have wondered how creative people find time to blog and make stuff. With kids, a home, church, and sewing, I'm exhausted! I am not caught up on sewing and probably never will be. My house has been a disaster, so I finally hired someone to clean it. Wow! What a relief! Worth every penny!

So here are a few things I've made since we visited last. Above you have a school backpack made from her dad's uniform. Yep! An ACU backpack. You know, ACU bags are not my most favorite thing to make, but I often make exceptions. People love them and have an emotional attachment to them. This one was requested by one of my sweeties and she chose the fun lining and we designed it together. I'm pretty proud of it. Still haven't finished a school bag for girl #3. One day...
I have over 180 sales on Etsy now and I'm pleased as punch. But I don't sew much. I embroider. Lots of onesies and pillowcases. I have several new Harry Potter themed onesies and I offer a personalized custom onesie. Here we have one in French. I had to google the translation. "My name is Pierre" Cute. And like all the custom onesies, this has a cute story to go with it.
Towels! My mother commissioned the above towels for a fellow teacher getting married and Dang! they're pretty. It's hard to tell in these pics, but it is a really pretty taupe with the slate blue. Very nice. When mom comes to visit I have these cute guest towels ready for her use. Pink and blue-his and hers. I love the polka dot font and need to remember to use it soon. It would be darling on pillowcases.

More onesies with another cute story. This time, triplets! I love the color combo. A very sweet gift.

And did I hear someone say "pillowcases"? Why yes and I have some right here. I offer this beautiful monogram in my Etsy store and this customer asked for the extra sentiment. Of course! I love moms and I hear that this mom loved her cases.
Have I blogged about these yet? Ruffly covers for 31 brand purses. I have made about a dozen, I think, and every one has been stinking adorable! I have many more to show and tell.
There's a little sampling. What's next? This week, I'm finishing up altering a couple evening gowns, more embroidered onesie orders for Etsy, pillowcases for past due wedding gifts, another baby boy blessing outfit, and I have to figure out some special projects we'll be sewing up for the nursing home. Busy Busy.

The First Step...

2011-06-14T09:05:00.004-10:00

The first step in addiction recovery is admitting you have a problem. Well, I do. I decided it was time to go through fabric when I had an order that needed a specific one. and I couldn't find it. So my sweet husband started pulling all the containers from the garage. I took this picture because I was so amazed at how much I had. Then Lee said, "Oh, I'm not done. You still have more."

More?! I had no idea how many I had. Lee ended up pulling about 15 containers from the garage and in my actual sewing room I had 8-10 drawers and an entire 5 drawer filing cabinet. All filled with fabric. Some of these boxes were HUGE. One that holds chenille is about the size of a small coffin.

I was too embarrassed to take another picture. What is one of the 7 deadly sins? Gluttony. I am a fabric glutton. So, I went through and purged a bunch of fabric, including 2 garbage bags full of scraps. My scraps aren't regular scraps. They are really nice scraps. I even considered bundling scraps and selling them on Etsy to crafters and quilters.

It was more than a little painful to part with fabric, even fabric that hadn't seen daylight in a couple years. But I have a semi belief in feng sui, and having boxes full of unused fabric is stale energy.

I am now down to about 8 boxes on my garage shelves. They include the fabrics I don't use regularly: fleece, chenille, canvas, flannel, felt and even batting. They are separated much better now and I am actually using them more often becuae I know what I have and can find it. I hate buying a notion or fabric and come home and see that "Dang! I already have navy blue fleece!" Or "Crud! This is my 3rd identical purple spool of thread!"

Oh thread. Yeah, that's another one. I could do a post just on thread. I'll save that for another day, because, again, I am very embarrassed.

But I admit it is a problem that I am working on. And working on it means sewing it all up and selling stuff to make lots of money! (to buy more sewing items. JK!)

And yeah, yeah, I know that storing fabric in plastic is a no-no but come on! How many of us do it? And it doesn't matter because I am sewing it all up!

Right?

Sewing for my Family

2011-06-10T17:21:00.006-10:00

I love to sew and have stayed incredibly busy sewing for people who offer me money. This is a fun way to sew. But the most rewarding? Sewing for my children and other members of my family. Two of my children share a birthday. My daughter says they're "twins". A few years ago I made them I'm 2 and I'm 4 shirts. I surprised them with these on their birthday morning. Iused Thomas the Train fabric and princess crown fabric for the number appliques. They loved them!
The hair clip she's wearing is a yo-yo I made from the princess crown fabric, topped with a cute flower button. Adorable!

Lydia received a hooded towel when she was born and has since grown out of it. A good friend sewed it for her, but we needed to replace it and she is still young enough that a hooded towel works for her. And when your mom sews, she can make it as big as you need. I finally completed this towel which includes a gorgeous Amy Butler print. She's a happy girl. I have new hooks in the bathroom now, too, so she ought to be able to keep it off the floor.

Glow in the Dark Pillowcases! It's been a while since I made these! I made this one for my niece and the letters are appliqued in glow in the dark thread. I keep thinking about offering these on Etsy because they are so fun, but it may have to be after vacation. I have too many projects in the works right now.

The tooth fairy pillowcase also glows in the dark. I have sold these on Etsy and craft fairs in the past. Lydia is losing teeth like crazy, so it was about time she had her own.

The pocket is satin and the satin stitching glows as well as the fairy's wings and the tooth she's carrying. Ribbon and ric-rac are the perfect finishing touch for both cases.

More sewing for family items soon. And a special treat? The Easter Dress! Stay tuned.

Harry Potter and the Popular Onesies

2011-06-09T19:57:00.004-10:00

Counting down to the premiere of the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, part 2! So here is my contribution to Potter Mania.
I showed these onesies in a previous post, but I have sold even more of them so I wanted to show them in different colors. I started with the "Muggle Born" and "Dumbledore's Army" onesies. They're pretty even but Muggle Born may be just a bit more popular.

Today I offered my latest HP theme onesie, "S.P.E.W." which all good fans of the books know is the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. I am a HUGE lover of Harry and share the love with my kids. They have been a big inspiration for my embroideries, and my 13 yr old is especially helpful at referencing things for me. We love S.P.E.W. and wish it had been added in the movies, but oh well. And we love Dobby, so I dedicate this and all my onesies to Dobby's memory and of course, my man, Fred. Oh wait. Spoiler Alert if you haven't read the books!

Dress your baby in a HP onesie and take him with you to the movie!

This pink Muggle Born was featured in an Etsy treasury today filled with Harry Potter baby items. Super cute!

I will have to check my stats to see which are more popular, my Harry Potter or Star Wars onesies. Wait till you see my new Darth Vader one!

Why yes...I do weddings

2011-06-08T07:57:00.005-10:00

This beautiful young lady and her beautiful mother are sharing tears of joy! This sweet girl and her husband and baby daughter were sealed to each other forever in the LDS temple.
They hadn't had a real wedding reception, so her awesome mother in-law and my good friend, Dana, planned a gorgeous day for them.

They chose a really beautiful dress for the big day. The problem was, it did not meet the modesty standard for a temple ceremony or for the girl to wear after she had been to the temple.

Enter, ME.

Angie, can you help us? Uh, I guess so. No it was more like SURE! Why not?!

The dress was strapless with these little removable strap/sleeve things. I lined them and moved them and secured them to cover everything that needed covered. Even a jacket would not have covered enough if she moved.

I knew it would be tricky to find the right fabric for a jacket but a jacket was my only option. I wasn't going to attempt to build shoulders and sleeves for this dress. I didn't want to take away from the beauty of it or cover it, but it had to be modest and functional.

The whole experience conjured up my time as a bridal consultant when I was first married. Selling dresses and measuring for alterations...good times. Luckily no one was standing over me pushing a sales quota.

We were fortunate Dana asked for my help right before I was leaving for a trip to Hawaii, in November! I took photos of the gown and went on my search at Fabric Mart on Oahu.

I found this lovely embroidered, beaded organza. It couldn't have matched any better than it did. I wish my photos were better. The jacket fit her so well and looks like it came with it. I also added bustle hook and loop and applique' to hide it. Hmmm...where did that picture go?

I'm especially proud of how the fabric lines up so well. It fit her with perfection and is just another reason why having something custom made is the way to go. The bridal shop had nothing like this.

The inside of the jacket back was lined with batiste. The front was lined in satin to complement the pseudo-Elvis collar.

The straps alterations were all done by hand and took forever. But in this case forever ended and I completed in time. I delivered the dress to the temple and dressed Saydee after the sealing for ther pictures outside. She looked adorable and gorgeous and wonderful and so happy. And the look on her husband's face was incredible! This took a huge amount of work. Hours and hours of mental and physical labor here, but what a lovely result.

I'm pleased with the challenge it gave me and am more than satisfied but I'm not ready to take this on again soon. But for such a sweet family and to be a part of their sacred day, I would do it all over again.

Congratulations, Gibson Family!

What's in a name?

2011-06-07T17:27:00.004-10:00

I take the loveliest linens and add someone's name or monogram in beautiful colors. Yeah, I know I make them but I can't help but brag a little. Every time I embroider a set, I press them with my super hot iron and fold them up and tie them with ribbon and then I "ooh" and "aah" before I photograph them, wrap them in tissue, tie them with another ribbon then package and mail them.

I'm very excited to have found a new source for my pillowcases. They are 400 thread count sateen, the kind you would find in upscale hotels. They come out of the wash better than any others I have used and the seams and stitching are also the neatest I have found. I usually add hemstitching to the cases, but with these, they rarely need it.

I really get a kick out of selling these and giving them to friends and family. They are very popular in my shop and I keep adding new styles of monograms.

And one of my best compliments were those I've received from my mother in-law and my own mother who is ordering pillowcases for an upcoming wedding gift.

And I have monogrammed pillowcases on my own bed. I've never photographed those! Iought to do that.

Long time no Blog

2011-05-16T15:15:00.003-10:00

Seriously? I have not posted since January? What is wrong with me? Well, I've not been lazy that's for sure. I made my 100th sale on Etsy which is pretty good since I have been on there for 4 years. My big sellers right now are embroidered onesies and pillowcases. I hope to be adding a few more new designs soon. My life is extraordinarily busy and I'm slightly convinced noone reads my blog anyway, so who's missing me right? I'll try to be better.

Craft Fair Rewind

2011-01-26T05:36:00.004-10:00

My memory isn't always what it used to be. So if I already showed these craft fair pictures just nod and smile as the crazy old lady repeats herself.

The above sign you see, I embroidered about 3 years ago when the HI808 Etsy Street Team had a booth at Aloha Stadium. Oh, it was a bust or a wash or FAIL! as the teenagers say. But so much fun. We were discussing signs in our planning of it and I said, Oh I probably should have one. One of my Etsy friends said "You could sew one." Well duh! How silly. So I did and it kind of matches my Etsy Shop banner and hangtags and old cards. But my new labels and new business cards are different and I have veered away from "Thoughtfully created for those you love" although nothing has changed and I still thoughtfully create things for those you love. But I have abridged it to "Handsewn Happiness" because it makes me happy and I strive to make you happy. And "you" could be a paying customer who I never see online or someone I meet at a craft fair or creating something special for an acquaintance or friend. It makes me happy to know what I do is making them happy. It's a co-dependent kind of business. (no offense intended. We could sit down and talk about this alot!) But it truly brings me joy to see the looks on people's faces or the sweet emails or kind Etsy feedback.

Now for what I really wanted to show you and I am not sure if I showed this before but here are a couple aprons that sold at the craft fair. This blue one below was kind of sad to see go because I was making it with myself in mind. I especially love the birds and the checked ribbon on the waistband. A very excited lady bought this.

The apron below was made from Heather Bailey fabric and it was bright and fun. The big selling feature? Red heart buttons sewn to where the ties start. It just made a joyful apron even happier, and I think I may have to start adding buttons to more aprons.

Thanks for the memories

2011-01-24T05:00:00.005-10:00

I hate January and I think I have for as long as I can remember. It is a long month at 31 days. It comes after Christmas so it's a huge let down. It's winter, so it's cold and still dark. My birthday is in February so as a kid, it seemed like it would never end. My January is going pretty well in the AMK Stitches business department. My Etsy sales have picked up and I am just staying on top of local orders. I LOVE this! I embroidered a sign for my Blue Room wall, "Sewing: Cheaper than Therapy." Sewing is my therapy. But it's not cheaper. My insurance pays for therapy. It doesn't pay for my fabric. Of course, a counselor could help me with my fabric addiction, but why? I don't have a problem. (wink) But staying busy and positive and good meds are helping me feel pretty normal and maybe even better than normal so WooHoo for that!

I love Spring and I am excited to see the Spring come. I love flowers and leaves and sun. Winter in the Northwest just doesn't have the sun I need. So I am remembering the lovely flowers in my yard from last Spring. Hmmm..I forgot the above picture has frost on my flowers. Well, that kind of goes along with my next thoughts. When Spring comes, my husband will deploy again. This stinks like nothing stinkier.

This morning I happened to be reading through old convos on Etsy (that's conversations, messages) as I was deleting some. I came across messages between myself and another Hawaii Etsy seller whose husband was deployed with the same unit as mine from 2007- 2009. This was a 15 month deployment. My friends asked how the kids and I were doing. In Feb 2008, almost 3 months into the deployment this is what I said:

"Whew! Life has taken me out with a 2X4. Wham! I was sick with stomach flu and each of my kids. I am up in the middle of the night now because Charlotte started puking. I had a dead car battery, Charlotte broke her arm, Henry is being evaluated for delays, Amelia is in trouble in school. We had a birthday party for Henry and Lydia (they share a birthday, the 16th)Henry is back and forth figuring out allergies and stuff. Lydia is on a 6 week medicine treatment for a skin condition. I have started using the CDC for free hourly care so that is cool. Lee may have to take his leave next month and I am sick about that. I don't want him to come home yet. And if he doesn't my mom won't come visit with her sister. It is really bad timing. Sheesh! As I am writing, Henry's waking up crying! I see I will not get much sleep again tonight."

I didn't want Lee to take his leave then because then we would have almost a year apart and it wouldn't break up the time. It's funny to me that I included that part in with broken arms and the rest. I wonder what Amelia's trouble in school was. A month after this, Henry started Early Intervention and by summer he had a diagnosis of Autism. We still fight with his allergies and Lydia's poor sensitive skin. These kids were all diagnosed later in the deployment with CVC, Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. We did have the flu in our home a few times but these children would puke so often it was almost funny. Vomit, then fine. I teased that they were allergic to their dad being gone but the doctor confirmed that in fact, they were!

In our first deployment, Amelia broke her arm falling off a trampoline and the 2nd deployment Charlotte broke her arm falling in her heelies. I really pray that we won't be 3 for 3 this time around.

So I'm longing for Spring but dreading it too. Painfully remembering the experiences from before, preparing for a new one and praying that this time will be different. Easier? I don't know but why not?! I'm older, kids are older, our lives are changing. Someone asked Lee recently how I would do and he said "My wife's not a wimp." Were sweeter words ever spoken? We'll be ok.

And I have that expensive therapy to carry me through.

New PIllowcases!

2011-01-21T06:57:00.005-10:00

"How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have that dangerous beak."
Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy-Saturday Night Live

I love pillows. I sleep with a bunch of them and I like to take my own pillow when I go places. All the pillows on my own bed are covered in white pillowcases. Some have embroidery and monograms, some have a bit of lace. But they all feel cool, white and clean. Here are some new monograms I have added to my Etsy Shop . People like to see their names on things. And when you are ready to lay your head down there's no better place to feel you are safe and home than to lie your head on your own pillow. Good Night.

A little Yarn to share with you

2011-01-20T17:01:00.007-10:00

What do you get for a girl turning 40 who is obsessed with knitting? Yarn, of course!

So here's the story, or yarn, if you will. I made this apron for Brenda. I sewed it according to her specifications.

Brenda dyed and spun this wool for me. She made it according to my specifications. We made a trade.

Isn't it awesome?!

Then I sewed this little drawstring bag. I made it according to specifications in my brain which included this cool pirate theme machine embroidery applique, yarn fabric and beads on the dotted ribbon.

It's a bag to hold a ball of yarn while knitting. I think it is also totally awesome.

Then I put these things together and gave them to my favorite sister who turned 40 .

To top it off, my sweet sister in-law made this awesome cake with fondant yarn balls! Is that sweet or what?! I bet she will blog about it too so check out hers.

More Embroidery!

2011-01-15T09:08:00.004-10:00

More embroidery! A sweet little girl received this throw which had embroidery that matched her new bathrobe! I have been having a blast with my new software and trying new designs.

Wait! What's this? It's not embroidery! It's SPAM MUSUBI!

We cut them in half this time. Oh man! They were so good! I was full before I sat down because I kept eating them as we made them. Yum!

These are towels I embroidered for some friends. I just love this font. They turned out so nice!
But it's also a great example of my photo woes. I could not get the colors right, try as I might! Oh well!

What are little (and big!) boys made of?

2011-01-13T20:06:00.005-10:00

I already had 5 nephews on my side and 5 nephews on my husband's side ( There are 6 now!)before I had a little boy of my own. I have the coolest nephews and was lucky to spend Christmas with the 5 on my side this last year. A 16 year old boy who loves playing music was very excited about these guitars. He also loves the color red and has a red guitar! I enjoyed making this because I found the design on Urban Threads but it had a skull above it. A pretty cool design (skull and cross guitars? That's awesome!) But I didn't really want a skull on this. Poof! I removed it with my magic software.

The 12 yr old nephew loves Star Wars so the cool Darth Vader design I digitized was so rad! I love this very cool font. It looked very outer space and futuristic to me. I almost changed his name on this to "Sith". But figured I should keep with the real name.

The youngest nephew on this side is a toughie to figure out. But my children agreed that a sword would be cool. He's 8, loves Link and loves playing with swords. I found this picture online and added the medieval looking font. I am very pleased.

Last on this post, we have the best 10 year old soccer player I know! Finding a soccer ball design is easy and I was surprised I didn't already have one! I was set to buy one but then figured I'd try it out. I found a picture and fixed it up on my computer. I saved 3 or 4 bucks by making it myself! He also loves green so it turned into a very fun throw.

They're cousins! Identical cousins...

2011-01-10T12:10:00.004-10:00

Born 2 years apart, they wear the same size and couldn't be cuter! They are my muses when it comes to little girls sewing. I first saw the fabric in an issue of Sew Beautiful and was thrilled when I found it in Fabric Depot in Portland. The pattern is by Oliver + S. I read an interview by the designer of these patterns who said that children should not wear large prints because it overwhelms them. She may have a point, but they are so cute! And an adult would look absurd in a dress like this so the kiddos have it!

One girl's dress is accented in the biggest ric-rac you ever saw and the tiniest ric-rac. The other girl has red piping on hers and both girls have buttons covered in tiny red and white polka dot fabric.

I made hair clips for one of these girls using yoyo's from the dot fabric and a fabric covered button in the center. I haven' taken pictures of them but trust me! They are so cute!

These cousins have a little baby girl cousin and I bought extra fabric to make her a dress from this also. Hasn't happened yet but it will be very cute when I do!

Feed the Obsession

2011-01-08T21:43:00.003-10:00

Have I mentioned I love my Embroidery software? Here's another reason why. We had a big fun Christmas with all my siblings and their children. I had 5 nephews and a niece with no idea what to give them. Hmmmmm...I found some throws at Ikea and decided to embroider their names on them. That's a good idea but wouldn't it be cooler to add a picture of someting they really like? Yes! What for Sam who is 15, happens to have Asperger's and an unnatural obsession with game shows and the Game Show Network? The GSN logo! So I digitized it! Sam let me know that GSN hasn't used green in it's logo for some time, but how am I to know that?! He's the one who can tell you all you never needed to know about game shows. And now this awesome young man has the logo on his blanket. How cool is that?!

And now time for a Sweets Break

2011-01-07T07:39:00.008-10:00

When I was a kid, my mom always made cupcakes for me to take to school on my birthday. That's probably why I like cupcakes. They're small cakes. You can't go wrong. But even with my fond memories and love for them, I am a little perplexed with the popularity of designer cupcakes. I've bought into it myself. Literally, because I spent a lot of money on the above cupcakes from a specialty shop in Seattle. I have also spent money on fancy cupcakes from a specialty shop in Ogden Utah and spent money on specialty cupcakes being sold outside a boutique during the Lavendar Festival in Sequim Washington. (Yes, they were lavendar cupcakes. In color and taste. ) All of these cupcakes had a few things in common. The first, as I said already, is they were very expensive! You could buy 2 or 3 cake mixes for the price of one of the above babies! The second is they are all very beautiful, decadent looking cupcakes. Special flavors, fancy frostings and decorations. Very pretty. The last thing in common is none of these cupcakes taste as yummy as I could bake at home. In Utah, my daughter had a cookie dough cupcake. Uh, yeah. Not spectacular. Now here in my very cute box which came in a very cute bag we have clockwise from top left : Double Chocolate, Lemon, Candy Cane, Chocolate Vanilla, Snowball and S'mores.

This cute girl chose Cany Cane which happened to be a seasonal feature so it cost 25 cents more. The super thick icing with crushed candy canes covered a pretty moist tasty chocolate cupcake. But the frosting was thick and heavy and this cute girl wasn't as impressed with eating it as she was with it's cute Christmas looks.

This Double Chocolate cupcake gets my vote for the best of them because the chocolate cake was as good as the frosting with choclate sprinkles. Even for a chocolate and frosting loving child there was way too much frosting for her taste.

Don't you thik this girl looks like this man? That's my Baby and my Baby Daddy both tasting the same Lemon cupcake. Verdict? Lemon frosting:Thumbs Up Lemon Cake:Thumbs Down

The icing didn't cover the entire cupcake which looks pretty, but allows the cake to dry out. Yuck! What a waste and we bought 2 of these! I make a wonderful lemon cupcake and after looking at these pictures I want to do some baking tonight!

As for the other 3 cupcakes, the boy who picked the Chocolate Vanilla fell asleep and didn't eat it until the next day. He expressed no opinion on it but I found the vanilla cake very dry and wasn't recovered by the good chocolate icing. And the S'mores cupcake looked very cool and I liked the toasty marshmallow topping but it was softer than a marshmallow at a campfire and it had a funny graham cracker thing going on. It was a novelty but not worth trying and that goes for the Snowball. I love Hostess Snowballs but the only thing similar was the coconut. The chocolate cake was better than hostess but the frosting was icky.

So if you really want a good cupcake, come on a my house and I'll give you cupcakes. Or as the song goes, I'll give you candy. And to prove it, here is some candy I made for Christmas.

I wish I could say making my own is the most wonderful thing after I just ripped on purchased cupcakes, but I can not. I learned that sometimes using the tried and true family recipes are the best.

I made 3 batches of my Grandma's Caramels. The first 2 I cooked too long and they turned into bricks. This 3rd batch was awesome and perfect!

I made 2 batches of fudge. I chose not to use my mom's recipe but instead went with the Eagle milk recipe and added marshmallows and nuts. That was splendid and the family finished it fast. My second batch I found on the internet was chocolate peanutbutter because I was low on chocolate chips. Gross! The texture was weird like playdough. Never again.

What you don't see here is my Great Grandma's Almond Roca which was spectacular, coming out perfectly (probably because I have made it more times than any other candy and because I received a very cool infrared thermometer!) I think I will need to make that for more holidays than just Christmas.

You wash, I'll dry...

2011-01-06T12:48:00.006-10:00

Dish towels are fun Christmas gifts. I gave dishtowels and I received dishtowels and was happy in every way!

A couple years ago I sewed an apron for my mother in law out of the brown apple fabric you see above. And I embroidered these towels at the same time. Ran out of time to finish them (hard year as it was the second Christmas in a row that my husband was in Iraq and I was travelling alone with 4 children) but this year I pulled them out and added the fabric trim. Why don't I make some for myself? Oh I will! Soon. Someday. Maybe.

The above dishtowels I made for my sister in-law. I saw the red trim on these flour sack dish towels which got me really excited because I was already planning to make these redwork towels for her! Her kitchen is red, she loves to cook and bake. I found the above designs at Urban Threads, a website featuring hip cool embroidery designs. The one on the right was brand new and the one on the left had been around but had "Bon Appetit" below it. Didn't care for that and thought "Eat" went better with "Bake". So I used that awesome embroidery software and fixed it how I wanted! Oh yeah! Once again, I MUST make these for myself. They are so pretty! Incidentally, my sister in-law has a very fun blog and Etsy store both called Hucklebery Stew so go check her out!

I am no master digitizer by any means, but my embroidery software has allowed me to make up some pretty fun designs. I know many, many Diet Coke addicts. I know people who like Diet Pepsi more, but not as many as those who need the Diet Coke IV drip. I am one of those and so is my sister. I found a logo I liked, and fixed it up good! The best part was the chuckle she got when she opened her package. And like so many things in life, it's funny because it's true!

Saving the best for last (Well, that's debatable because what is better than Diet Coke?)

I give you the zombie dishtowel!

Once again I went to Urban Threads and this zombie thinking of a cupcake was the cutest thing ever! Now, I am not that into zombies, but my dad and brother are and the brother is married to the girl with the red kitchen who loves to bake so what is better for them!? The design came alone and I had the bleeding font on my software. I loved the grins this brought, but let me say something about this design: It took forever to stitch out! It was a tricky one! But still very cute. I advised these girls not to actually use them because I'm not sure how they will wash up. I usually wash my items before embroidering them, but didn't this time. That's how it is when you're sticthing every minute up to Christmas Eve.

Blush and Bashful

2011-01-05T09:24:00.005-10:00

It's PINK and PINK! Remember that line from Steel Magnolias when Julia Roberts said her wedding colors were blush and bashful? That kept coming into my mind when I made this bag.

My daughter Charlotte talked me up to her 1st grade teacher who ended up ordering many items from me and still does! And I don't mind because I love to sew and the 1st grade teacher has challenged me and I love sewing for her!

"My mom sews! She has a website!" She's one of my biggest fans.

Charlotte did it again with her 5th grade teacher who also happened to see a purse I was carrying that I made. This teacher LOVES pink! I mean LOVES it! She is very girly and I love pink too but this woman LOVES pink.
She told me she wanted a large bag and we talked about the features she wanted and I sent fabric samples to school with Charlotte. She picked every pink sample I sent. She only had a few requests and I went with it. This is the girliest sweetest bag I have ever made. It almost makes my teeth hurt and I worried it was too over the top and the teacher wouldn't like it. Glad I was wrong. She loved it.

It has about 7 different fabrics, custom piping and an adorable pleated ruffle. Inside there is a water bottle pocket, pen pockets, stiff bottom, magnet snap and a key hooky claspy fobby thing.

It reminds me of Valentine's day. It came out so nicely and I kept admiring my own workmanship and thinking I should be charging more! But even better was seeing her sweet teacher so excited for her bag which was a birthday present for herself! That's how we should all treat ourselves. Get what you really love!

Blessing Slip

2011-01-04T08:12:00.005-10:00

Over 3 years ago I made one of my first "Heirloom" blessing gowns. I've made a lot of blessing gowns but this one was one of the first where I used French heirloom hand sewing techniques with a machine. This dress was for my dear friend Annette's first little girl and can be seen on this blog in 2007. I will try to put a link in here later. Too lazy right now.

The dress was gorgeous and is still a favorite of mine. It's a favorite of Annette's too because she was ready to use it again for her new little girl! She sent me the slip to add the new name and birthdate. Well, first of all when I opened the package I complimented myself on what a beautiful job I did, (Humility runs in my family) and then I AAAHHHHH!!!! What was this?!

I personalized that slip using the built in alphabet stitches on my machine. Very hard to read and not appealing to the eye.

So I laboriously picked out the entire name and date! It took a long time. Who likes picking anyway!? But it had to be done! Then I embroidered both girls' names on the hem in cotton thread along with their birthdates. I wish I was better at photographing white fabric! But perhaps you get the idea.

I didn't tell Annette I was doing it. I surprised her and she was very happy with it. Never again will I do that! (What was I thinking?!) Welcome baby Grace! Sister Claire and Brother Lincoln are so lucky to have a new sweet baby sister!

So who's next? I am in the mood to make a gown!

Happy Bow Year!

2011-01-03T18:08:00.006-10:00

I have an addictive personality. Addicted to fabric, Addicted to patterns. Addicted to notions. Addicted to ribbon which is why I made over 80 bows in the month of December.

I didn't consider myself a bow maker. I'm a sewer. A Seamstress. I sew. But I am crafty and this is a craft and includes thread and all that, so here they are. I have bows on my Etsy site and sold bows at the craft fair and sold bows to people who see my daughter wearing bows and gave many bows away to my cute nieces at Christmas. It's a great way to feed my addiction. Thanks to my friend Gail for teaching me to make bows.

I'm also addicted to chips, Diet Coke and buying condiments but that's for another blog post.

Hmmm...a crooked bow. I better straighten that one.

I used my Star Power to make these

2010-12-13T13:45:00.006-10:00

This little boy is OBSESSED with Super Mario Bros. I mean he is addicted to the game and all things Mario. He is on the Autism Spectrum and this is one of his major fixations. I used my awesome embroidery software to digitze this cool Mario art I found online. Here is my sweet guy modeling his 1 up shirt. He shows it to everyone when he wears it and it helps him feel happy. Mushrooms can do that to you.

I created this removable pillow cover for a throw pillow and added my boy's name to it. The back is green minky with red piping on the edges. He loves it and was very happy wen I was stitching the characters on it. I have a hoodie planned for him with Mario on it.

I Love Craft Fairs!

2010-12-12T18:40:00.003-10:00

I want to title this that I love it because I really do. I love fairs and I loved this one. I don't want you to get me wrong when I tell you about it. It all began when I developed this wicked ribbon obsession. My friend Gail taught us all to make bows at church. Hers were so cute I wanted to learn. Well it sucked me in! I started buying ribbon like crazy, along with cute buttons. My plan was to do a show all along, but plans changed a little when I went to Hawaii for a week! (Bummer right?)

I have a sick addiction to fabric. It is gluttony which is a sin! I decided to go through the piles of blanket fabric first and ended up with about a dozen slippery and minky blankets. Beautiful I have to admit. Vanity is a sin too right? Whatever...I did a great job on them.

And the bows...over 60 bows. I needed to unload some bows.

I went online and started searching. I needed something on the 11th; it was the only day I could swing. I ended up on Craig's list and found Winterfest at Geiger Montessori School in Tacoma. I email the lady, looked up Geiger to make sure it was a real school having Winterfest, sent in my $25 (I couldn't go wrong for $25) and started sewing.

I ended up making 8 aprons and had to leave 4 half finished ones on the ironing board. Just not enough time. I was very proud of my bow cards and laminated signs I made.

In the photo above is my daughter wearing an apron and playing on the iPod. You can see the bow display, blankets in front and my rack of aprons behind.
Above photo shows the blanket display and my lovely headless girl. I embroidered an "AMK Stitches" shirt for her a while back so she won't be naked. She looked beautiful modeling a Christmas hostess apron and a couple bags. But I am definitely getting her a padded bra.

Now for the few cons. I was at the end of a LOOOOOOOOOOONG hall. I mean super long. By a door that made it really cold. But people didn't come in that door much so traffic was very slow. Some people wouldn't make it down the hall so they missed seeing me completely. I would see people give a little glance and turn around. sigh...

Another con was the booth was supposed to be 10x10. Nope. Very small and I felt squished next to my neighbors. I didn't set up my second table and was worried my table looked cluttered but it still had the girly pink and blue theme I was going for.

I liked having a wall behind me. I liked that it was indoors! My first craft fair where I didn't have to set up a tent! I loved my neighbors! I had the pottery people on one side, Rebecca and Jill who shared her plantain chips and candied ginger with me. Beautiful pottery and I am kicking myself over a blue lidded jar I wanted. I couldn't justify any purchases because I didn't make enough of my own sales.

I had Brenda the spinner and crocheter and knitter on the other side. She spun and we visited and kids would come and she would show them the drop spindle. It was very Montessori friendly. She has beautiful handspun and dyed yarns and items she has created. We are going to meet up so she can get an apron and I can get some yarn for someone who is special to me who really likes to knit but I won't say her name in case she reads this. Brenda has an Etsy shop Naturally Spun. She is not only talented but so kind.

And so were my pottery ladies. And the other crocheter. And the book lady. And the gingerbread lady. And the nice Montessori people. And the... Oh so many nice people! And that is my favorite part of craft fairs! I love the kind talented people I meet and the kind people who stop to chat and the ones who buy and the ones who call me later and ask me to make something for them.

Overall this was a very good experience because I got my craft fair, Sewing/Selling mojo back!

I have been in a slump since I moved away from Hawaii and this was the shot in the arm or kick in the butt I needed. I am very excited for my next one. I will just try to plan better and not decide 10 days before the event.

Modest is Hottest

2010-11-30T13:26:00.004-10:00

When people ask me "Can you do......?" I often say "I never have but I bet I can" and this was one of those times. The above gorgeous girl bought a gorgeous sparkly dress. It was STRAPLESS. Well, she is one of my Laurel girls from church and she wants to stay covered and modest so she asked me to help. I'm not a magician and let me say that I would rather everyone buy dresses with sleeves. But this challenge worked out.

The dress came with a sheer green mesh scarf to wear over the shoulders, and the girl also bought a green satin scarf that closely matched the satin on the dress. I took the entire bodice apart so that I could also make this size 4 dress a size zero for her tiny body. Then I made these interesting sleeves. I cut and stitched and HAND SHIRRED the fabric. Why did I capitalize that? Because it was totally tricky! Then I inserted them and put the bodice all back together including lining. Whew! The finished dress looks totally awesome. The back of it came down in a V so she was nicely covered in back, too. The best part of this whole transformation was that this girl was so much more comfortable in the dress once her top was covered. When she tried it on for fitting she kept tugging and standing awkwardly. Once she was covered, she stoodly proudly and comfortably. Right on! And that is why modest is truly hottest. A girl who knows who she is, is comfortable with who she is and doesn't attract the wrong attention by showing her body. That's a hot girl. Nice.

I will sew here and there. I will sew anywhere!

2010-11-03T19:14:00.005-10:00

Love, love, love Dr Seuss! Who doesn't really? There is so much joy in his books, stories and illustrations. I grew up with his books and have several favorites. Want to hear and see something really cute? My 4 year old, Henry, reading Green Eggs and Ham. So adorable!

Well, there is new Dr Seuss fabric out now! I believe it's made by Alexander Henry. It's wonderful fabric to work with.

A friend and often returning customer has a good friend having twins! How fun! Courtney asked for Thing 1 and Thing 2 onesies and chose this fabric for the baby bundles. Oh these are so cute! I wish my photographs were better! (I could complain more about my photos but I will save those woes for another day.)

This dot is called jelly bean and it comes in a few different color combos which I hope to use again with other projects. This stripe includes Horton, The Cat, Sam I Am and, of course, those rascals Thing 1 and Thing 2!

A few years back I made baby bundles for twins featuring Girl 1 and Girl 2 onesies. You can check them out on my Flickr page under bundles. I loved those bundles, but this one takes it!

Bibs and burpcloths are backed in white wavy chenille and double topstitched in red.

I was able to digitize this perfect font perfectly for the onesies. It is almost exactly like the font in the books! I love my embroidery software!

I'm also very inspired by this fabric. I'm thinking an apron for a school teacher to wear for Dr Seuss' birthday! Or pillowcases for a special little (or big!) friend! Or a complete nursery set!

My Niece's Blessing Dress

2010-10-20T05:18:00.009-10:00

Have you ever seen a happier, prouder father? This is my baby brother, Steve. He is almost 10 years younger than me so I have watched him grow up. I remember clearly the night he was born and how I was disappointed he wasn't a girl. (I got over that) It is strange and wonderful to see him as a daddy with his new daughter Evelyn. Now he is 27, so it's not like he's a baby anymore. (Oops! I gave away my age!) But he will probably always be our baby.

We are Mormon (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) so the special baby ceremony is the blessing.

Steve and his wife Heather asked if I would make her blessing gown. Are you kidding? I live for this kind of thing. I was very honored and set out to make something wonderful. Heather let me have free rein on the design. (Thanks!) Most babies in our family have not had the huge christening dresses, and this litle girl is so tiny, I didn't want to overwhelm her. I was prepared to make her a dress with a yoke and gathered skirt and all that. When I went to Martha Pullen.com to order some silk ribbon and lace beading insertion I checked out the patterns by The Old Fashioned Baby by Jeannie Baumeister
out of curiosity since I already had the pattern I planned to use. Well, this daygown pattern jumped out at me and that was it! It didn't arrive until the Wednesday before I needed it!

Meanwhile, I bought the embroidery editing software I told you about. When my Martha Pullen order came I was so excited! I had also ordered one of the Vintage Collection books and embroidery CDs. Oh my gosh, they are beautiful! They had a sale when I bought it. I sure wish I had bought another one, as well. I set to work editing designs, embroidering, cutting, pleating, stitching, gathering and pressing, pressing, pressing!

I changed up a few things. Not a ton, but it is a super pattern for being able to add your own embroideries and other embellishments. I am such a pintuck fan that I had to use pintucks on the shoulders rather than regular tucks. The wing needle got a lot of use on this dress.

And I was able to see the big difference between baby entredeaux and regular.

Another rave on this pattern: It is very easy to follow the directions for experienced sewers and there are sweet little flower drawings and little scriptures and sweet sayings about babies in a handwritten font. I ended up cutting the pattern and tracing off some of it, which I regret since it is such a lovely pattern.

Isn't she sweet? She was just one month old here. We took these picture outside her home during our yummy lunch her mom made after church.

You can see the embroidery here on the bottom.

I bought the fabric at Fabric Depot in Portland way back in July. I think it is by Robert Kaufman and it is a silk/cotton (55/45% I think). It was delicious to work with! I would use it again.

I sew beautifully. And I'm very humble. (I always crack myself up!) But I really stink at taking pictures of white things. The white background doesn't help either. I tried different fills and had my lights set up in my light box. I have a ways to go before my pictures will be better. But I promise next time to have a colored background.

But you can still see alot of the details. Beading insertion goes down the front from the shoulders with silk ribbon. I added the band on the bottom with decorative machine stitches, lace edging and wing needle entredeaux.

The back placket has the same decorative stitch and pearl buttons.
Sleeve detail: beading insertion, silk ribbon, wing needle pinstitching, entredeaux, gathered French lace edging. Here you can also see the pintucks and the neck finish. The sleeves ended up fancier than I planned but I love them.

Below you can see the skirt embroidery, lace insertion and pinstitching. I created this embroidery from the Vintage Collection. I love how it turned into almost a heart. I added the little flowers in the middle. It was a perfect complement!

Newborn babies don't really have necks yet. They are kind of squished down. I thought of that when I was deciding how to finish the neckline. The pattern called for entredeaux and gathered lace edging but I wasn't feeling it. I wanted it simple, since it is a simple dress. Also baby Evelyn has sensitive skin so I wanted it smooth on her neck. I cut a strip on the bias, stitched it on and then wing needle stitched it down. I love it!
I'm as thrilled about the slip as I am about her dress! I used cotton batiste and all cotton thread. I really wanted an old fashioned heirloom look. I used the same embroidery design on the chest as I did on the dress.
The pattern called for buttons on both shoulders. I ran out of buttons so I only did one shoulder and I think I like it more. The pattern calls for handstitching scallops along the neck and shoulders. Oh heck no! I made this in 2 1/2 days! No time! So a tiny machine scallop it was. But I have to tell you, after I trimmed all the tiny scallops down and washed the water soluble stabilizer out, I probably could have hand stitched! Oh well!

I embroidered her name and birthdate on the slip's skirt. It came out so big, I hope I will have room if I ever have to embroider another name!

I also scalloped the ruffle on the bottom of the slip. So cute!

What's this another picture of the bodice?

As I am looking at these, they are screaming "Run us through photo editing! Brighten us up!" Oh quiet! I can hear you, pictures. Next time!

Full length view of slip. You know what else I need? A baby dress form. Then I can hang my baby dresses and take better pictures. I at least need a prettier hanger than this one.

Well, there you have it. Several friends and a couple family members asked to see it. And of course I love to show it. I really am humble. I think it is lovely but I worked hard and I couldn't have done it without the help of great patterns and designs and inspiration. I want another niece so I can make another dress!

Beautiful Roses for Rosa Bonita

2010-10-18T12:11:00.004-10:00

My cousin Juanita has been in our family since we were in high school. She was born in Guatemala in a tiny village in the mountains. Illness caused her to be blind and she was brought to the U.S. as a young girl. After many foster homes she ended up living with my aunt's family. So she is my cousin. She graduated from college with her teaching degree, married a great guy and now has 3 children. She is shorter than me which is totally cool because few adults are. Juanita has come to visit me with her family several times. I've seen her in Hawaii (where her husband's family is from) and here in Washington and she is so much fun.

Her oldest child is Rosa Feliz. She is such a sweet girl who turned 8 and was ready to be baptized. I just thought beautiful Rosa needed a beautiful dress. So I created this dress for her. As pretty as it was on the hanger, the pictures of Rosa in her dress were even lovelier.

I chose a natural white silk because, well, I love silk. I wanted to really enjoy making this dress so it had to be silk. I decided on machine embroidery and it had to be just right. I found these roses on Emblibrary under the holiday designs. Stitching it in a couple shades of white and cream looked very rich on the silk. What made this extra special is that I remembered from all those years ago that Juanita's favorite flower was a white rose. I'm glad to hear it still is. This embroidery was very heavy and dimensional and Juanita was able to feel it well so she could appreciate it. I wanted her to be able to see it as best she could, so I added those details.

The bodice was round but I sort of gave it a round square. The hem is all scallopped with white tulle peeking out. Rosa loves princess dresses so I had to make it poufy.

Juanita said that in church she kept touching Rosa's dress because it was so beautiful. I'm so glad she loved it. Rosa felt special and beautiful on her special day and Juanita was able to enjoy how she looked, too. I couldn't have been happier with a dress.

Hmmm...I thouht I had a sleeve picture here. Oh well, I'm too lazy to reupload it. The sleeves were really cute with a little shirred pick up on them. What a sweet dress for a sweet girl from such a sweet family.

4 Non Blondes - What's Up

2010-10-17T17:31:00.000-10:00

What's going on?

2010-10-17T17:22:00.005-10:00

Do you ever feel like life is screaming past you? The last 2 months have flown by. I feel my head is spinning as I have been so busy. I had someone tell me recently that I should listen to the advice given at our LDS General Conference held a few weeks ago, when someone said we should simplify our lives. I replied that if I was to simplify I should have just had less kids. I only have 4 and just getting them to and from school and appts is a crazy job! Henry now goes to SPED preschool and Headstart as well as having an ABA tutor come twice a week. (Applied Behavior Analysis-the most recommended treatment for autism)
Most days, my children come home at 3 different times but 2 days a week they come home at all their own times. We don't have lots of lessons and activities. That's basic stuff. How will it be when they are in High School?! Sheesh!

I chose the above picture because it is such a relaxing idea to cuddle up with your BFF and have a sweet sleep. This picture is of 2 little cousins who love each other so much. This past month I sewed matching dresses for them which I will post soon. We need to simplify our lives and I am trying! Two of our children have had medical appointments that have taken a lot of time and energy. It's so frustrating trying to figure out what may be causing problems with a child. I am so grateful we are in the military so I am not having any extra money come out of our pocket. Two EEG's in one month! Specialists...Prescriptions...Tests...

Have I shown this picture of this adorable girl in this dress? Probably but here it is again because she is so cute. My children are growing so fast. I keep thinking of the song What's Up? By 4 Non Blonds. Trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination. Always climbling and striving and enduring and working so hard. Being a mom is tiring.

I've had some sales on Etsy which is super cool. There is a direct correlation between how often you post items and how many sales you receive. I posted a bunch and had 3 sales in one week! Two of the sales were monogrammed pillowcases. This particular one was for 3 sets. She wanted white on white but white is as tricky as any color. My white thread next to these white pillow slips looked more like cream. Oh well! And I used a fill stitch rather than satin. At first I wasn't sure, but I like it!

Every time I embroider pillowcases I think "I should make these all the time! Everyone I know should have a set!" That's how I feel when I make tacos too. Why don't I make tacos more often? They are so yummy and easy and everyone loves them. I just don't think about it.

What's going on? Lots of sewing and family obligations. But I could get so much more done if I wasn't addicted to time management/startegy games on my iPod Touch. Build a Lot and Build a Lot2, Diner Dash, Cooking Dash, Sally's Spa... I have finished them all to the end. Sigh... Amelia just informed me from the Game Informer magazine from Game Stop, that there will be a new Professor Layton game for the Nintendo DS. Lee teased me a little yesterday. "Remember when you were so against video games and thought they were so awful?" Well, they are so awful because they suck me in and I get nothing done! My brain turns to mush and I get a headache.

Here's one of the coolest things to happen to my hobby/business in a long time. I bought the embroidery editing software I have coveted for years. The new Viking 5D software came out and I was interested. One dealer told me not to bother with 4D, that I should keep up on the latest greatest. Another dealer told me not to bother with Viking software, that the Baby Lock software was better.

Well, when I was able to buy this for half the regular price and considering I had never owned any editing software in the past, how could I go wrong?

It was very easy to figure out the basics and I edited some beautiful embroidery designs for my niece's blessing dress and digitized cool art for some items for Henry. How did I live my life with an embroidery machine without editing software?! I had QuickFont and could do quite a bit with that, but this has changed my life! I will be doing a lot more embroidery from now on.

And that's just some of what has been going on.

Girl Power!

2010-10-04T11:33:00.008-10:00

Three daughters so we have alot of Girl Power around here. Girl Power makes me think of the Spice Girls, the Power Puff Girls and the Cheetah Girls. But the most powerful girls I know are the Kennington Girls!

The red shirt is the 10year old's and the pink one is the 6 year old's. The embroidery design comes from Emblibrary

They have an entire section of designs which are designed for placement of hot-fix crystals. Can you see the little sparkly crystal gems on these letters and on the butterfly wings?

The other special technique here is that the wings are fringed. Can you tell? That's a machine embroidery trick.

And if you're paying close attention you will see that the design on the pink shirt has one butterfly and the one on the red shirt has 2. That's because it is smaller. Super! It was just the right size to put on a smaller T-shirt.

And my added spiffiness to the red shirt is that I serged the edges while pulling taut. This added a ruffly lettuce edge. The pink shirt girl was a bit bummed I didn't add that to her shirt. Maybe next time. You can have the same effect using your sewing machine. Just trim it then stitch on the edge with a zig zag or similar.

I love this design and hope to add it to a pillowcase or fun tote bag for another powerful girl.

What's on my mind?

2010-09-29T09:12:00.005-10:00

Facebook asks "what's on your mind?" Lately, lots of sewing, tons of wondrous sewing! Happy things are on my mind. And my family and other stuff. Like all my kids are in school now. Look at this cute little boy getting on the short bus. And can you even say "short bus" without smiling? And can you look at Mt Rainier without smiling and oohing and ahhing at the beauty of the world?

We rearranged the blue room and cute little Lydia found her own little ironing spot. She is convinced that this mini crafting iron and pant leg ironing board were made for her. She gathered up some of her shirts and a blanket and ironed away because she wants to be just like mom. That is a real iron, by the way; it just looks like a toy. A pink mini iron! That is a happy thing! The end of summer brings the incredible bloom of these black-eyed susans! I don't want summer to end but my front flower bed, looks fantastic!
I have a new niece! My baby brother had his first baby last month. Little Evelyn is sweet and tiny and so loved by the entire family. It's been awhile since we had a little baby around. I was fortunate to be the doula at her birth and my sweet sister in-law worked so hard. And last week I was fortunate enough to sew her beautiful blessing gown and see her blessed by my brother. I will be showing pictures of that lovely dress later.

Project Runway is on again and I am still in love with Tim Gunn. He is the whole reason for the show. I only watch it online and then I get to watch the extra videos like Under the Gunn where Tim interviews the exiting designers. I am disappointed in the judges, but oh well. I love Tim and I love this show. And on a very bittersweet note, I loved and lost a little cat. I have not been an animal lover for most of life. But I had a terrible mouse problem and some friends needed to find homes for their kittens. Even after I agreed to take this cat, named Apollo, I was worried and sick and thinking what have I done?! I don't do animals! Well, I met him and I loved him and he loved me. A week later he followed some neighbor girls home after they stopped by the house and we haven't seen him since. I cried and we looked for him. I didn't want another cat for awhile. But now I think I can love again and actually like animals. I have been thinking I might need a dog if I got a fence. But animals inside the house? No I haven't gotten to that point and I don't plan to.

I am trying to edit more photos and show more of my sewing and will do that soon. I have been selling on Etsy this last week which has been fun again. I will be listing more stuff soon as well!

Fried Green Tomatoes

2010-09-20T10:28:00.005-10:00

This isn't fried green tomatoes. It's just a little bit of little beets I harvested in our garden. These cooked up with some tiny carrots and butter and salt. Oh yum! And my picky non-vegetable girl couldn't get enough! Which was too bad because this was it. Not a big garden harvest this year.

But of green tomatoes, I have tons! I am ripening and will be using my friend's green banana trick, but meanwhile I am trying green tomato recipes.

I am a Northern girl and the first time I heard of fried green tomatoes was the movie, of course. I liked this movie, never read the book. But I seriously thought it must be something terrible like okra. But I know people from the South who love fried okra and this goes to show you that deep frying ANYTHING makes it wonderful. Incidently, I don't mind fried okra.

In my internet search for fried green tomato recipes there were many variations. Some with cornmeal, some without. Mostly the same. I decided to ask the Queen of Southern Cooking, Paula Deen for her favorite recipe. Of course, I couldn't ask her in person because I don't know her, but here is her recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes with Vidalia Onion Relish.

Being the creative cook I am, I tweaked her recipe and out of necessity because I didn't have all the ingredients, I tweaked it more. I followed a guide for making selfrising flour and buttermilk since being a Northern girl I don't keep those things around. I also added cornmeal. For the onion relish I had some small red onions from my garden, no chives and white sugar since I was out of brown. (I do keep this on hand but I have been making lots of cookies lately) I didn't measure very well so it turned out very tangy with my rice vinegar ( I used the seasoned kind) But it sure looks pretty! And it was very tasty.

Holy yummylicious! How come I never had these before???!!! Everyone in the family enjoyed these. Cute Lydia had ketchup with hers. I would change a couple things I did. I would use less cornmeal because it was a tad gritty. Not bad but I'm picky. And I used too much salt. This recipe has you salt the tomatoes and let them sit to let liquid off them. This is a good idea but I think I would pat them off next time, add less salt to my dredge and taste them before I salt them after the frying. My pink onion relish was fun and was better when it sat after a night in the fridge. I really want to try this recipe for tomatoes with this Buttermilk Lime Dressing. This recipe is all over the net but I like this blogger's description of it and how eating these together is a "salad". A green vegetable with dressing! (Ok we all know it's fruit)

The next day I put the few leftovers we had on the baking stone in the oven. Oh wow! Crispy and wonderful. These really remind me of zucchini tempura. I may not bother ripening the rest of these tomatoes.

Back to School Shirts

2010-09-18T14:27:00.004-10:00

"It's the first day of first grade" she sang as she got ready. Special girls need special back to school clothes. Like past years, I had the girls pick fabric and I sewed them new tops for school. The middle schooler hasn't worn hers to school yet but did wear it to church. I just don't think I got a picture of it.

The little first grader here has coordinating ballerina prints. Is it Alexander Henry? I can't remember and I am too comfy to go check. I bought a ton of this when I was part of the fabric co-op which is no more. Ballet slippers and graceful ballerinas. Very pink and girly and awesome! I used a Portabello Pixie pattern again and I know I will in the future. This was a variation on a peasant top. I used elastic thread for the shirring and will definitely be doing more of that. In fact, I did on the middle schooler's top! How cute is this girl? I didn't have time to make her new bows so she wore the piggie bows from a previous post.

My 5th grader is cool and funky and picked this new Michael Miller knit. It's the carnival print that I have used in cotton and flannel for bags and blankets. It goes with the Patty Young print. The pattern is a ModKid by Patty Young. And can I remember the name right now? No. But you should get it and make it! If you are nervous about sewing knits, don't be! This girl will not stop gushing about how soft and wonderful they feel to her. She especially loves the ruffles down the front and elbow sleeves. They were so easy to sew! This top went together in one evening; just a couple hours. (The pink one did too, but I have made a ton of peasant tops) I have wanted to do more with knits and this fabric is INSPIRING! Isn't she cute? (In the background above is my Disney World purse. I made it for my Disney trip last year and used the heck out of it!)

And here she is on my giant new couch with laundry on it. Why is there always a laundry basket in the front room?

Ballad of Baby Susie

2010-09-17T11:21:00.006-10:00

This post is not for the weird squeamish people who get freaked out by dolls. I am one of those people. I love baby dolls. I love Barbie dolls. But if an arm or head falls off forget it! So I was down at my friend Priscilla's house when her 9 year old, Lizzie comes up to me. My older girls were standing on each side of her with these silly smirks on their faces. Lizzie said "Aunt Angie, this is my doll." And she shows me her "injuries". I kind of do this yipping yell I think and try to laugh and ask did the girls tell her to bring it to me. Oh no! This poor girl runs to her mom sobbing. So I find out that Baby Susie was a gift to Lizzie from her great grandpa when she was a baby. She's always had her. She LOVES her. And my girls did know I would freak out when I saw her. But Lizzie's mom told her Angie can fix it! How could I say no to this sweet litle girl when she was sobbing? She thought I was making fun of Susie when really Susie scared the criminy out of me. I had Lizzie wrap her in a baby blanket to protect her limbs (And keep me from freaking out) and we brought her home. I showed her to my mom who laughed at the story. Then I showed her to my sister who screamed like crazy and made me put her away. Yeah, and you thought I was bad!

So have you seen Toy Story 3 yet? I loved this movie, but Big Baby freaked me out and she was meant to so there must be other people freaked out by dolls. Susie isn't colored on like this doll, but my girls have dolls that way. Amelia put an "A" on a doll because it was hers. Lydia put an "X" on every doll's forehead and each arm because she said they were all on her team, TeamX. She even did this to her little brother who was about 2. Well at least she included him on her team but I wasn't happy.

So, how to fix Baby Susie? Priscilla asked if I could give her a new body but I'm not that good. I thought of covering her body to reinforce her but wasn't sure how. Her grandma had done a patchup job in the past on her, so I decided to stitch her up.

I stitched every seam with heavy duty thread. It might have been button hole or quilting thread, not sure now. I sewed her while I watched the movie "Precious". Oh my gosh! I wasn't so horrified by Susie after seeing that movie! It was very well done and very heart breaking. Wow!

But my stitching turned out great and I thought I would be a very good nurse or surgeon since I can stitch such lovely even stitches. I decided to put fray check on every limb's stitches to kind of glue it stuck. Susie has been through the wash alot, and her body was very worn and thin.

And here's Baby Susie now!

Baby Susie got a bath in as many cleaners as I could think of. Name one. I bet I tried it on her. She's still dirty but she is fixed. Intact. And I am giving her mommy instructions to not play with her and definitely don't put her in the washing machine again.

To keep her clean and protected I knew she needed to be dressed but I will tell you, doll clothes are not my specialty. I made up this little baby gown and bonnet so I guess I'm not too bad. It helped that the fabric is the super wonderful cotton knit by Patty Young for Michael Miller. I serged her up and used elastic thread to shir the top bottom and bonnet. I'm sure you noticed her jammies are personalized with her name. Nothing scary about this precious girl now. Aren't before and after makeover pics great? She is cuddly and adorable like a real baby! Only tears of joy now Lizzie! Baby Susie will be home soon!

Check out my Closets!

2010-09-16T15:54:00.006-10:00

I have often said my house would never be in a magazine. But this week, my closets could be! I actually got one of these ideas in a magazine. At the time I thought it was lame but now it is pretty cool. Remember that Cricut I got for Christmas but didn't really want? Well, I eat my words. It is fun. Isn't this closet cool? And the best part is, it has been staying neat!

So this was the idea in a magazine. I read A LOT of magazines so I don't remember where I got this. Maybe Martha Stewart. But since she takes credit for every idea on her blog I'll take credit for it here. And for the record, I like Martha Stewart. But now that I think about it, it may have come from one of those Better Homes and Gardens specialty decorating magazines. But it doesn't matter because you are reading it here.

So I found these baskets at Ross I believe. They fit my shelf perfectly. I bought these little wooden ovals at Michael's and was disappointed they didn't have any with holes. Whatever! That means I got to use the drill which was awesome. (After I called Lee and whined about where the drill bits were and blah blah blah) Acrylic craft paint called Spa Blue ended up looking more periwinkle like my Blue Room walls in Hawaii (if you are catching up that's my sewing room) I wish I would have picked a blue closer to my new Blue Room color, something more aqua and Tiffany box like. Oh well!

The Cricut cut brown vinyl letters for me. This was no sweat except for the tiny "pillowcases". I did that one twice. It was a pain in my booty. Maybe a different font would have been better. In our home we have 2 queen beds and 3 twin beds. Now their sheets have a spot to go and all the pillowcases together. My friend told me to fold the sets with the cases but since I have kids helping with this and I rarely match my cases to sheets, I just did them like this. Hemp cord worked perfectly to tie them to the baskets!

It was a huge triumph to conquer the hair accessories! I have tried for years to get them how I like them and I finally like this. Plastic stacking drawers and cricut letters. I could make another wooden tag and hang "brushes" on my basket here but I probably won't. It's fine how it is for now. It's a huge challenge to get the girls to actually put the hair things and brushes back so they can find them when they want them, so this has been a help. It's low enough for the little girl to reach too. Their bathroom is small with hardly any storage but the linen closet is a good size so I guess it comes out all right. This is why hair stuff is not in the bathroom. No room.

Do you love this? My mom always had one when I was growing up. She said she learned it from my dad's mom. I bought this about 3 years ago planning to fill it and finally am doing it. Now it may look like it would hold nuts and bolts. Instead it holds all those little weird things. Mom's had ear plugs, chalk, tweeezers, chapstick, rubberbands, oh man! Anything you might need that gets lost. And of course she labeled it. I am working on filling mine, So far it has bobby pins, barrettes, hair elastics, nail clippers, bandaids, dental floss and all labeled according to size. This is already proving to be SUPER cool. Now, Martha, if I see this in your magazine I will know you stole it from me. And mom. And grandma.

Now here we have the foyer closet. triple hooks from Lowes and Cricut letters in their favorite colors. Backpacks and favorite jackets off the floor. School started last week and I wanted to do this last year to keep these crazy things contained.

I feel like the coolest mom ever! Now we will see if it all can stay as organized as it is now. So far so good.

ACU Bag Makeover

2010-09-15T13:40:00.004-10:00

I didn't make this bag. I just improved it. A woman bought the bag from a seller online. Then she saw an AMKStitches bag. (I am not making this up! Totally true!) She thought my bags were so much cuter and funner! Could I do that? Sure!

I added Amy Butler fabric, piping and ribbon. Now it's a bag for a woman and not just a uniform on your arm. Adorable!

Portabello Pixie Love

2010-09-13T13:35:00.005-10:00

I've been checking out my external hard drive and found tons of pictures I'd forgotten about! Here is a cute little dress I sewed for a friend's daughter a while back. This was done with a Portabello Pixie pattern called Claire. If you are a sewer, try out these patterns. I haven't been disappointed yet! I own a few of these patterns and if you are used to JoAnn fabric sales where you get 10 patterns for 10 bucks, these will seem very pricey to you. But like so many things in life, you get what you pay for!

These patterns have full color step by step instructions which make them awesome for beginners. What I love the most, is that each pattern has more than one design in it. The bag pattern has 2 bags. This dress pattern has 4 dresses. Totally worth the price! And they are clothes and accessories you will enjoy making and using. The maker of these patterns,Sandi Henderson also has a line of fabric by Michael Miller and I love all of her designs!

The fabric I used is by Alexander Henry I believe. I didn't buy it there but it has been available at Joann's. These bright blooms really fit this spunky girl's personality.

The dress is simply a peasant style with attached apron; not super complicated, but super cute!

I cut out the giant blooms and machine applique'd them to the apron then trimmed it in bias tape I made. I want to do this one again; there are just so many great patterns and fabric and so little time!

Only a Vampire can Love you Forever

2010-09-10T18:36:00.003-10:00

Blast from the past! Organizing pictures and found some awesome stuff! I embroidered these shirts for my friends when we all attended opening night of Twilight. Love my friends, Love the shirts. Loved the books. HATED THE MOVIE! And haven't watched another one since. But how cool are these shirts?!!?? I'm Team Eward (from the book. The movie Edward is not MY Edward. Mine is a cross between Orlando Bloom, Antonio Banderas and my husband Lee.) So my shirt said "I like my men cold hard and sparkly". Here are some others and keep in mind they were all in Glow-in-the-Dark thread! Even more awesome!

I forgot this one above. It was the back of someone's shirt.

Apologies to my dear friends for posting pictures of your chests online.

Bag and Sling for a Friend

2010-09-09T11:16:00.005-10:00

The first ACU bag I made was for my friend Jana. This last Spring, Jana and her family were blessed with a sweet baby girl. Of course, Jana needed some new baby items since Big Brother is 4 years old. I'm so pleased she asked me. This diaper bag was hard to put in the mail. I would have been happy to use it and I have noone in diapers anymore (Oh yeah! No diapers!)

This canvas print bag is lined in a mustard yellow canvas and trimmed in a rusty burgundy piping. Below is the back pocket with magnet snap and key holder.

There are lots of pockets inside and out, and it's sturdy messenger style is lovely and functional.

And to carry this sweet bundle a new reversible baby sling made with a sweet Amy Butler print. Thanks, Jana, for letting me create for you and your beautiful daughter!

Baseball Brothers

2010-08-23T18:43:00.003-10:00

A special order for a special return customer. I should have taken a closer picture of the bib and burpcloth in this bundle. It was very subtle with navy stripes and bats and balls. I double stitched the edges with red and blue. My favorite are the baseball embroideries on the shirts! This was a lot of fun for a baseball loving family!

In the Throes of Bows

2010-08-22T15:53:00.007-10:00

No, I didn't stop sewing and become a bow maker. Well, I guess I did temporarily. A friend taught us bow making at church and it was so fun, I kind of went crazy. I do have 3 daughters and many nieces so this is a good skill to have. Above are some 4th of July bows we made. And below are small bows we made for a niece's 3rd birthday while on vacation. We sat on the patio table on the lawn and made tons of bows. My 14 yr old niece really go into it and that was fun.

These are some I made for the 6 year old. I LOVE finding new ways to use buttons. How's this for pigtails?!

No worries though. Summer has had several sewing opportunities and I'll share those soon.

Easter Eggs

2010-05-06T06:29:00.009-10:00

If you thought you might see lovely colored eggs, sorry. We had those. But these are pheasant eggs. My friend Christy raises pheasants and has been giving us their eggs because they aren't incubating this year. Was I little nervous to try them? Yes. But come on! They're birds eggs and I love eggs! (I thought I could try a snail last week. Uh, no. Way too grossed out. I used to have snail pets.)

Pheasant eggs are delicious. They taste like chicken eggs but with a softer texture. No rubbery whites. I really like them.

The best part is they are tiny and tiny food is really fun to make and eat. I have small hands, and this is still very small in my hand and look at a chicken egg next to the pheasants.
(Christy says you can eat more of them and feel less guilty because they are small)

They are much bigger. We made deviled eggs for Easter and it was really fun.

I had a little trouble peeling them. My next time I got it down. They have tougher membranes but are more delicate inside.

So I have a big deviled egg in the middle and the rest are pheasant. You can pop them in your mouth with one bite. My favorite is to fry up two of them over easy and eat them on a slice of buttered toast.

Oh look! A nice daughter setting the table!

I took pictures of the dinner table because it looked so pretty. Amelia and Grandpa J are waiting patiently so they can eat the yummy food. I made a pasta dish that was super yummy. It was in honor of Easter but really a late birthday dinner for Grandpa. It was really special having the grandparents for Easter.

I really love my dining room. Every time I go in there, any time of day, I always love this room. It was the first room I entered when we were house hunting and helped sell me on it.

For more pheasant egg love visit my sister in-laws blog Huckleberry Stew She cooked some pheasant eggs and I think she had chukker eggs. They are the spotted ones and slightly smaller. I don't know if that is how you spell chukker and I know it is a bird and I saw it at Christy's house and they lay eggs. That's all I know about that.

More Blue - My Room!

2010-05-05T06:40:00.005-10:00

Remember back when I lived in Hawaii and had a Blue Room in which I sewed lovely things? And I told you I had a new Blue Room and would show it one day? Well here it is! Above, you see the same shelves and pictures I had in Hawaii only I also stuck cute ribbon to the edges of the shelves. I have to rearrange this because I need to add books. I bought some more magazine holders. The Blue wall color was chosen to match my ice blue Nintendo DS! I love it. Very soothing and stimulating!

This is out the sliding door to the lanai. This was taken a couple months ago on a nice sunny day when there were still no leaves on the trees. I like looking out there and soon I will be able to watch the kids play on the play ground we (Lee) are building! To the left is the computer desk, to the right is a basket full of stabilizer and interfacing.

Here I am sitting in the computer chair looking toward the sewing part. I was unhappy when Lee brought this huge heavy desk home from the Army and then I became happy when I claimed it as my new sewing desk! It would be nicer if it was cleaned off though. Some things are the same as my old Blue Room. Plastic drawers holding cotton prints, solids and interfacing. Peg board, thread racks. I still have my Dressmaking sign made by TDwives
and I covered some canvas frames with funky sewing cartoon fabric. On top of the fabric drawers are cute fabric covered boxes holding my patterns and I was so happy I found a matching ironing board cover with them! Can't remember if they were from Marshall's or Ross but a score anywhere!

Nice high celing and light in here. I replaced my light bulbs with Ott bulbs. I think I like them. My cutting table is the same only I made a cute skirt for it with thread spool fabric on the bottom and ric rac. It hides storage beneath. It is a brighter more open room than before and closer to the rest of the family. But this also means they come in and get into stuff ALOT MORE. And the family computer is in there too. But I am not complaining. This room is scrumptious and yummy and delicious. I just bought some more organizing things. Alot of stuff is out in the garage. And we would like to get some Ikea cabinets and have storage go further up in here. It is always a mess. And one day we will have French doors on this room. There is currently a curtain in the doorway. No big deal.

And for something light:

Our son, Henry, is obsessed with Mario Bros, Mickey Mouse, You Tube, hmm... is that all?

He goes through stages where that is all he wants to do. I know two other boys who are on the autism spectrum and use You Tube as a way to feed these obsessions. I don't know if I should curse YouTube or love it more! When he needs a way to bring him down, You Tube is perfect. But when we need to turn it off, well...

He went through a Gummy Bear stage. Have you seen and heard the gummy bear song on you tube? Some of you may know that Henry is also very into letters and learned to read on his own. Spelling goes right along with this. We discovered this on the fridge one day. We are often finding interesting things he spells out. He likes to get onto YouTube on his own and enter stuff. This is one of his favorites. You can watch it but I'm not recommending that it is great or anything.

Henry is great. And so is my Blue Room.

April was very Blue

2010-04-30T19:38:00.005-10:00

You may have seen a couple posts ago I showed sneak peeks of a little blue heirloom dress I made. Well, I wish I had been considered for this month's issue of Sew Beautiful magazine! My whole month of sewing was full of blue items! Here are some!

(One day I do plan to be featured in Sew Beautiful magazine. It's just a matter of time...)
One of my favorite Aloha prints became a lovely personalized minky blanket with matching bib and burpcloth. All wrapped in tulle and blue ribbon, it was a perfect present for a precious baby boy!
These are backed in cream chenille. It really sucks up the yucky stuff better than minky.

Here are my ward Young Women at their first volleyball game. Do you like the shirts? Me too!

Nothing fancy, just Old Navy T's and they got to pick their jersey names and numbers. After seeing the other teams, we really look sharp! Why does "Tiger" have an applique? Because I turned away from the machine and it chewed up the shirt and got a hole when I picked it out! AAHHH!!! So I added the hearts. I actually really like it and kind of wish they all had some lovin' on there!

To complete my blue theme this month, I also had an order to sew patches on a State Patrol uniform and it was....BLUE!!! It came out very nice (Patches are not my favorite thing to sew. But it was a challenge) I should have taken a picture of it!

Sneak Peek: Swedish Weave

2010-03-31T07:39:00.004-10:00

So my Swedish Weave friends and I decided we would all work on a throw with the same yarns since we all liked them so much. Two of the yarns are identical: solid coral and the rust used for these diamonds. But I couldn't find the same 3rd yarn so we each have different. Daria and Shelly each have a variegated yarn. Shelly's is lighter and Daria's is darker going to almost a greenish brown. Mine is a very full fluffy yarn which at first wouldn't go through my needle or monk's cloth very well. I figured out the trick and I am thrilled with the extra dimension these thick heavy threads give the design. Daria and I are also using the same pattern so it is cool to see the difference the colors make.

I am halfway done with mine. (they are kind of slow)

But another cool thing is Daria coined a new term for it that is much easier to say. "Sweave"
That's what we do. We sweave. So how do you like my sweaving on this one? I want to finish it so I can work on one in Spring colors. It is so relaxing to sit and do this while watching TV and is easy to take places since you don't have to follow a strict pattern.

A friend asked if I learned this on YouTube. I learned this from Daria. But I bet it is on YouTube and I have bought a couple books since then.
It is EASY! So easy it is embarassing. But that is whay I am able to finish it so quickly and get so much satisfaction.

So try Sweaving!

Sneak Peek: Heirloom Baby Dress

2010-03-30T14:32:00.005-10:00

I sew a lot of bags and pillows and bibs and blankets. I enjoy sewing anything. But my deepest love is heirloom sewing. Soft and delicate and pretty and dainty and detailed. At the Sewing Expo in Puyallup, Sew Beautiful had a booth. I bought a lovely soft blue batiste and yards of beautiful Swiss embroidered insertion, beading and trim. I found a pattern in Sew Beautiful magazine from a few years back that I have been longing to make. But who for? I need a baby girl! A friend of mine has a beautiful baby, Klara, who I thought should have this dress. I changed the pattern a bit and added millions of twin needle pin tucks.

The skirt has this sweet edging trimming and the bodice has lots of the same.

Below is more of the skirt with beading and pintucks. I found another booth at the expo with hand dyed silk ribbon, so I wove that through the beading

I'm almost done! The bodice needs the sleeves sewn on (seen below) and the skirt attached and little daisy buttons will fasten the back. Bronchitis last week and a sick little boy and a husband on TDY slowed me down. I will finish it and show you pictures soon! (and hopefully show you the pretty baby wearing it!)

I have a Cricut and I know how to use it

2010-03-24T13:24:00.004-10:00

Well, I'm learning to use it. Lee gave me the Cricut Expression for Christmas. I was a little "Huh?" I'd been curious about them at the after Thanksgiving sales and actually put one in my cart at Walmart and then took it out with a "What am I thinking?" I don't even scrapbook anymore. What will I do with a Cricut? Well cut stuff out apparently. I have made really cute banners with girl's names on them for my daughter and the young women at church. I also made a "Be Strong and Courageous" banner for New Beginnings (remember the theme I told you about?") I made oval noses for Pin the Nose on Mickey for my little one's birthday last month. I cut out tons of hearts and shapes for the girls to make valentines.

And then I practiced with vinyl for this headboard area in the pink room where a girl sleeps and guests sleep. I think I will add a few more small flowers. The girls love it. The pink and brown bedroom is fun.

So yes, I like my Cricut. I really want to try to cut stencils to etch glass.

But I am most excitedd to try... Are you ready?...I had no idea before ...

This is so cool...

Ok I'll tell you...

FABRIC!

I found a tutorial on Youtube and I am sold! I can cut appliques! How rad is that!? Why didn't someone tell me sooner? So yes I will be cutting fabric with the cricut and we will see what happens!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T11:27:00.005-10:00

Today is my Grandma's birthday. She left this world almost 13 years ago and she would be 83 today. Daffodils always make me think of Grandma and I am sure many family members would say the same thing. She died on Easter so this time of year gets me thinking of her alot.
This is my first daffodil to bloom this year. I was scared I would lose all the flowers when we had the cold snap that frosted over the flowers on my myrtle. But all is well. Crocuses are on their way out and tulips are working their way open.

Lydia was home and sick and saw on TV pinecone birdfeeders. Well she wasn't that sick and I had all the stuff. We made a bird restaurant and they cleaned us out! I love the birds.

A winter sunset. I could see this from my bedroom window. Lovely but cold.

And here are some pillowcases I embroidered for another ward's Young Women New Beginnings. The mutual theme this year is "Be strong and of a good courage" from Joshua 1:9. They had a slumber party theme so pillowcases were so cute. They are very simple but I like how they turned out.

New Blog Look

2010-03-13T20:44:00.002-10:00

I've had my blog almost 3 years and gone through a few different looks. I was overdue for an update. I like this but it probably won't stay. It feels too busy so I'll be playing with it.

I am also wanting to get a new Etsy banner and tags done up. Again, I want less busy and new labels for my heirloom sewing. My current labels are fun but bright.

I was sick all day and did nothing but my mind wandered and I slept alot. And I thought alot about how tired I am of the look of my blog and Etsy shop. Sick dreams are never good.

But I did alot of awesome sewing in my dreams and made really yummy pizza. Then I woke up and I was still sick. I'm feeling better.

Babies and Chairs

2010-03-12T06:35:00.006-10:00

A sweet past customer asked me to make some special items for an adorable baby she is adopting. What a treat! She sent me the flannel fabric and I made bibs and burpcloths with coordinating custom onesies.

She also asked me to make a new cover for her highchair in these fun colors, Sure! Fabric shopping! This was tricky since I was copying her cover. It turned out cute but I hope it fits!

I had to make a matching bib!

Bundled up and ready to go!

This was a bigger project. She told me she wanted me to cover her glider cushions in red toile. I found an online tutorial to give me hints. I love how they turned out!

All ready to rock her new sweet miracle.

Yes, I still make stuff

2010-03-11T17:42:00.005-10:00

People often ask me, "Are you still sewing?" "Are you selling?" Yes and Yes.
If you read the last post you know that winter kicked my fanny. I bought a whole bunch of lovely blue yarn and decided I would crochet an afghan. Crocheting seemed like a really good cozy warm thing to do during long winter nights. One problem: I hate crocheting! And I suck at it! Well, that's 2 problems.
But I love yarn. I don't always like handwork but I like embroidery.

Shortly after moving to my new town I learned the ladies at church were getting together to sew and crochet and do something called Swedish Weave. I finally saw what this was and thought "huh..ok" I recognized it as huck embroidery which I had seen in books. Later my friend Daria showed me a Swedish Weave throw she was working on. The colors and pattern looked so cool, like a tapestry and her 4 yarn colors made it look variegated. I think I might want to learn that!

A few days before Christmas I went to her house so our kids could play. She presented me with a piece of prepared monk's cloth and yarn. She had bought it for another woman at church who wanted to learn and then moved away. What a sweet surprise! She sat me down and taught me. And now I'm hooked. Last month we taught another friend how to do it and Shellie, Daria and I try to find time to Swedish Weave together.

So this is the throw I made that Daria gave me. It is rose and burgundy on white monk's cloth. Not exactly my colors but still very pretty. She gave me a basic pattern and we tweaked it and I added extra made up stuff on the ends. It was super fun and kept me cozy and warm while I stitched. It also didn't take as long as I thought it would and was relaxing while watching TV.

Shortly after I started it I knew it was meant for a home besides mine. MOM! Of course! Burgundy is totally her color and she appreciates handmade things. Then I'll make one for me and my mother in-law! My mom's birthday is in April so perfect!

Well, I changed my mind. My dad's birthday was last week and he loves burgundy! And he loves blankets! And he loves me! And whatever I give dad is also mom's and what I give mom's is dad's so they can share and I will take something else on mom's day.

And look at Dad's happy smile! I don't think he was faking when he gushed and oohed over it. I was so proud to give it to him. ( and Lydia loves Grandpa! Everyone was happy!)

So the blue yarn is at my friend Jennifer's house being made into an afghan. She likes to crochet and likes me. (And I am working on ways to pay her back) And I am working on a throw for me. And I won't tell you what I am taking to my mom's next month. And I won't mention my mother in-law's either because they both read this sometimes.

And in case you are wondering, yes I sew and sell. Just finished a huge order for a nice returning customer/friend and I am starting on Easter dresses soon. I cleaned my blue room, attended the sewing expo and am reading sewing magazines so I'm pumped!

Spring is Here!

2010-03-03T07:56:00.003-10:00

Many people have asked me "You're not blogging?" "You're not listing on Etsy?"
Well, I moved to Washington State, bought a house and then winter came. Ugh...
Winter and me are a bad combination.
But finally Spring is coming!

Not the best picture of me but I am so happy! Here we are sitting on one of our huge rocks!

And here is my first crocus.

And I am sewing and listing on Etsy and slowly blogging.

Because winter is over.

What I think of Autism

2010-02-05T08:10:00.006-10:00

I have been reading with great interest and relief, the reports and opinions on the medical journal Lancet retracting their statements that there is a link between vaccines and autism.

I have very stong opinions on this and felt that the appropriate place to share them was here on my blog. No, it's not about sewing, but I am a mother of a child with autism.

My only son Henry, was born after 3 sisters. He is a wonderful little boy and will turn 4 next week. Since his diagnosis, I have read so many books and articles and information on autism. I have a nephew on the spectrum and personally know very well at least 10 young boys on the spectrum. I had an idea very early on that Henry was "different". He reminded me of some of these boys I knew.

Henry was "different" from the moment he was born. His birth was different. He was my only scheduled induction. While I was administered pitocin to induce labor with my daughters, signs of labor had started. Henry was scheduled and induced due to my gestational diabetes and the doctors' and my anxiousness. Henry had heart decelerations right before his exteremely fast delivery. He didn't breathe and needed oxygen. He responded well, but was still gagging on amniotic fluid hours later.

He wouldn't nurse. He wouldn't suck. Nurses helped me but noone seemed as concerned as I was. He only fed once before we were discharged. We had to teach to him to open and close his mouth. And he cried! Oh he cried alot.

Hearing these things may make someone think was he disabled? No, he actually seemed pretty normal. And all babies are different. But my gut knew something was very different.

When he was a slow crawler and walker and talker people told me it was because he was a boy. But it didn't make sense because my 3 girls were so different. I had a girl who walked at 14`months and a girl who walked at 11 months. But Henry was 16 months!

I had a daughter with a speech delay but at least she tried to speak. Henry would just scream. He had only a few words and lost them. My sister suggested I teach him to sign and this opened a whole new world for him. I can't sing the praises of the "Signing Time" videos enough. To calm himself he would sit and sign the alphabet over and over.

I thought some of the delay and emotional meltdowns was because my husband left for Army training for 2 months followed by a 15 month deployment. That may have been part of it. But it didn't explain the "difference" I had seen from birth to 18 months. There was "difference" long before he received these infamous and controversial vaccines.

So Henry started receiving Early Intervention from the state at age 2. Speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education in our home. After about 4 months, the developmental pediatrician diagnosed him with high functioning autism. A few months later after weeks of child studies alone and in a group, the pediatric psychiatrist confirmed the diagnosis. Henry started to receive daily skills training until his 3rd birthday when he started attending special education preschool every day.

My sweet little boy has come along way. In 2 years of treatment, he has tested out of speech therabpy and is considered a speech model in hi SPED class. Socially he has also made leaps and bounds. He used to never acknowledge other children. Babies didn't exist, visitors were like pieces of furniture. This week he wrote his own Valentine card to a girl in his class.

So what makes me angry? Hearing celebrities like Jenny McCarthy going on and on about how her son is "cured" of austim. That vaccines caused it and special diets cured it. Talk shows and news reports and masses of people who believe in this. Strangers who have told me I shouldn't have immunized my kids. Time and money spent and wasted on this theory that was never proven. Time and money that could have been spent on finding a real reason why so many children have autism. But more importantly, spending that time and money to treat these children.

Vaccines did not give Henry autsim. I am not positive why Henry has autism. My belief is that there is a genetic component that may be triggered by environmental issues. My nephew had a similar birth to Henry. But not all induced babies have autsim. I would like more research into the genetic causes and environmental factors. Could it be in the things we eat and harmful waves from our many electronics? I don't know, but I want someone to find out.

And I want every family to be able to receive early detection, diagnosis, intervention and therapy. I believe the earlier the better.

It is important to remember that it is Autsim Spectrum Disorder. It is a spectrum. I first thought of a spectrum like a line and a person fell somewhere on a line of severity. Well, a spectrum is like a rainbow, with unlimited number of hues and values. If you have met one person with autism, then you have met one person with autism. No 2 people with austim will have the exact challenges and behaviors.

So how is Henry doing? Well, we are having a frustrating backslide right now. He was doing sensational before Christmas but things have fallen apart a bit and I'm looking into more options for him. His speech is still great and socially he is very loving and warm with his family and friends. He has gone back to previous troubling behaviors. More meltdowns, less eye contact, more posturing, more self stimulating, less focusing, more overstimulated. And his sleeping schedule is as horrible as it's been since he was born.

I have high hopes for him and so much faith. He has taken his obsession with letters and can read books and paragraphs. he loves to spell and write. His SPED teachers are constantly amazed with his abilities as he is far above a preschool academic level. he also loves shapes ad numbers and has a fantastic memory and the cutest sense of humor. We hope he will be potty trained soon but that has slid back as well.

Hallelujah that we may see this vaccination/autism thing put to rest. Let's hear a regular person get the airtime like these crazy celebrities with money, and talk about the real issues we should focus on and the real help these families and children need. Programs to help high functioning individuals get jobs and work in society. To not be considered disabled but to see their differences and needs and help them. To strike any myths that autism isn't real and is an excuse for poor parenting.

My little boy is special. Anyone who spends time with can see that he is a little quirky and some see that he definitely has extra special needs and challenges. But everyone sees he has a special spirit and is blessed with wonderful gifts and talents. And we are so blessed to have him in our family. I am a very lucky mom and I know that God must really love me and trust me to have sent Henry Boy to be in my care on earth.

And For My First Item of Business...

2010-01-07T09:55:00.005-10:00

We have this lovely slippery blanket created for a return customer. This is either the 4th or 5th blanket I made for her. She loves them! And I love this one, too. What a great wayto start the new year!

And I also learned that I need to find a better place to photgraph items in our new house. These aren't photos to be listed (I would make sure there were no feet and would edit them) But I would get a better place than my carpet.

A Blogging Resolution

2009-12-31T07:43:00.003-10:00

So my Sweet, Sweet Mother in-law told me yesterday, "Oh I haven't looked at your blog in so long!" Well, you haven't been missing much. I just haven't been blogging. But I want to. I love blogging. I love talking and writing and I love taking pictures and I love showing off stuff I make and I really love going back and reading what I wrote and seeing the pictures.

I am glad I have blogged and posted pictures because I have had to go back and look at stuff I made to remind me when someone says "I want a such and such like you made so and so" or "Can you make me another one like you made me before?" Sure! Then I go back and search search search for it. That's why I also need to get back on FLICKR and post pictures and post to sell on Etsy.

I got a new camera for Christmas so camera issues should be a thing of the past.

I came across this Thoreau quote a few weeks ago. I can't remember where now.

It really struck me. I had been having feelings of inadequacy a bit myself with my new calling/assignment at church and also had feelings that some were unfairly judging people. We all have a voice and something to offer the world. Often the thing holding us back is ourselves. Sing out! No matter what your voice sounds like.

One of my resoulutions for this year is to blog more and post more and SELL more!

Happy New Year!

Birthday Love

2009-11-05T12:42:00.003-10:00

Today is my husband's birthday. Last year on his birthday, he was in Iraq and I posted 36 things I love about him. So this year he is 37 and he's home and so let's just add that fact to the other 36 things. The number 37 thing I love about him is he's home this year! We get to celebrate and give him surprises in person. The kids are all so excited.

I love this man so much. Sometimes I look over at him and still go "wow! that's my husband!" He is cuter than ever and sweeter and kinder too. He is such a hard worker and loves us so much.

We have fun things planned for him tonight. The girls have made special cards and are hiding them. It's going to be fun. And he has a long weekend so we will probably be painting the kitchen! YAY!

This picture was taken a couple days before we left Hawaii. What is up with my hair? Did I really think that was ok? The sunset is gorgeous and I like my blouse. My eyebrows look good, too. But this hair makes my head look so round!

I've done some sewing today and hope to post pictures this week. I am over my slump I think, and creating feels so good! Daylight savings time is kicking my butt with this crazy darkness. But another month until winter solstice and than we can start gaining longer days again! I am excited for Christmas and even more excited for Spring. We planted bulbs and I can't wait to put in a garden! We have more homeowner issues with our electricity browning out yesterday. But thanks to good friends, we got through it and now are waiting for it all to get fixed. And another huge blessing: We haven't gotten super sick! Knock on wood, fingers crossed, salt over the shouder, etc.

My sweetheart doesn't read my blog much. I don't much anyway lately. But I love him and wantto shout it outto all the world! Hee-Hee Love ya Babe!

Where Am I and What Am I Doing?

2009-11-02T18:13:00.003-10:00

I am busy! I have lots of cute pics and things to blog about and I miss blogging so much.
You know what has gotten in the way? Facebook! Ugh! It is alot of fun but I have been getting my net fix there. And it is easy to upload pics on my Blackberrry to Facebook so any friends and family get instant love!

We bought a house. It's brand new and lovely and I am so in love with it. However it had no yard, no screens and every wall was painted in white flat primer. So as I write this my sweet husband and kind younger brother are painting away. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and the dining room done. Oh and the blue room of course! That only leaves the kitchen, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, the laundry room, the front room and 3 halls left to do! Alot of work. That's when you learn how large your house really is. You start painting every wall!

We have spent lots of time with family since they are only 2 1/2 hrs away. The kids are all in school and have field trips and activities and all that. I love that the bus takes them now! No more going all the way to the school. I don't care if the busdriver sees me in my sweats anyway!

I have a big new kitchen and have started cooking alot more. Part of this is because we are out in the country now so it's not as fast and easy to run to a restaurant or fast food. My favorite thing is that 5 minute artisan bread you don't have to knead. I will have to put a link on here. I eat homemade pizza almost everyday from that crust! Yum!

We're also trying to stay warm and will have our wood stove installed next week! We have come a long way. We lived on post for almost 12 years. Now we have our own well, septic and now a woodstove! It is strange but all feels very good. And it will feel REALLY good to be warm all the time.

I have stated sewing again. Depression is a sneaky evil acquaintance of mine and I haven't wanted to get out of bed some days, let alone sew something. But thanks to patient, kind friends and family, I have recently completed a diaper bag, a baptism dress and 4 Halloween costumes!

In our new ward here, there are many women who love to sew and cook as well. Our little town also has a totally rad fabric store where I have tried to control myself. When I get to JoAnns that is harder. I go nuts for notions and ribbon and all that.

Today I cleaned the blue room and embroidered for a blanket, hooded towel and school bags for my big girls. I have been promising bags for months but I am so slow lately.

This is the time of year I would be getting ready for craft fairs. I did that the last 3 Christmases and did Sunshine Generation performances the 5 years before that. This year I will have my husband home (after missing him the last 2) and will also be with my extended family. I feel so blessed and relaxed thinking of that.

So why is there a picture of a cute little boy in this post? Because he's so cute! And he makes me happy so I hope you are all happy today. My new normal is getting more and more normal.

Tim Gunn is my Boyfriend

2009-10-01T16:16:00.003-10:00

I've been a fan of Project Runway for awhile. It started out that I loved watching people sew and design. The man who mentors and critiques the designers, Tim Gunn, really makes the show. I love Heidi Klum, too. She's great, but Tim's the reason to watch the show. He's just so nice and real. I first thought he was so pretentious he couldn't be real. But he is hilarious and so cool.

So I checked out his book about style from the library but figured it would be more about fashion. Oh, man! It is an awesome book. I would like to buy it for all my lady friends. But I can't afford that so buy it yourself or borrow it from the library.

I like that his "Make It Work" philosophy applies to the wardrobe we own and the body we possess. He talks about having a signature style that makes you feel great even if it's not trendy and simple things like posture and walking correctly in your shoes.

If you're feeling dumpy and chubby and you don't like your clothes, read Tim Gunn's book. He is so cute and bound to make you feel a bit better about yourself.

Aloha Oe

2009-09-28T08:06:00.004-10:00

I am having so many camera issues and haven't wanted to blog without pictures on here. But I wonder if anyone out there has even noticed. That's ok. I enjoy my blog and seeing what I make so that is enough. I also laugh at my own jokes.

So here is a picture from Hawaii for 2 reasons. One is because I miss Hawaii desperately. Two, because I haven't downloaded pictures from Washington because I have these camera issues.

This is my family on our last Sunday in Hawaii. After Sacrament meeting we stood on the stand (with 3 other families who happened to be leaving, too. I've never seen that before) And the entire congregation sings "Aloha Oe". After, ward members line up and give you leis and hug and kiss you.

I have seen this done many, many times in 8 years and never wanted to experience it. I always cry when I hear "Aloha Oe" even if I am happy to see the people leave (JK)

Well, it was worse than I even imagined it. I was a mess. So many wonderful, beautiful people to say goodbye to. And the beautiful islands. I feel a part of my heart was ripped out and is still there.

One of the saddest parts is my horrible hair in this picture. I look very "local" as in local to Hawaii with long straight hair, but it isn't lovely on me like it is on my local friends. I'm not digging it. It highlights my weight gain.

We received many lovely leis from our friends and shed so many tears. My oldest daughter cried as much as me. This was a memory I will hold close to me forever. I am reminded of the line in Simon and Garfunkel's song "If I never loved I never would have cried." It is sad and painful but worth it. So maybe more like Garth Brook's line "I would have missed the pain but I would have also missed the dance."

So I need to focus on positive things and the now and my new normal life. We're an Army family and are so blessed to be sent somewhere we love so much.

Blue Room Revisited

2009-09-04T14:52:00.005-10:00

So I moved and have a new Blue Room. When I was moving and packing up this room (We had packers but I packed up a lot of stuff because I didn't want everything dumped in a huge box and have to organize it later. Smart. I put everything in ziplocs and it was still a pain but not as big.) I cried. I bawled as I packed up this room. I have spent so many hours in this room. The only room in the house that I painted by myself (Lee may have helped a little) I sewed the curtains. I sat on the floor with Chantell helping me tag items for my first AMK Stitches craft fair. I had many acquaintances enter to choose fabric. I sat at that ironing board sweating as I pressed and pressed. My children made many love notes for me and brought them to me as I sewed. I tried to give Ashley a sewing lesson. I sewed my finger straight through. I chatted on the phone. I drank too many diet Cokes to count. This room was all about happiness. It brought me comfort when I needed it.

I like to look at pictures of sewing rooms to get ideas, so if you are visiting for that I shall explain a few things above. I have those shelves above the sewing table with a clip on twisty neck light. I love that. I could aim it at the iron to give me more light, too. The iron was to my right and the only good thing about the horrible floors in that house is that my rolling chair could roll on them. I have thread racks to the right also.

Oh there they are! And above the board is the peg board! I hang lots of stuff on that. My favorite hanging things are my presser feet which I keep in packages and pretend I have my own store. The day I took these pictures it wasn't very tidy in there. I notice alot of things aren't even on the peg board, like my scissors. Oh well.

Aaahh..Above you see the corner. I have really cute sewing themed pictures on the walls and art my children make. It gets even messier than this when I am in the midst of a project. On the bottom shelf is where I keep all the sewing books and magazines. See my cute "Dressmaking" sign? I bought that from Connie of TD Wives. She makes adorable signs which are stencilled, not vinyl lettering.

I really like boxes and collect them. There are a lot on these shelves but I hope to display them better in my new room.

Hmm...I thought I had another picture of the other side of the room with my bulletin board, cutting table, TV and all that. You will have to look at my previous blog post about that.

And how is the new blue room, you may be wondering? Well, the paint is perfect! (3rd time is the charm!) I have more room and more light and I decided to share the room with the family computer desk. I didn't want that in the front room anymore.

When I unpacked my supples, fabric and notions I became emotional again. I really felt like I am home again. I love our new house and my new room. I used to look out at Hawaiian trees and now I look at Northwest trees and lots of rocks. But I am as inspired and am excited to share the things I have been sewing in there already and will post pictures of my new room soon. And in case you were thinking it, I do know I am very lucky to have a place of my own to sew.

Special Order Bags for Special Friends

2009-08-24T07:21:00.006-10:00

How stinking sweet is this ACU bag? It has the velcro for the name strip and is made from my friend Ashley's husband's uniform. My favorite part? The matching zipper pouch! This fabric was chosen by my daughter for a blouse a while back. It was chosen by Ashley to complete her bag and it is as Ashley would say "Fabulous!"

Sara saw a similar pouch to this at a fair and asked if I could recreate something. She loves yellow so I was thrilled to finally use this Amy Butler print and found a batik to line it with when I was at Kimura's Fabrics on the Big Island. I also made the piping trim with the batik and added pockets inside to organize her essentials. It is nice and stiff and super lovely, just like Sara.
(She's lovely like the pouch, not stiff)

Several months ago, Stephanie asked for a zipper pouch and chose this fabric from my stash. Then she asked for a tote to match. Uh-oh! I'm all out of it. I was thrilled when I found it at one of my favorite fabric sites JCaroline Creative!

It has a canvas body so it is super sturdy and filled with pockets and a clip for keys. Stephanie was wearing a teal blouse when I dropped it off at her house. She loves this color and it fits her perfectly!

Thank you, ladies, for allowing me to create something special for you. It is a pleasure being your friend.

Random Pics to Brighten our Day

2009-08-22T13:28:00.005-10:00

We love pictures on blogs, right? I do. I am getting settled into my new home now and have time to blog. I'm missing Hawaii and longing to sew. I miss old friends. So these pictures are cheering my spirits and I hope you like them too.
Above is my taro pie from McDonalds. You can only get this in Hawaii. Regrettably, I didn't like it much. But the haupia pie they have (haupia is the coconut pudding type dessert you may have had at a luau) is awesome. The banana pie is all right. I love the local specialties you can find at Hawaii McDonalds, including Spam, portuguese sausage and saimin.

I had wanted to eat at the Waioli Tea Room for years. I finally did with my good friends Sara, Beth and Jana. Jana was also leaving Hawaii and it was sad. The food was wonderful, the tea pots, charming and the belly laughs, divine.

This cute green thing was crawling on this tree. I tried to get a good shot.

I love finding the names of my children. This is on the Big Island.

Kimura's Fabrics on the Big Island. I have a nice husband who doesn't mind too much searching for fabric stores on vacation. This one was pretty old and funky but I found the perfect batik to accent a project and another fabric to admire and fold. A super sweet old lady was running this. I read about it online before we went. You just have to experience it.

I made this diaper-wipe pouch for a friend in Hawaii. I loved these fun fabrics for a little boy.

What the heck? I bought this bunch of bananas and thought this one was very odd and fat. We opened it to find it was 2 bananas growing in one skin! Weird! I should have taken a picture of what it looked with a bite out of it. I didn't want to eat it though. I was too freaked out by it.

Another diaper pouch for a very sweet friend in Hawaii. I was tickled when I saw her husband with it at church. I love my diaper pouch and think they are so handy! Don't you love this fun fabric?

I'm feeling happier already.

Now for a funny story. Well, funny to me. And it's not the story of me picking blackberries, getting stuck in the thorns and stung by hornets 5 times. That was bad.

I received a phone call on my cell phone and the person asked for Angie. Yes, I'm Angie. She had found a card with my number and website written on it in er husband's wallet. It took a bit of asking and she didn't want to answer quickly, but I got out of her that she lives in a nearby city (I thought at first she had a business card from a crat faior but I have only done fairs in Hawaii) Then it hit me! "Is your husband a mover?" Yes, he is. The movers that brought our household goods asked about my sewing business. I had many, many boxes with "sew'n items" and "fabric containers" written on them. A couple of them were very interested and I gave them my information. I didn't recognize the husband's name she told me on the phone but these guys had children and grandchildren and they wanted to learn more about my tepees and maybe purses for their wives. But this wife was freaked out! When I figured it out I told her "Don't worry! There is nothing fishy going on!" After I hung up I laughed so hard. She was seriously concerned about a strange woman's name and number in her husband's wallet. Why didn't she ask him? Why's she going through the wallet? Anyway, I don't know if I gave the blog address or what to these guys and don't want to embarass them but I will say this: Men, if you pick up my phone number because you want to buy a purse or soemthing, please go home and tell your wife so she won't get freaked out.

Beautiful Baby Boy Blessing

2009-07-23T17:09:00.005-10:00

Did she ask me or did I offer to sew a blessing outfit? I don't care. I am just glad I got to because it was a blast! Misty has been my friend for over 10 years. We were young army wives with a baby a piece in cold Alaska. We have been through a lot and she is one of my favorite people.

She was expecting her 4th child, second boy in winter time and needed something special.

I should be honest though and admit I wanted her to have a girl so I could make a gorgeous heirloom gown. Dresses are just so fun! But this is a SUPER baby boy outfit and I had just as much fun.

This sweet romper is pure white silk dupioni that I trimmed with leftover cream silk shantung from my girls' flower dresses last summer. I made lots of sweet piping that I used to trim the sleeves collar and waist.

I machine embroidered in cream some adorable little wild animals. If you want really cool embroidery designs I suggest Embroidery Library

I go there ALOT! These were perfect because they were tiny and I stitched them out in one color. Elephant, giraffe and lion. Very baby boyish but still elegant, in my opinion.

Pearly buttons up the back and at the crotch, rather than snaps. I don't want to take the chance that any rust will find it's way on this gorgeous (and expensive) fabric

I have to practice taking pictures of white shiny things. My lighting is weird.

Since he was born in Utah in the winter, he needed to be warm. This little jacket is trimmed in the same cream silk, and also features his own little monogrammed pocket! How totally cool is this?

Here you can see the little loop which closes his jacket and how his romper collar sticks out the top. I thought about monogramming the outfit, but thought if she ever has another baby or loans it, or passes it down to a grandchild, they wouldn't need to wear the personalized jacket.

Who says only sewing for girl is fun? This was hard to put in the box to mail to her because I wanted to keep looking at it. Thanks Misty! Now I need to see a picture of him in it.

My Niece's Easter Dress

2009-07-21T11:45:00.005-10:00

Well, it's not Easter, and this is not my niece. I had a little girl I know model the dress before I sent it to my niece and I am just very late blogging about it.

This pattern may look a little familiar if you have ever really studied my blog. It is the same pattern I used for a little dress last year. But you may not recognize the pattern because it has been tweaked quite a bit.

I bought the pattern on eBay and really liked the look of it. It was a reproduced children's pattern from 1910. I've sewn it twice and they both have looked different from the picture. But I am happy with both of them in spite of the wailing and gnashing of teeth to get them to work and in the case of this dress, remedy my mistakes.

I have to say though, the silhouette is so sweet and adorable on these little girls.

I promised my only sister an Easter dress for her only daughter. My plan was to make a true heirloom style party dress with lace insertion and fancy band and all that. She is 3, and I thought a frothy pink one would be awesome on her! I ran out of time and money, with my husband just getting home from Iraq and preparing to move to another state. So I went through the stash of pattern and fabric and came up with this!

The little pearly heart shaped buttons up the back coordiante with the applique'd heart on the front. I needed something on the front since it was too plain and cut out 3 different fabric hearts before deciding on the one I used.

I like to hang things off the treadmill to take pictures. Have to put that treadmill to good use some how!

I used a machine blanket stitch to trim the neck, back placket and applique'.

In case you are wondering, it is Kitty Yoshida City Girl fabric. I found it on my trip to Utah last year and have now made an apron, this dress and a couple bags. I also bought some in blue and made myself an apron! The colors are so pretty!

I didn't plan to use the brown grosgrain ribbon around the waist but needed something when I messed up the waist band. My 2nd daughter was doing a bit of hand sewing this same week and started crying when she messed up. I told her I mess up all the time. "No, you don't! You're always good! You never mess up!" I called her in when I was making this dress. Not only did I screw up the waist band but I also made it too small and had to add panels and change the skirt. Did it all end up fine and you can't even tell? Of course! But I still made mistakes. And how does the saying go? No good crying over sewing! (Something like that)

AAAHHH!!! My favorite! Spanish hemstitch, the new PC term for faggoting. I love this and would love to put it on every dress I ever sew! I love the bias cute striped trim. It comes out like a candy cane stripe on the bias.

Since moving closer to family, I finally gotto see my sweet little niece wear this dress. She is so cute in it! And I will soon post her latest little dress.

Happy Easter!

Tanya's ACU Bags - An Experiment in Design and Talent

2009-07-18T14:42:00.008-10:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Tanya. I met Tanya when she called me asking if I made ACU bags. She had seen a woman with one in the clinic and she gave her my name and number. She had been looking for an ACU bag for a LONG time and had even posted on a bulletin board looking for someone and this led me to create a bag for another woman! So word of mouth works in many ways.

Tanya knew exactly what she wanted and even drew me a picture! This bag she is wearing above, while holding her adorable son, was the first item I made for her. I later sewed 3 more bags, a tepee and a few aprons.

Now this leads me to explain my title. An experiment in design and talent. A couple years ago I attended a workshop about making a business out of your craft. I remember so well a woman in that class saying she wanted a successful business, but she hated taking special orders. She wanted to only make what she liked to make and thought if she took a custom order, it would ruin the whole creative joy she felt while crafting. Well, everyone (Mostly the instructor) jumped all over her for this one. I will share what I believed then and what I have learned since then

I love to sew. I mean I get such a thrill from sewing and I am really good and the more I sew, the better I get and the more I learn. I think I am very talented. As far as my bags go, I rarely use patterns (especially for ACU bags) and just make up as I go along. Some are better than others, but that's how I learn. Tanya has asked me to make 4 bags now and every one of them have been different and they are for 4 different women. My brain wouldn't have come up with these designs. Tanya designed them, I consulted and gave my opinion when needed and she trusted me to create it. Every time we were both happy with the results. She came up with some really neat designs, but frankly, I was freaked out by some at first. They weren't my style. But I learned and experimented and they worked and it was a fun challenge every time! Win-Win situation! And remember, they were my creations but I wasn't the one carrying them around or even the gift giver. That was Tanya, and I created what she wanted. Do you see what I'm getting at?

So above and below you see a little bag I made for Tanya's sister. It is large enough to hold a romance novel, they have a pocket on one side for money, etc. and photo pocket for her ID. Tanya chose a colorful aloha print and purple embroidery.

This bag is actually a DCU bag made from the uniform the Army used to wear in desert combat areas. These were replaced by the digital ACU print worn now. Tanya gave me her husband's uniform and chose purple Michael Miller Disco Dot for this tote style bag for her mother in-law. The inside is a combo lining of solid and print which I was surprised I am crazy about! I have always preferred prints, but will start mixing solids.

I think this is my favorite of all my Tanya bags. Very fun but still simple. The piping and trim really make it for me.

Talk about an experiment! This bag was designed by Tanya for her mother who is a student. It is a very large messenger style bag, featuring all 3 uniforms of the Army. She asked for a yellow ribbon and a breast cancer awareness ribbon. The aloha print is a nice choice with the browns and black.

She also asked for a photo pocket and a velcro spot for patches. I wasn't sure about this bag when she first gave me her design idea. How did it turn out? Well, if you ask the designer, she will tell you it was perfect! And I agree, it turned out pretty sweet. I made her a matching zipper pouch from the print to hold snacks.

Now, for the bag of all bags. I think of this as a wearable scrapbook. Before this one, my ACU bags were pretty conservative. Tanya wanted everything and she got it!

The pink and brown shopping girl fabric is all Tanya. The inside zipper opens 2 ways because it came right off the front of the uniform. Tanya is a very active supporter of breast cancer awareness and finding a cure, so it was important to her to add this pink ribbon along with the yellow ribbon to support her deployed husband.

All the inside pockets came from the uniform and included the pen pocket from the left arm and a modified drawstring pant leg pocket which perfectly holds her Pepsi (and if it was mine, it would also hold a Diet Coke) There is also clip to hold her keys. Handy!

This side of the bag is the exact front of the uniform complete with velcro for rank if desired. Tanya has told me that when she is missing her husband, hugging her ACU bag makes her feel closer to him. It is just his size and incredibly sturdy. I was tickled when I ran into her in the commissary and she had her bag on her shoulder, all smiles!

Thanks for trusting me with your bag designs for yourself and these beautiful women in your life, Tanya. It was truly an honor and pleasure. It also taught me about myself and to trust my talents because I can accomplish more than I thought I can when I open myself to new possiblities.

Halloween in July

2009-07-16T13:56:00.007-10:00

If you asked how many Halloween costumes I have sewn over the years, I doubt I could take a guess. But I love doing them and came across Halloween costume pics from 2008 that I never blogged about. Strange in July? Sure, but who cares?!

Ok, it's sideways, and I don't have a picture with the baby in it, but how cute is this anyway? This baby (named Grayson, appropriate huh? if you know Batman) has a big brother who was Batman! I took a red onesie and worked Halloween magic with my embroidery machine, applique and fabric scraps. It's adorable!

No, I didn't make the above costumes. But aren't we cute? I am a beatnik, but everyone thought I was French. (I just went with clothes I had an Lee's beret he got on his mission to France) My great friend Gina was going for Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter Book 5. She looks a little to friendly and approachable though.

I made this tutu. This little girl could be considered my muse. I have made several things for her and she is so adorable! What a sweet lady bug she was for Halloween. I will miss making things for her since we have moved.

This girl is frightening and lovely. She became interested in the song "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush, and I explained the story to her. She decided she wanted to be Cathy Earnshaw coming back from the dead to roam the moors haunting her beloved Heathcliff.

"Heathcliff! It's me, I'm Cathy, I've come home now! Let me in your window!"

I put a hair piece on her and a little tiara to dress her up. She is a fancy ghost.

My friend Misty has enlisted me to make a few costumes over the years. This last year, we made a trade: She gave me a store bought Disney Tinkerbell (Gasp! I know! A store bought costume! It's ok. I got over it and you will too.) And I made her that rockin' USU cheerleader costume you saw in a past post. This little blond girl loved being Tinkerbell, complete with shoes and her wings lit up! Of course, her little brother had to be Peter Pan and I already had a cute little hat I got in Germany as a kid.

Now here's the black version of the dead woman. Have you heard the story of the woman who wore the black ribbon around her neck to keep her head on? I loved that story as a little girl and was a version of that a couple years in a row as a young person. This girl heard the story and wanted to be scary too! I made each girl the same dress in different fabrics Of course, this girl got a huge rat job on her hair too. It took forever to comb out.

I took Tinkerbell and Peter Pan to this Early Intervention party and people kept thinking he was Robin Hood! No! He's with Tinkerbell! Can't you tell?

I made up his costume and thought it was way cool. I guess the Disney version would have been a darker or brighter green, but this fabric was a really cool suede type. It'll be a different challenge this year when they all have to be warm costumes or worn over or under a coat. Doggone it!

I miss my Blue Room

2009-07-13T09:11:00.003-10:00

I took these pictures of my sewing room a LOOONNGG time ago. It was a pretty neat day in the blue room. When I finally cleaned up this room it looked very different, and many of you have seen it. One of the biggest differences is I had a pegboard loaded with goodies and 2 big full thread racks on the wall.

I also added some really cool art work as well, and I organized all the sewing books and magazines on these shelves above my machine.

I also added more fabric bins to the closet. It was stacked to the top. I will add pictures of what the blue room looked like before I moved. It was almost perfect.

We are now buying a house in Washington State and I will have a new Blue Room. I hope it will be even more spectacular and inspiring than this room was.

I have had people tell me I was really lucky to have a such a neat room to sew in. Boy, was I!

I feel very blessed to have a talent in sewing, a place to spread out and sew and a supportive family who encourages me. Especially my sweet husband, who, as we house hunted, said often "This is a great place, but where will your blue room be?"

I Miss You, My Hawaii...

2009-06-22T14:42:00.008-10:00

Eight years and 3 months ago I moved to Hawaii. Two weeks ago I moved away. Home is where the Army sends us, and Hawaii is my home. I never lived anywhere in my life as long as we lived in Hawaii. I cried as we drove to the airport and cried as we flew over the islands. I haven't cried alot since we got here becuase I am at my mom's and we are busy and it kind of feels liek a dream. I uploaded "a few" of my favorite photo memories. That is a hard thing because every picture of Hawaii is beautiful and of course my children are even more beautiful and I have watched them change and multiply from 2 to 4. Above is the Laie Hawaii LDS Temple.

Above are my girls on a hike to Makapu'u lighthouse.

This is in Moanalua Botanical Gardens. We only went their once, but I wish I had gone again.

Below is part of the NaPali coast on Kauai. We hiked a little ways into it.

A cockroach graveyard at the kids' school. I had seen enormous ones in Texas, but the flying Hawaiian ones were new. Once shortly after we moved there, a huge cockroach flew onto my head and hit my plastic hairband and it broke in two! It really hurt. We moved out of that house after one year and didn't have the roaches as bad. The one below was very large. I should have put a quarter next to it.

My oldest in a hula performance at school. I love hula. It is so beautiful when the masters do it and so sweet and cute when the children do it.

When Lee came home from Iraq on R&R we went to the beach often. I think this is KoOlina, one of our favorites for the kids.

Favorite memories? Well , we picked up 2 souvenirs in Hawaii. A 3rd little girl and our only boy. Here is his blessing day in 2006.

Here's that little boy in his first Aloha shirt. I bought this shirt the day before he was born. I walked the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet trying to go into labor. Oh man! Didn't go into labor, but I found this sweet little outfit for him.

La'akea at age 2! Her name is about sacred light and she was a little miracle and well worth the wait.

Some favorite pics of my older girls in our earlier years in Hawaii. The one at the temple is blown up and framed and hung on a wall. They are so cute!

What do serious sewers do on vacation? They find fabric shops! We went to Kapaia Stitchery on each trip to Kauai and enjoyed it so much. (Well, I did. Lee was just patient) The best part was talking to the local ladies

(and drooling over the fabrcic of course. Can you say BATIKS! WOW!)

Overlooking the taro fields on the way to Hanalei. I love this spot.

Of course, I love the flowers of Hawaii, but I dig some of the green plants even more. Monstera leaves and breadfruit have the coolest shapes to me. Below is monstera on the Big Island

Protea

A sunset on Kauai. It is my wallpaper on my laptop. Looks just like a postcard.

Near Hilo on the Big Island

Is it bouganville or bougainvillea? I don't know but I love it and always loved seeing the bright vivid colors on the side of the road and in parking garages and in haku leis.

I took these flower pics in Lahaina, Maui

White hibiscus like this aren't common. I think they are specially bred. My favorite has to be the yellow ones that grow at our chapel and the red ones outside my house.

Plumeria is probably my favorite island flower because of the beauty and scent (Jasmine and Gardenia are hard to beat though) I love all the colors of plumeria but the classic yellow and white is my favorite.

I think these last pics are Maui but I don't remember and it really doesn't matter. They are beautiful and perfect and I miss it. And I probably always will. I live in Washington State now and it is gorgeous here, especially this time of here. We are blessed to move here.

But Hawaii is in my heart and I miss it.

Food for Thought

2009-05-18T09:19:00.004-10:00

What's this? No fabric? No sewing? Well, I do like to cook. And why do I like to cook? Because I like to eat! I came across these as I was trying to upload pictures of ACU bags.

I made pizzas with the kids and these are the before pics. It was so long ago that I am trying to remember what I used for crusts. I think they are individual crusts from the the bakery section. These were really fun and really yummy and all 3 girls got to go crazy. Do this soon if you have kids. (If you have kids, you probably have done this) They were very sweet and gave me pieces of their pizzas. ( I didn't make one for myself)

Oh Man! It's blurry! Not food, obviously, but this was one of my prettiest pedicures.

This stir-fry was so delicious and so lovely! Look at those beautiful colors. This was chicken, mushrooms and snow peas.

In the book "The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" (I read this as a kid and Amelia read it last year in reading) the kids in the book order a fancy dish from a restaurant; it is something "avec fromage" It ends up being macaroni and cheese! Amelia was sent home with a recipe and wanted to try it. This was excellent. One of the best baked mac and cheese I have had! I should try to dig out the recipe.

Dessert! This is the pastry wrapped fried cheesecake occasionally for sale at Costco, with fresh berries and whipped cream. And Yes, it tastes as good as it looks. Doesn't even matter that it is served in a practical Tupperware bowl. It still rocks!

These are the perfect peanut butter cookies. I am not kidding. I love peanut butter cookies and have eaten many delicious ones in my life. Everyone has the "best" recipe. But this one is really the BEST. Even people who think they have the best taste this and go, Nope you're right. That is the best. I think I will make these today.

Here is one of my forays into Korean food and it was AWESOME! beef, cucumbers and bean sprouts. I wanted to go out to Korean BBQ but I stayed home and did this. The kids were very impressed. The bean sprouts are in a sesame oil dressing and the cucumbers are sour and spicy. I don't think I took pictures of my chop chae, but that was rockin' too! And now that I can make meat jun, I can curb my mad cravings for DongYang after we move.

I made cream puffs more when I had no children. I don't make them as often now, but when I do they are even better than before. If you are going to make some try to find Dr Oetker brand mousse. You mix it up like instant pudding mix but it is so much better. I hope I spelled it right.

It is a good thing that I take pictures of food I make because I get so busy sewing that I often forget how much I love to cook and end up going out or making frozen quick stuff. I love to eat out as well, and try to cook things that I eat in restaurants so I can enjoy them at home. Plus it makes me feel totally cool!

Now I have to get off the computer and keep sewing.

Apron Strings

2009-05-05T11:07:00.005-10:00

The title of this post is "Apron Strings" because I listened to a song called "Apron Strings" while sewing most of these. It talks about wanting a baby of your own "I want someone to tie to my apron strings" I heard it in the movie "She's Having a Baby" (from the 80's) and always loved it. Aprons are perfect for Mother's Day, cover body flaws or a dirty shirt and make you feel cute and pretty. That is if the apron is cute and pretty. The apron above has lady silhouettes all over a black background and a white fabric with hearts and phrases, like "If all else fails, pet the cat" and other inspirational things. It is modeled by NANA! She is such a cute lady!

Look at this cute girl! She cocks her head and raises her foot for her pictures. A lady bought this apron made from Mocca fabric and accented with awesome yellow vintage ric-rac. I asked if she would let me take her picture in it but she said Charlotte should. Of course, Charlotte loved that. I love this one!

Who is this mysterious dark-haired beauty? Her name is Meredith and I talked her into modeling the aprons at the craft show for my pics. I needed to show what they looked like on and I needed the cutest lady I could find. She happened to come to the fair! She is an old friend here visiting family from the mainland with her cute husband and cuter son. The apron above is AmyButler Midwest Modern fabric and the one below is the one you saw hanging on the line. Both are available for sale.

The apron above is made from the Joel Dewberry fabric I was telling you about the stuff I made my bag from. It is extra cute with baby blue ric-rac.

The green one below now belongs to Meredith. I love the retro-vintage-reproduction look of this Katie JumpRope print. The white ric-rac is perfect and it is the perfect apron for Mer! She looks awesome in it!

Here are some more full aprons. They have such a cute flirty ruffle-look skirt. The one above is Kitty Yoshida prints and the one below is Joel Dewberry Aviary. I have wanted to use those prints for along time. I trimmed it in pink. It's hard to see the colors in this pic but it is an olive type green with lime green and pink detail.

The one below was my first apron out of this pattern (which I drafted myself from an apron I found at Ross) Sweet apples and pears with felt green ric-rac I have been saving for the perfect project. The apron below was the last one I made for the fair and finished at almost 1 AM. I bought these Andalucia prints from Michael Miller and wanted so badly to use them for aprons. At 10:30 PM when I could have gone to sleep I thought, "I can make just 2 more. It won't take too long." 2 hours later I could barely walk but I finished a couple totally rad aprons.

Here is the other apron I sewed at midnight before the fair. How adorable is this woman?! She has 4 kids! So do I, but she beats me out on the adorable scale. She thanked me for staying up and making this apron because she loved it and can you see why? The black, brown, green orange and pink is so fun and bright. The pattern is perfect! I made it up myself the day before and made all the half aprons the day before. And look how good it looks on her? I swear I made it just for her without realizing it. (plus if she spills on it, you'll never know!)

And here is an Aloha print, You saw this one hanging. I always loved this print but the bit of red trim cranks it up and stops it from looking cheesy touristy swapmeety. What do you think? It's so cute I may have to keep it!

Aprons, Teepees and Craft Fair Fun!

2009-05-04T08:53:00.005-10:00

As promised here are some craft fair pictures. We didn't know if the pony ride guy would be there and everyone was happy when they showed up. But Boy! When the wind blew just right (or wrong) Dang! I didn't enjoy that. Charlotte talked us into letting her ride at the end of the day.

The aprons were a hit as Robin predicted (thanks!) This is a full apron (still available for sale) I love this aloha fabric with the palm trees and shacks. The red ric-rac makes it perfect.

This pink half-apron sold. It looked so cute on the lady who bought it. This is Amy Butler MidWestModern. I accented it with awesome vintage yellow ric-rac I've had for a long time. It was perfect for it.

This one below has the kokeshi dolls accented with an Amy Butler dot. Very striking, very cute and still available.

This one below is another favorite because I made a bag for myself out of this Joel Dewberry fabric. It's a reddish brown with a gold and lt blue with baby ric-rac. Super cute and still available.

This is a peek at the booth. There is Amelia and Nana working hard. Nana is actually Laraine and a very good friend who shared the booth with me. We just all call her Nana. I am always worried about the look of the booth because I think making the items is my talent rather than setting it up. Years ago I worked at Hallmark and I loved making displays and I was pretty good. Nana had great ideas and she draped all this tulle around which I really liked. It was very sweet with the table cloths and stuff.

See those cool bibs made from ACU army camo? So cute and all sold now.

Below are a couple more full aprons. These are still available as well. The apple pear apron has green felt ric-rac.

Look at these cute kids playing in the tepees! They were driving me nuts until their dad took them home. I made an Army camo and AirForce camo tepee. I really thought the AirForce camo would have flown away since I was on an AirForce base for the fair, but nope! Murphy'sLaw, I guess. If I didn't have it they would have asked for it!

The tepees come in storage bags like this one below. I call them Total Tepees because they have everything you could need for tepee fun!

The day before we set up all the tepees in the front yard to make sure they all worked and took pictures for the instruction cards. This one is denim and still available.

Isn't this beautiful Aloha fabric? It was the first tepee to sell on Sat. I love it because it would be perfect for a boy or girl and I am thinking of going back and getting some more so I can make one for me. I mean for the kids!

What a cute little model! I have more pics to share, especially of more aprons but I need to edit photos and flip and crop and all that so more will be coming soon. Items which did not sell will be on my Etsy site soon, but I still have to edit those photos. AAHHH!!! It's the part I don't like about online selling. Oh well!

I think I am recovered physically from the fair and now I have to clean the house. My Blue Room is a pit. Those of you who sew will understand the huge sewing mess that comes with the job. I have some new orders to work on this week as well and get so caught up. And Ashley, are you reading this? Let's design your bag soon!

Craft Fair Over - Pics coming soon!

2009-05-03T06:11:00.005-10:00

Hickam Craft Fair was another success. I featured my new item, Aprons! Well, it isn't new for me to make aprons, but it was the first time I offered them at a craft fair. Tepees were a hit again and all extras will be offered on my Etsy store soon.

I sewed like crazy the days before and I am still so tired and sore. What is my favorite part of craft fairs? Talking! People who know me, know I love to talk! I truly love people! I love talking to people buying handmade items and I love talking to people who make handmade items. I love talking to people about their kids and grandkids and pregnancies. I really enjoyed this all day.

I had a headache all day from not enough sleep, not enough water and too much sun. My feet swelled up. But I was in heaven. I was happy to see fellow crafty regulars there who are very good friends and I made new crafty friends! And my chili hot dog rice plate was awesome!

I shared my booth with our good friend, Nana (Larraine) I really enjoyed and appreciated having her there.

My big girls joined me again and were a great help. One of them was a super enthusiastic seller and teetered on being fired a few times. But she's only 9, so we will be holding retail training seminars in Family Home Evening before the next fair. What a cutie!

A gorgeous friend was visiting from the mainland and she graciously tried on all my aprons so I could take pictures of her. Thanks Mer!

And last, but always the top of my heap, LEE! My sweet hunky husband was there to load and unload and help setup and he did my poles for tepees this time. He also watched kids while I sewed, cooked dinners, cleaned and took the babies for the fair. You hit it out of the park again, babe! I love ya; I always have.

Pictures are coming soon!

ACU Bag in Blue -or- Amy Butler meets Camo

2009-04-28T09:51:00.004-10:00

This ACU bag project was significant for many reasons. First, the customer found me through another customer and they have never met in person! And that customer who told this customer got my name from someone in the clinic waiting room! I wish I knew who. Well, I will show you that woman's bag in a day or two but I will show you this one first. The word of mouth thing gets me so excited! And both of these woman asked me to do new things, things I have never tried on a bag. When they ask, I think to myself, hmmm... I think I could do that. Then as I start to make it I might go AAAHHH!! Why did I agree to try that?! But then I love it and I was challenged. Both projects involved women whose husbands are either currently deployed or getting ready to deploy, thus it becomes a very emotional process. The bags are made from their husband's own uniforms and they were designed completely by these women (with my guidance, of course)and the fabric was chosen by them from my collection. This lovely blue is Amy Butler and I was thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to use it!

Lydia always wants her picture taken. Here she is in jammies again! I had to take fast pictures since the bag owner was waiting on the chair for me.

This is a wallet/ billfold whatever you want to call it. I didn;t gether reaction on this since I finished it the next day and her husband picked it up, but I like it. It holds bills, checkbook and cards and has a window for an ID card. I used the button off the ACU pants to secure it.

Custom embroidery! Sweet!

This zipper pouch I was finishing literally as the woman came to get it.! Inside is the coordinating floral to this dot. I am running low on the dot. It will hold makeup I think and be very handy. I love zipper pouches.

What's inside? Well, the zipper pouch is inside and lots of cool pockets taken from the uniform, including the handy pen pocket! This bag is huge! It would make a super traveling bag or diaper bag.

Another tricky thing: a key fob! AAHHH!!! But it is cute. And the yellow ribbon looks very cool on the side too.

This is the back side and there are 2 pockets here but it looks like one. Why? Because it is camouflaged! HAHAHAHAH!!! Oh I am funny! The other short end also has a pocket to display patches (if you know the uniform, they come from the shoulders) She will show her husband's unit patch aswell as the American flag. My husband gave her a black American flag patch to display when her husband deploys. That was my idea! A great conversation starter, especially for civillians.

And here on the front of the bag we have name, rank and a personal message on the pocket "A Soldier's Princess" because her soldier calls her his princess. I have made a vinyl photo pocket also. Every part of this bag is personal to the owner and it is special to me to create it. Do you want one? Well, they don't come cheap, but they are worth it. I am grateful to these women for entrusting me with their stories and allowing me to be apart of a tribute to their husbands and their love for them. I felt like I was creating a scrapbook for their arms and a way for them to feel closer to their soldier when they are gone so long and so far away.

Where've I been?

2009-04-27T15:22:00.004-10:00

I haven't blogged for months! Has anyone noticed? I have been so busy! The greatest part of my busy-ness (That seemed better than business. I don't know. It's been too long since I wrote.) is that Lee came home from Iraq on February 21. He was there just short of 15 months, and even though he has been home for over 2 months, I am still in shock and awe that he is home. It is wonderful! I will try to post pics on here. Facebook friends have seen our welcome home pics which included outfits I made for the kids. They looked so cute! (Just like their daddy!)

Henry started preschool in February also, and that was life changing for me. The picture above is him with his teacher at a district special needs preschool fun day. He really likes his teacher and his class and is doing so well. He is speaking so much more and learning new things. Alot of his new things are things he is figuring out on his own, like READING! He is fixated with the alphabet so reading is coming naturally to him. Does he understand it? Probably not. We have many challenges with Henry, but we have come so far. It was very sad to say goodbye to his Early Intervention teachers, therapists and trainers. We feel so blessed to have worked with them and felt their love and learned so much.

I just wanted to share Zip Tie Art, courtesy of Miss Lydia who is 5 now. She makes amazing things with zipties and this piece is a crying girl, See the tears and her hands off to the sides? I am so proud of this artist. Here she is lying on our dirty lanai, still in her pajamas at lunchtime.

We went camping over spring break at Bellows and I had so much fun lying in the tent reading sewing magazines. (it was really cold and windy) The latest issue of Coth Paper Scissors Studios was inspiring and I couldn't put it down. It made me want to run home and reorganize, purge and clean my sewing room and closets. The girls picked me bouquets of wild flowers on the beach. They were so pretty I wanted to take pictures since I knew they wouldn't last long.

So what is next for me? I have been sewing like crazy, and this week trying to do it one handed since I burned myself badly on a pan. Medicine and prayers are healing me quickly and I am so grateful. See? I can even type!

I have sewn tons since I posted last and have so much to show you all. Bags, babies, tons of cool stuff! Hickam craft fair this weekend and I am so excited!

It's almost over

2009-02-12T19:53:00.004-10:00

Above is my husband leaving to go back to Iraq after 2 weeks of R&R last March.
Below is my husband leaving for Iraq in December 2007. Yes, he is STILL there.

But we are close to the end of this 15 month deployment. My mind is full of so many things. The biggest thing is "I can't believe it's almost over." It doesn't seem like he will ever come home. I will put more on here, perhaps as the day approaches, but definitely after the big day when he comes home.

Lee, I love you and I miss you and I am counting the days!

(Did you notice Cowboy Hat Man in the background behind Lee? I never saw him there before! Is that a tourist or what?)

How are you sleeping at night?

2009-01-23T22:59:00.003-10:00

Maybe you need a new pillowcase? This one was made for our next door neighbor. She turned 12 and my daughter chose this super carnival bloom fabric applique'd with glowing thread and accented with ric-rac and ribbon. My daughters want their own. We'll see! I like that it is girly and funky and can work for little girls or big ones.

The above cases were made for 3 cute little grandsons of a good friend. The letters of their names are applique'd with green candy cane print fabric and glow-in- the-dark thread. The red striped ribbon finished them off. These were so fun to put together and I am tickled to be a part of the family tradition. These boys get a Christmas pillowcase every year from grandma.

I first created the tooth fairy pillowcases last year and they received modest reviews. They took off this year and I sold a bunch. The purple one below was a gift for a cute little friend.

I love this green one! This ravishing red head reminded me a little of a leprechaun, but it is my all time favorite!

All these tooth fairies have glow in the dark wings and hold a glowing tooth. You can have one for $20

Total Teepees!

2008-11-23T21:58:00.003-10:00

Last weekend I was at the Hickam Craft Fair. Well as I was planning it (and I planned it for months because I only planned to do one fair this season and it is my favorite) I wanted to make some new things. I get bored making the same things in large quantities and didn't want to spend alot of time on a tiny bib and only get $10 for it. I wanted soemthing really cool. Teepees! I found a couple patterns but tweaked and tweaked until I created what I consider to be the absolutely perfect child's play teepee. I give my sister, Becky, credit for helping me figure out the poles idea. These teepees set up in a few mintes at the most and can be stored in their coordinating carry bag which only takes up about 8 inches by 2 1/2 feet. The one you see above is a sage green and cream print.

The one below is the same print in a peachy color but it is a different pattern. I nixed this size after making one. It is $10 less than the others because it is made with 4 panels and poles instead of 5. It is a little smaller than the others. Wider footprint but shorter inside.

Below my model is in a yoga pose, she said. This solid blue is a microfiber. I really liked it when I bought it but after sewing all the fun prints, I was bored with this one. Now I am back to liking it again. I tried to choose fabrics that would not only appeal to different buyer's tastes and be sturdy and easy to care for, but would coordinate in people's homes and not scream "I have kids! See my Sponge Bob tent!"(or Dora or Princess or Cars or...) This one is simple and fine for boys and girls. It would look super personalized with a name or embroidered picture above the door.

Above is an awesome canvas I bought on closeout and now discontinued. This one sold at the fair. The pastels were very bright and fun. I was excited this was purchased to send to some lucky grandkids on the mainland. The size this folds to is handier for shipping, even though PVC pipe is pretty heavy.

Desert Camo is great for a boy or girl. This one sold but is an easy fabric to pick up and sew another one. The Hickam Fair has military people of all branches there and desert camo is pretty universal (Even though it is all but phased out in uniforms) I really liked this one more than I thought I would. It is so fun! See how much fun this little boy is having? He couldn't stay awake for my photo shoot!

Speaking of my shoot: It was raining for a couple days and I couldn't get outside to shoot the pics I wanted. I made instruction cards for each teepee with a picture of it set up so customer's would have an idea without taking it all out (we did have some on display, too) It was alot of work developing these but I couldn't be happier! Thanks Maidy for helping me set them all up. And thanks cute models!

I could have sold 10 of these if I had the fabric. Another closeout and I bought all they had. This one was my all time favorite and alot of other people's as well. The colors are beautiful and rich. I have tried searching for this fabric but I guess when they say discontinued they really mean it. Oh well! It is super expensive too, so I wouldn't have bought it if it was regular price anyway.

Before making all of these, I worked on my prototype and tested on many children. I have taken it to other's homes to see how it sets up quickly and get kid reviews. I have 4 of my own and they all loved them. And all 4 can fit in it! The 4 year old slept in it the first night. The 2 year old loves it because it is enclosed and dark and he has played in it with his therapist. It gets rave reviews from the teachers and therapists who saw it at the fair and who come to the house and is great for special needs children . And my big girls (11 and almost 9) love it just as much. Pillows and flash light complete it. The buttons help you keep it opened or closed. A nice fort to poke your head out when watching TV. Ok, I'll stop gushing about them.

They are pretty cool though.