So, I Sew by Deanna

Mommy hood

2010-09-09T23:17:00.001-07:00

Well I have been a mom for 9 months (if you don’t count the pregnancy). I have learned a lot in the last 9 months…

1. Babies are not what you plan for or expect. Before Rohan was born I thought people were just exaggerating about kids. Some of those people were. Some were right.

2. Babies take up all of your time. I never realized how much I was able to get done until Rohan was born and now I don’t seem to accomplish anything I used to be able to accomplish.

3. Babies are the messiest living things on the planet. I know this may be an exaggeration, but when you have to change 4-5 poopie diapers, 30-40 vomit messes, wash everything in your babies wardrobe, and bathe the baby twice, all in one day, you too would think babies are the messiest living things on the planet.

4. Babies prevent you from getting any kind of sleep. They tell you that when the baby is born you are supposed to sleep as much as possible (anytime the baby sleeps, you sleep). This has to be the absolute best advice there is. I also believe that very few new moms listen to this advice. First off how can a new mom sleep, she wont know if her baby is alive or not? Then if you do fall asleep, how in the world is all the laundry and dishes going to get done? I know, I know, a dirty house doesn’t matter when you have such a precious being that needs your full attention and you need sleep to achieve that need, but I can’t stand the smell of a dirty house more then I need sleep.

5. Babies are the most unpredictable, cutest bundles you could ever hold. The feeling of holding your baby for the very first time, and every time after that, reminds you that every negative thing is worth it. There eyes gazing into yours, their smile when they see you, even the mischief they get into (knowing they aren’t supposed to be doing whatever it is they are doing), it is all worth it.

Business as Usual

2010-04-27T20:47:00.001-07:00

I have been incredibly busy lately. I do a fine job at always having somewhere to go or someone to visit. When I do stay at home it is usually to catch up on house work and rest. Tuesdays are usually my catch up days.

Today started with the usual 6 am wake up call by Rohan. Fed and changed him, then started on laundry. I completed 10 loads of laundry today. I believe that is a record! Normally on Tuesday I only have 4 loads to do and that is pretty much the only day I do laundry in a week. I have to wash diapers on Fridays as well, but I don’t have any other clothes to clean. Today was record high because Nick has been sick, so I had extra loads of blankets and sheets to do. While I was washing all these clothes I was cleaning the kitchen, baking a cake, cleaning out Rohan’s too small clothing, folding loads of clothes, working on some sewing that I have been procrastinating on, and of course playing with Rohan.

On to some of my crafty adventures. I have gotten back into swaps on Craftster and I am having a lot of fun doing them. I have been able to complete a quite a few swaps without buying supplies. My current goal is to use as much of my stash as possible, so I can have more fun with the nice fabrics out there. I have finally completed the 3 table runners I started while away at Nick’s aunts house in February. I went to work on some quilting projects and use her expertise on the subject to guide me along the way. I also completed one additional table runner in that time using some fabric scraps I acquired at her house.

I have also been playing with my embroidery machine. I have spruced up some pants that I have made in the past as well as some t-shirts for Rohan. On a non-sewing note, I have gone through some of my paper and made cards to send with my swap packages. And I have been playing around with digital scrapbooking to make some awesome pages of Rohan.

So business as usual here on the home front. Another busy day almost done, all to get some rest and begin again tomorrow. So, I sew.

I’m Back

2010-02-26T12:35:00.001-08:00

So I have decided instead of trying to catch everyone up on everything I did in the last year, I would just start fresh from today. Of course I will probably add in some of the crafty things I did here and there, but it just seems too overwhelming to do all at once.

As you probably know I had my baby! His name is Rohan James and he is quite a joy to have around. He is 3 months old and by the size of him you would think he was 6 months old. He definitely is the boss around here. He tells us when to wake up, when to play, when to eat, when to sleep, everything. But isn’t that some of the fun of having an infant around? A lot of my future posts will include things about our doings, since that is 85% of my life now (the other 15% is divided between my husband and sleep). I do still get a fair amount of crafting done which keeps me sane and in touch with the world.

I have some new loves in crafting and some new toys to play with. I love quilting and anything that goes with it. I also love to embroider now, especially with my new machine. I am really enjoying the making of baby and kid related stuff and can’t wait to get to make more as Rohan gets older.

I will do my best to stay on top of this blog, but time is precious and who really wants to spend good crafting time typing? So, I Sew!

Rohans 1st Month

2009-12-22T17:58:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Craft room

2009-09-20T10:45:00.001-07:00

I have been diligently working on decorating the new house. I have officially finished one whole room! I have partially finished all the rest of the rooms, but my craft room is the only room 100% complete.

Here are the before pictures:

Here are the after pictures:

Nick painted the room blue for me, to help with the bright blue carpets. Then he made a large U-shaped desk for me. The desk consists of a place for my machines, two friends to come over and craft with me, and a computer area. There are some shelves for storage above the desk, as well as pegboard to hold all my crafty supplies. Nick also made a cutting table for me using some cabinet bases and plywood. This is the only project not 100% complete, but it is usable so it works. I just need to mount the plywood and cover it in fabric and plexi-glass. We took the closet doors off to make it easy access to my very organized fabric stash. I have over 200 yards of fabric neatly folded and organized my content. Soon I will organize it by color too. I hung a fun polka dot shower curtain to hide it from the sun and most of the dust. I went to Ikea and got some chairs, a stool, window curtain and some other various organization containers. I still have lots of empty containers that just serve as decor right now, but will eventually be full of things, I’m sure! I can’t wait to get to crafty again! So, I sew.

Our biggest project so far

2009-09-02T04:58:00.001-07:00

Well apart from growing a baby, our biggest project is our new house. That is right Nick and I are now home owners. It has been a stressful year in the making.

We started July of 2008 by going to Quadrant Homes in Yelm and impulse buying a house. We met Jason a Real Estate agent who works with Quadrant. He showed us the only house that was comfortably in our price range. It was very cute inside, but there was no yard and no garage. We went home and cried. The next morning we called Jason back and asked to rescind the papers, because we didn’t want that house anymore. We told Jason that we liked him and when we were actually ready to buy a house we would call him to help us (as if he knew what he was going to be getting himself into).

September 2008, Nick and I decided we were ready to move, so we called Jason and we went house hunting. We looked at a number of houses. Found one that we like, put an offer on it, and the owners pretty much laughed at us. Then we found a house across the street from my work. It was a new construction and super cute. We loved it! We put an offer on that house and it got accepted, so we started the stresses of buying a house.

During the month of October we played the waiting game. The bank was taking forever to get paperwork done, and there was very little good news when we talked to anyone involved with the buying of this house. Finally less then a week before we were supposed to get keys, we got a call from the bank. Nick and I were expecting the call at this point we just didn’t want it. The loan would not go through because of Nick’s job (he isn’t paid traditionally). We cried and were on a scurry to find another place to rent for now.

We were able to find a place on Craigslist that we really liked. It had everything we were looking for in a house if we were going to buy. Wood floors throughout, 3 bedrooms and an office, 2 living rooms, and a huge back deck to a huge backyard. We were able to move in right away, so we did.

In January 2009 the landlord told us that we would be able to purchase the house if we wanted, but he wanted us to put a price on it. We told him our budget and he said he could work with that. We knew that the loan wouldn’t go through, so we decided to wait until 2010 to buy the house.

March 2009 we called Jason again. We wanted to look at houses to see what other options we could have that may be a little cheaper then the rental. Since the last time we had looked at houses the President had established a stimulus package for first time home buyers. We could get $8000 back on our taxes if we bought a house by December 1, 2009. The money would be nice, so we wanted to see what we could find. Nick and I were now looking in a whole new area. The first time we were focusing on the Yelm area, now that we had moved to Lacey, we knew that is were we wanted to buy a house. The only problem was that Lacey homes are a lot more money. The only ones in our price range were old fixer uppers, or really small homes in new construction housing developments. We found one house that we both liked, but it needed a lot of work! The price was amazing so we put an offer on it. After a couple of days went by we found out that many other people thought the price was amazing as well and the house ended up selling to a cash investor. We took another house hunting break.

We called our landlord in June 2009 to see if the offer still stood for the house. He wanted a second opinion on what the house was worth. When we saw what that opinion said, we got really frustrated. He was now asking almost $20,000 more then our budget would allow.

We called Jason again!

This time we had looked at houses online and found one that was just put on the market. I asked Nick to drive by to take a look since it was a block away from our friends that he carpools with. He did, but there was only one house for sale on the street and it wasn’t the same house. I was confused. Nick and I both drove back over and looked at the houses on the street and found the one that was online. It didn’t have the sign up yet, so that is where the confusion was. We peeked in all the windows and fell in love with it. From experience we knew that if we loved the house from the outside (or inside for the matter) there was something wrong with it. We wanted to know what was wrong with such a cute house. Why was a house that was on an acre of property selling for so low?

Our schedule didn’t match up to Jason’s very well this time, it took almost a week to meet up to look at this house. Which to us felt like eternity! We walked around the outside of the house and finally made Jason open the front door for us. It didn’t smell… Why not? All the houses we liked smelled like smoke or pets. The inside of the house made us love the house even more. This house had everything and it was in our price range! We made an offer. The house was a foreclosed house so we were playing games with the bank that owned it. They wanted nothing less then what the asking price was and we didn’t want to pay full price to a bank. We finally settled on a price and scheduled for an inspection.

During the inspection, not a whole lot went well. The inspector walked around and found various things wrong with the house. First the front siding had rotted away (we knew this already), then he climbed on the roof to find that a new roof was needed before winter. Did I mention this is a bank owned house? Bank owned homes are typically sold AS IS, no repairs! I cried right there, we found out what was wrong with the house. We asked the bank to fix the front siding and the roof. We figured they would say no, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. The bank wanted a second opinion. That opinion must have said the same thing about the roof, because they accepted to fix both the front siding and the roof for us. We were on our way to a new house.

During all this house hunting time we had talked to a friend of ours who happened to be a loan officer. He said that he could get us a home loan even though Nick was paid differently the most. So we decided to use him for this house. About a week into the paperwork, we were started to experience a little de ja vu. The underwriters for the loan didn’t like the way Nick was paid. We got frustrated and I cried a lot. Nick managed to get a letter from his boss explaining the situation and how it would change. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, when I had lost all hope in this house we got a call saying the loan would go through and the papers were being sent to Escrow.

Really? This is one step further then we had ever gotten! We were so excited, we cried!

However, Escrow took their precious time working on our file. The papers were supposed to be done by Friday afternoon and we could sign then. Were they? Of course not, this is our luck. We had to wait until Monday. Do you know how long weekends are when you are waiting for something this big? They are like an eternity!

On Monday we finally got the call. The papers would be ready by 3 pm for us to sign, and she would call us before then so we could bring the check. At 2:45 we called her because we still didn’t know how much to bring. We told her that we would be a little late because she failed to call us. We got there, signed a few papers and found out that she didn’t do the paperwork right and we had to bring in another chunk of money. We didn’t really have that money planned in our budget so we were pretty upset. While sitting there signing papers and waiting for her to take her precious time I watched the UPS and the FedEx man take all the mail. Our papers were supposed to be with that mail. Delayed again.

The day before we were supposed to get our keys (the day we were told we would get our keys) we found out that there might be an extension needed. The final underwriting was taking longer then usual. When that finally went through we were told that the bank still hadn’t sent their papers back. Delayed again.

On Thursday, August 13, 2009 we got the call. The call that Nick and I had been waiting for, for over a year. We were finally home owners! We cried! We established a time to meet with Jason to get our keys, he was going to be late, so we had to wait. Then he called us and said he was going to be later, so we had to wait. Finally we met up at our new home and just enjoyed sitting in the empty house with our Real Estate agent turned friend who had been through a lot with us.

Nick and I love our new house and remind each other every day that we are finally home owners and we can do what we want with the house. We can paint, hang shelves, change fixtures, we can even take down doors. And that is what we did. We are still working on it, because with me being pregnant, there is not a lot Nick will let me do. I can’t lift heavy things, I can’t paint. The only thing I can do is ask Nick nicely to do things for me. He has been the best with getting things done as quickly as his tired body will let him. He currently works 7 days a week, so there is very little time for him to much for me and our new house, but slowly it is coming along.

I will post pictures in another post, that will explain the details of our projects. I love owning my own home!

Updated list of things to do

2009-08-05T10:42:00.001-07:00

Here is my list from June 30 of things I want to finish by November. I have crossed out the things I finished and the stuff I added to make in bold. I have been working really hard to only work on what is on the list, but sometimes get distracted with other fun projects. I only plan on making the starred items when and if I move, so that I have fun a coordinated kitchen and a fun coordinated craft room.

~~12 x 12 Calendar~~
Scrabble tile pendants (probably won’t do this)
Placemats and napkins
~~Large white and pink tote (cut)~~
~~Butterfly tote (cut)~~
~~Bright Hawaiian tote (cut)~~
~~Purple singlet shopping tote (cut)~~
~~Hawaiian singlet shopping tote (cut)~~
Birds of Paradise lunch tote (cut)
Sunflower lunch tote (cut)
Apple apron (cut)
Nursing cover
Diaper bag
~~Clothing separators~~
Baby shoes
~~Baby Onesies~~
Bibs
Travel sleep mat and case
Changing pad
Diaper & wipe travel bag
~~Burp cloths~~
Bento Box Quilt
~~Baby hooded towels~~
~~Crib sheets~~
6 pairs of PJ sets (probably won’t do this)
Baby Dress (probably won’t do this)
Toddler Shirts and pants (probably won’t do this)
Handprint quilt
Photo magnets
Magnetic Paper dolls (probably won’t do this)
Sewing Machine tote *
Sewing Machine Cover *
Serger cover *
Sewing Chair cover *
Sewing Machine organizer *
Mixer cover *
Toaster cover *
Bread Machine Cover *
Rainbow Quilt (cut)
Black & Pink Quilt (cut)
Woven Placemats
Polka dot apron (ASG)
Pink Butterfly purse
Apron (tbd)
Tote bag (tbd)
~~Kelahna’s Tutus x 2~~
Kelahna’s Pillowcase Shirt
Kelahna’s ruched skirt
Diapers (10)
~~Tortilla Warmer~~

Finally cool

2009-08-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

It is finally cool enough to leave the air conditioned room, so I have gotten some sewing done.

My Sister-in-Law and I went shopping and saw some super cute pillow case shirts that were $35 each! To top that there were also some tutus that were $40 each. There is nothing to either of these so there is no reason to pay that much when I could make them for her for way cheaper. I really do support the creative people out there trying to sell there stuff, but even on Etsy they don’t charge that much for either of those projects.

The only problem is my SIL and I have very different tastes in fabrics and colors, so I told her she had to buy the fabric and I would make the projects. We went to Wal-mart and picked out a couple colors of tulle and some cute prints of fabric to make 2 tutus, a pillowcase shirt and a ruched skirt for my niece.

Here is what I have accomplished so far with what was purchased:

Front:

Back:

Rock Star Style:

The Pillowcase shirt. I made this as a sample with left over fabric from the skirt she wants (which I haven’t done yet, just cut it out), the real shirt will be brown with pink polka dots:

The ruched skirt (this is also a sample, the real skirt will be out of the black and white fabric):

Front:

Back:

I did also get inspired to work on some of the quilts that I have just sitting around all cut. My SIL and family came over for dinner on Sunday and walked into my craft room for the very first time since I have moved here in November. She was disgusted by the amount of fabric I have and the amount of projects I have started that are just sitting collecting dust. She is starting to get back into sewing and made me feel sad that I had gotten so bad. I know that I am not nearly as bad as some people, but I really want to be at a point where I decide on a project, go get fabric, cut it, and sew it all at once. I don’t want to have such a large stash of “I don’t know what to do with” fabric. And I certainly don’t want a ton of works in progress sitting around. I started with this monkey flannel rag quilt that I have had cut for well over 2 years:

And I started on my rainbow quilt that I blogged about here. This is 1/3 of the top part finished. The little strip on the side is going to be the binding. It is coming together so nicely I can’t wait until it is finished:

I am off to my ASG meeting, it is all about sewing machine feet. Then tomorrow I have another sewing day with a Home Depot job interview thrown in. So, I sew.

Busy Me

2009-07-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

I have been super busy with sewing lately. Well I can’t really say that I have only been working on sewing, because I have really only spent about 10 hours in the last two weeks sewing, I have just managed to get a lot done in that time period.

I made a total of 18 burp cloths. These are super easy to make. They only require some scrap flannel and the pre-folded diapers. I bought the Gerber 3 ply diapers because I wanted them thick and white otherwise I would have just bought the organic diapers from Simple Cloth.

Wash and dry the diapers 3-5 times on hot before using.
Measure the thick section of the diaper length and width and add 1/2” to the width (mine was 14”x16”)
Cut your flannel pieces to that measurement
Iron the seam allowance on width sides for easier sewing
Sew the flannel down so that the pretty part is all showing (there is no turning involved here)
Finally serged the ends of the diapers to even everything and protect it all from fraying (the ends are typically serged already, your just making sure your flannel doesn’t unravel)

See wasn’t that super easy (if not, let me know and I will make a real tutorial, but you can always Google it and find lots of great burp cloth tutes out there). These were fun because I was able to use up lots of scraps of flannel from all the jammies I make myself.

I also made a crib sheet to go with the awesome jungle bumper and dust ruffle I found at Value Village. I found this great fabric at Joann’s that matched all the colors in the bumper, but it was $7/yard. I am normally not picky about prices for fabric, but I needed two yards and $14 for a crib sheet is ridiculous. I decided to use my 40% off coupon to help with the price. When I got home I realized the lady at the cutting counter only rung me up for 1 yard of fabric rather then the 2 yards I had gotten, so I guess this sheet only cost me $4. I was going to call and let them know, but from working at Home Depot I know that they would just say ‘thanks for letting us know, but there is nothing we can do’. So I just accepted my stellar deal. The sheet was easy to make, but still a little annoying, because the tutorial I used wasn’t super accurate. I finagled it and made it work though. I probably won’t be making anymore sheets, because they really aren’t that cost effective, I just got lucky.

I broke out my WIP basket and decided that I wanted to make everything in it before starting any new projects. Here was the first of that endeavor, a brown corduroy market tote with butterfly fabric lining. I made it with brown polka dot ribbon for the size adjusters. Nick said this was my ‘grandma Mary Poppins’ bag because it is so big and the fabric reminds him of an upholstery bag.

The next project in my basket was this Hawaiian print and denim bag for a friend. She had tons of fabric to make various things with, but she doesn’t know how to sew, so she gave it to me to make things for her. She didn’t really like this bright fabric so I decided to ‘hide’ it as a lining to a very simple tote bag. This bag would be great for groceries or a trip to the lake.

I also needed to finish the Tortilla Warmer that I had started at an ASG meeting back in April. My mom and I were sharing a sewing machine so rather then finishing mine I let my mom work on hers mostly and I would finish mine when I got home. Well I just finished it!

Another 3 projects in my basket were these singlet shopping bags. One of them is for a friend, but the other two have been cut for well over a year just waiting for me to tackle the handles. The handles on these are very cumbersome to make and I dread doing. Well I figured out a really quick way to make them (as long as you don’t mind a little serged edge showing. The original has a gusseted bottom, but I didn’t like that because you can’t put as many groceries in the bag, so I excluded that. Apart from the Hawaiian print for my friend the fabric is from $0.50 bandanas that I had found at the store. I love it when I can make things, and they are actually cheaper and better then what you can get at the store.

The final project I finished from my basket is this super easy tote bag with a log cabin square in the center. I had intended to send this off with a swap package, but ran out of patience with the colors. I can only handle so much of the same fabrics.

In addition to all of this stuff I finished, I completed 4 baby washcloths, 1 bib, and 3 swaddling blankets. I didn’t take any pictures because there is nothing spectacular about them and I put them away before getting around to it. I still have 3 projects in my WIP basket to work on, and I want to finish those this week so I can complete a total of 100 projects for the year so far. It is so hot here right now that I don’t want to really do anything, but sit in front of my AC unit in my bedroom, so we will see what all I get done this week. So, I sew.

Some projects I have done

2009-07-16T09:40:00.001-07:00

I have done a lot of crafting in the past couple of days. I finished some stuff from my list and some extras.

Here is the 12 x 12 calendar. I can change the paper in the background to match the season or monthly holiday. I am using some window markers that I bought a long time ago to write the days and the month onto the plastic calendar cover page.

I also made these children’s closet organizer hangers. I found some wood pieces at the craft store and had Nick cut the holes into them for me. I then painted them and mod podged paper to them. I printed out the ages onto clear address labels and stuck them on. I found these animals at the craft store and thought it would work perfectly with the jungle theme I have going on in the baby’s room. The sad thing is Nick put the holes a little to low and they don’t fit on the closet rod, so Nick said he would work on lowering the rod for me to use them.

I sewed up 5 baby bath towels in various colors and sizes. I just cut various size squares of terry cloth and flannel for the hood, then serged it all together. I think I might add bias tape to the green ones later, but I don’t feel like doing that right now, they are just for me so perfection is not required.

I cut up some towels that I had sitting in my craft room to make 16 reusable baby wipes/washcloths. They are really simple, just 8 x 8 squares of towel, serged together. I didn’t want to go fancy on these since there purpose is to wipe poo from baby’s bottom.

I also cut and ironed 18 burp cloths. I just need to sew them onto the pre folded diapers. I am waiting for those to get washed about 4 times first so they are all shrunk down to size.

This weekend I will be by myself so I will work on the cloth diapers that I have fabric for and hopefully finish those. I really want to make some bibs, booties, and washcloths from all my scraps that I have accumulated. I want to use up some of my yardage though too, so I need to find projects to do that with. So, I Sew.

Cloth Diapers

2009-07-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

I went down to the local cloth diaper store Simple Cloth and registered for a ton of great products from her. I also want to try and make some of my own diapers. I did the calculations and here is what I have:

The info I used was that a child uses 70 diapers per week for about 2.5 years (130 weeks). Also here are some great comparison websites:

http://verybaby.com/dollars ( I used this the most)

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-diap/45-diaper-cost.htm

Lifetime cost of Diaper Service – 130 (weeks) x $18.00 = $2340 + 12 (covers) x $13.00 each = $2496

Lifetime cost of Disposables – 9100 (lifetime amount of diapers) x $0.25 (average cost of one diaper) = $2275

Lifetime cost of Home Laundering Pre-fold Diapers – $0.15 (average detergent per load) + $0.95 (average electricity usage per load) + $0.20 (average water cost per load) x 260 (3 loads of laundry per week) = $338 + 12 (covers) x $13.00 each + $180 (cost of pre-folds) = $830

Lifetime cost of Home Laundering Ready Made Pocket Diapers (The ones I prefer of most like disposables) - $338 (diapering lifetime home laundering cost) + 24 (one size pocket diaper) x $18.00 each = $770

Lifetime cost of Home Laundering Home Made Pre-fold Diapers - $338 (diapering lifetime home laundering cost) + 12 (covers) x $7.00 (fabric and notions needed) + $180 (cost of pre-folds) = $602

Lifetime cost of Home Laundering Home Made Pocket Diapers - $338 (diapering lifetime home laundering cost) + 24 (one size pocket diaper) x $10.00 (fabric and notions needed) = $578

I figure that Nick and I will have 2 kids, so the price doubles for Diaper Service and Disposables. For all the other options most of the diapers can be reused (I have heard you do have to invest to buy about 12 new Pocket Diapers with your second child), but the covers and pre-folds all can be reused.

Based on my calculations (which are rough, but good estimates) I can save about $4250 over the life of two children if I make the Pocket Diapers myself. Of course we will probably mix and match different types of diapers and home made and store bought, but for that kind of savings we can do that. Nick and I are also thinking of the “green” savings will have by cloth diapering and that is 18,200 less diapers in the landfill (which never deteriorate).

Since seeing these numbers I have already bought the pattern and the first batch of supplies needed to make my first 3 Pocket Diapers from Kayla’s Cloth Kit. Her site has great kits that include everything you need to make 3 one size fits all Pocket Diapers. You can customize what colors and materials you want, also if you need the pattern or just the notions. While working on this post I got the pdf pattern link in my e-mail, so now I can make some mock ups before the precious fabric arrives. One thing that I like about Kayla’s Cloth Kit is that she allows you buy the license to sell the diapers. You just make one and send it to her and if it is up to her standards she will allow you sell unlimited amounts of her diaper for just the cost of her labels and the license fee. What a great way to make a little extra cash.

I can’t wait to get the fabric and start making my own. So, I Sew

I got a few things done.

2009-07-02T09:04:00.001-07:00

The other day I cleaned up my craft room so it was easy for me to use again. Then I went shopping for some basic onesies to decorate. I ended up with 7 completed onesies and I am quite proud of most of them.

The first three I painted using some stencils and the other four I did iron appliqué. I chose not to sew these appliqués for pure ease of making them. The baby doesn’t get to wear them that much anyway.

Yesterday I went to Simple Cloth in downtown Olympia. They sell everything you could possibly need to cloth diaper you baby. I got so much information from the owner. I now know exactly what I want to do use and how many I need. She was giving me prices of a cloth diaper investment and I was a little surprised, but realized how much I could save from not using disposables, also they can be reused from child to child. The investment would only be once for a lifetime. I think I could even make them cheaper, but I might have to do some research. I haven’t really found a pattern that I like for diaper covers yet, so we will see.

My Crafting To Do List:

2009-06-30T15:08:00.001-07:00

So with the baby coming in November I want to get as much crafting done before then. I have made a list of things I want to complete within the next couple of months. The list is long, but a lot of the stuff is quick and easy (I hope).

12 x 12 Calendar
Scrabble tile pendants
Placemats and napkins
Large white and pink tote (cut)
Butterfly tote (cut)
Bright Hawaiian tote (cut)
Purple singlet shopping tote (cut)
Hawaiian singlet shopping tote (cut)
Birds of Paradise lunch tote (cut)
Sunflower lunch tote (cut)
Apple apron (cut)
Nursing cover
Diaper bag
Clothing separators
Baby shoes
Baby Onesies
Bibs
Travel sleep mat and case
Changing pad
Diaper & wipe bag
Burp cloths
Bento Box Quilt
Baby hooded towels
Crib sheets
6 pairs of PJ sets
Baby Dress
Toddler Shirts and pants
Handprint quilt
Photo magnets
Magnetic Paper dolls

I’m Back

2009-06-26T10:27:00.001-07:00

So I know that it has been awhile, but I am back. I have been really busy lately with two jobs and not feeling very well. Now both jobs are done and I am feeling better, I am ready to craft and blog all about it.

I have some very exciting news for anyone who hasn’t heard yet…..

I am having a baby boy in mid November. This is why I haven’t felt the greatest, but now I am in the clear for a little while. Nick and I are so excited, neither of us can wait. We have compared this to waiting for a Christmas present that you know your getting for 10 months. We will not discuss names with anybody or tell anyone the exact due date, as we want those for just us. Don’t worry everyone will know when the baby is born right after it happens.

I have lots of ideas of stuff to make for myself and for baby, so I figure I better get started. Here is my list of things I want to make or try to make:

Diaper bag
nursing cover
baby towels
burp cloths
portable sleep mat
wipe bag
receiving blankets
bibs
blankets/quilts
dirty diaper bag
diaper covers (we plan on doing a cloth diaper service)
toys
clothes

However, I have a whole list of things I want to make for Christmas this year, but Nick and I are in debate about it. He thinks that we shouldn’t buy do anything for all 9 of our nieces and nephews as neither of us ever received anything from our aunts and uncles for Christmas. I think I could easily make them all something small and call it good. So why don’t I ask you:

Should we give gifts to each individual or should we just do a family gift?

Comment and let me know what you think.

March Monthly To Do

2009-03-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

I didn’t do this in February, but here it is for March.

Pick 15 projects

Placemats
Napkins
Table Runner
Rainbow Quilt
Black and White Quilt
2 Lunch totes
2 Singlet bags
Market Tote (log cabin)
Fabric Purse
Fabric Wallet
Apple Apron
2 Tote Bags
Tortilla Warmer

Cut and prepare fabric for those projects
Get a job

I made it!

2009-03-06T07:54:00.001-08:00

I got this pattern and fabric at Sew Expo!. I have covet this farmer’s Market fabric for about 6 months now and I saw it at the expo and just had to have it. The vendor we were at had it made into a table runner which I just loved. Needless to say I bought the pre cut fabric and the pattern to make it. It is a quilt as you go style runner and it wasn’t too hard to work on. This is the biggest piece of quilt as you go I have ever worked on and that was a little challenging, but I finished. I even hand sewed the binding on. I have never hand sewn a binding, being scared of the time it would take and thinking it would look ugly. I really wanted to practice and just do this project ‘right’, so I got out my needle and for 2.5 hours I sat on the couch and worked on it. I found that hand sewing is very relaxing; although my hand kind of hurt afterwards. I definitely will be properly sewing the binding on from now on!

I have my 3 people for the pay it forward craft challenge. I have been reading your ladies blogs, and you all are very interesting people and I am excited to craft something for you. I will be contacting you within the next week to get mailing address’ (not saying I will be sending in the next week, but I want to be prepared).

Pay it Forward Craft Exchange

2009-03-04T07:58:00.001-08:00

I have been reading about the Pay it Forward Craft Exchange for the past couple of days. Most of the blogs I have been reading are from 2007 and already completed so I thought I could start a new chain myself.

According to the rules, you have 365 days to send out your homemade gifts. Rest assured, that if you win, I will not wait 365 days to send you your gift.

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

2. If you are one of the first three to make a comment, you are a winner! And you then agree to post this challenge on your own blog, meaning that you will pay it forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember it’s the spirit and the thought that count!

4. When you receive your gift, blog about it! If you are not one of the first three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! It's all about paying it forward.

Please make sure you leave me a valid e-mail address in your comment or e-mail me at deannalynnmiller at gmail dot com once you comment so I can get addresses. If you are not one of the first 3 to comment, comment anyway if you post this on your blog, so I can check it out! I am always in search of new, fun blogs to read.

Finished in February

2009-03-03T14:39:00.001-08:00

Another Font

2009-03-03T07:38:00.001-08:00

Here is another new font. I like this one way better. It is more like how I write. I am addicted to this font program. Think of all the cool fonts I could make.

I made the pin boards yesterday and I am quite proud of them. The first one I made the lines before attaching the fabric to the board and that was a pain in the butt. The second one I drew the lines after attaching the fabric and it worked like a charm. Now I need to make some fabric strips so I can start weaving. I have a lot I want to do before tomorrow, so I don’t know what to decide on.

I have my American Sewing Guild (ASG) meeting tomorrow and we are doing a show and tell about everything we got at Sew Expo!. I want to finish the table runner before I go, so I can show that off. That is the only thing I thing I am going to take, so I really have to get it done. I also want to get some of the weaving materials for the placemats done before Thursday, because I am babysitting at Tim and Amy’s and I think if I have my weaving it will be fun to work with the kids. There are also about 10 projects sitting in my WIP/UFO basket I need to work on. Plus the 5 other projects I really want to work on. Two of the quilts I want to work on I still need a lot of black cotton for the backing, like 6-8 yards of fabric. I have been to the store almost everyday in the past week, so I am not going today, but on my way home from my meeting tomorrow or from Amy’s on Thursday I will pick up the fabric I need. Although I might just wait until I finish my basket of projects before I buy anything. I have a lot to do today. So, I Sew.

My new Font

2009-03-02T21:04:00.001-08:00

So I found this great site that lets you use your own handwriting to make a font, for FREE. I did mine and here is the rough draft. I love it, but it definitely needs some work. The site is call YourFonts, I have been searching for a cheap way to make my own handwriting and haven’t found anything reasonable until now. If you do this let me know and email me a copy of your fonts. I would love to see what everyone comes up with.

A lot to talk about

2009-03-02T09:10:00.001-08:00

I had an overall pretty good week. Lots of good things and really only one bad thing.

I thought I should post a picture of the table cloths now that they are all done, and were displayed.

I finished almost everything on my to do list that I had. I finished the personal swap stuff. I don’t know why I wait until the last moment to work on things. None of the stuff I made should have made me wait until this weekend to make it. We aren’t sending until March 10, but I feel like this is last minute for me in swap regards.

I made three night gowns for Maribell for her birthday. Becky asked me to make some during Christmas, because she looks so cute in them. So Aunty pulled through and made a couple for her. I didn’t want to make them because I knew that they wouldn’t fit right, and sure enough they don’t. The body is too big and the sleeves are too small. After the first one I made with sleeves I decided not to put sleeves on the others. They turned out ok other then the sizing and she could easily wear them as a dress in the summer if she wanted. The first one is Pink Panther print, the second is fabric from Julie that is made just for dresses I think and the last is a red and white gingham with little lady bugs on it. I wish I better photos of the prints. Maybe I can get some action shots from Becky later.

I made this blanket about a week ago for Kelahna for her birthday. I was a little sad at how small it ended up, but it will make a great lap blanket for when she is out watching the boys play soccer or baseball. I used up some of the left over squares I had from the log cabin quilt I made for a swap and added some very fuzzy fleece to the back. This sort of inspired me to want to make some blankets for all the kids. I don’t know how well that will work out for me, but I think I could at least try it. There is only 9 of them and I all ready have one finished (I might make another one for her thought later). I have some great ideas for some of the kids on what I want the style to be. I hope I can complete this task, I am not putting a date on it so I can do this for the next couple of years and make it fun for me.

On Thursday I received the fabric I had won in the mail. Bolsa chic really exceeded my expectations with that box of fabric. I got tons of great prints in great sizes too. Nothing was too small, and nothing can be too large. I already have some of it kind of planned out on what I want to do, but I don’t want to cut into it yet. I have tons of other projects I want to work on. There are cottons, satins, and tissue weights to work with. My favorite print is the green and orange stripes in the middle and the best part is there is almost 3 yards of it. I can’t wait to use it.

On Friday my mom and I went to Sew Expo! in Puyallup. That was so much fun. We just walked around the vendors to see what was for sale and such. We got there right when they opened and it was busy, but not too bad. We got to see lots of great demonstrations of products we have seen and of products we never even heard of or thought of. My mom kept telling me that being there was great inspiration to start sewing again. She has been wanting to sew, but doesn’t have time or her machine set up. I told her that we could get together every other Sunday to sew together. We could alternate houses and just have fun sewing and creating. Between the two of us we only spent $150. We were watching people drop 7 grand on one item, not to mention they were carrying bags of stuff they had already bought. Our money spent was miniscule in comparison. I bought the Batting Buddy to make easy quilt as you go blocks. And I bought a pattern to make my mom this ridiculous bag she fell in love with. I think it is goofy, but she likes it and I told her I would make it for her. She bought some mesh and a pattern for a bag that she has been looking for, for about 4 years now and unable to find. She also bought my birthday present, which consisted of some fabric and a pattern to make a table runner, a pattern to make some really neat woven placemats, and a tube system to turn tube fabric really fast. By the time we left we were both exhausted, but full of ideas of stuff that we saw there that we could make. Including a design wall for me and a pin board for the woven placemats.

When I got home on Friday, I got a phone call for a job interview at an optometrists office. I went to that interview on Saturday instead of going to Kelahna’s Princess party. I felt the interview went really well and the doctor also said it went well, and would call me on Sunday to let me know whether I got hired or not. I waited all day Sunday with no word. I was very said to finally give in a say I didn’t get the job. Now I need to just keep searching and not give up, I will find a job soon enough. I will be baby sitting up to 8 days a month until June for one of the teachers at Ft. Stevens, which will give me a little bit of money to work with.

My mom and I went and bought all the supplies we needed to make some pin boards and a design wall yesterday and I was quite happy with how little it all cost. For two pin boards it cost us $15 to make them ourselves, if we bought the ones at the expo we would have spent $25 on each. For the design wall to make a 50”x50” collapsible wall it cost me about $20 to make using pvc pipe. The one they were selling at expo was a 54” square for $110. I will be working on making both of those items in the next couple of days. So I will post pictures when I am finished. So, I Sew.

To Do March 1-7

2009-03-02T08:04:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 singlet grocery bags (Finished 1)
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew 2 large tote bags
Sew Table runner
Sew 4 placemats and 4 napkins
Make 2 Pin Boards
Sew Kaleidoscope Placemats

I finished a quite a bit this last week. I made the 3 night gowns for Maribell, Sewed up some table cloths, hair clips, and finished everything for the personal swap.

Birthday Fun

2009-02-25T15:43:00.001-08:00

The past couple of days I have only been working on birthday fun. Three of my four nieces are having their birthday party this weekend and I have been asked to help out with some of the decor. Mostly just make the table clothes out of the fabric Amy bought. I did that, and I added the ribbon to the border of one of the overlays. I was going to sew the ribbon on, but I ended up hot gluing it on due to the beads that kept getting in the way of the needle. The ironic part is the only reason I was even asked to do the table clothes was because I was making fun of Amy for wanting to hot glue the ribbon on. I also made some super cute hair clips for the girls to wear at their party with the leftover ribbon. I made four of them and I am posing with one in my hair just for you to get an idea of what I made. They turned out really cute, I am very proud of them.

I also have been working on the cutting stage of a rainbow rail fence quilt. The picture shows a sample of what it will look like. I just laid out some of the fabric to see if I liked it. This quilt should measure around 60"x72" when finished, but we'll see about that. I bought all the fabric (except for 1/2 yard of red and the backing) yesterday. The total cost was $12.50 so far, which I am ok with. I can't stand the thought of a quilt costing me $100 for the fabric. I rolled up the fabric into two jelly rolls to save for later. I won't be making this quilt for a little while because I have a long list of other things to make.

Personal swap stuff (due March 10)

market bag
4 placemats
3 towels
1 apron
extras

Crochet roll (due Feb. 28)
2 Nightgowns (I didn't want to do these, but I think I have to now) (due Feb 28)
Mom's Birthday present (yet to be decided) (due March 11)
Persephone's Birthday present (yet to be decided) (due end of March)
Something for me (either the rainbow quilt or a black and white strippy quilt)

I need to make some stuff that I can practice free motion quilting on. I want to do free motion for the rainbow quilt, but I don't want to start on that project. I think I might make a table runner or a bath mat to practice on. I also thought about making a doll blanket to give as a birthday present, but I don't know. I have other things to think about. I better get on top of that list or it will be too late. So, I Sew.

My New Favorite Quote

2009-02-24T21:33:00.001-08:00

Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious.....And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
-Walt Disney

This is from the movie Meet the Robinson's. I love it because it keeps me motivated. If you don't keep trying and keep going on towards the future, what are we really here for? When I am down I think about this and I realize the past is the past. I hope this inspires you to think positively and 'keep moving forward' So, I sew.

To Do February 22-28

2009-02-22T15:59:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 singlet grocery bags (Finished 1)
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
~~Sew 2 little girl night gowns~~ (decided not to do right now)
~~Finish Child size quilt~~
Sew a fabric basket
Sew a work in progress bag
Sew 2 large tote bags
Personal Swap stuff (45% done)

I finished the child size quilt and 1 grocery bag this last week, I also finished cutting everything out for the personal swap with Peppermom, and sewed up one of the market bags.

I need a Job

2009-02-19T09:56:00.001-08:00

So being unemployed is boring. I thought it would be ok, but I am going stir crazy. I am sewing and that is ok, but I feel like I will get bored of that soon. I am going to spend next week really trying to get a job. I am not sure how that is going to happen, but I will make it happen.

I have been doing a lot of sewing lately. I finished the birthday present for Kelahna. It is a small quilt for her when she is in her wheelchair. I am so proud of her, she is such a beautiful, smart girl. I am now working on Maribell's birthday present. I am making her some felt paper dolls to play with. I wanted to make them out of magnets, but with Persephone around, Amy and I didn't think that would be a good idea. So felt it is. I still need to make Ariel's birthday present as well as my mom's. Then I will be done with birthday presents for a little while. Then I can sew fun stuff that I have been wanting to do.

I am 50% finished with the personal swap stuff for Peppermom. I am really liking how everything is turning out. It dawned me yesterday after I had everything cut and ready to go, that I am sending all the same types of things that she just received in two different swaps. I am making some placemats, an apron, some kitchen towels and two market totes. Everything is coordinated and themed. I love doing that! I can't wait to finish it all up so I can post pics of everything. I need to go work on sewing all of it up now. So, I Sew.

To Do February 15-21

2009-02-16T09:56:00.001-08:00

Sew 3 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew 2 little girl night gowns
Finish Child size quilt
Sew a fabric basket
Sew a work in progress bag
Sew 2 large tote bags

I sewed 2 placemats, a picnic tote and a pair of pajama bottoms from last week. I have decided not to do the other pair of pajama bottoms, due to not enough fabric.

Some new fabric, a new bag

2009-02-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

I got my fabric from one of my partners in the 2009 Fat Quarter Swap. She sent me 1/2 yard of Bright owls and flowers on black, 2 Fat Quarters (fq) of pink with black polka dots, 1 fq of cream with pink and green dots, and 1 panel of vintage toy fabric. She also sent a little iron-on applique Russian doll. I wanted to make a large tote, but I have been wanting to make a purse that Sew, Mama, Sew posted the tutorial for earlier in the week. Within 30 minutes of opening the package of fabric I was off on a crafting frenzy.

I found all the tutorials for all things I wanted this purse to have. It ended up being a total of 4 different tutorials I was trying to shuffle. Out of those tutorials I learned 2 new skills, putting a zippered pocket in, and using magnetic clasps. This purse took me 1.5 hours to make from start to finish, which is a long time for a purse for me. I also accomplished the task of not making any mistakes while sewing it together. When I was finished I couldn't stop grinning. I am so proud of it.

I plan on making a wallet and a zippered pouch to go in it. I want to work on that tonight. So, I sew.

I won!!!

2009-02-11T12:23:00.001-08:00

So I read a large variety of blogs during my week. I particularly like ones that are crafty related and I found one called Bolsa Chic, that I really like. She has great ideas and inspirations. Well about two weeks ago she was offering up some of her fabric stash to some lucky commenters to her blog. Guess what? I won one of the three fabric packages! I hardly win anything and when she posted a comment on my blog saying I won, it made my day. Thank you so much Bolsa Chic, I can't wait to see what you have packaged up for me.

I have doing a lot of sewing in the past couple days, due to no jobs. I really need to find a permanent job, but that is another post. So, anyway I have gotten a lot done:

6 pairs of lounge pants made
a picnic tote and 2 placemats (late Christmas present)
an oven mitt
a pot holder
some sample coasters
a crocheted scarf
crocheted wrist warmers

I also have cut out my next 10 projects, which include:

Emmeline apron
2 lunch totes
3 grocery bags
3 large tote bags
Fabric strips for quilt

I still have 4 more projects to cut out that I already have fabric for. I also need to find some fabric from my stash to make a tote bag, and a fabric basket, some placemats and coasters, and various pink goodies.

I agreed to do a personal swap with Peppermom from Craftster. She really wanted to make a purse for me, which was something that she wanted to make for me in the pink swap. I have some great ideas for her, but need to get some of the birthday present sewing done first. I might squeeze a project or two in, while working on the other stuff. I have to send my March 6, 2009, so I have lots of time to get it all done. So, I sew!

Things I can Make for You

2009-02-09T18:28:00.001-08:00

I have decided to try and sell some of my goods. I plan on doing mostly custom orders, so I don't have a store. I do have a web album the things I can make for other people though. You can customize the fabric on most projects to fit your needs. I also will not post prices. I believe that custom made items are to be bid out, which means when you show interest in an item and give me details of what you want done, I will give a price. This album will also be a great resource for my swap partners. It will give them idea of what I am capable of making, so they have an idea of what to ask from me. I will try to update this album as often as I come up with stuff to make. So, I Sew.

Things I Make

To Do February 8-14

2009-02-08T12:36:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 pairs of pajama bottoms
Sew 2 little girl night gowns

I finished the Kitchen Swap

Redone

2009-02-08T11:55:00.001-08:00

I reorganized my craft room. I made it easier to use the floor area for cutting and fabric layout. I also got rid of the two dressers that were holding all my fabric. I put the fabric in the mesh cubes I have had stored in the garage. Now I can see all of my fabric and how much of it I have. I wrapped all the fabric onto Comic Book Boards and calculated the approximate yardage of each. After totaling the fabric I have about 320 yards in 196 different cuts. There are only 3 fabrics that I have multiple cuts in. I am going to focus on using as much yardage as possible over the next 6 months.

I did all this because I am going to Sew Expo in Puyallup at the end of February and I want to buy some fabric. I have decided that I can only buy the amount of yardage that I use up this month. That way I don't end up with more then I currently have. I have quite a few projects that I want to complete in the next couple of weeks, so I think I may use up a significant amount of fabric.

My partner for the Kitchen Swap received so I can post pictures of what I made now. I made her an apron with some pink and lime green polka dot fabric. I also made some pot holders and oven mitts. I made a set of Betti Page magnets for her as well. I bought some rubber gloves and towels that matched the theme I was going for. I like how everything turned out. I think she liked it all as well.

I signed up for a fabric swap.

Getting new fabric is so much fun! This is a fun way to increase your stash and help someone else increase theirs, too. Participants will be sending out 1 half yard and 4 fat quarters to their partner. In return, you will receive 1 half yard and 4 fat quarters. Participants have the option of sending (and receiving) 1 or 2 packages.

I asked to send and receive 2 packages, so I will be getting a great variety of fabric. I like this type of swap because I get fabric that I wouldn't normally buy or just haven't spent the money on yet. The organizer said that if we wanted we could send from our stash as long as our partner was ok with it. I hope my partner is, because this would be a great way to get rid of some of the fabric that I don't know what I want to do with. We should be getting partners later today. I can't wait. So, I Sew.

I got my Wonderful Pink Stuff

2009-02-05T17:14:00.001-08:00

I received yesterday and I love everything Peppermom sent me. I have to preface that when we were first partnered she said she was going to make a purse and all the fun goodies that go into a purse, but then her neck and arm started to hurt really bad so she took a slightly different route. When I got partnered with Kaymadben as the person I was sending to I just knew that I had to make something special. She has been in a rough place for the past couple months, and her and I have coincidentally been paired with each other for almost every swap we have been in together. That is why I spent the time to make the quilt. I never expected Peppermom to send me a package of that caliber, but she did.

Here is a picture of all of it together:

This is also the best picture of the large fleece blanket. It is reversed applique with little hearts on it. As soon as I got home I cuddled in it. My husband tried to take it, because it is one of the largest heavy blankets we have in the house. He said, "I'm bigger, I get it, I don't care if it is girly" I took it back and told him it was mine.

The main picture of all the smaller goodies:

This is sadly the best picture of the Clip board she made. It is a clear clip board with vinyls decals all over. It is super cute and will sit in my craft room with my current project on.

A close up of the key fob, the card, the heart playing cards, the striped Kleenex holder and the supper cute hedgehog. She thinks it looks like a mouse, but with my pins in it, it looks more like a hedgehog.

A close up of the Check book cover, the debit card holder, the book mark and some push pins. I really love the check book cover and debit card cover. I never want to carry my huge wallet around with me on the weekends, so these will be great to just throw in my bag.

A Crafty Day

2009-02-02T20:54:00.001-08:00

I did a ton of crafting today and I am quite proud of myself.

First I finished up the Kitchen Swap and sent that today. I can't wait for Classybroad to receive. I hope she likes everything I sent. Even after 10 swaps I still have swap anxiety. The thought of are they really going to love what I spent so much time on, or are they just going to put it to the side and say 'it's ok'. There has been so much stuff that I really love when I receive it, but I'm sure that the part I love the most is not always what the sender meant for me to love the most. Anyway she should be getting it within 2-3 days, so I will find out then.

I also finished my red crocheted blanket that I have been working on. It was another yarn stash busting project. I did have to buy 4 skeins of yarn to make sure that the blanket was a decent size, but I used it all right away, so it never sat in my closet. I really like how it turned out and I am going to put on our bed which I am trying to make more red. The blanket ended up being 45"x60" which is what I was aiming for, but I never measure when making blankets. I just crochet my little heart until the yarn is gone. It is Homespun: Red Covered Bridge for anyone who cares.

The final project of the day were some magnets. I found a blog today that said to use the thumbnails from the back of your old calendars to make buttons. I need magnets, so that is what I decided to do. I used my 2008 Kim Anderson Calendar and the large clear craft rocks. I cut out the pictures and then glued them on with Diamond Glaze. Once the glue was dry I used E6000 to attach the magnets. I love how they turned out. I dug out my 2007 Christian Riese Lassen Calendar and cut all the pictures out for those too. On these I used my Xyron Sticker Maker to attach the pictures to the rocks. It was less messy, but we will see if they can handle the weight or not. I think next time I won't use as thick of magnets. I am not too fond of how far out they stick.

Hopefully I have a job tomorrow, but if I don't I have a lot of stuff that I want to do. I want to take photos of all my fabric so I have a digital copy of everything to take with me to the fabric store to match notions and such. So, I Sew.

To Do February 1-7

2009-02-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a picnic tote
Kitchen Swap Stuff - 90% done

Pink Swap Received

2009-01-27T12:12:00.001-08:00

My partner for the Pink Swap received today. She loved everything so much, here is her actually post. She did such a fine job displaying everything.

Okay here it is, from my best-Craftster-friend:
(I love you so much Deanna!)
A super cute pj set with log cabin applique on the shirt and wide legged pants (which I love).

closeup

2 awesome 12X12 log cabin style pillow covers. I love log cabin blocks. They are backed with white minky dot chenille, so soft and feminine.

And................ ......a SUPER AWESOME log cabin quilt backed with super soft and warm pink fleece to go on my bed! I have made tons of quilts for people in swaps (cause I'm a super overachiever) but have never received one so when I saw it in the box I ripped it out and started jumping around with joy and ran straight to my bedroom (actually I danced and pranced to my bedroom) to put it on my bed screaming for joy like I just won the showcase on the price is right. It is so gorgeous and beautiful and I love it so very much.
Look at how pretty my bed looks now!!!!!!!

You are so awesome Deanna. Thank you so much for being the BEST!!! And thank you Malisha for partnering me with her and hosting this swap. I will definitely cherish this quilt forever.

I am so happy that she likes everything. I cried with joy from her reaction. I have never gotten such wonderful feedback from a craft project I have made, from anyone. You made my day.

Crafty Wants and Wishes

2009-01-27T09:02:00.001-08:00

Fabric:

My wist has a ton of fabrics that I really like/want.

4.5 yards of Laminated cotton in 'brown carnival bloom' or 'brown daisy dreams' or 'black dandy damask' by Michael Miller to make a rain coat (big wish for any or all three) The pattern I want to use requires 4.5 yards though, so it would have to be a continuous cut.
Any holiday fabric (I want more holiday themed stuff around the house)
Any quilting cottons (I prefer bright bold colors/patterns)
Any cute bright print flannels
Thermal
Stretch Lace (pink or leopard)
Corduroy (in solids or fun prints)
Fat Quarters (I would like 2 of any print)

Patterns:

Any of these listed patterns (I’m a 10-12 so please buy the smaller sized patterns). I know some of these may be out of print, but I still love them and maybe you can find them.

McCall’s: 5804, 5144, 5538, 5717
New Look: 6557, 6787, 6858
Simplicity: 2932, 4531, 2701
Amy Butler

Notions:

zippers (any length, but really need some long separating ones for coats and stuff)
buttons (I love big decorated ones that I can use as embellishment)
thread (any color)
sewing machine needles (all sizes)
ribbons and trims (I really like the bright ribbons and very girly colors)
Iron on Appliqués
elastic (all sizes and types, I really need underwear elastic)
interfacing (all weights, and preferably iron on, but I don't mind sew in)
cotton or wool quilt batting (I love the warm and natural 100% cotton)
Pattern making paper (I don't ever cut my original patterns, I trace everything)
Muslin
The heat proof batting (I don't know what it is called, but it is the stuff you put in oven mitts)
Rotary Ruler (Fiskars makes one that I like)
6”x24” clear quilting ruler

Yarn:

100% cotton
Handspun
Wool

Other:

I really would love a screen printing kit. I love to make freezer paper stenciled t-shirts but all that cutting is wearing me out.
PVA glue for book binding. I want to start making my own notebooks and journals
Jerzees fitted t-shirts (Adult Size M/L, in pink, white, grey, black, blue, or green. Either long or short sleeve)

I need to craft up a storm

2009-01-25T07:32:00.001-08:00

I have so much sewing to do in the next month. March is so full of birthdays, it feels like Christmas sewing. I have 6 people to give gifts to, and I want to try and make everything. I have some ideas, but I am still lost for some of the other people. After I finish my Kitchen Swap stuff I will focus on what I can make everyone, and start with that stuff.

I finished all my Pink swap stuff and I am quite pleased with how it all turned out. I loved everything so much, I am making it all for myself as well. When Kaymadben receives this week I will post pictures of the goodies.

I have received two of my Sweat Shoppe Swap goodies. The 'Scrabble Tile Pendants' and the 'Cris Cross Coasters'. The pendants are very cute and will make cute charms. The coasters match what Kaymadben made for me in the Christmas in July Swap (an apron and placemats). I can't wait to see what else I get. The other three things are sort of surprises. I know what they are, but not what colors I am getting.

I sent out cloth lunch sacks to my five swappers. I really like how they turned out, but there are some things I might change if I make more. I made them all interfaced and lined for extra stability. They are all cotton, except for the flannel Mickey. I want to make some more for quick and easy gifts. They were great for using up smaller pieces of fabric. Each used up less then 1/2 a yard of each color. I will probably do these for quick gratification projects.

I also made a really cute 'Market Tote' this week. I found this great gray corduroy fabric with light pink polka dots at Joanns when I was looking for Pink Swap stuff. I couldn't resist buying it. I also bought some pink and gray ribbon to go with it. I knew when I bought it I wanted to make this bag, but I didn't know when I would get around to it. I went roller skating with the 6th graders on Thursday and needed a new cute bag to take my stuff in. It was a very quick project, as it only took me 45 minutes from cutting to finish. I lined it with some super cute bright pink polka dot fabric I have had for awhile, which made the lining super fun. The ribbon on the front and back are only sewn partially so that I can adjust the size of the bag. the ribbon can be tied in the front or around the sides. This bag is huge, measuring 18"x18". I love how it turned out and have lots more planned for the future. I think I want to add pockets to the next one. Or maybe some pouches to match. All the choices.

I have to work on the Kitchen Swap today, so hopefully I will stay motivated enough to finish that up before evening. So, I sew.

Weekly To Do January 25-31

2009-01-25T07:08:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a picnic tote
Kitchen Swap Stuff

I finished the Pink Swap stuff and it is in the mail for Kaymadben!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2009-01-19T08:40:00.001-08:00

I have the day off of work to celebrate a great leader. I am going to spend the day getting our other computer back from the virus doctor and grocery shopping. I also really want to finish the Pink swap stuff so I can send that out. I don't really have very much to do with it, maybe 3 hours left. I also want to work on some of the Kitchen swap stuff. I finished one small item last week, now I have at least 6 points left to craft.

I have a long list of things I need to do and I never seem to have enough time to do it in. I probably would be able to finish some of those things if I didn't start new projects before the others were finished. Or if I didn't get angry with the project and just stop working on it for the day or week. Yesterday I was trying to sew a button hole into the doggie coats I was making and the fabric wouldn't feed, so I just stopped working on it. I refused to sew at all yesterday because of it, which means I didn't get anything done. Instead I decided to watch House Season 1 and crochet. I got another 1/4 of my blanket done and I am now up to 3/4 finished.

Yesterday I found a great pattern for a basket weave crocheted blanket. I was so excited, because I taught myself how to knit so I could make a basket weave blanket and that didn't work out well. Now I will be able to do the blanket in crochet, which I am much more comfortable with. I think I know just the yarn I want to do it with too. I have this great pink baby soft yarn that I originally bought to make a baby blanket with. Now I have the stitch to do it with. I can't wait to get started with it. I am going to finish this other blanket first because I am so close. So, I sew.

Weekly To Do January 18-24

2009-01-19T08:28:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a work portfolio
Sew a picnic tote
Pink Swap Stuff - 90% done
Kitchen Swap Stuff

I finished the doggie coats, the sweat shop swap stuff, and Nick did the fence for Nibbles.

I need a break

2009-01-13T21:38:00.001-08:00

So I know I just got back from winter break, but I need another one. I am so bored with work. I get really frustrated while at work, and I am getting headaches easily because of it. I am not used to being stuck in the same boring job for so long. I normally get to move around more and do other things to make the job more enjoyable. I guess I will just have to do what I can to stick it out until June. When Nick and I will be able to just go and do stuff together without stress. We have lots of ideas for camping and hiking planned. I really want to go to New York or California this year too. We will have to see how that goes.

I haven't gotten too much sewing done lately, and the sewing I have gotten done is stuff that I probably shouldn't be doing. I really need to focus on the swap stuff that I am working on. I am so close to being done with the pink swap, I just need to finish and send it. Then I can start on the kitchen swap full heartedly. I signed up for the Sweat Shoppe swap and I have to make 5 lunch sacks, similar to a brown paper bag. I am almost done with those, it won't take me long to finish up with them. I probably won't get much sewing done at least until Friday night, if not until Sunday. I have Monday off so I should get a lot done by then. Hopefully I will be finished with a lot of my swap stuff, so I can go back to normal sewing (not that I haven't been doing other sewing instead anyway). So, I sew.

Weekly To Do January 11-17

2009-01-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a work portfolio
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 doggie coats (Already did 2, now I have more)
Fix our backyard fence, so Nibbles can go back outside and get out of our garage
Pink Swap Stuff - 80% done
Kitchen Swap Stuff
Sweat Shoppe Swap - 60% done

Rain, Rain, Rain

2009-01-07T18:06:00.001-08:00

So the rainy season has really begun. In my experience, here in Western Washington the really heavy rains happen in January and don't stop until February (when it freezes for the whole month, but that is a different topic). The rain has now threatened to close roads and flood lots of areas. Unfortunately, Yelm is being severely affected by this. One of the communities in Yelm, Clearwood, is at risk of being blocked off by flooded roads. They re-did the road that leads out there, but apparently didn't plan very well, because for the first time in years the road is about to flood. If the road does flood then about a 1/4 of the school district's students won't be able to make it to school, which in turn means they will probably cancel school. I have no problems with the no school, I just feel bad for all those stranded people.

Another note... I have been working on my swap stuff. I am nearly finished with the main piece and I am completed with the smaller portions of what I am sending for my pink swap. I have my ideas set for my kitchen swap, but I may have to change those just a bit...hmmm. I really like my ideas, but my partner has hinted to something else, but I don't know if I want to make that or not. I haven't decided for sure. I haven't made anything yet for it so I will have to see how I feel.

Wrestling starts back up for me starting tomorrow. I am excited to get to do some more wrestling stuff. It feels like months since I did anything. I can't wait. Until then I have some serious crafting to do. I still have some Christmas gifts to finish and lots of swap stuff to work on. So, I sew.

Weekly To Do January 4-10

2009-01-05T07:01:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a work portfolio
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 doggie coats (Already did 2, now I have more)
Fix our backyard fence, so Nibbles can go back outside and get out of our garage
Pink Swap Stuff - 80% done
Kitchen Swap Stuff

Swapping Fun

2009-01-03T22:42:00.001-08:00

I have been working away on swap stuff. I am so excited for the Pink, girly swap I am in. I am crafting for Kaymadben, and Peppermom is crafting for me. I am more then half way done with the stuff I am making. I think she will just love what I am making her. I hate to keep everyone else in suspense, but I know she reads my blog.

We are still in sign-ups for the Deck out your kitchen swap, but I have asked Classy Broad to be my partner. I love the embroidery she does, and I think that we could easily craft for each other. I have lots of great stuff planned for her. She loves 50's theme stuff, like pin-up girls, boomerang, and sparkle vinyl. I don't where I am going to find sparkle vinyl, but I do have other stuff in mind that she might like. She collects aprons, which are my favorite thing to make right now, so she is in luck. I am off to work on more swap stuff, I want to get as much done as possible this weekend. I have to go back to work on Monday and wrestling will be full force the next couple of weeks. So, I sew.

Books to Read

2009-01-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

I found this great list on Habitual's blog. I really like the idea of reading the classics so lets see how I do.

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Underline those you intend to read.
3) Italicize the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (just book 1)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I didn't do very well, but now I know what I should be reading... A great resolution for the new year.

January's To Do

2009-01-01T16:06:00.001-08:00

So for each month I am going to do my to do list so I know where to go with my weekly to do list.

Reorganize Fabric
Pick 15 projects

Green Oven mitts/potholders
Picnic set-Bag, placemats, napkins, blanket
2 Lunch totes
2 Singlet bags
2 PJ bottoms
2 Pillows
Crocheted blanket
2 Market bags
OSU Dog coat
Placemats
Napkins
Casserole carrier
Apron
Oven mitts/potholders
Crocheted Moebius

Cut and prepare fabric for those projects
Find a new home for Nibbles (if anyone wants a 3.5 year old black lab she is available)
Clean Garage (Nick is never going to get to it)

New Year's Resolution

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

With the new year everyone tends to make resolutions. Most of which never last past the first month. I have fallen into this rut for many years. When I was younger I refused to make a resolution, I thought what a waste of time for something that won't be followed through on. I would just make goals for the year, but they were small and attainable. I caved and started to fall into this ridiculous tradition of resolutions. This year I think I am going to continue my younger ways. NO Resolution, just goals. I feel that if you fail on a goal you are affected more. So here are my goals for 2009:

Attempt to have kids (I would say get pregnant, but that hasn't worked out for me so far)
Not buy fabric (at least until June, then I will reevaluate)
Go on a fun summer road trip with Nick (with all the money we saved from me not buying fabric)
Read more
Sew at least one project a week, hopefully 3-4 though
Sell some of my projects

With me posting this in my blog, now I have to follow through and update as needed. So, I Sew

Almost a New Year

2008-12-31T11:05:00.001-08:00

Hooray for almost a new year! I have been very busy lately, but not with what I want to be busy with. I have been shopping with my mom. I got some great pink fabric from Craigslist and some great Christmas fabric from Wal-mart. I got some new workout clothes, to accommodate the fact that it is cold and shorts and tank tops don't work well in the winter. I have started my January to do list. It isn't quite finished, so when it is I will post it. I also did a little sewing.

I made Sanders, the head wrestling coach some coats for his dog. It was a special request for his Christmas gift, so I went and got some fabric that I thought would work, but when I got home hated it. I made them anyway and I have a really great idea for him that I know he will like. I just need to get the fabric for it and I will be set.

I have started my very own swap on Craftster. It is a Deck out your Kitchen Swap. If it goes in a kitchen or dinning room it is a go. Placemats, aprons, oven mitts, art, decor, containers, tablecloths are all ideas. I have been wanting to do my own swap since I started co-organizing the Fill a box of holiday wishes swap. This idea popped into my head when I decided I want placemat for any holiday and season. I love to make aprons and placemats, so I'm sure others do as well. Right now the swap is still in the sign-up phase, so I have a little while before I get to craft for it.

Another swap that I am in is the Pink, girly Swap. All about being a girl and loving girl things. I am very patiently (read impatiently) waiting for my partner at this point. Everyone in the group but 4 of us has partners. The organizer is waiting for an answer from one of the participants and then she will assign the rest of us.

The funny part of this story is that one of the other people waiting is Kaymadben, who I met in the Christmas in July swap. She was my partner for that swap, then my next swap, Fill a box swap, she was my partner again. Then her and I decided to co-organize together in the Holiday wishes swap. Now she and I might be partners again in this swap, and then she went and signed up for my Kitchen swap. I don't mind at all though, she is an awesome person and I love to craft for her.

I am off to clean up all the Christmas decor, a yearly tradition. I sadly have to do most of it by myself, but that is ok. I really don't mind. It gets put away the way I want it to be put away now. Then off to the craft room to work on Amy's birthday present. So, I sew.

Weekly To Do December 28-January 3:

2008-12-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a work portfolio
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 doggie coats
Fix our backyard fence, so Nibbles can go back outside and get out of our garage

I've been busy

2008-12-27T13:31:00.001-08:00

I have worked very diligently on a few crafts that I have been wanting to do.

First up a crochet blanket that I have been wanting to make for about 5 years now. When I first learned how to crochet I started with blanket. That was the first mistake. I couldn't read patterns very well at the time and failed to really try. Needless to say, I used the wrong yarn, the wrong hook, the wrong gauge and the wrong finish size. The only thing I did get right was the actual stitch. Well I didn't realize that I hadn't done what the pattern said until about a year later when I actually learned how to read patterns. I love the twin size blanket even if it is all wrong, it sits on my couch and I cuddle in it all the time. Anyway I decided on Christmas night to make the one that I wanted to start with, the right way. I told Nick to pop in a movie and I would crochet. I used Homespun yarn in two different colors (waterfall and modern) held together with a Q hook, with single crochet in back loop. I finished it last night, they are so fast with such a large hook. It took a total of about 6 hours to make. The finished size is 45"x45" (supposed to be 60"x45"). The only thing wrong with this one is the finished size, but I didn't want to go buy more yarn, I only wanted to use what I had. It is just the right size to snuggle up and read.

Last night when I finished the blanket I decided to make a Scoodie using Vegbee's tutorial. I went and found some black fleece, and some cotton that I liked, but didn't really know what to do with. It sewed together really quick, but I remembered how much I hate sewing fleece. I made the scarf part about 8.5 feet long and it wraps around my neck a couple times. Nick doesn't think it looks good on me, so naturally I wore it all night (even to bed), just to be a butt to him.

Today I was nosing around on Craftster and found a board that I have never seen before. It is the craft along board, where everyone crafts things and posts them for motivation and communication, but nobody sends anything (like swaps). I signed up for the de-stash along and through that I found a thread for a Rapunzel Scarf. Basically all your yarn and ribbon scraps that you hoard braided up into a long rope. I went into my closet and found all sorts of partial skeins of pink, gray and black that I could use. I ended up with a 7.5 foot scarf that is light weight, but still very warm. And Nick likes this one better.

I feel very accomplished, and it was all no pressure. I am so excited to be crafting for fun again. I keep dreaming about what I am going to make next. I have this bad habit of finding new more interesting things (Rapunzel Scarf) rather then crafting the things on my list. I will be working on that and hopefully getting better.

Holy Moly

2008-12-24T17:54:00.001-08:00

I went through my computer and compiled my list of patterns and tutorials that I have saved on Craftster and in my bookmarks. I can't believe how many there are. I thought I was never going to finish. I made the list so that I can easily find everything, and if anybody wants to make me anything from the list they can. I think with this list all made up, it will be easier for me to complete my crafting goals for the new year.

I delivered my Christmas gifts to their recipients and now I can post what I made.

I made Becky some crazy quilted placemats and an Emmeline Apron:

She really liked the apron, and was ok with the placemats. These placemats were my tedious task of the last couple months. I am so glad they are done. I will never make 8 placemats of this difficulty again. I really like the pattern, but only for four placemats.

I made Kelahna some little aprons to go with her kitchen she is getting from Santa:

Amy loved the aprons, as did Kelahna. She wouldn't go to bed without one of the aprons on.

There is other stuff that I made, but those people have not gotten their gifts yet. When they do I will post the pictures.

Patterns and Tutorials:

2008-12-24T17:36:00.001-08:00

Here is a list of pattern and tutorials I have found online. I know this list is long and daunting. Most of these I have wanted to try, but don't have the time. I could use tons of any of these. Most items here make great gifts to family and friends. If I have completed the project I will put an asterisk by it and a note on how the tutorial went. Please let me know if a link is dead, I will fix it if I can.

Bags, Purses and Wallets:

Pleated Purse
Oilcloth Lunch bag
Hobo Bag
Diaper Bag
Quilted Wallet
Bagsket *For my craft room, bold, bright blues, pinks, purples and white
Zippered Pouch
Lunchbox *I love these, I have made 4 of them.
Messenger Bag
Picnic Bag
Gratitude Wrap (note card holder)
Pleated Bag
Funky Travel Bag
Snap Wallets
Messenger Bag
Knock-off Coach Purses
Reversible Tote Bag
Credit Card Wallet
D-ring Bag
Duffle Bags
Singlet Shopping Bags *I've made tons of these, but never have enough
Sling Bag

Clothing:

Pleated Skirt (I would want an adult version)
Lounge Pants
Drawstring Jumper Dress
Wrap around Shirt
Christmas Tree Scarf
Candy cane Scarf
Cheeky Panties
Tiered Skirt
Mod Outfit *I really love the bag, and cape, but it wouldn't be complete without the dress.
Empire waist tunic/dress
Tank Top
Tie halter top
Cloth Ballet Flats *I wear women's size 7
Reversible Fleece Jacket
T-shirt Hoodie *I wear size medium t-shirts
Zippered Hoodie
Flapper Dress
Pull over Hoodie
Kimono Hoodie
Wrap Lounge Pants
Tank Top
Hooded/Cowl Dress
Jersey Dress
Tube Dress
Nightgown
Scoodie
Belt

Kids:

Nursing Cover
Apron Top
Peasant Top *I have made tons of these, very easy. Would love more!
Mei Tai Child Carrier
Baby shoes
Corset Dress
Men's Shirt to Dress
Tiered Skirt/Dress *super easy to make
Halter Dress
Reversible wrap dress

Home Decor:

Fabric Boxes *For my craft room, bold, bright blues, pinks, purples and white
Clothespin Apron
Hangable Hamper
Oven Mitts
Patchwork Placemats
Fabric Basket * Makes a small basket
Boxy Bag
Criss-Cross Coasters
Fabric leaves
Puzzle Quilt * I want a queen Size in blues and greens, or reds and creams
Woven Bathmat
Covered Crate *For my craft room, bold, bright blues, pinks, purples and white
Sewing Machine Thread Catcher *For my craft room, bold, bright blues, pinks, purples and white
Felt Strawberries *Any felted fruit to put on my table would be cool!
Work baskets
Car Litter bags
Starry Night Light Box
Button Flower Bouquet
Wall Letters *my name spelled out (DEANNA LYNN) or (CRAFTS)
Chalkboard Garden Pots
Book Light
Flower Lights *I would use LED lights instead
Square Bottom Basket *For my craft room, bold, bright blues, pinks, purples and white
Charging Basket *with or without the hole
Paintbox Quilt * I want a queen Size in blues and greens, or reds and creams
Fabric Cupcakes
To Do list Holder
Post Office Bag
Cushions
Reversible Journal Cover
Oven Mitts

Paper Crafts:

Other:

Weekly To Do December 21-27 2008,

2008-12-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

Sew 2 placemats
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a workout bag
Sew a work portfolio
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 doggie coats
Sew 2 oven mitts
Sew 2 potholders
Sew 4 coasters
Fix our backyard fence, so Nibbles can go back outside and get out of our garage

SNOW!!!!!!

2008-12-17T19:45:00.001-08:00

It is snowing and that means no school, which means no work. I love it. Winter break has pretty much started for me today. Even if Yelm is in school tomorrow I won't be there. North Thurston School District, the district I live in, is already canceled for tomorrow, which means the roads are too bad to drive. I hate the snow until it closes school, then it is wonderful.

Because of the day off I was able finish my extra large Christmas present. I still have some of the other stuff that I want to make for this person to do, but the tedious part is done. With no school tomorrow I will be able to finish most of the rest of the stuff that I want make. Then I will have more of my real winter break to work on fun sewing projects.

I have decided to start making Christmas presents in January. I don't want to do anything too specific, but I am going to make a whole bunch of generic type gifts for birthdays and other holidays throughout the year including Christmas gifts. I also am going to be doing more swaps, when I finish with making all this years Christmas stuff. I love doing swaps, so I think I am going to try for maybe 1 per month. We will see how that goes, Nick hates me doing the swaps, because he thinks it costs too much. If I keep to my no buying goal it won't cost me anything, but the shipping.

I took a nap today so I have lots of energy and time to go work on some projects. So, I sew.

Something new

2008-12-14T18:51:00.001-08:00

I have started something new today. I decided to post my weekly to do list. I need some accountability and my friends and family can help me with this. I sort of did this once over the summer, and that worked a little bit. It was a little too overwhelming for me. I have limited myself to 10 things for the week, and they can be anything from sewing to other chores. Once wrestling season is over I may be able to up the list, but I don't want to wear myself out, considering I only spend 4 evenings at home these days (some weeks even less). I hope this works out for me!

Weekly To Do December 14-20, 2008:

2008-12-14T18:44:00.001-08:00

Sew 10 placemats
Sew 2 Emmeline aprons
Sew 2 singlet grocery bags
Sew 2 lunch totes
Sew a picnic tote
Sew 2 doggie coats
Sew 2 oven mitts
Sew 2 potholders
Sew 4 coasters
Fix our backyard fence, so Nibbles can go back outside and get out of our garage

It's gone

2008-12-08T17:36:00.001-08:00

What is gone? you ask. Well my hair is. I got it chopped off today. It has been one whole year since I last got my hair cut and I thought it was about time, (and I got permission from Nick).

Here are my before and after pictures. It is not quite the haircut I was going for, but I still really like it, I think I will like it more then what I wanted because there are more options. I wanted a really short bob, and the lady said she would do this first and then let me decide. I decided this was ok, and in a couple weeks I can always go back and get it cut more if I want.

I am off to work on Christmas stuff. I know I am always saying that, but there is a lot of stuff to work on. So, I sew.

The weekend is here and gone...

2008-12-07T19:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was the first wrestling tournament of the season. It went pretty well, and was nice and short. I was able to really teach the new managers how to keep score and participate in a tournament, which was great.

Today was my cookie swap, a huge success. Not everyone showed up that was supposed to, so there were extra cookies, but that is ok. Everyone made very delicious cookies, and Nick and I have been snack all afternoon. I am going to give some cookies to the other wrestling coaches, but I think I will still have a ton left over.

I am not ready to go to work this week, I will have to go the whole week, I am not sick anymore. But I will have wrestling on Thursday to look forward to. I will also have the fact that there is only 2 weeks left before winter break.

I really have to finish my Christmas presents for everyone. None of them really take a very long time, it is just the sitting down and getting them done. I hope I finish them before they are due. So, I sew.

I got all my Swap stuff

2008-12-05T22:07:00.001-08:00

I received my Swap package yesterday. I love everything so much. Christy got so much stuff packaged up in the box, it made what I sent seem miniscule.

She sent me three each of check book covers, and tissue cozies. I have been needing the tissue cozy for awhile, especially now with me being sick, and now I have three to choose from and the rest will be Christmas presents.

She made this great lunch tote with placemat and napkin. I love the decorator fabric she used. The fabric is so heavy duty that it will make it through the toughest of lunches.

I got this stenciled shirt. This is the back, the front is blank. I really love the pattern, it is perfect for my personality. She also made 4 wire wrapped pendants that are really cool looking. I currently have them hanging from my inspiration board. There are a ton of hair pretties, which I took one and will have in my hair a lot. I have had it in my hair two days now. Three very scented candles, lilac, holiday berry, and lemon, my favorite smell. And a quilter's pouch. I know the perfect person for this.

A tote bag to carry all sorts of stuff. I saw this fabric on one of her posts on Craftster and thougth the fabric was cool, but in person the fabric is amazing. I love the very retro print. She made a notebook portfolio that I think I am going to use at work until winter break. Then after that I am going to use it for my swap journal.

She also managed to stuff in a complete kitchen accessory set. The set includes 4 placemats, napkins, coasters, and 2 potholders. This is very cool fabric, and I think my grandma will really love these. They are just her style.

Christy was such a great swapper. I love everything that was packaged up. I even have most of it wrapped up already for Christmas. She reduced a huge chunk of my 'to make' list.

I made all of my cookies for my cookie swap today. I even tested a couple (you know to make sure I didn't poison them)! They are so delicious. I can't wait for Sunday to try all the other great cookies that all my friends and family are going to make.

Tomorrow I have my first wrestling tournament. I am kind of glad the season has started, but I am also dreading how long it is going to be. The season takes a large chunk of my weeknights and Saturdays. Oh well, I get to spend time with Nick and the other coaches are cool, and the kids are very entertaining. I need to go get some rest this weekend is going to be a busy one. So, I sew.

It's Christmas time now

2008-12-04T14:09:00.001-08:00

Nick and I took today off to get better. I feel better today, but really tired. I woke up at 4 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep until 7:15 a.m. Then I slept until 10 a.m. I am still tired, but I don't want to take a nap and ruin any chance at sleeping well tonight.

With our free time today, Nick and I put up our Christmas tree. All the rest of the decorations have been up since the day after Thanksgiving, but we have be procrastinating on the tree. I wanted it up before Sunday, so the house is festive for my cookie swap.

I am so excited for my cookie swap this year. I invited people from work this year, so it will be more then just family. I have the most delicious sounding cookie planned too. I am going to make peanut butter with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup in the center. They better turn out, or I will probably cry.

I should be getting my swap package from Christy today. I know I have said that already, but my post office is dumb. They scan packages as delivered and notice left, but put the notice in the box 1-2 days later. I tried once to just go to the counter and get the package without the notice and they said no. So I just have to wait for the stupid notice. I think I should find a way to complain. Depending on the date on the notice I might be able to complain today. I am off to the post office right now. So, I Sew.

In a daze

2008-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

So despite my best judgement I went to work today. I was in a haze all day and hardly remember anything I didn't today. I don't think I will make that mistake again. I don't have any sick leave for work, but I will sacrifice pay to avoid the humiliation I endured today. I am supposed to be the one in charge of a 6th grader and he was the one in charge most of the day, making sure I was doing what I was supposed to do. I felt fine this morning when I got up, so I got ready and went to work. By the time I got there I had no clue where I was. I think I am going to stay home tomorrow to make sure I am for sure better. I will rest in the morning and maybe work on some low stress sewing. I might as well use my resting time usefully. Then my mom wants me to go to her house for dinner and if I am feeling up to it I might go. I don't think I could pass up turkey enchiladas. I am drooling just thinking about it. YUM!!!

I have got lots of sewing done in the past 24 hours, but nothing I can show yet. It is a really big project that if I show pics now, it just won't be done any justice for how cool it is turning out.

I got my crop-a-dile today, and I already put it to use. I made another coffee cozy with eyelets. I was hoping it would be reversible, but the eyelets I used are not pretty looking on one of the sides. Oh well I prefer the look of the cozies with eyelets and ribbon over the Velcro. This is one I made over the weekend. I didn't have the crop-a-dile yet and the eyelets were a pain. I swore I wouldn't make another. Then Siobhan showed me the one she just got and I bought one that day. I will probably put eyelets in more things now. It is way too easy not to use it for nearly every project.

I need to motivate myself to work on my large project, but I am so tired I feel I should just go to bed. Decisions....So, I sew.

Being Sick Sucks

2008-12-02T14:01:00.001-08:00

So I have had this stupid cough for about 3 weeks and that is all that it was. Well if finally went away on Saturday. Last night out of the blue my nose is stuffy and my sinus' are full. Where did this cold come from. I have to be better by Saturday. I stayed home from work today to make sure I got lots of rest to get better faster.

Christy got my swap package and she was thrilled. Now I can post pictures.

I made two coffee cozies. I have been wanting to make these for awhile and got around to it for this swap.

I made another Emmeline apron. I love this pattern. It is fairly easy and it is reversible. I have had this butterfly fabric for years. My mom bought 8 yards, about 10 years ago to make dresses for Rainbow Girls. She made my dress, but never got around to making hers. She gave me the fabric when I took up sewing. I never knew what to do with it, so I thought this might work out. I wanted to do the dark blue as the second main color, but didn't have enough. I think it looks great the way it is now that it is all done.

This was a quick and easy notebook holder. You can put your pens/pencils on one side and a medium notebook on the other.

I made 10 fire coasters. They truly are a firefighters family. I got this fabric over the summer in a fabric swap. I didn't think I would ever use it, but then Christy came along.

These are about half of the cards that I have made in the past year. I love making cards, but never give them out to people. I decided to clean out my stash and give them to Christy. After they were all packed away in the box, I realized that she too makes and sells cards. I gave them to here anyway. I am glad that I did because she just loved them. The fabric basket was made from fabric that I bought on my very first fabric shopping trip, when I first taught myself to sew. I always wanted to make a tote, I just never got around to it. I think it looks great.

Finally I found this fireman fabric at GeeGee's in Yelm. I was just looking for inspiration and I couldn't pass this up. I continued to look around at the store and found the orange backing, which matches the flames on the front perfectly. It was a simple design, but I didn't really want to break apart the front fabric.

I am so glad that Christy liked everything. I should be getting my package in the mail tomorrow. I can't wait. So, I sew.

Almost December

2008-11-29T22:45:00.001-08:00

Where has the time gone? If feels like it was just summertime, sitting outside trying to find things to do that involved sewing. Now I am crunched for time in finishing my Christmas gifts. I have a list of 16 things that need to be sewn and I can't seem to find a free minute to do any of it. I keep telling Nick I am starting my Christmas sewing in January. I really wanted to make everything this year, but I caved and went shopping.

I went out today, which wasn't too bad. I thought with all the Friday and Saturday sales it would have been busier, but the only busy part was the parking lots. I got all the shopping done, except for Nick, which I don't know what I really want to get him yet. I will probably know on Christmas Eve.

I know that Christy, my current swap partner has come up with some great ideas to make stuff for my family. I hope that I don't try and hoard everything for myself. If I am really lucky I will even be able to take some stuff back to the store and more people will get that handmade Christmas. I finished all my stuff for her yesterday and I am very proud of this package. I chose not to put anything store bought in it, so it took a lot more to fill the box. I didn't think I would like some of the stuff, but after all said and done, I wish I had more fabric to make some for me. As soon as she receives, I will post pictures. She should be getting it on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I need to get to bed soon, I have a busy day tomorrow. I am going out with a bunch of ladies from work to watch Australia. Then to my mom's house for a late Thanksgiving with her. So, I Sew.

Only one more day

2008-11-20T07:31:00.001-08:00

So Twilight the movie opens tomorrow. I am really excited to see how it is portrayed. I can't go in with great expectations, because I don't want to be disappointed. I wasn't going to go the movie this weekend, but Stephanie invited me, so it should be fun. I didn't want to go because I work with 40 6th grade girls who are thinking they are going to get married to Edward or Jacob. It is all I hear about all day long. I don't want to be in the theater with all these unrealistic fantasizers. We are going late so it shouldn't be too bad.

I have set aside the whole weekend for sewing. I won't be doing anything else. I have to finish the swap stuff this weekend, and I want to get at least two of my Christmas gifts done. I will update with pics later. So, I sew.

Likes and Dislikes

2008-11-18T21:00:00.001-08:00

Things I Can Never Get Enough Of:

Aprons - I prefer full size, but half are ok as well
Grocery bags of all sizes
Produce bags
Pajamas - small-medium size
Lunch bags
Purses - messenger and designer knock offs
Book covers
Journals
Notebook covers
Portfolio - to hold a 9x12 note pad
Embroidered Kitchen Towels

Various Things About Me:

I'm a girly girl, but I don't have the budget to go full out
I am a hiker/backpacker
I would rather make it than buy it
I try to be as green as possible
I love to craft for my family - there are far too many people to buy for
I love youth fiction (not too young, 5th grade and above)
I work at an elementary school as a 1 on 1 shadow
My husband is a part time assistant wrestling coach and I am the team manager
I love to cook
I am very organized - everything has its perfect place

Favorites:

Color - pink, purple, blue, green, and cream
Fabrics - flannel, printed cottons, novelties, and decor
Big floral prints
Retro prints
Manatees

Dislikes:

Goth inspired
Neon - except if paired with black, but still no yellows or oranges

Never Have Enough Of:

Quilting Cottons
Buttons
Thread
Sewing Machine needles
Ribbon
Trims
Lace
Elastic
Specialty Yarn - not novelty

Crafts I would like to Learn:

Stenciling - T-shirts, glass, fabric (I have dabbled, but I would like to learn more)
Screen Printing (I would love to have my own kit)
Embroidering
Flower arranging

About My Family (the people I craft for):

Nick - (age 24, husband) Environment Biologist. He loves Star Wars and Spiderman
Debra - (Mom) Loves bags and purses. She is also very crafty, but doesn't have the time. She collects anything you give her. She loves vibrant prints, and natural colors.
Persephone - (age 1, niece) A little princess, pink and dresses are a must. She needs easy to grow in clothes.
Maribell - (age 2, niece)Our little all smiles, tomboy. She is always wearing a dress, but would rather be playing in the dirt. Her nickname is ladybug, and we always give her things that relate.
Kelahna - (age 3, niece) A girly princess. She is small for her age (2T). Loves art, drawing and cooking. Her favorite thing right now is Elmo.
Billy - (age 4, nephew) Always on the move, watch out because he is sneaky. He loves cartoons and video games.
Balin - (age 5, nephew) The tough little boy. Loves tie-dye anything. He loves to try and get away with everything (and so cute he usually does get away with it). Loves trucks and super heroes, and Star Wars.
Timmy - (age 9, nephew) Loves comic books and everything that goes with that. He is a great wrestler. Enjoys being outside exploring.
Ariel - (age 9, niece) Half girl, half tomboy. Always catch her with paper and pencil drawing something. She has quite the collection of purses too. She has to keep up with all the boy cousins and does a good job at it too.
Tristram - (age 10, nephew) He is a very smart child. Always reading or playing the piano. He loves sports, especially soccer, but baseball and now wrestling are favorites too.
Zachary - (age 11, nephew) The helper, even when you least expect it, he is there to help out. He is also a wrestler.
I also craft for other family, but anything goes for them. Anything I might like, they might like.

Finally

2008-11-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

I finally got the Scrabble pics uploaded to my computer so I can post them now.

I know it has been a little while so here is a refresher about them. I made them for a friend who saw them online at some European boutique for $30+ each. He saw my crafting ability and asked me to make them for him. I gladly did it for half the cost. They are slipcovers over some 16x16 pillows that I freezer paper stenciled. I really like how they turned out. If I knew that Amy would like them I would make one for her, but she wouldn't have a place in her house to put it.

On to current events. This weekend I made some more freezer meals with my mom. We ended up make close to 50 meals, for the mere cost of $250. If we went to the Dinners Done Right place it would have cost $200 for 12 meals. It took us about 5 hours to make all that food, which isn't that bad considering it takes about 30 minutes per meal if we were to make them on each day. Nick and I are very prepared for the next couple months of wrestling season, which starts today. So, I sew.

All Settled

2008-11-11T19:16:00.001-08:00

We moved last weekend and now we are all settled in. The new house is in Lacey, which is where Nick has wanted to move for quite some time. When we found the house we fell in love instantly. It took a little negotiating with the landlords, they said no pets because of the hardwood floor throughout, but we had to inform them that our dog doesn't come inside, and if it is too cold she can sleep in the garage. They said yes and we moved in the next day. It took us about a week to unpack everything, mostly because I am incredibly lazy when it comes to stuff that isn't fun.

Now that everything is unpacked and situated I can really focus on my Swap. I just to focus and get it done, nothing is hard or too intensive, I have been so busy that all I want to do is sleep, not sew. Nick will be gone for most of the week next week so I will be able to get some stuff done then for sure.

My mom, sister in law and I are all going to get together to make some freezer meals from my all time favorite cookbook (Fix Freeze Feast) this weekend. I will be all stocked up on food for wrestling season. Nick has been craving a home cooked meal for quite some time. I made ribs and potatoes today, but he isn't even home to enjoy it.

I better get around to some of that sewing while Nick is still out. So, I sew.

Still Moving

2008-10-30T07:11:00.001-07:00

Well an update about the house... we didn't get financed to buy the house; however we still moving. We decided to move to Lacey, so Nick wouldn't have to commute as far. I will have to commute until June, but then I can find a job in Lacey. Hopefully we will get to move in the next week still. Our house is already packed up and ready to go, we just need a place to move it to.

I finished the Scrabble pillows. They turned out great. I also got started on the sewing portion of the SWAP I'm in. I got a total of 12 points worth done. I would explain more, but as usual I don't want to give anything away to my partner if she is reading.

As soon as I find the pictures of the pillows I will post them...So, I Sew.

Only two weeks away...

2008-10-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

I was told to be optimistic and not stress over anything, so it is only two weeks until we are in our new house. There have been a few hiccups, but we are working through them. Our house right now is almost all packed up. All that is left is what we need in the next two weeks and my kitchen. I refuse to pack up my kitchen right now, I sacrificed my craft room, but I will not succumb to the kitchen yet.

I have started on my Scrabble pillows, they are starting to look really nice. I found a really easy pattern to cover a pillow, I may have to cover the pillows in my living room :). I really want to work on my SWAP stuff, but all of my fabric is packed up so I am working on coming up with sketches and ideas based on what I remember I have. I figure if I get all the planning out of the way I can just sew it all together once we move. I decided that my craft room will be one of the first rooms to unpack so I can sew. I have lots of Christmas presents that are already cut out that I just have to sew up, then they will be done, that is what I plan on working on during the next two weeks.

Well I just thought I would check in, I have lots to do right now. So, I Sew.

We are buying a house!!!!

2008-10-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

So we are finally buying a house. We are both very excited to be moving to a new place that is going to be all ours. We still have a long time to wait in respect to how impatient we are. We will have to occupy our time with packing and other activities.

I got my SWAP partner a couple weeks ago for the Holiday wish list SWAP I am in and co-organizing. I feel bad because I feel like I haven't done much to help with the organizing, but I don't really know what else there is to do until it gets closer to send-outs. My partner has a pretty good wish list, I am excited to start going with that. I have been so busy with the house stuff I haven't had a lot of time to really do much sewing, but I have until December 1st to send out, so I am not really worried yet. I got a request to make some Scrabble pillows for a friend and I will have to work on those as well. I am excited about these though because it is a skill I haven't really done a lot of. It will be stencil painting, which I used to do more of when I was in high school, but kind of stopped doing with all my other crafts. I have gotten to experiment with the new mediums in stencil painting on some t-shirts, to prep myself for the pillows. I really am having fun with it.

I think I am going to go see what I can pack in my craft room... I don't want to pack anything, because I know once it is packed I will need it. So, I sew.

Not on the list....

2008-09-25T17:21:00.001-07:00

Well I found this really great book on quilts from the library. It is Crazy Shortcut Quilts, and I absolutely love it. I decided that I love the idea so much that I might use inspiration from the book to make one or two of my Christmas list gifts. Before I dove into my expensive fabric that I bought just for those gifts I wanted to try one with the fabric that I had no use for. I found some great fat eighths that I was going to make a prairie skirt with, but I really don't like prairie skirts anymore, so I used them. Then I had to find fabric for the backing and realized I don't have that much pink fabric so I sacrificed with my pink and green camouflage.

It is 35" x 45" which is fairly small, but just the right size for a lap quilt and maybe a baby quilt. I love how it turned out! I can't wait to make more using the same style.

I know this was not on my list, but at least I didn't buy anything for it. I used up fabric that I really had no other use for.

I will be so excited when this week is over. Not that it has been a bad week, just a very busy one. Nick and I have yet to have a night just to sit and relax. Monday is our first night of that, so I think we are going to take advantage of it. Friday I am going on a hike at Mt. Rainier with the 6th graders I work with. It is the same hike I did when I was in 6th grade, but I haven't been since then, so it will be lots of fun. I know I will be very tired after this hike, but I think it will be fine. This weekend we are going to Wynoochie Lake in the Olympics with some friends for a end of the season camping trip. I am excited to go, but already tired, so that makes it frustrating.

The only stress reliever I have right now is my book. Since starting work I have lots of time to read, so I have been enjoying a variety of books. I finished The Giver by Lois Lowery and I started Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. This is the first book in the new love saga series for teenage girls. I love this book, it makes me feel like I did when I was in high school, in love for the first time with Nick. The constant need to be near him, and all the butterflies that come with it. I actually get the butterflies while I am reading. I love when a book draws you in so much you feel the same at the characters. I think I am going to go read some more, until Nick gets home at least. So, I sew.

It is my Anniversary!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-18T08:02:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post a quick little note. I have done some crafting, but haven't gotten around to take pictures. I made a little portfolio for work. It isn't as big as I would like it, so I may try it again. I have been doing a lot of thinking of making some of the clothing on my list, but I have been so busy with Dustin and Stephanie's wedding, and now my anniversary. This weekend I want to go to the fair, then next weekend I am going camping with some of our friends. Then I think I will have some time; however I will be in the midst of a SWAP that I am co-organizing so I will have to focus some of my projects on that.

As soon as I get pictures I will post. For now I am off to work. So, I sew.

Last day of Summer

2008-08-29T11:55:00.001-07:00

It is my last official weekday of my summer vacation and I have to work. I got roped into working at the District Office today. It really wasn't a big deal, until Nick took the day off. Now I have to work and he doesn't. Oh well I guess.

I made a couple things in the past week that I thought I should post. First a Chore chart. I made this for a SWAP I was in and loved it so much that I had to make one for myself. I probably won't use it much, but I love how it looks. I used 4 Fat Quarters of fabric, and paper that I had lying around, so it is fairly cheap. I don't like that it is a little crooked, but it gets the job done. Each card has a different chore on it (ie... dishes, fold clothes, wash clothes, bathrooms, sweep), when you finish the chore for the day you just flip the card over. At the end of the week you know exactly what you have left to do.

I also made a pot holder based on the tutorial I got in my SWAP package, the cupcake rug tutorial. I used the fabric she sent me to make it. I didn't really like how it turned out after it was washed. I ended up ironing it so it would look better. There are some things I would change if I made another one, but not too much different. I really like the fabric though, too bad I don't have more of it. So, I sew.

I finally got my stuff

2008-08-25T10:56:00.001-07:00

I got my stuff from my I <3 to sew SWAP!! I love everything she sent me. Well onto the photos.

I got a basket that is lined and covered (to hide my crochet stuff), a pattern to make a cupcake rug, a ton of ribbons, lace, trims, needles and thread. A book so I can sew things for my garden, and the best thing of all, a blue ribbon apron. It has super cute apples on it. I love how it is smock style, I think I might wear it as a dress over a t-shirt and jeans.

I am so glad the Post Office didn't lose this package, I would have been mad not to get all this great loot. Thank you so much eye_on_sparrow. So, I sew.

Oh how I love the rain...

2008-08-24T19:35:00.001-07:00

So it is raining today and I feel like a drained dirty sink. All gross and groggy. It is only supposed to be like this for two days then sun again. It better get sunny at least a little bit before I have to go back to work. I go back on September 2 if there are some jobs.

I got one project done so far this week, but I did get almost done with another. I just have a little sewing to do on the second and it will be finished enough to post. The first project however is a lunch tote that I made as a template for some that I want to make for Christmas. I followed a pattern found at ohfransson. This is the first time I have used this pattern and I didn't follow it all the way. I didn't want to do any hand sewing so I had to change the pattern a little to compensate that. I only used scraps from my stash, so I wouldn't have to buy anything. I really like this pattern because it is fairly large, but not too big, and it has an expandable drawstring top. Anyway on to the photos.

I definitely figured out what to do, so that the ones I make for Christmas are perfect. Needless to say, this may be the only one you get to see. I might post the others, but I don't know. Well I think I am off to finish the second project so I can start another. So, I sew.