Sewing Again

Click this link if you want to see the flower girl dress I made! It is beautiful!

A Week in the Life of a Busy Mommy

Tonight I sit here with droopy eyes and a slightly alert mind. There are times I look at the things that I've allowed to back up on myself and I get so mad at me. Why do I do that to me? Why don't I just get to work on those things when I have the time? How do I allow my time to be so poorly managed?

Then I thankfully have a week like this one to remind me that it isn't always due to my error that things are still left undone. Life has little surprises that set us back when we least expect it.

Saturday I finally got myself motivated to get sewing. I have 3 'jobs' promised to 3 different people. I have 2 almost complete smocked dresses I've made for HC. I have several items I can no longer wear until I mend them. I have piles of books here and there that I need to put in a safe place. I have paperwork and no place to properly sort it and the undone piles grow and grow.

So back to this week.. Saturday was a rainy day and I was finally able to devote my first free Saturday to sewing. I wanted to lie around and relax with everyone but I KNEW I had to get going on job 1 because I find myself wanting to finish the smocked dresses for HC but all the other jobs weigh me down. My energy for the things I want to do is overshadowed by what was promised. I finally completed one piece (out of the 7 pieces in job 1) and cut the 2nd piece and had plans for Sunday to try and make 2 more pieces and cut one more out. My goal is to be done before next weekend. My personal goal.

Sunday at 1AM the electricity went out and so the night was not a restful one. The electricity was out until 9:30 AM Sunday and we missed church. We were all tired and had a few errands to run and we came home to collapse for our mega nap! Wake up from our naps and decide (last minute) to invite friends over for dinner. This was quite refreshing but - no sewing progress made. Go to bed with the hopes that tomorrow will be a good day.

Monday - Steve left for a business trip and I awoke in a fog. Not a headache, just a fog. As though I was dragging through my day and HC began complaining of a tummy ache. Sometimes a tummy ache is not a true tummy ache so we tried to really understand what "my tummy hurts" meant this time. No clarity - night one over!

Tuesday - fog lifted and we played catch up on some of our school work. Great day but it ended with HC once again complaining of a tummy ache. I realized she hadn't had a b. movement in a few days so I began to ask more questions and found it wasn't a nausea but a cramping ache so I think .... constipation. B. movement done - HC still cramping. I hope she'll feel better tomorrow.

Wednesday - decent day.. errands to run... HC more grumpy and more visibly lethargic. The ants came marching in. All night Wednesday HC was up and down complaining of pain and crying and doubled over. So Mommy had little rest again.

Thursday - impromptu doctor's appointment to check out the belly ache. Doctor says she thinks HC may have caught a small version of the latest virus and she should be fine soon. Come home - rest a little and off to ballet. (HC is fine per the doctor and wanted to go so... we went) JB wanted to go inside HC's class and watch her dance. He was unhappyb but finally settled down while I read books to him. HC finished her ballet happily and we went home. The kids are now in bed as I wait for Steve to walk through the door.

Friday - I hope to recover and sew at least 2 pieces so that I can regain my momentum and hopefully have my first job complete before next weekend - as originally hoped. Meanwhile we've had school days and will finish up week 7 of school next week and have our first school break of the year! Quite a busy little week with many things thrown in there that were unexpected and the surprises really wore me out. It's a shame that we have finished 6 weeks of school this year and I am not celebrating such an accomplishment. I am beating myself up for one neglected thing.

Now I will remember that I should give myself a little grace when I think about the jobs that are still incomplete. They are not incomplete due to my procrastination. They are still incomplete due to the busyness of life. I was asked to do the jobs at the end of the summer. I then had a summer full of traveling. I did not have the specifics for job 1 (like the pattern/fabric) until a month ago. Finally when I had time to sit down and do the job - I had to adjust to the grind of each day.

Why do I bother to blog about this?? Maybe someone out there can give themselves a break too when they realize they are not super-Mom. I know I will have another blip of life like this past summer again one day and maybe I will encourage myself. Jobs 2 and 3 still need to be begun but the fabric/patterns have not yet been selected. The perfectionist in me wants the job request, the tools, time to sew, to be done and to sit back with a sigh of relief. All this back up makes me feel like a load is on my shoulders. I feel like I am not keeping my word. A week like this one reminds me - we cannot control every millisecond of life. I now choose to go with the flow again, without beating myself up when things seem to drag behind. Sorry if this is incoherent. I feel incoherent right now.

Distractions **updated**

Today I am trying to sew... but I am doing so with MUCH distraction. I have the TV in the background and for the 1000th time I hear the 'Might Putty' infomercial. Earlier they played the 'Caulk' deal thingy. I want both! They are so cool! Will I use them?? Will they work 'as seen on TV'? Maybe but I want to see if the Mighty Putty works! Even though there is no real tile in our shower - you never know when you will need to caulk something and smoothly finish the job with those flexible scraper things.

Seee? Distractions abound for me!

What about the water globe?? I have over watered plants before. I have under watered plants. I have watered a plant that was sitting on one of those trays and it overflowed onto my table/carpet. Currently - I have no indoor plant but... maybe I'll get another plant someday and I will need a magical watering globe.

The gopher tool - the one that helps you reach things up high. I can't tell you the number of times I have been inconvenienced by having to reach for things. So totally inconvenient.

What about the sweeper that swivels!!?? Only to find that you can get 2 for the price of 1~!!! WHAT A DEAL! Umm.. I actually almost bought this one.... you paid like $45 in shipping. That isn't BOGO to me. That is your shipping is the price of 2 and the extra is the price of being dumb enough to believe you were getting a deal.

But I want the infomercial gadgets! I want them ALL I tell you! These are the things distracting me today as I try to sew. Back to the grind....

***How could I forget to mention ShamWOW!!???***

Struggling to Grow

Over the weekend I made JB a pair of pants. He had to take off his shorts so that he could try the pants on - that way I could see where I needed to adjust the pants. We did this several times, and although JB has been dressing and undressing himself for sometime, I really noticed the struggle it was for him to do this simple task. It took so much effort and so much concentration. Something I do not even think about any longer is so much work for him. We had to battle with him a little on Sunday because he didn't even want to try to take off his shoes. He knew we were more than able and we wanted to show him how to do this for himself.

His desire for ease versus our desire for him to grow and learn. To develop skills that are basic skills. It made me stop and think. First of all - how often do we all want the easy way out. We know someone else is more-abled than we are in an area and so we don't want to even bother trying - let them do it! Why should I go through all this effort and struggle when they can do it without a thought. I sat and watched my little guy wrestle his will with ours. I watched him finally give a meager try with success. The success didn't please him, but over time - before we know it - he too will be dressing himself without even needing any of our help. HC needs our help less and less each day! As much as I enjoy my kids at their stages today, I know it will not benefit them one bit to keep them bound to needing me for the mundane tasks.

Thankfully, Father God keeps drawing us to grow and stretch too! I am one of those people who LOVES learning! I love to accomplish things and scratch them off of the list! I am also one of those people who drags their feet when change approaches me. I do it - but I do it scared! I doubt myself and I am not eager to change. How boring would life be if we stopped growing! I love the details that God added when He created heaven and earth! He knew the joy we would experience at each level! He knew that we would need the challenge of growing! What details!! He didn't leave a thing out!

Coupon Talk

Yesterday I began the day sewing... but quickly changed gears! I needed to take a break from it and gather my thoughts! I pulled out my stack of newspapers, that piled up while we were sick, and I began to clip coupons! I tossed the expired ones and added the new. It felt good to be able to finish something! I feel like my life is getting back on track. Finally.

I am now realizing that I need to keep a mini coupon holder in the van. There have been countless times we've decided to go to a restaurant (or... when we went to Chuck E Cheese) and I did not have my coupons with me. They were sitting at home because.. I didn't expect that I would need coupons that day. Our Zoo day did not include plans for Chuck E's- but we were living on the edge people!! :) You can not stop us! You never know when we will go out of the house for fun! :)

So, we walked in Chuck E's place and as we entered the door hubby asked: "Do you have those coupons with you?" Me: "No." (feeling much regret and wondering what we would pay). Before I knew it .... the lady who worked the door.... she.gave.me.a.COUPON!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had our deal anyway!!! I was so thankful! Our splurge didn't turn into a big ticket item! I do not know the cost we would have paid but I know God does show up in the most peculiar places!!

Grocery Shopping CAN Be Optional!

I just wanted to encourage my friends who've been saving to keep it up!! I haven't posted much about my shopping wins because I've not shopped much lately. We are pretty stocked up with groceries. I do need to go get my Walgreen's rebates and deals, but it has been a new experience to not need to go grocery shopping. We still need the weekly run for milk, yogurt, produce and snacks.. but that is it!

It is so freeing to not need to shop. If life gets hectic - and that can happen at anytime - then it is such a relief knowing your family isn't in a bind if you do not add the grocery store to your to do list!!

By the way, I am too proud of my latest sewing accomplishment to not announce it for all to see!!! Sew.... take a look at my accomplishment here! I really think I took this last class during a crazy busy time of my life, but I still had fun in spite of the challenge of it all!

A reminder

I wanted to remind you about my new sewing blog. I am going to try to post once a week now, I am shooting for every Monday. We will see how it goes. I now have the itch to sew again!!! I just need the fabric and I am off and running! My latest post at Pulling Thread is starring a new model, my niece!! She is a doll I tell you!! Check it out and let me know what you think!!

Sew What!

I have a new project!! I invite you to visit my new blog!!! Pulling Thread is mine!!! Even if you do not sew you MUST visit my new blog once!! Why?? I am glad you asked! BECAUSE my friend MommaRoar created my header and it is FABULOUS!!!!! I just wanted to let you know about my other world. I hope you enjoy your visit!!

Twirl Skort - almost!

Here is the latest pattern I've tried! It is SewSensible's Twirl SkOrt! At first I thought it was a skirt but later realized it was better - it is a skort.
My daughter LOVES wearing dresses and skirts but I often have battles with her when we go to the park or to the jumpers and I tell her she must wear shorts or pants. I don't like her to show her undies so this has become quite an issue in our home. Now this is the solution I needed! Here is my final product:The only problem is my fabric (the top fabric) was a little more difficult to work with than I first thought. Originally I thought the stripes were vertical so I planned on it being the bottoms. As I began sewing I realized it wouldn't show all the different stripes, so I made it the skirt. After cutting the fabric and once I began sewing, I quickly realized that the reverse side was not a straight line match of the front. I am sure it is a direct mirror of the front but it is more difficult to cut it perfectly and match it. I was becoming discouraged. I was to the point of attaching the skirt to the shorts when my husband waltzed in and told me the fabric was too much together. I began second guessing my choice like crazy - not like I wasn't doing that already with my lopsided matching of the skirt. So, I decided I would make the skirt separate from the shorts so that my work wasn't a total loss. So the photo above is the skirt worn on top of the shorts. Here's how the look when worn apart:
It didn't go as I expected (not due to the pattern but due to my fabric woes) but I am still pleased with the end product. HC will get much wear out of both pieces. Clearly a good ending. Plus I can use this pattern for skirts alone if I want!! Yay! Thanks SewSensible!! I believe this pattern is available on Ebay and will be available at You Can Make This soon too!

Last week wasn't ALL about sewing!

I've posted a bit much about my sewing wins lately but there were other things going on besides sewing. We were entertained by the newest band in town!! They totally ROCK!

The kids took a break from pretend swimming and boat rides to investigate cardboard caves.
HC from within the cave.
JB in the cave!
The discovery of being able to climb through the cave (all the debris was the Christmas wrapping paper that was stuffed in the box - these became snowballs - also referred to as snow globes by my two explorers).HC's turn to climb through the cave.This picture was taken in the dark with my flash.Same shot (except they switched sides) but without the flash. They were having so much fun with their flashlights! I love how well they play together! They even found time for an official tea party. They were talking with high pitch voices and drinking real live water! :) That was a special treat!We also had a much needed visit from Grandma. Grandma is the one in the apron and reading a goodnight story (at noon) to JB. Grandma had a fake voice too. It was hilarious!Then they had fun taking their naps in their great sleeping bags. What a fun week we all had!! I just wanted to share the fantastic adventures we had together last week while I also squeezed in my sewing victories!!

I sure do love these two little ones!! They are such good friends too! (HC also read some this week, she has read in the past but every word - even when repeated in the prior sentence - was so struggled. This time if she read 'Dad' in the first sentence, she just said "Dad" without a struggle in the 2nd sentence. She didn't struggle with sounding it out again. She just said it! This was a HUGE victory too!! We celebrated big time on this one!!!!) What a super super time!! I noticed that in most of these pictures JB is wearing his PJ's. When we hang around the house, he likes to stay comfy while HC MUST wear a dress or skirt of some sort! So that is the reason for PJ's, we stayed home most of the week! FYI! :)

Outfit #2. Done!

I KNOW you may be tired of all the sewing posts but I can't help it!! I am so excited with my latest creations!! I know I went on and on about how tough the pattern was for the white blouse I made HC, but after take 2 I have a different perspective!!!!! This chocolate blouse (using the same pattern) was so much easier to make. I haven't made the blouse (not counting the white one a few days ago) since Easter last year. That shirt (I made 1 year ago) was made with an instructor helping me. So HC's white blouse was my first official go with that pattern on my own. I felt like it was super difficult, just like I did one year ago.

When I made this shirt - I had no trouble. I guess I needed to get my mind thinking differently with the collar and this time - no problems at all!! I didn't have to rip anything out AND it looks well made on the inside too!! The white one is all puckered and after more inspection there are spots that should be covered (gaps in fabric near the collar) that are exposed if you were to lift the collar. So, I think it just takes one awful go of it and take 2 is much better! I feel great about this outfit.

The pants are from the SewSensible pattern I mentioned on my last post!! SOOOO very very easy! My only problem was with the ruffle this time. This was not due to the pattern but to my fabric. It was too thick for me to make ruffles the usual way. I had to manually fold out my ruffle on this outfit. Once I figured that out, I attached the ruffle with the pattern going upside down, so I had to rip it out and do it again! :) The fun!! Once I righted that wrong the pants were fantastic! SEW easy!! LOVE it!!!!

The best part is my daughter, who hates wearing pants, runs around the house in these pants with great joy. She LOVES to twirl in them!!!! I plan on making a few more pair with leftover fabric, but I think I will make the next pair in capri length, instead of long pants.

The easiest thing I've made yet!

My good friend SewSensible has another great pattern available on You Can Make This . I LOVE HER PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made a pair for HC last night!! SEW easy!! :) SOOO easy too!! My daughter is not a fan of pants and she actually likes these too. She calls it her skirt pants because they are so comfy and swirl out a teeny bit when she spins.


Here is what I made. I still need to put buttons on the shirt but I love the shirt with the pants!!
I plan on making the same outfit above with this fabric. The printed fabric will be the pants and the chocolate will be the shirt. I can't wait!!!!! I love this fabric and already made a dress for her with this, now I can use my remaining fabric on another cute outfit!! I've been saving it with hopes that something precious would cross my path and when SewSensible shared the pattern on her blog I KNEW this was the one!! I hope you will visit SewSensible and see ALL the cute stuff she has going on!! She has the most precious pattern for an Easter basket!! Not to mention the twirl skirt that I CAN'T wait to try too!! Thanks SewSensible!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the pants!!!

BAM - I took it up a notch

I have shared my sewing achievements over the last few months. Like this dress: I made a dress for my niece this Christmas and her mom held it up to a shirt with a peter p*n c0llar. I LOVED the way the shirt really dressed it up. So I made a shirt for HC to wear with her dresses. This shirt is quite frustrating to make. It is worth the effort but I put my blood, sweat and tears into this blessed shirt! :) I cut the fabric Saturday night and I sewed it this Sunday. I only have to put the buttons on and I am through! I love it! I will make her other shirts like this - but only after necessary breaks in between. I can become quite angry with the collar on this little thing if I am not careful. Once the collar is finished it is a breeze. That collar kicks my butt though! :) So here it is - the shirt:

I took a shot without using the flash in case it shows the shirt better (I see there are a few threads I need to cut).
The dress with the shirt. Don't you think the shirt dresses it up (more than a turtle neck does)???? Here it is on my model: I think when the buttons are on the shirt, the collar will lay better. It will not stick out as it appears to in the photo. Plus it needs to be ironed since it is complete.

And with a pair of jeans!! I am so excited!! It was work but it was worth the pain!

Blanket. Done!

I brought the kids on an errand to Hancock's a few weeks ago. My mission was to find the finishing pieces for a few dresses. As we were seeking out good finds something caught JB's eye. All of a sudden I hear him squeal and chant "Wook, WOOK Mom!!! It's Coos Coos. It's Coos Coos!!!!!!!!" First of all I tried to quiet him down, he NEVER behaves this way and it startled me. Then I realized what caught his eye. It was this Blue's Clues Fabric.

I rarely make anything for JB these days. I learned to sew after he was too big for the jumpers. He's all about the t-shirts and shorts now. Too big for the baby jumpers - sigh. (I wish I learned sooner.) I had to buy the Coos Coos fabric of course and I found a blue satin fabric to make him this blanket.

The reverse is all satin. My corners are not perfect - I wish I knew how to make square corners. Is there a secret to it?? If you know, let me know! JB LOVES his 'Coos Coos' Blanket! I am thrilled to make him anything, especially if he loves it.
I finished the evening by making HC yet another pillowcase dress. It frustrates me a little tiny bit (if I let it), that HC will only wear specific types of dresses. I have patterns for other cute dresses and patterns for awesome ruffle pants/shorts and she refuses to wear them. She is all about dresses and they must not be fitted. She likes the freedom of flowing dresses. That isn't so bad really, the dresses I make her ARE cute - they are just one style. I want to try other patterns. Anyway, HC is more than thankful when I make dresses for her. I can't complain really. So I won't! (smile)

Here is the latest dress. I took this picture after returning from church. HC was tired and NOT in the mood to be photographed.
I am thankful I finally learned to sew. Sewing was one of those things I always wished I learned. My next goal is to learn how to make a quilt. It is a long term goal. You won't be seeing any quilts I've made for a while I think. But when I do make one - you will be the first to know!

Fall Y'all Pillowcase Dress Winner

The result of my 'Fall Y'all Giveaway' is in! I hopped over to Random.org and the number they generated was number 37. The 37th comment was Chelsey! Congratulations Chelsey, you won the Pillowcase Dress !! Please send me an email with your mailing address and I will have this out to you asap.

I have to share how I ended up with a size 2T dress. I was making a pillowcase dress for my daughter and I was guessing at how much fabric I needed. My first cut was a little short, so I had to make another one. The first cut of fabric is what I used for the dress Chelsey won! My error was not a waste. I hope she and her daughter will enjoy this dress as much as my daughter enjoys hers!! Thank you all for participating in my first giveaway. This has been a lot of fun!!

Thanks again to Rocks In My Dryer for having this fun idea!

Fall Y'all Pillowcase Dress Giveaway

Please click this Fall Y'all link to see more participants. Thanks again Rocks in my Dryer for a great Carnival!

I am getting into the fun a little late but I am giving away this Size 2T Pillowcase Dress. It is in Brown Courdaroy with hot pink trim. I made this dress, it is not store bought. I know my daughter LOVES the comfort of this type of dress. Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you are interested in participating in this contest, please leave a comment. I will post the winner to this contest on the morning of November 5th. Here is the actual dress that is up for grabs.
Here is how it looks on. My daughter wears hers with leggings and a turtleneck when it is cold out. The one below is not a 2T. The one in the picture below is only meant to show you how the dress looks on.
****Update - comments closed and the winner will be announced in the morning!

More Pill*wcase Dresses

Once I get started I can't stop!!! I am finally sewing HC's fall dresses!!! WooHoo!! The weather has just begun to be cool within the last week or two. So I guess I am not THAT late! :) I love the cheeriness of this fabric!!! So bright and colorful! This fabric is one of my favorites!
This fabric is another fave!!
I am not sure why HC wears her tiara when posing for these pics, but I love it!
I just thought I would share some of my latest dresses!!! When I took sewing classes the teacher said "The #1 rule to sewing is to choose a fabric you love. It is much easier to get going when you love the material." That is SOOOOO true. I could not wait to do these two dresses!! Anyway, I will have another post or two on sewing soon! :) I love it when the dress or pattern is easy and fun.

I'm sewing again....

My friend Aimee', aka Sew Sensible, recently released her first e-pattern on You Can Make This. She asked me to give her pattern a go and I did. It was an easy pattern to follow, I haven't sewn in several months so it was a good choice to get my feet wet again. I only learned to sew a year ago. I have been wanting to get going again and this was just the kick-start I needed!

Here is HC modeling the one I made. I think I chose the wrong size for her. We may be passing this one on to a friend and making her another one her size. It should be a little longer on her (you can see how long it should be in the picture above). Live and learn.

Here she is with her arms down. You know how literal kids are. I told her to put her arms to her side and she looked like a robot. So I told her to relax her arms.
Since I was working on the romper, it motivated me to try making a pillowcase dress. We've bought a few of these and I KNOW they are super easy to make. (If you are in the market for this style of dress but do not know how to sew, On Tip Toes is an excellent source of pillowcase dresses.) So finally I decided to give it a go. I tell you - HC LOVES this dress. She was thrilled to wear it to church Sunday morning. She couldn't wait to show it off to her friends at church. I began both projects Saturday night and I hustled on the dress since HC wanted to wear the dress Sunday. HC wouldn't put Missy down so we had to set up a pose. HC was beyond thrilled that I accomodated her desire to keep Missy IN the photo.

HC and JB ready for church.
A closer picture, I wanted pink ribbon for her dress but only found pink with white polka dots. I know it doesn't match her hair bow but..... who cares! :) We like it anyway. So that is what I did this weekend. Ok, that is some of what I did this weekend. More on that later!

This is NOT my favorite!

I HATE this dress!! It is not a nice dress!! It looks innocent enough, I know. But do NOT be fooled!! This dress is VERY VERY VERY mean! I finished this part over 1 or 2 months ago.


Then came the ruffle. I know how to make a ruffle. Very simple. Except I have had TO RIP apart this ruffle 4 times before understanding what they intended for me to do! It is now ready to become a ruffle, but now I am mad at this ruffle and this dress. So it remains in this state!

The dress will look like the little green plaid dress on the pattern below. But not today! Today it will stay in the incomplete phase. I am holding a grudge against this dress and I am NOT ashamed to say so!! If my daughter wasn't aware of it, I would burn it! But she keeps asking me if the square dress (due to the plaid squares) is finished yet. So she may be traumatized if I burn it.



I was so frustrated with this pattern that I've made two items since I began sewing this one. I had to make something I liked so that I knew I could still sew! haha I made the white halter dress my daughter is wearing, in my blog-header, and this, but I cannot finish this "Easy" plaid dress. I just haven't blogged about this dress because it is EVIL! EVIL I tell you!! :) I will finish this dress eventually, once I am over my grudge, and I will not write a word. Well, maybe I will write "THERE". And that will be that! Thanks for letting me vent. Have a good day! :)