Heather's Custom Sewing

2012 Goals

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

In 2011 I set a few goals but what I started doing instead was writing down my monthly goals. Every month I created a list of things I wanted to accomplish. Sometimes I didn't finish everything on the list but sometimes I did more!

I'll be doing the same this year also. I've added a tab along the top that lists my goals by month. Once an item is done it'll be crossed off.

I'm ready to get this year started off on the right foot!

Do you make New Year's resolutions or make yearly or monthly goals?

A New Year, A New Adventure

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

2011 was an adventure in itself but I'm excited to embark on a new year and a new adventure!

In 2012 I'm looking forward to:

A new business venture
A fresh sewing room
A new, healthier me
Growing children

And while I'm not particularly looking forward to my husband's deployment in a few months I definitely see it as part of this crazy adventure we call life!

What are you looking forward to in 2012?

A New Blog Schedule

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here's my 2012 new blog schedule!

This is more of a 'suggestion' for me to stay organized with. I probably won't post every day but just as I have time and a topic.

Mission Mondays: I will have several missions going on in 2012 and will post about them on this day
Tutorial Tuesdays: posts about tutorials that I've done or have found online
Wordless Wednesdays: a photo post with no words
Anything Goes Thursdays: self explanatory
Fitness Fridays: progress on my fitness and weight loss goals
Sewing Saturdays: posts about projects I've completed or am working on
Deal of the Week Sundays: posts with info about sales or deals in my shop or other small business owners shops

I have really appreciated each and every one of you readers, you make my blog what it is!

A Bit of Randomness

2011-12-28T12:39:00.000-06:00

I'm playing a bit of catching up today. I meant to post the past several days but I have been too busy, first with Christmas and second with painting my sewing room.

All the painting is completed as of right now. The trim and doors got a glossy coat of white and the walls got a semi-glossy coat of frosty blue. I also installed new doorknobs and put up pretty new outlet covers. The room looks so much cleaner and larger now! My husband is working on the framework for built in shelves and a countertop! I am really missing my sewing room but I'm making up for it with a good book or two. I'm only going to post a one pic today just to show off the paint. I'll do a whole post with lots of pictures later when it's completed!

Christmas was great at our house as you can see by the mess the boys made…

The best combined gift the boys got were the rolly cart things.

Ian's best gift was a child-sized electric guitar.

And Jameson's best gift was a tent my husband and I made. I also made one for both of my nephews!

I made this Kindle cover before my sewing room was torn apart and it was a gift to myself. I've had my Kindle for about a year and it really needed some sort of protective covering when I take it places with me. This project was Pinterest inspired. I hand quilted the cover following the lines of the fabric print. I then put binding on and added resin snaps from my cloth diapering stash. I really love what I came up with! And it was good foresight since I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas!

I hope you all have had a great Christmas!

Ornament Exchange

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

I participated in the Great Holiday Ornament Exchange again this year!

The exchange is hosted by my sister, Tonya, via her blog and facebook fan page.

I signed up for 4 ornaments this year, which meant I would hand make 4 ornaments to send out and I would receive 4 hand made ornaments from others around the states/globe. You can see the felt bird ornaments I sent out HERE.

There is 1 ornament not pictured because the day I got it and put it on the tree it fell off and broke. :( And I have 2 extra ornaments from my sister! :) Her ornaments came filled with lots of goodies but they have already disappeared!

Bird Ornament

Owl Ornament

Reindeer Ornament

Pocket Ornament from Tonya

Scrappy Fan Quilt

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

I've been working on this quilt for about 2 months. I've used strictly scraps for the fan blades and tried my best to not let any matching fabrics touch when I sewed them together. I try to squeeze it in here and there but it seems to be taking me forever. The quilt started off with a fan design but I ended up changing my mind and sewing the fans together to form circles. I really like how it's turning out! After the new year, this quilt will be finished as quickly as possible!

Yule Blessings

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Shortest Day

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive.

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, revelling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us – listen!

All the long echoes, sing the same delight,

This Shortest Day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And now so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

By Susan Cooper

Small Cloth Diapers Now Available!

2011-12-20T06:27:00.005-06:00

Sewing Room Progress: well, I haven't gotten very far! All the holes are patched, sanded and ready to paint. I started taping off the beat up old wood work, sanding it to rough it up, and got a light coat of paint on a small part of the baseboards and all the window. I think it's going to take 2-3 coats of white paint to make it look really nice.

But the main reason I didn't get very far was because my little helper was a little too much help! Jameson (2 years old) wanted to help sand, tasted a chunk of drywall mud, drew pictures in the drywall dust on the floor (getting himself covered in the process), pulled up a section of tape, and wanted to do everything I did!

Painting was and will be done during nap times, which means it'll take me several extra days to finish it. Today I hope to finish sanding woodwork and taping. I will just need to find a good activity for busy little hands while I work.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That's all a round about way of saying that my sewing room is still closed for custom orders but I still have a bunch of ready to ship items!

This is a play off post of yesterdays post about the newborn cloth diapers. I also have small cloth diapers sewn up in the same style (different fabrics) and available in my shop. The small cloth diapers are a little bigger and roomier and would best fit babies 6 to 12 pounds.

I really enjoyed making these diapers and hope to have medium and large available after my sewing room is put back together!

Newborn Cloth Diapers Now Available!

2011-12-19T06:49:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited! My sewing room is getting a face lift! I started last night and everything is currently scattered around the house. I've put drywall mud on last night and will sand it all flat today. A fresh coat of paint will be put on, new shelves will be built in, and I'm getting an actual countertop L shaped table built in. So excited! I'll be taking pics to share later!

I'm telling you all this because I won't be able to work on any custom orders until it's done.

I have plenty of ready to ship items though, such as the newborn cloth diapers I listed in my shop not that long ago. These are really great and easy to use cloth diapers. I use them on Jameson and we both prefer them to some of his other cloth diapers.

Check them out HERE!

Deal of the Week (12-18-11)

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

This week's deal is 15% off all cloth dolls in my shop!

I really enjoyed creating these dolls… each is one of a kind. I find these dolls very inspirational to create and I love sharing them with others. I hope to be able to create more in the coming year!

Pricing has already been reduced… no need to remember any codes or wait for refunds.

Happy shopping!

Capes

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have several toddlers in my family, including one of my own! I thought they'd enjoy a cape this Christmas. I was worried about making the kind that has the neck strap that might choke a little one so when I came across the idea to put arm straps instead, I had to give it a try! No more choking! Another great feature of this cape is that it's reversible. I have so many great ideas running through my head for these! These turned out really great!

My model was a little uncooperative though. He didn't want me taking his picture and then I made him put away his cape until Christmas and he walked around pouting for about an hour afterwards. LOL

I've got a couple made up for my shop already. I don't have them listed just yet, which is too bad and a little late to be sending them out for Christmas anyways. Next year I'll be so much better prepared!

Headbands

2011-12-16T07:02:00.000-06:00

Here's another gift item I made this year. Perfect for the women in my family. I made myself one too. I have several of these already listed in my shop! I have a skinny headband style and a wide headband style. Both are reversible and have a stretchy elastic back. I love wearing mine!

Wallets

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here is another gift I've been working on… wallets!

These are for the older boys in my life. The military one is for Ian and the other is a gift. I haven't seen many good gift ideas for boys or men and when I came across the idea I just had to make them.

I'd like to add these to my shop or have at a craft show. If I did, what would you pay for them?

Hot Wheels Quilt Progress

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

This quilt has been in progress since the summer. This was a quilt Ian was working on as part of his homeschooling. But since we don't homeschool anymore and he's back in public school he hasn't had much time to work on it. I pull it out every now and then and ask him if he wants to work on it. He finally came to the realization that he's bored with sewing it and asked me to finish it. Now, I sew on it here and there and am making some nice progress on it.

The quilt center is completed and I'm working on the borders now. I'm thinking of mitering the center border for a bit more interest. After the piecing is completed I think I'm going to hand it over to my aunt and her long arm quilting business for some fun quilting! I am admittedly not very good at quilting. :) And that's what I have an aunt for! lol

Tangramesque Fabric Puzzle

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

I found the idea for this fabric puzzle on Pinterest. I thought it would make a really great gift for a toddler or younger child.

It is basically 3" mini quilts… 1 side is a full square, the other side is 2 triangles sewn together, with a batting sandwiched in between. I chose to use every color of the rainbow on the triangle side and black and white fabrics on the backside. All the fabrics came from my scrap pile which made me really happy to use them up!

I made 2 sets of fabric puzzles and 2 drawstring bags. One is for my toddler son and the other is a gift.

I envision lots of stacking, counting, color naming, eye spying, pattern creating, tossing, throwing, and scattering with these!

I was thinking about creating these for my shop or for a craft show. What do you think about that and what would you pay for a set?

Deal of the Week

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Deal of the Week is something I've decided to add to my blog schedule. Each week I'll post the new deal on Sunday morning and it'll run for the week. I might feature deals from my shops (sales, coupon codes, etc) or I might feature a friend's items or another crafty artisan that I've met along the way! If you would like to be featured in this section just email me with all the information! heatherscustomsewing@gmail.com

Deal of the Week!

MicroMops is having a 20% off sale until the end of the year. Everything has already been marked down so you won't even need to remember any codes!
Facebook Fan Page: MicroMops
My friend Amy runs this shop (and several other) and also blogs over at Mama's Little Monkeys.

Kids Messenger Bags

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

I had a little bit of a set back in the sewing room this week… my primary sewing machine up and died on me!!! I'm so sad! I bought the machine several years ago as a back up to my primary machine that broke and was in the shop. I ended up liking it enough to continue using it even after I got the other machine fixed. I have since collected other back up machines but the learning curve to learn the ins and outs of a new machine can be frustrating… especially when you're in the middle of a project!

These kids messenger bags was what I was working on when the machine broke. I'm not sure if the 4 layers of jean & 2 layers of batting in the straps did it in or what. Or maybe it's all the interfacing used… anyways...

Each of these messenger bags are gifts for children in my family. Ian is going to get the military one since that's his all time favorite thing! Except for the military one each bag is made from jean (outside and strap) and a printed fabric (bag liner and flap).

I've considered adding these to my shop but I'm not sure. What do you think? And if I did what would you pay for one?

Mug Rug from Linda

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Look what Linda from Casa Boose in Stitches sent me! She used a piece of several quilt blocks I sent her awhile ago. My mother-in-law had started the quilt, I attempted to finish it and gave up so I offered it up to my readers and Linda took it off my hands!

It was so nice to get something so unexpected in the mail. Thank you very much, Linda!

Jameson and I found the perfect spot for it and he even helped me decorate it. He prefers his cars…

But I think I prefer this...

Ahhh Hexi 3: The Columbine, 2 Versions

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm really sorry for being MIA lately! It's been very busy around here with the holidays and with the extra volume of things that I've been working on (and the fact the hubby's computer died so he steals mine in the evenings which is the time I usually spent blogging)! I'll be pre-scheduling some posts soon to show off all the pretty things I've done! I've been working very hard, not just in the sewing room, but on a few personal matters which have also kept me from writing so much. But everything is all good and I feel good and I'm ready to finish this year out right!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Have you been following along with Tonya (my Sissy!) and her Ahhh Hexi Learn Along? You haven't?! For shame…

Just kidding! (Or am I??)

Well, I'm a little behind on her learn along but that's OK! These 2 hexagons are nearly the same with only the center portion changed.

In the first version I used bright Hawaiian colors. The bold pink is actually a hand dyed fabric I got from Tonya a while ago. Pretty isn't it?

The second version I used a pink and white matching fabric that I'd purchased awhile ago. To get the stripes to match up I had to glue the fabric to the cardstock which I've never done before. I think this one is my favorite so far!

Show-N-Tell & A Sale Announcement!

2011-11-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

It's time for another show-n-tell! I have been working pretty hard and not leaving much time for blogging. I've cut back on TV viewing & Facebook surfing- my 2 biggest time wasters. Instead I've completed several projects and read a book or 2. :)

2012 Planners
I've completed 2 planners for 2012. One is for myself (mermaid cover) and the other is a gift (bird cover). The planner has daily, weekly, and monthly sections, coloring pages, and journal prompts. The book is more of a journal/planner all in one kind of thing. I made the covers and hope to do a tutorial for that soon. They turned out great!

Thanksgiving Banners
I've finished my glue batik banners. They turned out really nice and I think I need to make something for every holiday now!

Ahhh Hexi's
I've completed my second and third hexagons in the series and am working on the 2nd version of the 3rd hexagon. I haven't started the 4th hexagon yet and might not get to it for a bit since it's very detailed. I really enjoy making these! Want to make your own? Hop on over HERE to learn how.

Fall Leaf Garland
I also made a very simple fall leaf garland from felt, cut into leaf shapes, and yarn, sewn through the center of the leaves. This was a quick and easy project and fits perfectly on my kitchen hutch!

Cloth Diapers
Most of my time recently has been taken up working on my cloth diaper business. I've got a new fitted diaper pattern (actually I wrote about it back in July and had Jameson test it for me). I've been working hard at gathering supplies and equipment so I can grow my business. I purchased a KAM snap press , a couple different PUL diaper fabrics, and some microfiber soaker cloths, plus some organic bamboo velour. I hope to get the new diapers listed soon!

A Sale Announcement!
I'll be having a sale starting Black Friday (11/25/11) all the way through Cyber Monday (11/28/11). Get 25% off in both my shops using coupon code Santa25.

Have fun shopping! I'll be doing some online shopping too, looking for some good deals and hopefully finding that perfect gift!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Ornaments

2011-11-21T13:06:00.001-06:00

I've been a busy bee lately working up some fun felt and crocheted ornaments. I'll be keeping some and giving the rest away as gifts but I won't tell who is getting what as I'm not sure if any of the recipients read this. :)

5 Felt Birds- 3 Cardinals & 2 Snowbirds

Close Up of the Birds

Felt Gingerbread House

Felt Matryoshka Doll

Crocheted Gold Stat Ornaments

Close Up of the Star

My Sewing Room

2011-11-16T12:06:00.001-06:00

I always love seeing other peoples craft spaces and sewing rooms and I thought I'd share mine with you. My husband and I are in the planning phase of making some built in bookshelves with a counter top and a cutting center that will stretch onto 2 walls of my sewing room. The hope is for a more efficient space with tons of extra storage. We'll be doing a few small projects around the house Thanksgiving weekend that will help prep for the new changes and I'm super excited to get started. New paint, new shelves, new sewing space. Ahhhh! I can't wait!

But for now this is my sewing room (which is only a 10'x13' room)...

My sewing table and writting/computer desk which faces the window that looks out into our back yard.

To the left of the writting desk are my shelves full of current projects and a little of this and a little of that. My dressform, which is fully dressed, and a small bookshelf fill in the extra space.

The opposite wall from my sewing table is my vanity which holds my yarn and thread collection along with my hair and make-up stuff (no outlet or space in the bathroom so it has to go here). The small shelf next to it has my extra sewing machines, shipping supplies, sewing books, business books, etc.

To the right of the sewing table is my design cork board, ironing board, and a small storage closet.

Inside the storage closet I have all my ready to ship inventory, sewing patterns, hand dying stuff, quilt batting, more boxes of stuff, etc.

This is the basement fabric storage area. Most of my fabric is here on mini-bolts.

And before you ask... I'm in between projects which is why my sewing room is so clean. ;)

Perfectly Imperfect

2011-11-14T18:59:00.001-06:00

I recently read a really great post over at SimpleMom.net about how it's ok to not be perfect, to not have it all together. So I thought I'd fess up too and let you in on some of the stuff I don't do.

I don't dress nice everyday. In fact, today I never changed clothes after my morning yoga session.
I don't wear make up or do my hair. Occasionally I do or when I feel like I need something extra but it's definitely not every day!
I don't clean the house daily or even weekly. It gets cleaned about once every 2 weeks (vacuum, dust, mop, bathrooms, etc). Clutter, on the other hand, gets dealt with on a daily basis, if not it goes in my 'in-box' to deal with as soon as possible. Clutter and cleaning are 2 different things in my book. :)
I don't exercise regularly. I'm really trying to remedy this but having a toddler in the house is not conducive to exercising in a timely manner. lol
I don't run errands as often as I should. It's exhausting to shop with a toddler who screams that he's 'stuck' at the top of his lungs when you buckle him in the cart while getting dirty looks from the other shoppers. Not fun.
I don't do dishes… much. Throughout the day dishes get tossed in the sink (that's my only rule… dishes must go in the sink). At the end of the day I rinse them off & stick them in the dishwasher. Sometimes I don't even rinse. Handwashing, such as the big pots and pans, usually sit until I have a nice big stack, making it worth my time to wash them all at once.
I don't make my bed, or the kids beds. The only time they get made is when fresh sheets get put on (which I do weekly) and then the bed gets jumped on almost immediately… gotta love those toddlers!
I don't make Ian's school lunches anymore. I used to when he first started going to school, then he came home to be homeschooled to get him over a hump (that's another thing I don't do anymore… homeschool) and this year I applied and qualified for reduced lunch costs so I don't have to make his lunch at home anymore. This makes my morning routine SO much easier!
And lastly, I don't feel guilty for not doing these things!

So what about you?! I'd love to hear about the things that you don't do that make you perfectly imperfect!

Something for Me: The Walk Away Dress

2011-11-10T17:16:00.001-06:00

I wrote about this earlier in the week. I'm really trying to update my wardrobe with new, pretty, and vintage style clothes.

This pattern actually has a little history behind it. It was first printed in 1952 by Butterick. It was so popular that they shut down the production of all other patterns until they caught up on this one. I actually wrote more about this in my Pattern Drafting Series: A Historical Timeline.

I love, love, love this dress! It was fairly simple to put together although the skirt hemming and binding was time consuming and it uses almost 5 yards of fabric... but you gotta love that circle skirt! It's very twirly, girly, and flirty. ;)

And for those curious... here's the most recent face behind the shops/blog/sewing machine!

Show 'N Tell

2011-11-07T13:19:00.000-06:00

Good grief! A whole 'nother week has blown by without me writing a blog post! I've been in a funk, I guess, and no amount of scheduling is making me want to blog right now. I'm not sure why! So, I guess I'll just be posting here and there until things are better.

Today I wanted to show off some things I've completed recently and other things that are near to being complete. Not blogging as often is sort of a good thing in the craft room… I'm not being stretched in as many directions and I'm trying to do some deep focusing, which means I'm getting a good many things completed on my sewing to-do list!

Hexagon Wall Hanging

I'd been hand sewing all these little hexagons together for some time and to be perfectly honest I was sick of the fabric. The pattern wasn't coming together like I wanted and I was tired of fussing with it. So I said enough was enough, quilted it, bound it, put some loops on it, & hung it on my wall. Ah, much better!

Scarf

This was another of those 'I just want it done already' projects. I guess it didn't help that my toddler ripped my knitting needles out of the project at one point and unraveled part of it. I got the needles back in but had trouble getting the pattern to match back up, so I bound off the part I got done and used the extra yarn to make 2 crocheted granny squares for the ends. It's definitely different but I like the look and I'm so glad the project is off my list!

Christmas PJ Pants

I decided that my boys and I will have matching PJ pants this Christmas. My husband is not included in the 'boys' part of this project. He wouldn't be caught dead in something other then plain or plaid fabric. lol I don't have a completed picture but they are all done! I made the patterns myself by copying existing pants onto wrapping paper and adding seam allowances. I have some extra flannel left over that I *might* get the chance to making into a simple lap quilt before it gets warm again.

Ahhhh Hexi's

If you're not familiar with this Sew-Along, hop on over and check it out! I've completed my first star hexagon and have started working on my second one. It's nice to sit and hand sew on these and listen to the radio or a book on tape/cd.

Thanksgiving Banners

I've started a couple of Glue-batik banners. I found the instructions on Pinterest (my guilty pleasure). More on this at a later date when they are finished and I know how well it works… or not.

The Walk Away Dress

Lastly, I bought myself some vintage sewing patterns. I'm hoping to 'update' my wardrobe. I'm a fanatic for rockabilly although I have as yet to show it on the outside. I decided I need to make a few changes in a few ways awhile ago and honestly I'm tired of trying to fit into other peoples idea of what I should be and do and wear. So there you go, maybe that's why I've not been blogging much, I've been too introspective lately. Anyways, more pics when it's done!

I have a couple other things I've been working on but I will hold off on talking about them until they are done. Hope you all have a great week!

Organizing My Work Space: Order Baskets

2011-10-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a tip for those that have a sewing business (or just a bunch of WIP's~ works in progress's).

I have finally found a way to organize that works for me. I have these canvas baskets that I bought from Walmart awhile ago. They used to hold all my scrap fabrics but I've done a serious destashing lately (use, toss, or donate). Things have greatly pared down leaving me with empty baskets.

I decided they'd be the perfect way to organize my current orders or projects. I put everything I need inside the basket and on the outside I pin a piece of paper that has all the information I need (what it is, date started, to-do's, etc).

Doing this has really sped up my process and allowing me to accomplish even more!

Fabric Giveaway- Winner!

2011-10-28T13:03:00.002-05:00

Drum roll please!

And the lucky winner is.....

Congrats Melissa!

She wrote:

'Great fabric - I especially love the cupcakes!'

I'll be contacting you soon!

A Hiccup

2011-10-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

We've had a bit of a hiccup in our schedule this week. Well, maybe a stomach bug isn't so much a hiccup as a monkey wrench. Of course, I just had to get it too! And all you mothers out there know that when mama gets sick the whole house practically stops working. I'm better now… thank goodness!

I've had several posts I wanted to write in the past couple days but I just didn't have the energy. So today I'll just do a little bit of randomness and then get back on track with things tomorrow!

I'm still doing well with keeping my TV viewing time to about 2 hours a day (including while being sick and sitting in bed). Now that I feel better I'll probably be too busy to even watch that much. Jameson, however, has not been doing well. I've let him watch way more then 2 hours a day especially while I was sick. I'm trying to cut him back down again. Ian hasn't gotten sick (hope it stays that way!) & he's been too busy with school and other things to be watching TV.

Sewing Machine

I got a 'new-to-me' sewing machine awhile ago. It's a Husqvarna Viking. This belonged to my step-mother-in-law (SMIL) and my father-in-law (FIL) finally decided to let it go (to me). If you know my FIL, he hoards. Last year he cleaned out SMIL's fabric stash. Well, he basically just brought it all to me to deal with and I'm glad because much of it was still good to use but the place it was stored in would have deteriorated it within 6 months. Anyways, this machine is supposed to be a work horse and I'm glad he knew right where to find it. It also has a deep and thin throat which is ideal when sewing those little armholes. But I got this machine specifically to sew my jean diaper covers on. Lets hope it works… I still haven't had time to turn it on! And let's see this machine makes machine #8… I collect sewing machines apparently. ;D

Quilt

I've been busy piecing and appliquéing a new quilt. I'll just show you a sneak peak of the main block design. I've used all scraps from my past sewing projects which I can recognize and remember most of.

Ahhhh Hexi's!

My sister is starting a hexigon tutorial on her blog… hop on over and check it out! I'll be joining in. :)

Giveaway

Don't forget I still have a giveaway going on… hop on over to that post and add yourself to the comments. The giveaway closes tomorrow sometime (probably during nap time).

And lastly, let's hope for NO MORE monkey wrenches!!!

Giveaway! Christmas Fabric Scraps

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

*This giveaway is closed! Thank you to everyone who entered!!*

Attention all quilters (or anyone who just loves fabric)! I'm having my first giveaway!

I recently finished sewing up all the Christmas aprons for my shop and I have a ton of scraps laying around. I couldn't bring myself to toss this yummy fabric and I have no time to sew it up into a quilt or anything else! There is a bunch of different Christmas fabrics plus several solids.

So what do you need to do to win? Just leave a comment on this post. One entry per person and make sure you leave your email address or some way for me to contact you. Easy Peasy!

The drawing will be held this Friday, October 28, 2011, sometime during the day (probably nap time). I will edit this post when it's closed so you all know.

Good Luck!!!

The TV Free Me

2011-10-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

It's recently come to my attention that I'm watching entirely too much TV. It's on practically 24/7. Well, I was getting a little fed up with it so I decided to challenge myself (and my 2 kids) to cut down to 2 hours of TV a day. Depending on your perspective that can either seem like a lot or seem like you've just had the rug pulled out from under you! Well, we are in the later category in my house. My husband is not on board with this new challenge and that's OK, as long as he keeps his TV watching to when it doesn't interrupt our 2 hour minimum. So far so good. :)

So how do I keep track of how much TV we're watching? Well, I wrote it up on our dry-erase board. (But I'm thinking I'll make a simple word doc design, cover it in clear contact paper, and use velcro on the tokens). We each get 4- 30 minute tokens a day. I also made up a few simple rules to go with it. We only get 2 hours a day, once that's gone then it's gone for good, and you can lose TV viewing time with bad behavior but not earn it back. Easy Peasy.

One thing that is tough for Ian (almost 9) is the boredom syndrome. To combat that I made up an 'Idea Jar'. There are all kinds of ideas in the jar, from chores to games to craft and sewing ideas. I wrote some simple rules out for this too. We are headed into the winter and times will be hard to get outside so the first rule is to pick an idea that's weather appropriate (inside and outside have been written them). He is also not allowed to pick and idea, not like it & put it back, once the idea is picked he must go do it, and with out complaining. Lastly, he's to have fun!

So how are we doing so far? We started mid-week last week.

Jameson is doing pretty good. He is still asking to watch TV pretty regularly although he's not throwing a fit when he's told no. He's learning to use his imagination and reading a lot. He just turned 2 on Oct 1st, by the way. :)

Ian is also doing pretty good. He was sick and stayed home the 2nd day of our new TV rules and did really well. He pulled several ideas from the Idea Jar and spent a good amount of time with his nose stuck in a new book. He is almost 9, by the way. :)

I am doing excellently! I've gotten my TV viewing time down to about 30 minutes a day. My days are just too full to watch TV now. I've been reading and journaling more. I've been piecing a new quilt together, working on custom orders, and taking care of my business in general, and even took the TV out of my sewing room. I've also canned quite a bit of food recently and have been spending more time in the kitchen actually taking my time to cook a meal. I've done a million things here and there! I'm so glad I took this plunge!

Scrappy Fan Quilt

Home Canned Goods

TV removed from my sewing room!

Pattern Drafting 101: Sewing Machine Needle Primer

2011-10-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

Choosing the right kind of sewing machine needle for your sewing projects can seem a little daunting. But it doesn't have to be! All you basically need to do is match the type of needle to the type of fabric you are using.

Sew Mama Sew had the most comprehensive information out there and it should answer all your sewing machine needle questions.

• Sharp points (regular) are for use with woven fabrics (including cotton and linen etc) because they cause a minimum amount of puckering and produce an even stitch without damaging the fabric. These are not recommended for use with knits as they can cause skipped stitches. Sharp points are more slender through the shaft and should be used when edge stitching on woven fabrics, sewing on finely woven fabrics or heirloom stitching on very fine fabrics. They are also a good choice when sewing with synthetic suede. These needles come in varying sizes from the finest size 9 to the heaviest size 18.
• Universal Point needles have a slightly rounded point that is similar to the ball point needle and is used for general, every day sewing of most woven or knit fabrics. The needle is tapered so that it slips through the fabric weave of the knit easily whilst still retaining enough sharpness to pierce the cloth. It is usually Universal needles that come with your sewing machine. They come in many different sizes with the 14/90 and the 11/75 being the most popular.
• Ball Point needles are specifically designed to be used with knit and stretch fabrics. They have a rounded point rather than a sharp one (the larger the size of the needle, the more rounded the needle point) and they push between the fabric yarns rather than piercing them the way the Sharp Points do. The needles should be used when sewing with interlock knits, coarse knits and other fabrics that will run if snagged. The needles come in varying sizes from 9 to 16. The larger the size of the needle, the more rounded the needle point is.
• Embroidery needles have a larger needle eye to accommodate the thicker embroidery threads. They are also designed to protect the decorative threads from breaking.
• Quilting needles (called Betweens) have a tapered point that allows you to stitch through several layers of fabric (usually the quilt sandwich) and across intersecting seams. They have a tapered point to prevent damaging the often heirloom quality fabrics used in quilting. They are generally smaller and stronger than normal needles with a small eye. They come in sizes 9,10,11,and 12.
• Topstitching needles are for use with heavier topstitching thread and as such have an extra large eye and a deeper groove. They can also be used with a double thread for a more pronounced stitch. Using the correct top stitching needle can make a real difference to the finished look of your project.
• Wedge Point needles are used less often as they are designed for use with leather and vinyl. They easily pierce the fabrics and create a hole that will close back up on itself. The wedge shape makes it a superior needle for piercing tough, unyielding fabrics such as leather or suede. These needles come in varying sizes from 11 to 18. The smaller sizes are suitable for softer, more pliable leather, whilst the larger sizes are designed for heavy leathers, or multiple layers.

Understanding the type of needle is extremely important to achieve a high quality finished project, but so is knowing which size needle to use.
The general rule is that the needle size is judged by the type of fabric being sewn, although there are always exceptions:
• Delicate Fabrics: When sewing with fabrics such as silk, chiffon, voile, fine lace or organza a fine “size 9″ needle would usually be the best choice.
• Lightweight Fabrics: When using lighter weight fabrics such as synthetic sheers, batiste, taffeta or velvet would a “size 11″ needle would be the normal choice.
• Medium Weight Fabrics: When sewing with slightly heavier weight fabrics such as gingham, poplin, linen, muslin, chambray, wool crepe, flannel, knits, jersey, wool, wool suiting, or stretch fabrics a “size 14″ needle is generally best.
• Medium-Heavy Fabrics: Sewing with fabrics such as gabardine, heavy suiting or tweed would require a “size 16″ needle.
• Heavy Fabrics: When using heavy weight fabrics such as denim, ticking, upholstery or canvas a “size 18″ needle is the most suitable.

The final and perhaps the most important piece of information that needs to be taken in to account when sewing, is that you should always replace a dull or damaged needle straight away. Damaged needles can be responsible for skipped stitches and tearing fabric as well as also causing damage to your actual sewing machine if they nick the bobbin case. And of course you don’t just change your needle if it gets damaged or if you change fabrics, you should also change them every time you start a new project to ensure that you are always sewing with the sharpest needle possible.

Source

Christmas Aprons

2011-10-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

This morning I sewed the last stitch on my newest Christmas Aprons! I took pictures, mind you with plenty of help from my just-turned-2-year-old helper, and got them listed just before lunch!

I've already sold the Christmas Cupcake mother/daughter matching apron sets but the other set is still available. I also have a couple other sets and individual aprons already listed in my shop in the Christmas section.

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? All I've done so far is go thru a toy catalog and circle fun looking things for the boys. I guess that's better then nothing!

Eco-Friendly Gift Bags

2011-10-17T06:12:00.001-05:00

This year I've been busy preparing my shop for Christmas early. I've added a new line of eco-friendly Christmas tote and drawstring gift bags. You can reuse these year after year and can be given as part of a gift too. The drawstring bags are my favorite and I need to make myself some!

You can see these and all the Christmas items I have listed in this section of my shop.

Here's an Update!

2011-10-16T18:04:00.004-05:00

Has it really been over 2 weeks since I updated my blog? Wow! I've been in a funk lately… not really in the mood to reading others' blog posts or writing posts for my blog. Instead I've been busy, busy, busy planning some important changes for my sewing business and spending more hours than I have in a long time sewing and creating things!

Since I have the ball rolling on my plans and am not having to focus on that so much anymore I thought it was time to get back here. :) I had almost 100 posts to read thru… I skimmed them and commented on a few, but I mostly just wanted to get thru them to see what I've missed. Now that's done I can focus on writing something. ;)

I've got a lot to post about and I decided to break it up into multiple posts. My calendar comes in really handy for that! Today I thought I'd just keep it short and sweet and just let you all know that I'm still alive and kickin'!!

And I'll leave you with a few pictures…

What's on my sewing table right now? Some pretty Christmas fabrics. These in particular are being turned into a mother/daughter or grandmother/grandchild matching apron set.

What's on my night stand right now? Some lovely yarn that I'm knitting into a scarf for myself. I'm due for a project for ME so this is it!

Pear Sauce

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got a bunch of pears from the food bank awhile ago. I always get the perishable left overs that no one wants and these were almost at the toss-them-out stage. So what to do with them when no one wants to eat them? Make pear sauce!

Pear sauce is basically applesauce made with pears instead. You could even make pear butter with this. You can find my applesauce/apple butter recipe HERE. And while your at it can it and save it for those frozen winter months when you're dreaming of fresh foods. MMMmmmm....

Knitted Socks

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to learn to knit (or crochet) socks for years now. I've never had the courage, time, patience, or skill to try until I got me one of these…

This is a knitting board, specifically made for knitting socks. I got mine at Jo-Ann's using my coupon.

I decided to test my new toy using some not-so-loved sock yarn in my stash and by picking the smallest foot in the house (aka Jameson) to make them for.

The loom I got is adjustable and using a simple formula I was able to figure out how many pegs to use and where to adjust the movable side to.

The whole thing was made even easier by a DVD that came with loom AND on their website they have even more videos to help you get started and making all kinds of things (not just socks). You can purchase all their available knitting boards straight from the website too. I'm thinking about getting one to knit dishcloths on.

The end product turned out better then I could have hoped, even with the funny looking yarn. LOL But Jameson doesn't care, he just thinks they are cool because mommy made them for him!

Sewing Sunday

2011-09-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

I meant to write this yesterday for Sewing Saturday but the day just got away from me. At least today starts with an S, right? LOL :)

I've been pretty busy in my sewing room lately. I've been completing several small projects so while it looks like I've gotten a lot of things done here (and I have!), each item didn't take that much time to make. I really love doing small projects, specially after the large wholesale orders I've just completed the week before.

I completed the wetbag wholesale order for Karin at Dominopads.com at the beginning of the week. I also made 1 bag in each color for my shop. So I now have 4 new small wetbags in my shop ready to ship!

I've been really wanting to work through my sewing to-do list and I'm finally getting the chance to do that. This week I choose to make headbands and sewing rolls. I made 5 narrow headbands, 5 wide headbands and 5 sewing rolls. I really like the headbands but I didn't make one for me, that'll have to go back on my to-do list. :) I made myself a sewing roll a long, long time ago and finally got around to making some for my shop. Here are a few pictures but you can find all the headbands in this section of my shop and all the sewing rolls in this section of my shop.

Lastly, Jameson's 2nd birthday is right around the corner! I've really tried to keep our budget as low as possible. I try to buy 1 large gift, this year I got him a 30 piece organic building block set hand made by an artisan on Etsy. It used walnut and oak woods and is beautiful! It was expensive BUT it will last for years and years and possibly through some grandkids too. (Mommy might play with them too.) :) Then, I try to make a gift or 2. I purchased some on-the-go play mats to sew up for a craft show, which I haven't had time to do, so I pulled one out to sew up for Jameson instead. It turned out super cute! I basted it using this method (minus the boards, I just rolled it tightly) and I have NO wrinkles on the back (my perpetual problem) and I quilted it using basic straight line quilting following the streets and around all the buildings. This is another gift that will get lots and lots of use I'm sure!

I've already got my to-do sewing list figured out for next week. I hope I get just as much done as I did this week! Have a good day All!!

Carrots

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen such huge carrots before? I haven't! I'm not sure what variety they are.

I received these as 'unwanted left overs' from the local food bank recently. I took a morning and cleaned them up, sliced them, and canned them. Now we'll have fresh home canned carrots in the middle of winter!

You can find my recipe and instructions on canning carrots HERE in my Canning 101 Series. Enjoy!

T-Shirt Yarn

2011-09-20T10:38:00.001-05:00

I've recently gotten into recycling or up-cycling things. I repurposed a t-shirt last week and this week I made some t-shirt yarn from some old t-shirts. The shirts were getting a little worn out and some how almost all my shirts get holes where the button of my jeans hit. I hated tossing these out so I decided to make them into something new!

You can find a tutorial on how to make t-shirt yarn, HERE.

Now I'm ready to make a new kitchen hot pad or crocheted rag rug. :)

Up-Cycled T-Shirt

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love T-shirts but I don't really care for how baggy they are on me. I decided recently to give up-cycling a try with one of my old shirts to see if I could make something new from something old.

I began by cutting off the hems around the sleeves and bottom edge. Then I cut off the collar and cut it down into a v-neck and added a slit down even farther. This gave it a nice look that I really love. I then measured in 2" on each side at about the waist and 1" at the bottom, drew a line and sewed it up. After words I serged all the edges for a nice clean look. And viola… a new shirt!

Wordless Wednesday: I Heart Muffins

2011-09-14T09:22:00.002-05:00

Tastey Tuesday: Apple Butter

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

I recently got a nice big batch of apples and decided that it was time to make some yummy apple butter!

This is one of the easiest things to make but it takes quit a while. The end results are so worth it though. :)

You can find my recipe and instructions on how to can the apple butter HERE.

Enjoy!

Sweet Treat Halloween Candy Bags

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've finished all the new candy bags for this Halloween! These are the perfect size bags for holding all that yummy candy. And the best part is that they are reusable year after year!

I've also got several other Halloween items in my shop. Hop on over there and check them out!

Riddle Me This...

2011-09-10T16:55:00.001-05:00

How does an almost 9 year old put a giant hole in his bed sheets while he sleeps?

Me: (after finding them in the laundry) Ian, what happened to your sheets?
Ian: Iuhuh (translation: I don't know)
Me: Did you do this on purpose?
Ian: NO! I was sleeping so how should I know?
Me: Uh, huh... well... don't do it again.
Ian: (commence eye rolling and annoyed grunts indicating that I just don't 'get it'.)

So, your guess is as good as mine! Buying new ones isn't in the budget at the moment so I decided a little mending would be the way to go. New sheets might be on Ian's christmas or birthday list. :)

These sheets are the jersey knit kind so they are pretty much like a t-shirt material. Well, I searched all over for a color to match but I couldn't find one. LOL I measured the hole to determine how big of a square of t-shirt I'd need, then cut apart the t-shirt and rotary cut the size square I needed. I then pinned it onto the sheet and used a decorative (or zig-zag) stitch around the whole edge. Flip the whole sheet over and cut away the old holey portion. Viola... a mended sheet for pretty much nothing.

My New Sewing Basket and Other Stuff

2011-09-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was walking around wally-world. They've been messing with their fabric department, changing it, removing it, bringing it back... I wish they'd make up their mind already! Anyways, I found the cutest sewing basket for just $20mso I had to get it! I love it and have it filled up already. It's just what I've needed for my hand work and I keep it on my bed side table.

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I give up trying to exercise while I have children at home. I can't safely get on my treadmil with a toddler near by and trying to exercise at nap time is not working for me because that's my time to focus on sewing. I think I'm causing myself more stress trying to figure out how to fit it in so I'm just not going to worry about it right now. In a year or 2 Jameson will probably go to preschool and then he'll be in kindergarten. I'll just think about it then!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My husband has been out of town this week at a class. He's getting certified for a new program he'll be using at work. While, I love the fact that I don't have to share the bed or cook as much, I'm ready for him to come home!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything is going well otherwise. I'm keeping very busy with my sewing business. I've had a couple wholesale orders, a couple other orders, and some new ideas for my shops. I think my only problem now is time management and not being able to stay totally focused. Any suggestions for that?

Wordless Wednesday: A future tattoo???

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tastey Tuesday: Honey Mustard Glazed Ham

2011-09-06T19:49:00.001-05:00

I made this YUMMY ham for the Labor Day weekend. It was great to snack on all weekend long and the glaze is the best I've tried so far. Mmmm!!!

Honey Mustard Glaze

5 Tbs. French style mustard

2 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. honey

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and apply glaze 30 minutes before ham is finished cooking. Cut recipe in half if the ham is small.

Santa-Cali-Gon Days

2011-09-05T13:03:00.001-05:00

This year we hit up one of the biggest and best festival! Santa-Cali-Gon Days was featured as the #10 from the Sunshine Artists 200 Best Festivals and was recognized by the National Geographic's Traveler's Magazine. This is THE festival to go to.

My dream is to one day have a booth and sell my products there. But that will have to be in the future when my children aren't so little.

I didn't get any pictures of the vendors but I got a few pictures of us and the carnival. We had so much fun and the weather was perfect!

And next time I'm going to remember to put on sunblock. Ouch!

September… Already?

2011-09-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

Didn't August just start? Where did the time go?

Anyways, I've been super busy over here!

I've been sewing my little fingers off on an up-cycled jean diaper cover order. I got them completed this evening- thank goodness!

I've also been working on some Sweet Treat Halloween Candy Bags. I've just started on them but it shouldn't take me too long to get them done.

And I've been making copies of all my patterns. I can't tell you why yet but I will hopefully soon. I'm so excited but I have to keep the secret for now!

Other then sewing I've been very busy with the boys.
Jameson is growing like a weed! He's one short month away from being 2!

Ian's been doing pretty good in school. He talks. He gets in trouble. And he talks some more! Ok, so the talking is the only problem. This week I helped him study for a test on different communities. He was having trouble getting it so we made a visual map while we studied!

Lastly, I'm doing really well at keeping my stress level pretty low. I'm getting more sewing time in, more time to cook meals, and more time to just have to myself. Everything seems to be going pretty good!

Writer's Block

2011-08-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

I've been suffering from a little bit of writer's block lately! But I've always heard that the best thing to do is to just sit down and write… no matter what you write about… it usually helps you get over the slump.

So what have I been up to lately?

Well, last Friday my husbands car broke down while he was out of town. I 'got' to go pick him up. I drove the 2 hours to where he was while pulling a tow-dolly, which I've never done before. My whole day was basically taken up but it was definitely something worth doing. By the way, my husband has already gotten his car fixed!

I've also been doing a bit of cleaning and organizing. While homeschooling, cleaning was put on the back burner, I tried to keep up but it was nearly impossible. I've just been cleaning things here and there and making my house into a home. I've also gone through my fabric, purged what I don't like or will never use (that was really hard- but I want to make room for the good stuff), and have been working on putting my good fabric on mini bolts so my fabric looks all pretty and organized! While cleaning I also moved all the school books out of the dining room and into the basement. I'm returning some things to whomever they belong and will eventually list the rest for sale but that will come later as I have time.

In between there I've been working on a wholesale order. When that one is done I'll be starting another. I'm really enjoying being able to work with little or no interruptions. It's much more relaxing, stress less, and productive.

Both my boys are doing great. Ian is enjoying school and Jameson is still as sweet as ever!

I hope you all have been well! Have a great week!

Sew you Say...

2011-08-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

I found some cute sayings about sewing and thought I'd share!

~Stitch your stress away.

~My husband lets me buy all the fabric I can hide!

~If I stitch fast enough does it count as an aerobic exercise?

~"Fabricologist Resource Center"...now does that sound more impressive than "fabric stash" ?

~Behind every sewer is a huge pile of fabric.

Crayon Wallets!

2011-08-17T09:01:00.000-05:00

I finally have 3 crayon wallets for sale in my shop! Well, I was supposed to have 4 but Jameson decided he really needed one. ;) We love these and they are really awesome to take along to dinner, which we did one day and it kept Jameson pretty busy for an almost 2 year old. These are great for any age though, even husbands who try to borrow it from toddlers to play with. LOL

Stars

Spongebob

Carebears (a discounted oops item- the fabric bled- the crayon wallet still works fine though!)

500th Post and Some Random Thoughts

2011-08-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

I began this blog way back on August 23, 2008. I've been blogging now for 3 years and I never would have thought I'd have enough to write 500 posts! It's amazing how the time has flown!

~*~

Ian returned to school yesterday. He started 3rd grade in our local public school. He had a great day, met some old friends, made some new friends, and got into trouble for talking.

~*~

Jameson has been going over to a friends house 3 mornings a week to play with other little people while I take a break. I've been getting so much done in just those few short hours that I am alone.

~*~

My stress level has really lowered in just the week and a half of these changes. I've been trying to just focus on my sewing for awhile. I'm getting caught up on things I want to make and am just getting started on a new wholesale order. I've got more time to work on things so I'm not feeling the dead-line stress like I normally do. Life is good and I'm enjoying myself!

Back In Business!

2011-08-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Life is unpredictable sometimes. Just when I think everything is going good I take a 180 turn!

Ian will be returning to the public school, beginning tomorrow. I loved teaching him, having him home, and seeing him learn and grow but my stress-level has gone through the roof trying to keep it and everything else going.

Because I'm not homeschooling any more I've found a lot more time to do my chores around the house, to cook and sew! I hope to get my blog back up and running better. It's seen better days and needs a little TLC.

I have decided to do away with my destash shop but all my other shops are back open and in business!

Wordless Wednesday: Sunny's Star Quilt- Completed!

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Backpacks and Crayon Wallets

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have a new product that I'll be adding to my shops shortly. Over the weekend I made my testers and they turned out really well! The only thing I wish is that I'd gotten these patterns earlier so I could be ready for the school year! Oh well. I bought the pattern from Amy E. at Pattern Play and AEBaby. She's been an online friend for a while and I just love the stuff she makes. :)

The backpacks are for preschoolers, aged 3 to 6, but I made the first backpack for Jameson who is almost 2. He loves it and will grow into it more. As soon as I gave it to him he ran off to fill it up and wore it around the rest of the afternoon. He's too cute, but I'm biased.

The crayon wallets are also a really neat new product. I've made crayon rolls in the past but I didn't really care for them for some reason. I really like the wallets because you have your little pad of paper in there too and everything is ready and waiting to be used! I made this crayon wallet for my nephew's 2nd birthday. Happy Birthday Collin!

This week I'll be working on several of these items to list in my Etsy shop. I better get to work!

Orange Sherbet

2011-08-06T10:32:00.000-05:00

No not the ice cream... the fabric! I completed 2 aprons this past week using Art Gallery's Orange Sherbet fabric. They are both already listed and ready to ship!

Orange Sherbet- Adult Waist Apron

Adult Clothes Pin Apron- Orange Sherbet

My July Goals…

2011-08-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

July was a pretty productive month even with all the troubles. Time seems to fly and yet go so slow sometimes. I hope you all had a great July!

Household

Organize Movies- they are no longer all over the place but in their own bookcase
Organize Fabric in Closet- I started to collect stray things in my sewing closet so I took it all out and got it all organized and put away correctly

Business Sewing- all items I completed for my business

The “Marcia” Top- for Marcia W.

Wetbag Wholesale Order- 12 Dual Pocket Wetbags- for Dominopads.com

Mermaid Cloth Doll- Aqua Marine (I need to list her still)

Scalloped Edge Apron- White Starburst

Clothes Pin Apron- White Starburst

Personal Sewing- all items I completed for myself or family

Math-U-See Block Bag

2 Paper Pieced Hearts for a Charity Quilt

Polka Dot Flannel Wipes

Embroidered Oval Table Topper- still a work in progress (no pic)
Hexagon Charm Quilt- still a work in progress

Ian's Completed Projects

No Sew Fleece Pillow

No Sew Fleece Blanket

The Truck

2011-07-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

We just finished up our 2nd week of school here in our house. This past week we started the writing course, Writing Strands 2. This lesson was about describing something and using adjectives. For someone who struggles with this subject Ian did pretty well for his first try and he wanted to show it off to all of you!

The Truck

I have a green, small truck.

It is a fire truck made by Tonka.

I got it at a store.

The End.

An Update

2011-07-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

How are you all doing out there in blog land? I've been super busy with my boys and have been too exhausted to do much blogging.

School is going OK but it's a lot of work and I'm not sure I'm doing the best at it. The subjects I'm teaching Ian aren't bad, it's the constant battles or the same question asked again in 10 different ways to see if I'll give in or give a different answer. And the funny thing is, he doesn't act like that in everyday life just with school work. The only thing I can really say is that I've got a few more weeks of a trial period before the public school starts and then we'll see.

Here are a couple things Ian (and I) made: No sew fleece blanket and pillow (for the couch in the basement, it can be chilly down there even in the summer!)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Things are going pretty slow in the sewing room. I've done a couple small projects and a couple big ones. The small ones are a set of 5" travel sized cloth wipes for my car and a drawstring bag for our Math-U-See blocks.

The 2 big projects I finished are 2 aprons for my shop, Heather's Custom Sewing.

Clothes Pin Apron

Scalloped Edge Apron

And I've been doing a little bit of hand sewing here and there on my hexigon charm quilt. So far it's about 15x18 inches.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Also, I'd like to remind everyone of the sales I've got going on right now.

Heather's Custom Sewing and Hen and Chick Cloth are having a Christmas in July Sale. 25% off all items, use coupon code XMASNJULY at check out.

The Sewing Stash is in it's last week of the going out of business sale. 75% off all items, use coupon code SOLONG75 at check out.

Both of these sales will end this Friday or Saturday or whenever I have the time to go in and turn off the coupon codes. :) Happy Shopping!

1st Day of School!

2011-07-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Harper's Academy!

Monday; July 18, 2011 was our 1st day of school!

Ian is entering the 3rd grade age level this year. As a homeschooler it is hard to pin-point the exact grade he's in as he's on different levels academically in different subjects. That's one thing I really like about homeschooling- I can teach to his level! If he's struggling in an area we can take the time until he gets it or run full force through an easy for him subject.

This year I'll be teaching Ian all the required subjects (language arts, reading, math, science, and social studies) plus a few extras (Bible, sewing, typing, & paper folding). He was very excited to get started and could care less that he only got 4 weeks of summer vacation. He was getting bored and, well, when he gets bored he's very ornery. ;) I really like our year-round school schedule!

Here's a run down of the subjects we'll be learning this year for those who are interested:

Language Arts

Explode the Code Books 4 thru 6- teaches phonics. These books we are using range from 2nd to 3rd grades but this is a tougher subject for Ian so he's a little behind
Writing Strands Level 2- teaches creative writing. This is technically at a 2nd grade level but Ian struggles with this subject so I'm giving him extra time to 'get it' at his own pace
Handwriting- Ian still needs practice printing so we'll be doing that again. I decided to push cursive off to next year

Reading

I'll finish reading the last 3 books of the Chronicles of Narnia to the boys. After that we'll just find whatever we want at the library but I was thinking of reading the Boxcar Children or the Hardy Boys next.
Ian enjoys non-fiction books which he finds at the library. He also enjoys the Nate the Great Series, the Black Lagoon series and all of the Diary of a Whimpy Kid books.

Math
Math-U-See- we really like this as it's a hands-on approach (great for Ian!)

Beta- double digit addition and subtraction- he will complete this whole book this year
Gamma- Multiplication- he will do only the beginning part of this at the end of the year then the rest of it next school year

Science

Apoligia's Exploring Creation through Botany- comprehensive whole approach to science, doesn't dumb it down for the age and is creation/biblical oriented (Thanks, Sis, for letting us borrow your textbook. I also go the notebooking journal which is very much worth it!)

Social Studies

Maps, Charts, Graphs B and C- for geography
Middle Ages, Level 1- for history

Bible- I haven't taught Bible yet and have no idea how to go about doing it and these lessons seem very simple and easy to follow

Sewing- Level 3- (first half of the year) we are looking forward to this plus a quilt we plan to create

Paper Folding- (second half of the year) very neat and fun to create projects, we'll be doing the 2nd level this year

Typing- I wanted to teach Ian to type this year since he seems to have so many troubles with his handwriting
So that's all for now. Another day I'll probably tell you about our daily schedule and how a day goes in our house! :)

And here are a few more pictures with an uncooperative toddler!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

2011-07-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again… being a grown up sucks sometimes!

Today is the final day I've got to make some decisions about things going on in my life. I'm out of time and the dead-line is here whether I like it or not!

I've realized that I've got to suck it up and move on in a few areas of my life.

I want to homeschool, I like it, it works for us, my son is doing better, even though it is hard and challenging. I realized that I can't do it alone, like I have been, because I will go crazy, which I may already be. ;) No, just kidding! Anyways, I'm at a crossroads and I finally feel like I'm seeing things clearly for once. I've told many people that I'm quitting homeschooling. It isn't the homeschooling that stresses me out per se but the lack of support from my main supporter. And, yesterday morning, as I was stressing over it yet again, I got a nice little wake up call from God. 'Hello, Heather'… He said… 'I'm your #1 supporter, not the this other person, so cut it out and lay all your cares upon me.' So I did.

And now here I am, telling you the other decisions that I made that were easy to make once I did that. I'm going to find a church to go to. I haven’t been in years. And I'm going to keep homeschooling.

But to do that well I'm going to make it easier on myself by not accepting anymore custom orders. I know, bad for business, and I'm trying to suck it up. :) I decided to make the days go better for me then I need to take the custom order stress factor out of the equation. Everything in my shops are ready to ship, which is so much easier on me.

About my shops… I've decided to shut 2 of them down.

Heather's Doll Shop already has it's doors closed. The dolls will be moved to Heather's Custom Sewing as I have time. They will still be for sale since they are ready to ship items.

The Sewing Stash is currently in a going out of business sale. 75% off everything! Use coupon code SOLONG75 at check out. I would appreciate the word being spread around. I would like to get that shop cleared out and the doors closed for good in about 2 weeks.

So that leaves my last 2 main shops which will stay as is. :)
My blog will also probably not get as much attention as it used to since I'm throwing my blog schedule out the window and just letting things go with the flow for right now. If you don't hear from me for awhile, I'm probably knee deep in some school or art project with my boys.

You know how relieved you feel after making big decisions? That's how I feel right now! It's all going to work out!

And in closing I'll leave you with this poem I read this morning...

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

~Russell Kelfer

Marcia's 'Marcia Top'!

2011-07-17T09:25:00.000-05:00

Marcia of Crafty Sewing & Quilting ordered a shirt from me last month. She loved it so much that she ordered another! I finished it yesterday & I'm sure she'll love it!

Been awhile...

2011-07-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

'SSsscccrrreeeeeecchhh!!!'

Did you hear that?

That would be God, applying the breaks to my life, figuratively speaking.

I've been forced to stop and contemplate things for awhile, hence no blogging lately for me. It's been painful, tiring, stressful, yet freeing. It's just the beginning but I know I'm not alone. Things will get better in the end.

In the mean time I've been trying to focus on my talents and gifts: sewing and creating things.

I've finished and shipped off this wholesale order of 16 wetbags.

I've created Aqua Marine, who is now available in one of my Etsy shops.

And I'm nearly done with a new top for Marcia… no pictures yet!

Thanks for bearing with me!

Sewing Saturday: WIPs

2011-07-09T13:22:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I'd show you my current works in progress (WIPs). I have promised myself to not start on a new project until I get the old one finished. It's a really hard promise. I think I might have sewing ADHD or something. :) But I know I need to simplify and focus and pull some of those irons out of the fire.

So, here you go...

At my sewing machine: This week I've been sewing on a wetbag wholesale order. I have 16 bags ordered and I'm 75% done! 4 more to go, which I hope to get to this weekend and have the bags shipped out on Monday.

Handwork: I started a hexagon charm quilt at the beginning of the month. I'm not exactly sure how big this quilt will be or how long it's going to take me but it's nice to have something to take along with me or work on while I'm in bed (or when the little one HAS to sit on my lap). I just love the color-way! I got 2 packs of 5" squares precut from Walmart when they were trying to clear out old stock.

Both projects are coming right along and hopefully I can stay focused on them!

Fitness Friday: Check-In

2011-07-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Since posting a bit ago about my current health concerns. I thought I'd better do better on my Fitness Friday posts! These keep me accountable and give me something to look back at.

It's official that I've officially restarted my diet and exercise plan as of 6/25/11, 2 weeks ago today.

In those 2 weeks I've worked hard at getting some stuff out of my diet. It's been hard! I don't even have sweets or snacks for the boys. Instead, there are lots of fresh fruits and veggies. There are still a few things holding me back in the diet and meal preparation area because I just can't justify tossing out or wasting things and money. I am slowly but surly getting there though. Then we had a holiday weekend tossed in there with lots of BBQ and yummy things to eat.

Speaking of diets. Has anyone ever heard or tried to No S Diet? I think I might give it a go. I especially need to work on getting most, if not all, sugar out of my diet and getting portions under control.

Exercise is a challenge too. I'm working at getting it into my schedule and making it a daily habit. It's been suggested to me, by numerous people, to take the boys out on a walk. That would be ideal if the weather would cooperate or not be deathly hot or my boys wouldn't be so dang cranky at night. For now, that is out the window. Instead I'm using nap time to walk on the treadmill and will be adding in yoga and playing on our Wii fitness for variety.

Last but not least here are my numbers:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 153 lbs (none lost since 6/25/11- but none gained! Target weight 130 lbs)
BMI: 26.3 (target BMI around 22)

WebMD has the best BMI calculator!

I hope by this time next week I can have lost at least 1 lb!

A New Enthusiast

2011-07-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last week I bought Ian his own sewing machine. He'll be taking some sewing lessons during this up-coming school year from me and I thought it was time to get him his own machine. Granted, I did this more for me, so he couldn't ruin my good sewing machine. I found the machine, on sale, at Walmart. It's a Brother LX-3125 for those who are interested. It's a very basic machine but will get the job done. Ian can't wait for the projects I've got planned but for now he's just happy to sew together scraps of fabric!

He's also been learning to use the iron. He asks me if I have anything that needs ironed now. How can I refuse that?

Even if he never touches the sewing machine and iron as an adult he has at least been taught how to use them.

Wordless Wednesday: 4th of July Fun!

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Unplugged: July's Schedule

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is a bit late, but better then never!

During July I'll be unplugging on Sunday's. I hope you can join me! If not, pick a day that works for you!

Sunday, July 10
Sunday, July 17
Sunday, July 24
Sunday, July 31

Not sure about 'unplugging'? Read about it: HERE!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T13:25:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate the 235th anniversary of our country!

We'll be shooting off some fireworks...

BBQing...

And (I'll be) kissing my soldier...

Granted, that photo is not of me and my soldier or of the correct military branch, but that is a famous photo from V-day 1945 and I thought it was cute. :)

Have a happy 4th of July!

June's Completed Goals & Projects

2011-07-01T17:14:00.000-05:00

I'm always surprised at how fast each new month comes and goes! Here's a wrap up of what I got done in the month of June!

Household- all completed
Clean up porch
Clean up basement computer table
Go thru clothes- more specifically Jameson’s

Garden
Plant at Grandma’s- done but I haven't maintained it but Grandma has been taking care of it for me.

Craft
Rainbow wind chime
Rocking car windows
School- done and the first 10 weeks of school are ready to go
Plan Field Trips for summer
Plan next school year

Financial- done (I'll be setting aside a little bit every month so it's not a huge shock when the time comes)
Tax Planning
Christmas Planning

Sewing
Jean Theory- Wholesale Order
Top for Marcia
Halter Top Apron- Orange Floral
Mystery Quilt and Stitch Along
McCall Top- Purple
McCall Top- Blue (see below)
Wing Snap Fitted Diapers for Jameson
Embroidered Oval Table Topper (in progress- this seems to be a never ending project)
Organize Bookshelves in Sewing Room (done and looking much cleaner!)

Crochet/Knit
Cutest Little Owl
Butterfly Dishcloth (see below)

And here are the last projects I finished up recently and didn't get their own post…

McCall's Blue Top (uses the same pattern as the purple one above)

Knitted Butterfly Dishcloth (Can you see the cool butterfly pattern in it?)

I'm very happy with everything I got done and I can't wait to figure out what I'm doing in July!

Christmas in July!

2011-07-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Come help me celebrate Christmas in July! I'm having a 25% off sale in all my shops. At Check out use coupon code Xmas NJuly!

http://www.heatherscustomsewing.etsy.com/

http://www.henandchickcloth.etsy.com/

http://www.heathersdollshop.etsy.com/

http://www.thesewingstash.etsy.com/

You can also find out more about my shops up above under the 'Shop Here' tab.

Random Thoughts

2011-06-30T13:17:00.000-05:00

I've got a bunch of random thoughts floating around in my head today and I thought I'd just put them into one post instead of 3 or 4. :)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Today is the last day of girl, disconnected! I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I've learned that social networking is not vital to living a quality filled life. Going cold turkey from Facebook was probably the best thing for me to do. On the other hand I will be glad to check in with my friends and a few groups I'm in. I have a lot of online friends all across the country and it's easier to keep up with them on there. I've also missed the immediate feedback I get from there and I will be glad to get that back!

Part of the disconnected experiment was to cut back on how much time I'm online and I've done that successfully. I've learned that the best thing for me to do is to shut off my laptop and put it out of sight. I'm not tempted to hop on and off then and I can focus more on other things going on around the house or in my sewing room.

I've really enjoyed girl, disconnected but I don't think I will do it again any time soon. I will go back to fully disconnecting one day a week with my Unplugged Challenge and I will be satisfied with that!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Today is the last day of this month. I got so much done on my goal list. It really helps me to keep a visual reminder of what I've done and need to do still. I might not get everything done on the list but I'm not stressing about it. I think next month I will focus on getting some of my unfinished projects done. My list is a mile long! I must have sewing or craft ADHD. :)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I'm looking at ways to make my life less stressful and am really trying to slow down. I think I have too many irons in the fire. I can't do it all, I know that, but getting help sometimes is next to impossible. Cooking, cleaning, homemaking, sewing, business, laundry, homeschooling, kids, husband, exercising, fun. How does one fit it all in?

I'll be honest, the first thing that came to my mind was (and still is) to quit homeschooling. That's probably harder to admit then the fact that I'm stressed out. There seems to be a wide-spread guilt trip put on those who do quit. Those on the homeschooling side are appalled that you’d ever think of putting your kid back in those evil schools and those on the pro-school side are of the I-told-you-so stand point. Now, if I had a great support system and an easy child then I'd never think of quitting. Unfortunately, neither are true. My immediate supporter (aka husband) doesn't support me much, if at all. He didn't want me to homeschool in the first place and now that I do he has very high expectations. Ian is also not the easiest child to teach (no matter how I teach to his learning style) and though it's better now that his reading is better, it is just tough. You'd have to know him to understand that fully. I try to remember the long term benefits to homeschooling and how much more freedom we have but it is difficult.

I'm also a pretty strong introvert. While I love people, they drain me dry, including my immediate family and children. I know I have to spend time away from others so that I have the energy to give everyone the things that they need. It's hard to set up time for myself, uninterrupted, when you're never alone. I've had several people, including my doctor, tell me to leave the house alone. That's hard for 2 reasons… 1)no babysitter (my husband makes me feel guilty if I ask him); 2)it puts me around people whom I need to get away from to reenergize. Doesn’t that sound like a big horrible cycle? And I wonder why I feel like crying sometimes and feel like quitting homeschooling.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Now I'm not going to think about this for the next few hours but go sew for awhile!

Wordless Wednesday: Homemade Bubbles

2011-06-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

A New Shirt for Me!

2011-06-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

I had planned to make this shirt in May during May for Me but I had so much on my list that I didn't get around to it until this past weekend. In May I resized the pattern and cut the fabric out, sewing was just put on hold.

I think the fabric came from Hobby Lobby but I'm not sure what line it is. The pattern is McCall's M5138 which is a fitted collared shirt with puffy sleeves. I really like this shirt and is a great addition to my closet!

(Sorry my pictures aren't the best... ligthing wouldn't cooperate!)

An Update and a New Awareness

2011-06-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

This past week I wrote that I'm having some possible health issues. I went to the doctor last Tuesday for my women's wellness check up and was told that my thyroid was/is swollen. Many people have thyroid problems but it is usually something the older population, particularly women, have. Not a 27 year old.

Blood tests were run and I asked around my family for more detailed history which is a pretty negative one. I got my results back Thursday and they were in the upper normal range. Not great but not bad enough to do anything about.

I went back to my doctor this morning to talk about the results and what needs to be done. As of right now I will only need to monitor it yearly with a blood test to check the hormone levels. If I ever develop lumps or if the thyroid causes me any other problems I'll be sent to an endocrinologist for further testing.

But having my thyroid possibly malfunction brought up some other issues today with my doctor. Because I have a pretty strong history of thyroid issues and diabetes in my family, we talked about what I can do diet-wise and health-wise to push off any developing future problems.

I was a gestational diabetic (pregnancy induced diabetes) during my last pregnancy. I was able to eat extremely healthy, avoided all starches (bread & potatoes), and especially avoided anything with high fructose corn syrup. I will basically be doing that again… eating a well balanced, as-close-to whole foods, and no processed foods diet as possible.

We also talked about how I need to lose weight. She said I should lose between 20-25 pounds and get my BMI under 22. Doing that will also prolong my health and life and hold off any future health problems. Loosing weight is a no-brainer it's just getting my body to cooperate, making a habit of it, and finding the time. I'm making baby steps though!

Lastly, we talked a little bit about my mental status. That's not particularly something that comes up in everyday conversation. lol But she was concerned that I am not handling things, that I'm stress, and need a little extra support. She basically hit the nail on the head, as they say, and we agreed for me to go see someone about stress management, find out more information about military spousal support, and for me to get out once a week, alone, for a 'mental health' break. (Doctors orders, dear husband!!!)

I'll be going back in a month to check in on my healthy eating habits, weight loss, and mental health.

So, basically, I need to take care of me so I can take care of my family. Sometimes I feel that it's easier said then done but I know, for real now, that it HAS to be done, one way or another.

Thanks for reading such a long post!

Wing Snap Fitted Diaper- Testing Phase!

2011-06-24T20:55:00.000-05:00

I've recently come across a cool new diaper style. I guess this style has been floating around out on the web for awhile and I somehow came across it one way or another. Anyways, my baby is growing and it was time to make him some new diapers, so I thought I'd give this kind a try!

So far, so good! I really like them. :) Basically, you fold the wings to the center of the diaper, put baby on and snap the diaper on like a regular diaper. I like the extra thickness it provides, yet it unfolds for quicker drying. I had to experiment with how I applied the snaps but the 2 shown here are what I finally settled on (2 diapers not shown as they were just 'practice'). I love snaps so much better then touchtape/velcro and I think I've finally found a diaper to use my stash on.

Overall these are a great fitted diapers for day use. The only draw back is that they required a diaper cover. In my opinion, that's not really that big of a deal. I already have a bunch over covers. :)

What does Jameson think of his new diapers? He loves his RARRRR & Eeee-Eeee-Eeee (aka dinosaur & monkey) diapers!

I'm definitely going to add them to my shop as I find time.

Here are some photos of the diaper unfolded and snapped together…

And here are some in-action diaper photos (sorry for the blurriness, my model wouldn't hold still for long)…

girl, disconnected check-in

2011-06-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

Things are going extremely well in being disconnected… at least from facebook!

I recently changed my schedule around to include exercising and then things changed again with us finishing up school. I've yet to find a good schedule for staying off the computer and including exercise and play time for summer vacation. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon! Hopefully! And then things will change again when we re-start school mid-July. I just have to remember to go with the flow!

I'm really enjoying staying off facebook. I'm getting more personal interaction with those I really consider close friends and family. But I will keep my facebook page because it does have it's benefits!

Honestly, there is not really anything earth shattering to report… I'm still here, still blogging, still sewing, and still going crazy with my little family.

Halter Top Apron- Orange Floral

2011-06-22T15:41:00.000-05:00

This pretty little number is now finished and available in my shop. :) Click HERE!

The Marcia Top

2011-06-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

I ment to post this much earlier in the day but I've been very badly side-tracked with a doctors appointment and some worrisome news. I'm trying to not make a mountain out of a mole hill. The waiting will be the hardest in the next few days. I don't really know anything until I get those lab results back and I keep trying to tell myself that it's just a few days and I can make it. I will fill you in when I know more. Now back to our regularly scheduled program!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I have been going over and over in my head as to what to call this shirt style... Remember these? I made myself 3 of this style shirt during May for Me.

Not to long after posting about those shirts I got an order to make one for one of my dear blog followers, Marcia. You can find her blogs here and here. And because she was the first to order one I decided to name the top after her. :) And without further ado, here is her beautiful new shirt!

I hope she likes it!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

If you would like to order one they are $30 (fabric provided by you) or $45 (fabric provided by me). I have sizes 10-18. Email me if you are interested and for accurate measurements and yardage requirements. heatherscustomsewing@gmail.com

Simple Things in Life: Jean Diaper Covers

2011-06-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

Up-cycled jean diaper covers for a wholesale order... there are 17 total. I'm simply glad they are done!

Sewing Saturday: WIPs

2011-06-18T10:52:00.000-05:00

For those that don’t know WIP= Works In Progress.

This past week or so has been super busy for me! No wonder with 3 baseball games, doctor appointments, and a traveling husband who's gone out of town, come home and gone back out. Oh yeah, and finishing the last week of our homeschool in the middle of all that. Sometimes I wonder how I've not gone insane with all the busy-ness.

Well, I haven't gotten a lot done so I thought I'd show you my WIPs.

WIP #1 > Jean Diaper Cover Wholesale Order
-I'm on the final leg of these, all I need to do it put the elastic in the waistband and legs. If I could find another hour or 2 they'd be done!
-These last 5 will complete the 17 I've created. If you are wondering why it's taking me so long to create these… well, I added up my time one day… 1 cover takes me 2 hours from start to finish, multiply that by 17 and when all is said and done I will have worked for 34 hours. Now, IF, I could devote a full 8 hour day to these… no problem… but if you've been reading my blog for any length of time you will know that I might get to sew for an hour or 2 a day, late at night, if I can stay awake… *sigh* :)

WIP #2 > Marcia's Shirt
-This isn't technically started but she sent me this really cute rooster fabric and it's just sitting there waiting on me to finish WIPs #1. More on this later!

And that brings me to show you my sewing room closet where I hang all my WIPs. They are just begging me to work on them… can you hear them? "Heather… come SEW me!" LOL

Last Day of School!

2011-06-17T13:19:00.000-05:00

We finished the last day of 2nd grade today! We follow a year-round schedule in our homeschool. We'll have a 4 week break and then jump back into 3rd grade with both feet.

This was our 1st year of homeschooling. Technically, it was just a half year since we started after the Christmas break.

The year has gone very well! Ian has sufficiently caught up on his reading and I could even venture to say he's reading at a 3rd grade level, instead of the 1st grade that we began with. If you are wondering how I got him to catch up so quickly... well, I didn't do a whole lot, just got books he was interested in (even if it wasn't at reading level). He then had to read a little bit every day. It's become more of a habit now then anything.

He's also gotten his moods and attitude under better control either by maturing and/or just being home. His writing has improved some but still needs work and I'm sure it'll come along as he gets better fine motor control and more direct teaching and feedback from me.

His favorite subject is history and he has enjoyed the shorter school days. When he's done, he can go play!

He has been a big help to me around the house but still enjoys instigating things with his little brother (even though he knows I'm just going to yell at him to cut it out, again). You can just see the orneriness in his face. He is definately all boy!

Wordless Wednesday: Amigurumi (Crocheted) Little Owl

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Simple Things in Life: Rocking Car

2011-06-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

We got this rocking car at a garage sale for free. It's a little beat up but still in great working condition. I tightened all the nuts and bolts and replace the windows. The new windows are simply fabric cut to the correct shape, along with fussy cut fabric bugs and a frog, and mod podged into place.

Before:

After:

6 years...

2011-06-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my hubby and me!

We've been married 6 years, together almost 9 and although we've only spent 2 anniversaries together (unfortunately this isn't one of them thanks to the military), I still love you!

Mystery Quilt Revealed!

2011-06-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

During the month of May my sister, Tonya, hosted a Mystery Stitch and Quilt Along on her blog. I decided to give it a go and am so glad I did.

You can find the links to each post of the mystery HERE.

And here is my completed quilt, all hung up and everything! Click on the image to see a larger picture with all the details. I'm so happy that I got this done. I honestly think it's the quickest quilt I've ever made. :)

What do I like about this quilt? Everything! I used scraps of fabric from my stash and I tried a new technique for the embroidery (crayon method). I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of it.

What do I not like about this quilt? And this is totally my fault… I don't really like the quilting. It's pretty but I didn't have a walking foot so the quilt shifted in spots (not really that big of a deal since it's on my wall and not a customers).

Overall, I'm very happy with this! I'm going to love bringing it out every spring!

Getting Things Done

2011-06-09T13:31:00.000-05:00

I love to read but I don't often mention them in my posts. However, this book is different and is worth its own post!

Whether you check it out at the library or purchase it, I highly recommend getting this book. Getting Things Done (The Art of Stress-Free Productivity) by David Allen

This book is written with the professional in mind but I think it's just as easily adapted to anyone in any situation (even mine- homemaker, homeschooler, home based business owner).

It's hard to describe exactly what the book says, for that you should just read it yourself, but I will attempt to tell you what I came away from it with.

The author begins the book by describing how our world is different then in eras past where work and home and life were clearly defined and divided and how what worked then doesn't work now. Obviously, in my situation, my roles criss-cross each other multiple times a day. I am not 'mom' from 8am to noon, school teacher from X to Z, or business owner during such and such hours. I am all, all the time. (Umm, forgot to mention I'm also a wife… that's important too!)

The author then takes you though a high-light of how his method works and why it works. Further on in the book he tells you how it works and how to achieve 'getting things done'.

One thing that I found the most important was his suggestion of getting an 'IN' box. Not just getting one but using it. Instead of letting thoughts float around in my head (such as: I need to change the light bulb in the bathroom), I write it down on a note pad & put the note into 'in'. I go through it daily during my quiet time (processing). If an item on my note would take me less then 2 minutes to complete then I do it right then and there if it takes more time then I need to decide what to do with it. I can either make an appointment on my calendar for a specific day/time to complete the task (do it), ask someone else to do it (delegate it), or put it in a wait file/list (defer it). The author calls this 'action steps'. What would be my next action in getting this completed?

The author walks you through specifically how to get set up and how to begin. This works with all the physical stuff you have to do, such as fixing that thing, or all the stuff floating around in your head. The author calls it a 'mental mind sweep'. Get your head empty so your mind doesn't have to waste valuable energy re-thinking the same thing over & over again (why haven't you changed that light bulb yet?)

The last thing I've found extremely helpful are all my Master Lists. The author has you sit down and write them up. My longest one is, of course, my sewing list. I have on there all the projects that I'm working on, want to work on, or am planning for. This is not a to-do list but a comprehensive master project list. I review my lists weekly to decide what to work on for the following week and I build my to-do list then. My to-do lists are basically action steps which will eventually enable me to cross off that project from my master list (and leaving me feeling totally accomplished and in control).

I've left out a lot of the nitty-gritty to this book as it's just way too much to describe. This book will be on my permanent rotation list so I can re-read it again to see if I missed anything the first time.

Get it. Read it. You won't regret it!

You can also visit David Allen's website HERE.

Wordless Wednesday: Handmade Rainbow Windchime

2011-06-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

girl, disconnected: Week 1 Check-In

2011-06-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's about time I wrote about 'girl, disconnected' again! I can't believe a week has already gone by!

I started off thinking that this would be sooooo hard but you know what? It's not! I've been super busy that I haven't even really thought about being online that much. I have been getting so much done!

I've done really well at following my rules. I'm only getting online at nap time, which is roughly 2 hours long. During that time I'm checking my email, keeping up with my shops and customers, working on miscellaneous computer stuff, and school planning.

I'm currently wrapped up in planning our next school year. I've already gotten all the books and supplies we need, gotten a schedule set down (we follow a year round schedule), and am now planning daily lessons. If you homeschool or have any teaching experience you will understand how time consuming this can be. I'm trying to take it little chunks at a time and am trying to not get overly excited about all the cool stuff Ian & I will be learning in the future. Yes, I will be learning things right along with him! In the mean time we'll be wrapping up this school year in about 2 weeks. School keeps us busy and me off the computer.

I have stayed off facebook completely. There has been times that I wanted to jump on and tell about something one of my kids has done or said or some other piece of this or that but I haven't and the urge is lessening. It is strange how it has become a part of our world. I honestly don't miss it. If it weren't for the my business I would probably just get rid of it. (Commence the friend freak out for even thinking of such sacrilege…)

I've also behaved myself in that fact that I haven't bought anymore fabric (or sewing supplies) and I'm attempting to use what I've already got, which is a lot! I have been working through so many projects lately, thanks to this experiment, that my creative juices are flowing so much and I can't keep up!

My family and more specifically Ian's baseball practices and games have been also keeping me plenty busy. I don't particularly care for it. I love that he's playing the sport, I don't like the 6pm games (where dinner is at 4:30pm and the boys get to bed late), or trying to find a babysitter (or else spend the time chasing Jameson), or the heat (and allergies which make me sick and give me headaches). But what can one do besides tough it out? Oh well. I have been glad that my husband is helping.

Which brings me to my last thought… my husband is leaving this weekend for 3 weeks of annual training. We still don't know if he's going to this 4 month school he needs to go to, if he does he leaves the day after he gets back from annual training. Of course, he probably won't know for another 2 or 3 weeks. Isn't that nice? The 3 weeks will be really rough for me- I'll be single parenting while he misses everything, again, as is the way of the military lifestyle (and I won't be able to get on facebook for support.) I have to take care of everything or find some way to delegate it, which in itself is stressful when you are used to your husband just doing it and you not having to think of it. Then add the stress of not know if he'll be home or gone the next 4 months… not to mention he deploys in May of next year. At least that date is set. *Sigh* We'll survive it, we always do!

I am really enjoying being disconnected like this! I hope I can report that next week too! :)

Off to Camp!

2011-06-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Ian sure has grown a lot lately! He's taller, smarter, mouthier and questions everything... err, umm, I mean... an individual thinker.

He's off to camp for the weekend! This is his 4th time going... he started going with a chaperone for one over night children's camp, he now goes without a chaperone for the weekend (Fri to Sun). He is so excited! And I am a little too. ;)

Here are some (toothless) grins from him in all his excitement! Hey, Sis, do you recognize that sleeping bag?

May's Completed Projects and Goals

2011-05-31T20:04:00.000-05:00

May was such a productive month for me! I've been working very hard on getting my life (and mind) organized and in order. I will tell you about the book I'm finishing up that has extremely helped me later. Today, I want to wrap up May.

I've been posting throughout the month with completed projects. In review, you can see them here:
My 1st Knit Project
My 2nd Knit Project
The Perfect Shirt
The Jamie Dress
BBQ Apron
Provence Smock Apron
Baby Blanket

I also participated in my sister's May Mystery Stitch and Quilt Along. I've got the top all pieced but I haven't quilted it yet.

I also changed how many custom orders I take per month to just 2. That doesn't sound like very much but with my super busy schedule I think it's just enough. Those spots fill up quickly and I keep the info updated under my 'Shop Here' tab. One custom order, that I'm still working on, is another jean diaper cover wholesale order. I'm making 17… that's a lot! I have no photos of them as they aren't technically completed yet.

My other order was custom changing pad covers. The customer sent me this cute fabric and I love how they turned out. I made 2 of the same fabric.

But before I created those, I made some for our changing table… just to be sure I had my measurements correct. Jameson got one made out of race cars and monster trucks! I also made a portable crib sheet from the same monster truck fabric. I have no photos of it as it's been used and in the laundry. :)

I had a really long goal list for May. I knew I wouldn't get it all done but I got close. One thing that is still in progress are 2 shirts (McCall's pattern). I have them cut out and hanging in my 'ready to sew' sewing room closet. They are on hold while I wait for interfacing to arrive. But before I could cut out those 2 shirts I had to resize the pattern. I taught myself pattern grading and used it in the 'real' world. I took step by step photos so I could add it to my Pattern Drafting Series (someday). I love learning new things!

The only thing I didn't get to and that I'm not too worried about is another knit dishcloth. I have a lot of cotton yarn that I bought on sale that is perfect for those dishcloths. I'll probably add it to my June's goals… which I guess is time to start thinking about!

Thanks for tuning in! I hope June is just as productive for me and for you!

Sewing Saturday: The Jamie Dress

2011-05-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

May for me has really been awesome! I've been able to take the time to make myself some things and even squeezed in a few orders.

I have a few more projects to show you but today I want to show off the "Jamie" Dress. I made myself 2 and have already worn them both. I love them so much and I think they were the easiest dresses I've ever made!

girl, disconnected

2011-05-27T21:10:00.000-05:00

Awhile ago a good friend of mine, Amy, announced she was going to disconnect (mostly) in the month of June. I love the idea! In fact, I love it so much that I've decided to join her!

I actually sort of see this is an extension of my Unplugged Challenge, only it's now a little more challenging!

The internet and computers have a lot of value in our daily lives and culture. I've found many online friends, even found my sister! I'm able to research our school curriculum and shop around for the best prices. This is especially a plus since we live a good hour from the best school supply store. I am also able to run a home-based business and sell my products online. So, as you can see, I too love the internet.

The problem comes when that is ALL I'm doing. I'm glued to the computer for whatever reason and there are more important things to take care of. I know I'm not as bad as some people but there is always room for improvement.

Amy has set down some specific do's and don'ts and I've been trying to come up with mine too! I think I might borrow a few of hers and add a few of mine.

Do's:

I will get online ONLY at nap time. At that time I will check my email (to clean it out & reply to important emails), check in on my businesses (for customer questions and to list or relist items), and write or do research for whatever upcoming blog post I have planned and to schedule said posts.
I will use the computer for non-internet related items but try to keep my time limited to the evenings, right before bedtime. I keep our school schedule in an Excel spreadsheet and my daily schedule in Microsoft Outlook and I especially need to review my Outlook daily and print the next days' plan.
I will use the internet for shipping but will only do that on Monday's and Friday's (like I already have set up).

Don't:

No social networking. I will NOT be on facebook. I don't twitter or whatever so I don't have to worry about that. But not being of facebook will be soooo hard! I do have a blog feed that will automatically post my current blog post to my facebook fanpage but I will not be there.
I will not look up patterns, tutorials, recipes, etc. I have a wealth of information ALREADY, it's time I use some of it. (borrowed from Amy)
I will not shop online. I probably shop for fabric way too much anyways… it's about time I use some of it.

I am committed, or maybe I need to be committed. Either way this will be a much needed challenge. One which I have been talking about wanting to do forever. I really think Amy sums it up best for me when she writes… "There is so much I want to create, complete, finish. I tend to take on WAY too many tasks, because, well, I don't know. But I do miss the early years after my son was born, before I took up the handmade life, when I just sat, reading a magazine, while he played on the floor....what happened to that? Where did it go?"

So there you have it. We start June 1st.

WISH US LUCK!!!

Wordless Wednesday: My 2nd Knit Project- Ridged Dishcloth

2011-05-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Simple Things in Life: My Iris's

2011-05-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

We live in a home that my husband's great grandmother lived it. When she was still alive she planted a ton of iris's. I love them just as much as she did. They are simply pretty and easy to take care of!