School Sewing

... kindergarten... my oldest is in kindergarten!  And the little one has started preschool.   Went shopping for school supplies, bought a backpack-- Frozen, of course!-- for my kindergartener, but the little one wanted one as well... this was an issue for two reasons:  first, Walmart had just the one backpack; second, her preschool asks that they just use a bag big enough for their artwork...   Wah-wah, Sorry Berklie!   I did tell her that she could pick out fabric and I'd make her a bag.   She chose a pink princess fabric, and so I set off sewing...  

Less than a week later, I found out that the kindergarteners do NOT need to bring a backpack, just a small lunch box/bag... 

So since I had extra fabric, and since I knew Berklie would need a lunch bag too... this was my "Back To School Sewing" projects:

Choosing Gratitude

If you struggle with being discontent or unhappy; if your mouth always seems to be complaining; if you find yourself comparing yourself to others (why do they have that? why I am stuck with this? I wish...); if you all you can see is the gloominess, with no silver lining...  THEN I have two books I highly recommend:

1) Lifelines for Tough Times (by Mike Fabarez)

2) Choosing Gratitude (by Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

 

A few of the women in my Bible study group had done the latter book and at the end of it they have a 30 day devotional and suggest to write down your thoughts, growth, etc in a journal.   So I made journals, "count your blessings" journals.  

 

 

Berklie's Birthday and the Blue Umbrella

So... Berklie wanted a "Blue Umbrella" birthday party...  what?!?!?!   yes.  If you do not know what I am talking about then go to youtube and look up the Pixar short titled "The Blue Umbrella."  It's only 5 minutes long and it's super cute...   but how to make a three year old's birthday party theme around it?  I'm creative, but that's a stretch for me!

Fortunately she's about as indecisive as I am, so, the theme changed a bunch:  Blue Umbrella, Tinkerbell, Frozen,  etc...  We had it at a place that does bounce house/ inflatables, so there really wasn't much to do as far as themes and decorating... but in the end she ordered a WallE cake & requested a "Blue Umbrella" costume.    We compromised and she let me make her a dress, not a costume... and yes, I know the pictures are showing a cute little red dress, but go watch the Blue Umbrella, Berklie and London like the 'red' umbrella in the Blue Umbrella... confusing, I know, but this is what satisfied my complex little three-yr-old!

Spring Projects

Hey so here are a few things from this past spring:

A journal for Julie K

 

 

 

Made 2 little Elsa dresses for a good friend's little girls:

 

 

Rainbow skirts for rainbow day:

 

New Baby!!!

So, no... not "expecting" a real, physical, biological, human baby ...  But I just got a new sewing machine that I am really impressed with.   Dave got it for me for my birthday and I am so thrilled with all it can do.

I went from a  Pfaff hobby machine (yes, I did Queen sized quilts on a hobby machine!), and now I have a Brother SE400... it not only sews a million different stitches (quite an over-exaggeration... but hey! it's a lot of stitches) but it does embroidery too!  I've never done any embroidery... well, now I have... and A LOT too...

Anyway, it's an awesome machine and if you have any questions about the machine and it's capabilities, pros/cons, etc... drop me a line!

Baby Gifts:

Bankets, bibs, burprags, boogierags and baby dolls!

Two of my friends had babies in these last few months... one had a boy, the other a girl.   I had fun working with both sets of colors! 

The pink and brown set: a furry blanket, a double layer blanket, a receiving blanket, 3 burp rags, 4 boogie rags, a travel changing pad & a handmade doll.

 

 

The green and white set:  double layer blanket, taggie blankie, a burp rag, and a travel changing pad.

 

March: St. Patrick's Ruffle Skirts

So, right before St. Patrick's Day, London's preschool had a "rainbow" day where they got to pick what color was their favorite, of course London changed her mind 80 million times.  So we opted for a rainbow striped skirt... and if London was getting a skirt, Berklie insisted that she got one too!