Redondo

Have you ever heard of a Redondo Skirt? Oh my...

They are divine.

More later...

Jewelry Roll Tutorial

Here it goes! My first tutorial..

Jewelry Roll

I came up with this idea for packing up your jewelry for travel or for home.

First, you start with one piece for outer fabric and two pieces for liner and approximately 18 inches of coordinating ribbon. I like a nice quilters cotton or something with a little rayon for the outer and an acetate or something else satiny for the liner. I've found either 18 x 6 or 24 x 6 works well. It all depends on how much jewelry you want to store!

Cut the three pieces (one outer, two liner to the size you like).

One of the liner pieces will have an approximately 1- 1.5 inch hem. Iron it down and stitch.

Take the two liner pieces and put them right side to wrong side. (I like to put them the way I know I want them to lay in the end and then flip them inside out-- let's not ask how I know this is a good way to do it). Sew the two pieces together with a 1/4 seam allowance around the two short sides and one long side.

Clip.

Press. Press. And, oh, press.

Next comes the pockets. This part is up to you. I like to make two 3 1/2 inch pockets on the outer sides and two smaller and then two or three tiny, shallow pockets in the center (for rings or earrings). I like to start at the outside when making the pockets and work my way in so that it all flows nicely being that I'm not one to plan too much ahead and measure it all out and all that...
Next, put right sides of liner and outer part together and sew all the way around two long sides and one short side. On the second short side, place the coordinating ribbon(folded in half) inside the two layers. Sew down the side and over the ribbon, backstitching over ribbon for a secure placement. Be sure to leave an opening about 1- 1.5 inches long to turn it right side out!
Turn the right side out and FIRMLY press the liner, stretching with your fingers to have it lay as flat as possible.

Slip stitch the opening and you are done!


Thanks so much for finding my tute! I know many are using this--woohooo!-- please leave me a comment. It'll make my day.

The Delights of Homeschooling

Ok ok, that *is* pretty mushy and, frankly, not always true (such as now when I can hear children arguing over something arbitrary) but there are those days when I relish being a Homeschooling Mom over anything else I've ever done.

Here are some great pictures to share where Lil Lady and Puppy Feet are out in my garden (unstarted) digging out "woh-ms". Lil Lady hasn't mastered the 'r' sound yet and she sounds quite Long Island-ish!

And, to add another funny note, Lil Lady woke up the next day reporting that she had a dream about worms and she *was* a worm and she was the biggest worm! About two feet long! "It was fun!"

Please take note to where the Princess is situated and where her servant is....

Enjoy!

Things to be Thankful For

So frequently, we can take EVERYTHING for granted. I can be a pretty negative person and have made it my mission the past handful of years to really grasp "things to be thankful for"..

Everything that happens to us has a good side, no matter what. There is a blog out there that makes me laugh and she really seems to grasp that mentality and run with it. Go visit her!

Here, on this lazy Saturday, sitting at my inlaws' new home on the Cape, I'm listing what I'm thankful for:

~the cool breeze blowing in on my right arm
~the company of family, all healthy and happy
~I know where my almost 13 yr old is (--this is an important one to remember when our wee ones are driving us batty)
~knowing that I have sewing projects waiting for me at home
~the smell of a yummy dinner cooking
~the chatter of my almost 5 yr old talking to her grandmother
~the delight of my almost 9 yr old, running up the stairs

I wish you blessings. Many. Just take the time to count them.

Totals

So, those who are keeping score, *and I know you are out there ~wink wink~* the show was a 'hit'! I got two orders, one for 4 dresses, one for an outfit and sold a dress on the spot. Not too bad, although I would have liked to have spread the word a little more..

There's a flea market at First Baptist Church in Oxford on May3. I'm debating... flea markets are for serious bargain shoppers.. My dresses aren't expensive at *all* but I wouldn't call them 'bargains'. They are handmade gems stitched with love, Gosh Darn It! ;-)

Speaking of which, Lil Lady has barely any spring/ summer wardrobe. What does this new Fangled Mama do with herself when Lil Lady has nothing to wear?

Why curse and growl and FINISH this shirt and then throw some shorts together to match, that's what!

I'm looking at these pictures and totally realizing that this pattern runs VERY large. As you can tell, once it's wearable, she won't let me alter it-- I'll sneak it back before it gets back to her drawer.. but this is the final picture, the one she approved after checking that the 'curtsy' was just right..

A Sneak Preview..

So tomorrow night is the big night for Tonya's Temptations' debut! It's a fun raiser for cancer at the K of C on Central St in Auburn 6-9! Come one, come all..
Ok, this is kind of late notice but still.. just look at some of what I'm bringing! You'd be crazy to miss it!

Going clockwise, the cover for a weighted lap pad, a peasant blouse, a sundress, a blanket for the raffle, bibs and wipies, oodles of headsocks down at the bottom there, and lastly, a rainbow burpie, wipie and bib set at 9 oclock. Oh and ribbons in the center!

I don't remember that last time I was this nervous! I want to create for about three more weeks and THEN I'll be ready..?.. probably not..

It's mostly for me to get my name and face out there. I've been doing pretty well casually advertising myself so this should be an extra boost! And an extra dose of "Thanks, Guys!" to my friends and, especially, family for dealing with me while I take every possible moment to create!

Love you!!

Shopping

Admitted, I'm a bargain shopper as much as the next person. You see the word "sale" and it's like a compulsion.

HOWEVER, I've been thinking more and more about this mini revolution to return to handmade. It all started when DH lost his job and replaced it with a temporary low-paying-with-smoke-screens-and-dreamy-empty-promises to go on full time/full rate. How on Earth was I going to fund Christmas?? I wasn't. BUT, I *could* make stuff!! I ended up having a really fun time with one of my best girlies and we sewed and sewed and sewed and sewed.... Everyone got new pjs, with the exception of she and I, which I know I haven't even picked up my already cut pair of bottoms and I'll bet she hasn't even cut hers. Lovely how us Moms rate ourselves.. ~sigh~ But I digress..

Then there is the BOOM of Whoremart. All the other chains close down so we're left with NO choices (Bradlee's, Caldor's, Ames, etc etc) and never mind the small shops! What small shops....? And I'll be honest. I was afraid to go in them. Handmade is EXPENSIVE. Or so I thought. Before I continue on that I wanted to post this quote taken from another blog that supports the "Handmade" cause.

Regarding Walmart~

"Take Wal-Mart, the most famously offensive, town-destroying, junk-purveying, labor-abusing, sweatshop-supporting, American-job-killing, soul-numbing, hope-curdling retailer in the known universe, moving upward of $300 billion in cheap mass-produced slurm every year via more than 5,000 landscape-mauling eyesore stores stretching all the way from Texas to China and Argentina and South Korea and Mexico and your backyard. "
--Mark Morford, San Francisco

This really hits the nail on the head. Think about it, people. Think about this recession we seem to be sliding into. All the jobs lost to China over the years. NOW look what's happened! All that has caught up to us and now China is shipping toys laden with lead over here. It should just be a cruel joke but it's true!

So now is the time, All. Regarding my comment before about expensive- I've been to Etsy. I'm *on* Etsy. It's *not* that expensive. Many times, it's completely reasonable! And here I am, going to advertise others' work but I'm in support of this movement and you should be too. Here's a gift that I'd scoop up for a friend in a second! How fun does this look? Or this? Wouldn't some of the other wooden puzzle brands be around this price? The love and care it took to make these items is not going to be found in Whoremart.

Just some food for thought...

Time flies...

.. when you are sewing your fool head off!! LOL

An abbreviated list of pros and cons to having your husband unemployed:

Con:

The mortgage can be difficult to pay

Pro:

You can sew as much as your lil heart desires because there is another adult in the house to take care of children :)

LOL Oh yes, I've been busy. Sometimes I wonder with what... besides making mistakes and becoming overly friendly with my seam ripper..

Here's a little preview:

Hair Clippies~fully lined and heat sealed, of course

Jewelry rolls for a custom order and to fill my etsy shop:

And this little number:A little background:

I've delved into the wonderous land of Etsy. I'm learning the ropes and protocol and looking to sell.. sell.. SELL!~ It's so fun to put all this love and energy into something for a special someone who likes your item enough to trust you to provide it for them~ :) Ok ok, I'm gushing..

This capelet that I've created for Lil Lady is a prototype for an order I am filling for 4 faux fur capelets for a wedding! I wanted to get my hands wet, so to speak, and know this pattern and it's drawbacks before I cut into *the* faux fur, which has been no easy feat to find. (not that I've officially found it yet, I'm hoping to have a local store order it for me)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I've been busy :) and excited about it. I simply love my sewing room and it's fun set up with a new coat of paint. The part where I can leave a project and not have to clean it up is probably the *best* part of all. :) So I must get good at this Etsy thing so I can feed my serious fabric addiction *and* help pay that mortgage, all in one!

Until later...