Goal for this school year

One crafting goal I have for this school year is to try smocking. It might only amount to trying a few stitches on a sampler, though I certainly hope it turns into more than that.

In an effort to get started, I asked for recommendations from several people. Over and over, I was steered toward A-Z of Smocking and A-Z of Sewing for Smockers (thanks to those who suggested these).

I now have both at my fingertips and can't wait to try when school settles down a little. I would love to make this some handwork I could do in the evenings. I am loving the process of taking a flat piece of fabric and turning it into something three-dimension and useful. This could be another perfect outlet for producing something from cloth. :) And I wouldn't even need my machine (as fabulous as it is) to do the smocking, so that means this craft can travel!

Anyway, just wanted to update on the latest hoped-for crafting adventure. :)

Stay tuned this week for pictures of my latest cards. :)

Here we go again....

School starts Monday, and I have been going non-stop this week. Even yesterday, I was there 12 hours.... and still went back for a couple hours today! WHEW!

Please bear with me as the year gets up and running. Crafting is my "therapy" of sorts, so I hope to still make/keep time for it... especially if my embroidery software EVER gets in. ;)

Thanks for waiting for me to come back around, and I hope you are well! :)

Blessings,
Becca

Summer To Do List, revisted

Summer vacation is drawing to a close (pre-planning inservice begins Monday), so I thought I'd take a moment to see how I did with the summer checklist I posted here in May....

How I (hope to) Spend My Summer Vacation

1. Sleep in
2. Make my hubby's lunch more frequently (he took over lunch-packing duty for both of us most of this school year, amazing hubby that he is!)
3. Visit family
4. Make my owl pj pants
5. Start the wonky cabin quilt
6. Rebuild my rubber-stamped, ready to send card stash
7. Paint the master bathroom
8. Paint the laundry room
9. Keep asking Matt about painting a dining room accent wall :)
10. Visit family
11. Sew some things yet to be determined
12. Get my embroidery machine (that will be towards the end of the summer)!!
13. Finish touch-ups needed in remodeled family room
14. (BONUS) Visit family!!!!!!

How I Actually Spent My Summer Vacation
1. I did sleep in... it was glorious. :)
2. I have made Matt lunch more, and he's even come home for lunch a few times so we could have lunch *together.* :)
3. We spent a week visiting our families in SC and TN, and my mom spent almost a week down here with us. I love, love, love that part of summer. :)
4. Owl pj pants... did not start on those yet. But I DID make the dress. That was my first foray into garments, and I think I might have the nerve to try my pj pants now. :)
5. Start the wonky cabin quilt--errr, again, no. It's not that I've been afraid or haven't wanted to, though. I just do not even know where to begin with choosing the fabric for it! Any suggestions?? How do you choose quilt fabric???
6. I didn't make as many cards as I'd like, but I did make enough to get me started. :)
7. Paint the master bathroom--CHECK!! We love the bright, new, much-more-modern color.
8. Paint the laundry room--no. I did not get to that. I'll chalk it up to being summer in FL, and that is the hottest room in the house. ;)
9. I actually haven't asked him about the dining room wall, BUT I have kept the paint chip in plain sight. ;) And we *did* buy a couple things to make the room more finished--some candle sconces, hung a painting we bought months ago, and we have some more wrought iron wall art to hang in the dining room. So, the overall idea is moving along. :)
10. Visit family--again yes, lots of times with loved ones (especially the little ones... who, not surprisingly, are becoming less and less little!)
11. Sew: yes, I make coffee cuffs, a lunch bag, a sandwich wrap, and a dress!
12. Embroidery machine: check!!!!!!!! :) Now if only the 4D embroidery software would get in... they said maybe August 8... that's this Friday.... please oh please oh please?!? :)
13. Touch ups in family room. Well, yes and no. What I had in mind some touching up some places on the walls, which I did not do. But we *did* spruce things up by adding/rearranging some furniture and accents. It looks much more finished now than at the beginning of the summer. And we'll get to the wall touch ups. :)
14. Visit family: that's a whole-hearted YES! :) I love how summer affords substitute-teacher-prep FREE time (i.e. no sub lesson plans) to soak up our families! :)

All in all, I accomplished 8 of my 14 goals outright. Another 4 I kind of addressed. And 2 (laundry room and quilt) I flat out did not do. I *did* however have a wonderful summer break. A summer break with sweet memories, fun pictures, enjoyable crafting, and I even managed NOT to go to school at all for the entire month of July (a first in my teaching career). I will miss these relaxed days very, VERY soon, but they have been a sweet time of respite before the new school year begins! :)

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival WINNER!!

We have a winner!!

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2008-08-02 21:25:35 UTC

That means the winning comment is:

Carrie said...

My favorite teacher was Mrs Stames. She was beautiful and full of energy. After I started teaching we were sitting next to each other at an inservice and it was so sureal.

Please be watching for an email from me, Carrie, and congratulations. :)

Thank you to everyone who played along. It was fun and sweet to read your teacher memories before I head back to the classroom. It is a challenging, exhausting, sometimes bewildering job, but it's so rewarding! :) I'm so glad everyone had at least one teacher they can look back upon so fondly.

If the giveaway was your first time stopping by, I hope you'll come back now and then. :)

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival

This is my first time participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival.

You can click the picture above to go to the master list of giveaways.

For *my* giveaway, you can win a cute coffee cuff! Really, it will work for any cool or hot beverage to protect your hand, and you help cut down on waste because it's reusable! :) I have even used them on cups around the house.



This cuff is made from coffee cup themed fabric with several layers of quilted insulation.

To enter,

• just leave a comment below telling me about your favorite elementary school teacher (I am about to head back to my third graders).
• Be sure to leave your address or a link to your blog so I can contact the winner!
• The winner will be chosen at random and posted on the evening of Saturday, August 2nd.

Cards

I spent some time yesterday and today making cards to help replenish my stash. Time *flies* after school begins, so I am hoping to build up my stock of cards for different occasions through the year. I need to make more, especially of birthday cards, thank yous, and all occasion cards, but here's a good beginning!

Another contest...

So I was talking to my friend Holli today, and the topic of cloth diapers came up (she uses them on her daughter). Then today I came across this contest for 12 free cloth diapers (the very brand she prefers, even!). "Hmmmm," I thought. That can't hurt to try for!

So, check it out if you're interested. :)

So I haven't posted in about a week--but I have an excellent reason. :) My mom is visiting, and I've been busy soaking up all the time I can with her!! :)

We did paint the master bathroom while she's been here, so I hope to post some "before & after" pictures later this week. It's SO much better!!

Have a great week! :)

Only Plan A

If you have not been reading the blog Bring the Rain, you should be (and you can start reading the story here). I have sat with tears streaming down my face and marveled at the grace and honesty with which Angie Smith writes. It's gut-wrenching, but it is beautiful.

Even though I have followed her blog for several months now, having been invited into God's story in and through the Smith family via Angie's writing, only this week did I follow a link she posted quite awhile ago. It was to a video a Nashville-area pastor made documenting the Smiths' trust and understanding of God's will through the loss of their daughter, Audrey Caroline. In this video, Angie made a profound statement, "There is no plan B."

When we feel like the road has twisted or turned into a dead-end or the bridge has been washed out that would keep us on the path to our dreams, we seem to think we have to switch to a "Plan B." But God has no Plan B. Isn't that amazing? That is hard for me to swallow and yet freeing at the same time... I believe in a sovereign God who knows what will happen, numbers our days, and will work all things for His glory and our good. But oh how that can cause us (or me, at least) to wrestle.... so when a job is lost, that was plan A all along.... when a couple struggles with infertility, that was plan A all along... when a dream is dashed, that was plan A all along. How can that be??

Knowing that was the plan all along makes me want to ask, "WHY??" as if my human understanding is somehow more insightful or greater than God's. That's a humbling realization... funny, Becca, to think you know better than God. Right. But it doesn't take away the hurt or confusion of the lost dream.

Here's where I have found myself wresting and then resting in knowing that God knows and Who God is. He sees, He hears, He knew this was coming. He has not lost control. God is still God. And in the beautiful words of Isaiah 61:1-3, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, He has sent me to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

As I recently read in an excerpt from Beth Moore's Breaking Free, that "doesn't mean we'll never mourn or feel despair. But Christ will minister His gladness to us once again. He will give us a heart of praise if we let Him [emphasis mine]; then one day all mourning and despair will be behind us."

When I finally quit fighting God's Plan A, when I stop furiously searching for a "better alternative," or a shortcut back to what I expected to happen, when I am still before Him and stay my heart in His wisdom and comfort, then my wrestling can turn to resting. And resting in Him is like no other resting I've ever known. The scars may still be there from me putting up a fight, but our God heals, our God restores, and our God never lost control. He never had to change His trajectory. He never had to change plans. Nothing pushes or sways Him from His path. You can trust Him. It's provoking and yet peaceful at the same time. There is no Plan B. God has only Plan A.

Old Red Barn Co. Giveaway!

Check out this AMAZING quilt full of Ginger Blossom fabrics! I'm enetring in the giveaway!
(click the image above to see for yourself!)

Sandwich Wrap

I made my first sandwich wrap. I've actually had one since January that's from an online store, but I admit I asked for it (around Christmas) with the intent of figuring out how to do it myself. I can attest to it keeping my sandwiches fresh and yummy, and it's easy to wipe down. Not to mention, and it's easier on the bank account and the earth than pulling out a plastic baggie every day. :) There are definitely some changes/improvements I'll make when I sew the next one, but for a first try (and with vinyl), it's not SO bad.

Basically, this is how it works:

1. Place your sandwich (just 2 pieces of bread for the example) on the wrap

2. Fold the sides left and right toward the middle.

3. Fold the bottom up.

4. Fold the top down and "latch" the velcro

Here's what it looks like on the outside all spread out

I forgot to sew the velcro on before I sewed the vinyl (for one of the pieces), so next time I'll make sure to do that (and as a result, it's not centered very well). :)

Also, the vinyl is tricky! I looked for some tips online, because it sticks to both the foot and the feed dogs (so you can't put it on top or on the bottom). One person suggested putting scotch tape on the bottom of your sewing foot. We only had this super glossy kind that stuck to the vinyl instead of gliding across it. So the other suggestion I tried (that worked like a charm!) was to put the fabric on the bottom, vinyl on top, and place tissue paper of the vinyl. It was great! After you sew, you just tear off the tissue paper. It comes right out from the seam! I highly recommend it. It did take some getting used to, though, so I have a couple seams that aren't as straight as I would like.

I thought I sewed pretty straight on the old machine, but I am finding it more difficult with the new one for some reason.... practice makes perfect, right? And I think the tissue paper obscured my view at times, making it more difficult to sew straight. I actually just used the tissue paper-like backing the vinyl came rolled with--no extra cost or materials!

I hope to have some more improved models to show you soon (as soon as I get that embroidery software, because I want to monogram some before I sew them)! And I can post directions to make a wrap if anyone is interested. :)

Have a great weekend!

The Scoop

So, I've had "making a garment" on my list of sewing goals for quite a long time. I think the new machine gave me the nerve to try something so new. I also had some fabric a teacher left out to take for free at my school, so I wouldn't even have to be frustrated with ruining cloth I liked if I totally messed it up. :) I used a Simplicity New Style "easy" kids pattern (6262) and chose the option that looked like the best balance for me of ease and cuteness. :)

The project included several new skills for me, including fusible interfacing, successfully using single-fold bias tape (and making my own), not to mention the actual dress construction.

I didn't have the right tools to transfer the pattern, so I made the biggest size it's designed for (an 8) so I wouldn't have to cut any of the patterns parts off. That means that even my niece won't be able to wear it for awhile, but I now have the confidence to try something smaller. :) I think I totally have the bug now. :)

I made 2 mistakes. On the back, the fabric isn't smooth at one part of the neckline. But I figure hair would cover it up, and it's not huge. Secondly, the directions said to "clip the corner" at one part (of the back neckline), and I clipped a part that shows instead of the underneath seam they intended. Oh well! Again, it will be covered when someone is actually wearing it. :)

I was super intimidated, but I'm really glad I just dove in and tried. As my mom said, "That's the way you learn!" :) Lastly, the pattern called for ribbon down the center, but I had this sweet, flowered scrap fabric someone gave me that I thought would look nice. I tried to be really careful to measure and press it, but I'm sure it could be even better if I'd used fusible webbing or interfacing. I think it's "good enough" for my first ever attempt!

I know the dress isn't perfect, and I definitely need to hem it :), but I'm really proud of my first ever piece of clothing for people (I believe I "sewed" some doll clothes back in the day)!

I have entered the land of....

...garments!

I sewed my first piece of clothing this week. More details later (and I still need to hem it), but here's a sneak peek!

Fabric Finds

Here are a few fabrics I found on our travels last week. :)

These were found in South Carolina.

The boots on the left and robots on the right will likely turn into part of some embroidered children's outfit or craft (like a crayon roll). The fried eggs in the middle will probably accent the casserole tote I'm making my mom, as I have other chicken/egg fabric picked out and this would be a great complement to it. :)

And these were in Tennessee.

The UT fabric is to make some sandwich wraps for Matt (to use less ziploc bags!), the dog fabric in the middle will probably become a pillow case, the knit puppies on the right hopefully will become baby clothes, and the ladybug fleece is for a Christmas present for Isabella.

It's Here!

Meet my new machine (my old machine did not have a name, but I'm thinking this one needs a name.... maybe Stella, because it's a "stella(r)" sewing machine... I haven't decided yet).

And my first sewing project with it (not finished, but getting there. I'll be adding Isabella's initials in orange once my Husqvarna dealer gets more copies of the 4D software in--because I want to pick any font I wish and not be limited to the standard set--it should be this week!).

orange with white polka-dots,
in honor our alma mater, for whom Matt's sister roots because she's a supportive sister like that (and knows tons more about football than I ever will).