Sewing Day

Good morning! 

 

I've often talked about my sweet grandmother and the fact that she was a seamstress, and taught me how to sew from a very early age.  I've also talked about how in those days, I felt frustrated because as much as I enjoyed spending time with her and learning new skills, I wasn't really wanting to spend hours sitting next to her while she worked on wedding dresses, and I was delegated the unpicking chore.  

 

If you sew you know what that means, it means taking the seam ripper and taking apart sewing stitches.  Boy did that annoy me, but if I had known then what I know now, I would have kept quiet, done it with a huge smile on my face and not complained one single second.  Why?

 

Because the tools that she passed onto me, are something I treasure so very deeply and am extremely grateful to have.

I don't often get to sew, as much as I love it, I find that I don't have the space to really get into it.  Sometimes I wish I had a studio where I could have all my yarn and fabric neatly packed and show cased, with a long table where my sewing machine is always plugged in and on display, an overlocking machine set up next to it, space to lay fabric, cut it out, a spot to iron and so on.

I don't.  At least not for the moment.  When Jasmine moved out, the plan was to make her bedroom into my studio/guest room.  But, that is when we found out that my brother in law was returning from Korea and staying with us until he bought his house.  So, that was set aside, and once he moves out, then I will work on that room.

Honestly can't wait, but I also am not rushing or desperately waiting for that to happen, so it will happen in God's timing.

With that said, it shouldn't hold me back from sewing.  I have so many projects swirling around in my head right now, with many things I want to make and sew.  So, even if the setting is not perfect for it, I think every week, I will set aside a day for sewing, use my desk as I have done here, and just go for it.   

 

Now, the first thing I wanted to make were some mushrooms, and I even got everything cut up and ready to go, but once I made the first stem, I realized it was just not working for me, they were far too small.  I'm going to do the tops and then find a different pattern for the bottom stem.

 

Since I couldn't do those, I set them aside and just went for the fabric pumpkins.  I think I may have far too many handmade pumpkins already, but I can't help it, I just love fabric and crocheted pumpkins.  They're perfect as decorations for this time of year, and super easy to make.

There are many, many tutorials online, both on google and YouTube, some are no sew using hot glue, and some are sewed, I much prefer sewing than doing a whole project with hot glue, but that is a personal preference.

Here is a good one from Aubree Originals.

I didn't use hers, because I've been making these for years, I think the first I made was back in Arizona when we were stationed at Luke AFB.  I don't remember where I got the tutorial from, maybe it's mentioned on the post, not sure, but you can check it out here.

 

Here are the finished pumpkins, I love them so much, they are the cutest.

Maybe I should do a Works in Progress Wednesday, and show you each week what I've made or what I'm working on, whether it's sewing, knitting or crocheting.  

Anyway, just wanted to quickly show you the fabric pumpkins, hope it inspires you to make some of your own.

Have a blessed day! ♥

{ Blog 365 #31 - Another Winter Storm }

 

Brrrr!!!!

 

It is another cold day here in Northern Texas, as we are currently under another Winter Storm, this time an Ice Storm.  There was no work or schools yesterday, nor today, and apparently not tomorrow either.

 

There is a cold air storm moving in from Canada, and then we have warm air moving in from the South of us, and it is all converging where we live.  South of us will get lots of rain, north of us will get lots of snow, and we are in what they're calling The Battle Zone.  Right?  Makes you want to run doesn't it?  

Apparently it means we are where they meet so we get the ice, freezing rain, and sleet conditions.  It is dangerous, it is nerve wrecking and above all it is cold.

 

 

Curt and I were up early this morning, and by early I mean 3:30 AM.  Kaia needed to go potty, and then we couldn't fall back asleep, so we laid in bed chatting, playing with Kaia and by 4 just figured we might as well get up.  So we did.

I made my way, coldly, into the kitchen, and started our coffee, and while the water boiled, I got a fire started, and mixed together a dough for some Portuguese bread.  Pao Caseiro.....which literally means Homey Bread, because this the kind of loaf you will find in old Portuguese homes in the quaint little villages in Portugal.

There is nothing to it but 4 ingredients, but honestly, you can't beat the taste of rustic warm fresh bread, slathered in butter.

 

With the house being so cold, I set the bread to rise near the fireplace, where it stayed nice and toasty, and within an hour, it had doubled in size.

In the meantime, I got 2 packs of bacon into the oven.  Curt and I were craving bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast, and I needed to cook the two packs before they expired.  The rest of the bacon is in a ziploc in the fridge, and will be used throughout the week.

 

While the bacon cooked and the dough rose, I also made a batch of Homemade Peppermint Mocha Creamer.  I find it not only cheaper, but also healthier to make it at home, especially when you actually take the time to look at the ingredients on the back of the store bought creamer.  What on earth?

It's a bit scary.  It's also getting more and more expensive, so for the moment I'll just make it at home.

 

The rest of the day, I didn't do much at all.  I have a horrid hormonal headache, cramps and the usual Perimenopause light headedness.  It makes it hard to get much done, so I'm thrilled I got so much sorted early morning.

We are now bracing for the incoming snow and ice overnight, and into Thursday morning.  I just pray our pipes don't freeze again.  

If you're in the path of these Winter Storms, stay warm and stay safe.  I'll be praying for us all.

Right, I am going to sign off, I just got out of the shower and washed my hair, now I want to go give it a quick snip snip, just on the ends.  Then I'll be reading, watching some tv and going to bed early. 

 

 

I will leave you with a little peek at one of the Kitchen Towels I sewed last week.  I am in love with it, and it matches my kitchen perfectly.

Have a wonderful night ladies, and I'll see you all tomorrow.  

By the way, I can't believe I was able to post every single day in January.  Wow!!!  It is getting easier to post, at least for me, although I'm sure there will be days that I'll probably feel like I don't know what to talk about.  Hahah

Anyway, we will deal with those as they come. ♥

{ Blog 365 #22 - Homemade Plastic Bag Holder }

 

 

 

I have been wanting to make a plastic bag holder, for quite some time now.  I have a ton and I mean a ton of plastic bags, that are sitting in my pantry.  All rolled into a small ball and placed inside another plastic bag.

What ends up happening is that someone (me included), will go and get a bag and every other one will come tumbling down.  It's just always a mess and not very pretty on the eyes either.

Today I got home from church, had some lunch and the immediately pulled out my sewing machine.  The poor girl had been in the corner, in my closet, for so long that she needed a good cleaning.  So, I did that then set it up, grabbed my fabric bin, and pulled out a really cute woodland animal inspired, fat quarter.

Within 10 minutes I had the cutest plastic bag holder.

I could kick myself for putting this off for so long.  It was quick to make and so easy.  So I thought that today I would show you real quick what I did.  I even whipped up two extra for my niece and sister in law.

 

I also grabbed some elastic and ribbon.  That was it, just the fabric, ribbon and elastic.  I had an idea of what I was going to do, I had looked up some easy patterns quite a while back, but didn't save any and wasn't in the mood to go looking again.

So, I went with what I remembered and thank goodness, it turned out just as it was meant to.  

Ok, so I didn't measure out a specific size, I just used the fat quarter as it was.  I grabbed the shorter sides, and folded them up 1/2 an inch, press it down with an iron, then folded it up another 1/2 inch and pressed with the iron again.

I pinned the hem, then repeated on the other short side of the fabric.  Then I moved to the sewing machine and did a straight sew all the way down, about 1/2 inch seam.  I needed one of the sides to be a casing big enough to thread my elastic through.

 

Once the elastic was in place.  I did a quick double stitch on each end to hold the elastic in place, leaving just a tiny bit of the elastic sticking out.  Once it was stitched I was left with a ruffled edge.

Then I joined right side of the fabric together, and pinned down the side seam, then quickly did a plain stitch down the side.  Once that was done, I grabbed the ribbon I had cut (I cut both the ribbon and the elastic to be 9 inches long), pinned it to the inside of the bag, on the edge opposite the elastic ruffled opening.

That will be for hanging the bag.  Then did a couple stitches and back stitches over the ribbon to secure it.

I turned the bag inside out and was so happy to see the result.  The cutest plastic bag holder! 

I am in love with it, it's just what I needed and it's adorable too.

These below are the extra ones I made, for my sister in law and niece each.  How cute are the fabrics too?

It's moments like this, that I am eternally grateful to my grandmother, for teaching me how to sew.  I love being able to grab my machine, a piece of fabric and create something that is not only functional but beautiful for my home too.

And it's cheaper than if I had to buy it online, plus I already have all the materials I needed on hand.

I think this week, I am going to finally sit down and whip up some kitchen towels.  I have a ton of flour sack towels to use up.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed seeing the creation of these cute plastic bag holders.  What have you created lately?  I would love to know!

{ Vintage Sewing Treasures }

About a year ago, we had a family get together.  My husband's aunt Carol brought over a few tubs, with belongings from her mother (my husband's grandma).  The family was all gathered together, and each one got to look through the items and pick whatever they wanted.

I didn't go and look at anything, first because I was busy hosting and taking care of the food, and making sure everyone was having fun....but also, I didn't feel right.  As much as I loved Grandma Grace, I didn't feel it was my place to go and sit and pick anything that another family member would want.

So I just kept to what I was doing, not knowing that behind my back, the family was gathering a few things that they knew I would appreciate and love.

I think they all know me really well, and know that I love anything vintage, anything to do with cooking or sewing.

 

As things started winding down, Aunt Carol came to me and handed me a few bags.  She told me that they knew I was busy, and knew I didn't feel like I had the right to anything, but they believed otherwise, and really wanted me to have some items.  Some keepsakes that they knew I would appreciate having or looking at.

Inside one big ziploc bag, were all these items.  Vintage sewing treasures from the hands of Grandma Grace and her mother too.  I was shocked but so touched.

It's an incredible feeling when you have in your hands, a work that was made decades ago.  Some finished, some unfinished.  It's the unfinished projects that always catch my eye.  Beautiful works of crochet or sewing, that were never completed and never truly became whatever the owner had envisioned them to.

I've mentioned many times before, that my grandmother Odete was a seamstress.  She instilled in me a love for everything sewing, and when I see thread, fabric and stitches, it immediately reminds me of her.  I can see her hands moving slowly, a needle and thread in hand, weaving in and out, and creating the most beautiful, straight, perfect stitches.

She tried to teach me.  I tried to learn but could never master it the way she did.  Hand sewing is one of those arts that I would love to say I'm good at, but I fear will always be just a dream in my mind.

This Crazy Daisy Winder is from 1950.  I went in search of what exactly it was, and how it was used.  Can you believe that there are still instructions and patterns for using it?  

 

Just take a look at this one, for making an 8 spoke square motif.  How neat is this?  Or maybe you want to make some diamonds? 

 

These pins above, took me back in time.

 

Back to my teenage years, about 14 years old to be precise, and the hours spent in my grandma's sewing shop.  I would leave school in the afternoon, and walk about 10 minutes, through neighborhoods and a field, to her little shop, tucked into a corner of a little street in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I still remember everything about it.  The way it looked, the way it smelled, and the even the music she would have playing on her cassette player.  Portuguese music that we would sing along to, while working together.

I was the dedicated unpicker.  At first, I hate it.  I kept asking her why I had to do that, it was boring, and there were so many stitches to pull out.  Why couldn't I do the fun stuff, like making wedding dresses with her, or having a go at her serger/overlocker, which had always fascinated me.

She would just chuckle and say "Patience, one day.  But first you need to learn how to unpick the seams so that I can alter them."

She did eventually start giving me a little more freedom.  She would sit and teach me, with all the patience in the world.  I learned how to use the machines, how to sew, how to alter, how to make my own patterns, and sew buttons, attach zippers and so on.

After graduating high school, one of my first jobs was working at a Singer machine shop in the local mall.  I loved it.  It was everything that I wanted in one place.  I got to be around fabric, thread, needles, machines and even got to take a sewing course, which my grandmother accompanied me to for a whole week.

I loved her so much.  I miss her to this day.

Having these sewing treasures makes me feel like I am still connected to her.  I can just imagine how she would have reacted seeing these.  No doubt her eyes would open wide, she would do her adorable chuckle and then tell me all about what each item was, what it was used for and how to take care of them.

I know that often we tend to take these treasures for granted.  For some it is just trash, unusable items that have been passed down and are no longer needed.  That may be the case, but others like me, they are treasures that tell a story of a time long ago.  And while I will never use them, save for the pins which I always need more of and these are the good ones.....I will keep them forever, tucked away in my sewing box.

Tell me, do you have vintage treasures passed down to you as well?  What are they? 

{ A quiet kind of Easter and some sewing lessons }

I wasn't going to set any kind of table.  I was just going to bake a ham, make some mashed potatoes and that was going to be it.  As Easter got closer I started thinking that I was not having the right attitude towards this special day.

Just because it is a little different this year, it does not mean we have to ignore it or act insignificant to it either.  So I changed my attitude and decided to go ahead and make a nice meal, set the table, dye eggs which the kids actually asked to do this year, and even made a fresh batch of rolls.

It was quiet, but it was wonderful.  We sat as a family, just like old times, enjoyed our meal, talked and laughed.  The day went by slow, I took my time cooking, didn't have to worry about setting special tables, waiting on guests, rushing to cook a ton of food and make sure everything is ready.  In other words, no pressure at all.  Much as I love hosting family, I have to say that I actually really enjoyed our quiet Easter.

Today, I got through the housework pretty quick, then pulled out my fabric stash and started working on some new patchwork placemats.  I had made some a very long time ago and we loved them, but with all the washing and use I got out of them, they quickly started falling apart.

Since then, I've been meaning to make new ones but hadn't yet gotten around to it.

I find that sewing has pretty much the same effect on me as crochet does.  I can sit with my sewing machine and fabric, for hours and just allow myself to relax, let my mind go and quietly work away.

Finding a spot by one of my windows, is even better.  I set up my ironing board right at the window, and while I work I am privy to the chirping of the birds outside as I watch them flying around picking at the ground for worms.

I could not find my old placemat pattern so tried to make it from memory.  It kind of worked and it kind of didn't work. 

Ok let me try to explain.  I know how to sew, how to place the fabrics and which side and what not.  But for some reason today, I could not get my mind on the right track.  I sewed the same placemat 3 times, and all 3 times there was something I had to pull apart and restart.

As I did that, a thought creeped into my mind.  Just a little nudge from God above, reminding me that this is His experience with me as a Christian.  I KNOW what is right and what is wrong, I know what I should be doing, but yet at times I push through, making mistake after mistake, trying to restart over and just going right back to messing it up yet again.

I got that message loud and clear, and so I set the work aside, packed it all up and have left it for tomorrow where I can start new with a fresh clear mind and actually get some work done instead of wasting time.

Everyday brings new mercies right?

Curt and I also had to make a quick trip to Lawton to run an errand for my mother and father in law.  They live 3 hours south of us and would have to make a 4 to 5 hour car trip.  We don't want them doing that, my mother in law is still dealing with treatments for her breast cancer, and my father in law is recovering from heart surgery. 

So we popped up there real quick, did what we had to do and were back home in no time.

I guess tomorrow, it is back to the sewing machine to start fresh, and hopefully have some pretty place mats by dinner time.