this n that

after our big week getting the yard sale ready and hosting it, this is a slower week for us. hubster is dealing with banks, finances and that kind of stuff, so i decided i'd get some sewing (and ironing done).

i dived into my sewing stash this morning, even before taking my shower. i didn't want anything to waylay me. first i finished the pair of shorts for the #1 boy that i've been very slow in sewing. then i took one of his older, almost outgrown t-shirts and cut off the sleeves. i hemmed the armholes and made it into a sleeveless t-shirt. he only has a couple, so i thot this would be good for his summer wardrobe. after lunch i decided to work on my stuff. i have a pink polka dot shirt in progress. i'm at the part where i have to sew on the sleeves. it doesn't look right so i'm going to be ripping out seams and redoing. i don't really know how to do alterations on myself but i'm thinking this is going to force me to learn. i also cut a yellow sleeveless shirt of mine that had gotton a rotton stain on the front. i trimmed it to below the bustline and then i cut out some cute yellow print fabric to make the torso part. i'm about halfway thru with that project. i want to put an applique or somthing on the solid part of the shirt to tie in the print. of course, never having appliqued this will be an adventure too.

being able to take a few hours to sew made me happy today. the munchkin will be home shortly. we'll go outside and he'll play. i may read ... then dinner, then the last nite of challenger baseball.

i'm hoping to get back to my sewing machine again tomorrow and make some more headway on the 2 shirts. i have other projects in the stash that i might be able to start. and i want to start packing away non-essential fabric and patterns.

anyone doing any sewing or crafting these days? what projects are you working on?

Sewing Shorts

my spring and summer goal has been to sew some shorts for my son. he grew out of almost all of his shorts from last year. usually it is so hot here we live in short from May thru Sept. for some reason, global warming has made it really cold here and we are still in jeans. but, this cold blast can't last forever and i have been diligently sewing shorts for the #1 son. the first pair i just grabbed some heavy material i had had for years. they were pretty basic, nothing fancy. and they don't fit him great either. oh well. this 2nd pair i'm working on i decided to add a contrasting fabric at the hem and a pocket in the same fabric. so i had to go to the fabric store and find some cute boy type fabrics.




the middle fabric is a baseball theme and that's the one i'm using for this 2nd pair. it is turning out great, but i still have to try it on my reluctant model. i may even get them finished before the sun comes out again.

i cheated by cutting off some sweats that were getting too short and hemming them. but they turned out great and he's worn them a couple times. so now at least he has 3 or 4 pairs instead of 1. i'm not sure how many more i will make, with the move fast approaching. i enjoy sewing, but it takes me double the time a more experienced seamstress. so my projects don't get done lickety split.

anyone else doing any sewing out there in cyberland?

My New Fav Thing

i was able to do a bit of sewing yesterday. i had the fan on so it was really quite comfotable. i mended a pair of #1 son's jeans that he had ripped. i cut off a pair of his sweatpants that are getting a bit too short. i hemmed them with a zigzag stitch and i really liked how it turned out. and i started on a pair of shorts i cut out of an old denim maternity jumper. a jumper i was wearing 10 years ago! i'm starting to think in terms of reusing and repurposing around here and its alot of fun. the material is still very nice, and its been worn and washed so many times that it is soft and pliable. i want to add some funky pockets or appliques to the shorts to make them fun for him. we'll see what i come up with.

sewing has become a fav hobby of late for me. out of necessity as well as trying to use up my stash of fabrics i have had lying around, i'm finding that i'm doing more sewing and liking it more and more. one reason could be that i'm gaining confidence in my abilities and another could be i'm so inpsired by what i see out there in bloggyland. so many talented sew-ers and craftsters.


one sight i like to check in and see what others are up to is sew,mama,sew. they have great tutorials, contests, and they highlight many wonderful projects and the people who make them. so if you haven't found them already, go check them out. me, i'm going to do a little more sewing.

this n that

michael has graciously let me use his computer to get online and post. he's pretty protective of his computer cuz he uses it for school and he's seen how i can abuse things! yikes!

my computer is still under the weather. i think i've found a replacement cord, but i still have to make sure i'm ordering the right one. i hate tech when it doesn't work. but when it works its my best friend. kwim?

i finally got around to trying the hot and sour soup recipe under my recipes to try list. it was great! i elimenated the mushrooms as i don't do rubbery textured foods, like mushrooms and oysters. and i may add more liquids. its definitely a keeper and i could eat it for lunch every week. mmm-mmm!

i also actually started sewing on joe's pants that i cut out for him last month. i need him to try them on so that i can see how they're fitting and that could be a chore! but i am determined to finish them before short season arrives and i have to put them away til fall. i also cut out a pair of shorts out of the same pattern yesterday. shorts season will be upon us in no-time and joe outgrew all but one or two of his shorts by the end of last summer. since i had the fabric i thot i should use it up.

hopefully i'll be able to post again soon. in the meantime, it snowed here last nite so i won't be doing any yard cleanup today. ahhh, i'm SO disappointed! got to go see the dr seuss movie with my family this afternoon instead. life can be so hard!

i finished daisy's winter coat

i finally finished daisy's fleece winter coat. after these pics were taken i added some more velcro so it would be a little tighter. it was pretty loose in this shot.

isnt' it cute?

fabric flower tutorial

found this tutorial to make the cute flower broaches that i have been seeing everywhere on the net! cute, cute! i can't wait to try this tutorial.

tidbits

i decided to call this tidbits as what i'm going to chat with you about probably has no relation to each other, except that i'm thinking about it ....

so ... i've found a new fav show. "Chuck" on monday nites is about a geek who gets involved in the CIA and the NSA. fun spy stuff! and a great cast of characters. anyone else watching chuck?

i was able to do a bit of sewing yesterday. i bought some fluffy, fuzzy blue fabric to make a pillow for my son. i got 3 sides sewn up and then debated how i should close it. i decided i'll do something that lets me take the pillow out so i can wash the cover. that evening he found the pillow and promptly claimed it for his own. he wandered into our bedroom at 5am this morning, the pillow cover (without the pillow form) in hand rubbing his cheek with it and laughing as he climbed into our bed. i love being able to do simple things for him that make him happy.

i added a new sidebar to my blog as you can see. it will change each day with a different unreached people that we can pray for. i have wanted to be more intentional in praying for other countries and those people. i'm hoping that having this sidebar will help me do just that. will you join me in praying each day for the different cultures and nations that haven't been reached with the gospel?

i'm wearing pink today in honor of my mother who at 82 is fighting breast cancer. she just was diagnosed last month and has already had surgery. tomorrow she will be seeing the doc again and will be making some decisions as to what to do next. i'm praying for her as well as alot of others are. we know she rests in the Lord's hand, but we are selfish and want more time with her on this earth ...
so today i have a shortsleeve pink t-shirt on, pink socks with hearts on them, a pink heart necklace and my pink watchband and a pink beaded bracelet to honor her and to bring attention to this debilitating disease. october is breast cancer awareness month: will you be sporting pink?

today is name your car day. does your car have a name? we have had names for other cars we've owned, but i'm ashamed to admit we have had this car for several years and have never named her/him.

some things on the horizon: our church is going to be going thru a beth moore study. i'm getting excited about that. our local yarn shop is having some new fall classes. i'm checking them out and trying to decide which one to take. i want to learn more complicated knitting techniques! joe doesn't have school or his special program he goes to on thursday, so i'm trying to think of some fun things we can do together. got a haircut scheduled so far, maybe a matinee?? or visit a friend with 2 kids?? any ideas??