Valentine Prep

Preschool Valentine party is Friday. Despite being under the weather, it was time to get cracking! I am already uneasy about the quality of food served at school so I was definitely not going to contribute to the sugar overload that is sure to ensue. I thought about bags of carrots tied with pink bows but have probably found a happier medium here:

I die cut the hearts and let A decorate with stickers to her hearts content. After picking a few pencils to keep for herself, we taped the rest to the hearts. Daddy helped her pick out the dandy felt bag and stickers for carrying them to school and bringing her loot home. We had fun and only spent $3.00 on pencils! The rest, we had!

Searching for Signs of SPRING!!

I am not a very good winter dweller. I need long warm days and the sun warming my body to feel happy and healthy. This time of the year is really a drag on my spirit so I am constantly looking for some kind of sign that SPRING is on the horizon. Punxsutawney Phil gave me some hope on February second and I also have found this hopeful sign in the yard:

At this time, I would like to scream at the top of my lungs "THE CROCUS ARE COMING!"
Hold onto to hope my friends, as the fortune cookie says: Good things shall come your way.

Craft Table Catch All

There never seems to be enough room on top of my cutting table. Scissors, tape measure, notepad all in the way all the time. Well I decided to get crafty on the problem the other day and came up with this:

A super tidy place for everything!

You will need about a half yard of fabric and some heavy duty interfacing.
Cut two fabric pieces and one interfacing 9 by 21.5"
Cut two fabric pieces and one interfacing 7 by 21.5"

1) Attach the interfacing per the instructions to the wrong side of one of the like sized rectangles.
2) Sew the small rectangles right sides together across one long side. Trim seam, turn and press.
3) Layer all three pieces together matching the raw edges at the bottom. Your large rectangles will be right sides together sandwiching the smaller rectangle that will be right side out on both sides. Sew around the entire rectangle leaving a 6" opening on the top to turn through.

4) Press back seam allowance in un sewn area. Trim seam allowance in all other areas, clip corners and turn. Press everything.

5)Stitch across the top to close the opening.
6)Use some chalk and a straight edge to mark your stitch lines for your pockets. I did one large enough for my scissors, a smaller one for measuring tapes and notepads and a pencil sized one.

7)Stitch your lines the width of your pocket and be sure to backstitch on both ends.
8)Lastly apply your velcro. I used self adhesive velcro on the table edge and then stitched a same size piece to the back of the organizer. DO NOT try to sew on self adhesive velcro! It makes a mess of your machine!

9)Viola! Attach to your table and be happy that your scissors will never be lost under piles of fabric and all these handy things will be stored at your finger tips!

If you find this confusing, there are a multitude of tutorials out there for crayon organizers that use pretty much the same steps! Many of these people have way more tutorial experience than I do!

Modern and Trendy Bee and Chicken Keeping

You have got to check this out! My husband is fastidiously researching urban bee keeping and ran across the OMLET. This page sells super trendy animal and insect enclosure systems that are sure to put a twinkle in your eye. Don't look at the price though, your heart will sink! It reinforces my theory that you can take anything from drab to fab with a little color. As I am fond of saying "If your gonna do it, might as well do it with flair!" If it requires color and trendiness to bring nay sayers on board, I say be my guest! I am not so certain that some of the setups are that easy to maintain and I am not so fond of large and plastic but for some people it takes a little more and some a little less to make self sufficiency appealing and get people interested.

Getting the hang of it

I have officially gone my first round with the serger. I am not sure that I am on the same team as this machine yet. It is a whole different monster and I fully understand why Craigslist is littered with "barely used" sergers for sale. In the middle of the project I ran out of the sample thread and spent nearly half an hour trying to re thread the thing before I gave up. Next day, things went better and I did get this fleece jacket complete but I am by no means proficient in its use. So with my manual close by, I will move forward and sign up for a class to reduce my chances of turning my machine into a dust collector. Do you own a serger? Do you use it often? How long did it take you to get the hang of it? Any tips to share?

Reading List

I have been scouting things out at the Library and have come across some great books! Good projects and lots of inspiring ideas! Check out the following:

The New Handmade -Cassie Barden
I made the cell phone case and found the instructions to be easy to read. Lots of fun ideas from laptop covers to purses, potholders and pencil cases.

The Feisty Stitcher -Susan Wasinger
Includes some cool recycling/re-purposing ideas. You can find totes, slippers, jewelry, scarves and T-shirts.

Sewing Bits and Pieces -Sandi Henderson
Lots of ideas for scraps to include ideas for kids and home. I did my own take off of her sweater refashion below.

Sewing Green -Betz White
Lots of eco friendly projects. Totes, lunch bags, pillows, skirts, pajama pants and items for kids. I have lots of ideas tabbed in this one!

In Memory

About eight years ago my Grandma Jean moved from Denver to an assisted living center in Nebraska. She was pretty isolated in Denver and needed someone closer so she moved nearer my Aunt Margaret. When she went I was fortunate to receive many things from her. My kitchen table, sideboard, desk,car, dresser and her fabric and notion stash. When acquiring your Grandmothers stash you get get a lot of strange and wonderful things. Fabrics that make you think what was she going to do with this? Or whew, I would have never picked that! I have used some of these fabrics, some I am seriously considering sending on their way while others I am sure I will find a use for.

This week these random things have taken on new meaning as my Grandmother passed away. All agree she was a bird of a different feather and I often say that any of my idiosyncrasies were definitely acquired honestly! She liked to sew and craft and would make things for others. Often that meant you received a gift that might have fit you two years ago or the sleeves were different lengths. When your young, that is annoying and not so funny. As an adult, I realize she spent that time making things because she enjoyed it I should have been a bit more appreciative of her time spent. After all, that is the same reason I make things for those I love. Today I chose to take a day of bereavement so that I could honor my crafty Grandma by doing a bit of sewing. I think I will make myself some clothes. Maybe from some of these patterns:

I love the vintage style and I hope all the pieces are there! I am going to work hard at being a better seamstress than my Grandma and I hope to avoid some of her "make it" pitfalls like leaving out the lining on a very sheer dress.....
I knew her time was near its end when my sister and I visited her shortly after Christmas. I'm not sure she ever figured out who we were but I got to hug her and say goodbye. She was musical, liked to travel and taught me to love the library. Now I would like to say Thank You. Thank you for my eccentric taste, thank you for being brave enough to take a fourth grader to Alaska for three weeks, thank you for sharing your things with me and thank you for my love of crafts and sewing.