I finished covering the pillows for the livingroom. They look so much better. I am working on an embroidery design for my sister-in-law. Her friend is going to Hawaii and she wants to give her a special personalized gift for the trip. I have a flag for some one to redo. Everything is a little bogged down though. My folks have been ill, the General has been ill. Yesterday Captain Chaos woke up with 104 fever. I got it down. This morning it was 102 when he got up. I am working on getting it down. Starting last night I began to run a fever, cough, and generally feel bad. Captain Cool also woke up feeling bad this morning. I got our taxes done and sent though! So much going on. Oh, Captain Kitty finished a set of coasters she made.

Sew Long for Now!

I have been reading Mrs. Wilt's challenge for anti-procrastination this week. I have been using the schedule from Motivated Moms and it has really helped. These last two weeks things around here have been stressful. I have pretty much kept on top of things. There are a few things though that I have dropped the ball on. One was mopping my kitchen floor. I had put that off and then put it off some more. The other was dusting our bedroom. Wednesday I got the floor mopped and this morning I dusted our bedroom. Her challenge for tomorrow is to anti-procrastinate things to do with your family. Tomorrow is our Bible Quiz. Both our younger children are participating and our oldest is helping set-up and then tear down. So we will all be there. I hope to finish working with Captain Kitty on her sewing project and I heard the guys talk about working on a model they all have been building.

I am off to do some surfing and then sew new covers for my livingroom throw pillows.

Sew Long for Now!

I have listed a set of coasters in my etsy shop that I made today. Now, I have to figure out how to put one of those links to my shop on the side of my blog. I cut out some tissue covers from this same material. It is so cute! I also was thinking about making some quilted hot pads. As I looked at this material I thought it would make a cute apron, or somehow put it on the bottom of dish towels. I really like this material. Fifteen years ago I bought a round wall hanging type thing and the border was the dark red in this material. Around the same time I went to Lancaster and bought a quilted hot pad from an Amish roadside stand. When I came home I found it was made out of these two prints. Last year my friend gave me a box of material and what was in it, but these two prints!

I have been tagged by my friend Linda to tell 5 things about myself I have not told on my blog before.

1. I have two real sisters, six half brothers, 3 step sisters, and 3 step brothers. (I refer to it as coming from the original dysfunctional family)

2. I am older than the General by 3 1/2 years.

3. I got my first sewing machine in 3rd grade, it sewed using glue.

4. I do not like to drink out of plastic or cans. I prefer glass.

5. I have brown eyes and so do both my boys. Our only daughter has green eyes just like her father!

Sew Long for Now!

Last night I was playing around. I have a picture of a button necklace I want to make. I had this chain bracelet and decided to try making a button bracelet first. It's cute! I finished up all the sewing for others I had and Captain Kitty and I have been working on coasters. I am showing her how to make the criss cross coasters. We made two over the weekend, but she has four cut out. Sunday we had ice, then Monday I had to go with the General to U.Va. for his outpatient surgery. We stopped by my folks to pick up some sewing my sister-in-law left for me and found my Momma extremely ill with the flu. We stayed awhile so I could help her. Then we came home. The General went to work Tuesday. He is just a little soar. They had to do a biopsy of his arm muscle. Hopefully, next month we will know the diagnosis. Tuesday Captain Kitty was feeling bad. Captain Chaos has a cold. This weekend is Bible Quiz and they are both in it. I will have to take care of them and hopefully they will be well by Saturday. I am working on opening an Etsy shop. I hope to have it open and some things in it by the end of January.

Sew Long for Now!

I finished this wallet today. It took four tries. I just couldn't find a combination of materials I liked. I have used this pattern only two times and each time I have had to alter the pattern. It's has some great basics, but it just doesn't work out right when I follow it exactly. I am writing notes on the pattern each time to see what I need to do differently. I have some ideas when I try it again to make it even better. I will be adding a button to it tonight to cover up the square on the front where I sewed the velcro on. I gave my friend the criss cross coasters tonight and she really liked them. I worked on shortening the sleeves on a shirt today for some one. I had to remove the cuffs, measure and mark the new stitch line, then cut off the excess, and sew the cuffs back on. It's cold here now and they are calling for wintery mix tomorrow. We will see what happens.

Sew Long for Now!

We took our youngest two out to eat lunch today at Golden Corral. Our 9 yo son had went to get dessert. He came back with an overflowing bowl of soft serve ice cream covered with chocolate and gummy bears. When he set it on the table it overflowed everywhere. As he tried to eat it chocolate got everywhere. He looked up at me with a big grin and said, "Look Mom I have a Messterpiece!"

Gotta love 'em!

I forgot to let you know the coaster I did were from a tutorial. You can go to Allsorts and find it. Have fun!

Sew Long for Now!

Another birthday present. I have a friend who loves purple. The purple solid has a shine to it and is classy looking. I also made a tissue holder for her out of the striped material. I could really get addicted to these coasters.

Sew Long for Now!

Your Career Personality: Detail-Oriented, Observant, and Hard-Working

Your Ideal Careers: Designer Family counselor Independent store owner Interior decorator Museum curator Nurse Preschool teachers Social worker Stay at home parent Teacher

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

This is pretty cool. It has my ideal careers as designer and interior decorator things that could involve my love of sewing. It also has me as a stay at home parent, which I am. It also gives teacher, which I am. So basically I am living my ideal careers.

Sew Long for Now!

Here is a set of coasters I made for a birthday present. I had a pretty bad week. Everything I tried to do ended up in the trash. I tried to make the notebook cover and I must have misread the directions because what I ended up with was no where near a cover for a notebook! I also used some left over twill as the base. That was a bad idea. It turned out way too thick. I will try that project again in the future. I tried to make a matching wallet with the pre-quilted fabric and I couldn't even sew through it because of all the thick layers. I will try that project again using the prequilted fabric as an outer layer and some thinner fabric for the inside pockets. I finished the digitizing of the design, but, was a little upset by an e-mail I got from the lady I did it for. She sent me a carbon copy of an e-mail she sent to the lady at the local sewing shop. She was happy with the design, but she complained I was "sluggish" in getting started. It took me 1 and 1/2 weeks to complete it. I had other sewing to do for other people ahead of time. I felt a little miffed. I ask her when she needed it and she told me not for a month. I thought I got it to her with time to spare. I know we live in a society that thinks everything should be done instantly and that most people are very "me" centered and think that they are the most important and their stuff should come first, but, I just can't work that way. I have other priorities that must come first. Oh, well I need to give it to God and let it go. I am not feeling so well physically either. I got up this morning thinking I was headed to the hospital. I had terrible pains in my intestine. It feels like I have another adhesion. I was doubled over with pain most of the morning. Finally, this afternoon I made myself get things done and now the pain has passed. I don't have time for another surgery right now. I sometimes wonder why God wants me to have a surgery or two every year. Is God using me as practice for my surgeon? Maybe He is using me to make him a better surgeon!

Sew Long for Now!

I completed this bag for a customer this weekend. It is made with pre-quilted double sided material. I used Simplicity 5598 as a base for this bag. I added more pockets and a zipper closure.
This is a view looking into the bag. It shows the print on both sides of the material. I am also doing a wallet using this same material.
This is the material I am using to make a notebook cover. I am using a tutorial from Craft Apple's blog. So far it's been pretty fun. I am also working on a digitizing, another notebook cover and a bag. I have a long list of things I need to get to. School is taking up a lot of time right now. I spent hours this weekend working on Captain Cool's high school transcript. I still have more to do. It will all get done. I have been using a schedule I downloaded from Motivated Moms to try to get my house keeping in line. It has really helped. I have a school schedule and a sewing list. I would be lost with lists to remind me what I am suppose to be doing!

Sew Long for Now!

I haven't yet done any sewing today. I just had to hop in to shout the news! Our oldest son, aka Captain Cool, got a letter today in the mail from Rep. Goodlatte and he nominated him to the Air Force Academy! This has been the Captain's dream and goal. Colorado here we come!

Sew Long for Now!

Not much sewing done that last couple of days. I am half way through making a quilted bag for a lady and almost finished making a needle roll to store my crochet hooks in. With school starting back full force and the mess my home got in the last three months, I have a lot to keep me busy. Today is the last day of school this week, I hope to spend more time Friday and Saturday getting caught up on some sewing. I am full of ideas and inspiration. I hope to put some of that into finished projects!

Sew Long for Now!

Yesterday I finished a pair of socks I was knitting for Captain Chaos. I made him tube socks. I had to use only four needles. When I went to put up my needles I couldn't find the fifth needle to the set. After scrounging around all afternoon I found all my sets except two. I decided I needed a better way to store them. I had just been throwing them in a tote. Last night I made a needle roll for them. I took some material and cut two pieces two times the length of my longest knitting needles plus one inch. Then I measured my shortest needles and cut a piece two time the length minus one inch. I folded the short piece and ironed it then turned it so it was folded inside out. I then stitched up the two short sides. I turned it right side out and pressed it again. I sewed this to the bottom of one of the long pieces of material at one and one half inch intervals. Next I placed the other long piece of material over this so both long pieces were facing right sides together. I pinned two 18 inch pieces of ribbon to the inside of this sandwich at the top of the short piece I had sewed on. I sewed around all the sides leaving an opening about the size of my hand. I clipped the corners and turned it right side out through the opening. I pressed and then top stitched around the outside. I put my needles in the pouches, folded it over, rolled it up, and tied it.
TaDa! A place to keep all my needles safely. Next I want to do one for my crochet hooks. School started back today and we are trying to stick to a schedule. I built in sewing time for the schedule, just not as much as the past several months.

Sew Long for Now!