Sewing Sanctuary

Been having fun in my Sewing Sanctuary lately :)

Blog Design

Its that time of year agian.

I get brave enough to re-do/learn/get-frustrated

with the design part of blogging. NOT my specialty.

I decided to search for some freebies. ShabbyBlogs

is where I landed. They have some wonderful graphics

and thier directions were fairly easy to follow. They also 

recommended Fotoflexer where you can do all sorts of great

 things with your photos!  I may have to do some experimenting.

Signs

I made this sign back in the spring.

I thought I would try out freezer paper stencils.

but freezer paper stencils and painted wood are not very good friends.

So I scrapped that idea

and did it he old fashioned way.

kind of like paint by number.

Re-Do Reveal

Here it is...

Before
After
Before
After
Before
After

Inspiration

Yes.I.Did.

I bought the first issue of Mollie Makes .

(There are exceptions to my cheap and thrifty rules.)

and Yes, that is a yard of Alexander Henry's Farmdale Fabric

Child #2 has graduated and will be leaving the nest. Leaving in his wake,

a spare room in the house.

LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN.

Spare room?

Spare room?

Spare room!

No, I will not make the spare room a shrine to my son's life,

sorry that shrine is in my heart.

and THIS room is getting a re-do
My Way :)

stay tuned.

eat, pray, love....and maybe sew

I found this book at the library before I headed out for the sunshine state where I'm spending the week with my parents. And I have been doing just what it says : Eating, Praying, and Loveing the time I have with my folks.

This woman talks about Depression and Loneliness like they are detectives hiding out and trying to trip her up. How they catch up with her, and interogate her.

"They come upon me all silent and menacing like Pinkerton Detectives, and they flank me--Depression on my left, Loneliness on my right. They don't need to show me there badges. I know these guys very well. We've been playing this cat-and-mouse game for years now."

she tells them to go away but;

"Then they frisk me. They empty my pockets of any joy I had been carrying there. Depression even confiscates my identity; but he always does that.

Anyways its a great book for anyone who knows these thugs.

oh yes the sewing part. Well...um that just isnt happening. I packed half of my carry-on luggage with fabric, because I thought I would want to take advantage of this time to sew.(come to find out napping is the hobby of choice down here) Above is a project I started a year ago. Someday it will be a quilted world map with applique and embroidery.

Under Construction

While doing a little construction, giving my blog a new look. I came across these vintage "Sewing machine trading cards" on the web! I LOVE the look on this little girls face. This is what I feel like every time I sit down at my machine.

Its a Win!

Sadly SewMamaSew Give-a-way has come to an end. I LOVE bouncing from blog to blog and finding new inspiring ideas and feeling connected to so many stitchy people. AND of coarse its always exciting to win! This year I was lucky number 405 over at Froth and Bubble's Blog , scoot on over and check out the Lil Plain Jane fabric that I won. I kept staring at that beautiful RED flower on the inside of my eyelids all night. red being my current favorite color! Thanks Froth and Bubble .

Give-Away-Day

Its give-away-day over at SewMamaSew.com and I'm headed there right now. Lots of blogs to see and fun prizes to win.

Help Wanded: Desparetly Seeking Spring

Job requires lots of sunshine and singing birds. Must work long hours and
wear appropriate attire (will be expected to wear green at all times).
Please apply in person at:

Winter Blues
234 Snow Lane
Frigid, N. Y.

Shout out......

Help! I need some opinions Mr. Incredible and I went to an auction yesterday and while I wasnt looking he bought a pile of "stuff" in a corner for $1.00 yes o-n-e dollar or 100 pennies. When I realized what he did, I initially was upset, I said "No more junk to take home....ugh" he is known to bring home all the junk that NO-one else wants. As I was degrading him I peeked in a plastic bag amongst the pile of junk and instantly ate my words. It was SEWING STUFF ! Over 30 cross-stitch kits most un-opened, and a nice needlework stand. (The wooden ironing board was my find for $3.00). Anyways, back to my Shout out. I need some opinions here folks. A huge part of me would like to rip the kits apart and keep the fabulous embroidery floss and maybe find a use for the crosstitch fabric. AND then a part of me...............remembers that the first thing I ever learned to do with a needle was Counted Cross Stitch, forth grade afterschool program, Mrs. Forkey.
Now, I have since moved on and I am not particularly fond of cross stitch anymore, but I am sure that there are some folks who are. Yikes, do you know anyone who would love these, some, any, all, more than me? I am definatly keeping the stand because I do like to emroider.
Soo-ooo..............do I tear them apart? or give them away? Please do let me know what you all think. Thanks

Serging

I found this book at my local library and its chuck full of ways I can have fun/damage my serger . Actually I am thinking about writing my own book..............fer real! I am going to call it "101 ways to ruin you serger" I'm already on damage #2. I am making myself a new purse from some old curtains and my serger vomited it back at me, broke a needle, and now skips a thread. So I put it in the naughty chair till I feel like dealing with it!

Mr. Incredible's Laundry

Mr. Incredible needs a laundry bag for his travels, so I whipped this puppy up this morning. I've been hoping to try stenciling on fabric, perfect opportunity :) And just incase you wonder why I call him Mr. Incredible? ( see below) thats him, personality and all! only minus the spandex and a little hairier (okay ALOT hairier) but a good likeness all the same. When we watched the movie the kids and I were giggling the whole way through " thats Dad! its his double, his twin" especially the part where he is crammed into that little car. So he's been Mr. Incredible ever since.

Truth be Told!

(Note-to-self )when I look back and see how much sewing I was doing over the winter of 2009-2010 and wonder how I did it all? Truth be told ...... Stress Relief! I'm looking around at all of the projects I have going and want to start and think... Wait? What? Who? Me? Yes! Me sewing obsessively to avoid the reality of the major changes in my life right now. Child No. 1 has all but left the nest throwing me into fits of identity crisis. The reality of leaving my home of nearly 20 years for a different one. Mr. Incredible in the midst of a job change. AND I like the color Pink! (I believe this falls in the identity crisis category) I never, never, ever liked the color pink in my whole tom-boyish-dirt-lovin-hammer-swingin'-manure-flingin life! The world as I know it is no more. On the brighter side, there is alot of pink fabric in the world, So I am going to stress on.

I'm turning the charm packs I won from D is for Dovey into circles, which will turn into a loverly spotted quilt. Serger! Serger! Serger! I got one for Christmas! and I would hyperventilate if I said anymore about that

I made this great pillow from a pattern in this book I checked out at the library. Two-Hour Mini Quilt Projects - by Mackenzie Kate

Proof of life

When I scoot past my blog to get to my dashboard I am constantly reminded that I have NOT posted anything since last month. I like to keep myself updated so I have a visual of all I have been doing. Since most of that has been top secret and I cant post pictures, here is a note to self: Coffee mug on corner of table = .50 thriftstore find of the season and when filled with coffee a reason to get out of bed in the a.m. Cream colored paint on wall freshly done (Caution to self = dont wait till December to paint the living room). Jar of "purple goop" = failure to make grape jelly on the first try, although if anyone ever wants a grape gummybear recipe I think I found it.
Jelly-Jam-Preserves Success! as well as tags and bows for all and I feel a little less guilty about having NONE of my Christmas shopping done.
And the icing on the cake...........I won good stuff at the SewMamaSew giveaway day! I won these Moda Charms as well as some other goodies over at D is for Dovey . I will be daydreaming about what I am going to make whilst I prepare for Christmas.

Asphalt Canvas

I have gotten way behind on my pictures. These are from the end of summer, the girls were expressing themselves on the road in front of the house.

Nostalgia

A friend Emailed this to me and it reminded me of my Grandmother click here to see her aprons

The History of Aprons
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a pot holder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in Apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.
Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons.
REMEMBER: Grandma used her apron to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her Granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron--except love.

Grandma'a Aprons

I came across these photo's this morning on my computer. These were my Grandmother's aprons. It caused me to reminisce. I miss her, even though she is still alive, but suffering from Alzhiemers. I remember going to her house as a little girl. Seeing her in the kitchen with one of these aprons on, Spatula in hand, making a cake for someone. Sometimes we would be fortunate enough to arrive while she was in her garden, I can see her smiling at me,apron on, with a basket full of veggies, eating peas as she coaxes me along to enjoy the fruits of her labor with her. My Grandmother was crafty to be sure, she could cook,crochet and sew among other things. But the most creative thing she did was share Love. No matter what she did with us, she did it with love. Making sure everyone was happy, she saw the value in a smile. And found simple ways to make it appear. When we were angry, she would open up the closet door and step inside to show us how to get rid of it. We would all take turns stepping inside, closing the door and screaming at the top of our lungs. We would all giggle when Grandma did it, of coarse she wasnt angry, but she sure could scream. She made every thing non confrontational, it was an artform that I have yet to master. I miss those days, I miss her. I can only hope that I learn to be half the master of creativity that she is. Grandma Stefan here is a smile for you :)