Out with the old. . .

Good bye 2011!  Fond memories!
  

I spent ALL of 2011 with my husband.  Is that awesome, or what?  Considering our first eight years of marriage, we lived together for only 36 non-consecutive months due to both of us going on deployments, attending military schools, conducting training, and the like.  I'm not complaining - let's just get that straight from the get go!  We both love the Army.  I'm just saying that this year was an amazing blessing that our family has relished.  It hasn't always been so easy in the past, nor will it always be in the future.  So, with appreciation and admiration for the old, we say farewell to 2011 with a reminiscent sigh and welcome the new year with open arms of anticipation and hope.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The first project of 2012 is, fittingly enough, made from sweaters discarded in 2011.  As you can see, these guys are just waiting for a little craft love.  I can't wait to chop them up and make something new.  Stay tuned for more!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It's getting colder here, although not as cold as it has been elsewhere.  I miss the snow, but I have to admit that getting the baby out is a lot easier when it's not freezing.  Mad props to the rest of you trudging your wee ones through the frigid weather.

I'm trying to finish up my winter sewing to get ready for spring things (I'm super excited about them), and this is today's quickie project - homemade baby leggings.  These actually fit my 4-year-old quite well.  I simply bought some adult knee socks at target and chopped off the foot, and then added some fun elastic trim that I picked up at Wal-Mart.  I don't have a serger, so I used a double needle to hem the rough edge and add the trim.  I'm going to pair these up with a cute dark grey fleece jumper with pink lining - that's next up.  I haven't had much time to sew lately, but it's been a good trade off for tons of fun with the kids and Kevin over Christmas.  Maybe I'll get a few pictures of our D.C. adventures posted, too. . .

Stay warm!!

Quick Look at a Book

Nancy Zieman's Sewing A to Z

I checked this book out from the library just to flip through it and see what I could learn.  I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to begin sewing or quilting. 

There are about as many techniques and tips as there are seamstresses, and you don't have to do everything, or anything, for that matter, by the book.  But I am not always bold and adventurous, especially when it comes to a pricey piece of fabric, so having a guide to consult is helpful.

Another resource I've used is Stitch magazine.  It's a little more random, but each issue has several techniques in it, as well as a glossary of the terms used in the instructions throughout the magazine.  I find that once I've read it, I tend to dog ear those pages and refer back to them if I'm trying to pick up something new. Stitch Magazine also has a blog called Sew Daily, sewing made modern.  Check out their tutorials and templates, or just browse and inspire yourself with all the possibilities!

Holly's dress

Wow.  After a slight sabbatical from my sewing machine, I finally finished Holly's dress.  I've only had the fabric for two years.  Have you ever had a project like that?  It just sits there in a folded pile staring at you.  Well, I finally have closure on this one!  This is what I had in mind when I started:

But it looked a little plain for Holly.  Too serious.  So, I added some baby rickrack!  I love this stuff.

This is the finished product - forgive the bad photo.  I can't wait to have her try it on tomorrow, so maybe I'll be able to get a better shot then.  Jessie's is still in the hopper, so check back soon.

Etsy Cyber Monday

Free shipping from my Etsy shop until midnight tonight!  Receive 10% off when you like us on Facebook through November 30th!  Follow the tabs at the top of this page to access each site.  …Now I'm off to do my internet shopping for the season.  Are you kidding?  Brave all those long lines at the stores with three kids in tow?  I'm not that crazy!

Travels

We made the long haul to Indiana yesterday - all in one day!  It took us about 14 hours to get here; that's about 10 hours of driving time, so considering two preschoolers and an infant, we made pretty good time.  The kids traveled well, so that's the first thing I'll be thankful for this Thanksgiving - a safe trip and a happy, healthy family!

On the way, I had a chance to work on something.  Business cards!  I'm pretty excited about these.

They are just plain manila tags from Office Depot, and I hand sewed fabric scraps to them with embroidery floss.  

It was a fun way to pass the time on the trip, and I think they'll add a neat personal touch to the orders from my etsy shop.  

I'm planning to purchase a type-set stamp set from an office store so that I can stamp my shop name and web address on the back or on attached tags like this one:

This could be a cute idea for your Christmas gift tags, too!  Let me know if you want some, and I'll cut you a deal. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Coming soon

This circle apron skirt will be coming soon to my etsy shop!  I'd been trying to get to it all week, but judging by the "mess" pictures in the previous post, you can probably guess why that didn't happen.  I finally finished it today while Kevin entertained the girls and did a LOT of baby holding.

Crummy picture, but I'll fix that soon too!  It will have a tulle pettiskirt to go with it, too.  Fun!