Sew Twelve

Wow, is this right up my alley.  Chickpea Sewing Studio has come up with a "12-step program for tired sewists."  Ha ha!  Yep, that would be me.  Or, more like, distracted, busy, sewing-room-too-messy-to-sew-in-it, too mired in the housework that just renews itself every day anyway....basically I haven't been sewing much lately.  But I want to get back to it. 

Especially after last night's inspiration...I went to a party, one of those where you basically are kind of expected to buy something.  I only went because 1. I wanted to support my good friend; her party didn't look like there would be too many attending...(ha!  The room was full when I got there.)  Well anyway, 2. Our weekend dinner plans were canceled, leaving a bunch of newly freed up/un-budgeted money out there for me to squander...I'm sure Dave Ramsey would have something to say about that.  I hang my head in shame.  ANYWAY,

This "home sales" company is pretty new to J-town; there are only two consultants in our area.  I have a feeling it's going to get a lot more in the coming months...the company is called Thirty-One.  (And their name is a reference to Proverbs 31 - how cool!)  Their bags are borderline luscious.  But it was really hard for me to choose one to get, because every bag I picked up, I kept thinking, pfft.  I could sew that. 

So, why am I not sewing???  Crazy.  So I'm jumping aboard the "Sew Twelve" challenge.  I may have to pro-rate it for the month of May, being half-over already (again, crazy!  where does the time go?) and do 6 days...gotta be realistic here. 

So here's the deal: For 12 months, 12 days a month, I will sew for 1 hour. 

I'm excited to see what happens!

OH and btw, here's the bag I decided on...there's a mile-long list of things I'll be using this for!

Spraypaint is my FRIEND!

Oh dear me.  A church downtown had their annual rummage sale today, and Nolan & I went down for a look.  I'm just feeling kind of giddy thinking about it!  Here we go...

Pair of botanical prints...I got up to the front and asked, because there was no tag.  The lady said, "well since the frames are kind of scratched up....how about 2 for $1.00?"    I don't know what my face looked like when she said that.  But I tried to keep it as nonchalant as I could.  "Sure, that's fine," I said with a shrug.  (!!!!!)
Candlesticks...oh, maybe .25 or .50 each pair.  I kid you not.  They are both destined for a can of spraypaint...and those wooden ones are going to get a good antiquing.  (Wouldn't they be like $50 in the Pottery Barn catalog?)  The top ones (blue matte glass - ugh!), maybe a non-shiny metallic-y something or other...
Necklaces....25 each.  You can't see them too well in the picture.  I can't wait to wear the big chunky wooden beaded one...the other two, maybe I'll wear or maybe I'll take them apart and use the beads. 
Sewing stuff...all those tapes & ric-rac trimmy things were in a bag together...I'm guessing it was a quarter or two. 

There's another church sale tomorrow, you better believe I'm going. 

Is this how the hoarders get their start?

Goodwill scores!

Actually, a combo of Goodwill, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent DePaul.  I love thrift stores, probably because I'm so cheap frugal.  I found a pair of Banana Republic shorts for $5.50 not too long ago.  You would never guess they were from Goodwill.  I don't buy junk, and in my defense, my kids are dressed pretty well...I kinda stay away from clothing for them at these places...well, anyway...a few recent finds from the last week or so:

Finally, we have a globe!  I've always wanted a globe.  I know that sounds funny.  But the kids like it too!  $2.99.
Picture frame - thinking I'll spraypaint it off-white and cover the inside with fabric - like a fabric bulletin board.  It would look great in my sewing/computer/crafting/book storage room!  $1.49.
Beth Moore book (I love Beth Moore, LOVE her!) - I had to beg Greg for this, because he found it and was going to sell it.  I promised him I wouldn't mess it up and he could sell it AFTER I read it.  :)  $1.
Ironstone platters & mother-of-pearl dish...altogether less than $5.  So pretty!
The fabric underneath?  A flat sheet - I think queen-sized.  I measured it and figured that there's about 5.5 yards of 44" fabric in there....$2.99.  That comes to $1.83/yard!   (...right?) 
ETA: I never claimed to be good at math, people.  Even with a calculator.  Make that .55 a yard.  Even better!!!  :)

I've gotten to the point in my life where I look at things and see "yardage."  I've been known to shop in the plus-size muumuu section of Goodwill, looking for yardage.  When I'm rich and famous someday (or just rich, that would be fine too), I'll shop at the quilt shops and buy designer fabrics.  But for now it's Joann Red Tag, and "yardage." 

OH, and this little set for Abby's room....$4.99!

SCORE!  I'm painting it right now, and irritated that it's not covering the strawberry shortcake stuff, even after priming it.  I'm spraypainting it, but I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and roll - which means more to get out and clean up...but that's OK.  I just need to find some time.

Back in the swing of things

I don't know!  I don't know what happened!  I just kinda...stopped sewing for a while.  I got on my knitting kick (which I'm still on btw), and my poor, sad, neglected sewing machine just sat there.  I guess that happens sometimes! 

Then this weekend, I had a little scare with my new-ish camera.  (I thought I'd ruined it by carelessly and repeatedly tossing it into my purse...there was no picture on the screen...but then I realized there was a googly eye stuck in the lens.  It looked really funny!)  I couldn't find the case that came with it, so out of necessity I made a cute little case...

How cute, right?  And then I was like, hmmmm, well now that I'm here, I guess I could make something else...

So I made this bag for a friend! 

It's a reversible Amy Butler Chelsea Bag (not A.B. fabric...too bad!).  I didn't use any interfacing...now wish that I had, because it's a little floppy, but oh well. I'm pretty tempted to keep it for myself...but I already told my friend that her bag was done, so unless I want to whip up another one by tomorrow (I don't particularly), this is hers.  

SO, now that I'm kinda back at it, I actually do have a bunch of things to do.  I'll do my best not to neglect my little blog in the future.  I have to keep my 3 followers happy!  ha ha....

OH, and by the way, I added a "subscribe" link up at the top.  You can subscribe to this, and you'll get notified whenever there's a new post...so you don't have to 1. keep checking, and/or 2. give up on my site altogether.  Mom, if you're reading this (and I know you are!), you should look into getting a Bloglines account - it is really cool and it would be really useful for you, with your 24 million blogs that you follow. :)

Pay it Forward

I love that concept, pay it forward.  I hardly ever participate in this kind of thing, but I saw on facebook my cousin had this as her update:

Pay It Forward for creative people (and by creative people I mean everyone): I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment to this update. They must in turn, promise to post this and send something they made to the first 5 posters on their status. The rules are that...it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2010!

 OK, I'm up for that!  So I signed up, and put this in my own update.  My people:

Lydia (the babysitter) - got an apron.  A too-cute apron.  I forgot to take a pic, but I will definitely be making at least one more for myself, it was so cute...so I'll get a pic then. Lydia is a very creative girl - just turned 16 - and she just got "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" for her b-day.  I thought this would be perfect for her.  

Lorraine (her mom) - a pincushion.  Again, will probably be making one for myself, I love it so much!  Lorraine is awesome, AND she sews!  In fact, she gave me a few patterns that I think I'll be using for Abby this summer.  Very thoughtful!  

 

Wendi (friend) - a big-time baker, will prob. be getting an apron

Molly (friend) - don't know yet!  I'm feeling a summer tote bag.

Amy (friend) - probably the same as Molly...I'll just have to wait till inspiration hits

I won't inflict any knitting projects on anyone yet...the point is to give gifts.   Someday people may clamor for my knitted items, but today is not that day.  I've dubbed my current project "Franken-mitts" because they kind of look all scrappy and pieced together like Frankenstein's monster!  (More on that later, don't you worry!)

A new hobby

Here is a little blurb I'm putting in the MOPS newsletter...sorry no pics but I promise, soon!

I'm sure half the world knows (due to all the whining and lamenting I did when it happened) that my sewing machine went on the fritz - temporarily - about a month or two ago.  It happened right in the middle of all that blizzardry (I love my new word I just made up!) and I was kinda stuck for a few days without my fav hobby. 

I don't know what it is about me, but I always have this need...or maybe desire...or maybe just a compelling feeling of wanting to make something.  I usually have at least one thing I'm "working on."  I have a project list about 10 miles long.  I don't know why; maybe it's in my genes. 

So... stuck in the house, snowed in for 3 days in a row without the use of my sewing machine, I grabbed the closest thing I could find - a pair of knitting needles and some yarn.  Never mind that I didn't know how to use them.  They were there, and I was going to figure it out.  I'd been kinda wanting to for a while...it seemed like everywhere I went, people were knitting.  It seemed like my kind of thing, and it didn't look that difficult.  I dug my "teach yourself to knit" book out, blew off the dust, and got to it.  A friend pointed me in the direction of a website that shows videos of the "how-to's" - very helpful.  Two days later, after a lot of trial & error, I finally had the first two basic things down.  Two more days later, I had the purl stitch under my belt.  I felt like such an expert! 

We now have a dishrag and a swiffer cover, made by moi.  Try to contain your excitement.  I'm currently working on a pair of fingerless mitts.  One is done.  I tried it on and showed my husband.  He said, "I think it's great.  I'm impressed that you made that.  I'm not trying to be rude, but...why would you need mittens that your fingers stick out of?"  ..............[can you hear the sound of crickets chirping?]................  To which I replied, after some thought, "....I have no idea."   We had a good laugh about that! 

I guess the point for me is that my new hobby feeds my craving to create.  It's something I can do while watching TV, in the car, waiting at the doctor's office...wherever.  It's not expensive (not yet, anyway - ha!), it doesn't take up much space, and I'm finding it to be relaxing and almost therapeutic. 

I want to encourage you lovely MOPS moms to find a hobby that is relaxing for you!  After full and often tiring days of being mommies, wives, housekeepers, cooks, chauffeurs, secretaries, personal shoppers, and all the other roles that we take on, it's not only enjoyable to have some "me time," but necessary!  You don't have to be a "crafty" person.  Just find something that you enjoy, or would like to learn, and "just do it!"

Recent Goodies

Fun, fun, fun lately!  A "craft day" at a friend's house last week - the husbands watched the kids ALL DAY, and the girls got together and worked on projects.  I finished two projects start-to-finish because of that day...one, the night before (because I just couldn't stop!) and the other that day. 

My knitting needle rollup:

 

Happy to say that 1. I have more needles to fill it with now.  :)  And 2. This whole thing probably cost me about a dollar to make, if that.  The outside (green) is from a tablecloth I found at Goodwill, and the inside is from a fitted sheet I found at Goodwill.  Greg wasn't crazy about the sheet; he said it reminded him of his grandparents' porch furniture.  :)  I thought that was funny because it reminded me of the same thing, but that's what I love about it!  Look for this pattern in an upcoming sundress for a cute 6 year old we know...and maybe another headband...

And here is my new knitting bag - but I plan on using it for other things too, or maybe just making a few more because it is such a great size...

 

It's an Amy Butler Chelsea Bag pattern.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  It came together beautifully, no hassles.  I got lots of ooohs and ahhhs when I finished it (which always makes me happy!).  

So speaking of knitting, I'm still totally loving it...mostly doing stuff to practice on lately but I think I'm about to go for a "real" project with a pattern and everything.  We shall see how it goes.