I hope to inspire and entertain you with a lot of sewing and a little of everything else!
My kids had last week off from school, so we took a trip to the beach. I thought I would have internet, but I didn't, so I couldn't post. Not only do I have internet, but I have a new laptop!! Hubby surprised me yesterday with a new Dell AND he was able to restore all my info and settings!! I may not have the prettiest lawn, but my techno-hubby rocks when it comes to technology!!
Anyway, we had a great time at the beach. I brought a couple of smocking and crochet projects, but I hardly spent any time on them, so I'll show you those later.
My girls have inherited my love of antique, thrift, and downright junk stores, so we had lots of fun shopping on a day when Davy had the was-wells. Here are some of my great finds:
A few old sewing patterns, mostly doll clothes. These will be checked and then I may post them on Etsy.
Some fun sewing leaflets. One is on chicken scratch embroidery, which I used to do when I was a child. There is a cute doll pattern, too.
5 yards of this soft, thin cotton floral for $2- what more can I say?
A tub full of Legos- lots of cool parts for $10. Davy and Andy spent hours going through the bin and found several Harry Potter parts- people, the mirror of Erised, etc. They gave them to me, because I love Harry Potter!
I bought this planter/music box just because I liked it. It is old, I think, and made in Japan. It was $1.
These vintage glass corn on the cob holders were irresistable for $2 total. There are 7, so one for each person in our family- it was meant to be.
This is my favorite buy. I got 21- yes, 21 sets of luncheon plates with matching tea cups. These are a nice size and made from a heavy glass. I love to have tea parties and I think these will be great! I got a deal on them, at $1 per set. Do you see the little curved corner on the front right side? My Mom said it was to hold a cigarette. I think smoking is gross, but even if you did smoke, would you want your yucky ashes on your lunch plate!? I told my girls we can put a carrot stick there with ranch dip in the compartment.
We had a great time: we went fishing, swimming, played mini-golf, rode go-karts, visited gardens, rode an antique carousel, and ate lots of good food! I have some fun sewing posts coming up and now that I have a new laptop, I hope it won't take me a week to be back!
We are finally recovering from the cold that has plagued us since Easter. I tried the froggy shirt and shorts on Andy and took a few pictures. I love this outfit! It fits perfectly and looks so cute. The shirt is short so it doesn't look like a dress. I love the embroidery I did on it and I love the froggy fabric. I showed this outfit in a previous post, but I'll remind you that the pattern is Michie's Diaper Shirt and Shorts, size 24 months.
...she's going to store it in a closet.
When the closet gets full...she'll take it all out to organize it.
When she takes it all out...she might want to start a new project.
When she starts a new project...she'll want to make a quilt.
If she makes a quilt...she'll have to cut lots of pieces.
If she cuts lots of pieces...she'll want to sew them together.
If she sews them together...she'll feel a sense of accomplishment.
If she feels a sense of accomplishment, she might want to take a break.
If she wants to take a break...she might suggest Opening Day at the Flea Market.
While she's at the Flea Market...she might remember that she used up lots of fabric on her quilt.
Which means...she'll need to buy more.
And if she buys more...she's going to have to organize it!!
My little boy loves the "If You Give A..." Books and I thought it would be a fun way to show you what I've been up to.
I have been folding my fabric and putting into clear bins, which is great because now I know exactly what I have! And that really did inspire me to make a quilt. My little Andy was looking at the novelty prints and liked saying what was on them. I have always wanted to make an "I Spy" quilt with many different fabrics, so I started cutting 6" squares and before I knew it, I had 100! I did all sorts of kids prints, characters, animals, food, toys, etc. I stitched the blocks into rows today and will try to connect them tomorrow.
I had good luck at the flea market, too. The pink fabric pictured above is a soft cotton pique, 54" wide. I got 4 yards for $5!! I also found several old pillowcases and tablecloths for about 50 cents each. Best of all, it was in the 80s today, so hopefully the summery weather will get rid of the cold our whole family has been sick with! Back soon to show you progress on the "I Spy" quilt.
Hello! A few weekends ago, Rosie and I were out shopping on a Saturday when we saw a yard sale sign. It was at an old barn where there is a "perpetual yard sale" as my Mom would say. We love yard sales, so we stopped for a look. I asked about old sewing patterns, but the man there said, "no, I don't have any patterns, but I have lots of dolls and doll clothes." That's not something I usually buy, but I went to take a look. There was an old suitcase with lots of old doll clothes, but mixed in were several white "real baby" clothes. I asked how much they were and he said, "make me an offer on the lot." Gauging hubby's reaction to that, I said "no thanks" and he said, "how about $1 each?" "OK- great!" I found 10 pieces. I cleaned them in Biz and there are about 6 pieces that are really nice. Here's one of the little dresses (probably the nicest one):
The embroideries are very pretty and the dress appears to be hand-stitched.
This is the bottom front. It's odd that the seamstress joined the laces right in front in a very obvious place. The dress is well-constructed and has no holes. It buttons on the back yoke and is fairly small- maybe a size 6 months or so.
I'm still on Katie's computer with limited capabilities, but I hope to be back in business soon! I just started my next project. It's an "I Spy" Quilt for Andy and Davy with 100 different novelty prints in squares. I have them cut and will start sewing the top tonight. Fun!
Hi Friends,
I have had a blow to my blogging capabilities. My beloved laptop, Harry, suffered an untimely death this weekend. I'm not sure if techno genius hubby will be able to revive it or not. I don't want to tell you how much info is stuck in there! Anyway, I am working on Katie's computer for the moment.
We had a marvelous Easter. My Mom is the best cook! She made her usual plethora of delicious dishes as well as making everything look beautiful and entertaining the kiddles. My best friend from childhood also came and we took a walk around the neighborhood (my parents still live in the house they lived in when I was born and my friend lived 2 doors up). We did lots of reminiscing. She is Rosie's Godmother and I didn't realize till yesterday how much they both love to talk! All of the kids co-operated with dressing up for Mom and looked great! Andy was absolutely adorable in his Easter romper, kneesocks, white shoes, and sweater. I'll post a picture later!
Today, I am sharing a recent pattern acquisition. I can see this on a little girl for Easter. It also attracted me because of the matching doll dress. I would love to make this dress for the American Girl Doll. I have always liked double-breasted dresses, overalls, or rompers.
I have some old "white" baby clothes that I found at a yard sale for $1 each to share with you next.
Froggie went a-courtin' in a brand new suit, mm-hmm!
I was amazed and thrilled to finish this outfit in 2 days. I literally spent more time re-doing the machine embroidery on the collars than I did completing the whole outfit. I first saw this froggy fabric on Michie's blog. I searched everywhere to buy some and after I did, I found more on sale, so I have about 6 yards of it. This fabric just tickled my fancy. Appropriately, I used a Creations by Michie pattern, #110 Diaper Shirt and Shorts, size 24 months. I thought the shirt looked a little short, until I put the shorts under it, and now it looks just right.
I digitized the frog and dragonfly myself by tracing the shape on the fabric. I decided to do the embroidery on a little pocket. Originally, I thought I would put it at the bottom left, but when I put it in the top center, I really liked it. I wanted to make a fun summer outfit and I think I did!
I'll get pictures of it on Andy soon, but he's getting spoiled by visiting my parents today.
