NEW BABY!!!

Mom and I waiting for the baby!

Adam and Mandy waiting for the baby! And here he is!! JACKSON ADAM REEVE, born 2/20/09, 7 lbs, 19 3/4 inches!

Look at all of that blonde hair! How did I have a dark haired baby,
and my sis had a light haired baby? Look at this proud boy! He announced on the way home : "JackJack is my baby, not yours!"

Winter Weather and A New Bag Style!

We had beautiful winter snow and fog one morning this week. The only bummer was that I was on my way to work when I took these photos!
This is a little man-made pond across the street.
Goldfinch outside my office.
Carolina Chickadee outside Linda's office!

This is my version of Keykalou's "Sweetheart Shopper". The pattern was really easy to follow (you can find it on ETSY), but I wasn't totally pleased with the little side pieces that I put on to cover the bias handles. It had nothing to do with the pattern, and more to do with my execution. I'll have to think it through better next time. This fabric is awesome though!
And this bag....... I made this last night, using upholstery weight fabric I got at Wal-mart for a steal. You just never know what you'll find at Wal-mart. Anyways, I combined bits and pieces of other patterns I've tried with a little detail I've seen on other's bags (like the box pleat) and this is what I came up with! It's really roomy, but I pleated the inside too, so no pockets.



I'm going to do it again with a different shaped lining so that I can add pockets. The inside (sorry for the blurry pic) is a black with grey scrolls I had in my stash.

Special Post for Kim D.!

This post is Kim D., you know who you are! My Sis says that you are interested in sewing, and where I find the patterns for the things I sew. She specifically mentioned purses, so I'm going to include a few links I have found. There are so many free patterns and tutorials out there that other people have invented and share. And of course, free is my favorite price! Shown in this picture are some bags I made using a standard bag pattern. I'll include below a few links, and since it sounds like someone might actually be checking out my blog, I'll try to post more often!

http://colorfoolcreates.blogspot.com/2006/03/greatest-bag-tutorial-ever.html

http://testerlola.blogspot.com/2008/04/angel-bag-tutorial.html

Also surf the internet by googling something like free purse sewing tutorial or pattern.

Both of those sites will show some step by step instructions for making a lined, boxed bottom bag like those in my pic. Use cheap fabric and and make sure to get the right interfacings, and be aware that your first bag may not be that hot. But, after a couple of bags, they start looking pretty good! Also, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I'd be glad to try to help.

Soft Baby Shoes

I made these soft puppy dog shoes today using this link:

http://family-centered.com/needleworks/soft-baby-shoes/

This is the second tutorial/ pattern I have tried, I would say the sewing on these is less labor intensive than the "Stardust Shoes Pattern" (see link under tutorials). This pattern fits 6-9 months, whereas the stardust fits 0-6 months. Of course you can reduce or enlarge to try to find the right fit. Check out both of these tutorials if you get a chance, they are both great!

Christmas Parade and Christmas Crafts

We love the parade!
We just got back from the Christmas parade, where we had a great time. This is our 3rd or 4th year in a row, same place on the street, watching the same people and the same floats go down the street. There's something comforting about "the same". We attended with bigcrazy's sister/ brother in law and our nephew. Also on board this year was my friend Ms. Linda (crazy jr's recycling buddy!).

Aren't they cute! Note to self: the kids get way more candy when they
wear their Santa hats, courtesy of Memaw!






One more shot of my cutie, this is prior to the passing of the marching band where he stood up and danced, yelling "Shake your booty!"





On to crafts... here are shots of some towels that I added a length fabric to. I've seen this around the web done to cloth diapers as burp cloths, and added to bath and hand towels as well as kitchen towels. I've seen both single fabrics and patchwork. I used some inexpensive towels from Wal-mart and candy canes on green from JoAnn's. This is a fun project. Just measure the width of the towel, add some extra for folding under, and choose your height, adding some to turn under. I have been adding about a 1/2 inch to both allowing for a 1/4 inch to be pressed under. Then just pin the fabric in place and edge stitch around all four sides.



Aren't they cute!
















You can find a similar version in patchwork at:

http://supamb.com/supafine/2007/10/24/how-to-sew-a-patchwork-kitchen-towel/

Check out that page if you'd like to try the project!

Lady Harvatine: Quilty Mug

Lady Harvatine: Quilty Mug



This is a link to a cool tutorial on the Lady Harvatine website for a "quilty mug". A couple of people I know will be getting one of these for Christmas! This tutorial was easy to follow. I got the mugs at Target and CVS here locally. Bigcrazy is using one filled with flaming skulls fabric, the fabric he felt most masculine and appropriate!

My First Post!

I have spent the last year learning how to sew on the machine big crazy gave me for Christmas 2007. I have been skulking around the internet reading tons of other blogger's posts, trying all the free tutorials that I thought I might be able to complete with some level of success, and envying fabrics. I decided I should try to do some posts myself, let people know what I am working on, and maybe even do my own tutorials. I'll also let my family follow our adventures in child-rearing and family time. So here goes!


This is a pic of the first thing I made over the 2007 Christmas holidays with my Singer Simple . A Scooby Doo hand tied quilt with the quilting tools my MIL gave me for Christmas to compliment the machine. Seems like a good first pic to show, right?