New Pants!

Hi All,
Life has been speeding along, especially with Ryan on the move now.  The three little ones are quite fond of each other and learning to share (when they are not ripping toys out of each other's hands).  It has been difficult sneaking in any time to sew on top of orders from my web site or etsy shop, but Ryan took a long nap today - hooray!!!  Here are some of the little items I pieced together recently.  I have so many ideas and so, so little time...

I am finding that I want to update my web site and add on a limited line of children's clothing items... That will be my next venture.  For now I have items listed on Etsy partially because it is easier to upload and modify listings, but my site will be my next project.  I guess I am also tossing around the notion of a trunk show with all my samples.  Hmmm....  If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Valentine's Day Fleece Pullover

Since my serger is still out of commission and in need of a visit to the shop, I decided to sew with snuggly  fleece this weekend.  I had a large piece of pink Valentine's day fleece that was just taking up room in my studio.  My daughter has a blanket made out of the very same fabric, and she LOVES it.  I figured I'd make a size 3 pullover.  That way she would be able to use it this year and probably next year, too.  The pattern I chose is Burda 9771, and it went together without a hitch.  Sewing with fleece is so easy, sort of like baking with a cake mix...but I still miss my serger.  Wah!

He's Crawling!!!

Last night as the kids were watching that new Meatball movie and I was making a second batch of popcorn in the kitchen my husband called out my name with an excited lilt in his voice.  I knew right away what it meant.  Ryan was crawling!  O.M.G. 

In the last few days something has come over him.  He arches his back and squirms all over the place, like he is doing RIGHT NOW.  Since he weighs nearly 23 pounds at 7.5 months, manuevering his chubby, squirmy body takes some strength!  I guess he has been bitten by the urge to m-o-v-e. In no time he will be chasing his big brothers and sister all over the place, and Mommy and Daddy will chasing close behind.  Sounds like a weight loss plan to me!

The Serger Saga Continues...

The serger is still out of commission.  UGH!  If my mom can't see a problem that I have missed, then it is going in for service on Monday. 

Sergers - ugh!

I come from a long line of crafters on both sides of my family.  My first sewing machine wasa gift from my great Uncle Morley (on my father's side), who has since passed away.  It was a Brother, and I still have it.  He bought it to make himself curtains when he couldn't find any to suit his taste.  When he heard about my interest in sewing he shipped the machine to me from Florida via UPS.  I admire this creative take charge attitude and am thankful for his generosity.

Similarly, my first serger was a gift from Aunt Patsy (on my mother's side).  It is a White, and though I have had it a relatively short time it has revolutionized my sewing options.  Everything is finished with neat professional edges, and I love how it zips along. 

Unlike the Brother sewing machine, however, the White serger is a *bit* intimidating, and though I may have craftiness in my genes, I do NOT have any natural-born serger knowledge.  Admittedly, I have never even threaded my own serger!  Never. 

Well, today I decided I would try a decorative seam effect called a rolled hem, which required tinkering with the serger.  Despite my efforts in this battle, the serger won.  I was defeated.  The the serger needs to be rethreaded.  I think I would rather shoot one of my toes than to rethread this machine, if that explains my level of anxiety. 

In any case, I am going to try and try and try until I succeed.  And then I am going to get another serger because I want another one. The additional serger I will keep set up and ready to go for decorative stitches or colored threads or whatever.  I just have to figure out how to finance this next plan. 

Please wish me luck with rethreading!

Happy New Year!

There has been so much going on recently that I have not been posting much, and I keep thinking of things that I would like to share here.  So I am stealing a few minutes here to update.

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Second, I am updating a few pictures of projects that I have completed. 

Enjoy!