betcha she sews

Sewing Machine Q&A from Sew, Mama, Sew

2009-06-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

It's Sewing Machine Month on the Sew, Mama, Sew blog. Here are my answers to their questions.

What brand and model do you have? Babylock Crafters Choice

How long have you had it? Just over a year

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? about $300? It was a gift.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I sew clothes for my daughter, and gifts for others, like bags, placemats, potholders, aprons, ect.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I use my machine about six hours a week, sometimes more or less.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I really, really like it, a lot! It is simple to use, no fighting to get it to do what I want, like my last machine!

What features does your machine have that work well for you? needle threader, top loading bobbin,

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? Just the button hole foot, but that's probably because I'm not doing it right!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! I learned to sew on a trundle machine, pumping the foot pedal to make it sew. Next, I was given a machine from my grandma, it was a Kenmore that sat inside a small table. I took it with me when I got married to use as an end table, and used it to sew all the crib bedding for our first-born. The next machine was a Brother from Wal-Mart. I fought with that machine constantly! Now, I am using my Babylock and it makes sewing so easy!

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Yes, its very user friendly!

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? I wanted a machine that would be easy to use. It really helped to sit down a try them at the store before I decided.

Do you have a dream machine? Someday, I would like to get a serger, and maybe an embroidery machine. But not until I have more free time!

Playhouse Dress

2009-05-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Summer Sewing

2009-05-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here it is! My Mini Boden knock-off top! I like how it turned out. I started up the sewing machine last night and got a lot done. Two pairs of shorts, two tops, and a dress. I started another dress, but it was not going good, so I quit and went to bed.

I'm trying to get all the kid clothes sewing out of the way before school gets out and summer really starts. I have a few more things on the list, including summer p. j. bottoms for the boys.

Breezy

2009-04-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

I started this top for Evie last spring, and for some reason never finished the bottom hem until now. It's a pattern from the 1/2008 Ottobre magazine.

Betcha She's 30!

2009-04-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

So it's official now, I'm an adult! My mom took the two little ones all day, and I spent my time browsing the fabric stores. It was nice to be able to look and touch everything at a normal pace. And I found out the local Joann's moved into the old Linens & Things location and is at least 3 times larger then it was!
I ended up with fabric to make myself shirts for summer, now I'll have to find the time to sew them.
Here is a picture from last summer. I made this top from a Martha Stewart dish towel.

Easy Smocked Sundress

2009-04-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

This little black and white dress started out as my skirt. I made it last summer from one of these I'd found at Wal-Mart. It never looked right on me, so after seeing this in the Mini Boden catalog I knew it was meant to be a dress for Evie.

First, I measured and sewed it into a tube to fit around her upper body. Then I just cut a "J" shape off each side, and used a bias strip to bind the arm holes and make the ties.

To finish the hem I added a band of polk-a-dots with white ric-rac peeking out.
It took about an hour to finish, but that is counting the time it took me to make the bias tape. I could have simply attached ribbons for the ties, but I'm glad I took the time to add the details.
(The next Mini Boden knock-off I have planned is this top. I have the fabric ready and waiting!)

Pack It!

2009-04-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to spend a couple days at a hotel with an indoor water park. The kids are excited to start packing, so I used this idea to make each of them a list of what to take.

Just a couple things...

2009-03-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's been one year since we brought Scout home. He's such a sweet dog. Check out more picture of him here and here.
I was just over checking out the oliver+ s blog. She's been talking about the "cost" of sewing clothes. Our moms and grandmas made their own clothes to save money. Now-a-days clothing is so cheap to buy, so why sew your own? Check out this post, and this post, for some good answers!

I Love my Library!

2009-03-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Even though my library is teeny tiny, I can get my hands on just about any book I want through their inter-library loan system! I just place a hold on any book, in any Michigan library, and when it is available it is sent to me.
I have read many, many, many craft, and sewing books this way, for free! Here are three books I am waiting on right now!!
The first, Weekend Sewing, by Heather Ross, I can not wait to get my hands on! It is full of great pieces to sew and wear, on the weekend!

The second, Sewing Green, is from Betz White, her book features felted sweaters, and other recycled material sewn into useful, beautiful things.

And the final book is from the lovely Mary Englebreit. It's titled Sew, So Cute! . She also has a new line of fabric out for Moda.
So, any day now, any one of these books will be waiting for me down at the little Henika District Library. I think the anticipation might be half the fun!

little bo peep bag

2009-03-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

I made this little bag a few years ago. It's just big enough to hold a diaper, and a small case of wipes. Just right for church.

The embroidery patterns came from here.

I took my sewing machine in for it's one year check-up, so it might be a while before I get to sew anything new.

strawberry sunshine

2009-03-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

Summer clothes for Evie. I plan on shortening the pants to capri length.
I used Simplicity 2913.

Stitched in Time for Bed

2009-02-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

This little dancer made her debut in time for bed last night. She is from a patten in this lovely book. Evie has been asking me, in her two year old way, to make her one of these dolls since before Christmas. She first spotted the doll on the cover of the book and then later while I was reading this(scroll down). Each picture got a kiss, and that was all in took for Evie to get her doll!
I used what was on hand, white yarn for the hair, and a pillow case skirt. She went together easily, and it was fun too. Equal parts hand and machine sewing...She won't be the last one I make.

Stash Talk

2009-02-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Sew, Mama, Sew! is one of my favorite blogs to follow. It's also a fabric shop!
Here are their questions and my answers about my fabric stash!

What do you usually sew? I sew gifts for friends and family, but mostly clothes for my daughter
When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?) I will usually buy no more than a yard, unless it's on sale and then I'll buy two yards!
Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need? I am an impulse buyer! I find fabric first and figure out what to do with it later
Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it? I pre-wash if it will be made into clothing, and only right before I want to use it.
Do you iron it? Yes
How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.) If I sort, I sort by color, warms and cools.
Do you have any special folding techniques? Nope!
How do you store your fabric? Usually on the floor
What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash? NO tips here...
When do you say enough is enough? It's never enough! If I can't find what I want at home, I'll go shop for the right thing, and bring home a few more yards to stash.
What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects? Right now I am working on a quilt for my daughters toddler bed. It started with fabric from the stash, but I had to buy a few more prints to make it big enough.
Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it! I like this floral print, I like the red, pink, orange, and blue combination. The quilt I'm working on is built around the colors in this print.

What’s your definition of the perfect stash? Perfect would be the right color, print, amount, right when I want it and right where I can find it. But for now, I'm working with this!

playin' with the food

2009-01-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

Evie found this handsome couple at the thrift store today. They came with a whole lot of parts and few other heads, including a green pepper, and the more popular potato. How often do you see toys that have a pipe?

new year, old weather

2009-01-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

These two pictures were taken about a year apart. After an unexpected thaw last January we were wearing spring coats and taking walks outside.

This year, things look more like Michigan should in January!

found it at the thrift store

2009-01-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

I found this wooden sewing machine at the Rustic Market. It was too cute to pass up! It came with the sewing kit box, three spools, scissors, and the petal. It was originally $10, but I got it half off.
I haven't let anyone play with it yet, it's been sitting in Evie's room as a decoration. I'll get it down for her some day!

Christmas Tote Bag

2008-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

I made this tote to carry gift to and from the Christmas parties we will be at over the next few days. I used a pattern from the French General Home Sewn book.

The fabric is from a vintage tablecloth and an apron I found at garage sales this summer.

Holiday Hair

2008-12-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Candy Cane buttons in her hair.
An idea I saw here that has me raiding the button jar for new hair accesories!

Embroidered Rose (is the name of this fabric!)

2008-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

We are still watching the snow fall, this will be day number four of staying home, off the roads.

This is another pinafore, the fifth I've made from this pattern, so far!
Not all are for my girl, two are Christmas gifts.

Little girl's messy room, and I love this action shot!

what she wore last summer

2008-12-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Polka-Dots

A-line Smock
Criss-Cross Back

Vintage Buttons and Baby Ric-Rac

Mrs. Santa's Butter Cookies

2008-12-04T21:34:00.001-08:00

I would stand on a chair up to the cupboard watching my Mom sprinkle flour on the counter top, then rub more flour onto the wooden rolling pin. She would carefully roll out the dough into a flat oval. My sister and I would pick out our favorite cookie cutters while we waited, a reindeer, Santa with a pack on his back, a snowman. Mom always liked the wreath, holly leaf, star, bell, and angel. She would carefully press the cookie cutter into the dough and lift the fragile shapes onto a cookie sheet. Then Rachel and I would take over, covering each shape in a layer of colored sugar. The reindeer would get a red hot for his nose. The holly leaf would get three for berries. White sugar was for angels and snow men, yellow for stars, blue for the bells, cinnamon sugar for deer, red for Santa.

Then, into the oven, and turn on the light to peek at the cookies baking, and the sugar melting.
But only for a minute, because Mom was laying down more flour, rubbing the rolling pin, and maybe, she'd let me try to roll the dough this time!

~this cookie was made last year by Riley. Same recipe, way more artistic freedom!

Christmas Pinafore

2008-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

I made this for Evie yesterday. I used this pattern from You Can Make This. com
I have used a few pattens from this site. I like it because it's instant. All the patterns come as PDF. You just purchase (PAYPAL!), download, and print!

Christmas craft from Christmas past

2008-12-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

I made these snowflakes last year for a centerpiece.
The idea came from the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Idea Book 8. I used different sized wooden snowflakes from Hobby Lobby, small dowels and three sizes of terracotta pots. After paining all of that white I covered the snowflakes in mica flakes. The snowflakes were hot glued to the dowels that were cemented into the pot with Plaster of Paris. I really liked how the mica flakes sparkle, and it looked great with my sisters snowflake Christmas dishes.

Christmas decoration are being spread around the house a little more each day.
I'll get out the camera soon and take picture to show you what our house looks like at Christmastime.

5 Already!

2008-11-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

And a pirate party for our matey, arrrr!

Treasure Island mapped out in cake.

Logan is as sweet as they come!
These are verses I would pick for him.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3&4

great to be 8

2008-11-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

Riley turned eight years old on Friday, the 7th.
He wanted an "army" party, with a tank cake.

Riley has always been an extraordinary child, but not with out personal challenges.
I like think of this verse when I think of Riley:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Happy Halloween Party Dress

2008-11-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Evie had a great day! Two school parties for her brothers, and trick-or-treating!
I made this jumper for her to wear from an Ottobre pattern. It was hard to get a good picture of her, too much candy, cupcakes, and juice boxes!
Here are a few close-ups of the fabric from Hobby Lobby.

And two matching hairbows for her pigtails.

Princess of my Heart

2008-10-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Evelyn Rose
Front Steps of the Church
My Sister Rachel's Wedding Day
October 25th, 2008
(click on the picture to see it up close)

Ready for Action!

2008-10-21T06:39:00.001-07:00

I made these robots for the boys, I guess it was two years ago already! I used THIS pattern. They were going to be Christmas presents but they never made it under the tree! Riley and Logan were waiting to grab them as soon as they came off the sewing machine!
The boys love it when I make something just for them. I have a stack of cozy flannel, that the boys picked out themselves, waiting to be made into p.j. pants.

Pink Denim Jacket

2008-10-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

I found this little pink jacket at a garage sale this summer. I paid a dollar for it. Then I gave it a make-over. It was a fun project to work on.
It has a "shabby chic" look to it. Evie loves to wear it!

If you look close you will notice there are fabric yo-yo's, chenille hearts, bits of lace, and a few scraps of her baby clothes.

Here is something fun! Check out this link for an amazing creation on a blog called Grosgrain.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

camping + trick-or-treating=tired mom and dad!

2008-10-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Yankee Springs State Campgound. It was their "Halloween" weekend! The kids got to paint pumpkins, meet Smokey the Bear, play "carnival" games, there were also crafts and a scavenger hunt. But the biggest event was the trick-or-treating! Many of the campsites went all out with decorations! Lights! Inflatables! Spooky music! Fog Machines! There were even a few Haunted Houses (tents)! We put lights and cobwebs on our awning and decorated this fence that was on our site.
The kids had a blast and got so much candy that I've had to help them eat some! In case your wondering, that's Evie as a winged pony ( not wearing the horse head hood), Riley as Sonic the Hedgehog, and Logan as, none other than Davy! Davy Crockett, King of the front wood tier! (His version of the song is better than the original!)

patchy pants and owl

2008-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

I embellished this outfit for Evie. The fabric was left over from a pair of smocks I made for a pair of sisters.
The owl is appliqued onto a shirt from Target, and the pants she had. I used this to make the "patchy" bottoms.

Where do you learn to walk in a line??

2008-09-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Preschool, of course. Here is Logan, ready for his first day.

1st day of 2nd grade

2008-09-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

Riley was out the door at 8:30 this morning. Time to start a new school year! We all went to the bus stop to wave good bye and take his picture.

He was really excited to start school.
We went shopping for school supplies last week.
The list from his teacher had a few odd items on it, like dry erase markers, and post-it notes. Sounds more like office supplies to me!
Logan will start preschool tomorrow!

popcicles and baseball

2008-08-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

We went to see the Whitecaps play.

Two Years Ago, Today

2008-08-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Evie's 2nd birthday.
She is a constant joy and inspiration to me. We all love her dearly.
Life is much sweeter now that she is in it!

rainy day

2008-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

The summer of 2008 is quickly coming to an end. Our list of things we want to do yet is longer than it should be. There are things on that list we won't get to this year, but here are a few pictures of one of the things we did cross of the list.
Playing in the warm summertime rain.

a few of the things we did this summer:

camping at Gun Lake
rides in dads new boat
Michigan Adventure
a day spent at Lake Michigan
swimming with cousins
summer reading program at the library
stopped at garage sales
Vacation Bible School
bike rides
fireworks
sweet corn
picking wild blackberries

We have about three weeks to finish out summer. School will start the day after Labor day.
We have a lot of fun to pack in still. Summer never last long enough.
But, soon we will be starting to make our list of things to do this fall. I can think of a few already...

New & Improved?

2008-07-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here is Scout! All trimmed up, and seeing clearly at last!
And did I mention, he smells so much better?
But what do you think? Check out his before pictures.

bow + smock = gift

2008-07-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

My friends little girl is turning 2 today. Here is what she is getting from me. I don't expect her to be over joyed by it, but it will look cute on her. And I think her mom will like it!

Scout

2008-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is our Goldendoodle, Scout. A Goldendoodle is a mix between a Golden Reteiver and a Poodle.
This picture was taken the day we brought him home. He we 9 weeks old. He has been growing quickly.
Here he is at three months. This is a picture we took of him the first time we took him for a walk at Yankee Springs Recreational Area. He loves to chase the boys!

The last picture is of Scout now, six months, at Gun Lake! He is going in for his first haircut soon. I learned today that his hair never stops growing!

So, my reason for posting about Scout is to remind myself to take more "before" pictures. So there will be something to compair to the final product, the "after". And to show just how far it's come from where it started.

Pillow Case Make-over

2008-07-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Evie last summer wearing a pillow case, after I sewed it into a little nightgown. This is such an simple project, it takes no time at all. The lace at the hem was already part of the pillowcase, and I used ribbon for the ties.
There is a great tutorial to make your own here.

I ordered a ruffler foot from Lakeshore Sewing for my new sewing machine back in April. I just got a call that it came in. I still have to go pick it up, but I am looking forward to trying it out. I found great instructions for using one here.

I have some really great books on hold from the library and I can't wait for them to arrive! I will be adding a list of my favorite craft books to the side bar soon!

There are also a few tops I have finished for Evie that I will post as soon as I get them photographed.

By the way, the sock monkey in the crib with Evie was made for me by my parents, when I was a baby.

Welcome!

2008-06-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

My name is Roseanne. I have two boys, a girl, and a little corner I sew in.
This is the start of my blog. A record of my life, and how sewing fits into it.
I want to record what I've made, who it was for, and where the ideas came from.
I like to read craft and sewing books. I check them out from the little library in town, and I get alot of them. I'd like to do "book reports" on them, and show projects I've made, or would like to make.
One more thing I'd like to do is show off the things I find at the garage sales and junk stores I stop at. The picture here is of my girl in a little vintage apron I got at a garage sale this weekend for 50 cents.
I love to read other peoples blogs, and finally descided to try my own. I'm excited to be starting a record about this part of my life!