Pack It!

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...

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!

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

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

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

Stitched in Time for Bed

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

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!