Blessings From Home

New epatterns from Sense and Sensibility

Deanna found this deal at Money Saving Moms and I just had to share it too! I love, love, love these patterns and have been drooling over them for several months. I especially love the little girl dresses and pinafores and her lovely aprons. She's got the epatterns for sale at a great price, and what's best, to me anyways, is that you can use them right away instead of having to wait for them to come in the mail. I can't wait to order several of them for use here at home making dresses for my girls and maybe an apron or two for myself. So please go check it out!

New ePatterns from Sense and Sensibility!

Click on the link below to see the epatterns!

Crafting Goals and other updates with pictures

So I'm a little behind on getting my crafting goals updated, although it has been a week, but it took me that long to get most of it all done, and honestly I still didn't get it all completed.

So here were my goals and pictures of the completed products...

Goal 1-Finish second wool cover for baby, and attach buttons.

These are crocheted wool covers that I made for our little one. They still need to be lanolized, but other than that they are all ready. They may be a little too big to start out with but they should still work, and fit him for quite a while. I got the pattern from a yahoo group devoted to wool covers.

Goal 2-Try out free pattern for baby shoes

These turned out so cute and were super easy to make. I made them from scraps of fabric that I had from another project. I actually dug a couple of pieces of fabric out of the trash to make them and they took all of 30 minutes to complete. They look they'll fit him right away.

Goal 3-Finish last 2 purses for nieces

Ok, so these aren't the last two I needed to finish. These were the first two I already had made. I couldn't get to them with good reason, but I didn't want to leave anybody who might be curious as to what I was talking about hanging, so I will complete the other 2 needed this week. These are very simple to make and are made out of bandanas. They each took me about an hour start to finish to complete and are just right for little girls ages 4-10. The pattern came out of a craft book I had on hand.

Goal 4-Gather supplies needed to make mom and mom in laws birthday presents to work on next week.

So here's the supplies needed-

And here's the link to what I will be doing with these fabrics here. I thought those coasters were so cute and so easy to make that my mom and mom in law would enjoy them as well. I will be working on these this week, and need to at least get my mom in laws done this week because it will take at least 3 weeks to get to her.

That covers all my goals, minus the completed purses, but here is what I took time away from completing those.

The dress was already made. But this last week, our church was having a missionary revival and the pastor's wife called me and said she needed a little white apron, child sized and a little kerchief that would look kind of like a little dutch girls outfit. They were putting on a skit for the missionaries, so having all the supplies on hand I made this little apron and the little kerchief. I used two plain white bandanas to make both things. One bandana made the front of the apron and the other bandana made the top of the apron and the kerchief. I cut 3 strips of fabric and sewed them together long ways and made a sort of bias tape with them and after gathering the long part of the apron, I attached it to the top. It took me all of 20 minutes to do, and now my daughter has a new little apron to wear.

The kerchief was made from a small square of the bandana folded over and instead of making something to tie the kerchief on, I sewed a little sleeve and slid one of my girls headbands in and then stitched around the edge to finish it off. Emily is modeling for me.

Which leads to my other excuse reason for not completing the purses. Emily has been sick for the last few days with a cold and ear ache. She's been very puny and clingy, running a fever and not sleeping much at night. Our weather has changed drastically over the last week, which almost always leads to one of us getting sickly.

So besides sewing, church things to take care of, and a sick little one, life has been attempting to go on as usual. We've been getting lots of school work done, trying to get ready for our Holiday break that will start in just 4 weeks. I've also been getting lots done around the house, maintaining mostly but also getting a few extra things done.

I also got the kids seasonal clothes swapped out, realizing once again, they have entirely too many clothes. I got rid of a lot of things, but will be working on getting rid of more as I have more time.

I went to the midwife on Monday. Everything seems well. It's so hard to believe that we only have just over 6 weeks til our little baby boy will be with us. I've been having a lot of braxton hicks contractions which are becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Along with many of the other usual problems that arise in the final weeks of pregnancy, you could say I am one miserable mama, but I know that the end is nearing, and it will all be worth it.

The rest of this week will hold much of the same. Cleaning, schooling, sewing. As for this week's crafting goals, I would like to...

~Complete the yet unfinished purses for my nieces.

~Make at least one set of coasters and get them mailed out this week.

~And in the knitting/crochet basket, I have a scarf on the needles that has been waiting to be finished for quite a while. It only needs maybe 10-15 more rows to be done, and will make a nice gift for my sister or a last minute gift for someone else that I have forgotten.

Other goals that I would like to get done this week are...

~Continue working on my menus. I did sit down this last week and make a complete list of all things that we eat on a regular basis for breakfast and lunch with a shopping list. But I have yet to get my dinner menu down. So I will work on that when I can.

~Work in this week's zone which is the master bedroom. I don't have a lot to do in there, so it's mostly just some deep cleaning and decorating.

~Continue maintaining completed rooms which now includes...master bed/bath, family room, main bathroom, and the kitchen.

Well, I've rattled on enough for now. I'm headed to bed with my youngest in tow. Hubby is kind enough to give up his comfy bed to the kids when they're sick, (truth be told, I think he likes the couch better, it's pretty comfy). I pray your week is a blessed one!

sara

Some Crafting Goals

With not only the holiday season approaching, but also the pending birth of our Christmas blessing, baby #4, I need to put some goals down to complete some things, because right now, my list seems endless. We fully intend to have a completely homemade Christmas with maybe 1-2 store bought toys each for our own kids, plus I'm cloth diapering, and have diapers to be made, and a few other needful baby things. I'm not going to list all of the things I need to make because sometimes that changes depending on things I find that I'd like to make for others for Christmas. So I'm going to set out some weekly goals, and promise a completed picture by Saturday night, (hold me to it, hound me about it if you have to, just so that I can get it done, lol). So here's this week's crafting goals....

~Finish second wool cover for baby, and attach buttons.

~Try out free pattern for baby shoes

~Finish last 2 purses for nieces

~Gather supplies needed to make mom and mom in laws birthday presents to work on next week, still not sure what it's going to be, but I've got plenty of fabric and patterns to choose from. Both of their birthdays are the middle of November.

And that should be enough to get me through the next few days. I'm not giving myself too much this week because the week is already halfway over. Nothing on my list here should take me too long. I'm already halfway done with the wool cover, and have everything laid out for the other projects. So Saturday evening will be my deadline to post pictures so that you all know that I got it done, and that's when I'll post my goals for the next week, which will probably include getting at least a couple of cloth pocket diapers done. Have a blessed day!

sara

Sewing Day, a couple pictures

I finally unburied my sewing machine for the first time in over 4 months! It's been packed away and I hadn't had a chance to unpack it over the last two months. So I pulled out a few things I've been intending to finish for a long time and so far I finished a few quick things, and one bigger project of finishing the bloomers to go with my daughter's dress that I made last year! Here's the dress...

Thankfully, the dress still fits her very well, and the bloomers that I cut out at the same time fit as well. Oh, and something else I did today was finally load my pictures onto our new computer! So for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of the bloomers I completed today.

What's funny now is that she's been wearing that dress for a year now, and it has faded with washing, and the yet to be washed bloomers are still bright. Hopefully nobody will notice.

I'm so thrilled to finally be sewing again, and posting pictures too. I've also been doing a lot of crocheting and knitting that I'll be posting soon. Such as the wool diaper covers for our newest blessing. Well, back to the sewing table to see what else I can do. I have a long list of things needing to be made, especially for the baby. Have a blessed day!

sara

Rug Making

I have been busy in my down time making a rug for my kitchen. I wanted one that matched the colors in my kitchen and one that would be comfortable to stand on while doing dishes. I bought a bit of fabric, mixed with some that I already had and tried out several methods of rugmaking. I started by trying to braid it, but the fabric I had was just too thin for braiding. I tried making a toothbrush rug, but I'm afraid it would have taken me too long, and I wanted to get it done pretty quickly.

So I finally settled on crocheting it. And it is working up quite quickly. I'm making an oval rug and will probably make it about a 2'x3' or a little larger. I'm only having a few minutes here and there to work on it, but I'm sure I'll have it done by week's end.

So I got to wondering, are there any of you who enjoy the past time of rug making? What are your favorite techniques? Favorite fabrics to work with? 

Knitting, I finally get it

For those of you who are avid knitters, this may seem silly to you, but since I was a child of 7, I've only ever known how to crochet. I've even taught many other ladies how to crochet. Some of you crocheters can switch to knitting and back without so much as a snag in your yarn. Well, let me tell you, for me it has been quite a journey. I've picked up knitting needles several times throughout the years, and all I would get is frustrated. I mean who would want to have to hold two needles, when you could just hold one hook. But it bothered me that I couldn't figure it out.

And then one day, just recently, I decided to give it another try, and somehow, it finally clicked! What changed, I don't know. But I was finally actually able to knit and it actually looked decent. I'm even able to knit socks now. How crazy is that?! I still don't know all that there is to it, but I'm learning as I go along and finally understanding how to knit! Here is a picture of what I'm currently working on.

Here's the link to the pattern for anyone interested. Rodney Rooster Dischcloth. I'm making mine in a blue variegated cotton yarn. I'll try and post pictures when I'm all done.

Blessings,

Sara

Time to Get Sewing

Cooler weather has arrived, and as I was laying the clothes out for my daughter this morning so she could go to school, I realized that she has no fall/winter clothes. She has a couple pairs of jeans, but we are trying to make the transition to dresses only and she has a couple of dresses that are suited for cooler weather, and she has a couple of cardigan type sweaters that still fit,  But she has no long sleeved shirts, she only has 2 pairs of tights, one of which is nearly too small for her. Her jacket looks like it will be too small as well. So I realized today it is time to get sewing and thrift shopping. I hate that I didn't realize this sooner and wish I would have had time to plan for this. But alas, I have no time to worry about what wasn't done and only to worry about what needs to be done. Today I will put my focus on things I need to sew for her and listing things I need to buy for her. Tomorrow is my shopping/errand day and my list for her is...

3-4 more pairs of tights in various colors

7-10 plain long sleeved shirts

A winter jacket

And my sewing list for her is...

Transform her jeans into long skirts

2-3 simple skirts

2-3 jumper dresses

2-3 bloomers and under things

I'm going to be scavenging through my fabric stash, which is quite a lot, and get all the material ready to start sewing. I'm going to finish straightening my sewing area and get to work.  

Other things going on today...

I've got my laundry going and have managed thus far to keep up with this dauting daily task this week. We will be starting school soon, and have managed to get our school done in under 3 1/2 hours without rushing through it this week. I am feeling the need to declutter, organize and simplify lately and have been doing quite good on doing so. I am not pressuring myself to do it in any certain order or manner, I'm just doing it. I figure, as long as I'm staying busy, somethings getting done. My husband promised me that weather pending he would get out there with me and help me clean and organize the shed this weekend, and then I will be able to start putting things in there to put in a yard sale at the first of the year, which Lord willing we can put in savings to go towards buying a home or at least some land next spring. Okay, I'm jumping all over the place, it's time for me to get off of here and get to work. I may not be posting as much over the next week or so, so just know that I am staying busy and getting things done. Have a blessed day!

Love,

Sara 

My Sewing and Handwork List

Here's a list of things I would really like to finish before the end of this month.....

Sewing~

1. Bloomers to go with daughter's dress I just finished

2. A prairie style skirt for me for  the upcoming pioneer day at church

3. 5 more diapers and 5 more wipes for Emily

4. 5 mama pads for myself

5. Finish a sunflower quilt table topper that I have been putting off for too long. All that's left is a little more machine quilting around the edge and the binding sewn on

Handwork~

1. 5-10 crocheted dishclothes

2. cross stitch matching game for gift for my youngest

3. 2 penny rugs I've been working on for my home

4. baby blanket for gift

5. sewing room sampler

I really need to get these things out of the way so that I can get a few things made up for Christmas. I will update you all as I finish things. And will make a new list when I'm done with what's here. Have a blessed evening!

Love,

Sara

Looking for a pattern

I've made diapers for my daughter who is 2, but I'm thinking ahead to when she'll be potty training (hopefully soon), and I was wondering if any of you knew of any patterns for some training underwear? You know the thick padded ones but pull on and off like underwear. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

Sara

Here's a doily I made...

I made this doily a couple of weeks ago, my first one! I crochet all the time, but have little patience when it comes to those tiny hooks and thin thread, but I managed to finish this one in less than a weeks time.

Here's a more detailed picture of the corner, with my mishapen heart. lol.

There you have it! Thanks for letting me share.

Blessings,

Sara

My Latest Project

Here is a picture of a project I'm working on. I got the pattern at Lion Brand. Here is the link if anyone is interested.   http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/chs-townAndCountryCapelet.html

It's a fairly easy project and if it turns out good I think I will make a nice dress to wear under it for Easter. I used to always have a crochet project on hand, but it seems I haven't crocheted in months. If I get a chance I will put a picture up of the finished product. Talk to you all later.

A good idea for kid's artwork

My mom called me this morning and told me to flip over to HGTV where there was a scrapbooking show on. You see, my mom knows I have this problem with letting go of my kid's artwork, which is part of my paper clutter mess that I deal with. So I flipped over to see what they were doing and what this mom had done was she scanned her kid's artwork onto her computer and resized them to be about the size of a 3x5 picture, then she put them on cardstock and laminated them. Now it sounds like a lot of work, but I think for me it would be well worth the effort as it is a major problem of mine. I have a scanner, and my dad is able to borrow his company's laminator whenever he needs it, so I'm going to give it a try. Oh, they also took the artwork and put it on a ring to make a flip book for the kids to look at whenever they wanted to. So I think this will be my next project. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.