here kitty kitty

Finished my daughter in law's wall hanging. :)  Since we decided not to exchange Christmas gifts, I gave it to her for a Hostess gift. It was a Laurel Burch panel I got several years ago with her in mind but never did anything with it. I had found some black fabric with sparkly snowflake-ish patches. It turned out beautifully. I sure hope she loves it. I love the sentiments on it, a Bounty of Bliss and Blessings, a Treasure Trove of Treats, A Season of Songs and Savories, and Many Moments of Magic Making.

Next up: Liv and Jonathan's Just Because gift. :)

I also added some cards to the "made by me" album to the right.

thankful!!!

NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 

I was blessed today by seeing my foster sister. She commented that she looked up to me… at the time I didn’t always have the best attitude; sometimes I even resented her presence. God used me anyway. What an awesome God!!

Yesterday I got to spend time with 4 out of 5 kids.

Thursday I got to hang out with 3 of my grandsons.

Today I got to go to church with my daughter and her fiance.

Blessings multiplied….

Molly

Molly is an American Girl doll that I found at Salvation army for about $5.00. My daughter always wanted an American Girl, but I could never justify $100-$150 for a doll. Too late now for her... but I bought Molly anyway, because... well, because. That was several years ago, and I made her some tights, and that's all.
I was talking with a co worker and mentioned making doll clothes, and she wanted me to make some American Girl clothes for her. So I did. Pajamas, and a blanket, and a pillow.

Wish the colors showed up more, but this is just a phone shot. The fabric was a little scrap, it's apples that look appliqued. I just embroidered it a little more and it actually looks appliqued.

The pink (also the backing) is a piece of old curtain, and the binding was also a scrap. Found the batting in a bag in my mother in law's closet. It always makes me feel good to make something out of nothing. And the binding isn't perfect, and the border pulled a little when I sewed it, and it isn't perfectly rectangular. OH WELL.

The jammies are from an abandoned nightgown project that was also in the closet with the batting, and I wondered why it was abandoned. As I sewed with the fabric I knew why! It can't be pressed, it is a wrinkled-on-purpose fabric, and loosely woven, and slippery. But I persevered, and although it was a little frustrating somehow that makes the victory of completion sweeter.

Molly is enjoying them, even though she knows they are not hers, she is proudly modeling them, and even took a little nap. Doesn't she look comfy?

upside down and inside out.

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

 

Sewing today. Made doll pajamas   Seems like since I started this project there have been nothing but setbacks. The blanket went fine, except for the wonky parts. The pillow is strangely shaped, but the pillowcase is fine. The jammies? Well aside from fraying seams, stretching where it isn’t supposed to stretch, sewing a spot wrong and having to RIP…. more than once, and having the jammies not fit right, it was fine. But they turned out cuter than I thought they would, with some creative taking in, such as a button in the front and overlapping way more in the back… Upside down and inside out. That’s how you sew.

The point being. I have my plan, think I am doing it Just Right. Turns out that my Just Right was Not Right. But if  I go with the flow, and get creative, sometimes it turns out even better than MY plan…. and then I remember it’s HIS plan in the first place. I know, I know, not the jammies. I’m mixing the spiritual in with the earth stuff. It’s all the same anyway, the lessons I learn from this world are ALWAYS connected to what I am doing…. I learn more than the physical learning; there is always a spiritual insight gleaned.

The joy of the jammies are that I am going to give them to a little girl who will love that her doll has jammies. A simple thing, really. I was not planning on sewing doll clothes, but I just HAD to…. I mean with EIGHT GRANDSONS I just don’t have the chance to make DOLL CLOTHES very much. I’m excited to have a little girl to be the recipient of my American Girl creations. And a renewed thought of a long ago goal, to rescue dolls, dress them, and give them away. I am not so great about the giving away part, because I love dolls. So I will rejoice in this bit of giving away hoping it will lead to more.

Lord, I’m a better taker than a giver. 😦  You are changing me, helping me see the giving as a gift you give ME.

Thankfulness…..  

For my family, Jonathan especially tonight. He has a lot of You in him, Lord. I am thankful he loves my daughter….

For my home… in spite of all its drawbacks, it is warm, cozy, and keeps out the rain.

For the tomatoes that You gave us through someone at work. They simmered in the crock pot today and are going to be TASTY!!!

For the fact that I have a job that I enjoy…

for my parents… for the tribute made to my dad and Charlie for their hard work in landscaping that they recently had to give up… that Charlie is doing well… that my dad has stayed out of the hospital for a long time… thank You, Lord.

tied up in knots....

NOVEMBER 11, 2012

My stomach is all tied up in knots. My poor mother in law had a meltdown today and slapped a caregiver, and was trying to bite her, and in the fight ended up biting her own hand! She also hurt her leg the other day and it’s swollen because she won’t keep it elevated, she keeps just getting up out of her wheelchair, forgetting that her legs don’t work and then she falls. How awful to not remember that you are 97 and disabled. She has also been asking to see her mom, and it just breaks my heart to tell her over and over that her mother died years ago… not knowing of course what else to say. I remember when my uncle died and they ended up telling my aunt that she could see her husband later, when the reality was he had died, but when they told her she got really upset. So sometimes I think I should say, you can see her later…

I know I have a lot to be thankful for. Right now, I am in tears, grieving for the life that my mother in law in enduring. From MY perspective, enough is enough! but God is the one in charge. I don’t understand, but I know I can trust God to keep her in His hands. And me too.

Sewing Block...

WELL... I did finish a quilt top, and modify Lucy's pants. I found an outfit designed for the Beanie Baby Kids at a thrift store, and modified THAT so it can be taken off and put on easily. I think that line of toys would have been very successful except for the taking-on-and-off clothes issue.

I don't really understand why I am so reluctant to sew. There is no danger of the cat eating thread, she doesn't live in the same house as my sewing machine. I'm just doing it for self/family, so it isn't Perfection rearing its ugly head. Big Sigh. Lord, help me figure this out so I can Get On With It.

Most of my crafty time in the last six months has been spent organizing. I took over my mother in law's bedroom (since she has been moved to an Alzheimer's facility-- read about THAT adventure on my other blog.

I found an old shoe rack at a thrift store, and found containers at the Dollar Tree to fit on it. I started sorting my scraps into the containers and oh it is going to be so easy to grab them for my paper piecing projects. I love paper/foundation piecing!! The best site for patterns is Paper Panache. Her patterns are clear and detailed. Easy to Challenging.

Of course, when I saw her Nativity wall hanging I just HAD to do it. I had High Expectations of finishing for Christmas but here it is, November, and it isn't done. :(  BUT I will Carry On and hope for the best. I know that my expectations for myself are setting me up for failure, but I refuse to take that on, and will be happy with whatever I accomplish. I can see that the Doing will be a prayerful tribute as I work through the days. I am looking forward to the process.

Another thing in my plans is to set up her garage for furniture refinishing. I have some chairs that desperately need to be done. I love the look of bare wood, but might have to paint these two. We will see. I have six of them all together, and four of them have been refinished.. My parents originally had all six, and my mom antiqued them this mossy green color with dark glaze. Not my favorite color but they looked good with the table. Eventually my mom gave me two, and my brother two. She stripped her two and re upholstered the seat and back and they looked great, so I did MY two. My brother put his out in his garage for ten years or so. I asked about them, he said NO. But when he moved to Washington, he left them behind. :) They originally came from the shoe department of the Montgomery Wards store in Stockton, California. They are really sturdy. The wood used isn't consistent, they were painted. So some of them have arms that don't even match! But I love them because my six foot seven son can sit in them without worrying about them breaking, and they are just cozy and comfy to sit in.

So although I really miss my old place, I am carving out some crafty space, and have Big Plans for a spring garden. One day at a time.