Peasant shirt

My mom spotted this fabric at a sweet fabric store in St. Paul, Treadle Yard Goods.  She said that it reminded her of fabric that her own great aunt had used to make her dresses years ago.  I made Izza a sweet sweet shirt out of it from Anna Maria Horners book, "Seams to Me".

Alas!

Here is Eli in his new, what I would call bullet vest!  The other day, he commented that he had no pockets in his shorts, so did I had the solution for him!  This vest has 5 pockets that will accommodate a multitude of (nerf) gun bullets.  What a lucky boy! 

This pattern can be found in this highly recommended book!

Book Review

Okay, so this is more of a book preview than a book review.....

Today my husband he asked me to pick up "50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)" (An activity book about danger, safety, and the incredible world around us.) for his next children's sermon.  Okay, so I was surprised at 1st by his request, but then I got to thinking.... this has become part of our theology/ premise with raising our own independent, resourceful, and confident children.  Some have been amazed, and perhaps even bewildered, at how much our children do and have been allowed to do.  But to Chris and I, these opportunities to succeed, fail, and even crash and burn are what strengthen them.  Okay, so that was a bit of a tangent, but I guess what I hope to convey is that there are so many chances in life worth taking and so many things worth doing:  to Chris it to go parachuting, to Eli it is go hunting with his dad, to Aamon it is to have his own construction company, to me it is take a trip by myself without any reservations or a map (really, that would be a risk taking activity!), and for Izza it would be something like turning into a princess and being an only child I am sure. :)

So on an ending note, there is so much to savor in life, whether it be a good book, a trip only dreamed about, a project that would be elated to be completed, or a balloon to fly away with. 

My should and wanna do list for this summer are to make at least one project from my newest books:
Scandinavian Needlecraft: 35 Step-by-step Projects to Create the Scandinavian Home by Clare Youngs and Sarah Hoggett
and
Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration by Malka Dubrawsky

.... and my dear husband, says we can take a trip without a map and without a plan in August! 

 

A new bag

Of course, like most sewers I have my favorite patterns, but here is a NEW fun style.  It has fun pleats, a magnetic closure, a zipper pocket, and a special cell phone pocket (standard on on all my bags) The pattern for this bag can be found at www.ithinksew.com.

....and of course, here are some of my favorite designs done in classic, yet mod, fabrics.

Graduation Dress

Izza graduated from preschool last week. I made her a dress from an antique pillowcase.  

She looks like a little beauty, but her brothers look less than thrilled with the event :)

Here is Izza with her dear preschool teacher, Mrs. Johnson!

Not hot enough

It was a sad day in my world yesterday.  My beloved iron decided to lose it's heat.... the heating element must have gone out.  It was bittersweet, as it had been a treasured gift from my new in-laws (at the time).  So now, approximately 8 years later (but YES we have been together MUCH longer than that!), my iron had to be replaced.  I found another (fairly priced & on sale) Rowenta at Hancock Fabrics today!
So as I bought a replacement iron, I could only liken this to the day we had to replace the Ford Ranger.  To make a long story story short.... the parking brake failed on the Ford while attempting to load the family boat on the trailer. AND I ended up with my DREAM car, an old Volvo... after the Ranger sunk slowly into the Mississippi.