Cleaning out Patterns

Well, I have come to a very big break through in my addiction. After much contemplating I weeded out some patterns that have never been used from my collection. Some of these are ones I bought and decided not to make and some are ones people gave me and for various reasons I cannot use.

I have decided this year to really get rid of a lot of the excess I have around the house so I will also be cleaning out my art cabinet later this week that holds all my craft notions, scrapbook stuff and who knows what else. I am ashamed to think of how much money has been spent on things I never got around to using. I may even go through my fabric stash actually that should be stashes.

Anyways if you are interested in some good deals be sure to check out my Etsy shop and my e-bay shop. If you find several things and want to work out a deal let me know, I really want these things to go to people who can and will use them and I want to get them out of my sewing area quickly.


Again be sure to check my shops often because I will be adding stuff frequently over the next few weeks.

Thank You Karen...

I was totally spoiled by my sassy apron partner Karen! I received So much fun Stuff from her. Thank you Karen!

My package included an apron, two cookie cutters, two pot holders, a dish towel, a wooden candy cane, hot chocolate, and sprinkles.



This candy cane is now hanging on the knob of my china cabinet making it look very festive!

I also got this cute apron that is called a French flea market apron. I can hardly wait to make some cookies using the recipes and goodies she sent me!

Sassy Apron

Sydney and I participated in the Sassy Apron Swap this past month and had a great time! This was a first for both of us and we had a great time.

At first I had a hard time picking fabric because I kept thinking about some fabric I had at home and wanted to find something close to it. Finally I came to the conclusion that since that fabric kept coming to mind that I should just go ahead and use it. Part of me felt like I needed to go and buy something just for the swap but in the end I was glad I use the gingerbread man fabric.

The theme was holiday/winter so this fabric fit perfectly to me and my partner likes to cook/bake. I also sent a gingerbread man cookie cutter and Christmas tree ornament. I truly had a great time putting this together for her and hope to participate in another swap soon.

Please excuse the crooked photo, it was late when I got one of my kiddos to snap it.

Sense and Sensablity E-patterns

Jennie Chancey owner of Sense and Sensibility patterns has just converted most of her patterns into ePatterns. If you have never been to her site you have got to get over there.

Her patterns are beautiful, elegant and best of all modest.

Gingerbread Men

The one major draw back to having a daughter who works at Joann's is that I am always in there! Yes I know I could drop her off at the door and not go in but that seems soooo wrong.

So, while I was in there a few days ago I found this scrumptious fabric and darling buttons. I plan to make a little girl's pinafore from it trimmed/accented with a khaki or cream color fabric.

I am also thinking about including a recipe and cookie cutter along with it when I list it in my etsy shop.


I do not have a plan yet for the snowmen buttons yet but I feel very confident I will find something to do with them. Maybe a white apron trimmed in black with one of these placed on each pocket? How about a white and black fleece jacket or cape with these as the buttons for a little girl? It's funny the things that can come to mind as I type.



Well I am off to clean house, play with the kids and then sew.

And The Winners Are.....

I was so excited to see how many people participated in my giveaway, thank you to everyone who took the time to visit my blog and leave a comment.


To ensure fairness I used Random integer

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

18 11 Timestamp: 2008-10-04 01:28:33 UTC

That would be Christy And Paige


Congrats to both of you, I will be contacting you shortly!

WHat I Have Been Up To

Well, it sure has been a busy 2 weeks for me! We started back to school, my husband started some home improvement projects, and then I got flooded with sewing orders. All in all things have gone pretty smooth. God has definitely answered my prayer for energy and a clam spirit, often I get grumpy when I feel overwhelmed, but not this time. It was definitely God answering prayer because even when I felt overwhelmed a quick prayer helped!

So... here is some of what I did.

Some elastic waisted culottes for a friends little girl. I could not find a pattern that would fit her (she is tiny) so for the first time I made my own pattern!

I also made some I made her some solid black ones and a pair of pink ones that have brown polka dots but did not get pictures. They are adorable!








Some gowns I sold on e-bay. I saved the quality too low so the images are not great but you get the idea. The other one is the first image of this post.



I also made a pinafore, some mop caps and bonnet sets.

Be Back Soon

Good news, bad news.

Good news, I have lots of sewing orders this week. About three times as many.

Bad news, I am not sure how I will get them all done and take care of the daily stuff. So... I will probaly not be posting for a few days.

Have a great week!

Free Sewing Patterns

One of the expensive things about sewing can be acquiring good patterns. I often try to get mine for $1.00 or less. I stock up when they go one sale and watch the Internet for free ones. Well, tonight I was in search of some crafty fall patterns and came across these.

Right now if you visit McCall's Pattern Co site you can receive 10 free patterns just for visiting and entering your e-mail address. Click on link above and then enter your e-mail address; once you do the page will refresh from images only to including the patterns as pdf's. The patterns include easy to understand directions and pictures that guide you step by step .

I am planning on making the pumpkin and gourds for either a dinning room table center piece or to put on our fireplace hearth.

I bought Sydney some nice Gingher scissors for Christmas so I think I will make her this case to keep them in.

Butterick has some free patterns here I like the winter wreath idea.

So, how do you aquire your craft stock pile? When do you start your holiday crafts?

Sewing Is Not Just For Grandmas! Part 2

In Part One of this series we established anyone can sew. In this post, as promised, I am sharing some tips, book recommendations and helpful links.

First some helpful tips I wish someone, anyone, had given me.

1. Start small- if you have never sewn do not start off trying to make a dress that has a collar and zips up in the back.

2. Choose an easy to follow pattern, Simplicity's are very to easy to use and have great directions as do some McCalls and Buttericks. Save Vogue patterns for latter.

2. Read ALL the directions first, then actually follow them.

3. Use the best quality products you can afford. If you watch for sales and coupons you can set up a basic sewing basket with quality product for the same price you would for cheap ones that will fall apart or deliver inferior results.

4. Use decent thread and change your needles frequently. Most machine problems can be solved by either re-threading the machine or changing the needle.

5. Take your time- if you become frustrated get up and walk away from the project.

6. Keep your pincushion near you while sewing

7. Avoid sewing over pins.

8. When using a seam ripper go slow, getting to the other end of a seam is not an Olympic event. I can not tell you how many times I went through the fabric, ruining an item before I realized the few minutes it saved to go fast was not worth it!

9. Designate your fabric scissors as fabric ONLY.

10. Wash and dry your fabric prior to cutting it in the same manner as it will be in the finished projects. Meaning if you are making a skirt out of denim do not prewash the fabric by hand, use your washer and dryer.

Now for some fun and helpful links:

This link is for Singer but the tips and videos on using accessory feet will be the same for most machines Singer sewing Tips. I use to be afraid to try my different machine feet, then one day I had some free time and decided I was going to learn how to use the ruffling and gathering feet. I found this link for the ruffler and I am not sure now where I found the gathering feet instructions but it was equally easy to learn to use.

Looking for a way to save on machine repairs? Click Here for a easy to understand e-book that will save you hundreds of dollars and lots of time. I honestly can not think of anything as frustrating, sewing wise, as when you need to get a project done and you have machine issues. It happened last year to me in the middle of an order for 15 pair of culottes. Three days and over $100 later I got my machine back, not any more thanks to this book.

Intimidated by zippers or need help with other garment construction issues, check out The Sewing Room.

Threads site is full of ideas, tips and fun projects.

Simplicity has their pattern catalog online along with many shortcuts. I often browse their catalog online making notes of patterns I want prior to heading to Jo Ann's. It saves me time and I do not have to wait to look at the in store catalog. Never a fun thing when he are on sale!

And here are a few of my favorite books.

Bend The Rules Sewing

Sewing For Dummies This book is great and well laid out!

Sew What! Skirts If you enjoy skirts this is the best book! It shows you how to make some cute and modest skirts and teaches you how to make your own pattern.

Looking for a book that covers EVERYTHING? This is the one, New Complete Guide to Sewing
Got any tips you would like to share or favorite links, just leave them in the comments section.

Sewing Is Not Just For Grandmas! Part 1

Many people avoid sewing or stick to simple projects because they fear their machine or never learned to sew. I think somehow the message has been sent that if your grandma or mother did not teach you to sew you are doomed to never thread a needle or feel the adrenaline rush from a sewing machine peddle under your lead foot.

Well, I am here to set the record straight. For the most part no one taught me to sew, I got a cheap machine and began playing with it. I made some funny looking things but I had fun and refused to give up! In a few months my kids were willing to wear what I made and after a year they were asking for me to make things.

Truly, if I can do it anyone can. Get yourself a decent machine that can do a few stitches and has a one step buttonhole. You do not have to break the bank but get the best that you can afford, check out some sewing videos or books from the library, grab some scrap fabric from the remnant bin and start playing.

You can even dig some stuff out of your closet that you don't wear and play around with it on the machine. This post is from my daughter's blog where she explained how to turn an old pair of jeans into a modest and cute skirt. Seriously, you can do so much if you will allow yourself to.

Draw some straight lines and practice sewing down them. Pillows are great first projects as are a-line skirts with either an elastic or drawstring waist. Remember it does not have to be perfect!

Just be creative and have fun, after all sewing is not just for grandmas!

Tomorrow I will post part two which will include some tips, book recommendations and some of my favorite links.

For now I am off to sew~!

My Latest Creations

Here are a few pictures of some of my latest sewing creations. The first one is a lady's drawstring skirt with a sash that makes a beautiful bow in the back. I had so much fun making it that over the past week I have made two more out of different fabric. The skirt has a 180" sweep however since my mannequin is only wearing a regular slip not hoop it is hard to get a good idea of just how full this skirt is.




Next is a little girls pioneer dress. It has a ruffle on the bottom and matching bonnet. I love long full dresses, especially on little girls.

The ladies and girls set are listed on e-bay in auction format starting at .99 each plus shipping. You can see all my items in my e-bay store if interested.

I also made each of my boys a pair of pajama pants but they do not want the world to know what they sleep in so alas no pictures of those.

Helpful Sewing Hints

I had planned to post some recent projects today but I have several orders I am trying to fill and we have church tonight so it will have to wait until Friday or Saturday. Meanwhile here are a few of my favorite links. I often turn to these sites when I need to look up a technique I do not use often or for faster and better ways of doing the routine things. Remember you are never too old to learn!

Looking for quick tips to improve your skills or develop some? Visit Threads Scroll to the bottom and you will find: 20 Ways to Improve Your Sewing

Even if you do not have one of their machine Check out the Husqvarna/Viking website...click on Education and then The Sewing Room. It is a very useful website with many helpful hints and how to's.

Enjoy, and if you have any helpful sewing or crafts sites be sure to leave them in the comments section.

Making The Most Of Your Patterns

Earlier this week I confessed to having a pattern addiction. Under comments Emily asked a great question…..Do you trace your patterns onto other paper before you cut them so you can make them in various sizes?

The answer is a great big YES!! Patterns are expensive if you do not get them on sale and even on sale if you need multiple sizes it adds up fast. Since I sew for fun and profit and my daughter has yet to stop growing I need multiple sizes of almost all my patterns! The other reason I copy my patterns is that the manufactures often discontinue patterns and once it is wore out or messed up you are out of luck.

Is it legal? Yes, if you do not share the pattern with anyone.

Since almost all patterns come in multiple sizes per envelope you can really get a lot for your money if you are careful. All you have to do is purchase some blank pattern paper or tissue paper. I have also heard of people using interfacing but that seems too expensive to me or newspaper, too messy and I hate the smell of newspaper.

Iron your uncut patter or cut pattern you are trying to save one you already use. Lay it out on a table or someplace you have plenty of room to work. Lay your blank pattern paper on top and weigh it down. Now all you do is trace the pattern marks with a marker or pencil. Be careful not to tear the pattern, it is delicate. Make sure to transfer all the markings you will need including size. Walla, you now have a copy of your original in as many sizes as you would like.

Another thing I have done is to cut out all my skirt and culottes patterns onto thick fabric that I found in the discount section. I then place my markings on the fabric and serge around the edges to prevent fraying. Both of these techniques work great and save you money. Works for me. Looking for tips? Visit Rocks In My Dryer

Feeding My Addiction.....Patterns

I am freely admitting to all of blogdom that I have an addiction... I am addicted to fabric and patterns! Joann's knows my weakness and every so often they run great sales that I am unable to resist. This week-end Simplicity patterns are .99 each with a limit of 10. I know what you are thinking... can she even find 10 she needs or likes? I could probably find 20 or more despite the fact that I have 6 plastic storage boxes full of them. In my defense they are neatly organized on a shelf and yes, I still need more!

I think the only thing that keeps my husband from seeking professional help is that I am able to make money from it and keep daughter and myself clothed in some pretty cute stuff most of the time.

Seriously though, I do love patterns but only buy them when they are on sale;the frugal woman in me just can not spend full price on a pattern. The image in the top corner is one of the patterns I bought today. I hope to get it made up next week and listed on Etsy and e-bay and also make Sydney one with a higher neck line. She loves dresses like this and they have such a feminine look to them!

This is another pattern I bought today, I love making baby clothes! I bought some floral fabric and ribbon a few weeks ago in the clearance section that I think is going to make an adorable set.

All together I bought 6 patterns all on sale for .99 each, 10 yards of elastic that I had a 40% off coupon for, 2 yards of denim weavers cloth with 40% off coupon and one cone of thread that I also had a 40% off coupon for. My total was $19.19, a great deal in my opinion considering each pattern will be used over and over, the outfit made from the weavers cloth has already sold for $15.00 and finally my addiction has been satisfied at least until they run another pattern sale.

I will try to get some pictures posted when I finish these.

How about you, got anything that makes you weak in the knees when it goes on sale?

Looking to see who else got great deals this week while shopping? Visit Money Saving Mom

Culottes: Modesty in the Summer

It's heating up outside and as our former pastor, Brother Hollars would say "when the heat goes up the clothes come off." Sadly this is also true even in the life of some Christians as they struggle to stay cool. I am here to say it doesn't have to be so! You can stay comfortable and modest!

In preparation for the coming heat wave that always strikes Texas, the last week or so I have been busy making my daughter and myself culottes and skirts. They allow us to stay modest and, even in the Texas heat, comfortable.

I did not grow up in a Christian home and spent most summers in shorts and tank tops. After getting saved and learning what God expected my wardrobe changed, in the last 6 years I have not wore shorts or tank tops except to bed and honestly I do not miss them! I prefer the look of skirted culottes with small slits on the side that allow me to freely move and still stay modest to the pleated ones. My daughter prefers flowing skirts for daily use but skirted or pleated culottes for activities.

Some of the definite advantages aside from knowing it is what God wants for me is that when your legs and shoulders are covered it decrease your chances of sunburns and give the mosquito's less biting area, always a plus for us when out in the garden or at the park. Other advantages include the ability to play, swing, ride a bike and many other activities that are harder to do in a dress.

I am not trying to preach or say that this is what is right for others, I am just trying to give options to those who may be looking for them. Honestly for the first 6months to a year or so I was saved I heard people talk about "modesty" and not "showing too much" but they never gave options of what to wear. All I saw was what they wore to church. I thought how in the world am I going to clean house in a dress? So that is the point of my post, options for those searching.

You can find culottes online at many locations including my e-bay store

A wonderful book to read is What In The World Should I Wear? by Mrs. Corle It is small book and the cost is $6.95

A blog I would suggest is By Grace This link goes directly to a post Susan wrote on modesty. Susan is a wonderful Godly woman who I feel honored to know. The Hutchen's family are missionaries in British Columbia and sent out of our former church.

If you have any suggestions, sites or books related to this please feel free to do so.

Civil War / Victorian Day Dress

It's 1774, just before the American Revolution in Willamsburg, Virginia and you have been invited to tea. Does what you wear matter as much as what you do? Oh my yes! Tea etiquette is very important but what you wear may determine if you are invited back.

Let's hope the dress I made last week for one of the young ladies in our church is up to high tea standards. The young lady modeling it is my daughter and as you can see the dress is a little large on her. However, she wanted to try it on and I wanted some pictures so we figured why not? The dress and cape took 3 days to make but was so much fun and in my opinion turned out lovely. My daughter now wants one of her own but in a smaller floral print.