Hand Sewing

It's been raining here and cold but I've been snug in front of the tv hand sewing. I've been hemming and adding trims to my curtains. The only thing I did on the sewing machine was to add the band at the bottom. I love sitting and hand sewing and I don't like to sew on the machine. My back always starts hurting when I'm bend over the machine. So I put on a dvd and I can sew for hours. I keep adding things to these curtains because you can't really see the print across the room and they just look so plain. So I learned a lesson stand back when you are picking out fabric. I still have to line these so I'll be working on them for a while.

Do you like to hand sew. I know one of my granddaughters loves to hand sew and the other one like to use the machine.

Linda

Fall and Winter Pillows

I made the purple pillows to go with the other ones I already had. The poppy floral I made a few years ago and the plaid with the floral boarder I didn't make, it is April Cornell. I love the combination because it is so unexpected. The purple pillows I just made are covering pillows I already had but didn't use any more.

I'm still totally focused on my diet and fitness. What I was doing wasn't working so I've gone to a very low carb diabetes diet and I have high hopes for it. I've been spending a lot of time on line doing research. My 1 hour limit on line is long gone.

I've been cooking new recipes. Last night it was pork chops smothered in sweet peppers. Tonight it's salmon with a teriyaki marinade. The chops would have been good but I over cooked them. I want to try the recipe again sometime. I should know better than to follow a recipe when it doesn't sound right. I usually use my own cooking knowledge to over ride a recipe when it seems wrong.

I'm still enjoying doing Curves and look forward to it except for getting up so early. On the weekend I want to try and get a walk in. My gd and I went walking yesterday and explored some trails in our area.

My gd and I brainstormed some trail mix ideas. One she came up with was a S'more Trail Mix with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, pretzel sticks and chex's corn cereal. I asked each gd what they would like in their trail mix and they came up with some interesting ideas. We talked about doing a Christmas one with peppermint candies in it or trying to do ethnic ones.

So that's what I've been up to. Have a good week. I love October.

Linda

Pillows with Button Detail

This is part of what I've been doing this summer. I did several sewing projects that required a lot of hand sewing. I love the sew by hand. I've been using buttons more and more as a detail. I like the tailored look of them. I love this new fabric I got to go with the others I already had. This is my spring and summer look and so I want to make a fall and winter look.

I've been thinking about simplicity again and being off the computer for a while has shown me that it takes up a lot of time so I'm coming back on with the restriction on myself that I can only spend an hour a day on it. So I probably won't be posting as often. Also I want to get a little more personal on my blog and share a little more of my thoughts and not just projects.

I'm looking forward to fall are you?

Linda

Apron For Granddaughter

She picked out the fabrics from my stash. I made it for her birthday. I get better with each one. I want to add a top to the one I made myself last year, to hold it up. She is 14 this year and a love.

Linda

He Has Risen

Happy Easter to all.

Linda

image from Google

More Pillows

Well I pushed through and got the rest of the pillows done. I added a little button detail to a couple of them. the blue pillow in the center is the one that will get the granny squares added around it's middle once I get them done. I st ll have to do something with the seat cover, but I'm happy for now. I don't sew a lot and am determined to do more this year, so that I can get comfortable with sewing on my machine. It seems that no matter how many times I measure I still make mistakes, but with these pillows it was easy to add if I cut too short or put in a tuck if I cut too long. I only ripped out one seam when I attached the fabric on the wrong side. Anyway I'm glad they are done and now my next project is another apron for one of my gd's.

Linda

Patchwork Pillows

So far I've made two of these. I have one more to go and then I'm going to do some smaller pillows. I love this fabric and the colors and I like the fact that the pillows are kind of clean and modern looking. I've been working on them while I watch the Olympics and also my granny's. I've also been busy cooking. We've been getting some nice weather, I'm wondering if it's too early to stick some pole bean seeds in a pot. What have you been up to? Are you watching the Olympics?

Linda

Sewing Project and Granny's

I hoped to have a pillow to show you today, but it hasn't happened so far. So I'm showing you the fabric I'm going to use. I also wanted to show you how I'm doing with the granny squares. My dd had the brilliant idea to make a runner for my table instead of a whole blanket. I liked the idea because I want to try the flower garden pattern and the hexagon pattern, so doing a smaller project I can try out different patterns before I dive into a large project. I decided to not use that second batch of yarn I got, it was just to heavy and I found another store that carries this yarn so I was able to get two more colors, an eggplant and a darker lime green.

I don't want to rush the pillows, but I think I know what I want to do for the first one, so hopefully I'll get that done soon.

I've been busy cooking see In The Kitchen where I talk about my new habit I'm working on.

Linda

Sewing and Quilting

I just wanted to show you the apron I made for my gd's birthday. Also yesterday I started doing some quilting and made my first mini quilt. I forgot how hard it is to get all the corners to meet and I wasn't sure how to do mitered corners on the binding, but I did cut my binding on the bias and I haven't done that for a long time so I'm proud of myself. So this isn't too bad for a first effort, but hope to do better next time. My next project is going to be pillow covers for the pillows on my couch, to go with my new color scheme.

My craft/sewing room is now where my children't library use to be, pictures on

Around the House, but I really like it much brighter and a nicer place to work.

Tasha Tudor Lifestyle Pt 4 Aprons

Tasha always wore an apron. I never do, but I thought it is such a part of her that I should give it a try so I made myself one. It was kind of fun. I haven't done much sewing in several years, but once in a while I do a little. So it turned out pretty well and I think I will make some more. I made this with fabric I already had.

The cover of the book shows Tasha using her apron to carry some cuttings. She used her apron to carry whatever she found in the garden. I remember stories about how women use to always wear aprons and used them for all kinds of things. I wonder why we stopped using them. I know I usually have jeans on and they don't need protecting like a nice dress. When I was younger I remember wearing an apron when I was dressed up and in the kitchen. I guess I don't dress up anymore. Maybe I need to do something about my wardrobe. I stopped wearing dresses quite a while ago. My dd and gd's have been having dress day and I may just have to make myself a skirt.

This project with Tasha is making me think about a lot of things that I don't do anymore and I'm wondering why. You always see the homemaker in those vintage photos wearing an apron, that should have been my mother, but it wasn't because she was a small business owner. My grandmother often wore an apron, she also wore what was called a housedress. She always dressed up when she was going out. Her dress up clothes all had to be dry cleaned while the housedress was cotton and could be washed. I guess we are more casual now and fabrics have come a long way. There is a book called "The Apron Book" by Ellyn Anne Geisel that talks about the apron and how it brings back so many memories for a lot of people.

I'm spending a lot more time in the kitchen now and so an apron makes more sense. It's the uniform of the cook. Professional cooks wear aprons and chefs jackets so they definitely have a purpose and usefulness. Tasha's lifestyle was very different from mine and she was doing a lot of things that could stain and ruin her clothes so the apron was a practical way of protecting her clothing. A lot of that clothing had been woven and made by her so I'm sure she valued it a lot more than I do my jeans.

Linda