Bib for Madison

I am posting pictures of a bib I made for Katie for her niece MADISON!

This is the back.

This is the vinyl covered front with vinyl covered pocket.

I love Lakehouse fabric (cupcake and pink with white diamond stars) and complimented the vinyl covered applique embroidery by Designs by JuJu with some great Santorini fabric I made into bias binding. I hope you like it!

I probably should have looked a bit closer at the chair I used to take the pic in. My 3 year old sits in it to eat every night and it is, well, not exactly photograph clean. :0)

Stay Warm!

What Homeschooling Also Teaches

I am sitting in the recliner, still too sick to take any pics for this blog today, but feeling good enough to write. The kids brought me in the lap to so I could cruise the internet for a little bit and relist the pattern I sold this morning. I am sitting here barely able to breath with my role of toilet paper since we're out of tissues, typing in between giving my just turned 7 year old her math lesson...well, actually several math lessons because I don't have to talk as much with those. Everytime I talk, I end up in a fit of coughing. So Math it is all around today. She is learning to count on up to 18. She catches on pretty quickly, too! Sometimes I wish it would take her a little longer, because then I get a little bit more of a break in between lessons. Anyway, while I was totally KO'd yesterday in bed with a temp of almost 103, my 9 year old (well, she was 9 yesterday, today she is 10! - Happy Birthday, Shay!) cooked lunch and I'm not talking hot dog or peanutbutter and jelly....she made pizzas in the oven for herself, my husband who came home for lunch, and her little brother and sister. She made lipton chicken noodle soup with extra noodles on the stovetop for me and dished out a 1/2 a cup plain yogurt and 1 T. simply fruit for flavor, too and a banana for a very well balanced meal. 2 starches, 1 milk, 1 fruit, 2 meat from the cheese and pepperoni. Then she supplemented the roasted chicken Bob brought home from Giant Eagle by making boxed mash potatoes and microwaving some frozen green beans. How many 9/10 year old can do that? Anyway, she is now putting water on to boil and making me some coffee while trying to finish her test.

Why do I homeschool? Because it teaches so much more than just math, science, and grammar. It teaches lifeskills like cooking and nutrition, and, most importantly, it teaches COMPASSION. I wouldn't want anyone else to take care of me while I am sick...my kids are the best. Some days I wonder whether they are getting it...then I am down and out and I see how much they do get it. It is AMAZING how they can come through when you need them to the most. I love my kids. God is good.

Been Busy Lately?

OK. So you know we have all been sick. I am still sick, but Mary Ruth from Cotter's Country Cottage where I keep all the 'Crap I've Made' called me and said she was out of Steeler's Headbands and I needed to whip up a few, so for all you Steeler's fans....






Here are the headbands I whipped up. One of my daughter's so kindly modeled two of them for me. She picked out her favorites; they had to have bows, of course!


Valentine's day is just around the corner, so I had to do a few of those, too!





Here are the sewing projects I've been working on. Everyone asks me how I get so much done when I homeschool 4 kids. Well, truth be told. It is in stolen moments. 15 minutes here, 5 minutes there. I think about it all the time, though. That is the key. I know exactly what I want to do and then I go do it. I rarely spend any time in the sewing room thinking about what I want to do. I just go in there and do what I have been thinking about all day and night long.

That's where this quilt is coming from:






I also try to follow designers and patterns that they make that I like. I love Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. I LOVE her Lily and Will fabric and now have a nice stash of it. I made this from it. She has such CLASSIC CUTE SWEET designs for babies:




So........I tried to make the lap top cover from a tute from www.crapivemade.blogspot.com and it turned out....well, it became this after I cut it all apart and put in a different zipper



I did eventually get it right with a few tweeks and putting the zipper on the long end like a sleeve. I wanted to make it eye catching so when my husband steals my computer from me to take the girls to the middle school pool for their swim team practice, everyone notices! :0)





Last weekend while my husband was down and out for 3 days with this bug (BTW - I have it, but am not allowed to be down and out for 3 days) I went to Office Depot with all 4 kiddos (during the Steeler's game because I knew lots of shops would be having great deals then -- which also tells you where I am going to be during the Superbowl because I really don't care about or like football - which means because I said that that I am probably going to move from Pittsburgh immediately) and bought 3 chairs. Here is the new one for my sewing room:




Yes! Finally. I should have done that 3 years ago. Leather, adjustable height and only $44.95! Yep! Only $44.95. I bought 2. One for the girls desk in their bedroom which has had a folding chair for 8 years. I also about a highbacked leather chair for the office for over 50% off, too! I did have to put them together which was easy, but time consuming. Where are you going to be during the Superbowl??? I am going to be shopping!

Ha!

The Sickies

OK, We've been way too sick and after a call to the Ped's office this morning, I've learned that there are so many things going around and we've caught a couple different things. Poor Lyn. After having the ....uhm...not to be too gross...dry heaves on Monday and fever and sleeping for two days, she started feeling better. Then she was up in the middle of the night last night with a 102.8 deg F fever. Eric, I fear is not too far behing...Oh, did I mention I feel like crap, too??? But, mom still has to care for the kids with the sickies even though she feels like crawling into bed and sleeping for the next week. I think that was one giant run-on sentence, but I am so tired it is just stream of consciousness now I think...see what I mean?

So, what is there left to do? Being stuck in this house with no shopping outlet...oh, yes, my husband is regretting introducing me to the on-line shopping world. Yes, I have been buying more and more fabric. The reason I can write this is because my husband can't be bothered reading my blog. I guess he just figures he lives my life with me so why does he have to read about it! Good thing I pay the bills ! :0) Hee, hee! Um, I think my sister-in-law may read my blog every once in a while...ooops. Hope she doesn't tell! Remember the Sisterhood, Julie!! Remember! I do know my mom reads my blog regularly...thanks, Mom. At least I know some one is reading about my crazy life...I know you're laughing about it, not sympathizing, though!

Anyway, tho't I'd put a plug in for some of the fabric shoppes I've been buying from lately.

You all know www.sewlovefabrics.etsy.com, right? Ruth is awesome and she sells my patterns on her site! Double plus!

Well I have been purchase some of Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms from her...still waiting for her lovely mailbox delivery (what a great friend and fabric supplier to my fabric habit!) Visit her site she's got great prices and a great selection!




I have also purchase some fab fabric from www.skyerevefabrics.etsy.com. OK, so a Whole bunch. Mostly Amy Butler stuff which everyone has seem a 1000 times, but I also got and am most excited about these white butterflies:



Any one who knows me, knows how I feel about Butterfly Fabric, right K8???? Natasha at Skye Reve Fabrics is also considering carrying my patterns. How exciting is that! First Ruth, then Alicia at Pattern Palooza, and Natasha!

And lastly, I am waiting to hear back from www.fabricshoppe.etsy.com to to confirm my order for some cute cute FQs:





I LOVE those bicycles...what am I doing to do with all this fabric, though? Sew, Sew, Sew...if only I could get the time...once the kids are done being sick, I am going to take a vacation in my sewing room....hmmmm....I'm going to have to buy a lock for that door, I think! :0)

I tho't those new bicycles would compliment the amy butler fabric I bought from www.skyrevefabrics.etsy.com



Well, I think that's enough writing for now. Hopefully I will post a tute later in February. We'll see how long these kiddos are sick!

February - I LOVE Pillows month

Sew Mama Sew announced that February is I LOVE Pillows month! I am going to be participating in her contest! Just tho't I'd let you know in case you want to participate, too!

I'll blog more later, the kids have been sick for days, I am exhausted from 2 nights up all night in a row....and no sewing....How can I continue? My relationship with my sewing maching is stressed due to the lack of attention I am giving it. I hope it can forgive me?!?

Vinyl covered baby bib for Antonio

Well, I am basically posting this blog for my sister-in-law, Julie. She's been pretty busy lately getting me jobs from her place of employment! She deserves a piece of chocolate! Looking forward to seeing Johnathan on Saturday and wishing him a happy 1st B-day! Oh, you can tell your girlfriend that her bib is on my blog if she wants to take a look at it in advance! I covered it with a vinyl coating so it can be wiped clean. It also has a heavy duty snap....I always hated it when the kids would reach up and yank that darn bib with a velcro closing right off!

Thanks, Julie! :0)

The Diaper Bag

Hi, there!

Since I am getting the hang of this whole blogging thing, I tho't I'd try it again and more regularly. Who knows, maybe it will be a great outlet for me and the kids won't have to listen to me talk about fabric fabric fabric so much!

Ok, two 'blogs' ago I talked about Holly Holderman, or Lakehouse fabric, being my fave...Still true. I just wanted to share a pic of a diaper bag that I made recently with her older Boy Oh Boy line. The diaper bag was commissioned by my friend, K8, for a girlfriend of her who just had a baby boy, Nathaniel. I love to create and sometimes don't know where a project is going to head until I'm 1/2 way thru it. I think I need to design a pattern from this creation, what do you think?