Thank God I’m a Country *gal*

Well a simple kinda life never did me no harm
A raisin me a family and workin on a farm
My days are all filled with an easy country charm
Thank God I’m a country boy gal

My days are all filled with an easy country charm for the next week anyway!  We’re visiting family in Iowa, and the song “Thank God I’m a country boy” keeps playing in my mind.  Problem is I don’t have a wife and I don’t have a fiddle…but none-the-less I am enjoying this time at a simpler pace.  :-)  

Childhood memories come flooding back when I’m in this little town. I’m delighted my children will have sweet memories of their own here.

The cousins looking at a few cows and a cute little calf.
(I bet farmers don’t call calves cute…)

Playing on the tractor from 1948 is fun!
So is driving one!

I’ll be back with more country charm throughout the week!

Machine Embroidery on a Towel

One of the machines I have is a combo embroidery/sewing machine.  I LOVE embroidery.  I haven’t been doing enough of it lately! I needed to make a few hooded towels (remember how I love them?) and add names to a couple of them. The fabric I used to embellish the hood is a print from the new line Oh Boy! by David Walker. I think it’s super cute!!!!

Embroidery on a towel can be a little bit tricky because the terry is plush – which makes the stitches sink into the fabric and hide.  Also the terry is too thick to hoop like you typically do.  So I thought I’d show you how I embroider on a towel!

 

You’ll need to have a bottom stabilizer as well as a topper (to keep the stitches from sinking).  I typically use a brand called Floriani, but I went and found the Sulky products that are similar because I know they sell these in JoAnn’s and Hancocks.  (We don’t have a Hobby Lobby, so I don’t know if they sell them there!)  If you have a local sewing machine shop, they might have a company they use and trust.    The key is to get products that can wash away!  The sulky items I found  are called  Fabri-Solvy and Super-Solvy.  Since you won’t be able to hoop the towel, you’ll also want spray adhesive.  I use Sulky KK2000.  (Obviously you’ll also need embroidery thread and bobbin – if you need tips on those, let me know!)

Now that you have the supplies the process is fast.      Start by hooping the Fabri-Solvy. Then spray generously with the KK200.

 

Next I put the hoop on the machine and place the area of the towel to be embroidered on top of the fabri-solvy.

Place the clear super-solvy on top of the towel and start the embroidery machine. I hold it in place for the first couple stitches.

When your embroidery machine is done, clip the jump stitches and simply tear away the super-solvy. Any that is left behind (like in the center of the letters) and easily be removed with a little bit of water.

Remove the hoop and cut the fabri-solvy close to the design. This will be washed away once the item is washed.

And now you’re done!  I was only putting a name onto the towel, but it’d work the same way with a larger design.  Have fun.      

I don’t sew for myself

Can you relate?
Joanna mentioned recently that she was going to make her summer wardrode.
I’m not that ambitious.
But I did make myself a shirt yesterday!

It’s the Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing.
The book has been all over the internet -
I’m just behind the times.

 

 For me (in Arizona)  this will likely be a winter shirt!
Fabric:  An Echino Double Gauze Print
I have been wanting to sew with double guaze and Japanese fabric  -
Now I can say I’ve done both.
Changes for next time :  Lengthen the shirt – shorten the sleeves

 

Other random tidbits for you:

I’m also over on the Craft Apple blog!  Hello Craft Apple friends!!! 

This morning I tried to get into a really nice Beamer after dropping Kyle off at summer camp.
I apparently confuse Chevys (the rental…too much story) and BMWs.    

I’m currently pondering if teeth are really truly necessary.

 

 

Freezer Paper – Not just for food

About a year ago I met an adorable lady named Elizabeth at a craft show in which I participated. She moved to Tucson from New York. We got to talking about fabric and patterns and such things (That’s typically how conversations go with me)- and she said told me something about freezer paper. Something I feel like I should have known a long time ago.   Today I will share her little trick with you!!!

#1. Trace your pattern onto freezer paper. Make notes as needed about the pattern pieces (ie grain, number of pieces you need, fabric choices, etc.)

I really should use a clear ruler – but incase you didn’t know this already, I’m a little bit lazy. On certain patterns, I know that precise cutting is essential (ie quilts) where as other patterns I can fudge a bit and make it work with my seam allowance. So for this pattern, I free hand traced the pieces. (Do as I say, not as I do!)

#2. Iron onto the wrong side of your fabric.

Shiny side down. It would NOT be good if you ironed it with that side up. I have my iron on just regular cotton settings – nothing special.

#3. Cut out your pieces.

#4. Peel away and re-use.

That is right – you can peel it off and iron onto another fabric! With the skirt pattern I re-used the pieces 3 times – and they adhered perfectly still.

Same size – no pins.  Perfect!

Picnic Parade Skirt

Q:  Does Haley need a new skirt?

A:  No, but I made her one anyway.

And actually – she could use some new school clothes – so maybe the answer should be yes.  Plus, as Renee pointed out, at some point this little girl of mine is not going to want to wear mama-made clothes – so I should take advantage of it while I can!

I am in love with the prints from Picnic Parade by Jenean Morrison. They are cheery and bright – and the scale is perfect too! The pattern is the Analise patchwork skirt by Sandi Henderson. It is a perfect twirl skirt, wouldn’t you say? (Haley didn’t want me to add the bottom ruffle. That is the only change I made as far as the pattern is concerned.)  I love that some of the rectangles that make up the tiers of the skirt are sewn horizontally while others are placed vertically - and they vary size.  That sounds more complicated than it is.      After the pieces were cut out, it went together very quickly.

Next on the list is a pair (or two) of Pajama pants – they were supposed to be finished for Christmas last year…..

Sunday Dresses

Having a little girl to sew for is awesome!  I get carried away sometimes because it is SO easy to make really really cute little girl outfits.

At one point, I had mentioned to a few friends that I would like Haley to have a new dress every Sunday for church. Don’t worry – they quickly shot me down. 52 dresses in a year may be a little over board. Plus I can’t follow through on things like that. In any case, it doesn’t stop me from making her an occasional Sunday dress!

I used Moda’s Sorbet fabric for the skirt. And the ruffle is from Timeless Treasures – a print called Candy Polka Dot. The top denim fabric was something I have had in my stash for years – sorry I don’t remember where it came from.

 

The kids go back to school in early August.  Even if I can’t realistically make Haley a new dress for every Sunday, I could make her a few new school outfits. I’m dying to get her some ModKid outfits whipped up.

And when I look in my Kid’s Clothing Patterns on my website, I’d say that I have many options beyond that. Wouldn’t you agree? Yep, I’m pretty lucky to have a little girl.  

PS. In case you don’t get my newsletter, currently ALL Amy Butler products are on sale.  Sandi Henderson patterns and fabrics are on 15% off AND Oliver & S patterns are 30% off!!!! Plus lots of other great things in the Sale Section!

Diet Coke, Mommy?

The last few weeks have been a wee bit rough. I really don’t care to share all the nitty gritty details – but when the website disaster occurred – it really upset me. Maybe more than it should have – I don’t know. So anyway I was on the phone with my dear husband, crying to him about my woes. My kids don’t see me cry often. (I should clarify.  They see me happy cry all the time.  But this wasn’t happy crying!)  They were very concerned and wanted to help me feel better. These sweet little kids each brought me a token.

Ellie was given to me by Kyle, my oldest son, so that I could sleep with her at night.

Haley wanted me to have a barbie at my side so that I could play with her.

And Taylor – my sweet little boy. His gift baffles me a little. I am not sure if he really knew what would make me feel better – or if he just didn’t want to share his toys – but he pushed a 12 pack of Diet Coke all the way from the pantry – down the hallway and into the office.

After this I gave them all hugs and kisses – got them into bed and started working. I have a lot of work that I still have to re-do….but the great news is this. The website IS working again. I didn’t loose everything. And what is on there has been verified with my actual inventory. So shop away! Shop away!

Website Back Live

Just a little update. What was supposed to be an easy upgrade of a few things on the server turned into a complete disaster. My host had hardware failure – which in turn means I lost my website. They were able to restore my files from a backup – but the files are old – I am working now to get it back up to date! This is exactly how I envisioned spending my Friday night. LOL

Hope your weekend is off to a better start!!!!

Server update

Just wanted to give you a heads up that my host for my website is upgrading the server. I will be back online as soon as they finish which will hopefully be soon. Thanks!

Cuddle Blankets

A little birdie told me that someone special I know is having a little girl.  I love little girls!!!!  And as luck would have it, these Cuddle Blanket kits arrived yesterday evening….so I knew exactly what I had to do.  Make one, of course!

These kits are AWESOME! The pieces are pre-cut and ready to sew (even the binding!). I finished in an hour – and that was with taking some breaks to check facebook and twitter. LOL Easy instructions are included with each kit – and they also give you lots of tips – so if you’ve never sewn with minkee before, do not fear!

I have 8 kits in the store and all are super super cute fabric combinations. I’ll be making another tonight since I also know of a little boy that will be arriving before too long!  Use the code BABY to get 10% off!!!  Find them here.