To Backorder or Not

This fabric has 7 yards available.
The arrow points to where you can find that info.
But a lot of people don’t order from this detailed screen.
So they order more and then don’t notice the little asteriks next to the item.

Well…..
I have finally figured out a way to very clearly show that an item is backordered!

 

At times I feel so inadequate with my web skills.
And I also feel badly that things like this take me so long to work out….
But I have to remind myself that I am only one person
and I have come a long way.

And I feel dumb blogging about such things –
but these things consume hours of my time, so I’m just keepin’ it real.   😀

 

PS.  I will continue to allow you to back order items because usually I can get more in stock…but now you will know that the whole amount you ordered might not be in stock.

Here is another thing to consider….that 7 yards is really just a best guess based on the information I was given by the manufacturer. The manufactures do not always send 15 yards on the bolt….sometimes they are short and sometimes they are long. So in reality I may have 8 yards or 6 yards….or I might have 7 exactly.

And about the word “yards”…..I’m thinking of changing that to say a little something different that will work with non-fabric items as well. Right now it shows patterns and kits as being sold in yards….and that kinda drives me crazy. Not that it’s a long drive….

 

Back to the madness for me!

 

 

Unwavering

You may recall, I needed to make Haley a pillow for rest time at kindergarten.  
I had plans.  Patchwork plans.  Embroidery  plans.  Really really cute plans.  
And then I mentioned it to Haley.

She had other plans.  No patchwork.  No embroidery.

Just the Fairy Wing Park fabric and the “fashion brown”…..just like her dress.
So I put it off for a week.  Hoping she’d change her mind.  
(The teacher has a few classroom pillows so she wasn’t laying on concrete!)  
She didn’t change her mind.  She is just exactly like me.
 So I made her the pillow she really wanted from the beginning.  

It is cute…
my plans would have been cute too.  
Maybe next time….

 

(And don’t even ask me about the backpack.)

A lot of this….

I have a few end of bolts…..  

Be watching for them next week.  

🙂 

 

I’ll take 3 of Option 1.5, please!

Currently trying to find option 1.5.

Option 1: Be a controlling mom.

This seems to make life in present easier but presents problems when your children actually need to live on their own.  Since you’ve always micro-managed every minute detail of their childhood or done everything for them, they can’t actually function as adults.

Okay, so it’s obvious that I believe that to be a bad option…but I have to tell you that there are SO many times when it’s just easier to deal with things on my own – it’s faster, less messy and gets done in a way that I can handle.  So sometimes I give up on teaching life lessons and skills and revert to crazy controlling mom.

Option 2: Give up control all together.

It’s plain as day to me that is is also a horrible option because it leads to a mom (dad?) and children that are totally out of control.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T will be out the window.  Plus at a young age they are rarely capable of making good choices (every single time).  Parents are to be there to guide their children.  Simple as that.  But there are days when I don’t have what it takes.  There are days I just want to give up..or give in.

Option 1.5:  You walk that delicate line from  control towards freedom.

And it’s supposed to happen in 18 years time.  So for my sanity, I’m trying to get things under control in this household while helping my children take part of the control that they can reasonably handle.  It’s a process – something I have to remind myself on a daily basis.

Continuing to dig my way out….

one messy closet at a time.

Go Ahead, Try It

Have you tried free-motion quilting yet?  Is fear holding you back?  Go ahead and try it!  You really can’t mess it up!  As I was moving the fabric to and fro, that is what occurred to me with this last quilt.  It is not prim and proper !  It’s all over the place.  Running here and there.  Twisting, turning, changing it’s direction.  And that is pretty much exactly me.  A perfect fit!

Ah -but let’s say that you are a person who doesn’t like mess or chaos.  You want things just so.  Precise and perfect.  Yep, I know a handful of you too.  Well, I still believe you should try this technique as an exercise in character.   😉  

 It’s not perfect. I know that. There are imperfections.  But I am not entering it into any huge quilting contests. It’s for my little boy. Who loves it a lot. And his Mama made it for him – which makes it even more special to him.  And besides, aren’t the imperfections one of the things that make handmade so much more meaningful than manufactured?

 

*******************************

You’ll see this quilt again in Taylor’s room when I finish it. 
(It’s soooo close!  I have to find time this week to get it done!)
A quilt should be worth more than one blog anyway.   🙂  
And just to re-empahsize, dear husband, free-motion quilting is NOT cheating.

Fabric: Amy Schimler’s Animal Party and Forest Fun
Pattern: FREE download from Robert Kaufman

 

By the way, I also know some of you that are stuck at making your first quilt top.  Pick out a simple design for your first quilt. (Pre-cuts really simplify things.)  Then send it off to to be quilted.  My point is try to overcome the hurdle that is blocking your way.  Figure out a way to jump over it and take off running.  Even if that hurdle has nothing to do with sewing.   😉  

And now I must go hang shelves!  Until next time…..

My tooth

A few thoughts from a first time root canal patient.

#1.  All dentist should offer you a diet coke while waiting.  This actually seems like a good practice for any office where you might have a wait.  I think we should start some sort of petition and have congress look at making it into a bill or something.

#2.  Really cool dentists mount flat screen TV’s on the ceiling to let you watch a movie while they are drilling into your jaw.  I watched the first bit of Yes Man.  Hopefully Red Box has it so I can finish watching it.

#3.  I appreciated that the dentist covered my upper lip and chin before he began to work.   They tell you it’s to isolate the tooth and keep the area clean.  I have a feeling that it’s more likely so they won’t be distracted by women with more facial hair than should be allowed by nature.  If I would have known before hand that those areas would be hidden I would have at least waxed my eyebrows.  Those can be a bit overwhelming too when you’re so close…or when you’re far away.

#4.  Can someone tell me why I smelled anise during the procedure?  I don’t like licorice.  If they would have asked before hand, I would have chosen vanilla or jasmine.   😉

So clearly I survived and it wasn’t that bad.  Be back later with something serious or crafty at least!  Hope your week is off to a great start!

Weekend Plans

What are your plans this weekend?

I will be sewing backpacks and pillows.
Haley needs them for kindergarten.
The pillow is going to be made out of Lila Tueller’s newest line

Santornini

She always has such fun designs!
I keep thinking I’ll decorate Haley’s room with one of Lila’s lines.

But first is Taylor’s room.
His Animal Party Quilt is finished.

I love it.
I wanted to show you pictures of it IN his completed room
That is why I haven’t shared it yet.

I decided I should also sew something for myself again.
Maybe this weekend, maybe not.
I’m thinking of a skirt from one of the new Spellbound prints.

Spellbound

I especially love the Chalky Silhouettes print.
It would make a lovely skirt.
And a bag.
I probably need a new bag.
I’m getting bored with my current selection.

 

So what are your plans this weekend?

Kindergarten = Good Cancer = Bad

Kindergarten = Good

Today was the day Haley started back to school.  She was SO excited to go!  No tears!!! From me either – Amazing!

We got there and went through the routine together.  Then she was happy to sit down and play with her pink play-dough and have Mom leave.

One of my friends had some adorable black and white pictures on her blog recently with a splash of color.  I loved it!  So I had to play around with handy dandy photoshop and do the same for little miss Haley.  Isn’t it cute?  Cute little girl with her pink bow playing with pink play-dough.  Ahhhh

The bow brings me to the next part of today’s blog.

Cancer = Bad

I bought the bow  that Haley is wearing (actually I bought  9 – but she’s only wearing one!) from my friend Jessica.  Coming up in September, she is doing a 3 day 60 mile walk to raise money that benefits the Susan G Komen foundation.  ALL the profits from her store are going toward her $2300 required donation.  I’m certain there is a little girl in your life that could use some pretty hair bows!  Or donate directly towards her goal!  Click here to buy bows or here to donate.  

I asked Jessica what motivated her to join this 3 day 60 mile walk.  Here is what she had to say.

    I’m so excited! I am doing the walk in honor of my Grandmother Pat Torneden, who is a breast cancer survivor. She raised my brother and I when our mother died when I was only nine months old. She is my inspiration for all my crafty stuff I do in life and is an amazing woman who I call Mom.   I am walking because, if she had not survived Breast Cancer then my life would of been incredibly different. I owe her much more than 60 miles.   🙂     

 

 

Lunch Time

My baby starts school next week.  He’ll be going to preschool 2 days a week.  And he couldn’t be more excited!  (Isn’t he a doll?  I made those shorts he’s wearing too and never even blogged about it.  Man!  I’m a bad blogger!   😉   )

Of course, now he needs a lunch bag of his own! I bought this pattern from Cascade Lemonade on Etsy. Super cute – don’t ya think?

My little boy is messy (as most 3 year old are, I’m sure) so I wanted to make the outside and inside wipeable. I used an iron-on laminate to accomplish this on the outside fabric. The bag has then has a layer of insul-bright to help keep food the right temperature and nylon ripstop as the lining inside.

Of course I HAD to use the newest fabric from Amy Schimler. Animal Party is super fun. When Taylor saw it he asked if I would make him a blanket for his bunk bed. (He doesn’t have a bunk bed…but a friend of ours has the most awesome bunk bed ever. In fact, I’ll have to get pics to show you guys!) And then he added “And a shirt and some shorts too.”

This won’t be the last thing you see from this fabric for sure! I just LOVE it! The rich boy colors, the fun animals – it makes me so happy.  So happy, in fact, that I think I need to go cut some more of it up for my next project. 🙂 Okay – hope you have a great weekend!

Fairy Wing Park

I just about died when I saw this fabric from Alexander Henry!  The fairies on rollerskates, the little birdies in tree tops, and cute starflowers.  Haley loved the fairies too…..I knew she would.

And I’ve had this pattern sitting on my to-do list for way too long. I thought it would be perfect to show the fairies (which are about 6 inches in size). I made the longer version to make it a dress. I’m thinking it is a tiny bit too long…but that also means she won’t outgrow it tomorrow. 🙂

I had planned to use one of the starflower calico prints – but Haley decided to help me while I was preparing the fabric. She ended up picking an Anna Maria Horner polka dot and I think it looks great!!! During this process she informed me that she doesn’t like brown, but she likes fashion brown. (Which apparently means tan with pink polka dots?!?!?)

Turned out pretty cute. Now to go weed out some of her older clothes to make room for all the fun new clothes.