revelation

I HATE FOLLOWING PATTERNS.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to figure this out. And there is one exception. I don't mind it so much with quilting or patterns that use rulers and dimensions. But I abhor cutting out pattern pieces then cutting them out again and again.
I like the idea of patterns and having consistancy with my finished product, but I find I enjoy sewing so much more when I just sew something.
I'm beginning to think my knitting is the same way. I enjoy it more when I make it up as I go. I like formulas. I like creativity. I like finding out how do do something by making it with instructions once, but when I need to make another one, it's so much less painful to make it from my mind.
Am I the only one?
I would love to sew clothing for myself and for my boys, but the prospect of all of that sea of paper is daunting.
I ordered a book, Sew U: The Built By Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe. From reviews it appears to be a book that gives you basics, and three basic PATTERNS, that you are taught to modify and change to give different looks. This may be my last shot at trying to like to sew clothing. So far I've not liked to do it and I could't figure out why, but it's the hatred of patterns that's getting me.
All this said and I just for the first time "took advantage" of my local fabric store having a pattern sale, lol.

knitted soaker pants

Here are some tiny soaker pants I knit last week. I just finished seaming them up today. I think they could be soakers for either sex. They are very tiny but have a ton of stretch!

Mardie models them here, LOL!

Recital Pics

Today, Charmie's 4th Birthday is also the day that the boy's dance studio had pictures made. The boy's costumes will be blue shirts. . . when I finish them. I didn't get them finished so we opted for white for the photos and they will be blue for recital.

More of Charmie's pics

OK, on the last post first I thought I had all of the pics, and second I misspoke on when I told him about crooked pics. Here's his 5th shot and I hadn't told him yet, lol. It's of his beloved Beetle.

6th shot, of grass growing in our groundcover.

Here's one I took of Charmie with his camera, and with his permission.

Final shot before back to playing in the pool. A nearly straight shot of the 4wheeler!
As Charmie takes more pics I'll be sure to post.

Happy 4th Birthday Charmie

Charmie received a digital camera/video camera for one of his birthday gifts. He's been begging to use my camera to take pictures. Sometimes I let him. I figured it was time he got his own. Here are his first photos.

Daddy relaxing in the front yard watching the boys play.

Charmie's new birthday Pirate splash Pool. (another birthday gift)

Mardie holding Charmie's new compass, another gift for exploring that came with binoculars and a little telescope.

Daddy chillin with Mardie in his lap. Yes I have Rok's permission to publish this photo. It was at this point that I took the time to show Charmie the difference between crooked pictures and straight ones. I tried to help him see the difference on the view finder. His next picture was much straighter.

happy 4th birthday Charmie!

Well Charmie's birthday is tomorrow. My sweet firstborn will be 4! I cannot believe it, yet I have to, he's so big and mature. I'm one proud momma. For one of his gifts we wanted to get him a new case for his GameBoy Advance SP. His game collection has outgrown the first one, also Mardie needed a case for his. We found this larger case today and it was on clearance. Rocky suggested I embroider a design onto it for him and he picked one of his favorite heroes, Larry Boy!

On a completely different note here's a sock monkey I finished up last night while watching the season Finale of Grey's Annatomy. I don't know if it's a boy or girl yet. It's rather large. I made it from ladies knee socks. I LOVE SOCK MONKEYS! I think I will need to make some friends.

Birky socks

I finally finished these socks on the drive back from Michigan last week. . . lots has happened since I blogged last. Let's just say it's too much to blog in detail but the short is that there's been crazy things happening. I plan to be blogging more soon, but I've also got many things in the pot so I may not have time.
1. I need to cut, sew and fit the boy's recital costumes by Saturday for photos.
2. Start working on Rocky's Father's day present
3. Paint my sewing room and get the shelves up so I stop tripping over the stuff that belongs on the shelves
4. re-cover a barstool for my bil
5. finish Jada's bassinet
6. sew covers for SBS, name her, and with one for Grace
7. get a belt for Grace
8. finish the cotton socks I started
9. work on the blanket I'm knitting
10. there's probably more but I can't think of it right now.
Stay tuned, there will be updates as I get to blogging them.

SBS update

The parts came today and a few more than I thought was coming. I'm so happy! She stitches perfectly through all of her stitch functions even coverhem and chain stitch. I'm looking forward to making some projects using this machine. I just have to get some dedicated time to sew!

SBS update

The missing/needed parts should be on their way!

Dance Bags

Here's my version of a drawstring backpack. It's pretty generous in size though. It's about 18"tall x 16" wide x 3" deep. This fabric is extrememly shiney and hard to photograph. It's pink and purple with metalic dots. Very flashy! This bag is lined with the pink and purple ballet slipper cotton fabric on the change purse below.

Here's backpack #2. Same dimensions. This fabric has some glitter on the surface and it's a polyeyster satin so it was slippery and not very user friendly to sew with. I used the pink and purple exterior from above for the lining on this bag. This used the last of that fabric so I hope it's not in high demand.

Well it didn't use the last scrap, this little change purse on the right is the last scrap, I mean it this time. I'm not so sure about the one on the left. The zipper is deforming the bag. It's supposed to be an invisible zipper and it's black. It's not so invisible and the black didn't go as well as I thought it would. Maybe I should have done the embroidery that aslo doesn't seem to match in black????? I don't like this one realy at all.

The labels on the right bag are inside where they are supposed to be. On the left bag I forgot to put them, luckily Ms. Gina's labels are iron on!
Recital is comming soon so I need to get to working on the boy's costumes along with the other bags I need to have made.

phone case

After two years (as usual) Rocky and I were finally eligible to upgrade our cel phones without penalty. I say as usual because we are normally pretty rough on our phones and by this time one or both of our phones is barely working. I had alredy had 2 replacement phones this time. My phone literally fell apart at the hinge during a conversation. I really do hate flip phones but I had no choice at that time that was what was free with Rocky's phone. I am pretty protective of my phones since I cannot afford to replace them so I normally keep them encased so that they don't receive scratches or damage from my purse contents. Evidently my protection measures were not child proof because I believe that one of my2rays is what happened to my phone.
Anyway as I needed to replace the phone I kept having to regress to previous models, first one that we had from the last upgrade, and when that died to one obtained from eBay that was even older and more antiquated.
When renewal time rolled around I was very happy to start to look for my phone but sad when all I could find from our carrier was flip or slider styles. Then I found out that the Motorola SLVR was going to be available! It's a candybar version of the RAZR and KRZR phones. Just what I was looking for. NO MOVING PARTS TO BREAK!!!! But still lots of phone to get scratched up.

The phone has been available for less than a month so unfortunately the Verizon store I purchased from had limited accessories or cases designed for it. I ordered first a clear silicone cover one online but that one sucked, nothing lined up from the key pad to the charge port or even the microphone hole so I ordered this one to replace it and it fits perfectly! It is hard plastic and solid pink.
I found these Butterfly rub-on transfers at Michaels.

Meet Serge's BIG sister and Grace

Happy Belated birthday to me! For this year's birthday/Valentines/Mother's Day gift Rocky got me a Janome Memory Craft 888 Compulock, 5 thread serger. She arrived today, one day earlier than I anticipated. I haven't named her yet. For now I'll call her SBS (Serge's BIG sis). She dwarf's Serge. She's very quiet and doesn't move around a lot even at high speeds and on this somewhat wobbly table.
We ordered her from eBay and the stitches I've tested so far work perfectly with no adjustment! I love the auto tension and the ease of switching between stitches with just a few punches into the touch screen. I still need to practice a lot because I sometimes forget one step and the alert won't let me serge until I fix it. Unfortunately the seller didn't include all of the parts needed to do some of the stitches like Coverhem, Chain and the 2 thread stitches so I'm in communication with her to see if she can find them and send them.

I'd like to also introduce one of my first Industrial machines, Grace. She's an industrial blind hemmer. I got her from the same person Rocky got my Mother's day gift (Singer 201k) from last year. I've been cleaning her up since she's been in storage for a while. I got her as a 2fer so I have another one in the garage. I need to sell one of them and I'm leaning towards the other one, but I'm trying to wait to see if I can get an Industrial straight stitch machine, reuse the table and motor and just sell the head. Grace needs a belt and she'll be up and running very smoothly. I tested her today after getting some instruction from my work mentor/boss and after realizing that that handwheel turns opposite my home sewing machines she formed some perfect blind hem stitches. I am itching to get her belt and really try her out!

Finally here's my new scrap chest. Each drawer is about 12"x12"x12" for perspective. It's just big enough to fit by the door of my sewing room. I got it today from Target on clearance, plus the manager took an additional $10 off just because I asked! It is perfect to store my neutral/cool and warm scraps that are too little to fold yet too big to part with. It's turned for the picture, but normally it would face outward toward the doorway. Hopefully now that I can easily access my scrappage I can make some projects with it!
I've got two more machine covers to make. SBS came with a carry case but not a dust cover. She and Grace will be very hard to keep clean if I don't get them hats soon.
I will also soon be painting my room and have some shelves up so stay tuned for pics! It's been super fun getting this room in order.