A Fast and Easy Christmas Dress......

I have a friend that has a precious 2 year old daughter.  I wanted to make something for her but I knew it had to be fast and easy considering how close we are to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So I turned to the Madeline dress pattern by my friend Samantha of The Handmade Dress.  I used a piece of fabric that had been in my stash for a few years.  I always thought I would make my Elisabeth a jumper out of it.....but she doesn't care much for jumpers anymore.  So I thought it would be perfect for this cute dress.  And honestly, I probably made this dress from start to finish in just 2 hours.  I can't tell you how many of these dresses I have made over the years.  I used to even make my girls Christmas nightgowns with this pattern.  Oh, and halloween costumes too!  This was one of my favorites...Pippi Longstocking!!!  Do you have a favorite pattern that you use over and over???

Happy Stitching!!!

A Quick Kitchen Tip....

Today I have a little cooking/cleaning tip for you. I've been doing this for years and I assumed everyone else did too. But lately I've mentioned it to others and they say they have never heard of it. Since this is mostly a sewing blog and not a cooking blog, you can look at it this way.....this little tip will get you finished quicker in the kitchen so you can get back to your sewing. So here goes......

Anytime I cook something that yields a really messy pan....like today I made homemade stove-top mac and cheese for part of our lunch. The pan is always cheesy and sticky afterwards. Or, if we have to eat dinner and then head out the door somewhere....like church. I hate leaving a sink full of dishes but sometimes it happens. Or, if you are steaming vegetables and all the water boils out and your pan and its contents burn and get all yucky. I am sure that never happens in your house....but it does in mine from time to time. Or whatever else that happens to create dishes in your house that you really don't want to waste time cleaning. 

Well here is what I do.....I take my box of baking soda from my pantry and sprinkle it on the messy pan, my stack of dirty dishes, my burnt pan, etc. Then I add just a bit of water and I leave it. Yes, I just turn my back on it or walk out the door and I give it not another thought. Then when I either get back home or I am ready to tackle that burnt pan or stack of dishes, I turn the faucet on and run the pan/dishes/whatever under the water. I am telling you that whatever it was stuck to your pan or dishes will literally wash off underneath the flow from the faucet. Sure you can use your dishrag just to make you feel better...but it is rarely needed. 

You can even keep a sprinkle bottle of baking soda on your counter for this purpose...but most times I just grab my box out of the pantry. I am never without baking soda for this reason alone. And I hope you remember this little tip the next time you have messy pans or a stack of dishes you have to leave in the sink. Then you can get back to your sewing that much faster!

June......

I hope this greeting finds you all in good health and spirits!  It's been a bit busy around here the past month or so....as you can tell with my lack of updates/posting.  The girls had their piano recital and they both did fantastic.  They each had a solo and then a duet.....so fun for me to hear them practice together and then perform together.  Ethan is begging for piano lessons now too.  I love that!!  :o)

We had another trip to Tennessee to check on my dad's house.  We are trying to help him maintain it while he is mostly in Florida.  I know that may sound like drudgery....but it is such a pleasant treat for us to have a place to go and visit.  Plus since it is a home we can pick up groceries on the way and prepare most of our meals at home while there.  A nice little bonus.

While in TN this time we zipped by two different needlework shops.  I was so inspired that I purchased two cross-stitch charts/patterns while there.  Then I came home and headed to my favorite cross-stitch/quilting shop and picked up the required canvas and thread.  These patterns actually call for hand-dyed floss which I have never used before.  I have enjoyed it thus far as it really gives a sense of depth that you don't get with the regular DMC floss.  So far I've just stitched words...but I have another pattern that does have large areas filled in and I think it is going to yield awesome results.

And back at home, we've been having fun at the park with the little ones.  Ean has on a pair of shorts that I made him in the pic above.  I've actually made him quite a few pairs of shorts now....probably about 7 pairs.  They are addictive because they go together so quickly.  Love them.  I can't believe this sweet little boy has a birthday coming up soon!

The step-son of a local friend of mine was injured in Afghanistan last week.  I've been praying for him and his family.  He is being transferred to DC today from Germany and the family will finally be reunited with him while he heals.  I know it will be such an emotional time for them all!!!  They have been using Facebook to send out updates and it has been such a blessing to be able to keep up with what's going on.

Not much more to comment on.  We are already into the swing of summer it seems.  Actually about the only thing that changes is the weather.  We still take piano lessons and do a bit of learning even over the summer months.  I know.....I'm a mean mom sometimes!  :o)

I hope you all are taking a few minutes out of your busy-ness to stitch...it's great therapy!!!

Free Smocked Christmas Ornament Pattern.....

I have had quite a few people contact me recently about this smocked Christmas ornament pattern I made last year for a Smocking Guild meeting. Most people have asked if it's for sale and if so, for how much. I do not have it for sale...but I have been sending it to anyone that has asked. Therefore, I thought I would make it available to anyone else that is interested. So if you would like my very basic directions on how to make these fun smocked ornaments feel free to email me (sewblessed {at} mchsi {dot} com) and I'll be happy to send you the pdf handout I gave to the guild members last year. (The smocking plate I used was from Sew Beautiful Holiday 1988 and so it is not included in my directions.)

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was wonderful!! We had a fantastic day here with just the six of us!!! Now we are heading towards Christmas at full speed. I'm dreaming of dresses to make for my Elisabeth (who still enjoys wearing my dresses) and little jon-jon's for my Ean....but right now I am working on two, yes two, full-size quilts for a church friend. The goal is to finish them by Christmas. Wish me luck!!!

Southern Plate Anyone?.......

How many of you are familiar with Southern Plate...the wonderful website as well as a fantastic cookbook? I came across Christy Jordan's website about a year ago and quickly purchased her cookbook. I cook almost entirely from scratch and so her cookbook really speaks to me. I am not a huge meat-eater but that's ok too. I think my family's favorite recipe of hers is the chili...and I am able to make mine without meat and make theirs with meat. Easy peasy! I also love her hoe cake recipe because my mom used to make the same thing but she called it "biscuit bread." Delicious!!! Plus Christy is all about family and family stories!!! Her cookbook is worth it alone just for the stories about her family!!! But the recipes are an added bonus!!

(I knew we were in the right place.)

Anyway, this past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to a talk given by Christy Jordan. I thought Christy was pretty amazing already...but after sitting and hearing her speak about her family history and the legacy she hopes to leave for her children, I am an even bigger fan!!! She is so down to earth I think I could have talked with her all day if I'd been given the opportunity.

(Emily and I were still waiting patiently in line for our turn. It came about 30 min. later.)

In the end Emily and I were able to visit with her for about 5 minutes or so while she was signing my cookbook. She even sent me home with little gifts for all four of my little ones!!! She is truly so genuine and precious. And I know you won't be surprised to hear that she SEWS too!!!! See I told you she was amazing!!!

And no, I am not affiliated with her or her company in any way....but just wanted to share about meeting her. Now maybe next time we can swap sewing stories!!!! I can hope right?

Martha Pullen Warehouse Sale....

Oh my! After like 25 or 30 years in business, I can't remember which, the Martha Pullen Company is having their first Warehouse Sale. If you live within a 2 hour radius of their business located in Huntsville, AL you might want to jump into your car and start driving! The sale started yesterday and will go through Saturday at 12 noon. Amazing I tell you!!! They had advertised the prices would be below wholesale prices and I had my doubts....but let me tell you...they really were serious!!! Ean and I drove to the sale yesterday while Wayne and the other littles stayed home sick still. I was so overwhelmed that I was almost speechless....almost! I also ran into my friends Paige and Penny....they were as equally impressed as I was! I have to take some pictures to post and you'll see what I mean! (Blogger is not letting me post pictures today anyway!)

Hope you all had a great week and are getting some stitching done. Halloween is just over a week away and my little ones are not even sure what they want to dress up as.....decisions...decisions!

Our Sunday.....

We took a little drive yesterday to the Creative Needle-Work Market in Birmingham, AL. This is a wholesale market geared towards heirloom sewing. Besides the fact we had four children in the car for several hours....we had a wonderful time. And it's always fun when we get to see good friends!!! Our sweet friend Samantha, and her husband Ben were there and it was a treat to spend a little bit of time chatting with them. My little ones stood in line waiting to hug Samantha! I love this cute picture of her and Ethan!!!

My Sweet Emily......

A sweet little girl that lives in my house was featured in Martha Pullen's weekly newsletter today!!! The ladies tonight at Smocking Guild knew before I did and they were teasing me like crazy. Then one of them (Thanks Ann!) pulled out her iPhone and pulled it up so I could see it. Emily was grinning from ear to ear when I showed it to her after we arrived home.

When we bumped into Martha last month she was amazed when she asked Emily if she could sew. After further talking she asked if I would send her some additional information about Emily so it may encourage other moms to teach their children these almost lost arts. What a surprise to see she really did put the information in her newsletter. These truly are fun times!!!! What an exciting day for a sweet little girl!!!

FAQ'S......

(Elisabeth learning how to do a whip stitch earlier today)

(She is stitching a soft and fuzzy teddy bear)

I love getting the emails (as well as the comments) you all send me. I am telling you it truly makes my day!!! Plus it helps to know I am not always talking to myself. I have noticed that a lot of people are curious how I have taught my little ones to sew, embroider, quilt, etc. So I am thinking about pulling together a FAQ page. On this page I will answer these questions, as well as other questions I receive. In the meantime, if you have any other inquiries for me...just let me know and I will add them to the list. This is going to be fun!

Isn't it funny how when I have lots of sewing I should be doing I find other things to do on the computer instead, and visa versa? Very similar to when I was working on my master's thesis....I had the cleanest house in the neighborhood!!! I call it "thesis avoidance techniques".....or let's work on anything other than what I should be doing! Some days are just like that!

Another Week Gone.....

I don't know how the weeks keep getting away from me. This past week has been pleasant, but busy somehow. Fortunately no one has been sick, except for some allergies here and there. I think I've had more allergy issues than the kids.

My girls are taking a couple of dance classes this year and they are winding down. We are anxiously awaiting their recital next Saturday. And I must mention that Sweet Ean cut his first tooth on Wednesday. My kids cut their teeth late: Emily was 14 months old, Elisabeth was 10 months old, Ethan was 11 months old and Ean is 10 months old. His sweet toothless smiles will soon be a thing of the past.

I've also been sewing a little here and there. I used some left-over fabric from Elisabeth's Easter dress and made this A-Line Ruffled Skort. In the pattern, I decided to include the directions to make a turn-cord bow. I really like how it looks.

And, as always, I made gingham shorts. I really like ginghams and florals together. As if you didn't know that already!

I hope you all have wonderful weekend plans. I know we have a bunch of errands to run Saturday and I don't know what my Mother's Day holds yet, but I'm sure it will be great! Especially if it includes chocolate!!

In the meantime, check back on Saturday evening because I am going to have a Mother's Day giveaway. It's going to be exciting!!!

Random Thoughts.......

(Ean - Spring 2010)

* This picture is just too cute to not share.

* Elisabeth did not have strep. The pediatrician actually called us last Sunday afternoon and told us that the over-night strep test came back negative. So we stopped the antibiotics (incredibly this was the first time she had ever had antibiotics). The doctor said it was some sort of virus. She has improved but is still not 100%.

* The pollen here is terrible right now.....the rest of us are sneezing and sniffing like crazy! I thought the pollen season was about over....but it isn't.

* I am almost finished with my A-Line Ruffled Skort pattern. I went to my favorite local quilt shop today to pick out some fabrics for a few samples. I got to visit with some of my favorite people...."Hi" Rachel and Linda. And I got to meet a new friend, Sue, that actually has my Pleated Skort pattern. It was definitely an exciting afternoon full of fun.

* What wasn't fun was dropping my sewing machine off this morning to be cleaned. Don't tell anyone but I have never had it cleaned and I've had it several years. I go on lint duty pretty often and remove the throat plate to clean it. Plus I oil it when it tells me to do so....but this is its first real cleaning. I feel almost naked without it. I told Wayne that my sewing spot in the corner of my bedroom has a gaping wound in it without my machine. Fortunately, I am supposed to get it back tomorrow all clean and ready to go.

* Which is great because I picked up lots of CUTE fabric today to work with!!!

* Also, I am way behind in my emails....so if I owe you one....I am working to get caught up!

* I am thinking of having a give-away soon. Stay tuned for more information!

* Has that been enough random-ness for you for one day?

* Ok, just one more....I made frozen fruit smoothies for all of us a few minutes ago and now I have a brain freeze!!!

* Maybe that's why all of my thoughts are so fragmented!

* Happy Stitching!!!

Tonight, I am......

....drafting a new pattern

....eating breakfast for dinner

....listening to the girls giggle as they draw with markers

....listening to Ethan sing some ridiculous song

....preparing for Smocking Guild on Monday evening

....happy

Free Patterns Are Headed To New Homes.......

Ok ladies.....we drew names tonight and here are the results:

Ruth....Children's Corner Lillian is coming your way soon!!!

Karina....Children's Corner Emily is headed your way soon!!!

If both of you would send me your addresses to sewblessed (at) mchsi (dot) com. I'll get these patterns in the mail to you.

I appreciate all the interest and as I sort out the rest of my patterns and such I'll post any more duplicates that I have. I'm also back on the wagon with my pleated skort pattern. I am making steady progress now that Ean is older. I may be contacting a few of you that previously mentioned you might be interested in testing the pattern for me. Currently I think the size range will be from 2 to 10. I'll hopefully be finishing it and wrapping it up soon!!! Thanks again!!!

Free Patterns....

I've been culling through my sewing patterns and such this past week and what did I find??? Two duplicate Children's Corner patterns. This Lillian pattern is one of my absolute favorites!!! I made several variations of this pattern last year for Elisabeth. You can see them here and here. And my all time favorite here.

And I've always wanted to make Elisabeth a dress from this Emily pattern using corduroy. I think it would make a beautiful Fall/Christmas dress. Hopefully this year I will get around to doing that.

However, in the meantime, I do have these two duplicate patterns (that have never been used and are collecting dust) that I would like to share with others. If you are interested in one of these....leave me a comment telling me which one. If more than one person is interested I'll do a random drawing on Monday. If no one is interested....I'll add them back to my stash and try again at a later date. Thanks so much!!!! I'm off to sew some!!!!

Edited to add: another link for my favorite Lillian dress I've made.

My Girls Are In Print......

The new issue of Sew Beautiful is out on the stands and on the way to subscriber's mailboxes as I type this. My girls are thrilled because back in January they participated in a photo shoot for the magazine. Glance through the next few pictures and see if you can pick out my girls.

Elisabeth is in the above photo with the green outfit on that I made her a few years back. The jacket is a quilted Robin's Little Jacket by Children's Corner. The skirt is Brooke by Pintucks and Pettiecoats.

Emily and Elisabeth are in the above photo and Elisabeth is wearing the brown outfit I made her last year. I used two Children's Corner patterns...Ainsley and Lettie.

I did not make any of the other outfits they are wearing in the other pictures....but they are all so cute!!! (My pictures of the magazine did not come out too well....but the photos in the actual magazine are fantastic. Go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. )



The girls think they are stars now!!! And who am I to disagree????

****(I cropped the photos somewhat because I wasn't sure if putting a photo of the entire page was a great idea. I don't want Sew Beautiful upset with me....but I did want to share our excitement.)****

Magazine Debut.......

I keep forgetting to mention that my Sweet Ethan is in the latest issue of Sew Beautiful magazine. You can see him in the top left corner of the magazine photo above. Some of you remember me mentioning last May that all three of my little ones had been in a photo shoot for my friend Paige's line of patterns...Pintucks and Pettiecoats.

Here is another picture of him taken that day wearing the same sweet linen outfit. It was made from the "Luke" pattern. I can't believe how much bigger he has become over the past year. And to think that he is about to become a big brother!!! Very exciting!!!!

For whatever reason, the editors of the magazine did not decide to use the photos of my girls that they took that day. However, Paige gave me a few pictures to have and to share. Here Elisabeth is wearing an outfit made from the "Emery" pattern and Emily is wearing a "Jesse" coat.

And the outfits are reversible...so this picture shows the reverse side of the two outfits. Sweet Sisters!!!!!

Winner - May Giveaway Day!!!!

I asked my husband to be a random number generator for me.....I asked him to choose a number between 1 and 92.....his number was 25. So congratulations Deborah!!!! I will be sending you an email shortly....or you can email me with your address!!!! I do hope you enjoy this sweet little sewing pouch!!!!

And for everyone else that participated....thanks so much. It really was a lot of fun on my end reading all the sweet comments!!!! I will have to do giveaways more often...so check back.

I have lots of different things I've been working on the past week. I'll be getting them posted in the next day or so. I have a coming home outfit finished for this sweet baby....with a few extras from Emily!!! This cannot be missed!!! Also I've had the tiny crochet hook and crochet thread out, coming up with new ideas for embellishments....not to mention a little something for the baby. It's been busy around here. I hope you all are staying busy sewing and crafting as well!!!! Back soon!!!

May Giveaway Day!!!!

I signed up for the Sew Mama Sew! May Giveaway Day!!! And here's what I have to share with you fine folks:

A hand made sewing pouch. I created my own pattern when I made my first one last summer. I still use mine on a daily basis. I keep my embroidery supplies, as well as crochet supplies in it and ready to go at any time.

This sewing pouch is very roomy and cinches closed with the pull of two cords. It is made from quality coordinating quilting cottons and the inside is full of interior pockets that can hold lots of supplies.

I also put a sweet hand-crocheted trim along the top edge. I hope this fun pouch will make someone happy like mine has me. If you want to enter your name into the giveaway just leave a comment in the comments section. I will leave the contest open until May 31st and then I will randomly draw a name. I will ship the sewing pouch by June 3rd and I will ship anywhere across the globe, so feel free to enter.

The Disappearing Foot......

This is one of my absolute favorite feet for my sewing machine. It is an edge stitch foot. I use it for so many things. For example, I use it for edge stitching, top stitching, stitching in the ditch, attaching lace to lace, etc.....the list goes on.

Image my surprise when I could not locate this wonderful foot of mine the other day when I needed it. Emily helped me look...but it could not be found anywhere near my sewing machine. Over the weekend I realized I had not accidentally misplaced it but rather a certain three year old in this house had "relocated" it somewhere for me. He has a tendency to "collect" particular items that interest him. The "collections" can usually be found behind a chair, behind his bedroom door, under his bed, etc. You get the idea. Anyway, everyone of us turned this house upside down searching for this presser foot over the last two days.

I attended a class last night at our local heirloom shop and it was all I could do to resist the temptation of purchasing another one. Especially since she was offering a 20% discount on all purchases. (Just so you know....I actually bought nothing last night!) But I was determined to look longer and harder.

It was pure coincidence that 10 minutes after I returned home last night, Emily sat down at the computer and felt something lumpy in the computer chair. She started feeling around and in a tiny pocket in the cushion what should she find????? My #10 Edge stitch foot, of course. I think I owe her something really awesome now!!! I was so thrilled!!! And now I can get started on the pile of fabrics located next to my sewing machine. If I don't hurry they may disappear on me too!!!!

Blog Awards......

I have been so tardy with acknowledging these wonderful blog awards that I have received. Sonja of One Step Away and Sunny of Seam 2 B Sewing both graced me with the honor of this "Brillante Weblog" award.




And awhile ago, Susan of ByGrace honored me with this "You Make Me Smile" award.

I am still amazed that people even read this little blog of mine. When I started this almost two years ago I had no idea of how much fun it would be and even more important, how many wonderful people I would have the pleasure of meeting. Thank you all so very much...for visiting and reading, for the fantastic comments, and the awards. You all are great!!!