Father's Day Present

Annie made this kit for her father filled with wonderful ways to de-stress: a neck pillow, jokes, 99 Ways to Relieve Stress, family photos, music, ....

Happy High School Graduation Dear Nephew!

A Treasure

Ever in need of a bag to keep your keys, phone and some money when shopping or stopping for a walk at the park? Then this is it! The pattern is reviewed here and the fabric used is a combination of Modern Flora and some stash fabric.

My neighbor commissioned a bag, but since she had a birthday, we decided it would make a perfect gift.

Below is the haul from my new favorite therapy: beachcombing for sea glass. It's an obsession almost. But so much fun! It simply amazes me that nature turns garbage into something so beautiful. Three of us competed for categories such as most, biggest, prettiest, ....

On the last stretch of beach, a beautiful turqouise piece of sea glass jumped out at me. This piece has a beautiful color and is polished smooth. It was just the piece to give our neighbor.

We made a simple wire-wrapped pendant.

Our neighbor was thrilled with her birthday gifts. We are thrilled to have her as a neighbor and a friend. She is truly a treasure.

Another Bag - this time by Annie!

This one is made out of the fabulous Urban Green.

New and Improved

The other day, my sister came home with this cute cowgirl-ish shirt from Marshalls. I thought it was really, really cute and fun.

When my mom saw it, she said "Hey, our neighbor just gave us a shirt like that from their garage sale." When I got the shirt out, it was just a plain old blouse, but with blue stripes on it (sorry no photo). Then, I got the idea that I could maybe take in the sides and put elastic around the sleeves and it would look more like my sister's shirt.

Since I want to be a fashion designer, I went up into my fake fashion design studio where I have tons of Project Runway kits and sketching books (although, I have never seen the show, due to the lack of our t.v. channels), and sketched what my idea would be for the shirt. I did it kind of fast, so it was not my best sketch, but it still was adequate. I showed it to my mom, told her my ideas, and then she said that it could most likely be fixed/changed around.

So I did everything I thought might work (with the help from my mom) and it turned out great!! I was so happy. We wished we could have done a before picture, but I had already started sewing before my mom told me we should have done that.

**This post was written by Annie**

My Sewing Machine: Singer 5808C

As seen on Sew ,Mama, Sew! Blog here is a review of my sewing machine:

What brand and model do you have? Singer 5808C

How long have you had it? 17 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I'm not sure. It was a gift from my husband.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Just about everything: t-shirt quilts, headbands, home dec projects, tote bags, aprons, formalwear for my daughter, wool coats, kids' dresses, vests.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew 5-7 hours per week. My machine has sewn many miles!

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

I like my machine. It's a beefy machine, but I'm not passionate about it (and I don't have a pet name for it.)

What features does your machine have that work well for you? Straight stitching.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I can't seem to sew knits well. I know that could be more of a function of the needle, but I get many skipped stitches. Also, the buttonholes are never properly balanced.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree?

Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! My first child was born 17 1/2 years ago and I decided to retire from my job. I had grown up loving to make things. I sewed whatever I could by hand. My husband surprised me with the machine and it was my companion during many baby naps through the years.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? This is a good machine. I would recommend it as a beginners machine.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? The ability to sew knits well is very important.

Do you have a dream machine? I haven't researched enough to have a dream machine.

Hippie Chic Bandana Band

Remember when you were a little girl and you folded a bandana and tied it behind your head to keep your hair out of your face? Well, be that little girl again with "Bandana Bands"!

Yes, Hippie and Chic can be used to describe these kerchiefs. The fabric is Hippie Chicks and the design - a cross between a bandana and a headband - makes it chic. Instead of tying the bandana, the Bandana Band has elastic under the hair to ensure a comfortable and easy fit.

These will fit preteens to tweens to adults. Just in time for summer fun. See my Etsy shop for more details.