I Needed A New Purse!

A few weeks ago, I bought this beautiful fabric at JoAnn's with plans to make a small quilt.

I really like this fabric, but realizing I would not be making a quilt anytime soon, I decided to make myself a purse instead. I used Simplicity 2685 view A. And here it is.....!
It was a simple pattern and only took the afternoon to sew up. I'm not sure now how I will like it as a purse/bag, but I do like looking at it! I even used up some of the scraps to make myself a new key chain to match. Then, I had a few more scraps so I made a few more....

I realize that my picture taking ability, combined with poor lighting, and not knowing how to disable my flash, all combine to result in poor picture quality. I also know that other bloggers have pictures that are so much prettier in their posts. However, I am lucky to have even taken a picture, much less, managed to turn in around right, adjust the size, download to this blog and still live to write about it... so, I am thankful for these pictures, actually quite proud! So, if you can do better, please come for a visit and teach me how! Thanks sew much..

Lisa

I've Been Making Stuff.....

Random pile of dominoes....




Pretty Necklace...

I just added some paint, scrapbook paper, charms and beads and now I have a pretty pendant made from a domino! It is like working with a very small canvas. I managed to get all the dominoes on the table, painted, but then I ran out of creativity and had to put them all away. The finished one is one that I actually made several months ago. In a few days, weeks, or months, I will get those painted ones out of their box and finish making them into beautiful necklaces. I have seen them for sale in stores and boutiques and sometimes they are quite expensive. Maybe, when I get some of the ones finished I will put in the lisassewfun.etsy store, so start saving your money now! One of a kind, customized, from an old domino, recycled jewelry, can be expensive!! sew kidding..... I will probably end of giving away for gifts, but don't worry Mom and Sis, I won't give you anymore, since you already have a couple! Sew long for now..

Life is A Beach

Neither wind, rain, sleet, snow, ...... can keep me off the beach!

Here is the wonderful beach house that we return to yearly!

And here are my wonderful friends who make the trip fun no matter what the weather conditions!

Your real friends like you with no makeup, bad hair, baggy sweats, etc. So far they can like you that way for at least 3 days. Maybe longer, but we had to leave to return to the real world!

This is my Pray and Crochet group that I have been meeting with for over 2 years. They meet each week at CBC to pray and crochet for friends in our church. Since my move, I no longer get to go to all of the weekly meetings, but have been known to join in on the phone from time to time. Once we get our computer confidence up, we might even try the webcam so it can almost seem as though I am there! This weekend was our second annual retreat and we had a blast. After 3.5 days, we still had much to talk about. We learned some new crochet stitches, had great food and even learned a new domino game. New for me that is.

The weather was wet, windy and cold, but we still enjoyed just being able to visit and share what each family has been doing this year. We exchanged recipes and craft ideas. As a matter of fact, I was able to make a good Christmas craft list so that I can get started on next year's gifts.

Of course, what trip away would be complete without stopping at a few new thrift shops? We only found one, but I hit the jackpot. Found just what I was looking for so I will be posting my newest thrift redo in a few days. Sew long for now.

One Little Dausdhund Went Out to Play....

With her three babies! Isn't this the cutest thing you have ever seen on my blog??? I got the pattern online at www.audreyandmaude.blogspot.com . It was designed by Cathy Porter and when I saw it I just had to order. I intended to make several sets for Christmas but this is the only one that was actually completed. It went to one of my "great grand" nieces. It has several parts that are sewn on by hand and I am waiting to see how they hold up to loving and playing before I complete any more of them. They are fun to make and take very little fabric, so I plan to make a few more in the future.

This was probably one of my favorite gifts to give this season. I probably had more fun making and watching the little dogs be created than anyone will have playing with them, and that makes it even more rewarding. I love that this year my preparations for Christmas were almost as enjoyable as seeing the receipients open their gifts.

Mom and I made several homemade items to give. She crocheted lots of hats and scarfs and we also made lots of fabric alphabet letters that went out to all the smallest great grandchildren to help them as they learn to read and spell. They didn't seem overly thrilled with those as gifts, but I think that once all the new, flashy and bright toys get old, they will find that these are a fun way to learn and play at the same time. I especially hope that my niece who homeschools her children will find many uses for them. We found the pattern online as well at www.ohsohappytogether.blogspot.com. And it is a free download. My favorite!

Sew, with Christmas behind us, we are starting to look forward projects we can do for the coming year. We each have a stack of ideas and plans. Let's just see if we can stay motivated to get some things finished. We already made 2 more scarfs, so we are already stocking up for next Christmas! YEA!

Little Christmas Dresses

These are two of my "great" nieces that I had the privilege to keep this weekend. Of course, at the last minute, I decided they needed Christmas dresses to wear to church on Sunday. I had planned ahead just enough to have purchased red turtle necks shirts with hopes that I had enough fabric and trim in my stash to come up with something. So, late Saturday evening, during and after dinner preparations, I just whipped these out! I cut off the bottom of the shirts and gathered up some Christmas fabric and attached to make the dress part. When the girls tried them on I could see that they still needed a little something....... so, I looked through my trims and found this beautiful gold wired ribbon that I had been saving for something special, and this was it! The gold belts added just the right touch, don't you think? I still have one more dress to make for my other niece and will probably do that in the morning so I can get in the mail so that they can wear to their church this next Sunday. I can't believe that Christmas is almost here and then right around the corner a new year! Is it just me, or is time speeding up?

Sew it seems to me...... I will try to get in a few more posts before next year, lol.

New Baby Quilt

This is going out in the mail today for my friend Meghan's newborn niece. I actually started and finished it all in one day and was prepared to mail it in time to arrive for the baby shower on Saturday. Just as I was about to finish, I checked my email and found out that mom and baby were on the way to the hospital. Sure enough, when I finally get something done on time, it is still late because baby decided to come early. The Baby arrived yesterday weighing in at 6lbs 6 ounces. I think this quilt weighs more than she does!! Anyway, I think it turned out cute. Meghan picked all the fabrics and just handed me the sack. So, Meghan, this is how it turned out. I hope you and new mom and baby like it!!

Pretty Little Purse

Yesterday I was looking through my favorite craft blog, www.oneprettything.com and I found this purse shown with a free pattern so I downloaded and made it all in the same day. Whoo Hoo! That's a first for me! The designer is Lazy Girl designs and you can find it here: www.lazygirldesigns.com. I will definitely be making more of these and experimenting with different fabrics. The website has a free download of the pattern. It is called the Noriko Handbag. Anyway, super fast to make and requires very little fabric. A great way to use up my stash!

I've Got Spirit Yes I Do.....

At least I am trying anyway. The weather here is bad, therefore the light in the house is dark and gloomy, so you probably can't appreciate how cute my t-shirt is after I added some bling to the sleeves and neck. Tonight is "Meet the Eagles" night at the high school. Ethan is on the basketball team and we are excited to see him as they perform the drill they have been practicing. I don't know what position he will play but I am just very excited to see him out there finally. It has been a long couple of years and I feel like we are at last on the right track to getting him involved and successful in high school. So far he has done very well and we are sew proud! I will wait before I add his name and number to the back of my shirt, but I can't help wanting to show off just a bit. The gold sequins will be quite the understatement compared to how excited I am that he is out there on the court. Of course, this shirt will probably embarrass him but at least my kids can look back on their lives and know that I loved them and participated in their activities and showed some spunk and spirit while I did it! If you read my last post then you may have already figured out that I have still not started on the main "time sensitive" projects that I have committed to working on before I begin anything new. This shirt doesn't count does it?? Ok, I really am going to start working on the big stuff next! I sew promise!

Fabric Fun

This, not so attractive:




Take some of this

And Get This!

Sew, today I decided to clean up in the sewing room just a bit. Which really just means, move stuff around and to another spot in the house which will have to be cleaned up as well! Anyway, I have a three projects that I need to finish this week and I get too distracted when things are messy. While I was putting away fabric that would distract me from my current projects, I came across this piece from Hobby Lobby that I just love. I don't have any plans for it just now, but I will, oh, I will. Anyway, I was afraid that if I put it away I would forget about it, so... I came up with a really quick project (less than 5 minutes) to make sure that fabric stays where I can see it so I will remember that I have it for inspiration. I took my old mouse pad that works great but looks bad, used the iron and some heat and bond stuff and ta-da: A newly covered mouse pad! Now, everyday when I get on the computer, I will see this fabric and dream about how I will use, someday, when current projects are finished. So see my dilemma, I wasn't suppose to do any other projects until these 3 are done and not only did I do another project, I had to stop and blog about it! I have all these great ideas, but I can't remember them. I even write them down sometimes, and usually I can't even understand what I meant when I go back to review my notes. I think I need a remedial craft class or something. Anyway, I must go now and finish cleaning off the dining table (where all the stuff from sewing room landed) and start one of the time sensitive projects that is waiting for me. I'll just run in here every now and then to gaze upon my new mouse pad with the cute fabric, and dream about what .....it........will......be.....some....day........oh well.........

Inspiration from the Flea Market

Thrift Store Jeans and Dirt Cheap Skirt



Ta-Da

Recently I visited the bi-annual Antique's Market in Warrington and Round Top Texas. (Blogged about a few weeks ago). We found a cute booth I believe called Junky Chic or something like that and saw some really cool embellished jeans, so....... I copy catted their idea. Yes, this is not original to me, but I did end up with one of a kind jeans! I started with a $2.00 pair of jeans from the thrift shop, my favorite right now is Alley Cat in Lufkin, Tx. I then found a $3.00 skirt at a Dirt Cheap store in Mississippi. The zipper was broken and it was the wrong size, but it had the most beautiful embroidery work and the price was right. Right away, I knew what I could do with that skirt. So I did some cutting, some ironing and adhering and I ended up with a fabulous pair of jeans. I'm sure these sell for at least $alot somewhere! Maybe my Etsy store??! When I find some other good jeans at a great price I will make some and put in the store. I love thrift shopping and creating new looks so this project combined my two favorite activities. Plus, now I have some cool jeans to wear to our church's fall festival tomorrow. I am sure no one will believe that they only cost $5.00! I'm sew not telling.....

Just a Little Sewing Today

Wow, who'da thought that you can make an entire wardrobe in just one evening? Well, for an American Girl doll that is. These cute little outfits will be going out in the mail tomorrow to two of my girl friends for their dolls. I hope they like the styles that I picked. As you can see there is a dress, pants suit, complete with blouse and vest, 2 night gowns and one apron. What more does a girl need? I wish it was this easy to sew for myself. I did make one dress last week but I don't like the way it fits or looks! Why can't I make cute clothes for myself? Is it because I am not shaped like a doll? Could that possibly be the problem? Well, anyway, stay tuned in because soon I am going to be making a dress form of my own body, with all it's imperfections. I may still not like what I sew for myself, but I can make sure that it fits from now on. I will be sure to take pictures of the entire process. Should be good for a few laughs! :)

Suitcase Slipcovers

Do you have ugly, dirty suitcases? Well, when I first started traveling as a "Spa Girl"

we thought it would be fun to have lime green suitcases. They were so cute and very noticeable, until our first flight and then they were very dirty and embarrassing. Loving to sew like you know I do.., I decided to make a slipcover for our luggage. I have not ever seen any and I was sure if I came up with a good design, I could make them and become rich! The luggage was still in good shape and we hated to replace it just because of looks so I went into the sewing room and began my creative process. That didn't last long. I love to sew but I cannot make patterns or design anything, so I started trying to figure out how to do this. I had really cute pink and green polka-dot fabric but no real idea how to make it work. So, I spent the better part of the day measuring, thinking, drawing and finally cutting out and sewing the first prototype. I got it ready, placed it on the suitcase and proceeded to roll it out of the sewing room. It tore apart before I could get it out the door! I was devastated! The wheels were the problem. I had made these huge buttonholes for the wheels to fit through but as they starting to roll the fabric got caught up in them and tore. So, I sat there in the sewing room thinking that I needed something kind of stretchy for give, with a hole in the top for the handle and completely open at the bottom as not the get stuck in the wheels, but it had to fit down tight so it would stay covered. Now, as I was thinking about all this you might be interested to know that at that time all of the Spa Girl t-shirts were stored in the sewing room, so I was literally surrounded by stacks of shirts. Finally, I saw what I had been starting at all day. An big t-shirt fit all of my requirements. It is stretchy, has a neck hole perfect for the handle and is open at the bottom. Plus, as it is wheeled through airports, it is a perfect advertising billboard. I took one of the shirts off the shelf and it fit perfectly! I'm thinking that you could use your favorite sports team or your school shirt, anything you like and are proud to show. Now, no matter how ugly and torn your luggage is, it can have a brand new look and get some free publicity for your favorite cause. If you can't think of a favorite team or school to use then by all means, put a Spa Girl shirt on there. It is the "Practical" (P in Spa) thing to do. Don't you agree?

Finally, a Sewing Project

Yesterday, mom and I made plans to go shopping and I planned to meet her at her house at 10:00 am. At about 8:30 am, I decided to make myself a new blouse to wear. Ok, stop right now and understand that this is very normal for me. I will go days without sewing, but then, as soon as the mood strikes, I am there! I had this fabric already picked for this blouse pattern so all I had to do was cut it out really fast, (make a few alterations) sew it up and then get a quick shower and meet her by 10:00. I did it and was only about 5 minutes late. How about that?! I love this blouse. This is my third from Simplicity 4177 and so far my favorite. The pattern calls for elastic around the sleeve, but of course, I left that out. Saved me about 20 minutes and I prefer the loose sleeve anyway. I lengthened the blouse as well thinking that it could also double as a dress, but it is not quite long enough. I had to guess how much to add to the hips when I lengthened and I guessed wrong, so it will just have to be a little bit bunched up, tunic style top. I still love it and wore it all day long. I used a little less than 2 yards of $2.00 fabric so the top ended up costing about $3.75. The next time I make this pattern and yes, I will make more, I am going to make it into a dress, with maybe a loose hip style belt. Even Ethan said he liked it on me when he had to take the picture, so I will definitely wear it many more times.

Garage Sale Fun

Melissa came up early for our Spa Girl presentation in Bossier City, LA and helped me with my first garage sale since I moved. It was held on Hwy 69 in Huntington, Tx. There were supposed to be a lot of other people selling stuff that day, but only 2 "vendors" showed up. Me and my mom's next door neighbor. We had lots of stuff to get rid of and we actually sold most of it. At the end of the day we were so hot and tired that we gave a lot of things away. We had so much fun giving stuff away that we might just have a "free" garage sale next time. I spend the entire day before cleaning out the barn (and taking Josie to the vet for injury incurred as I was cleaning barn) getting ready for the sale and then getting husband to haul everything to Huntington for us very early on Saturday morning. We stayed about 7 hours, got rid of almost everything and called the day a success. Here is the final tally of our days efforts:



Vet bill for pet injury 250.00

Booth rental 30.00

cold drinks 10.00

taking friend to eat

for helping 7.00

total cost 297.00

proceeds of sale 140.00



Cleaned out barn PRICELESS!!



Ok, I won't go into the garage sale business any time soon, but I did make some pocket money to support my garage sale vice. Sew long for now!

Behold Old Things Become New

I just finished this quilt tonight. Actually, the inside of the quilt is a very old quilt that my aunt wanted to save but it was coming all apart. I recovered the old quilt so that she can continue using it. The front is stripped pieced with Christmas prints that I had in my fabric stash, and the back is solid white from a bolt that I had purchased before my Walmart stopped selling fabric :(
I don't know the history of the original quilt that is sewn up inside this one, but I am pretty sure it was made way before we had laptops, digital cameras or the internet. I was just thinking how crazy it is that I recovered a tattered and almost used up old quilt with scraps I have been saving forever and then I took a picture with my digital camera and ran to the computer to post to my blog. Talk about culture shock. Or shockwave or something like that. It just feels weird!

Actually, I have been enjoying looking at lots of other blogs that show master quilter's work. This ain't one of them, but I feel like I have mastered something to finally get this finished! I have one more to go and I will definitely take a before picture of it. I am going to use fabric scraps from my stash again, and maybe even part with one of my beloved, thrifted, vintage sheets. So, keep watch for what I will sew up next!

I Finally Sewed Something

Finally, the bathroom curtains are finished. You can't see the long panel on the other side of the shower but it is there. It covers floor to ceiling shelves. I also hemmed the four long panels in the dining area and made a small valance for over the sink. I am so happy to be able to sew in my newly organized and somewhat cleaned out sewing room. On another subject, but same picture, notice the shower/tub arrangement on the right side of the picture. This was our first major purchase when we decided to move to the farm. Now, my husband, Mr. Contemplative, Compare, Shop Around, Think About, etc.. actually made a somewhat impulse buy for this kit. We walked into Home Depot on a Sunday afternoon for something (I have already forgotten) and noticed this very nice looking tub/shower kit on clearance for less than half the original price. Now, I am a great bargain shopper and was ready to snatch right up, but I was shocked that my husband was as excited as I was. He actually made me and our daughter stand there and keep our hands on it while he went after a large cart. We then had to wait with it in the front of the store while he went home to switch his car for our truck. Ok, now skip forward several weeks to when we finally got it installed and I got to settle in for my first bubble bath after working hard, hard, hard on the house. Let me illustrate the event: Imagine trying to bath your cabbage patch doll in your barbie bath tub! How had we miscalulated so badly? That tub is small and I am not, so I was totally shocked that I barely fit down into the tub. I would still be stuck there exept I let the soap float around some until I got slippery enough to crawl out. I couldn't even wash properly! Don't laugh, I love bubble baths. I need bubble baths, I must go on a diet so that I can fit into my bathtub, or it is just showers for me. I actually saw a kiddie pool at the Dollar General today and considered buying it for out behind the house. How sad is that?? It looks good though :(

Sew long for now

Lisa

Lisa's Sew Fun - NOT!

Does it look like anyone can have fun in this room? We are headed off to Home Depot to buy yet another metal shelf. This will make five so far. 2 in kitchen, 2 in laundry/study and then one for the sewing room. Who am I kidding, I don't even think one will be enough, but will have to do for now. I have been to total frustration, camped out there, out on holiday and back again, sometimes all within the same hour. Yesterday, I was informed by someone (will not name names, but his initials are SS) that I was having a bad attitude. I totoally agreed with him, which did nothing to help the current situation.

He has been great at hauling and moving stuff as I sort through, throw around and repack the things that just don't fit. He has convinced me to have a garage sale. Can you believe it? Actually, I come off looking pretty smart leaving him thinking it is his idea, which translated means, he will help. Since I did not want to have one, I get extra credit for agreeing to it. So that means we have to box everything up into yet another catagory; garage sale. Currently we were working with three catagories, thrift shop, long term storage, and short term storage (which just means less secure location because long term storage got full). Since I have already worn out my welcome at the thrift shop we will be having the big MOVING SALE! SS wanted to have an estate sale but I informed him I would have to kill him first because that is usually held after someone has died and the house is empty. So, if you are headed this way, there will be lots of bargains. Until then, pray that I don't do something to make this thing become a bonafide estate sale!