Sewing

I love to sew. I used to sew all the time when my girls were little, but then they grew up and wanted clothes that were "cool". I guess I don't do "cool," so I stopped garment sewing except for an occasional confederate soldier or Luke Skywalker costume for my son. I turned to knitting and quilting as even my "baby" boy outgrew my projects. Recently I have rediscovered my love of sewing and yes, even though I can get ready-made clothes cheaper, I find deep satisfaction in creating my own well-made, China free garments. It is one of the many ways I have been adjusting my life to be less dependent on big box stores, which seem to be taking over the landscape of suburban and rural America.

I finished this blouse for myself and am very happy with the design. I find that the biggest battle with garment sewing is finding the right design for my body type. This pattern is perfect. It has fitting darts, which give it a nice nip in the waist, while allowing just the right amount of flair or ease in the hip and buttocks area.
The fabric was bought at a local quilting store, Quilter's Corner (quilterscornerva.com), and is from a line of fabric by Moda called "French General."

The brown line with dots actually runs along the salvage of the fabric and was too interesting to cut off, so I incorporated it in the blouse as an embellishment along the front plackets and pocket. Altogether, I am very pleased with the way it turned out and I think it will look good paired with jeans.
Here is the the pattern:

 Amy Butler Designs for Midwest Modern Sewing Patterns

This pattern, by the way, has several lengths from shirt to shirt waist dress as well as different length sleeves.
Blessings

Fall weekend in Lexington

My youngest daughter and I spent a beautiful weekend in Lexington for VMI's homecoming. Virginia Military Institute embodies the best of the south; tradition, tradition, tradition.

My daughter and her friend before the dance.

Homecoming parade

Statue of Stonewall Jackson. He was an instructor here. His teachings on discipline and military maneuvers are still taught at VMI today.

Blessings

Knitting

Today, I had the pleasure of teaching two little girls from our homeschool co-op how to knit. What a pleasure I take in passing on a hobby to a younger generation. I started knitting when I was in the fifth grade. I taught myself using a bright purple, acrylic yarn and gold metal needles (hey, it was the 70's) bought at our local grocery store. My grade school teacher, Miss Selman, gave us time each week to bring a hobby to work on in class. She was, in my eyes, the best teacher ever. She, in an indirect way, gave validation to my love of needlework by praising my attempts at making a baby doll blanket, holes and all.

Little hands at work.

Here is the poem my children memorized to aid in their learning of knitting:
Into the bunny hole
Run around the tree
Out of the bunny hole
Away runs he!

Here is my "baby" girl still knitting today at age eighteen. She is designing a scarf for herself.

Blessings

A Bit of Sewing and Tea

I've been working on some pillowcases for charity. You can read about it here.
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com
The local quilt shop I frequent is involved in this charity as well. The pillowcases are simple to make and add bright color to the recipients room. It is also a great way to dig in my stash and use up fabric that is taking up space.

I made mine with children in mind. A bit garish but fun.

 I have been dreaming about another one of my personal rituals- the making of and slow sipping of chai. I am like a chemist in his lab when it comes to brewing this spicy Indian concoction. I love playing with the wonderfully aromatic spices and the fresh slivers of ginger. For now this is the recipe I have settled on. I am sure it will receive many tweeks over the cool months ahead.
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1 1/2 Tablespoons loose Darjeeling
A 2 inch piece cinnamon stick, or there about, broken in half
9 green cardamon pods, slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle to open
7 whole cloves
A 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
6 black peppercorns
1 Tablespoon organic sucanat or honey
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 15 minutes. Then return to a boil, strain, and serve hot.
Makes 2 good servings
Blessings

GO TIGERS!

"My"  Detroit Tigers have made it to the ALCS against the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately they were rained out today...bummer. A good break though for my family as they don't have to hear my rantings. You see, I have just recently been told by my loving husband that I am horrible to watch baseball with. I agree. My pessimistic side comes out and I brace myself for a loss even before the first inning is over. I think I do this to try to trick myself into not being too disappointed. Of course it doesn't work. So for the next few days I will be bitting my nails down to the nibs and continuing to drive my husband crazy.

Go Justin Verlander!

On a much calmer note here is a picture of some Christmas gift bags I am making. They are a great way to dip into my button jar and use up some scraps as well!

Blessings

Today's post from Wimpy Girl

The humidity has finally broken and even though it is 83 degrees, there is a faint stirring of a cool wind. So, I decided the time was just right to get outside and plant the crepe myrtle tree and gardenia shrubs that have been patiently waiting in their pots. I wasn't outside more than an hour and I couldn't wait to get inside.  I kept telling myself, as my shirt filled with sweat (there just isn't a polite way to say it), just one more bush and you can go inside, shower, and work on that crochet project that is so close to being finished. I have always wanted to be a pioneer girl; buy some property, plant a huge vegetable garden to live on, a flock of sheep to spin, chickens to have an abundant supply of grass-fed eggs. Instead, I am in the burbs barely keeping my raised beds going. I'm a wimp!  I did finally get all my plantings in and quickly said a prayer over them. The rest is up to God's grace. Now for the fun part, I have been happily crocheting this project:

 The work on the needles is a knitted edging that, when finished, I will attach to the edge of the granny square afghan. The pattern is from this book: Knitting Loves Crochet by Candi Jensen. It has many garments as well as pillow projects that combine both knitting and crochet.
 Here is a picture of a  little sweater for pooch. I am thinking about making it for our beagle, Amelia, a.k.a Butters. How she ended up with that nickname will be explained in a special post when she shares how she was rescued, cold and sick, and ended up in our care.

Blessings