Why I Make...

The things I make...

easter egg hunt bags, made by Grandmama, pattern found on PurlBee
Because there is no better thrill.

None.

Sewing, Sort Of

It’s not been all knitting (and felting and bargain shopping and experimentation on socks) around here at Chez Iron.

Oh no. There has been sewing. After a fashion, at least.

Middle Daughter is tying the nuptial knot tomorrow in Desert Crazy Town. It’s not going to be all out and fancy, but is calling for a family gathering and also for more than what my closet holds. Which is jeans and uber-casual work tops.

I do have some nicer pants but they go back to pre-dee-vorce. I know! They fit, then were too big, then were too tight, and now fit again. But also they are all dated! Out of style. So uncool. As I always strive to be. Cool, that is.  Ask my kids.  Or don't, maybe...

I went shopping. I don’t like shopping for clothes, but I went to my favorite consignment store. They were having a sale! It was easy. In and out in 45 minutes. So maybe I do like shopping just a little.

I found myself some really nice black dress pants. And some black khakis.

I also looked for jackets. DSis says the evenings in Crazy Desert Town is chilly at the end of February. I always listen to DSis, don't you know! I found a red boiled wool jacket for $1.80! (I wore it on Valentine’s Day, being red and all.) It is a rather bright-ish red, and I wasn’t sure suitable for the upcoming event and locale (but it wasn’t staying on the rack for that price!) and I picked up two others to take home and see what went with what. (one of which was only $3.80.  I know!)

The pants are like brand new. One pair needed hemming, so the Singing Singer was threaded up and the instruction book reviewed, and the blind hemming stitch was used. See. Sewing!

Slick slicker slickest!

Damage? 4 pair of black pants, some that have to be new, and 3 dress jackets? $60. Most excellent in my thrifty sense books.

The Ravelympics entry was finished last night. (photo to follow...when I have a moment to breathe.)

The bags are mostly packed. (after this entry, the laptop goes into the bag.)

And in my photography class last night? (everyone should have a three hour class the night before a 10 day trip!) There was a knitter! (besides me, I mean...) (I only knit on the break!)

I am now off to the desert, then the east coast to visit the fam and see some sights.  DSis and I are traveling together, and I am not sure what her blogging plans are, but I will promise only that I will try.

All About Aprons

I pander. Yes, I do…I “cater basely”….at times…when it comes to contests on blogs.

And when Dearest Sister offered up some of her vintage aprons, one of a pattern she dubbed ‘atomic’, I had to claim it.

Initially, my intent was to use the fabric as the apron was in need of mending.

I mend. I do! Sometimes. The Offspring will say, ‘Nooooooo!, not the black hole of the mending basket!’ Poo. What do they know? So what if they outgrew a couple of things before I got to them? They were growing FAST!

But I digress.

Claiming the material for re-purposing…then I read all the comments about how ALL the young girls are using apronage now-a-days. For pockets, for convenience, for stylin’!

Hmm. I have aprons. I have made aprons. Aprons that won ribbons. At county fairs! I might even have apron patterns…not that one would need a pattern for such. Certainly didn’t back in the day of 4-H!

So the ‘atomic apron’ has been mended. I think it is smashing. Like atoms!

Then I went looking for my aprons but didn’t find what I was looking for. My blue ribbon apron has been lost somewhere down through time. But I found this one! (from Dearest Sister)

And this one (same source).

And this, which is really a pretty functional one gifted by a really neat lady in Kentucky.

I even have a Longaberger apron. It had some stains but I photoshopped them out.

And this one. I wager not many have asphalt aprons!

I also found myself two patterns for aprons…one with a matching potholder pattern!

I might just start sewing up some aprons. You know. In my spare time.

Don't forget Dearest Sister's blogaversary giveaway.  She has 'too cool for skool' stuff, and the efforts are minimal for maximum odds.

Wednesday Already

I offer this for review, speculation, and amusement.

Middle Daughter’s custom made birthin’ get-up. It will have a matching head-band for which to keep her lovely curly locks out of her smashing blue eyes.

Pattern and directions from here.

Tonight I am heading to the Grandbebe Two’s homestead with dinner. Not hers, of course, but for the parenting units. And Grandbebe Girl’s, too.

She loves her sister. For now, at least.

Dearest Sister is intent on helping me with Grandbebe Three’s quilt when she come to meet GB2 in 10 days. I best have it patched together, so that is next on the list. We have it all cut out. How hard will it be?

It is hard though. I have been trying to learn all about my new toy/camera, and it is complicated!

Way complicated!! But I am persevering, picking it up bit by bit. A little tweaking was required so I could download the RAW images in Adobe Elements, but I prevailed. And there lies the crux of the matter...it’s just not learning about the camera. It’s the additional editing opportunity, finding the photo ops, all of it.

I know. Just what I needed. Something else to fill up my time, and my head.

But it sure is a kick in the pants!

Custom Gowns

...and a mom that has game.

(That can be taken several ways. There are several 'moms' involved')

Middle Daughter came to visit in May for my birthday and went to the computer to print off a pattern.

"Mmmmmooooommmm! Make this for me!!!!!"

"OK, honey....whatever you want....what is it?'

It was a pattern (from here) for a make-it-yourself (or myself, as the case may be) gown to wear in the hospital while she was birthin' the grandbebe three.

Her Lil' Sis wasn't so impressed then, but later got on board (as I remember it). I had a couple of lengths of fabric in the required quantity (thank you thank you, Wisest Sister), and on the occasion of the recent visit of Eldest Daughter, went to JoAnns and bought the necessary notions with all the good coupons, because...

Have you checked out the price of notions lately! Well. Don't. Unless you have couponage! Gak!

When Youngest Daughter went to the hospital this past weekend a couple weeks early, I had not made her gown. Seriously, it was on the schedule for that Saturday. Grandbebe Two, however, was not to show up, and I had my second chance.

Youngest Daughter's custom-made, bebe-birthin', hospital gown got done. I took it to her forthwith. Who knows when the for real and for keeps trip to the hospital is going to come? I packed up the gown, and the camera, and off I set.

Had her try it on, because, after all...internet pattern (see boppee story here)! And I needed a photo for the blog. Which I completely forgot while trying to elicit hugs from Grandbebe Girl with a poptart. It's all about priorities I say.

So. I called up Youngest Daughter and was all...

"Hhhhhhoooonnnnneeeeeeey! Do this for me!!!!!"

"OK, Mom....whatever you want....what is it?'

Because that's how we roll!

I have told Youngest that if the hospital 'has rules' and says ix-nay to the bringing of one's own attire, I will be holding off sewing on the other for Middle Daughter, and that we will be sending this one to her!

Trying to Maintain...

I heard something in my 12-step program I repeated to myself no less than four times today.

"How would I act today if I believed that everything was going to turn out exactly the way it needed to be?"


I am working toward the peace and serenity that comes with that belief. It is not natural for me. I want to stick my nose and my hands and my efforts in to help control the results. All I really need to do is breath, and figure out if I have done what is necessary.


Have I? See, that's the question.


Onward.

While trying to maintain, I am getting ready for vacation. Got my trip knitting ready. Must be planning to be on the road for a MONTH! I have lined out to finish...

• Wonderful Guy's alpaca socks
• my mittens and matchey matchey scarf (one mitten half done)
• dishclothes, 3 balls worth (so that inc tribbles)
• unnamed project, half complete
• eyeglass case
• finger puppets
• Barbie project
• yarn for another pair of socks....just in case...

I travel in fear of running out of knitting. Is this normal? I think not, and neither does Wonderful Guy, but he does indulge me.

Also, I have done this. All cut out and ready to sew up for Christmas...

Tomorrow, I pack.

So How Did It Get To Be...

...Sunday night?

...Wednesday since a post. Geesh. Blogtoberfest really took it out of me...or maybe the all election ad-age left a empty spot in my heart....or maybe not so much that.

Seems there have been some corners turned at work, and that is good. Very good. However, it has been a long time coming, and the feelings of uneasiness won't disappear without a bit of time as well. Plus there is all the people that I so enjoyed working with that have left. A bit of the soul and joy is gone from there.

I sewed on Saturday. But first, I cleaned and lubed my Singing Singer. Let me tell you a bit about my Singer. It was a wedding gift from my mother when I married the X. It was a used machine when she gave it to me. (Me, she gave it to ME, I tell you! And I took her when he left, too. Yes, I did, and I entertained no ideas to the contrary. Nosirreebob.) My Singing Singer is a 1961 500a Rocketeer. Oh yes it is! Made to last one hundred years! Space age styling! Top of the line! The last of the heavy metal machines! And also 47 years old.

But she still humming away, making curtains on Saturday for Only Step-Son as doors for his closet and a valance for his window. He thought they were very all right! I have some other things in the queue for Christmas projects. It felt very good to sew even if the project was very simple.

I have a long history of sewing. Momma was very a very adept seamstress, and started teaching me pretty much as soon as she was sure I wasn't going to run my fingers through the presser foot. I am serious! And instead of Girl Scouts, which I dearly wanted to join, we joined 4-H.

There was some blather about the things I learned in 4-H...cooking, sewing, knitting (like what of that stuff do I do today? Gosh.) would serve me well for years to come, and the stuff of Brownies were transitory...but gosh, they had uniforms! And every girl in 1st grade was wearing those uniforms every Tuesday to school, except me. Oh, the angst! And then I heard the real reason. The big girls? They were in Girl Scouts. And Mom was even a leader...a leader who thought more of the cookie sales should go to the troop than the council, apparently. So no Scouts for the little girls....on principle! Mother's principles...no uniform for me. And that is why I am the warped social throwback I am today, no doubt. But I digress....back to 4-H...

I was in 4-H for 3 years, if I remember right, and entered in the county fair twice. Here are my awards. Yep. I still have them. This was big stuff for me. No uniforms, but I got my ribbons!

I got my grand champion ribbon. I got my reserve champion ribbon. I am...this old...and am still proud as punch of that little 10 year old girl that walked away with the big prize. And I was one of the youngest to get the big prize. But I sewed all. that. freakin'. SUMMER! when I just wanted to be out playing and hanging and swimming with Dearest Sister and all the kids in the 'hood.

I got blue ribbons for all my sewing and knitting projects, for my cake and my brownies, too. Which, to be honest, I didn't think were anything to be proud of and I did not make from scratch probably ever again. Those red ribbons? For chocolate chip cookies...which I make ALL the time, FROM scratch, and EVERYONE loves. My specialty, almost.

Go figure.

The Sewing Bug

I think she is biting me. I have the itch to get the Singer out and humming.

I blame Blogtoberfest. Darn you crafty, creative Aussie types and your sewing…stuff! It has been very interesting to take a peak at these different bloggers and see what they do. (A list is here at BigCat's.) Interestingly, I found Dearest Sister has already been reading some of them, even before Blogtoberfest, being more into that sort of thing, internet-wise, anyways.

So anyway, back to me, because, after all, this is all about me! I have a few ideas spinning around in the old noggin. Ideas that won’t even require a trip to JoAnn’s! (Always a good thing, at least to Wonderful Guy's way of thinking…) I have some left over projects on the shelf from the last sewing-up-a-storm…storm.

>Jammy bottoms for Only Step Daughter
>Scrubs for Middle Daughter
>TeeTiny Quilted Christmas Ornaments to be pieced
>Quilt #2…maybe

The storm is a-brewin’!

And now, for those easily amused, I send you to 'Sad Guys on Trading Floors', gallows humor for the economic crisis.