Service Project, Hurricane and Earthquake

Every year I like to work on a service project with my students. Last year we made 100 lunches for a shelter near our school. This year we made burp cloths/pads for a pregnancy center. I wanted the students to sew on a machine because very few get that opportunity. Also, I wanted the students to learn that they can serve others even though they are only in elementary school. As I thought through what the project should look like, I considered bibs. Bibs would require sewing around curve and would take more finishing steps. The burp cloth is just a rectangle. Rectangles are easy to sew and with using steams a seam to close the opening the whole piece can be finished on the machine! The above is sets of fabric before they were sewn.
We made over 40 burp cloths. Each student picked the fabric they wanted and sewed under the instruction of a parent or myself. Many of the students sewed on my Singer Featherweight. They really liked sewing on the Featherweight! It was a special time to sit, teach, sew and chat. The students picked out a piece of ribbon which they attached by machine to the front. Top stitching completed the cloth.
I explained to the students that the cloths would be given to "Moms to Be" that might not get anything new for their baby. The pregnancy center gives a gift bag to new moms with items for their babies and themselves. The center asked the students to make cards for the moms. Our students designed cards on the computer. The cards were so sweet.

I was very pleased with this project. The students served using their own two hands.

Final Thoughts

This has been a week to remember! An earthquake and a hurricane in one week. So far we have missed two days of school due to power outages. I did not have any power outage, but did not have internet service for a day. Many neighborhoods have trees in the roads and power lines down. What an interesting way to start off the school year!!

New Look 6901

During vacation at the beach, I bought a few ITY knits from Fabrics.com. This is the first top I sewed. It is a cowl neck top.

I was a little concerned about the large scale design in the fabric,but I wanted to take a chance on something different. The construction was easy and the only question I had was a back neck facing. The facing was a 1 1/2 wide. You folded it in half and attached it to the back neck edge, then you had to fold it to the inside and top-stitch it on the right side. The back neck edge is quite thick. I am assuming the reason for this procedure was to give strength to the back edge since the cowl neck would be draping in the front.

The side seams are curved to give a nice contour. How do you like the necklace? I found it at the beach!
I use a twin needle to hem all my knits. First I press a desired hem and then I use Steam- a-seam to hold my hem. Next I hand stitch a placement line exactly where I want to top stitch with my twin needle. I read about this procedure from Sew Passionista.
The sleeves needed some ease stitching. I found a great idea from Pattern Review's "1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips. The tip was from Jennifer Shaw. You hold your index finger behind the presser foot as you sew a 1/2 inch from the edge of the sleeve cap. When you move your finger, the sleeve cap is eased.

This is another picture of the back neck facing before I folded it to the inside.
Here you can see the thickness once the facing is turned to the inside. Any ideas on a better way to handle the neck facing?
Parting shots. While at the beach, my DS's friends came down for the day. Our favorite dinner to have on the deck is fondue. We had shrimp, chicken, beef, potatoes and mushrooms cooking in chicken broth seasoned with some great spices.

Everyone had a great time. There was plenty of laughter. Most of the guys have been together since kindergarten. They represented six varsity sports from their high school. Dessert was a chocolate fondue with strawberries,rice crispy treats,oreos, and marshmallows.

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Yes twenty five years of marriage!!!

I am married to my best friend and love

of my life.

We are blessed!!!

I am BACK with PHOTOS

Well this is what I have been watching this spring! Yes, Maryland is a BIG lacrosse state! My son is the goalie for the varsity team. This picture was taken during pre-season. We are almost to the play offs for our conference. As a "goalie mom" I am usually on the side lines pacing back and forth. Lacrosse is much faster than football!

My DS wants to play lax in college. Most division I colleges have already picked their goalies for the year he would enter as a freshman (2112-2113). It is very different looking for colleges when sports are involved.
I have been sewing. These are a pair of pj pants made in flannel. The flannel is from JoAnn's.
The pattern is Simplicity 3696. It has a night gown, robe, tee-shirt, shorts and pants included. Very easy to follow. I want to make a few pants up in cotton for the summer.
A Parting Thank You:

I need to give a shout out to my DS. He is my tech helper. He is a patient soul who I love dearly!

A Blessed Easter!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful time of fellowship with

family and friends during this Easter holiday.

HE IS NOT HERE;

HE IS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

HAPPY EASTER!

Day Off-Teeth Out

Well our computer got a virus and is not working. I am posting from a lap top that does not have software to post pictures. Hopefully my DH will decide how we are going to fix the computer situation.

Today I took a family sick day from school because DS had all four of his wisdom teeth removed! Everything went fine. He was quite funny during recovery. He kept laughing, smiling and trying to talk. Of course, he needed to keep the gauze in his mouth, so talking was not permitted. Try to tell a teenager not to talk when they are loopy from anesthesia-not an easy task!!!

Well I have finished a pair of pj pants. I hope to work on my jacket while I am off taking care of DS.

Have you seen the March issue of In Style? Love the wedge shoes. Really, all the shoes look fabulous. I am intrigued with the Gucci clothes at the beginning of the magazine. White is a big color along with bright bold colors.

OK, I must take of DS!!

First Jacket

I decided to try to make a jacket a month. I am starting with S3538. Lynne from I was knit together in my Mother's Womb helped to encourage me to jump in and try a jacket. I have a denim jacket that is shaped like this pattern and I wear it all the time.

Here is the front. It looks OK, but I have not put the collar on it. I know I really don't need to put the collar on to see if it fits, but I practice sewing the collar.

This is the back. I have tried it on and it seems that the arm holes are small. So I need to let the side seams out. Also, I need to adjust the sleeves and sew them onto the jacket. I have not lined anything. I am nervous about lining this jacket, but it will need it.

Parting shot:

DS borrowed a mascot from another high school to use for Spirit week at his school. There was a basket ball game during the final hour of the school day ( all students had to attend it) and DS was part of the pre-game fun. He also stayed court side to keep the fans(students) cheering. Now what you must know is that my DS is an all county football player. He is one of the football and lacrosse captains. We do not have a mascot so this was a surprise when he came out on the court!

Here he is with his friend and quarterback of the football team. What fun we had!!!

Keep Me Warm

I did some thinking during January. I found out that I hesitate sewing at times, because I am not sure if the fabric is appropriate for the pattern. So, I took out some of my knits and draped them on my dress form to see if they would "talk" to me. Now, I know you know what I mean. First, I found that some fabric would be great for summer dresses. Others spoke clearly that they were to be a top of some sort. It was a fun time! I had fabric all over my sewing room floor. This little exercise gave the confidence to move ahead. One of those knits decided to become a turtleneck. I am always cold. This fabric was from Gorgeous Fabrics. It is thin which is OK because I wear a cuddly dud shirt underneath.

The neck part has a "soft fall" to it. I styled it with this denim vest that has a beige corduroy collar and brown pants.

Now, the pattern is old. It is not vintage, but it is from the early 90's. It is a booklet type pattern. The pattern pieces were stapled to the center. I am so glad I found it in my basement! I will be making another one!

While I rooting around in the basement, I also found some true vintage childrens patterns. I will get pictures of those soon.