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.

Washington DC

After Thanksgiving, our family went to DC for the day. DD wanted to visit the National Gallery of Art and the Natural History Museum. We live about 45 minutes from DC, so we are fortunate to visit the wonderful historical treasures. The above picture is a foyer area of the National Gallery

This is a hallway that had marble sculptures. The sculptures were amazing. There was such intricate details craved into the marble pieces. I would just stand there and stare at the beauty.

This piece is a sculpture of the first African-American units of the Civil War. This is a bronze monument by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. You can see the depth of this piece. The detail again is amazing. I sat in that room for some time just looking at this piece.

Now this is the foyer area of the Natural History Museum. The museum was closed for a while to be refurbished. The grand elephant is what you see when you enter the museum. There is sooo much to see. Since we live close, I have visited the museum for field trips with my children. We got to see the Hope Diamond and all the many beautiful gem pieces. I also saw the largest octopus!!

If you have a chance to visit DC plan to spend some time in the museums.

Merry Christmas!

Well it is evening and our feast is over. The gifts have been opened and laughter filled our house!

My family had a wonderful time together. I did receive sewing related gifts. I will post about those soon. Also, I gave gifts that I sewed.

Last night, we went to the children's service at our church. Our dear pastor did a fabulous job of telling/teaching the birth of Jesus to the children in attendance. There were Christmas carols that coordinated with each part of the story. The final song was "Go Tell It On the Mountain".
I leave you with this line:
"Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born."

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time of fellowship with family and friends today!

Our home was filled with family and tons of food!! I did most of the cooking since my Mom recently had a spill and broke her elbow. My man made a turkey breast, pork loin and London broil. Ten pounds of potatoes were peeled and mashed along with stuffing, two pies (apple & pumpkin, sauerkraut and string beans. My SIL made pecan pie, broccoli salad and sweet potatoes!

I did get up and hit the gym first thing! I powered walked over three miles. I hoped the mileage balanced out the food that I consumed.

I have been thinking about what I am thankful for this year. Life trials this year have taught me much about myself. Getting to serve fellow teachers who had life changes stretched me. I needed stretching!! My family (DH, DD & DS) are such a blessing!

I need to thank all the sewing bloggers who inspire, instruct and share their creative garments and projects!! Any time of the day or night I can get my fill of sewing loveliness from every one's blogs.

You call em Neck Rings- I call em Scarves

Inside the Oct/Nov issue of Vogue patterns mag were instructions for "neck rings".

I did not have any splashy scarves to wear with my black wool coat and I got inspired by the neck rings.

First, I saw this sweater like knit and I liked the color combination. Two years ago, I made a Jalie top with the same type of knit from JoAnn's, but it did not wear well. The front of the top got that worn pilly look to it. So, I did not want to put the time into a top, but I thought it would make a lovely accessory for my coat.

Next, while browsing I found this furry zebra fabric that I feel in love with. I had no idea how you would sew a garment with it, but boy I knew it would make a knock out scarf!

Well this little gal was to be my parting shot! This is Audrey our beagle. She was watching me as I took the pics of the coat/scarves. She is a rescue beagle and she is very shy. If anyone has any suggestions on how to bring her out of her shell, please let me know!

Here is the scarf with the coat-WOW-I love it! I usually don't get that excited about animal prints, but this just called me!!!! My DD (college) even liked it. You know you have a hit when your DD likes it.

Here is the fabric close up and personal. It has these stringy pieces that stick out from the base fabric.

These neck rings/scarves are so quick to make. They would make great gifts for Christmas. I already bought fabric to make my co-teacher scarves for her birthday.