Well, that didn't last long...

If you've not noticed, my 31 Days of Sewing ended a little early.  I made it 8 days in before life got busy and the old blog got left behind.  Some things are just more important.  While sewing keeps me busy, my family keeps me even busier, and for that, I'm thankful.

Last Wednesday, Preston had his 6 month re-check on his tubes.  At his post-op in June, his ENT thought that either a membrane was forming over his right tube, or it was going behind the eardrum.  There was nothing he could do at that point but watch it.  I was nervous going in last week knowing we were facing a possible 5th surgery on his ears.  Even though they've all been minor, Preston is still not pleased when they have to be addressed. 

What I didn't expect to hear was that both tubes are OUT.  Six months.  I thought that he'd told us that he'd put int he larger tubes that stay in longer, so I was not thrilled to hear that we're at the start of cold season and he's without tubes.  Same thing happened last year this time and by Feb. he was already on his last available antibiotic (allergic to penicillin) because the other go-to stopped working.  That's when he said he needed another set.  We were able to enjoy six months with no infections.  I know my child, though, and no tubes in the winter is not good.

What I feared I would hear, I heard.  Dr. S had me look in his right ear with his microscope.  He then explained that he's almost 100% certain that his right tube is behind the eardrum, resting in the opening of the Eustachian tube.  He explained it is like a funnel, wider at the opening, and the tube won't go down into the Eustachian tube, but will just sit there.  For a short time, it will be OK, but if it is there long, it will scar over and permanently block his Eustachian tube, requiring major surgery and a lifetime of chronic ear problems.

The game plan for now is to wait until February.  Right now, the eardrum is thick from healing and he wants it to thin out a bit to be absolutely certain the tube is behind it before he does surgery.  He says waiting until then won't cause any harm.  If it's there, he'll schedule surgery soon after.  He will then make a slit in the eardrum and attempt to retrieve the tube that way.  If not, he will peel the eardrum back like a "can of soup" and go that way.  Of course, if Preston's ears follow their usual annual course, we will be in sooner than that for new tubes and will take care of this earlier.  Right now, we wait.

He did say that he's done over 40,000 sets of tubes in his career and only *5* have ever gone behind the eardrum, and he can usually spot which patients it will happen to beforehand.  Unfortunately, it looks like Preston beat the odds.

Day 8 of 31 days of Sewing- Let's CUT to the chase

Y'all, I told you not to rule it out, and here it is already.  Cutting tools!  In all seriousness, you can't sew if you can't cut your fabric, so cutting tools are essential.  There are basically two mainstays in cutting tools- scissors and rotary cutters.

Ask any seamstress worth her weight and she'll tell you that her sewing scissors are OFF LIMITS!  They are for fabric, and fabric only!  Cutting anything else dulls the blades.  Yes, you can have them sharpened, but if your children get a hold of them and cut something hard, like a pin, they're pretty much ruined.  Trust me, I speak from experience...

Just any old pair of scissors just won't cut it- literally.  You need specific fabric scissors to do a precise and clean job, and they run the gamut from pretty darn cheap to really expensive.  It's up to you what you spend on them, and like many other things, you get what you pay for.  But if you've got crafty kids and don't want to keep your scissors under lock and key, go for the cheap pair- it will get the job done.

Pinking shears are also pretty handy although not my favorite.  I've not met a pair yet that I find cuts easily, or as easily as I'd like.  Maybe that's because I've always used those heavy vintage models that could possibly be dull.  If you need pinking shears, do yourself a favor and go buy some new ones!  I find that I don't use mine enough to buy a new pair.  Unless it's a large area, I usually notch my corners with my scissors.

Snips.  Snips basically do what their name suggests- they snip.  They snip your thread, they snip your corners.  They're smaller than your sewing scissors, and much handier while using your machine.  I will cut patterns (the tissue kind) and fabric with my sewing scissors, but when I'm at the machine, snips are much easier to use than my big scissors, so that's what I keep at hand.

Rotary cutters have changed my life- literally!  When you've got a lot of straight lines to cut, you can breeze through them with a rotary cutter.  Using one requires a self-healing mat and a straight edge.  They come in many sizes, so you need to determine what works best for you.  But beware, the blades on rotary cutters are SHARP!  I've learned that the hard way too many times.  Again, something that you will want to keep away from little hands- both because they're extremely sharp and because they like to cut printer paper with them, dulling the blades.  Again, I speak from experience, and both times, it was the same culprit.

I apologize for the lack of pictures tonight.  I'm busy, busy, busy with sewing and my lack of pre-planning these 31 days posts left me a bit clueless tonight.  I promise, they won't all be this boring!

Day 7 of 31 Days of Sewing- Improvising

 

First off, I want to address that today is actually day *7* of my 31 days.  I got a little screwed up and realized it last night but was too lazy to change it, so those old posts, just ignore the day number!!

Patterns make amazing baselines for your creations, but they can go so much further.  With a little imagination and creativity, you can make that pattern stretch!  Two years ago, I made my twin nieces aprons.

That pattern sat around unused until recently.  Abbie and Issie will be 4 this week which means Aunt Alyssa has been busy this past week making them a whole set of princess aprons for their birthday.  I made each of these using the same pattern as I used for the above aprons, but with dramatically different results!

Surprisingly, these weren't at all difficult to make.  Sometimes it took a bit of patience and some planning, but overall, they all came together and I love how they turned out!  For each apron, I added the length of the ruffle on the original pattern to the skirt since I didn't want to have a ruffle.  I used the same yoke pattern but tweaked it to make each on unique.  Everything else stayed the same aside from additions.

Snow White was by far the easiest.  I added a red bow on the yoke and used her colors and that was it.  Easy peasy.

 

Cinderella was next.  I cut out 4 half circles, sewed the together and added them to the skirt before I gathered it. Next time around I believe I will make those half circles a bit smaller.

Rapunzel was the one I mulled over the most since it has a lot of detail, and in the end, is my favorite!  I took contrasting fabric and cut them to fit, turned a hem and sewed them right on top of the pieces.  For the yoke, I "laced" grosgrain ribbon and sewed it on.

Sleeping Beauty took some thought and a little pattern making on my part to get the collar and waist made.  My pattern making skills need work, but after a few trials and errors, I was able to get one that worked.

The Little Mermaid took some more pattern making to make the bra.  By this time, it was much easier.  I also shaped the skirt to look like mermaid fins.

Beauty and the Beast perplexed me as I used a different fabric that I had an overabundance of, and it really seemed too plain.  But in the end, I decided to cut the yoke into a sweetheart shape and add plain yellow cotton at the waist for definition.  I also trimmed the skirt with lace and gathered it.  I was afraid I'd really not like this one, but it turns out that I did!

Let this be a little tip to try out something different with a pattern you already have.  You never know what you'll end up with!  If you're wondering, all of these aprons are up for sale in my Etsy shop.  They are available by themselves as well as in sets of 3 and 6.

Day 5 of 31 Days of Sewing- Getting Scrappy

All I really wanted to blog about tonight was about our old house being haunted (brought on by 2 nights of Ghost Adventures), but that didn't exactly fit into the sewing theme.  Then I came up with a subject, only to decide en route to the shower that no one wanted to read about scissors and rotary cutters (although I won't rule that out by the end of 31 days...).  I don't know what brought it on, but I thought of scraps.  

I'm not a waster.  I hate to throw things away.  You can take one look at my deep freezer that has reached capacity and find it full of not only meat and summer produce, but also jars of broth and leftovers I knew wouldn't get eaten before the magic 3 day mark (once you get food poisoning, you don't risk anything, EVER).  I'm the same way with fabric.  A scrap isn't considered a scrap until it can't be made into anything else.  I save the tiniest pieces of fabric.  One day they'll be made into a quilt and each piece will hold a memory.  

My husband wears dress shirts to work, and about once a year (if I'm lucky) he'll go through his side of the closet and pull out worn out clothes and stuff he doesn't want.  This day is exciting for me because to me, it's free fabric!  Yes, I totally cut up his dress shirts and save the fabric.  I even save all the buttons!  No, it won't make anything big on its own, but it's fabric.  Fabric that tells a story.  Fabric that will one day be a quilt for Preston made from his dad's shirts.  I got the idea when I found a vest my grandma had made from my grandpa's ties after he passed away.  It's a piece of him that I treasure.  After the last time Christopher cleaned the closet, I came up with this nice pile (actually, this is only part of it that I took for Etsy purposes). 

I was able to use some of the scraps to make this cute shirt for my sweet nephew, Glen.  You can find it in my Etsy shop.

Once a month, I volunteer at our local Habitat Resale Shop and one of the perks is getting to grab stuff that comes in before it hits the racks.  I LOVE when I find great fabric, vintage or new.  But I've also found great shirts that just scream to be bought just for the fabric.  And the prices can't be beat!  Always keep an open mind and an open eye.  You never know when something fabulous is going to show up, or what form it will be in!

Day 4 of 31 Days of Sewing- Quilting

The one thing I love about sewing is that there are so many different types of sewing- it never gets boring.  About 2 years ago, I was given a very cherished gift.  It was a bag of quilt pieces.

It wasn't just any old bag of quilt pieces.  It was a bag of pieces that my great, great-grandma Bess had cut out.  I had played with these pieces as a child (remember my obsession with sewing as a child), so I knew exactly what they were, but this time, they were given to me.  Each piece was carefully cut.  Some of them she was able to sew together (by hand) before she passed away.  They had been passed down through each generation, and they always stayed in the bag.  I knew that Grandma Bess hadn't cut those pieces to stay in a bag forever, so I vowed to finish what she started. 

I had just a few half finished squares which meant that I was going to have to put the majority of it together myself.  Even though Grandma Bess had started sewing them by hand, I knew that that just wasn't feasible for me.  I decided that I would machine sew the squares together, but do the quilting by hand.

Because there were several different colors and many, many pieces, I was able to make 2 quilts with her pieces.  The first one was given to my grandma as a gift.  It used the above colors, and unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her.  The second quilt is nearly finished, but this one has a twist.

While at my grandma's one night last winter, talking about the quilt, Granny gave me a fantastic idea.  We would take one of the flower panels hand sewn by Grandma Bess, and she, my mom, Kaitlyn and I would all sew one of the side panels on by hand.  We did this and I embroidered the names of all 5 generations to work on this quilt on that square.  Very special.  That quilt is nearly finished.  I just have to finish the binding- my least favorite part of quilting, but it gives me an excuse to watch all of the dvr'd  shows I record and never watch!

The quilting I did on this one was done around each flower.  While so many choose to machine quilt these days, I found hand-quilting so relaxing.  With the kids in school, I was able to finish the quilting in just over a month.

I especially love how the quilting looks on the back side.

Day 4 of 31 Days of Sewing- Patterns

I almost totally forgot to write today's post!  I've been on a bit of a Twitter spree, standing strong and proud for our freedom and I guess my mind has been elsewhere (if you're curious, @lyssak32 #stopthelies).  Sooooo, let's talk patterns!

 

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Unless you're the seamstress with the mostess like my Ma-ma was, making your own patterns, then you will be needing to buy one.  You can buy them in one of 2 ways- in physical form or pdf.  I'm not particular.  I'll use both, but I do prefer pdf versions.  Why?  Let's make a handy dandy list!

PDF Pros:

• You can buy them online & sometimes get them instantly.  Instant gratification can be nice when you're ready to sew.
• You can save them to your computer & print them out as needed so you can get the sizes you need & always have a fresh pattern.
• They often have great pictures in the directions vs. simple illustrations.
• You can almost always contact the pattern designer if you run into a problem and you're stumped.

PDF Cons:

• If you print the driections, you use a LOT of paper and ink = not very cost friendly.
• Patterns print on printer paper, which isn't good to cut with your good fabric scissors.
• If you don't print your instructions, you need to have a computer with you the whole time.

But good old fashioned store bought patterns are good, too.

Old school Pros:

• Often cheaper than pdf versions.
• Printed on tissue paper, so it's much friendlier to scissors.

Old school Cons:

• They don't usually have great illustrations in the directions.
• If you hit a roadblock, you need to find someone to help figure it out.
• Once you cut them, you're often stuck with that size (unless you go smaller).  If you want a larger size, you have to buy another.
• Trying to fold the pattern up and put away to use again is a pain in the neck.

Well, after looking at this list, maybe pdf wins.  That's technology for ya!  Man, it really makes me glad I don't have to measure and make my own patterns!

Day 3 of 31 Days- Fabric!!!

Fabric is probably my favorite part of sewing.  It probably borders on the line of obsession.  The textures, the colors, the patterns- they make me happy!

 

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I live in the middle of nowhere in a small, rural community.  We had a cute little fabric shop that just started stocking Moda, and then it went bust.  Now, the closest I have to buy fabric in town is one aisle in Wal-Mart with a few pre-cuts that if I'm lucky, work with what I need.  Sigh.  There's a lot of great shops in St. Louis, but since I don't get there often enough, I do most of my fabric shopping on Etsy.  There are so many great Etsy shops that sell great fabric.  My favorite?  Cotton Blossom Farm.

 

Cotton Blossom Farm has such a wide variety of designer fabrics and has great shipping prices.  They have great customer service and I've never had an issue with them.  Give them a try!  You can thank me later! ;)

Generally, I try not to buy fabric until I have a project in mind.  Unfortunately, I can also look at a fabric I absolutely love and wrack my mind until I come up with a project!  Therefore, I try to stay away from it as much as possible, though sometimes it's just impossible!  This is just some of my fabric- the stuff I use most often.  You don't want to look in my hall closet at the rest of it...

I also have an obsession with vintage fabric.  Antique stores, resale shops and garage sales are great places to find vintage fabrics on the cheap.  I got a yard of vintage fabric for a quarter at a yard sale one!  The only thing about me and vintage fabric is that I hoard it.  Not like the people you see on tv- I just don't ever do anything with it.  Ever.  I love the fabric, the pattern, and wonder what the story is behind it- but I can't find anything to make that stays true to what it is and its time period.  It's like messing with history- usually nothing good comes from it.

So that's fabric.  I love it!

Day 2 of 31 Days of Sewing- A place to sew

Welcome back!  Today I'm going to talk about having a place to sew.  Having a designated spot to sew isn't necessary.  In fact, when I first got serious about sewing, I had my machine set up on a folding table in the basement, literally in the middle of the room.  I even had it set up for a while on the end of our dining room table.  That was fun...  In all seriousness, all you need is a table and a chair (and a close electrical outlet).  If you're just starting out, that's what I recommend in case you find out that sewing isn't your passion.  Then once you find the need to expand or set up permanent residence, find a nice cozy spot that make you feel crafty!

My grandma gave me her sewing table last spring and after rearranging the entire basement, I finally had a permanent spot for my sewing.  I'll admit it's not my top choice of locations being right smack in the middle of the kids' toys, but it works.  I've got a tv and iTunes so I'm set.  This is my little corner of the basement as of this morning.  Please excuse the mess.

 I've been busy sewing princess aprons for my twin nieces' birthday, so everything's kind of awry- but this is how I sew.  I often misplace my seam ripper, only to find it hidden beneath something.  And you can see my little "helper" that's usually not too far from my sewing, just waiting until I walk away so he can tear all of the thread out of my machine.

See the notions in the jar/bowl below?  Those belonged to my Ma-ma that I talked about in my last post.  They're true treasures.  I think of her every time I sew and I know she's watching over me as I do.

My sewing nook isn't perfect, but it works.  I have a gorgeous hand embroidered tapestry that I bought at Habitat that I need to frame and hang over my table.  Right now I get to look at our college diplomas.  Of course I go gaga over the gorgeous sewing rooms I see on Pinterest, and maybe someday when the kids are grown I'll be able to have a fabulous room like them, but right now, I'm content.  I can sew, I can create, and that's all that I need!

Day 1- Welcome!

After neglecting the old blog for a few months, I decided that I'd jump on board with The Nester's 31 Day Challenge.  Today I'll be sharing a little background about my sewing and the rest of the month should be more substantial (I hope).  I've got a Pinterest board full of projects I want to make, so maybe I'll share a tutorial or two while knocking out some Christmas gifts in the process!  Something's gotta get my rear in gear!

For those of you reading for the first time, I'm Alyssa- a 24 hr mom, and seamstress in my free time.  Besides my family and faith, I have two strong passions- politics (I have a degree in political science) and sewing.  In light of the government shutdown, I figured I'd better stick with sewing in an effort to ruffle as few feathers as possible.  Those that know me know how passionate I am! ;)

When I was young, I was fascinated with my great-grandma (Ma-ma) and her sewing.  I'd spend hours watching her sew, organizing the thousands of buttons she had, and playing with countless zippers.  She was a seamstress like no other, and one I hope to be like one day.  She would make her own patterns out of newspaper.  She would stay up until 4 a.m. on Easter morning finishing up the family's Easter clothes to wear to church.  If we ever needed something sewn or hemmed, it went to Ma-ma.  There wasn't much she couldn't sew.

I started sewing back in 8th grade when I took Home Ec.  While all the other girls chose Class of 97 sweatshirts to sew, I chose a lovely light heather blue chambray shorts set.  Bucking the trend already!  I nearly failed the sewing portion of the class, not because I did poorly, but because after taking my project home to work on, my mom insisted that I needed to press my seams or it would look "homemade."  Being a know-it-all teenager and insisting that our teacher didn't say it was necessary, I balked.  My mom told me to go to school and let her know- and I did.  The teacher was none too pleased that I had went against her lessons and knocked my grade down.  I went home that summer and along with my brother, we sewed hundreds of bean bags which were soon strewn about the house.  I couldn't stop sewing.

Here I am almost 22 years later and I can't stop sewing.  It's such a huge part of my life.  I've got mounds of projects cut out and ready to sew, a quilt to bind, and many more ideas I want to do if I ever find the time!  I have a shop on Etsy where I sell my creations, but mostly I sew for my family.  It gives me so much pride to give them gifts that are truly heartfelt and thoughtful- something they can cherish.  I hope that you enjoy the next 31 days as I share my love for sewing.  Maybe I'll inspire someone to give it a try and show them that it's really not hard at all!