Monday, January 27, 2014

The Passing on of a Family Skill

Well, I almost forgot to blog this week.  Wait! I actually did forget to blog last week.  Oops!  Well, I will just start this week out right.  So, here we go...

Family traditions are amazing.  Most families have traditions.  They can be holiday traditions, seasonal traditions or just plain old traditions.  They are things you get use to doing.  Sometimes, they are things you want to pass down to your children.  Sometimes, they are things you want to start in your own family.

However, family skills are different than traditions.  Family skills are things that whatever you do, you want to make sure someone in the family passes that skill on to the next generation.  That is what has happened over the course of a few years in my family.

Several years ago, when my daughter was small enough to sit on my lap, I would have her help me sew.  She would come to the sewing room and sit on my lap as we guided the material through the machine.  Now, she didn't know, but I was trying to pass on the love of sewing to her.  Then, after many times of sitting on my lap, I had her practice.  She finally got the hang of sewing simple 5/8 inch seams.  I then, had her sew some fabric squares that my Grandmother had cut, but never had put them into a quilt.  None of the squares matched or would be the kind of thing you would put together, but it worked for the time.  As she was sewing these squares, I was filled with emotions.  There was my daughter, sewing together squares that her Great Grandmother had started to use to create something.  It was amazing. 

Well, after this my daughter attempted to make a pillow case dress.  She took a long time to finish, and it was obvious that sewing was not something she loved like I did.  However, she really wanted to learn how to crochet.  Well, I am left handed.  She is right handed.  Do you see the problem?  So, I had her sit with my right handed sister, and had my sister teach her the skill.  My daughter did a few stitches, but never really got the hang of more than just a simple chain stitch. 

This past Christmas, she took off.  I sat with her again and showed her some basic stitches.  She learned to single crochet, to half double crochet, to double crochet, and to turn the work.  I was so amazed at how she worked at this crochet thing.  She even finished a scarf.  Was I proud?  You better believe I was proud.  After the scarf, she and I started to each work on a beanie hat.  She finished hers before I finished mine. Below is a picture of her scarf.  We do not have one of the hat just yet.  The scarf is listed on etsy for your purchase.


Brown/Blue Scarf

If you follow the link on the picture in the middle, it will take you to my Etsy shop.  There, you can buy this great scarf from my daughter.  She is so excited to have her first item listed.  I am so proud of the work she is doing.  She is currently working on another scarf that is pink and she has decided on her own stitching.  It should be another wonderful creation.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Ruffles, Ruffles Everywhere

So, here it is the end of the week, and I have not posted a blog.  Oops!  I almost forgot.  Have I been busy?  No.  Have I misplaced my computer? No.  I have just been lazy. 

My work this week has centered around one of my favorite customers.  She is always pleased with my work even when I am not.  The task this week was to make some denim ruffle pants.  She didn't ask for a monogram on the ruffle, but I thought I would give it a try.  It turned out great.  The pants were so very cute.  I had a hard time seeing them go.  She also wants a darker pair of denim pants.  So, next up is the darker pair.  Denim is such a great fabric for pants.  Denim goes with everything.  So, without going on too much, here are some pictures.
Come in sizes 6 mo. to 18 mo.
You can customize them to your liking.










You can pair these pants with just about anything that I make.  All of the bishop dress that I make can be shortened to a top and be paired with some cute ruffle pants.  If you like these, you can customize your order.  Just post a comment here or on my facebook page.  You can also send me a message on Etsy.

The other news for the week is that I started a Twitter account.  You may follow me there if you would like.  @sewingsweettrac

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Baby It's Cold Outside



So, today it is currently a whopping 16 degrees.  The high for today is supposed to be 25 degrees.  Yep, that is a little chilly.  Do we have snow?  Absolutely not, but we do have cold.  What about where you are?  Is it cold?  Did you get some snow?  Enough to build a snowman or play?  Let me know.

On this cold day, I am thinking of ways to warm up.  You can have hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee, soup, grilled cheese(yes, that was my lunch today), and many other things.  One thing that keeps me dreaming of warmer weather is some of the bright clothing that I have made in the past.  So this blog will be a view of some Spring and Summer colors.  Here is Sewing Sweet Spring and Summer in pictures:

Drawstring Cinch Sack







If you follow the links on the title of each outfit, it will take you to Etsy.com.  You may purchase the items with titles there.  You may also post a comment here and I will get in touch with you for pricing, sizing, and material choices. 

Stay warm today and enjoy the colors of Spring/Summer.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Happy 2014!!!  So, we celebrated the New Year the same way as always.  We watched the ball drop on Fox New channel.  It was pretty uneventful, but it was a blessing to watch with my family.  I pray that you were able to spend the New Year with your family.  I also pray that 2014 brings you a year full of blessings.

So, this is the first blog of the New Year.  Hmmm...What do blog about???  That is always the question.

Today, I am going to write about my creation yesterday.  For a while now, I have been making some Infinity Scarves, or Tube Scarves, or Endless Scarves.  They have so many different names.  When I make these, I notice that there is several inches of material left over.  Well, being me, I can't help but think, "You know there is something that can be made with that left over material"  For a long time, I had no ideas.  This Christmas, I was making some of these scarves for my mom and mother-in-law.  It finally hit me...HEADBANDS.  A headband is just simply a smaller infinity scarf.  WOW!  I seriously can't believe it took me this long.  So, yesterday, I began creating a headband.

It started out pretty simple.  Then, I tried the first one out.  Bummer!  The first one looks good, but I can barely get it over my head.  It is so very tight.  Well, maybe it is just my big head.  So, I gave it to my daughter to try out.  She couldn't even get it on at all.  So, back to the drawing board.

It seemed to be that the material stretched, but the stitching kept one side from stretching.  OH!  That is right.  I was using the wrong stitch.  DUH! A straight stitch doesn't stretch.  So, out comes the manual to the sewing machine.  Did you know that there is a stitch for stretchy material(LOL)?  Yes, I know dumb question.  I did know this, but I had forgotten.

After changing my stitch, I had better success.  The next 2 headbands turned out great.  One was still a little small, but would work great for a young girl.  The other one was good for an adult sized head.  I do still need to work with the size a little, but I have a good start.  Check out the pictures, and post a comment here about what you think.  Enjoy!



Other colors and styles to come.  The other big news of yesterday is that my daughter finished her first crocheted scarf.  She had decided a while ago that she wanted to learn to crochet.  We had some bumps in the road in the area of learning stitches, but she has got it down now.  Here are pictures of her first finished product.  I am a very proud momma.




Friday, December 27, 2013

And here comes 2014!!!

So, while I am thinking about the New Year and my business, I am thinking about some changes.  My etsy.com shop has seen little to no business in a while.  My husband and my dear sister-in-law continue to suggest that I blog.  Well, since I am not so great at this blog thing, I have not posted anything in a very long time.  Also, it is all so very confusing to me, and I seriously have not taken the time to get into this whole blog area.  I guess that I am trying to start out the New Year with a more consistent "blogging" habit.  Is that what you call it???  So, here goes.

The following are questions that I always have when blogging. "What do I blog about???"  I mean what can I tell you that you would want to read or hear?  Do people really want to hear about the projects that are currently in the mix?  Do people want to hear new techniques?  I hope not, because I don't have any.  Do people want to read about the show or movies that I watch while smocking or sewing?  Do I blog about  blogging?  Can you do that? 

After I go through several minutes, hours, days, etc. of this, I end up blogging about my outfits or my sales.  The other result is, I just stop and don't blog.  Why?  Well honestly, sometimes I feel it is a waste of time.  I don't see much traffic here, and I have other things to do.  Also, I go back and read it several days later.  BIG MISTAKE!  The re-reading leads me to question all that was written.  So, once again, I give up. 

So, here is the plan for the New Year...

1. I will post a blog entry once a week.  No more, and, hopefully, no less.
2. I will blog about what I want to blog about.  If it is not a great blog, then I will just try to blog something better the next week.
3. I will try not to get discouraged.  Seriously, no one wants to read a blog that is filled with frustration.


So, there it is.  If you follow this blog, and I would be surprised if you did, I ask you to keep me accountable.  Let me know when I have missed a week.  Keep me up to date on the things you are interested in hearing.  Comment.  PLEASE, comment.  That is the only way I can improve this blog. 

As I close, I pray that all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and God will bless you and your family in the New Year.  Happy 2014!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Winding Down The Summer

Well, this week has been lazy and busy.  Our mornings around here have been a little on the lazy side.  Sometimes it is nice to just do nothing, and my kids LOVE that option.  All of the sports practices moved from in the morning hours to the afternoon.  Also, we are getting ready for school to start.  So that means, pick up schedules, make sure we have supplies, and figure out teachers.  I have my first kid going off to High School this year.  I really thought I would be more nervous, but he is ready.  My second kid will be in 7th grade, so it is no big deal.  Also, kid #2 LOVES school.  Yep, that's right, it is my daughter.  They both do very well in school and are learning so much.

Since that has been the schedule this week, I have not done a lot of creating.  Last weekend I did make a little boy romper that turned out very cute.  I had plans to start a smocked Christmas dress, but that has not happened, yet.  As I sit here typing, I hear rain coming down.  That means, no running for me.  I guess instead I will start on that dress.  The material is in the sewing room just waiting on me to get my act together.

On the up side, I sold my Back to School Apple outfit this week.  I am so excited for the little girl who will have this to wear on the first day of school.  This has always been one of my favorite outfits.  I just love how it screams "FALL".

I also delivered my first "Books of the Bible" bag to my nephew.  He was so fun to watch.  I think he liked the bag better than the books of the Bible tiles.  His mom, my sister, helped him pour all of the tiles out and try to put them in order.  That was fun to watch.  Soon he will be reciting those books like he has known them all his life.

Today my promotion is a clearance item.  This is a great Spring or Summer outfit.  I know, Spring and Summer are over.  However, this could be bought on clearance and worn next year.  This outfit features some very cute flowers with smiling faces and a few Spring critters.  The pants have a matching ruffle at the bottom.  I am selling it on clearance to make room for some Fall and Winter items in my shop.  The original cost was $50, and it is priced now for $25.  That is HALF OFF.  WOW!  Follow the link to my Etsy shop listing in order to purchase.

Girls Pink/Blue/Green Smocked Flower Pant Set Size 4- CLEARANCE 

While you are there, check out my other items that are for sale.  There are some very cute dresses and a few items for baby boys.

As I finish up, I want to give a shout out to the Etsy Amazing Etsians team.  They invited me to their team this week and WOW has the traffic to my etsy shop increased.  This group is so very encouraging and has been a great help.  Also, the EtsyKids Team has been helpful, so shout out to them as well.   

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Hey, Hey We're The Monkeys

This past weekend I was all over the Monkey theme.  A friend of mine has a daughter that is due soon.  She wanted a outfit for newborn baby boy to wear home from the hospital.  I gave her a few choices, and the picture below is what she wanted.

This turned out so very sweet and I fell in love with Mr. Monkey.  I have made this outfit with long sleeves, but this is the first short sleeved version.  I really like the long sleeves, but the short sleeves look great.  I may try this one again.  We will see if there is any interest.

So, after making precious outfit #1, I decided that Mr. Monkey needed to be on another gem of an outfit.  So, I made the one you see below.

This one turned out even better.  It is a 0-6 months size.  Can't you just see your newborn baby boy wearing this home from the hospital or for those first pictures.  I love this monkey.  He just looks so sweet.  Also, the colors of this one turned out great.  It is a brown plaid, and fully lined with cream batiste.  I just have to add buttons and some snaps.

So, now that I have grown attached to Mr. Monkey, I am toying with the idea of doing him in girl colors.  So, I guess he would be Ms. Monkey.  I am thinking that a pink monkey with a white face would be very cute. 

Well, I do have to put Mr. and Ms. Monkey aside for a few days.  I am wanting to make a Christmas version of the dress below.

This dress is one of my favorites and it always looks so beautiful.  I just know that in Christmas colors it would look awesome.  So, be looking for pictures and listings on Etsy for this one.  I can't wait.