I did indeed not only survive that sewing class but had an absolute blast! Our instructor is a wonderful woman who taught home-ec for thirty years and you can tell that she's very creative and just LOVES what she does!
She showed us a clever way to do a pillowcase cover with trim, and I managed to get further along on the prairie bonnet pattern than I ever imagined possible! Karyn not only got her machine threaded, but also finished an adorable petticoat made from a ruffled pillowcase...and I believe even got started on some pantaloons both for her daughter. Heather created some great little fitted cloth diapers from a pattern she got off the internet for her 2-year-old.
All in all, it's a wonderful, laid-back, just-plain-fun class...there's only 4 of us so far....and I'm sooooo excited I can hardly stand it! I feel ever so much more confident about this whole sewin' thang! Karyn, thanks so much for bringing this whole idea up...and if anyone wants to join us next Monday, please do!
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Tonight begins the first evening of a once-a-week sewing and quilting class I signed up for this past week at the local high school. We're promised 3 hours of personalized instruction on our own machines doing any project we care to bring...I couldn't have asked for a more tailor-made course to my liking! Soooo why today am I this nervous, giddy, confused ninny...floundering around looking for that precise project I'm dying to finish...or even learn how to do...???!!! Should I start on a simple jumper dress...or try to do my first quilt from start to finish... or complete those adorable prairie bonnets and pinafores the girls have been craving for months now.... or how about that little cloth doll pattern that's got me too intimidated to even pull out of the package...when it's SO much easier just to look at the cute picture on the front...??? My dream of dreams, of course, is to make quilts like Anna Maria...or swinging skirts like Portabellopixie...or lovely bags like these on Turkey Feathers Homecraft. My husband asked me this morning what I was so nervous about...he said something like, "What...do you think you're not good enough to actually teach the class? Of course you don't know what you're doing...that's why you're going...right?" Well...yeah...if you put it that way. But I just know that no one will be as clued out and clutsy as I am!! That's all. Believe it or not, this is the very same nimbly little calf you saw earlier this Spring! Can you believe it...??? She's gettin' to be a big girl these days! The bunnies weren't too much phased, though. She was more wary of those little bunny puff-balls than they certainly were of her...even though she's 523 times their size! LICK! The harvest is coming in, the trees are turning their gold and crimson shades, the Fall foliage is deepening into its most mellow and vibrant shades, and crackling fires are welcome warmth in the evenings... And now that you're thinking Fall foliage and harvest time, take a peek at this great Hobby Farm Home magazine I pounced upon recently! It is just packed with farmy homestead ideas and crafts. I'll be sharing much more from this great find! My friend, Sandee, sent me this e-mail a week or so ago...and, in my most modest and humble opinion, I thought that 'this day in her life' was just too priceless not to share! I asked her if she'd let me post it for the rest of you...hope you enjoy it!
By now my title should actually read "Camden Here We Came" since it's now been a month ago...or more. It was the time this summer that we took advantage of our first real day of sunshine after several days of rain and drizzle by heading down to Camden. I took some photos of that great little seaside village in the spring but hadn't gotten any during the full bloom of summer. So in a final bon voyage and kissing good-bye to these sweet summer days, here goes...Camden just shouldn't be missed in the summer time! And I know you'll agree! The window boxes alone are simply amazing! Our favorite book store in the renovated mill building next to the river... I hope you enjoyed our stroll of summer reminiscences! Well, I finally finished my little hat project I started earlier this summer. And that's not what "En Gry og Sif" means...I'll fill you in on that in a minute! I know you're dying with curiosity, so I'll be quick! This is the first time I changed the yarn colors...I thought it would be a fun change of pace. Now for the hieroglyphics at the top. I've been looking into more yarn and especially felting ideas. When we were in the Abacus shop in Freeport, I spotted some adorable felted purses or bags made into the shape of colorful little cottages...with the roof that zipped open. Too cute! The darling little tag said they were distributed by En Gry og Sif and I looked them up later. They're a Scandinavian company that's trying to help poor women in Nepal make an honest living...without being exploited. They call it "Business with a heart" so check out their site and here are some of their products. Feeling inspired? The ones I saw were the blue house with the apple tree and the yellow one with the pink striped roof. Are they adorable or what??? And it gives me all sorts of new knitting and felting ideas! Don't you just love that....from Wonder to Wisdom! I love it! Seems to me that it pretty perfectly sums up our highest pursuit in learning...all through life! As adults, we still wonder in the hopes that we may gain in widsom...and God's highest wisdom is certainly a most valued treasure...that still manages to elude me greatly, I'm afraid. But we never stop searching and wondering, do we? I've recently discovered a great new site that's chock full of some lovely old-fashioned stories, inspiration, and ideas! It's called From Wonder...to Wisdom and was created by an Australian homeschool family with 11 children.
Well, fun with grandparents is coming to a close...so sad! But what good times we've had! Thanks to the broken ankle, we got an additional 2 weeks before the long trek back to the Dallas metroplex. My parents are heading out tomorrow after spending some 6 weeks in magnificent Maine with us! (We're not the least bit prejudiced, are we?) We haven't ventured to Bangor over the past year or so...we've mostly been trekking south to Portland and along the coast to Camden and Bath. So it's been fun over the last couple of weeks to spend some time in the quintessential city of Maine... otherwise known as Bangor. This is where my dad has been getting his ankle doctored up. So while he's occupied with fiberglass casts and his lively medical buddies, mom and I took the kids to one of my favorite Bangor hot spots. Bangor isn't exactly one of those trendy, avante guard, seen-and-be-seen kinda places. There is some wonderful history and architecture...and of course the giant statue of Paul Bunyan....but, yeah, that pretty well sums it up for Bangor and city high-life. However, I happen to appreciate its more laid-back, non-polished quaintness. I also totally appreciate one of the cutest, delightful shops around... You got it! The Grasshopper Shop...don't ask me where they got their name, but the sign above covers it....especially the "etc." They have anything and everything Maine-ish, going green-ish, funky-ish, cool-ish, locally-made, retro-ish. It's just a great place to find something fun or hip for anyone...including those whom you no longer even try to buy for 'cause it's a totally lost cause! And I always walk out with a plethora of ideas and inspiration... And just outside The Grasshopper Shop is this nifty little courtyard...nice place to sip coffee and enjoy an afternoon... After Granddad got his new blue cast in place, we left the coffee-cafe part of town and found the Cascade Park for a quick picnic and some run-around time. And then up this hill lies... this large lovely meadow...with mowed paths...our absolute favorite! Come on! You know you can't refuse a path like that! I know I can't, that's for sure! Let's go on a bit of a nature walk...shall we? Of course we shall! Oh! Here we go! Didn't I mention the other day that we're already seeing fall color now..?? Unbelievable! It is pretty, though, isn't it? I guess we'll just let it keep turning... But summer must not be completely over...we do still have all these wonderful wildflowers proliferating...and refusing to go away! You just keep hangin' in there you winsome little wildflowers! These orange berry bestowed branches just beg to have something creatively decorator-y done with them...and look especially Fall-ish! Are these wild cherries do you suppose...??? They're hard as a rock, but look like something straight from a Mary Englebreit illustration! Since we didn't know for sure whether they were actually a harmless berry or not, we refrained from a nibble...but they look good enough to eat! More interesting architecture...not sure what the story is on this huge old place. And then there's the river across the street...next to the railroad tracks...complete with a train that went by, engineer waving to the children and tooting the whistle! Not too bad for a non-polished, still-kinda-sleepy, quaint sort of town...whose claim to fame is Paul Bunyan! Not too shab at all, wouldn't you agree? |
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