Sewing Projects In August

 

I started a doll this month. I needed a hand sewing project to carry with me on the drive to church. I really enjoy making these dolls. I haven't gotten very far on this project yet. Check in September to see how far I get next month!

(If you want to make your own doll I do have my pattern available on Etsy.)

I have paused the doll sewing to make a pouch for my friend at church. She liked the sling bags that I have made for myself and my children. She didn't want a sling bag, though. She wanted a simple one-pocket pouch that buckled around her waist like a fanny pack. I drew up some pattern pieces and asked her if I had the shape and size right. She was happy with my design!

I went shopping in my stash for fabric, interfacing and a zipper. I found everything I needed except for the strap and buckle clip that I would need for the waist.

I looked at a few listings online for buckles and nylon straps. I kept thinking there has to be a strap around that I can salvage. I love to salvage as you have seen in many of my projects. 

I decided to pray that God would lay a strap in my path. Perhaps I could find one at the thrift store. I had another item that I needed so I decided to make a trip to the thrift store in town. What do you know! There was a fanny pack with a perfect strap for $1.99! I thanked God and got busy.

I used some iron on adhesive to make my own iron on interfacing/padding out of some heavy flannel.

I assembled the zipper with the fabric, interfacing, and lining. I did top stitching just like I did with the sling bags.

The band for the center of the bag came out to 11 1/2" measured while folded in half.

The first step I had taken was to fuse all the interfacing to the outer fabric. Once I sewed the lining to the panels, I trimmed everything to match the lining shape.

I created tabs for the waist belt and topstitched them. I put an extra piece of facing in the tabs for strength and stability but not the all-out heavy interfacing that I was using in the rest of the project.

Once the tabs were ready, I basted them to the back panel. This was confusing I had to do it twice before I got the straps oriented correctly.

I marked the stitching line on the panels, which turned out to be in a slightly different place than the seam allowance that I had figured on using would have landed. I guess that is because the padding/interfacing took up some room and caused a little easing and shifting to happen when I assembled the panel sandwiches.

I had to hand stitch the side panels to the middle band because of the difference in seam allowance. 

Now all I have left to do is bind the seams! You'll have to wait until September for the reveal!

A Bouquet And A Verse

 I have some beautiful zinnias growing so I cut myself a bouquet today. I had some hostas to put in this bouquet, too. The hosta flowers have such a heavenly fragrance! 

So, I have bouquet and a verse to share this week. 

Nehemiah 9:6 

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; 

thou hast made heaven, 

the heaven of heavens, with all their host,

the earth, and all things that are therein, 

the seas, and all that is therein, 

and thou preservest them all; 

and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

I hope you are having a happy day wherever you are and I hope that you can see God's greatness from your vantage point.

Annual Cicada And More Insects

Yesterday, my son found a cicada, freshly emerged, late in the afternoon. I was hoping that we could see it molting. My son rigged up a habitat for the cicada.

But, we didn't check it frequently enough. A few hours later it was fully molted and drying it's wings. I find these creatures to be fascinating!

I am glad that he found it. I didn't know that annual cicadas emerge this late into the summer.

A month ago we were doing some excavating in our yard and found a young cicada larva.

We recently moved and the variety of insects that I have seen on this new property are very wide. I have even learned some new types of bugs.

I was surprised to find a velvet ant!

I captured some shots of the comma butterfly.

See the comma? It is a tiny white mark on the underside of the wing.

I had to look this one up. I was thinking it was like a cricket and it turns out that I was right. It is a Carolina leaf roller cricket.

Have a nice weekend! And remember to be fascinated by the variety God made in nature!

A Lesson From The Carpenter Bee

 I observed a carpenter bee. It flew close to the lumber where it's burrow was. It's front legs were extended, ready to grasp the hole. It's body was stretching, trying to reach. 

Bump. 

It banged into the piece of wood, bounced off, and was thrown back a few inches. It's wings were still buzzing. Steadying itself, it approached the lumber again. Legs extended, body stretching, wings buzzing. 

Bump. 

Again, it banged into the wood, was thrown back and had to steady itself. It made a third approach.

Bump. 

A fourth approach. 

Bump. 

The bee flew several feet away to reorient itself.........

I didn't stick around any longer to observe. I had seen enough. I have seen this scenario with carpenter bees many times. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that carpenter bees weren't meant to live in wood as their natural role in creation. Many times I look at creation and can see how specialized each creature is to achieve its natural mission in life. Not so with the carpenter bee. And I took this lesson:

When what is natural doesn't come naturally, just keep trying.

It was the carpenter bee's persistence that I could learn. In the past I have felt that my natural role didn't come naturally to me. I wanted to quit and resist doing the difficult thing. But, no, sometimes what is natural doesn't come naturally, and it takes time and practice and tenacity to achieve your natural role in life. Maybe, you can take this lesson and apply it to specific scenarios in your life. Sometimes what is natural doesn't come naturally. Just keep at it. Do hard things.

Galatians 6:9 

And let us not be weary in well doing: 

for in due season we shall reap, 

if we faint not.