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.

Sewing Projects In July

 

I finished the pouch that I started in May. I had to stitch the back and front to the middle. And then apply the binding over all the seams.

I used some recycled hardware that I salvaged from some old bib overalls. This pouch will be for my daughter's birthday.

This is a dress that I made 12 years ago that need a repair this month.

I snagged it on a nail. It made me real mad when it happened. Why do dresses and skirts have to trail away from your body and catch on things that you pass by?

The repair is kind of unsightly, but at least I can still wear it.

Only one more sewing project to tell you about. This dress is a size 10 but my 4 year old daughter wouldn't wait to wear it. I made the shoulders shorter, took in the sides a little and put two darts in the neck on the back to keep the straps from sliding off her shoulders. I can always take my work out so this dress can grow with her. I wonder how many years she can keep wearing it?

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Ice Cream Cake Tips

I made an Ice Cream Cake on Monday. I followed this recipe from my sister's blog: My Beautiful Bubble Ice Cream Cake Recipe. 

I have a few tips and ideas to add.

#1. Definitely start by making the fudge sauce. (I prefer to use Chocolate Gravy instead of the fudge sauce in my sister's recipe.)  It takes a long time to cool adequately. So, make it first and get it cooling down in a water bath as soon as possible.

#2. This is a dish saving tip. Once the fudge sauce is finished cooking scrape it from the pan into a glass measuring cup with a spatula and then use the pan to melt the butter you will need for the crust. You don't have to wash the pan between using it for fudge and using it to melt butter and you will only have one pan to wash instead of two. The glass measuring cup was already out from measuring the milk for the chocolate gravy recipe. I still didn't have to dirty a new dish.

#3. Save money by using off brand sandwich cookies. These off brand sandwich cookies don't taste as good as Oreos but in an ice cream cake I don't think you can tell the difference. 

#4. Also, I couldn't find a whole package of the chocolate flavor sandwich cookies so I bought two packages of the assorted varieties and cobbled together a whole package's worth of chocolate sandwich cookies.

#5. Save back a cup of cookie crumbs to decorate the top of your cake. These packages of cookies were larger than a package of Oreos so I had plenty of extra crumbs.

#6. Here is another dish saving tip. Mix the cookie crumbs and melted butter together right in the cake pan. You don't need a mixing bowl to do that step.

#7. Try adding extra flavors. I add dollops of peanut butter.

#8. If you want a less homogeneous cake use a spoon to put the ice cream in the cake as little chunks instead of a solid slab of ice cream. When you pour over the fudge sauce it can work it's way into the crevices.

And that concludes my tips. I hope you get to try this cake. It is a favorite in our family. 

My Garden Of Crooked Soldiers

This past Saturday I scrounged around and cut a bunch of sticks to use for my tomato stakes. 

Yesterday, I finished the job of tying my tomato plants to the stakes.

They look like a garden of crooked soldiers. It is my style to have things turn out with a little whimsy and character as opposed to uniform and perfect.

I couldn't bring myself to buy uniform stakes when I have hundreds of sticks in this giant pile and around the yard.

I like the way they turned out. We will see if they hold up. 

What Good Is Sun If I Can't Run?

I love this poem that I recently discovered in the most unexpected place. A local museum had a free admission day as a promotional event. We took advantage of this free day. In the art gallery was a sitting area with a few toys and books provided for children. I spent some time there with my toddler. He liked the wooden toy train. I picked up a picture book and paged through it. Turns out that it was a book of poems by Gwendolyn Brooks. I had never heard of her before. I read a few poems. This one struck a cord with me. I relate so strongly with the girl: Paulette, I assume. I love to run. I love to climb trees. I feel societal pressure to give up these activities around self respecting adults. Mostly, I conform but there are times when I break into a run and I don't care who's watching. "What Good is sun if I can't run?"

 Paulette

By Gwendolyn Brooks

What good is sun 
If I can't run?

"You're eight, and ready 
To be a lady."

That is what my Mama says. 
She is right again, I guess.

But there! I saw a squirrel fly 
Where it is secret, green, and high 

And there! Those ants are bustling brown,
And I require to chase them down!

What good is sun 
If I can't run?

Ever since reading this poem it has stuck with me and I recite it to myself. Actually, just the first half because I haven't committed to memory the whole thing yet. 

This poem inspired me the paint a picture. My children love to climb trees. One day I took a picture of my little girl in a tree in order to be the subject for my painting. Yesterday, I pulled my watercolors out and did this picture.

Don't forget to have fun. This is a reminder to have some simple joys like you did as a child. Stay young at heart!