Oh Please, Oh Please, Oh Please........

...Lord, Help me get some serious sewing done tomorrow. I couldnt get rolling today on my sewing and quilting projects. I just didnt feel well. I hope and pray that tomorrow, after church, I will be very productive. Tomorrow nite is the Super Bowl and, luckily, I couldnt care less. So, I plan a Sewing Bowl. I hope I can report a lot of progress.

A Great Thrifty Find

I finally got a Rowenta iron, last year, that is supposed to be used "only" for quilting. Well I have loved it. But I always wished I could have one with a steam tank. Well...during a recent trip to my local Salvation Army, I spotted this little baby...a Rowenta Superpress 050. It was priced at 39.00.....BUT......It was a half-price day. Everything in the store was half price....so I got it for 20 bucks. I plugged it in in the store and it worked. I just need to clean it up and I will have an awesome iron for hours of quilting. I get such a thrill from finding bargains....almost as much as looking at new fabric. I wish you all the best of luck in your "treasure hunting".

Too Many Projects at One Time

I am sure that I am not alone....but...I have a hard time working on one project at a time. I know that common sense would be to work on only ONE project until it's completion. But when it comes to sewing or quilting...well...I get a little flighty. I need to finish 3 quilts asap. They are all the same pattern..my pattern. I need to finish them to use on my pattern cover. I worked all last weekend on one quilt and I got a lot done. However, I made the mistake of looking at, touching and feeling the fabric for the second quilt. I told myself that since all the quilts need to be finished eventually, I was still being productive if I started the cutting on quilt number 2. So...I began...and now...I have 2 new quilt half done and one I started 8 months ago, a little more than half way. Oh...and I have a kids sewing class to teach on Monday and I need to finish a sample of a jacket for that. This is Friday night. Oh well.. if you are not a quilter or fabricholic, then this makes no sense to you at all. However, if you have the same "illness" and attraction to fabric and the creative process, then you can probably relate. But, hey, there are worse problems we could have. Right?

My solution....get a good night's sleep. Wake up bright and early and start sewing. I will let you know how I progress.

"Sew many projects...Sew little time" S.F.

Something About A Sunset

I had the opportunity to take two of my daughters to the beach the other day. It was late in the day, as we had been running errands all day. I didnt tell them we were going to the beach. They were wondering why I told them to pack bathing suits. They immediately started looking for shells and they both found sand dollars and one found a shark's tooth. I have never found either and I was amazed. They bounced around....running, collecting...so happy and oblivious that there were any problems in the world. I watched them with such joy. It was so nice and peaceful and God gave us the sweetest bonus of a gorgeous sunset. It was a perfect evening.

Rainy Day Quilting

Here in the south, we have had an amazing stint of cold weather...really...for us very cold. I have been watching the weather and I can't imagine what it would be like to live in Chicago or somewhere as cold. One thing I know is that I would be indoors and I would be Quilting. Probably hand quilting, so that the quilt would be draped over me, keeping me warm and cozy. I think of the women in Pioneer days who had to make all of their quilts by hand and I have to think that quilting must have been a "winter only" sport.

Today is rainy and I am excited because I have to work on three quilts and rainy weather really puts me in the mood. I am hoping to have my first pattern printed within a month and I am working on the cover quilt now. I actually designed this quilt 8 years ago, while I was on complete bedrest during my pregnancy with my youngest daughter. I was going crazy, lying there with nothing to do. So I came up with the design and some time saving short cuts. I made her quilt almost entirely by hand and I quilted it by hand. (I have since gotten over that idea, as I am a super busy mom). Anyway, I have taught this pattern for years to many students and I finally going to print it. I have many more sketched and ready to go.


The inspiration for first quilt design: my sixth child.

I am sending my friend, Connie, directions for my second quilt and she is going to be my pattern tester for this. It is very "top secret" , but I will let you know how it all turns out very soon. Connie had the audacity to move close to Amish Country in Pennsylvania and I am terribly jealous of her being so close to all those quilt shops. However, I am planning a trip to see her this summer and that should make it all good. :-)

Sudsy Pickles

Today we made our own laundry detergent. Times are tough financially for many of us and I am always looking for ways to save money. With six children, we do a ton of laundry. I first saw this detergent thing on the TLC show, 17 Kids and Counting. Then I looked it up online and found a good blog that discussed it. I found 5 lb pickle buckets for $2 each at Firehouse Subs (proceeds from the buckets go to help injured fire fighters and their families). Yes, they do smell very "pickley". So load in your car with caution. I finally washed them well enough to erase the pickle smell and they work great. I dont think I boiled the grated soap enough, so I have some "separation" issues. But as long as we shake it or mix it well enough, it works fine. Here is that link:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/

Sew Many Things to Say

I am finally starting my blog. Now that my website is up and running, I am, with the help of Abby (my oldest daughter) getting started on my long awaited blog. In my blog Sew Many Things to Say I will be discussing sewing, quilting, homeschooling and ways to save money or Thrifting, as it is now called. For those of you who dont know me, let me give you a little background. I am a homeschooling mom of 6 wonderful children. I have been homeschooling for 13 years now. It has been quite an adventure with highs and lows, but I wouldn't change my decision to homeschool for anything. Since my passion and now my business revolves around sewing and quilting, there will be lots and lots of sewing and quilting discussed here. I hope you stop by often too see what is going on. Until then,
Happy Sewing!
Susan