Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Fabric Stash Catalog

 Last night, I measured, counted, and cataloged 61.25 yards of fabric from Goodville Fabric Outlet.  Each card has a swatch of the fabric along with the length and width of the fabric.  Next, I am going through all of my patterns to make notes on the cards of what patterns may go with which fabrics.  :-)

Personalized Embroidered Hair Ribbons

I am finally going to do it!!  I'm finally going to have a table at the Wilson Music Promoters Craft fair this year.  It is December 1st at Wilson Southern Middle School.  I am so excited at all the possibilities.    I've been making these for years, but now I'm going to do it on a bigger scale.  I will have lots to purchase right there, but also I will do custom orders for personalized ones (with names) or for ones that I run out of.  I've finally mastered how to do them quick and easy and pain-free.   I am using a sticky-backed stabilizer and a smaller embroidery needle.  It's been flawless.  I've had so much fun making these!  I've got exactly one month until the craft fair, and I plan to stay busy creating more and more ribbons - both samples and ones to purchase at the fair.  

And the Total Is????

It took me well over an hour, but I sorted, measured, cataloged, and folded all the fabric that Hannah and I stuffed into two $1 bags at Goodville Fabric Outlet last week.  The grand total was 61.25 yards of gorgeous fashion fabrics!!!  I have attached a swatch, along with yardage information onto a card for each piece of fabric.  The next step is to go through my pattern stash and figure out what patterns will work with which fabric. 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Another Trip to Goodville Fabric Outlet

Hannah and I took a little "field trip" to the Goodville Fabric outlet last week.  They had a special with all you could stuff in a huge bag for $1.  Hannah and I each filled a bag, and this is the result - all folded.  We got a huge variety of fabrics - and at least 50-75 yards.  One of my projects to keep me busy when we lose electricity during Hurricane Sandy in the next few hours is to measure it all out and catalog it.  I also want to match up fabrics with possible patterns.  Hannah has many ideas of things she wants me to sew for her as well.

Back to Blogging



It's been a while since I've blogged.  I've been keeping busy though.  I embroidered lots of shirts for our Disney trip last month.  I made 3 for myself, one for Hannah, one for Timothy, and one for Bridget.  They all turned out great, and everyone liked having special Disney shirts on our vacation!!  I also made 3 pairs of shorts for myself.  The fabric for my shorts came from either one of my auction purchases or my huge $2 bag from Goodville Fabric outlet this past June.  It's great to have a stash!!

Currently, I am working on lots and lots of embroidered hair ribbons and dog bandanas for an upcoming craft show at the beginning of December.  This will be my first craft show, and I'm really excited about it.

One of thing I am starting is a sewing journal - where I can journal my accomplishments, goals, ideas, etc.  How many times do you think of something you want to sew, only to completely forget about it for months.  This way, I can keep track of my projects past, present and future.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Personalized Doggy Bandana for Skylar

Yesterday at Obies, I bought the fabric to make Skylar a personalized bandana.  Everyone thinks she is a boy - I guess they just think black labs are boys - I don't know.  I wanted to make sure that everyone knew she was a girl.   I also wanted to dress her up a little for the nursing home Dog Days parade next week.   The bandana is reversible and has a casing to slide her collar through.  It went together really quickly. 

I had no idea what she would think of it, but she hasn't seemed to be bothered by it at all.  I think it looks really cute on her!  :-)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Fabric Heaven in Goodville, PA - Obies Country Store

Today, I took Timothy (9 years old) on a "date" to Shady Maple Smorgasbord.  He's the only one in our family who had not been there, and he's been a bit miffed about it for quite some time.  I made a deal with him that I would take him there if he would be good while we visited a fabric store I had learned about at our last smocking guild meeting - Obies Country Store in Goodville, PA.

It's about a 5 minute drive from Shady Maple - just east on Hwy 23.  When I arrived, I have to admit that from the outside, I wasn't quite sure what I would find on the inside.

I was totally captivated from the moment I entered the store.  There was nice Christian music playing, and fabric stacked from floor to ceiling *everywhere*.  It was incredible!!!

There was fabric in every print imaginable.  I am so excited about the Disney prints.  I plan to go back in a few weeks and stock up on fabric to make things for our Disney trip next month.

There were stairs in the center of the store that led to a little gift shop filled with quilts and other hand-made items. 

There were quilting books, barrels of buttons, lots of trims, and even penny candy!

I wish I could have stayed for hours, but Timothy's patience wore thin after about 15 minutes.  I will definitely go back and bring Hannah (17 years old) with me.   The fabric was gorgeous, the selection was amazing, and the prices were great too - most in the $6.00 range.

Obies has been around for 150 years.   It is run by a Christian family who like to share God's love with each and every customer.   If you are in the Lancaster County, PA area, this is a must see place.   Their address is 1585 Main Street, East Earl, PA.  Their phone number is (717) 445-4616.


Monday, August 13, 2012

Dinner with the Amish

This past Friday night, Kurt took me on the best date I have ever been on.  He took me to Strasburg Railroad for their Dinner with the Amish evening.  Every Tuesday and Friday evening, they offer this.   You are served an incredible dinner in the dining car, and a real life Amish family is in the dining car as well.  In fact, Kurt and I sat with two of the boys.  Daniel was 12, and Gideon was 7.  Daniel was absolutely delightful.  After dinner, he shared with all of us about his school and a little about his life.  His father also opened the floor to any questions anyone had about their Amish life.   This photo was taken after we got off the train.  They live on a farm close to the station, and were walking home.  What an incredible experience!!!!

Auction Fabric and Finds

I have been bitten by the auction bug!  Jonathan loves going to auctions, and has gotten me interested in going as well.  We went to an auction together this past Saturday, and I hit the jackpot.    I spent $8 and got everything you see here, and much more.  In one box lot, I got a beautiful 2-yard piece of denim - which was worth more than the $8 I paid for everything.  I also got a quilting frame/hoop that had never even been assembled.  I got a pillow form, a full size quilt batting, lots of beautiful quilting fabric, at least 20 packages (many unopened) of seam binding and rick rack, and more.  I got a lot of macrame stuff that I will sell at our garage sale in a few weeks.  If you've never been to an auction before, go to auctionzip.com .  You can type in your zip code and it will list all the auctions coming up in your area.  Most of them have a listing of what they will be auctioning - including photos of the items.  It's *sew* much fun!!!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

"Quilted" Bookmark Tutorial

I made this quilted bookmark this morning and decided to share the process with my blog readers!  It's a lot of fun and SEW simple!!!

First start with any type of recycled cardboard - a cracker box, cereal box, Little Debbie snack cake box, etc.


 Use a ruler to draw your bookmark whatever size you want it to be.  Then cut it out.


 Gather little scraps of fabric and a glue stick.  Cover the bookmark with glue from the glue stick.


 Begin positioning the scraps of fabric onto the cardboard until the entire bookmark is covered in fabric pieces.


 Cut off the excess fabric hanging over the sides of the cardboard.


 It will look like this.


 Then use a zig zag stitch on your machine to zig zag over every raw edge - except the outside edges.


 Then, cover the entire  back of the bookmark with glue from your glue stick.


 Glue a piece of fabric on the back of the bookmark, and trim the fabric to fit your bookmark.


 Zig zag stitch around the outside edges of your bookmark.

 
Use Fray Check around the outside of your bookmark to secure your stitching.


Your finished quilted bookmark will look like this!

The possibilities are limitless and it's such an easy project!  :-)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Jelly Roll Quilt

I do not like to have UFOs (unfinished objects/projects), but sometimes I inevitably have them.  Once UFO that I have had hanging around for a long time is a jelly roll quilt.  I started making the blocks, but then got discouraged and stuffed it into a drawer.  I've since decided that it's time to finish it.  I am making a "twist" pattern.  I started with one idea in mind, but then found another pattern that I liked better, and the blocks I had already cut will work perfectly with the new pattern I found.  I'm making a variation of this twist quilt pattern.  I'm happy with how it's going. :-)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Off The Beaten Path in Amish Country

I recently bought a road map of Lancaster County, and I have a mission!!  I am going to take it with me every time I go for a photography session in Amish Country.  I am going to find and label and make a note of every off the beaten path Amish store -- not the tourist traps, but genuine Amish home businesses.  They're never advertised, so they're very hard to find.  I am going to make a map and key so I can find as many as possible and visit them as often as I would like to - and not just be reliant on having to stumble upon them from time to time.   I am so excited about this.

It's VBS at our church this week, so it's a pretty busy week, but if not later this week, then for sure next week I will be hitting the road in Amish Country to begin my map quest!  :-)

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meet Skylar

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our family.  This is Skylar.  She just turned 1 year old on July 9th.  She is a beagle-lab mix.  She is so precious.  She is completely housebroken, as loving as can be, and even knows quite a few tricks.  We have had her for 2.5 weeks now, and she has brought a lot of joy into our home.  We all love to play with her and watch her play.  She makes us all laugh every day.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

NYC

Last week, Kurt and I had the thrilling experience of spending 3 days in NYC compliments of Disney.  Kurt won a Disney sweepstakes consisting of 2 vacations.  This first one was to see the Lion King on Broadway in NYC.  The next trip (in September) will be do Walt Disney World for 6 days. 

Our hotel room (at the Intercontinental Hotel) was on the 24th floor and provided an incredible view of Manhattan.
   We saw and experienced so much -- from China Town to the Brooklyn Bridge to Times Square to Central Park to Harlem to everything in between.


Jonathan's Graduation

On Saturday, June 9th, Jonathan graduated from Wilson High School.  It wasn't sad or even very emotional like some people seem to think it is when their child graduates from high school.  I am very proud of how well he has done throughout highschool and proud of the young man he has grown in to.  He has many skills that are going to take him far in life.  He currently has a summer job working for the school district in their IT department.  We are hoping that it will lead to a full time position in the fall.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Goodville Fabric Outlet -- 37 yards of fabric for $2.00


Goodville Fabric Outlet   is the most amazing fabric store I have ever been too!  My mom is visiting this week for Jonathan's graduation, so this past Saturday, we had a girls day out to Goodville Fabric Outlet.  I never knew it existed until a few weeks ago when I got a flyer about it in my goodie bag from the Martha Pullen Seminar.  It's only about 25 miles away.  I had no idea what to expect, but it looked like fun from the flyer.

Needless to say, we were quickly drawn to this giant bin of fabric that said "Fill-A-Bag for $2.00".  The bags were not small either (as you can see from the first picture).  I got 37 yards in my bag - to include linens and even a yard of sink dupioni - not to mention lots of other great fabric.  Hannah got 45 yards stuffed in her bag.  My  mom hasn't counted hers yet.

It's in the middle of Amish Country and has lots of "plain" fabric for the Amish to use for their dresses, but also so much more.  If you're ever in Lancaster County, PA this is a must see fabric store!  We will definitely be going back!!!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sewing for Me!

It's been *sew* long since I've sewn for myself.  It seems like every time I do, it's a disaster.  However, I've decided that it's time to try again.  JoAnns had their Simplicity patterns on sale for 5 for $5 yesterday, so Hannah and I picked out 5 between the two of us.  I am going to start very simple - just a pair of pull-on shorts or capris.  I think my biggest mistake has been not using the right fabric for the garments I have made.  I live just down the street from an amazing fabric store that is mostly dress-maker type fabrics.  I need to look there for fabric and I think I will be happy with the end result.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Old Order-Mennonite-Embroidered Runner

 When Hannah and I went to Ephrata (Amish Country) on Saturday, we stopped at a huge "Barn Sale" where several old order Mennonite families were holding a garage sale of sorts.  There were so many neat things!  I found this hand-embroidered runner for only $1.  It's gorgeous.  If I were to have bought this at one of the gift shops in Lancaster County, it would have been $10 at least.
The detail work is simply beautiful.  This is the pattern in each corner.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

A Gorgeous Day in Amish Country

 It was a gorgeous day near Ephrata, PA today.  Hannah and I started out on a girl's trip to a new fabric store that I learned about, but ended up being so captivated with the Amish scenery that we never even made it to the fabric store.  There was apparently a funeral or wedding or special service of some kind because buggies were going down the road one right after the next for a very long time.
I found a great vantage point to take pictures and with my zoom camera, I could be far enough away to be respectful, but also get some good shots.  

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Free Sewing Machine Class


Take Control of Your Sewing Machine - Martha Pullen Company is offering a free downloadable class to help you learn to master your sewing machine.  It is a great resource!   There's general sewing machine information along with a great trouble shooting resource.

Monday, May 21, 2012

My Next Doll Bishop

I got this beautiful Michael Miller shimmering peach sparkle fabric at Elegant Fabrics in NYC two weeks ago.  It is just gorgeous!!  This swatch picture doesn't do it justice.  

I bought it to make my Martha doll a very special dress as my souvenir of my trip to the Fashion District in NYC.  It will be a smocked bishop with pearl trim on the sleeves and hem, along with lace with ribbon weave at the bottom.  I am really excited about it.  I will be using some of the techniques I learned at the Martha Pullen heirloom sewing seminar last week while making this dress. 

I cut it out yesterday and plan to put it together and pleat this afternoon and being smocking tonight.  I am thinking of smocking with white, but rather than just three strands of white DMC floss, I think I will do 2 strands of white and 1 strand of peach.  Or, if I thought it would work, I could try 2 strands of white and 1 strand of metallic.  Hmmm.... there's a thought......

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Martha Pullen Seminar

  This morning I attended a Martha Pullen seminar sponsored by Hinkletown Bernina in East Earl, PA at the Shady Maple Banquet Facility.  It was a wonderful morning filled with laughs and a wealth of information on the basics of heirloom sewing.
 
I brought along my "Martha" doll so she and I could get our picture taken with the real Martha again.  
Martha was demonstrating what to do with lace ends when lace shaping - it's called criss cross lace shaping.  We got a good laugh out of her explanation.  She also shared a great little song/chant with us.  It is... "Press til dry... Press til dry... Press til dry.... or you will cry."