Quiliting....

Well, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to make for Katie next, so I decided to start a easy lap quilt in greens, yellows and blues. I am almost done putting the blocks together and ready to piece it. I love how it looks already and I am so amazed at myself! I am actually reading the directions and understanding them! I will show a picture of the completed project as it's really hard to show you all the in between pics with fabric all over the table. I just love sewing. Can't wait to start my next project already!

Also, did you know that with Boden/Mini Boden you can actually earn money to shop with? If you refer someone to them (for their mailing list) they will give you $5 per person up to $20 a month. I just saved $75 and was able to get Katie a nice warm coat and a few other things. And didn't pay a dime of my own money! Now, I will be saving up money for when their spring line comes out! And if you check on e-bay, their resale value is out of this world! And the quality is outstanding. I haven't personally had any trouble with customer service, but a few people I know have so you have to stay on top of your returns and credits. Overall, I have had really good experiences with this company.

You also might want to check out Hanna Andersson since they just started selling their Christmas stuff. Every year I dream about getting us all matching sweaters to have Christmas Pictures taken for cards, but unless the magic money fairy drops by, that isn't happening! Also, I know that Cheryl and Gillian wouldn't wear the sweaters again, so why waste money on something that isn't going to be worn? LOL! Also, !Naartjie just put up their winter line and all of their fall 1 is on sale. So many cute things. I was gifted a cute outfit from Fall 1 and it is cute. You can see it on Katie on her first day getting on the bus! Just thought that I would help you all spend some money! LOL! I have been able to sell some things on e-bay to finance getting fabric and I can't believe how inexpensive it really is to sew. I find myself looking at skirts or outfits and thinking to myself, "Hey, I can do that for much less"!

The sewing is keeping me busy along with trying to get my mother settled. After many days and lots of work, she decided against going on medicaid and going into Assisted Living. I am just praying that the social worker can get the things set up to keep her safe and well at home.

Speaking of praying. I have started my day off and end it each night praying. It really helps me to remember that I am not in this alone!

My first ever sewing project!

During

Before....

Here is the material I picked out to make Katie's skirt. It's going to be 3 tiers and then I am going to take the black w/orange polka dot fabric (middle tier) and make a ruffle out of that for the bottom. I think it's going to look cute. I should be able to find a cute black Old Navy Tee to put with it (In fact I might have one floating around somewhere with an orange pumpkin on it). If not, I will see if they have one at Old Navy. Worse comes to worse I can put a plain white shirt with it. I don't really want to go out and buy the shirt at Old Navy just in case I don't get the skirt done right! Anyway, this is the material and I start on Monday hopefully. MIL's sewing machine is coming tomorrow and she is going to show me how to thread it and then give me lots of remnants to practice making seams on. Who knows, maybe it will turn out to be a quilt someday? So, try to imagine these fabrics in 3 tiers as a skirt!

Katie's first day riding the bus

Here's my cool tote since we can't have backpacks on the bus!



Waiting (im)patiently for the bus!



Look how big my bus is and how small I am....but I love it!




BIG step up!



I don't know that I can even put into words the feelings going through me that day. And it's been 4 days since. She's not even off to Kindergarten yet, and already, my baby is going to school on the bus. I love her school, she's been there (with me!) since she was a year old, but this is a big step. And I guess we are lucky because next year when she is gone all day to school, I will already have cried on the first day, seeing her get on that bus.

She loves school. I will be going in on Friday's to be a room helper (well, every other Friday since they only have school every other Friday) and I am joining the PTO. I can't even say that I haven't had anything to do while she's been gone since Cheryl stayed home the first day, I had a church meeting the second day, did housework the third day and went fabric shopping with MIL today. More pics of the fabric we chose for the skirt I am going to make Katie!

So, enjoy these cute pics of my baby, on her first bus ride to school!

Open blog

I have decided with much thought, that I am not going to make this a closed blog. Why let one person take what you have written and throw it in your face and then make everyone else have to jump through hoops just to read. So, I am making this public, but I will mostly be talking about my learning to sew. At some time in the future, I might start another blog about feelings and stuff, especially as my mother nears the end of her life. She has end stage lung disease and we are not sure how much longer she has to live. I have lots to catch you all up with now that the drama is gone. Some pics to share of Katie getting on the bus for the first time, etc.

So, let's just get one with things shall we? It's a beautiful fall day here in Upstate NY! The sun is shining, the leaves are changing and life is just great. I refuse to let anyone ruin my good mood and I pray for those whose lives are in such disarray that they must use someone else to take it out on.

So, let's play! Have fun! For this is the day that the Lord Hath Made!
Wendy

Permissions needed

Sadly I have to go this way for now. Instead of throwing away all the memories I have created, I have been encouraged to go permissions only. If you want an invite, let me know and I will send you one.
Wendy

Over and OUT

I am putting this blog to rest. The words that have been spoken here, have been thrown in my face in a very painful way. I am done. Done with everything. I appreciate those of you who have supported me throught the years and have read what I had to say. One last piece of advice before I depart, every single word you write on a blog will be analyized and thrown back in your face by people you think are your friends. I am done with this blog and done with everything.

Over and OUT!

OK, that was a flop

So, no one wants to send me their creations. Didn't think it would work anyway. I have really gotten the feeling that the whole sewing world is cut throat and no one wants to give up their secrets. Well, then let's just move on to unruly 15 year olds shall we?

Can someone please tell me how the hell I am going to get through the next 3 years without going stark raving mad? Tonight Gillian brings home R rated movies (not allowed in this house) and then looks at me as though I have 3 heads when I tell her they are not allowed in the house. Why not? Because they aren't apprpriate I say. Well, I have already seen them. I don't really care. They are not to come into this house.

What are your expectations for your teens? Do they watch R rated movies in your house? Do you ban them from them knowing they are just going to watch them somewhere else? Do you just put your foot down and say no? I am seriously at a loss here.

Every single rule that we put down gets pushed and I am so damn tired of hearing her mouth and attitude. I am tired of being treated like a piece of shit, like I am worthless than dirt. And it just keeps going and going.

I really don't know how I am going to get through these next few years. And I am dead serious.

Someone send me your creations please

Ok, I am asking for any of you who read my blog to send me some of your wonderful creations to get my creative juices flowing. I want to see how the seams look, I want to see how you put your fabrics together, I want to see where your creative juices lie! So, if you are interested in sending me something you have created, I will take wonderful care of it, and I will even send it back if you want it back. When you send it, please talk to me about your creation. What was your inspiration, where did the fabric come from, why did you pick that fabric. I am serious about this sewing thing and I think being able to handle the different things that are made will go a long way to helping me do this. Creations need to be fabric made and not breakable. If you want to send something for my daughter to model, she is a size 6 or so. I will send you measurements if you are interested in doing this.

I will happily showcase your creation on my blog and you will get lots of notority for it! I have a wonderful model who is very cute who will also help get your idea's out there.

Thanks for helping out someone new. I promise you won't be disappointed!
Wendy

Don't let me down now! And remember, if you want your creation back, please let me know, so I can send it back.

Sew Anxious

To get going on sewing! I have been obsessed with looking at web sites of people that are making One Of A Kind (OOAK) outfits an the things that I am finding are just gorgeous. I want to make them. I need to start learning how to sew. I think I have it figured out how to put a ruffle on the hem of pants and have a pair of plain jean overalls that I am going to buy some fabric for and make a ruffle on the hems (halloween style)and then take some of the fabric and cut out pieces to applique onto the overalls themselves. I then want to find a plain shirt (I was going to sew my own, but it might be too much to start) and maybe do an applique or 2 onto the shirt.

Anyway, I am "sew" into looking at fabric, coming up with ideas and just plain being creative. I still want to quilt and hope to continue doing that too. There is just one little thing standing in the way and that is money. I need to do something to bring in money. I thought about becoming a rep for a couple of different boutique children's companies, but I just don't think I can work that much. But I have learned so much about children's clothes and can't believe the wealth of it out there. From the wacky Oilily to the staid Jack and Jill, it's just amazing. Every site I go to, I just want to buy, buy, buy!

What do you all think? What do you think about selling children's clothes in general? I am no longer doing e-bay, although I might start up again when I begin to sell the outfits that I make and when I resell the mounds of clothes that I have collected for Katie. But it was just too disappointing and expensive.

Lots of other stuff going on in my life that I should get on here and talk about. We have services coming in to help with Gillian because she is getting out of control again. I went to a discharge planning meeting for my mother who is in short term pulmanary rehab. She will be going into assissted living which my sister and I are trying to sort out, all while trying to gtieve her impending death.

Lots on my plate. Lots of loss that I am really struggling to deal with.

Spitting Mad

Why do you ask? E-bay sends me this nice little e-mail stating that they aren't charging for listing fee's from X date to X date. This is after I give ALL of my e-bay stuff away to be consigned. Yep, I decided that I wasn't going to e-bay anymore since it was taking up so much of my time and energy, not to mention the fact that the buyer really has all of the protection and the seller has very little. And I get that there are bad sellers out there, in fact, I have found a few during my time of buying on e-bay. But, now if a buyer doesn't like the color, they can basically return their merchandise and the seller has to refund. It's getting ugly over there I tell ya.

Well, to make matters worse, I found a box of really nice stuff that I had tucked away to sell at a later date. Hmmm, I think to myself, I guess I get to take advantage of that great offer and if I don't buy any of the extra's, then I can list for free right? WRONG! The small print, and there is always small print isn't there, states that you don't have to pay a listing fee IF you PAY for a GALLERY PHOTO which let me remind you is 5 cents LESS than the LISTING FEE! ARGH! I dislike e-bay right now. So, off this box goes to my consignor. And it's nice stuff too. Too bad for e-bay right?

I am however going to learn to sew. I am very excited about this and will be previewing all of the outfits that I make right here for you all to ooh and ahh over. The first one will be a Halloween outfit for Katie to wear. I am going to look for fabric tomorrow. I have been greedily going over sites of other women who are making clothes that are just so cool and wonderfully fresh. I even (shh) had some shirts made to match some pants that I had no matches for. I also had some bows made for some of our new Boden shirts. Wish me luck on the sewing front, since all of the other things that I have tried to do have backfired and I am still not making any money.

I won't even get started on SSD......