Goosegirl sews

Yellow Chair Slipcover Part 2

2012-01-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

So I finally had a few minutes to get back

to my chair slipcover project.

I am struggling with how these

photos are showing up,

but I suppose that is what happens with

an orange chair and a yellow tape measure.

I thought long and hard

about how I wanted to make this slipcover.

With an upholstered chair,

you often use a lot of pieces in order

to really mold and fit around the frame.

But with a slipcover,

you can simplify the lines

and do larger pieces that just

smooth over the frame.

I decided to skip the front band piece

between the seat and skirt.

I like to start my slipcovers by making

a "muslin".

I know some people are brave

and can make the slipcover with the

actual fabric and do a great job.

However, I prefer a fitted slipcover

and I don't want to run the risk

of wasting my fabric if I make a big mistake.

So I start with big rectangles of a muslin

fabric that I can write on and cut to fit.

I use drapery lining fabric

because I have a lot left over from

old window treatment projects.

But you can use regular muslin

or an old sheet,

or just some fabric you don't love.

I would use a fabric with the same

amount of give that your slipcover fabric has

because you want to know how it will lay

on the chair.

I center the rectangle on the seat and then start

tucking it in, all around.

Then I cut away the excess,

so that I can start to get the shape

of the seat to use as a pattern piece.

But I am careful to leave enough

to have a seam allowance.

This is the corner of the seat

and covers that front band.

I will cut off that excess at the corner

so that it is fitted.

Once I got the seat piece cut the way I wanted it,

I put the rectangle of fabric on the back and

did the same thing.

So I start tucking and cutting

into the corners to get the shape.

Don't cut too deeply into the corners

because you are going to need

seam allowances to sew.

Next, I pinned all along the curve
of the chair back.

This is important for this chair,
because if I cut it straight,
it would not fit properly.

I trimmed off the extra,
leaving a seam allowance of about 5/8".

I put my clear quilting ruler on the top
of the back of the chair,
so you can see how curved it is.

When I cut the piece that goes
on the top and sides
of the back, I will need to take this into account.

Next I pinned the next rectangle
over the arm and started
pinning the front curve.

The clear quilting ruler
is useful here too,
for showing the angle of the arm front.

Then I pinned the outside arm panel
to the inside arm panel,
which wrapped around the arm.

I left enough seam allowance to pin
the arm pieces together.

Then I pinned another piece
to the front of the arm,
pinning all along the curve.

Following the curve of the arm,
I trimmed off the excess ,
leaving a seam allowance.

I used a soft pencil to trace
the line of the piping underneath.

This is just a good way to mark the
shape of the chair on the pieces.

Ok, that is all I have for today.

More photos coming.

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Another Yellow Chair Slipcover Project

2012-01-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was working on my

sofa slipcover,

but the truth of the matter is

that I am procrastinating.

You see, the sofa is a really big project.

And I need to make A LOT of piping

for the sofa slipcover.

Yeah, the sofa is that yellow

floral piece next to the

little orange slipper chair

that I bought at Goodwill last year.

And while I like the orange,

it is stained,

worn bare in places,

and goes with not
one thing in the house.

But, I bought the chair
because I love it!

And it was only $14.99.

It is short and small
and my feet touch the floor
when I sit in it!

And I went diving into my fabric stash
and found this beautiful linen floral.

I bought this years ago
when I was working as an interior
designer for Laura Ashley stores
here in the U.S.

And before they closed the stores,
I bought this linen and the matching
yellow corded welt.

But wait!

That fabric looks familiar!

Oh yeah.

It is the same fabric that my old
yellow floral sofa is covered in.

I knew I loved it!

Did I mention that I love yellow?

And it is rainy and gray outside,
so that means that I must create
my own sunshine.

So now it is time to sketch and measure
the chair.

I know that people make slipcovers
all kinds of ways.

But I am very mathematical in my thinking,
so it helps me to sketch
and measure when I start
the project.

I will take photos of the process
as I go and post,
so you can see how I make slipcovers.

Happy sewing!

Sivje

McCalls 6388- She Loves It!

2012-01-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Ahnalin loves to look through the pattern catalogs

when we go to the fabric store.

She fell in LOVE

with McCall's 6388

and just begged me to sew it for her.

In fact,

in true Ahnalin fashion,

she told me about the fabrics

in my stash that she thought would be perfect!

This is the first combo she wanted.

I can't remember where I

found this patchwork cotton

lycra knit in the first place,

but Ahnalin has had her eye on it for quite

some time.

And this "Paper Snowflake"

corduroy is from Sandi Henderson's

"Meadowsweet" line for Michael Miller.

We added the blue rick rack to coordinate

with the legging fabric.

And Ahnalin chose the buttons too.

I think my favorite part about this pattern

is the sleeves.

The pattern actually shows gathers

but I wanted to make pleats instead.

I made them the size 8 in length
and size 6 in width.

I didn't actually measure the pattern
pieces on her this time,
because sleeves are ALWAYS too short
on her.

Not this time!

And of course,
there are pockets!!

And they are trimmed with rick rack!

I had to add 4 inches in length to the
legging pattern!

I cut the size 6 in width
and size 8 in length PLUS 4 inches
and they are the right length for now.

We found these darling
hot pink and orange shoes
at Target and added
white eyelet trimmed socks too.

I really wish I had purchased the smaller
size pattern because
I think a size 4 in width would
fit her much better than the 6.

She is SKINNY and
this pattern is roomy!

But she loves it.

It is a cozy outfit.

By the way,
she insisted I take a picture
of her eating her favorite
Jo-Jos cookies.

Ok.

Like I said,
she loves the outfit!

She has already chosen the next
fabric combo
for the same pattern.

And of course,
we need a little "Classic Ahnalin".

So, what am I working on now?

Well, I was invited to a lunch and craft party
with women from our new church,
so I pleated up this "Henna Garden"
from my stash.

I am attempting to smock again and praying my
hands don't scream too badly.

I do miss smocking so much!

And I am also working on
a new slipcover for my sofa.

Yeah, photos to come when I have some
to show for myself!

Thank you for your prayers for India.

She is soldiering on,
and very tired of her giant splint on
her foot.

Her blood sugars FINALLY stabilized
and she started back to college
on Tuesday.

And guess what!!

She is taking costuming classes!!!

Thank you for your prayers for our family.

If I can so boldly make one more request,
it would be prayer for a closer
full time job for Don.

In addition to his job as music director
for our church,
he works full time as an audio and
acoustical engineer.
He commutes 3-4 hours every day
to work.
We are so so so grateful for the jobs,
but he is exhausted all the time

I am so blessed to have a loving,
committed, and godly husband,
who sacrifices daily for us.

Please pray that he can find
a job with benefits closer to home.

Thank you so much for the prayers and encouragement.

Sivje

Look What Came In The Mail For Me!

2012-01-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Way back in December,

Sew Mama Sew

hosted "Giveaway Day"

and I had planned on participating.

But life happened and my hands

were still a major mess,

and I never did.

But I DID enter

lots of giveaways for goodies!

And I was so blessed to win some!!

This was an extra major treat for me

because I had put myself on a

major fabric diet!

I had not purchased fabric since

I bought all the Rapunzel costume fabrics.

So gorgeous new designer fabric

was not a treat I was allowing myself

(like sugar, which was also verboten!)

Anyway, I WON

this FABULOUS Fat Quarter Stack

of Sunny Happy Skies

fabric from Riley Blake!!!!!!

They picked me and posted my answer

to their question of what I bake

at Christmas time.

I wrote that I bake Spanikopita

and you know how that turned out this year!

Thank you Riley Blake for this gorgeous fabric!!

And then I won this!

This little box of awesomeness!!

This is Pearl Cotton embroidery floss

in yummy colors!

I guess I have to get busy

with more embroidery!!!

I just love these colors!

Thank you Cricket

And last,

but most certainly not least,

I won this Thread Catcher pattern

from Candice at Made with Love.

I need to make this right away!

My family will be so happy to

NOT see thread everywhere.

I am so excited to use my goodies!!!

Thank you all so much!

Now, I hope I get to finish an

outfit I have been slowly working on

for Ahnalin.

I have been pretty busy taking care of

my patient India.

She is still in a lot of pain but

she seems to be feeling better

and has been keeping some food down.

Thank you all for your prayers!!

We feel them and are so grateful.

India's Surgery Update

2012-01-10T21:43:00.001-08:00

Thank you For your prayers. India is home and finally doing better.
Her surgeon was able to repair her tendon and remove a lot of scar tissue from the damaged area. India's Type 1 Diabetes wrecked havoc with her before and after the surgery, but after several different types of pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and antibiotics, she is feeling better. Several frantic phone calls to the nurse and surgeon finally netted the right combination. The pain was so intense that it caused her adrenaline to spike her blood sugar, which caused hours of vomiting. This meant she was unable to eat anything. But finally, at about 9:00 PM she was able to eat and the pain meds stayed down. So, even though she can still feel the pain, she is loopy enough not to care.
Please continue to pray for my sweetie. I am sure this kind of surgery is painful by itself. But the addition of Type 1 Diabetes is not an easy one.

I am so grateful for praying friends. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us.
Thank you.

Note: this is my first time posting on my iPad and auto correct is driving me nuts!! I am hoping I caught all the weird word substitutions. If there is a wrong word or something funky, please forgive me. I am still learning this new thing.
Sivje

Pajamas, Prayer, and Bad Christmas Photos

2012-01-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it is the ninth of January

and I am just now posting photos of Christmas morning.

But I have been trying,

in my VERY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING,

to make something of these blurry photos.

You see,

I DID make the girls matching Christmas jammies.

And Ahnalin received

the Disney Animators Mulan Doll

from her Daddy and me.

And she received her Molly doll

from her Nana and Papa.

And I made matching jammies for Molly too.

And India received a biography about her

favorite boss.

And Don received a t-shirt with his namesake

on it!

And me.........

Yeah, my Hot Rockin' Hubby

bought me an iPad2!

I still need to learn so much about

how to use my drafting programs on it.

It feels super decadent to me,

but it is my computer.

I have been using Don's old

MacBook and he needs it back!

So, I need to figure it out.

I am VERY open to any and all

tips and thoughts from

anyone!

After we opened our gifts

and had some breakfast,

we headed to church for the Christmas service.

It was a beautiful service,

worshiping the newborn King Jesus

with our new church family.

Because Don is the music minister,

he made the decision to

have India join us in singing the

Christmas carols.

So, I got to sing with my India

and my HRH together.

What a gift!

After church,

the girls put their Christmas jammies

back on because they were so cozy.

And yes, the oven DID catch on fire

while I was making the Spanikopita.

I had planned on taking lovely photos

and posting the recipe.

Really.

But I couldn't find Ahnalin's camera

and my phone was taking these blurry shots

and I used too much butter

for the first time in 23 years of making this

and THE OVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!!!!

So we ran next door

and the neighbors had a fire extinguisher

and brought it over to put out the flames.

And God protected us so much,
because the fire was contained
to just the inside of the oven.

Thankfully,

the rest of Christmas dinner was food

I could make on top of the stove.

So crazy!!!

Don wanted to clean the oven

but I said it could wait until

after Christmas dinner!!!!!!

He did it anyway.

It is very clean now.

Thank you Don!

After dinner,

we went to see

The Muppets for the 2nd time.

This time, we all sang along.

You see, it was at the bargain theater

and everyone else was in a Christmas mood, so

EVERYONE WAS SINGING ALONG!

It was a lovely Christmas day!

And yes, I am going to buy a new

fire extinguisher.

A few days later,

Ahnalin and I drove India to the

airport so she could fly out to visit

her Chicago buddies!

She had a wonderful time,

but is SO READY to finally

have her surgery.

So, this morning

we are heading to the hospital for her

pre-op with the anesthesiologist.

Her surgery is set for 12:50 tomorrow,

but we are praying that the hospital will

move up her surgery slot so she can

go in earlier.

With her Type 1 diabetes,

fasting for surgery is difficult.

Please, please pray for my girl.

Please.

Please pray that the surgeon will

be able to repair the tendons in her

right foot.

Please pray that he can figure out

what the strange lump is on

her ankle, and correct or

remove it.

Please pray for India as she recovers,

that her blood sugars would remain stable

and that her immune system

will behave, for once,

so she can heal.

We really covet any prayers sent our way.

Thank you so much.

I will update soon.

Sivje

What Ahnalin Made Us For Christmas

2012-01-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas,

Ahnalin made all her gifts!

I am so proud of my girl!

She came up with the ideas all on her own

and then planned out how she

would design and sew them.

Our family is CRAZY for

The Muppets!

In fact, we saw the movie

for the second time

on Christmas Day!

(This was after the oven caught fire,

because I learned that you CAN use too

much butter in Spanikopita!)

So when Ahnalin saw this Kermit

fleece at Joanns,

she HAD to have some to make

a scarf for Daddy!

She wanted to embroider his

name on it,

so she set up the font

and hooped

the fabric too.

Then she sat and kept an eagle

eye on it while the machine was

embroidering.

Afterward, she cut strips on

each end of the scarf and tied knots.

The handsome wool cap

was India's gift to Daddy.

I think he looks very handsome in his new

scarf and cap from his girls.

Don't you agree?

She made this beautiful

red ruffled breakfast pillow

for her big sister.

I am over-the-moon

in love with it!

I couldn't get it to

photograph very well,

so yes, it is

outside in a tree

in this picture.

Again,

she drew out what she wanted

to make and then

figured out how to make her

design a reality.

She wanted the ruffles on the top

of the pillow,

not in the edge seams.

And she wanted India's name

embroidered too.

She tried to do it by hand

but got too frustrated

and decided to use

the alphabet stitch

on my machine.

It is very well loved already

because India took it with her

on her trip to Chicago.

And for me..........

She made me a fabric envelope.

She wanted me to help her

with the buttonhole.

So I had to do it with a blindfold

over my eyes.

I didn't actually see this finished

until Christmas Day.

She made the rest,

all of it.

And the best part............

what was in the envelope.

Oh my.

Yep, I cried.

I am not sure how I feel

about her

thanking me for adopting her.

I mean,

I am so blessed and grateful.

But wow.

I have so many feelings

about this one........

But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my present.

It was made with love by my sweet

precious baby girl.

And when we go through

days where her RAD pops up

with a vengeance,

I can think about my letter

and know she loves me.

I love her heart.

I love her so very much.

Thank you Ahnalin for

our beautiful,

"Made-with-love"

gifts.

You are one of my very favorite gifts.

All Four Of Us In A Single Shot!

2011-12-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

It doesn't happen often.

I mean, we very rarely are in the

same place at the same time,

when we are dressed in decent clothing,

makeup on and hair brushed,

and,

at least appear,

in our right minds.

But yesterday at our new church,

Sebastopol Christian Church,

I grabbed a new friend

and handed her my phone.

I threatened my family

with mayhem if they made

anything less than the most

charming and lovely

smiles.

And there you have it!

Look closely at the hand on India's leg.

It's mine but it looks like it is hers,

only the fingers are opposite of what they should be.

It makes me laugh!

And I am pretty sure that

India was saying

"TAKE THE PICTURE ALREADY!"

Ahnalin refused to sit up straight

and actually smile.

But hey!

There we all are now.

Whew!

Now.....back to my sewing.
Unless I finish India's Christmas dress,
she will likely be dress-less on Christmas day!

Happy Sewing!

Dresses for Cherish and an Angel

2011-12-17T01:37:00.000-08:00

This little dress is for my precious,

adorable,

and in-every-way-wonderful niece Cherish.

I want to see her in it so much!

You see, it is red and white

and reminded me of

Olivia the Pig,

so of course, I had to add

some Black Rick Rack.

And,

well,

I loved it so much,

that I had to make one for a little

girl whose tag we picked off

the Angel Tree at First Pres. Church.

So this one is for a precious little girl

who I will probably never meet.

And Ahnalin found this "Sonya Lee" Little Peoples set

that we had gotten for her when she was little.

But she only ever played with her wood blocks

or her babies,

so it was still in the box.

She decided to give it to the

little Angel Tree girl.

I am proud of my sweetie for thinking

of this little one.

Well, and then Ahnalin

decided that she wanted a dress

JUST LIKE the dress for her
Christmas dress!!!

But, I had to shake things up a bit....

So this is just a teaser of Ahnalin's dress.......

When I fell in love with this fabric

a few years ago,

I bought the rest of the bolt!

It has been in my stash

just waiting for me to decide to cut into it.

It's Michael Miller Iron Work

and I even have enough left over

for another dress or two!

I need to take photos of Ahnalin

in her dress before

she gets "Christmas" all over it.......

And yes,

I did.

I made ANOTHER Rapunzel costume!

You see,

next summer we plan to

visit Cherish

and her Mommy and Daddy

and Ahnalin is dying to play dress-up

with Cherish.

I decided to simplify Cherish's Rapunzel

dress and chose not to use grommets for

lacing the bodice.

The ribbon is actually sewn in place

for the sake of comfort and simplicity.

The lace overskirt used every last inch

of the purple embroidered lace.

(well, I do have a skinny bit left for a doll dress...)

I machine sewed the hem so that it would

be sturdy for 3 year old dress-up action.

The lace is vintage hem tape

that had a price tag of 65 cents on the wrapper.

I love using my stash goodies!

So, one of the red dresses and the little Rapunzel

dress are on their way to my precious niece

for her birthday and Christmas.

And the other red dress and the Little People

are on their way to another little angel.

And one more red dress

will be posted in a day or so

on my wild Ahnalin.......

Next project........

I get to start on India's

Christmas dress,

which will be made from a gorgeous

length of vintage Pendleton wool

given to me by my Hot Rockin' Hubby's

Aunt Dona Vee.

After that.....Christmas Jammies

and then some mittens, hats

and slippers from felted cashmere sweaters.

And......Ahnalin wanted some new
doll clothes for Christmas!
Yep, I think that Santa can fulfill
that request....

Oh fun!!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Candles, Cocoa And Change

2011-12-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight we lit the Shepherd's Candle of Joy.

We love Advent Sundays in our family.

They are my favorite tradition of the

Christmas season!

We usually use a brass Advent wreath or

a red cutout metal Swedish Advent wreath.

But this year, we are using the wood and greenery

wreath that Ahnalin and I made at the Advent Festival

at our old church.

( More about this below.)

In this picture, we were singing

"The First Noel".

I can't tell you how much I love this picture.

I love love love love it!

Every Sunday night of Advent,

we read the Bible verses,

sing the songs,

pray the prayers,

and light the candles.

Then we enjoy dessert and

salted maple hot chocolate.

Last week, we had chocolate cake

and the same salted maple hot cocoa.

Do you see my darling Christmas Goose china?

I love it!

And the first Sunday of Advent,

we had dark chocolate brownies

and salted maple hot cocoa.

And yes, I have lots of different Christmas china.

All of my dishes for the rest of the

year are super practical,

but I love my wonderful Christmas dishes!

And in case you were wondering,

the "Salted Maple Hot Cocoa"

is my own concoction.

You see, I had been very, very committed

to the Anti-Inflammatory diet,

and had avoided all sugar, wheat, corn and potatos

for months.

But pure maple syrup is allowed occasionally.

And I loved the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

at Starbucks, so I wanted something similar for me!

So, here it is!

Salted Maple Hot Cocoa

Serves 4

4 cups milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt

3/8 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup boiling water

whipped cream

(yeah it has a bit of sugar. I don't care!)

cocoa powder to sprinkle on top

In a medium sauce pan, heat the milk on low heat.

(Be careful not to scald or burn the milk or you get a yucky

brown film on it.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder,

salt, maple syrup, vanilla, and boiling water until foamy.

Carefully blend the cocoa mixture into the hot milk.

Pour into 4 mugs and top with whipped cream.

Sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder on the top of the

whipped cream.

YUMMY!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And the change I was referring to.........

Well, we have loved our time at Santa Rosa

First Presbyterian Church,

but we are so excited for our next adventure!

Last Sunday was our final Sunday at First Pres,

and this morning was our first Sunday at

Sebastopol Christian Church!

Don is the new

Director of Music and Worship

at SCC!

We had such a fun time

in worship with our new fellow

singers and musicians.

We can't wait to get to know new friends

and serve in new ministries.

God is so good!

And the best part is that

we will still be able to see

our friends from First Pres because we

are staying in Santa Rosa!
YAY!!

I am so grateful to God

for the gift of His Son

and the gift of worship.

Happy Advent!

Madison's Birthday Dress

2011-11-30T23:16:00.000-08:00

Once again it is birthday time for

one of my favorite little fashionistas!

For the last 4 years,

a darling little girl named Madison

has requested a very special dress for her birthday.

Last year, when she was 6, Madison

requested an "Olivia" themed dress.

More pictures of this dress are HERE.

And when she was 5,

Madison requested a Tinkerbell themed dress.

More photos of this dress are HERE.

And this was the very first dress I smocked

and constructed for Madison,

when she was 4.

Each year, Madison chooses her theme,

color, and other details and then I get to create

a dream dress for her.

Madison's mommy sent me a picture of the

design that our little designer had chosen.

Because there are no smock plates

(smocking stitch pattern)

for this kitty,

I had to figure out a way to

smock this design.

Just like last year,

I ended up smocking free hand.

Madison requested Hot Pink

as the color of her dress but left

the rest of the design up to me.

I loved the contrast of the black

outline in the design,

so I chose to use black for her name

and for the rick rack as well.

And like last year,

I sewed a row of tulle to

the attached petticoat

to add a little bit of fluff to the skirt!

And I found the most fabulous

hot pink sparkly buttons to match the fabric

just perfectly!

And of course,

because we all know of my passion for rick rack,

I had to add some to the skirt......

And the sleeve cuffs.

And,

of course,

because the attached petticoat

is sewn to the lining of the bodice,

there are no scratchy seams visible.

(The color is wonky in this photo!)

And it had to have a

Sivjegoose label too!

While the measurements

are customized to Madison's actual more petite size,

I chose to put a size 7 tag

inside because this is for Madison's 7th birthday!

I can't wait to see pictures of the birthday

girl in her dress!!

Her mama told me that Madison is considering

being a dress designer when she grows up.

I think she will do a marvelous job!

Happy Birthday darling girl!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Psalm 100

Make a JOYFUL noise unto the LORD

All ye lands.

Serve the Lord with GLADNESS.

Come before His presence with SINGING.

Know that the LORD, He is GOD.

It is He that has made us and not we ourselves.

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with THANKSGIVING

and into His courts with PRAISE.

Be THANKFUL unto Him

and BLESS His name.

For the LORD is GOOD.

His MERCY is EVERLASTING

and His TRUTH endures

for ALL generations!

This was one of the first chapters of scripture

that I memorized as a child.

I think of these verses often

and they remind me that even in

difficult times,

I have SO MUCH!

So being thankful is so much

easier when I remember this.

I love to sing my Thanksgiving to the Lord

and this is a favorite hymn of mine.

I am so very thankful for my beautiful family.

I am thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

I am thankful for a variety of healthy, delicious food.

I am thankful for the gift of creativity.

I am thankful for loving and fun friendships.

I am thankful for the gift of music.

I am thankful for the beautiful rainbow of color,

evident both in people and in nature.

And most of all,

I am thankful that God loves me

so very much.

I pray that this Thanksgiving,

you enjoy love and bounty and blessing.

I pray that you bless others.

And I pray that you rejoice in

the creativity that allows

us to share in the joy of our Creator.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A New Slipcover for Goosegirl's Sewing Chair

2011-11-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

Way back in February,

I posted this picture.

I blogged about it HERE.

Well, I am sure I have told you

that I have major Sewing A.D.D.!

But I FINALLY finished my chair!!!!

I LOVE IT!!!!

When I originally had the chair made,

I was working at a furniture store in

Nevada City.

I wanted a sewing chair that had a ruffle!

The manufacturers laughed at me!

So for years, I put up with my

cute, but boring red checked chair.

It started to wear out and look awful!

I said for years that I would slipcover it.

But then I always got sidetracked and

put it off.

I have been a bit bummed out lately

and kind of feeling sorry for myself.

Don used to tease me that when I got

depressed, I would start painting things yellow,

to make my own sunshine.

Well!

I now have my very own chairful of sunshine!

This is the back.

Yep!

I know it looks like a dress.

I made covered buttons........

And they match the custom piping.

And I fussed the back all up

just the way I wanted it!

And I love every detail about it.

And everything came out of my stash!

I had purchased these fabrics

to decorate our living room

in our home in Lake Bluff, Illinois

back in the 90s.

So yes, they are maybe a bit dated.

But I love them

and they make me feel happy.

My sewing area is in my kitchen.

This was probably intended to be

the breakfast nook

So my space is VERY LIMITED.

Those curtains underneath the table

hide my clear plastic shoe boxes

that hold all my notions.

I also have my smocking pleater,

my floss box,

some fabric and current projects,

and other things.

Most of my fabric is actually stored

in the garage.

Ahnalin's little Hello Kitty Janome

stays set up right next to my Janome,

so we can sew together.

My other machines are in the garage too.

I grabbed my old bookshelf

and put it on the sewing table to hold

my antique spools.

I use the spools for my elastic,

piping cord,

rickrack and other trims.

This is a vintage spice rack that I painted

with some leftover craft paint.

I think I want to repaint it yellow,

or maybe a paler aqua.

And the Mary Engelbreit print

desperately needs to be framed.

It is signed by Mary!

But it will go on the wall right there.

I painted this at a pottery painting

workshop with my girls on Ahnalin's birthday.

I sew much better than I paint,

thankfully!

I took photos of most of the steps

while I was making the slipcover,

so I may post them soon.

But I am so glad that I finally

finished my chair and fixed up my sewing area.

It feels like a huge gift to mysef!

I need to get back to my smocking now!

Happy Sewing!!!

Simple Corduroy Skirt For My Girl

2011-11-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

So my girl was on another design kick the other day.

She pulled this remnant of black,

white and pink corduroy out of the stash

and requested a pleated skirt

to go with her new hat.

And it had to "Swish" too.

I found an unopened roll of this black

and white ribbon and used every inch of

it to trim the yoke and hem.

And do you remember this dress from THIS post?

Well, Ahnalin wanted the same effect
on a long sleeved shirt
that just happened to have a stain in front.

The ribbon hides it perfectly!

And the shoes,

well, I love them!

This picture makes me laugh!

Between the hot pink sweater and hat,

and the standing-on-one-leg,

I think she looks like a flamingo!

And then I started to play with the Black and White

feature on the camera.

And I love this one too!

Can you tell I really want to learn

to take pictures?

She wanted to swing on Daddy's arm

and is still just short enough to do it.

And then she put her boots back on to

ride her scooter home.

But she reminded me that we had not taken

the "Classic Ahnalin" pose,

so she remedied that!

As to the skirt,

well, I did not use a pattern.

It was just a less-than-a-yard

remnant and math.

If there is interest,

I may write up a quick tutorial

for this super quick skirt.

But my projects for today

include smocking for a favorite client

and finishing the slipcover for my sewing chair.

I find that with the tendonitis in my hands,

that I have to take breaks from smocking

and do other types of motions for a bit.

And then I can go back to smocking.

I will have pics of the chair hopefully tomorrow!

Thank you all for your prayers for my hands

and for my India.

She will be having surgery in January on her foot,

so she is off dancing for a while.

Off I go to sew and smock!

Happy Sunday and Happy Sewing!

Just A Striped Corduroy Jumper For Autumn Days

2011-11-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Ahnalin has been begging for some

new corduroy jumpers for Fall.

She had been stash diving in my

corduroys and found this purple stripe

and she wanted it!

You see, back in September,

when we had to admit that

sandals, Crocks and flipflops,

were not going to get her through the school year,

she fell in love with these purple boots!

This was followed by much begging,

and many promises of being a precious,

perfect, angelic child every minute of the day.

Well, I bought the boots for her.

She wanted a corduroy jumper

with pockets ( for collecting rocks

and stubby pencils)

and she wanted lace on it.

On one of our many trips

to Joann Fabrics,

she begged for this pattern.

And because it was on sale for 99 cents,

she got it!

I bought the corduroy a long time ago

from Walmart and I bought the lace

recently from Fabric Hound.

The buttons are from my vintage

button stash.

She wanted to hold her McGuffey Readers

while I took pictures because

they match the fabric.

This is one of her

"Duh Mom!" looks

and she was very ready for me to

finish taking pics so we could walk to school.

She HATES even the thought of being late.

And, of course,

we must have the Classic Ahnalin pose

to finish it off.

So, a bit about the pattern.....

It runs quite large.

I wish I had purchased the smaller

size range because I probably

should have made a 4

and lengthened it to the size 7.

But the pattern packet included 6,7 &8

so I cut the 6 in a 7 length.

The pattern goes together quickly

and is easy to wear for my girl.

She is already planning the next jumper out

of this pattern.

So, I say it was a success.

Happy Sewing!

Dueling Rapunzels

2011-11-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Once again,

my princesses have chosen

to dress up as the same character

for Halloween.

Do you remember when they both

wanted to be Alice in Wonderland?

You can see more pictures

of those costumes HERE.

But this year,

they both wanted to be Rapunzel.

Now, you will notice,

in the above photo,

that neither girl is wearing

an enormous blond wig.

Well, India made one for herself.

It was beautiful!

But it wouldn't stay on her head.

So, she is holding it on in these pictures.

Oh, and I finally took these photos

yesterday, after both girls had

worn their costumes several times.

Yeah, bad photos.

I have to say,

these costumes frustrated me!

I made each girl's costume differently,

based on their preferences.

India, with her love of corsets,

got a boned and very structured

bodice for her top.

I used McCalls 4107 and added sleeves and a front panel,

as well as lace, to make her top.

I had to re-cut the bodice because the original was much too low.

India's daddy would have put her up in Rapunzel's tower

before letting her out of the house

in the original low cut bodice!

We found every single fabric

for these costumes in the Red Tag

area in Joann's Fabrics.

And they were all 50% off the Red Tag

price when we bought them.

Nothing was over $3.00 a yard.

The fabric for India's skirt and upper sleeves

was a polyester crepe.

I really struggled with the colors and fabrics

for these costumes, because I wanted

them to really look like Rapunzel's in

the "Tangled" movie.

That wasn't going to happen for us,

so the bargain bin worked fine!

I was rather obsessive

about the sleeves.

I liked how they were close-fitted

and appeared to be knit.

So I found this nylon tricot knit

for $1.00 a yard and it worked perfectly!
I drafted the sleeves to fit

the armscyes and then then cut the lower

sleeve to India's specifications.

I used a gorgeous polyester and metallic

tapestry brocade for India's bodice.

This is actually the back side

as it showed more of the purple

and pink colors and was less glitzy.

This is an awful picture,

but India painted on the skirt designs

with paint pens.

I tried to machine embroider the designs

on the skirt, but it didn't work out.

But I think her designs were lovely.

I used Butterick 5421 for the skirt,

but I cut the skirt larger,

so I could add pleats, and

added a waistband.

I was not thrilled with how badly

the crepe wrinkled,

but then, I had to remind myself

that these were costumes

and my girl was happy with the result.

For Ahnalin's costume,

I used Simplicity 2065

But, as usual, I made alterations.

First of all, I cut a size 4 around

and a size 7 in length.

The pattern called for organza for

the lower sleeve, and the overskirt.

Well, as above, I preferred the look of

the knit sleeve, so I used the tricot.

And Ahnalin absolutely refused

to allow anything "itchy" in her costume,

so there was no organza or tulle

allowed anywhere near her.

And, she reminded me,

that the "Real Rapunzel" didn't have

a poufy skirt!

She had a "swingy skirt".

We found this great embroidered border

lace yardage in the clearance section for $2.00

a yard, and it was relatively soft.

So we nabbed the last 2 yards they had.

This is actually pretty different from the
"Real Rapunzel" dress, but she liked

the sequins and it saved me some

time, so we went with it!

And besides that, it twirled well.

I loved the pale lilac sparkle satin

I used for the underskirt.

It had a tiny bit of lycra in it so it

draped very nicely.

$2.00 a yard was nice too!

The lace was something that I have had in

my stash since high school!

I think I have actually used the last of it now,

but it was perfect!

Did I mention that I am crazy about these sleeves?

Aw yes, the Classic Ahnalin pose!

Aw....food dye in Halloween candy!

Thankfully she is not affected by blue!

Most of her candy was thrown out

due to her issues with corn syrup

and red food dye.

But she was livin' it up with the blue!

Oh, and a note about the lack of

a long blond wig......

she refused.

She said a wig would make the costume

"too obvious".

Heehee!!!

I wish this wasn't fuzzy,

because my dueling Rapunzels were

so cute together.

Tic Toc...I Love You All The Time

2011-10-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

At long last!

This has got to be the oldest

U.F.O. I have ever completed!

India picked out this fabric all the

way back in 2000!

I made a mistake in my last post and

said I had bought it in 1999.

She was in second grade and just beginning to learn

how to tell time on a clock.

I cut out this dress and

got it about half finished

and then we packed up to move to

New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Somehow, I never unpacked

this to finish sewing this dress!

Ahnalin found this unfinished

dress in a box in our garage here in

in Santa Rosa!!!

That means that this box had travelled

through several moves before

being opened!

OH MY!

For some reason,

I made the bodice with

facings instead of lining it.

Weird,

especially since there was more

fabric packed with the pieces.

So, I cut out a lining

and added interfacing.

And then the bodice looked a little

too boring,

so I pleated some gingham ribbon

and added a scrap

of rick rack.

After all,

I still adore rick rack!

Ugh!

How did I miss that thread?

I didn't have any buttons

in my stash that I loved

with this fabric.

And there was no way I was going

to the fabric store to finish a

U.F.O that was 11 years old!

So, I dug through my button jar

and started layering buttons.

I liked this combo.

I had already sewn the hem band

and pockets onto the skirt,

but I added more rick rack,

because, well, it's me!

Although I prefer button closures,

I had already put in the zipper,

so, out of a desire to just

"get'er done!",

I left the zipper in.

Ahnalin loves it!

She wanted to do "Pretty poses"

for this dress,

so this is one of those.

Twirling!

And then,

of course,

the "Classic Ahnalin Pose"!

I am so glad I finally finished this little dress,

before Ahnalin grew out of it too!

---------------------------------

In other news,

I am doing well on the "Anti-Inflammatory Diet"

and am seeing results in my hand.

After a visit to the doctor,

and blood work,

we found out that there is some kind of

auto-immune condition going on,

but we don't know what it is.

So, I am headed to a specialist to figure that out.

And,

I will be starting the girls Halloween

costumes this week.

Does this give you an idea of who

both of my daughters want to be for Halloween?

Happy Sewing!

Alterations, Aprons And A Really Old U.F.O!

2011-10-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you,

so much (!!!)

for your prayers and encouragement!

My hand is MUCH better and I have been

able to do some sewing!

I am thrilled with the progress

my hand has made since I have been following

the Anti-inflammatory diet!

So, thankfully, I have been able to do

some work!

That has meant A LOT of alterations for

various clients in town.

And, as usual, that means replacing

a lot of zippers,

adjusting hems,

and letting out seams.

But I finally remembered to share a tip

that has saved me a lot of frustration.

I have been replacing a lot of invisible zippers lately.

And I truly HATE the little plastic feet by Coats,

that are sold next to the zippers.

Now I know that you can buy a special foot

for installing an invisible zipper,

but I didn't want to buy one more thing!

So I tried all of my different machine feet

and found out that my Piping foot worked perfectly!

I was thrilled and feeling rather thrifty as well!

Do you have any idea what this is?

It is the inside of a gorgeous bridal gown

that I am rebuilding for a client.

While I always welcome alterations business,

I LOVE altering bridal gowns!

I have been taking my machine over to

the bride's home to work on her dress,

because my eager girls would have

a hard time not sneaking a try-on!

Did I mention that I adore bridal gowns?

And I have made a few aprons lately too!

I had an old friend order an apron

for her preschool daughter.

She picked these two fabrics

so I made the apron up

with the same fabrics but

in reverse.

She picked this one!

And this is the other version.

I love them both!

This is a size small (2-4)

and I will be listing it in my Etsy soon.

And that U.F.O.?

(UnFinished Object)

Well.............

I bought this fabric in 1999

and cut out a dress for India.......

who was in second grade at the time!

A month into the school year,

we moved from Lake Bluff, Illinois,

to New Hope, Pennsylvania.

So I must have packed up this

partially sewn dress that I had

been making for India,

to encourage her to learn to tell time.

Guess who found it while

"shopping in the garage"?

Ahnalin!!

This is just crazy,

because we have moved

2 more times since then!!

So, now Ahnalin is in second grade

and learning to tell time.

And I am finishing this dress for her!

However, I don't like

that I had made it with facings,

instead of lining the bodice.

So, I have taken off the facings

and am lining the bodice so

I can attach it to the skirt.

The dress also only has seam

allowance for a zipper,

instead of buttons,

but I am just keeping that the same.

So, hopefully tomorrow I will have photos of

Ahnalin in her finished dress!

It feels so good to be able to sew again!

I need to get back to work now.

Happy Sewing!

Oh My! My Baby India Is 20!

2011-09-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 20th Birthday India!!

Yes!

She is 20 years old!

And this is the bike she bought with her

Birthday money.

Pretty sweet ride, eh?

So in honor of her birthday,

I thought I would show some fun photos of my

first baby.

I took this photo on her last day at work

as a "bookie" on the

Storybook Land Canal Boats

at Disneyland.

Ahnalin and I were riding Casey Jr. and

as the track runs all around Storybook land,

our train happened to be directly overhead

as India's boat was going under the bridge.

And here she is right

before midnight on her final night of work

as she was graduating from the Disney College Program.

Ahnalin and I,

along with some of her DCP buddies,

were honored to ride her final boat.

This was, without a doubt,

her very favorite job ever!

A week after we brought her home from the

Disney College Program,

my parents came for the weekend

and we drove over to Bodega Bay for a visit.

As usual, India chose to make goofy faces

in nearly every shot!

I love this picture.

I actually took it in May when

I got to visit her all by myself

in Anaheim.

This picture is a few years old but I love it.

India is holding my darling niece Cherish

and I think they both look beautiful.

This was taken a few years ago when

India, Ahnalin and I went to a friend's wedding.

This was taken when she was not yet 4

and we were moving away from her favorite

cousin, and best friend Tyler.

This is one of my favorite pictures of these two.

India loved eating at the American Girl Cafe

in Chicago when we lived there.

This visit was when she was 7 years old.

This was taken at India's third birthday.

She LOVED this dress!

Blue gingham and the apron

was white with pink birthday cakes.

I even made a matching outfit for her Ginny doll!

And here she is just a few years ago in

her Alice costume.

I stole this picture off of her Facebook page.

A friend took it when she was a freshman

standing outside the drama room at school.

Her shirt and her expression are pure India.

Here she was singing at a local restaurant

while her Daddy (aka Hot Rockin' Hubby)

accompanied her.

This is my all time favorite picture of my India.

She was 3 and

attending Healdsburg Preschool Co-op.

She is just so yummy in this photo!!

I love my India so much.

She was my first baby.

She is the one who had to

bear the brunt of all my first-time-mama parenting,

yet, somehow, she has managed

to grow into a brilliant,

talented,

beautiful,

funny,

amazing,

loving,

generous,

spontaneous,

gifted,

happy,

faithful,

imaginative,

committed,

and miraculous

WOMAN!

I can't even begin to say how very proud I am of her.

As she enters this stage of her life,

her "20s",

I pray that the Lord will

bless her with wisdom,

joy,

courage,

faith,

health,

peace,

love,

relationships,

success,

miracles,

imagination,

and

yes, I pray that she be blessed

with her heart's desires.

Jeremiah 29:11 is India's favorite verse.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you a hope and a future."

She is a lovely woman

but she will always be my baby.

India, mama loves you forever.

What I Have Been Up To

2011-09-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

Oh My Oh My!

Where do I start?

Yes, Princess Pei Pei lost another tooth.

But her permanent teeth are growing

behind the baby teeth.

So you can't see much of a space.

We visited Discovery Kingdom

to celebrate Ahnalin's Chinaversary

and had a yummy, and super bad-for-us funnel cake sundae.

We went to our church retreat

at Westminster Woods

and this is the only picture I got!

Ahnalin loved playing all the fun games

and got soaking wet!

Our speakers were amazing

and I had so much fun being on the

drama team and singing all weekend.

Sadly, India had to stay home because of her

rehearsals.

Oh!

I probably forgot to tell you!

Now that India is all graduated from the

Disney College Program,

she is in college full time here in Santa Rosa.

AND......

She is in the musical,

"My Fair Lady"!!

As we have walked to school each morning,

we are often greeted by the sight of

hot air balloons that have landed in the school yard.

I had never seen one being deflated before,

so this was fascinating!

Ahnalin asked Daddy to take

the training wheels off her bike,

and in about 2 seconds flat,

she rode away!

As to sewing,

well, between being "Taxi Mama"

and doing alterations for a gajillion people,

I have not been super creative with fun sewing.

I am not complaining about the alterations jobs,

as they provide much needed "extra" (not really) income.

But I did manage to make a valance for my dining room.

This is some much loved fabric from my stash.

I don't have a lot of each fabric,

and I believe the floral is out of print.

So I am having to be fairly creative

in order to get 2 more valances out of it!

And as usual, there is no pattern for this.....

just math.

I have lots of Fall clothes cut out for Ahnalin

and need to get busy sewing them!

It has been very hot here,

so she has been happy still wearing

summer clothes.

But I need to get busy!

But I would be so grateful if you have any

extra prayers to spare,

if you would send them my way.

I have been struggling with

some pretty extreme pain and

swelling in my left hand.

Thankfully, we now have medical insurance,

so I was able to schedule a doctor appointment!

I get to see my new doc in just over a week

and I am praying for some answers regarding my hand.

But in the meantime,

I have decided to try

the anti-inflammatory diet.

It can't hurt me any more than

my hand hurts already.

And I am wayyyyyyyyyyyy too young

to feel this rotten.

I mean, I have sewing to do!

I hope to have some fun things

to show soon.

Happy Sewing!

Happy 6th Chinaversary To Our Family!

2011-09-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

We are a family.

And 6 years ago today

our precious Ahnalin was placed in our arms.

This is not the prettiest picture of me,

but we both had been crying.

God has brought us a long, long way.

We struggled with Reactive Attachment Disorder,

PTSD and Sensory Processing Disorder.

She didn't sleep at night

for a long, long time.

But God has healed her and now

she is a wonderful sleeper.

She was terrified of Daddy for a long time

but they are so tight now!

Ahnalin and India are REAL sisters in every sense of the word.

They fight (like crazy!)

but love each other more than life.

We are so blessed to have each other.

We are a family.

Thank you Lord.

Twenty Three Years With The Hot Rockin' Hubby

2011-08-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Twenty three years ago today,

I married the love of my life.

And I love him so very

very

very much more now

thank I ever thought possible.

Don, you are my very best friend.

You are exactly who I wanted

to share my life with.

Every day,

no matter what happens,

I am glad that we belong to each other.

God must love me very much

to have given you to me.

I love you,

my love.

Forever.

Love,
Sivje

Flower Power For Charlotte!

2011-08-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

This outfit is for a beautiful little girl

named Charlotte.

Do you remember this post?

Well, Charlotte's mommy,

Meredith,
is a fellow blogger.

She blogs at Merry Stitching.

She remembered this outfit

and ordered one like it for her

little Charlotte.

I did not have enough of the

Flower Power "Loopy Floral" in the

fuchsia colorway to make the whole dress.

But, I had some of my favorite pink

plaid and loved how it blended.

I only had enough left of the fabric

to do the skirt and two knotty straps,

but I think the different look is pretty.

I just noticed that little thread on

the sleeve of the blouse and now it is going

to drive me crazy!

I even had enough of the vintage goldenrod

cotton rickrack.

And I had some yellow buttons

that picked up the color nicely.

And I think I like the plaid contrast on the

gathered pockets even more

than the floral contrast on Ahnalin's.

I could hardly wait to see this on the

lovely Miss Charlotte herself!

And look what came into my inbox!!!

Isn't she gorgeous!!

Look at those angelic curls!

I love to see little ones in things

I have sewn for them!

And look at this spinning action!

And she looks like she is singing here!

Meredith, thank you so much for the

photos!

And thank you all for your prayers.

I am finally starting to get my strength back!

And I am finally, almost caught up

with blog posts!!

I am loving having my India home with us!

I will post the trip photos really soon!!!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Pink Plaid For Kylie

2011-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love this plaid.

In fact, it has been included in

several of my custom dresses lately.

This dress is for Kylie.

Kylie and Ahnalin are

"China Sisters".

While they are not biologically related,

our families traveled together to

China to adopt them.

We are so grateful to have contact

with Kylie's family

so our girls will always have that connection.

Can you tell that I love sewing with plaid?

I love making pockets and growth tucks!

And matching those plaids at seams is

one of my favorite things to do.

It appeals to my "math brain".

The back actually matches up perfectly,

but I could not get a good picture

that did not have my shadow in it!

I have finished all current custom

garments and have one more to show

you tomorrow.

I am taking a few days off but

will be taking more custom orders next week.

I am slowly getting well.

This bronchitis and trip really wiped me out!

I will post trip pictures soon!!

Happy Sewing.

On The First Day Of Second Grade........

2011-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

she was dressed in pink and purple!

She had requested short puffy sleeves,

lots of ruffles,

a tie belt,

and she wanted plaid fabrics!

I only had a small amount left of

each of these plaids,

but she loved them both.

And she had been waiting to wear her new

pink floral Aster shoes ever since I had bought them

off Ebay last Spring.

Well, as of 9:30 last night,

I still had not cut out this dress.

And her back-to-school-anxiety had been

in high gear all day.

So, when she FINALLY fell asleep I was able to

start work on this little dress.

And did I mention that it had to match

her beloved backpack?

Well, yes.

And if you look closely,

you will see that her dress also

matches her purple plaid hand sanitizer holder.

Yes, it did.

We did not need to start walking to school,

until 8:15.

However, she was fully dressed

and wearing her backpack

by 7:30........

begging to leave.......

afraid to be late!

She managed to talk big sis India

into walking with us to school.

India is wearing her huge

Disney College Program Alumni shirt

and super classy "Perry The Platypus" hat.

She started to see some of her friends arrive!

Most of them were also wearing pink!

I managed to get a few squeezy hugs.

We finally got to go into her classroom

and find her desk!

She found her new folder,

with her name on it!

And then, her teacher told

the parents that it was time for the

school day to start!

India and I walked back home together,

reminiscing about other "first days".

After school,

we walked back to the school,

to walk Ahnalin back home.

I was hopeful she would have a good day.

However the anxiety of the day,

coupled with being seated next to

two children who were mean to her last year,

caused Ahnalin to go into a full blown melt down

after school.

I will have to have a talk with her new teacher

to explain how these children

treated Ahnalin last year.

She is very nervous about one child in particular.

I am prayerful that tomorrow will be a better day.

And tomorrow, I will post another darling

dress sewn from one of these plaids!

I still have many posts to catch up.

Happy Sewing!

Happy Birthday To My Hot Rockin' Hubby!

2011-08-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful hubby

in the whole world!!!

You are the most gifted musician

I have ever heard.

You are the best Daddy

our girls could ever have.

And we are the most blessed

family in the whole world.

I love you so much my love.

Happy Birthday!

I can't wait to have you home

with us tonight!!

Bloomer Skirt for Carissa

2011-08-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Every girl needs a Bloomer Skirt for back to school!

This one was a custom for a

darling little China sister named Carissa.

Here mama remembered

that I had made a Bloomer Skirt

for Ahnalin with Tanya Whelan's "Darla" fabric

and requested one for her girly.

I appliqued this little rose onto the gingham print.

Attached bloomers in the gingham print

for proper coverage while

jumping rope and hanging from Monkey Bars.

If your little girl needs a Bloomer Skirt,

I would love to create one for her.

Or, you can make one yourself using

my "Monkey Girl Bloomer Skirt" e-pattern.

Just click on the links to the upper left

of the blog,

either my Etsy store,

or the "Add to cart" button.

You can also purchase the pattern from

You Can Make This .Com

and

Fairytale Frocks And Lollipops

Please email me if you are interested

in me creating a custom Bloomer Skirt

for the darling girl in your life.

And now, Ahnalin and India and I

are off for an afternoon of pottery painting.

Ahnalin starts second grade tomorrow

and we must enjoy our last day of

Summer together having

creative fun together.

Happy Sewing!

The Birthday Girl Lost Her First Tooth!

2011-08-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ahnalin turned 7 on Friday!

She wore her beautiful new dress

from Uncle Christian,

Aunt Chelle, and cousin Cherish.

She actually lost her first tooth 2 days before,

but we were still in Southern CA at my friend,

Sharon's house.

So in order to not confuse the Tooth Fairy,

we just didn't let her know that Ahnalin

had lost her tooth until we were back home.

Mommy was still feeling pretty sick,

so I didn't attempt to sew her a Mama-made dress.

And she requested cupcakes from "Sift",

so I didn't bake her a cake.

Lazy mama.

For her birthday dinner,

we ate at "Mary's Pizza" in Sonoma,

which is Ahnalin's favorite restaurant.

That night,

we drove up to Grass Valley to visit Nana and Papa.

And Daddy had a rehearsal with the Denny Russell Band

Saturday morning.

Then we had a family BBQ to celebrate

Ahnalin's and HRH's birthdays.

I took lots of great pictures.

And they are NOT showing up on

the computer anywhere.

But I am so grateful for my beautiful 7 year old Ahnalin.

She is a wonderful gift.

Sivje

I am here!

2011-08-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Really!

I am here!!

I caught a nasty case of bronchitis

before leaving to pick up India

from the Disney College Program.

And then my camera stopped talking

to my computer.

So......I have LOTS of photos

to upload of custom dresses....

and our trip........

And Ahnalin's birthday.

A real post is coming today

and the last of the customs will be in the

mail tomorrow!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-07-29T01:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday!

And I wish I had this cake!

The details are amazing!

I snagged the photo from

this blog.

I am still finishing Ahnalin's

concert dress

but I will tell you that it is

turning out sooooooooooo

Cuuuuuuuuuuute!!!!

So for my birthday today,

I am announcing the winner

of "Twenty Eight And A Half Wishes"

And the winner is............

"Buckster" aka Cheryl Heward!

Cheryl, I am sending an email your way!
Congratulations and enjoy!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Ladybugs for Abigail

2011-07-27T00:17:00.000-07:00

Ladybug ladybug,

Fly away home!

And this little ladybug dress

will be flying off

to a little girl named Abigail tomorrow.

Aren't these buttons darling?

You see, ladybugs

are a very special thing to many

little girls and their families.

When we were waiting

for our Ahnalin,

we learned that ladybugs

were a symbol of hope for

families adopting from China.

Abigail,

like our Ahnalin,

is a precious girl from China.

And I bet she loves to collect

treasures in her pockets,

just like Ahnalin!

Don't these pockets look like

they will hold many precious goodies?

Abigail's mama ordered this

dress to be custom made

especially for her little ladybug.

I am busy sewing pretty dresses right now,

and I still have a few custom spots available!

You can see lots of ideas

in this post

and if you would like to order

a dress that is one-of-a-kind,

custom made by me,

you can email me at

sivjegoose @ sbcglobal.net

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Ahnalin Sewed Her Own Shorts!

2011-07-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ahnalin made these shorts!

Start to finish!!

This child, who still has not lost a tooth,

sewed wearable shorts!!

Are you impressed?

I am!!!

And lest you think she is some kind of

wonder child,

the reason she made them start to finish today

was that she is grounded

from the TV and playing with friends.

We have had some real challenges

with her attitude and behavior lately.

And when that happens,

we make her world very small again.

And intense Mommy and Ahnalin time,

especially when she can

learn a new skill successfully,

is just the ticket!

She wanted to learn to use a

real pattern.

She wanted to learn to use the iron.

She wanted to make pockets

out of a contrasting fabric.

She learned how to measure,

mark, and top stitch them in place.

I think she felt she needed to pin about

every inch to keep it straight.

Yes, she IS that precise.

I wanted her to put a clip in her hair

so she could see through her bangs!

But I had to pick my battles,

and that one was not worth it.

She struggled with feeding the elastic

through the casing.

She is such a perfectionist,

that I had to stop her and calm her

down when it wasn't going through

as easily as for her as it does for me.

She had to rethread her machine,

several times.

But she did it,

every time.

This was the little joke she got past me!

She thought it was hilarious!!!

We cut a size 6,

but she is turning 7 in 2 weeks.

So..........she sewed in a size 7 tag!

Ahnalin chose this pattern,

Simplicity 3743.

We cut a straight size 6,

which is rather unusual.

She is so thin and tall that I usually

cut a size 4 and add length.

But she wanted to cut the 6.

And it fit perfectly!

I think she did a marvelous job!

(Yes, this is my ancient cutting board.)

She is SO PROUD of these pockets!!!

Sorry this is fuzzy,

but she insisted on her

"Classic Ahnalin" pose.

Heehee!!

I am so proud of my girl.

She did everything herself,
yet she willingly took direction.

The second part is the bigger miracle,
as she is not always teachable.

I am SO PROUD of her!

She has 4 more days of

symphony camp and then Saturday

is her performance.

I am finishing her concert dress this week.

And she wants to do

"A WHOLE LOT MORE SEWING MAMA!"

I have a custom sundress going out the door

tomorrow,

so I will post pics of that in the morning.

Several people have requested information

about Ahnalin's sewing machine.

It is the Janome Hello Kitty 3/4 size machine.

We purchased it from Target for $119.00

but I saw it just now at

Overstock.com

for $99.99!

This is NOT a toy machine.

It is a real sewing machine that is sized

for smaller people.

It even has a 4-step buttonhole!

She adores her sewing machine!

I highly recommend this machine for

a young sewista who really

wants to own her new skill.

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Simple Blessings

2011-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed!

And as I have been trying to save

money for our trip to Anaheim,

I have not been spending any money

that did not need to be spent.

And God is constantly reminding me

that HE loves me!

I LOVE fresh flowers.

And sometimes, I like to buy a few.

No fresh flowers have been purchased lately,

and yet my new neighbor surprised me with

these gorgeous Hydrangeas from her garden!

They smell beautiful and are so gorgeous !

I have been working hard to sew

out of totally enormous and

totally embarrassing fabric stash.

I have only been purchasing things when I have

nothing that can even remotely be substituted.

But today, in the mail,

I received a package from a sewing friend

and inside was this GORGEOUS fabric!

I have never seen such a beautiful print!

Thank you so much Hettie Lynn!

You blessed me so much today!

I am doing my dead-level-best to stay

away from Starbucks.

That place can eat up the bucks and add

calories with terrifying ease.

And I prefer Peet's Coffee anyway!

So, I have been making my own iced coffee!

YUM!!!

You know I love Mary Engelbreit, right?

Well, when I was working

at the furniture store,

while waiting for Ahnalin,

I ordered these cannisters.

This was at least 6 years ago!

I was saving them for when we were

finally in our own house.

I had forgotten about them!

But I found them when we were

going through some boxes in our garage!!!!!

Aren't they wonderful?

I am CRAZY IN LOVE with them!!

I also found this.

I had hooked this rug while waiting

for Ahnalin too.

I never bound the edges,

but other than that,

it was finished.

So, I finished the binding

and now Ahnalin has a new rug to match her room!

And look what bloomed

in my teeny tiny garden spot this morning.

So bright and happy!

Every good perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

And don't forget to enter

the giveaway for the book here.

So, how have you been blessed this week?

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

Twenty-Eight And A Half Wishes! -and a GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-07-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Oh! Lucky Lucky me!!

I just finished a really fun

new book!

And by "really fun",

I mean

"I-am-not-gonna-go-to-bed-until-I-find-out-what-happens!!"

kind of fun!

Denise Grover Swank

an amazing woman whom I came to

know through her blog,

"There's always room for one more"

is the author who penned this

wonderful book!

Like me, Denise is a mom of children

of both the homegrown,

and the international variety!

I had the opportunity to

interview Denise about her new book.

I fell in love with the main character,

Rose Gardner.

And I wanted to find out a bit more about her.

Denise let me in on a little secret.

You see.....well.....

just watch this and you will see.

So, grab a cup of coffee,

or a glass of sweet tea,

and get to know Denise and Rose a little bit.

Goosegirl: So, how did you "meet" Rose and where did her story come from?

Denise: The story idea came to me first. My son had bought his first car and I went with him to the DMV to get license plates. It was a hot and humid summer day and the room was stuffy and crowded, thus lots of cranky customers. As any writer knows, a good story needs conflict so I told my son that having a character who worked at the DMV would be awesome. My son thought I was nuts, but the idea stuck with me.

I’d just written a heavy, dark urban fantasy/paranormal thriller (Chosen which will be released in September) and I needed to write something lighter and more fun. Chosen had a little boy who saw visions of the future so I thought “What if I take that same idea but make it lighter?” So Rose’s crazy, mundane visions were born. But Rose herself still didn’t exist. At that point, she was a nebulous woman who worked in a DMV and had visions.

It was when I decided her mother would be overbearing and abusive that Rose came to me. Once that piece fell into place (and this all occurred in one afternoon. It rarely works this way but Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes was like a lightning strike all the way around) I sat down to write. Twenty-Eight is first person so Rose stuck herself in my head and told her story. She just poured out.

If I could be friends with any of the characters I’ve created, Rose is the one I’d want to live next door to. She’s sweet and funny and has the most fantastic outlook on life. I LOVE that she’s been repressed all those years, but ultimately takes responsibility of her own behavior. I love that she could have easily fallen into a victim mentality but chose to pick herself up and change her own future.

I know what you’re thinking. “Uh, didn’t you create this character?” And while I did, the characters all become very real to me and tell me how they react to situations. I think that’s why readers tell me that my characters seem so real. It’s because they are. In my head.

Goosegirl:

Did you ever have a time where you came up with a list of "wishes" like Rose?

Denise: Yes, although I never wrote them down. After my husband died five years ago, I realized that life is short and there may not be a tomorrow. If I wanted to do these things, I needed to do them NOW. The biggest one on my list was to complete a novel. I did that in December 2009 when I participated in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. But I will say, my own personal realization spurred Rose’s in the story. And when she’s walking in the park and faces “the undeniable proof of my mortality” I’d had the same experience a few years earlier.

Goosegirl: I was sad to leave Rose when the book ended. I felt like I was just getting to know someone who I thought would be a fun friend. Will Rose be back?

Denise: Rose will definitely be back. I love her too much to not experience her life more. I have three more books plotted. I started on the second Rose book but put it on hold to edit the second book of the Chosen trilogy, Hunted, which I plan to release in November. I hope to have the second Rose Gardner Mystery, tentatively titled Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons, published by next summer. Rose will struggle with her long distance relationship with Joe while her sister Violet encourages her to not limit herself to her first relationship. I may switch the plot around a bit with the mystery, so I hate to say too much about it but will say that Mildred, the president of the Busybody Club, will be a more prominent character.

Goosegirl: Do you see yourself in Rose, or is she modeled after someone you know?

Denise: I think Rose is more like me than any of my other characters; however, I think she’s sweeter than I am. I have a bit more snark. ;) She’s also not modeled after anyone. I know some authors do that, but I’d be worried I’d offend someone if they found out. Plus, like I mentioned above, each character I write is real to me. They live in my head so I think I’d find it limiting to base them on someone.

Goosegirl: Is 28 1/2 wishes your first book or do you have others?

Denise: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is my fifth completed book. It was the third book I wrote. I wrote it last July and finished the first draft in 30 days. It was an incredible rush. Rose took control and told me her story. I heard her voice in my head and even started talking in a southern accent, because that’s how I heard her. I drove my kids nuts.

I have two more books coming out in the fall, Chosen and Hunted, and a completed young adult novel about an alternate universe that is still making the agent querying rounds. The first book, that NaNoWriMo book will never see the light of day. I’ve promised to haunt my children if they ever release it after I die.

Goosegirl: So Denise, Rose's neighbor Joe is quite the conundrum! Do you have a "Joe" in your life?

Denise: Ha! No, no Joe. I wish. ;) But I wouldn’t mind have a Joe living next door. In fact, out of all the male characters I’ve created, Joe would be the guy I picked out for me.

Goosegirl: Denise, thank you so much for chatting with me! And thank you for letting me read your book. I know I have told you this several times, but I loved it!

I can't wait for the next Rose Gardner book to come out!

So.........

You are going to want to read this book!

And Denise has graciously offered

a book to one of my followers!!!

She is offering the winner

their choice of a signed paper book

or an Ebook!

If the winner chooses the paper

book, she will sign it and send it directly to you!

So, to enter, please leave a comment

and make sure you leave an email address so

I can contact the winner.
The winner will be randomly chosen
and anounced Thursday, July 28th!

And if you don't want to wait to win
you can get your copy at these places.

Ebooks:

Amazon: Kindle ebook

Barnes and Noble: Nook ebook

Smashwords: ebook

Print:

Amazon: print

Barnes and Noble: print

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Denise as much as I did.