Oh, my goodness! It’s been so long; I wonder if I even remember how to do this blog thang?!
I can’t believe it’s been a year since I first shared some of our family’s holiday traditions. (You can see the original post from last year right here.)
sewing
Meet Our Peeps!
Hey there!
I want to finally introduce my peeps! We’re still not ready for another dog, and Mr. SewOldSchool and I wanted a pet (or five!) for the kids. I researched frogs, rats (I’m sorry, I just can’t!), cats (I’m super allergic!), and fish. None of those options seemed the perfect fit for our family.
After driving around our neighborhood and seeing coops popping up here and there, I researched chickens. There had to be some kind of draw.
Ramblings and Recent Projects
Grief is a funny thing. It’s been a month since we lost Pop, and I’m finally starting to feel my groove coming back. I expected to cry, to be upset. And then I expected to kind of ease myself over it in a generally swift fashion. I figured I’d be back to blogging and sewing, and just back to normal pretty quickly. I just haven’t been in the mood for all of that.
Still, every night, when I get my dish rag out to clean my kitchen counters, I have the urge to call him and talk while I tidy up. Routine, routine. It’s hard to get used to.
But I’m working on new outlets, new routines, new normals; and it really is getting easier.
OMG! It’s Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day Again!
The day I have been waiting for, for months is finally here! Today marks the start of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaways. This event is full of handmade goods/gifts made by fellow bloggers and/or crafters. It’s so much fun to enter to win items that someone poured their heart and imagination into. I just love it!
The Rat Race Called Easter Eve
Well, in five minutes it will officially be Easter Sunday. It has been a crazy day around here. Matt and I took shifts hanging out with the kids so that the other could get done what we had planned for today. Matt was out working on our in-progress chicken coop during the day – the chicks are coming in less than two weeks! (More on that later.) – and I am now on the night shift taking care of details for dinner and festivities for tomorrow.
In the perfect marriage of being busy and procrastinating, I had pretty much nothing done for Easter until after dinner this evening. If I’m honest, I actually just called/texted dinner guests tonight as to the time to arrive tomorrow. I know, I know – I’m the definition of classy (and so are my dollar store Easter dinner paper plates!).
Spring, I Hope You’re Real!
Oh, my goodness! Not only do I hope (and pray) that Spring is real, but I really, really – we really, really need it to appear! Thanks to my good friend Zhong Gan Ling (disclaimer: I don’t use this brand; I get whatever my acupuncturist carries), cupping
First it was A.W. with a couple scary asthma-like attacks, and then it went right down the line. A.S. got it; I got it; and, finally, Matt is the last of us to get it, too. I am sick of being sick and the worry that goes along with nursing the family back to health! Spring!? I need you!
So You’ve Got Yourself a 66?!
Hello! Hello!
The title really says it all! If you really did just score yourself a vintage Singer 66, congratulations, and welcome to your new addiction! (Now hold on. Give me a minute to let me fix myself up so no one can tell I was just doing the happy dance for you!)
I do like most of the old, iron, ornate machines that Singer put out; but the 66 is definitely special. As I’ve mentioned before, it was the first machine I ever used (after my ten-minute run with a new, plastic, made-in-China Singer that had me proclaiming that sewing and I were not right for each other) — and it’s still one of my favorites.
Time and time again, I see someone purchasing one of these babies as their first vintage machine. And, as they should, they decide that they’re not going to just use it for display; they’re going to actually use it to sew. At first, you’re nervous and fear you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
Relax! Chances are, if you have one, it can be cleaned and oiled and used for many years to come. You can even pass it down to your kids. (My kids will get all seven, whether they like it or not! LOL) I promise, it’s not as intimidating as it looks.
Sew (I’m sorry, couldn’t resist!) let’s talk it out!
The Cheap, (Ridiculously Easy) Way to Make High-Style, No-Frill Curtains (Tutorial)
Good Wednesday morning!
Let’s start today with one of my favorite things – a tutorial that will help you create something that will personalize your space in a major way!
Of course, since I am fabric-obsessed, I appreciate the perfect curtain to complement a room. Matt and I moved out young and didn’t have anything beyond mini-blinds for years. When we bought our first house in our early 20’s, I was so jazzed to go curtain shopping! Finally, we’d be decorating a place the way we wanted to decorate it.
The curtains I wanted were gorgeously out of budget, but,oh, so nice to look at. They were long and flow-y, and pattern-y. All great qualities in window decor. But as a college student (me) and a five-years-out-from-college youngster (Matt), the curtains that we actually ended up getting were nothing special and weren’t all that nice-looking. (And they still weren’t cheap, either!)
I had always loved the long, flowing, fancy style curtains and was sure that’s what I’d have someday. And then I fount out I’m severely allergic to dust mites. (They are everywhere, and they love to live in dusty, flowing curtains, of course!) And then I had children – children who like to rip and tear tug and pull and roll themselves into long, flowing fancy curtains. (Animals!)
In Search of Some Friendly Pattern-Testers!
Oh, my stars! I cannot even believe this is happening right now! I am up way too late and up to all things good tonight! I did the usual reading of 27 books while A.W. vehemently refused to close his heavy little brown eyes. That’s okay, because Mama’s got Dr. Seuss stamina! Ha! Continue reading
Happenings Behind the Scenes and a Glimpse at What’s to Come
Hope everyone had a great New Year! I didn’t even do anything, and I still feel like I’m struggling to get into the swing of things! It’s part my crazy-hyper-crafty personality and partly my crazy-hyper-crafty (where’d they get that from?) kids — and, I suppose, partly the chaos that comes with the holidays. I wanted to pop in and reveal what’s been going on in my world, because there’s a lot. Continue reading
Convertible Car Seat Poncho (Discussion and Tutorial)
Good morning!
I think today is the special day that I will finally write up the tutorial for the latest car seat poncho that I made. Both kids are sleeping in, and I have a few quiet moments to construct a tutorial that makes sense!
I adore these ponchos. First off, I love them because I get to make them. A very close second is the fact that my kids just drool over them. A.S. would have one for every day of the week if she could. (And I might be crazy enough to sew that many if I didn’t anticipate my husband questioning all those extra fabric purchases!) As for safety, they are just so much better for car seat use than a big, bulky winter coat. Both A.S. and A.W. get in their seats, hold up their ponchos for me to buckle them in, and then drop the ponchos down to snuggle in. The fact that they’re reversible and fairly water-resistant when you use fleece are just added perks to their cuteness! I have seen many of these popping up from other crafty moms, so I think it’s a trend with some staying power.
The Hippie Chick Menstrual Solution! (Discussion and FREE Tutorial)
For most women, having your period is a fact of life. Handling it with disposable products that end up in landfills and have fine print warnings of possible Toxic Shock Syndrome don’t have to be how you deal with it. There’s another option that no one is talking about! Let’s have some girl-talk!
Six-Panel Fleece Hat w/ Brim – FREE Tutorial
Good morning!
I can’t believe we are already in December! I am so excited to be doing this tutorial. I love making tutorials where you, my reader and craft partner, can make your own completely custom patterns for yourself.
This is the hat we are going to make today:
Treadles and Stick-Shifts
Good morning! It’s 6:30 in the morning at my house, and everyone is sleeping. Except for me. As usual, I’m thinking. I liked what I was thinking about so much that I rushed out of bed to write a post about it. It couldn’t wait.
Let’s talk about the word ”never.”
Never is one of those bite-you-in-the-behind words that I shouldn’t be using. But, you know what? I think I’m going to use it this morning, and I do so confidently! I will never own an automatic car or an electric sewing machine.
Let me tell you why.
Treadle sewing machines are just like stick-shift cars. They are a lost art. I won’t be without either one unless I’m dead or have legs/knees/ankles that are too arthritic to operate my clutch, brake, and gas pedals!
Frozen Anna Hat No. 2 – FREE Tutorial!
Well, I am finally getting around to making the tutorial for the fleece Anna hat w/ the bonnet and braids. Finally! I always strive to keep my word, and it’s been bugging me that I didn’t put this up yet. Also, I made this hat weeks ago; and I fear, if I wait too long, I won’t remember the steps I used to make the darned thing!
Here’s the hat we’re making today:
Thinking this might be great timing for a homemade Christmas gift for your little Frozen fanatic!
SewOldSchool 