It's a sewing Saturday...

Okay, if you know me well and you just read the title to this blog then you probably thought someone else was writing my blog today. I have always been a little sewing challenged. Okay, maybe A LOT challenged. I am not sure what it is. I just have a hard time following instructions on a pattern. If someone told me that I could have TWO new talents, what would they be? I would love to be able to really sing well and to be able to sew and enjoy sewing. Instead of needing to see a chiropractor after a few hours behind the machine. I am determined, though I realize I am getting OLDER, I still have the deep desire to really be able to sew and I am going to keep working at it. My seam ripper and I are best friends. Well, it is kind of a love-hate relationship really, but still, if I can't find my seam ripper then you know I haven't been sewing much!

So, today's project...I am attempting to make a quiet book for Emma's first birthday. Shh. Don't tell her! I bought a piece of fabric at Cabbage Rose (my all time favorite store) right after she was born. It is a printed "quiet book" so basically the pages were there, it was a matter of cutting it out and putting it together. RIGHT! First of all, one of my many problems is, I can't leave anything alone. My brain starts thinking of ways to embellish, make it cuter, etc. There is where I start getting into trouble. My brain can think up lots of ideas but my brain has no idea how to actually make it happen! Thankfully God has blessed me with several friends who are wonderful seamstresses but also very patient! Case in point: Pam. We had talked about doing quiet books for our latest grandchildren. I love that she is a grandmother because it opened up a whole new world of crafts for us to share in. Anyway, after visiting last Friday morning and looking over my fabric purchase, we returned to the store to buy her a piece of the same fabric and some fat quarters for the pages. The ideas were flowing through our veins. Okay, maybe Pam has a better flow than me and she certainly knows how to make an idea a reality, but still we were cranking out ideas! So, we gathered up our supplies and headed to her sewing room, which is amazing! We quickly went to work. Pam was cutting out our squares, I was applying Wonder Under to the backs, etc. We got ready to start sewing...then we realized...we cut the pages the wrong size. Long story...I will not go into it but we recut all background pages and I begin to iron the ABC'S on to the pages while Pam crank up the Bernina (oh how I would love one of those!!!) and we started making progress, though we were way behind schedule. We worked till late Friday night and both went to bed dreaming of how we would finish them up on Saturday. Well, things didn't really go as planned. It was just taking us longer than we thought. After all, the alphabet has 26 letters plus front and back covers and then mulitiple that times two books...you get the picture. To add to the "fun" we kept thinking we were just both having major hot flashes...being the HOT women we are...but after lunch, when we started climbing back upstairs...we realized we weren't so hot...we were MELTING! Come to find out, the upstairs a/c had decided to quit. Upon checking the thermostat we realized it was in the high 90's and rising! So, we had to haul all the stuff and machine downstairs, regroup and start up production once again! The really sweet and fun part about this story, is the fact that even though we were melting and having some cutting issues...we were having the best time talking and working together. By the time we stopped on Saturday evening, we had both completed the first step of each page and were down to putting them together and the last bit of handwork stuff. I have been dying to work on it all week. So, this morning after finishing up my housework or the housework I HAD to do, I have started. I have made some mistakes. No surprise...let's just say I know where my seam ripper is today. I miss Pam. I miss having someone to laugh while I rip out stuff. I miss all of Pam's ideas. I have named her the QUEEN OF EMBELLISHMENTS. I like things cute, I like to add details. I have always prided myself in the fact that I like to take things to the next level. BUT, my brain isn't as big as Pam's. I cannot believe all the ideas that she can think of, plus the fact that her sewing room has a better stock of embellishments than Tinsel Trading Company in NYC! (If you haven't been there before, you should look them up!) The printed pages were cute, but we wanted little touches on each page that our little ones could touch and feel and that would hopefully hold their attention while Mom and Dad are trying to listen to a sermon! That's the plan anyway!

Because I needed to give my neck muscles a break from the sewing machine...I thought I would blog about the book thus far. Like I said...don't let Emma see these pictures...after all I don't want her to see her birthday present early. Actually, I am just hoping I have it ready in September! :)





It's not finished, which means I should stop writing and get back to the machine. But, I just wanted to stop and thank my sweet and ever patient friend Pam. She inspires me. She teaches me skills I so desire. She loves me warts and all. She also understands my relationship with my seam ripper. Thank you Pam.