refusing to be intimidated any longer, I finally threaded my sewing machine and
am starting to get acquainted with it. part of me wants to just start sewing pretty pieces of fabric together and see if I can't eventually piece it all together into a quilt.
but probably I should actually learn some stuff first.
do you have suggestions/tips? if so, I'd love 'em!
(I haven't really used a machine much since making scrunchies in 8th grade home ec)
also, bread and laundry.
good, clean home economics~ bread and laundry.
I think I could get rid of 75% of my clothing and be perfectly happy.
perhaps I'll give it a go. maybe more like 25%. I'm not particularly fashionable anyway, and I bet if I started paying closer attention, I likely wear the same dozen or so articles of clothing again and again and again.
this morning we met some friends at the farm area of the Biltmore Estate. we did some walking, some playing, a little bit of goat and chicken petting (I love the lavender orpington hens they have!), some balance bike/tricycle/scooter riding (the tricycle is her true love), and capped it off by watching the draft horses take a little siesta.
found out today that my mom is getting transferred to another hospital with a more advanced pulmonology department. they are really wanting to get to the bottom of whatever is going on, so she's got some procedures coming up: a lung culture, lung biopsy, and a bronchoscopy. despite her small improvements, those X rays just aren't clearing up, so we'll see. I know I've been talking about it a lot because now and again I hear Claire say things like "critical care unit" and something that sounds a lot like "pulmonologist" when she's playing. how fun.
on the bright side, it reached seventy degrees today, and we went went out to get tacos for dinner.
giddyup.
YAY for sewing!!! I taught myself to sew by starting with Amy Karol's book "Bend the Rules Sewing." Tons of super cute projects, and she teaches the basics so well. There's even a quilt pattern in it!
ReplyDeleteI've got it on hold at the library now and can't wait to look it over! thank you~
Deletemy sewing machine has been screaming to get out of the closet.....problem is---it doesn't know what to do once it escapes. i need to remedy this, too.
ReplyDelete:)
Deletepraying for your mother. Stay calm and be faithful-sounds like she is getting the best treatment and hopefully answers will be found and a treatment started to get her back to healthy.
ReplyDeleteLove your photos! My sewing days are so very long ago, I preferred knitting over sewing :)
thank you, Karen~ my calm is starting to sneak away from me more easily than it was when this all started, but I am working on breathing deep and calling that calm back into my world. thanks~ I do love knitting, beginner though I am, it's so comforting and meditative.
DeleteAmanda, I left a comment on Steph's blog the other day and this was her reply:
ReplyDeleteReply March 06, 2014 at 11:20 AM
Gypsy Forest said in reply to Tracey...
Don't be afraid! Pick something simple & just do it. My favorite book when I began was Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. Super basic information & projects. I still have it and have used it to teach my own girls to sew!
I thought it might help you.
I am continuing to pray for your mom. And I am with you on the clothes thing, I have favorites that I wear and too many clothes that I don't just taking up space.
Love this!! xo~
Deleteokay- this book is waiting for me at the library! thanks, ladies~
DeleteI love to sew, and starting simple is great. I like the book Improv sewing by Blum and Immergut. Also, read your manual, especially the basic parts(presser foot, forwards, backwards, how to thread (looks like you've done that!), bobbin stuff, etc.). Good luck and have fun! I'd be happy to talk sewing any time!
ReplyDeleteThinking about your mom, too!
thanks for another book recommendation, Molly~ I'll check this one out, too. I DID start with the manual, and certainly found it to be very helpful in breaking things down so simply. and I will say my brain enjoyed the manual-reading and trying-new-things, for sure! ;)
Deletethank you~
I also just saw that craftsy.com has on line classes for 50% off right now. I've never taken any of their classes, but they have some beginner/intermediate classes that look good.
DeleteGo for the quilt, I just bought a machine and have never used one before. No practice stitches just went straight to a quilt for my 2 year old who isn't going to criticize sloppy stitching. It was so fun and I can't wait to give it to him, I just posted an update on my blog ;)
ReplyDeleteoooh..... I'm coming over to take a peek!
Deletethanks for the encouragement ;)
I love these pictures of your everyday, and the laundry and bread! Truly the stuff that is the real engine of the day!
ReplyDeleteBlessings to your family -- and especially your Mom.
Claudine
thank you, Claudine~ truly, they are my favorite kind of pictures.
Deletethanks for the well wishes, I appreciate it!
Yay for sewing. I am a fairly newbie so have no advice, but looking forward to seeing the advice from others :) Will continue to keep your mom in my thoughts.
ReplyDeletethank you, Kim~
DeleteI keep peeking at your blog for a photo of an awesome swap box received. I KNOW it's coming!
Hoping your mother continues to improve and that the find the cause. Just go for it! Quilting is the easiest because it's straight lines! Just go with a simple 9 patch and keep the seams straight.
ReplyDeletethank you~ no one expected this to drag on so long, so it's a strange time, but best to dig deep and get to the root of the issue, for sure.
Deletequilting is the EASIEST, you say? I'm listening, I'm listening! okay- off to google "9 patch" (I assume a three by three sort of layout of patches of the same size, but as I said, total beginner here.....)
keep the seams straight, keep the seams straight, keep the seams straight.......
Oh goodness, sending you and your mama love and peace! i love to make twirly skirts for bea. they are super easy. and you don't even need a pattern. this link got me started a couple of years ago. seriously. easy. and cute and practical. http://oliverands.com/free-patterns/lazy-days-skirt/
ReplyDeletealso, this little dress gets made every year. http://oliverands.com/free-patterns/popover-sundress/ very easy and cute. so perfect for the summertime. in fact, i need to print the next size up and make a few for bea for the summer.
quilting: wish we were neighbors. we could have a quilting party. i'm about to dive into another quilt (like, after i finish this comment). patchwork is super easy and about all i've ever done. if you invest in a quilting foamy board thing, and a rotary cutter it makes measuring/cutting easier and more accurate. any fabric store will have those. and actually, my machine is so basic. one stitch, 40 + years old, I don't even bother doing the actual sandwiching of the fabrics to make the quilt. i just let the professionals do that part.
if you can grow food, raise bees, tap maple trees, make that beautiful felt wool play mat for claire, organize swap thingy, etc. you can sew, my dear...
reading your comments always feels like chatting with a dear friend, Nichole~ xo
Deletethanks much for the links to these patterns, I've saved them to look at later (read: pinned). oh, to have a quilting (and so on) party with my neighbor Nichole........ yes, that'd be nice. much more than nice. by quilting foamy board are you talking about the self-healing mats? planning to pick one up with my next big fat AC Moore coupon. (and a rotary cutter, with another big fat coupon)
ha! thanks. you make me sound so very capable.
firstly..... sending you much love and good thoughts for your mama. that's so hard.
ReplyDeletesecondly.....find a simple project. it can even be sewing strips together that may someday become a quilt. time spent sewing will give your heart some peace.... it surely does mine. (like knitting)
xo~
s
ps ~ i could totally get rid of half of my clothes and only notice when i needed to wear a dress for something!
thank you, Stephinie. yes, it IS hard. my calm keeps slipping away but I know it shouldn't~ she's in good and very capable hands.
Deletethanks for the sewing words of wisdom (love that Tracey shared your earlier response to a similar comment of hers on your blog), I like the idea of sewing strips together for now. need to pick up a rotary cutter and mat.
I started a box of clothes-on-their-way-out. even having attended a recent clothing swap (and getting rid of much then) I've still got way more than I need. I remember seeing something out there in blog world a year or so ago about a woman taking a challenge to wear only 10 articles of clothing (or something like that) for a month. I thought it sounded quite wonderful. and liberating.
Gorgeous pictures ... gorgeous read. And talk about your mom every minute you need to. I, for one, am always ready to listen to people's stories of the people they are taking care of. It's the staple of your life right now ... go ahead and share. That is what we are here for!
ReplyDeletethank you~ I appreciate your kind words and that you took the time to say them.
DeleteThinking of you, Amanda. The best on your mom's transfer to a new team of doctors and continue recovery. I'll hope for healthy days soon. Spring seems to be showing... breathe deep. Oh! And Claire is such a cutie! Thanks for sharing your days and your thoughts.
ReplyDeletethank you, Marcela~
Deleteoh it is indeed peeking through, we found our first wild violet and dandelion of the year today!
i'm glad to hear that they are looking more into was is going on with your mother... i think it is so important to do so. i do hope all of you are out of this and getting back to normal soon though.
ReplyDeleteyour bread looks fabulous.... and it's making my mouth water :)
i am so glad you started sewing!! that is the way to do it after all (diving in). i personally love to use patterns... and if you want... i would recommend some... but if you want to just start sewing random stuff... well... there are a lot of people who prefer it that way too... if that's how you feel... i say "go for it!!" :)
I am balancing it all out in my head, remembering that it is essential and necessary to be thorough, tampering my fears with reminders to stay calm and breathe deep. but I'll feel a lot better once my mama can breathe deep, too! the return tot normal will be so very welcomed.
Deletethank you~ it is the WHO bread (wheat, honey, oats) out of Amanda Blake Soule's Rhythm of the Family book. I think it's also on her blog. I follow it mostly, but often swap molasses for the honey and coconut oil for the butter.
I'm going with random for now because that's all I know ;) but I'd certainly welcome any pattern recommendations from you, for when I build up a bit more confidence~
Wow. This is turning into quite a journey with your mama. Sending much love.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to answer any sewing questions, though I am NOT NOT NOT a very proficient sewer in the clearest sense of the term, despite what you might think. ; )
indeed, it is. thanks for the love, I'm feeling it ;)
Deleteha! oh yeah? well, if a not-very proficient sewer made the quilt on my couch, I'll be thrilled to make it to not-very-proficient status.