Just something cute

Just wanted to share what I found when I came out of my work room to get a cup of tea, I'm thinking that my Bobby what's to start designing or I need to spend more time with him?

Cleaning out the stash

With things in my life changing I find that I need to clean out my stash of fabric, yarn ,patterns and so on. I find that by cleaning out the stash looking at fabrics some are leftovers from things I made some for  myself but far more of it haven't been for other people, and some are fabrics I got to make things for myself. But sadly I find that most of the things I got to make for myself I have never made, now it's not as if I don't sew or crochet just about all the time but not very much for myself. That got me to thinking.
     Why is it always so hard for those of use that work with fibers to clean out not only out stash but time in our life's for our selfs?
 Here's the answer I came to, when things in our life's are hard we by fibers, and even if we don't use them the Emotions that we felt at the time of buying the fibers comes back when we look at it. It's not till we are ready to deal with those feels that we can clean out our stash. This is why we keep leftovers from things we make at happy times because we think of the people we made things for or if we are lucky what we made for our selfs. So when cleaning I'm in no way saying give it all up. But we have to give up what's not good for us now things from the past we don't need to make room for the new and hopefully the new things in the stash will be mostly leftovers with  great Memories. This is what I'm working on doing, I'm not sure just how well I'm going to do with it but its the plan.

blocking....

Blockking is the most important step in making anything; be it sewing, crocheting, knitting or the most important of all - life.  Far too often we put something together and don't understand why it doesn't look and feel right. The number one reason is that in the rush of making and finishing the piece. That when it comes time to  putting it together, we forget to take the time to block. (I do this just as much as anyone else)  Life is the same way we get wraped up in doing what others want and making them happy. We forget to block in the time for ourselves needed to stretch and renew ourselves. In this very busy time of year it's even more importen that we set aside time for our selfs. In this season of giving we offent for get about giving to our selfs so, Dont forget to make something for yourself this season.

Yarn shop day in Norman Ok.

So this week for a few days I am in Norman Ok.. As always with everywhere I go, I found the yarn shop in town ( L & B Yarn Co. ) By far out of all the yarn shops I have been in, this one is my favorite so far. It's a very big shop with a nice class room, and great staff and a very nice setting area for looking at patterns or just to talk to other yarn lovers.  I waa able to get a great yarn at a very good price, it's going to make a lovely shawl, out of  this 100% Pima cotton.  If your ever in Norman or live there and haven't been you just have to go you'll love this yarn shop!! I surely did!!

Working out while working

There is no better way to let your mind go, then to work with your hands. With every Stitch that is made you let go of this "always on the go" world of ours, if even for a brief moment.
The first time that I ever thought about crochet as a way to deal with life, is when my grandmother started in-home Hospice care, with my mother and I as her caregivers. You see my grandmother is the one who I learned to crochet from, well her and her crochet group. The Happy Hookers, as this group of women in their 70s  jokingly called themselves; Never tiring of the not so little, little inside joke of theirs. When my grandmother started hospice, my mother didn't crochet at all.  But,  her sitting there unsure of what to do with her hands, my grandmother and taught my mother to crochet - with the first thing she made being a blanket for her mother. As we all worked with yarn it helped us to deal with the loss to come, the yarn had become a way of healing as we worked it in to whatever it was to be.


For some it's the two knitting needles they hold, for others it's a sewing needle as they work the thread, but for me, I find it to be Extremely true when I crochet. In my mind I see what I'm working on as a finished piece done and being used; how the fibers will wear with time. For some will stay the same never getting any softer never losing any color, the love and thought that were there when it was made will never show on them. But then, there are fibers that get softer as you work them in to what ever its to be, with  every time its washed loses a bit of color, a sweater shows the love of the one who made it and the one who wears it. Thats just how the Shawl that I'm crocheting out of Bamboo will be, softer with every wear. A "go-to" soft piece of clothing wear, that's easy to care for.

Twelve must haves for sewing

Whenever starting something new, you want to take the time to make sure that you have everything that you need to make it all come together, Hopefully .... if all goes well with ease.

To keep everything easily at hand a bin like the on I have shown is always a help. Even if you have a larger sewing space a smaller bin that holds  just the tools you will need for the project you are going to be working on is a handy tool, I have found. 

Here is a list of tools to keep in your bin. ( the photo shows what all the tools look like so that you will have idea as to what it is that you are looking for)

 Photo left to right (Row1) 1-4 (Row2) 5-7 (Row3) 8-12

1) Hand sewing needles

2) Pin Cushion

3) Pins

4) Bees Wax 

5) Tailors Chalk or marking Pencil, mark be gone pen

6) Seam Gage

7) lager and small sewing Scissors

8) Thimble

9) Thread

10) Seam reaper

11) Turning tool 

12) Tape measure     

These are the twelve

must haves for any sewing box or bin, but I also find that it's handy to have a pencil Sharpener, hand Lotion,  a pencil or pen and a tide Togo pen. I find that it works very well to take put fabric making pens, sad to say they don't always come out as hoped.

Nows a good time to pick a pattern. You want to make sure that you pick something that well both going to be a Challenge and make you feel Successful at the same time. But I'm getting  a head of myself, we'll take a look at starter sewing patterns next time. Till then  keep flowing your heart 

Sewing Life lesson 1

The needle weaves in and out of the fabric binding it in to what it will be come, as with people weaving in and out of our life's binding us in to who we will become.