Month: October 2021

Halloween

This year, we ditched poor Brandy and went somewhere closer for Halloween. Sorry… sis! We figured, we could see you soon at William’s birthday party, which we didn’t make either. Third time is a charm, see you on Thanksgiving 😉 

Nate’s mom invited us over her place for Halloween, and we had a wonderful time. Evelyn wanted to be a fish, and really liked this blue fish headband on Amazon. Complete with a blue tutu and a Pretend I’m a fish shirt, she was a happy camper.

Grant sat around in his stroller wearing a sweater that said Gone Fishing and held onto his tiny toy fishing rod.

A great time was had by all.

And now we have plenty of potty training candy. lol 

We have been giving the kids a piece of their Halloween candy every time Eve pees on the potty. Grant is so into it, that he started yanking off his diaper and has peed three times already. My kids might potty train at the same time.

Trick or Treat 2021

Dear Sis,

This year was Charlotte’s first year participation in Trick or Treat. She only made it two streets before she decided to ride in the wagon and eat her goodies. William did the full 1.5 hours… running (flying) most of it!

Charlotte wore William’s old bee costume very happily. William was a pilot just like daddy! His uniform is a Melissa and Doug costume and he got the airplane from Mama Jenn for his birthday last year:)

Happy Halloween!

Love,

b



For a Fish Loving Niece – Part 1

Dear Sis,

A few weeks ago I did a fabric haul at Hobby Lobby for Evelyn’s fish room.

Today William and Daddy were away at Monster Jam. Charlotte and I cleaned a bunch, made some freezer meals, and made Evelyn’s new duvet cover!

The Haul

  • Duvet fabric: 5 yards (42 wide) shimmer scale print
  • Duvet backing fabric: 2.5 yards (108 wide) white
  • Curtain fabric: 5 yards (42 wide) aqua
  • Curtain lining: 5 yards (54 wide) blackout drapery lining not pictured

This fabric is challenging to photograph because of the shimmer effect. 




Making a Duvet

Twin (68″ x 86″)

  • Center Panel: Our fabric was only 42 inches wide, so that was the width of our center panel. We tore the top edge to make sure it was straight, measured 88 inches and tore the bottom edge.
  • Side Panels: Two torn panels, 14.5 inches wide by 88 inches long.
  • Backing: Our fabric was 108 inches wide, but we tore it down to 70 inches by 88 inches.
  • Ties: We cut four, 12 inch lengths of twill tape. to stitch into the corners of the duvet cover.

  1. Making Duvet Top: sew side panels onto center panel. Press raw edges to one side and top stitch.
  2. Preparing Ties: roll hem raw ends to prevent unraveling.
  3. Preparing Bottom Edges: I used a 5 mm rolled hem foot to finish the bottom edge of each duvet panel. 
  4. Right Side Seam: Lay duvet top on the floor right side up. Lay backing over the duvet top hemmed side up. Sew right side seam. 
  5. Top Seam and Ties: Fold ties in half and lay between top and bottom duvet layers 1/4 inch beyond seam allowance. Tails should be out! Stitch in place respectively as you sew the top seam of the duvet. 
  6. Left Side Seam. 
  7. Bottom Corner Seams and Ties: Install ties in corners and stitch 2 inches beyond the side panel seam on each side leaving the center section open.
  8. Turn Right Side Out.
  9. Insert Duvet and Tie in Place.
  10. Admire your creation!

I still need to embroider pillowcases and make curtains:)

Happy Sewing!

Love,

b




Preschool Field Trip

Dear Sis,

Although we are homeschoolers, William is enjoying a preschool program at our local YMCA two mornings per week, for socialization purposes. Today we had our field trip to a local farm, Barn-N-Bunk.

We did the obligatory corn maze, wagon ride, and pumpkin selection:)

It was nice to get a chance to enjoy the day with the families of other classmates! 

Happy Fall!

Love,

b




Piggy Hats

Dear Sis,

Charlotte is very picky about hats, but she also has a tendency to get cold easily. I found a hat that our pig lover just might wear. Originally, I was looking on Etsy, but quickly realized I could make one for a faction of the cost. I actually made four for $18.00 and I still had yarn leftover. They will be Christmas gifts for all of our kiddos. We’ll have to get a picture of them wearing them all together:)

I used this FREE pattern from the Repeat Crafter Me blog.

Since the pattern does not provide any gaging information or measurements for the various sizes (NB – adult). I made the hats to measure as I worked. With two measurements, you can make these hats tailored to any sized head:

  1. Head Circumference – measure all the way around the head where it is fullest
  2. Hat Depth – measure from the center top of the head to the point on the forehead where you wish the hat to end. The image below shows exactly what I’m trying to describe:)





This pattern works up beautifully, but I did make a few changes:

  • Pig Ears – are worked in two layers, one in the lighter shade of yearn and one in the darker yarn. Instead of sewing the two layers together as the pattern suggests, I used the lighter shade to single crochet around them. This creates a boarder of the lighter shade around the darker shade, which I prefer visually.
  • Ties – the tie instructions are very vague and create thin ties. I cut nine (24 inch) strands of yarn. Folded them in half in half and used my largest crochet hook to pull them through the bottom of the earflap, as pictured below. 

Then, pass the ends trough the on the other side of the earflap and pull them tight carefully so that all ends are about the same length.

Divide yarn into three groups of six stands and braid. Secure braid with a knot.

Happy Crafting!

Love,

b




Undersleeves

While in the midst of making a new dress for the 1860’s, I decided to pick a fashion plate as my inspiration. The dress I am making has an interesting sleeve that is between a progoda and a coat sleeve. Either way, it isn’t a very full sleeve. But, it does need an under-sleeve, as it doesn’t come fully to the wrist.

Materials

Cotton Organdy – I purchased mine from EnsemblesofthePast,

White Cotton Thread

Embroidery Cotton Floss

Two buttons

1/4 Inch Elastic

Time to Start Sewing

Step 1: Essentially, you are making a tube. If you want to be fancy, you can make a tube from two pieces of fabric. If you don’t want to be fancy, one rectangle will do. I have a smaller wrist (5.5 inches) and didn’t want a very full under-sleeve.  So all together, my under-sleeve tube measured 26 inches wide by 14.25 inches long. Go larger, if you have a larger bone circumference, or want a fuller sleeve.

Step 2: For cuff, make it about 2.5 inches larger than your wrist. You want 1/2 inch seam on both sides, some overlap for the button, and some wriggle room at the wrist. You have two options that are simplistic. You can make a straight edged cuff, or you can angle the ends. My cuff was 2 inches wide, once completed. So, it required 3 inches for the seams located at the top and bottom of the cuff.

Step 3: If you would like to embroider your cuff, I recommend doing it before sewing it together, and even before you cut it out! I traced my cuff onto my fabric, and embroidered it as a larger piece, and cut it out later. I was inspired by the design on Past Patterns under-sleeves. 

Step 4: Sew the sides of the sleeves, and leave 2 inches un-sewn at the bottom. This is so you can have that overlap/gap at the button closure. Finish the bottom two inches by pressing the seam inward so there are no raw edges and sewing it down.

Step 5: Run two rows of gathering stitches at the end of the sleeve. I ran my gathering rows half way, so I could yank the strings in the middle as well as both ends. Then, gather and pin the sleeve right into the cuff. Remember you want right side to right side. Sew.

Step 6: You may have to sew the very ends of your cuff by hand. I have a hard time doing it with the machine.

Step 7: Fold down the inside of the cuff and whip stitch. Add a button hole to the cuff, maybe two if you made it wider.

Step 8: For the top of the sleeve, press down the fabric about 3/8 of an inch, and then fold it down again about 6/8 of an inch. I wasn’t particular, my fabric was starched and I pressed it by measuring with my eye.

Step 9: I used 1/4 inch elastic, and didn’t want space for it to swim. Sew, close to the edge. Leave about 1 inch open, so you can thread your elastic through. For elastic, I measured my arm where the sleeve would sit, and cut the elastic to that measurement.

Step 10: Thread through your elastic. Overlap the elastic by one inch, and sew it together. Then, sewed the hole shut. I personally found the sleeve stays in place very well between the elastic top and the cuff at the bottom.

 

 

Enjoy your undersleeves!

~ Jamie

 Clicking on an advertisement helps cover the expense of hosting our blog. Thank you for your support!




 

Hike

This week Nate had off work, and we got to enjoy some family time. It was warm for a few days, so we got to walk at a few of the local parks.

I really like how Ohio always has a metropark close to home. Even in the country I can get to three walking trails within 5-10 minutes.. that I know off. Here we are at Hogback ridge, one of our favorites.

Birthday Visitors 2021… continued

Dear Sis,

Today was crazy busy from the start. We woke early to get dressed for a family photo shoot at a local park. After which, we returned home and made a dinosaur cake in preparation for evening festivities. 

Makers Notes: Bake a 9×13 inch sheet cake. Draft a pattern for cutting. The head, body, and tail are separate pieces. I used this series of blog pictures from Art it Out!, as a guide. Here are pictures of my process:

This was my first cut-to-shape cake. I got a lot of crumbs in my finished frost because I did not do a very thin, “crumb frost” first. Live and learn! We used a large candy eye, milk chocolate candy melts cut to a point and chocolate chips to decorate our frosted cake. 

John and Susan arrived in the early afternoon, and we all met at EnterTAINment Junction. The model train display follows the history of the train from the mid nineteenth century – today. The display has breaks in it at the play area:

The kids, Josh, and John did the funhouse too! They report that it is filled with optical allusions that mess with your balance as an adult, but don’t seem to phase the kids:)

We returned home to enjoy pizza, cake, and playtime together! It was a short, but very sweet visit. The kids didn’t know who John and Susan were before their arrival, but in just a few hours they didn’t want them to leave:)

Love,

b