Rag Rug

Upcycled "Tails"

My group of 4-H children learning to sew love to save the selvedge strips and left over scraps to make long "tails". Somehow this morphed into a ball which we quickly named, Paige's Tail, for one of our favorite sewing buddies, Paige. 
Paige loves to tie one long piece to her belt loop and walk around with it dragging behind her. 

Slowly the ball grew. Each week new tails were tied on to the last tail end. 

And it grew. 

And grew. 

 (Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before leaving, SEW these were taken in the car.)

And finally everyone's projects were cut out. Now the decision of how to present the ball to Paige. Some suggested to wrap the ball and give it to Paige. Others wanted to make something. 

I suggested we crochet a rag rug for Paige's Play House. The little Play House built by her father and uncles which Paige and her nine siblings fill with lots of laughter.

Due to time restrictions the task to crochet a rag rug was bestowed to me as the children were not yet ready to crochet. 

SEW with a borrowed crochet hook - a giant one - and on my eight hour trip to visit my little grandsons - I thought maybe I could have it done before the end of the trip.

Much to my amazement, just one short hour after departing, and after crocheting round after round, the little rag rug was suddenly done! Huh? I still had seven hours to fill! 


And now the kids can start saving new tails to make a new ball SEW they can all learn to crochet! Meanwhile we will present Paige with her new rag rug for her Play House.

Tailored Jacket

A tailored jacket should definitely be in every women's closet. 

It's a year round staple that can easily upgrade your look even if you are wearing your favorite pair of jeans. And they are perfect for chilly mornings and nights.

In my next an upcoming blog, I will be covering how to bag a jacket by machine.

Fitting Shells

Fitting Shells

Does your cup runneth over?

 Finally a cup for all sizes!

Just finished sewing up a second set of Fitting Shells that will fit all sizes between 8 - 6X in CUP sizes A/B, C/D/DD, F/G, H/I.These are available to try on SEW you will know your exact size and be able to get your correct pattern size!

Connie Crawford, Fashion Patterns by Coni, worked on these patterns for several years measuring hundreds of women across the United States and Australia. The results were stunning. It took over two long years to develop and grade patterns in Misses and Womens for all the cup sizes. 

These new Custom Blouse Block/Sloper patterns with the bust cup and shoulder fit that everyone has been looking for are now available from Fashion Patterns by Coni.

If you've been struggling and need help finding your correct size pattern, let me know and I will be happy to fit you.

Contact me at Sew Seam2Seam sewseam2seam@gmail.com

Thread Tails

Thread Tails

  A days worth of thread tails!

Most are caught in the bag yet a good amount still covers the front of me and others fall to the floor.

Aprons

Aprons

Certainly we remember our mothers never starting the family dinner without putting on her trusty apron. Putting on one’s apron was the starting point in the preparation of every meal. Not only would mom wear her apron for cooking but it was an indispensable article of clothing for doing everyday housework. Unfortunately the apron lost its appeal during the women’s movement of the 1960s. During this period cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons less common. However, the practice of wearing aprons remains strong in many places. Aprons have had a variety of uses from protecting dresses to uses as a potholder, drying a tear filled face to carrying vegetables. It could be used as a duster, cleaner, or catch-all. 

 

The fun thing about aprons is that they are easy to sew and you can use them to accent any outfit, especially during holidays. Pretty red and green fabrics with white lace accenting the pockets always sets things nice for Christmas. Summer time aprons with patterns of watermelons and peaches can be fun and colorful. Thanksgiving aprons with turkeys and horns of plenty sets the mood for the wonderful feast waiting to be devoured.  Since St Patrick’s Day will soon be upon us, an apron with shamrocks and green lace trimming could be the perfect way to dress up your leprechaun suit. It will certainly keep the corned beef and cabbage from ruining your fine greenery! 

There are many different patterns one can choose which might best suit the needs of the chore at hand. There are full covered aprons which are best suited for housework and cooking and pretty little half aprons which tie around the waist that can be used to accent outfits. What ever choice one makes it can be fun to choose material and patterns that suits the individual taste and occasion.  

Today, the apron is making resurgence in American households. Both women and men wear them when performing household chores. A 2005 article in the Wall Street Journal claimed that the apron is "enjoying a renaissance as a retro-chic fashion accessory" in the United States.  However, wearing aprons is still not as popular as it was prior to the 1960s.

Even though the apron is not as popular as it once was it still does the job of protecting clothing and with today’s washable materials available in many colorful patterns it can be fun and an inexpensive way to accent the chic clothing of today.

4-H Sewing

My 4-H sewing group is starting next week on Wednesday afternoons, 1 pm-4 pm for any 4-H member interested in sewing. YES, during the day because I have a wonderful group of home-schooled kids who are SEW interested in learning one of life’s skills.

And YES, I also have an evening program for those who cannot come during the day. Please contact me if you are interested in joining one of these groups. 

During the Christmas holidays we will have a three day session for those who want to get it all done at one time! Just let me know if you want to be join this group.

To join 4-H, visit the MSUE Kent County Portal page, scroll down to Howto Join 4-H, download the application, and submit the completed application along with fees to 

Kent County Extension
775 Ball Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
49503
United States

Email Address: msue41@msu.edu
Phone: 616-336-3265
Fax: 616-336-3836

 

Under Construction

Time to finish some UFOs that have been hanging around for ages.

Almost finished, just needs snaps and pressing.













Need to find some fabric for trim and then maybe something for closures.

Pattern Weights

I wanted to share a few of my favorite pattern weights.

The old irons make perfect weights to hold pattern and fabric while pinning everything to the paper before cutting. Some are very heavy and others are too pretty to use!

  The wood blocks are very special, they were made several years ago by my grandfather, Frank. I remember opening the package and was very surprised and excited to find these. Both my mother, sister and I each received a set of 12 blocks.The finish is still as smooth as a baby's bottom.  

My set has many hours of use. They've held many patterns in place on beautiful fabrics, even patterns for non sewing projects such as the kids school projects. They even survived countless hours of imaginary play time when the kids were just babies making trains, cars, boats, and trucks.

 Just a few years ago, my Uncle Butch was visiting and saw the blocks in my sewing studio and commented that he remembers when his dad made them. And how nice it was to see them still being used.

Sew, what do you use for pattern weights?

Menagerie

My Menagerie basket is overflowing with a quite a collection for the upcoming holiday to help Santa with those less fortunate. Soft and cuddly bears, big ole snuggle bugs, and green frogs ready to put a smile on any youngsters face!

I know that my friend, Roe, has been working in her sewing room, busy creating. She is quite the artist and very talented. What ever she is working on, it will be something very special as well as a treasure long to be admired. Perhaps someday the two of us can sew together while drinking our margaritas . . .

SEW, what are you working on?