My last 48 hours in photos.

 Made this "Knot Tote" from a tutorial I found online.  I was over it quickly.  It's very simple, but took me FOREVER.  Partially due to distractions, and partially because my machine wasn't cooperating.  I'm glad its over, the bag turned out really cute.  A little smaller than I thought, but I like it.  I won't be making another one anytime soon. ;)

Knot Tote Tutorial (& Pattern)

 Made this little card wallet for my friend, Jinni...just because I had some scraps laying around.  It turned out better than the rest.  I added little snaps to keep it shut (not pictured).

 My husband bought a motorcycle.  I have mixed emotions about it.  It was nice to see the boys bonding while washing all the cars...somehow I got stuck washing my own by myself because they were really making Ricky's vehicles shine, haha!

 Made some Kale Chips in the oven.  A little lemon juice, olive oil, fresh pressed garlic, & sea salt tossed with the kale then sprinkled with parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven at 250 for approx. 20-30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so to avoid browning and evenly cook.  Done when flaky & crispy!!  My sister in law got me hooked on this.  Its normally dehydrated but I don't have a dehydrator machine.  Delicious both ways!

 Floppy card wallet for the Fall.  The black is part of my bulletin board & not attached to the card wallet.

I made this ruffle apron as a special order!  I like it so much more than the last apron I made.  I got the hang of gathering/ruffling the fabric.  Added a cute shimmery trim and ribbon ties!  LOVE! <3

Getting down to business!

Since opening my Etsy shop I've been feeling a little overwhelmed.  I'm overly critical of things that I've made so although I've been busy sewing like crazy, I only have a few items I feel are worthy of what I want to get out of them.  I blame this on myself...for trying to do too many things at once!

I've spent ALOT of time cutting fabric for projects, shopping for said fabrics, looking up patterns, trying new patterns (and sometimes failing), etc.

So I'm going to prepare myself for a Sewing Festival over the next couple days.  Lots and lots of projects to bust out so I can clear out some of the fabric stash I've accumulated to make room for new ones based off the expressed interest of friends!

I'm hoping something sells soon, but I feel like I need more there!

I'm going to make several of these card wallets to sell fairly cheap so I'm at least making some kind of profit.  Right now the money is going out, but not coming in and everything has happened in such a whirlwind!  I'm going to have to start treating this like a 9-5 job from here on out! =)

A few fat quarters to make card wallets with.  Maybe a tote or bag with the large print.  *shrug*

Gavin made his own apron from an old bandanna!  It has 6 pockets!!  

GREAT JOB GAVIN!!

Busy Times!

I never realized how exhausting sewing could be, haha!  But I'm still enjoying every minute of it!  I've been sticking with bags mostly.  I bought a License to Sell for them, since I'm using someone else's pattern (www.madebyrae.com).  I'll be listing a couple more bags tonight...at discounted rates because some of them have a couple flaws.  =/  How frustrating.

I've had alot of interest in making certain things.  Someone requested an apron, two friends want to see me make a diaper bag, and several are interested in the bag(s) I've been making.  Just to be completely honest here...most of the fabrics I bought when I stocked up are baby fabrics...because originally I was going to make baby blankets.  But then I realized they weren 't challenging enough.  So now I'm stuck with a bunch of baby fabric when I want to be making things for the Mama's out there instead!  So it will be a slow process to get any "custom orders" made.  I need to burn through some of the baby materials first before I go on a fabric buying spree again!

Anyway, today I made a new bag (large size) from start to finish in 4 hours.  Yikes!  But alot of that time is just normal day to day distractions.  Gavin stayed home from school because his newest front (adult) tooth is coming in and causing him pain.  He barely slept last night so I kept him home.  I picked up the fabric for the bag last night...and I LOVE IT!  I used interfacing this time, which I hadn't been using in other bags...so it feels much sturdier & durable than the others, which are just cotton and feel more like a tote than a purse.

Bags I've made!

 My updated sewing room.  Filling up quickly!

 The *ADORABLE* sign I picked up.  LOVE it!

 Managed to keep the guest bed in the room as well, YAY!!

Apron!

Earlier I mentioned I was going to try to make an apron.  After an hour on the computer googling apron patterns, tutorials, etc...I was just frustrated.  None of them were what I had in mine, ALL of them sounded way more complicated than they really were.  So I made mine up as I went along.  With my next one, I'll try to take step by step photos so someone out there in the Blogosphere might be able to bypass all the nonsense and skip straight to getting it made!

Anyway, my first issue was figuring out measurements.  How big should I make it?  I don't care for the knee length aprons, too old fashioned.  I wanted something updated!  I ran across alot of "tea towel" aprons and that was frustrating because people were making them according to the size of the towel.  CUT!

I had several things in mind for my apron.  Here are a few:
1) Ruffles.  Mostly because I wanted to try making some, and also because I think they make aprons super duper adorable.
2) A pocket or two.  I didn't want square pockets.  Been there, done that.  So I cut my own shape.  I only put one on my finished project because I messed up the first.  I'll explain that another time.
3) Length...above my knees.

Getting the sizes figured out was the worst part.  I did alot of holding up the fabric in front of the mirror & guessed from there.  I knew I didn't want a square or rectangle so I made up my own corner curves.
The waistband was the worst part.  Next time I'll focus on DIY instructions alot closer.

But alas, I made an apron and for the most part (aside from the sloppy stiching in parts) I'm very pleased that I made it up on my own.  This one will be mine...since its not perfect.  I learned alot during the process that I'm excited to apply to my next one!

Finished!

So many exciting things...

Lots of exciting things are going on!!  I'm an obsessive list maker so I'll list some of them instead of boring you with the details.  But I have pictures!

1) I made my own tags/labels to sew onto things that I make!  They were super easy to make.  Just a spool of ribbon and some t-shirt iron on paper and a printer!  I used an old address label template to print lots on one sheet of paper.  Cut & iron onto the ribbon and *Voila!*

They really add some pop to things.  I made a bag yesterday and used one for the first time!  Which brings me to:

2) I made another bag!  I've been practicing the same bag over and over to refine my skills and find ways to be more efficient!  I love this bag the most so far, but I think I'll keep saying that as I get better and more comfortable whipping them up.   The fabric was on clearance at Joann's and its a nice thick upholstery fabric so the bag itself holds its shape better and feels more durable.

 

 With one of my cute new tags inside!

3) Gavin had a great idea today when he saw me taking photos of the bag.  He has this little stuffed sock monkey toy & I'm sure you've all seen one of those blogs or photo collections where someone takes a picture of a toy all over the place on adventures.  Haven't you?  Well, Socks is going to be my model from now on.  He's going to sit there and show off the things I have for sale.  Gavin is excited about it, so I am too.  Consider this your formal introduction to Socks.

4) My generous Dad gave me what he calls an "Artists Grant" to get me kick started on making lots of things to sell.  Otherwise its a slower start and I am so excited about this venture I don't want to take things slow!  With his Grant I got alot of the supplies & materials that I needed...like a bigger mat, acrylic ruler, assorted thread colors, extra bobbins, rotary cutter, a cute little sign for my sewing/craft room, some inexpensive shelving to keep me organized and...

5) TONS of new fabric!!  I bought some on clearance and used a couple coupons at Joanns.  That's over $100 in fabric.  Crazy!  But it gives me a really good starting point.  I have things planned for each design!

6) A friend and I have been trying to think of other things we could make (she also sews & is very crafty) to sell...especially with the holidays coming up.  Since we love thrift stores we're going to start picking up cute retro finds to pair with handmade aprons as little hostess gifts!  Be looking for more information on that down the road.  We're meeting about it this week. ;)  That's another thing on my to do list.  Make an apron for practice!  I'm going to attempt my own pattern/design with some of my scrap fabric.

Okay, I think that's the major points for now. =)  I have lots of projects to make today.  A couple bags that I've already cut out.  And a couple aprons!  More baby blankets!  My goal is to have a couple more things for sale by the end of the day!  Better get going!

Miss B

New Etsy Shop; New Beginnings

There you have it!  My Etsy shop is open!  Okay okay, I only have one item on there but its a start!  More will go up when I have the materials & time to make them! =)  Its a bit overwhelming to be setting up a "shop", keeping up with a blog, practicing my skills, and then of course doing my full time job of running the household & being the best Mommy and Wife that I can be! I can do it though, just bear with me.

B

A Blog about my Grandma.

You may (or may not be) wondering why I suddenly became interested in sewing.  It wasn't just a spur of the moment thought...like "hey, I'm going to buy a sewing machine today just because I can!"

When I was a kid, I was always around my Grandma & Granny who sewed beautiful hand stitched quilts.  It was such an inspiration to watch them doing all this intricate quilt work.  My Grandma always jokes that I was "the girl who never wanted to sew" but honestly, who could live up to these amazing women?  But it was true at the time, I was never really interested in doing the work, I wanted to skip right to the end of projects.


Regardless, the urge to sew was a seed that was planted in my mind since I was a toddler.

Now that I'm an adult and I have a great life with an amazing family and support system, I wanted to do something that would make me happy, keep me busy, and possibly eventually earn me some income.  It will be a journey, no matter what happens.  For awhile that was photography.  I still do some photo work from time to time...but lately, I've been crafting and sewing seemed like the logical thing to start with.  I have experience with it.  I know some of the basics & learn quickly.  I have family & friends I can ask for tips or advice.  And its FUN!!

I think of my Grandma everytime I sit down at my sewing machine.  I think about all the times I would fight my cousin to thread a needle for my Granny.  I think about the quilts I have of my Grandmother's...and how proud I am to show them off to people.  I think about my Mom and the time she sewed little tiny Barbie clothes for me to use in a class project about pilgrims.  I remember my last trip home and helping my Grandma choose & match fabrics for her latest quilt.

Sewing, I've found...brings me back to my happy place.  It reminds me of home and I feel confident in my abilities.  I feel like I can really do something with it.

A couple days ago I texted my Grandma a photo of a couple things I've made this past week.  She can receive texts, but still hasn't figured out how to respond from her cell phone.  Hehe.  So she immediately called me and was just GUSHING with pride.

Oh Bethany, the girl who never wanted to sew and look at what you're doing now!  That purse?  That's even beyond me!  Make sure you press your quilt squares from the backside.  Always pin.  You can do big things, keep up the good work Bethany!  We are just SO proud of you and tickled pink that you took up sewing."

She  is just amazing. <3

 Grandma & I (her trusty sewing machine in the background)!

One of her quilts laid out while we match fabrics for new squares!

My Grandma, Mom, & (my son) Gavin!

Special Order Bag

I wanted to make my friend Jinni's daughter a purse.  She is the cutest little girl ever and I thought of her when I made the first one...because its just her size.  I wasn't pleased with any of the fabric choices I found with designs...so I stuck with something a bit more basic but with Minnie Mouse as my inspiration.  A family full of Disney lovers!

Here are a couple sneak peeks:

I'm also working on setting up an Etsy shop.  I haven't gotten far in that venture yet, but its a start.  I can't decide if I want to use Etsy or Ebay.  We do alot of Ebay selling around here.  Time will tell!

New day, new blog post!

I made my first baby blanket yesterday.  How exciting!  I had bought 2 yds. of cute flannel fabric from a clearance bin somewhere along the way and had been itching to use it up!

I stuck with a really basic tutorial since I don't have a bias tape maker and was too lazy to make my own.  I also wanted to knock it out quickly because I had tons of house work to catch up on! ;)

Here is the finished product!  I'm SO pleased with it.  I absolutely love it.  I'm thinking about selling things on Ebay down the road, and I think I'll list this blanket as my first item.  No pressure...hoping it sells though because that would totally make my day!!  That's how all good things start I guess.  Ricky is letting me pocket any profit to put towards more fabric to keep going.  Getting a good feel for things!

Adorable, right?

Today my friend Charlene came over and helped me rearrange our office/guest room to turn part of it into a sewing room/area for me.  I'm excited about it!  My own little corner of the world.  It will help me stay organized & not clutter up the rest of the house moving my sewing machine around.  I'll eventually have to get a sewing desk but for now, my son & I share the desk...he plays on the computer & I sew there.  But regardless, I love how it turned out so far!

That's about it for today...it was a busy day here and I didn't do any sewing (yet).  Gavin had a playdate after school and I am worn out!  It was a fun day.  Looking forward to tomorrow!

Welcome!

I probably have at least 7 different blogs floating around the Blogosphere.  I'm trying to consolidate by combining them all here. =)
My name is Beth.  I'm a housewife and stay at home mommy living in Central Florida.
I dabble in a little photography (the post editing is my favorite part) & love crafting, sewing & design.
This is a place for all my big (& little) ideas, stories about life, adventures, ups and downs and everything in between. =)

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO MOST RECENTLY:

Sewing!!  My husband let me buy a new sewing machine.  Its nothing terribly fancy but I'm excited to have it!  I've been wanting to elevate my crafting to another level and sewing has always appealed to me.  Growing up, I'd watch my Granny & Grandma sew quilts.  My mom sewed me little Barbie outfits one year for a school project.  I've been around it my whole life so I had the basic knowledge.

My first project was a cute little business card case that I found a free template for online (but can't for the life of me find again so if this looks familiar please let me know so I can credit back)!  I wasn't very careful with my stitching, because I was just excited to be making something on my new machine!

Here's the finished product:

I attempted to make another one from memory of the tutorial I saw online...but I made it too small and had to leave one side of the pocket open.  Oh well.

Then I moved onto something more challenging.  A bag/purse!!  I found this AMAZING blog online: Made by Rae with all kinds of patterns that I'm eventually going to buy but I started with one of her free sewing patterns for this Buttercup Bag.  She explains things so well and I had fun trying out new techniques I hadn't really tried yet.  I got a little sloppy at the end because I was anxious to get it done, but all in all, I'm super excited about the results!

So much so, I made another this morning out of more clearance/scrap/practice fabrics!
I'm going to try to make a flannel baby blanket next. Just because.

More to come...