Making Aprons and Servanthood

What is it about servanthood? It seems like such a good idea at the time. You're sitting there in church, or reading your Bible or a good book, and you think, I'd like to do that. I'd like to be the person that does that. It's so noble, so good. It would make you pleased with yourself. Others would love you. . .

and then it comes to actually doing it.

Inevitably, I am called to serve those who neither appreciate it nor even remotely inclined to say thank you. It is the truest form of sacrifice; doing it simply for the sake of having been called to do it.

I'm an honest person. Honest to the point of ruthlessness -- the truth relentlessly drives my thinking. It is inescapable. It points at my every fault, and urges me to uncontrollably point out everyone else's faults as well.

So it is no surprise to find that being a servant frequently compels and irritates me at the same time. I look at my own motives and faults as I serve, which negate the service. And this drives me completely crazy.

Fortunately, there was a monk in the 17th century who felt the same way. His name was Brother Lawrence. He was a dishwasher and cook for a monastery. He worked very hard at serving authentically. He spent a lot of time on his knees, and on his face, before the Lord.

I think of Brother Lawrence as I clean up the kitchen for the 100th time, knowing it is a chore relegated to my children. They are busy people with school and sports and friends -- me, not so much. But it really isn't the chore that's important, it's that they contribute to the household. They will soon find this to be of importance when they move out and have roomates.

I may even laugh when that time comes!

But for now, I try to just serve, and not bristle under the irritation that it's not my job -- it's theirs. I try and remember that it is my pleasure to serve, that I serve a mighty God who has saved me from death.

And there's the real key, isn't it? Keeping our eyes on the One we serve, not the ones who make it possible with leaving us all the stuff to do.

On a completely different subject -- I'm making aprons again. Saturday's play rehearsal enabled me to work on a large table and get 3 cut out and ready to sew, while Babydoll and the others were rehearsing scenes I am not in. I should have some harvest and Christmas-coloured aprons in the Etsy shop soon, in case you're needing a quick hostess gift.

Or just in case you want to look great serving in your kitchen . . .

xox

Carnival Time

It's that time again!

October 27 - 31 is the Fall Bloggy Giveaway Carnival. I encourage you to visit Bloggy Giveaways and sign up for everything! But be prepared, it may take awhile! There are a lot of sites to visit, which means all the more stuff to win!

I'm joining in by offering "Mrs. Crocker," a new apron I've done for the holidays. It's all cotton, can be tied in the front or back, and is sure to give your holiday baking a new festive feel.

As usual, the winner will be drawn by Mr. Random Number Integer on Friday. Be sure to let me know how to contact you, so I can let you know if you've won.

Enjoy -- just leave me a comment below to enter!

xox

Can This Mean I Am Truly An Artist?

The signs of a great mind? Well, at least I console myself with that thought.



It's everywhere. Mess everywhere. The results of a creative weekend --

And I will not be cleaning it up. I will be creating some more for the Etsy shop and our local Craft Fair in December.

At least I have some kind of validation for the way my house looks. I made this and gave it to Hunk O Man the first year we were married --

I definitely need another cup of coffee.

xox

Much Better and a Few Projects

I am myself again. A good thing to be oneself. A bag of peanut-butter M&M's and a little bit of a Hershey's 1/2 lb. chocolate bar didn't hurt, either.

SCORE! I found milk yesterday for $1.85/gallon at Sav-A-Lot! I have not been terribly impressed with Sav-A-Lot because I am such a fan of Aldi. But then again, I have to drive 30 minutes to the closest Aldi, so Sav-A-Lot is the next best thing. And it's a brand-new store, very clean, very nice. These were a "red-tag" special. I probably should have gotten every gallon they had (I freeze them), but I limited myself to only 6. Into the freezer they went.

Also, I've been doing some projects around here. I'm trying to take things that are tired or old, and give them new life. My Etsy shop is starting to be things I basically "upcycle," or "refashion."

So I took an old poly chiffon dress that was very tired and dated, found at our Union Mission Thrift Store --





And turned it into this scarf!

AND NOW FOR THAT RARE BREED, THE SEWISTS AMONGUS:

Initially, I cut away all the chiffon from the dress -- poor thing, it looks like it's been skinned -- and experimented. First I tried a french seam, and that didn't work. Then I tried pintucking on the slant, and that didn't really do it for me either.


Finally, I just started stitching about 3/4" folds, like tucks, on the slant. I say slant because the chiffon was cut initially on the bias, so every square piece I got was bias cut already. I was using embroidery thread, since it was all I had that matched, and the stitching was puckering. So I got the first one done and kind of liked the ruffle effect. I tightened my tension a bit, and made some more stitched folds/tucks. The end result was this lovely ruffled piece of fabric -- not quite wide enough for a scarf. So I put ties on the back, like this:




And now I have a very nice accessory piece!

The teenagers all wrinkled their noses at it, so I posted it up at Wardrobe Refashion. They all loved it, proving that my crew has no fashion taste whatsoever.


I betcha that if my girls saw it in a store, they'd love it. Especially if they knew I had nothing to do with it! (by the way, it's for sale in my Etsy Shop)


At a local garage-sale-fundraiser, I also scored some fabric, two green glass goblets, two Beatrix Potter big books to use for decopauge (or something else), a copy of Norton's Anthology of Literature, and a full copy-paper box of old vintage patterns! All for $10! And the $10 went to buy shoes for kids in Haiti!


Speaking of Haiti, let me direct you to This Ain't New York today. Although we are always struggling to save money, and we regularly tithe, I was compelled. Haiti has been ravaged by hurricanes this year. The need there is great. And I had been shoving this particular need aside for entirely too long -- I believe in the work of Compassion International and have for years. Finally I'm doing something about it, thanks to Melanie at TANY.


I'm challenging you to ask God to lead you to your child.


Mine is named Rose (just like my eldest daughter).


Then just start clicking. You're already on the computer; it's as easy as that.


A good day is when you need sunglasses outside. We need them here in NC today.


xox

Musings about Sewing.

I love to sew. LOVE it. I think this is for a couple of reasons.

First off, my mom took the time to teach me. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister, and my dad died when I was eleven. So for this busy woman to have taken the time to teach me, at age 9, to sew -- it's no wonder I love it. It was precious one-on-one time with mom. Time when I had Mom all to myself. That alone would have clinched it, I think.

But also, I was relatively easy to teach. I'm a quick study. So although I tended to race ahead thinking I already knew how to do something, I also picked up techniques quickly. And I loved the ideas that I could create something out of nothing, and that I could conquer a task.

Whenever I would move from apartment to apartment, I would always take my bed and my sewing machine. Mom got it for me when I was about 19; it was a 1970's model Pfaff that was state-of-the-art in its day. It also weighs a ton! I used it until about 12 years ago, when I put it away for a newer model that will do embroidery. I even managed to run a bridal business with that old Pfaff, up until the time my kids were born.

About ten years ago, I moved and didn't really have a place to set everything up as I liked. Time passed -- too much time, really, and I was too busy to let myself really "dissolve" into this hobby I loved.

But I've carved a corner of the dining room now, and I'm creating again. This has brought such joy to my life -- no kidding! To be making dresses for the girls again, to be exploring the whole world of crafting all over again, it's wonderful. I can't go at it like I used to, but I can go at it. And it frustrates me that my body has changed so much that I am no longer my own best model. My taste tends to the much younger -- although the trends of the much younger would scoff at my taste.

And old friend once told me something I've never forgotten. She was my roommate for a couple of years, and we were reminiscing about that time. She asked if I was still sewing. At that time, I wasn't as much -- and she said this:

"I remember I used to go to bed and there would be fabric folded somewhere. The next morning I'd wake up and there would be a dress."

What a compliment. The idea that I was responsible for bringing "life" to just a plain old piece of cloth.

Art, in its many forms, is such a reflection of our Creator. What a joy it is to imitate Him in such a small way.

Giveaway!

OK, it's not much, but it is handmade by me and a nice addition to your kitchen -- I call it "Tropical Punch."

Just leave a comment with the name of your favourite go-to recipe. On Friday, I'll draw a name, and publish the recipe for everyone.

BTW, I'm trying some of the things in Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious." Yesterday I made brownies complete with zucchini, carrot, and banana puree.

However, I was on a "down day" for the Alternate Day Diet, so I didn't even get to try them! My southern friends here told me they were good . . . but you never know with these proper southern women. :)

Enjoy!

xox

Projects

A project update --

Dress for Rose, which doesn't fit great but it's in all the colours she liked. This pattern is just not a good one.

Sally Rabbit (JB's) now has ears, arms and one leg securely sewn on. If you've ever read "Oliver Pig" books to your kids, you know who Sally Rabbit is.

(that's the real Sally Rabbit on the right, with Amanda Pig)

A vintage apron given to me by Bug's best friend's mom, Gayle.

Tomorrow, a giveaway!

xox

No Blogging Allowed

Oh! The sewing to be done!

Angry Frog is not amused. I'd better get going. That will be me you see, chained to the sewing machine, at the mercy of my children, let go only to make pizza tonight.

:)

xoxox

It's Contagious

The craft virus is catching around here.

ReFashion 101

Ok, I'm jumping into "refashioning" for a time. That means I'm taking old or thrift store clothing (used) and making it into something new.

Here's my first attempt. It was a Cappagallo camp shirt and elastic waist capris:

Which I turned into a peasant top and elastic waist skirt. I used fabric I had laying around, leftover from purses:

I'm relatively pleased. It's definitely an improvement over what it was!

The second thing was a far cry easier --

This very cute long-sleeved shirt (a hand-me-over from a friend) got a quickie makeover --

Short sleeves. Not much different, but just enough to make JB want to wear it.

More as I remake more leftovers!

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know . .

But I've been on VACATION.

Well, sorta. More like "On Tour:"

1. Left house.
2. Spent one night at Mom & Dad's.
3. Spent 2 nights at Mammaw's.
4. Spent one more night at Mom & Dad's.
5. Spent the night in Cincinnati at the Hyatt downtown.
6. I drove back and spent the next two nights at Mom & Dad's.
7. Spent the night at Jimmy & Carol's in southern IN.
8. Spent the next 5 nights at Aunt Lynnette's in Indy. Visited people every day. Up every night until after 2, usually getting slaughtered at Domino's by JB.
9. Spent last night at Mom & Dad's.

Good grief. This stay-a-night-or-so-and-pack-up-and-leave stuff is for the birds. Give me a beach condo for 2 weeks any day.

There is something to be said for being back in civilization again. I was recently in a Super Target in Fishers, IN, and almost had a heart attack and fainted with my amazement at the wall of international foods. Talk about information overload. Hoo baby. Breathe. Just breathe. Remind self not to buy it all as it will not fit in the van.

I have managed to hit all the really good Goodwill stores. I've picked up several things -- curtains to make shopping bags (green bags) for Etsy, clothes for everyone, drinking glasses, a plastic-coated wire thingy to hold all my pan lids, a cute purse, books, and a lamp for Chari. Chari asked me to give her my opinion on her girls' room upstairs.

Heh heh heh. MY OPINION.

This resulted in my staying an extra day with her so I could redo the room. She bought all the stuff and we made this cool bulletin board that fits in a gorgeous wood frame that used to have a mirror. And Gretch did it! Chari, She Who Can Plant An Old Tire And Grow A Car, learned how to navigate JoAnn Fabrics Etc. and came out alive. I was so proud; she only called me twice on her new cell phone to ask where the calico was (only she didn't call it calico) and what size ribbon to get. She had a little trouble with "any size, any width, just make sure the colors match" because she likes to know exactly what size and likes things to MATCH. I did have to say "You're making this too hard" and "What do you mean it doesn't match exactly?" a couple of times -- but fortunately she didn't kill me in frustration after I was so loosey-goosey with the decorating.

We had a GREAT time. She treated me to dinner at Bravo, which is where we ALWAYS go, and we always have Penne Med. Except this time she had some chicken salad thing. But my sister K and I had the Penne Med and chopped salad. Then Chari bought ice cream -- sneaky devil slid her credit card thru the Kroger thingy before I realised it, and I was going to buy dessert! -- and pound cake and hot fudge and we went back to K's and ate ourselves into sugar comas.

JB started the week puking her guts out, but I think it was just exhaustion from camp, and too much candy. I actually bought her Pepto-Bismol -- even though it always was the thing that made me puke -- and it worked for about 2 hours before it made her puke.

It is just no fun to be sick when you're away from home.

She did recover, though, and spent a night with Auntie K and a night with the B's.
She and Bunny swam in the B's pond and had a great time with the B kids. They've all known each other since birth, so it was a fun reunion.

I tried talking, pleading, begging, and threatening everyone with the idea of coming to see me in NC. We'll see.

I've talked to Hunk O Man. Our conversation last night went like this:

Me: Hi Hon
HOM: Hi Babe. I thought I'd make this "Chicken Dijon with Pasta" that I found in the freezer. It says on the top to bake at 350 until heated through.
Me: Right.
HOM: So I just set the oven at 350, and take off the foil and then the plastic wrap, and just put it in the oven?
Me: Uh-huh.
HOM: Till it's heated through?
Me: Mmmm hmmmm.
HOM: Ok, I just wanted to check and make sure I was doing it right.

It's so nice to know I'm still needed. Even if I am still on vacation.

Aprons! Aprons!

I got my apron from my swap partner yesterday -- she sent a package of very cute napkins, and this very cute apron! I'm so pleased that she used my kitchen colors!

Mom brought me Grandma Filson's apron when she came for that visit a few weeks ago. It's pleated at the waist with chicken scratch embroidery. Is this cool or what?

Ok, not an apron, but a grocery bag. The Bug had an old T-shirt that no longer fit her or was entirely too big -- something -- so I made a grocery bag out of it.

And back to aprons -- this is mine for the flirty apron 4th of july swap:

And another one I made to sell on Etsy:

After last week's foray into OAMC, I now have a freezer full of food.

I even managed to get over to the grocery stores and use my coupons -- I use Grocery Game, which saves me tons -- and I've only managed that a couple of times since moving here to NC. For some reason I just can't get over there and get used to the stores. But now I think that is changing. If you decide to use Grocery Game in your area, please tell them I sent you.

Coupon Mom is also very helpful.

Happy shopping!

This Ain't Omaha ...

So why is there all manner of wildlife outside my door? I just heard a woodpecker hammering away at the back porch. Hopefully he isn't finding termites inside it to eat. I've only ever lived in places with such exotic birds as hummingbirds. Woodpeckers? Seems like I saw once in a third-grade coloring book. And there's always Woody, the cartoon -- (I think I must be telling my age here) --



Hey wait! Maybe Mr. Woodpecker should find some termites, because that would mean the back porch would fall down eventually! Hooray!

And speaking of Wild Kingdom: Hunk O Man is indeed a homewrecker. The baby birds flew the nest, so he threw it away.

THREW IT AWAY!!!



After (quite literally) everyone else in the family berated him loudly and continuously as they walked in and heard, he went and fished it out of the trees growing up out of the stump, where he had thrown it.



This man has some serious approval addiction and conflict avoidance issues.



He put it back in the upper corner of the back porch, of course where no one could possibly actually see it, and of course where the mama birdie will never return because it smells like Hunk O Man.



My Hunk O Man. Not the Birdie Hunk O Man.



And now it's gone, nowhere to be seen. It must have fallen off the beam. Bye bye birdies indeed. I hope they find the plastic bag stash again next year. Hunk O Man assures me that they will.



And on to happier things pertaining to fashion, and shameless showing off by me. This is Bug modeling Bunny's dress that you previously saw. Bunny wore it the other night to the sports awards. JB wore her dress as well. I just wanted to show you the stitching on the lower hem border. And also -- guess what it's made of?











Yep -- 200 thread count flat sheet from Wal-Mart. No kidding. It was the only black fabric I had hanging around. I think it was a queen-sized sheet, and I don't think it cost more than about $6. The white tie is from yet another sheet I previously used for some home dec project. Gotta love it when designer fashion comes this cheap.






My sewing machine does this cool maxi-stitch, and that's how I did the hem embroidery. It took forever, sitting there trying to keep it straight, but turned out pretty nicely. The Bunny is happy, so that's the important thing. Now Bug wants a dress like this. I guess I'd better go buy some more sheets. Here's the original dress (from Anthropologie) I copied, and will be making for Petite next, to send to France:



Bug also brought me several t-shirts that are too big or too sloppy. So I took one and made her a little elastic-waisted skirt. I used the back of the neck to make a little pocket for the back.









Kinda short, but cute with leggings or shorts under. I may add some length to it with some trim or fabric. I have a few other t-shirts I'm going to make smaller and more fitted for her -- with a couple of passes of the serger. Takes 10 minutes, no kidding. I should advertise these at $5 a pop. I'd make a fortune around here.


There are a myriad of ideas like this available in this book:



When you pull it up on Amazon.com, you get a whole slew of cool books about how to transform your t-shirts into other cool things. Some don't even require sewing -- t-shirts are generally made from knit that doesn't ravel. So you can shred it or fringe it or just cut it off and go with the "unfinished" look.

Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think. I love to hear from you. Even if it's just to say "Hey, Jen, talk about shameless crowing about how you can sew . . . will you make something for me?"

It's Been a Productive Afternoon Thus Far . . .

Here are the new dresses -- JB is modeling hers.

She came home from school.

Bunny's copy of the dress from Anthropologie is coming right along. I even got the bottom hem border embroidered.

It is mostly pinned at this point, but not entirely. Should be finished in about an hour.

I wanted to do Bunny's before doing Petite's and sending it all the way to France and have it not fit. Bunny's was kind of a practice one.

More later because Rose is hovering over me and wanting the computer.

Re-gifting 101: Make It Better

Yesterday was Ms. Myrtle's birthday.

On Thursday night, we had them over for hamburgers, turkeyburgers, the three leftover chicken/apple/gouda sausages, and the piece-de-resistance, MY MOM'S HOMEMADE FRENCH FRIES. It was Mom and Dad's last night here, and we hadn't yet had her french fries. If we can't have my Mama's chicken and noodles, or her corn-on-the-cob, we simply must have her french fries.

Mom missed most of the meal because she was making them for us. She had to catch up during coffee and after the girls all left the table, which was good because there wasn't anywhere left to sit anyway. That's one of the fun things about our table -- we always have tons of people at it and we squeeze in and it makes the meal even more fun.

Myrtle wanted something to do, so I had her make the salad. And she cut every vegetable up into tiny bits so we could easily eat it, and so could the (guinea) pigs.

I made the pineapple upside-down cake. With chunk pineapple because some kid has been in my pantry eating the pineapple rings I bought especially for the next time I wanted to make my Grandma Filson's famous pineapple upside-down cake.

I also used cake mix, a serious no-no, but I used an entire stick of butter so that made it ok. It even made up for the lack of marischino cherries I neither had nor used. However, I think Thelma Filson would have approved.

We put candles on the cake and sang happy birthday to Ms. Myrtle. We have a tradition around here: we put every candle we have on the cake. So you might only be 84, (not that I'm telling her age or anything, I would never do that), but you get every numeral candle we have. So she was 15,683 and change. Or something like that, because we also filled the cake with all the little tiny birthday candles too. And by the time we were ready to eat it, they were all falling down and we had to stand them all back up again.

It was a huge success. She loved it. She asked, "Where are my presents?" She was mocking us. She does that. She is the youngest of 14 children, and has always been extraordinarily ornery.

Oh dear.

Now I am one of those people who thankfully does not have all the money in the world. If I did, my kids would be horrible people who would easily rival those rich people on tv who have shows about them and their selfishness -- because I like to buy people things. Or make them things. My greatest joy is when I see the face of someone who wanted just that perfect thing, and I bought it for them, and they are beside themselves with happiness.

Because I am this way, I am usually critical of the gifts I receive. I tend to gush at the first and then grouse later about how they could have at least put some thought into the gift and consider the person to whom they were giving it.

So anyway. I participated recently in an apron swap and honestly, was greatly disappointed by the apron I received. I loved the one I sent; I did not love the one I received. I had put in my comments that my kitchen was all beachy and colors of blue and green. The apron I received was black and white and red, and quite honestly, I looked like this in it:

I know. Seriously.

So I put it away. I wrote later about it that I appreciated it so much because it was the swapper's first attempt at sewing. Honestly, the sewing was pretty good. It had a pocket that was virtually useless, though.

So back to Myrtle's birthday.

Her kitchen is black and white and a touch of red. It is so cute and reminds me of a diner. I knew her birthday wasn't actually until Sunday, May 18, so I decided to get that apron out and do some fixing up.

I took the whole thing apart. I added big, useful pockets on both sides (it is reversible). I added a nice little ruffle along the bottom. I added a line of white rickrack. I was very pleased, because now it was a proper apron ready for use in Myrtle's kitchen:

Much, much better.

I haven't heard from her, but I'm sure I'll get a little note in the mail saying how much she loves it. Even if she doesn't -- because she's one of those proper southern ladies. And I will rejoice knowing that I made her a nice birthday gift that's appropriate and fitting for her cute kitchen.


Happy Birthday, Ms. Myrtle. I love you bunches!

A Quick Addition to the Stuff I Don't Have to Say

I'm going to re-up for the Flirty Apron Swap 2, which I did last time.

If you'd like to join, visit the website at http://flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com/.

This was fun last time -- I enjoyed doing appliqued cupcakes on apron pockets. This time I think I'll go less elaborate -- but the swapping is always fun.

Happier Things

After that last post full of angst and trouble, I thought maybe happier thoughts should prevail.

I've gotten a bunch of stuff done this week so far, amist the inner turmoil at my house. Work is good. It takes your mind off things.

First up -- gardening. I spent the day outside yesterday. It was sunny but cool, in the high 60's. Warmer in the sunshine. I made the girls come outside and help because when they're grounded they have to stay home, and I always have something for you to do when you're at home.

Bug planted these petunias out by the mailbox.

I transplanted the pansies into pots.

And put the impatiens into the beds.

And I got the lily that The Boyfriend's parents sent over at Easter put in the ground.



Bug also planted 3 tomatoes and a pepper into pots for me.





Rose planted the mint and worked lime into the soil after I dug it up.


I dug up another area near the driveway just for fun, so I could take a lovely photo and show you.



The herbs are doing well.



My backyard actually looks pretty from this angle.


Secondly, La Fwonda is sporting a vintage dress that doesn't really fit her. Hopefully it will fit someone else. (it still needs a side zip)

From this pattern: (I got this on Ebay -- fabric and pattern, completely cut out, but never sewn).




And I took off all my fingernails. I've gone from 8 years of beautiful acrylic pink-and-whites to working hands.

I told you I was serious about cutting expenses.


Work is good. And good for you.