Cute, Fun and Useful

Art. I'm not so good at art. Ella needs an art project for school though so yesterday we made hand painted napkins. Check it.

First, you need some plain muslin cut 18" square. You'll need a coordinating backing fabric. Or you can be like me and just use some fabric that you had the most of. I think I had about 7 yards of the red and brown gingham. I love that fabric, I use it a lot. Now I'm going to have to buy more.

Materials. Plain muslin, a backing fabric, paint, paint brushes, masking tape, water and stencils.

Here's our set up. I taped the four corners of each kid's cloth to the table so it wouldn't move when they painted. You might want to use newspaper or something under it if you care at all about your table because the paint bled onto my table quite badly. Fortunately for me, I couldn't possibly care less about the looks of this table. In fact, I think the more paint and stains and nicks and scratches, the better.

I know, I know, gratuitous shots of my cute kids painting. So not fair.

I taped the lovely pieces of art to my window so the afternoon sun would help it dry. Then when it was dry I threw them in the dryer for a little while because I've been told that it helps set the paint. I don't know if that's true but it sounded good to me.

Pin the backing fabric and the painted front right sides together.

Trace a rounded edge if that's your pleasure.

Sew 1/4 inch from the edge. Clip edges.
Turn right side out.

Iron the edges down. See all ironed; looks nice and flat.

Sew close to the edge all around the outside. I think I did about 1/8 inch.
The finished product. Use at will. I did wash and dry mine before I let them use the napkins.

Welcome Baby Zoe!

I get to be the lucky one to announce that Meagan is finally NOT pregnant anymore.

Zoe Michelle was born this morning, July 1, at 9:46. She weighed 8 pounds even and is 20 inches long. Meagan is doing well but, understandably, very tired. She just went to sleep.

I get to go up this weekend and see them! Yeehaw! She said she has a few pictures but obviously doesn't have a way to post them, so we'll get some up sometime. Maybe Leah will see them before I do and she can post pictures?

Zoe's Blanket

Progress has finally been made with Zoe's blanket. I finally was able to unsew all the outside stitching that was attaching the front chenille to the back butterfly fabric after it had not sewn up correctly for the third time. Then I decided the best way to handle it was to hand baste around the entire blanket. So I did. I forfeited a nap time and went to it. Surprisingly it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. Tonight I went back and using the regular machine stitched the edge where I had basted, and am planning on serging it on my mom's real serger, hopefully tomorrow, but if I don't make it there tomorrow, then maybe early next week. All that will be left to do then is tack the middle, sew up the turning inside out hole and sew a border so that it lays flat. Maybe, just maybe, if I hurry up on it, the whole thing will be done by the time Zoe's born. Then again, that could be a lofty goal.



And Now for the Sewing Tips:

I learned three things about working with Chenille. First off, having a walking foot (an attachment that draws the top fabric through the machine at the same rate as the bottom fabric.) on your sewing machine is wonderful... unless you are sewing chenille. Then you want to take off the walking foot and lay your fabric so that the chenille is on top. That way it just feeds better though the sewing machine. Secondly, Baste... Baste... Baste. Can I say it again? Baste. It made all the difference in the world while trying to sew the fabrics together with the regular sewing machine. Thirdly, you have to either zigzag or serge the edge of the chenille fabric as often as possible. The chenille fabric likes to shed and or fray, so after many washings would need to be fixed if the edges are not finished in some fashion during construction.

Happy Birthday, Dear Boy!

Last week was my oldest's birthday. Aaron turned 5 on Wednesday. It is always so bittersweet for me when he has a birthday. In many ways I feel like he was just born, but in others, it has been a lifetime. I cannot really remember what day to day life was like without children, and he was the first. Anyway, he wanted a Cars/Hotwheels birthday, so we mixed themes for him. He had so much fun turning five.

Happy Birthday, little one! You are so loved!