If you are a mom, this is for you...

Help Unfortunate Boys - it won't cost you anything

If you go to this website and vote and if they rank high enough, Pepsi will give them a grant. That's all you have to do is vote, it won't cost you anything (except just a few minutes of your time) to vote. You are allowed to vote once a day.

This is my Aunt and Uncle that run the Timothy Hill Children's Ranch. They started it up after one of their sons was killed when a car hit him while he was riding his bicycle.

Finally...pillowcases for my boys

I have made several pillowcases, but all as gifts for someone else. The boys have been wanting me to make pillowcases for them. It seems that I always have something else to do or I don't have the fabric or...well you get the picture.

A friend of ours gave me some really cute frog fabric and fish fabric. I made Anthony and Rance pillowcases out of that fabric.

I was at Wal-Mart several months ago and found the most adorable "Camping Fabric" on the clearance rack and picked up enough to do 3 pillowcases (OH, how I wish I had gotten more).

I thought it would be perfect for Frank and the boys when they go camping with Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (Lee is now in Boy Scouts - I call him by his middle name Lee, but since he has gotten older, he wants to be called by his first name Franklin - or Frank, so the Franklin pillowcase is for him instead of DH).






The red fabric that I used for the trim is not solid (it is sort of mottled), I'm not sure if it shows up in the picture or not.

If you want to make one of your own, you can find out how here.

Ice Cream After Dark

I read on one of the blogs that I follow (sorry that I can't remember which one), one of the bloggers suggested that 30 minutes after your kids go to sleep - wake them up and go out for ice-cream.

I thought that was a great idea! When I told my husband about it, he thought I was nuts! I did it anyway, and this is why...

I am a stay-at-home mom. I feel that I am negative all the time (even though I try not to be). I feel I am constantly saying things like...
"No, you can't eat that now. It's too close to supper."
"Stop hitting your brother!"
"Have you done your responsibilities?"
"No, you have already used your computer time."

And there are many, many others. Then multiply it times 4. Even if I am not negative to all of my children all of the time, I feel that they hear me being negative (although, I'm pretty sure they are experts at tuning me out most of the time).

So, not to go down in their family history as being a mom that they have only bad memories of, I decided to do it. It is nearing the end of summer vacation (only about 2 weeks left), so last Sunday night I woke them up 30 minutes after they went to sleep to go out for ice-cream. It was the first time I had ever done anything like that (which I hope is what 'good memories' are made of). They were all groggy and not sure what was happening. I think Champ asked me like a dozen times, "What?" I think his brain was still sleeping and his brain couldn't process what was going on (even though his eyes were open and he was walking).

I just hope that when they are older, they will sit around the table and say, "Do you remember that time mom woke us up and took us out for ice-cream? That was cool."

On a side note: Frank did not go, but it wasn't because he thought I was nuts, he was sick (he didn't make it to church that morning). He doesn't need the positive points as much as I do either.

Beach Bag Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for the beach bag that I made (you can check out my post on my first beach bag here).

I will be using...
some of the fabric that I teased you with here
fabric scissors
thread to match fabric
fiberglass window screen
old scissors (or buy a cheap pair just for the window screen) - it's easy to cut, but will do in a good pair of scissors
thread to match window screen (this case black)
ribbon
iron on fusible webbing
grommet kit (enough to make 4 grommets) & hammer

First, I took a square piece of fabric and embroidered a phrase that I liked onto it (in this case "Byers' beach gear"). I then ironed fusible webbing onto the back of the fabric (to give it more body), I trimmed the corners (to miter them) and folded & ironed the edges down toward the back of the fabric. Around the edge about 1/8" or 1/4" (depends on the look you want), I straight stitched it. [Try to make it look as nice as you can b/c you can see through the bag and you will be able to see this.]


Using Fiberglass Window Screen (the kind to fix/repair a window screen at home for a DIY project - found at Lowe's for less than $6/roll and was able to get 2 bags out of it and had some left over) I cut a piece 36" x 23 1/2". Fold it in half. Pin the wrong sides together (we will be doing a French seam - this is important, to keep from snagging anything that you put inside the bag).


Pin both sides.


Using a straight stitch, sew up both sides, then trim.


Turn your bag inside out.


Right sides are now together. NOTE: Right and wrong sides will only matter if you sew an embroidered square on one side b/c the screen doesn't really have a right and wrong side.


The French Seam is now complete. You can see that the 'rough' edges are now enclosed.


The next 2 steps are just for explanation - you do not have to do this.
Turn your bag right side out.


Now, on the inside of the bag, there are no rough edges.


We are now going to make a box bottom for your bag. With your bag inside out, find the corner.


Try to get it as square and flat as possible. You will need to finger press your seam to one side (I usually try to press it toward the back, away from the embroidery).


Using a straight edge, mark it with pins straight across. I believe I went down from the tip of the corner 3 inches.


If you have a ruled mat (for quilting) it helps to get the corner square.


Do this for both corners. (Can you see how the mat helps?)


Then stitch a straight line where the pins are. Can you see how it will give your bag a square or box bottom?


Now, carefully scrunch it up and under the presser foot of your sewing machine. You are going to tack down the tip of the corner with just a few zig-zag stitches. You can hand tack this down if you like. I am way to lazy to do that.


Now you can see that both corners are finished. The bottom of your beach bag is complete. (The box bottom will help it to stand up better and will make it easier to put things into and get things out of it.)


See how it can (kind of) stand on it's own?


Cut a piece of fabric (coordinating or matching the piece that you embroidered on) 4 1/2" X 44" (this will be the top piece around the edge of your beach bag) and then cut fusible webbing 3 1/2" X 44". I got the really stiff fusible webbing. (On my first beach bag, I didn't use any fusible webbing and I realized that it needed something.) If your fusible webbing isn't long enough, you can piece it in.


Iron on your fusible webbing. You can see here where I pieced it in.


Now iron the edges of your fabric 1/4" to the back side (fusible webbing).


Fold it in half (wrong sides together/fusible webbing together) and press.


On one end only, fold the end in 1/4" and press. This will lap over the other end and there won't be any raw edges showing.


Now begin folding the piece over the top edge of your beach bag and sew it on 1/8" to 1/4". Begin with the end that is not folded. I like to start at or near a seam.




This is where your folded end will lap over the raw edge. Stitch over the seam and back stitch. I also sewed a vertical line up the seam to keep it from separating - forgot to get a picture of this - you can use a straight stitch if it laps over well enough, if not a zig-zag stitch may be better. (I used a straight stitch on the seam of this bag, but a used a zig-zag stitch on my first bag.)




Now we are going to add grommets. I measured in approximately 1/3 of the width of the bag from the seams (about 8") and put a grommet. There will be 2 grommets on each side (4 total). On my first bag, I didn't use ribbon or grommets. I made 2 handles out of matching fabric and sewed them on (securing them very well so they didn't pull off when the bag was full).


I will use these grommets to put the ribbon handle through and tie a knot. If you are afraid that your knot will pull through, you can get a large bead and tie into your knot to keep from pulling through (see example here).


I held the bag up to me to see how long I wanted my handles (this is a personal preference). You can see that it is a large beach bag, which is what I wanted. You can see about how long I wanted the handles.


Here I have 3 VERY large beach towels in the bag and there is probably room for 1 more.


I didn't think of this, but if I had planned better, I could have made the embroidery patch an outside pocket. Just a thought.

Mary's Apron Completed

I made an apron (my first apron) for one of my closest friends, using the fabric that I showed you here.

She picked out the Suzy Homemaker Apron from the link on this post.

I changed things a little: I didn't add the ruffle on top or bottom, like the tutorial suggested, I made the waist ties longer, so she could wrap the ties around her and tie them in the front and I added pockets from this tutorial.

More Delicious Fabric

I saw this fabric a while back and wanted it so badly. But I didn't have anything in mind for it (and my fabric stash is already too large with fabrics I bought because I liked but didn't have a real reason to purchase them). So I held off, as long as I could, until the other day. I also found this matching grosgrain ribbon (I think I am obsessed with grosgrain ribbon).


Then I found a couple of other ribbons (they were 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby) that will go good on burp cloths.


I have a few ideas for this fabric. I can't wait to show you.

Here I prove to you my obsession with grosgrain ribbon. (O.k. it's not all grosgrain, but I bet over 75% of it is.) Over look my very messy work space. (I was working at the time and just snapped the pictures before thinking about straightening up, plus I have limited space so straightening up might not have looked much different.)




I think I need help.

Baby Gifts

I saw this adorable Ruffle-Butt Onesie at Crap I've Made. I have been dying to make it ever since, but having boys (and all out of the onesie stage anyway), I've not really had a reason to. That is until there was a baby shower for a girl (I say girl because she's in her twenties and I am almost 40) at church and guess what? How did you guess...she's having a girl!

So I got my chance to make the Ruffle-Butt Onesie. I thought that it turned out really cute. Since the new baby has an older sister, I didn't do the colors in pink. I chose orange and yellow. [I remember getting all blue - I have 4 boys - and if the occasional green or brown would come through in gift form, I would be ecstatic.]



And of course, I love my embroidery machine so I had to embroider something for the new baby (so I did a burp cloth). I kept with the orange and yellow theme. I had an orange and yellow striped ribbon and I used the orange and yellow for the monogram and name.


Here they are together. What do you think?


I do love my embroidery machine, A LOT. Thanks Frank and boys. When I was expecting Lee embroidery was becoming really popular, but I chose to quit work and stay home with him (so our budget was really tight). I was not able to have very many things embroidered with any of my kids. (I did break down and get a couple of burp cloths embroidered for Lee, but that was all I could afford.) Since I really wanted things personalized with my baby's name on them and couldn't afford it, I think new moms might feel the same way. (Just like a new bride loves to see her new last name.) That's one of the main reasons that I love to give personalized gifts.

What's your favorite, most special, most memorable baby shower gift that you received (or given)?

Flower Head Band

I have seen these cute flower headbands all over the blogosphere and have just been dying for one. But I'm almost 40 and really thought I was too old (but I still wanted one).

I got this cute dress...

... from Goodwill really cheap and it had a scarf with it. O.k. I like scarves, a lot. Every time I see them on people, I think how cute or sophisticated or whatever the look is they are going for, but when I try to wear one and look in the mirror - I think I just look silly. I can't pull it off for some reason (that's probably what's going to happen with the headband too).

Well I took the scarf and cut it up and made a flower headband (to match the dress). I love the way it turned out, but still not sure how it looks on me.

Here I cut circles out of the scarf (needs to be polyester in order to do this particular flower). They do not have to be perfect circles.


I used 3 graduating circles for each flower.


I took a candle and heated the edges. It seals it (keeps it from unraveling) and it causes it to curl up in a very cute, flower-like way.


DO NOT drop your circle into the flame of the candle letting it fall all the way into the wax, like I did.


Here are all of my circles with heat treated edges. I even did the centers some. (I wanted one flower to be smaller than the other so I have 6 different sizes of circles).


Then I stacked the heat-treated circles, largest on bottom.


I used LiquiStitch to glue the 3 circles together. Then I put a drop of glue in the center and used some seed beads for the center of the flowers.


I then used my hot glue gun and glued the flowers onto the headband (that I purchased at Claire's, pretty in-expensively).


Here it is finished...


Anthony had to try it on too.

I just love his dimples. They are just like his dad's. They are irresistible.