Winter Embroidery Box Giveaway!

Hello old friends! 

I am still alive. I am embarking on many new journeys and I would love to invite you, my crafty friends to enter my Winter Embroidery Box Giveaway. I am launching a new Teacher Embroidery Subscription Box in January. Check out my new IG @jamies_dream_box_co. If you are a crafty teacher, or know a crafty teacher, you won't want to miss out. 

Enter to win an embroidery box worth $50 here!

When my new blog is up and running, I will let you know. Although posting on here now is bringing back good memories, so I may be back with updates on life in general sooner than later.  I wish you all a fantastic day!

Skillshare and Video Fun

I know, it has been quite a while.  Life has been totally amazing and I have been enjoying time with my family and enjoying my time being creative.  Of course, I am also still teaching high school FCS, too.  It all keeps me busy, but the time has come where my kids don't need me as much and there is a little more time for myself.  I've been sewing and knitting and have even found time to fill up my Etsy shop with new project bags, lanyards, key fobs, fabric baskets, and some amazing hip bags! 

I have also found a new love for photography and video. I am learning lots of new things about the previously mentioned things on Skillshare.  I finally got up the courage to film my first ever online course, Pom Pom 101 which is now live on Skillshare!! In this class I teach how to make pom poms and how to make a super cute wall hanging from the pom poms. My lighting and editing most likely could use some work, but as usual, I am probably my own biggest critic.  I am thrilled with my end result. 

Please take a moment to check it out!  I'd love to know what you think of it. If you click my link, you will get two months of Skillshare for free.  You can totally learn a lot in those two months.  There is something for everyone, but be sure to watch my class and upload a project.  I can't wait to see what you make!

Kitty Drawstring Bag

 It's been a whirlwind of activity around here with the end of the school year in sight.  I did manage to find some time to make a drawstring project bag for my aunt as a gift for Mother's Day.  She really does a lot for our family, taking care of my grandmother and she deserves a special gift.  She loves to knit and goes to a class each Monday.  This bag will be a great carry-all for all of her knitting needs.

I had originally made my Tell Me a Story kitty quilt block for the #blackandwhitequiltswap, but changed my mind because the splash of color was a little too much. 

The back of the bag.

 I used  Jeni Baker's drawstring bag tutorial to make the bag.  I use this tutorial with my students as their first project so they have a place to keep all of their sewing stuff.  For the time being I am displaced in a trailer.  The school is being renovated and I have very little storage space and the bags are quite handy. This semester we put the bags in the display case outside of the principal's office.  I had so many compliments on the bags from other teachers and students.  I feel so blessed to be able to share sewing with my students.  Some of them have even gone out and bought their own sewing machines since taking my class!  I even ran into some of them at the Quilt Guild's annual show.  Bonus points!!

For the bottom of the bag, I chose to use some black vinyl to give the bag a little more durability.  If my aunt wants to keep the yarn in the bag as she knits, it will stand up a bit easier.  I love how the bag turned out!

Weekend joy and a pillow case

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! 
I filled it with the things I love the most...family, sewing and being outside. 

Backyard soccer session!

The little garden gnome

Working on some new landscaping...it was a jungle out there.

New house project number 101...getting ready to put up a new privacy fence.  The work is never ending!

My older crew hit the creek banks in the morning, ushering in the first day of fishing season and I took Malcolm with me to complete some errands before his second indoor soccer game of the season.  Part of my job as the FACS teacher is taking sewing machines for repair and picking them up, so I lugged three machines back to my van and made a few more stops before going to my LQS.  

I was searching for some Robert Kaufman Architextures Crosshatch fabric for a special project, but had no luck.  Instead, Malcolm found a kit for a cute soccer themed sausage pillow case.  I thought, why not!  After sitting down around 8:45 PM, we had a pillow case about 20 minutes later. 

He loves it!  Unfortunately, the pictures where he looked enthusiastic about it were too blurry from all of the excitement.

This pillowcase is actually a project that the students in my school district do in 8th grade.  Most of them tell me that they still use them when they get to my class at the high school.  I really love this project because it can be personalized to fit anyone.  I think I will be making these for kiddo birthday parties this year. 

Anyway, I was looking for the Crosshatch fabric to tie my blocks together for the #TellMeAStoryQuilt sew-along over at During Quiet Time.  Amy's new book Intentional Piecing is stunning!  You should definitely pop over to her blog and check it out!

 I've made a few blocks so far, but I really want to make a quilt top and the ones I've made so far are just a menagerie of scraps from my old projects.  I was hoping to use Crosshatch, but I'll probably use plain white instead.  It will be easier to find in my little town and I'm too impatient to order online.  We'll see...

My first and favorite block so far!  Coffee is the story of my life!

These paper-pieced blocks come together so quickly and they are really fun to look at and to make.  I have been admiring all of the blocks that have been posted on Instagram.  So much talent out there!!

Sunday Sewing

A snowy Sunday in spring...  Lesson plans were done for the coming week and then I took some time to do a little stitching. 

I stitched out this awesome embroidery a while back.  I love the message!  It is an Urban Threads design.  I LOVE their embroidery designs!!  There are so many cool designs to choose from! 

This particular design reminds me a little of my students.  Back when I taught German I had mostly male students.  Now I have a lot more female students with my new job in FCS.  After listening to some of the things my girls deal with, I hope they can take that message to heart and realize that they need to be happy from within before someone else can contribute to their happiness. 

Originally I had planned to make a zipper pouch out of it.  I looked at it today and thought I would make a drawstring bag with the pink fabric around the top and for the lining, but sadly I realized I didn't have enough denim to do that. So, I came up with a bucket tote instead.  

I had my heart set on using a bright yellow zipper to make a pocket on the outside of the drawstring bag, but since that just wasn't to be I still used the yellow zipper as the handles of the tote.  I really love how it turned out.  Not too bad for not having a pattern. I put a layer of fusible fleece behind the denim to help it keep it's shape. 

 I love how my yarn fits in it nicely.  It'll be a great little project basket.  Maybe I should set it on my desk at school for a little while. 

Where have I been?

So, it has been quite a while since I've sat down to post something substantial.  I promise I haven't been sitting around being lazy...quite the contrary.  

For the past two years I have been adjusting to my new role as the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at my high school. 

(Haha!  Obviously a posed picture of me ironing a whole lot of nothing!)

German was phased out and as sad as that is, I am so lucky to have been given the chance to teach yet another subject that I LOVE!!  I actually get paid to teach kids how to sew, cook, live a productive life and be good parents.  It doesn't get much better than that! It surely has been keeping me busy.  It's kind of like having a whole other house and family. I'll talk more about that in a different post. 

I missed blogging and making stuff that didn't pertain to school, so I recently had the genius idea (haha!) to combine the two.  My blog will still be my creative space, but maybe with a slightly different focus.  I can't wait to give you a glimpse into the day in the life of the Home Ec teacher!  I can show you all what I am doing with my students in class and hopefully as I learn the tricks of my new trade, I will have more time to sew things that aren't for school, too, that I can share. 

Sewing still remains my passion!  I have done a little sewing for a local craft fair and I  just joined the #blackandwhitequiltswap on Instagram.  That is the first sewing swap that I've done in years.  I'm so excited to start!  It feels so good to get back to what I love to do!  I hope you'll continue to follow along with me on my journey.  

Easy does it...

Hello and happy spring!  Just checking in with a recent photo.  I can't believe how long it has been since my last post.  To my defense, I have been a little busy.  :)  

I have missed my blogging community though!

Boys

Look who turned two yesterday!  Sweet Baby M!  I guess he is actually no longer a baby, is he?  How time flies!   Here are a few recent photos of the boys.  I can't believe how they have grown this year!  I am now eye-to-eye with my 11 year old!

Peek-a-boo under the covers- Baby M's favorite game!  He laughs every time!

Daddy's little snow shoveler!  There sure has been lots of snow to shovel!

New hats and scarves knitted by Aunt Cindy!  Thank you!

 

My three sweethearts!  Baby M is blowing a kiss your way!

 

I hope you have all enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to a terrific 2013.  Do you have any fun resolutions for the New Year?  I think I should make one to post on this blog once a week!  I have really missed it, but just haven't had much spare time.  Believe it or not, these boys are pretty busy! 

From our house to yours, Happy New Year!  May this be the best year yet!!

Checking in...

So, no news is good news, right?  Not much on the crafty front happening here.  Just three boys growing.
My sweet baby is no longer really a baby.  He keeps me on my toes all the time!  Climbing on the cupboard, climbing on the filing cabinet, turning on (or off) the printer or tv, opening up the fridge and helping himself, repeat all of the previously mentioned 300 times a day.
We did find some time to visit my grandparents in Georgia a while back.  It was pretty hot there!  And the mosquitoes were gigantic and hungry!
Here are some photos from the Okefenokee Swamp.  It was really neat there.  Baby M didn't leave the stroller or our arms at all as there were no rails on the bridges or fences between the people and the alligators.  There were lots of alligators!  I love the flowers in the background in the first photo.  I think they are called bottle brushes.  Unfortunately PA is not a suitable habitat for them or I would plant a bunch! They are so pretty!
Our next vacation will be to Colonial Williamsburg.  Any suggestions for fun things to do?  I hope that you are having a fun and sunny summer!

I Spy Swap

Hi everyone!  Although I haven't been blogging much or swapping much, I am still alive.  In fact, I just signed up for an I Spy Swap at Midnight Maker.  I figured that I could handle this kind of swap since I don't actually have to have a finished project.  There are still a few spots open, so if you are interested, hop on over there and sign up!

 I am definitely looking forward to summer though, when I will surely have more time. Baby M is running all over now and keeping us all pretty busy.  Between him and school, there isn't much crafty time left.  I have gotten my knitting needles out for the winter months though.  It is easier to pick up and put down than sewing is.  Hopefully I will be able to successfully complete the sweater that I have started and share it with you.  There are so many things including a first birthday that I have neglected to post.  I will have to share some sweet baby pics soon!

 I hope that you all are doing well and finding lots of sewing/crafting time!

Embroider-bee

Hello!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  School and mommyhood have been keeping me pretty busy.  Baby M has been motoring around for a few months now, so I haven't had much time to sit.  Last week he took the famous "first steps" and started to wave.  So many fun things all at once!

Somewhere in between all of the fun things and some not so fun things (lesson plans and paperwork) I found some time to complete my blocks for the embroider-bee.

First up we have some hedgies surrounded by rainbow colors.  Honestly, I had a hard time parting with this one... it's right up my alley! 

Next up we have the tattoo motif swear word embroidery. I had a hard time actually making this one.  I just can't come to terms with combining embroidery and cursing, so I decided to go foreign with this one.  I figured the only way I could do it was to put it in German.  No offense to my German friends, but it just doesn't seem as bad if I say it in a different language.  I think it turned out pretty anyway.  I made tons of french knots for the daisy centers.  

Next up, cranky looking birds on a branch.  I love the cute little birdies!  

And last but not least, some beautiful flowers and stars.  All of the blocks are on their way to their new homes.  I hope they will be loved!

And here is a semi-recent pic of Baby M!  Adorable!!

Zip pouches galore!

      Back to school tomorrow... yes, I got my job back.  I am still the one and only German teacher in our school district.  I am very happy to be employed, but also a little sorry to see summer go.  

     It has been a strange summer to say the least.  Not quite as relaxing as I am used to.  My beloved father passed away after a long battle with brain cancer.  We all miss him terribly, but we are happy that he is not suffering anymore.  He was truly a man of integrity; someone that everyone looked up to.  

     There were so many wonderful people who comforted us and helped us out.  My mom has some really great friends from the school where she works.  They helped out by keeping my older boys entertained while we were there.  They took them to the movies and swimming and gave them other kids to play with.  It was so wonderful and such a big help!  It really helped the boys keep some normalcy during that time.

     My mom and I wanted to do something special for the women who helped us, so I made them all a back to school pouch and my mom is going to fill them with some supplies since they will all be going back to school at the end of this week.  I really like how the pouches turned out.  

  

 I love the dark denim with the contrast of the white thread!  I'm not sure why, but I find it to be very appealing.  I wish the weather would have cooperated a bit more for the photo shoot, but it is what it is!

The pouches are great scrap busters.  The next pouch is for my sweet J.  Originally I had made him this one, but he offered to give it to a friend.  He decided that he would like a Tom and Jerry one instead.  Not my kind of fabric, but perfect for an 8 year old boy!  

Winner!

Better late than never.  The winner of the books is Natural Mama!  Natural Mama has been to France.  Check out some of her cool photos here.  Sounds like a great vacation!  Enjoy your new books!

Back to School Zip Pouches

Click here to enter my giveaway!

I've been having fun this week with a little back to school sewing for some great kids! I used  Anna's 3 ring binder tutorial that I found on Sew Mama Sew.  If you haven't checked out Anna's blog Noodlehead you better head over there right now  after you read this post.  She has some mad sewing skills and tons of fantastic ideas, not to mention great patterns.  Anyway, here are the zip pouches that I made.  I am trying to use up some of my scrap collection, but these really didn't even make a dent in it.  

Strangely enough, both of my older boys chose the exact same fabric and zippers for their pouches.  I was surprised that they even chose the little monsters.  I was sure I would be making car and fish pouches. I tried using my "new to me" serger that I won on eBay, but I am still working out the kinks and figuring out how it works, so in the end, I just zigzagged the seams.  I still have to put the grommets in for the binder prongs.

The next pouches were fun to make because they are girly.  Girly projects don't happen too much around here.  I skipped the grommet strip on these.  I prepared some strips, but the denim made it too thick to sew through, but I think they will be great without them.  

I love the little window.  I bought vinyl a while ago, and this was the perfect project to try it out on.  It was easy to sew; much easier than I had anticipated.  Anna had a great tip for sewing with the vinyl.  She suggested to put a piece of tape on the presser foot.  It worked beautifully!  No Teflon foot needed!

Anna's 3 ring binder tutorial

Who's up for a Giveaway?

Okay, so I have way too many books in my library and need to give some away.  These three books are full of whimsy with some really cute projects.  All you need to do to win is leave a comment.  Unfortunately I haven't had a chance for a vacation this year, so I'd love to hear if you've gone anywhere fun or where you would love to go.  Please leave only one comment.  I will pick a random winner on Sunday, August 14th.  Good luck!  Sorry, but this giveaway is only open to US residents.  Postage abroad might be a bit much. :(