So many kinds of joy

Today was such a beautiful day. There was sun and sand and water - but most especially the use of handmades! Oh how those things bring joy to my heart!

 Today we took Liam to the beach and he wore the hat I made him, along with a new to his closest, a mama made shirt from one of his daddy's old T-shirts designated for the rag pile. 

This little shirt represents two things that are becoming close to my heart. Garment sewing for children, and repurposing fabrics. 

When I started seeing how much joy quilting and making toys for Liam could bring - I so wanted to make him a few mommy made clothes to use during his play. I don't know if there could be anything more wonderful than to see an item made with love be used as he grows and explores.  

I have been a bit scared to venture into the world of garment sewing.  I don't know why. Perhaps it's the terminology that seems so foreign to me. Perhaps it is the precision required for a finished product. But as I was reading one of my favorite blogs yesterday I read the quote below and it totally changed my entire mindset. 

" Let yourself enjoy the process and don't get hung up on whether it is "right" or "perfect." Let it reflect where you are right now, and let that be enough." ~ Alicia Paulson from www. posiegetscozy.com 

Those words were extremely - liberating. I didn't have to make something perfect. I just had to make something that showed where I was in my current process. And the fruits of my labor were blessed with a garment that Liam could actually use on a family outing - made with flaws, but oh so so so much love.

Another thing that has been on my heart is repurposing used things, often unwanted or old things into something that can be useful and loved. Oh how wonderful that feeling is! That T-shirt was too small for Ross and was about to be used for a rag - but now I have a new garment for Liam and a couple of good pieces for dusting. You can't beat that! 

The T-shirt is an envelope tee from Meg McElwee's book Growing Up Sew Liberated in the 6-12 months size. I bought this book several months ago and have been dreaming of filling my boy's drawers with mommy handmades. Well, we are one garment into that dream! 

Happy Sewing Everybody! Linking up to Sew the Library at Tales of Cloth. 

A Handmade Birthday!

Oh that bottom picture makes my heart so happy! This year all my sister wanted was placemats for her birthday. So placemats she got! Five patchwork placemats - the same layout design but with different fabrics. It was nice making these because I was able to incorporate fabric into each mat from different projects I had made for them. Noah's had some of the Japanese fabric that I used when I made his snack bag. 

My sister had posted these pictures on Facebook to share with friends and family yesterday and on one of the pictures she said something that made my heart so happy!

• Karisma Pagat Love the action shot!

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  Zemirah Lee Noahs saying... "hey!! This is like my snack bag!" (He saw the same fabric in his placemat)

My niece also got some of the little red fabric that I used in her quilt and my sister got a bit of posy that I used for her quilt. It's so wonderful to be able to use a small scrap that can remind a loved one of another handmade item you had made them!

I didn't know if I was going to finish on time to send it back with my parents to San Diego but I did! And oh what a wonderful feeling that was! I am horrible when it comes to mailing things - a goal that I am making for myself this year to be better at sending cards and packages and such.

Handmades for birthdays are starting to become a tradition. A tradition that brings so much joy and love. On both ends. Along with a handmade item, another tradition that is starting to blossom is a card filled with long messages. Messages carrying reasons why that person is loved - memories from the past year that was a blessing - hope for the next year to come.

I am constantly reminded that we only have so many birthdays and anniversaries in a given lifetime. Oh how important it is to me to mark each one with love and gratitude for those that have such a hold on my heart.

A new friend: a valuable lesson

Do you ever make something and wonder to yourself, "I can buy this at Walmart for ten dollars - why am I putting in so much effort to do this?" I must admit that those thoughts ran through my head during this project. A lot of seam ripping went into this project, which wasn't easy since I was sewing white chenille with white thread. But when I gave it to my little boy, my rumpled thoughts were soothed by his big smile, and the way he so readily reached for this little cotton tail and became fast friends.

Here is a toy I made with my hands. A toy that was created with things that we had on hand. A future lesson for my boy in giving handmades. A lesson for me about what it takes to craft a softie - the time and labor it takes. I won't ever buy a stuffed animal and take the craftsmanship for granted again.

In my New Years Goals post I posted about wanting to learn how to sew from patterns. This was my second attempt at making something with a pattern. Meet our little cotton tail! It's from Jill Hamor's book Storybook Toys. I was first introduced to this  book by Amy's blog over at NanaCompany. She made a chenille cotton tail bunny for her daughter. Well as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I hope it can be construed as flattery because I do so admire her work. And admiration often leads to imitation. So with that being said - I made my own sweet boy a chenille bunny friend.

"Most of the doll's clothes and the other toys in this book are made with such small amounts of fabric that you are likely to find the perfect fabric in your scrap bin." ~ Jill Hamor 

Oh how true that statement is! Three pieces of chenille in the scrap bucket, stuffing from pillows used at my wedding by my ring bearers, and a piece of fabric I had in my stash by Denyse Schmidt. This little friend took very little fabric to make. I think if I made another one too, it would sew up fast. Even with all my seam ripping, it took one of Liam's long nap sessions to sew together.

On a learner's note - I hand basted in a dark contrasting thread a lot during this project and I recommend it to all beginners sewing up a softie. By basting I was able to see how the parts were sewn together and whether or not I was doing it right. It was also easier to maneuver through the machine instead of having to worry about taking out the pins, especially in tight corners. I also did not embroider the eyes, but instead used plastic ones. I actually like the look a lot better!

I also did sew on the head at a bit of an angle as you can see. That wasn't a deliberate change in the pattern, but I kind of like the tilt of this little cotton tail's head. It's like he wants to whisper a secret.

When it is all said and done, and this little friend is snuggled up close to my son's soft face, I am happy that I made this project. I learned a lot through this process and I hope to make more toys and get better and better with each attempt.

On an aside, did you hear that Heidi from Fabric Mutt is hosting a Sew your Library link party? I believe three amazing ladies will be taking turns hosting the link up. This week is Martha from Weekend Doings.  I learned about Martha's blog from this link up party and I just have to say that she is one talented lady! Don't you just love the idea of a sew your library party? This is actually such an amazing idea! I have been trying to make a goal for myself to not buy any more crafting books until I create at least one project out of each book I have in my library. I think this party is just the ticket to work on that goal don't you think!

Happy Sewing friends!

Linking up to Sew the Library at Weekend Doings, TGIFF, Finish it Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Midnight Sewing - Daytime Cruising

"What is so deeply important to my soul and the soul of my family is the act and the process of creating itself" ~ Amanda Soule from The Creative Family 

This pattern has been on my sewing table for weeks now. A goal of mine has been to start sewing with patterns this year - and this cute little bucket hat pattern was on the top of my list! So last night, I was trying to settle down by reading blogs (which I'm learning isn't a very good idea since it seems to do the opposite of settle me down), and I stumbled across Jessica's blog: a little gray  and she had actually put together an Oliver and S sew along in 2012! So, along with the clear instructions of the pattern, and the additional comments on Jessica's blog, I was determined to jump in! And what was I waiting for! Sewing with a pattern is so amazingly simple! Notches. Notches are AMAZING! They help everything line up!

So here it is! My first finish with a pattern. And it was easy! And it only took me about an hour. WOW! There are of course mistakes and the top stitching isn't perfect, but I don't care because this is my first project and practice can only make better right? And the best part of it is it's for my son. My beautiful sweet and precious boy. He finally has a bucket hat to protect his head, neck, and face from the sun when we start taking him to the beach and the park - or in this case, our farmer's market.

That's the best part of creating in my opinion. The creation of something that your family needs. And something about the act of creating, and clothing, or quilting for your loved ones, and seeing your handmades on them or being used by them creates a fullness of heart that is hard to beat.

Linking up to Finish It Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. Aloha Everybody!