little lamb

My (Major Moma) youngest child loves farm animals.  She is two, so that is pretty typical I guess.  But out of all my children, she clearly likes them best.  And she loves sheep.

This probably has something to do with having sheep live across the street from us.  She loves to look out the window at them.  Or better yet, go with her dad to feed them.

So, for her birthday, I made her a shirt with a sheep on it.  It was not a realistic sheep; but instead this tooo cute vintage looking lamb in clothes.  I bought the embroidery file from Embroidery Library.

It stitched up great on this sparkly knit fabric.  I always use two layers of stabilizer when embroidering with knits.  I iron on a cut away, and then a tear away.  This keeps the fabric from stretching during the process. 

Both layers may have not been necessary with this lightly stitched pattern, but I like to be safe.

It is a simple t-shirt (from my Kwik Sews Sewing for Toddlers book) with two little adjustments to make it look special.  First, I made the neck band a little wider than usual for a bit of a band collar.  Second, I took the round shape from the sleeves of the Spring Fling dress, and added them to the sleeves.

To do this I took the shape and basted it to the shoulder, right sides together.  (I based the long straight side to the shoulder with just a little gathering at the center.) Then I sewed on the sleeve as usual.  I really like the little ruffle this addition created.

When she woke up on her birthday I showed her the shirt and told her I made it just because she is now two.  She was so excited! (every sewing mother's dream)  During her party she kept showing people her shirt and pointing to the lamb proudly.

I am so glad she liked it.

(PRP is going on this week.  But I was not too interested in the theme of 'chevrons".  But, I definitely will be checking out what the contestants and sew-along friends have come up with.)



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The Beautiful Gospel

Happy Easter!  We have a special treat this morning.  McH's husband is guest blogging with a special Easter message.

                Hello again everyone.  I would like to thank the ladies of “Without Directions” for allowing me to guest blog again.  It is always fun.  I am writing of course because Easter is upon us and when thinking about what I would write, I decided to be a little challenging.  I will open with a series of statements and you decide if they are true or false.  Be honest.

The ultimate enemy of a Christian is Satan

When a Christian dies they go to heaven and live forever with Jesus

                Believe it or not both are false and I am not crazy.  These statements are not false because they contain wrong doctrine.  These statements are false because they contain small doctrine.  The Christian hope is far more beautiful than we give it credit for and our gospel is far more amazing than we can imagine.  I want to talk about the beauty of our gospel and hope as seen and understood in the resurrection of our Messiah Jesus.  

                Jesus’ ministry bursts onto the scene of history with the incredible announcement the kingdom of God is at hand.  Then everywhere Jesus goes He demonstrates the power of the kingdom by healing all kinds of sickness and disease, casting out demons, and raising the dead.  He also teaches on the kingdom with parables and stories.  The kingdom of God was the primary message of Jesus.  In fact, in the gospels, the “gospel” is not that Jesus loved you and died for you sins it is the kingdom of God had come.  It is called the gospel of the kingdom.  At that point in history no one knew Jesus was going to die yet.

                To be incredibly short, the kingdom of God is life, hope, freedom, and relationship with God.  This was viewed as a future age post resurrection.  This age is evil and under the power of Satan.  This age is characterized by sin, sickness, and death.  The moment in history where one ends and the other begins is resurrection.  Our gospel is Jesus declared the kingdom of God at hand and the resurrection has begun with the resurrection of Jesus.  

What does this mean?  Well, let me refer you to one of my sneaky false statements above.  The ultimate enemy of a Christian is not Satan, it is death.  I challenge you, the reader, to search the scriptures for the word death.  You will find quite a story.  It begins in the Garden with the warning on the day we eat the forbidden fruit we will surely die.  It goes on to show creation subjected to futility and death because of our sin.  It shows God conquering sin and death in His life, death, and resurrection.  Then the scriptures tell us we have been set free from the law of sin and death and given new life instead.  One of my favorite passages of scripture is 1 Corinthians 15.  Let me share two quotes from it.

1 Corinthians 15:25-26

²⁵ For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵    “O Death, where is your sting?

      O Hades, where is your victory?”

                Our Christian hope is the resurrection that has begun in Jesus Christ and is waiting for us.  This leads me to my second sneaky statement above about our hope of living forever in heaven with Jesus.  If we say our hope is to live forever in heaven with Jesus then death is not defeated.  Our bodies remain forever destroyed and we simply have a life after death as a spirit.  Resurrection means we believe our bodies will be raised and we will live physically again.  We will be incorruptible to use Paul’s language.

                This works itself out in many amazing fashion.  For instance I often hear well-meaning Christians consoling others after the death of a loved one or a child by saying, “Now they are in heaven with Jesus” or “God needed them home with Him.”  Any time we tell someone death was part of the plan or a good thing from God we are telling a false story.  We should be telling people NO.  Death was not the plan.  Your hurt is real.  Your soul was never meant to feel the hurt of this tragic loss.  God has done all that He has done that He might defeat death for you.  

                This works itself out in fighting away certain modern theologies such as rapture.  God is not going to miracle His people out of the world to be with Him in heaven and then judge the world under harsh tribulation.  Frankly it’s an abuse of scripture to teach that.  God has Himself come into the world in Christ who is Emmanuel which means God with us.  He came to us and He is coming back again.  God is not casting creation away He is redeeming it with resurrection power and the whole world is groaning while waiting for it (Romans 8:18-25).  On the first Easter morning the tomb was empty because Jesus was alive.  His old body was glorified into a new one.  It still had scars but it was made new.  We need to stop teaching God destroying the earth or creation.  It will pass away but it will also be made new.

                Many of you know John 3:16.  “¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Are you familiar with verse 17?  “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  

                Resurrection works itself out in having hope for today.  If God is redeeming creation back to Him then I am not waiting to escape a sinking ship I am a missionary demonstrating hope and believing my actions matter.  I believe a cup of cold water in His name is eternally significant and I can begin living kingdom life even today.

I want to close this by saying there is simply no room in a short blog to really lay this all out.  But be encouraged!  God is good.  God is beautiful.  Our faith is not in vain; it is vibrant because Jesus is alive and that is Good News.  The resurrection forever radically alters everything and we can celebrate that. 

Elastic as Stay Tape Tutorial

Have you ever used stay tape?  It is a great little notion that I think when I was a beginner sewist, I just did not understand.  You sew stay tape into your seams in order to give extra strength to your garment and prevent stretching.

I have never done a tutorial of any sort before because there are so many out there that are really fabulous.  And if you want to learn about stay tape, here are two great resources.

1. Here is a great tutorial from Tasia at Sewaholic.
2. And great information from Gertie at Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing.

These ladies really can sew and if you want to learn some really quality techniques, I suggest you spend some time on their blogs.

But what if you have a knit that needs some extra strength at the seams?  You can use stay tape for that too, but then it won't stretch.  And isn't that the point of a knit?  So, what I use is clear elastic which is fabulous for swimsuits and other details.

this is the brand I happen to use ... feel free to check out other brands too.

On Monday, I showed you and outfit I made with ruffle knit.  This fabric is quite lightweight and I was really worried about the shoulder seems not being able to handle the weight of not only the bodice, but the hood too.  Thus, I got out my clear elastic and used it on the shoulder seams and on the seam that attached the hood to the neckline.  This should keep the garment from stretching out all funny and relieve some of the stress on the fabric.

I ran out of my clear elastic after this project and I realized that I had been using it a lot lately.  And if I am using it so much, maybe you would like to too?  I decided to put toghether this little tutorial just to get you thinking about clear elastic and see if it is a tool you need to add to your sewing box. 

Here are a couple examples of clear elastic in my recent projects.  The black one on the left is a tank top (about which I will blog at a later date) that is made with a textured tissue knit.  It is soft and comfortable but definitely a knit that would stretch out at the shoulder seams.  The pattern itself called for stay tape, but I used my clear elastic instead.  The example on the right is the hoodie pictured above.  As you can see from these examples, the elastic is right at the raw edge of the fabric.  In both I had used my serger so the threads wrap around and through the elastic.  The concept is exactly the same if you are using a conventional machine.

 In order to show you how to sew your elastic into your garment, I made sample pictures using blue twill tape.  Clear elastic is ... well, clear.  So it is hard to see in photographs.  I hope the blue twill tape makes it easier for you to understand.  First, like any other garment, you place your fabric under the presser foot.  Then, you place your elastic under the foot so that it will be stitched by the needles.  If you are using a serger, you want it clear of the blade but under both needles.

If you are using a conventional machine, you simply place the elastic under your presser foot nice and centered. 

Then sew your seam!  See, this is not really a technique that uses any new skills, it just is simply using a notion that you may walk right by in the aisle not understanding why you should purchase it.

This weekend I was making the Carousel Top, a new Pattern Anthology pattern, and it also called for using stay tape.  That stay tape has two jobs.  1) to strengthen the seam and 2) to stabilize the gathers at the shoulder.  In a case like this I would, and did, use actual stay tape.  I did not think it would be better to use the elastic. 

But if you have a seam on a knit garment that will be under stress, I highly recommend this notion. 

Do you already use clear elastic?  What other cool notions do you love?

P.S.  Check out your RTW t-shirts, I bet some of them have clear elastic in the shoulder seams!

Impressionism

 

Oh, how I ( Major Moma) love a sew along.  And what is better than a sew along?  A PRP sew along!

Right now PRP is having an All-Stars competition where they bring back past contestants to have a special competition.  Oh, so much fun.  I am sure I will get new inspiration and ideas to take my sewing up a notch.

And, I get new challenges to stretch my abilities.

This week the theme is Inspired by Art.

When I was in undergraduate school, I had to take a requisite number of art classes.  One of my favorite was dance for non-dancers.  But though I took two quarters of that, it was not enough to fulfill my requirements.  And I have no real artistic ability and thus was forced to take an Art History class.  I took Western Art History; Renaissance to Present. 


Dürer painting at the Gemaldegalerie, Berlin


My mom (aka M on this blog) told me this would be one of the most useful classes I would take in undergrad.  Really?  Please explain mom.  And she did.  She said that all the rest of my classes may be foundational to things in my career but a knowledge of art will help enhance my real life.  Through an understanding of art, I will better understand our history and culture and it is something I can talk about for years to come. 

I don't think I truly believed her.  And this was one of the most study intensive classes I took as there was a HUGE amount of memorization.  But I learned she was right.  As I have traveled and experienced life, I have drawn upon the knowledge I gained in that class.



Greek antiquity; Pergamon Museum, Berlin


This February I was in Berlin, Germany enjoying their wonderful selection of art museums.   And there were several times that I would look at a piece and wonder "How could I translate that into the clothes I sew?"


Gate of Ishtar; Pergamon Museum, Berlin


And then, the PRP themes came out!  But my ideas I had floating around my head from the Berlin trip required machine embroidery and my machine broke down a couple days before the themes were announced.  So sad.

I am not one to be easily discouraged though and I went searching through my fabric for another option.  And I came upon this ruffle fabric I bought last fall that I never was able to find the 'right' project for.  Instantly, I thought of a Monet painting.

source





The hoodie is from a Simplicity 3813 pattern but I made a few modifications.  It really is the center piece for this look.  It is made from an ombre green an blue ruffle knit.

This fabric is very light weight and delicate and so I took a nearly matching teal knit and added a binding to the hood.  I also added knit cuffs and a facing at the hem out of the same teal knit.  This really helped put some structure to the garment.  Now matching stripes can be difficult, especially with a knit that may stretch when sewing.  But matching ruffle stripes that constantly are flipping around, that is super annoying.

To give a nod to the bridge in this painting, I made the skirt from this knit/lace fabric.  The idea for this to be a circle skirt came also from a picture I saw in the February Vogue issue.  I think the stripes and hashes of the lace reflects the openness of this pedestrian bridge.
 

 

 
 
I used the Dana Made circle skirt tutorial and was able to pick up this beautiful yellow elastic from a local store.

Because the skirt is see-through, little shorts for underneath were a must.  And, I had just enough of the ruffle fabric left.

All three pieces can of course be worn together, but each of them I think can be worn separately as well. 

I am thrilled with the outcome of this project but I would give a strong caution to anyone considering buying this ruffle fabric.  It was expensive, at $12.98  a yard and it is very flimsy.  I don't know how well it will hold up on a 9 year old.  And, matching the stripes were quite a headache.  Was it worth it?  I will let you know when am not still tired.

How have you become familiar with art?  Do you visit museums for fun?  What is your favorite museum?  

(Mine is definitely the Pergamon in Berlin.)

~Major Moma

Sewing Love

M here,  today my blog will be a montage of pictures and thoughts.  It's easy to to be a little self serving in a blog,  especially when you like to show what you make or create.  But really....  why do I craft?  I suppose there as many answers to that as there are projects.  Mostly I do it because it is fun. Sewing relaxes me, and when I am feeling stressed concetrating on matching opposing seams on a quilt helps me get my emotions in control.

But lately,  I have had several friends with life challenging illness, and my reaction?


First of all I have been praying.  Not the vague please God bless me and mine.  Or the even vaguer and useless "sending good thoughts your way"  But praying...  God please heal my friends, their families, my mom.   God please grant them the strength to go through these terrible times.  God please grant them the peace that they will need to walk through this valley of shadows....
Then I sew, or crochet, or anything I can think of with a needle.



My friend is going to start chemo soon... what was my first reaction?  Well of course she will need a cuddle quilt.  I guess that started this whole train of thought.
 

14 Years ago my dad fought his last battle, I remember spending long hours at the hospital with him and my family. I had to have something to do. So I embroidered... and when dad passed, I put these away.

I am ready now to put them in a little quilt for a little boy in honor of my dad. 



Another friend had some serious health issues a few years back. When he was in the hospital, and we were so worried  I prayed and I sewed... and when he came home I handed him this.

My best friend in the whole world is a quilter like me.  We have shared many a battle together.  She always had a dream of making a quilt for her brother,  but life intervened, and she has lost most of her vision.  Her brother, also my very good friend has had some serious struggles,  so I thought why don't I finish that for her and for him... so I sewed and had a great time finishing up my friends project.

 So a couple of weeks ago,  Mom fell ill and was in the hospital.  During the time I spent with her I had to have something to do.... so I got some bright colored yarn and made some hats... and this little girl loves them.

All of this,  was yes, meant to show some of my projects.  But I like to think about what my motivations are when I make things.  I guess the process of creating helps me to deal  with some of my  life's circumstances

Why do you craft?  How do you deal with life's difficult issues? Does using a needle and thread keep you sane? 

Pattern Review: Simplicity 4020

I (Major Moma) sewed up Simplicity 4020 with some tweedy looking sweater knit fabric. You may recognize it from two other shirts I have made fro my kids HERE and HERE.  I bought a lot of this fabric because it would work for all of us. I like to have coordinating outfits for my kids and I.  Yes, I am one of those moms.  But the funny thing is that though they are not big fans of matching each other, they like to match me.   

When I saw this fabric I knew right away I wanted to sew it up using one of my Grandmother's 1960s STRETCH & SEW patterns. It is a dolmen sleeve jacket with a rounded collar. However, the pattern was too wide for my fabric.  And only by just an inch and a half, so that was disappointing.  Thus, I looked through my patterns and found the Simplicity 4020. I bought this years ago and have never opened it. It also had dolmen sleeves but an off-set one piece collar and a band around the waist.

source

Close enough.

The pattern is super simple and has many different variations so you can get a couple different looks.  I used my serger to sew up all of the seams.  There are no darts and it is an easy shirt with really nice results.



I sewed up a size 12. I wear a 6 in RTW, but you know pattern sizes are so much different from RTW. I cut the sleeve at the length of an 8 because I am not very tall.  It fit perfect.

front

back

I made a contrasting collar with red double knit left over from this skirt. The collar was supposed to be interfaced. But the double knit has virtually no stretch and is quite heavy so I opted not to. Normally, I would not think that was wise, but I took a risk since I had sewn with this fabric before and knew it should be fine. And it was.

Finally a little tip.  Like I said, I serged all my seams.  In hind sight, I would not have serged the neckline/collar.  When I was under-stitching the seam, there was not much of the seam to stitch down.  And now, occasionally when I wear it, you can see the serged seem where the notch of the collar opens.  It is not a big deal, and I can adjust it back.  But it would have been better if I had the full seam allowance on the inside.

I am really glad I did finally sew up this pattern.  Do you have patterns that have sat around for years without being opened?  Or am I the only one? 

I have to say something

OK.  This is a fun blog.  A blog about family.  about sewing.  about loving.

It is not a political blog.

But, I (Major Moma) have to say something.

A man named David Wood posted this article on the Huffington Post website.  I felt just a little crazy angry when I read it.  There is sooooo much that is simply untrue or highly exaggerated in this piece.

I wanted to write a point-by-point reply.  I wanted to point out how crazy he is.  How clearly in his journalism classes he was asleep when they taught about fact checking.

The most silly part he wrote was "A brigadier (one-star) general at Fort Drum, with 16 years of service, is earning $131,652 a year plus a housing allowance of $2,247 per month."  I am sorry, no such animal exists.  There are no one-star generals that have only been in the military 16 years.

But, then I saw this blog post by And Then we Laughed.  This lady gives a very rational, well thought response.  She acknowledges that cuts need to be made and that the military will share in the balancing of the federal budget.  But, people don't need to write crazy articles to justify those cuts.

So, I hope that you read the response article.  She has great points.  Great points based on facts.



My husband and I.

And now I can feel satisfied.  I have responded but I have not compromised the integrity of our family blog. 

We can be fun again!