2nd Day at the Beach

First things first....lunch!


Joe gets ready to take flight, Nellie digs a new hole for the ocean to go in,


and Gabe builds a castle.


and I get in on the fun



by finally figuring out the camera timer...

The White Tree

I am re-reading the Lord of the Rings...again. And watching the movies with my children (first time for them). This is my wearable ode to Gondor.


It is made from two old t-shirts that had seen better days

-I used a bandanna folded in half on the diagonal as a pattern for the background material, the blue is just slightly smaller.

-the white t-shirt is cut with the hem still attatched and folded over to make the front edge

-stitch the two pieces of fabric together along the edges.

-The tree I drew freehand on a piece of pennant felt, then cut out to make a stencil. Cutting the pennant felt takes very sharp scissors and a lot of patience. This was the hardest part of the project.

-I used the stencil and silver fabric paint to paint the tree on the blue fabric, stitch around the outline and cut out the tree about 1/8" inside the stitch line.

-The spirals are all freehand. to make the fabric spirals cut out a circle, then cut from the edge to the middle in a spiral pattern, the jersey stretches out to make an open spiral. They are appliqued on using a straight stitch. The design on the left is three small spirals sewn together to meet at the center.

-the bead spirals are freehand, in retrospect I would draw the spiral then sew the beads over it but I couldn't find my disappearing ink fabric pen.

-the center medallion is two small circles of fabric and an old barrette.


This was a 2/3 trilogy project, including making the stencil, cutting the fabric, and sewing by hand. I'll wear it when we get to Gondor tomorrow, finishing up the movie weekend with the Return of the King.

I make these often, they are easy, endlessly adaptable, sometimes I use stencils that I buy, sometimes stencils that I make. They are close to instant gratification as you can get with hand sewing, and a great way to learn. My daughter is working on one (her first sewing project), made from two shirts that she has outgrown but still loves.

I have to acknowledge the Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin, all I learned about hand sewing I learned there.

American Beauty Rose, bud.

I've started my tunic. I have the back and fronts cut out, and the backs stenciled.
I'm going to alternate the arch on the stencil the whole way round.

I like the wave effect of the stencil so much I think after this I will try it on a six gore skirt.

Monday at the Beach with Kids

It was such a beautiful day we went down to the water.

This fishing boat has been around since I was a kid. It has my name.
I get as much of a kick out of that now as I did when I was 12.

mmmmmm Yummy!!!!! What's a trip to the beach without some seafood for lunch?

Last view of dry feet. :)

I'm guessing we will all sleep well tonight.

Nellie's Coat of Many Colors

This was one of my favorite sweaters, until it made an accidental trip through the washer and dryer. So I washed it again, on purpose this time.

I cut it up the center and added yoyos. They are sewn on individually by hand. There is an extra large hook and eye enclosure at the top.
The sleeves are folded back and stitched in place with a blanket stitch and with a yoyo on each one as an accent.

It's swingy and bright, and there is a small yoyo flower, along with some leaves courtesy of an old green t-shirt on the back. also sewn by hand.


Nellie wears it all winter for a sweater, and all spring for a jacket.
Despite all of the hand sewing this was a fast and easy project.

So if you accidentally shrink a sweater, it's not a disaster, it's potential.

American Beauty Rose (or that's what it's going to be)

My newest Alabama Stitches inspired project.
or at the least the idea, I still need to draft the pattern.
I have this tunic that I really like the length and width of, and a tank top that I love the top of. The plan is to marry the two and make my perfect tunic top.
That is the plan....you know what they say about plans.

Baby on the Go Quilt

This is my first attempt at a quilt.

It's intended for my niece's baby who should be arriving any day now.

Also in the works is a matching bag, with pockets so the quilt can be used for picnics etc...

Easter Came Early and Stayed All Weekend

We had Easter Dinner on Saturday this year, so everyone could be together.
The weather was so beautiful that we moved the feast outside.

Blue Egg Aftermath

Coloring Eggs is very serious business,

that makes for messy fingers.

and very happy kids.

Yesterdays dinner consisted of ham, roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, corn, and of course eggs.
Today's lunch will consist of ham or egg salad sandwiches. YUM!

there's a bird on my shirt! tshirt redo

Front of shirt

I cut the sleeves off of two Hanes t-shirts (men's large), one light green and one dark green, then I cut off the hems around the necks and bottoms. The dark green trim on this shirt is the bottom hem of the dark green shirt. I sewed it around the neck and across the front, then sewed a small hem around the arms. The stencil is one I picked up at JoAnn's.

The back of the shirt

The small green patch on the back is one of the sleeves from the dark green shirt.
All of the stitching is by hand. I have had this shirt for almost a year and it has worn beautifully. I was afraid the hand stitching and the paint wouldn't hold up to machine washing and regular wear and tear but no problems so far.

After the Flood

There is a small stream that runs at the edge of my backyard. Usually it is about three feet wide and maybe two feet deep, now it's more like sixty feet wide and deeper than the top of my wellies.

Where there isn't water there is mud.

my kids could almost slide into the water.

But we are lucky, our basement stayed dry, nothing was really damaged, so many people here have lost everything.

It’s raining it’s pouring
the town is in mourning
the water rose past our toes
and the dams are overflowing

the old man is snoring
after heeding the warning
he spent the day floating away
away from the storming

He went to bed his dreams all fled
grateful to rest his weary head
at least until the morning.