Overcoming a glitch...

The first signs of our veggie garden are beginning to show.  My husband started seeds for the garden and today we noticed they are up and have vented the top of the seed starter tray.

We have cabbage and iceberg lettuce.

The beets and basil have started too.

I think they will do well.

I was needing a single vase a week or two ago and didn't have one.  I was at a flea market last week and found this pretty vintage milk glass bud vase.  It is diamond cut in the pineapple pattern.  

I finally finished one of the small quilts I've been working on.  It didn't happen without a glitch though.  Here's the quilt finished.

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Here's the glitch.  I had to stop and have some repair done on my machine.  I was sewing along and then the casing that holds the needle just dropped out of the machine.  

Thankfully my needle was not broke or bent, amazingly.

So that's Monday for me.  It started good, had a glitch, then ended good.  

Isn't that how life goes?

Everything is going along good, then a glitch happens.  How you overcome that glitch depends on how you face it.  In the case of my sewing machine, I turned to my husband.  I have never had my machine do anything like it.  He repaired it, and showed me what I need to do if it ever happens again.  I am now prepared  with the knowledge and the tool to take care of it next time.   

But what about bigger things in life?  How do you overcome glitches then?  I personally rely on my relationship with God.  I search my heart and pray asking God to reveal what I should do, and at some point, either through discernment or Scripture, I know what needs to be done or what to expect next.  These verses sum it up nicely.

Psalm 16:8-11 (NIV) 

I keep my eyes always on the LORD.  With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay.  You make known to me the path of life, You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Hugs, 

Sonia

To grow your blog...

Hi, thought I'd share a blog with you that can help you grow your blog.  Check it out.  :)

http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/2014/11/grow-your-blog-2015-party-this-is.html

Been busy this week, but hope to post again in the next day or two.

Here's wishing you a fabulous Friday!

Warm Hugs, 

Sonia

English Paper Piecing...

Often times I have time left on my lunch break, after I eat.   If I'm not reading or visiting antique/flea markets, I will be working on a crocheted or hand sewn project.

I recently bought a small English Paper Piecing kit to give it a try.  I must admit I didn't expect to like the process but wanted to try it, just to say I did.

Surprise...Surprise!  I truly like to English Paper Piece.  It is a great way to work on a project when you are limited in space or time.

Here's how it's done.  A template is used to create the shapes. Feeling for the edge of the template as you stitch allows you to keep your stitches even.  You do not stitch through the template in this method, making the template reusable.

Supplies: Fabric Squares (2" in this case) and templates (hexagon here. can use other shapes)

The templates are made of heavy stock paper, cardboard, plastic, Mylar, or acrylic.

I'm using heavy stock paper templates in this project.

Place template on wrong side of fabric, can pin in place to keep it secure.

Fold fabric down over edge of template firmly on two sides, creating a sharp corner in the fabric and tack down.  Move to next two sides and repeat.

I figured out, while I was working on this to tie square knots at each corner instead of tacking, then clipping each time.  It made the process go faster.

 Square knot: right end over left and through, then left end over right and through.







Stitch a center block and six outer blocks.  Use a whip stitch to stitch the outer blocks to the center block using the top edge of the template as a guide to stitch.

Once the outer blocks are stitched to center block, trim the fabric overlap on the center block to 1/4" and remove template.

Can reuse the template later.




Once the center template is out, you can then fold the piece to stitch the sides of the outside pieces together.









Once you have the sides of the outer pieces sewn together, trim the overlapped fabric to 1/4" and remove the templates.

If using paper pieces you can press before you remove templates.  Otherwise, press after templates are removed.

Here are some samples of finished blocks.  The smaller one is made using 1" blocks of fabric and smaller template.

I think these will look nice on a background with appliqued stems and leaves, creating a bouquet of flowers.

So there you have it.

If you would like a easy small hand sewing project, try out English Paper Piecing.

There are several ways to do it and you can find all kind of videos for it on YouTube.  I prefer this method the best.

Hugs,
Sonia

August... already?

The first day of August...can you believe it?

This year has flown by and it seems each year it flies by faster than the last.

I think the reason it has hit me so hard this year is that my daughter (my youngest) is turning 17 this month and starting her senior year of high school.  It seems like it was just yesterday that my son graduated high school, but he has been out for a while and graduated college this year.

Then top it off with Christmas being only 20 weeks and 3 days away and only 74 available days to get my Christmas projects and gift done.  Goodness!

I usually go into what I call a "nesting mode", where I bake more, sew more and craft more.  It usually happens in late summer or early fall, but I need it to kick in earlier this year or I may not get everything done on time.

So, to help myself out, I have started a list of "To Do's".  Do you ever do that and if so what motivates you to get it done?

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BACK TO SCHOOL REMINDER

This weekend is tax free in Arkansas.

Don't live in Arkansas?  Here is a link to find out if and when your state has a tax free weekend.

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html

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Have a fantastic Friday!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Stretching the Budget

Hi,

if you are like most people in today's economy (I am), you are looking for frugal ways to stretch the budget.

Here are some ideas I thought were worth checking out.

This blog, One Income Family Living, has great grocery saving tips. Check it out at http://oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com/p/basic-grocery-saving-tips-and-ideas.html

Source: a-personaltouch.blogspot.com via Tara on Pinterest

Here's a cute gift idea around Christmas.

Source: sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net via Jen on Pinterest

Do you have old eyeglasses lying around?  Why not turn them into cute snowmen ornaments?





Do you have scrap yarn?  Why not make a pouch to hold ear buds, etc.?






There are lots of ideas, tips and guidelines for stretching your budget.   Do your research, learn to think outside the box and before you know it, you can make a few bucks go a long way.

I hope this helps!

God bless and keep you,
Sonia

PS check out the fun poll at the top of the page.