Gingercake

Sewing with my (Lefty) Daughter

A week or so before school started I asked on the Gingercake Facebook page about ideas for sewing with my 8 year old.  Thank you so much for the good advice!  She decided on making a tote bag together with a pocket on the front to hold some STUFF.

Sewing with my lefty daughter was a bit more of a challenge than I thought.  She had a lot of trouble with my sewing scissors (in fact could barely cut with them at all!) and when she used the rotary cutter, she had to turn it in all sorts of funny angles and then still couldn't get a good cut very easily.  She loved slecting fabric though and using the machine was fun with me helping to guide.  The bag took about 3 hours to make over 2 days.  I tried hard not to rush her although I did feel like the whole project took a lot longer than I planned for a simple first adventure into real mother/ daughter sewing.

This past Saturday we made this cute water bottle cooler (with insulbrite batting!) together before her soccer game.  She wanted it to match her uniform and we had fun searching for just the right colors.  She did most of the sewing and then we put the snaps on together.  This time I did all the cutting since she got all grumpy when I brought out the cutters.  "Do I HAVE to use those again??!!"  Hmm.  Cutting is a really big part of sewing I thought.

So now I see that I can purchase lefty scissors and even a lefty rotary cutter online!  What do you think lefty sewers?  Does she just need to get used to living in a righty world or will the purchase of lefty accessories make sewing that much more fun and accessible for her?    I couldn't find a good child lefty set so it looks like I would have to buy the real (and pretty expensive!) thing for her.  This would certainly be worth it if it meant the difference between having this hobby to share together and her giving up since using my tools is too hard!

 

A Pirate Turns Five

My boy is five today.  He loves the Pittsburgh Pirates and this has turned into a lot of pretend pirate play.  He makes sure that I know that his pirates are the NICE kind.  His first present this morning was a pirate costume from my mom.  Very cute and nice quality!

He had preschool this morning and I sent in this snack idea.  The kids loved it and the teachers were happy it was semi healthy!  Thank you Pinterest!

His big gift from Travis and me was this Playmobil Pirate Ship.  It is totally awesome- although a bit of a bear to assemble.  Playmobil always comes together nicely but there is usually a point where I feel overwhelmed and have to work through feeling annoyed- especially when your birthday boy is looking over your shoulder the whole time with cute commentary.

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy who I am often accused of showing preference and extra affection.  This accusation usually comes from my husband as he witnesses the excess of luvin.  I would never say he is my favorite but a mother feels a lot of special love for her only boy- especially a boy this sweet and funny.  

The sisters are about to come home from school and tonight we are having his favorite dinner of pancakes, bacon & cantalope.  Finally grandparents are coming over for pirate decorated chocolate cake (bought from the store!) and ice cream.

I think I am done with elaborate birthday celebrations.  They do not make me happy and I can tell the kids sense my dread of birthday party preperations and it diminishes their fun.  Do you love the big party prep?  Or feel guilty if you don't do it?  The girls are more into having friends over and a theme, etc.  than Cal so we will see if I give into pressure when their birthdays come around in a few months!

Beginning to sew for Baby

I am now in my thrid trimester and feeling big and cumbersome.  One thing to do when you are feeling as big as a house and still trying to squeeze into those summer 2nd trimester clothes is sew a few things for baby.  These seemed to take the edge off a bit...

This is a free pattern by Made by Rae.  I used vintage fabric I had in my fabric stash.  It felt good to use up some of those pretties.  I love the look of vintage baby clothes and it was so fun to sew these up and think about my girl.  

I find pants on newborns to be perfect.  I am thinking some cute long sleeve onsies (she will be born when it is already cold in Western Pennsylvania!) and these pants will make a cute and easy outfit.

Although I love them all, these above were my favorite and the easiest!  I just used a vintage embroidered table runner I had collected from somewhere and the crochet edges made the perfect hem.  Love.  Can't wait to see her in these pants!  Do you have a pattern you suggest for new babies?  I need to do some knits for sure!

The pattern was so fast and easy.  That's why I made 5 pairs!  Thank you to Made by Rae.

Have you all seen these adorable Diaper cakes?  So cute!  My favorites are the goodnight moon cake (that was Cal's favorite book!  we used to read it over and over again.), Peter Rabbit cake and the caterpillar cake!  All so cute, original AND useful!

Pencil Cases- Back to school gifts

School has already begun and the routine is in full swing.  Since our school provides almost all of our school supplies, the only thing I can really contribute to the girls' supplies is a cute pencil case.  I made up these simple cases.  I found a very similiar tutorial to how I made mine here.  There are lots of pencil case tutorials out there since they are fun and easy to make and the kids (and grown ups!) love them.  

The girls are really into cursive so I did a simple running stitch embroidery of their names on each case.

Since they have a gusset bottom (mine is smaller than the tutorial I referred to above) they stand up nicely when loaded with their pencils.

I took pictures to make a tutorial up for this pencil case but there are so many nice tutorials for pencil cases out there, I decided to link up to some of my favorites instead.  Just click on the picture to take you to the tutorial if you are interested in trying one of these cuties!  

Hope you liked this little pencil case celebration.  My girls were pretty crazy about their cases!  Are you making any back to school gifts for your kids or grandkids?  

Back to the Routine (AKA back to school)

Over the weekend we had lots of this...

But this morning we had this...

First grade and thrid grade here we come!  My tears only lasted a few minutes.  I have been looking forward to the peace and getting back to an easier routine but I still feel sad every year. I just hate watching them get on the bus and leave!  What about you?  Do you wave goodbye happily or have a little boo hooing like me?     

Another show under my belt

While I am sewing up items for a show I often wonder why I am making the effort.  Creating patterns is much more my thing buisness wise and sewing for fun is more my thing creative wise.  But doing a show once or maybe twice a year does improve your sewing skills and sometimes opens doors to new ideas and opportunities.

My wonderful friend Amy Frank and I did this show together.  It was in Eaglesmere PA which is a historical resort town in Eastern Pennsylvania.  It sits on a lovely lake and the visitors all seem to love the old timey vacation feel.  Amy provided the tent and together we had a wonderful time talking away (without children!) about family, friends, business & lots of sewing!

My half had the usual suspects of crayon holders, owls, lunch boxes, birds, elephants, etc.

Amy used to make handbags and do lots of shows.  She has taken a few years off (FOUR KIDS!) and now is making her way back to sewing.  I love her work and especially her charming and meaningful Shema cuffs.

She gave me a "JOY" cuff which I am wearing everyday.  The idea is to stay present to your beliefs and priorities by wearing them on your wrist.  Very cool.

She also made bags which open up to words and quotes.  I got a bag that says "Let your Light Shine" and "Hello Beautiful" on the inside.  So fun!

Wouldn't you like to have a throw pillow on your couch with a Ghandi saying on it??   Amy's work makes me want to add a bit more depth to my sewing and creating.  I have to figure out to use this inspiration in my own way that works for my style!

I have learned that my ability to put together one of these shows is now much more refined.  I know how much to make (for the most part!) and I am prepared with my display and pricing.  There was no real last minute stress except the weather which turned out fine.  A show every once in awhile is a great way to connect with real people looking at your sewn items- it's great to see their reactions and hear their comments.  

Now I am looking forward to spending these last 2 weeks with the kids before school starts!  I am hoping to sew with Elsie and garden with Anne.  And vice versa!  I am sure we will be heading down to the creek and over to the pool too.  This summer has gone by so fast!  What else are you trying to squeeze into summer time?   I know for lots of you school has already begun-  Are you relieved or sad to see them go back?  I always feel a bit of both but I want to try and enjoy this little time left of sleeping in and lack of planning as much as possible before we are back to the school day grind!

Scavenger Hunt Adventure

I try to have some sort of outing each day for the kids.  We did not join a pool (I'm not a huge hang at the pool girl anyway) and since I am trying to get ready for a show next weekend, the kids are spending lots of time at home doing not much while I sew away.  I have found that a few hours of concentrated time with them each day seems to fill them up enough that I can get work done the rest of the day.  Eases my mom guilt quite a bit too!

Our daily activities include quick trips to and Aunt's pool, bike rides, the library, visits to friends & last friday was a trip to our local audubon nature reserve with a printed out scavenger hunt.  This was a great hunt- fun and easy.  I was as determined to get it done as the kids were!

After the obligatory playing by the water fall and then playing billy goat gruff on the bridge (this is a tradition that my husband played on this same bridge as a child and we HAVE to play it everytime we come to the sanctuary- I was the big billy goat gruff and although I don't have a picture you can imagine the scene of PG billy goat fake kicking her 4 year old for yourself.), we got down to business on the trail with our hunt.  The whole excursion took about 2 hours.

We also added our own things like seeing a chipmunk, hearing a bull frog and seeing lots of mushrooms...

 The kids actually had to take 3 of the 4 mushroom pics since after taking the first one my ever growing belly was not letting me back down on the ground in that position again.  Good job kids!  Anybody a mushroom expert out there and can tell me what kinds these are?

Most of our simple outings are not too memorable but this one was really nice.  Thanks to chainsg super mom for making up the scavenger hunt list!  I am always looking for easy & FREE ways to help entertain the kids so I hope this may inspire you too!  Now back to that sewing machine...

Waste Free Lunch Bag is BACK!!!

I am so happy to finally bring back the waste free lunch bag.  It is fun to make with the center divider and great for packing lunch.  Both the girls wanted this style for the new school year coming up!  That must be good news, right?

The pattern includes 34 pictures that are bright and clear (old version had 4 pictures!) and it is 13 pages long.  There are no pattern pieces to print out since it is just rectangles, but there is a quick reference guide on the last page to help keep your fabric cutting in good order.  

It is roomier than my Love Your Lunch Box pattern but not quite as roomy as the Hobo Style Lunch Sak.  I am going to get smaller water bottles this year to free up some space for sure!  The girls only drink a little.  Any good recommendations for 8 or 10 ounce water bottles?  16 ounce is just too big for little girls!

I also changed the closure to a flap to create more room and because flaps are just cute, right?  The pattern is now available in the shop if you are ready to make one (or 5 like I did!).

Perfecting the Old Lunch Bag

This old lunchbag was my 3rd pattern that I made back in 2010.  About a year ago I took it out of my shop since I felt like it needed new pictures and easier instructions.  Over the last week, I made 5 lunch bags and have written the instructions again with lots of new, clear pictures.  All that is needed now is some more proofreading and making a cute cover photo in PSE!  Hoping to have it done by tomorrow or the next day!!!  Just in time for making school lunch bags...

 

Beachy Tunic in Voile

Remember when I made this pretty golden tunic for Anne?  While I was at the beach a few weeks ago, I got some pictures of her wearing it.  I love the color on her and she looked so pretty with all her sun kissed freckles (you wouldn't believe the sunscreen we go though with her!)

We had a lovely time in South Carolina.  Lots of time in the pool and just exploring the beach.  We went into Charleston once during the week but it was the rainy day and I didn't get much time to explore.  The beach was much easier for the kids to play in than the Outer Banks, NC beaches we usually go to although not quite as pretty.

While on the beach we found some treasures...

How is your summer vacation?  Hard to believe it is half way over!!  Although I admit the adjustment to summer vacation is hard for me at first, at this point I love having all the kids home and just relaxing into our easy schedule.  The pregnancy is making me less productive but we all seem to like our slow pace!