Beautiful Blogger Award

Trudy who along with her daughters, Kimberly and Emily, has been one of my blogger buddies for a LONG time.  She recently rewarded me with this wonderful award.  Trudy is a home schooler mom who is amazing! If you aren't familiar with her blog and her daughters, you have to check them out.  I am supposed to tell ten things about myself that you don't already know and send it on to more bloggers.  I'm not sure I can thing of ten INTERESTING THINGS to tell you about myself, but I'll try.
1.  I love to sew.  Oops, I guess you already knew that.  But, I have decide that what I like to sew best are things that are a challenge to my creative side, like Halloween costumes.
2.  I love to sew with old things.  I guess you knew that, too.  I love to handle the hand made handkerchiefs, napkins, tablecloths, tea towels, pillow cases, etc.... that someone from a previous generation has made, and then to use it in something new that I make.
3.  I love my grandchildren.  Oh, I guess you know that, too.  Enough said!
4.  I love my three girls.  Yeah, I know, I know, you already know that, too, but you know what, the most important things to me are the things I want people to know about me.
5.  I have been married to my best friend for nearly 38 years.  We went to elementary, junior high, high school, and college together.  We started dating our senior year after getting in trouble together in our health class.  That's a story for another day.
6.  I love to paint, draw, etc..., but not seriously.  This is just for fun!  I don't claim to be a real artist.
7.  I go to the nursing home, usually twice a day, to feed my mother.  You already knew that, too.  Most of you know that I have another blog where I write my reflections that I have concerning this part of my life.
8.  I have a 19 year old cat.  She drives me crazy, in that she can still jump up on our kitchen counters, but she is otherwise pitiful!
9.  My father-in-law lives next door to us.  My mother-in-law just died in April.  My fil is adjusting well.  He's a busy man.
10.  My girls live far, far away from us, so we travel as much as possible. We have 6 grands and another on the way.  Some are in the New England area and some are out West.  It is hard, but we make sure that we are close to them anyway.  We have three wonderful son-in-laws.  That is a blessing!
Now, I'm supposed to pass this award along to other bloggers.  This will require some thought on my part and some linking and all that stuff, so I'm going to come back to this part tomorrow.
I also have my granddaugter's Medusa costume finished and ready to show you after I take a few photos.  I made three different snaky wigs before I was satisfied.  The dress was much easier.
Let me tell you, though, that I would rather be making these fun challenging costumes than anything else in the world.  IT. IS. FUN.
I am going to get to make  a Christening gown for one of my daughter's best friend's baby girl.   I received an heirloom handkerchief in the mail this week to use in the design some way.  I have a couple of different ideas.  I just have to make up my mind which I like best.  The mom has sent me some pictures of dresses she likes, so I am formulating a plan using the things she likes best from each of them.   FUN!FUN! FUN!

I Won and A Wild Boar! PLUS>>>a reworked snout!

Cheryl, one of my blogger buddies hosted a giveaway, and I won!  I love these beautiful Halloween designs.  I've got several ideas running around in my head for using these. I have thought of possibly making a table runner, a tote, a patchworked lined jumper for one of my grands, etc............  I am so happy to have won these fun fabrics.  Thank you Cheryl!  Please visit her wonderful blog!  You will be glad you did!

The first of the 6 Halloween costumes for my grands is finished.  This was the one that I was the most concerned about because I wasn't sure how I would make a WILD BOAR!  I researched online to see what wild boars really look like, and I tried to make this costume as close to what I found as I could.  First of all, finding the fabric to use for this wasn't easy.  Wild boars have wirey fur that is in different shades of black, brown, tan, etc.....  There isn't any fabric like that at Katy's, Walmart, or Hobby Lobby, which were the stores closest to me.  So, I finally decided to buy this brown, fuzzy, fake fur at Hobby Lobby.   I think it worked out ok.  For the hoofs and nostrils I used the back side of some gold lame that I had in my stash that already had iron on adhesive attached.   The fangs are made from some rough textured white cotton fabric that I had saved from some project knowing that some day I would use it for something.   It turned out not to be so hard to make after all.  I used this pattern as a guide for the body and hood.                                                                             

Taking photos of this little wild piggy wasn't easy, and the photos don't really show what it really looks like.  I used my University of Tennessee mascot, Smokey, for the model, again, as usual. You can see is orange jersey peeking out from the first picture.   He is very cooperative, but he isn't very tall, so he's not a great model for a two year old's clothing, but he's the best I have here at my house.  I'll try to get photos of Little Man in his costume before Halloween.   It's a good thing that Little Man lives where it is usually cold by Halloween because this will be a warm costume!

When I showed the boar costume to my husband he said it looked like an elephant.  What does he know? I did look at pictures and pictures and pictures of boars and they all had really long snouts, but after my husband said that I decided to do a little reworking on the snout.  I added a larger bottom jaw and some more teeth.  What do you think?  Does it help?  You can still see Smokey in there.  One of the comments from yesterday was that it looked like an Arkansas Razorback had swallowed him.  That was funny!  At least I didn't have to make a Gator!  We play Florida today!!!! 

My granddaughters out in AZ want to be fairies.  That will be easy and fun.  It will not be cold in the desert by Halloween, so these will be light weight and "PRETTY" with Lil' E wanting to be a yellow fairy with blue wings.  She wants baby sis to be a green fairy with blue wings.  According to Lil' E her two favorite dolls and her Mommy are supposed to be fairies, too.  The dolls may get a quick and simple costume each.  Her Mom says she may buy herself some wings, but she doesn't think she wants a fairy dress.  I can't imagine why she doesn't want a dress with tulle, netting, satin petals, etc....!

Our oldest grand who is 10 wants to be Hermione from Harry Potter. This requires a long cape, a skirt, a tie, a sweater( this will be purchased), a white shirt (which will also be purchased), and knee socks(also purchased).  The next oldest, who is almost 8,  wants to be a girl version of Dracula ( a long cape and a shiny red dress), and the 4 1/2 year old wants to be.................................., get ready for this, Medusa!  She first wanted to be a princess mermaid like her big sister was two different Halloweens, but she called me to tell me she had changed her mind.  She has seen the Percy Jackson movie and saw Medusa then decided that was what she wanted to be for Halloween.  I think her costume may have to be next because making a wig with snakes (they can't be scary, because she can't wear it at preschool if it's scary) may not be so easy.  She'll need a shiny green dress.

I'd better get off the computer and get busy.

Fall Window Painting

I finally got the Fall pictures painted on the windows at the nursing home.  I didn't want to paint something that screamed Halloween or Thanksgiving because these will be up until it's time to paint Winter pictures.  I did paint a tiny jack-o-lantern on the porch of the house in the last photo.  I also painted a few turkeys at the barn.                                     

On the three windows that are in the living room area I painted scarecrows, mums, etc.  The football player scarecrow is in honor of the University of Tennessee.  What says Fall more loudly than football, mums, pumpkins, hay bales, etc....?                                         

There are several residents who are veterans, so I did paint a flag for Veteran's Day to honor them.  The whole time I was painting I was thinking about George, Ms. Moses, and Darnell, three residents who recently died.  So, I guess you could say that all of these paintings are for them. 

Now, for the dining room windows.  On these I painted a fall farm scene.  Margaret still wanted a man in the window beside her seat in the dining room, so the farmer on the tractor is for her.  I even put her initials on the tractor.  This farmer is waving and winking at her.  When I got back from AZ, they had moved all the tables in the dining room, so Margaret wasn't getting to sit beside her window anymore.  When I asked her what she wanted me to paint on her window, she said, "I don't care what you paint.  You can paint something "dirty" if you want to for all I care since I don't get to sit by the window anymore."  I went to the assistant administrator and told her what Margaret had said.  About 20 minutes later the tables were rearranged again, this time so that Margaret could have her window seat back.  She was thrilled.  She likes her new "MAN".                  

Since we live within view of the Smokey Mountains, I decided to paint the mountains in the background with a sunset, or sunrise, whichever, behind the farm.

I hope the residents enjoy these paintings as much as I enjoyed painting them.  I do not claim to be a REAL artist.  I just play at painting.
Mother asked if I was painting.  She has been calm going on her second week, with the exception of a day or so.  She's very drugged, though.  I would rather her be drugged instead of agitated.  It is so hard to see her crying and screaming and being scared.
For more of an update on Mother, go to my other blog that is listed with a link on my sidebar.  It is babygirlsobservations.blogspot.com.

On a sad note, my friend who I've been friends with ever since we were babies in the church nursery over 50 years ago, lost her husband to cancer yesterday.  I spent the night at her house so often that I felt like her mom was my "other" mom.  He was diagnosed in January, and even though the doctors never gave him much hope, he fought a good fight anyway.  Prayers please for this family.  They have two daughters who are married and have a son each.  One of the grandsons is only a couple of months old.  My friend is a very strong woman who has been through a lot in her lifetime.  Her dad died of cancer when we were young women.  She has fought and beaten breast cancer and now has diabetes.

She'll Be Stylin' on the Golf Course

Our three year old granddaughter got a set of real golf clubs for her birthday.  Her dad is a really GOOD and avid golfer.  He takes her to the driving range quite often.  So..........

she needs a real golfer's outfit, right?

This is the pattern and some fabric I bought a while back with Lil' E in mind.

Here's the little skort that she will wear with the polo shirt and golf hat that her Grammy gave her.  This couldn't have been easier to make.  I made it this morning in a couple of hours start to finish.  I really meant to get this made before her birthday, but it just didn't get done, so, I guess it's better late than never. 
By the way, I am going shopping for leggings to go with the shirt dress that I made for our almost 8 year old granddaughter that I depicted in my last post.  I'm not sure what color, but probably red, yellow, or bright green.  Whichever I find, I will make a matching narrow crocheted scarf like the girls are all wearing.  I also plan to get a purse made for her to carry with this dress.

Patchwork Shirtdress Completed

 

This dress really looks cuter in person.  Even my husband thought so.  But, here it is anyway.  Remember, I started with 4 different fabrics: 3 black and white cotton prints and a fine welted black corduroy.   After cutting the 3 prints into strips, sewing them together into stripes, then zigzagging all the seams, I cut across the stripes into strips, turned everyother one in the opposite direction, then sewed them together into stripes again.  Again, I zigzagged all the seams.  I really didn't want all those frayed seams inside this dress.  Then, when I still didn't have quite enough fabric, I pieced the sleeves, and used the black corduroy for the placket, under collar, collar, cuffs, and sleeve tabs.  Rather than make a tie from the fabric, which would have been bulky, I used this black and white polka-dotted ribbon that I had in my ribbon stash.  White buttons completed the dress.  I tried to take closeups of the placket, collar and cuffs, but my lighting was all off.

Below, is a picture of a toy hammock that I made while I was in AZ for the girls' playroom.  I should have made it a little bigger, but you know what they say about hindsight.  I put grommets in the back center and on each end.  Actually the ends are gathered into two sections, front and back, because I felt that there would be too much thickness for the grommets to go through.   I love the wooden letters in the windows that spell PLAY.  The other window has GIGGLE in it.  The giraffe was given to Lil E by her Grammy.  She loves her to dress GiGi in dress up clothes.

 

My daughter covered this 3-D cardboard "B" to match the nursery fabrics.  She covered the edges with pink polka-dotted fabric to match the curtain fabric.  She has this hung above the crib, now.  The "B" is for the new grand's first name.  Isn't that clever!

Today, I am going to make some props for the next puppet show that our Heavenly Hands Puppet Team at church is going to present at a fall festival in the next town up from ours.  We are going to do a show about different Bible stories that all children are taught in Sunday School: Noah's Ark, Jonah, Daniel in the Lion's Den, The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock, and the Golden Rule.  We are starting off with the B. I. B. L. E. song.

Tennessee Presents Textiles!

FELLOW BLOGGERS,
I'm on the committee that is planning a "wearable arts" fashion show.  This show will be on Nov. 13, (so if you live anywhere near East TN mark your calendar).  It will be an amazing show of art work that is, as it says above, WEARABLE!  There will be garments made from fabric created by ladies who shear their own lamas, spin the yarn, and then knit, crochet, or weave it. There will be felted items, such as vests, scarfs, and bags of all sorts.  Some  garments will be made from fabric that has been quilted by these ladies.  A few of my children's things will be in the show.  Another lady who makes grown up garments from vintage items will be presenting some of her creations.  There will be tie-dyed and hand painted garments.  These are amazingly unique!  There will even be some jewelry in the show.
If you are a quilter, you probably know who Rachel Clark is. (Click on her name for a direct link to her blog post in which she writes about this event and to learn more about her.)  She's our special guest that day.  She'll be doing a trunk show in the morning!  I cannot wait to see her creations.
We'll have lunch and time for a little shopping.  The fashion show is after lunch.  So, plan to come and make a day of it.  Bring your friends for a wonderful girl's day out!  It's to be held at the Tellico West Conference Center located in Vonore, TN next to the Grande Vista Hotel.
Go to tennesseepresentstextiles.blogspot.com to learn more and see pictures.  I'm going to put this link on my sidebar for your convenience.
Just let me know if you are interested in coming.  I'll need to get tickets to you, or you can contact the Monroe Area Council for the Arts at monroearts.com for even more info.

I promise that you will not be disappointed if you come for this event!  I have been BLOWN AWAY by the creations I've seen the past few years!

What Do You Do When....................

You have this black and white polka dotted printed cotton,         

 this black and white floral printed cotton,                                                                              

and this black and white checked print cotton, but not enough of any of them to make anything?                   

You cut them in strips of different widths, then sew them together.  Then you cut strips again, and sew     them together again.  You make sure that you have lots of black thread and that you fill lots of bobbins because you go back and zigzag every seam across the width and the length so there won't be any frayed seams on the wrong side.  You think about making all French seams, but decide that you aren't that crazy or have that much time!                                                                     

Finally, you choose a pattern (McCall's 5156) to make using this new patchwork fabric for your nearly 8 year old granddaughter for her birthday.   And when you cut it out, you realize you still don't have quite enough fabric, so you use a fine welt corduroy to make the collar, the front placket, and the sleeve cuff.  My husband just left with his camera, so I didn't get a picture of the corduroy.                             

This photo has nothing to do with anything in this post, but it is one I took when we were coming into Tennessee after our trip to AZ,  I thought the sun set was so pretty.  This photo doesn't give it justice.