Crafty Christmas

Student teaching, while great in some ways, is not so great on the money front. As in, it doesn't pay anything.

As such, this Christmas is going to be a crafty Christmas! Luckily, I already had my brother and sister-in-law's presents bought (they're hard to make things for). And while my mom would be super happy to get something homemade, I really wanted to get her something specific. I'm not going to mention it here in case she reads, but it's great and she's going to love it.

L, my 1.5 year old nephew, loves cars. His third word, after Mama and Dada, was car. And so, I made him a Matchbox Roll from an old pair of jeans, a fat quarter of Patty Young's Flora & Fauna Dandelion in Lime, and some scraps. The road is black duck cloth from G's curtains, and yellow scraps are from my scrap bag. The tie is a sweatshirt hood string from an old sweatshirt that I don't wear anymore.

My step-sister K is extraordinarily hard to buy for. Her lifestyle is that if there's anything she wants, she'll just buy for herself. She loves entertaining and cooking; she's very modern, though, so most handmade items don't really fit her style. I've been thinking for a long time, and I decided that she'd really enjoy cloth napkins for when she entertains. I had a spare yard of Tula Pink's Hushabye Dragonfly in Aqua lying around, so I cut it into four squares that measured 18" x 18". The finished napkins are about 17" squared with the seam allowance, and it's quite time consuming doing it by hand, but I'm really quite happy with how they're turning out!


You can't really see the hems that well, but I swear they look good.

Pomp & Circumstance

As of this coming Friday, I am a college graduate. I apologize for being so utterly neglectful of this blog for the past few months; it was something that really couldn't be avoided.

There will be a post very soon about my crafty Christmas projects. Promise.

Remember How I'm Still Here?

Because I am.

Student teaching is really starting to get crazy. Performances are starting, lots and lots of rehearsals, and the little tiny bit of cash that I worked for all summer is now an even tinier bit of cash (why is life so darn expensive? someone please explain this to me).

Which means an after-school/ weekend job for me. Because being a full-time teacher who doesn't get paid apparently doesn't pay the bills. So, if I'm not really around a whole lot in the near future, please remember, it's not because I'm not here. I am. I just probably don't have a whole lot to talk about in my sewing world. Hopefully that changes, but I'm not holding my breath.



In other news, I have made some headway in my Little Folks quilt. I also bought some awesome fabrics because I have an addiction to buying really cute bits of fabric that are only 10 bucks a yard (with shipping!), so really, it's a bargain.

Also, an addiction.

Student Teaching...

... is plodding on. I come home every day exhausted and stressed out. Every single day I plan on coming home and doing some sewing to wind down. Every day I get my small sewing bag from my upstairs room and bring it into the living room in preparation. And every day I get sidetracked with the internet, or with baking.

I'm a stress-baker; needless to say, my high school classes are reaping the benefits. One class has had baked goods every class for the last 3 classes (homemade cinnamon buns, leftover cake, and giant lemon-blackberry scones)! It's a small class (4 kids!), which is why baking for them is kind of perfect. I don't need to make a big batch or use a lot of energy and resources to make sure everyone gets some.

Anywho. When I do get around to sewing, it always is such a relaxing thing. I'm really glad I decided to do the piecing of this quilt by hand instead of waiting until I can afford to have my machine fixed. I don't have a sewing area, so when my machine was working, I had to constantly be bringing it up and down stairs to be able to use it on a table. Sitting in front of the TV with my sewing in hand literally melts the stress off. I wish I did it more.

Silly lesson plans. Don't they know I have a WIP?

Hexagon Love

Hexagons are a trend that seem to be flooding the online quilting community. As a lover of hand-sewing, this seemed like the perfect project for me! I had some leftover Little Folks 2.5" squares, so I traced the hexagons from my computer screen onto paper, cut them out, basted the hexes, and sewed to my little heart's content.


I'm pretty happy with how it came out :)

I'm Still Here...

... but I'm currently student teaching.

For those people who don't know what that is: Student teaching is a form of an internship that is required in order to get a teaching certification in college. You basically are a teacher that's paying to be one. I'm exhausted, but getting through it.

I am sewing, but I'm sewing a big project. That will take a long time to finish. Because I'll be damned if I didn't decide that I'm now a hand-sewer when it comes to quilts.

I'll update with pictures again, soon. Promise.

So Maybe I Sewed a Little...

Summer's almost over, and my camp job is ending in just a few days. It was wonderful to be with kids again. Especially these kids. Oh man I love em.

Anyway. The summer wasn't totally sew-free. I did have to make felt patches for the kids I watched! Every camper gets a "cabin" patch when they come to camp, and it's the counselor's responsibility to make them.

Here are mine.

Can you tell I had a little bit of fun :)