I finished my items for the “Spring Swap”.  I’m really pleased with how everything turned out.  I made sewing machine covers with matching organizers for the mamas.  I posted them up on the Sewing Mamas forum and a lot of the ladies really liked them.  I made five of these sets, using coordinating fabrics that I bought at Gina’s a few years ago.  When I got this set – five 1/2 yd. cuts of coordinating fabrics – I’m pretty sure that I was intending to make a quilt, but I don’t know why or for whom I was planning on making it.  I know that I wasn’t planning on making it for me because I wouldn’t have chosen those colors.  Anyway, the fabric sat around my room looking pretty but not really speaking to me until I decided to make these for the Spring Swap.  I think they look great!  So, I decided to make a set for me with some other fabric that I got at Gina’s.  Here’s my set: 

  So, what do you think?  I love it.  I think I’m going to get some more of this to cover my serger. 

So, back to the swap.  I also made some things for the kids.  I used the tutorial from the Hello,my name is Heather blog to make these   I was trying to be creative with my photography so the picture’s not so great.  My plan is to get these mailed out sometime this week, probably on Thursday or Friday.

I haven’t decided what I’m doing next.  Now that I have pictures I need to work on placement, but I don’t really feel like doing it today.  Daylight Savings Times started last night and to be honest, I really need some sleep.

 I got some knit gaucho-type pants for me, two skirts for the girls and a pair of “mama-made” slippers for ds.  The gaucho-type pants caught me off guard at first because I thought they were for one of the girls and I kept thinking, “man, these are big, they could probably fit me”.  Well, it eventually dawned on me to look at the nice tag that was on the bag and realize that they were big because they were for me.  Sometimes I’m a little slow!  They are made from a floral knit and look very comfortable.  They remind me of clothes that you get for babies and you think “man, those look really comfortable, I wish I could wear something like that”.  The two skirts are for my two youngest dds.  They are both out of bright batik fabric and one of them has a bead trim at the hemline.  Both girls loved the skirts and since the skirts are “mama-made”, it means that I get to dig out a pattern somewhere for matching shirts.  Or maybe I’ll just get some knit shirts at Wal-Mart.  We’ll see.  Then there were the slippers.  These are real slippers and they do not look “home-made” at all.  They are made from fleece with a flame print – perfect for little boys who are also aspiring ninjas – and the bottoms are made from some sort of faux suede.  I need a pair of slippers like these, sans the flame print.  DS loves his “ninja shoes” and wanted to wear them to church today, but as cute as they were and as cute as he is, I had to break down and make him wear his regular shoes.

So, all in all, it was a lot of fun!  I’m definitely glad that I signed up for the spring swap.  I’m trying to make ten (yes, 10) items for this swap and that means I’ll get ten things in return.  I’m not sure which is more fun, making items for people you don’t know or receiving items from people you don’t know.  Actually I should call them cyber-friends since we do kinda know some things about each other.  Oh, and I’ve heard from one lady who received one of my items.  She got one of my reversible jumpers for her dd and said that she loved it.  She said that her daughter would be wearing it today to a bday party they’re going to (the jumper had cupcakes and party favors on one side). 

So, it was a lot of fun but I’m telling myself not to get carried away by this.  I’m not going to do another swap until fall.  I have too many projects that I’m planning or need to plan.  I do remember that I have four girls to sew for and then ds is always coming into my sewing room asking “Is that for me?”  Now what am I to do?  I have to make hime something.  So once I finish these items for the spring swap, which should be some time today, I’m making him a ninja costume.  But I want it to be a surprise, so don’t tell.

Okay, I’ve been neglecting my blog which is  not a good thing.  But it’s not because I haven’t been thinking about it.  It’s the picture thing!  Yes, the camera is working great, I got the xD memory card and have been taking great pictures.  But the camera did not come with the usb cable.  Well, it was only $17 and I knew that it didn’t have the cable, but no problem right.  You can get a usb cable anywhere, right?   The answer is yes, you can get one anywhere, even one that fits my camera.  The problem is that I am cheap and I don’t want to pay $20 for it unless I absolutely have to.  (I waited on buying my memory card until I was able to get one cheap and with a rebate).  So I actually bought a usb cable two weeks ago from Amazon for only $2 – yes, that’s right it was a little over $2 with a $4 shipping.  It said that it fit all 400 and 500 series Olympus cameras so it should have fit mine.  WRONG!  After waiting a good solid week for that thing I open it up, get my camera, and I’m all set to post some really great pictures of my sewing and what do you think?  Well, since there’re no pictures here, you obviously know that it didn’t fit.  But what do I do?  If I send it back (which I can do) I’ll have to pay to ship and pay to have it shipped back to me.  Way too much money.  So I go to my trusty eBay.  There I find that I can buy my usb cable for $5 plus $4 shipping.  So yes, I am now expecting another usb cable.  I know that being cheap makes us do ridiculous things and I am laughing at myself but I can’t seem to get off this roller coaster ride of “cheapness”. 

Now enough about pictures and cameras and all that stuff.  What have I been doing up there in my pink sewing room?  Well, while I’m waiting to actually be able to post pictures, I have been very productive.  I did finish dd4′s denim pants and made the coolest (I’m not a cool mom) shirt to go with it.  It looks absolutely perfect together and the top is really fashionable.  But guess what?  DD4 is not that thrilled with it.  She’s sweet enough to not make a real complaint, but she wants me to fix the sleeve.  The sleeves are big with elastic around the wrist.  I could take the elastic out, but then she would have a bell sleeve and I don’t think I would like that.  What’s a mom to do?  I still haven’t decided.

I did end up sending four items off to the Sewing Mamas newbie swap.  I sent two reversible little girl jumpers, one older girl tye-dye knit shirt, and one placemat purse.  Everything is supposed to have a value of about $10, but I am terrible at evaluating dollar value.  However, I didn’t get feedback about my items not being worth $10 or being worth so much more than $10 so I guess I’m okay in my evaluations.  Now I’m waiting to get my box of goodies from the swap.  Maybe they will come on the same day as my usb cable.  (Oh, but I’m not supposed to bring that up again.)  I have to admit that I signed up for another swap.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  I think it was just the thrill of having another deadline to do something.  But I did it and this one is a biggie.  It’s the Sewing Mamas spring swap and you have to commit to making items in groups of five with a value of about $10.  So I’m doing five mama items and five kid items.  I’m making sewing machine covers with matching catch-alls and wrist pin-cushions for the mamas and I’m making a set of 3 headbands for the kids.  I’m pretty sure that 3 would be enough.  These same headbands for adults sell for over $6 at a shop here in town.  So far, there’re coming along great.  I’m already finished with the five catch-all and am halfway finished with the wrist pin-cushions.  I’m hoping to be done this weekend and then I can send them out early.

Well, I think I’ve caught up.  Oh, I just remembered that I’ve been “spring-cleaning” my closet and sewing room.  I really don’t think that I was ruthless enough in cleaning either one of them out, but boy they both look a lot better than they used to.  Now, I’m really caught up.  

 Sewing update:  I finished the jeans for DD4 and am almost finished with two placemat purses and a baby jumper for the Newbie Swap.  I’ll update on that later.  Just had to share this. 

Let’s see, I know that I’ve caught up on my grading – I do homeschool too, you know.  Then I’ve completed my laundry and ironing for the first part of the week (I do these twice a week).  And I’ve been reading the book BLOGGING FOR DUMMIES that I got from Amazon last week.  By the way, that is a great book.  It was interesting because the writer has a sense of humor and doesn’t bog you down with too much technical information all at once.  He gives the technical information that you need in small enough increments so that you find that you’ve actually learned something and been entertained at the same time.  I really recommend this for anyone needing information about starting a blog or working on the one that they have. 

Congratulations to the Colts and their entire organization for a great Superbowl victory.  I would also like to blame them for sidetracking me from my sewing goals, but I don’t think that I can make it stick.  Still, it was a great game and worth getting behind in my sewing.

Now, to the pressing issues.  I have got to make my youngest daughter some pants.  She is growing like a weed and her pants have been “in my head” now for the last week at least.  So today I will cut them out before sewing the placemat purse that I’ve decided to send in to the Sewing Mamas swap.  I also have some really pretty spring fabrics in my stash that I want to use too.   I’ll definitely post pictures of these when I’m done because I want to try out the new camera.  I’ve used it some, but I haven’t shot any “real pictures”.  Another confession – I’m one of those people who have to read through the instruction manual before I can feel really comfortable using something.  Maybe there’s a name for that, I don’t know but I do have a good working camera and there should be some evidence of that here soon.

Well, today would be a great sewing day for me if it the Colts weren’t in the SuperBowl.  For the last few years, I haven’t really cared for the teams playing in the SuperBowl and so I’ve been able to shop the fabric stores in relative peace and comfort and then come home and either enjoy the sewing magazines that I’ve bought or actually sewn something.  This year is different.  The Colts are in!  Peyton Manning, who is a local hero around here in East Tennessee, has made it to the Super Bowl and I think that the entire state of Tennessee will be watching this game and cheering for the Colts, including me. 

However, I do have a strategy if the game does not go my way.  Since I still haven’t gone through my two new Ottobre magazines yet, I can read them if things should get a little rocky for the Colts.  I figure that’s better than trying to do hand smocking during the game since I would run the risk of getting a little too excited and sticking myself.  But, I really don’t think that I will be reading my Ottobres today, at least not during the game.  I am anticipating a Colts victory and a non-existent sewing day.  Oh well, I can always get up early and sew tomorrow.  A Colts victory today will be worth a little less sleep tomorrow.

In a recent “Creative Mom” podcast Amy Cowan discussed having a “word for the year”.  At first I thought, “How can you think of a word for the year?”  I mean, I can see a “word for the day”, a “word for the week”, or maybe even a “word for the month”.  But a “word for the year?”  How could anyone even be expected to remember their “word for the year” by April?  However, while I was laughing at the very thought of a “word for the year”, a word just popped into my head just like that.  It was very uncomfortable for me to even acknowledge that it was so easy to think of one that so clearly fit me.  That word was unafraid.

Unafraid has turned into my “word for the year”.  I don’t struggle with being afraid of the dark, burglars, etc.  But I do struggle terribly with fear of failure.  What if someone doesn’t like what I’m making for them?  What if this idea that I have doesn’t work out?  What if I really can’t get pictures on this blog? You know what I mean? I struggle with fear of failing in relatively “small” areas of life.  I mean I don’t struggle with fear of raising kids who are going to be murderers or drug dealers or having a bad marriage.  So my struggles are really with relatively small matters.  That is why I’m sharing it here.  Hopefully this will help me to be accountable to myself to pursue those “wild hairs” that I come up with.

So, I’m working on an article.  It’s a sewing article that I’m going to try to send out sometime this spring.  Also, I’ve set another goal to have a smocked garment posted on ebay by the end of this month or the first week of March.  So check back and wish me luck.  Right now there’s not much going on in the sewing room.  I’m working on embroidering a denim shirt that I will share with you soon.  I’m also reading BLOGGING FOR DUMMIES and PODCASTING FOR DUMMIES. Hopefully, there will be some evidence soon that I’ve actually learned something from these books.  Oh, I just got two new Ottobres in the mail – 1/2006 and 1/2007 – and the Olympus camera just came.  So, I guess I’ve been busy with other things for the moment.  I haven’t forgotten that I need to make the jeans for dd4 or that I want to make something else for the Sewing Mamas swap.  I’ll probably start on the jeans for dd4 today, but I’m still drawing a blank for the swap.  Fortunately, I just noticed that I have over two weeks before I need to send items out for the swap. 

Before I sign off, I have to share that yesterday was the 17th anniversary of the day DH proposed to me.  We went out for an early dinner and had a really nice time.  It’s always easy to remember the day that he proposed because it’s Groundhog Day (which is also a great movie).  But I do want to say that it’s been a great 17 years!

I just won a digital camera on ebay.  Yes, ebay and I are quite close these days.  But it’s a great deal.  I got an Olympus 4mp for just $17.  Yes, you read it right.  Obviously it has a flaw.  The auto focus sometimes  malfunctions but everything else is intact.  And I figure that since it’s an Olympus, if the other functions are working well, then I should be posting some really good pictures here around this time next week.  We’ll see.  But you have to admit, it’s a good deal.

Oh, and I’ve also cleaned out my bathroom.  You may wonder why that is of any importance to anyone and I’d agree except that it is incredibly important to my thinking process.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I can get totally “blocked” creatively if there is disorder in my house.  My bathroom was really weighing heavily on my mind and so I  cleaned it this afternoon (after ironing our clothes – yes, I iron).  Oh yeah, I’m also determined to “swish ‘n swipe” that bathroom everyday, thanks Flylady. 

Now I feel the freedom to create something, although I am also in the mood to throw some stuff out (or sell it and recoup some ebay $).  But I’m headed to the pink room to make something else for the Sewing Mama swap.  I need to hurry now because I want to send my items out on Monday.  So far I just have the tye-dye shirt and I can’t decide if I want my second item to be for an older child or younger child.  I’ll have to go and look through my stash and see what speaks to me.

More good news is that I got the prettiest fabric from “purpleseamstress” on ebay yesterday.  “Purpleseamstress” always has the best fabric, really “boutique-y” kind of stuff.   I don’t know what it’s going to be just yet –  I’m thinking that it will turn out to be a spring/summer skirt – but I really want to use it soon.

My friend Claire just shared some good news!  Her whole family is going to Germany in May.  That is very exciting.  I’m looking forward to it because I want to get Claire sewing some clothes for herself and her kids.  If she doesn’t, then I may have to sew them myself!  And that will definitely be fun!  I really want to make up more of these Ottobre patterns.  They are a lot of fun to sew and they make average sewing skills look really good.  So I figure that since Claire’s family is going to Europe, they really should look “European”.  Obviously I will be working on Claire for the next couple of months.

Back to my own family.  I really need to start planning projects for them.  That is usually a lot of fun.  I haven’t quite gotten organized enough to do that.  I have way too many ideas for other things floating around in my head right now.  I guess I need to read Heather’s book that she reviewed in her blog.  I definitely want to make some nice spring clothes for the girls.  But I’m waiting for the new Ottobre to come before I plan that.  I really should take advantage of the cold weather that we’re having and the sale on winter fabric to make a few more winter outfits.  Yeah, maybe that’s the thing.

Oh, and I just got a book on ‘blogging’ at the library.  It’s called ESSENTIAL BLOGGING.  I haven’t read it yet, but the good news is that I will and then maybe I can actually spruce this thing up a bit.  I’m sure that everyone who is reading this will appreciate that.

Next time I check in I will have already cleaned up my house and then I will write about some of the projects I’m planning.  Right now I just have way too many things going around in my head to really make any sense of anything.  But I did want to share that I was able to complete the tye-dye shirts, my score of the fabric from ebay, and my best friend’s upcoming trip.  Oh yeah, I’m REALLY looking forward to getting some European fabric in May!