Unusual Requests

Since friends and family have learned about my sewing obsession (ahem, hobby), I've been asked to do some non-traditional things.  Beyond the hemming of pants and sewing on buttons, I've been asked about a "wrap around your purse strap Velcro thing" (this was how it was described to me ) that keeps your purse from slipping off your shoulder.  A concept that I never really allowed myself to wrap my head around; however, I do believe I've seem them for sale at Joann's.  (Could that have been my meal ticket?)  Then there was the little hammock contraption I assembled to house a pair of Sugar Gliders for a friend. 

The latest request came from one of my favorite Aunts.  She enjoys the lost art of hanging clothes on a clothesline.  I write this with a bit of jealousy because I cannot convince my husband that sheets dried "on the line" are far superior to sheets dried any other way!  Please tell me there are others like me who have childhood memories of running with basket in tow to snatch the clothes off the line before a Summer storm came?

My Aunt's clothes pin bag had seen better days and she asked me to make a new one in bright cheerful colors.  So I believe that's exactly what I did and I'd like to share with you.  What a great way to use one of my favorite prints by Moda and a new flower applique design! 



....and now I await my next request!





Yuck Yuck....



Happy Happy!!



Desperate Times Call for Potatoes....and whatever else might be close by!

Have you ever just found yourself in a "tight" or maybe just too lazy to go get the proper tools for a job?  Well, it's late and I'm tired and I needed some paper weights to hold down paper on a pattern that I was tracing.  So since I was at kitchen counter, I used what was readily available - potatoes, a box of cheese straws and this cute hippo that I bought for a friend this weekend.
I've seen "pattern weights" somewhere along my sewing journey....but who needs to spend that money when other things will do just fine?

This dress is truly "To Tie For"....

I could hardly wait to share this latest "cuteness"!  There are so many things I love about it - reversible, adjustable using ties at shoulders, a monogram or applique could be added or a button on tab, it can be worn year round by adding a long sleeve tee in the winter, can be worn as a dress or a top!

 See on the polka dot side that the coordinating print shows as a trim around the hem.....PRECIOUS!!

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail!

In just a little more than two months, we will celebrate the resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ!  My Mom always took great pleasure in making an Easter dress for me.  I never knew or appreciated how much time and thought went into those dresses until I began sewing.  Oh, how I wish I still had one of those dresses!
I remember going to Sunrise Church Service at Empire Baptist Church as a child.  Just a handful of brave souls came in the chill of the Spring morning to sing, "Up From the Grave He Arose".  If the church doors were open, we were there!  Then, it was back home to redress and back to church again at the normal time.  Then, on Easter afternoon, we'd trek (literally) to Rhine, GA for, what in my child's eyes was, the largest Easter Egg hunt in the world at Benevolence Methodist Church.  Family that we would only see once a year would hide hundreds of eggs while the children waited inside the church for the "Ready, Set, GO" call.  Last year, my Aunt, cousin, my son & I went to Easter service at Benevolence and it warmed my heart to let my son experience a taste of what I remember as a child.   
Ok....return from memory lane!
In the Spring, our homes will be filled with the smells of colored Easter eggs, baked ham and fresh cut grass.  If you're like me, just as much preparation goes into what to wear on Easter as what you cook to eat.  So as you flip through favorite cookbooks, don't forget to check out The Plaid Pineapple's latest appliqué designs.  I'd love to personalize your family's outfits and help you make lasting Easter memories too.