I Did It!!!

I just had to document this day...

I ran four miles today. This is something I've never done before. While this may be no big deal for many people, probably tons of people the world over, it's a huge, ginormous deal for me. I've always had issues with strenuous activity, stamina, etc. This is due in large part to heart problems I've had since birth. Without going into much detail I will say this: I asked my cardiologist this summer if I could run a half marathon this fall and he said no. He told me that I was at a much higher risk than other heart patients. So I let that goal fall to the wayside. Bummer. But I've continued to run and increase my distance. Granted I don't run fast. And it's not pretty to watch I'm sure. But I don't care. I'm at four miles! (I'm patting myself on the back RIGHT NOW.)

Something For Me

Recently I found several different tutorials on how to make an infinity scarf. I like the look of this type of scarf. I've seen them in stores everywhere but I have loads of fabric in my stash and really didn't think I needed to spend money on one. Especially if I could make one out of material I REALLY love. So I read through all the tutorials, and I don't know what's wrong with me, but I could not visualize what they were talking about. I tried. I really did. I reread the steps. I still couldn't understand what was being described. Thankfully there were photographs included in some of the tuts, and I pieced together the steps from several of them until I grasped what they were trying to explain. Now, after making a couple, it seems so easy...makes perfect sense. I will try to explain here, in very plain and simple terms, what I did to make my scarf.

You need a piece of fabric that is approximately 60" long. Mine was closer to 70. The width is up to you. Mine was about 24" wide. (This will make a finished scarf that is 12" wide.) Fold your fabric in half the long way, right sides together.
Now sew a seam the length of your scarf. Basically you are sewing a long tube.
**TURN YOUR SCARF RIGHT SIDE OUT, THEN PROCEED TO THE NEXT STEP.
Add a twist in your scarf.

Start to turn your scarf back over itself, taking special care to maintain the twist you put in it. You want to bring the short ends together.
Sew the short ends together around the circumference of the tube. (Hope that makes sense!)

You should leave a 3-4" opening so you can pull the scarf through, the right way. Once you've turned it the right way you can stitch that small opening closed by hand. Voila! You are done!!

Here's my finished scarf. I also made a couple flower pins to go with it. One of them using this tutorial, http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/08/full-and-textured-fabric-flowers.html, the other using this one, http://hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/felt-flower-tutorial.html.(I tried the bright pink one on with the scarf, I'm not wearing the blue and yellow flower with my awesome new scarf in the photo...but I like it with the stripey shirt too.)

 

     




So, I'm off to make another scarf.

A "Craff" for Sweet Pea

So Sweet Pea loves "craffs". Whenever I get my craft stuff out, or sew, or paint, or draw, she's right there asking if there's a "craff" for her. I've done a lot of impromptu stuff to keep her busy while I play. I can usually give her a pair of scissors and a couple pieces of paper and she's good for a half hour or so. Or I've had her thread beads. She also likes to play with stickers.

Today however, I actually planned a craft specifically for her. Every once in a while, when I'm feeling particularly unselfish, I do that. (I hope all of you who are reading this know that I'm kidding...I don't TRY to be selfish, it's just that when I'm in my groove, creatively speaking, it's hard to stop, even for her.) It really does bring me joy to see her grow artistically though, so I do try to provide opportunities whenever I can for her to stretch herself a bit and create something.

She picked out the bag herself. It's one of those premade canvas bags you can get at any craft/fabric store. She used acrylic craft paint.

  




We let it dry and then she used a sharpie marker (After much explaining from me that she needed to be very careful and not get it on her clothes, or her skin, or the furniture, or the floor, or the carpet, or the table...she did just great.) I love her little people. LOVE them. I think she said that I'm on there somewhere, and Daddy is too, and so is she, as well as some of her cousins. I couldn't get her to draw everyone because eventually she lost interest.

She loves her bag though. And I love to see her involved, busy, and happy. Time well spent.

I Can Sing a Rainbow

The other day Superman, Sweet Pea, Gram Gram, and I decided to go for a bike ride. As we started out we noticed some swirly, billowing clouds to the south that were moving in. (You know, kind of like "The Nothing" in the Neverending Story. And if you don't know what I'm referring to then you should go watch that movie right now. Yep, right now. Now. Go.) So, The Nothing was moving in but we decided to go for that ride anyway. We had already biked down the street and around the corner so we figured we would just ride fast so we could still get the exercise in before the rain started. Ha! The rains came down upon us...Gram Gram wears glasses and couldn't see anything so she turned around and started for home. The three of us kept riding in the rain. And after a while we were riding in the rain and the sun. It was so beautiful. We turned a corner and were heading in another direction when I glanced up in the sky and saw this:


Sweet Pea loves rainbows and as soon as this big, brilliant rainbow was pointed out to her began singing one of her favorite songs. "Red, and yellow, and pink, and green, purple, and orange, and blue..." Her little voice floated out of the bike trailer behind me on the rain soaked breeze. I smiled. I love that song too. I remember MY mom singing that song to me when I was little. I love that she loves it. When she was very little, singing to her was one of the few things that would calm her down. I sang to her every night. Lots of different songs but always the rainbow song. Hearing Sweet Pea sing it now, just the way she remembers from listening to it over and over, does the same thing for me. Calms me right down.

My Fat Quarter Addiction Part VII: Another Skirt For Sweet Pea

So you knew it was just a matter of time before I started digging through my fat quarters again. In fact, truth be told, I've accumulated quite a few new ones this summer, and WITH Sweet Pea's help too! Here is one that she fell in deep love with immediately. Monkeys! I used this tutorial here: http://blog.megannielsen.com/2011/05/how-to-make-scallop-hem-shorts-from-old-shorts/

Megan explains the process perfectly. I, on the other hand, did not follow the tutorial perfectly. Or so it would appear. My scallops pull and pucker a tiny bit. But I swear I did it just the way she outlines. I added my scallops to a very simple skirt. A big rectangle of fabric with a casing sewn at the top. The casing is made from the same yellow fabric as the scallops. I threaded elastic through the casing.

Oh well. I still think it is cute. And so does Sweet Pea. Boy, she sure has trouble standing still!