Stitching the Seasons

Today I finally completed a project I've had on the back burner for over three years.   When returning for our second term in Mokhotlong, I brought along fabric blocks and lots of embroidery thread to hand-stitch an embroidered calendar.  Using a real calendar, my sister sketched the intricate photos for me to copy.  To transfer the photos to fabric, I would tape the sketch to the window and tape the fabric block on top of it.  Then using a fading pen, I would trace the picture onto the block before I started the stitching.  Truthfully, I grossly underestimated the amount of time it would take to stitch 12 extensively detailed blocks.  It didn't take me long to realize I might've bitten off more than I could chew.

I started the first blocks toward the end of 2016.  Shortly thereafter began my increasing battle with headaches for the following two years.  Because I felt worst when sitting still, I ditched the stitching and took up jogging instead.  Finally, after my headaches were under control (thanks, keto!) and we had made our big move to Spain, I determined to finish the project I'd started!  Each block was obviously very detailed and time consuming.  I arrived to Spain with three completed blocks and one barely begun.  Since November, I've finished the last nine!  Nestled under a blanket by the window, sunning on the balcony in a chair, drinking my coffee, listening to podcasts, waiting for dinner to cook, little by little I have whittled away at each scene.  

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

My plan is to make this into a wall-hanging with sashing between each block.  It's on my project list for the next time my mom comes to visit or I get to visit her.  I'm too scared to attempt it alone, for fear of ruining my hard work!  But today, I'm relishing the fact that the blocks are finished and I can get busy making something else.

Do you have a favorite?

~Abby

Guest Room Makeover

When we first heard details about our Mokhotlong home, this room was described as a storage room with very little natural light.  Until I actually saw the room, I imagined how I wanted to re-do it to turn it into a guest room.  Then I saw it.  It really did need some serious work to get it into a cozy state.  Hard work pays off, though, and I am so pleased with the result!

The room is large but it felt so gloomy because it was so dark.  The ceiling was a major issue; in some places it was a bubble wrap type insulation while the majority was a dark brown thick cardboard type material.  The roof was really sagging in about half the room and honestly just needed to be replaced.  I mentioned to our landlord that we'd like to fix it and would foot the bill.  While we were in the US, he and his carpenter guys got in there and took down the existing ceiling and rebuilt it, leaving it higher than it was originally.  Then they painted it white and oh my goodness has it changed the whole room.  Then they primed the walls which were a muddy brown.  When we arrived back from our trip, it was like a blank slate for me to work with.  I was thrilled!

This is the only picture we have of the room before it was redone.  I could just kick myself for not taking a better before picture.

We bought a nice bed with a wooden frame from our friends and picked up a night stand while we were in Johannesburg on our way back into the country.  A while back, I bought a new duvet and throw for the bed.  Right here in Mokhotlong I found up a couple pictures to hang on the wall and some curtains to hang in front of the shelves to hide their mess.  The pictures are of two African women, one with a basket on her head (a common sight in Lesotho) and the other with a child.  I cut and hemmed the curtains and had some extra to make two curtains for the small window.  Hemming curtains by hand is real work, folks.  Having light curtains that can open and close easily helps let in as much natural light as possible.

Trying to get over my aversion to hearts with these cuties I picked up.  They have Afrikaans words on them.

On Friday (our 5th wedding anniversary, romantic, huh?) we painted the walls a light creamy color and put the finishing touches on the room that evening.  I spent Saturday morning on my hands and knees scrubbing the paint drips off the floor from where the ceiling had been painted.  My fingers are still feeling raw from all the pressure I had to apply to get those globs up.  Nevertheless, the floor looks ten times better than it ever has.  A lamp and a rug and a bed heater help to make the room a lot more cozy.  Plus, we put the chimney to our coal stove up through that room so that the heat from it would take the chill off the guest room.  It is actually a fairly warm room anyway because the sun does beat down on the roof in that area during a good part of the afternoon.

It truly looks like a different place now and our landlords (and dear friends) could hardly believe it when we showed them Saturday.  Upon seeing it, they jokingly asked if we could possibly open a B&B together.  I'm tickled pink at how it turned out and can't wait for a guest from far, far away to come occupy it for a while.  Any takers?

~Abby

31 Weeks

So a few weeks have passed since my last pregnancy post and not much has changed on the pregnancy front.  Except my front…. That has changed.  Little Lady is growing and moving a lot.  I’m getting giddy about meeting her!  With so much else going on, these weeks seem to be going pretty quickly and I know June will be here in a flash.  I go to the doctor again in a little over a week and then I’ll make my “last” appointment for 5 weeks out!  Can’t believe it!

The obligatory belly photo at 31 weeks

Absolutely the most adorable photo shoot assistant in the entire world.  He is a huge Simba and Pumbaa fan these days.

I’m getting nervous about going through labor again…. That certainly wasn’t my favorite part about Kyle’s arrival.  But, I’m stoked because my sister has booked tickets and should be here on May 28^th!  That gets her here 10 days before Ellee is due and we are praying the little one stays put until then.  Lacy will care for Kyle while I am delivering and if Ellee comes before that…. Well let’s just say that wouldn’t be an easily navigated situation.  So, hopefully Aunt Lacy arrives in plenty of time and Kyle can hang out with her.  She will be here for nearly two whole months and I can’t describe how excited that makes me!  My mom will come in early July and stay until mid July when she and Lacy will leave together.  Looking forward to visitors and a new baby makes a mama feel kinda anxious! 

To keep my anxious self occupied (as if I don’t have enough other things to do), I’ve been busy this week stitching some sweet onesies for my girl.  I have a few more to do but I figured I’d share these for now.  Remember she is going to be a winter baby here in the Southern hemisphere...

She is going to be unbearably snuggly, I just know it.

Got Milk?

I love the french knot flowers along the neck of this one.....

..... so much that I decided to do them on the pants, too.

Then I did this little one to coordinate with these tiny shoes I bought at the consignment sale back before we knew Kyle was a Kyle.  It doesn't look like it in the picture, but the little knots on the collar are lavender, not dark purple.  

I'm not sure what I'm going to dream up next but I had fun doing these.  Can't wait for her to get here so she can wear them!

~Abby

Playful Puppies

Smocking is my new favorite pass time.  I've now smocked two plates for my sweet baby.  I'll start my third tomorrow....

(The first outfit I smocked for him.)

Fortunately for me, I have a master seamstress for a mom who can sew these plates into outfits.  While we worked on this most recent outfit, I watched almost the whole time.  With the next one, I hope to do most of the sewing myself.

The smocking itself is easy really, if you can follow the instructions.  It's mainly a lot of counting and lining up stitches with other rows of stitching.  This plate was more complicated than my first one.  Having two toned puppy dogs meant I had to juggle two separate flosses at the same time.  It wasn't too bad, though, and I only had to take out stitches occasionally.  

I completed these playful puppies while listening to a few of my lectures for the Bible classes I'm taking. More difficult plates are in order now because I'm afraid I can smock faster than Mom can find time to help me sew outfits! 

Must learn to sew for real.

Aren't they cute?!

 -

Now they are in an outfit...

...Ready for an adorable baby boy...

...Found one!

Um, yeah, I could eat him.

~Abby

First Ever Blog Give-Away

Can you believe I've been doing this blog for nearly two years and have yet to give anything away? I've thought about it, but I never knew what to give!  So, the other day a light bulb flipped on.  Actually, it flipped for my mom so you can thank her if you win.

On my coffee table, which I found at the Goodwill for $8 (it is solid maple *proud*), sit four fabric coasters.  Begging for a warm mug of something sweet or a glass of iced water with lemon, they remind me of a place I am very fond of visiting.  I found them in one of my favorite shops to browse, Parson's General Store in Morehead City, NC.  Never been there?  I bet most people haven't.  But, it is a quaint ocean side town I've visited often.  My grandparents vacation there and we are always happy to join them.  The general store is an old, two-story home filled with country goodies.  There is a whole room of candles, and we've already established how much I love candles.  For the littles, there is a room of toys, trinkets, games, candy..... They sell hand dipped ice cream, local chocolates, homemade sauces, muffin and scone mixes, hand towels made of plaids and ginghams, Beanie Babies.....  Upstairs is a room filled with Christmas decorations year round.  Another room offers beachy trinkets, dishes, signs, bags and towels.  There are tons of signs with witty quotes, and in a bin nearby, I found these coasters.  I loved visiting this century old home turned country gift shop a couple weeks ago when we went to NC to play beach bums for a few days.  Picking up a few Christmas things was one of the highlights of my time there.

Oh yeah, I should show you the coasters, shouldn't I?

In case you missed my last sewing post, I have taken on learning to sew as my newest hobby.  So far, I have hemmed a few things, made some mini-aprons, smocked an insert for an outfit Lollee made for Kyle and now....

....With Christmas lurking just around the corner, I thought I'd make a few of these coasters in festive fabrics.  I sewed a set for me and a set for someone special out there.   Wouldn't these look nice in your home?  I hope so.

In leu of sassy sayings, I decided to write lyrics from my favorite Christmas carols.  On both sets, I wrote my very favorite carol stanza:

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning...

 If you want a chance at winning the give-away, leave me a comment on here, on Facebook, in my email... and tell me your favorite line from a Christmas song.  I'll draw on Thanksgiving so you'll have ample time to enjoy them during the holiday season!

I hope you win!

And in case you don't, you can make a couple for your own coffee table like this:

To begin, cut a 4.5 inch square of patterned fabric, batting and a coordinating piece of backing fabric.  I obviously used a creamy white so I could write on mine.  But, if you want to skip the writing, you can just use two pieces of colorful fabric and switch them up a bit!

Before you begin sewing, make sure your three pieces are stacked with the white on the bottom, batting in the middle and the patterned piece UPSIDE DOWN on the top.  Then, just sew around all four sides 1/4 inch from the edge, leaving yourself an inch and a half or so in the middle of your forth side.

 Try not to get distracted by the adorable baby sitting at your feet playing with a measuring tape.

Your square should end up looking something like this, with the opening at the top.  Simply cut the edges off the corners, which will make the fabric lay smoother on the inside once you pull it through.

Turn your coaster right-side out.  Iron it flat, tuck the edge in where you left it unstitched, and sew around the the whole thing again a little less than 1/4 inch from the edge.

And there you have it, my friends, a cozy Christmas coaster.  But, you don't have to go to all that trouble.  Just enter to win the giveaway and you might just have four of these on your coffee table before the Christmas tree is up!

 ~Abby

Adorable Aprons

There is a giant hole in my domestic capabilities where sewing should go.  Having a mother who can sew with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back makes me even more ashamed to say that I know very, very little on the subject.  I am able, with much concentration, to sew a wobbly straight seam.  If I push the pedal too hard, I inevitably get way off course.  If the thread comes loose, I can't re-thread the machine, despite my mama's many attempts to demonstrate it for me.  Looking at a sewing machine, to me, is like sitting in an airplane cockpit.  All the lights and buttons mean absolutely nothing to me.  For these reasons, I have always avoided sewing like a plague.

Maybe it's because I no longer want to have a gaping hole in my homemaker proficiency or possibly because I don't have anything better to do (wait, that can't be it because I have so much on my mind I have to make lists to remind me to read my lists) but, I feel like learning to sew.  Learning to sew.  Not just knowing how to push the pedal.  Learning how to sit down and create a work of art with fabric and thread.  Mainly my motivation is that I want to know how to make itsy-bitsy baby clothes for all my itsy-bitsy babies.  But, I also want to know how to make cute little crafts like this one.......

(Apron I made for sweet SIL to go in her first kitchen)

I saw the pattern for these aprons on this blog I follow loosely (mostly because I like to look at her photos).   Intrigued by the simplicity of the idea, I decided I'd make one for my kitchen soap.  What's the best thing about sewing with a seasoned seamstress?  Fabric scraps are free to whomever can make good use of them.  I dug through my mama's stash and found a fabric which would look good in my (wallpapered, ugh) kitchen.  Have you noticed that wallpaper?  I hate it.  It terribly constricts my home decorating juices from flowing freely.  I have a whole kitchen beautification plan in the storage closet of my mind for when I finally get a place of my own.... Although, I'm not counting on one this side of glory.  Nevertheless, above mentioned and detested wallpaper came with the apartment deal, so I live it with it.

Where was I?

....I found a piece of fabric I liked for my kitchen.  In the process, I found one which I thought someone very dear to me would like, too.  Thinking it might put a smile on her face,  I got busy to work making hers first.

Once completed, I packed it up and shipped it off to my favorite (and only) mother in law.

I am a proud seamstress.

I can hardly refer to myself as a seamstress, but I'll take this moment to bask in the wonder of those words together in a sentence. 

Hooked.

Now I want to make an apron for everyone I know.  Don't be disappointed if you think you fall into the "everyone I know" category (which really means anyone I would leave my baby with, ask to clean my toilets, or call if I had a flat [I had one the other day and it was not fun]) and don't receive one.  Maybe you'll get one for your birthday.  Or Christmas.  Or maybe I'll make a couple more and run out of seamstress steam.

(For my sewing instructor)

Ta~da!

We interrupt your reading to bring you this announcement:

Kyle is still cute.

Can we say, "Johnny Jump Up fail?"

Back to working on mine, complete with lap dog assistance.

I'm still running with my enthusiasm, and I'm going to make another....

~Abby