Looking for Something to do for your child this summer? Try Super Sewing Camps 2019

Register at  https://apm.activecommunities.com/cityofpflugerville/Activity_Search?txtActivitySearch=sewing&applyFiltersDefaultValue=true&cat=Activities

These Camps will be held at Pflugerville Rec Center Windermere Clubhouse!!!

June 3-6 Junior Sewing Camp for K-2 Hand-sewing projects (ages 5-7) - Materials included. $145

CAMP DESCRIPTION:

In this camp our young ones will learn to create sewing projects by hand. We'll be stitching, stuffing, and creating. Some projects may include key fobs, pillows, bags, coasters. Students will be able to explore with a variety of materials and learn new skills.

 June 10-13 - (ages 8 and up) Recycle, Reuse & Make New

Patterns will be Provided. 2-5pm $165 plus materials

CAMP DESCRIPTION:

In this camp students will GO GREEN by creating fun projects recycling from the old. Creating projects from old jeans, t-shirts, sheets,candy wrappers, and fabric scraps.

June 17-20- ( ages 8 and up) Fashion , Passion, Fashion 2-5pm $165 plus materials & book.

Pattern book for projects will need to be purchased directly from instructor for $25 at cbsewupastorm@gmail.com by June 8th.

CAMP DESCRIPTION

Get ready to make your first set of fashion outfits. This camp will focus on learning sewing skills that will allow students to make a tunic top, a skirt with elastic waist, and a pair of summer shorts.

 July 22-25- (ages 8 and up) Animals & Sweets 2-5pm only

Patterns will be provided. $165 plus materials

CAMP DESCRIPTION

In this fun camp students will make a variety of room decor pillows shaped as sweets delicious as cupcakes and donuts and animal crackers.

Changes and New Beginnings 2019

  To all my fans out there wondering where have I disappeared to.  I have had some major life changes happen within the past year that has and will forever change my life.  I lost both my mother and husband within weeks of each other last April and May of 2018.  It is hard to believe that one year is coming up for the both of them.  God has really brought me and my family through a great deal.  It is through HIS strength that has carried me through these many months.  I am blessed that my children have surrounded me and we have been going through this together literally ONE DAY at a time.  Living life one moment, one minute, one second at a time.  For the longest, that was all I could reasonably see.  If you spoke to me about anything past that day, I could not comprehend it.  If you tried to plan anything past that day, I couldn't see it.  I think it was God's way of forcing me to see and  live in the moment and live for that day because tomorrow is not promised.  I'm gradually coming back out of the fog and ready to get rolling again!!  Thank you God for giving me yet another opportunity to begin again.


The Sew Stormer

Catching up

It's January and I'm catching up.  So before the year is out I'll try to bring everyone up to speed. My goal for 2018 is to post more frequently.  2017 was  a crazy year but here goes it........

I've been teaching sewing lessons at my local recreation center and have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful folks and either introduce them to sewing or re-introduce them back.  I held my first kids sewing camp  over the summer 2017 and plan to do it again for Summer 2018 so stay tuned for details and help spread the word.  Sewing is such a powerful skill to have and a lifelong one as well. The educational and mental health benefits are there as well.  As an educator by profession I would love to highlight them for you and why every kiddo ( young and "seasoned" ) should learn to sew:

1. Problem solving skills (Math, measurements)
2. Patience
3. Creativity and artistic expression ( Fine Arts)
4. Literacy ( reading directions from patterns and visual diagrams)
5. Science & Engineering ( how textiles are created, working with various fabrics, and construction of a project from start to finish, working a sewing machine and troubleshooting the mechanics of it).

Here are some dates for February:

• Learn Your Machine (ages 8+)
  • February 4
  • Sundays, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
  • $35 plus materials per class

These are one-time instructional classes. Please bring your own sewing machine (with manual) to learn how your machine works. Learn what the dial means, how to thread your machine, what size needles to use and more!

• Sewing Boot Camp (ages 8+)
  • February 11, 18, & 25
  • Sundays, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
  • $85 plus materials per 3-week session

Learn how to sew and make multiple projects in our 3-week class. Each week, skills will be added to make a project. Please bring your own machine (with manual) to learn how your own machine works.

You can register at the Pflugerville Rec Center website:

https://apm.activecommunities.com/cityofpflugerville/Activity_Search?txtActivitySearch=sewing&applyFiltersDefaultValue=true&cat=Activities


Keep Sewing!!

Sewing in the Spring and Summertime!!

    It has been a while since my last post and much has been going on.  I have been sewing a variety of projects working on different skills and experimenting.  I wanted to learn how to use piping on a pillow and applique so I created the Long Horn and Texas pillow with some simple embroidery.

Front Back

    I had some fat quarters that I had purchased a couple of years ago but hadn't used up and so I created a set of quilted oven mitts.  I have some "Doc McStuffin" fans in my family and came up with this simple tote bag, that I was considering for teaching during a summer kids camp.  It is unlined.  I opted for doing a lined tote instead.  I will have post a picture of it on another post.

    I fell in love with dredsen plates  and thought I would experiment with a few different styles of dredsen plates and circles.  The result of those experiments turned into this small lap quilt.  I'll call it "Dredsen World".  You will seat least four different styles.

 My daughter has some "Our Generation 18" dolls and so I made a couple of doll outfits for her dolls.  This is a good way to practice clothing construction on a small scale. The process is the same.  I also learned that no one 18" doll is the same and so fitting and some pattern adjustments can be done for a doll as well.  A little tedious though trying to fit a doll.  I've learned that there are body dress forms for dolls out there.  I'm not sure if I will invest in one but if I do decide to, I know that they exist and are available if need be.

I thought I would take a shot at creating a knit dress for myself using New Look pattern 6482. The pattern includes a dress, jacket, and top.  I tried the dress and it turned out better than I thought for a first try.  Knits can be tricky.  I'm still learning about fitting and adjusting patterns for the perfect fit. That seems like a science all in itself.  I have a big learning curve.

This project gave me an opportunity to make a sewing machine cover and trying out applique dies with my Acuquilt Go machine.

Well that is all for now.  I'm working on some more clothing projects and will post as they are completed.  I also found a wonderful project for a back to school pencil bag.

Until next time!!  

The Sew Stormer!!

Happy New Year 2017!!!

      Well 2016 is OVER!!! I can't say that I will miss it too much.  Quite a few lessons learned, some sadness with the loss of two family members, and just a great deal of changes overall.  I'm grateful to still be here and also thankful that I pushed my sewing to new heights with my 365 challenge to myself.  Although I didn't reach the goal, I sewed more and tried new projects, learned new skills in the process, and started this blog.  All in all I don't feel so bad.  This year, I'll be participating in another sewing challenge and that is to complete UFOs (Unfinished Projects), working more with my serger ( l learned some simple projects last year that I didn't know you could do with a serger), improve my garment construction skills so that I can delve into alterations and learn a bit more about how to repair sewing machines so I can maintain my machines.  I plan to teach some more classes at my local recreation center.  I was able to pilot a couple of classes last Fall and it turned out successful.  That was exciting.  Who knows where all this will lead but I'm hopeful and optimistic.

Maintaining a blog is challenging work but I plan to get better with this blog and get more exposure and readership.  The learning curve is high, when you are attempting new things.  

It is also sad that quilt shops and sewing lounges are starting to close in this economic climate.  We must do all we can to keep our small businesses alive in the sewing and quilting industry.  Please support your local businesses in your communities.  They are the fabric of our society and in many cases the center of the communities that they serve.


That's all for now.  You all have a blessed New Year this year.   Make 2017 full of optimism and hope!!!



The Sew Stormer!!!

Grocery Bag with Lining..... Hey Dr. Seuss ... Foldable or ...... Not!!

So I just finished this latest project.  We'll call it the Dr. Seuss Grocery bag.  Now originally, it was supposed to be a foldable bag where you could just roll it up and snap it shut when you were finished...destined to carry it in your purse so that you wouldn't forget it when at the grocery store.  I was on the path to pursue this aspect of making the bag during the creation process and then decided to forgo it after having such a battle working with putting the lining into this bag.  Mind you putting the lining for this particular bag was a "Cynthia" aka The Sew Stormer addition.  I have to give credit to  Crafty Ady from the U.K. and her wonderful tutorial.  

I will post her blog site on how to do the tutorial a little later.

Ady pushed me to new limits with this bag by actually having me create my own pattern.  She provided the measurements.  Drawing my own patterns was a new challenge for me but somehow I survived this aspect of the process.  It gave me a new appreciation for pattern makers and designers.  Drawing is not my strong suit but it was fun to do it and then turn it into an actual product.  That was amazing.  So I have learned a new unexpected skill in this journey.....pattern making.  What an exhilarating part of the creative process!!


If you wish to try this tutorial here is the link to Crafty Ady's blog and click on the right-hand side for the tutorial:

http://craftyady.blogspot.com/2012/01/another-ufo-is-no-more.html


Happy 4th and Happy Sewing!!!!



The Sew Stormer

Pillowcase Dress Adventure

I'm making these wonderful pillowcase dresses right now for my Sorority to donate to underprivileged young girls overseas.  I am also making some for my younger daughter and granddaughter.  The top one was made from an Amy Butler fabric ( I can't remember the name of the line) and the one below was from a yardage from my never ending fabric stash.  It is an embroidered fabric.  I forgot what I originally was going to use it for but it is now a pillowcase dress.

I couldn't bring myself to actually use a real pillow case so I just have gone through my fabric collection and have been having a ball seeing the transformations.  I have also created my own bias tape bindings for the armholes ( this reinforces the strength of the armhole) and for the ties.  Creating my own bias tape has saved me money, became another solution to use up the scraps, and gave me an excuse to finally be able to use my Simplicity Deluxe bias and piping machine.  That thing is awesome.  Another item I made with the leftover scraps were scrunchies to match the dresses.  I did that for the one I created for my granddaughter.

So if you were looking for ideas to utilize your scraps from a project, here a few depending on the amount that you have left over:

Scrunchies
Small tote bag
Doll outfit
Headscarf (bandana style)
zipper pouch purse or pencil case
Quilt block

If you can think of other items that you can create to further make use of your fabric project leftovers please feel free to share.

Signing off for now,


The Sew Stormer

When You Wish Upon A Star......

My Lemoyne Star quilt block almost finished

Ok Happy Belated 2016!!

Life has happened and my sewing challenge has gone in infinite directions but all is not lost because there is most definitely time to accomplish my 365 sewing.   I'm still working on this and other blocks.  Summer is now here and I may need to rethink the goals of this blog.  The sewing hasn't stopped but Life interrupted seems to be ongoing but none the less I shall keep going.



The Sew Stormer

Falling Behind So What Do You Do?

I've fallen behind in posting and this is definitely not a good thing if you are a blogger.  So to catch up on my latest sewing escapades of which I will post pictures soon, let's begin.  I've been totally enamored with Pinterest which I've come to believe is a very addictive thing.  There are so many projects that you could be on there for days, weeks, and months and still not be able to possibly decide which ones to pursue.  I have pinned so many ideas that I've become completely overwhelmed and have just stepped away from the site for a brief moment.  One night I found myself on it well into the wee hours of the next day.  I knew this was a problem.

So I have partaken in sewing a project or two or perhaps I could do my whole 365 just from Pinterest.   I've have created a tissue cover.  I thought those might make cute little gifts.  I mean who can have enough tissue covers to keep in their bags and purses right?  A very easy project I might add and it takes less than 10 minutes to make.  I messed up the first one so I had to use the handy seam ripper ( A sewer's best friend!) and then redid it and it came out great.

The next set of projects were pillowcases for my youngest daughters.  Well it started out as a mom and daughter sewing bonding thing for the first pillowcase and then wound up being a just me thing for the second one.  The "burrito roll" method makes doing these a snap and they can be completed in about  90 minutes if you are not teaching someone.

I finally sewed the over-sized fleece blanket for my husband.  Who knew that over-size fleece was so incredibly warm and fits a queen size bed very nicely. Unfortunately football season is over for my son because they lost their last playoff game.  Touching moment because he's a senior so all you football moms with senior sons you know what I'm talking about.  Because it doesn't get really cold in my part of Texas until about now, having the experience of hot cocoa and a warm blanket in the stadium is out for us at least until next year or if we are lucky enough to go to a UT Longhorn  or Dallas Cowboy game.... well probably not for now.  None the less it will still get used because I forsee many more cold nights a comin'!!

Now I do like to quilt as well and I haven't really done much quilting in a good while.  There have been several blocks I've been wanting to test out and so I finally was able to sit down and give it a try.  The block is called the Lemoyne Star or Eight-point star.  It looks complicated because you are using 45 degree diamonds but after watching this wonderful tutorial put out by The Fat Quarter Shop (an online Central Texas grown quilt shop) several times over, I finally got up the nerve and gave it a shot.  I'm not completely done with the block yet but I will post the Star that I have completed thus far.  I'm so proud!!  This is my first attempt at this block but I figure after I make several more I should have it down pack.

Well, yes I've fallen behind but as they say........fall down and then get back up.  Thanksgiving is over and I'm very grateful for the nice break and of course I can't wait for December.  I'm really getting in the spirit of sewing gifts.

For now my friends I must sign off.  Pictures of my projects coming soon as this post will be updated.


Sincerely,

The Sew Stormer

The Maxi Skirt Adventure

My First Maxi Skirt.  Pattern by Simple Simon and Company at SimpleSimonandco.com

This was my first attempt at making a true genuine Maxi Skirt.  I have always wanted to make one of these skirts but sometimes working with knits can be tricky.  However, when I saw this live tutorial on my favorite Youtube channel " Missouri Star Quilt Company with Jenny Doan, I just couldn't resist giving it a shot.  Now a couple of things that I've not done before and that is work with a garment pattern that I had to download and put together.  This was challenge number one.  You will see more and more these days pattern makers (especially independent pattern makers) giving you the option of downloading the pattern.  The plus side of this is that you  save some money. However, the downside is that it can be a lot of pages to print on your printer.  What I loved about this pattern is that the tutorial was online the creators offered it for free and also offer the paper pattern of which you can purchase from their website.  Since I wasn't quite sure about tackling this project although it is a VERY SIMPLE project to attempt and a great one for beginners, I opted to go free and download it.  This challenged me to try something new and reminded me of my challenge that I made myself as part of this yearlong journey that I was to GROW in my sewing.  I'm glad I did.  Now I went to my local Joann's and purchased about 2 1/2 yards of knit fabric when it was on sale for 40% off.  This particular fabric runs about $14.99/yd regularly.  So getting it at about almost half price, that wasn't so bad.  I decided to go with something for Fall because more than likely I will wear this with boots.  I loved the hounds-tooth print.  I'm a petite lady and so I don't wear really long skirts too often other than with boots during the cold months.  I haven't done this during the summer yet so I suppose I'll  try it this upcoming spring.  The designers also have a knit fabric collection that they designed for Riley & Blake.  The prints are really nice.  I will be purchasing some at a later date.  You can purchase them from the Missouri Star Quilt Company for a very reasonable price.  You can also purchase a sample bundle collection from the designers at their website (5 yds of 1 yd of the prints from the collection).

  The beauty of this pattern is that it runs from a XS to a 2XL so just about anyone can enjoy wearing this skirt.  Thank the designers.  My biggest challenge was working with the elastic.  If you look at the picture you will see that the elastic is attached directly to the skirt. You may see more and more easy projects where you just attach the knit elastic to the material to make thes easy skirts.  The 1"- 2"  knit elastic comes in a variety of colors.  It is very soft and does stretch very nicely without losing its shape.  My challenge was stretching it to get a good fit to the skirt as I was attaching it.  I'm going to keep making some more so that I can get this down a little more efficiently.  Now some things I attempted while trying to make this skirt.


You can make this skirt either with a regular sewing machine using a stretch stitch or with a serger.   I also had a serger cutter attachment foot which performs like a serger but on a regular sewing machine.

I got a bit frustrated and so I just went back to using a regular stretch stitch and everything turned out just fine.  I guess my next set of challenges are to go get out my serger and do a few projects on it so I can get better at using it and probably make these skirts a little faster.
The designers of the pattern estimate that the skirt is a 20-30 minute project.  How cool is that? Well with that my friends I will go ahead and sign off.

I encourage you to give this project a try.  Post your  comments and photos.


Sincerely,

The Sew Stormer

Scraps..........What to do with them? Using my imagination

    Okay, so I've now been able to really start sewing and I guess if I were a perfectionist, I would consider myself way behind but I will not allow myself to put that kind of undo pressure on myself because that would defeat the purpose of this being a sewing journey.  I will get the projects done one at a time.

So today or rather last night and into the wee hours of this morning I focused on some quilt blocks.  Rather than go out and buy more material,( an addictive sewer and quilter habit) I decided to utilize the huge fabric stash that I already owned.  Now I'm so glad that I had previously taken the time to actually cut some of my fabric stash of scraps into 2 1/2 inch, 3 1/2 , and 5 inch squares.  This was an idea that I got from the book Scrap Therapy Cut the Scraps: 7 Steps to Quilting Your Way through Your Stash by Joan Ford.

Now she recommends 2 inch squares but I love 2.5 so much I chose to go that route instead.  I have to say that utilizing this method with your scraps or quilting fabric in general has been very efficient and really does allow you to just jump right into sewing.  I put my squares into those clear plastic boxes.  Now this first stash of squares  I cut up a long while back so I saved a lot of time.  I'm so glad I did.  I can't begin to tell you just how much this handy method has saved.  My only problem was what was I going to make because nothing really matched .

So rather than mull over it anymore, I opted to just jump right in and I'm glad that I did.  It gave me an opportunity to practice my quarter-inch seams. Needless to say many of the blocks that I created were very simple.  Just a plain 4 patch block.  I came up with a few variations and color combinations of solids, prints, and batiks.  I even did some upcyling of old jeans and mixed them with some flannel and cotton fabrics. I have to now figure out how to post my pictures so that you all can see my creations.

I can't quite decide what I'm going to make so I'm just going to go with the flow. I'm so glad I have a  1/4 in foot.  It has worked wonders with keeping my seams straight.  I love that foot.  So I'm thinking what do with these blocks?  Another day for another time......................


Sincerely,

The Sew Stormer

The 365 Day Sewing Journey

     It's October 1st and I've decided to challenge myself to improve my sewing and quilting skills by taking on personal journey of sewing or quilting a project a day.  At the end of this journey I will have created 365 projects by October 5th of 2016.  One might ask what gave me this crazy idea and why do it?  Well actually I got the idea from that wonderful movie "Julie and Julia".  I thought to myself if someone could do it with cooking, what would it look like if you tried it with sewing and quilting?  Now mind you I don't have a great deal of time as I am a doctoral student, full-time teacher, mother of five, and wife to a wonderful man of twenty years.  By no means am I trying to be "Superwoman", actually I reject the title, notion, and the thought.  I give myself and any woman who is trying to balance a family along side other endeavors that she might want to do permission to do so as well.  However, I have committed myself to carve out time in my 24 hour day to create.

   I've always found being behind a sewing machine and listening to the ultimate sound of it's humming as I stitch pieces of fabric together to be one of the greatest forms of therapy.  It's calming, yet challenging to the brain.  The joy of creating something from nothing as thread, machine, presser foot, and fabric join forces together as no other set of tools can do.  They become unstoppable, they are magicians in actions.  The director behind the magic is the brains with the vision, she or he is "The Sewer".  I hope to accomplish a few things while on this journey and they are to 1) become a better skilled sewer and quilter. 2) Have absolute fun with this even if a project doesn't turn out as expected. 3) Persevere and Persist even if a time comes when I may not feel like being behind the machine. 4) 365 different projects that will challenge and allow me to grow as a "creationist" who might actually have some talent in the end.

    Today, since I just came up with the idea will just merely be an introduction to the journey.  Thanks to Pinterest, Youtube, and other wonderful sources out there I'm guaranteed to not run out of possibilities for potential projects.  Thank you social media for without you in this 21st century of crafting where would we be?  Since this is also my first time blogging, I've figured out that I have much to learn and grow at the same time.  First of all I have absolutely no idea if anyone will even follow me on this journey but I'll take the optimistic route that there is some soul out there in the world of social media and internet land that is just waiting for some good entertainment and may have pity and follow me.

    So any new followers that I make along this journey will be nothing but a blessing and let me be the first, if not the only one to welcome you to my journey and perhaps inspire you to join me or just come for "creative therapy" as an escape from the "real world".
Well this concludes today's post and as Carol Burnett often said at the end of her show ..." I'm so glad that we had this time together"  Sew Strong until next time.....

Sincerely,

The Sew Stormer