gift of sewing patterns

Got a ton of patterns in the mail and have no idea who they are from. Thank you!















There are about 12 more; I just got tired of scanning

1st sale on etsy

Put my first item for sale on etsy today. So I guess I have started this adventure; we will see where it goes from here. I plan to put a lot of scarves and baby hats on it in the future.

Mom's email

I got this in an e-mail today from my mother-in-law. I thought it nice and poetic and thought this was a good spot to post it. If it is not, I apologize. She didn't write this; it was sent to her by her sister-in-law who received it from someone else. I have no idea where the story started, but I like the sentiment.

"Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you, and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".

They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?".

Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?".

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?".

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then she turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear."

"I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more."

"I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting."

"I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

"I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting."

"I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess."

"I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Only if you wish send this to the people you will never forget and remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you. If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry
that you have forgotten your friends.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....
To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH"

What flower are you

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You? Click here to find out.

I just thought this might be fun for some of you. Please post afterward so we can all see what each other is.

Painted apples

It's the first day of school.
Here is an apple or two for all those teachers out there.
Two kids at school and one home; this should be interesting to see how the littlest reacts to all this alone time.

I didn't paint these apples; my grandmother did back when I was a kid. I just love them.

My Kids Sihouettes

Some silhouettes of my children that I cut.
A sort of fading art.

If you are interested in silhouettes of your family, please go to my store "Vintage Threads, Inc." link on left side of screen to place an order. (I ship only in the United States).

Effies done

Effie is done and will be back on her way to New York on Monday or Tuesday.

Effie now and Effie Before .

Effie nearly done

Effie is almost done.

She now has a caplet and embroidery on her hat and bodice. Her embroidery was done with rayon thread. Other touches are satin ribbon on dress and caplet. Shoes are being made; then she is done and will go back to New York. Her shoes are being sewn out of mauve wool.

Beehive 2

Well This is done now I can get it in the mail.

Such a bad photo. Yuck!

pillow skirt

FREE PATTERN FOLLOW LINK Here is my new skirt made from a pillow case.

Please go here to find pattern/instructions. From start to finish was less than 10 minutes total.

If you want, you can use new or vintage pillow cases. I like the old ones. Mine, I think, is from the late 60's to early 70's.

But it could be real charming with a real old pillow case that is embroidered on and has a lace edge. That might take a little longer as it might have to be lined or just wear a slip if you care about such things. Most real old cases are white; depending on the thread count it might have to be lined -- this one did not.

Sorry for blurry photo; my 8 year old couldn't sit still while taking the photo.

Here is the link in case it breaks again
http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2006/05/index.html

Big Deal ?

I just had my 1000th visitor. I am not sure - is that a big deal or not?

Lava lava part 1

I was asked to show a back flap lava lava and a front flap.

Here are the directions for the back flap. The front flap version, and how to make it, is in the next post.

First, start with fabric corner on the right hip. Then you wrap it in front of your body. Continue this around the back until you come to the front again. Tie the knot on hip. If a wind blows this will not open up and show your skin. To show skin you have to open 3/4 of the dress; see picture. If you are standing in a wind that strong you should go inside; it is not safe. This is not like the dresses from the 60's that only 1/4 of the dress opens and you are exposed. This is a real simple skirt to make. If you ever decide you don't want it any more, you still have all your yardage, minus the fringe part, to make something else out of.

These photos where taken by my 8 year old; I couldn't find my tripod -- sorry if they are a little weird. I know the skirt is dark, so if you click on the picture you will get a bigger photo that's easier to see.

lava lava part 2

FREE PATTERN
I was asked to show how a lava lava works with it having a front flap.

OK my waist is 30 inches and my hips are 38. I took my waist measurement and multiplied by 2 and added 8 inches (if you want a bigger tie, add 12 inches). This gave me a number of 68 inches. This is how wide the fabric is cut . I use rayon. It has a much nicer drape and just fits better; cotton is too bulky and stiff. Fringe the edges -- I like 3 inches of fringe. So the actual width of the lava lava is now 62 inches. The height of it is whatever the fabric is from selvage to selvage. This is a no-sew project.
To wear a front flap lava lava, I place one corner of fabric on my left hip. Then go around my back, then I bring it to the front to tie. Simple! This is not like the 60's wrap that always flaps open; you can see from the photo even if I pick up the flap I am not showing any skin.

Orange bellied bee

Sorry! I have been busy as a bee and haven't had time to post.
Just wanted everyone to know I didn't drop off of the face of the earth; I'm just busy with meetings and I hurt my back . All is well now, and I am back (ha ha). OK, not funny, but I am feeling much better.

I found this little bee in my neighbor's yard a little over 1 week ago. I have never seen a bee that looks like this; does any one know what type it is? I am not sure whether to call it red or orange, the color that is on it. It sure was a different sort of bee.

swapping/ link to tutorial on yo-yos

August yo-yo swap going on at MJF.

---

Since the girls were so happy drawing yo-yo's yesterday and sewing today, I thought I would show you all the colors they picked. The blue ones are from the scraps of the very first quilt I ever made. The orange are scraps from a quilt I made for the man that gave me a full ride scholarship to BYU. So they sort of picked fabrics I wouldn't have, but it made them happy . I like much stronger colors now days. More on the jewel tones, but these are probably perfect for a yo-yo exchange where you get a little of everything.

GREAT TUTORIAL AT HEATHER BAILEY'S BLOG; FOLLOW THE LINK
go here

Sunshine's Creations at MJF

In case you didn't come here from MJF. Here is a link to some other items I have made; lots of bonnets and dresses and other items.

Beehive 1

To Patricia and Kate,
Just an update of how the block is coming.

Bobbin lace pattern book

To Nancy Jo,
The book arrived yesterday. Thank you!

Effie's dress

Effie has a dress!!!!!!!!

I know it has been a few days since I last posted on Effie. Her dress is now all crocheted and tatted. It has a tatted collar and a tatted hem. The rest is crochet. The close up of the hem is not very accurate in color; the lighting was weird. The pictures with the black background are more true to the actual color of the dress.

Vase of Flowers

MY OH SO LUCKY DAY -- FLOWERS & A VASE ! ! ! ! ! !

My husband went out with my kids today and bought me flowers, bubble bath, and bath rose petals, for no reason. So I am telling the world. I was absolutely surprised. I love flowers, and I used to be a florist. So it is not often I get flowers as most people think by now I must be sick of them. Just love the vase and the style of the arrangement. I love hi-style arrangements. Way Cool!!!!!!!

1 month blogiversary

In 2 days I will have been blogging for 1 month.

I know that is not too long, but I am real curious as to what everyone thinks so far. I notice lots of people look but don't respond. This is your place; let me know what you like and such, and I will try to put some of that up for you (within reason, of course; no weird stuff). Do you like the site or no? Please let me know.

rug making tools

The woman at the Mary Jane's Farm site has been talking a lot about rug making.


So I kind of thought I might show all of you just a few of the tools I have for making different types of rugs. These are in my collection, but I use them, too. Some of these tools are new, some vintage, some antique; all are in working order.

box of stuff part 1

While I was out yesterday!
Going a little crazy with storms and flats and almost running out of gas, the mail man came by with a gift from my Vavo (Portuguese for grandma). She told me to watch for it She said she was sending me her old junk. Usually 90% is not junk, just little things she thinks I will like, 10% is junk and she just thinks "Boy, what will she think about this". So I thought I would post a little of what she calls her old junk here and see what you all think about junk.

I was doing this on another post which is right below this one, and it crashed. I can't seem to finish changing the other, so please ignore the first little bit as I can't seem to fix it. Thank you for looking. Most of these pictures in this and the next post will enlarge twice if you click on them twice; try it if you want to see more detail. I was also not able to perform a spell check on it for the same reason. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause in reading.

Box of stuff part 2

To start with, there where three clothing items. One was a Liz Claiborne rayon shirt; it has a pretty floral print on it. Lucky me, not too pale of a color, either. I like wearing embroidered vests in the fall and winter, so she sent me two. I think the colors on the striped vest are just wild; I should have fun with that one. The cream one is a little plain, but it is a useful item and should go with lots of clothes because it is very simple in color and styling. In other words, good for a tee shirt and jeans. YES!!!

This is just a few of the random items in the box. A red bandanna I use these a lot for my hair. Three little bags, 1 red and 2 pink; just useful to put things in. I just love items that hold stuff; aren't containers a handy thing to have around. A strap of frog fabric, sure that will find it's way into a miniature quilt at some point in time. A cooking ring "Flossie's" to make pancakes. I usually use cookie cutters; I have never done one that big, so it should be fun to see how it works out. I always have fun when these packages arrive; the variety of things she sends is just incredible to me. We have fun with this; it happens about 2 to 5 times a year, depending on what she finds.

This real brightly colored plastic tray was one of the first things I saw when I opened the box. I think it is just wonderful. My grandmother and I have been florists. She is much better at it; she has a Masters in horticulture and orniculture; she also owned her own flower shop (my cousin now runs it). I was just your typical designer/florist. It paid the bills and put me through collage, so I am definitely not complaining. The reason I love this is anthriums and ginger where some of my Vavo's favorite flowers to arrange. Lots of times she would place an anthriumin in her hair, in a bun, when she was getting dressed up. Lots of memories with this one. Don't you just love the tropical colors; they are just screaming at you!

There is this cute little yellow metal bucket with gardening tools in it: a little shovel, and fork, gloves, and two little butterflies, and lastly a little bird house to place in a planted container. Very, very cute! They actually may be a little too cute to want to use them. They all look so darling in their little bucket.

Two little pots to plant in that are full of one of my favorite candies. Don't know the name of the candy, but I have always liked it since I was a little kid. If someone knows please tell me. My kids are going a little crazy because I told then they could not eat this until I was done posting, and it is taking way too long for them.

Three children's books. I think I will claim one for me. The tale of Tom Kitten. The kids can have the other two to play with. The Tom Kitten one is a pop up book, real cute inside. The others are a Mercer Mayer talking book and a Rumpelstiltskin talking book. Both are real cute; I'm just not in to talking books. The kids like talking books, so they will have hours of fun with them. Usually they actually play with these in their rooms as well so I won't even have to hear it, either .

A box from Godiva chocolates; too bad it was empty, but it's a real cute box, all the same, with the daisies on top of it. And a collection of little ladybugs. Two candles, 3 wood ones, and 1 glass one. My middle and youngest child share a room and it is decorated with lady bugs, so they are totally excited to see these little friends come to live with us. I get to keep the glass one because I collect glass fruit and candies, and it will go well with them.

A box made out of card board. I just love boxes. Look at all the pretty paper used to decorate this one. It has a real cute handle as well and a functioning latch. The paper hinge has a little tear about 1/2 inch that is fixable, and very usable. too. Love it!!!!!

A collection of bath and body items. Lotions (four of them), 1 body wash, 1 shampoo, 1 body shower gel, 1 body butter and a box of designer soaps. These type of things can always be put to good use.

This item is a real cute cardboard box with a tassel hanging from the top of the lid. Inside of it was the stationery that you see in front with the bow on it. It has little tea cups all over the stationery and all over the box. I just love boxes, and this is defiantly a keeper. I like to put my sewing or crochet projects in boxes like this and carry them with me to work on. It is a real nice size, not too big or small.

The next item is from my mother, and it is the only item in the box from her; everything else is from Vavo.

This is a dress that my mother found at a garage sale and thought one of my kids could wear it. Well, it was marked $15.00 she got it for $13.00. Good price; too bad it doesn't fit any of my kids -- they are all too big. Looks like it was a flower girl's dress or something to do with a wedding. I want to take it apart and make a hostess apron out of it. My husband wants to give it to someone so they can wear it. We will have to see who wins out on that one because it would make the most lovely apron. I'd use the top skirt for the apron skirt and use the under skirt to make the bib of the apron. Might be able to make something else out of it as well. I love the halo and will leave that in tact; my kids can still use that part of the outfit.

This would be the 10% that might be considered junk to some but not all. The tree my Vavo made so I love it! It is a keeper. The two Rooto Rooter men my kids will play; with junk to me, fun to them. The McDonald's bucks the kids get to go to lunch one day, so that is good, too. Not sure what type of ball this is, but I am sure the kids will have fun with it. The music box sort of works; I might be able to fix it and do something with it. The little blue thing is actually a mini flash light; the girls will use it with their dolls. Four tokens for arcade games the kids can use as play money. The Key chain and cord with it, well those type of things always become useful at some point in time, and that is everything in the box. You decide -- junk or treasure.

100% cotton crochet and braided rugs

This is a rug that I used cotton fabric strips to make.
It is a sort of shabby look on purpose. This rug sits at the front of my washer and dryer. There was just a little too much white in the wash room /hall way. The area is a very small space so I let the rug stay on the softer tones. This is a nice rug because when it gets dirty I can just throw it in the washer and dryer, no special care like the wool rugs take. I just crocheted with the fabric till it ran out then I went to the next, just letting it make it's own pattern. The rug is a rectangle, although due to the angle of the photo it doesn't look like it. It was made in the traditional granny square method. That means that the two squares where made separately then joined together to form the rug. This is a nice way to make a rug because if you don't put a border on it, like I did, you can always make it bigger later by adding more squares. I didn't want to because I had a set spot for it. In front of the washer and dryer or the stove / sink in the kitchen, whichever I prefer for that week.

These next two rugs are also made out of cotton . This time it is recycled cotton towels. They can be thrown in the washer and dryer to clean also. (That is if you don't make them too big.) The oval one sits in front of my shower, and the rectangle sits in front of my sink. They are both in my upstairs bath. It is nice to use towels because they are very absorbent and easy to clean. Next time, though, I think I will make my strips about 1 1/2 inches wider, then the rugs will be real thick and squishy. Much nicer to the feet.

100% wool hall rug

Hall runner 100% wool rug.
It is 5 feet wide by 13 feet long. I used 3 different colors for each row and changed all three colors for each round. Except the boarder which I made all solid black to set it off like a picture frame. This was a fun rug to make with all the colors in it. It took me one week from start to finish. Before I made this rug the hall had a medium gray carpet in it. It was just so boring that I had to do something to wake the hall up a little bit. My husband also put in track lighting that helped a lot as it was very dark.

Halloween beaded hat

A little Halloween magic early this year.

This is a costume I made about 8 years ago for my oldest . She was 10 months old when she wore this. I had to put the hat on her every day for about 10 minutes building to 30 minutes as it grew in weight so she would be use to the fringe and not pull at it. The grayish/silver beads on the hat are hemmite very heavy.