Butch and Sundance

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! Our new baby miniature goats!!! I <3 them already!!! Although, bottle feeding did NOT go well this evening... I guess we just have to let them get used to us. They baa-ed and nearly scared C&C to death! LOL

I didn't get much sewing done today. After our pastor stopped by to let us know he was bringing the goats today the kids went crazy, even the 3 older kids!!  Every 5 mins one of the little ones would ask how much longer. LOL So no school work got done and not much sewing! LOL

The Retro Butterick '56 is a bit complicated. At least to me!! LOL I have had to read and reread the directions to try to figure out what the heck they wanted me to do! ROFLOL! And I had to take the collar apart... SHEESH!! But I am bound and determined to finish it by Saturday! I need time to work on my last skirt for Crafterhours!!! And now there's Purse Palooza 2012!!!! And one of these weeks I would love to take part in one of the Sew Weekly Challenges! Sooooo much to sew, sooooo little time..... LOL Why, oh WHY did I wait so long to learn to sew??? Oh, yeah... The Hubby.... He thought I would sew my fingers together. And... well.... he wasn't far off... LOL Within 2 wks of starting to sew I managed to sew right through one of my fingers! YILES!!! Soooo much blood and soooo much pain!!! Needless to say I am MUCH more careful now! LOL

My sewing machine continues to be possessed... Anyone know a priest willing to work on machinery?? The light came back on for a few minutes today and then went right back out again. While the light was on the thread kept getting sucked back up into it again. SIGH.... Yep, it's possessed.

So here's a rundown of my FUTURE sewing projects.

Finish the Retro Butterick '56

A-line skirt - will post a tutorial

Petticoat - will post a tutorial

Purse - will post a tutorial

There's not much going on in our homeschooling now. We are pretty much all finished for the year except for the testing. But I will probably start my planning for next year soon and I will share some themes, units and ideas with you.

AWWW!!! Butch and Sundance are crying for their mommy!!! Poor, sweet, little fellas!! Fingers crossed that the bottle feeding goes well tomorrow!! Oh! And they are OK. They are eating and drinking regular goat stuff but weren't fully weaned yet. The bottle feeding is more less to help them bond with us which is very important since they are little boys and could be aggressive.

That's all for tonight! :) See you all tomorrow! Thanks for dropping by and please click to follow! :)

A Rant Against Snobs

Snobs.... BLECK!!! They are everywhere. Those people that think they are better than everyone else. It makes me mad. It makes me crazy. What makes YOU any better than anyone else?? Nothing. We all come into this world the same way, more or less, and we all will be leaving it the same way.

I have seen snobs of all kinds. You typical "I have more money than you" snobs or the "I have a degree from an ivy league school" snobs.... I have seen restaurant snobs, movie snobs, book snobs, grammar snobs.... People can be snobby about the stupidest things! There are people that think they are smarter than I am because I speak with a Southern accent and have a tendency to drop my g's. :PPPPPPPPPPPPP to you!

Now I have found a NEW type of snob. The sewing snob. Good grief. There are people that are basically attacking new sew-ers/bloggers for putting "shoddy work out into the internet". Oh, PUHLEASE!! Get over yourself. To me sewing is an art an just like art it can be seen in different ways by different people. And just because I don't like Picasso it doesn't make his art less appealing to others! It doesn't make him any less an artist!

Come down off your high horse and leave those people alone! Instead of tearing them down, build them up! If you think they need help in an area offer to help them instead of belittling them! Most times I bet they would welcome constructive criticism. Being hateful and ugly doesn't help anyone.

Yes, I am a new sewist. I make LOTS of mistakes. I will be the first to point them out.The purpose of my blog isn't to make someone sew like me, it's a documentation of my journey, both as a sew-er and a homeschooler. It's also to help those new to sewing (like MYSELF) and new to homeschooling. Not because I know it all. Not because I can do it all. But because I CAN'T!!! It's to show that you don't have to be perfect to have fun with something! I don't claim to sew couture. I don't want to sew couture. I don't have that type of lifestyle. LOL Most people don't and that's another point.

If you come across the blog of a new sew-er and it offends your delicate sensibilities then don't follow it! Don't read it! But you also don't have to shoot it and the person writing it down. By doing that you just might take something away from them, their enjoyment of what they are doing, their pride in accomplishment and for that I say SHAME ON YOU!

Maybe I am a reverse snob and that's OK with me. Maybe I am a hypocrite for ranting about this the way I am. That's OK, too. I would rather be called those things than to sit idly by while someone tears someone else down.

Disclaimer - I have no idea what blog the lady was talking about but it just made me mad that she would attack someone like that instead of offering them advice from her wealth of knowledge (insert sarcasm here). Who is she that she thinks she can decide who is sewing blog worthy??? LOL

ARGH!!!!!!

Off to try to remember to press my fabric! ;)

Good Grief!!!! Retro Butterick '56 and Tutorials

Did you know that the skirt for this has 6 pieces??? 6!!! PIECES!! There has to be nearly 4 yrds of material just for the skirt!! LOL

Well, I guess you can see from the above photo that I have started sewing on this. I am only on step 4 and I have already had to take it apart once! LOL I thought I might have to again due to confusing instructions! GRR!! But then I realized that no, it was SUPPOSE to be that way....

And guess what.... My light went out in the sewing machine. AGAIN! I have smacked it a few times but that doesn't to be working this go around. I may have to try begging next.

OHH!! Look at THIS!! Sew Sweetness Purse Palooza 2012! Is that not cool?? I can't wait! I am definitely going to be following along. D wants me to make her a purse so this is PERFECT!!! I might even enter the contest! :)

Which reminds me... I am still going to do the Crafterhours Skirt Week. I just want to get the Retro Butterick '56 out of my system first! LOL

I thought I would show you some more pics of some of my past projects! :)

Here is a peasant blouse that I made for D. Let me see if I can find a tutorial somewhere for you. Here you go! It's for a child's peasant top but it can be easily adjusted for adults.

A peasant blouse from a man's dress shirt. Here's a tutorial for that.

That was the 2nd outfit that I made for myself. No pattern or tutorial. I just knew what I wanted and made it from my head. ;)

Book cover with handles!! I need to make more of those. I am thinking about giving them as Christmas presents. ;)

Well, that's it for tonight! See you all tomorrow if Pammy doesn't get me first! ;)

I Think My Cat Is Trying to Kill Me......

Oh, she may LOOK all innocent but I know. She's trying to get me out of the way. You see, The Hubby is the only human she loves. She merely tolerates the rest of us. I can see her watching me out of the corner of my eye. She turns her head very quickly when I look, trying to act like she was doing something else... But I KNOW!!! When I try to walk down the stairs there she is running under my feet... She wants to trip me! Or if she's already on the stairs, at the exact moment that I go to step over her  she decides she needs to be somewhere else.. Yep... So if I go missing you'll know! You'll know it was Pammy the Cat!  I bent over this morning to put something in a draw and she took a swipe at my backside. When I turned around she gave me The Look. You know what look I'm talking about. The one that says, "I'm gonna get you!" That's when I knew for certain. She wants me out of the way so she can have The Hubby to herself.

I'll be back later to update on my sewing... I need to make sure my will is in order first.....

Crap, Crud, AWWWW and Insane

What a title! LOL

First the crap! I completely forgot that today is Tuesday... The day we were going to join a realllly cool homeschooling co-op. Every time The Hubby has a 4 day weekend it throws me completely off. So all day today I was thinking that we were going TOMORROW... SIGH.... There's always next week. *singing if I only had a brain* Any bets on whether or not I'll remember for next week???

Now the crud! I cut out alllll the pieces for the Retro Butterick '56, including ALL 6 pieces of the skirt. Yes, that is 6 pieces! for a skirt! LOL Only to realize that I can't cut the lining because someone forgot that she was out of lining material. SIGH........ Gee, I guess that means I have to go out to the fabric store tomorrow. What a hardship! ;)

This is c2. He is the he. c1 is the she. ;)



Aren't they cute??? Well, they are pretty sweet, too. c2 says to me, "Mommy, you are so fluffy and poofy! You smell like oranges! You are beautiful and I love you!" AWWW!!!!! Totally makes up for the whiny spell he had earlier. ;)

Insane - Me to The Hubby, "May I have some of those Cheetos?" c2 to me, "Here, mommy, try the puffy kind." Me, "No, thank you. I don't like the puffy kind." c2, "Mommy, you must have the insane!"  ROFLOL!!!! Yes. I do have the insane. LOL

So, that's all for today, folks! See you tomorrow!!

Don't forget to click to follow, PLEASE!

My Fave Homeschooling Stuff and Retro Butterick '56

Here it is! The list I promised! But first I have to show you a couple of pics from my start of the Retro Butterick '56! ;)

That's Bonnie. She just LOVES to help me cut fabric. Every single time I cut she is right in the middle of it. LOL I think she thinks the material is just for her.... What a mess!!

Here's the list!

My Fave Homeschooling Stuff (great title, huh?)

1- Little Passports - My 2 youngest (the c's) LOVE getting these every month. They really help out with our countries and cultures studies.

2- Young Scientist Club - I used to subscribe to the monthly packages but then I realized I could get 3 whole experiments in one package for not much more than one if I bought them from Amazon instead! LOL

3- Hands of a Child - LOVE LOVE LOVE their lapbooks and notepacks! (click on the links if you don't know what lapbooks or notepacks are)

4- CurrClick - I love Currclick. They always have great freebies and wonderful sales. You can find unit studies, lapbooks, notebooking, you name it, at Currclick

5- Netflix - So many resources here! Movies about nature, history, science.....

Everything from here is down is FREE! Yep. FREE! I <3 free!!!

1- Removed because I no longer support the site. 

2- Homeschool Share - This site is amazing and all of their units and lapbooks are FREE!!! I can't tell you how much help their stuff has been.

3-Homeschool Helper Online - They have FREE lapbooks, notebooking pages, worksheets, coloring pages and so much more!

4- Notebooking Fairy -  She makes THE BEST FREE notebooking pages. We just love them!!

5- Squidoo - WOW! They have sooo many unit studies and topics it boggles the mind. I have so many of them Pinned!! History, science, math, grammar, the works!

6- No Time for Flashcards - So many hands on learning ideas and crafts here. She will even introduce you to new children's books and have some activities to go along with them.

7- 1+1+1=1 - SOOOO many cute and wonderful Pre-K and K printables and packs. c2 LOVES them!!

8- Homeschool Creations - This is a great site for resources, printables and encouragement. I subscribe to both of the blogs and they are SOOO helpful!!

9- Activity Village - TONS of free printables and activities for history, holidays, seasons, etc.

10- DLTK-Kids - So many wonderful printable activities for Pre-K and K. I have used so many of them. They is also a sister site First School.

11- Khan Academy - OMGosh! I LOVE this site. No more pulling my hair out while trying to teach higher math! LOL This site is a God send!! Seriously! Check it out. You'll LOVE it! They have videos for upper science, math and history.

12- Donna Young's Homeschool Resources and Printables - Need a printable timeline? She has it. Need a printable planner? She has it. Need to print a diploma? She has that, too! Plus more and more and more!

13- Almost Unschoolers - I <3 this blog!! You want hands on? Go there! So amazing!!

14- Mama Jenn - Another blog that is SO amazing. She has it all! Printables, activities, encouragement! I always look forward to getting her posts in my e-mail.

15- 2 Teaching Mommies - SUCH cute printables and packs! I love them!!!

16- Dynamic 2 Moms  - These ladies make AWESOME lapbooks, notebooking pages and unit studies. I <3 them!

SHEW!! That's my list for now! I know I missed some so I will be coming back to update this list as I remember them! LOL

I guess I should go do some cleaning. SIGH.... I love having 2 bathrooms.... I hate having 2 bathrooms. LOL

I need a sign that says "I'd rather be sewing". LOL

My Sewing Machine Is Possessed

I have a happy little boy. c2 LOVES his Green Lantern PJs. Little does he know that I had to battle a possessed sewing machine to make it for him! My goodness!! The light kept going off and on and the buttonholer went berserk! Then the thread kept getting sucked up into the top! CRAZY! Maybe it's saying it needs a break??? TOO BAD!!! LOL I plan on cutting out the pattern pieces for this today! I'll be making the yellow dress.

Retro Butterick '56 - B5603



And here is the material I am going to use. I have NO idea what kind it is. I found it in the clearance section. I guess I could check my receipt but I hid it...  No evidence. ;)



I can't wait!!! Hee hee hee!!!

Afterwards maybe I can settle in to making my final skirt for Crafterhours Skirt Week! LOL

So, what kind of projects have YOU been doing lately?? Share with us! Leave a comment!!

Did you all get your 15% off coupon from Hancock's in your e-mail today? Why must they mock me??? Don't they know I already spent a fortune there the other day? Why taunt me with coupons?

Yes... I AM thinking of going back. LOL Wouldn't you?

I finally figured out how to add buttons to the side over there. Now I just need to figure out how to make my own button! :)

I've also been considering make a Facebook page. What do you think?

Later this week I will be posting my list of favorite homeschooling sites, blogs and resources. Stick around!

No More Sewing Tonight! :( But I Have Tutorials! :)

SIGH..... SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH............ My light bulb went out in my sewing machine and it isn't bright enough in the dining room to sew at night. SIGH........... c2 is going to be so mad at me!! He
demandedsuggested that I make his Green Lantern PJs tonight. I got the pants done! :)



Then I somehow misplaced part of the front of the shirt. Not sure how that happens. I *think* it was the "left over" part I thought I had and then cut up to use as cuffs on the sleeves.... Yeah... If I had a brain I just might be dangerous! LOL  Anyway, I am using some of the green that I used on the May Flowers skirt for the other side of the front. I am going to attempt to cut out and sew some of the Green Lantern pieces to the solid green.... I'm ummmm...hopeful? LOL

Can I just say that I am DYING to get started on some of the vintage patterns I bought yesterday??? I already know exactly which one I will do first and what material I am going to use. LOL I may have to get it out of my system before I do my last skirt for the Crafterhour's Skirt Week contest.

Since I can't make anything NEW tonight I guess I can post some pics of past projects! LOL



I LOVE this one! This was made from a thrifted vintage sheet. My mom had one just like it when I was little. That made it extra special to me.

I knew I wanted to make something with a vintage feel to it and I was inspired somewhat by this dress by Olive Juice 



Oooh!! Here are my owl PJs! So soft and comfy!! PJ pants are a great pace to start if you are new to sewing. They are simple to make.

Here's a tutorial for making them - Simple Pajama Pants Tutorial -  You can adapt to make them adult size.




Here is c1 in an Easter Toile print that I got for a STEAL at Joann's.






I used the same idea for style as the nightgown from a vintage sheet. ;)

Here's a tutorial for it - Pillowcase Nightgowns & Free Tutorial.




c2's dino PJs


I made the shorts the same way that I make PJ pants. For the top I used one of c2's t-shirts as a guide.

Well, that's it for tonight, folks.... I think I might go add some more to my About Me section!

May Flowers Skirt and Tutorial

May Flowers Skirt Tutorial -

I am sooooo excited to bring you this tutorial!! My very first!! :) I dreamed this skirt up out of the blue and thankfully I was able to see it to fruition! I will be entering this skirt in the Crafterhours Skirt Week contest in the children’s skirt category so wish me luck!!!!



Fabric - 1 yd of cornflower blue satin - blue for sky (you can use any kind of fabric but blue in color would be best)
Fabric scraps in many colors - for flowers
Fabric scraps in green - leaves
Fabric scraps in yellow - sun
Fabric scraps in white - cloud
Stretch of green in width of the front panel -  grass
Scraps of ribbon -  flower petals, flower stems
Buttons - flower middles
Elastic - measured to child’s waist + ½ inch
White thread - I used white to give it the look I wanted. (D says it looks like a La La Loopsy LOL)

1 - I started by cutting the satin into an A-line. I cut it while still folded over and then cut the pieces apart after I had my lines. It’s easier to do it that way than to cut the back and front and THEN try to get an even line on the sides.



2- I put the green underneath the skirt and cut the angles.



Sorry... The pic is a little sideways. :/



3- I zig-zag stitched the entire perimeter of the green section.


4- Pin the green to the front of the front panel, make sure to turn up the bottom of the front panel and pin for the hem.

5- Straight stitch green to blue, creating a hem as you go.



6- Gather some round items to use as a guide for your flowers and sun.




7- Cut circles - 2 of each color



8- Draw out a cloud on the white scraps and cut while folded (but not ON the fold)



9- Cut ribbon into sections for flower petals



10 - Pin ribbon petals between flower sections


11- Zig-zag stitch all around


12- Continue to do that with the other flowers or leave on plain like I did.

13- Pin ribbon for stems in between the grass and skirt front panel. You can also pin the leaves.



14- Straight stitch together.

15- Straight stitch up both sides on all stems.

16- Pin flowers to the tops of stems.

Sorry! I forgot to take pics for these steps!


17- If you are using buttons for the middles, attach the flowers to the skirt by sewing the buttons through the flower middles into the front panel of skirt.

18- If you have a flower that won’t have a middle, straight stitch all the way around it to attach it to the skirt front.


19- Zig-zag stitch around both pieces of the cloud

20- Pin to the top corner of skirt panel, making sure to leave room for side seams and waist.

21- Zig-zag to skirt.

22- Zig-zag stitch around both pieces of the sun. (sewing them together)

23- Pin  to the top corner of skirt front.

24- Zig-zag stitch sun to the skirt front

25- Pin and hem back panel of skirt.


26- Pin sides of skirt together (right sides together) and sew side seams.



27- Leaving skirt inside out, pin over the top, leaving room for the elastic.


28- Sew elastic pocket but leave an opening to put the elastic through.

29- Pin safety pins to BOTH ends of elastic and thread through the elastic pocket opening. Be sure to hold firmly to both ends.




30. Sew ends of elastic together.



31- Sew the opening closed.

32- Turn right side out.

You are done!! Congratulations! You have made the May Flower Skirt!!!

This way my first tutorial so let me know if it was easy for you to follow. I am definitely open for constructive criticism. ;)

I will be putting another skirt together this week and I will be sure to add a tutorial for it as well! I can’t wait for you to see it!! Another one that is different and came straight from my mind (a very scary place! LOL).

Linking up to The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday Linky Party

Upcoming Posts

I have some great stuff coming up for y'all!! This week I'll be posting a tutorial for my May Flowers Skirt and creating a list of my favorite homeschooling sites. I will be picking a great book from the library, "When Pigasso Met Mootisse".



I'll have to come up with some fun ideas for the kids to do.

I'll be adding some more info to my About Me page so y'all can "get to know" me! ;)

AND I'll be adding some more of my finished projects.

Soooo, stick around! Sign up for the e-mail so you won't miss anything!!

What I would LOOOOVE to do (if/when I get enough followers) is to have some contests and swaps. Pattern swaps, project swaps, etc.

Hancock's Sale

Ooooh, my!!! I just got back from the Hancock's sale and boy did I stock up! ;)) A lot of fabrics are 50% and they had a GREAT clearance section. They also have their Butterick's and McCall's patterns on sale for 99 cents! That includes the Butterick's Vintage!!!

Here are the 4 vintage and one vintage look (*I* think) patterns that I got!



Butterick's B4790



Butterick's 5708



Butterick's B5603



Butterick's 5748



McCall's 4769

It's OK. You can be jealous. ;)

I stocked up on gingham! Pink, green, yellow!!!! OHHHH, how I LOVE gingham. I think it's due to the cute Gingham Girls paperdolls I had when I was little.



Oh, I got some great Madras, too! I even picked up some Spiderman and Green Lantern for c2. BOTH were on sale!

I am all set for sewing for quite awhile. Of course that doesn't mean I won't hit any more sales if they come up... It is an addiction after all. ;))

I need to find something bigger to store my fabric in.... The milk crate overfloweth.....

On another note.....

I think I mention in my About Me section that we raise rabbits. These are NOT to eat. LOL Apparently that is a big thing in rural Virginia. Nope, we raise them as PETS!! I mean really!! Who could eat something so soft and fluffy???



Well, we had some of our little ones escape. We managed to catch a few but there are still one or two that we can't get. That number has now been reduced. While the Hubby and kids were all outside they caught a glimpse of Wild Kingdom! Some sort of bird (Hubby says looks like an eagle without the white head) swooped down and snatched up a little black bunny!!! Right in the front yard!!! OMGosh!!! CRAZY!!!!