Just Pull The Blanket Over Your Head

Today's sunny, breezy, warmish weather paired with a porch project involving outdoor string lights reminded me that summer is almost, almost here. It took me back to last summer's family vacation to Destin, FL and the perfect afternoon Ruby, Brett and I had the day before we went home.

I made this beach blanket out of some of my favorite vintage sheets the week before we left for that trip, sewing late into the night to make sure it was finished before we boarded the plane the next morning! It is soft and light for summer days but nice and large so the whole family can fit on it.

Today, however, I just wanted to crawl under it and hide from tornadoes. Joplin, MO is only an hour up the road from us and was completely devastated by an F5 tornado earlier this week. I couldn't stop reading tweets about it and checking news sites for the latest information. Then I got a phone call from my mom this afternoon saying they were corralling everyone at her school into the safe room and that she loved me. I could hear the adrenaline in her voice and started calling the rest of the family in OK to see what they knew.

I called my dad who was on the road coming back from a work event and passed along the message from Mom that he shouldn't drive any further North. I don't think he paid any attention to that because he ended up in the basement of a hospital pretty close to their home. I couldn't reach them for awhile so I called my grandparents to get news updates and stayed glued to Twitter and online news sites.

I called my Meemaw when Brett told me one of the tornadoes was headed towards her town and she told me she was headed to the closet. It skipped her town and headed to Shawnee, the town we went to college in and still have good friends in. Then I heard it was headed to Ada and called my grandparents again to check on them.

A little later and another tornado was headed towards the Dallas area, which makes sense, BECAUSE THAT'S NEAR WHERE THE REST OF MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY LIVES. I felt like a crazy woman! Thankfully, all were safe at the end of the day. Except as I type it's the end of the day and the storms are headed to Springfield. Awesome.

I'm so thankful for the safety of my family after seeing the devastation in Joplin. I will forever take tornado warnings and sirens more seriously. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers today as I shared my concern for family on Twitter. My heart goes out to those who have sad stories to tell.

I'm off to hide under my blanket until I hear either the sirens or the sound of a four year old saying he's ready for breakfast.

xoxo,
Rachel

Sharing Love, One Dress At A Time

As you may know, this week is KCWC over on Elsie Marley's blog. I'm sure some of you have been squeezing in an hour a day over the last two days to make something for your own little ones to wear. I started early and took a break on Sunday to sit down and work on one of the simplest of patterns out there, the pillow case dress.

I thoroughly enjoy making things for my kids. They don't always understand or have the capacity to appreciate handmade things right now but I hope they'll look back at photos and old blog posts and see it as another way their mama loved on them. (There is that pose again!)

For this pillow case dress I used a vintage floral pillow case from my collection, extra-wide double fold bias tape, and grosgrain ribbon. The trim on the bottom was already there. I used what I had on hand and it took me about twenty minutes to figure out the logistics and put it together. Twenty minutes, folks!

I love me an instant gratification sewing project!

The thing is, our friends Katy and Adam are headed out to Haiti in June to take clothing and necessary supplies to orphans that attend a school that their church, New Bru (or Center City Church) helps sponsor. The organization that started the orphanage, Center of Hope, celebrated it's opening last October. New Bru is hoping to send over as many pillow case dresses as possible for the little girls that attend the school as well as ones in surrounding communities.

So, one pillow case dress turned into three.

And three turned into five. Five dresses took me an hour and a half to make but will be enjoyed by a handful of girls at the school for a long time.

I would LOVE if you would join me in making a pillow case dress (or two, or five) to send to these girls in Haiti. If you're participating in KCWC, or just really like to sew, think about taking an extra twenty minutes this week or next to put together a simple pillow case dress for an orphaned girl in Haiti.

My friend, Katy, has more information on the work their church does through members that live and work there if you're interested in finding out more. You can contact Katy Shatto at did2613(at)hotmail(dot)com to find out where to send your dresses when you're done.

Standard sized pillow cases will fit most elementary age girls in Haiti but they are also passing them out to younger girls in surrounding communities so they have a need for smaller sizes as well. The only guideline is that they aren't made from solid red pillow cases or any fabric with patriotic (American flag) prints. You can find a variety of tutorials to make your own including this one, this one, or this one.

For every dress sent to Katy, a name will be added for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Fabricworm! If you send five dresses, you have five chances of winning $50 worth of fabric! All dresses must be post marked June 1st in order to arrive in time and the winner will be announced later that week.

What a great opportunity to share love in the form of something so essential to daily life. I'm looking forward to hearing Katy's stories of passing out dresses and supplies this summer and will happily report back to share what your kindness helped accomplish.

Again, for more details and an address to send your dresses to, e-mail Katy Shatto at did2613(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart!
xoxo,
Rachel

Time for Personal Projects!

Every day, during my little window of nap time opportunity, I work on projects. Whether it be editing photos, blogging, painting chalkboards, or photographing DIY's in progress, I'm usually able to accomplish a lot because I know I only have about 1.5 to 2 hours to work. This weekend I spent Saturday attempting to sew my first skirt for Ruby. It was a big fail. I DID manage the second one while she was awake and sorting crayons in the studio. Thank goodness skirts are quick!

Sunday's nap was much more productive. I accounted for my mistakes with the second two and even finished a little dress. The green skirt was made from vintage place mats and the pink one was from a vintage linen table cloth. They are both pretty loose on Ruby so I still need to adjust my 'pattern' and then they'll be fantastic with a tank top or tee this spring/summer!

This is a dress made from parts of two vintage men's shirts. The part around her chest is about 1/2" too snug so I'm going to take it apart and rework it and take measurements from the finished piece to make a few more.

I don't usually mess with sewing projects that require patterns but I'm getting to the point where I really want to challenge myself with sewing clothes again and need to get my hands dirty with the technicalities of, oh, measurements and such. I can see the wonky parts on this dress in these photos but it is going to be so cute on my little one once it's put back together! The vintage cotton is the perfect weight for hot days to come and you can't beat those plaids from the eighties!

Did you get to sneak in a personal project this weekend?

xoxo,
Rachel

Crafting with Kids Book Review & Giveaway

Thursday afternoon I started a little craft project to entertain us all. I've been flipping through Jennifer Casa's new book, Teach Yourself Visually Crafting with Kids, ever since it arrived earlier this month and got excited about this fridge magnet match up right away! While Ruby was distracted with her snack I snuck into the studio to make sure I had everything I needed on hand for this quick project.

I located one of my favorite photos of Sebastian from when he was two and a half years old, my sticky magnet paper, and my paper cutter. It literally took me three minutes to round this stuff up and have it finished. I imagine doing this project with Sebastian would take longer but I'd love to see what photos he'd pick out and how we could mix them all up to create hybrid faces. Ha!

It wasn't long before Ruby found me. She decided to lay down on top of my project like a cat might. If it's soft, she's laying on it.

I had her follow me back into the kitchen and stuck the magnet pieces on the fridge while I called Sebastian in to see. He told me he was busy. Yep. Busy.

No problem. It didn't take long for Ruby to figure out that the image was scrambled and after watching me put it back together and scramble it again, she got the idea.

Here she is pointing out Sebastian's nose.

And showing me where hers was. I let her play with the pieces for awhile and rearranged them for Sebastian. I found him in there later staring at it and then suddenly his little hands started to rearrange the photo to it's original state. He couldn't help himself. I love that such a simple, visually interesting project is going to keep us entertained for awhile. I think we'll have to do mug shots of everyone and see how many combinations we can come up with!

I've admired Jennifer as a crafter, blogger, mother for almost four years now and wasn't surprised in the least when she shared this exciting project! She's got the kind of gentle spirit that stirs up the best in other people. Her interest in not only passing on a love for creating to her girls but teaching them lessons through play encourages me regularly to take advantage of this time with my own little ones.

Her book contains 75 projects organized by season as well as a list of tools you may need and ways to alter the projects for different ages. A few of my favorites include the flash card case (above) and the family sign (below).

It strikes me as such a great resource book to have on your shelf for rainy days when you can't think of anything obvious to keep the kids entertained. I can see home school families using it to enrich their curriculum or camp counselors who are planning craft time. It's well organized with easy to read instructions and in many cases, step-by-step photos to help you along the way.

Neither of my kids are old enough to read but I have a feeling Sebastian could easily handle some of these projects without much assistance. Ruby, well...she'll just have to enjoy the ones I make for her to play with (Lift-a-Flap Storybook, Story Puzzle Blocks).

Jennifer and Wiley Craft are offering a copy of Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crafting with Kids to one lucky reader! Leave your name and a comment about a project you did as a kid that stands out in your memory. Winner will be drawn on Sunday, April 18th.

Keep up with the rest of the book tour and more chances to win below!

Monday, April 18 - Elsie Marley

Wednesday, April 20 - Maya*Made

Friday, April 22 - Stitches in Play

Tuesday, April 26 - Aesthetic Outburst

Thursday, April 28 - Artsy Crafty Babe

Congrats, Jen! It's such a lovely piece of work!
xoxo,
Rachel

Help Japan with Your Home Ec Purchase

This weekend, we will donate $10 from each Home Ec Registration to Japan Disaster Relief (via RedCross). If you've been thinking about taking the Home Ec Sewing E-Course, now is the perfect time-- you'll learn to sew and help people in need :)

Visit HomeEcOnline.com for full e-course details (including Project & Skills Overview, FAQ, Teacher Profiles L/R/C and Testimonials from Past Students). You can register here or with the paypal link below. Register you & a friend at the same time and we will donate $22!

Questions? Please email Hello@FreckledNest.com

Help Japan by registering for Home Ec between Now and Monday at 2pm CST.

If you would like to help spread the word, please tweet: Each registration for the #HomeEc E-Course this wknd DONATES $10 to JAPAN Relief!!! http://tinyurl.com/home-ec-japan Please RT

Registration: $60us (same price as always)

Your Name:

Email Address for Access:

What is Home Ec? Home Ec is an online sewing course created by Leigh-Ann Keffer, Rachel Denbow and Courtney Tucker. We've developed Home Ec intending for it to help increase your confidence behind the machine with usable techniques, projects you'll love and progressive development :) All three of us *love* sewing and have found it to be an extremely useful, fun and rewarding part of our lives! We hope that you can discover the same satisfaction for yourself in Home Ec and beyond!

Full information and sewing projects previews at HomeEcOnline.com


xoxo,
Rachel, Leigh-Ann, and Courtney

Register for Home Ec

Please visit the new Home Ec website for full information on our Sewing E-Course, HomeEcOnline.com

Registration is now open.

xo, Leigh-Ann, Rachel and Courtney

Home Ec Returns This Monday!

Learn to sew at your own pace from the comfort of your own home!

Home Ec is not just for teenagers-- it's for everyone, everywhere!! Leigh-Ann, Rachel and Courtney have created this sewing e-course for beginners and those who want to develop and polish their sewing skills! No sewing skills required-- we'll start right at the beginning (how to turn on and work your sewing machine).

Home Ec Includes:

- 3 Beginning Guides (How to Work your Sewing Machine video, Tools of the Trade, Tips & Troubleshooting video)

- 27 Step-by-Step Projects with at least one new sewing technique in each

- A Tips Post on How to Invent & Adapt Projects of your Own!

- An overall 'Frequently Asked Questions' section plus a FAQ section related to each project

- Unlimited Access (no expiration)

* A learning environment perfect for visual learners, taking it step by step! LOTS of pictures!

This course is different than others we've taught. The projects are each amazing and useful, but the real purpose behind each project lies a new built-in skill learned by practice and application. The value is insane!

This is an e-course hosted in a private blog with NO time limit and all projects are live when you arrive with instructions on how to get started. Please know, this course does not include live teacher support but almost any question you could ask or problem you could run into has been addressed :)

Visit HomeEcOnline.com this Monday for a full course outline with project pictures, teacher bios and registration details. Class cost, $60us

Questions? Please email Hello[at]FreckledNest[.]com

(Note: Most questions will be answered Monday on the special Home Ec website)

xoxo,
Rachel, Leigh-Ann, and Courtney!

p.s. Image credit and ad via Leigh-Ann.

Modern Patchwork Giveaway!

I'm giving away NOT ONE BUT THREE Modern Patchwork E-COURSES!

Modern Patchwork was designed with beginners in mind and includes NINE special projects that will not only build your confidence in your sewing skills, it will pretty much give you all the projects you need to give your favorite space a mini makeover!

Projects include:
Patchwork Chair Makeover
Stars in Your Eyes Pillow
Make a Statement Pillow
Striped Dino Plushie
Chevron Half Apron
Cross Your Heart Doll Quilt
Cutting Corners Lap Quilt
Hexagon Flower Block
Original Diamonds Are Forever Block
Make Your Own Binding Tutorial
An original bonus block!

Learn how to piece together strips to make a dino plushie and then move onto creating a simple star pillow! Take those techniques and your sewing confidence to tackle a simple quilt that is quite forgiving in the 'match up your corners' department! This e-course allows you to build from the most simple project until you're ready to tackle a patchwork chair makeover and your own statement pillow. I've taken the scary out of patchwork!

I not only give you step-by-step photos and directions, I share how you can customize your own projects to continue creating unique pieces for yourself and friends. You'll be able to search through resource links provided to continue to develop your style and help you learn what colors and patterns you are drawn to.

You'll learn how to make your own binding (as well as my super fast binding technique ) and discover the fun of paper piecing hexagons! You'll have access to two original patchwork block designs for quilting and links to some of my favorite online fabric retailers.

Tell your mama! Tell your friends!
You'll have a chance to enter to win ONE of THREE SPOTS in the following ways:

1. Leave a comment with your name.
2. Tweet about this giveaway and comment to let me know you have.
3. Blog about this giveaway and share the link in the comments section.
4. Share this giveaway on Facebook and link in the comments section.

Doing all four will give you FOUR times as many chances to win ONE of THREE SPOTS!

I'll be randomly selecting THREE lucky winners on Tuesday, February 8th so don't delay!

xoxo,
Rachel

Handmade for Kids Month: Interview with Dana of Made

I'm pleased to share this interview with another one of my favorite creative mamas, Dana, of Made as part of my Handmade for Kids month at Smile and Wave. Just try to walk away uninspired!

* Why do you make things?
Hmmm. Well, I can't really imagine not making things. I think that creating is just part of how I think; how my brain and hands work...as I'm sure most creative people feel. I truly find joy in taking fabric and turning it into something useful or recreating an old shirt into something new and (hopefully) cute! It may be an addiction. But I think it's a healthy one?

As women especially, I think we all have a longing to create. And creativity comes in a variety of forms. My athletic friend once told me "I'm not creative; I run marathons." But creating doesn't have to mean "art". Some women create organization within their families, some are fabulous cooks, some create math equations and solutions to problems.

My favorite quote by Dieter Uchtdorf sums it up perfectly, ""The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty."
Sorry to get serious on you in the very first question! I'll try to lighten up a bit...

* Have you always been a crafter/maker/manipulator of surroundings?
I think so, in various forms. I remember as a kid cutting up photos to create funny picture collages with people's heads on different bodies. And I've always loved coloring with crayons (and still do--good thing my daughter Lucy asks me to help her). Pumpkin carving, gingerbread house decorating, valentine's making...these were all my favorite creative nights at our house.

But as far as sewing goes....my Grandma taught me to sew when I was 10. We just sewed straight lines on a brown paper bag, no thread. We made simple little bags and gaudy 80's hair bows. And by 12, my mom showed me how to read and use patterns. I made all sorts of elastic waistband pants, simple skirts, and dresses for church.

It wasn't till I was an adult that I realized I could sew and create from the ideas in my head--that I didn't need a store-bought pattern. So I started deconstructing clothing and learning how garments went together. And that's how most of my sewing is done these days. I either draft my own pattern or use existing clothing as a size guideline. It's liberating and exciting!

* Where do you find your inspiration?
Everywhere--watching kids play at the park, the weather, trends, walking through stores, requests from my kids. But most of my inspiration comes from the photography aspect of my projects. It sounds a bit backward, but I often come up with a clothing design after I've thought about a photo shoot location or concept.

Blogging is the best of many worlds for me. I get to share creative projects but I also get to showcase photography. And this might be my favorite part. Whenever I'm out driving, my eyes are always looking for interesting photo locations, cool houses, colorful walls, beautiful fields, ratty old fences. I actually came up with the Market skirt after spotting a bright orange wall near a Mexican market. Clothing creation is art but the photographic presentation is the bigger art, to me.

* What does your crafting space look like and how do you keep it organized?
I've got a sewing nook in our office room. You can see a little tour here (along with other FAQs). And in true creative form...I'm already itching to redo it. When we first moved in last year my husband thought I'd be in heaven (and I was compared to my old sewing space which was our kitchen table). But I knew I would outgrow the space quickly. I told him that one day I would need a whole room for my stuff, with various painted walls for photography. He laughed. And now he understands. Mostly, I need more cabinets to house fabric and trims, so there won't be any boxes sitting around. On a good day I can get it pretty organized in there because I do love sewing in a clean space. But that's not realistic.

I will say this though....If you really want to devote more time to sewing, designate a space in the house for your sewing machine to sit and NEVER put it away! This can be a computer desk in the corner of a room, your kitchen table, a folding table in your bedroom--whatever! If you leave your sewing machine out, you'll be far more inspired to sit down and sew for a 1/2 hour here or there, instead of yawning at the idea of pulling it out of the closet and messing with the set-up. Try it for a few months and see what happens!

* Do you finish your projects in one sitting or over time?
Um, both. I love fast projects that come together quickly, that I can photograph, and have ready for the blog in a day or two. But there are plenty of projects that start and then sit for months. In fact we started working on a project for our backyard that is 95% finished but won't happen till Spring time (because of the weather).

I like that though; part of how my brain works again. I need to have my hands in a few projects at once. And when the timing is right, they come together. This also helps with projects that have reached a point of frustration--mostly due to my own mistakes. The instinct is to throw it away and move on to the next thing. But usually I put the project aside for a month and when I come back to it I'm excited about the original concept again and have the energy to "make it work".

* What happens to projects that don't make the cut?
Well....in all honestly, I hardly ever leave a project unfinished or un-fixed. It just eats away at me. 99% of the time, there's a way to fiddle with something and make it work. And often, these are the times that I come up with a design idea that I never would have done originally.

The Christmas In July dress was supposed to be sleeveless. I had finished off the armholes and then hated it. So I added sleeves to the finished edge, which is odd looking but I love it. The aqua velvet dress was similar (a skirt that wasn't working turned into a double-banded bodice). I've found ways to fix holes on blankets and if I burn a hole in a swimsuit....well.....I just have to start over.

* What are some of your favorite online resources for tutorials, fabric, inspiration?
Oh wow, this could become a laundry list. Here are some of my favorites--and many of them are not sewing blogs but rather sites that inspire me visually:

Cool French blogs:
Mimi Mouse
Sous le Parasol
13 & 3

Roundup blogs of design and craft (both Spanish but great photos)
Hola Mama
Kireei

Food:
Good Life Eats
Joy the Baker
Smitten Kitchen

Pretty photos, pretty sewing, eye candy:
Vermilijoen
Adore Vintage
Grosgrain
No Big Dill
Cakies
Katie did--though she no longer blogs but has fabulous ideas like this
Birch and Bird - vintage home interiors
Famille Sumberbelle
Elizabeth Dye
Garden by the Sea

Thanks so much for putting this incredibly inspiring and resourceful post together, Dana! I appreciate the love and thoughtfulness you put into all of your work and the way you share it online. Your blog is such a happy, colorful space! If you're looking for some new projects Dana has many tutorials available for non-commercial use here. Go take a long look!

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. All photos courtesy of Dana.