One of the few passages of Scripture I knew before I came to Christ was this one (if only because there was rock song that had these words as its lyrics):

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I think in some small way those words have been rather poignant over the last week and a half. There is a time for everything in this life we live, and sadly mourning and weeping seem to occur sometimes in place of laughing and dancing. That's the case with the last 12 days or so.

Each time I'd sit here to write a blog post, I couldn't seem to make myself write something encouraging when I was feeling so discouraged. I couldn't make myself laugh or dance without something in me saying, "No, we're mourning right now."

It started with finding out a friend from college had been tragically killed. We weren't close, but we worked on a project together in an English class once, and he made fun of the fact that I brought the teacher coffee in the morning (I got an A didn't I?). Then a friend I used to work with, who was a surprising source of encouragement after my first child was born, died of liver cancer. That was hard to deal with too. And then less than 24 hours later, while still trying to figure out how I feel about both of those pieces of news, I found out that my host mother from my Exchange student days in Austria, my Mama, also had Liver cancer. Less than 4 days later, she had stepped into eternity too, and I found myself doing something that I never ever have done before.

I was speechless.

I mean, I couldn't even walk into the next room and tell my husband about it. I couldn't make my mouth form the words. I couldn't type them on the computer. I couldn't process the thought at all. I've lost friends and family before and have never felt like that. Ever.

It actually took me three entire days to even mention it to those closest to me, which is pretty strange given the fact that I normally deal with my emotions by talking about things to the point of excess (a negative trait of mine to be sure, and one that has been tempered over the years).

For all practical purposes, we didn't see each other much for the last bit of our lives. I live on the opposite side of the globe, though I made phone calls on holidays and birthdays, and wrote letters (though not often enough). I've been back to visit a few times, including in 2004 when I took a trip to surprise her on her 70th birthday.

To be sure, I had a few people who knew the precarious state of our finances make the obvious observation that this was not a wise thing from a financial standpoint, but I felt like it was a trip i had to make, and hubby felt strongly that I should go. I prayed about it, and after praying, we received a bigger than expected tax refund, and I found an exceedingly cheap flight into Salzburg and out of Prague (Which also enabled me to have a brief visit with friends in Salzburg and in Prague both, sandwiched between my time in Lower Austria). Going to Europe may sound extravagant but I probably spent less than the average family going to Disneyworld. I was glad I went because I'd probably feel worse right now if I hadn't.

A older friend once observed to me that I am lucky that I have so many homes and so many moms in my life. And I am. I have the mom who gave birth to me (who I met 9 years ago). I have the mom who took care of me for the first few months of my life (I also met 9 years ago). I have the mom who raised me. I have mama, who taught me how to cook, bake and do a host of other things I'd never seen performed before while I was on a cultural exchange program in 1985.

Before I took off to Austria that summer, my culinary expertise was limited to peanut butter on wonder bread and making instant soup (but only certain kinds). I was so pampered that I even needed to be taught how to use a hand can opener (we only had the electric kind that hung on the wall at home). And all I would eat was PB, Wonderbread, Instant Soup, sometimes Pizza (but only from Dominos), and Spaghettios with Meatballs. The joke among my entire family was "So, uh, what are you going to EAT while overseas where none of your favorite foods are available?" That was really the only part of the trip that worried me too, but thankfully Mama was a good cook and I not only broadened my culinary horizons, I also learned some simple cooking techniques. I learned even more cooking skills upon my return trip after college, both from Mama and from a few other women in my life. My husband is in their debt, reaping the daily benefits of my culinary prowess.

I'm so blessed to have had so many people brought into my life, positively influencing me each in their own area of expertise, and even without having day to day contact with them, or even without seeing them for years, the world can still feel a little bit emptier when they are gone.

Mama and I, in 2004 when I surprised her on her birthday. I made this quilt for her 70th Birthday

When it comes to summer shorts, sometimes they get a little too short...especially when you have kids going to camp and the camp has a dress code that wants shorts to be a certain length, and not skin tight...very frustrating when you are on one of those odd years when "daisy dukers" are in style.

This year, I've had a hard time finding some long-enough shorts (aka coulottes, only these ones don't have the pleats and huge amounts of fabric...they are just longer and fuller like basketball shorts). With the girls all being taller now, I also needed a new pattern, but alas, no such luck their either, finding a simple pattern....so I made my own.

I started with a regular shorts pattern in the correct size. This one had two problems. One, the legs taper inward (and camp says "loose fitting" or "full") and it was a couple inches too short--we all have long legs.

Step one was to determine how long I wanted the shorts to be. I started at my daughter's waistline (put a belt on then measure from that down), and discovered how long I needed them to be.

Then, pinning the pattern to the fabric, I measured found the marking for the "waistline" on the pattern (do NOT just go by the top of the pattern, as this may not be accurately the waistline, if there is a facing). From there, I measured from the waistline down to the right length of the coulottes, and marked it off. Using a straight edge, I drew a line where I was now going to cut. I drew/marked with regular old chalk.






I also added fullness to the pattern by taking my straight edge, and measuring about 1" out from the bottom of the pattern piece. Then I placed it at an angle from a notch near the top of the pattern (about where the hip is), and drew a line. On the inside seam, I did the same thing, from the crotch to the bottom, on a diagonal, to 1" out.


To sew any sort of shorts...with elastic waists...lay out your pieces, both backs and both fronts.

Put one front together with one back, right sides together (that is, the outside of the fabric of each piece laying face to face), lined up at the inseam. Sew in a straight line top to bottom, from the crotch, down the inseam.



When you sew pants, shorts, or skirts (or anything I think) you should always go top to bottom. It lays better.

I'm using a serger, because I like the finished edge. You don't have to use one. By the way, I got mine for super dirt cheap by waiting until Sears was getting rid of their floor demo models...they sell those for a lot less. If you buy the warranty with it, you can have a good machine for less than half the cost of a new one.


Next, sew the outer seams together. So, you will have two "pant legs".

Now, put one of those pant legs right-sides out, and stick it inside of the right-sides in pant leg. Pin the curved seam ("crotch seam") together, lining up your notches (if any). Sew that together. I usually super reinforce that seam, as that is the one that usually splits open ;). Sew it 2-3 times. When i do it, i use the serger the first time, then a regular sewing machine for the next time.



Finish off the bottom hem. I just serge it (or zig zag it, then roll it up again.

Do the same for the top, then form a casing by folding it over about 1". On my machine, this is from the edge of the plate to the edge of the presser foot. Pin.
the "B" stands for back. I always write "B" so that I can more easily note front from back...:-)

Leave about 1" of it open so you can feed in the elastic.

I never measure the elastic based on the measurements they give in a pattern. I always measure the elastic on the person for whom I am sewing. More accurate that way.

Feed the elastic in by using a safety pin (to give you something solid to grip), and inching it through. Make sure it didn't roll at all, and then sew it together.


Voila.

Labels: adventures in mothering, home sewing

I received this question from a reader recently:

How on earth do you find the time and energy to do all that you do, and still exercise? I feel so tired all the time.

Oh this is one of those paradoxes of life, dear Julie.

When you get out of your chair and move your seat a bit, an odd thing happens. You feel better. Paradoxically, you find you have more energy (unless you over do it...which is not good either). You can think more clearly. You have a spring in your step. You find yourself being the one pawing at your husband when he gets home from work instead of pushing him away. You suddenly do have energy to play with your kids or go for bike rides.

Those are worth even more to me than weight loss, to be honest.

I'm not a "Fitness guru.". Hardly. I avoided gym class like the plague, and I don't embarrass myself by taking part in organized sports of any sort.

But, I have found a level of exercise that I can do without causing serious bodily or emotional injury, and I make myself work within that, sometimes stretching myself when it gets "too easy". You don't have to put on a one hour Billy Banks Tae Bo DVD, especially if you have been sitting in that chair for most of the last few years.

If you can't go up and down your stairs without being winded, then you don't need to use the stairmaster at the gym. You need to go up and down your own stairs every day, and build your fitness from that level. When it starts getting too easy, add a basket of laundry when you go up and down for some weight training.

Start where you're at, and you'll find that, within of week of regular movement, you will feel better and more energetic.

Labels: Fitness Thursdays

One of the nicest features of many modern patterns is the ability to purchase a "multi-sized" pattern. This is especially useful if you are the mother of many stair-step children, and you plan to use the pattern over and over again. If you want to use and re-use such a pattern, you need to plan ahead a little bit and prepare the pattern for such a use. Every home sewer probably has her own favorite method of preparing a multi-sized pattern, but I will explain the technique I use, which I find helpful.

Materials needed:

• Preheated iron with NO water in it (preheat to a medium heat) and Ironing board


• Freezer Paper (available from grocery stores) or other large paper on a roll


• Your pattern


• Scissors


• Large Manila envelope (s)


• Permanent ink pen

Prepare your work surface, which should ideally be a large flat area. If at all possible, plan to be able to work until you are done (About 1-2 hours if you have a large pattern). If there is only one "view" from the pattern you are interested in, or there is a view you will never use, just set it aside, and only take out that which you do plan to use.



1. Roughly cut out each piece of the pattern. You do not have to cut it out exact. Iron your tissue paper pattern pieces flat, so there are no wrinkles or creases, so that they are as accurate as possible.


2. Pin each piece, one at a time, to the paper and cut out the largest size on the pattern.

If you have one of those spots on your pattern where the sizes sort of overlap, and part of the smaller sizes will be "cut off", just cut carefully, and hang onto the piece you cut off, and tape it back on again to do the next size down, as you see below:


Another snag you may run into: if your pattern piece is wider than your freezer paper,


just tape some scrap freezer paper in place to make up the width.




3. Clearly write on the piece you just cut out the Pattern Number, the Number of the piece you just cut out, a description of the piece, and what size you cut out. (Example: Pattern number 9292, piece 6, bodice front, size 14). Set it aside.

4. Continue to do this over and over again, each time cutting out a smaller size from the pattern piece, using the original tissue paper pattern piece as your guide. If you had to cut off corners such as near the armholes, simply sketch those in where they should go, and cut them out.

5. For the last size, you can either keep the tissue paper pattern piece, or iron the tissue paper pattern piece onto a piece of freezer paper (Iron onto the shiny side, and it will stick), or simply cut it out as with the rest.

6. Label your manila envelope for the pattern you just prepared. Cut the pattern's original envelope in half, so that you can tape the back of the envelope (containing the yardage information) onto the manila envelope on one side, and the front of the original envelope on the other. Carefully fold your pattern pieces, and put them in the manila envelope. If there are many pieces to this pattern, it may be easier to have a separate manila envelope for each size you cut out. For one pattern I have containing children's sleep-ware, it is much easier that way!

Labels: living frugally

While the children and I continue to weed and straighten up the front yard, freeing it from the tyranny of oregano gone wild, we continue to do some maintenance on the back vegetable, fruit, and herb garden too. There's much motivation found in the bowlfuls of ripe strawberries we pick every day, I'm sure.

We're excited at all of growth in the garden this first official week of summer.


This is what a blossoming grape vine looks like

Garden Phlox in Bloom

Fruit is setting upon the Raspberries. It won't be long!

Sage with Blossoms

Gooseberries are forming

Yarrow

Lavender Budding

Columbines

Pimento Pepper Plants, with blossoms and fruit

Strawberries galore!

The Basil is no longer invisible to the naked eye!

Dog Rosebush in bloom, hovering over a happy hosta

Currents

Wee Baby Peaches. I'm excited.

The view up a fruit-laden branch of my apple tree

Comfrey, aka, Boneset...beautiful and practical

Labels: Gardening Momma

I find it sad that the expectation or the "joke" of society is, many times, that of a frazzled mother, grouchy and disappointed that school is out and having to spend all day long in the company of children. I so often don't know what to say to that when comments are made to me along those lines.

On the one hand, I don't want to come off sounding a bit self righteous, sanctimonious, and snobby...but on the other hand it just irritates me so...

While out grocery shopping, the cashier, about maybe 10-15 years older than me (maybe) saw two of my children with me, and said, "Well, you look like you are handling it well, but then again it's only the first week, huh?"

"Handling what well?"

"School's out. It's the season of the grouchy mother. Don't you know, it's the season that all mothers hate, when the yellow bus leaves the kids at home and doesn't come back for a long and agonizing 2.5 months, and you realize you are stuck with them, and there's no escape..." and on and on she went as she rang up my groceries, adding her opinion and personal experience with this situation herself and various women she had known and had come through her line, and what a horrible thing summer break is for the mothers of our fair land.

I didn't quite know what to say. My younger daughter looked over at me and gave me this "Huh?" look.

I guess I am weirdo. I enjoy my kids.

What are some off the top of my head things we enjoy over summer break?

1. Summer Reading program at your library...when I was a kid we got stickers. Today, they get a free pizza certificate, a free new book, a stuffed animal, and a whole bunch of other things...and they read less books.

2. Explore the parks in your area...go for a walk, put a different person in charge of the camera each trip or maybe set a timer to give the camera to different members of the family for different lengths of time. Look for some Rails to Trails bike and hiking paths in your area to walk or ride down.

3. Along those lines, try Letterboxing if there are some locations in your area.

4. Games: Hopscotch, marbles, basketball, tennis/badmitton, jumprope, and other easy to play outside games.

5. Have a picnic.

6. Look online for local attractions that are low cost, and within a short drive.

7. The Boredom Box. In it I have written, on slips of paper, things to do if you say you are bored. Most of them are far worse than admitting you are bored (like scrub the toilet upstairs or clean the litter box). Some are silly (Play polly pockets with your little sister). Some have real boredom busting suggestions in them such as games to play, projects to do, and so forth. This also helps with the "I'm bored" complaint.

I've had kids make short films with the video camera and windows movie maker software, make slideshows of our trip to the park (or other things), paint the porch, wash the car, and write a song to a common tune.

Labels: adventures in mothering

When people find out that I sew many of my own clothes, and clothes for my girls, they usually ask if it really saves you any money. I admit that I did not start sewing to save money. I started sewing our clothes because it was becoming very difficult to find affordable, nice looking, and modest clothing for my daughters and myself. Sometimes I would get lucky at a garage sale, thrift store, or Resale store. Sometimes I would even find something good at a regular clothing store. However, I think the designers of pre-teen girls fashions are completely out of touch with reality. In a day when girls in this age group are commonly seen on milk cartons, in Amber Alerts, and are victims of heinous crimes, why design clothing for this age group that looks like something a High Class hooker might wear? It is absolutely sickening to me to see some of these outfits. Even my girls say, "Why do they make clothes like that? They don't even look nice on me?" Therefore, we do a lot of sewing here.

Sewing your own clothes can be a savings, but it also can cost a lot in the little things. The notions (buttons, zippers, snaps) and trims can add up, and good quality fabric is not always affordable.

Here are my Top Ten Tips to Sewing on A Budget:

10. Sew what you can't find at Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, and Resale Shops

If money is your main concern, you usually can find cheaper items via resale. If you are looking for something specific, if you are an odd size, need a certain color, length, or style, then sewing will usually be the better choice.

9. Buy your trims and notions on sale.

These include buttons and lace, bias tape, snaps, zippers. If you have a selection of patterns you use, keep a card in your purse of how many and what sized buttons you need, what size zippers, how much lace, trim, bias tape, etc. If you catch this stuff on sale, it will add up.

8. Cheap Fabric usually Shrinks and Sometimes it Falls Apart--Only buy what is a
good value!

Just because is cheap, doesn't mean it is a good value. A good value will last through many washings in the machine, doesn't need special care, won't shrink, and won't fall apart. It will be easy to work with too!. When you buy fabric, check the weave. If it looks like it is a big weave in the grain of the fabric, it will likely shrink, especially if it is cotton. Check the ends. If it is fraying badly at the cut ends, it will likely do this in your garment. Whenever I purchase cheap fabric, I buy up to 50% more, and I prewash it when I get home. Then I iron it out flat, before cutting out my pattern. There is nothing more annoying than investing some hours working on an outfit, only to have it shrink the first time you wash it! If a material is going to fall apart, you will see signs of that when you pre-wash it too. You may have lost your investment in the fabric, but at least you didn't waste your time sewing with it too.

7. 100% Polyester Thread Usually Breaks--don't buy it

I have tried to save money by buying cheap thread, and I usually regret it. It is very frustrating to have to stop every few stitches to re-thread your machine when the thread breaks. It is even more frustrating to have to constantly restich seams in your outfits because the threads break through use. We wont' even go there about wearing a pair of coulottes, bending over, and hearing all of the stitches in the back seam pop free! It is worth the extra few cents to purchase some Dual Duty thread.

In fact, if you are sewing something really nice, such as the Renaissance dress I sewed my friend Toni, and are using fine quality material, invest in some nicer thread too. For any nice projects, I always use Güterman thread. It may cost a little bit more, but the quality is wonderful, the color selection is fabulous, and I have yet to fix any broken seams in any project that I used Güterman thread. (no they are not paying me to say this).

6. Don't Be a Fabric Hog

Buy only what you need now, unless you have a very specific project in mind for it, and time to accomplish it. If you buy things because you like it and it is on sale, you will soon need an addition on your house to store all of it. You will also, likely, buy fabric in the wrong quantities if you don't have a specific project in mind. It is better to wait.

5. Keep it Simple

Sew within your skill level. It is also better to keep to simpler projects even if you are a more skilled seamstress. I would never find the time to sew for myself and four daughters (and a son on occasion) if I picked out complex patterns, full of pleats and ruffles and buttons. Except for occasional special occasion outfits, we stick to skirts with elastic band waists, dresses that go right over your head (no buttons and zippers), simple pajamas and nightgowns with elastic bands and no buttons or zippers. I avoid things with too many gathers.

When it comes to hemming garments, I use my rolled hem attachment on my machine and zig zag a simple rolled hem. Yes you can see the stitching on the top, but I either make it an "accent" in the design, or make it blend in. Unless it is a super fancy dress, I don't have time to blind stitch my hems! In fact, even on my nicer outfits, I have just been doing some decoratively top stitched hems, and it works fine. Trust me, no one notices. Your home ec teacher is not grading this, so you can fudge it.

4. Finish your Seams on Lower Quality Fabric

Finish your seams--especially if you are using cheap fabric that may fray. If you have a serger, serge all of your seams. If you have just a regular zig-zag machine, after you have sewed your seams, go back and zig zag your two seams together. You can then either press them to one side and leave them that way, or decoratively topstich them flat. After you get good at sewing, you will learn by feeling fabric which material must be finished, and which ones you can just leave your seams as is. I find that serging seams doesn't take too much extra time, but improves the quality of the garment.

3. Store your Stuff Neatly

Have a method to the madness. It is no savings to have a stockpile of notions and fabric if you can't find anything. I usually keep individual long term projects in clear plastic tubs with snap on lids. Uncut Fabric can either be stored in those tubs, or hanging on a pants hanger in a closet. Notions can be stored in small plastic tubs or in empty glass jars with lids. Keep all of your needles together. Get one of those thread organizers! (while you are hanging your thread, toss all of the 100% poly thread!).

2. Improvise When You are Able

Eliminating time consuming, complex techniques or techniques that involve extra materials can save time and money, making you more likely to sew your own clothes and actually enjoy it.

I hate putting in sleeves that involve gathering the tops. It never looks right and takes too much time. So, I do "Tshirt Sleeve Seams" on all of my garments, when I am able. That means, I leave the side seams of the bodice open, then sew the open sleeve, right sides together, to the sleeve opening on the bodice (laying flat). Then, starting at the waistline of the bodice, I sew the side seam up to the cuff of the sleeve in one seam. Yes, your home ec teacher would probably not like that trick either. It makes sleeves a lot easier, especially on children's garments, where the armholes are very narrow!

I also hate gathered waists on dresses. They add 20 pounds and I am pudgy enough with out it! :) What I do, is I alter my pattern by laying the bodice front next to the skirt front. I center the skirt. Then I carefully fold down the sides of the skirt on each side, so it tapers at the waist, instead of being straight up and down. I try to make this taper gradual, from the top of the skirt to the calf, so it doesn't look awkward. The fit is much better for my body type.

Then there's zippers and buttons. I am pretty good at button holes and zippers, but they do take time. Children don't usually care for buttons or zippers, or snaps, hooks, or any other closures for that matter. Unless it is an important part of the design, and the garment is form fitting, I just leave them out.

Oh my! Can you do that? Sure. Just be sure to alter your pattern to eliminate the allowances for the buttons and zippers, and keep that as one whole piece. I usually avoid outfits with any of those time-consuming details. The exception being Vests for my son, the Sport Coat I made for my son, and the ankle-length Woolen Cape I sewed myself (I found it necessary to have some buttons on my winter coat for obvious reasons).

1. Expensive Gadgets are no Substitute for Lack of Skill

I have a cheap sewing machine. I bought it on Clearance. Before that, I had a cheap Kenmore that was on it's last leg the entire 12 years it served me. As with cooking, gadgets are marketed as a means of improving your end product without you actually learning how to do it properly. Usually the old fashioned way of doing something is no more complex than using a gadget. Sometimes it is far simpler. Focus on improving your skills, not amassing gadgets and expensive machines.

The only exception to this would be in cutting tools. A good pair of scissors (frequently sharpened, either with a personal sharpener, or professionally) are a greater value than cheap ones, and if you quilt, a Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler are a must. The more accurately you cut something out, the more accurately you can sew it. I prefer Fiskars brand scissors and rotary cutters. I have fibromyalgia, and sometimes my hands don't do what I want them to do :-), but the Fiskars spring action scissors don't give me hand cramps when cutting things out. I have a large pair and a smaller pair of embroidery scissors. I also find their rotary cutter works smoother than other brands, and replacement blades are easy to come
by.