26 April 2010
A couple months ago I created a skirt and bag from these lovely fabrics. The skirt was a must and the bag was a plus, so I made the skirt first.
The pattern is a basic A-line skirt with the length landing mid/low-calf. The pattern I made by using a calculation of my measurements (the formula can be found in this book).
The skirt has a white hidden zipper. I have not sewn a normal zipper yet, but I have found the hidden zippers very simple to insert and attach (especially after getting over the intimidation of actually sewing a zipper).
After the skirt was finished, I moved on to designing a pattern for the bag. The bag was to be a tote-style bag that could carry a camera, three lenses, a Bible, and a notepad . . . with a little extra room left over. The completed bag had plenty of room.
At one time the bag was nearly full. It contained twelve medium sized books, a camera, three lenses, notepad, and several other accessories. Oh, and a sweater, too! It seems that this bag is reminiscent of Mary Poppin’s carpet bag — it doesn’t look too big on the outside, but the contents seem to be never-ending!
This was the first actual sample of the pattern . . . and now I know where the pattern needs adjusting and improvement, but the bag still worked well and carried the needed supplies!
There is a divider in the center to separate the technological supplies from the books. The divider has been stiffened with fabric interfacing and wonder-under.
Sewn onto the divider are three pockets of various sizes. One for pens and pencils, the middle one for business cards, and the other for a cell phone.
Attached at top on one side is a long cover made from the inside fabric. The cover drapes from one side to the other hiding the contents of the bag. This adds privacy to the bag without taking away from the tote-bag style and decorative fabric.
The happy spring skirt and very large bag.
(Photos with me in them were taken by my sweet sister.)
14 April 2010
After an autumn and winter of leaves and snow, our square-foot gardening boxes were left this spring holding on tight to the leaves and growing a few little foreigners (a.k.a. weeds that should not have been there).
Each box is 4′ x 4′ with small boards on top dividing the large box into sixteen small boxes. The soil is made from compost, vermiculite and peat moss.
When plating in the miniature boxes, the number of seeds/starters per 1′ x 1′ depends on how large the plant will grow to be. For example four lettuces per small square and sixteen spinach’s per small square.
After cleaning out the boxes, Breezy planted several seeds (thanks to Auntie Lou) which have already sprouted and are growing nicely. Last year we made three square foot gardening boxes and this year we plan to make three more!
27 March 2010
The bag and skirt were finished in perfect timing! Here’s a sneak peek . . .
And there’s another surprise – one that will be a wonderful blessing to you all – but you’ll just have to wait a few more days to see it!
18 March 2010
Yesterday I created a skirt out of the top fabric for a special event with my father and sister!
I am currently creating a pattern for a bag which will be made out of both of these fabrics.
It will hopefully turn out to be the perfect size to hold my camera, lenses, bible, and
notebook . . . with possibly a little extra room.
Photos coming soon . . . you can stay updated here!
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.”
Psalm 111:10
13 February 2010
They’re small. They’re pies. And they’re oh-so-sweet! Just in time for Valentine’s day, you can make these delicious pastries for your family!
All it takes is pie dough, jam, and a little bit of powdered sugar (for extra beauty).
Begin by flouring the counter and rolling pin and flatten out the pie dough.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out hearts in the dough.
Lay out the cut pie dough on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spoon strawberry jam onto the centers, being careful not to fill them too full.
Wet the edges of the dough with water and place a second piece of dough on top.
Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges.
Poke a fork into the middle of each little pie so that the heat can escape.
Bake at 425° F for 13-15 minutes, or until golden.
Perfectly golden on the bottom!
Sprinkle with powered sugar for extra beauty.
They are delicious and will probably disappear quickly!
The pie dough was extra flaky, making the perfect texture.
We decided that these are the cutest little desserts that we have ever made!
This idea can be easily adjusted for any holiday or celebration by changing the shape of the cookie cutter and type of jam/jelly/preserves used for the filling.
{Original idea from here.}
16 January 2010
Simply Vintagegirl has changed her outfit to one a bit more fashionable to her title. The new layout is soft and gentle, incorporating a few vintage accents.
The new design has been in the workings for quite some time now. It began just as an idea (as most things do), and then formulated into what it is today (after a couple major changes in the blueprints).
A few changes include:
• The Home page and Photography blog retiring,
• The Archives have moved to their own page,
• A Frequently Asked Questions (f.a.q.) page is in the works, and
• The Categories are now located at the top of the blog.
The before and after:
The vintage texture in the background I created from a scan of an old book. The words you can see in the image are from this lovely poem my dear cousin wrote.
There are a couple more things I’m going to do to the design, but I wanted to go ahead and surprise you all with it now. In the meantime, please pretend you do not see the dust.
P.S. New posts are on their way, so stay tuned to keep updated!
29 December 2009
Welcome to A Homemade Christmas! This is No. 4 of 4 A Homemade Christmas events.
I hope you’ll join us in sharing about homemade gifts, decorations, foods, and/or handmade things that made your home extra special for Christmas!
{Feel free to learn more about A Homemade Christmas here.}
I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We had a lovely time here at home and with extended family. (We are also very glad to have Daddy home until after the first of the new year!)
{Pictures to come, but in the meantime you can look here.}
Our gift-giving was very small, but most delightful! Mom surprised Breezy and I with homemade ornaments that she was working on over the past week (we didn’t realize how many she actually made until we opened our packages). (You can view a picture here.)
Momma also crocheted Breezy and I each an afghan in our colors of choice. They are beautiful and cozy, and most definitely large enough for ourselves and a few wee ones! (You can view pictures here.)
I gave Mother-Dear a pair of fingerless gloves (the set pictured here) and a crocheted wallet/cough drop holder/receipt case. She knew she was going to receive them, and even got to use them before Christmas Eve.
Also, this coming week I will have a happy little download for my readers! I think you’ll enjoy it and you just might end up adding it to your list of things to do for next Christmas!
Thank you all for joining me for A Homemade Christmas! It has been such a pleasure to see what you have been creating! Thank you for sharing, and I hope you’ll join us again next year (Lord willing) in 2010 for another round of A Homemade Christmas!
Did you have A Homemade Christmas? I invite you to join me here by adding your link to your post about homemade gift(s), decorations, foods, and/or handmade things that made your home extra special for Christmas!
To join us in wrapping up, just sign Mr. Linky below (make sure you use the direct post link). You can get the codes and instructions for adding an A Homemade Christmas icons to your blog by clicking here. This Linky will be open for two weeks.
View Other A Homemade Christmas Posts:
25 December 2009
On Christmas Eve we had a delicious dinner of Pork Chops and Rice. We only have this meal one or two times a year, making it extra special. The Chops are lightly breaded and we sprinkle the rice with brown sugar.
After our meal Breezy and I read aloud a few poems, a story, and sang duets of several of our favorite Christmas carols by the candle light.
Bently wishing he new what was in the five packages behind him under the tree. He was quite the patient puppy . . . and he was well rewarded with a stuffed squeaking beaver (just a toy, just a toy) and some very special dog treats. He especially enjoyed pretending the beaver was a rat.
But first Daddy read aloud the story of Christ’s birth from Luke 1:57-2:40.
Little packages under the tree. We were low on brown paper, so Momma cut up a small brown paper sack which worked perfectly!
Hand-embroidered ornaments from my dear mother – what a delightful surprise! She finished them on the morning of Christmas Eve. These will be safely tucked away into my hope chest.
Momma crocheted Breezy and I each an afghan in our colors of choice. We were allowed to see them while she was working on them . . . until they grew large and she kept them hidden. Not until Christmas Eve were we able to see their full size – they are beautiful and cozy, and most definitely large enough for ourselves and a few wee ones!
My dear parents! What a blessing it has been to be raised by such wonderful, godly parents! I am thankful to the Lord for making them my mother and father!
Our Christmas Sugar Cookies that we make every year. We enjoyed these cookies, pretzels, cheese, and donuts (inspired by the dear Chancey family) while watching Scrooge (1935).
And as we do every Christmas morning . . . Momma and I made the Monkey Bread.
Over the river and through the woods (really and truly) to grandmother’s house we go!
I hope that you all have had a most wonderfully happy and blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
