Sew God's Grace

So . . it's been a while since my last post.  After having baby number six, blogging has definitely been on the back burner.  However, when I made Orange Julius for the kids to enjoy during our family "Movie Night" last Sunday, I decided to snap a quick pic so I could add the recipe.  Hope you enjoy! Homemade Orange Julius 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate 1 cup milk 1 cup water 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (I always use 1/2 cup) 1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla (I always go with 2) About 4 cups ice or to taste Place all ingredients except ice in blender and blend until smooth.  Add ice slowly and blend on high until it is the consistency that you would like.  Note:  when I make this, I almost overflow the blender.  You may need to hold the lid on!  Also, it's easy to get an ice cream headache with this if you drink it too fast, so beware!

I have had the pictures for this post for quite a while, but I knew if was going to take me a long time to type it up.  I have made several of these outfits to sell at a craft fair and also for gifts, and I think they are so cute!  You can make them anywhere from a size 6 month up to about 4T.  I will try to make these instructions as clear as possible.  If you have any questions, please leave them for me in the comments, and I will try to explain the steps better! To start, you will need the following: 1.  Child's T-shirt in the size and color you want 2.  2 bandanas 3.  5.5 to 6.5 inches of border fabric 4.  3/4 inch elastic 5.  Wonder Under or Heat and bond light fusible webbing 6.   Totally Stable iron on stabilizer 7.  Optional but nice, " Over the Back Fusible Interlining " for the back of the applique 8.   Fray Check 9.  Basic sewing skills and tools, ie thread, rotary cutter, etc. All seams are 3/8 inch allowance unless otherwise noted. Pre

I'm not sure how this little girl is already seven!  We celebrated Anna's birthday last week.  This week, she wanted to wear the dress I made for her birthday, and she wanted her hair curled, and we went to the park.  The result?  I followed her around for a while trying to get a good picture of her.  Thankfully she cooperated with me pretty well.  I kept telling her not to move while I was taking the picture, and at one point she asked exasperatedly, "Can I breathe while you take the picture?"  Oh my, I see a lot of myself in this one! My in laws bought me a serger for Christmas this year.  I was excited to try it, but also intimidated, so it sat in the box for a couple of months.  Well, I finally got brave and took it out of the box and started sewing with knit fabric.  I am falling in love with how fast it is to throw something together! This dress is Greenstyle Creations Regan Dress , and I absolutely love it.  It is a great project for a beginner.  The

So the day is fast approaching for our new little guy to be born.  Which means that I am frantically nesting.  For me, that includes cleaning every nook and cranny and sewing madly on different projects that I think I will never finish once the baby comes!  It's probably a good thing we are having another baby, because I'm pretty sure I hadn't cleaned out our bathroom cabinets since I was pregnant with Grant! I finished up this onesie and pj pants set yesterday.  The pattern for the pants is found here and is really quite simple.  I do cut the front of the pants a little lower than the back--about one inch or less.  Tip:  when you do this,  put the legs pieces right sides together to make sure you are cutting a mirror image (ask me how I know this!) To applique the powercat, I followed my usual steps as outlined in this post .  I also ironed this product on the back so that it won't irritate baby's skin.  His Christmas present is ready--now on to the next

I have been feeling the urge to sew this week and have completed a couple of projects.  I needed a gift for my step mom for Mother's Day, so I decided to make her an apron. I used this pattern from the Dating Divas.  One tip I would offer on the ruffle is just to sew one end shut, turn it right side out, press, and then start pleating.  When you get close to the end, cut off the extra fabric and sew the ends shut.  Press and finish pleating.  As per the instructions, I tried several times to get it to come out exactly right, and I about drove myself crazy! I'm planning to make some more of these close to Christmas time with some really cute snowman fabric!

My sister-in-law, Joni, posted a purse on Facebook that she had made using a free pattern online.  I loved the shape of it, and I was in need of a gift idea for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I downloaded the pattern ( Phoebe purse ) and put it together in a couple of afternoons this week.  Thanks to Joni for helping me get some material picked out--always the hardest part for me!  One tip that I would offer is that you will need a fairly sturdy needle when you are sewing layers together--I used a size 100/16. We celebrated Mother's Day with Lois on Wednesday night because they were going to be out of town this weekend.  I think she really liked the purse!  Now on to more projects. . .

     Wow, it's been a long time since my last post!  But, with baby number six on the way, I have had to cut out some activities, which has included blogging for the most part.  I'm realizing, too, with another one coming that I may not be posting as much to my blog.  But, when I have the chance, I hope to sneak one in here and there.      One of my friends has been working on eating a mostly Paleo diet, which I have been eating for almost three years (minus a couple of months at the beginning of this pregnancy!)  We had been talking about getting together for a Paleo meal, and we made it happen this week. It was a lot of fun, and really delicious, too!  For an appetizer, I made these delicious Bacon-wrapped Sweet Potato Bites.  You can find the recipe here .  I really love the Stir It Up site and have made several of her recipes including one of my favorite Paleo pancake recipes.        I softened these up in the microwave instead of a skillet, and it worked really wel