On my honor, I will do my best...

... To not let myself get too down when multiple sewing projects in a row don't go as planned! Is there a Sewist's Oath? There should be.

I've had a string of less-than-thrilling sewing glitches lately, and I decided I needed a break from those projects. So I made this pillow.

Don't look too closely, it is not without glitches of its own, but I am really happy with it. This pillow is in honor of my husband's grandfather, Norm. When he died in Fall of 2008, he left his home to his daughters, my mother in law and her sister. His home is a lake cabin in a tiny town in northern Wisconsin. He and my husband's grandmother Beth built the house themselves and it holds a lot of memories for my husband and his family.

When he died we began the monumental task of sorting through YEARS of memorabilia, notes, clothing, tools, fishing gear... Among his things we found a pile of old neck kerchiefs. Norm spent much of his career working for the Boy Scouts of America, and these kerchiefs were part of his uniform at camp. I chose four of the most interesting and made this pillow to keep on the couch at Grampie's House. I believe these are from the mid to late 1960s.

It's wonderful to have the cabin in the family, and we go up as often as we can. My daughters absolutely love visiting, and my older daughter has fond memories of singing around the campfire with Grampie. I hope little touches like this will keep Grampie with us when we're there.

4th of July 2008
L to R: My husband holding our younger daughter, Grampie, and my brother in law and niece.

Skirt Week at Crafter Hours!

Skirt week entries at Crafter Hours end tonight, so like the last-minute gal I am, here's my entry! I decide a while ago (after Top Week at Made by Rae) that I was going to enter the next such challenge. I love looking at all the entries and getting inspired, but it made me sad that I never saw any big girls in the running. Why don't we big girls enter more of these things? For me, a lot of the reason I got into sewing was so that I could get cute, well-made clothes that fit MY body.

So, I have had this skirt in my mind for a while, after seeing this one at Anthropologie. My version is more mommy-friendly, and I must admit, not nearly as cute. But I committed myself to entering, so while there are MUCH cuter skirts in the running, I have to follow through!

My favorite thing about this skirt is that it cost me ZERO dollars! The main fabric is a charcoal double knit that Joyce sent me in a big box of fabric and notions she found while destashing. It was perfect! Stretchy but still firm enough to hold up the weight of the ruffles. The ruffles are cut from worn out t-shirts that would have been destined for Goodwill, but since I started sewing, most things get put in the "restyle" bin instead! The drawstring was from a box of my husband's grandmother's old trims.

Sadly, I do not have any great pictures of this skirt. Some are poorly lit hanging-up photos, and others were taken by my five year old daughter. She has many wonderful skills, but photography is not one of them.


This one just cracked me up. Little Sister wanted to be in the picture, and I think Big Sister wanted to secretly get her newly created stepping stones into the picture.

P.S. Little Sister was NOT naked, she did have a diaper on!

Craft Hope Project 8: Helping Wildlife

Craft Hope project 8 is an important one, and an EASY one. The beneficiaries don't have preferences for colors, they don't care if your cutting or stitching is a little wonky, and you will literally be saving their lives.

Countless animals have died, countless more are suffering. Rescuers are working as fast as they can to try to salvage some life amid this devastation, but they need help.

Craft Hope is gathering wash rags to help The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, the Audubon Nature Institute, and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. They need washcloth and dish cloth size pieces. They can be as simple as knit fabric cut into squares and rectangles, or cotton, flannel, terry with finished edges. You could also knit or crochet cotton rags. This is a great project to get your kids involved with.

Check out Craft Hope for all the details on exactly what they need and where to send it. Use that ugly cotton fabric you picked up at a garage sale or inherited from Aunt Sally. The animals won't mind.

(Images courtesy of Huffington Post)