Happy Thanksgiving!!

From my humble family here in Georgia to yours

May your day be filled with warmth and love and may this holiday season be blessed and wonderful for you and yours. Thank you for walking with me through this challenge and supporting me and the pattern designers who we feature. I hope this blog has inspired at least one person to sew something for their child. I know it has inspired me to keep sewing for mine.

All the best to you and yours!

What we WOULD have worn IF we had gone to school today - Week of Thanksgiving - Day 6

Well, we had a beautiful dress to wear today, but Friday night around midnight - the throwing up started and then after a night of that, the fever started. Then, the fever hung around. We haven't had a fever today, but we decided it would be for the best for her to stay home today especially since we want her well for our Thanksgiving dinners with our families.

We had the privilege to test an upcoming pattern from Juvie Moon http://juviemoon.com/. This gorgeous dress is the Laura Beth. It has gorgeous contrast bands and even instructions to make a cute yoyo accessory flower. This is going to be another awesome pattern from Linda and Juvie Moon. You will have to excuse the pictures. They were the best we could do with a fever. She was a trooper to get it tried on. I am hoping she will be able to wear it for Thanksgiving.

I present, my poor sick baby girl and the gorgeous Juvie Moon Laura Beth in a size 12.

This is what she actually looked like today.

We are getting new carpet downstairs today, so she brought blankets and pillows upstairs to my sewing room with me and made a pallet. I have had a ton of Good Luck, Charlie and Dog with a Blog today. She seems to be feeling better, so I am crossing fingers she can make it to the Grandparents Day program tomorrow.

OH and we might get FLURRIES on Wednesday. Yes, that excites us. We don't get flurries around here very often.

What am I thankful today for? I am thankful for the sewing skill I have been able to develop over the last several years. I am grateful thank my husband signed me up for a sewing class and supported me as I got my sewing certificate. I am thankful that we have been able to get great machines for me to use in my craft. I am thankful for my wonderful teachers like Sue Simoncini and all of the great instructors at Martha Pullen's School of Art Fashion that I am privileged to say are my friends. And it has brought me here to you, to share my gift. AND I am sharing it with my own daughter to hopefully continue the legacy of this wonderful skill.

Hope you had a great weekend. What are you getting ready to cook for Thursday. I make a pretty good green bean casserole and the hubs is making a ton o cheese macaroni! Hope to see you next time!

Friday Extra - Week of Thanksgiving - Day 5

Yep - I am giving you an extra day this week because I adore this newly released pattern. It can't really be worn to school, so since it is the weekend, this would give you some comfy, cozy sewing (and mom can even get in on this action).

Today's pattern is from Peek A Boo Pattern Shop http://www.peekaboopatternshop.com/. They have A-MAY-zing patterns as you might remember her quilted hoodie zipper vest and that awesome Downton Duffle coat. Today's pattern is NO exception, so get ready to get cozy. 

The Comfy Cozy Robe http://www.peekaboopatternshop.com/product/comfy-cozy-robe and Comfy Cozy slippers http://www.peekaboopatternshop.com/product/comfy-cozy-slippers are a must for this holiday season! The slipper pattern actually goes up to a ladies size 8/9 foot, so you can make some too. And I have seen all of the major fabric stores advertising huge after Thanksgiving fleece sales. You could rack up and make tons of these for Christmas gifts. The slippers are SUCH a quick sew. She won't take hers off. I mean you can even slap a monogram on these puppies and *bam* instant awesome one of a kind Christmas present that you made in less than an hour. 

Let me show you what I mean. **WARNING** You may get sleepy looking at pictures of something so comfortable!

Yes, in a perfect world, the tops of the slippers would have the cats be identical. These are my pattern test pictures and I was in a time crunch. Next time, they will be the same :) 

Now, go order these patterns, heat up some hot chocolate, sit by the fire and take a break! Thanksgiving will be here in less than a week! And all of us moms will be cooking yummy fixings and getting ready to spend time with family and friends. Are your kids already out of school? Most of our area is, but mine have to go to school Monday and a half day on Tuesday. Tuesday is also our Grandparents day, so there won't be any actual work. The early morning will have a program for the Grandparents and then they will have the Grandparents visiting the classrooms for activities. 

Since I did post today, I will share another thing I am grateful for. I am grateful for the animals in my life. We are big rescue advocates. We currently have 5 cats and 2 dogs, all rescues. I don't have a recent picture of our oldest cat, Lunar. She is 15 years old and is in advanced renal failure. 

This beautiful cat is Lilly. We rescued her at 3 weeks old. She was teeny tiny and now she is a big fat marshmallow :) 

This stately cat is Posey. We adopted her the day before Lilly. She is very attached to my husband and daughter.

This beautiful girl is Cassie. I had been volunteering at our local Animal Shelter (which is a kill shelter). The director told me this girl was scheduled to be put down that afternoon. She had been an owner surrender. She had such a gentle demeanor and a big "smile" when I went by her run. I pulled her to foster her, but the longer she stayed, the more we realized she didn't need a new home because she was already home. She is a GREAT runner and wonderful companion.

 This pretty Papillon girl is Lucie. She loves this yellow bird. This is actually about her 13th or 14th. They are the Kohls Cares for Kids Woodstocks. She came with one when we got her 7 years ago. We keep having to buy them because she wont go anywhere without it. Lucie would live in your lap if you let her and when she wags her tail, it wags her whole body.

 This was a baby picture of one of most recent kittens, Simon. He has gotten a lot bigger. The hubs hasn't taken pro pics of them yet. He is very attached to our son.

This little spitfire is our handsome orange bob tailed cat, Tommy. He is a ball of energy and loves everyone.

And I couldn't talk about pets if I didn't mention how grateful I was to have this beautiful Siamese cat in my life. I was 18 years old when I adopted her and I was blessed to have had 18 years with her. She passed away this summer while we were in London. She was my constant companion and there isn't a day that goes by that I still don't think about her. Losing her has left a hole in my heart, but I am so grateful to have had the love of this animal. She was better than most people I have ever met and I will never, ever forget her. I truly hope the Rainbow Bridge is real and when I get there she will be waiting for me. I miss you, Sam, and I love you.

I would still love to hear what you are thankful for AND post pics to your Thanksgiving sewing! I hope you have a great weekend and happy sewing. Come back Monday for the last Thanksgiving inspiration dress!

Week of Thanksgiving - Day 4

Wow! This week has flown by. I have loved bringing you this week of Thanksgiving inspired clothes and some of the things I am most thankful for. Today's outfit has dual meaning. I absolutely love this pattern makers designs AND she is one of the most awesome folks you could meet.

Let me introduce you to Astrid from SIG Creations. I have featured some of Astrid's patterns earlier in the school year. She is always trying to think of how to include the tween in her patterns. I first met Astrid as one of her pattern testers for the SIG Poppy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/152508022/instant-download-pdf-sig-poppy-maxi?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=sig+poppy&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=sig+poppy)

This is one of my tester pictures that was used in the pattern. It is an awesome pattern and you really should add it to your collection for summer (or for my Aussie readers - now!)

Now, let's talk about Astrid herself. She is the mom of, get this, TRIPLETS. AND she designs patterns AND she makes custom boutique clothes. You can see all of the SIG patterns here https://www.etsy.com/shop/scbyastrid?ref=l2-shopheader-name. She also sells her custom clothes here https://www.facebook.com/scbyastrid. But what really sets Astrid apart is Astrid. She is hands down one of the sweetest, genuine people I have met since starting this path. When I broke my shoulder, she was emailing me often asking how I was doing and checking in on me. Some of my "In real life" friends didn't even do that. She was always encouraging every time we "talked" on facebook. Astrid is also a Beachbody coach and once I get the okay on my shoulder to start full exercising again - I am joining back on her encouragement groups. She definitely practices what she preaches, too. I mean, check her out 

I mean, welcome to the gun show, right? This picture was featured in the Cy-Fair magazine. She is a gorgeous person, inside and out! If you ever need weight loss/body training encouragement, this is her Beachbody site http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/astridtriplets. I am going to get the T-25 program and the home Body Pump as soon as my 5lb weight restriction is lifted. And with her as a friend and role model, I am excited about getting back on the wagon.

We were talking about clothes, right? Well, Astrid designed the two pieces from today's Thanksgiving inspired outfit. The top is the Delaney which can be found here https://www.etsy.com/listing/155520797/instant-download-sig-delaney-dresstop?ref=shop_home_active and this is the pattern picture 

The pants are Lillie Bell Mega Ruffle which can be found here https://www.etsy.com/listing/89741029/instant-download-sig-lillie-bell-mega?ref=shop_home_active and this is the pattern picture 

You can already see this is going to be cute. And how versatile are these patterns. You can use them for Thanksgiving next week, Christmas next month and on and on!

Here are the Delaney top and Lillie Bell Mega Ruffle Pants from SIG Creations:

You can make the dress shorter, but I liked this look for fall. I big fluffy heart the back of the dress - it is gorgeous! And it is a super fast sew. The pants were also quick to put together. We were stopped again this afternoon while we were out with people complimenting her. 

So, there you have it - a full school week of Thanksgiving clothes to inspire you. She gets to wear her school tshirt and jeans tomorrow. BUT in case you are an on the fence sewing person, I will have another inspiration on Monday. Tuesday is Grandparents Day for us and she will be wearing the clothes for her presentation. However, while we are on break, I hope to be able to bring you at least one fun tutorial to get you ready for handmade gift giving! And if you make something for your child to wear (or you) for Thanksgiving - post a link below - I would love to see it!

Today's what I'm thankful for:

Today I am thankful for my parents. I am blessed to be in my upper mid 30s and still have both of my parents. I have lost all of my grandparents already, unfortunately. But, my mom and dad live about 15 minutes from us. We eat dinner with them once a week and I talk to them on the phone at least once a day. They have been a huge part of the kids lives. They have been married for 51 years. I am very grateful to have them and I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving dinner with them and my brother and his family.

Week of Thanksgiving - Day 3

Welcome back to the week of Thanksgiving outfit inspirations! We are on Day 3 and are featuring a pattern from one of our favorite tween designers, Create Kids Couture http://createkidscouture.com/. Create Kids Couture has EXPLODED in pattern growth. They offer babies, littles, tweens and MOMS clothes - even plus sizes. The patterns are well written and easy to follow. Some of them can be more time consuming because they have a lot of gathering in a lot of their patterns. But, ya know, sometimes more work is worth the results. More gathering means more twirl factor. You can see the whole CKC tween collection here http://www.createkidscouture.com/tweens/. They just released FIVE new tween patterns tonight which I am sure you will see here next month during my Christmas sewing inspirations. They are gorgeous! And if you are feeling a little Mom sewing coming on - check out the adult patterns http://www.createkidscouture.com/womens is for womens sizes and http://www.createkidscouture.com/womens_plus is for womens plus sizes. Consider using these to make your mom or a female relative a gift this holiday season. How awesome would it be to use your talents to bless a lady in your life with a one of a kind garment? 

Today's pattern is fun and so perfect for the holidays. It is full of twirl twirl twirl from the sleeve to the skirt. Today we are featuring the Hazel Hippie dress. You can find the tween version here http://www.createkidscouture.com/hazels_tween, the girls version here http://www.createkidscouture.com/hazels, and the womens version here http://www.createkidscouture.com/hazels_womens. Wouldn't this be a great pattern for Christmas card pics? All the girls in the family could match or coordinate. This is the pattern pic for the tween version 

and here is the adult version pattern picture. 

I haven't made this one for me, because, well frankly sewing her clothes four days a week eats most of my sewing time, but I think it would be a great dress to make for myself! These models really sell this pattern!

Here is our Thanksgiving version of the Hazel Hippie Dress from our friends at Create Kids Couture!

Look at this dress twirl!! What girl doesn't love a twirly dress?

We went to the grocery store after school and an older lady stopped her and told her how pretty her dress was. You might not be able to tell from the blog, but she is VERY shy and most of the time if she doesn't know you and she speaks to you, she speaks so softly you can barely hear her. So, the lady complimented her and she very softly says, "Thank you." The lady then asks her if her mom made her dress for her and she responded yes. The lady told us that her mom used to make all of her clothes and it meant so much to her and she loved hearing that some people were still doing it. It just made my heart smile. This project can be VERY overwhelming sometimes. Like tonight, when I am still working on tomorrow's outfit. But, this is going to be such a lasting memory for both of us. And you don't have to commit to making EVERY outfit your child wears this year, but taking the time to make something for them with your own hands means so much and will be something that stays with both of you forever. 

My day 3 thankful thought is for my dear daughter - the focus of this blog. She is spirited, creative, kooky, and just a general joy. She thinks outside of the box and comes up with some of the neatest things. She loves art and writing and her stuffed animals. She has more stuffed animals in her bed than there is room for her! I have loved watching her bloom and grow these last ten years and I cannot wait to see the things God has planned for her. It is truly a blessing to be the mother of this child.

Feel free to let me know what you are thankful for! I hope you are getting some great ideas for your Thanksgiving sewing! Stop back by tomorrow to see our day 4 inspiration! Thank you for stopping by!

Week of Thanksgiving - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of our Thanksgiving inspired outfits. Today's dress is brought to you by one of my favorite designers for tweens and just an all around nice person. The pattern shop is Juvie Moon http://juviemoon.com/ and the designer there is named Linda Greenhill. The dress pattern is Sophie http://juviemoon.com/sophie.htm

One of the things I love about Linda's patterns is that they are so well written and put together that they are a breeze to assemble and look completely boutique. If you truly want a quick sew that is going to give you great results, I recommend Juvie Moon highly. Her patterns got me through my fractured shoulder with some gorgeous outfits.

Here is our interpretation of the Juvie Moon Sophie in Thanksgiving fabrics (loving the Turkey - it came from Hancock :) )

And my day 2 of things I am thankful for is my firstborn. It's so hard to believe he will be THIRTEEN in a month. Time sure does fly. He is an amazing young man. He makes principals list, he runs cross country, he is the head of servant leadership on his school's SGA, he just made the archery team. He is thoughtful, considerate and respectful. I couldn't ask for a better son.

I would love to hear what you are thankful for! I hope you are getting some thanksgiving inspiration and getting ready to sew up something wonderful for your holiday next week! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will come back tomorrow. I am still finishing up tomorrow's outfit (nothing like the last minute, but you will understand why if you come back tomorrow. PLUS, I don't know about you, but this time of year is SO busy! I feel like I am swimming upstream from the end of October till the beginning of January!)