So Sew Organized

On Monday, I posted a review of the book “Words That Hurt, Words That Heal” by Carole Mayhall. (There is also a pretty sweet giveaway at the end of that post , so hurry over there to enter if you haven’t already!) This book, which I read recently as part of my personal devotions, sparked a lot more thoughts and changes on my part than I could cover in a simple book review. I’m excited to address some of those thoughts today and gain some insight from you in an area that I am still working on improving. Chapter 1 of this book briefly addressed the area of encouragement . The author spoke of a brief conversation with her husband, in passing him on the stairs, that changed the outlook of the day for both of them. She speaks of talking with a well-known author who encouraged those around her. A neighbor encouraged her with some rolls and a simple note. Perhaps the most challenging was this man’s quote: “I don’t think I’ve had more than twenty minutes with Bob...and those have been in two...

I like to change things up in my personal devotions from time to time. Some might do the same routine day in and day out, year after year, but I like to add variety and look at different scriptures from a new perspective. One way I do that is to occasionally work through a devotional book that focuses on one particular theme of scriptures. A couple weeks ago I chose Words That Hurt, Words That Heal by Carole Mayhall off my shelf. I had read this for college years ago, but I’ll admit that was a more superficial reading. This time I wanted to dig into the truths of this book and really glean what I could about my speech. The topic of a Christian’s speech - particularly mine - has been an ongoing study for me for years as I am visited with different passages, books or sermons on the subject. This book brought some other things out that convicted me of my speaking to others! It is a short book, only 10 chapters, but packed with truths and practical suggestions to help us tame th...

Ready to see more of Nova Scotia? Last week I took you on a virtual tour of Forgotten Memories and gave you a taste of the neat shops we have in our area. Today I have another one for you, highlighting some of the things that caught my eye and just generally encouraging you to stop by! Come and visit Atlantic Heirlooms! Right off the bat I stopped to enjoy this little guy on the porch. Sitting on an antique desk (whyohwhy didn't I get a picture of the whole desk????) I couldn't get over how cute he was with those flowers. He would totally be great for Hot Chocolate, too...I've never seen another like it! Once I went inside, you know what caught my eye first...these unique dishes! I've never seen a set with this orange tint to them. The tag read, "Normandie 'Bouquet & Lattice' 1933-1940." The set of 47 pieces was $495. What a neat set this would be to own! I absolutely LOVE that the plates are divided! :) These old rolling pins and the crock made a...

Each month, I try to tackle something new that is Pinterest-inspired. This month, I am working on making my sewing corner a crafty zone that helps me be even more inspired to create and sew. This stage of the project was adding some craft-themed art to the space! I mentioned in this post that I wanted to work on this area. Here is the "before" picture to jog your memory... First step was to take down the white board so I could start with a clean slate! I knew exactly what I wanted to do...inspired by several pins I'd seen floating around! I found some embroidery hoops in a box in the attic. There were only three (left over from our cross-stitching days) so I just used what I had.  It is a pretty small wall, so 3 probably was a perfect number! I picked out 3 of my favorite fabrics from my scrap bin (you can see all three of these fabrics in this post ) and tried them out in the hoops. I just took my fabric scissors and chopped the excess off. I knew it didn't have to ...

Curtains are probably one of my favorite things to create with my trusty sewing machine. I’m not sure why - maybe because it involves lots of easy, straight lines, or maybe it is the fact that I don’t follow a pattern, I just create as I go along! Either way, I’m always glad when a curtain project comes my way. You can see some other ones I’ve made here and here . I recently was asked to make valences for a friend of mine, the same one I made this tablecloth for. It was an easy, standard process, but I thought I’d break it down for you and explain my method, in hopes that this is a help to someone! Perhaps the hardest part is figuring out the correct measurements to cut your fabric out. I have to admit, I did it wrong the first time around on this. Perhaps it is just my blonde roots coming out, but it seems to take me a LOT of thinking and measure to get it right! Step 1 is to determine what the finished size needs to be. I was asked to make these for a pretty standard window, about 3...