Noodlehead's Simplicity Skirt Sew-Along

One of my favorite bloggers hosted a Skirt Sew-Along for Simplicity pattern 2226.

I made two!  :o)

Skirt #1 - made with a linen blend.  Wore this one to my husband's work Christmas Party.

And Skirt 2.  Made with wool.  This was me on the way to meet my husband at the Pentagon for the official Secretary of Defense's Holiday Reception.  :o)  (And I started this one just a couple of hours before I had to leave the house for the reception!)

Love this pattern!  

My beautiful, and talented daughters!

They learned this for me.  Love those girls!

So behind!

I have been horrible about blogging lately!  Too busy worrying about the oldest child applying to colleges - and figuring out all the FAFSA forms, taxes, etc.....  Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I was able to let off a little steam through sewing, though.  Here's one of the latest projects.....

Reversible apron using the Pretty Ditty Apron pattern.  It's a wonderful pattern - I've probably made 5 or so of them already.  They make GREAT bridal shower and Christmas gifts!  I'm getting ready to start a new one - this time in black and white fabrics.

Pay It Forward 2011

I finished and mailed out 9 of my 10 gift sets.  I just have my sister's left to do.  I made gathered clutches  using Noodlehead's tutorial and little  box pouches.  They turned out so cute.  Can't wait until they start arriving.  Here they are:

Blog Name

So I took a small liberty with a line from a Jack Johnson song.  "It's just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms..." from his song "Banana Pancakes."  Since shortly after the album "In Between Dreams" came out in 2004, this line has become our family's official motto, tag line, whatever you want to call it.  And it is so true.  My family is very important to me.  They are my world - a big family hug and "the whole world" really does fit inside of my arms.  :o)

Since the idea behind this blog is to document my crafting projects - changing the "so" to "sew" just made sense!

I'm still busy sewing my projects for "Pay It Forward 2011" on Facebook.  I don't want to post pictures, though, until the goodies are sent out to their new homes!  So excited - just received my order of zippers from etsy seller Zipit.  I highly recommend her shop - great selection and fast shipping!

My Family

There are 5 of us - me, my husband Drew, and our three children, Bailey, Sarah and Andrew.  We have been a Navy family for over 20 years - (when did THAT happen?) - and, honestly, I've enjoyed almost every bit of it.  There have been times, duty stations, cities, etc..., that haven't been my favorite, but each one has contributed to the experience.  I've seen things and been places I never even imagined as a kid growing up in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (around 300 residents and NO stop lights!).

We have moved around a lot.  I think my kids are better for it.  Would they agree?  I know one - possibly two - would, but the youngest, I'm not so sure.  He's the quiet, reserved one.  He likes to know what he is getting into before he tries something new.  Likes to have all the bases covered.  Twelve years old and in the 6th grade.  That's Andrew.

Andrew - age 12

Sarah's my middle child.  She's been a renegade since she was born.  Sometimes I wonder where she came from.  For a while, she was the one that needed me the most - I think it was due to her brother being born when she was only 18 months old.  She didn't get to be my "baby" for very long.  We moved to Japan when she was almost 2 years old.  Being "forward deployed" meant Drew was gone a lot.  At bedtime, she would climb into my bed, snuggle down beside me, grab a bunch of my hair and pat her face with it until she fell asleep.  I miss those days.  She's 13 years old now - 14! in February - and doesn't need me much any more.  She'd rather talk to her older sister than get advice from Mom.  I'm sure that'll change.  I can be patient.

Sarah - 13 years old

And that brings me to my 1st born!  Bailey.  She is 17 and a senior in high school.  SAT's and ACT's are complete.  Essays are written and college applications have been sent in!  Crazy.  I didn't think I was that old.  It's an exciting time for her.  Exciting for me too - and emotional.  She brought home a copy of a recommendation letter that one of her teachers wrote for her.  Yeah, I couldn't even read it out loud to my husband.  I know how great she is, but it was really cool to see that someone else sees it too.

Bailey at 17.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the awesome photographer who took all of these!  Her name is Leigh Skaggs and we are thrilled with the 2 photo shoots she did for us!

And now... I'm going to go sew!

-Stephanie

Welcome!

Just an empty shell at the moment - will update soon.  Busy in my sewing room making goodies for "Pay It Forward 2011."  Can't wait to send them out!  :o)

-Stephanie