Dress a girl with Hope

This past Tuesday we had the privilege of having a Dress a girl with Hope sew in..Dress a girl is an organization in the United States that serves women and little children mostly girls with dresses and other things that are helpful to them. The dresses are sent to your dress a girl ambassador, usually one per state. The ambassador recieves requests from missionaries stateside that are going back over seas and want to take some dresses to bless little girls..many of these girls have never had a brand new dress! Fun! Wonderful!! The Ohio Ambassador is Michelle Berkes, pronounced Berk – es..

Michelle is very friendly and helpful.  She came Tuesday to give a little talk and show us the ropes of having a sew in.

We made these “kits” that include everything you need but thread for making the dress.Then you just bring your machine and sew up a dress with a little instruction or help from a friend if you need it.  We put a tag from Dress a girl on the dress and it is ready to go to Michelle, who will then forward it to missionaries..She has two requests in right now for 400 dresses each!!!!

The dresses we made were the sundress style, but you can make other dresses, ideas on their site

The girls made snacks for the hard workers!! We had fun making friends and sewing together! Plus I just love to live out the truth that it is more blessed to give than receive…It just kept going through my mind as I was sewing. And when my machine was acting up on me! 🙂

We post our sew ins on our facebook page and if you would like to make a dress one dress is fine! We would be happy to send you a kit, or if you are local, you can come in and pick one up!..We don’t have any on hand we gave them to Michelle, we would just need a couple of days to make one up for you!

Also if you would like to attend a sew in closer to you just consult the Dress a girl site, or Ohio Dress a girl’s facebook page.

Lastly if you would like to attend a sew in and just hang out that is fine! You don’t have to sew, you can just come..there are other things to do besides sew!

We are hoping to do a sew in in January 2020…stay tuned!

Pomegranate Place at work

Walked around this  morning after  doing  some  book-work  with  Olivia  and  this  is  what  was  happening!

Today our shop is closed..Hmmm… 🙂

Victoria is working on our friend’s wedding dress…bustling…let it be known every time we do this type of alteration we say…we are Not doing this again…Hmmm.

Olivia is doing books with me…mind you..Daddy’s books, Sewing books, and family books…

Kezia is taking care of our on line fabric sales..getting them ready to ship.. so thankful for our Etsy shop and the orders from our Etsy friends..

And here I am, I thought I was going to get out of this post, but the girls took a picture of my sleepy self being up since 3:30 this morning. We took some of our roosters to a farmer today and were there bright and early! I love farmers! They understand my time clock, early to bed, early to rise! Now 3:30 is terribly early, but 5:00 or 5:30 is nice..

So just a peek into what we do on the days the shop is closed!! 🙂 I am also so thankful for these young women who are happy to work with us in all our endeavors..They are such a blessing from God! May He bless them for their servant hearts!!

Opening our door tomorrow

We have been working all week to set up our quilt shop. It is an undertaking. Selling on line doesn’t require pricing on each bolt of fabric since we always have the price in our online listing… Wow, we have been pricing for 3 days!

So, we are taking the plunge. Tomorrow we will open at 10:00 a.m. and be open until 4:30 p.m.

We haven’t cleared our sign with zoning yet, so just look for the white building with a brick front and a pink door! 🙂

We have fabric, pre-cuts, some wool pieces, quilts, and children’s clothing pieces to start…modest beginning.

We will also be open Saturday 10:00 to 3:00 and Mondays  10:00-4:30!

Farming

Today the boys got to go to our friends farm and mow and rake hay..I ran over to enjoy them enjoying!

I rode with my son who was raking..

Then, I got to ride with my son who was mowing..

As I rode I was thanking God for creation. For the simple pleasures, watching red wing blackbirds flying up and hopping about, catching a glimpse of a butterfly rising from the tall grass..and the smell of the fresh-cut hay.

I am also thankful for the opportunity for the boys to be able to farm..they enjoy it so.  It is a gift to be close to God’s earth, out in God’s fresh air, and gleaning from His bountiful earth.

My boys have had a rough couple of months, and I felt that God was healing them with these gifts and it did my heart good to watch them and join them on the tractors..and pray for God’s continued healing and grace..

God is a merciful, kind, and compassionate God..Even in our failures, our disappointments our pain, He is working for our good..And there is always a joy of knowing we are secure in His love for us and his care for each of us..His dear precious children..

 

 

Quilting 101

I have officially started to learn to quilt..

Other than 2 baby quilts over the years, my sewing has been more clothing and home decor..

My bucket list has had quilting on it for years..While I enjoy cutting something out and making it in one day..I can see that quilting can be very therapeutic, let me clarify and say making quilt tops..

I have not gone into the world of machine quilting..and the two baby quilts I did were o.k.  the first one I bought a panel and quilted around the characters..the second I did 4″ blocks and quilted a heart in all of the white blocks..which were few.]

I have decided to conquer piecing and then go on to hand quilting and machine quilting..

So, here are my first attempts..

a quilt for the girl’s futon bed, it is made from one of our popular clothing lines we made with these prints..

I saw this pattern, called French windowpane by a woman on Etsy and a friend with a quilt shop in Chardon helped me lay it out and instructed me on how to “build” it.

 So, it has memories, including the memory that it is my almost first attempt!

I then followed it quickly with a single version for my youngest daughter’s top bunk..hers was mostly pink..they are  both at Ruby Blue Quilting studio..she is going to machine quilt them for us..

The next day I grabbed one of the charm packs that we have for sale in our fabric shop and started trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it..I wanted to move up to another level..I came across this sweet English lady, the gourmet quilter, and she has you tube tutorials, so I followed her instructions and made this quilt with one charm pack..charm packs are pre-cut 5″ squares usually of a designers collection..This charm pack had 30 pieces it is by Dena Designs..called Little Azalea..We are selling it in our fabric shop on Etsy

 This is how it turned out with the sashing and post technique shown on the you tube tutorial..

I then added the blue print for a border and it is ready to sandwich with batting and backing and quilt..I know the terms but don’t know what I am doing 🙂

Unfortunately, I am not a photographer 😦 and so the blues look LOUD when they are  really soft, calm, and restful like a tropical sea!!!!

This has been fun!  I am happy to have learned something new, and to get some practice in..

Creativity is such a gift and an outlet, whether you cook, sew, craft, scrapbook, decorate…whatever..The Lord is creative..we reflect His image when we create and it is good..

Learning about rugmaking…

We took a wonderful field trip on Monday this week.

We visited Heartland Woods and Rugs, in Polk Ohio.

Nancy makes rugs on her looms and she sells them at area craft shows.

She gave us an awesome instructional tour of her shop.

She showed us rug making, her way, from start to finish.  I say her way, because each fiber art is just that…an art… And artist’s license is a wonderful thing to watch!!

Very thorough and the children really enjoyed it.

Small businesses, and the industry and perserverance it takes to run them is so encouraging to us!

 We intended to go to a nearby park for a picnic, but Nancy and Bob let us picnic in their back yard..

 It was better than a park!!!

 You can see their handy work at many area craft shows ..I am including their schedule below

http://heartlandwoodsandrugs.com/Show_Schedule.php

Stop by one of her show booths! You won’t be sorry, and the quality of her rugs?

We have returned 2 years in a row.  They shake out great and they wash up great!

Thank you Nancy!!

Home remodel….

Before… 

Our family crammed in our living room.. We had grace and then the boys kept getting bigger..So we decided to tear out some walls.  Put the little boys in a bunk room with the bigger boys and use their room for living space…

Daddy and the guys on the living room side of the wall

Teamwork …

My dear husband being frugal and careful to save the wood and drywall to fill back in where needed..

I am so blessed with how everyone just digs in!!

Daddy helping “the baby”  he wanted to help!!

Forgot to use the flash..so dear…

last wall…

 Banging with 2×4’s  the guys were in their element…

 My husband was so sensitive to my inability to cope with disorder..he got to putting it back together with lightning speed…my son is filling in drywall as his dad is finishing removing wall plates from the ceiling.. A note on the heater pipe..It has to stay, so we are going to make the best of it 🙂

 The big open living room..to the front

 To the side..

 The old “boys room”..Now our music and eating overflow room.. So exited!

 They even reconfigured the kitchen a little, making easier flow..Not all done..Not perfect, but livable and so much light and cross breeze! Thank you so much Steve and children…May we all enjoy and share this new space with each other and others!!!

 Here is what we did with our pipe..going to paint it creamish, and make it look oldish like a pillar.  Then I found this awesome old radio cabinet, painted the PERFECT color at this really cool shop in Hartville, called Faded Velvet…

 The floor will get done later when there is money for tile…

 A few pics of our room, finally made the quilt, shams and skirt for our bed…

 Then how beautiful is this settee? We purchased this at the Faded Velvet shop also.  The proprietess is a very lovely lady and helpful and not least… extremely talented with her pieces and the displays at the shop.  If you live in the area..Do stop in it will be an idea inspiring and just enjoyable experience!

I turned 50 a couple weeks ago..I think I’m re nesting..getting ready for the next phase of life..

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven..

Thank you Father for being in control, for knowing our frame and remembering we are dust, for your Word, your Wisdom, your Caring, your Beauty…

Thankful, Thankful, Thankful….

Sewing and fabric…

We have been sewing quite a bit lately..

Thankfully  it is summer and we are off of school til the end of this month!

We designed a fall collection, sewed it up and had to send it to the photographer.

We got to go to a fabric show in “Amish Country” here in Ohio.

Here are some things we’ve been making…

This is our full, Sweet Vintage collection…12 pieces..

The back row…

This is the Sparrow tunic and the Sweet Vintage double ruffle skirt.  Kimberly Van Sistine in Wisconsin, took pictures of this collection for us.  We just can’t get pictures like this!   We are so thankful for her help!

A note for seamstresses, sewers, and crafters…

If you like any fabrics you see on our blog or our website we do offer most of them for sale in our Etsy shop … Pomegranate Place..

Here are some fabrics we have gotten in this past month..

These are lovely, shabby chic roses and florals with a purple colorway and a dove gray colorway

These have a pink colorway and some green..

The girls and I are just wanting to get our hands on these fabrics and create some things,  we are working on orders right now, so we have to practice self control 🙂

This fabric is wonderful to the touch, it will be a dream to work with 🙂

Harvest and canning happening here too.  More on that another time.

 

A summer art project…

Our sewing room floor needed replaced as a result of a flood in our lower level.

The floor is beautiful and a vinyl product in case of a recurring water problem.

It is not rated for my rolling sewing chair and I noticed that it started to wave around my chair.

Our solution was an office mat for underneath my chair.  The office mats and plexi-glass we were thinking of were too expensive…so I asked my husband, the carpenter, if he had any plywood scraps in the garage…

We cut the ply wood to fit…

My eldest put a 45 degree angle all around the out side, not for easy roll on and off because I am “strictly prohibited” from rolling on the new floor. 🙂

But the 45 degree angle is to protect all of the travelers through the sewing room from stubbing their toes!!!!!

The best part is I employed my dear younger children to paint a mural on the “ugly”  plywood  in the theme of their mother’s favorite place…the beach!

My littlest girl working on her palm tree…

My eight year old working on the palm…

Working together to get the mat finished cause mama needed to sew!!!

Here are all the artists… They did an awesome job!  My 13 year old boy did the light house on the island..They all helped with the sand, sea, and sky…My 8 year old boy did the sail boat and the butterflies…my 10 year old did the dolphin that looks like a killer whale 🙂 and the starfish in the corner… My 12 year old did the palm, pink flamingo, blue heron, sea grapes,  and the salmony orange hibiscus in the corner.  I am amazed!!!

It fits perfect!

The offending chair in it’s rightful place 🙂

Oh how I love summer!  The children seem to all take growth spurts after the heavy academics all year.  They grow in physical strength and stretch their minds as they get to stretch their limbs in the fresh air and sunshine.

A note on the content of the mural, we spent a year living in South Florida, and all these elements on the board were witnessed first hand by the children.

Sewing in all directions!…

We have been stretched the last month or so.

We have had a variety of different orders and requests and it is challenging.   I never have been one who can just keep doing the same thing over and over and over again 🙂   Of course excepting dishes, laundry, housecleaning and child-training.  Those are grand things, but sewing the same garment over and over just gets monotonous.

So here are some of our completed projects…

We designed these two lady bug pillow case dresses and bloomer sets.

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I have been itching to design a cotton classic night-gown.  We used our embroidery machine on this set.

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This was a simple white cotton night-gown I wanted to make that would be more affordable.

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My sister-in-law asked us to make a dress for her daughter’s graduation from high school.  She chose the bottom fabric and we hunted a vintage pattern up.  She wanted it to be the style of the dresses in the movie “The Help”.  We all pitched in on this one.  She received it over the weekend and it fits, Phew!  She lives in California.  We went totally by measurements.

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This little patriotic dress was something haunting me for a couple of years too.  It seemed the summer would always get here too fast and I’d miss my chance.

The little star is appliqued on and the star on the hair clip is the same applique. This dress is out to the photographer, I’m looking forward to seeing a little one in it.

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We finished our rug for our cutting table.  This is done by crocheting strips of fabric together.  I am working on a tutorial for this.

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These coordinating pieces were just sent out Yesterday.  Our first a line pinafores have gone out of stock due to availability of fabric.  I was pressed to get a new one designed and ready for sale.  This fabric is so great to work with.

It is a Michael Miller cotton couture and a Sandi Henderson print.  I made the pinafore fully reversible.  Two dresses in one.  The white peasant under dress is a staple for lengthening dresses that get too short or just for a country, meadow feel.  The ruffle bloomers and pants are just accessories for layering or season changes.  Some times the ideas just bombard.  My 92-year-old dear dear friend tells me she wishes I would just rest.  Oh how grand that would be!

I’m ready!  I have one or two more ideas gnawing.  I will try to get them out of my head and then turn my attention to finishing the school year, the home education convention, and gardening and canning, canning, canning 🙂

Remember, these are the results of 3 women and about a month of work.  I just didn’t have time to post this month.  So, all these projects are crammed into this post! 🙂

Look for our rug tutorial, maybe not too hard, still a lot to do around here 🙂

My Bible reading today was excellent a familiar Bible verse or set of verses, from Proverbs chapter 3

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

I’ve always just had verse 5 and 6 brought to my attention.  But today 7 and 8 were added to my understanding…I love how verse 7 is another way to say verses 5 and 6.  Makes me know God really wants me to get it.  And verse 8 is a beautiful promise.

Chrissi’s paraphrase:  If you trust, put all your confidence in, The Lord.  God Almighty, your creator, maker of heaven and earth.   The big guy upstairs who knows all that is or ever will be, If you trust Him.  You will have life in the very center of your being, Spiritually speaking and definitely some physically speaking.  As we all know stress and worry are the culprits behind many a sickness.

Well, I didn’t set out to preach but it all starts and goes back to God only wise who deserves all the credit for anything we do or think that is good or of worth.