So keep an eye out for our new site and I'll let you know when it's officially up and running! I'm super excited and hope you are too :)
Bye for now,
Kristina
Saturday, October 26, 2013
We're MOVING!!!!
Ok don't freak out yet, we're not moving our family...we are moving to a new website :) I have been pondering it for some time and I just decided I want to put more effort into this whole writing thing. I want to expand to writing about a variety of things from homeschooling ideas to sewing to dealing with chaos and more! There are so many aspects to this Christian life as a wife and mother and I would love to share my victories and failures with you. Hopefully we can learn and laugh together! I have this idea that it's always raining life and yet God keeps pouring out His grace through it all. So our new website will be up soon...
So keep an eye out for our new site and I'll let you know when it's officially up and running! I'm super excited and hope you are too :)
Bye for now,
Kristina
So keep an eye out for our new site and I'll let you know when it's officially up and running! I'm super excited and hope you are too :)
Bye for now,
Kristina
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Easy T-Shirt Dress Tutorial
It's raining dresses at my house!
So I'm going to try my hand at a sewing tutorial :) I am by no means a veteran seamstress; in fact I'm quite the newbie. But I have discovered a love for these simple yet adorable T-Shirt dresses and I wanted to share with you how to make them. So with that, I will begin...
Step 2: Choose a piece of fabric that accents the color of your T-shirt, then decide how long you want the dress to be. I like my daughters to wear longer dresses so we kept the fabric pretty long. I do not use measuring tools for this dress, it's an eye-ball-it project. If you feel uncomfortable with that, by all means measure! Just remember to add 1" to the top and 2" to the bottom to leave room for hems and sewing. (An easy way to measure how long you want the dress to be is to just compare it to a dress or capris that your daughter already has that fit well). For the width, you are going to need double the width of the T-shirt bottom plus about 5", this extra room is for the gathering.
Step 3: Sew two straight lines at the top of your bottom piece of fabric. This should go all the way across the fabric. The lines should be about 1/4" apart.
Step 4: Find the ends of your thread on one side of your bottom piece. I go from left to right, but you can do whatever side feels better. Hold tightly your bottom thread (from the bobbin) while pulling gently on your top thread. As you pull, the fabric should begin to cinch up. Keep pulling until you feel like the thread might break, then slide the fabric down. Pull the thread some more until it's tight, then slide the fabric down again. Do this until you have the desired amount of gathering. Be sure to keep an eye on the width of your piece, if you gather too much it might not fit all the way around in which case you'd have to do some ripping. If you want more gathering, use a wider piece of fabric.
Step 5: Once you're done gathering all the fabric, begin pinning it to the wrong side of your T-shirt (inside out). Also make sure your fabric piece is wrong side up too. The "wrong" side is the faded or ugly side. The "right" side is the brighter, prettier side. But don't worry, everyone sews at least one dress on the wrong way :) You should pin the bottom piece all the way around the T-Shirt. When you get to the part where the two ends meet, make sure you have enough fabric to close the seam. If not, loosen some of the gatherings.
It should like something like this once you're done pinning...
Step 6: Begin sewing your bottom piece. I start where the two ends meet and work my way around. Try your best to sew a straight line. For us newbies (me included) that's not always easy. But try, try, try, try, try it again. You'll get better with each dress. The good news is if it's a little crooked that's ok because your sash piece will cover it up nicely! Sew all the way around until you get to where the 2 ends meet. STOP! Don't sew that part together until you do that outside seam of the skirt.
Step 7: Sew together the side seam of the skirt. Make it about a 1/4' to 1/2' wide so that it doesn't look bulky underneath the dress.
Last step... the sash! Now, my first few dresses I used ribbon around the middle as you will see in a moment. But then I discovered that ribbon was a little too constricting when trying to put the dresses on my girls. They fit just fine when the dress is on but it's hard to get their arms in. So I will show you how to do ribbon AND how to do a **fabric sash (which I prefer now but this particular dress has ribbon).
Turn your dress right side out. You will see the stitching from where you sewed the bottom on. It's ok, we'll cover that up! Measure out the length of ribbon you'd like to use. On this dress, I used a 1" pink (her choice)ribbon and I cut it pretty long so she could tie a bow on the side. You can sew the ribbon exact (like a belt) with no ribbon, you can do a side bow, back bow, or flower. However you like.
Once you've decided on your ribbon, pin it to the dress (be sure to only pin it through one side of the dress or you'll end up sewing the dress closed!. As you pin, try to make it as even as possible while covering the stitching. I left about an inch of the t-shirt underneath the ribbon to give it a belt look. But you can cover that entire piece if you'd like. Up to you. Now that it's pinned, you can sew. I simply sew a straight line right down the middle of the ribbon. If you're going to leave ribbon for a bow, make sure you don't sew the ribbon closed. I left about an inch space between the two ends, and that's where she ties the bow.
**Alternate SASH made from fabric. If you have fabric left over from the bottom half of the dress, you can make the sash match exactly. If you don't have enough, you can get creative. I used a zebra print sash for a dress for my littlest one because I didn't have enough of the original. It gave it a little spunk, I made a bag to match, and she loves it!
So, sash... take a 3" piece of fabric that is the width of the waist of the dress plus 1". Fold the raw edges in until you have about a 1" width. Then pin it to the dress (just like you would with the ribbon) and sew. With the fabric sash you'll need to sew a 1/8"seam on the top and the bottom. Then fold the end under and sew it to seal off the end. Here's an example of a finished fabric sash:
And you're done!! How cute will your little girl be in T-shirt dress that YOU made special just for her? She'll love it, just like mine do! If you have ANY questions or my instructions are confusing, please comment here and I'll do my best to help! It may be raining dresses here but it's pouring God's grace and patience in this learning process LOL! Now, there's no time like the present...go get sewing :)
Bye for now,
Kristina
So I'm going to try my hand at a sewing tutorial :) I am by no means a veteran seamstress; in fact I'm quite the newbie. But I have discovered a love for these simple yet adorable T-Shirt dresses and I wanted to share with you how to make them. So with that, I will begin...
Step 1: Choose a T-shirt. It can be old or new, just make sure it is soft and free of stains (I know that's difficult with old T's but I've been able to find some!). I recommend using a T-shirt that is 1 size bigger than the size they are in now, ie. if my daughter usually wears a size 7, I will use a size 8 for the dress. You CAN use the same size, but once the bottom skirt is on, a larger shirt gives a little more wriggle room to get the dress on and off. I found these Hanes T-shirts at Wal-Mart for only $2! You can sew this dress directly to the bottom of the T-shirt without altering it. My oldest daughter has a shape that is better suited for a higher skirt so I trimmed about 2" off the bottom of the shirt and then folded it twice over and pinned it. Your choice. (I made my youngest daughter's dress without altering the bottom of the T-shirt).
Step 2: Choose a piece of fabric that accents the color of your T-shirt, then decide how long you want the dress to be. I like my daughters to wear longer dresses so we kept the fabric pretty long. I do not use measuring tools for this dress, it's an eye-ball-it project. If you feel uncomfortable with that, by all means measure! Just remember to add 1" to the top and 2" to the bottom to leave room for hems and sewing. (An easy way to measure how long you want the dress to be is to just compare it to a dress or capris that your daughter already has that fit well). For the width, you are going to need double the width of the T-shirt bottom plus about 5", this extra room is for the gathering.
Step 3: Sew two straight lines at the top of your bottom piece of fabric. This should go all the way across the fabric. The lines should be about 1/4" apart.
Step 4: Find the ends of your thread on one side of your bottom piece. I go from left to right, but you can do whatever side feels better. Hold tightly your bottom thread (from the bobbin) while pulling gently on your top thread. As you pull, the fabric should begin to cinch up. Keep pulling until you feel like the thread might break, then slide the fabric down. Pull the thread some more until it's tight, then slide the fabric down again. Do this until you have the desired amount of gathering. Be sure to keep an eye on the width of your piece, if you gather too much it might not fit all the way around in which case you'd have to do some ripping. If you want more gathering, use a wider piece of fabric.
Step 5: Once you're done gathering all the fabric, begin pinning it to the wrong side of your T-shirt (inside out). Also make sure your fabric piece is wrong side up too. The "wrong" side is the faded or ugly side. The "right" side is the brighter, prettier side. But don't worry, everyone sews at least one dress on the wrong way :) You should pin the bottom piece all the way around the T-Shirt. When you get to the part where the two ends meet, make sure you have enough fabric to close the seam. If not, loosen some of the gatherings.
It should like something like this once you're done pinning...
Step 6: Begin sewing your bottom piece. I start where the two ends meet and work my way around. Try your best to sew a straight line. For us newbies (me included) that's not always easy. But try, try, try, try, try it again. You'll get better with each dress. The good news is if it's a little crooked that's ok because your sash piece will cover it up nicely! Sew all the way around until you get to where the 2 ends meet. STOP! Don't sew that part together until you do that outside seam of the skirt.
Step 7: Sew together the side seam of the skirt. Make it about a 1/4' to 1/2' wide so that it doesn't look bulky underneath the dress.
Step 8: Hem the bottom of the skirt. I do about an 1" hem. Easy peasy.
Last step... the sash! Now, my first few dresses I used ribbon around the middle as you will see in a moment. But then I discovered that ribbon was a little too constricting when trying to put the dresses on my girls. They fit just fine when the dress is on but it's hard to get their arms in. So I will show you how to do ribbon AND how to do a **fabric sash (which I prefer now but this particular dress has ribbon).
Turn your dress right side out. You will see the stitching from where you sewed the bottom on. It's ok, we'll cover that up! Measure out the length of ribbon you'd like to use. On this dress, I used a 1" pink (her choice)ribbon and I cut it pretty long so she could tie a bow on the side. You can sew the ribbon exact (like a belt) with no ribbon, you can do a side bow, back bow, or flower. However you like.
Once you've decided on your ribbon, pin it to the dress (be sure to only pin it through one side of the dress or you'll end up sewing the dress closed!. As you pin, try to make it as even as possible while covering the stitching. I left about an inch of the t-shirt underneath the ribbon to give it a belt look. But you can cover that entire piece if you'd like. Up to you. Now that it's pinned, you can sew. I simply sew a straight line right down the middle of the ribbon. If you're going to leave ribbon for a bow, make sure you don't sew the ribbon closed. I left about an inch space between the two ends, and that's where she ties the bow.
**Alternate SASH made from fabric. If you have fabric left over from the bottom half of the dress, you can make the sash match exactly. If you don't have enough, you can get creative. I used a zebra print sash for a dress for my littlest one because I didn't have enough of the original. It gave it a little spunk, I made a bag to match, and she loves it!
So, sash... take a 3" piece of fabric that is the width of the waist of the dress plus 1". Fold the raw edges in until you have about a 1" width. Then pin it to the dress (just like you would with the ribbon) and sew. With the fabric sash you'll need to sew a 1/8"seam on the top and the bottom. Then fold the end under and sew it to seal off the end. Here's an example of a finished fabric sash:
And you're done!! How cute will your little girl be in T-shirt dress that YOU made special just for her? She'll love it, just like mine do! If you have ANY questions or my instructions are confusing, please comment here and I'll do my best to help! It may be raining dresses here but it's pouring God's grace and patience in this learning process LOL! Now, there's no time like the present...go get sewing :)
Bye for now,
Kristina
Friday, October 11, 2013
There's Just Somethin' about Punkins
There's just somethin' about punkins...
COOKING/BAKING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) My all-time favorite pumpkin food is pumpkin bread. Above all else! I've tried many different pumpkin breads, both store bought and homemade, and honestly... nothing holds a candle to my grandmother's recipe! And since it's not a "secret family recipe" I am going to share it with you:
Preheat the oven to 350*. Then mix ingredients together in a big mixing bowl. (Hint- add the flour one cup at a time and stir. This way you're arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off from stirring so hard!). Grease AND flour 3 large bread pans (sometimes you can squeeze one more mini bread pan in too). Pour mix into the pans and bake for 1 hour. Use a toothpick to check the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean it's done, if it's sticky, bake a few more minutes. BUT KEEP AN EYE on it because too long and you'll have burnt pumpkin bread! Remove the loaves from the oven and set on a cooling rack or a cutting board. I usually wrap mine in foil. This keeps the moisture in. Slice as you go, don't slice all at once or it can dry out. Best served cold with butter!! YUMMO!!!
#2) I recently discovered pumpkin dip and it's been a huge hit! I made it for our church potluck and our WMU meeting and it's gotten great reviews! This is SO EASY to make and only takes about 3 minutes!! You will need:
Mix all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Scoop the dip into a pretty Autumn bowl (or if you're feeling really crafty, you can clean out a small pumpkin and scoop the dip inside). Cover and place in the fridge to chill. Serve with Nilla Wafers or apple slices. SO GOOD!!
#3) My husband loves pumpkin pie. Unfortunately I have never made this for him (I know, shameful!). I have bought Publix pumpkin pie for years. But I think I will try my hand at it this year! And although most recipes call for a "pre-made" crust, I think I want to try my Aunt Isabel's "No-Fail Pie Crust" recipe and make the whole thing from scratch! Here's the recipe for her no-fail pie crust:
Mix the first 3 ingredients (part one) until it's a coarse salt stage. Next, mix the remaining ingredients together (part two) and then add to the flour mixture. The dough will be slightly sticky. Roll out the dough on a floured board or granite counter top and form to your pie pan. Don't forget to make pretty pinches around the edge!
FUN WITH PUMPKINS
#1) The most fun we have during the Fall season is when we load up and head over to the local Pumpkin Patch! It's so much fun to watch the kiddos' eyes light up at the sight of an orange blanket of pumpkins of different shapes and sizes scattered all about. We love to find the BIGGEST pumpkin, the smallest pumpkin, the oddest shaped pumpkin, the wartiest pumpkin, and the perfect pumpkins to fit each person in our family. We typically pick a pumpkin for each member of the family (including those mini pumpkins for each of the pets). So tonight we left the patch with 8 pumpkins in tow! For $18.50, that's not bad at all! But the best part is the wonderful pictures you can capture at a pumpkin patch. If your local patch is anything like ours, they try to decorate it and make it as photo friendly as possible. Our has the cutest little portrait area set up (totally free by the way) that we love to take advantage of. Here are some of the wonderful pictures I got of the kids tonight:
#2) I discovered when my daughter was a year old that carving pumpkins (something I loved to do growing up) wasn't really a great
idea for clumsy toddlers with limited coordination and strength (it's hard work carving a pumpkin!). So that first year we let her color her pumpkin with a permanent marker. And you know what? That pumpkin lasted forever! So I decided that from then on, we would paint our pumpkins. Instead of carving them, we paint them. And it's really fun! Each person (including momma and daddy) paint their own pumpkin and then we line them up outside. We will be painting our pumpkins tomorrow night :) If you have older children and are set on carving those pumpkins, here's a little tip to help your Jack-o-Lanterns stay fresh longer:
#3) I have made homemade playdough before but I am so excited that I found Pumpkin Pie Play Dough on Pinterest!! I am definitely giving this a try, I think the kids will love it :)
#4) Crafts, crafts, crafts!! I love fall crafts, and there are so many wonderful options on sites like Pinterest and DLTK. Savanna and
EVERYTHING ELSE PUMPKINS
Kristina
I love pumpkin. They smell so good, taste good, and are pretty. I really think pumpkins may be the most wonderful vegetation that God created! I know they don't have healing properties (although I truly believe pumpkins are good for the soul!) but there's just so much about pumpkins are too good to pass up. So I thought I'd do a blog all about pumpkins and hopefully give you some new ideas of how to enjoy them during the harvest season :)
COOKING/BAKING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) My all-time favorite pumpkin food is pumpkin bread. Above all else! I've tried many different pumpkin breads, both store bought and homemade, and honestly... nothing holds a candle to my grandmother's recipe! And since it's not a "secret family recipe" I am going to share it with you:
- 4 cups of white granulated sugar
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 large can of pumpkin
- 5 cups of flour
- *1 tsp of cloves (optional if you like the taste)
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp of cinnamon (I usually more because I like cinnamon)
- *1 cup chopped nuts (optional- I don't use nuts)
- 1 can of pumpkin
- 1 tub of cool whip
- 1 box of vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 tsp of cinnamon (or more)
- Nilla Wafers
- *apple slices (optional if you'd like to offer a "healthier" variety)
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#3) My husband loves pumpkin pie. Unfortunately I have never made this for him (I know, shameful!). I have bought Publix pumpkin pie for years. But I think I will try my hand at it this year! And although most recipes call for a "pre-made" crust, I think I want to try my Aunt Isabel's "No-Fail Pie Crust" recipe and make the whole thing from scratch! Here's the recipe for her no-fail pie crust:
- PART ONE
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of shortening or 3/4 cup of lard
- 1 tsp of salt
- PART TWO
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- 1 egg beaten
FUN WITH PUMPKINS
#1) The most fun we have during the Fall season is when we load up and head over to the local Pumpkin Patch! It's so much fun to watch the kiddos' eyes light up at the sight of an orange blanket of pumpkins of different shapes and sizes scattered all about. We love to find the BIGGEST pumpkin, the smallest pumpkin, the oddest shaped pumpkin, the wartiest pumpkin, and the perfect pumpkins to fit each person in our family. We typically pick a pumpkin for each member of the family (including those mini pumpkins for each of the pets). So tonight we left the patch with 8 pumpkins in tow! For $18.50, that's not bad at all! But the best part is the wonderful pictures you can capture at a pumpkin patch. If your local patch is anything like ours, they try to decorate it and make it as photo friendly as possible. Our has the cutest little portrait area set up (totally free by the way) that we love to take advantage of. Here are some of the wonderful pictures I got of the kids tonight:
#2) I discovered when my daughter was a year old that carving pumpkins (something I loved to do growing up) wasn't really a great
- 2 tbsp. vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 qt water
#3) I have made homemade playdough before but I am so excited that I found Pumpkin Pie Play Dough on Pinterest!! I am definitely giving this a try, I think the kids will love it :)
#4) Crafts, crafts, crafts!! I love fall crafts, and there are so many wonderful options on sites like Pinterest and DLTK. Savanna and
I made these paper pumpkins one year and used them as napkin holders at Thanksgiving dinner!! They were adorable and super easy to make. Check out this tutorial on how to make this cute pumpkin craft.
TEACHING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) Last year my husband did the "Pumpkin Carving Prayer" at our Fall Festival and it was really neat to watch. It's such a simple way to teach the Gospel and even biblical principles to little ones because it offers a great visual! Here's the prayer (My hubby added a little extra for each line, you can too, or you can use it as it is):
Dear Jesus,
Open my mind so I can learn about You
(Cut off the top of the pumpkin)
Take all of my sin and forgive me for the wrong that I do
(Clean out the inside)
Open my eyes so Your love I will see
(Cut out the eyes)
I'm sorry I've turned my nose up to all You've given me
(Cut out the nose)
Open my ears so Your Word I will hear
(Cut out ears)
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near
(Cut out the mouth)
Let Your Light shine in all I say and do
(Place a lit candle inside)
Amen.
#2) This year my daughter, Savanna, is studying poetry and we discovered a wonderful poem by James Whitcomb Riley called "When the Frost is on the Punkin'." I kinda feel short-changed because I had never heard of this awesome poem until now! But I am so glad I got the chance to study it with my daughter. It's a beautiful picture, told in a ol' country boy way of how much he loves the harvest time. The words are all spelled funny and you have to read it a couple times to catch all the fantastic imagery. I love the way this old man recites the poem and even the story he tells first about his father. It's a great poem to study and discuss with your children.
TEACHING WITH PUMPKINS
#1) Last year my husband did the "Pumpkin Carving Prayer" at our Fall Festival and it was really neat to watch. It's such a simple way to teach the Gospel and even biblical principles to little ones because it offers a great visual! Here's the prayer (My hubby added a little extra for each line, you can too, or you can use it as it is):
Dear Jesus,
Open my mind so I can learn about You
(Cut off the top of the pumpkin)
Take all of my sin and forgive me for the wrong that I do
(Clean out the inside)
Open my eyes so Your love I will see
(Cut out the eyes)
I'm sorry I've turned my nose up to all You've given me
(Cut out the nose)
Open my ears so Your Word I will hear
(Cut out ears)
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near
(Cut out the mouth)
Let Your Light shine in all I say and do
(Place a lit candle inside)
Amen.
#2) This year my daughter, Savanna, is studying poetry and we discovered a wonderful poem by James Whitcomb Riley called "When the Frost is on the Punkin'." I kinda feel short-changed because I had never heard of this awesome poem until now! But I am so glad I got the chance to study it with my daughter. It's a beautiful picture, told in a ol' country boy way of how much he loves the harvest time. The words are all spelled funny and you have to read it a couple times to catch all the fantastic imagery. I love the way this old man recites the poem and even the story he tells first about his father. It's a great poem to study and discuss with your children.
#3) This is a wonderful unit study made available by Teaching Heart that has everything from fun-filled pumpkin crafts to pumpkin math, science, English, and more. Some of it is free and some of it isn't. Take what you will. It gives you some good ideas you can create on your own even if you don't purchase their materials. You can also find some great lesson ideas involving pumpkins from Pinterest. Happy hunting :)
EVERYTHING ELSE PUMPKINS
- Pumpkin spice candles are a must!
- Publix has Pumpkin Pie special edition icecream!
- Dairy Queen has a Pumpkin Pie blizzard!
- Add some pumpkin spice seasoning to vanilla icing before frosting spice cupcakes!
- Buy lots of pumpkin decorations to go around your house (inside and out)!
- Stock up on cans of pumpkin now while they're on the shelf and that way in mid April when you're feeling kinda blue... make yourself a spring-time loaf of pumpkin bread :)
- But most of all, enjoy this wonderful season and the beautiful pumpkins God has provided with your family and friends!
Kristina
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Not Sew Perfect Seamstress
I have recently discovered a new found love... sewing!!
Yes, it's true! Let me explain.
My church has a sewing group. I have known about the group for a year and have never really paid it much attention. I thought it was neat that they have a place for the ladies to come practice their sewing and fellowship. It's really set up nice with several sewing stations and a whole wall of shelves full of wonderfully colored fabrics. How quaint! I never really understood it as a "ministry" until recently at our WMU meeting the leader of the sewing group got up to speak. She's a lovely older woman with fiery orange hair and a spunky attitude. She brought out some of the lovely things the sewing group has made and explained what it is they really do. They make beautiful quilts for the children who live in the Florida Baptist Children's Homes. They make adult bibs for elderly people who live in nursing homes. They make T-shirt dresses for orphan girls on foreign countries like Haiti and Guatemala. And more! It was amazing. And she spoke about how the women who come just love to serve others with this little talent God has blessed them with. It was really quite moving.
Well wouldn't you know my sweet Savanna was there and said "Momma, can we join the sewing group!?" I didn't even hesitate. That Thursday we showed up ready to learn. I asked the leader ahead of time if it was ok for newbies to come. She seemed to think it would be fine. I made sure she understood that Savanna was just 6 years old and that I have NEVER used a sewing machine in my life! She just smiled sweetly and said "Come join us!" I tried to prep Savanna, who get's super excited about everything (don't know where she gets that), that we most likely would not actually "sew" anything on our first day. I told her that they would probably use us as helpers to fold fabric or pick up push pins. Boy was I wrong! First day, we walk in and are greeted by 4 beautiful smiling faces, ready to teach us newbies how to sew! They had two machines set up and designated for us, they even had a little stool under the pedal for Savanna to reach. Our first task was to learn the ins and outs of the machine. That wasn't too hard. Then we were told to sew straight lines on bits of scrap fabric. That proved a little more difficult but hey, we were-a-sewing!! I can't tell you how much fun it was just sewing straight lines!
Well, Savanna and I are hooked! After seeing that there was something fun and creative that we can do to serve others in our community and across the globe, we have just dove right in. We have even borrowed a sewing machine and brought it back to the house to keep practicing! AND... we wanted to come up with an idea that we could add to their roster that was something personal Savanna would enjoy making. We came up with the idea to make stuffed animals. What child wouldn't love a stuffed animal, especially a child who's been hurt and abandoned! So I found some ideas on Pinterest and tried my hand at it. I made a dinosaur first and it was just too cute! Then I tried to take the same basic steps and make a puppy. It turned out really cute as well! So we pitched the idea to the sewing group and they were all for it!
There are many benefits of joining the sewing group:
1) It's FUN!
2) It's relaxing and a nice change of atmosphere from the chaos at my house LOL!
3) It's a special time I get to spend with Savanna.
4) It's a great ministry opportunity!
But to me, the thing that surpasses all this is the fact that Savanna and I get to spend time with these lovely ladies! They are so wise and have so much to offer. We read in Titus 2:3-5 that older women are supposed to teach young women to live reverently, to love their husband and children, and to be good homemakers. I just adore these women who are actively living out Titus 2. They have embraced a 6yr old and a young mother and have been teaching us so much (and I don't just mean sewing techniques). They love the Lord and they are so full of life. It really is something special.
Yes, it's true! Let me explain.My church has a sewing group. I have known about the group for a year and have never really paid it much attention. I thought it was neat that they have a place for the ladies to come practice their sewing and fellowship. It's really set up nice with several sewing stations and a whole wall of shelves full of wonderfully colored fabrics. How quaint! I never really understood it as a "ministry" until recently at our WMU meeting the leader of the sewing group got up to speak. She's a lovely older woman with fiery orange hair and a spunky attitude. She brought out some of the lovely things the sewing group has made and explained what it is they really do. They make beautiful quilts for the children who live in the Florida Baptist Children's Homes. They make adult bibs for elderly people who live in nursing homes. They make T-shirt dresses for orphan girls on foreign countries like Haiti and Guatemala. And more! It was amazing. And she spoke about how the women who come just love to serve others with this little talent God has blessed them with. It was really quite moving.
Well wouldn't you know my sweet Savanna was there and said "Momma, can we join the sewing group!?" I didn't even hesitate. That Thursday we showed up ready to learn. I asked the leader ahead of time if it was ok for newbies to come. She seemed to think it would be fine. I made sure she understood that Savanna was just 6 years old and that I have NEVER used a sewing machine in my life! She just smiled sweetly and said "Come join us!" I tried to prep Savanna, who get's super excited about everything (don't know where she gets that), that we most likely would not actually "sew" anything on our first day. I told her that they would probably use us as helpers to fold fabric or pick up push pins. Boy was I wrong! First day, we walk in and are greeted by 4 beautiful smiling faces, ready to teach us newbies how to sew! They had two machines set up and designated for us, they even had a little stool under the pedal for Savanna to reach. Our first task was to learn the ins and outs of the machine. That wasn't too hard. Then we were told to sew straight lines on bits of scrap fabric. That proved a little more difficult but hey, we were-a-sewing!! I can't tell you how much fun it was just sewing straight lines!
Well, Savanna and I are hooked! After seeing that there was something fun and creative that we can do to serve others in our community and across the globe, we have just dove right in. We have even borrowed a sewing machine and brought it back to the house to keep practicing! AND... we wanted to come up with an idea that we could add to their roster that was something personal Savanna would enjoy making. We came up with the idea to make stuffed animals. What child wouldn't love a stuffed animal, especially a child who's been hurt and abandoned! So I found some ideas on Pinterest and tried my hand at it. I made a dinosaur first and it was just too cute! Then I tried to take the same basic steps and make a puppy. It turned out really cute as well! So we pitched the idea to the sewing group and they were all for it!
1) It's FUN!
2) It's relaxing and a nice change of atmosphere from the chaos at my house LOL!
3) It's a special time I get to spend with Savanna.
4) It's a great ministry opportunity!
But to me, the thing that surpasses all this is the fact that Savanna and I get to spend time with these lovely ladies! They are so wise and have so much to offer. We read in Titus 2:3-5 that older women are supposed to teach young women to live reverently, to love their husband and children, and to be good homemakers. I just adore these women who are actively living out Titus 2. They have embraced a 6yr old and a young mother and have been teaching us so much (and I don't just mean sewing techniques). They love the Lord and they are so full of life. It really is something special.
Perhaps your church has a sewing group, a WMU, or some other ministry with older women involved. I highly recommend joining! If your church doesn't offer any ministries for seniors, try finding some older Christian women in your church or your community who would be willing to spend time with you and your daughter. Maybe she could interview a few of the elderly women in your church. They have so much life experience, so much wisdom, so much to share.
Here's some of our sewing projects...
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| Samuel(4yrs) using sewing machine for the first time |
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| He made a handkerchief for his daddy to wipe his forehead when he's preaching! |
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| Savanna sewing her quilt squares |
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| My quilting project |
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| My quilt ready to sew with batting |
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| Savanna's scarecrow costume (so easy to make! Will upload a tutorial) |
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| Gracie's scarecrow tutu |
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| Gideon's scarecrow costume pinned and ready to sew |
Bye for now,
Kristina
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