• 11.03.2008 Baby Sling For My Nephew
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    My sister-in-law, Abby, is due with her second (a boy!), in December.  She, my brother, and their little girl, Calla, have recently moved to Colorado.  I had the privilege of spending time with Abby this past weekend for a small, intimate baby shower I threw for her at my home.  Being so close to my own due date, I originally anticipated not being able to make her a handmade gift.  And yet, after checking out the Hotsling she registered for, I was inspired and compelled to sew my own version for my nephew.  (Really, how could I not give it a try?  But it’s the last thing I’m making for awhile…I promise!) Lest I take too much credit, there are many sites like this one that give instructions on the relatively simple process of sewing one of these baby slings.  The one I made for Abby is reversible, padded, and […]

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  • 07.22.2008 A Handbag for Tara
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    My sweet and faithful college-friend of 13 years, Tara, is celebrating a birthday today. We are privileged to be back in the same city together, and to walk through new seasons of life in close proximity once again. I sewed a handbag for her in an array of her favorite colors. Pairing multi-patterned fabrics is tricky, and requires a discerning eye–one I’m training, but not quite adept at. This lady‘s got it down. This is the first bag I’ve sewn with wooden handles, and I like the way it turned out. I have yet to sew myself a bag, but when I get the chance, I may have to go with these handles. I also included a small makeup clutch inside for accessories and personal items. I conjured up my own design for the handbag, but the clutch was made from a pattern found in Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide […]

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  • 07.16.2008 Quiet Craft
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    Some days…some weeks are harder than others. This has been one of spiritual and emotional struggling, which, in turn, often leads to a greater need for alone time in a contemplative corner. Sewing is a great craft for just such an order. At my little makeshift sewing/bedside table, in a tight corner of my bedroom, flows many hours of diligence with the hand and quietness of the heart and mind. The boys’ naps allowed only one hour of sewing solace today after necessary chores and tasks were completed. Intending to begin work on a gift, I rummaged through my stash of fabrics, and came upon several yards of a sheer my sweet friend, Nancy, gave me last October for my birthday. Without a serger, and having only minimal sewing skills, I’ve been largely intimidated by sheers and the world of fashion sewing and design. Aprons, little people clothes, and re-constructed […]

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  • 04.27.2008 Remix
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    I sewed another outfit. Lest you think I sew all the time, I don’t. This week’s outfit was the culmination of being homebound with sick children, being out of touch with my computer in the shop, and being too nauseous to cook and entertain. A lovely byproduct from what otherwise was an unlovely and unproductive week. Though a little eccentric, this outfit ranks high on the comfort scale, and makes me feel like a bud in Spring. Okay, maybe I should say, a bulb in Spring. Anyhow, it was a part sewing/part refashioning project. I had purchased a fine but outdated heather grey jersey knit dress at Goodwill awhile back for a couple bucks. I knew I wanted to turn it into something else, but didn’t feel inspired. In my stash were a few yards of Amy Butler fabrics that I had purchased for apron sales, but really spoke to […]

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  • 02.26.2008 Black on Linen
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    For someone who has never really learned how to sew, I’ve been sewing quite a bit as of late! I made this book bag for my friend, Trish, who’s birthday was earlier this month. Trish’s personality is bright and exuberant, but her preference is for neutral, subtle, and calming colors. She likes fresh, crisp, and elegantly simple. Like newly laundered linens catching the warm breezes of Spring is the transformation Trish has know in her life through the purifying work of Christ. How appropriate it is, then, to create a handy bag for her Bible and books, that takes backstage as her servant’s heart shines. Taking a twist on classic, I constructed this bag out of a natural linen with black ticking, and linen with printed black Chinese calligraphy. The words echo blessings of health and happiness…for this birthday and the year to come.

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  • 02.06.2008 Not For Joni To Read
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    One of my best friends from college is having a baby boy next month. It will be her first. She is a musician, a writer, a comfort-food cook, encourager in Christ, and a loyal girlfriend. Naturally, I’m subjecting her to one of my homemade maternity gifts. The homemade part was mandatory, though she had a choice between a breastfeeding cover-up or a diaper bag. She chose the latter. As you know, a woman’s purse or handbag is not just an accessory; it heralds one’s interpretation of utility and visuality…it is a significant piece. You can imagine, therefore, what lengths I went to to secure the perfect fabrics for this special occasion. Yet, my choices may have proven to be more hassle than fashionable. I used a chocolate decorator fabric with pale blue flocked flowers. Flocking is messy. For the lining I found a silvery-blue ribbed chenille-like fabric. Translation: stretchy, slippery, […]

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  • 12.21.2007 Sewing and Thinking.
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    I’ve been sewing….a lot. Sewing, ripping seams out, fixing broken needles, ripping more seams out, messing with the tension…and, ripping more seams out. For the amateur, self-taught seamstress, this often-times tedious pastime is a labor of love and not necessarily that of leisure (especially if there is no such thing as “free time” in one’s career as mom and wife.) Nonetheless, this year’s Christmas handiwork of choice is sewing. Lofty goals for gifts on a very basic, very dated sewing machine. Despite my efforts to adjust the machine properly, I found myself fighting continuously with inconsisitency and erratic stitching. Homemade should not be junky, but it should look homemade right? Well it’s gonna have to be this year as my propensity towards perfectionism is being buffered by an uncooperative mechanical elf. I rest on the hope that each of my loved ones knows my love for him or her apart […]

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  • 11.10.2007 Baby Baby
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    There’s something in the water at our church. A sweet baby girl was born to our friends, the Cawoods, this afternoon at the very time of a baby shower given in honor of another couple from church, Megan and Brian. At the shower alone were two more pregnant ladies. Aaahhh….we are blessed. While I adore infants (not so a decade ago, but only after having three of my own), I generally find baby showers cumbersome from all the silly games involving baby food, diaper changing, and word scrambles. Today’s shower was more my speed: lovely food, lovely people, lots of gifts, period. My friend, Leslie (who is NOT yet with child), did a wonderful job hosting her first baby shower. I was blessed to see our church gals come alongside Megan (who is from further East) as her family and community. That’s how it should be. Megan is a bibliophile […]

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