by Andrea | Nov 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
It’s getting colder here in Virginia and Ruby Jane is in need of some comfy sleepers and play outfits! I took the opportunity a month ago to sew up a couple of sleepers and test out some fabric I had the privilege of purchasing in the very first production line of Monkeys and Pumpkins Fabric. I got a small discount on 2 meters of fabric in exchange for my honest opinion. I was so excited to try out this fabric but I moved a few weeks after it arrived in KC so I packed it up and waited for all of the craziness to end before sewing it into baby goodies. This week I made up the play outfits. The sleepers we have been using for a month to test the wear with all of children! (Patterns used were the Brindille and Twig Footie Sleeper and Raglan Tee.)
First, I have to say that while I am not an expert at knit fabrics, I diligently try to increase my knit sewing skills. I have conquered my fears for the last 5 years with the help of a good friend. I really enjoy the benefits of sewing with knits. I have sewn with Art Gallery Knits, cheapy Joann knits, Riley Blake Knits, Birch Organic Knits and others….
THE PROS
Of all of those I prefer Art Gallery. Until now. Monkeys and Pumpkins Fabric is WONDERFUL! It’s got the soft delicate hand of Art Gallery knit but is slightly sturdier. I am so thrilled with it because I use it for the children. Ruby has worn these sleepers for a month and they are holding strong! No ripping, no fading, and the snaps are not pulling out of the fabric. The stretch recovery and breathability of the fabric are really great! The drape is beautiful and perfect.
THE COMPANY
Daria began the company in January of this year(2016). She is a “former neuroscientist and a forever fabric lover” HA! I love that. Smart women sew!!!!! She lives in Germany and her fabric is produced and printed there.
THE CONS
Since this is an honest review I should mention the cons. I really only have two minor ones. The first is that I really don’t love the designs as much as Art Gallery or Birch Designers, but I think this will probably improve over time as M&P grows and expands their fabric line. Their prints are more for children. They are very cute, vibrant and fun but I would love some sophisticated or understated prints and solids to make myself or my 13 year old some clothing as well!
The second con would probably be the price for me. I had to pay about $56 for two meters. I think this is too expensive. However it is a high quality fabric and I would consider purchasing it again if money were no object.
I am so thankful Daria allowed me this opportunity and hope my readers will check out her lovely fabric! It is truly a joy to sew with.
I made matching outfits for Ruby and Vivion with the yellow print from M&P and a French Terry from Joann Fabrics. The sleeper is M&P with the binding from JoAnn Fabrics. When I ordered the fabric I didn’t choose coordinates as well as I thought I did….hence the reason for filling in with JoAnn.
by Andrea | Oct 31, 2016 | DIY, handmade, Sewing, tutorials, Uncategorized
Welp, I have fallen onto the bandwagon of trendiness this fall. I really hated ponchos back in the 90’s but I like the new blanket style ones that are on the very front display at Target this year taunting me with their plaids and tribally goodness like sea sirens to a sailor. I was at Joanne’s this week a couple times for ONE THING. I kept walking past this woven tribal fabric and I couldn’t stand it. I brought it home and promptly turned it into a blanket poncho. Even my 12 year old likes it. That’s saying something. It was my reward for finishing the fancy fox quilt for my daughter that took like 1200 hours.
If you’d like to join in on the poncho trend, I’ve made up a quick and easy poncho tutorial for you to follow. It takes 1 yard of fabric and about 20 minutes tops!
Did I to mention it’s CHEAPER?! You could make 3-4 of these for the price of a Target or Gap one right now! Can we say CHRISTMAS GIFTS?!!! If you purchase 1 yard of 60″ wide woven fabric for 12.99 and they have most of it 40% off right now, then you use your 20% off total purchase coupon….. well, you have yourself an amazing poncho for only $6.30! So hurry and get started! Here is the nitty and the gritty in an easy to follow downloadable image! I’d love to see your ponchos! Tag em #aldeasyponcho
EASY BLANKET PONCHO TUTORIAL DOWNLOAD
Here are some pictures of me and my 12 year old daughter trying it on….so it’s pretty versatile size wise but I have included instructions for a custom fit do you can make for ANY SIZE!!!! Happy Poncho-ing. Make all the ponchos!!!
-Andrea
Grace was my photographer and her Miranda impressions made it impossible for me to do anything but cheesy laughing faces. She’s pretty cute.
by Andrea | Oct 28, 2016 | DIY, Sewing, tutorials
If your new to the blog, I am continuing my series on How To Magically Make More Time For Sewing…….you can read Part 1 HERE.
CLEANING
Let’s talk about cleaning. Many people wonder….Is my house a pig sty? Sometimes yes. It’s because I have 5 children who are well, children. They run around in the wonderment of carefree childhood and drop their drawers anywhere but in their dresser drawers. I really struggle with being patient and kind with my children in this area. If I had actual magical powers I would most often use them to clean my house. Yes, I am Monica from friends. What would be my spirit animal? Maybe that little parasite that cleans the side of fish tanks?
I have prepared some helpful how to infographic printables to help you and I teach our children how to do specific tasks like the laundry and dishes…..(note: I have updated the How To Dishes Chart with “Rinse Clean” after hand washing.)
These are free for anyone who signs up for my email list. I am unashamedly building an email list and trying to figure out mail chimp. (The struggle is not as real as I thought it would be.) If you have an extreme aversion to being put on an email list of some sorts, you may purchase these in my Etsy shop, Handful Of Arrows at a discount for reading my blog. Here is the coupon code for 50% off: MAGIC16
Here are the key elements of cleaning magic you need this week to create more sewing time!
1.) Lower your standards – this is my hardest one. It’s not everyones biggest struggle, but it’s mine. Delegating the cleaning of the bathroom means streaks and drips and bleach marks and mostly whiny rebellion in the lower ranks of your household. But stand firm soldier. It’s worth it for all involved. Your children will thank you when they are 35. Trust me. (I used to hire someone to clean my floors and bathrooms on a weekly basis. However that is not in the medschool wife budget. I would recommend that if you can afford it! I have always had the kids help too. Now that I have a 13, 10, and 7 year old they are capable of helping a lot more.)
2.) Delegate – yes, really. Don’t go in there and redo it. Refer to key element number 1 and sing “Let It Go” and pray for Jesus to help your heart. I am being sarcastic but I am also being serious. Your 12- yr old can do the dishes once a day. She can do a few loads of laundry a day. She may act like she doesn’t know that you are supposed to add soap everytime to the washer or wipe off the counters but just push on and work towards solidarity. Just think of all the life skills you are imparting to your precious ones. I have a bellyacher, a super eager helpful(somewhat self righteous) soldier, a my way or the highway type and a passive aggressive hide and do nothing type. All of these little girls will be fine. Someday. Just be nice and leave the emotions at the door. This will be very hard but you can totally do it. {Phil. 4:13}
3.) Expect failure and reteaching – this is the stuff of motherhood. I know there is no need to explain. Let’s not pretend. If you don’t have little ones at home, you probably don’t need this magical blog post in your life right now because you are experiencing the magic of empty nesting….
If you have young children, you will create more time for sewing (or whatever your happy place) by teaching and delegating household chores to them. It will only help them in the long run to be productive members of society who know what it takes to run a household, serve others, put family first, and value a good work ethic. While I can’t change their hearts, I do try to give them a bible verse with their training and pray it will take root. God’s Word will truly cause heart change with the grace and power that only come from Him. Here is a printable for that…
Now sit down, relax, eat some bon bons and SEW until someone fills the dishwasher with regular soap and overflows the kitchen with bubbles or spills your coffee on the new rug. #thestruggleisreal#sewingismyhappyplace
If you are subscribed to my email list, these pretty and practical infographics will be delivered to your inbox for free. The sign up is on my home page. Thanks for reading! -Andrea
by Andrea | Sep 26, 2016 | DIY, Sewing, tutorials
The question I get most often is, “How do you find the time to sew and do your design work?” The obvious unspoken questions are: Do your children eat? Is your house a pig sty? Are you really homeschooling? Do your kids just watch TV all day or what? Are you on speed? Are you superwoman?
I have a few answers for you, my friends. No my children do not starve. Which brings me to part one of How To Magically Make More Time…..
FREEZER MEALS
I have found that most freezer meals on pinterest or in books range from slightly to grossly disappointing. Usually freezer meals are reserved for desperate measures. They involve cream of yuck soups and are high in carbs and low in nutrition. We usually don’t care because those meals are given in love and are truly a blessing. When making freezer meals to eat often, I don’t want to sacrifice our health or the importance of having meal time together as a family. I also don’t want to sacrifice good taste. Most importantly, I WANT TO SEW DURING NAPTIME instead of make dinner. Sound fun? It is. #worthit
THREE IMPORTANT RULES FOR FREEZER MEALS:
- Healthy – everyone has a different version of healthy. My version is meat, healthy fats, vegetables, whole grains. Our family is fortunate not to have many allergies or food intolerances, but you can definitely adapt most of my recipes to your needs.
- Easy – the finished meals cannot involve anything more than reheating. No multiple packets and steps. That is not a meal. That is food prep.
- Tasty – nobody really likes freezer meals that have no taste or are just full of chicken breasts with jam and cream of yuck. Let’s just make really great food and freeze it.
You don’t have to hold a big freezer meal making marathon. Especially if that makes freezer meals daunting for you. I usually buy enough ingredients to make four meals of one recipe. I make them all, we eat one for dinner that night and I freeze the other 3. However, it is super fun to have a girls night and make them together with friends or to host a freezer meal swap!
I’m sharing our family favorite, Tater Tot Casserole Recipe with you! If you’d like the rest of my recipes for free just sign up for my newsletter(at the bottom of my home page) and they will magically arrive in your inbox! FOR FREE. Delia helped me make these lovely TTC’s last week because I wanted to finish sewing a quilt this weekend. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”
One more thing, I openly apologize to my mother (who faithfully reads all my blog posts) for complaining about tater tot casserole when she used to make it while I was growing up. To be fair, hers had mushy zucchini in it. Love you though. #bestmomever 🙂
Stay tuned for two more editions of How To Magically Make Extra Time (for sewing) (or whatever your happy place is).
-Andrea
by Andrea | Sep 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
Hello, there friends! I don’t plan to put much on the blog from my interior design work, but this Master Bedroom Plan I just finished up is way too fun not to share! My client just purchased her first home. She was SO excited but didn’t know where to start! Every room in the house needs a little TLC, but over all there are many charming nooks and crannies. I am overjoyed that she chose me to help her make it her home!
The home started as a tiny one bedroom house 100 years ago in the Roanoke Valley area of Virginia. The people she bought it from had lived there for a very long time and had added on rooms and wings in lots of choppy weird ways to accomodate their growing family. This meant a nice large house but lots of little design challenges to make it functional and feel like home.
We started with her Master Bedroom because that seemed like the most important room to her when I talked with her about her goals. I decided if she was going to do the majority of the minor DIY work over a period of time by herself, her bedroom being finished first would provide her the haven she would need when other projects were in process and she was tired from her full time job.
So here it is! I call it the “Modern Fun Master” This is the visual design board which gives her an end goal and helps keep her on track. When I make a design board for a client, I provide a full list of items and where to purchase them, paint colors, and commentary as to furniture layout and any remodeling suggestions I might have.
My favorite thing about design jobs is handpicking the pieces of decor that make it truly unique to the client. In this room you’ll notice several handcrafted pieces I found from talented makers on Etsy. Enjoy!
