by Andrea | Apr 8, 2016 | handmade, quilting, Sewing
I promised to deliver details of the epic Sewcation 2016 and here we are. A month later, but never the less, if you feel the itch of nosiness it can now be tamed friends……here are the details of our epic weekend. I invited several women who have been dear and special to me throughout my life. Women whom God has placed in my life at just a time when I needed a friend. Women who have taught me to sew, inspired me to sew, sewn me little dresses when I was growing up and women who just plain love me.
THE GOOD
Sew, I mean so…..The day started out with a spectacular display of selflessness on my husbands part. I slept in. He took all Science Fair Projects and school aged children with him to school. He set up and displayed. He listened to the presentations. My hero…..I had a leisurely morning with just Thing #5. I had coffee BEFORE 9am.(#miracle) After nursing and packing up the car with an unrealistic amount of sewing projects in my bags(and a unhealthy amount of optimism needed to be finishing those things)….and every notion I needed (except thread#facepalm), I hit the road to pick up Thing #3 from kindergarten and grab lunch.
My hero called just in time to save me from the woe of drive thru fast food to tell me of everyones sciency success and offered to take me to sushi! Ruby Jane (#5) thoroughly enjoyed this. But mostly she liked the spoons.
THE SAD
My friend Lori from Cottonwood Farm called to confirm that she was indeed stuck in Texas with her husband on a big painting job and would not make it back in time. When one lives in a land of Sewcationless days for 365.25 days of every other year, the utter devastation of a chum stuck two states away is beyond SAD. We mourned for her loss. We vowed to plan a redo Sewcation 2016.2 in her honor. There may have been selfish sewing motives mixed in with our pure ones. I can’t be sure. (Winky Face)
MORE GOOD
We all arrived at The House On Eagle Ridge around 6 except for my friend G who stayed late in KC to deal with the rest of the science fair madness and transport our 5 million children where they needed to go after school. She brought my Thing #1 and Thing #2 with her. Bless her heart.
Our hostess with the mostest, (aka my mother in law) seated us to a beautiful table, perfect with themed decor. Apothecary jars full of buttons and thread mixed and mingled among the fresh flowers. We all felt a bit ridiculous at the beautiful and lavish pampering our tired selves were unaccustomed to. It was pure loveliness. She is gifted at entertaining! Her daughters helped serve and watch my kiddos too!
But we were all here to do one very important thing. So we valiantly polished off our tiramisu and headed out to the party room with hot large cups of coffee to begin our sewing adventures for the weekend.
We were all a bit tired and didn’t last long! So we headed to the lovely guest barn and settled in for the night. My MIL has been working hard to make it a rustic haven for all her guests. It’s truly unique and adorable.
MORE SAD
Over the course of the night my friend Ginny got the flu, and my friend Alicia’s sweet 6 week baby boy came down with a nasty cold. They left after lunch. We were dropping like flies!
THE BEAUTIFUL
There were many moments of beauty throughout the weekend. I really enjoyed catching up with my sweet southern belle Haley. I listened to her talk about letting her boys pick out their quilt patterns and fabric in her warm Arkansas accent as she worked….and I realized the beautiful thing about Haley is, she always sees the possible in every situation and encourages those around her to let their hearts dream a little. She’s a vault of how-to information and knows the steps hard work must take to realize those dreams, encouraging those steps with excitement for those around her.
I loved watching my cousin Jaimee, as she worked, sleep deprived from her cute little #4 on a beautiful quilt for her sons’ teacher. Only her second quilt, but she finished an entire quilt top that weekend! All the while her beautiful little boy Nolan cheering her along close by.
Her mother my Aunt Kathy, brought a giant dahlia quilt to work on. Attempting a quilt like that is no small feat! I can’t wait to see it all finished. It’s amazing! She is gifted at detail work, I still love the beautiful embroidered pillowcases she made me for my wedding! She has a kind heart and loves me like her own.
My mother began a giant mustard and gray colored arrowhead quilt for me. The beautiful thing about my mom is that she always loves people by spending time with them and on them. I’ve never wondered if she loved me but I’ve often thought about how blessed I am that she likes me. She taught me how to sew, but of course so much more.
Next we have Ginny. She is amazing! She is a true artist. The quilts she sews up are always an exciting surprise of modern, quirky, delightfully unexpected patterns and colors. I love how she just makes what makes her heart sing. I can’t imagine where I’d be without her. She taught me that fearing mistakes suck all the joy out of creating. I love that God brought us together over cloth diapers and we first shared our hearts over nachos one rainy afternoon in her big comfy house. She has been encouraging me ever since.
Alicia is Ginny’s sister in law! She is always making something from beautiful fabric non stop. Even with her baby strapped on and 4 other children to homeschool, she makes time to sew. She brought some amazing Chalk and Paint Fabric for AGF by Sew Caroline. In no time at all she had whipped up a darling easter dress for her sweet one and only girl Lillian. Off topic but may I also say that Alicia is a talented baker and often makes us decadent treats for girls craft nights that are simply to die for. I now firmly believe all sewing must involve desserts thanks to her.
Finally, I made about 24 blocks of the Fancy Fox quilt for my #3 Hayler. It’s probably the most intricate time consuming quilt I’ve ever made. It’s not hard but it is tedious and I am not a fast piecer. I hope I can finish it this Spring! There are lots of exciting projects in the works in my hectic little home that distract me from it and I can’t wait to share about them all here.
I hope this post inspires you to make fond memories over busy hands with the dear ones in your life.
-Andrea
by Andrea | Mar 9, 2016 | handmade, quilting, Sewing
It’s time for Sewcation 2016. I’m super excited! Sometimes you have to buy a whole lot of fabric and “get the heck out of Dodge” for a quiet weekend of sewing. “It’s therapetic!” -Barney Fife. Almost every year I try to take this little trip. Back in 2011, my bestie and I took off for a few much needed days of uninterrupted sewing. There was a family condo in the Ozarks with plenty of space and my birthday and hers were a great excuse…We loaded up my nursing 9 month old, 3 rubbermaid bins of fabric, two sewing machines, a serger, and lot of snacks. It was THE BEST. We jokingly dubbed it a sewcation. I made easter dresses for my girls and started a massive quilt for my master bedroom. She sewed her daughter’s entire Spring and Summer Wardrobe. We’ve tried between babies, and husbands, and kids to make it work every year. It hasn’t always happened.
This year I have the opportunity to invite 8 of my closest family and friends who love to sew for an epic Sewcation 2016! My MIL has recently built a guest house with a gazillion bunks and bathrooms. For my Christmas gift, she offered to host Sewcation 2016! Just for fun I have designed a logo, and I plan on staying up late to make some memorable swag for the occasion! I’m so thankful for this opportunity in the midst of a stressful and busy season of life.
Make time for what you love, despite your limitations….you need to. Give yourself grace so you can give it to others. Make your —-cation!
I plan to sew a quilt that my daughter has been wanting. I’ll be using a pattern called Fancy Fox Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman! I was inspired by this version pinterest.
Here’s the logo! I’ll share more when we get back!
by Andrea | Feb 8, 2016 | Baby, handmade, Sewing
Free baby hat sewing pattern! My little Ruby likes to have her head covered at all times. I’m really not happy with the newborn hat selection in stores. The hats that come with most layettes are two pieces of cotton with no stretch recovery and barely stay on. They are all a little too big and ill fitting. I’ve made this cute little knotted hat pattern for her and it fits just right! I call it the Knotted Gnome Baby Hat.
I’m sharing the love today with you. Download the Knotted Gnome baby hat sewing pattern for free and sew right along with me! It’s very easy and makes a great baby gift! I have a skinny or wide band option on it. I’ll be grading it for all sizes to sell in my Etsy shop, Handful Of Arrows soon. I’ve used a nice french terry from JoAnns with a good stretch. You can use any knit stretch fabric.
Here’s a quick tutorial. This hat takes about 30 minutes to make. Or 5 minutes to buy in my Etsy Shop. Ha! You can do it, don’t be afraid of stretchy fabric.
TUTORIAL
{DOWNLOAD HERE}
1.)Cut out your pattern pieces and tape together A & B
2.) Cut 3 pieces out of knit fabric
3.) Serge right sides together or sew with zigzag stitch
4.) Cut out band: Skinny 2” x 15” strip Wide 2.5” x 15” Strip
5.) Fold band in half and press
6.) Serge/zig zag right sides of band together on shorter width end. Fold band back in half.
7.) Pin folded band with raw edges right side against wrong side of hat evenly at four points.
9.) Serge or zigzag, stretching to fit. Turn hat right side out. Poking with a pencil to get the skinny end. Turn band to right side of hat and press.
10. Tack band to hat inside the band with a knot stitch by hand. Tie a knot!
There you have it. A cut little knotted gnome hat 🙂 Enjoy! -Andrea
Photos by Me, Andrea Loy
Cuteness by Ruby Jane
Please do not share pictures of my children without permission. Please share design credit when using the pattern for business. Thank you! – Andrea
by Andrea | Jan 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
In Joy and Pain
Meet Ruby Jane. Our beautiful 5th girl. In her honor I will share all the juicy details about how I really feel and what I really believe about having 5 girls. Please don’t continue reading unless you’re human and have struggled with disappointment at some time in your life. Or if you’re really nosy. Then proceed.
DISCONTENT. It’s the problem. The ultimate sin that plagues most of us. It reaches flexibly into all areas and circumstances of our lives. Satan’s arsenal of mass destruction, a cancer of anti-joy infecting our soul. From Eve in the Garden of Eden to our very-real now.
THE STORY OF MY LIFE – I got the same question every time I walked through a public place with all the girls and my pregnant belly. “Is that one a girl too?” or comments, such as “Please tell me that’s not a girl.” I would look at my oldest daughters face. A mixture of insult, awkward sadness and the knowledge that it’s ironically funny. But behind all those emotions, a deeper knowledge of how it hurt me to be asked again, and a certainty of how much we loved and welcomed this baby into our lives as the blessing and reward she is. We treasure all our girls, never for a moment wishing them away.
I have 5 girls. I didn’t want all girls. All the questions ran through my mind at one point or another. Silent, sad, pathetic, desperate and heated conversations in my head with God. “Why Lord?” “Really?” “Is it something I’ve done wrong or said?” “Why does _____ get one and I don’t?” “Just one, please?!” “I promise I’ll raise him to serve and love You”
So, when you are tempted to despair or when you are wrecked with the overwhelming tide, the burgeoning “too much” like these children bring me to daily….how do you deal with it? When the girls are crying dramatic tears over some ridiculous problem involving what to wear or who hurt their feelings….. There is a tension to it. I no longer mentally debate whether God is really good or whether He really knows the plans He has for us.
Yet, the flesh and the Spirit still wage war in my soul.
I can listen to the lies, that if I had a boy, or a bigger house, or a healthier body, or a better job, or whatever the lie is… life would be easier…but there are so many lies. So many idols to worship.
“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for a hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
This verse used to be a cliche to me. Do you believe this? I didn’t. This promise of scripture applies to our lives, not just Jeremiahs. We are always such discontented little creatures, us. Always dissatisfied with that which God gives. Our hearts “manufacture idols” as Charles Spurgeon once wrote. But God’s character has never changed. HE is still the good God who gives and takes away. He ordains our days. He gives life and breath. Our souls were made to be happy in HIM alone, so that in all situations we could say “Blessed be the Name of the Lord!” Every trial big and small, every loss and heartbreak, is an opportunity to believe that He has planned this day for you and there is a good gift of joy to unwrap in the pain. That each moment is tied to our present sactification and our future joy.
HOW?
How do we do that when our angry, blinding tears paralyze us in our prayers for what we feel we desparately need? After I found out my 4th was a girl, I sobbed for days. I cried every time someone I knew or loved found out they were having a boy. Their good news striking a blow to my scarring, bitter heart. Sometimes I still have the sting. How do we get the joy? He gives that longed for joy the minute we stop to thank Him and bless His name. The joy is in the eucharisteo, or the giving thanks of our gifts to God. But sometimes five girls or fill in the blank with your gifts-don’t look like gifts. So He lovingly took me and will continue to take me and you (dear friend if you’re still reading) to a place where I could see that my girls were indeed good, purposeful, sacred gifts. The place is called…Not having anything else. Just girls.
Truth stops the bitter cycle of discontent.
WITH TRUTH:
“3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm127:3-5
But is there anything wrong with wanting or having a son? NO! If I believe Gods word is true, then I can rest in the fact that the children He DOES give me are a reward and blessing.
Really at the end of the day the deal for me is this:
I BELIEVED THE LIE THAT HAVING A SON WOULD MAKE ME TRULY HAPPY.
Believing that your joy is based upon any one earthly necessity and cannot be found in Christ alone is an idol. I believe a lot of lies, to be honest. (They are all straight from the pit of hell.) We all do. Praise God for revealing them to me. I pray He reveals yours to you.
Here is a little analogy…..If you like to quilt and sew you will understand.
I made Ruby a quilt. I kept sewing the pieces together and cutting them WRONG! When we bind our hearts together with sinful beliefs, it’s a MISTAKE! So God, being the masterful “quilter” HE is, takes his loving hand of sanctification to His beloved US, and rips those seams apart. He shows us the idols, and destroys them. He corrects us and remakes us and refashions us and ultimately our thinking. He directs us RIGHT back to TRUTH. The truth is in His Word. HE is Truth. The ripping is painful. It’s painful because our flesh, and what we want more than Christ is dying. But the end result is beautiful.
I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Psalm119:75
I often ask myself, “What is your biggest problem?”
That you have to die for your sin. Has He taken away your sin and it’s penalty? The answer is yes. Yes He most wonderfully has! So all those lies are answered with this one truth. HE HAS given me a son. His Son died for me. And for you. It is finished. When we behold the fullness of our salvation and the beauty of our Savior, the lies of the happiness this world offers pale in comparison, or they should. So you need deep, still, solid peaceful joy to happen in your soul? Just ask.
And friends, the truth is ONLY HE CAN MAKE US HAPPY. Truly full of JOY. So why aren’t we always happy? If we are Christians and we know this with our heads? Because we are in a war. The war between our sinful flesh and our redeemed Spirit. We can wallow in our mistakes and our desires and our lies, leaving that unfinished quilt to die in our basement craft piles, or we can submit ourselves to God who is faithful in our struggle for joy. We can be remade.
Isn’t my newest gift just beautiful? God is good. Here she is with the quilt I made her.
{Edited by Lori Chally}
My mother began a giant mustard and gray colored arrowhead quilt for me. The beautiful thing about my mom is that she always loves people by spending time with them and on them. I’ve never wondered if she loved me but I’ve often thought about how blessed I am that she likes me. She taught me how to sew, but of course so much more.
