Sewing history! Way back to 1968!

So let's take a little trip back in time to where it all began~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fall 1968, I was excited to be in junior high, seventh grade, attending class, by changing classrooms for each subject with a 5 minute hall passing period in between! My classes, P.E., Math, English, Social Studies, Science, Vocal Music, Art and wait for it ............Home Economics.!!! Oh yea with Mrs. Jean Keller a very patient and understanding teacher! Cooking was fun, but sewing was the best! After the initial basics and demonstration sewing pieces we had to produce, our first real project,  a gingham apron! I choose a moss green gingham fabric, I think at the time it was probably called "avocado" green! lol I still have that first apron in my collection today, with the iron on patch still in place where I accidentally cut a V into the skirt, with my shears, while trimming up a thread or seam I don't remember now. But none the less it was devastating to me at the time! After that apron the sky was the limit! I loved sewing and still do! In the beginning it was all clothing, with some dabbling in stuffed toys, pillows, and fashion accessories.
I think a list would be useful here:

• peasant tops, blouses, summer tops
• a-line dresses, shift for pep club
• prom formals, halter dresses
• numerous shirts for my high school sweetheart (also known as TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart), some with embroidery or satin trim on the yoke, pearl snaps, or made of warm plaid flannel. He loved the shirts!
• My wedding dress! I'll post a picture of it soon. ring bearer pillow
• maternity clothes, I was working at a fabric store at the time and whatever clothing I sewed for display I got for free
• baby bibs, blankets, towels and washcloths, oneies, sleepers, etc.
• for my daughter, many dresses, corduroy pants with matching tops, overalls, night gowns, p.j.s
• a Barbie wardrobe for my cousin, Amiee and my DD
• orange and black tiger striped p.j.s for #1Son
• numerous aprons
• Halloween costumes; a blue bunny, a witch, a pirate, Glenda the good witch, a vampire, a zombie, a Jedi knight, Morticia from the Addams family, I'm sure there are a few more but that's all I can remember without going through the photo albums 

Then in 1993 a sorority sister (that sister is my BFF today) introduced me to QUILTING! It was a small wall quilt that she taught me to make, an Easter decoration!  And as the saying goes the rest is history!!!!!!!!

This is the piece where it all began!

100 degrees at noon

I think that says it all!!! On our way to 105, really, I'm not sure it will stop there, since we are at 100 already!  For the next seven days our highs vary between 103 to 106!!!! Radio news reports this summer as the driest since 1956, that's the year I was born! Yikes! But I remember too that the 50's were also a time of river flooding in Kansas. What extremes!!

I've been coping in my air conditioned, darkened cave-like home, watching movies, reading, sewing, or surfing the net, but it's wearing thin. How much longer?????   I really miss being outdoors or having the windows open connecting me to the outdoors. I want to scream, so..... since I live in the country~~~ I suppose I could!! But that would just give me a headache, humm... so no screaming. Just resign myself to get through another  hot day and stop watching the weather forecast it only burns me up, twice!! Once at the forecast and second out in the heat. Even so I could handle it a bit better if it weren't for the drought too! Heat AND a drought. We will be selling the cows early because the grasses are in such poor shape. The crops, garden, yard, newly (I use that term loosely as most have been planted for a number of years but still on the young side) planted trees and shrubs, and potted plants are also on the decline, so sad. We water but the heat trumps it all!

I feel better sharing, letting it out, sorry to unburden on you my blog readers, but I really needed to vent. So to redeem myself just a little bit I'll share a recent picture I took of the tablecloth I bought to make our dining experience a little more "country summer" inviting. Doesn't it just say fried chicken at grandma's house!

My Entry :)

              This is the purse I made for the Sew Sweet Purse Palooza 2012

THE DOODLE BAG

I'm happy with the fabric choices and the size of the bag, just not quite sure about the handles. I bought them purposely for this bag pattern but now well..... I guess I'll keep'em and see if they grow on me! It was fun to sew, but sometimes I thought the directions were a little difficult to follow, very few diagrams, I like illustrations!! I'm a visual person that's why I love following tutortials from some of the blogs I follow they have great VISUALS!!! I got my purse creation in under the wire as today was the last day to submit an entry! The competition is steep, you are allowed to submit 2 photos of a purse and when I and TheManWhoHoldsMyHeart finally got my entry to post there were 650+ entries so that means approx. 350 purse entries!!!!!!!!!! Lots and lots of GREAT bags!!!

I took a little break while DD, TheOther#1Son and his girl K were visiting over the 4th of July holiday and following weekend. We had lots of great family time, swimming, playing board games (played two new ones called "Ticket to Ride" and "Zombie Dice", very fun!), grilling, and visiting! While DD was here we even got in some sewing on her Corn and Beans quilt! We placed the blocks up on the design wall and gave it a good look at and decide it needed something????? DD thought blue so she cut some blue pieces and I sewed them together and YES that was it! What do you think?

 

Still Hot, But I'm Coping~~~~~

Still 100 degrees+ day after day and from the long term forecast it will be for at least 2 more weeks!!! AGH! Last evening though we did have CLOUDS! It was such a mystery where ever did they come from?? Just north of us, in the same county, the little town of Barnard, got 8 tenths of an inch of rain and some small hail, we got clouds! Oh well it did cool off, into the 90's sooner than usual, which is always several hours after sundown, so that was a plus.
So... to keep my insanity, opps I think that should be sanity, (both do apply sometimes depending on the project),.....I have started sewing on a new handbag,  or purse, or tote, or pocketbook, whatever you call it but definitly not a clutch since it's much larger and has handles. I bought purple leather handles when I was up in Cedar Rapids, IA in September visiting my dear quilting buddy, Jean and attending her guilds quilt show.  She too bought the same handles in red and has completed her purse many months ago! The pattern is ps008 Bow Tucks Tote, designed by Penny Sturges. It's taken me several months to find the fabric that "feels" right for the project, and for me fabric selection is a huge decision!! I bought my fabric in Concordia, KS at Fabric Essentials a quilt shop I hope to return to many times in the future, as this was my first visit and the fabric choices were overwhelming!  The fabrics I choose are from a recently released new line from Andover Fabrics, titled Flower Doodle by Kim Schaefer. I purchased 3 coordinating prints and pulled the black and white lining fabric for the bag from my stash. I'm very happy with the colors and itching to get back to the machine, so I will keep you posted as to my progress and post a picture of it when it's completed. Hopefully very soon as DD is coming for a week long visit on Tuesday and I'd like to have it done so we can do some Corn and Beans (I've posted photos of the block in previous posts) sewing while she's here.

The scenic view from my sewing machine!!! NICE!
It would be much better if it weren't so droughty :-(