4 Stuffed Animal Sewing Patterns to Download

There's still time to make a stuffed toy. Luckily this is a digital download so there's no waiting or leaving home to get all four patterns. Just pay for The Dear Ones and download patterns here.

Cutest Handmade Bear

The hand stitching makes this bear so very lovable and adorable. Some lucky child is going to be thrilled with this huggable stuffed animal. Handmade toys and gifts are the best! via

Plants Wintering Over Downstairs

I brought in the geranium and the flowering nasturtiums over a week ago and they are both very happy downstairs looking out of the sliding glass door that gets the morning sun. I dug up the geranium that was planted in a large metal urn. The nasturtiums were grown from seeds in the center pot while the pot on the far right contains nasturtium plants I dug out of pots in my front garden on Sunday. They are still in recovery mode. I have never tried overwintering annuals but I read online that nasturtiums are a good plant to try. We shall see.

These pots are too large to display anywhere else in my cottage. Every available spot is already taken on my main floor and in the attic with smaller pots of rosemary, thyme, geraniums, lavender, and more nasturtiums. I like indoor gardening and tending plants rather than leaving them outside to freeze and die. They are very beneficial for the indoor air quality too. 

I have been very busy washing all my sweaters and mending tiny holes here and there. I started out washing two by hand in the kitchen sink. Then I noticed for the first time there was a setting for knits on my 15 year old front loading washer. I decided to try it with 4 dark sweaters turned inside out. I was thrilled with the results. My washer spins everything almost dry and the sweaters dried quickly on drying racks in my furnace room. The mending is another story. I'm so glad I have so much thread but none of it is wool. I matched the colors perfectly and took little made-up darning stitches and mended the holes almost invisibly. Nobody else will even notice and I will have a fresh wardrobe of my favorite sweaters looking brand new in a few more days.

I posted these two photos on Instagram this morning. I usually don't blog using the same pics but they will be new to those of you who don't do social media.

xo

Lily of the Valley Draperies in My Cottage

I am positive I have blogged about the draperies in my guest room/dressing room but I cannot find it. The doorway of this room is opposite the doorway into my hall bathroom. I don't have a master bath and I never wanted one in my cottage. You can stand in the hallway and look one way and see this room and turn your head and see the window in my bath with the curtains made from the leftover fabric. Now, here is the backstory. Years and years ago, when my mother was still alive, we attended a garage sale in the yard of a fabulous old house. I circled and circled the table piled high with old draperies made from the most beautiful fabric printed with a lily of the valley design. I held them up, showed them to my mom, put them back, and continued looking at all the other items that was for sale. Finally, I decided I had to have them and brought the two pairs of full-length lined window treatments home. I knew I could probably alter them to fit my two windows and I did. This is a more recent photo I posted on Instagram. They are perfect in this room and a wonderful memory of a day with my mother.

I couldn't find any old photos of the way the curtains used to look in my bathroom when they hung straight down. The black rods were like the ones above in my guest room. I did find this photo showing just the hems. I also found this photo showing some paperwhites with the fabric in the background.

Thank you for all of your comments about my car repair and your concern for my predicament while it was inoperable. I am thrilled to have it back in my driveway and today I have to do some major food shopping today and thankful I don't have to go car shopping. xo

My Car is Fixed! and A Curtain Refresh

Yes, it's true. My car is truly fixed and it seems better than ever. My friend, the mechanic, said it was really four security systems and he could see why the dealer didn't want to get involved. He said he had only installed one system in his entire career but he has removed over 500. They eventually break down and removing is the only option. I had to get a new battery too. He said to keep driving my vehicle and see what happens. That was my plan too. 

Now about the curtain in my bathroom. It is directly across the hall from my guest room that has full length curtains in the same Lily of the Valley fabric. I previously had this curtain on a black rod with ball finials that covered the side woodwork. They were parted in the center and the black rod showed and the curtains hung straight down. 

I decided to redo the top casing so there would be a ruffle on top and to hang them from a tension rod this time. I wish I had made the casing for the rod a smidge bigger so adjusting the gathers would be easier. But it worked so I am not about to get out my seam ripper. 

I decided to pull them back and experimented with a grosgrain ribbon, twill tape and ended up with organza ribbon and I love the look.

*Note: I had the overhead light fixture on to brighten the room and it was a warm bulb that makes my Lancaster Whitewash walls look beige. This window gets the morning sun from behind and never any direct sunlight on the front of the fabric.

I love the look of a sheer ribbon that does not hide any of the design. I put a ring through the fabric and made a continuous loop with a stapler. The ring is at the end hanging on a decorative nail. The panels will be easy to close in the summer when the hot sun is blazing and I want to block it to keep the house cooler. All I have to do is unhook the ring and slip the ribbon loop down to the bottom hem and completely off and reverse the process to part the panels again when the sun is on the other side of the house. 

Being without a car has been a blessing in many ways because I have gotten so much great work done without the distraction of leaving the house. You know what I mean, when you leave and come back, you sometimes lose your momentum and it's hard to get back into the swing of things.

I will catch up on my errands tomorrow. xo

Double Needle Sewing + Chickens

My vintage slant needle Singer has double-needle capabilities. This photo looks like a commercial sewing machine but I am intrigued. Maybe I will get out my manual and try some double sewing this winter while I am nesting. via

Isn't this one of the loveliest mother and child photo you've ever seen? I adore the feathers on this chicken, all fluffed to protect her little chick. via

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Beautiful Relaxed Slipcover

I really love the look of this chair with a relaxed-fit slipcover. Maybe it would be easy to make but I'm not sure. The whole setting is quite lovely too. Don't you love the fabric choices for the chair and the pillow? photo found on Pinterest and traced back to here.

DIY Fabric Shoe Bag to Love

I found this photo in a box of magazine clippings I've been saving and I still love. Sorry, there were no instructions. I made a shoe storage bag without a pattern years and years ago. I made it the width and height of my closet door and it was wonderful. My mother ended up with it in her condo in Charlotte before she came to live with me, so it lived a long life. We gave it to one of her friends so it's still being used. If you have some fabric that makes your heart sing (yes, there are such things), this is a great project for you. This one was designed around the width of the clothes hanger. The one I made had metal eyelets across the top for nails and the fabric was folded over several times for reinforcement to hold the weight. The one above illustrates the creative uses you can come up with for your own needs, such as storing and saving seed envelopes. 

I found a youtube video with instructions https://youtu.be/30idKV4qZnk - there is a link within for illustrated step-by-step instructions.

Socks for My Ironing Board in Attic

Don't laugh. I made a long stocking and two little socks for the legs of the ironing board in my attic. I used remnants from an old Fair Isle sweater vest that had holes in it. I tried leaving my ironing board up all the time but it was in the way. Leaning it against the wall was leaving marks that I was able to remove with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Yesterday, I got the bright idea to make covers for the three legs. I made a stocking for the long leg and was able to turn the fabric inside out to hide the seams. The other two legs were too narrow so the seams of the short socks are on the outside, trimmed closely. It was a quick project with wonderful results. A friend gave me this sign since everybody always asks my advice for some reason. They know how grounded I am and they see the wise choices I have made for myself. I have it hanging here when the ironing board isn't being used. 

Here is another view of my attic workroom. The flat file is full of antique prints. I am still working up here and will post other views soon. We are having fall weather all week with no sun until Saturday. I need to bring in my house plants before it gets any cooler. It is noontime and the temperature is only 61° outside. I melted all last with the central air running night and day so I am not complaining about the abrupt weather change. I know we will have some more warmer days before fall sets in for good. I'm going to put the cover on my outside air conditioning unit though. I refuse to use it again until next year. Have a good Monday. xo

My Sewing Thread Jar

One of my friends gave me this glass jar with the rope handle last summer and I could never find the perfect use for it until I decided to use it for my huge collection of sewing thread. I put the jar next to my sewing machine for scale in this photo that I enhanced using the Snapseed App. The wall behind my sewing table really isn't grungy at all. Most of these spools are wooden and many contain silk thread. Somewhere along the way, I must have purchased someone's thread collection because I will never have a use for many of these colors. I had them all in a jumble in a large hat box and in a desk drawer when I was looking for a spool of white thread and it hit me that I should display them in my jar. It sits on the ledge below my three windows with the new blue and white checked curtains I made this month. I put this photo on Instagram yesterday and people are loving it. Do you have a lot of thread too? Why not display it in one of those large lidded cookie jars like Ina and Martha use for flour on their cooking shows? I pulled out the spools of white and black thread and the heavy thread you use for sewing on buttons and put them in a drawer. I know I'll have to dump the jar if I need a specific color that might be buried in the center of my stash but I don't mind. It makes me happy to look at it when I'm up in my attic sewing room. See you later, xo.

Mending Day at My Cottage

Yesterday, I decided to do some mending. One of my favorite percale sheets had a three-cornered tear and had been in my mending basket for way too long.

Here it is before mending. I like percale sheets because they are so nice and cool in the summer.

This is the reverse side after mending. I used a plain zig-zag stitch first and then topped it with another decorative stitch for stability. Then I trimmed away the excess backing material.

This is the side that faces the mattress when the bed is made. I ironed the sheet and changed my bed linens and it was good to have my old sheet back again.

My Vintage Singer Sewing Machine

I posted these two pictures on Instagram today because so many people wanted to know what sewing machine I was using. The decal on the front says it was manufactured in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Don't you love things that were made in the USA back when things were made to last instead of being thrown away? I believe the term is "planned obsolescence" and I don't like it one bit. I still prefer having things repaired whenever possible.

The instruction booklet says the Slant-O-Matic was the greatest sewing machine ever built! And I would have to agree. I can remember my mother saving up S&H Green Stamps for her first electric Singer. That's the only brand we ever had. We had an old treadle machine too and I loved sewing on it as a child. The next page of this booklet says ©1961. I think I bought mine a little later than that but it was still the most current model at the time. It is all metal construction and is not computerized. The decorative stitches are all gear driven. It is nicknamed The Rocketeer because of its futuristic mid-century modern design. I guess it would be called Retro now.

I have this Olive Oyl cartoon saved on my phone. I love texting it back when I receive a text that is worthy of this response.

Curtain with Red Geranium

Sunday morning sunshine in window with geranium.

It rained all night and was very windy too. Before it started yesterday, I put a red geranium in the first window I see when I go up the attic stairs. This is the way it greeted me when I went up to open the windows this morning. Thank you for all of your wonderful comments. 

Now I will tell you more. I had originally intended to do only one panel for each window, like a roman shade completely collapsed. Well, that didn't work at all. Too skimpy and not full enough to tie back in one direction, and they made the room too dark. Back to the drawing board to make three more. I have never made roman shades and didn't want to learn. I had no idea what I was going to use to tie back the double panels. I tried various twines, ropes, ribbons, etc. but was too lazy to make them from the same fabric at this point (burnout was just around the corner). Then I discovered a new roll of 3/4" white twill tape and that was the answer. I used white chair glide pins to anchor them. The white looks perfect from the outside too, matching the lining material. It was an evolutionary process, not planned the way it turned out. I could never be a decorator for anyone else. How would you explain process this to a client? Now that it's finished, I wouldn't change a thing. I sometimes cook this way too. What's for dinner? No idea. Start chopping an onion and see what happens. Not planned but delicious. Have a great Sunday. xo

New Curtains I Sewed for My Attic

What an adventure I had this week making curtains for my third floor home office/work room. This is where I have my sewing room and ironing board as well as two PC computers. One is an iMac and the other is an old Windows XP computer.

I moved my sewing machine next to the last window and I really like it here. I worked today rearranging the part of the room you see in the ten photos I am posting today. The rest of the room is is wreck but I will slowly get it just the way I want it.

This is a view showing one of the windows closed. I created a monster when I started this project. Right away I had to take out the screens and wash them in hot soapy water outside. Then I had to clean the windows inside and out. Thankfully, they are tilt windows so it wasn't hard at all.

This is a view to the way back.

This pic shows the white twill tape tie backs. In the winter when it's freezing outside I can remove and let the curtains hang shut so there won't be so much heat loss downstairs as the warm air rises and hits the cold window panes. If I'm sewing and need more natural light, I'll just tie back the ones beside my machine.

Here is a close up of the wonderful designer fabric. It is woven in a damask pattern and it's the same on the reverse side. I am so thrilled I found four panels of long draperies that I remade for my little windows. They were double lined too. One layer of white flannel for insulation and the white cotton lining material.

Here is a view of the wall behind my Singer. The TV on a vintage artist's stand was for sculpting and now my TV and DVD player use it. I don't have my cable working in the attic and I mostly listen to NPR up there. The baseboard heat is on this wall too for warmth if I sew when it's cold.

Another view. Are you bored yet? This shows my comfy chair pulled up to the machine.

This might be a repeat.

My trusty Singer I've had since about 1965 and it is still simply wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I had to have the bobbin winder repaired several years ago but otherwise, it has never had a problem. I had a cabinet for it at one time but I sold it to a friend long ago. It works fine on this makeshift stand that is easy to move around. I love my pin cushion with the clear plastic wrist strap. I have a red one too but the bracelet part broke and I've been using it with elastic that needs to be replaced. I found this blue one in a drawer this week and was so excited. It's better than my red one because it is filled with metal shavings that sharpen the pins every time you poke one in. It says made in Japan so it's very old. I always look at sewing supplies at house sales.

That's it for my this project that I started on Tuesday morning. My windows look so nice from outside too, just like the cozy cottage that it is. Enjoy the weekend. It was overcast all day and has just started to rain. xo

Cat with a Sewing Project

I have been busy up in the attic sewing curtains for three windows and I have been enjoying myself immensely. This kitten sewing with a red hot needle made me laugh. Will post photos when I'm finished. I found four long panels of lined sewn curtains in a big blue and white checked fabric and I had remake them for my windows. They were double lined and will make my attic much warmer this winter. More later. xo

A Sewing Project at My Cottage

This was my introduction to sewing as a child. I sewed doll clothes by hand. I love this illustration by Jessie Willcox Smith found on Google Images.

I really shouldn't show this photo yet because the pillow cases aren't right. I just threw them on while the proper ones were being laundered. This spread is my current completed sewing project. I purchased this large piece of old unbleached linen at an estate sale and hoped it would become my lightweight summer bedspread. It was already sewn in three panels. I brought it home and laundered it but the center panel was too wide and the two side panels were too long. So up to the attic I went to get reacquainted with my sewing machine. It was a pretty easy project and I'm pleased with the results. It was just a matter of measuring and a lot of ironing. I put French seams where the side panels were attached so there are no raw edges and I top stitched them too. The deep hem on the side panels is so much nicer than the shirt tail hem that was there before. I cannot sleep on or under anything but natural fabrics that breathe. If there is one drop of polyester or another synthetic, I can tell and it smothers me. This must make me a close cousin of The Princess and The Pea.

Now I'm thinking about making some new curtains for my attic windows that I can close in the summer to block the morning sun. Will keep you posted. xo

Needle Felted Grey Hare / Rabbit

So charming. This was made from a kit.

No, I am not going to make one but I love this.

From Etsy.

Ticking Slipcovers

I have always been a fan of blue and white stripped ticking. These dining room chairs look so nice in this fabric but it must have been an expensive project unless the owner sewed them herself. They would look better around a larger table or as stand alone chairs somewhere else. via 

Can you believe it's October already? I have always said that the summer drags by and after Labor Day the days fly by and all of a sudden it's Christmas. See what I mean? It's true, so start getting ready! Smile.

Painting by Bertha Wegmann: Woman Sewing

What a gorgeous painting!

Interior with woman sewing (1891) by Bertha Wegmann (1846-1926). Danish portrait painter of German ancestry. via

Needlework Landscape Design

Gardening with a needle.

I really love this garden design.

via