A Few Posts Rolled Into One

Here's a pretty little bitty tiny flower brought to me by my big boy this weekend. Him and his dad picked it for me on their way back from visiting the neighbors I think. He had it very carefully pinched between his little fingers so as not to crush it. I think it's the most beautiful flower I've ever been given!

I sat it on top of my sewing machine and was struck by how it looked when backlit. Dreamy. The one with the spool of yarn is for size comparison. Please don't judge me by the dust on my machine.

I FINALLY tested out my serger. Guess what? It worked a treat! It was even quiet and smooth! It was so much better than I expected! I had cut out a square of linen to practice-embroider, and I figured it was a perfect practic-serger project as well, since that linen is dying to fray all over the place - voila:

super!

Then I practice-embroidered! The project was inpsired by the sampler pattern in that book that I just inserted a link over there and can't figure out how to get rid of, sorry. Anyway, in hers it says "Stitches I Know" but I got the first word started and realized I needed to stop at "stitch" or I was going to be off balance, so I rolled with it and changed it to "Stich in Time". It has no special conscious meaning. I'm sure I could come up with something deep if pressed. Anyway, then I just free-wheeled and tried out a bunch of stitches she explains in the book. I can see that achieving symmetry is going to be my biggest challenge...

 I'm totally hooked. The colors you get to choose from are amazing, the project is tiny and portable, and quick. The texture is so nubbly and fun to touch...I can see going completely overboard with this new hobby. Everything must be embroidered!!

Then, inspired by the crown Maureen Cracknell made for her son's birthday party (which was in turn inspired by one in this book: The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections) I set to work on a crown for Willie's birthday next weekend. If I ever do get really good at sewing, I will keep this puppy around to humble me:

I didn't use a pattern, I just sorta measured his head and did some figuring in my head and some scissor cutting and five tons of winging it. It isn't as tall as I envisioned, and I didn't have the forethought (well, I did but then said screw it) to make the appliques first so there wouldn't be all that visible stitching, but whatevs...It was me, a 4 year old, an 8 month old, and a hot iron all in the same small room - I was more than a little distracted. All in all I'm impressed it turned out at all, and I like the cowboy theme with the cowboy print covering the elastic, the old striped fabric - a shirt from his dad's cowboy days, and the stars which I don't know, may not be cowboy, but they are blue and that was Willie's biggest request. He likes it too:

Happy almost birthday Willie Man. Mommy loves ya. Now go wash that face!!