First of Many

I have this dream of running away and becoming a nun that sings on the mountain tops, or teaching trouble kids to sing in a choir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well really I just want to be involved in “ministry.” I’ve always had a mindset that I want it to be my full time job and that it wouldn’t fully be in ministry unless that happened. I know that’s not a true statement though. I realized and know that I’m called to ministry everyday and all day. I’m not very good at it, I really don’t have the best of attitudes. I know that when I use my talents God will make them beautiful for him and the real message will come through.

So weather you are not going to a church or involved in a religious organization this is something everyone can be apart of. I am making pillow case dresses for girls in Cambodia. My good friends Matthew and Melissa Stock are actively in missions over there. This idea is nothing new, you may have heard of Dresses for Africa or other organizations. All you do is sew dresses and send them over seas to kids in need of clothes. If you don’t know how to sew you can donate as well.

I followed the instructions from Sew Like My Mom.  Very easy and she also has great links for other dress organizations. I love sewing and I’ve been really busy at work and haven’t had much time to get back into the groove of it. This was a great project to get started again but also fun.

So if something is calling you, do it. There may be other paths to accomplish your goals then what you originally envisioned. Mine is just getting involved now, don’t wait for others to try and help but just go for it. Sewing is an very expressive way for me to share with others. I hope the girls who wear theses dresses love them and know that they are from a God who loves them very much. If that can come across I don’t need to sing on a mountain top.

 

 

Creative Outlets

Sewing has taught me to be patient and to know its okay to mess up and mess up often. I love being creative and exploring different ways for an outlet. I recently bought a Diana F+ mini. I’ve completed one whole roll of of film and I messed up! I knew I might mess up before I even started but I wanted to try to all of the options for a 35 mm. I learned a lot with my first roll and I’m excited to see my second. Below are effects that I tried out.

 

• With the Diana F+ mini you can choose from two frame formats. The half frame 17x24mm and the square frame 24x24mm. The first roll was shot in the half frame. This will come out as one whole frame split once it’s developed. 

• Long Exposures didn’t work out for me this time. This is keeping your shutter open for a certain amount of time to let light in over a period of time. I need a tripod or a flat surface to test this out. Also I accidentally kept it open after for about the last 6 frames. I got a bunch of white pictures at the end.
• I got one Multiple Exposures. This really didn’t work for me on any other picture because when I tried it my shutter was open from the long exposure. This was a fun effect to even test. I was able to take multiple shots in one frame. Click without winding.

• Overlapping Exposures will be interesting to see on the full frame the 24x24mm. This is similar to multiple exposures. You click and wind a little and then click again while on the same frame. See my cute niece Cora below.

 

 

So go be creative and share. What is your creative outlet, comment and below about what makes you de-stress. Go mess up but learn from it and get better with each time you try.

Books and More

Well it’s been a busy Fall and Winter. I had a friend who just encouraged me to get back on to my blog. I’ve recently bought a lot of sewing books and I wanted to share them. They are awesome and I thought others would like to enjoy them too.

Two magazines that I buy every time I’m in a craft store are from Stampington & Company.  Apron*ology  and Haute Handbags are my favorite. I just bought the new Apron*ology today and I love it! If you like aprons for fashion, go get it! I secretly want to be a 50’s house wife, always look put together and in a fashionable dinner outfit. I would also be a women suffragette. I know different decade but I love romanticizing it all…while wear an apron.

Anyway to the books I’ve grown to love.

   123 Sew This has lots of different projects but they also grow in the skills you need with each project. I’ve sewed all the bags, the pin tuck clutch, pleated purse, and pleated messenger bag.

 Sew Serendipity Bags: Fresh and Pretty Projects to sew and Love.  I’ve sew the large foldable Shopper bag. I gave it as a gift.

 Sew Liberated . I’ve not sewed anything from this one yet. I got this book because I thought it would get me thinking more outside the box in a different way. I always take my own approach about sewing and crafts that I do. This book I thought could take me a bit past that. 

The Bag Making Bible. I would say that it is a great how to on everything from: binding, lining, zippers, pockets, and more. Great book. I made the reversible bucket bag today.  I made my biding out of a bandana. I’ll get pictures up soon.

I love reading sewing books and craft books more then anything. I really just like looking at pictures and these magazines and books make me want to read more about the pictures. Sewing and crafts are one of my de-stressers and I love it. Please comment and share any books or blogs that have gave you great ideas or just because you love it.

   

 

 

Messenger Friend

I love making bags; it is one of my favourite things to sew. I like using cute and different purses all the time; I also like bigger purses that aren’t heavy and I can accomplish that with cotton or other light weight material.

My best friend Sam wanted a bag from me and she needed something for when she rides her bike. We looked through a lot of different patterns and found a pretty simple messenger bag that meets her needs.

This awesome patter is in the Bags- the Modern Classics. I love this book and should have purchased it sooner, if you like to sew bags or are just starting out this is a great book. There are very helpful tips for pattern making and how to place your buttons, and cute, etc… Check it out.

Lining

Sam picked out a pattern and I knocked it out the next day. I always like to have muslin on hand; I often use it for lining of bags, patterns, and making test items first. I used my muslin for the lining on the messenger bag and created a pocket with the exterior fabric. Bags- the Modern Classics doesn’t have a full cut out pattern but the measurements and the corner pattern. A messenger bag is pretty simple because it is just a big square and the material scrap from your handles is the flap for your bag.

In Progress

This was a new way to make handles; the instruction has you sew your interior together and then your exterior pieces together. A picture would be great for this, but I failed. Next you sew right sides together of the exterior and interior except for about 3-5 inches at the top on the handles/strap leaving that free. Remove pins and inside out, this is where the magic happens, my sisters always ask me, “how will my strap turn out, will it be a knot or tied strap?” At this time you then take your free exterior strap pieces and sew the end raw edges right sides together and repeat for the interior. I hope that makes sense, check the book out. From there you can iron your unsewn strap to match the rest of your handles and top stitch the rest of your bag, strap is now completely sew and your bag is done!  

Done for Sam

I love making things for my family and friends. I get excited that I get better with each project and my skills keep growing.

Fat Quarter Idol ~ Beach Blanket Bingo

Check out Fat Quarter Idol ~ Beach Blanket Bingo!

 

I did it and it is super easy and fun!! Who doesn’t like picking out patterns!! Here is my Fat Quarter submission.

 

 

New items on Gypsy Jasmer

Check out the new items on my GypsyJasmer Etsy shop.

Satin Clutch

Cherry Blossom Pink Hobo Tote

Bike Bag

Blue Peony Clutch

SandiSewsFun Esty Page

Etsy Page is up!!! I have a collection of picnic gear for all your picnic needs this summer and Spring.

 

Birthday Love

February was Birthday Month. This last month I had three friends who had their birthday, and I made them something festive for the month as well.

Hosanna's Hot Lips

I made Hosanna and Sam a reversible Hot Lips apron. They rocked it out. This was a fun apron to make because I just got a ruffler foot so it made the gathering much easier. It was tricky to get use to but I watched some how-to videos on YouTube and it worked great!

Back side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sam's Hot Lips

Krista's Sweetheart

Krista’s apron was called the Sweetheart apron. Her birthday was right after Valentines day and I wanted to make a fun Valentines gift for her. Ever since Krista has got married she has become quite the baker and I also wanted to make something useful for her.

All of the aprons didn’t call for lining but it makes a nicer more durable apron to line them; I also wanted my friends to have something quality from me. I hope they all had a wonderful birthday month and get use out of their aprons.

Charming Bag

My good friend Kris King, who is wonderful and fashionable and just had her Birthday on January 21 needed a gift. I wanted to make her a fun Birthday gift and since I’m kind of rocking the purses I knew what I would make her. This was a pattern from my newest book, Fabric by Fabric One Yard Wonders.

Flip it and reverse it.

This was a really different pattern for a purse than what I am used to. What was great is the One Yard Wonders included an easy to use pattern so it was very simple for the cutting of my fabric.

The exterior fabric required a home fabric, something thick and durable; I didn’t have that but I had an old pair of jeans that needed to be used. The interior was a my wonderful cotton fabric that I got on sale after Thanksgiving at JoAnn Fabrics. It was a funky purple and matched Kris’ personality.

The interior required a pocket and a snap which I have been using lately and love. The purse doesn’t have straps that attach like any other bag.

To make this purse I had to attach the exteriors including the handle and sew the bottom and side edges leaving the top open. After sewing the exterior I put the right sides together of the exterior and interior and sewed the top and handle. Because how the handle that is designed it wasn’t the typical sew the purse and flip it. After I flipped the purse inside out I sewed the edging of the top and the handle on the bag. The purse is almost done just let to sew the handles to the purse body. The instructions say to add a big button where the handle meets with the purse but I didn’t have any large buttons so I added, Thing-A-Ma-Jigs, a cute little flower.

As always iron is my best friend. It has been taking me anywhere from 2-3 hours to finish a bag, and depending on the bag I have been able to finish sooner about an hour and a half.

I hope Kris loves her gift. Happy Birthday to a great friend who will badly want to edit this post for me. : )

Happy Birthday

Bags & Purses Galore

One of the Christmas gifts I made was a new bag, The Curtain Shopper Bag. This was for my Aunt Lee Ann and I wanted to make it red! Luckily for me I had material from old curtain that my sister gave me that was red! I was going to make this bag with or without the curtain material but it was great to follow the instructions exactly, which I rarely do.

Fashionable Grocery Bag

The bag wasn’t to difficult to make  but there was some mistakes that I will be able to fix the next time around. I always remember my iron, pressing and making the fabric do what I need has been the number one key for my success with my sewing. I love interfacing and  I added the interfacing to the interior. The straps ended up being the trickiest for me and they always are on other bags as well.  I am really enjoying my sewing experiences more and more and I am really starting to understand the sewing instructions as well.

 

The Curtain Shopper Bag was from The Perfect Handmade Bag.