Pattern Pieces - a necessary evil

One of the things I dread most about sewing is trying to get all those flimsy tissue pattern pieces back into that itty bitty envelope. Sure, you can just fold them up haphazardly, but then the next time you go to use that pattern you have to open each piece and they have a gazillion little folds all over them that make pinning them flat nearly impossible.

I decided to devise a plan and document it for anyone else wanting to reduce pattern frustration.

1: Cut out all the pattern pieces, not just the ones you need for the current project. (Hint: if you are using a pattern that can make 2 or 3 different sizes and you plan to make a few different sized items from the pattern, make the largest sized item first.)

2: Iron all the pieces so they lay flat. Use a low setting with no steam or the edges will curl up on you. Cut out the fabric for your project and when it is complete, continue with the following steps.

3: Take all the pieces and the pattern envelope back to the ironing board. (Now, if you don't own an ironing board and iron you probably aren't the kind of person who is going to give a rip about whether the pattern pieces are put back nicely or not...just sayin'.) Fold each pattern piece so that each piece's number can be easily seen and in a folded into a size that is close to the size of the envelope. Iron them so they are as flat as can be and place the patterns in numerical order.

4: Sandwich the pattern pieces between the 2 (or more) pages of instructions to keep them from ripping or catching on the envelope opening.














5: They will now easily slide back in. When you go to use the pattern the next time you can easily pick out the pieces you need. (I would iron them again at this point so they will lie flat on my fabric for easier cutting.

Additional Notes: I found that an easy way to transfer circles and squares onto the pattern below is to cut them out on the actual pattern piece. I use a hole punch for the small and large circles and a small, sharp pair of scissors for the squares and triangles. Like so:





It is very easy to then draw a circle in the circle opening or a square in the square opening, etc. on your fabric pieces.

A Little Rusty

I decided to dust off my sewing skills and make a gift for my niece who just turned 4. Like my daughter, she has a love for all thinks bright pink. I had found some cute fleece on clearance and had never found a good use for it, so I thought it would be perfect.

Once I had the fleece out I quickly determined it was not going to be adequate for the project because it was quite thin. It would probably be fine for a Texas winter, but not for the sub-zero temps the Midwest can bring.

I went out to Hobby Lobby and found a cute pattern and a coordinating hot pink fleece. I hurried home to get started and things quickly went south. It has been at least 6 years since I have sewn anything to my best recollection. Sitting on a hard floor cutting out the pattern pieces with a dull pair of craft scissors soon dashed my excitement. I broke a rule my grandmother taught me and used hair cutting scissors on my fabric.

I will spare you the gory details, but instead focus on the positive and show you my before and after pics of the project. I ended up doubling the thickness of the zebra print fleece for the scarf since it was so thin. I got to practice my blanket stitch when applying the hearts to the hat and mittens. And my favorite part is that the mittens have a little finger cover than can be folded back to expose little fingers so they don't have to take off the gloves and possibly lose them to use be able to use their fingers.

Olivia's Adventures Aug - Oct 2011

We got to meet with Olivia's teacher, Mrs. Brinson, last week. She is a sweet woman that has been teaching for 27 years, 5 of those have been at Willis Lane Elementary. Our meeting went pretty much as we thought. Olivia is such a smart girl. She is at Mastery level in almost every area of first grade at the 6 week mark. The only 2 areas she is on par with the rest of the class is her handwriting and her problem-solving skills. Mrs. Brinson also mentioned a lack of focus and some disorganization issues....all of which came as no surprise to us. : )

Because she is doing so well, Mrs. Brinson said she was recommending Olivia for the Talented & Gifted program. They don't pull kids from class in first grade for that, but Mrs. Brinson is a certified T&G teacher, so she had a few students she would be pulling from the main group and having them do more challenging work.

If you ask Olivia what her favorite subject is in school her answer can vary a little. She loves gym now that she has learned to do pushups, but it used to be her least favorite. If she can't do it well, she doesn't want any part of it. While we love that she doesn't settle for mediocrity, it does challenge us to keep reminding her that, with practice, she can master most anything she puts her mind to. I mean, have you heard the girl snap her fingers or whistle? Amazing.

One other area of note the teacher brought up was Olivia's ability to make friends. We have struggled with this for the past few years. She seems to feel no one ever likes her and that she never has any friends, which isn't true at all. One negative comment or puzzled look in her direction from a fellow classmate leads her to believe with all her heart that they don't like her. We have been working on some role-playing to help her feel more confident in the friend-making department. "You have to be a friend to have a friend, " we remind her. "The world doesn't revolve around you, your likes and your wants." To which she has responded, "Really?" LOL

On the flip side, when she is in big group at Sunday School, she will get up in front and lead the whole group during the singing/praise time. She knows all the words and all the motions to the songs and is happy to "help" everyone else do it right as well. She is convinced that she is going to be famous for singing. I even found a note in her room that she wrote, "Some day I am going to be a pop star."

Did I mention this girl loves to read? She devours books daily, reading up to 160 words a minute, which the teacher tells us makes her abilities equal to that of a third grader. Her favorite series right now is Junie B. Jones. She can read one of these 70 page chapter books in about an hour. I don't know how many times I have sensed the uncommon silence and wondered what she was up to. She is seldom THAT quiet for THAT long, you see. I go searching and she is either on her loft bed reading or sitting at her desk with her little light on with her feet propped up on the desk, just reading away.

One of her favorite times of day is reading at bedtime. Her favorite book to bring us is her children's bible. She will want us to read 20 pages, so she can hear the whole story of Moses and his journey in the basket to ending up wandering the desert for 40 years, not just her favorite page of the burning bush.

Our current projects include: Preparing for Trunk or Treat, a pumpkin decorating contest at school, and planning her 7th birthday party.