You Reap What You Sew!

Well, sewing patches on my husband’s work pants was not exactly the project I had in mind for this afternoon.  I was hoping to spend some time today working on some digital sewing patterns that I have planned for Modest Handmaidens, posting new items, writing my blog and weekly newsletter...the list goes on!  But, even though I’m ashamed to admit it, this is the second time my husband has asked me to do this, so I really couldn't put this off any longer.

My husband actually spent much of the day on Friday helping me rearrange my sewing room and office.  We moved some bookcases and a dresser out, so we could have room for my sewing machine table (that he made for me!), and he hung up a rack shelf over my desk.  I have to say that this arrangement has really helped me get more inspired to create more projects and even do the necessary mending that’s always around….like these work pants!

That's my mom's 40+ year old Singer!  I wouldn't part with it for the world!

I cut out some denim patches from a pair too worn to really be of much more use.  I also had some brown corduroy I thought I could do something with.

I had plenty of lookers-on!  First Charlotte.

Four month old Clare in her swing.  She loves all the activity going on!

Kara and Daddy were working on a tasty lunch of chili and corn bread!  They included their own special touches, of course!  Such as when Michael thought the chili was too salty, he added ¾ cup of sugar…unique for sure!  But I was appreciative for the break in making the meal so I could keep on sewing.

Little people keep checking in!  Holden had been wanting to play a game, so we played two rounds of Caves & Claws.  (No, you've probably never heard of it!)

Charlotte had seen this dress pattern, and I told her I might make it for her for Easter.  Well, she kept coming in every 15 minutes to see if I had made her dress yet!

Katherine needed words written for her “book”.  She’s always drawing something!  I actually had to buy her her own ream of paper for Christmas so she’d stop taking mine out of the printer!

Well, sometime much later, I finally got Michael’s patches on a pair of pants.  It’s a denim and corduroy patch on the outside and fleece on the inside.  He does a lot of kneeling, so, of course, I wanted to make sure he was comfortable!  He tried them on and made a nice show of pretending like he was working on something while on his knees, told me how soft it felt, etc.  Then he let me know that the first pair I had picked to patch was one that he didn't prefer to wear because they’re a bit too short.  Then he very nicely said, “Don’t patch anymore this way, just use regular denim.”  I don’t think he particularly cared for the brown corduroy.  We had a good laugh though!  I then spent the next bit taking out the hem and making them as long I possibly could…so at least that got done, too!

Believe it or not, I did have some time to think while sewing.  I was reflecting on the pastor’s homily from today’s reading of John Chapter 2 – The Wedding at Cana.  He brought out some points I hadn't thought of before. The bride and groom had run out of wine at their wedding party.  A potential embarrassment for the couple.  The situation was noticed by Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and brought to Jesus’ attention.  We all know the rest of the story…Jesus turned the water into wine.  And not just any wine, it was GOOD wine and in abundance.!

Our pastor brought out that what a couple, themselves, brings to the marriage is not enough.  A good marriage is made up of three people...the husband, the wife, and God.  What the couple lacks (such as the wine in the story), God is able to provide (through Grace) and He supplies this in abundance!  We receive the graces by doing what Mary says in the narrative, “Do whatever He tells you.”  What do Jesus and Scripture tell us about marriage?  So many things, but the two that come immediately to my mind are to be faithful and fruitful.  There’s a reason why families with lots of children are often happy ones!

I pray that my marriage is first a blessing to my husband, then to my children, and extends to those that we come into contact.  Sometimes an afternoon of sewing turns out to be an opportunity that never would have happened otherwise.  You Reap What You Sew!

What You See is What You Get….Sometimes!

I was looking at our kitchen the other day.  It certainly won’t make it in to a magazine anytime soon!  There are no stainless steel appliances, no dishwasher, the oven is at least 25 years old.  The cabinets have mismatched paint and the linoleum has seen better days.  The can opener, toaster, and microwave all came from a thrift store.

Here is the sight I saw when I got up this morning.  My wonderful husband, Michael, cooking breakfast with our children!

From a just a photo, others could never see the things that I see.  Our kitchen is the hub of our home.  Literally!  The dining room turned schoolroom and bedroom spoke off to the left.  The living room off to the right.  Our one bathroom is here off the kitchen.  Yes, you heard right!  One bathroom for nine people, but we make do!  The stairs going up to where four of the children sleep are located in the kitchen.  And off the back of the kitchen is the laundry area and another bedroom.  Yes, it’s a small house!

But I love our kitchen!  It’s where we've had friends over, celebrated birthdays, played games, done schoolwork, and Michael and I can talk over a cup of coffee.  My kids “bond” as they share the chore of washing dishes, and I have begun teaching Kara how to cook.  On one wall is the bench that Michael made so that our growing family could all fit around the table and share our meals together.  My grandmother's paintings hang on the walls.  I wouldn't trade this for anything!

So just remember, "what you see is what you get" may require looking beneath the surface just a bit.  No dishwasher means that we spend time doing that chore together.  I don't worry about new appliances needing to stay polished and looking like new.  We may not have a lot of things in the way of modern conveniences....or maybe up-to-date ones anyway..., but what we've gained is so much more!  

Handmaiden in Bloom

Funny how you can wonder for a week what to write about, and then, all of a sudden,  it's right in front of you just waiting to be expressed.  That's what happened three days ago when my seven year old daughter, Kara, asked if she could get her sewing machine out.  She wanted to make a dress for her three year old sister, Charlotte.  It had been awhile since I had let her use it.  We had had an "incident" last time that made me put it away for a bit.

But Kara turned seven at Thanksgiving and is suddenly growing up before my eyes.  So I let her go through my fabric, and she got out the measuring tape.  Charlotte was loving the attention and stood still and turned when told to so she could be "measured".  Then Kara began making her own pattern from paper and cut out the bright green seersucker with purple butterflies all over it.

It was all I could do not to make a little suggestion here and there.  But I bit my tongue and just went about what I was doing and answering questions whenever Kara asked.   Finally it was time to thread the machine, which I did, and Kara sat down to sew.  You know, for what she did, it didn't come out half bad!  "Kara Couture" to be sure, and not something Charlotte will be wearing to church anytime soon!  But Kara couldn't be prouder of what she had made...all by herself!  And Charlotte was a happy three old with a new dress to wear!

Kara with her youngest sister, Mary, three and half months.

But something else happened.  The next thing I know, Kara is bouncing her twenty month old sister, Clare, on her hip, changing her diaper, feeding her, etc.  Sweeping the floor, cleaning the bathroom, reading to her sisters, helping to make dinner, and bossing her older brothers around just a bit more!  This is a part of growing up.  It comes when little girls are allowed to do womanly things....like housekeeping and taking care of younger children.  Growing up isn't about being able to watch certain movies, wearing make up, or staying up later.  It's learning to do adult things, under a loving parent's care and supervision, where real world responsibility can be learned.  Then the privileges of being a responsible teenager or adult will come...things like staying up later, etc.  That's the reward!  The reverse is a privileged child/adult with no sense of responsibility.

Well, my newly accomplished Kara wanted to do some more sewing this weekend.  A skirt sounded like something she could do, and we could finish in an afternoon.

We traced the pattern so she could use it again when she's the bigger size.

She cut out the pattern.

Charlotte "read" to Clare while Kara and I worked!

Kara pinned her pattern to the fabric she selected.

This part wasn't so easy....cutting in a straight line!  I had to help with that!

Pinning the right sides together.

Sewing the seam on her machine.

Checking the instructions in her book "Sewing School".  It had the pattern for this cute A-line skirt!

Trying to get that elastic through the waistband!  She needed a little help with that, too!

Finishing up with the hem.  Need to practice sewing straight lines, too!

Ready to wear to church on Sunday!  Kara is already begging to make more skirts and some for her sisters!  Kara is blooming and this Mama couldn't be happier!