Young Women learning embroidery and sewing skills

I was asked to teach the Young Women in my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)   how to hand embroider on one of the blocks of the rag quilts that they were making.  The group is so large, there are 48 Young Women, that it would be impossible for me to teach them by myself.  I taught all of the leaders the backstitch, and some little tips that I have learned along the way.  One evening we separated into three groups at various homes and taught the girls how to embroider.  Some of them loved it immediately, others weren't quite so sure...but in the end when they were able to complete their projects, they all felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
There are nine blocks in each quilt.  Eight of the squares are the value colors (red, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow,white and gold).  The ninth square was pink because who doesn't love pink, and the personal progress book is pink!!  One side of the block was a print and the back side was a tie dye pattern in the same color.  The temple spires were embroidered on the white squares.
I didn't know that I was going to post on this project, so I didn't take a closeup of the embroidered block.  They embroidered the temple spires inside an oval outline.
Last week, we all attended a program at church called New Beginnings.  The Young Women brought their parents and all of their quilts were lovingly displayed.  The theme of the program was "A Pattern for Life".  There will be 13 girls entering the Young Women program this year when they turn 12.  A Laurel (girl aged 16 to 18)  was assigned to each one of the new girls, and they all went on "dates" to the frozen yogurt shop.  The Laurels found out interesting things (favorite food, color, singer - Justin Bieber :), favorite thing to do, etc.) about each of the girls and shared them at New Beginnings.
Five different women were asked to share how their goals have changed at their specific time in life.  There were women of all ages, starting from youngest to oldest.  I was the one who was entering the "empty nest" phase.  lol!!
The Young Women set goals and earn their young womanhood recognition.  The leaders wanted them to realize that goals don't stop when you earn your award, but they continue throughout your lifetime.  There was such a warm and cozy feeling in the room the whole evening:)

This photo is a closeup of many different quilts pinned together. Click on the photo and  you can see the embroidery on the white blocks.

The quilts were hung on a rod, and they were all over the room!  I was asked to bring some quilts to hang on the wall. That is my "Thanksgiving Dinner" quilt that I made. The pattern is by Lori Holt from Bee in my Bonnet.

This is the back of the room.  That is my row quilt.  I joined the Block of the Month at Quilts Etc. in Sandy, Utah.  It was my first "block of the month" class out of three at that shop, and it was so much fun figuring out how to arrange the blocks to create the quilt.  Lindsay took that class with me.  Bridger went too, he was only one and sat pretty still on his mom's lap :)

Look at all of the beautiful quilts!  I haven't even included all the photos of them.  There were so many!!!

This is the front of the room.  That is my "Comforts of Home" quilt that I made.  It is my favorite one out of all the quilts I have made. The pattern is by Lori as well.  It was so much fun taking her classes, and I made a lot of new friends in the process.  The leader compared the quilt to our lives.  It is a journey, one piece at a time.  Not all the pieces may be perfect, but we take the stitches out and start over again.  Each time you look at the quilt, you find something new.  Isn't that the same with our lives?

I saved the best for last!  The beautiful Young Women who were involved in the program.  They radiate the Young Women values that they live.  The two girls in the front row with the roses will be joining the group this year when they turn 12.
It is always a great experience to teach a young mind something new!  You appreciate it more as you get older too.
For more information on the Young Women program, you can click here.

Doll Class

Katie asked me to teach a doll dress class at her quilt shop.  We picked out the fabric and the pattern and I took it home to sew.

 

The pattern was pretty easy to sew, because the pattern pieces were all rectangles.  There weren't any little armholes to fuss with, or facings on a curve.  I would recommend this pattern, but it would still be helpful to have some sewing experience.

This dress is the one pictured on the righ,t on the pattern envelope.  The pockets were so easy to sew with the rectangle pieces, and they are self lined.  The neck lining is one big rectangle, the size of the little dot fabric in the center of the dress.  You sew a square in the middle, trim the l/4" seam allowance, turn inside out, press and you have your neck opening.  The only thing is, the doll's head won't fit through the hole.  When you are finished sewing the dress, you cut the dress down the back and  press the seams back l/4".
You then sew velcro along the back, enclosing the l/4" seam and your dress is finished!

I really like this dress also.  It was even easier to sew.  I made a mistake though. Notice that the skirt seams straight.  Well I attached the skirt front and back pieces the wrong direction.  The dress should be shorter and have more gathers.  The diagram on the pattern shows you to attach the skirt rectangle this way and  there are no dimensions to tell you otherwise.  Being an experienced sewer, I should have known better.  That is why everyone needs a seam ripper.  I haven't changed it yet but I will. The pocket was so easy to put together.  You start with a square of yellow fabric.  You sew a red gingham rectangle onto the top , creating a rectangle.  Take another rectangle the same size and lay them together.  Sew the pocket shape all the way around, without an opening.  Cut a little slit on the back of the pocket.  Turn in right side out.  Press and topstitch the pocket onto the apron!  So, so easy....

This is the advertisement for the class that Katie posted on her blog.

doll dress sewing class

via sew katie jean by katie jean on 3/7/12

This Saturday, March 10, Sew Katie Jean is having a class to teach you how to sew dresses for your 18" doll (American Girl).

Cynthia Horst is teaching that day.  And you will learn to sew 2 different dresses from the Rectangle Dress for Dolls Pattern.

This would just be the funnest class to take with you own girl who is just beginning to sew.  Make a memory together or just surprise her on her birthday or at Christmastime!  She would love it.

The doll featured in these pictures is one that I just bought at Target for display at my shop.  They also had these sewing accessories for $23.  I just had to buy it with the sewing machine, wrist pincushion, and sewing box.  Plus just look at the little hearts on her shoes!  I bet you would like it just for yourself....

Saturday, March 10

1:00 - 3:30 p.m.

$25.00

teacher: Cynthia Horst

Call {916} 209-3930 or stop in to register.

This mom and daughter were darling.  We all learned that her daughter loves to iron. Every chance she got, she would run to the ironing board!  Even her mother didn't know that little tidbit of information.  The mom said she would definately get some ironing for her daughter to do at home.  They had to leave a little early because the little girl had a daddy daughter date later that evening.

This mom and daughter had a wonderful time too.  It was really fun watching the girls walk around the shop and choosing their fabric.  The girls were so excited to create a dress for their dolls.

This is a grandmother/grandaughter team, they were a lot of fun.  The grandmother kept cracking jokes, and she was a wonderful mentor, teaching her grandaughter how to sew.

She was so proud of her creation.  She especially liked the candy fabric she chose for the trim on the pockets.  I used the pink fabric in one of the squares on my Swoon quilt.

This little girl thought to bring her doll to model the new dress.  She is so happy!!

We really had a great time in this class. The girls were so excited to create an outfit for their dolls, and learn how to sew and press at the same time.

Kelsey's Fashion show, especially for Kennedy

Santa Claus gave my grandaughter Kennedy, a beautiful doll for Christmas.  Her name is Kelsey.  Grandpa and Grammy (me) bought Kennedy a wardrobe closet for Kelsey, and I sewed a wardrobe to fill the closet.
It was so much fun sewing doll clothes, especially knowing how much Kennedy would love dressing her doll.  Here are some of the patterns I used to create Kelsey's wardrobe.

I present to you, a fashion show starring Kelsey and her many outfits.

The shirt and leggings were made from one of Lindsay's (my daughter, Kennedy's mother) tee shirts. The ruffles on the skirt weren't finished on the hem.  I put a little bit of fray check along the raw edge so that the ruffles won't fray.  It worked perfectly!

Kelsey is sporting the same top and leggings, except now she has a little tunic.  Notice the teeny weeny little yo yos along the front.

Kelsey's outfit is made entirely of fleece with a little fur trim along the cuff of her mittens and the cuff of her boots.  The white jumper is worn on top of a blue fleece top.

Kelsey is dressed for a morning at the gym.  Notice the contrasting trim along the sides of her pants and along her sleeves.  Kelsey must be going to yoga class, because she is carrying her yoga bag.

Kelsey is doing a plank!  She is one talented doll :)  The tee shirt she is wearing is an old one of mine.  If you were wondering, my shirt was much much bigger, I had to cut it down to fit Kelsey.

Kelsey is ready for the rodeo.  She has been practicing her lasso skills.  Notice her adorable boots?

Kelsey is a very active girl.  She is going swimming in her sunshine yellow bathing suit, complete with flippers

Kelsey is wearing her "Fancy Nancy" dress with a big green silk bow.

Kelsey is ready to cook, complete with apron, chef's hat, towel and oven mitt.

Kelsey also takes ballet lessons.  Her leotard is made from one of Lindsay's tee shirts.  I broke a couple of sewing machine needles, sewing over the beads.

After a long day, Kelsey wants some rest and relaxation.  She sports her p.j.'s and puts on her pretty robe with matching slippers

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Kennedy really loves Kelsey.  They have a lot in common.  They both love to dress up, they both have big blue eyes, and they both like dance class.

Kennedy and I re organized Kelsey's closet and folded everything neatly and put it away.

Kelsey wanted to help us get ready for a tea party.  Voice by Kennedy who is 4 l/2 years old ♥  Filmed by Kennedy also

Thanks so much for watching the fashion show and learning a little bit about Kennedy and Kelsey.

Updating the Master Bedroom

We have had the same bedding and decor for about six years, that is a long time for us!  Our comforter was showing a lot of wear, the gold threads were unraveling and it was massively heavy....
What color should we redo our room?  I love gray, it is really popular right now.  I went looking for gray bedding but couldn't find anything I liked.  I saw some very luxurious soft and light down comforters.  White is so clean and fresh.  I kept looking and discovered that all the department stores had these crisp, white down comforters.  Now I just had to compare prices.  I found that Kohl's had the best sales, with Kohl's cash as well.  Double bonus!!
I went to Kohl's to select a beautiful new soft, white comforter, and spotted a yellow quilt with matching shams.    I fell in love ♥  The yellow was so happy and "sunshiny".
Here is a picture of our bed with our old comforter.

Before I show you the new bed, let me mention a few things.....My daughter Rebecca made me the most  beautiful pillow for Christmas.  I love handmade gifts!  She cut out 400 pieces of wool felt to make this beauty, and lined it with a vintage lace tablecloth.  It fit on our new bed perfectly!!!  She found it on my "pillow" board on pinterest and knew I would like it.  Well I don't really like it, I love it : )

I also found a pillow on various blogs that I really loved a few months before the bedding redo.  I found out that they were sold at Target so I marched myself straight there and bought two of them.  They had similar ones in pink and blue also, it was really difficult resisting the urge to buy one in every color.  Since the pink and blue didn't really match any of my decor, I just kept walking.  These are the pillows I found at Target.



Here is a photo of our bedding redo with the fluffly, lightweight down comforter, the sunny yellow quilt, and the fabulous pillows.

Oh oh, there is a problem....the bedside lampshades are still red. This is what the lamps used to look like.

I didn't want to get rid of the old lamps and get new ones, I wanted to DIY them.  I have been inspired by other people's projects and wanted to do some of my own.  I made a trip to the hardware store in search of spray paint and glaze. My color scheme is yellow, white and gray.  I found some really pretty pewter spray paint.  After scouring the paint aisle for a while, I found a can of glaze.  I asked the paint specialist to add some black to the glaze.  He said there wasn't much room in the can but he would try his best.
I taped the electric cord and the switch so that they wouldn't be sprayed pewter.  I took the lamp outside and sprayed away.  The paint dries really quickly, in about 10 minutes.  Then I took a little sponge brush and dabbed glaze on the leaf features.  I immediately wiped the glaze off with a paper towel.  It left a slight black imprint on the indentations.  I love the look!

Now for the lampshade.  I bought two at Target, they were only about $7.  I tried them on the lamp and the brackets were too low, the lightbulb showed.  That didn't work at all, so I returned them.  I knew that if I glued the fabric over the red, that the red would show through when the light was on.  I discovered that the red fabric on the lampshade peeled off if I was very careful.  I made a pattern from the shade and cut out the pretty fabric that I bought just for this project.  "Daisy Cottage" designed by my friend, Lori Holt.  Her blog is called " bee in my bonnet " and her button is on the right hand side of my blog.

I sprayed glue onto the plastic lamp shade and layed it on top of the fabric.  Then I just trimmed the fabric with sharp scissors.

I glued the glass beading trim to the inside of the lampshade.  

I glued a fabric braid to the outside of the lampshade's top and bottom, to hide the raw edges of the fabric.  I'm sorry that the pictures aren't so great.  With practice I will learn how to take photos of every step.Voila, here is the finished product.

I wanted some more gray in the room, so I decided to make table runners for the dressers on both sides of the bed. This is the table runner I made for my husband's dresser.

This is the tablerunner I made for my dresser.  I wasn't quite through binding it.  I love the jumbo gray rick rack, and I especially like the quilting I did by machine.  It was really easy but has quite an effect, don't you think?

That is the end of the bedroom DIY.  I hope you enjoyed it!

A Little bit About Me

Hi, my name is Cynthia.  After 31 years of raising children, I am about to become an empty nester! My husband and I have been married for 32 years and we have six children and six grandchildren.  Our oldest 5 children are married, and our youngest son is preparing to leave for a two year mission to Porto Allegre, Brazil.
  I learned how to hand embroider in Home Economics class, in sixth grade.  My mother taught me how to sew, and I would often sew outfits for myself, pant suits (in the late 60's and early 70's), and lots of formal dresses for the school dances.  I even made some clothes for my brothers and father.  When I graduated from high school, I completed two years of pure and applied sciences which I really enjoyed.  My heart was in the arts though, and I left home to pursue Fashion Design and Merchandising in Toronto.  I learned many skills which I have used throughout my married life.  When the children were little, I didn't have much time to sew.  I would stay up very late at night, sewing Hallowe'en outfits, Easter and Christmas dresses, stuffed animals for Christmas, or anything else I could dream up.  I found it relaxing and gratifying to create and took great joy in seeing my children wear the clothes I sewed for them.  No one else ever had the same outfit.  They were some of the best dressed children at church :)
When the Dallas temple was being built, I was chosen from my ward to make tissue box covers and pin cushions.  The Stake Relief Society president taught me and some other ladies how to do heirloom sewing by machine, and we made some of the most elegant tissue box covers and pin cushions I have ever seen!
I learned how to do English Smocking, and joined the Emerald Coast Smocking Guild.  I have probably made enough smocked and heirloom clothing to fill three trunk shows!!
I made prom dresses for my teenage girls and vests and ties for my boys.  Now I am making heirloom blessing gowns for my grandchildren.  I am always sewing something for my grandchildren, clothing, toys, hairbows, etc.
I am a breast cancer survivor.  I  always wanted to quilt, so when I was recovering, my friend Nanette taught me the basic rules of quilting.  That has taken my sewing to a whole new level....Quilts, quilts, quilts!  I love them, and want to make them all. More importantly, quilting has given me many dear friends. we quilt, we eat, we talk, we share, we laugh, and sometimes we even cry, we bear each others burdens.  
Thank you to my sweet daughter who used one of her many talents to design this beautiful blog for me.  I am  going to go where "dream quilt create" takes me......I hope to emboss my name in the quilting world.