A Room Makeover Success!!!

Anyone else out there doing their best to keep up with the whirlwind pace of summer??? We are having a great time, but whew! It's been BUSY!

And if there weren't already enough on the calendar, my husband and I decided to take on a surprise room makeover for our oldest daughters while they were at camp. I'm happy to report it all turned our even better than we had hoped and was a TOTAL surprise to our girls! Worth all those long nights, full days and drives across town to find the perfect items to pull it all together.

My older girls share a room, so it's important that they have individual spaces to work, but also a nice shared space to enjoy together. I think this room has a great balance of both!

Here's a look inside...

I used remnants from some of the pillows I made for the love-seat to create these memory boards by simply pulling the fabric taught around a canvas and stapling.

The girls had fallen in love with this golden arrow print at Hobby Lobby before they had left for their trip, so I headed back over there to get enough to make these simple curtains. I also made the sash ties from an accent fabric. The tutorial I used for my guide while sewing these curtains can be found here. 

We painted one wall black to be an accent wall. I was a bit nervous about this at first, but absolutely love how it turned out! I made all the pillows except for the small one in front I purchased at the local bookstore we frequent. I wanted the pillow covers to be removable so they can be easily washed and well....in case my girlies change their mind on colors anytime soon. ;) The tutorial I used for my guide for sewing the pillow covers can be found here.  I'll also be sharing a super easy and fast sewing tutorial for some special applique pillows I made for their beds too....so keep watch next week for that!

Now, I rarely buy packaged, pre-cut fabrics, but when I found this perfect burlap print on clearance for $4 I knew I had to see if I could make it work for recovering their desk chairs. With a pretty good amount of hot glue and the muscle of my hub's staple gun, they turned out just as I had hoped! Not a bad deal for these tired old, worn out chairs to turn into such a fresh and fun addition!

A few old records from the thrift store for 50 cents a piece....a hand-me-down mirror from their Grammie....some cute little accent pieces found at various places, and we were super excited to have them come home to this extra special surprise! Their reaction was PRICELESS!!!

Hope your summer has been going great and you've had lots of fun sewing and creating as well! 

December at Hopeful Threads

As is tradition around here, the month of December is reserved for family time, rest and reflection. I love this time of year and soaking every bit of it with my starry eyed little ones....who ask daily how many more days until Christmas! ;)

I'll still be sewing of course....I mean come on! 

I have a long list of items to work on and hopefully finish for family. Stockings, PJs and LOTS of baking ahead! I'll share here as I have time, but I also invite you to follow along on Instagram here where I enjoy easily sharing peeks of everyday life in the Hopeful Threads home.  

As a quick reminder, for those participating in our 4th Quarter Project for Children's Hospital, today is the day to get those donations shipped! :) You can get the shipping address and any further info on the POST HERE. Thank you all for giving back the way you do! Every. Stitch. Matters.

3rd Quarter Project Progress....Behind the Scenes Busy-ness!

Been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY behind the scenes here!

How's your Baby Sewing going? 

Have you decided where you will be donating your handmade items this quarter?

Would love to see and hear, so please share in our 3rd Quarter Flickr share album!

Here's the first of my finishes....

 So far, 22 burp cloths in bundles of 2 and 38 bibs, many of which where made using minky "bits" from our friends at Binkeez for Comfort. 

 This set is made with fleece backing from remnants of other projects. Bibs & Burpcloths are great projects for using up smaller cuts and fabric remnants!

It's the beginning of August, so still plenty of time to be part of our 3rd Quarter Project. Get all the details about the project HERE.

Introduction to Teeny Tears....a very special organization

I sew a lot for babies. 

However, I don't think I've ever sewn anything quite so meaningful as this.

 These are Teeny Tears diapers. Teeny Tears is an organization that provides these tiny bereavement gifts for families who have lost their tiny bundles. 

My aunt knows how I love to sew, she also knows my heart. When she sent me a link to Teeny Tears I immediately had to check out it. Upon reading through the website, it was without hesitation that I emailed them to find out how to get started and check on the hospitals nearest me that they have served. I received a very prompt and warm reply from one of the coordinators, and well, this is now a new personal project for me. While I am obviously new to the group, the community of volunteer seamstresses is incredibly talented and encouraging, as you would likely imagine. 

I will be sewing these tiny cloth gifts for our local Children's Hospital. After they are stocked, I hope to gradually reach out to other hospitals in my area to see what need they might have as well. 

To give you an idea of the tiny size of these little diapers, that is a Size #2 Safety Pin and is only 1.5" long.

Sewing these has been a very touching experience for me. There are moments it is overwhelming when I consider that this may very well be the one and only item a mother is ever able to cloth her baby in. And, as she says goodbye to her precious one.
I have never experienced the loss of a child through stillbirth, miscarriage or soon after birth....though I have experienced loss of those I mother through foster care, and this has been one of the most difficult grieving experiences of my life. While not exactly the same, it has provided me with something tangible to help me relate to these mothers and their families. I gently swing between feelings of complete unworthiness to have this privilege, to the overflowing blessing of getting to be a part of this sacred time. 

I am humbled.

I am grateful.

I am full of prayers of comfort and hope for these families.

While this is entirely separate from our Baby Sewing project this quarter, I invite you to learn more. Perhaps there are some of you that would be interested in sewing for Teeny Tears or similar bereavement outreach efforts. You can visit the Teeny Tears website here.  

Spring Break!

I will be away from the on-line world for a bit while I soak up Spring Break with my family! :) 

Please note that there will be a delay in any response to emails and such for this coming week. 

More FLUFF sewing to come and to share soon! :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEK ALL!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

source

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Celebrating!!!!

Our family is very proud and excited to announce we have finalized the adoption of our youngest son, making us a big, fun, loud and loving group of 8 now!!!! :) 

Art courtesy of Darling Doodles

Forgive me if I'm a little giddy and scattered for at least a few days ok?!?!? ;)

June 2013 - FAMILY Project Finale & Reminder

I have had a great month sewing for my family and hope you have too! 

I of course didn't finish anywhere near what I had hoped, but I did get a lot done and hopefully can continue to chip away at the list of wishes and requests. 

I did accomplish something pretty significant though and at least STARTED by very first quilt! I'm super excited and can't wait to share the finish with you all when I get it all done. The kids are already loving it! (so much for being a surprise for them!) :)

I also wanted to offer a quick reminder for those that follow Hopeful Threads via GFC-Google Friend Connect or Feedburner.....changes are coming to these services, beginning 7/1/13, so to be sure that you stay connected to all the fun around here, be sure to check out the other options for following all the posts and updates....

 Super post here on how to make the switch to bloglovin' and easily transfer all your favorite blogs from Google Friend Connect.

Facebook - Hopeful Threads

Pinterest

Twitter
Follow @hopefulthreads

Networked Blogs - Hopeful Threads

And watch this week for the JULY Project announcement!
Another meaningful sewing project ahead. :)

FAMILY Guest Post - Bonnie from Fishsticks Designs

I'm delighted to have Bonnie from Fishsticks Designs here to share a very special FAMILY post today!

 Hi, Everyone! I am so excited to get to visit Hopeful Threads today. I have gotten to know a lot of you already through the projects that I’ve worked on with Kristy, and I am in awe of your generosity. I wish I could invite you all over for dinner and fellowship . . . and lots of sewing, of course! Wouldn’t that be fun?
Did you know that I actually got to meet Kristy in person last month? My family and I took a little trip up north to visit my mother-in-law in West Virginia, and I snuck away with three of my children for a day. We met Kristy and her little ones for a museum visit and lunch, and we all had so much fun!
 
 I love that Kristy plans one month each year to encourage us to create specifically for our own families. I sew for my family almost every day, but, because I design sewing patterns for a living, I find that I easily fall into the rut of only sewing for business purposes instead of taking the time to focus on things that my family could really use or would really love. It’s good to regularly step away from outside responsibilities and remember that making memories with and for our families is far more important.
When I first started sewing for loved ones many years ago, I sewed really basic, simple quilts. I did so with the thought that I was creating something that would be enjoyed by the receiver, as well as something that would outlive me, something that my great-great-grandchildren would cherish because it was made with love by my hands. I was often frustrated, though, by mistakes that I made or little imperfections that made the perfectionist in me twitch a little.
 I have fond memories of the things my Granny sewed for my sister and me growing up. We had gorgeous handmade dresses and beautiful quilts, piles and piles of quilts. My Granny went to be with our Lord about 16 years ago now. Sadly, in my not-so-responsible younger days, I let most of those irreplaceable quilts slip out of my hands. (I have tears in my eyes now just thinking of how much I wish I’d realized then what it would mean to me now to have those back.) I do have this one yellow quilt that my Granny made for me, though.
 
 I don’t even remember when I received it – it feels like I’ve had it forever. I’m sure that I’ve looked at it hundreds of times and always thought it was perfectly constructed. It’s funny, though that as I was curled up under it one day, I happened to look down at a part of the back that was flipped over towards me, and I was surprised to see a little pucker in the quilting.
 
 In that little moment I was overwhelmed with the realization that this quilt was lovingly created by a real person. It wasn’t a product of a factory or an assembly line, but the work of the hands of someone who loved me and poured that love into this simple yellow quilt. We’re all beautiful and imperfect and life is beautiful and imperfect, and in that little imperfection, I found a lesson in letting go of the need for absolute perfection, for the sake of future generations.
 Don’t get me wrong. If you’re sewing to sell or sewing for competition or sewing for a living in any way, you simply must strive for flawless work, and, of course, I think we should all be working on improving our skills each time we sit down at the sewing machine. You don’t want to spend time sewing something that falls apart before it has time to even be passed down. I’m always going to correct any mistakes I make when sewing clothing simply because I want the recipient to want to wear it. It’s different, though when I’m working on a quilt or a stuffed animal, for example, for a loved one. I try to not be quite so quick to grab that seam ripper. I think those simple little imperfections give life and character to my work. It’s like leaving a story behind for future generations.

Thanks Bonnie, for sharing a glimpse into your home and family with us!