I'm a Bird, I'm a Plane, I'm a Sewer?

Hi Everyone!


Sorry I've been MIA for a little while but I've had a lot going on that I can't wait to tell you about in another post! BUT, that is not what this post is about. This is a post about my oh so hilarious adventures in sewing! I simply must tell you about my latest attempt to sew something wonderful!

It all started so harmlessly when I was babysitting my adorable 3 year old nephew Willard.

We had the BEST day ever together, making play dough from scratch.

 

I Think we used every Utensil in my Kitchen.

Then that sweet boy asked for a cape. A Cape?! Oh No! I don't have one of those...

Don't worry, Remember that I'm part McGeyver so I can find a "Cape". 

Up to the sewing room we go! 

I quickly find a piece of fabric and we tuck it into his shirt collar and Viola! 

A Cape for this Superhero!

                           Complete with the pirate hat and sword

he brought from home.

I show you all of this because he kept changing his mind about which fabric he wanted to be his "cape" and I had an idea! This boy needed to have a cape with a strip of Velcro for him to choose who he wanted to be. 

So, for his birthday I set out to make this cape I could see in my mind...

Now comes a Sewing Adventure fit for the exciting life of a boy and his cape!

I had some great black fabric that I made the cape out of but before I got to that I had to deal with my very first pattern...Here goes....

So I open it up there are 47 pages that I have to read and then realize after 15 minutes that I really only need one of those pages. I finally figure out that I need to cut out the corresponding letter from the flimsy piece of tissue paper. 

I managed to get it cut out using the pattern and got ready to sew. 

Cut it out and then pinned it to sew together to make a cape. 

I get it all pinned and turned down to sew and begin to finish the edges. 

(This is going pretty well...)

Yeah...Did you notice how it is not staying pinned?! 

This fabric and I were not agreeing!  I kept pinning and it kept slipping. I got it pinned so close together at one point that I ran out of pins! 

After 15 to 20 minutes of frustration I realized...

Sometimes it's all you need!

And I'm back...Refreshed and ready to tackle this mess!

I got the cape finished! And Attach a Velcro strip on the back of it for the cool fabric panels.

I got the fabric panel pinned nice and tight and ready to sew it up.

I realized that I needed to add a ribbon to cover the gather. 

Okay...Notice this picture for a moment if you will. It was the most beautiful straight line attaching a ribbon done with exceptional speed...and then I turned it over and saw this! 

Really?!!!

I sewed the fabric to the front of the decorative ribbon?! 

Again...Really?!!

(Insert picture of me rolling my eyes and the sound of the seam ripper.)

Finally get this done and put it together.

But, will it work?

I need a model...

Tigger will do!

I make another panel super quick because a boy needs choices when wearing a cape. 

Finally I can wrap this up and get it to the party just in time.

(which is in 2 hours...)

Finally, I make it to the party and he spots his gift. 

He turns to me and asks if he can open it! 

He uses manners and asks before ripping into his gift!!! 

He's so adorable!

   

I LOVE IT Aunt Jilly!! 

I asked him to turn around so I could take a picture of the back

and he literally said "CHEESE"!

"I'm a SUPER HERO!" 

He asked if he could wear it to bed! Can he be any cuter?

So that's it. My adventures in sewing continue. 

I am getting better each time I tackle a new project. 

More than anything, I love to see the smile on the face of the person that receives a gift made by hand. 

I swear, it can look terrible up close but you can't help but feel the love from a gift someone made while thinking of you. It just makes you feel loved. 

I have a big announcement to make soon...

(I'm not pregnant but I am going to tell you about a dream realized!)

Stay tuned to see the big news! Betcha can't wait...

As always, My sweet nephew's cape was made with lot's of sweat,

a couple of curse words, lot's and lot's of LOVE and my own two hands!

See ya soon! xoxo JillyG

One Tiny Miracle

One Tiny Miracle is all it takes to put things in perspective. Personally, I have had one roller coaster of a ride lately and some very challenging times behind me and before me. So many of us are knee deep in a "challenging time" at this very moment. What I have learned is that it's all in how you respond to these times.

 I have a very wise mother. She has been my teacher, my spiritual guide and my greatest cheerleader as I am sure many of you would say about your own mothers. She has taught me to always see life as a beautiful, gigantic miracle just waiting to unfold. She has taught me to live, really live my life and live it with excitement. For that, I am so grateful.

During these challenging times something amazing happened in our family. My little Sister gave birth to a sweet baby girl. By now y'all know that I love to make handmade things and I have been preparing for this baby girl's arrival for a while now. I have made several things for my sister and for this sweet girl along the way that I wanted to share with you. Most of them were for her baby shower gifts and some were extra special.

Adorable baby Headband for her tiny, tiny head!

Original art work to coordinate with her nursery

and

 so that she knows she is always "LOVED"!

A very special "Family Tree"

so that she knows she has

 strong, strong roots that will help her grow!

(sorry, it's a little blurry. I only had a picture off of my phone.)

There were several other little things that I made along the way that didn't get photographed.

 (probably, because I was working on them at 2 a.m. the day before her shower...)

This is my sister and I before we welcomed her baby into the world!

(blurry self-portraits are the BEST!)

You see, my Sister and I are best friends. She is so special to me and I am so happy for her! Truly, happy to see her become a mommy. She allowed me to share so much in her journey to welcome this sweet baby girl into the world more so than other people would allow. One of the neatest things I've been able to do is to photograph her "birth story". Being allowed to capture some of the most beautiful moments in my sister's life is such an honor and I will treasure it forever. It is important that you know how close I am with my family so that you can understand the importance of this birth-day!

My Mom and I waited and waited for her to arrive.

It was taking forever!!!

My Mom and I treated this as a "Birth-day" Party. We made special sweets for everyone to enjoy and added little details to make it special for everyone around us.

This is just how we are made.

 Cut from the same creative cloth and the genuine desire to share it with others.

"Georgia Peach" baby muffins with little pennents to welcome our newest GA Peach!

All kinds of special treats and goodies that a good party needs.

 

Friends and Family,

so much Family came to visit and celebrate the birth of this sweet girl

and we welcomed her to this beautiful World!

My Mom and Dad

 ("Nana and Papa")

 (My Brother-in-law holding his sweet baby girl)

(Me and My Hubby)

(So happy to meet her finally!)

 This baby girl changed something in me that I never expected. This tiny baby girl came into this world and took my heart that had been broken in two and placed a giant band aid over it and set it to heal. She did this just by being born into this world and opening her tiny eyes to meet mine.
She was born as "One Tiny Miracle".

                                                 "Welcome to the World Baby Girl!

This post was written with so much love and respect for my family
  and all who helped to welcome this sweet girl into the world.

The details and goodies were all handmade by me and Mom with

  tons, of love and genuine excitement to welcome this angel to the world

 Most especially to my Sissy who allowed me to use this amazing moment

  in her life to share with y'all and let me share with her this blessing of

    a "Tiny Little Miracle" that has changed me forever!

                                                                                        XOXO,

                                                                                          JillyG

"Imperfectly Perfect"

PERFECTION

What does it really mean anyway? 

Trying to be "Perfect",

Trying to make things look "Perfect",

 Trying to appear "Perfect"

But what is it really?

I've realized that I suffer from perfectionism sometimes just like all of us do.

I try my hardest to be everything to everyone but quite frankly,

 I'm exhausted!

Today I was thinking about this concept and I came across an old piece of wood at my parents house.

 It's part of a fence picket that was old and broken and probably should've been discarded

 but my Mom and Dad save wood.

 They always do and they find ways to reuse it in one way or another

 even if it's to prop up a flower pot.

So I picked up this piece of wood and thought to myself how it was wonderfully

"Perfectly Imperfect".

 I looked at it and could just SEE it.

I saw the life it had, holding up a fence at one time or another,

 brand new,

 just ready to be part of the best fence it could be.

It had some strong years where it simply just was part of a fence.

It knew what each day would bring and what was expected of it.

Slowly, the fence was moved and taken apart as the yard changed,

but still it reassembled as it should,

 strong and steady,

 part of the fence.

Year after year,

It did it's job of what was expected of it.

But somewhere along the way, it started to wear down,

There was a weak spot.

Maybe where nails were driven into and out of,

or places where dogs rubbed up against it

 and children kicked their soccer ball into.

Slowly, slowly over time it wore down into a smooth surface

until it wore down so much

 that it just broke in two.

Set aside to find a new use.

I picked it up,

It was weathered and jagged but it had so much character.

This discard, this broken thing was so very beautiful.

I took it home and just studied it for a bit.

Then I pulled out my chip art tools intending to use them on a piece of

chip art then to attach it to the wood somehow.

But I thought for a brief second, what if it worked on the wood?

It did!

The softness of the wood as I hammered the tools into it felt as if the wood was saying,

"Yes, please make me into something."

"I want to feel useful, to have a purpose."

I began to create.

(I lined up my paints perfectly.)

I squeezed the paint into a perfect little circle.



I found some cool things I might use and cut out a bird

 and place a chip art heart onto it of course.

I found this cool old cruppled up velevet and paper flower pin

 that once belonged to my great-grandmother. 

I start to layer it into a nest on top of some cool crinkled paper I'll paint over.



I paint and place the bird into the nest.

I paint in the letters.

I paint over the paper and cut it out so that the real wood knot shows through

and is incorporated into the tree.

When I finished, I looked at it and realized how simple it was.

This broken piece of wood,

became

"Perfectly Imperfect".

To me, it showed me that with all of my flaws,

with all of my "weak spots",

With all of my knots and jagged edges,

I am still perfect just as I am.

I am me.

And that is just how I was meant to be.

If I listen to that statement and keep it in my heart

then maybe, just maybe I will feel

"Perfectly Imperfect" and like it just for me.

This project was created by looking at things in a different way,

 trying new things, love, sweat and my own two hands and

 Handmade by JillyG.

 Just as I am.