Happenings at Just Sew! Studio

Well, it's official. The first class of Just Sew! Studio was held this past Friday night. A total of 6 pillows were made by 3 very industrious students. I am so proud of them and their accomplishments . . . and I think they are proud of themselves too. We stitched, stuffed, ripped out seams, talked, laughed, and vented. The class ran a little longer than I had originally planned , but we didn't have to break out the sleeping bags and pillows. Everyone was home before midnight!

On Saturday, a group of us got together to decorate some t-shirts to send to some of the children affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Susan @ Living with Punks was hosting a sew along by Chelsea at Pink Fig Patterns. We got a head start and finished 5 t- shirts in a few hours. I have three more to finish and then I'm sending them off to Cali to make their way to Japan. Please keep the people of that country in your prayers as they deal with this unimaginable situation. We take so much for granted, don't we? And didn't these ladies do a great job?

Now I'm planning classes for April. On April 8 and 9, we will be making some really cute pajama boxers and a cute t-shirt - nothing better than climbing into bed in your favorite pj's! I promise, these are very easy and so cute. Erin & I made these for her "little" and many of her sorority sisters were asking where Erin got them. One of a kind just for "M"!

Then on April 29 and 30, we'll be sewing a precious apron and a matching pot holder . . . just in time for Mother's Day giving, a great gift for a bride, or a treat for yourself. I've ordered the Domestic Goddess Apron pattern from Amy Butler. If it's "new sewer friendly", that may be the pattern we use. Don't you love it?

I've also had some requests for classes on sewing children's clothes and learning how to use your own sewing machine. If that's something you're interested in, keep checking the Just Sew! Studio calendar for future classes. http://www.justsewstudio.com/Home.html

Happy Stitching from Just Sew! Studio.

And Then I Fell

We were up bright and early on Saturday morning. Erin and I headed over to Dana's to pick her up to head to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Gwinnett. Of course, Dana offered to drive so we could ride in her new car - that was a treat. And of course, if you know my girls or me, we had to stop at the one and only fast food restaurant as far as we are concerned - Chick Fil A - for breakfast. Then on to the Expo. First time for all of us.

We walked into the exhibit hall and were met with displays from vendors from across the U.S. that were demonstrating and selling just about anything and everything a seamstress might need or want. Sewing machines, fabric, irons, embroidery and quilting machines, patterns, and even a booth that sold shoes for quilters . . . hmmm, I didn't know you had to have special shoes to quilt! They weren't very fashionable either - didn't buy any for my Mom who is an excellent quilter without those shoes!! They also offered classes and "make and take" sessions.

We walked through all the vendors once just to get an idea of who and what was there, pick our favorites, and then head back to make some purchases after we watched some of the fashion shows and demonstrations. One that really got our attention was titled "How to be a Charming Stripper"! Not what you think!! A charm pack is a pack of 5" x 5" fabric squares that can be used for quilting and this told how to use the charm packs for quilt strips. Whew!!

We watched two fashion shows - one that featured "new designers" mainly for adults and my favorite . . . Sewing for Children: The Hottest New Patterns. Lots and lots of class ideas there!

The main reason I wanted to go was to see some of the designer fabrics

that are so popular now - Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Moda, and Jennifer Paganelli - that I hope to use in some of the upcoming classes at Just Sew! Studio. Some of the displays were disappointing as it looked like the fabric was the same old stuff that's been available for 10 years. But we found several booths that really sparked our creativity. Grand Bazaar Fabrics from Alabama had lots of Amy Butler's fabrics and patterns; Young at Heart from Griffin, GA was there with beautiful children's patterns and lots of precious fabric for kids and adults; and Sew it Up from Texas had really cute patterns from Pink Fig, Mod Kid Boutique, Lila Tueller and Sew Sensible just to name a few.

So we made a few purchases - fabric and patterns - and headed back home. We visited with Dana and Lyla for a bit and then Erin and I ran a few errands before going home. Dana #2 (Greg's girlfriend) met us at the grocery and Erin headed home with her before they went out for Mexican. I got home from the grocery and loaded up both hands with as many bags as I could carry and headed for the stone sidewalk that leads to our front porch. Just as I stepped from the driveway to the sidewalk, I rolled my ankle and couldn't seem to catch my balance. I felt myself starting to fall and there was nothing to grab on to to stop my fall and down I went. I thought I was going to fall face first on the stone walk, but thank goodness I turned at the last minute and landed on my right side. I laid there for a minute and then was able to turn and sit up and then the pain began. I knew I had done something to my right hand and quickly pulled my ring off in case my hand started to swell. I've heard several stories of people having rings cut off their fingers and I wasn't going there. My groceries were scattered all over the sidewalk along with the contents of my purse. I found my cell phone and called Erin to ask her to come help me get up. She got me into the house and did a quick nursely (new word I made up!) evaluation and decided I should put ice on my hand and take ibuprofen. I could bend my fingers but they were really sore. I didn't want to make a trip to the ER on a Saturday night. To make a long story short, I will be fine. We made a quick trip to Regional First Care this morning for x-rays. Just got a call from the doc and they reread the x rays and I have a cracked radial head (elbow) which will require a visit to the orthopedic doc now ... and hopefully not a splint! My right arm is in a sling for now. Hopefully my family will take care of me. And I didn't break either jar of pickles when I fell. Now I'm off to figure out how to start sewing some of those cute ideas with my arm in a sling. Maybe I'll make a cute sling!

Okay, I am a day late linking up to A Wee bit of Me Wednesdays, but here goes . . .
{one} what color is your kitchen?Sage green walls & black "antiqued" cabinets painted by Dan, Dan the painter man!

{two} do you have a good luck charm?No - just pray a lot
{three} do you prefer to write with a pen or pencil?Depends on what I'm writing

{four} can you use chopsticks?No! None of the food makes it from the plate to my mouth.
{five} do you prefer baths or showers?Showers. I tried to relax in the tub when the kids were little,
but someone would always knock on the door and ask if I was okay orsome other very important question that couldn't wait until I was out. Greg used to slide notes under the door to me!
{six} what is your favorite salad dressing?After a trip to Italy - extra virgin olive oil with just a little salt.Amazing!
{seven} can you sing the alphabet backwards?I've never tried

{eight} do you have any allergies?Ragweed
{nine} crunchy or creamy peanut butter?creamy. reduced fat.
on a toasted english muffin with a banana& honey!
{ten} have you ever hitch hiked?Never ever!

Head on over to www.myleighashley.com and link up!