Expanding my horizons

I spent the weekend at my mom's, working on a couple of sewing projects. Usually, I just do the stuff I know how to do (cut and iron) and I make my mom do all the sewing because I can't sew a straight seam to save my life. Before Christmas I was desperate to make a Peanut Shell-type sling (pouch sling) and attempted to make it at home with no help from mom. It was a disaster and would have been graded an F if it was for Home-ec. It stretched the wrong way and the baby would fall right out. And that's not even considering the hemmed edges and the crooked pocket. It was just a bad job, all around.

So, I decided - I should make an even more COMPLICATED baby carrier. To heck with this easy stuff with one seam and a pocket, I am going to make a Mei Tei. My friend Beth has this awesome pattern and I found some fabric I loved, so I kidnapped my mom for a day and forced her to help me with it. But it was just before Christmas and all the kids were home so I only got about an hour of slave labour out of her, and had to do most of it myself. And to my huge surprise, it turned out great. So good, in fact - that the person I was supposed to be making it for as a gift will just have to wait, because I am keeping it. I have a hard time parting with homemade gifts - I should know that by now. No wonder I couldn't part with it - how cute is this?

Anyway, this weekend, I bought some more fabric and got a good start on the replacement gift - and so far I have done all of the sewing myself - even the nasty straps that require me to fold the edge under, and under again and sew straight along the 1/4 inch edge. Mom's new sewing machine can go really slow - 'tuck.....tuck....tuck.....' so we get along fine, way better than her first sewing machine that had one speed 'RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR' which scarred me for life.

Also, I skated this week. That is right, I strapped on some skates and joined my girls and my husband on the ice. It was short-lived because the skates are unbelievably uncomfortable - but I skated. I took the skates off and went out there with my boots on to get a few pictures - and also finished up a new layout with those this weekend. The girls love skating - even though C. looks depressed in this photo, its because of some sibling-rivalry unfairness, not because she hates skating.




















Credits are in my DST gallery, but I have to say this is digiscrapshak's January Challenge kit, and its well worth participating in the challenges to get the kit - lots of great papers and I love the glass alpha.