Holiday sewing madness

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Quilted bag #1
Quilted bag #1

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November and Christmas have been a super busy month for me! Heres all my awesome sewing creations! 🙂

Enjoy my work! I had a blast making these!

Sew Crazy

I have been on a sew fest, craziness!

Discovering I can make new things, in a short amount of time is awesome! So what do I do?

I make LOTS of them! And then some!

Here are my latest and greatest!

Fish bags for days. These are for your plastics!
Fish bags for days. These are for your plastics!
bag 1
Inside scrap bag
bag2
Scrap bag side 2
Scrap bag side 1
Scrap bag side 1
bag4
Inside scrap bag

I made this for a friend but was soo tempted to keep it! We bartered and she gets this bag and I get a cute hippy slouchy hat! Pictures to come when it is in good hands. My hands!

Enjoy!

Thankul Thanksgiving

As I sti here and reflect on what to be thankful for…

The phone rang.

and of course it was her.

Do I answer?

Yes. I answer and then

I hung up.

Why is it that she can just up and call me just because its THANKSGIVING.

A day that we are suppose to be thankful for everything and everyone.

But seeing her name on the caller ID made my blood boil, and I felt the tears building up…

She cant do that. She cant think that just because its a holiday she can call me say thanksgiving, tell me how much she loves me, and then act as if nothing happened. Its wrong.

What goes thru her head? I just dont get it.

And then I instantly regretted hanging up. I wanted to tell her how awful she was. How she ruined my childhood. How she cant keep doing this to me. Bringing me back to this dark, awful, cold place. A place of hate of anger. I wanted to tell her all the awful things that shes said to me. Only…

I know what would happen. She would get upset. She wouldnt listen. She would get angry with me. And then she would drink. And it would be all my fault. She would blame me the next time she saw me with those piercing evil eyes.

So its better I dont answer. Its better I dont tell her anything. Its better that I just dont bother.

I am thankful for my amazing husband who keeps me grounded. And my amazing father who has been my rock and my best friend in my early on years… And he still is 🙂

Did I mention I love to sew? I am thankful that I am learning to sew and want to sew.
Did I mention I love to sew? I am thankful that I am learning to sew and want to sew.

I am also thankful I didnt leave the giblets, or the neck in the turkey this year.

I am thankful for the internet and the ability read instructions.
I am thankful for the internet and the ability read instructions.

I am thankful I am able to move forward, and leave the past and the negativity in the past.

I am thankful for sewing, and my patience to sit for LONG periods of time.
I am thankful for sewing, and my patience to sit for LONG periods of time.

I am thankful that my dog likes beer.

:)
Mac has problems 🙂

I forgot to mention I am thankful that I lived to be 27 years young. Heres to another 73 I hope…

What are you thankful for?

Dark hopeless nights

The days are getting shorter.

Nights getting darker.

The air, is cool, crisp and eerie.

An overwhelming feeling takes over my soul.

Winter is approaching. Slowly, but surely it will be here.

And then what.

Where will she go?

How will she survive?

Shes homeless. And has been for over 20 years.

She lives off the land of booze, food stamps, and government hand outs.

She has no regrets. No ambitions. No desires in life

But

just to get that one more bottle.

One more sip.

Thats it.

All it takes is one, single drop that can ruin a

life

marriage

friendship

One drop. She chooses that one drop over her entire

family…

Once the bone chilling nights take over her being

Then what?

Will she become a statue frozen to the ground?

Will she fall asleep soundly and become a beautiful snow angel, forever…

Time will only tell

Until then I will hold my breathe

and

Wait for the long future nights of

sleeplessness

worry

anger

depression

Treading on thin ice

Frozen

not quite yet.

Ice crackles

Closer and closer.

Open water treading the frozen water pulls me down deeper and deeper wait.

She sees me wait. I can see it in her soft brown eyes I am no longer treading on thin ice.

I am engulfed in the river of madness

The river that openly takes souls left and right

Leaving behind warm hearts and loving bodies

But I am one of those many whose souls have been stolen.

Whose souls have been ripped out of life

I am no longer treading on thin ice

I am one of you.

lost among the riverbeds waiting to be found

My soul is lost.

Beautiful Bethel Kuskokwim
Beautiful Bethel Kuskokwim

Storm before the calm

Therapy for my soul. Bethel sunset
Therapy for my soul. Bethel sunset

Nothing like a crazy Friday morning.

We got here Thursday morning and picked the kids up. We got out swimming in. Costumes created. And trick or treated until the boys were exhausted.

Then came evening time. “Your going to school tomorrow.” Cries, wails and tears were storming our tiny hotel room. After a few minutes of tears, tossing, and turning it was all snores and sheeps jumping over the fence.

Little did I know that it was going to be a stormy morning. A had school early before the boys and she was out the door with slight tears, and and all was well after fruit loops. A out the door with no problems. While my hubby was out with A at school I got up ate my breakfast and had my coffee before shit hit the fan.

7:30 am and a bomb went off in the tiny quarters. N got up with a slight fight but was immediately ready to get to breakfast. E had a complete meltdown mind you this was before the storm hit me like a wet towel across the face. I got E out of bed, dragged him out the door. Instead of following he silently protested in front of the door. So like the good step-mother that I am I carried him like a 2 year down to breakfast only for him to silently protest at the table. Fine. Dont eat breakfast. N ate his breakfast silently as he began to plot his big escape.

We see the kids 3-6 months because it costs us an arm and a leg. So when we do see them we try and get the most out of our visit. Their thinking since we dont see dad lets convince we dont have to go to school on Friday, even after we missed M-Thursday because they were in Disneyland. Plan failed, miserably. Friday was a mess. Not because they ate too much Halloween candy the night before. Because they had to go to school after being on vacation for the entire week. Big mistake.

Back to breakfast. E sits there whining, crying. N finishes his bowl, instead of throwing it away walks to another table and silently protests. In my attempt to get him to listen,” I dont want to have to spank you in front of all these people. Put your bowl away… Okay… We can wait here till you put it away…” After about a good 5 minutes N walks up, grabs his bowl and throws it away and immediately storms off in the direction of the room. In those good 5 minutes I had chompy mc-chomperson sitting next to me as she ate her food so the whole room could hear… Thats a big no no, one of my pet peeves eating your food like a cow. So that only added to my frustration. I get up and follow N, and E takes his sweet to follow me. Fine. Dont eat. Dont follow your loss.

Get to the room. N has his forehead pressed to the door. “N want me to open the door?” No response. “Okay we can wait here all morning or until dad gets back.” No response. At this point E is 5 doors down the hallway slithering down, taking his time. Silently protesting still. Okay N dont want to move so I decide to fart right in front of the door. N farts. E farts. All three of us are laughing at this point but then immediately they are back to their sour moods. Fine. Im not opening the door I dont want to smell my yucky fart. I give E the key to open the door. E puts his shirt over his nose and walks in, N follows and then me. N gets in the room, plops on his fold-away bed and immediately begins to kick, scream into the pillow and begins to cry. E following his older brother lays on the bed next to him and tries to formulate tears. And I am sitting here laughing at the huge theatrical performance my 2 step-sons are putting on for me.

Okay. Dont get dressed wait for dad. N still kicking and screaming. E still hiding behind the pillow still attempting to formulate tears. And here I am enjoying my hotel coffee which is not the best quality but better than nothing.

Dad walks in. I give him the scoop. He raises his voice and scares them with spanks and boys are moving and getting dressed. “Boys want a lunchable to bring to school?” N answers angerily, “No,” and then follows E with the same response. Fine. I understand you dont want lunchables because I paid for them and got them for you the night before at your request.

“Im not going to school,” N protests. E follows without words but body language. In the meantime dad is using the boys room and N throws on his hat and attempts to escape out the front door. Afraid he is going to get stuck outside in the cold at 8 am I grab him and bring in the middle of the room. Upset he goes and sits besides the bed on the floor and continues to silently protest. E follows. Mind you E doesnt usually act like this but because his brother is why not follow.

Dad still in the bathroom. N begins to plan his escape, again… Ugh. Fine. I can play this game too. Fakes right, fakes left, jumps on the bed. I let him get ahead and then grab him. At this point I am holding his arm and his leg against the bed requesting that he please stop he is only making a fool of himself. He complies and returns to his nesting spot.

Dad gets out of the bathroom asks me if I am taking them. “No I am not taking them after the fun morning. We can go together.”

“N & E want a lunchable?” No response, only angered disgusted looks. “Fine.”

Finally 8:30 we are out the door. That was a fun 30 minutes for me. Drive to school. N claims he is going to his mothers after school. E will follow.

Only. School gets done and the boys are find and dandy… I wait at the hotel room because A, dad and I wanted to trick the boys into thinking I got rid of all their halloween candy because the way they were acting in the morning. I set up the video camera and all.

The boys enter. Halloween candy bags that I made for them are laying empty on the bed. The boys come in. Dad asks them what they are supposed to say. They both apologize for the fun morning the three of us all shared. Then the trick begins.

I reply, “Oh sheeh. Now I feel bad I got rid of all your halloween candy because I didnt feel like you deserved them.”

Silence. N goes to the bathroom. E just sits on the floor. No reply. No answer. Go get your bags and fold them up and set them aside. I ask, “E are you mad at me?” “No, its okay.” Although I can tell hes upset with me. And N gets out and it looks like he is about to wrestle somebody into submission. No response.

We let this go on for about 10 minutes because the attitudes were again sour. My husband looks at me and mouths he cant handle it. I cant handle it either because they are too sour to the bone. So we tell them and E immediately smiles, and N still looks like he wants to choke me. This goes on for about 5 minutes and then finally a smile is cracked.

The school ride was silence. N says he wants to go see his mom. His mom is nicer and he can convince her that he doesnt have to go to school. E is pissy face the whole time through all this. The boys get to school I say my good byes. All I get back is sour faces and scowls. I know this isnt the last time that I am going to see them.

Schools out. They get to the hotel room. Both have these shy smiles on their face, I can see in their eyes they feel bad. They both apologize. And the day goes on as if nothing happened. Kids for you. I tell you they drive you crazy but you cant live without them.

Nobody said parenthood was easy and nobody said being a step-parent was easy either. As much as I wanted to spank the boys Friday morning, or actually throw their candy away I held back because I dont want them to remember me that way. I am hard on them in my own ways but I love them as if they are my own.

Friday was done and over with. We ended the evening with Enders Game. My husband and I dont believe in spending thousand of dollars on snacks and soda. So we bring in the kids bags of halloween candy, and bottles of water. Nothing like spending $35 on a movie for 3 kid and 2 adults. Cha-ching! Ultimate save!

Whew. Boy, am I glad Friday is over and done with. That was definately one for the bag to always remember.

Love these damn kids. Oh Happy Days.

A weekend filled with sewingness

This past weekend I took a class to finish a couple of projects I had.

My sister in law requested a qaspeq, and an old friend for his daughter. Seeing as how I only have one pattern that is for myself I figured the class would be perfect!

Here is how they turned out! I am happy with the colors and the fun-ness of them both! I was happy to use Jeannes machine and serger! Those flowers and intricite details would not be there if it werent for the amazing janome!

Here is my sister in laws. I just love the bright colors!
Here is my sister in laws. I just love the bright colors!
With the leftover fabric I was able to whip out a cute reversible bag!
I love this one! The fireweed fabric is so gorgeoumous!

Nothing filling a weekend full of sleeping and lounging around with sewing! yay!

Busy Bee

I feel like Ive been a busy bee busting out projects.

A year later I finally finished the wall hanging! Whoogtee! I am learning… And I am learning to finish projects on my own and its exciting! Here is the finished project!

This is my twister wall hanging. I started this last year and feels so damn good to finish it!
This is my twister wall hanging. I started this last year and feels so damn good to finish it!

Ive been wanting to start making my own clothes. Slowly. Here is my latest creation. I had a blast making this and it makes me excited to start making more, and more and more. 🙂 So here it is!

Here is the finished product! And I love it!
Here is the finished product! And I love it!
The detailed Raven
This was something new. I have never added a zipper pocket to the pocket. It was a challenge but it turned out for my first one.
I always find the details make the finished product. I forgot how to line the hood so I goofed a little bit. But here it is looks good on paper.

 

Now that I know how to do all the fun details I cant wait to bust out more! If you dont know what a qaspeq is check out this website Qaspeq

Qaspeqs are perfect for berry picking, boating, fishing, and everyday use. I love mine. I love mine especially since I have made them. I know that they are all made with love. My hope is to make fun qaspeq creations.

Happy Thursday!

Blessing in Disguise

Sleepless nights

Rude awakenings

Helpless cries

All blessings in disguise

You may argue

I will disagree

Without those late nights

And

Early mornings

I would be lost

I would be lost

Shattered

Broken

Maybe even gone.

Because of these blessings

I am strong

I am happy

And I am fulfilled

Full of life and happiness

My blessings are your nightmares but

Without them I would not be where I am today,

Happy

When dealing with my alcoholic mother poetry always soothed my soul.

Late nights with my mind wandering all over the place I found it comforting to put my thoughts into beautiful wording. If I made it beautiful maybe it would help? And it sure did.

Addiction is real. Addiction is real hard. And real sad. Its tough dealing with at 5 years old, and is still hard at 26. How do you move on? How do you not worry? Its impossible. As much as I want to not think of her. Worry about her. My mind always seems to wander back to her. Is she okay? Is she alive?

How do you handle it? What helps you? For me it seems openly talking about it, and writing about it. I know I am not the only one. I am sure there are hundreds. Millions. Out there that are in my same shoes. Speak up. You are not alone.

This is me jumping in Paris 5 years ago. A happy time for me.
This is me jumping in Paris 5 years ago. A happy time for me.

My creations in a nutshell

With the help of my good friend we were able to bust out this quilt in 16 hours for my aunt and uncles 50th anniversary.
With the help of my good friend we were able to bust out this quilt in 16 hours for my aunt and uncles 50th anniversary.

As a quilter, sewer, creator I am discovering that I love to make new things. I love to play around and make new creations. Everything I make I have taken a class, pinterested, or just accidently created it. Its a fun process and I learn something new every time I am creating things. I want to eventually make my own clothes, once I am skilled enough. On my Christmas list is a serger. I think I am ready to tackle that fear of using a serger and start expanding my sewing skills.

I took a class and was able to bust out these 2 qaspeqs with bags from left over fabric.
This is the first apron that I ever made. I just copied the pattern from an apron that was given to me.
This is the first apron that I ever made. I just copied the pattern from an apron that was given to me.
I made this for a good friend. I had a hard time giving this one away I love the colors.
I made this for a good friend. I had a hard time giving this one away I love the colors.

 

WIth the help of a great friend I was able to make this for an old friend in Takotna. First time making a hat with a velcro strap.
WIth the help of a great friend I was able to make this for an old friend in Takotna. First time making a hat with a velcro strap.

 

My auntie made me the red stocking when I was a young girl. I wanted to keep the tradition alive and made my step-children and husband stockings.
My auntie made me the red stocking when I was a young girl. I wanted to keep the tradition alive and made my step-children and husband stockings.

 

Holiday apron that I kept for myself.
Holiday apron that I kept for myself.

 

I wanted to make my gifts last year and these were the gift packages I created. Pillowcases, apron, and a fish bag.
I wanted to make my gifts last year and these were the gift packages I created. Pillowcases, apron, and a fish bag.

 

I made this qaspeq with no hood.
I made this qaspeq with no hood.

 

Qaspeq I made in a weekend class. I find I bust out more when I take a class.
Qaspeq I made in a weekend class. I find I bust out more when I take a class.

 

Love the colors, and the pockets this was my favorite to make.
Love the colors, and the pockets this was my favorite to make.

 

I gave this to my cousin for Christmas last year. I love giving away homemade gifts.
I gave this to my cousin for Christmas last year. I love giving away homemade gifts.

 

This was the first scrap quilt I made. I love scrap quilts.
This was the first scrap quilt I made. I love scrap quilts.