Love These Aprons!

I just got done making these aprons for the holidays and I just love them!  I had originally bought patterns for many different styles, but this one looked the most classic to me.  I made them in large and medium in adult sizes and in large and medium children's sizes.  My favorite thing about this pattern is that the neck strap is entirely adjustable by simply sliding the strap that goes around the waist.  No D-ring adjusters or tying at the neck for the right fit.   

Grace models the children's large

Grace makes her own First Communion Dress

My daughter, Grace, makes her First Communion this year.  Custom dictates that she wear a white dress.  However, if you knew my daughter, you would

Beautiful!

  have a hard time imagining her in a dress and smiling at the same time. 

    My solution, let her design and make her own.  That did it!  She picked out her own pattern and made her own modifications and picked out her own fabrics.  We then called in Grandma Karen for help and girl-time. 

    Grace really did do her share of the pinning and cutting.  When we got to the sewing, she set the speed on the Janome to the slowest setting (usually she goes full throttle on the Singer).  I thought that she could bump it up to the medium speed, but she said she would prefer it on "super-granny-slo-mo".  I tell you what, that is a perfect 5/8" seam allowance.  I can't ask more than that. 



Grace wanted a butterflly on the front



     By the time the seams on the skirt were done, she was ready to go outside and play which was perfect timing.  We had her come in and try on the bodice and then the unhemmed dress.  Seh decided that it needed a butterfly on the bottom and the length should be just above the ankles (Surprise for me).  I finishe the dress with a secret message on the inside with room enough for the next wearer to put their information should it be used agian. 

    The end result was just what I hoped for.  My daughter in a white dress for her First Holy Communion.

 



When it was all done, she agreed that she liked this dress and it was so comfortable, that she wouldn't mind if I made her another in a different color. 



<>Now, on the viel and shoes, we have a different story.  No veil or circlet of any kind.  Only ribbon and flowers (and she didn't even  want that). 

My Mom and Grace cutting pieces



     And the shoes, this is where a parent picks their battles.  White Keds tennis shoes. 

     I know that what Mom or Dad says goes, but when it comes to something like this, I want her focus to be on Christ, not her itchy dress or her shoes that don't feel good or the piece of hardware on her head.  First Communion is a time to celebrate and nobody wants to smile and enjoy if they're uncomfortable.   She's a tomboy and I love her that way, the way God made her!



 



Bath Craft Show

      Grace and I were vendors at the Bath Spring Craft Show this past Saturday.  We were pretty busy at first but then things dwindled down by lunch.  There were plenty of people there but not many were carrying anything.  It was worth it to go, but i wasn't impressed.  I still think that if I'm going to do any real business that I need to leave this area completely. 

        Still, we had fun even though it was a long day!  Grace made me an embroidery sign and some business cards.  She was even handing them out to people.  I had asked her to grab some of my business cards at home and I watched her get into the right cabinet and grab in the right direction but I didn't look to see what she actually pulled out.  When we got to the craft show and asked what she did witht the cards, she gave me some blank index cards.  Whoops!  We did eventually find some cards in some stuff left over from the last craft show but the ones she made were pretty cute. 

       We got home around 6pm that afternoon, the boys got stuff loaded in, Kenny had hamburger on the stove frying, I finished making the tacos, had a beer and went to bed!

My Lovely Big Tote Bags

 

These are my lovely new tote bags!  My Aunt Rhonda made some of these for some of my cousins and they turned out so neat I thought I would give it a go.  They turned out pretty fun to make.  This is kind of ironic because i am one of those wierd women that has only one purse at a time, ever, and usually I am either just carrying my wallet or cash in the back pocket.  But I am loving the purses!  Again I am running into the problem of having more ideas than time.  What to do, what to do.

These bags are a generous 16"W X 20"H and has fleece sandwiched between the liner and ouside for a sturdier bag.  they also have 5 inside pockets and a magnetic snap closure.  I sold  my one and only OSU bag right off the bat and got orders for 2 more so now I am ordering more of the polka dot fabric because they are no longer carrying it at my local fabric store.  I can't wait till it comes in! 

First Craft Show

I had my first ever craft show Sunday!  My friend Amy, ASR DeZingns at http://asrdezigns.blogspot.com/, and I went together for backup support plus I offer embroidery on-site for many of her items.  We are counting it as a learning experience and that is primarily why we went.  We sold alomost nothing due to the fact that about 20 people showed up throughout the course of the day.  We knew that it was going to have a poor showing when we decided to attend, but seeing that it was our first time out, we decide to see it through.  The reason  was that we could make all of our mistakes at this slow craft show so that we would be better prepared for the bigger ones.  We have another craft show again this Saturday at Bath.  I heard that it is expected to be a good one.  They have been doing it for years and always have a full venue and plenty of traffic.  We are not yet considered "seasoned", but at least we aren't going to look like total idiots when we get there. 

That's Amy putting some finishing touches on one of her reversable bags.

What a week!

This week is going to be as packed as last week.  I hope I get some productivity out of it this time.  It was like I was running 100mph in one place last week!  This weeks accomplishments shall be finishing the ottoman covers and a dozen or so pillows for a client, a dress alteration that will have me almost totally un-assembling and re-assembling a dress, learning how to make a non-asymetrical dress french bustle (that's going to be fun) , quilt one day with my mom, a sewing lesson with one of my favorite aunts where I'm going to make her integrate all her lessons into a project, some other minor alterations for people, and be a mom, chef, computer programer, wife and all the other grand things that are going to pop onto my agenda this fine week!

Phew!  I want to go back to bed just thinking about it all!

I am the Iron Maiden!

I like the look and feel of fabric before its washed for most of my projects, and that the quilt does shrink just a little after it's quilted is, in my opinion, an improvement.  However, if I embroider on something that is not pre-shrunk, that could be bad news.  So I decided that I would just wash everything.  And I do mean all of it.  I have a bit of an inventory, so it took a few days.  Well, of course now it all needs ironed. I like to iron, but not his much or on a skinny little ironing board.  This is the fix!  I bought 2 yds. of insul-bright and 2 yds. of silver ironing board cover, serged the 2 pieces together, and boom, there you go.  The whole project took 5 minutes.  My kitchen table is an ironing board fit to lay out fabric at its full width with not nearly so much fighting and re-positioning.  When I'm done, I just fold it up and tuck it behind my alterations tote.
     If you want to do this, I rcommend making the ironing cover so that it hangs down over the edges a bit on at least the front and back of the , this will help keep the pad from shifting.  Mine doesn't shift too much and I think this is precisely why.  Now my wonderful Aunts have done this but they used a smaller pad and tacked it to a piece of OSB or particle board.  Then they slide it behind something when not in use.  This is also a good idea.  It depends solely on what works for you.  As for me, I LOVE my ironing pad!

On the rack, finally!

Finally, I got this baby on the rack and ready to roll.  I'll be curious how many hours it's going to take to get this full-sized quilt done.  I'm going to bet at least 100.  Comment if you are thinking a different number.  We'll see who gets it closest

Stippled Baby Quilt

      I made this pattern using a picture on the internet that my client found and wanted duplicated.  Of course the fabric designs didn't match the picture exactly, but overall it was a pretty good match.  My client decided that she would like to have it done in flannel so it really was extra snuggly. 

      My aunt does a lot of quilting and she likes to stipple her quilts.  They always turn out so gorgeous so I decided to try my hand.  I had thus far shyed away from this kind of thing because it seemed that it would be more of a wrestling match than a quilting project.  Trying to direct a whole quilt in every which way when all 3 layers of quilt are squished between the base of your machine and a presser foot and half of your quilt scrunched up in that center part of your machine didn't sound remotely enjoyable to me.   But this was a baby quilt so I says to myself, "Go for it."  After I made all the mistakes that I could, I started to enjoy the art of machine stippling.  I was amazed at the amount of consentration it took at first, like your brain had to think in an entirely different way than it normally does.   After awhile though, it got easier and more fun, even to the point of relaxing.  I don't know if I'm ready to take on a King or even a Full-sized quilt yet, but if the opportunity comes, you can bet I'll give it a try!

Memory Quilts

    Please remember that the Graduation Quilts that I have on here are not just for graduation, but I make lovely memory quilts in honor of our loved ones that have passed on, baby's first year, daddy's ties, birth to 18, or any other memory road you would like to have immortalized in quilt form.  

    Please also remember that the design shown is only an example.  If this design would not fit your needs, I will work with you to help you find a design that will fit your loved one's personality and work with the items you would like incorporated into the quilt. 

      If a quilt doesn't fit your needs we can do a pillow or whatever other idea you might have.  Share your memories with me and together we'll make it perfect. 

Double Wedding Ring Progress



I would say things are starting to feel like they are finally moving.  After hours and hours of cutting and piecing little pieces of fabric that are not much bigger than scraps, Mom and I finally have something substantial to show for it!  When we decided to take on this project, we didn't know that it was one of those "How expert quilters like to show off what they can do" projects until we had gotten it underway.  I said, "Too late to turn back, now."  Mom looked a bit skeptical about our ability but on we plunged.  We are going to continue our Thursdays whenever we can manage it until we have our finsished product.  Then, on to the hand-quilting!



Now taking orders for Graduation Quilts!

      Time to start thinking about that Graduation Party!  These quilts are a great display for the party and a momory holder for a lifetime!   These are not those floppy, sloppy quilts you have seen around.  These quilts have nice straight lines and square-looking squares! 

       The back is intentionally left white for guests, classmates and well-wishers to leave their autograph or words of encouragement with your permanent fabric marker that is included in your price. 

Mom and Me was a success!

      The Mom and Me was a huge success and we did have 14 people despite the blizzard that was only supposed to be 1-3 inches.  Everyone seemed to have had a great time and most of them expressed that to me as well. 

       The moms and daughters had varying levels of skill from "whats a bobbin" to " we do this a lot".  I couldn't bellieve the patience of these girls in trying to get their project done and done well.  They were all attentive and did an absolutely superb job. 

          Everyone's bags came out great!  And the best part was their beautiful faces when they flipped that bag right-side out for the last time to see their finished product!  Priceless! 
I think the girls all learned quite a bit and hopefully they all left with the confidence to say that they can sew.

 Because they can!

In Late September

 I also have a hand-quilt rack!  I made this one in about 100 hours.  I have it listed on Etsy.com, but no hits yet.  I'm anxoius to see how long this next quilt takes to do.  It's a little more involved.  It's ready to go on the rack as soon as I find the perfect backing material.  I'll post pics whan I get it on the rack.

Farm Animals Crib Set

This is the Farm Animal Crib Set and I comes with the quilt, a crib-sized sheet, a lined 16" X 16" tote bag, and a mini-boppy.  And I gotta tell you, I'm having trouble keeping the boppy away from my kids.  They are all older, but there is somethig about the shape or something that they want to have that.

  I'm making them one of their own out of courderoy. 

Deluxe Noah's Ark Crib Set

This adorable little receiving blanket is 30" X 30" and trimmed in satin binding and the hat fits a newborn but stretches well for a larger baby.  It can be purchased seperately or it coordinates well with the Noah's Ark set. 

Noah's Ark Crib Set

Here is a Noah's Ark crib set that I just finished today.  This one comes with the quilt, the lined 16" X 16" tote bag, a crib sized sheet, and a little pillow.  On one side of the pillow are the little monkeys (shown) and on the other are the panda bear pals.  I have 3 sets of these on-hand right now!

These casserole carriers are fully insulated and can carry any shape dish, including a 9" X 13"!  They are insulated with insul-bright material and the outside is cotton making them machine washable.  The eurethaned wooden handles have ends on them just big enough to keep the rod from slipping out when you don't want it to , but small enought to be able to remove the rod when you want to launder it.  The side flaps have generous ties on them rather than unreliable velcro.  As great as these look now, they really look sharp after they have been personalized.  I charge $27.00 for the carrier and $32 for the carrier with personalization.  I have lots of fabrics to choose from, not just this one  pattern, just let me know what you want and I'll get it done.

More Crib Sets

Here is another set that I thought was so cute.  This one comes with the sams as the last, a quilt, a crib sheet, a lined 16" X 16" tote bag, and a soft book.  I usually only personalize the bag, but wouldn't it look nice to have the child's name embroidered in the white circle on the quilt?  Love it! 

This crib gift set is so adorable!  It comes with a crib sized quilt, a soft book, a crib sheet, and a 16" X 16" lined tote bag.  The back of the soft book has a designated area to write the names of who the gift is from and to whom the gift is for making it even more personal.  I also embroider the name of the child or whatever message you would like on the bag for you. 

Hooded Towel Bath Set

I just love these sets!  I used to give the towels as baby shower gifts, but on one occasion, I didn't have any wrapping paper and didn't want to run to the store.  I had some fabric laying around and made a quick bag to put the towel in.  Later, I discovered that the bag got used every bit as much as the towel!  I have improved the design of the bag over the years and they are now an even bigger hit than before, especially now that they can be personalized!

Welcome to Lifetime of Love's New Blogspot

Well, if we're going to do this, let's do it right.  My name Julie Fischbach and I am the sole proprieter of Lifetime of Love, a  sewing and alterations business in Fort Jennings, Ohio.  We have a lot of custom and specialty items for sale both in my shop and online.  Please browse through my blog and see what I've been up to.  Make sure you check back often, I've always got something new in the works!