Mother's Sewing Challenge

I know this is the first day of September, and we're technically a day late for our August challenge.  We're ok with that.  We've had alot going on this year.

Our August challenge is very special to us, because our projects were made in honor of our Mom. She would have turned 84 in August. Yes, we called her Mother.  Seems a bit formal, but she wasn't formal at all.  She lived a very simple fulfilling life raising 7 kids.  Mother didn't work outside the home.  She was a stay-at-home mom.  Every day, she cooked 3 meals and did multiple loads of laundry.  She always said our house had a "lived in" look, meaning things weren't always in their place.  She was ok with that.  I take that same approach with my house, too.

When we were trying to decide what to make to honor our mom, we tried to think of things that Mother loved.  We each chose a different memory of her to be represented in our projects.

Marigolds and Word Search Puzzles
Mother always planted marigolds in front of the house, and they always looked beautiful.  We each planted some marigolds in our flower beds this summer to honor her love of those simple flowers.

Mother loved doing word search puzzles and would sit for hours working on them.  Even in her later years when Alzheimer's had robbed her of many memories, she still would sit with a puzzle in her hand searching for words.

Last weekend, our family gathered at the family farm one last time to honor our parents.  We celebrated our parents' lives out in the yard with a wiener roast, complete with s'mores and watermelon.  We all had a great time in spite of the sweltering heat and humidity.

Our first project represents Mother's love of marigolds and puzzles.  At the wiener roast, each of the women and girls received a wristlet made of fabric with marigolds, word search puzzles or marigold colored fabric.  They are so cute and useful.  My wristlet is in my purse holding secret notes.  :)

Marigolds and Word Search Puzzles

Embroidery
When we were young, our mom taught us to embroider.  She would buy pillowcases with pre-stamped embroidery patterns on them for us to complete.  I have several sets of those pillowcases in my home now.  Each time I look at them, I remember working on them as a child.

This embroidered wall hanging represents the craft we learned and now use in our sewing projects.  It's a simple rendering of a great Bible verse surrounded by flowers.

The joy of the LORD is your strength

We hope you will vote for your favorite project.  We have enjoyed making these last 2 projects that represented our parents lives.

November Challenge

We had a great time at the Chris Cringle craft show earlier this month.  We sold alot of our goods and made a little money.  That's always nice.  Our first customers this year were 3 sisters.  These 3 sisters love animal prints.  Dogs.  Cats.  Elephants.  Anything with animals.  They each bought a new coin purse and maybe a coaster or two.  They were our first customers at the show last year, too.  They made a point of visiting our booth first this year before any other booth, because they wanted to buy some of our products.  That made us feel good.  This was our 4th year to have a booth at Chris Cringle, and one of the sisters has bought from us every year.  For some odd reason, I always remember her.  She has always bought animal prints.

A week or so after that show, we received invitations to 2 or 3 other shows this year.  We aren't able to make commitments to them, because we are already booked.  We don't do many craft shows, because sewing is a hobby for us.  We don't want it to feel like work, and it's not how we earn a living.  It's just a fun thing that earns us a little money.  No harm in that.

But...we do have other events on our calendars.  Joy is holding her annual Crafty Christmas Open House on Dec. 7th.  Jan is busy getting ready for two more shows.  The first one is this Saturday, Nov. 30th at Not Your Mama's Craft Market at the YMCA at Marysville, OH.  Her next show is less than a week later at her workplace.

We both decided to make new and different items that we didn't have available at Chris Cringle.  And that is what we decided to share as our challenge for this month.  Never before seen stuff.

Here's what we've come up with this month.

Framed embroidery
These are simple inspirational framed embroidery pieces that would look great on your desk, dresser, or kitchen counter.  Fill your hearts and minds with uplifting words and you'll be more inclined to treat others in a positive way.

Liberty of London totes
These totes are made from the luxurious Liberty of London fabrics.  Beautiful is the only word to describe them.

Remember...vote for your favorite.  and have a great Thanksgiving!!!