Seams of Life

a little something sewn

Between picking, watering, and playing in the garden and planning, priming and painting a few more "before and after" projects; I squeezed in a bit of time to sew a little something. I've wanted to make a patchwork wreath every since I seen this tutorial on JCHandmade. I didn't follow the tutorial exactly, which I believe resulted in a bit wrinklier version than the original. Still, I like the way it turned out. All of the fabrics I used were out of my scrap basket. So, my scrap basket got a much needed purge and I got to flex my sewing muscle. All in all it was a satisfying little project.  

before and after :: heirloom dresser

My first family heirloom, this dresser belonged to my great-grandparents. It came to me a little worn, well used and in need of a little tlc.

 
I cleaned and oiled it then replaced the hardware. Now it resides in my bedroom and I feel a wave of joy every time I walk into the room and see it. I'm proud to have this piece of history, our history, in my home.

The workmanship in this simple piece of furniture amazes me. It was certainly built to last, unlike some of the furniture available today. Although it has some nicks and signs of wear, it still is the most beautiful piece I own.

 

garden happiness

 ( photo by Jacob )

   ( photo by Jacob )  

 ( photo by Jacob )

  

before and after

I have really been loving the before and after segment of Design*Sponge. It amazes me how someone can take a piece of furniture that I probably wouldn't give a second look, and transform it into something that looks like it came from a high-end catalog. Fueled by this inspiration, I will be working on my own before and afters. Looking around my home, I should have no problem coming up with ideas. Most of our stuff is second hand and, after years of use and neglect, in desperate need of a make over. Some of the projects will be small, subtle changes (likely just a coat of paint) that make a huge difference. Others will involve a bit more time and elbow grease.

To begin I'd like to share a pair of gourds. We grew these gourds about three years ago. I had planned to make bird houses then but only got as far as painting them white. After years of sitting on the back porch, this is what they looked like:

 

With a good sanding, a few holes drilled, and a fresh coat of paint, they now look like this:

 
 
This project was inspired by the gourd birdhouse I seen here. Most of the gourd birdhouses I've seen are really decorative. But I think that the solid color brings attention to the beauty of their shape.

We planted more gourds in the garden this year and hopefully, before long, I'll have more of these the swinging from our trees.

a prairie blouse

It seems as though I am a little behind the times because while everyone is sewing things from Anna Maria's new book, I am just now sewing projects from her old book. Above is the prairie blouse from Seams to Me. I actually sewed this up sometime before Easter. I made two blouses and planned for them to be Easter dresses. Unfortunately, I did not cut the bottoms in an A-line so the dress part didn't work. As for the second blouse, I made the bias tape too narrow to thread the elastic through so it ended up back in the scrap pile. Despite all that, this blouse came together wonderfully.

 
Anna Maria's directions where super clear and easy to follow. I had no trouble at all sewing this up other than the trouble I created myself. I love this blouse. Its whimsical and fun and is exactly the kind of thing I want my girls to wear. 

 However, my girls seem to be forming their own opinions about what they want to wear. Lucky for me, Mama-made clothes still make the cut.