Making shorts or pants - My little tip...

 I know I have some followers and visitors that are new sewers. So I thought I would share a little about inserting elastic in a pair of shorts. I basically use the same method for pants. Some patterns have different instructions as far as construction goes. You just have to find the way that is the easiest and most comfortable for you to use.
  I have used the Britches and Bloomers pattern for Shelby since she was a baby, but she is 3 now so I wanted something that had a little more fit to it.
  I found this shorts pattern from New Look 6473, and I love it. It is not quite so full, but if you want more fullness all you have to do is add an inch or two to the sides.
  I will use pictures to explain what I do after sewing the side seams and the crotch seams.
First, I press about a 1/4" fold around the top of the pants. Ironing is SO important in constructing any garment.

 Then I fold down the band which I made at 1 1/4" because I used 1" elastic. I normally use 1" elastic because it holds up better in the wash. You can see how the elastic will slide into the band.

 Now you will stitch around the band next to the fold. Be sure to leave an opening where you will insert the elastic. You might also like to pin and press all around so you can keep the band straight.

 The next part is what I call "my little trick." Some of you seasoned sewers might do this, but no one actually taught me this. I go to the top of the band and topstitch very close to the edge. This will help to keep the elastic from rolling.

  I use my elastic bodkin to grip, push, and pull the elastic through the band. Don't worry if you don't have one. A good old fashioned safety pin will do the trick too. Be sure to fasten a safety pin to the opposite end of your elastic so it won't pull all the way through the band.

 After pulling the elastic through, I lay one end over the other, and I hand stitch it to hold it in place. This makes it much easier to put under the sewing machine when you stitch both ends together.                          

 Now don't forget to go back and stitch down the opening where you inserted the elastic.

 That's it! Easy Peasy! Now in the next pic you will notice 2 safety pins. I always pin safety pins to the front of the pants or shorts so I don't get them mixed up. After the elastic is done, I sew a sort of inconspicuous button in the front so the little one will know which side is the front. I borrowed that idea from my friend, Rett, at The Gazebo House.

 Just add some cute shirts, and you have a sweet little summer outfit (or 2). I am lucky enough to have an embroidery machine too. 
  I hope this has helped some of you. Let me say that I cut out and made the shorts in an hour. I love fast and easy projects. Some days my brain just needs a rest!

Do you crave new fabrics?

I absolutely love looking at all kinds of fabrics, and everytime I start going through websites I find so many that I would love to have.
 Of course, I don't need any of them, and I do pretty good controlling my ability to click on the "add to cart" button.
  I also love entering giveaways for fabric, but so far I haven't won any. I keep trying though.
  There is one here. So go and read about it if you love pretty fabric too.

A Super Giveaway...

  I really hate to tell anyone about this because it cuts down my chances to win. LOL No, really, it gives me one more chance to win by posting it here. 
  Laura is a sewing forum friend, and she's having a great giveaway. Check out her patterns. She is so talented.
 Thanks, Laura, for sharing your talent with all of us.

If you like giveaways....

Go to this Blog, and follow the rules. She has a neat giveaway. Thanks to my friend from Simple Pleasures for inviting me. 
  I still want to have a giveaway of my own. I was hoping to get to 25 followers, but if not, I will do one in May when it will be my two year blog-a-versary!
Happy Blogging! 

Zoo Day and My Daughter's Birthday...

  April 21, 1974 I gave birth to a 10lb. 7oz. baby girl. At that time, she was the biggest baby born on that shift at the Schumpert Hospital. Since then they have had some a lot bigger! We got all kinds of jokes like "she's ready to eat peas and cornbread!" Funny since that is now one of her favorites!
  I had told her that I wanted us to do something fun with the kids this week, and when she told Cayden that her "fun" thing to do for her birthday was to go to the zoo, he was elated. Love the innocence of this age.
  I met them at DD's house, and we rode nearly 2 hours to the zoo in Tyler, TX. I had never been, and it is really a beautiful place this time of year with all of the azaleas and other flowers in bloom. I wanted to share a few pics. The birds were my favorite, and then the giraffes. 
  Now Miss Shelby insisted on toting her purse everywhere we went, and wearing her sunshades. She said she did that because Mommy and Mimi carry a purse. I'm here to tell you that she kept up with it the whole day. 
  When we got to the restaurant, she asked for some crackers to take home. I nearly lost it when she started stuffing them in her purse. She's a hoot!

I snapped a bunch of pics of this bald eagle trying to catch one of him looking our way. It was like he finally said, "OK, lady, here I am, now just leave me alone." They were beautiful. I think these were some that were rescued as one of them had half a wing missing. They were in an open area so I'm quite sure they couldn't fly.  I've never seen one in real life, and I was thrilled.
  The pelicans were quite funny, and very pretty. That is our state bird.

I hope you enjoyed our zoo adventure. We had a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS SHELBY!

My sweet princess is three years old today. It seems like she was a baby for such a short time. She was so sweet at her party yesterday. She ran up to me saying, "Mimi, me want to hug you." Then she did Pawpaw the same way. There's just no sweeter words to my ears.
  There was only one thing she was worried about at her party, and that was eating CAKE. She never asked about the presents - just the CAKE. She did enjoy opening her presents, and she was so funny this evening wearing her Cinderella slippers and carrying her 2 purses.  I'll leave you with a few pics from birth until now. 

This pic is of Shelby wearing a little diaper shirt I made Emily as a baby.

Fantastic Giveaway at Goosegirl Sews...

  Another blogger friend is having a fantastic giveaway. Blog on over to Goosegirl Sews and read how you can win her new apron pattern, and an apron.
  Aprons are the newest craze these days, and there are so many cute ones to make. If I should win, I want one in Shelby's size. That girl cooks more than I do! LOL

Birthday Photo Shoot..

My daughter is a great photographer, and having a beautiful background makes it even easier. She took Shelby to Norton's Art Gallery today in Shreveport, LA. They have the most beautiful, serene landscaping I've ever seen. You can walk trails and listen to streams, or just sit and watch the birds.
 Shelby will be 3 on Sunday. I just can't believe she is already 3. Where does time go? It just makes me smile when she says she's "Mimi's girl." Before we left on our cruise, she gave me a big hug, and she said, "Me gonna miss you soooo much, Mimi." Nearly made me cry!
  This is the outfit I ended up with. I had shown the fabrics in a previous post. My daughter is never picky about what I sew, but I always want her approval before I make something for a special event. 

Shelby said she was "done!"

 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Since my camera died on the cruise, I just had to get another one yesterday while in Shreveport. It is a simple Kodak, but it seems to take good pics. I decided to try it out in the backyard this morning. It is a beautiful day. The birds were not around much. Sometimes they are abundant in the mornings, and sometimes it's not until the afternoon. I suppose they are making their rounds through the neighborhood.

 

 

I was zooming in from the patio, and the squirrel is a little blurred, but not too bad.

I only need 4 more followers for my blog giveaway. I've been collecting a few things. Some will be sewing related, and then some other things. 

Have a good day everyone!

Cruisin' in the Gulf...

We had a fabulous time on our cruise, and we will definitely go on another one. We went on Carnival Ecstasy, and it is a beautiful, well-maintained ship. The staff was wonderful and treated everyone like royalty. I thought it was so interesting that the staff comes from 56 different countries and speaks 27 different languages. 
 The weather was beautiful the whole time except when we came back into Galveston, a heavy fog came in, and they wouldn't let us come into the port. We were delayed 4 hours, but they did a good job trying to keep everyone fed and happy! 
  I wanted to share a few pics today, and will post some more later. The water at Cozumel was the deepest blue I have ever seen.

We didn't get off at Progresso, and that's when I took these pics of the decks. It was so peaceful, and we enjoyed having the hot tub all to ourselves. There were over 2600 people on the boat.