New Year, New Style of Embroidery

I've officially gotten my feet wet with Applique! It's not too terribly hard. Here's my first practice on scrap fabric. I'm so excited for the possibilities of making more things with this! It could totally take items from a homemade look to a boutique feel. Well, maybe that's a stretch. But we'll see!

My sister and I also had a surprising, fun side project to accomplish late last night before we rung in the new year. She had to play tooth fairy for the very first time! Here's what we threw together. The corner with the embroidery is a pocket for the tooth and tooth fairy money:

And no post would be complete without a few bloopers. Here's my "around the house" sweatshirt that I tried to applique after the initial scraps trial. I blame this mess up on the embroidery website. Apparently the "M" file I used was not sized correctly...and I didn't exactly trim it very well either. The "E" looks pretty good though...aside from being crooked! But let's be honest, if it was perfect...it wouldn't match ME!

The hoop marks are also a little unfortunate. Good thing they'll come out! 

Chromium 6 Tragedy

This morning as I was fixing *yankees see bottom for term dictionary* myself a nice, refreshing glass of water, I was reminded of the most personally devastating news story from the past few weeks. The Environmental Working Group released a study listing 31 major cities whose tap water is contaminated with high levels of Chromium 6...the same chemical element featured in the movie Erin Brockovich. You know, the movie about the water that gave everybody cancer! Apparently this colorless, odorless Chromium 6 increases the risk of lung cancer as well as kidney and intestine problems. And although you may be thinking, "I don't live in one of those big cities"...let's be real, if 31 out of the 35 cities tested had the problem...image how many more smaller towns and cities who were not tested also have issues. I'm guessing many, many do! This is a very personally upsetting issue for me because in the 9th grade I stopped drinking soft drinks cold turkey. You know what that leaves...water...tap water.

And I've drunk a whole lot of it in the last 11 years!! (Oh goodness, was 9th grade really that long ago??) I've always thought of it as my one redeeming health quality. I may eat a few more sweets than I should...but at least I just drink water, right?!! Well, throw that one out the window. I always thought bottled water and filters were just for the fancy folks, and I'm a good 'ol girl who isn't too "elitist" for tap water. Well no more my friends. I'm about to drop the big bucks on a water filtration system, and maybe you should too! I'm not trying to get all crazy and jump to conclusions...in my heart I still want to turn on that tap and get my free water fix...but perhaps I need to heed the warnings this time. I mean, we are all a little too fabulous to be taken out by bad water! At least if I go down by sweets, I go down with a smile on my face!

*For those of my Yankee friends, the word "fixing" is a multi-purpose southern word that means you are or are going to do something. For example: I'm fixin' to go see my grandfather. Or I need to fix my hair before I go out. Or I fixed myself some chicken and dumplins' for lunch. Get it? 

Next Step: Applique

In my quest to conquer all things embroidery, the next step is Applique. This is the really cute stuff you see little kids wearing with pretty fabrics inside the lines of embroidery...here's a visual from two shirts my cousin has made:

This is going to be a challenge for many reasons.

#1: It takes a lot of slow, tedious work with patience. Now, if you know me very well at all, you know I am all about speed and efficiency. I tend to beat speed records for most anything I do. Things that don't have or don't need to have a speed record...I create a race for. So having to work slowly and carefully will be painful but quite refining for me! It is likely that I'll mess up more than a few garments before I learn the hard way that I really must take my time. 

#2: I've never actually seen the applique process done. For most tasks, I'm a very visual learner. If I see you do something, I can replicate it pretty quickly. I watch...then I do. It's a pretty easy set up for me...really helped in math growing up. But in this case, I've only heard what to do. Big difference. My sweet cousin,who made the shirts featured above, gave me a tutorial and quick pep talk on the steps to applique at our family Christmas. But now I must put the steps into action. This could be my next great masterpiece or my next colossal disaster. I'm guessing it'll probably be a little bit of both. 

Here's to a new embroidery adventure! Hancock fabrics, here I come!!

Hodgepodge of Embroidery Goodness

Today I got to each lunch with some of my favorite teacher friends from Walhalla. How I love them so! They were so good to me during my first two years of teaching, and I'll forever remember my time there with fondness. They always made me feel like I belonged and was one of them...even though I was a total teaching newbie who was brand new to their community. They spoiled me and now every other school I ever work for has a high standard to live up to! Anywho...one of my friends brought her two precious twin daughters wearing the dresses I embroidered for them a while back.

(Refresher pic)

It totally warmed my heart! It also relieved some of my embroidery fears to see something I've made has actually held up and been done right! Hallelujah!

In other news, here are some promised pics of other items I've made in the past few weeks, enjoy...and let me know if you want anything!

A Duke inspired Santa hat for my sweetie...aka Uncle Jarred. Pardon the creepy Puerto Rican stache, I promise he shaves! 

I'm now dabbling in baby bibs. Turns out they're pretty fun!

A swaddling baby sleeping bag thingy (I'll learn the real name before I have a kid, but I know they are all the rage these days for safety!)

A few decorate serving towels for a dear friend who runs her own catering company called salivate. If you have an event in the Charlotte area, I can hook you up! She's fabulous!

Make up bag

A few hand towels for my aunt who works with deaf children. I was super excited to find this embroidery design since sign language has a special place in my heart! (Sorry for the hoop marks in the picture, they come out)

All of this is only a fraction of the embroidery that's been taking place in the past week. I may or may not have accused my mom and sister of forcing me to work in my "embroidery sweatshop" as I made Christmas gifts.  Haha But each item has been made with love! I absolutely know that the way I show love to others is through gifts, so I'm thankful for the way embroidery is helping me love others!

Happy New Year!

Hope you've had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family! I know I have! Embroidery gift photos to come soon, but for now, enjoy a special video from Jarred and I...and Happy New Year a few days early!

Have I mentioned one of the reasons I love Jarred is that he is willing to be silly with me?! We have so much fun! I can only imagine when we have kids!!

Adding to My Embroidery Repertoire!

 Jarred and I are finally home for Christmas, hooray! I don't know about any other teachers out there, but the last week of school almost killed me! Between concerts and holiday parties, I think I limped to the finished line with visions of SC dancing in my head to keep me moving. But now we are home sweet home, and I finally have time for some fun new embroidery projects! Here are a few new things I've done lately, expanding my repertoire and honing my skills: 

A make-up/accessories bag for Jarred's sister, filled with lots of nail polish, chap stick and other fun treats for Christmas.

Personalized pillowcases for my favorite little boys! They are just to the age where they recognize and love seeing their names on things, so hopefully they'll like these! (Don't worry, I also bought age appropriate toys, dvds, etc. for Christmas gifts as well...I don't want to become known as Lame Aunt Shug!)

My friend Sarah Nell, famous for helping me scale "My Everest," bought several pashminas to have embroidered with "Auburn" for the National Championship game in a few weeks. She's going to add a stick-on AU symbol to compliment the embroidery as well. I'm inspired to make Clemson and Carolina ones now!

Sarah Nell is also a lovely model!

 I'll close with a screw up...they're pretty common! I mentioned once before that I made stocking caps for my students' Christmas gifts. I have 7 kids, but I made at least 10 hats! Here's one example of why: 

Oh well, now I have more stocking caps to sleep in since Jarred and I are anti-heating bill!

Holiday Hits

As I've been embroidering for Christmas, my mind has wondered to creating the perfect Christmas music playlist for my singing pleasure. I've often been told that I have the voice of an angel...oh wait, that's not something I've been told but just something I made up. Regardless, I love to belt out a Christmas hit in the company of my own empty home. So here are my playlists so far, broken into genres and ranked...because everybody loves a countdown! And I dare say Jarred and I even fell in love over countdown lists!

Top 7 True Meaning of Christmas Carols (I tried to do a top 5, but let's be honest, there are too many great ones): 
7. Joy To the World 
6. Angels We Have Heard on High (This is Jarred's personal fave. The group Third Day has a nice version of this and a few others on their Christmas album)
5. The First Noel (one of the few songs I can play really well on the piano)
4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3. What Child is This 
2. O Come All Ye Faithful (Celine has a pretty solid version that kicks in with a choir, and that's always a great thing)
1. O Holy Night versions by Martina McBride (whose entire Christmas album you should own) and N*Sync (don't hate, it's a'cappella and those harmonies are hot)

Top 5 Nostalgic Old School Songs for a fire and Christmas tree (aka the most boring of the 3 lists):
5. Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer (This gets the 5 spot solely in honor of my dad, it's always been one of his favorites)
4. White Christmas (doesn't it give you the warm fuzzies)
3. I'll be Home for Christmas (new meaning now that I'm far away!)
2. The Christmas Song aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (again, you just can't beat Martina, buy her album)

And my personal favorite list to sing while embroidering, or showering, or driving, or cooking, or at any given moment of any given day, YEAR round:

Top 5 Diva Style Holiday Hits:
5. Do You Hear What I Hear by Martina (have you googled the album yet? Seriously, don't you have any respect for my musical tastes?)
4. Love Has Come by Amy Grant (one of my favorite songs to belt out from my childhood... her song "Emmanuel" is also good times)
3. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by N*Sync (If you are in denial about the legitness of this song, you need to check yourself!)
2. Oh Santa! by the one and only MARIAH! (this is a newbie song this year, but I'm not going to lie, it is darn catchy and you will not be able to get it out of your head.) 
1. All I Want for Christmas Is You clearly by Mariah, the queen of Christmas. I'm going to pull a Kanye and say "This is the greatest secular Christmas song of ALL TIME!!"

Almost cracking the lists this year was the surprisingly good version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Jessica Simpson. Her music is normally WAY too breathy for my taste, but this song makes a comeback. Good for you Jessica! Good for you!

Hokay...go start downloading and enjoy singing your way to the 25th! I know I will! Merry Christmas...and HAPPPY HOLIDAYYYYYYYSSSSS!! (N*Sync fans, I know you just sang that!)