E+M Patterns: Girls Skirt No. 18

I have to admit, I was kind of jealous when I saw this skirt knowing that I would be making this for my five year old.  I wanted one of these for me, but I was so excited that was I was lucky enough to test the Girls Skirt Pattern No. 18 for Allison at E+M Patterns.  Now, the skirt did look a little daunting at first glance with the scallops and bow, but never fear!! That is not the case!!  This sweet little skirt is such an easy sew.  It does take a hot minute to get around the scallops, but let me tell ya, it is so worth the few extra minutes that you take.  I have a little girl who is suspicious of anything that looks even close to girly.  Lace, ruffles...BOWS...and she's already picked out fabrics for her third skirt. This first one is pink and full of all hearts and girly stuff.  I was a little nervous to show it to her at first, but when she put it on, she told me, "this is exactly what I wanted, Momb!" Who knew?

The pattern comes with both measurements and pattern pieces which I loved because there are some days when I love the my rotary cutter and ruler and there are some days when I just want it done for me so I can trace the pieces and cut.  With this pattern, I get the best of both worlds!

The front of the skirt is flat, and there are two elastic casings in the back to help with fit and easy donning.  My daughter hates zippers and buttons so she was over the moon that she could put this one on all by herself.  The best part for me?  No zippers or buttonholes.  As a bonus, I also don't have to pull out the serger or worry about zigzag stitches because Allison has directions on how to finish off the seams without either.  

I ended up making a second skirt.  This time, I did a denim overskirt with a cotton underskirt no bow.  My daughter turned five right in the middle of the week I was sewing up these skirts, and we were making cupcakes for her kindie class one night.  She rolled through with my dough hook in her hand and her denim skirt on and told me she was Little Muffin the Pirate who was coming to steal the cupcakes from the family treasure chest...and well, pirates don't wear bows.  I do think that I want to make a bow that I can pin to it later if she changes her mind.  On the pink one, I attached the bow to the skirt, and I will warn you to make sure that you sew that sucker on there really well or it will come apart in the wash.  

Little Muffin laughing at Mom

Little Muffin celebrating the spoils of her raid

Both skirts have already been worn and washed.  I didn't topstitch the scallops on either, and they came out of the wash ready to wear.  I am a topstitching fanatic so I decided to push the test and not topstitch these skirts.  There is a possibility that I might push the test on a few other things that I sew...we'll see...Little Muffin even wore her pirate skirt to church the other day which never happens. ever.  AND, she let me get some pictures of her checking out the tree in the lobby.  Something else that she almost never lets me do.  ever.  I'm loving this skirt more and more. :)!

As for the pattern, I found it to be very well written.  Each step is extremely concise and detailed with clear pictures to help you visualize what the skirt should look like as you put construct it.  The pattern was easy to follow along, and I learned a new way to do bows!  I do love this pattern, and it will probably become my go to skirt pattern when I need something quick and cute.  It's pretty versatile in that it can be made for everyday wear or dressed up in a fancier fabric and used as special occasion skirt.  All in all, I would say another winner from Allison!   

This skirt is currently on sale for $4 until Thursday at midnight.  After that it will be full price at $8.  You can pick up your copy at www.empatterns.com or www.etsy.com/shop/empatterns.  

There are also a couple of ways you can keep up with Allison and E+M Patterns if you like what you see at her shop!  You can follow her Facebook page or join her Facebook group at the links below:

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/empatternspage
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/EMPatterns/

Blessings and Happy Sewing!
Kim

I am a feminist...

I was at the store the other day, and there was a young lady standing at the deli counter waiting.  I looked over at her and flashed a quick half smile.  Then, I glanced at her little button that said “Girl Power”.  I’m guessing she noticed that I glanced at it because she said, “Yeah, I’m a feminist.”

Later, I was thinking about what exactly that means…to be a feminist.  I have a different take on feminism, I think.  Or rather, I see it differently than some people do.  Before you start getting indignant, hear me out.  We, as women, were created to be extraordinary.  We have the heart of a lioness for the people we love.  We fight for them when they cannot.  Women are strong and powerful, yet gentle and soft.  We cry for grief, happiness, loneliness, joy, pride, and every other emotion that we feel.  We fight for what we believe in, and we fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.  Women nurture and love even when they are hurting inside, and we have a strength in us that moves us forward to continue when we are broken.  We care for others even when we are sick ourselves, and we lift others up when we are crumbling inside.  Often we forget our own self worth, and we forget that even when we feel most alone, we are surrounded by people who rely on us to help them see there is a tomorrow.  Women are powerful, strong, and independent. 

However, I think that embracing what is feminine about us also means approaching life with gentleness and grace. Women should have modesty and be ladylike.  We shouldn’t revel in the fact that we can curse like sailors or drink any man under the table.  We shouldn’t strive to be “one of the guys”.  We aren’t one of the guys!  We’re women.  We’re beautiful and nurturing, loving and strong, powerful and capable, gentle and encouraging.  We are heiresses of God’s kingdom.  Women are one of His most special creations, and for me, being a feminist means embracing all that it means to be a woman.

Time for an attitude change

We recently had a family emergency that rocked my world.  My mother suffered a stroke and is currently in a rehab unit.  She's making great strides toward recovery and in just 3 weeks, she's now able to move her right leg and is starting to transition back to solid foods instead of having to puree everything.  Shes's still fighting hard, and her spirits are up.  Needless to say, I'm not handling things well at all.  That, in turn, caused me to be not handle stressors and minor annoyances in my life very well.  There are times when I am sure that I will come apart at the seams and just end up a pile on the floor.  

Today, the verse of the day (Matthew 7:1-2  Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and  with the measure you use it will be measured to you) popped up on my computer and reminded me that sometimes the most unhappy, mean-spirited people in the world are just that way.  They don't know how to be any other way, and that means that I need to have a little more patience, compassion, and understanding with them.  It isn't for me to decide that they need to be better people, and it isn't for me to decide that they aren't worth my time.  Rather, I need to have MORE patience and compassion for them because they need that from me more than they need my bitterness and anger. It's hard, and I am pretty sure that I won't always succeed...but I've decided that I need to work more on loving the unlovable.  Even when I just. don't. want. to. 

My husband and I decided when our children were born that we wanted to provide them with role models that they can look up to.  We want to do as we say, and in order for me to do that, I need to worry less about perceived offenses against me and spend more time meeting people where they are and loving them regardless.  Today's verse reminded me of a quote I saw not too long ago, "Judging a person does not define who they are.  It defines who you are." Unfortunately, I don't know who to attribute that quote to as there was no name attached to it when I saw it.  I don't want that to define who I am.  I have a new goal, and today starts a new attitude for me.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Well, we hit a milestone at Nini and Ash, so we had a giveaway!!  THANK YOU so much everyone for your continuing support!  We're so excited about everything that we've been up to so far this year, and we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year brings!!!

Okay, so the part that everyone really cares about...the WINNERS!!!

So, the winner of the top and bottom set is Kim Ramsey O'Dell!!!   Congratulations, Kim!

However, we had such an awesome response to the giveaway that we decided to give prizes to a handful of other folks as well!!  SOOO, the following individuals were randomly selected to receive a coupon for 20% any item you order from Nini and Ash!!!  If you order multiple items, this discount will apply to the highest priced item you order!  We just picked names based on how many overall entries we had.  In no particular order, here you go!!!

Faith Garrison
Melissa Anders
Annette Eldridge
Ryan R Origon
Doris L. Welch
Linda Vertin
Kyla Mowery
Sarah Coenen
Nicole Hubbard
Terri Dudey
Tee Anderson
Tina Jenkins
Barbara K. Colson
Crissy Brown
Maci Maer
Donna Frazier Davis
Gabby Grostefon
Destiny Groleau
Susan Blackman Sharp
Krystal Medina
Carrie Demas

Trimming it Up

Hi, everyone!  I was recently Facebook stalking, and some of the gals in a group I'm part of mentioned that they have the hardest time with the trim on the Peek A Boo Patterns Hangout Hoodie.  I know that it took me a few readings and staring at the picture to figure out what the heck to do so I did a quick video for the ladies in the group that asked for it.  This was just a quick vid of me while I was putting my daughter's together last night so it's not very exciting, but hopefully it helps you figure out how to do the trim or to figure out a way to make it work for you if you are staring at the hoodie sideways and trying to attach the trim.  After the first one or two, it's pretty easy!

This next video shows what it looked like for me after I was finished with the sewing part.  It wasn't perfect, but hopefully it gives you an idea of how it would look.  On the video, I said PM me or tag me in a comment (I was posting this to FB) but if anything that I said is confusing, please hit me up in the comments and I'll try to explain it for you!  

Here is a picture of what the bottom of the hoodie will look like when you're done sewing!

Not entirely perfect, but my 4 yr old won't notice after the button is on.

Thanks so much and Blessings for stopping by and Happy Sewing!!

--Kim

This is the Way...

So, last week, at around 8:40 in the morning, I heard the familiar little ping on my phone and looked down to see a text from my friend, Donna; our Sunday morning community group was cancelled due to snow.  As we were already en route, there was no way we were turning around.  I took the opportunity to sit in one of the upstairs classrooms at church to spend some time alone in the Word.  As I sat and listened to the music from first service, I stopped and took a moment to reflect on what's on the horizon for our family.  My husband is preparing to retire from active duty service.  After more than 20 years of moving around serving our country's call, the Lord has called us to put down roots and settle our vagabond family down in Moore.  We are contemplating moving the children to Destiny Christian School next year so they will be facing a new school with new teachers, and I'm looking at doing some new things with my business.  

Within the ladies ministry at church, I'm getting involved in some exciting new avenues toward reaching into our community as we start a sewing mission that will provide handmade items to both local and global reaching organizations.  I'm also looking to help with a meals ministry to provide meals to families when they are facing illness, family deaths, a new arrival, or they just need an extra hand.  Cooking and sewing...both things that I dearly love and that have the potential to reach out and touch the community in such amazing new ways.  I'm even hoping to start a monthly women's brunch similar to a men's breakfast that my husband and a couple of the other men in the church plan and organize each month.  I looked at a breakfast option. I really tried to get into the idea of a breakfast, but I really just love eating breakfast food more than I like being up at breakfast time...so, I think we'll do brunch for the ladies.  It's just a really exciting time for our lives.  

This year, 2014, is my year to live life on purpose.  As I've been struggling with where I should be headed and what to focus on with everything happening for us, one of our family's life verses has been running through my head over and over, reminding me that I don't need to know which way to turn. We just need to listen to Him and open our hearts to all that He wants for us.  When He is speaking into your heart, He will pursue you to no end to help you hear what He is saying to you.  Even when you choose to ignore His voice, He will continue to speak into your heart and guide you in the way that He has purposed for you.  There have been when doors have opened and closed, and to me, my world has been turned upside down.  There was no reason in the world for any of it to be happening, and for a while, I sort of drifted along wondering what on Earth was I going to do now.  Eventually, though, that ever faithful and ever loving voice was there again, reminding me to stop worrying because He has this.  He is with me and He knows the way; my job is to follow Him and to listen when He calls.  When you are lost and don't know which way to turn, remember "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'" (Isaiah 30:21).

I recently came down with an upper respiratory infection, and it knocked the wind out of my sails for a little bit.  It was one of those moments when I hadn’t slowed down in a while so the Lord decided he was going to help me to realize the error of my ways.  Well, during that recovery time, I had some time to reconnect with a friend of mine, and we were talking a little bit about devotion time and how life gets busy sometimes.  Well, okay, let’s face it, life gets in the way a lot of times.  It gets in the way of things you want to do, places you want to go, people you want to see.  I realized that sometimes, you have to get in the way of life and make those things happen that you need to do for yourself.  She mentioned that she doesn’t have much time during the day to do her daily devotionals, and the only time that she really has to do them would be at night…BUT, that’s work time so really, that’s not the right time.  Early morning is when she is getting everyone ready for the day so that’s bad, too.  We’re just always so BUSY, BUSY, BUSY…I was reminded of my Walk to Emmaus a few months ago when some of the women in our group told us that being busy simply means that we are Bound Under Satan’s Yoke.  When we are too busy for the things that are important in our lives, we are giving our attentions and priorities to the wrong things.  That is precisely what Satan wants from us.  He wants us to be distracted by the things that distract us from our time with God and our family because that is what makes us most vulnerable to him.

This year, 2014, is my year to lead a more purposeful life.  Now, I don’t mean that I am going to sit down every day and meditate on every little move that I make, but I am going to be purposeful in what I do to ensure that everything I do is done because it is what God wants me to do.  Things won’t be perfect.  They won’t be happy and easy all of the time, but I am going to do them with prayerful consideration that I am doing them according to God’s will.  This applies to my spiritual life, my family life, friends, my business.  When we give our time to being BUSY, we let distractions come between us and those things that are truly important.  This year, my focus will be less on being busy and serving the things that turn my attention away from God’s will and more toward listening to His pull on my heart and purposefully acting in ways according to His desire for my life.

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15