by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 10, 2017
Can NOT even believe the last time I wrote here was halfway through March, and now it is already into April and almost Easter. I’ve spent a lot of time on the couch thinking the last few weeks was due to as-yet undiagnosed vertigo and tiredness that doesn’t seem to want to leave. Though I’ve tried (valiantly, even) to send it on its way!
It’s been a battle of my mind as much as my body since I hate not being able to “do”. Despite my lack of ability to sit for long periods of time, it has been a good time to reflect. Things that were happening in the background of my life became a lot more visible and important.
Short story – I think I am finally ready to try to slow down and remember why I started blogging in the first place!
Long story – If you’ve been following this blog for a long time (THANK YOU so much!) you’ve probably noticed the content has changed over the past year or so.
Last year I found I was having trouble keeping up – my self-imposed deadlines loomed and I constantly fell behind. Instead of creating, I spent my time worrying. New things like speaking at conferences took a huge toll on my mind. Anxiety set in and my body started to rebel. Simple tasks felt like huge mountains. And yet, I still imposed crazy deadlines and knocked myself down each time I “failed”.
So I’ve decided (with my husband’s help) that this year I will focus differently. I want to start by taking some of the time spent worrying or working and use it to play with the kids, plan and make healthier meals, clean the house better, finish my quilt tops and sew the projects I have planned that I can’t ever seem to get to. (Some of them have been waiting for years!)
I’m going to try to ignore the impulse to “not miss” an opportunity I could take due to the unknown “good thing” it could do for my business. I’ve started changing my diet to be healthier and trying (again) to add in some exercise.
I started this blog to share my love of sewing and learned along the way that my passion is to help people learn to love sewing. Unfortunately, along the way, I’ve let myself become pressured into making it about gaining readers and doing “that thing” that will grow the blog. It’s exhausting! Plus, I’ve learned I’m not very good at self-promotion (it always feels funny) and that doesn’t help when you need social media promotion to grow.
I will be slowing down. Writing here needs to take a bit of a backseat to other life things right now. I need to detox from the “pressure to post” and remember how it feels to love doing it again.
I will still be blogging though! In fact, I’ve been asked to join some newly-releasing fabric tours, so they are already planned and booked. I’m still working with Janome and have exciting things coming up! Plus I have long-term projects with other people that I really want to finish and patterns I’d still like to release. And, of course, I want to show you my girls’ Easter Dresses! (Still gotta work on those… eeep!)
I will still be teaching workshops. It is refreshing to teach and recharges my love of sewing, plus I think it’s good for me to get out of my house! I’m in the middle of this 4-week series and it’s been so enjoyable to talk with like-minded people.
Thank YOU! I am and have always been amazed at the growth of this blog. I am so, so grateful for each person who comes by and spends time here. I love comments and questions. I love coming up with fun tutorials and projects. This blog could not go on without you and your encouragement.
This summer marks 5 Years in this space! It feels like a good milestone to take time to reset and make sure it stays true to my original intentions.
P.S. I recently re-read this post I wrote 2 years ago with practical suggestions I hope to start up again.
P.P.S. These photos are from our day yesterday. My husband had a work project to finish up and so the kids and I went out. First a trip to Ikea, where I discovered the play area was closing early. Thankfully, the kids agreed that “texting funny photos to daddy” would make shopping more fun. It was so nice to be outside, that we stopped by the lake for dinner and had our first trip to a playground this year. Note to self: Must do this more often!
P.P.P.S. The youngest declared her socks “look cool” this way. Her decision, not mine or her sisters – as usual! Love it!
One more photo from church yesterday morning. They’re getting so big!
by Sherri Sylvester | Mar 17, 2017
Hi there, how is your week going? We’ve had a “week off” for March Break, no school for the kids, and the usual juggling and scrambling for my husband and I!
Lots going on (including these adorable sock bunnies!) and in the middle of it all, I decided to get a migraine for the first time in years. So… my wonderful husband took over Wednesday, and I got some rest Thursday, and now I’m trying to ramp up again slowly and still play catch-up. It’s so nice to have help at home and so good to have older kids that can play on their own. (And draw me “get well” cards and get me water and pillows – they’re so cute!) I’ve been well taken care of.
So, today you get a random mash-up of what’s going on around here…
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! I emailed the latest winners this morning, one who gets a Fat Quarter Skirt Kit and the other three lucky ladies that get to play with the pattern. You can check out who won in the giveaway post.
I managed to finish up the Reversible Fat Quarter skirt I cut out last week. And finish photos for another #FQSinspiration tutorial on how to add Patch Pockets to a skirt. Hopefully, I can write and post it this coming week – the girls were fighting over who would do the photo-shoot, so you know it’s a good one! Plus I’m preparing for my workshop – there are still a couple more spaces if you want to snatch one up!
Also, it’s apparently only one month until Easter – so the usual (and all important) new dresses for the girls are in the works. As they get older, it’s getting trickier to sew for them. They have lots more to say about how things should look! I love designing their dresses – but if all the hard work doesn’t get worn it’s not worth it. So… they get their say, and I try to work out a compromise – ie. where the fabrics match as best as my stash and I can work out!
This year my youngest is on a big maxi-dress kick and we are going ahead with a “re-make” of my second favorite dress ever – this Annabelle for my oldest – only with RED! And I mean that in a good way. Many thanks to the Elizabeth Olwen fabric I picked up at Jo-Ann Fabric for incorporating turquoise so I can match it up with this gorgeous Henley Studio yardage from my sponsor Fabric Spark. I’ve had both sitting in my stash for far too long. (P.S. My most favorite dress make ever is this yellow one!)
The oldest is still into florals – big time! (Thus the large-scale florals… #seewhatIdidthere LOL) She wants her dress from fabrics she chose at Country Clothesline during last spring’s Creativ Festival and I’m so excited to finally put them together. They’ll match beautifully with this lace-edge fabric for an underskirt, if I can pull it off with the sample pieces I have. She wants a repeat of last year’s epic tulle extravaganza, thankfully the included “minus the tulle” pattern version!
It’s a little sad the girls won’t match this year – but at least they will still wear what I’m sewing. So #winwin all around I’d say!
What are you up to right now? Hope you have a great weekend planned!
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 8, 2017
Sometimes I make something on the fly, while my kids are in school, and it fails miserably. I try to rework it, and even take photos. Then I don’t post about it on the blog because, well… it failed. It’s frustrating that I spent so much time on it – and I can’t say anything positive, really. So I don’t.
Then I find the photos 2 years later and decide it’s a good opportunity to write about something that failed… funny how your perspective on “a good post” changes over the years!
These hats look cute – they even seem like they might be perfect, but the amount of trouble they caused was… well – here’s the story. (With numbered sewing fails!)
It was the winter of 2015 and my kids were at school. I wanted to create some cute unicorn winter hats for them, since “everyone” was wearing one! I had a hat pattern from a year previous (1) and a few hats to trace (2) for samples. I was set and proceeded to cut the only fabric in my stash that would be the right colour, a nice white fleece (3). Lengths and lengths of shiny knit were cut for the unicorn mane, ears sewn and horns created (4). The kids arrived home from school and tried them on, much to my dismay they didn’t fit! (5) Not to be deterred I took them apart and tried to resize them. (6) They were better, but the horns kept falling apart. (7) They didn’t get worn a lot. (8) Eventually, we gave them away, or threw them out – I can’t even remember now! It’s been bugging me ever since.
Eeep! Here’s a breakdown of what went wrong:
(1) Right – don’t use a pattern sized to your child from the year before. And don’t use the older child’s sizing to guess the younger child’s sizing… In general, I don’t make things while they are at school without double-checking the size first anymore.
(2) So, the traced hats had a different stretch than the fabric I was using for the hats. Super unfortunate – since the hats had a lot of stretch I made the fleece version way too tight.
(3) Nice white fleece + children = Nice dirty fleece – ‘nuf said!
(4) The horns were surprisingly difficult to create! It was hard to know how big to make them. Then I couldn’t make them stand up properly. I ended up hand stitching them to the top of the hat – but they fell over. Plus, the strip of knit I used to create the rings on the horn kept coming off.
(5) My size guessing resulted in hats that were too short and not big enough around.
(6) My awesome brainwave was now not working. I was demotivated to fix them and so disappointed that all that time I’d spent was seemingly wasted. Instead of fixing them properly, unfortunately I chose to do a sloppy job of trying to fix them.
(7) See (4)! I really should have hand sewn the knit wrapping the horn, but of course – that would require patience, which I was now out of.
(8) The hats were not really comfortable. Which in kid-language = not worn.
Conclusion…
So there you have it, the story of the “Failed Unicorn Hats of 2015” – to go down in history. (Or not!)
Sometimes things go wrong, and it is not fun and time is “wasted”. And you have to move on. But I will always remember those crazy hats – because they were going to be so cute! And I still might be a bit disappointed that they didn’t turn out…
Do you have any sewing fails you still remember? Do share!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 16, 2017
Star Wars! (Need I say more?!) Our family loves sci-fi so anything with aliens, the future or time travel goes over big!
I’m always in need of a fun idea for Father’s Day. So I decided to make him a throw pillow. Strange gift, maybe… and Father’s Day you say? Yup, you guessed it – I’m not really, really early – I’m really, really late with this one!
Last year I downloaded this Darth Vader paper-pieced pattern from Quiet Play’s free downloads and proceeded to make it. I love paper-piecing, it’s super fun and rewarding to be so precise! I hit a roadblock, though when it was time to quilt the pillow.
Turns out I’m super afraid to mess up my carefully pieced block! Thoughts of unpicking a quilted design and even thoughts of a more experienced quilter thinking I’d done it wrong (argh) ran around in my brain for… oh… about 5 months!
Yup, I put myself through…
The guilt of not finishing my husband’s gift… the fear of worrying about ruining my hard work… and, worst of all, being afraid I’d be seen as ruining my project or a “bad” sewer.
…and I thought all of this stuff for 5 months! Just thinking about the wrinkles it probably earned me is maddening.
I’m writing this because I don’t want to do it anymore… and maybe it is something someone else is dealing with? Especially someone that tend towards attempted perfection and are in general, not so easy-going. (Ooh, Ooh… *raises hand* Me! Me!)
and… I’m super hoping I’m not alone in this! Please tell me I’m not alone!
Now, there is an upside – I worry so much about what to fabric to cut into and how each seam will go that I rarely make major mistakes. (Bonus!) But I don’t think it’s healthy, and it causes me so much stress sometimes I don’t sew at all. Which is definitely not what I would like to be doing. Instead, I’d love to be churning out lovely projects by the dozens!
As it’s still January, I’m hoping to take a new look at my unfinished projects this year. Proceed with less caution… but still be careful. Not be so afraid to do what I think is fun and exciting, without worrying about how it is accepted. Then, if I can finish my projects earlier, the guilt of being “late” will go away too!
I really want to apply this to is my Lil’ Red quilt top. I’ve been SUPER afraid to quilt it for months now, despite the fact that it has been finished and even backed and basted for about 2 months. Hopefully, I can try not worry if the quilting is fancy or complicated and just finish the thing! I think I may just do some in the ditch quilting and maybe some echo quilting to fill it in a bit more.
Wow… tangent much? I believe we were talking about a Star Wars pillow here?! (Oops!)
I actually finished the pillow at my last Sewcial, having friends around while you make decisions is super helpful! The quilting hopefully represents the moving stars at the beginning of each movie. The finished pillow back is flannel, and I put a simple envelope backing on it.
The flannel is left over from lining the hood of an unblogged Finlayson I made my husband. (Side note: It’s pretty funny that Darth Vader is floating with no body! I should likely have put the block at the bottom of the pillow instead of the center. But I can live with that!)
Any Regrets? Probably only that I beat myself up for so long before finishing the pillow. (And the 17 other unfinished projects I’ve got going…) But, since it’s not going to happen anymore. (*she said hopefully*) I can let that one go now…
Here’s to a super productive year ahead!
P.S. It needs to be noted that I have never had another sewer say anything negative about my projects. In general, the community is amazing and fantastic and so supportive. No idea why I worry?!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jan 5, 2017
Happy New Year! I hope you and yours have had time to relax (and sew) this season! I know we partied too hard, because all four of us are sick over here – but not to worry, thankfully also on the mend thanks to my mom’s trusty Broccoli Cheese soup recipe (which we’ve eaten too many nights in a row to speak of – it’s easy and delicious!)
I love turning over a new year and talking about the last one. It is especially fun to tally up the posts you loved most in the past year. Since the #bestnine of Instagram 2016 were posted last week, it seemed fitting to post more Top 9’s. All blog-related this time – your favorite posts from 2016, and your all-time favorites. Plus, I had to choose my favorite Top 9 blogged makes from 2016 as well. Let me know if we’ve missed your favorite in the comments below!
Top 9 Thread Riding Hood Favorites of 2016:
1) Free 12 Page Quiet Book Tutorials ~ 2) Quiet Book Construction ~ 3) Perfectly Unperfect Quiet Book ~ 4) Quiet Book Cover Assembly Tutorial ~ 5) Quiet Book Page Assembly Tutorial ~ 6) Sewing Diaries – 12 Tips & Tricks for Sewing Knit Fabric ~ 7) Sewing Diaries – Tips for Sewing Thicker Fabrics ~ 8) Coiled Rope Baskets ~ 9) Sewing Diaries – Tips to Quilt on Your Machine
Top 9 Thread Riding Hood All-Time Favorites:
1) Free Quiet Book Sew Along ~ 2) Free Stuffed Animal Chair Pattern ~ 3) Free Cat-Eye Zippered Pouch Pattern ~ 4) Free Sunny Glasses Case Pattern ~ 5) Canadian Online Fabric Stores ~ 6) Quiet Book Construction ~ 7) World’s Fastest Pencil Case Tutorial ~ 8) Free Super Hero Cape Pattern ~ 9) Free Pretty Floral Divided Tote Pattern
Sherri’s Top 9 Favorite Makes of 2016:
1) Violette Easter Dresses ~ 2) Fancy Green Dress ~ 3) Chobe Bag ~ 4) Design Diva – free apron pattern ~ 5) Sweet Talk Phone Bag ~ 6) Tree Party Cargo Duffles ~ 7) Marmalade Faux Leather Jacket ~ 8) Makers Tote ~ 9) Frozen – Anna Costume
Thanks so much for your support through 2016 – Here’s to the next year!
P.S. Other year-end reviews are here if you are interested – 2013, 2014 and 2015.
by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 22, 2016
Before I get too far past the event – because it’s going on a month now (already!) – I want to talk about Quilts at the Creek. I was thrilled to be asked to speak in one of their Trunk Show presentations this year – and the venue and event don’t disappoint either. My kids even got to help with the Trunk Show on Saturday and they were so excited!
Quilts at the Creek is an outdoor quilt show held at Black Creek Pioneer Village – and it’s gorgeous! I’m sure you all know that I don’t profess to be a quilter, but I do love them and was blown away by how amazing they look when they are hung outside. It’s so different from the one-of photos you see online. And there are so many quilts in so many different styles. All of them hung side-by-side. Really something fun to go see.
The Trunk Shows are held in the Town Hall, which makes for a really unique set up! I loved talking to everyone I met and hearing about their sewing projects and experiences. I really enjoyed my Sunday presentation to a bit smaller group because I was able to hand around the projects and chat back and forth better with everyone. Hearing what you all have to say is my favorite!
This show really was for the whole family. Along with seeing the quilts, we were able to see Black Creek Pioneer Village. The kids loved hearing about how to weave fabric and rugs and how to make the yarn they wove with. My husband even enjoyed it. Lots to see and do, even if you are not a quilt lover.
I will leave you with photos of a few of my very favorite quilts, with close-up shots of the quilting of most of them. I’ve tried to credit each maker as best I can. Enjoy!
Under Another Cover – Kat Akerfeldt
Kathy Doughty (no quilt name given)
Celeste Compion (Meerkat Shweshwe) – Indigo Shweshwe Half Square
Yet Another Scrappy Quilt – Nadine Wright
Purrr…fectly Russian Blue – Joanne Hannon Shaw
