well heeled...

Well, the weather has turned and it's time to cozy up my short boots and take them into Fall and Winter!

tweets from twitter...

It just seems right somehow that a girl that enjoys the chirping of birds so much should now be on Twitter!  It's a fun and quick way to share what I am creating personally and for Pure Grace Designs.  Here's a little peek at my Tweet for this morning...

Creating some fun, linen, run-around cross-over bags for Spring and Summer this week! pic.twitter.com/G8LmL0v67D
— Cathie Cawker (@CathieCawker) March 16, 2015

this little light of mine...

 I've been enjoying making lamps and lampshades 

this past week to place in The Boutique.

A single lamp can give such a boost to a forgotten 

or dark corner.

Nothing quite says home like a little lamp. 

My Hands Have Been Busy!

I've recently been enjoying creating these Fingerless Glove Arm Warmers.  

Being cosy and warm during these frosty Winter days is important to me, so I created something that I would want and then made many more and put them in The Boutique!

I love how they can go all the way up and over my elbow if I am wearing 3/4 sleeves

or how they can look great scrunched up at my wrist for added warmth there.

Of course, the added fun for me is then making sure that they have a coordinating companion!

 Whether it's a lovely Two-Tone Hat, Reversible Boot Cuffs or Cushy Cowel to complete the look, I think that these Fingerless Glove Arm Warmers are fantastic!

Now… Christmas is coming and my sewing machine is beckoning me…

I wonder what it has in mind to create for those that are on my list…

Ssshhh......

The Sleep Masks are a hit!

So I'm busy sewing up some more for the Shopping Extravaganza Evening, 

coming up in November.

Love these cotton blend ones...

call them Spots Before My Eyes!  hahaha

These cotton backed ones are not only soothingly comfortable

but are so pretty with the hand-woven, pure Thai silk front covering.

The Sleep Masks have been available in The Boutique for a while now and come with a black insert to ensure lights out!

The Covering of God's Word

 This Easter, my granddaughter is receiving her very first Bible.

I cannot even put into words the joy that fills my heart...
so, it's my hands that have found an outlet,
 in the making of a little book cover for her precious treasure.

Of course, the child will need two new Bibles...

one for at home...

and one for at Gramma's house!

I can hardly wait for those lovely summer days

spent in The Garden,

the very place where it all began,

delighting in,

and under,

 The Covering of God's Word...

 together.

Rag Quilts and Memories...

I made quite a few gifts this Christmas and had them all wrapped before I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures!  My daughter-in -law Amanda was kind enough to have snapped this one!  It's a picture of the Rag Quilt that I gave to my granddaughter Makenna for Christmas.  It didn't come sewn together though...

I had made a sewing bag for her in coordinating fabric, lots of purple and Minnie Mouse on the front, of course!  I placed within it a heart shaped pin cushion that I made from the pink check print, as well as a matching sewing purse filled with a spool of thread and a bobbin.  Also tucked inside were 25 flannel "sandwiches" tied up with a ribbon.

Whenever we could, Makenna and I would spend time together in the Sewing Room.

She would snuggle up on my lap, we would thread the machine,

and then... we were off and running, sewing those rag quilt sandwiches together!

This was our VERY FIRST REAL sewing project together...
Sew Much Fun and wonderful memories!

Somebody's Getting A Quilt!

Somebody's getting a quilt!

After deciding to make a strip quilt,
I sat down at the sewing machine,
and hoping for the best,
 went at it with gusto!

With the pedal down, 

and the machine humming, 

I just kept going until all the strips were sewn together.

In under an hour,
I had made a large enough quilt top that I was able to cut it in half,

and have enough for TWO full sized quilts... FUN!

I've just finished cutting out the backing and border for both,

and will soon be making the binding to go around the edges,

then cutting out the batting to layer in between.

Over the next few days,
whenever time allows,

I'll drop into my Sewing Room and put it all together.

 THEN comes the fun of Free Motion Quilting for the finishing touch!

This is definitely a labour of love...

a little bit of my heart sewn into every stitch.

Quilted Book Covers

What girl can resist a pretty new journal?  

I just happen to think that these Quilted Book Covers are so much more fun, personal, soft and inviting than stark cardboard covers.

 With built in book markers, and fabric and beaded embellishments the one shown above just happens to be the perfect size to become home for the fresh new pages of my 7 1/2" x 9 1/2" journaling notebook!

I'm presently making a variety of sizes and styles of these Quilted Book Covers for The Boutique.  Perfect for protecting the cover of your Bible or the novel that you are reading.

Such a lovely gift giving idea too - with a book or a journal and pen tucked inside it's such a pretty, practical and thoughtful way to encourage the love of reading and writing!

with love,

Short and Sweet!

I had a maxi-dress that was just a tad too revealing.

So it just sat in my closet.

I had a black t-shirt that was losing it's youth around the waist.

So it just sat on the shelf.

This morning I felt like sewing myself something quick.

In 20 minutes I had a new summer dress!

All three of us are happy!

Summer Inspired Cuffs

Coming soon to The Boutique... 

Summer Inspired Cuffs!

These particular ones were actually made as a gift for a friend that has two young daughters.

What a lovely, soft, feminine, comfortable accessory to wear to a garden tea party... or, just because!

The backing is made from a 100% Cotton fabric that is so soft on the skin and the closure is also a 100% Cotton elastic that loops over the button. 

Ooops!

OK, so here's the story...

I was going to make a jersey tank dress,

but decided to get creative and make an asymmetrical long t-shirt instead.

 I decided on some flowy short sleeves

(did you know that 'flowy' is not a word?

'blowy' is but... I digress...)

Once the back and front had the look I was going for,

I headed to my serger to finish off the sleeves.

 Ooops!

The material caught and was cut!

It is on the back of the right sleeve.

 I think it's kinda cool that it looks like a heart!

But again... I digress...

As this vintage lace will be on the bottom of the asymmetrical hem,

should I just cut out a small lace flower and place it over the cut?

Or just take out the sleeve and put in a new one?
Or maybe you've got an idea that hasn't even occurred to me yet!

I'm not doing anything until I hear from you!

Thanks!

UPDATE...
Thanks Megan for your ideas!

Well, here it is...

the photo was taken at an awkward angle with my i-Phone,

so it's not showing at it's best!

I liked Megan's idea of incorporating the lace into the sleeves,

and it got me thinking.

Why not bring the lace up into the neckline and forgo placing it on the hemline.

So, the sleeve was replaced and the neckline was trimmed in the vintage lace.

I'm presently making leggings to match.

With a cute pair of summer shoes,

this outfit should be garden party ready in no time...

now, if only the weather would cooperate!

Everything Old... Is New Again!

I love to be inspired...

And this week I was inspired by my friend Linda's daughter Gina.

You can check out her blog here to see what I mean!

I had an old sweater that I had in a bag
ready to send to The Salvation Army,

I thought that it would be a good item to try my hand at
making into something new.

I started by cutting it in half.

I rearranged the buttons and then cut off the excess, 

with the idea in mind of making a skirt for Makenna.
I sewed up the front, added an elasticized waist band and turned up the hem.

I rearranged the top portion as well and then cut off and reworked the sleeves.

And here is the end result.

I had a little left over and so made her some ankle warmer leggings to match.

It was so much fun and only took an hour.

I'm definitely going to be doing this again soon!

Thanks Gina!

The Most Curious Thing...

These Mini-Pocket Pillows sure are popular!  

I'm currently in the process of making more for The Boutique in preparation for Christmas, along with a good selection of other items as well!  

It's the most curious thing... I really love everything that I make (or I honestly wouldn't be making it!)... and it gives me so much  pleasure to know that they will soon be blessing others.  I'm quite surprised at how intimate each item I make has become to me... like I said... it's the most curious thing!

Mini Pocket Pillows

I'm just putting together a collection of items for the Touches of Home section of The Boutique.

Part of the fun is creating these delightful little Mini-Pocket Pillows that only measure 6" x 5".

I'll be using them this year to give away with perhaps a gift card tucked into the pocket or an item of jewelry. 

 A little dab of Lavender Oil and a few tissues tucked into the back pocket also makes it a lovely addition to any bedside or dressing table.