While teaching a beginning class this morning, I realized that there are several sewing terms I use a lot that could do with a little more explanation.

Here’s a mini-vocabulary lesson for someone learning to sew:

Baste:  To baste is to sew, but using a very long (and easy to remove later) stitch.

Seam Allowance:  Your seam allowance is the distance between the edge of your fabric and your needle.  Seam allowances can vary between 1/4 inch (common for quilting and piecing) to 5/8 inch (common for commercial patterns).   Line up the edge of your fabric with the line on your foot plate that corresponds to the seam allowance listed in the pattern.

Right Sides Together:  Place your fabric with the pretty sides together and ugly sides out.  (Note:  some fabrics don’t had a “right” and a “wrong”.  You pick!)

Wrong Sides Together:  Place or fold your fabric with the ugly sides together and pretty (right) sides out.

Press:  Press your seams as you complete them, as opposed to ironing them.  To press, set the hot iron down, heat the fabric and then lift the iron and press it down elsewhere on the fabric.  Ironing can distort your seams.

So 2 questions:

1.  For those of you with lots of sewing experience:  what sewing terms do you use/run across frequently that could also do with a little more explanation?

2.  For those of you just learning to sew:  is there a sewing term or phrase that you’ve run across lately that stumped you?

You are here:

And here:

And here:

Because they are all now here:

Let me tell you why.

I  have been blogging since 2007.

For me, blogging started as a record of my sewing projects and a way to share family pictures with friends and family.  Since then, I’ve added a “Learn to Sew” blog and shop blog.

No real surprise that I found myself ignoring 2 blogs to focus on 1.  Then, I get bored and switch my focus to another.  Honestly all that inconsistency and splitting myself into boxes was really starting to frustrate me.

Since I am all these things at once (a mom, a homemaker, a wife, a sewing teacher and a seamstress), I’ve decided to trash the boxes and keep it real.

That’s what you’ll get here.  At my one blog.  All of me: the momma, the cooking, the personal sewing, a few shop updates, the business woman, the Pinterest addict, the Saints fan, the gardening, the sewing teacher!

Please let me know that you’ve found me.  You can leave me comment.  Better yet, click the “follow” button to your right and subscribe to the blog with your favorite reader.  Thank you!!

Enjoy the realness!

January 1st:  guess where?  Who Dat!

January 2: being deliberate

January 3: finished new black and gold skirt (no pattern, just cut some rectangles based on another skirt I love.)

January 4: shipped my first orders of 2012

On my sewing machine:

Lots of gifts!

I made these rug mugs based on Sweetwater’s Sweet Tea quilt block.  I used labels from their shop too!

With the kids: 

We hosted Buddy the Baseball from Mrs. M’s 1st grade class in our home last weekend.  He helped decorate the kids’ tree, watched Rudolph, and played Legos with C.

In the kitchen: 

Lots more gifts!

(You can find my homemade marshmallow recipe here.)

In the garden: 

Lettuce, lettuce, and more lettuce.  Salad, anyone?

What’s new?  Here are a few peeks at what we’ve been up to this past week:


On my sewing machine:

I’m almost finished with this quilt top.  I was drawn to the modern colors and design, so with Momma’s help, I have almost pulled it together.  The picture above is actually just the blocks laid out on my bed.  It really is a big pile of Christmas tree blocks and courtyard squares that looks like this:



With the kids:
‘Tis the time for Christmas musicals!  C was an angel in the angelic hosts while his big sister donned a beard as Isaiah.  The kids were incredible under Mrs. Vee and Adrianne’s direction.


In the kitchen:

Christmas cookies! 


In the garden:
Our December harvest.  What?  You don’t have watermelons in your garden in December.  Well…
Actually, this was the last of the summer garden.  The frosts took care of the pumpkin and watermelon vines, so we’ve pulled those.  We are left with tomatoes (that are probably done), lettuces, cabbages, and broccoli.