We also had a great time on Tuesday making our favorite new food – Pizza Pockets.  Maybe I’ll post about that next week.  It’s a fun little recipe.

So yesterday, I finally got to play around with my serger.  I think this machine is about 30 years old.  It was most likely purchased at a garage sale to be fixed up by my grandfather who loved to fix broken things.  You wouldn’t believe how many sewing machines, sergers, clocks etc. my family found in his house when he passed away.  He had an amazing gift.  

I keep fiddling around with this machine and getting completely frustrated with my thread coming out of its track.  These things are not fun to re-thread.  So with my tweezers close by for easy threading, I pulled out my machine and went to town.  I figured out that I just need to be patient with the old thing. I can’t treat it like I do my trusty sewing machine.  A steady  constant pressure on the foot gives it a nice even serge – too fast, or stopping along the way makes my machine skip stitches.   

I made something for each member of the family.  I got a wool scarf, Andy got a serged hankie – pocket square and the boys got place mats.  I’m looking forward to using this thing to possibly make my first dress this fall.  I can’t believe how fast I can make things with this serger – the projects below took barely any time to make.

My goal is to make *something* that isn’t a bow tie each day this week and share them with you.  I have so many projects I’ve been dying to try.  

Happy Monday!

-Ellie

I know there are all sorts of crafts out there involving turning your old t-shirt into something cool and fun.  Yesterday, I got so excited when I found this (Rediculiously easy) tutorial on Cutoutandkeep.  Now I’m going to be fishing around for T-shirts in all sorts of colors to make cute little shrugs.  If you don’t know how to sew, you should try this, it’s very hard to mess up.  The only thing you need to know is to use a knit stitch on your machine.

I know you’re jealous of my pink tile bathroom.  Just admit it.

I’m loving this Nifty Car Toy Organizer.   Check it out.  I wonder if I can get one made before our major road trip starting on Monday.  It sure would be nice to have a place for the kids stuff.  Our car is TINY!!!

Image from instructables.com

This morning, I made this pink and red ribbon belt.  I’m experimenting with different accessories to hopefully start an online shop soon.  I thought this turned out pretty well.  I love the colors, but I would like to get a sturdier set of D-Rings.  And maybe a bit more feminine too.  What are your thoughts?  I’m trying to decide if I should go back to the fabric store and snatch up all the ribbon they have like this.  

It also makes a pretty fun baby toy.  Although I think this baby thought the camera on the macbook was even better.  

 Speaking of cameras, I’m going to just bite the bullet and buy another camera today or tomorrow.  I’m hoping that I can sell some things like this belt and bow ties to justify the purchase of 2 cameras in a matter of 6 months.  Too bad Canon couldn’t fix it, it was a great one.  They didn’t care about my sob story, apparently.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful pleasure of spending the afternoon with a very sweet six year old girl.  The first thing we did together was make a purse.  She completely designed this purse.  Choosing the fabric, size, and decorating it with bows.  She even had ideas of how she wanted the straps and the pockets to be.  I was so impressed with her enthusasm and we had so much fun creating.  She told me I’d be a good mom to girls… maybe someday.  Or maybe I’ll just have to have fun with other people’s daughters.

One great thing was that all this fabric was FREE from IKEA.  They have a bin filled with small pieces of remnants that they said I could take.  The pieces were very small, but not too small to make a purse, apparently.  If you are a sewer, check out your IKEA for super fun free fabric.

I’m thinking about taking some of the pieces I have to decoupage a shelf… but that’s a post for another day.

OK, It seems that This Place has turned into a bit of a bowtie explosion, but I promise I will try to make and blog about other things- BUT I had to share the newest color.  A very nice gentleman asked if I could do a Yellow/Green reversible and I just couldn’t say no.  So Here’s his tie.

Bowties can be purchased by clicking THIS LINK- or e-mailing me at ellielaveer@gmail.com to place your special order.  I now have gentlemen in Ohio, New Jersey, Virginia, Vermont, Mississippi, South Carolina, Connecticut and North Carolina wearing my ties.  A professor at an distinguished southern university said this when he recieved his tie in the mail today.

The bow tie I bought from you arrived today. It’s lovely! I’ll have to get use out of it here in the South before I move out to Berkeley, where I’ll wear it anyways, so as to antagonize hippies. Their pony-tails will spin!

Now I just have two more things to say…

1- It seems that my sewing machine is going to have to be permanently out and ready for sewing so I’ll have to set up a studio in my house.  Does anyone in the Rock Hill area have a desk they would be willing to give me or sell to me (for cheap) so that I can use it to hold my sewing machine and sewing supplies?

2- I love my husband.  He has been such a patient, supportive dear through all this.  He tries on many of the ties so that I can make sure they look just right.  He models for me.  He doesn’t get mad at me even though the dining room looks like seersucker vomit.  And when I’m not looking, he corrects all my grammatical errors on my blog.  Thank-you, honey.  You’re the best.

[Edit - thanks, Ellie ]

My friends over at Clever Nesting have been making vintage pillowcase aprons following this tutorial from Glitter, Vinyl and Thread.  It looked fun and I really need another apron, just ask my husband (HA HA HA).  

I used a pillow case that I bought today at the thrift store for 50 cents.  It’s really fun.  I’m collecting the names of ladies that have shared that they want to start sewing and I’m thinking of showing them how to make this apron.  It’s a great place to begin if you’re new to sewing and really, the investment is minimal if anything at all.  

Sorry for all the lo-fi pics lately.  I’m only using my webcam to take pictures.  I’m hoping to have the Canon back from the hospital in a week or so.  I can’t wait!

I found some adorable fabric at Ashville Cotton Company yesterday.  I didn’t even know what I was going to do with it, but today, I decided to use a little bit to make a ribbon belt for my 3 year old.  Sorry, as all crafting happens while children are sleeping, I don’t have a picture of him wearing it.  But I was so excited to show it off I just had to post it tonight.  

I’m also quite fond of my first ever diamond seersucker tie which someone ordered by special request.  It looks really huge on me, but on a man with a dress shirt it would (obviously) look a bit more appropriate.  I just didn’t have Andy around to model for me.

I’m pretty sure I tied it wrong, but you get the idea.  I bet Andy’s going to want me to make him a diamond point tie now.  They are really neat.