new tricks

Would you like to hear of a lifelong yearning and simultaneous lifelong fear of mine? Sewing. The sewing machine. Spools, fabric, re-threading, seam-ripping. I am ever so jealous of those that possess the skill set to sit down and pound out a beautiful anything; those that can begin with the very bones of a project and bring them all together into a harmonious something.

Such a person is my Aunt Mary. She can do anything. I love following her (super successful!) blog for all the g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s projects she tackles, finishes and posts pics of. She does quite everything from incredibly detailed quilts to pinch-me-they're-so-cute dresses for her granddaughters (first-cousins-once-removed, to me) to my favorite: THUH most adorable raincoats for wee ones. When I embarked upon The Great Patio Project of Pregnant Summer 2013, I solicited my Aunt Mary via email, shamelessly begging a beginner's sewing lesson. I had high hopes and ambitious goals for patio cushions to go with a newly refurbished patio table. And she obliged!

The Components for a Sewing Lesson for the Most Novice of the Novices:

// the easiest envelope slip-cover cushion tutorial that I could hunt down.
// your very favorite outdoor fabric acquired for a STEAL I tell you from fabric.com at something like $7.47 a yard
// cheapy cheapy cheap pillow inserts from JoAnn's (got 4 - 16x16 pillows at $3.89 each!!)
// a very talented and patient aunt

with a completely amazing room dedicated solely to sewing (I guess that part's optional)

// eagerness verging on overzealousness to learn

oh look, there's me sewing at the speed of sloth, with something really weird going on with my hair (does it always do that?)

// 1 1/2 hours of Jordan-free time compliments of the spousal unit

and BAM. 4 patio cushions that I'm unhealthily and really quite ridiculously proud of. I mean, seriously.

a) I'm super bummed that the picture depicts more of a pool blue than the true brilliant turquoise of the dahlia-esque blooms on these pillows. I promise, the fabric is 5x times as gorgeous in real life. 

b) OKAY no joke, my aunt sewed threeeee of these pillows in the time it took me to do just the one. So I can take less than 25% credit (because she also did the measurements), and additionally, she started on the third pillow when I had less than one side of one pillow to go. I was cracking up. She just whips and I am so jealous.

Anyway, before/after pics coming verrrry soon of heinous-to-handsome: a transformation in patio living. I'm almost done! We just need chairs so Ikea better ready themselves. The Popes are invading first thing Saturday morning. Jordan will have her Ikea face on.