Project Pajamas

The most recent episode of Project Runway has reignited some "Is it a good idea to be wearing this to bed?" anxieties within me. This may sound weird but let me explain. I learned the hard way that wearing whatever you want to bed can have consequences while I was working at summer camp. The reason why I was woken up in the middle of the night is a secret camp tradition that I am not at liberty to write about BUT I can tell you that around 10 pm putting on a matching pajama shirt and shorts with purple stars on them (that my great aunt gave me because she never really had a firm grasp on my age) seemed harmless. I don't remember how those pajamas got put into my camp trunk or why I needed to wear them (I definitely had other pajamas) but I do remember the embarrassment I felt when every other counselor I saw at that late hour asked me "What are you wearing Julia?!?"

 Consequently, for several years after that (at camp or at home) I was very conscious of what I slept in. Who knows who would be waking you up in the middle of the night. This continued to be a concern when I worked at the residential treatment for troubled teens. On average, I got woken up after I had gone to be about once a month and the teenagers I lived with were not always known for their kind words as it was so I really didn't want to be caught dead in anything humorous.

It had been over a year since I have been in any sort of situation where there has been a possibility of me being woken up in the middle of the night and this I have become less diligent about making sure I don't look ridiculous. Now don't get me wrong I have not brought back the purple star pajamas but I have  sometimes chosen comfort over cuteness.

Then I saw the first episode of this season's Project Runway. If you have never seen an episode of Project Runway, (You need to) I will explain it to you. Project Runway brings together a group of colorful clothing designers and gives them challenges. At the end of each challenge there is a runway show and someone is eliminated. It is hands down one of my favorite shows. This past weeks episode involved the designers being woken up at 5 am being told (by Tim Gunn- The shows lovable mentor) to bring with them one sheet off their bed and the clothes off their back. Once they arrived at the workroom they were told that they were to make an outfit using their pajamas and the sheet as materials. And so as I got ready for bed the other night and pulled on some brightly colored, heart printed shorts I honestly thought to myself "What if Tim Gunn wakes you up in the middle of the night Julia? Do you really want to have to make an outfit out of this?"

Finishing Touches

I am finishing up some projects for the new studio today (and tomorrow and probably Friday!) I can't wait to show all of y'all what Elizabeth and I have been working so hard on the last few weeks.  Until then, I fell in love with this song a few days ago so this is what I am humming as I sew today!

Have you Heard?!?

Yes the rumors are true!! I have recently joined forces with my friend Elizabeth, from Yellow Elm, and we are opening a studio together! Sew Sew Lovely will very soon have a location! We are planning a grand opening in a few weeks and you are invited! Why not stop by and see our new space before you head out of town for the fourth of July?

Hopefully over the next few weeks I will have a few sneak peak pictures to show you! Stay Tuned!

Things that make me happy.

It has been sort of a dreary day today so I thought I would blog about somethings that make me happy.

I love blue Mason jars. I have been collecting them for years so I have them all over the house. Some of them have lace or buttons in them, some have money I am saving and some have loose beads. This one however, had beautiful yellow roses in it. Are these colors just delicious?

My all-most two-year-old nephew, Mateo, loves to be outside with his daddy and big brother. My brother-in-law has found that it is a lot harder to work on the family's cars and do other yard work with Mateo in tow. Usually, Mateo is allowed to come outside anyway, except when my brother-in-law is mowing the lawn. So to avoid whining, my sister has set him up chairs (one at the front of the house, and one at the back of the house), and provided him with a snack and a sippy cup. As my brother in law rides the mower around the house, Mateo moves from chair to chair with his snack. No way he is missing the action!

Local Art Gathering

 I am SO excited to be a part of this Local Art Gathering on Saturday, April 9th from 11 am to 3 pm. It is at the Art Gallery at Palmetto Home and Garden on Laurens road. If you are from the Greenville area you should definitely come check it out! There are going to be some great vendors there and this would be a perfect event to pick up some unique items for Mother's day, Easter, or any Summer Weddings you have coming up!

If you are in Greenville you really don't want to miss out on having all these amazing artists in one place! Need more convincing? One of the amazing organizers of the event Kelley Smith has done blog posts about each of the artists featured at the event. Read what she has to say here.

So I am counting on you Greenville come out and support your local artists and all things handmade!

10 ways I have been Blessed in February

I have to be honest, I don't like February. And no it is not because of any pink-tinged holiday. Crazy and sometimes tragic or really difficult things seem to happen to me in February. This year was really no exception but last night a couple of my friends sent an update email titled "10 ways we were blessed in February" and I felt convicted. Maybe I should focus on the things that went right in February and not the things that went wrong. So here goes:

1. The weather. I know this seems like a lame way to start. You are probably thinking that if my first good thing about February is the weather then the other nine are going to be like watching those awkward and excruciating auditions on American Idol. But seriously doesn't good weather just put you in a good mood? The weather we are having recently has been making me feel like the winter is over and spring is on its way, metaphorically as well as physically.

2. My sweet friend Catherine, who doesn't live in Greenville, got one of her friends who lives here to WALK to my apartment complex and leave flowers on my doorstep on Valentines Day. I am very difficult to surprise but this one had me floored!

3.My aunt does not have rabies! Yes, I know how that statement sounds. My poor aunt got bitten by a stray cat and the doctors were worried the cat was rabid. You can't tell if an animal has rabies without killing it so the vet had to keep the cat and watch it for about 10 days to see if it showed signs (my aunt did not want to kill the cat!). If the cat was rabid my aunt was going to have to have a series of painful vaccines so my family is overjoyed that the cat and my aunt do not have rabies!

4. I got to sped a couple of days with my favorite twins! My good good friend Amantha  let me come stay at her house for a few days and help her take care of her twins, Micah and Yarah.  They just turned one on February 28th! I can't believe the world has had those sweet children for a whole year but I am so glad we have!

5. I found the coolest suitcases at an antique store (store is a strong word for this experience, it is more like a large pile of antiques inside a building) I got such a good deal on them I almost sprinted out of the place so the owner couldn't change his mind.  I have some plans to make crazy furniture out of these suitcases.

6. I have had a lot of new ideas and dreams for my business, Sew Sew Lovely. I am not quite ready to share those yet but exciting things are coming!

7. My dear dear friends Stephen and Christina are having a baby! I have known them since college and while they have been married for 6 years it was just such a surprise. They are going to be such AMAZING parents and I can't wait to meet their new addition.

8. I have had some really sweet times with friends this month. I have had great lunch dates, talks over coffee, phone calls and visits at my kitchen table. I have really felt loved by my friends old or new, here and far away.

9.  My friends Katrina and Kyle went to Africa this month. They will be there until August doing great work and having crazy adventures. Every time I think about what they are doing I am motivated to do big things and live the life I have imagined.

10. I have done a lot of things this month that I was scared to do or never would have done in the past. One example is that I have been dancing a lot more lately and I am loving it!  I have really been trying serve the world with the light that inside me.

So there you have it! Even though February has been a hard month, there  have been blessings and lessons.  I am determined that this February was the last of the terrible Februaries.  Its just a month and in the words of  Florence and the Machine  "The dog days are over!"

My New Frienemy: The Ruffler.

I was home a while ago and my mom gave me an attachment (they are called "feet") for my sewing machine. She said it was a ruffler and wouldn't fit her machine but she thought it would fit mine. So I took it home and it has become my newest frienemy (friend + enemy for those of you who are not familiar with the term).

The ruffler, on one hand, makes perfectly even ruffles. With other ruffling techniques, the ruffles slide around, threads break and ruffles sometimes come unraveled.  However, the ruffler produces perfect even beautiful ruffles, every single time. In this picture I would even say the ruffler looks angelic as it gathers and pleats.

So what is the problem, you may ask? While the ruffler is busy making perfect ruffles, it also stelthly and mysteriously unscrewing my needle. Sometimes I can catch this early enough and there is no harm done. Sometimes this is not the case and the momentum of the sewing machine sends my newly liberated needle crashing into the side of the ruffler.  Consequently, this breaks the needle and causes the sewing machine to make a noise similar to your molars chomping on gravel.  My heart suffers a similar fate as this noise never fails to convinces me that my sewing machine is broken forever.  Once I can breathe again and a new needle is in place, the ruffler starts once again making perfectly flawless ruffles, as if it didn't just cause momentary crafting chaos.  One end of the ruffler is also very sharp. It is hard to explain but the ruffler uses this sharp part to scrunch the fabric as the needle sews over the pleats. My deepest fear is that the ruffler will one day make waffle fries out of my fingers.

So you can see how the love/hate relationship with the ruffler has emerged.  Right now we have come to a momentary compromise. While the ruffler continues to make beautiful ruffles, I pause periodically and retighten my needle (I really can't understand how it unscrews it...) and most importantly I keep my fingers out of the way.  Today I had a perfectly delightful experience with the Ruffler. I used it for a full ten minutes with out breaking a single needle. I am a little worried that if I get to comfortable the Ruffler (doesn't that sound like a villain on Batman?) will sense my complacency and strike again. I am also afraid that it can smell fear. But for now I am just content and grateful for its exquisite ruffling abilities. And I am thankful for my fully intact fingers.