My Path

I keep seeing this vision of walking down a road. The goal is in front of me and it's simple: glorify God and enjoy Him forever. As I focus on the goal I know that He will take care of everything that is really necessary in my life. As long as I maintain focus I am at peace. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Unfortunately, all along the sides of this same simple path are people yelling at me. Their one goal is to make me turn my head. If I walk off the path that is a bonus. Their names are not those of glaringly obvious sins. They are simple things like nutrition, exercise, fashion, organics, health, popularity, beauty, conservation. On their own, none of the things that are screaming at me are intrinsically evil. In fact, some would call them good. It's simply the fact that they are attempting to make me take my eyes off the goal.

As walk along the path, each of these things is taken care of. I am kept healthy because God shows me when to exercise or rest, or eat the right foods. He shows me how to parent, and how to present myself in a way that is fashionable. As I do these things I become more like Him and His glory shining through me makes those around me want what I have.

The problem is that each of these simple things is a god when it becomes my focus. Each of these things can become it's own separate path. A path that can deceive me with it's logic. Of course it's important to eat right and exercise, but I find as I start to focus on that aspect of life that there is a never-ending rabbit trail to follow. Everyone has an opinion on what it means and how much effort to put into it, until I am dizzy trying to sort through what is true and what is unnecessary. "Do I take vitamins? What vitamins do I take? Are they natural or synthetic? Did they come from environmentally sustainable companies? Do they dissolve in my system? Are they in the right proportions? Do they include the correct amounts of each nutrient?" The list goes on.

And yet it can be so simple... eyes on the prize, and let God take care of the details.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Never-ending Minnie Mouse Fabric

My family loves Disney!

As Florida residents we get incredible discounts on season passes. We usually buy a season pass every other year. In anticipation of these trips (and because I just really love polka dots) I usually buy a lot of Minnie Mouse polka dot fabric.

Right now it's an off year, but I can't get it out of my system. So I made a top for my two-year-old (who happens to be the size of a four-year-old). I bought this fabric about four years ago and I will use it until I only have tiny scraps left, and then my girls will probably make clothes for their dolls out of it.

Anyway, as I was organizing my closet this morning (an ongoing project) I came a cross a bin of sewing projects I had started a while back. One of the things that caught my attention was this white top... well, the beginnings of a white top. The little sleeves were sewn in, and the top part was all put together. It had been in there for a while because I honestly don't remember what I had planned to do with it. I'm pretty sure it was something for one of my other girls that got put away before I could finish it.

Well, I pulled it out and had the two-year-old try it on to see if it was big enough around. It was a perfect fit. I had the polka-dot fabric easily accessible because of the top I just finished for my best friend's daughter. I just cut a strip of the polka dot and hemmed it. I did a decorative stitch with white thread across the bottom of the polka dot fabric. Then I gathered it to the top piece which was already complete. Then I went through my button bin which is usually stocked with a plethora of white buttons.

Then I started thinking about how to make it really pop. So I cut a strip of the polka-dot fabric to make a rosette, found another fun button for the center and, voila, an embellishment.

The whole think took me about 45 minutes this morning. Having the first part already finished definitely helped me go a bit faster. I think the longest part was sewing the rosette on because I had to sew it on twice on account of I sewed on the wrong side the first time.

While the two-year-old was running around the house enjoying her new top I remembered that I made a big puffy bow for one of my older girls back when I first bought the polka-dot fabric. I found it and asked if she wanted to wear it. I wish you could have seen her eyes light up. I couldn't tear her away from the mirror for a very long time after I put it in.

Here is the front view:

And here is the back:

(The picture at the top was taken after I put the bow in her hair).

Some Sewing Projects

So I was at an Antique store today chatting with the owner. (because, of course I can't just look things over and leave... I HAVE to strike up a conversation). She had these beautiful old ostrich feathers that were dyed a deep red. I could just imagine them on a dress I was thinking about making for my almost three-year-old for Christmas and I started telling her about my sewing.

As we chatted I realized that I have this whole blog and I don't think I've posted any pictures of my sewing on it. I mean, I have a whole photo album on my facebook page dedicated to crafts, but anyone who doesn't have a facebook account can't see my work. (and yes, there are people alive today who don't have facebook accounts and actually do lead reasonably exciting lives.)

So anyway I told her I would post some pictures of some of my recent projects on here. I'll upload a few today, but you'll have to come back later for more detailed posts and better pictures as I'm waiting for my best friend to send me some pictures she took of the dresses. She's a much better photographer than I am.

Here is a picture of a white muslin dress I made in the Regency style. I made it for my friend's daughter.

This is another dress I made for my friend's daughter. The fabric was at Walmart for $1.50/yd. I wanted to buy some, but I have so much fabric right now that I knew it wouldn't get used very soon, so my friend bought it.

Here is a Rapunzel dress I made for my oldest daughter since she's getting too tall for most of the ready-made Disney costumes.

And finally, here is a top I made for my friend's daughter to wear to Disney as soon as her family saves up enough money. I used leftover fabric some dresses I've made for my girls in the past, so it was essentially free.

I have to admit, I make a LOT of clothes for this girl. Not only is she a beautiful model, but my girls seem to always have a ton of clothes in the their closet, so I don't really feel like they need me to make them more. You will be seeing more clothes for them soon, though as I just started on a dress for my seven-year-old and my two year old will be "needing" some fancy dresses for church this winter.

More to come soon.