2011 A Recap.

Its crazy to think that this year is coming to an end. seems like it was just the beginning of the year. Time flies when  your having fun, or sleepless nights...lol. This past year has been super crazy, busy and fun. In the past year I celebrated my 1st anniversary with my amazing husband, Gave birth to my Spidey baby, Have been breast feeding for 9 months now, Moved from FL to TX, Launched a new part of my business (Baby Button), cut off all my hair, became more organized, bought a new car, started blogging more(again), started doing tutorials, survived my first PCS. Its crazy to think of everything that's happened this past year. its been a busy year that's for sure.

I know that this next year will be just as busy and crazy.  I know for sure that this next year holds a 1st birthday party for Venom and her Best friend Meatball, Mr. Salior and I's 2nd Anniversary, a few more PCS's, More tutorial's (I already have a few in the works), a new blog layout (thats in the works too), New Achievement list, and so much more.

I really want to say thank you to my readers that have read, commented and stuck around for the last year. I have a lot of awesome things planned out for this next year and I hope you'll stick around for it. Please don't be shy either, I love reading your comments (well, not the spam ones) and hearing your ideas and input so please continue to do so. see ya'll next year!

Merry Yule.

Things have been a bit quite on the blogging front here. That's because I've been entertaining family and a slave to my sewing machine. I do hope that everyone is enjoying their respective Holidays. We had a very pleasant Yule. While we didn't go to extremes this year since Venom still doesn't get it, it was still a good day. The weather was a delightful 70 degrees today.... I know some of you are experiencing snow right now, I'm sorry.... but it was a lovely day. We took Venom to the McNay Art Museum. I think that she enjoyed it. They have an exhibit for Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. Its was a little lacking but the pieces that they had were awesome. They had actual props and set pieces from the stop animation. The rest of the Museum was great as well, they had a O'Keefe, Picasso, and Monet.

Other than the trip to the museum, my day was spent sewing and cutting out diapers. I am prepping for a stocking here after the new year. I've got a few new patterns drafted and ready to be made up. I can't wait to show them off.

Tomorrow's post will the be the long awaited hand sewing tutorial..... so stay tuned.

Sewing Machine Shopping 101

Image Source: Pinterest

Today we're going to take about sewing machines. I'm sure you've all seen the displays at the big box stores. Purchasing a sewing machine is a lot like buying a car. Each brand has a variety of features, makes and models. Prices will vary according to features and such. When looking at machines it's important to make a list of what you'll need versus what you may want to have. One example is embroidery, while I would love to have a machine with the feature it's just not realistic to drop $700- $10,000 on a machine. ( yeah, you read that correctly. $10,000). The big thing to me when buy a machine is service and support. Having work for a sewing machine dealer, I know that you get what you pay for. When selecting a machine go to a dealer. More often than not, the machines have been tested so they know the work. They can offer classes, so you can learn how to use all the features and proper maintenance. You also may be able to score a good deal on a gently used/ traded in machine. Like I said it's a lot like car shopping.

Here are my does and Don't for sewing machine shopping

1. Shop around. This is an investment, you want to take your time and find the right one for you. Look at different brands models and features. If possible ask to test them out, there's nothing wrong with wanting to give it a test drive. 
2.  Don't be talked in to more than what you absolutely need. Bells and whistles are nice but are you really going to use all of those Decorative stitches or self cutting thread feature?? You can always upgrade later if you feel that you need to do more.
3. Ask about Perks. I touch on this at the top there, but if your purcasing from a dealer they often offer perks and incentives for buying from them. Whither it be basics classes, discounts on notions and accessories or machine servicing. The other nice thing is that if for some reason you have a warrenty issue they can take care of it for you.
4. WARRANTY. Find out what it is, what it covers and what to do in the event that something were to happen. Believe me, you'll be thankful that you did.

Next week I'll touch on Machine Basics and how to handle the little problems that come up most often. So stay tuned for our next chapter.

Whatcha Makin Monday: Beginning Sewing Tips.

This week starts Beginning sewing month!! While I've been sewing for a VERY long time. (About 17 years or so). I often get told that sewing is a difficult skill that one can't possibly do for one reason or another, usually do to time issues or not being crafty enough. While I find that a few very basic sewing skills should be a pre-rec in all schools. I've decided to do beginning sewing month here at Hello Kendra. So twice a week for the next 4 weeks I'll be giving you my favorite tips, hints and basic skills. There also will be a new tutorial every week, that may even be handy for a last minute gifts.

So let's get started with today's lesson, what should you have on hand for sewing. While most aren't going to have the fully stocked room that I have it's good to have at least a small hand sewing kit for small jobs and mending.

Image Source: Martha Stewart

Kit essentials:

1. Straight pins- for holding seams and such together and in place while you sew. 
2. Hand sewing needles- they come in different sizes and lengths, I usually get multipacks so I have a selection. 
3. Thread- every seamstress and tailor has their own choice. I like gutterman which can be found at JoAnn's and there coupons come in handy. Get colors that will match your clothes.
4. Scissors- a small pair will work for small things like cutting thread but for larger jobs like patches and such its best to have a pair just for fabric.
5. Safety pins
6. Fusible patches- they come in handy for patching holes. You can also use scrap material and stitch witch but please please for the love of a seamstress do not use it to hem your pants. If you can't do it spend the 10$ to have them done correctly
7. Ruler-A soft one like this, is easy to store and pretty cheap.
8. Tailors chalk or air soluble marking pin- there very handy for marking hems, patches and etc...
9. And finally, a place to store it all- As you can see in the photo a Mason Jar can be pretty useful.

Tutorial: Ipod Charging Cozy

Recently, I've become addicted to Pinterest. I orginally found this project on there but the tutorial and whole blog are in German. So I decided to help another online friend out and make my own version/tutorial for her.The Tutorial is after the jump, due to lots of Pictures.