And this was a stranger I truly have no chance of ever meeting.

I’ve been going through a gigantic headache with my serger. I always preferred it over my sewing machine because it simply always worked for me. And then it didn’t. And this thing is WAY more complicated than a sewing machine. (Not that I have any chance of repairing either without assistance regardless.)

So, my serger. It wasn’t cutting. Well, it sort of was, but then it was sucking up what it had cut and shoving it into the stitches it was sewing. The end result wasn’t pretty, and every bit of tweaking wasn’t fixing it. I took a guess and ordered new blades. No dice. I took it in to a repair place and paid $85 for “just a good cleaning.” No dice. And then I posted all over the internet crying for help because I was feeling so eternally frustrated and helpless.

A kind woman from Oklahoma replied. We eventually moved our conversation to instant messenger and she trouble-shooted with me; she used to repair machines for a living. I took parts off, tested different settings, and eventually lowered the upper blade so it was making full contact with the lower blade and TA-DA! Doesn’t that sound simple now? How could I have over-looked that? Oh yeah, it’s because I only knew how to thread the machine and press the pedal to go.

I am so, so, so thankful for her getting me out of this pickle. The thought of going back to the repair place and trying to communicate what I couldn’t understand in the first place was mortifying. And the second thought of not having a serger–my main source of income (I do some simple sewing for a client that requires the serged edges)–was nauseating. My head was about to explode from the frustration and this kind, sweet stranger swooped in and saved the day.

I thanked her profusely, but I really hope she knows how wonderful she is. I really have no idea how long it would have taken to fix the machine otherwise, leaving me without a way to, oh, pay for groceries. And groceries are pretty important.

And it’s Alexis! Thanks everyone for playing. Maybe I’ll uncover more goodies to give away to you soon 🙂

I wrote an Angry Birds crochet pattern–three angry birds, red, blue, and yellow!

Ravelry link

$3.00

I’ve been making a conscious effort to do more arts/crafts/activities/experiences at home with Lily. I also need to make a conscious effort to not take it personally when my ideas crash and burn.

A few days ago we had a go at “painting” with shaving cream in the bath tub. I thought she would love it! She loves finger painting with the stuff I make on the stove, so why not in the tub where she can make all the mess she wants? Well, a mess must not be what she’s after, because she promptly freaked out once the shaving cream got on her arms, belly, and legs. Thankfully we turned the water on and all was well.

Oh, that’s a California Raisin from Art’s childhood hanging out in the tub with her, not a, um, surprise.

Also, a few days prior to that, I had the crazy notion that she would enjoy gluing paper shapes onto plain white paper. Oh, the ideas I had for birthday cards, valentines, and completed works we could hang on the fridge. I carefully cut shapes out of construction paper and found a glue stick and let her have at it after showing her the process. She immediately freaked out that the shapes got glued to the paper and proceeded to rip them off, which was less than successful. Cue additional freaking out, and I tried bringing in markers to save the day. That lasted for all of 10 seconds.

Note the serious face. She was ticked after the gluing incident. I probably should have called it quits.

I guess I’m just eager for the day that she’ll actually seek out these activities and want to have a go at them for more than 3 minutes. Then again, there’s not much that she wants to have at for more than 3 minutes right now. Mentally I’ve already placed her at two years old for a while now, and that’s not very fair of me. I guess once the less-than-pleasant toddler-y behavior set in around one and a half I just lumped it into the “normal two year old behavior” category and it stuck.

So, here’s to an artistic *future*, and plenty of casual opportunities to explore in the meantime.

(And, as always, don’t forget about my snack bag giveaway this week! Entries close Sunday noon!)

I especially like Lily’s birthday. I plan way in advance. Hence, it still being many weeks away, and me planning and completing this simple little felt crown for her silly little head as we celebrate two whole years with her. Two. Years. Ah!

It really is simple, even if I cheated by machine sewing the front and back together, along with the elastic scrunchie for the back. It would have been just as easy to hand sew it all, but I wanted to finish before nap time so I could try it on.

(Miss Sassy Pants had to see herself in the mirror, which was in the bathroom, which of course meant she had to brush her teeth…)

I used 1.5″ elastic, but any size would work. And the scrunchie to go around it is nothing more than a long tube of fabric that’s just a smidge wider than the elastic. Thread it through, sew it on, and done! You’ve got a felt crown!

(Pssst…Have you entered my giveaway yet? You have until Sunday at noon to enter!)