Praiseworthy Needs

Whenever I have something to do where I'm not quite sure how to do it, or even where to start, I usually think of my mom or one of my girlfriends and ask myself "What would she do?"

Women need other women. It's really just that simple. We need good examples. We need good friends. We need someone who will listen, understand, and care.

That is what Praiseworthy has become to me. At first it was a want--I wanted to do the fun, cool, enviable blog that had thousands of followers and got hundreds of comments on each post. I wanted to join in the popular social network of talented bloggers who seemed to be able to do everything. I wanted to show my creativity and talents, to show that I could be a part of that world too.

Now, thinking about what has developed on Praiseworthy during the past year, I realize that what I wanted and what I really needed were not the same. And thankfully, with the help of my friends, I got what I needed and not what I wanted. Praiseworthy is exactly what I needed.

I needed a commitment to write. I needed people to listen. I needed encouragement to push myself further. I needed people to share my talents with. I needed a place to connect with other women. A place where I had some control, but where responsibility did not rest solely on me. A place where I was uplifted, where I could expand my perspective and appreciate realistic expectations.

Before writing today, I sat and read through some of our old posts. I couldn't believe how recent some of the oldest posts felt. And then there were some I had forgotten about--and was so glad to be reminded. Reading my own words, I began to realize that maybe I should listen to myself more often. And reading what each of my friends has shared made me so grateful to be doing this with them. They are what I need the most.

One thing I have not done yet, in a year of blogging, is a give-away...until now! Last week I posted about an apron I wanted to make myself--that is the one at the beginning of this post. I also promised an apron to share with one of our lucky readers...and it was so fun making it! I love sewing more and more with each new project, and this was no exception. I love picking out the fabrics, I love the process of seeing the pieces come together, I love learning new skills, I love the time thinking about the person I am making it for, I love the satisfaction of a job well done when I'm holding...and in this case wearing!...the finished product. And here it is... :)

Yes, it is just one apron with two fabulous sides. Do you like it? Do you love it? Do you need it? I promise it is a worthy need. :)

Leave a comment and let me know what you like about Praiseworthy and you will be entered into the drawing to win this apron. Leave another comment with something you would like us to write about or an idea for us to improve during our second year, and you'll be entered twice! Leave a third comment...and say something nice...and you can be entered a THIRD time! :) I've never done this before, am I getting carried away? Leave comments until next Thursday...Thanksgiving Day!...and I will announce the winner next Friday.

Love from me to you,

Notebook Therapy

I can hardly believe we're celebrating one year on this little ol' blog of ours. Not only am I celebrating for us girls, but my own wedding anniversary is coming up this Monday. Eight years ago right now I was getting ready to make the biggest change in my life to that point. I was 29 years old when I got married, old enough to have completed college, traveled all over, and established my career. I knew I was making the right choice to marry my best friend, knowing my life would change dramatically but not knowing just how much.

That first year was a wake-up call in so many ways. Here I was a mature, independent and capable woman who, as it turned out, was very immature when it came to dependence on someone else, and lacking in communication skills. We grew up together and grew closer together *quickly* that first year, through funny experiences and some tears too.

Why share this with all of you? I've always been a devoted journal-writer, until a couple of years ago. I fell out of the habit of writing regularly, justifying my complacency with our family blog being a "journal" of sorts, and later this blog being a kind of journal. But I know I need somewhere to write for me and only me.

This is one I revisit regularly, bursting with stapled-in newspaper articles, funeral programs, thoughtful notes, movie stubs, to-do lists, and other stuff.

While I seem to look forward most of the time to plan and prepare for what's next or what needs to get done, or where we need to be, I forget to look back and see where I came from...me, just me. This past summer when we hiked here and, as fatigue started setting in, I focused so much on the steep, rocky path ahead that I almost forgot to take time to stop and look how far we'd come.

The older I get, it seems I become more desperate, for lack of a better word, to not forget who I was pre-college, pre-marriage, pre-kids, or whatever. How am I to know where to go if I don't know where I've come from? I'm thankful that I know where I can look back, remember who I was and am, and figure it out.

So, in honor of our blogiversary, my wedding anniversary, and to thank YOU for coming back here and taking a peek into our lives, I'm making one of these to give away:

I'll even make it in your favorite colors, and maybe you can use it to record a little bit of you, for you, to you. Just leave a comment, and let me know a little something you learned about yourself this past year, or two, or eight! :-)

I'll choose a winner next Wednesday, November 24th.

200th post...and a sweet little giveaway

Aren't I lucky that it's my turn to post on our 200th?? To celebrate, I whipped up a little giveaway sweetness, inspired by my sisters, two of the sweetest, funniest, most generous people you'll ever meet. I've talked about them before, and I could go on and on, but just know if you're lucky enough to be a winner that you're getting a little piece of them too.

Don't you love these fabrics? My Georgia sister got it at Whipstitch Lounge in Atlanta, and now I have just one more reason to hop on a plane for a visit. And last Christmas my Washington sister made me some cute dish towels like these that I've just recently been able to bring myself to actually use rather than admire neatly folded up in the linen drawer.

So, to enter, just leave a comment and, since this week's theme is sugar, tell me what your favorite sweet indulgence is, just for kicks. TWO of you (since it is our TWO hundreth post, after all) will each receive one of these embellished towels and a set of heart-shaped measuring spoons, and maybe a surprise or two that I'll pick up on our road trip next week. You have until noon next Wednesday (July 28th) to enter before winners are chosen.

Good luck! Oh, by the way, my sweet indulgence is anything with lemons and/or limes like this or these, and wash it all down with this zippy concoction. I'm my father's daughter for sure!

Skirt to Bag: Drumroll, please ...

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on the skirt-to-bag tutorial, I loved reading about where you'd shop and was pleased that you all liked my little bag so much! I wish I could make one for all of you.

The winner of the bag, selected at random ...

is...

Congratulations, Jessica!

That was really fun, everyone. Let's do it again soon, shall we?




P.S. We have an email address! It's new! It's lovelypraiseworthy@gmail.com (you can also find it on our sidebar over there ...) Use it to contact us when you win a giveaway, or have a comment or suggestion, or just want to say hello!

Skirt to Bag: A Tutorial and Giveaway

I just love making old things into new things, don't you? Before I ever throw anything out, I'm always asking myself how I could possibly re-vamp it to make it useful again. And I adore seeing re-made old things when I shop; there's just all sorts of cleverness out there when it comes to making something from another thing! Here's my take on it today, using an old skirt and some fabric scraps.

Please forgive the highly random image-quality here. The photos were taken over the course of the day (so I lost my natural light) and I believe some children who shall remain nameless kept changing the camera's settings ... :)

Okay, so first I took an old ill-fitting skirt, and hacked the bottom off to be used elsewhere (I'm adding a ruffle to the bottom of a too-short but super-cute skirt, but that's another project):



And a couple blocks of cute fabric (these are about 14.5" x 11"):


I laid the fabric on top of the skirt and trimmed the skirt down to size:


Like this:



Then I noticed that the top of the skirt was curved. So I curved the top of the fabric pieces, too:



Next, I took a scrap of a different fabric (simply because I didn't have enough of the first one ... but they look alright together, right?) and cut two pieces to the size I wanted the inside pocket to be (they ended up to be 11" x 7"):


To make the pocket, I sewed the pieces right-sides together, leaving an opening for turning. Then I clipped the corners, turned right-side out, pressed, and stitched the pocket to the lining, using the open end as the bottom so that stitching it to the lining would close the opening:

Later, I realized that the pocket was placed entirely too low, and had to dismantle and reposition. I do stuff like that all the time, though, so it was only a minor frustration ... :) The waistband on this skirt had a little flap on the inside that I could attach the top of the lining to, tucking it under the flap and then stitching across:

(I totally left the tag on ...
it's a reminder that this bag used to be something completely different.
And that makes me happy :)

With outside right-sides together, sew it all together around the sides and bottom, like this:


Much later, after the bag was all done, my good friend and fellow Praiseworthy blogger, Jen, suggested adding some bias tape to finish up the raw edges. So I did, but I'll put the photos here because this is where that step should go:


Next comes the shoulder strap, which I made by cutting a piece of fabric 5" x width-of-fabric. I kept it long to start with because I wasn't sure how long I wanted it to end up. Then I folded it in half, stitched along the long edge, turned and pressed with the seam in the middle, like this:


To make the strap more substantial, I cut a piece of quilt batting 2" x really-really-long and slid it into the strap through an open end:



Then I cut it to the length I wanted, pressed it, and sewed lines along the length to keep the batting in place:


Next, I wanted a way to close the bag, so I took a piece of excess strap and cut it down to a nice size, rounded one end and stitched it closed:


Then I turned the closure piece and pressed it, stitched around the edge, and fished out my sewing machine manual to try and remember how to make a button-hole. Once that was done, I turned the open end in, and stitched the closure strap to the inside of the bag, like this:


Added a button and the straps, hiding the inside raw edges at the top of the bag as I did so:



And ... done!


I purposely made the closure strap a little too long like that, so that the bag could be closed when full, like this:

(It's a hardback copy of Don Delillo's "Underworld",
in case you were wondering what's inside ... )

And here's how it hangs. And yes, the fabric I used for the pocket and straps is the same as my curtains. I just adore that fabric! :)



Hooray, a new bag! Do you like it? Would you like it? Because I want to give it to you. Leave a comment below and tell me where you would shop if time and distance and money and small children were not an object, and I'll draw a random name out of a hat (or a bowl ... or a bag ... maybe *this* bag!) on Friday (that's March 12, say, around noon pacific time?). I'll post the winner soon thereafter.