Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! 
   Things have been really busy around the farm. We have had sick cattle since right before Thanksgiving. Our local Veterinarian spent all Thanksgiving Day at the farm.The weather has been terrible with lots and lots and lots of rain. It has been really cold and rainy, then today it was 68 degrees and rainy! I wish the pasture looked like it does in this photo instead of all mud! 
 I wanted to pop in and tell you all that I wish the very best for the upcoming year for all of you! 
Love,
 Jan

October!

 Oh I couldn't agree more! October is my favorite month of the year! 
  The wildflowers and butterflies have been beautiful this year! 

And I get to bring in my houseplants to enjoy this winter! 
I love to use some of my vintage Milk Glass to display them. 

I am not sure the name of this plant. It was actually in a small dish garden at the beginning of the summer and I transplanted it to this pot. It has tripled in size and is now blooming the cutest little pink star blooms! Does anyone know the name of this plant? Someone on facebook suggested a Sopadilla. 

And my Avocado I started from a pit really grew this summer on the porch! 

I have several more plants to bring in before it gets too cold for them. It was 46 degrees last night! 

 And I have been very busy in the ETSY shop with Autumn themed  Patchwork of the Crosses kits! These are really pretty in a table runner or for mug rugs! Almost sold out though.

We've been really busy with hay the latter part of the summer but we almost have the hay barn full! Yeehaw!!  There will be some very happy cows this winter.! 

We've had alot of calves this year but I've too busy to roam the pasture and take pictures. This fella was born with a bad leg. The Vet wanted to put him down but hubby said he would take care of him and see how he did. He spent hours each day taking care of him. He would let the calf get his morning milk and then turn mama out to graze, then doctor the calf 3 times a day, then turn mama back in so she could feed her baby and spend the night in the barn with him. Now he is doing great. Spoiled rotten and getting around fine! Hubby named him Lucky. If he were a girl , I'd name him Grace. 

Missy is doing well. She has made every step I made.

And the sunsets have been beautiful this year! Ones like this make you feel like a speck! 

I haven't done anything to get ready for Autumn or Halloween around the house. I saw this on facebook and laughed myself silly. Doesn't take much some days :)! 

I am off to see if I can find a pumpkin! I want a really big one!
Happy Fall Ya'll!!
 Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you are having a beautiful day wherever you are! 
xo Jan
PS!!! Google has had alot of issues. I can't tell if anyone is commenting or not. I think I have that fixed so if someone could leave me a comment I can check that out. Hugs! xo

Little Dresses for Africa 2018 Winners

   Hi everyone! 
   I just wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to all of our participants in the 2018 Little Dresses for Africa Sew Along! I really appreciate each and every little dress and pair of shorts that were made!

  Along with my dresses, shorts and tees we had a total of 
36 Dresses, 14 pair of Boy Shorts and 11 Tee shirts!!! Woohoo! It really warms my heart to have such caring friends! I really appreciate all of you that participated!  
  I also appreciate the wonderful people at Aurifil thread for being our sponsor once again! We have 3 prizes this year. A large spool box of Aurifil, a small spool box of Aurifil and a $25.00 Gift certificate from my ETSY shop. So let's draw the winners.

The winner of the Large Box of Aurifil is: Donna Lee!
The winner of the small box of Aurifil is: Elise Jane Stone!
and the winner of the FQC Gift Certificate is : Sue Willison!!

Woohoo! Congratulations winners! I will message each of you for your addresses! 

I think we are all winners when we help children in need!  Thank you all for having such a kind and generous heart! 

Ya'll this has been so fun and heartwarming. I really appreciate all the sweet words to me and the kindness shown to these children. And please, keep on sewing and making these little dresses as you have time.  You can send them directly to Little Dresses for Africa year around! . The address is here.

Hugs!

Jan

Little Dresses for Africa Link-up Party 2018

Welcome to our 4th Annual Little Dresses for Africa Sew-Along link up party at Sew and Sow Farm! 

  Every year I like to choose charity projects to work on during the hot summer months. Little Dresses for Africa is one of my favorite projects! LDFA makes and collects little dresses and boy shorts to help clothe children AROUND THE WORLD! LDFA collects the clothing at their headquarters and then either mails them around the world to mission groups or carries the clothing with them on their many  trips to impoverished areas throughout Africa.
  I really had fun this past year choosing and setting aside fabrics to use for this project. I love using pretty, happy fabrics!

 I couldn't resist this border print fabric even though I knew it would take a little extra work as the print ran along the selvage instead of across the width of the fabric. I used a French seam to enclose the raw edges of the Back center seam. I had enough fabric to make two dresses. I think they turned out really cute!

 I also found a little tee shirt and wanted to try making a tee shirt dress. I didn't have a pattern and it was a little fiddly. I don't do fiddly well. Things went smoother after I used a 1/2" wide strip of iron on interfacing around the cut edge of the tee that eliminated the stretching.  I also wasn't sure about where to cut off the Size L tee so that I could attach the skirt. I finally settled on 4" below the armpit. I am not sure exactly what size the dress turned out to be, maybe a Large. If anyone has any sizing/pattern info for making dresses like this, please let me know. I think also you have to be careful to match up the amount of fullness of the skirt with the Tee size so that the dress doesn't end up being too A-line and restricting. This one has a little fullness in the skirt but not alot. Maybe this style is more suitable for a smaller size tee? Or you could use more fabric to make a fuller skirt. 

I also found out that Little Dresses for Africa desperately needs boy shorts.  They will accept gently used shorts but please make sure zippers and buttons are all working properly. I went to my local Goodwill to see what I could find. They offer a half price sale once per month on Children's clothes! These shorts were normally $2.49 pair but I was able to purchase them at $1.25 each! Much less expensive than I could sew them! I am not sure if the Swimming trunks are ideal, but I do like that they are lined. 

I also found a group of Tee shirts at our local Save-a-lot grocery store for .99 cents each! I think I will wash both the shorts and the tees before sending them off. 

Little Dresses for Africa asks that we size our items before mailing them. 

Packaging & Sizing Instructions:
Please package Dresses in Size Groups in Zip Loc Baggies. The air can be removed from the bags and take up less room in suitcases and boxes.

Size them by length from the shoulder to the hem.

Small = 2, 3, and 4  (16-22 inches long)

Medium = 5, 6, and 7 (24-28 inches long)

Large = 8,9, and 10 (30-34 inches long)

X-Large – size 11 and above (anything over 35 inches long)

Any size boys shorts are welcome. Elastic or drawstring waist works well for boys shorts.

If you are sending Sani Pads and Panties, I am packaging one pair of panties with two pads per baggie.

 You can mail your items to Little Dresses for Africa Headquarters at:

Little Dresses for Africa
24614 Curtis Drive
Brownstown, MI 48134

Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like to be notified when they are received.

 Or you may mail your items to me at:

Featherweight Quilt Company

P.O. Box 1715

Chatsworth Georgia 30705

I am still waiting to hear from our local Missionary group to see if they are going again this fall. If they do not get to go, I will mail them directly to Little Dresses for Africa. 

Also, if you did not get to participate, Little Dresses for Africa accepts items year around. So it is never too late to help a little boy or girl in need! Here is the link to their website where you read all about the organization and find their patterns:
 http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/

  Aurifil is once again hosting our Sew Along! They have generously donated a Large Spools thread box and a Small spools thread box. Both are to be mailed directly to the 2 winners directly from Aurifil to save on postage! Be sure to drop by Aurifil on facebook and let them know how much we appreciate their generosity and support. Thank you Aurifil!! 
 My ETSY shop, Featherweight Quilt Company, is donating a $25.00 gift certificate to one lucky winner. Winners will be chosen at random and announced Friday, July 20th!

Having prizes for doing what we love is like the icing on a cupcake! It just makes it all a little sweeter!

It's time to link up those Dresses and Shorts!

1. You must link to a specific and current blog post or face book post. Not just to your homepage. Be sure to set your viewing to public on facebook so we can see your beautiful items. 

2. Please visit at least one person before your link and one person after your link. We want to share our sewing and be sure and leave nice comments! We all love receiving comments and encouragement on our efforts! Plus it's a nice way to make new friends!

3. Please take time to visit Aurifil and let them know how much we appreciate their great prizes! You can tell them all about your dresses and /or shorts or just tell them hi! Tell them I said hi too! Aurifil is such a fantastic company with superior products! 

4. Share, share , share! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, twitter, blogs.....The more people we have making dresses and shorts, the more children we can help!

5. Be sure to follow up and get your items in the mail! You can find packaging and mailing instructions above!

6. The link up will only remain open until Thursday July 19th 11:59 pm EST. You must add your link before then to be eligible to win one of the prizes! You must link to at least one completed dress or boy shorts. You can still make more after the link up party !

7. Winners will be announced on Friday July 20th right here on this blog! BE SURE TO CHECK BACK HERE ON Friday! SEVERAL OF YOU ARE SHOWING AS "NO REPLY"bloggers SO I HAVE NO WAY TO REACH YOU IF YOU WIN ONE OF THE PRIZES!!

8. If you are planning on sending your items to me , be sure to leave a comment on this blog post stating the number of items that you have so I can give a count to the Missionary.

I really want to say THANK YOU to everyone for participating. It really touches my heart how generous our sewing and crafting community is! 

 So let's get this party started! Follow the Linky below to add your photo and links! (click on the "click here to enter")

Little Dresses for Africa 2018 Sew-Along!

Welcome to the 4th Annual Little Dresses for Africa Sew -along! 

Every summer I like to choose a project to make for Charity. In 2013, I came across an organization that makes and collects simple little pillowcase style dresses to help clothe children around the world, Little Dresses for Africa! After reading more about the organization AND seeing all the beautiful photos of the children , I knew it was something I had to participate in. In 2013 I made my first 10 little pillowcase dresses. I so enjoyed making those little dresses. It is a great Charity project and now I really enjoy hosting a linky party every year (sometimes with prizes, more info on that later) to encourage people to make a few dresses and link up! Below are photos of some of the previous dresses I have made. I am very excited to announce I am once again hosting a Little Dresses for Africa Linky Party for 2018!

And Boy shorts

And Sanitary pads: 

Below are the patterns for :

1. Pillowcase Dresses from yardage- Please make sure fabric is good quality and not see through. This is the pattern I use. I also pre-washed my fabrics. These dresses have to last and hold up to alot of wearing and washing.Please make sure that all inside raw edges are finished. You can also do a French Seam and enclose raw edges.

2.. Pillow case Dresses from Pillow cases.

3.Sanitary Pads

4. Boy Shorts - made from T Shirts ( or any drawstring type of shorts will work) 

These patterns are just suggestions. You may use any pattern of your choice. Please remember that these items will get worn and washed ALOT so they need to be well made! If you use ribbon instead of sewn in bias tape, please tack the ribbon sew that it will not pull thru and get lost. The LDFA website has lots of suggestions and helpful hints! 

      Will you sew along with me?  You can make one or ten or more! Any help is greatly appreciated!!

  There may be another missionary group going to Africa this fall so you may have the opportunity to send your items to go with this missionary group or you may be sending directly to me or LDFA headquarters. More on that later. 

Please join me on my new FACEBOOK page, Sew fun with Featherweight Quilt Company,  and share your Dresses and shorts & pads! ! 

  I love the Little Dresses for Africas' motto: "

"We're not just sending dresses, We're sending Hope!

I wrote a simple tutorial here:

http://sewandsowfarm.blogspot.com/2016/03/sew-simple-saturday-link-up-party.html

Thank you for stopping by everyone! I hope to see ya'll linking up those adorable dresses, pads and shorts in July! Watch this blog for more information!

Happy Stitching!
Thank you
xo Jan

Crocheted Rag Rug!

    Rag Rugs so popular now and have been around for generations. There are so many different methods of making these fun and scrappy rugs from our Grandmother's method of "Toothbrush rugs" to braided rugs sewn together on a sewing machine to those wrapped around cotton rope and then zig-zagged together!  

I like to make things easy when I can so I decided to crochet strips of cotton! This is a great project to work on while watching tele with the hubby! 

You will need lots and lots of fabric strings! I cut mine approx 1" and fold to half inch or if I am cutting off the fabric fold, I cut them 1/2" . I usually cut off the selvage edge at 1" and fold them to 1/2". You can press them over if you prefer. 

I use a size US N15 or 10mm with the folded 1/2 inch strips. I found that too much of the white backside of the fabrics showed if you don't fold them over. If you don't mind that, then you could just cut 1/2' strips for a lighter weight rug. Also, I leave the edges raw - I can't wait to wash it and see how well the edges ravel. 

I started by Chain stitching 6 stitches. ( or more!) 
 You can make your rug round, oval or even square - like a granny Square! 
I decided I wanted mine Ovalish. 
To make an Oval rug:
Ch 6 . Add 2 Double Crochets in the same hole as the last chain.

Dbl Crochet down the side in each chain to the other end.  When you get to the end of the 6 initial chains you will need to do 3 double crochets in the same hole to turn the corner. Tuck in the tail from the beginning. Keep your stitches loose. Turn and then continue down the side to the other end. Do 3 Dbl Crochets in the end hole and repeat. You may need to add extra stitches as you go along to shape your rug.

To add the next String you can either just knot them together if you don't mind the tails sticking up or you can join them by machine. I started out knotting mine, but as the Rug grew heavier, I decided to machine stitch the joins. I sure don't want any know pulling apart. 

Leave a long tail on the Rug.

Join 2 or 3 strings together. I overlap mine and stitch on my machine. If you join more than 3 at a time, they get really twisted and you spend alot of time untwisting them. 

Then join to the tail on the Rug using the same method:

Then just continue Crocheting adding stitches or skipping stitches as needed to help your Rug lay flat. I throw mine on the floor to see how it is progressing. Don't be afraid to add in a few extra stitches if needed to help it lay flat. If it is wavy, then you need to skip a stitch or two and maybe tighten up your stitches a little. You will get the feel of it as you go along. 

I am right handed and I have started folding over the rug to make it more comfortable to stitch. 

This is a really fun project to use up all those scraps. But you could also make a two or three color rug that would be gorgeous! I haven't decided how big I want to make this one. I started out making a Hot pad. It is so squishy I thought it would be a great shower mat  and since it is 100 percent cotton it would be really absorbent! Then I decided I wanted it to go beside the bed but now I think I want to put in the entrance area. 
  I think to finish it off I will gradually switch down to single crochet and then hand stitch the end down. I will post a photo when I am finished! Right now it is 24 long x 20 wide and already weighs 2 pounds! 
 Have you ever made a Rug? I would love to see photos! You can share on my new facebook page created just for you to share your projects! Whether it is English Paper piecing, quilting, rug making etc...we want to see your masterpieces!  Please join us here:  " Sew Fun with Featherweight Quilt Company" 

I hope yall enjoyed my little Rag Rug tutorial! I can't wait to see what you create! 

Happy Stitching and creating!
xo Jan

Happy Earth Day 2018 and Slow Stitching Sunday!

 Happy Earth Day everyone!!
   Yesterday was such a beautiful day! The oaks trees and sky were so vibrant! I think Spring is really actually here!

 A small group of Tree Swallows showed up at the house. We have Gourds up at the farm but not at the house. It was a scramble to try to get some put up at the house before they left.

Swallows are not scared of people and will usually settle in close to your home or barn. This little guy kept flying very close to me.

This one decided to check out one of the bluebird houses but he quickly left when he discovered 4 bluebird eggs in the house.

Today it is raining after that gorgeous bright blue sky yesterday. A small limb broke off of the snowball bush when hubby cut grass, so I brought it in to enjoy on this rainy day!

  I had planned to plant some trees for Earth Day but they have not arrived yet. They will get planted once they get here.
   This afternoon I went back to working on my Buttermilk Basin FREE Block of the Month. With the ETSY shop  I work most days, but took a break today to have some fun sewing for myself :)! ! This is my first adventure into wool applique. I have so much to learn about that. Have you ever done Wool applique? What did you like or dislike about it? I made a HUGE mistake on this first block and used iron on fusible so now I am really having a hard time getting my needle thru. It keeps gumming up. I am tempted to toss it and remake the block. 

This is the 3rd block that I just started. I used small dabs of Applique glue . So far no problems. 

Sorry for the blurry rainy day photo! 

All in all it has been a beautiful and peaceful Earth Day! I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are!
  Linking up to Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday!
Thank you for stopping by!
xo Jan