Hi.....again!

I've been away for a long while now.  It wasn't intentional, but life has gotten rather busy.

Some new things that are happening in our lives:

     We've grown by 1.  We now have four kiddos.  Our baby girl joined us last October.

     Our Hero deployed again and THANKFULLY returned home to us once more.

     Our family is in the process of moving overseas.  We pray it will be a great adventure for our family.


I hope in the next few months to get this blog back up and running.  I still love to sew and craft and eat mac and cheese lol.  Until all of my supplies arrive, I'll just be posting some of my favorite tutorials or favorite things.

Surviving Cancer~ Guest Blogger

It's almost the anniversary of my niece Emmy's diagnosis of cancer.  She was not even 3 years old when my sister called me to tell me this news.  Today she is almost 5 years old.  She has been cancer free since September 2010.  We are so thankful for that.

Today I have a guest blogger here with us to talk about the importantace of Surving Cancer by Staying Fit.  His name is David Haas.  You can find more about him here.  Since Emmy's diagnosis our whole family is striving to do more to get in better health.  So when Mr. Haas contacted me about being a guest blogger here and writing an article, I thought it was a great opportunity to share it here with you. 

Surviving Cancer by Staying Fit

Cancer is a complex illness. Because cancer cells grow in numerous locations throughout the body, cancerous diseases present many symptoms. Furthermore, cancer cells often metastasize, or spread to different locations via the bloodstream. As a result, many of the drug-based mesothelioma treatments used against cancer have unpredictable side effects. For a large majority of patients, such treatments are completely unsatisfactory, especially considering their limited gains.

Even though these factors make diseases like mesothelioma seem dire, there are plenty of natural aids for patients who want to improve their situations. Fitness is one of these. Without a healthy body, you can't fight disease, and if you don't exercise, it's harder to stay healthy. Although many people with terminal illnesses feel that their sicknesses prevent them from exercising properly, this view is often incorrect. Rest is important, but your body also needs exertion.

There's no better time to exercise than when you're sick, because in most cases, doing so will help you get better quicker. Even though taking a few minutes to hop on a bike or take a walk on a regular basis may not cure you, it will increase the rate at which your body can heal itself. Cancer, as noted earlier, affects many types of tissue and various different body functions. This makes it harder to fight with targeted treatments. Most of the typical medical treatments for cancer incorporate drug cocktails or therapies that attack cells all over the body. While this may seem like a bit much, it's actually similar to how your immune system works.

Your immune system sends white blood cells to fight viruses and cancerous cells wherever they occur, and its capacity to battle disease is largely a function of your metabolism. If you eat healthier foods and keep yourself strong with a regular exercise program, your body will generate more of the resources its immune cells need to combat illnesses. These include the energy-giving molecules you derive from food as well as the enzymes and nutrient compounds your body requires to grow healthy cells.

Even though cancer cells often disrupt the inner workings of your immune system, the message is clear. Using exercise to stay healthy is one of the best ways to increase your chances of cancer survival. Unlike modern medical treatments, exercise doesn't attack the healthy cells along with cancerous ones, making it a far more livable alternative.

Thank you Mr. David Haas for sharing your article with us.  Even though Emmy is still very young, my sister has started a routine with Emmy to keep her as healthy as possible.  Emmy eats healthy and drinks lots of water every day.  She is a very active little girl.  We know this will help Emmy as she gets older.   

Here is a picture of Emmy right before her last chemo treatment.

And here is Emmy today.

Too much time off.....

Well not really.  But I haven't blogged in almost a year and I'm sorry. 

A lot has happened in a years time.  My now 4 year old niece finished her chemo for kidney cancer and is cancer free!!!!  I started a facebook page for Emmy Emmy's Hope  My husband deployed to Afghanistan for a year and has returned home to us safe and sound!  My kids are another year older.  And I hit the big 3 - 0......lol  But it's been a fun year and we need to catch up.  Here are a few pictures from the last year.  I promise to get back into blogging because I've been doing a lot of crafting. 

See ya soon

Emmy

Teacher gifts

We took a picture a day while Daddy was away

Our Hero came home!!!!

 

Purse/Diaper Bag **Tutorial**

**This is Picture Heavy**  Please before you begin, read all the way through the tutorial!!!

This Purse/Diaper bag comes from necessity.  When I would go out shopping with my little man I found it hard to juggle him, his diaper bag and my purse.  My purse was not big enough to carry my little man's essentials and my things got lost in his diaper bag.  So I set off to figure out a solution and came up with this.

Since then, I've made a few changes.  But mostly the bag has stayed the same.  I made this one a couple months ago.

My hubby is in the Army and had asked me several times when I was going to make a bag like this.  I know some people don't agree with using ACU's to make purses, but my hubby continually asked me to make one.  It isn't made out of his uniform, it's made out of ACU fabric, but I love it and carry it every day.

And here's the latest addition to the Purse/Diaper Bag family.

I'm going to show you how I made this one.  I hope you can understand it.  If not feel free to email me and I will help out where I can.

First gather your supplies.

1 1/2 yrds for Exterior
1 1/2 yrds for Interior
1 yd Fusible Fleece
1 piece of 3/4 to 1 inch wide elastic measuring 17" long
Thread
Scissors
Fabric marker


Pattern pieces:

Front/Back   18 x 13
Cut 2 of Exterior
Cut 2 of Interior
Cut 2 of Fusible Fleece

Bottom 7 x 11
Cut 1 of Exterior
Cut 1 of Interior
Cut 1 of Fusible Fleece

Bottom Border 4 x 18
Cut 2 of Interior

Straps 6 x 44 (or your desired length)
Cut 2 of Exterior

Strap Trim 3 x 44 (This is optional, but should be the same length as your straps)
Cut 2 of Interior

Inside Pocket 8 x 22
Cut 1 of Interior

Inside Pocket Border 5 x 22
Cut 1 of Exterior

Outside Pocket 7 x 8
Cut 1 of Exterior

Outside Pocket Border 3 x 7
Cut 1 of Interior

Ok that should be all of your measurements and cuts.  Sorry it's a long list.


Cut all of your pieces. 

**All seams are 1/2 inch unless otherwise noted**

First you're going to sew the Outside Pocket to the Outside Pocket Border

Next sew the Inside Pocket to the Inside Pocket Border just like you did your Outside Pocket.

Next we go to the ironing board.  Please excuse my ironing board cover.

First iron your pocket seams.  Then fold the border over 1/2 inch and iron

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Fold border down to cover your seam line and iron.  The outside should look like this.

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Do the same for the Inside Pocket.

Next we are going to iron the straps.

Lay your strap right side down.

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Next fold your strap in half and iron

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Open your strap up and fold one side in about an inch and iron all the way down.  Do both sides like this.

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Fold your strap back in half and iron once more.  It should look like this.

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Your going to iron your strap trim the same way except you want your sides to meet in the middle.

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Make sure after your iron your sides to the middle, you iron the trim in half just like your strap.

Next you are going to iron your Bottom Border pieces.  Fold over 1/2 inch and iron just one side.  Do this for both Bottom Border pieces.

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Next iron your fusible fleece to the two Exterior pieces and to your Exterior bottom piece following the manufacturers instructions.

We are now going to sew the Inside pocket.  Take your inside pocket and lay it out flat.

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Fold over once

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Then fold over once more.   You can iron it if you want, but we are going to be sewing this in place.

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I like to put my presser foot right up along side the edge of the fabric and use it as a guide for the sewing.  Sew across the the pocket.

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This is what it should look like when you are finished.

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Now take your Outside Pocket.  Fold it over

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Sew across the border just like you did with the Inside pocket.
Next turn over to right side and sew across the top using your fabric edge as your guide.

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Next you are going to sew the straps.  Use your fabric edge as your guide and sew up the sides.

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When you get to one end....make sure to leave your needle in and just turn.

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Sew up that side.  Do the same for the other strap.

Now take your Strap trim
Center it between your Strap sew lines

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Sew it onto your strap using the same steps as you did for the straps.

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Do both straps.  And set aside.

Next we are going to grab one Front/Back piece and one Bottom Border piece

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Grab the Outside Pocket.....measure 5 1/2 inches from the side and 2 1/2 inches from the top and place your pocket.

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Pin in place.

Take one strap and measure 4 inches from the sides and 3 inches from the bottom of your Front/Back piece and pin in place.

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Pin your Bottom border piece in place.

Sew across the top of your Bottom Border piece.

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Next sew the straps.  I use the already sewn lines as my guide.  Sew to 2 inches below the top edge of the Front/Back piece. 

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You should now have something that looks like this.

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Sew your other Front/Back piece following the same steps except you don't have to worry about the pocket.  Just use the side and bottom measurements and sew your Bottom Border and Strap in place.

Now place the two Front/Back sides right sides together and pin in place.  Make sure to match up Bottom Borders.  Sew up each side.

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Next take your Bottom piece and find the center by folding in half and pressing.

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Match the center of the Bottom piece to the side seams.  And pin in place.

Sew each side starting and stopping 1/2 inch away from the edge.

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Now pin and sew the other two sides.

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You should now have something that looks like this.

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Next take your piece of elastic...I put a safety pin through one side and run it through the casing of the Inside Pocket.  Make sure to secure one end before pulling it all the way through.

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Pull your elastic the rest of the way through and secure that end by sewing in place.

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Pin your Inside pocket to one of your Interior Front/ Back pieces.  Make sure you match bottoms...you will have about a 2 inch space left at the top.  You need to make pleats at the bottom because of the elastic.  See picture below.

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Baste your pleats in place.

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Also baste the part where the elastic sits.

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Now if you want to sew dividers into your pockets measure over 6 inches from each side and sew a straight like all the way down from the top of the pocket to the bottom.  You can make your own measurements for the reason of the pocket.  Mine are for diapers so I measured 6 inches from each side to make 3 dividers.

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You should now have something that looks like this.

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Now place your other Interior Front/Back piece on top of this piece (right sides together) , pin in place and sew.

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Next you are going to sew your Bottom piece on the same way your sewed your Exterior Bottom piece in place.  Find the center of your Bottom Piece.  Match center with side seam.  Pin in place and sew 1/2 inch from each edge.

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Now sew up the other two sides.

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Now you are ready to place your Interior into your Exterior.  Make sure you have wrong sides together.

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You're going to pin your two pieces together.  I fold my pieces over about an inch and pin together. 

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Can you believe you're almost finished.  I know this is a long process, but it's worth it!!!!

Now you are going to top stitch around your purse.  I start on the back side and go around.  Make sure when you get to the straps, you lay them down and sew over them.

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Once you meet your starting point you are finished!!!!!  Can you believe it?  lol

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It really is a great bag.  And I know it looks really hard, but it's really easy to make.  I hope you got through it.  And if you have any questions what-so-ever please just email me.

~Tracie