Wonky Zips

If I had a band I would call it Wonky Zips.

My mom made me this dress, and while I think it's super cute (almost as cute as Jaxon in his Frank shirt and briefs), the zipper is a bit defective and sticks horribly. In fact, I've only been able to wear the dress once, and haven't been able to get the zipper past the halfway point since.



I've read online to use bar soap or pencil lead to lubricate the zipper. Have any of you tried this to success? Any other ideas?

I found this video and find it hysterical.That dude isn't getting his un-lubed q-tip anywhere near that zipper.



WAIT, that's my band name -- un-lubed q-tip. Anyone want to join?

5!!

My baby is 5! He continues to be an enigma wrapped in a riddle. At home he is a tornado of energy (and VOLUME); around new people he is silent. He will jump as high as he can on the bed, but put him near a pool and he becomes clingy and afraid. Apparently I am raising a bit of an introvert. But you never would have guessed it from the whirlwind of activity he and his friends produced this weekend!

After our trip to Disney, Jaxon settled on a Mickey Mouse birthday party. I might have gone a bit overboard.









Lessons learned: four- and five-year-olds don't care about handmade decorations, and the time I spent making Mickey Mouse ears would probably have been better spent making cookies -- but a good time was had by all (including my sweet Samantha who camped out by the table waiting for the kids to drop food!).

And the winner is....

I slipped away for a bit to celebrate Jaxon's birthday, but I am finally back to announce the winner of the Havel's giveaway!


And the random number generator chooses #7, which corresponds to....

April (Polkadot Sparrow)

Congratulations, April! I've emailed you for your address.

Good News Giveaway

You might have gathered from the above video that I have good news. You would be correct.

I am now a professional blogger! No, I have no plans to quit my day job, but I will be posting a few tutorials for Havel's Sewing. Don't know Havel's? They make great lightweight scissors and cutting tools.

My first tutorial is for my pineapple quilt from a few months ago. You remember, this one:

Pineapple Power, a photo by modernjax on Flickr.

Check out my tutorial at Havel's, and if pineapples aren't your thing, you can adapt this technique, as I did for this peacock mug rug:


Just follow steps 12 - 22 using peacock-inspired fabrics for the "petals." Download this pdf to applique the peacock's body to his feathers (feel free to email me for more in depth instructions). To complete, just add a strip of background fabric to the bottom of the peacock and back, quilt and bind. Done!

Don't feel like making a peacock? Today's *someone's* lucky day! Enter the giveaway to win the peacock mug rug AND my favorite Havel's product: Dura Snips! I wear these around my neck whenever I'm sewing – they are great for snipping threads and I always know where they are!


Want to win?? Leave a comment here telling me what you would like to see as a tutorial. Also, blog or tweet (using @modernjax in your tweet) for an additional entry (come back here and add a comment to let me know you've posted). Don't forget, I need a way to contact you if you win -- no email address means no entry! You have until Friday July 8 at 5:00 EST to enter.

Also, feel free to comment on my tutorial at Havel's letting them know you like what you see (if, of course, you like what you see!). Thanks, friends!

PS I love how the peacock finished -- I added hanging corners and used Anne Marie's all machine binding technique. Easy Peasy!


PPS Happy 4th of July! We are avoiding the crowds and planning on watching the festivities from our backyard with a campfire and s'mores! Yum!