I've never made any effort to hide my lack of humility in most all matters. When I know something to be true, I don't bother to pretend otherwise. For instance, if Stephen were to say to me, Hannah, you light up a room every time, I would not respond with a thank you. No, instead I would say, Yeah, I know.

The same holds true for my crafting accomplishments. When I am proud of myself, I will tell you! And I am super proud of the success of my most recent sewing project - mending jeans with patches!

I've attempted to patch the boys pants in the past but my efforts have all been half-assed because I've let myself be intimidated by the correct process of sewing patches. But not this time! This time I opted not to sloppily iron on some not-so sticky patches. Nope. This patch job is for real. I pulled each pant leg apart (six legs total) and actually sewed on patches I cut from last summer's shorts.

And not that I need to say it, but I am hella pleased with myself. It worked. The patches are holding up so far, plus they're super cute.



I should probably confess that the only reason I was able to throw caution to the wind this go round was because my mom just bought the boys new jeans. So if I totally and completely fucked up when taking the pant legs apart, my kids still had pants to wear. The stakes were much lower.

Also, I am not making any New Year's resolutions because I am tired of letting myself down - plus, shouldn't we all just be trying to be the best people we can be with the happiest lives ever because that's kind of point anyway? - but I am hoping that I make the time to try more sewing projects in the future because obviously, I've got potential. Here's to hoping!

I am gearing up to make some summer clothing for myself, but first, I am trying to get in a little practice. I have a few small projects lined up to help me build both my skill and confidence levels. After my bow tie project failed, I decided to make some shorts for the boys.

They currently have an over abundance of high water pants—the perfect choice for yet another failed attempt at sewing, very low stakes. I am not a fan of denim shorts, so I opted to cut the legs off three pairs of cotton pants. I knew the hemline could potentially cause some problems. I doubted my ability to sew a straight line or find a stitch that looked professional. Worried that my eye would instantly be drawn to a sloppy hemline, I decided to create an intentionally eye-catching look. I selected a bright green thread and a fancy stitch.



I am pretty pleased with the final result. It looks very springy and fun—just what I was going for. And I was able to sew a fairly straight line!

I showed Stephen my first pair of shorts and he suggested I go for a shorter leg. He is a fan of the five inch inseam and is endlessly frustrated by the lack of short shorts available to men. I also prefer a shorter leg, but shorts are typically long and I was trying to create something that could pass as store-bought. But I shortened the leg and was even more pleased with the result.



Henry seems to like them too. He looks adorable in the outfit on the left. Saturday was a raining day and he spent most of the morning playing outside in the mud. Then he and Wyatt had a birthday party in the afternoon. Just after I took his picture, Henry told me he needed to change into his pink party shirt because ties go better with collared shirts. Man, I love that kid!