2011 in Review!

It's leap day and I don't have someone to propose to, so I have to do other impressive things like beat my mile goal time (holla! yes!) and finally post my year-in-review. 

January !

2^nd: Bethie’s tweed dress

12^th: Scott’s Spice Pack

20^th: Bryce’s fireplace

January was a “clean-up” kind of month. I had a lot of Christmas gifts to finish and deliver. I was really stoked about Bethie's dress, but I made the huge mistake of choosing brown tweed for the fabric. I am fairly certain she has never worn it because it is brown (and a little big, but who's checking?).

February !

6^th: Chris’s bed pocket

22^nd: Jenn’s skirt   

We went to Mexico in February, and that seems more impressive than finishing up a skirt (hemming it, really) and making a bed pocket.

March !

23^rd Turquoise playsuit

26^th: bedroom curtains & ties

27^th: curtain ties (for the front room's curtains)

27^th: Cate’s pillowcases

Ah, the first playsuit! Made a size too big in some cheap yardsale fabric. Oh, how I love it! And my best curtains to date. So pretty and remarkably even in the hem!

April !

6^th: Michelle’s camel skirt

17^th: 5 pairs of bloomers for the KDVS Fundraiser!

May !

-fail-

But even if I didn't sew, it seems that I did wash a dog that month.

June !

12^th: Michelle’s light blue net dress

16^th: black w/ red & tan flower dress

30^th: coral window pane romper

Wedding dresses and other lifetime goals! I'm still mega proud of the dresses I made for Michelle and myself for Clara's wedding, and I can't wait until the return of romper weather. It should be a good time for all. 

July !

12^th: Michelle’s yellow playsuit

15^th: two headbands (one of which matches Michelle’s playsuit)

24^th: Orange/tan paisley Sorbetto top

 A Colette Patterns-heavy month, if I do say so myself.

August !

23^rd: teal skirt w/ black/white/red buttons

31^st: bed pocket for me

My teal skirt...why must you rumple so? I also need to do some serious fixin' on the lining, which I've shredded with my power stepping.

September !

2^nd: Jenn’s Art Tote bag

3^rd: Merril’s bloomers

22^nd: Thrift storedress modification

30^th: Blue BurdaStyle sleeveless top (never saw the light of day)

You guys haven't seen this shirt, but it is all around bad news. Susan is so embarrassed to be seen in it! I'm starting to think the buttons are cursed (they were used on my doomed Sencha blouse, too) since everything they touch turns to awful. Hrm.

October !

11^th: Atmosphere bag (decoration)

21^st: Jenn’s houndtooth wiggle dress

 Jenn didn't give me a picture of her in her houndstooth wiggle dress. I'll remember that. My atmosphere bag is pretty fun, though!

November !

12^th: Stella’s skirt

12^th: Cate’s sleep top (adorableness, why don't I have a picture?)

December !

1^st: Michelle’s laptop bag

1^st: Cate’s bloomers

11^th: Bryce’s eye mask and bloomers

16^th: Cate’s sleep top (I had to go back and finish the hems, then it was really done)

21^st: CJ’s bed pocket (which he keeps at the ranch)

24^th: 12 lavender sachets

24^th: Bethie’s white eyelet top

24^th: Claire’s summer fun dress

24^th: My red/tan lace dress

Busy month, don't you think?

That is my 2011 in review. December was easily my most productive month and May the least productive (I was distractedly working on Michelle's blue dress for Clara's wedding the WHOLE MONTH), and there were lots of bedpockets and bloomers. Colette Patterns dominated the show with thirteen items (though eight of those were bloomers), and my own love of cutting out shapes for home decor purposes made a good showing too. (hello bed pockets and curtains!) At the end of the year there were over 40 notable things I had sewn. Wow! Good job me!

Now that we're entering March, any ideas on sewing goals for 2012? It's not too late!

PACKING TAPE!!!

Christmas fun begins NOW! I received the keystone of my Christmas wrapping paper in the mail today--holiday themed packing tape!

Top to bottom, we have the Baroque Frame Tape, the Partridge of Joy, the Todd (just kidding, the Mod Blooms), and the Snowflake. The Snowflake and the Partridge are last year's designs; 15% off. The Todd was added to help us break the $15 dollar mark, which in turn yielded the Baroque as a free gift! Whee! If you are inclined to go crazy at Tapeswell like me, use the coupon code TSOCT  which will get you the free roll of Baroque in addition to 20% off.
Gifts and letters from me will look so awesome this year! They won't look like trash! I am totally jazzed, in case you can't tell.
TAPE!

Curtains, middle room!

Another room, another project.  I chose the middle room for the next batch of curtains, since we spend a lot of time in there. The computer and the dining table are in there, it is Timber's day room, and it is the first room you enter once you ascend the stairs. I think it is our most complete room, which is probably why I've taken to sewing in there instead of the front room. That means it is most deserving of some curtains, right?

Here is the before shot.

Once I installed the hardware and pressed them (heavier starch this time), the curtains were up in no time. Side note, I really wish we had a power drill. I have way more use for one than you would think if you just ran into me on the street.

I guess they have a bit of a country Americana feel to them, being as they are red, white, and blue. Also, this diamond patterned fabric I used for the accent fabric was far too homey for me to use on any clothing project. I actually have no clue as to why I purchased it (three yards, no less), it does not suit my style. But it does suit the curtains...and I had it long before I started this project so it totally counts as a de-stash.

I'm also quite proud of my little curtain draws, aren't they nice? I think so. Besides, if they aren't tied the Sacramento wind tries to tear them out the window. Delta breeze, you really exist!

That all said and shown, I'm staying the hex away from curtains now. It was pretty comforting to have something I could pick up any time of the day or night and start sewing, just as it was comforting to be able to stop at any time without worrying about losing my place in a modification or pattern. But it was also boring. And I want to wear something new, or at least new-to-me. I also have an extensive sewing to-do list as far as fixing clothes goes, and other things that have been on my weekly lists since December or earlier. Like fixing Michelle's tranny top, I need to get that done.

Christmas decor! (part 2)

Ooh, there are pine bits alllll over the house!

Our weaselly swag

Our rascally wreath (it looks kind of like any Stephens girl in the morning)

Our tree before the ornaments found it (is there a skillful way to put lights on a sparse tree?)

Our tree after the ornaments hung themselves in joy. Another year of tinsel, yes!

I think it all turned out pretty well. The only downer is that it is kind of too cold to hang out in the room with the Christmas tree, but that hasn't stopped me in the past.

Christmas decor! (part 1)

We have our tree! It isn't decorated yet, but it is standing. Plus, we cut many boughs off of the trunk bottom and the man at the tree farm was kind enough to let me take home some extra boughs. From that point, it was the natural action to bunch them together with found ribbon and hang them on people's doors.

Extra boughs=extra swags!

The work table.

Bryce's swag of terror.

I'll take some pictures of our swag and other stuff tomorrow, hopefully the tree too!

Magical holiday times!

So, I'm not really getting much in the line of holiday spirit from my UCD job, but look how pretty the foyer of the COG's building is!

This doesn't really capture how magical the entryway is, imagine more sparkle and light. Since this phone picture was taken in the evening, the glisten has gone to bed for the night.

After leaving the COG, I walked through downtown for some errands and happened upon the wonder of wonders, the ice skating rink!

Between the shimmering of the rink and the hazy fog surrounding the massive moon, midtown was straight up enchanting last night.

*an aside, holiday crafts are forging ahead! I'm not sure which pictures I can post because I wouldn't want to wreck someone's Christmas. Also, we're getting our tree either Thursday or Saturday. EEE!

Michelle finally gave in

and m'lady bought herself some bronze shoes.

There they are! Can you see them? They're in the garden...

I also wanted to show what the completed organza flowers look like as referenced in the Fire+Synthetics post, which is why I totally covered Michelle's shoes. Not because I don't like them, just because I'm multi-tasking.
I need to make more organza flowers if you want to come hang out with a fire hazard of a girl. Please?

wow! more quilling!

After I exclaimed "done!" this morning, I started looking at what other people are doing with their paper filigree arts and I happened upon Hila Rawet Karni on "All Things Paper".Hot dog!

Can someone tell me how to do this?

The end of quilling

Well, I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I made the sought after number for quilled flowers (one hundred) so I no longer have to twist paper around a mutilated bobby pin.
It is kind of sad though. I've been working on these off and on for a few months, more off than on, and quilling was easily the safest of the crafts I've been working on--no hot glue gun, fire or needles. I still have a good amount of quilling paper left in yellows, green, blue, purples, maroon, cream, and peach, so if you want to make yourself a small, labor intensive pretty flower, pop on over!
If you are curious, I was introduced to quilling by viewing Yulia Brodskaya's work. It really puts mine to shame, though maybe after the wedding I can just dork around with my extra paper and create something really amazing!
Thanks to Becca and Vanessa for all your quilling help, along with the Cacciatores who occasionally twirled some paper in my name.

Fire+Synthetics=Somewhat Hazardous

So, I got my craft on last night with the first forray into organza flowery business. Preet came over and helped a bit (thanks Preet!) and there were minimal injuries from this craft project. This picture should tell you why there were any injuries at all.
Yep, there is fire involved. And synthetic materials. Synthetic materials that sometime catch more flame than I, or anyone for that matter, am comfortable holding in my mitt. Consequently, I have missing skin on my forehead and burns on my hands and fingers from fiery organza that got a little out of control as I tried to extinguish it by shaking it, sending melted purple schrapnel all over the living room and myself. But I think they're pretty!

I'll post more pictures when I have more of them complete. Right now taking a picture of five organza flowers seems...silly? I'm going to make a bed of them before this is done!

*This idea was originally sent to me by Becca, though I'm not really following the Reese Dixon directions to the letter--or at all, other than I'm using organza, beads, and an open flame. Perhaps the next set of flowers will be more...less...um...they'll be something totally different!