Housekeeping

Hi all,

It's time for some housekeeping... which I realized and thought about while I was away from computers and sleeping a ton... Thanks flu.

But, now that I'm feeling better, I thought I'd drop y'all a line, and say that I'm alive, and will pass on more wedding dress updates this week.  I've gotten a couple things made since then, so I am going to try to write them up as well, and in the next few weeks I'm hoping you'll start to see some changes on the appearance side of things... I have buttons hanging out from forever ago, and I'm missing others, and there's this quilting thing I've been dabbling in, which I would like to post a bit about as well, so I am going to see if I can make a schedule and stick to it.  The creative juices are flowing! I can't wait to share more!

A couple of weeks ago, an awesome lady from work and I went to the inaugural meeting of the West Atlanta Modern Quilters Guild.  A good time was had by all, and my what a creative bunch of ladies!

What I loved about this crazy creative group of women was that there were an awesome variety: in ages, occupations, skill levels, styles, and personalities.  It's inspired me to get to sketching in a bit more detail for my first quilt, whose story is intimately entwined with my life.  Y'all, it's gonna be a heck of a first quilt... of indeterminate size and mostly made-up pattern.  It'll be crazy, and I can't wait.

But first! First.
The mug rug.  I'm gonna play wonky disappearing nine patch and see what happens.  Whatever happens, I SHALL have pictures!  But not today. Just a sketch today.

Hobbies, earn your keep!

Oy.

Y'all, I hate it when you look at costs.

How much do our hobbies cost us?  Now, before you click away because you don't wanna think about it, wait a second... Because I don't wanna talk about money, or personal finances...

I want to talk about space.  I want to talk about time.  I want to talk about effort, and what the cost of THOSE is.  Because many of us stash... I know I am guilty, and I am certainly dreading getting that counter with yards in and out up to date.
I live in a small city apartment, and that means the cost of storage is high.  And, while sewing does not have to use up much room, I am woefully lacking in the discipline required to do the thing where you buy the things for one project, finish it, and move onto the next one with very little left over and carried over to store- maybe a few basic notions and a scraps bin.
On the other hand, I'd really much rather have 5 bins of fabric and one bin of Christmas decor... Inspiration doesn't mean adorning my home for me, although I certainly love having my home feel like one.

I want to love this gift of creativity.  I want to grow into it, and for things to take shape out of those bins of supplies...  And I want to talk about it.

Lovely readers, if you still exist, I want you to hold me to embarking on a renewed relationship with my hobbies.  I want to show you silly cell phone pictures of earrings, tell you the stories of my creation, and share with you this part of my life.

Pretty presents...

I'm hoping for a China-Free Christmas.  Here's some of the progress.



Mom's gift.  Has been decided upon, and I'm soooo psyched about it, because I think she'll really enjoy it.  However, she reads so I won't write.  I'm still hoping to persuade her to spend Christmas in my home (AHEM, Mama, pleeeease say yes?) so I can see her open it.  

Jewelry Sets:

Well, much like my sewing, I get the concept out, and I get the things put together, and it’s those finishing touches like, oh, closures, and matching earrings that get put off… But it’s all there, and it’ll get knocked out pretty quickly once I sit down for a second. 

 

Quilt:

The fabrics are coming together nicely.  I'm really getting excited about it.  I bought my mat and ruler and rotary cutter 2 weeks ago on Sunday (hooray for straight lines), so real progress is a-comin'! But... I will say I really like the fabrics I have right now...  We found some in a shopping adventure and others are old shirts that were favorites and no longer fit after big weight loss... They look great with the things in the quilt, they are 100% cotton, and I can't think of a more special way to re-use them.  

And honestly,  have you ever realized how much fabric is in a single shirt?

Wow.  Sleeves themselves are huge...

At this point, I’m going with measurements, and a wing and a prayer.  So far,  I have inspiration photos from pinterest and I've made inquiries for advice from the lovely ladies at SG.   I’ll add the widths of the strips up as I go, and make it to the measurements that I’m aiming for… I’m giving some thought to the whole idea of the back, and piecing it with log cabin squares, or maybe another shape… And some pillow covers.  But my goal currently is to have the piecing all done by finals and to find a good source for batting and all… I suspect I’ll be headed back to Whipstitch for some advice.  


Now to finish work so I'm allowed to play!


Happy day, friends.  

Christmas promises

I am not buying a single pre-made, straight-from-a-big-box-store decoration for my home for Christmas.

There, I said it, so it MUST be true.  Right?

I did buy things…

An angel to hang over my nativity (Ten Thousand Villages, an amazing Fair-Trade store)

A citrus garland from Columbia (Ditto)

A tree stand (bought at the local Ace Hardware)

And I have a few things…

Christmas balls purchased on sale last year after Christmas

White lights

Crystal from an old chandelier

Ornaments from our family Christmas tree that I’ve cherished since I was a kid

A nativity, made in Peru, from my mama

As for making things?

Already started on paper ornaments.  These are so much fun, and will make great bows for Christmas gifts!

An idea is floating around in my head for a tree skirt.  Thrift Store here I come…

It’s the holidays, y’all. 

What are you making?

Christmas is a month away? WHAT?!

Gwen and the calendar (Can you believe it’s the middle of November??) got me thinking Christmas... And I AM making gifts.  There isn’t, in my humble opinion, a substitution for handmade things or carefully chosen things… and if I give gifts, I give these kinds of things.

Yes.  I have started.  I have necklaces and earrings for many of the ladies in my life.  The boys will get baked goods.  My baby brother is getting recipes and the supplies to make them and shirts that’ll fit his gangly arms… which I won’t be making.  Blankets galore for little ones and expecting parents.  Mom reads the blog so I don’t know that I’ll talk about her gift… I’m excited about it though. 

I am making one gift that's pretty huge... A quilt.  Pinterest knows about it.  The recipient knows about it and has agreed not to read about it... and chose the palate with 3 lovely fabrics, pictured, and added to it with shirts and other reclaimed fabric.  

I’ll be digging into the collection and looking at vintage fabrics- not all flat folds of fabric but upcycling too- to mix in.

Now YOU get to hold me accountable for it too.  Here's to finishing by Christmas, right?

“But Sarah…” you might be thinking, “You don’t quilt.”

It’s a true statement, friends.  But… I dunno.  Something tells me that although this quilt is my first solo attempt, it will not be the last one, and will be a good way to sew more than I have been.  You can probably guess there hasn’t been much sewing happening… and you know, my mood relates to it.  I was soooo crabby yesterday it wasn’t funny, and while there were many factors, I think one of ‘em is a lacking in flexing my creative muscles. 

So I will flex them in the coming weeks... I've already started.  Some straight lines.  Lots of alterations are on the docket, and more are no longer on the docket... It's kinda nice.

I am well aware that a large part of me really wants to create too, though… and I will.  The quilt is a part of that, and so are some really great dresses and skirts.

Craft Night and a tour

I am actually at Craft Night right now, a tradition started by Ruth, a great neighbor who opens her home to let us hang out, laptops or crafts, to commune and un-stress. And tonight, in that process, I am going to plan, because that's what I need right now. It's a great group of people, and a great mini-sabbath from studying.

And a tour. Beth at Wee Pereas offered a tour of her studio today, and asked about the studios of others. And I have a confession. My whole apartment has been used as studio space at one point or another.

When you walk in my front door, you see the entirety of my living room. It's little and the focus is definately the kitchen table, and it's pretty central to how I live right now between homework, friends, and crafting and cooking so it's kind of accurate to have it RIGHT THERE.

I am a firm believer that the table is where we meet our family, no matter its form and substance, and that maintaining that here is okay with me.And you walk in a bit. The color scheme of walls and trim and furniture was serendipitously matching my rug, a gift from our pastor, and I love the fact that my walls are what they are: Art. Conversation starters. You'll notice the very intentional absence of a TV. And you see my painting, created at Craft Night last week, and waiting on a chance to be really finished. I am living with it and looking at it, and trying to decide what more to do. It's going to reflect more of a specific sunset that I felt really really at one with my Creator. It's definately not there yet. It will be though.

And walking into my bedroom, we have a desk, a comfy rug, and my bed. The desk is there for crafty thinking and some studying, but mostly for storing books and holding... stuff. It's the one bit of clutter left in my apartment.

The colors are nice and calming, and somewhat oppositional to all of the apartment's colors, but I'm living with it. I like it in some ways. My favorite is the little shag rug on my floor... SO wonderful to step onto on cold mornings. I'm actually blogging from there right now.

But this fun area, where all of my jewelry lives and where I've staged a vanity of sorts, actually produces a good bit of inspiration.

My clothes come out of how I look and feel, and my jewelry comes from my clothes, so here's a fun little central point in all of that!

On that last note, I am pretty excited about the giveaway that closes tomorrow at midnight. The short version: I'm a flibbergibbet, so you could win a handmade, one of a kind necklace. Click over for the long version. I want to hear from you.

And... I am really thankful for the greatest thing of all: Family away from family. I have the best family ever. Here at Seminary, we all grow together, and I love that it really is a family. Between dinner club and my life group and craft night, I have found friendships and connections in a big way. It's a blessing and I am just that.

Revisiting the list...

I was not very successful, at all.... Here's my list from late November. Blue means done, green means I may not do it after all... I'll give you a reason.

Sewing:

Fix-its
-hem 4+ pairs of pants( Turns out they don't all need hems. Maybe 1. Wearing and washing for a month made a difference)
-do something w/ buttonholes on peacoat(TOO COLD to give up my warmest jacket. It'll go on the way back burner, and I will think about it come the thaw.)
-take in waists on 4+ pr pants, sew back pockets shut and cut out on some
-take in black cocktail dress(I decided to give it to Goodwill. Wasn't going to be flattering enough to bother.)

Making/Finishing
-red dress for formal in Jan.
-SWAP pieces (need to decide if I really have the time/resources to follow along...)
-sweater-knit dress(The sweater knit I wanted to make this out of is no longer available...)
-chocolate dress
-Hello Sailor pants
-chocolate cord skirt
-tan linen skirt... need to find fun way to dress it up, it's a plain jane thing right now... maybe some kickpleats in a contrast w/ matching contrast waistband?
-red pants
-tops for Swap? I have sketches and I'd draft patterns or find them... no clue yet.
-silvery-gold Dupioni dress for formal in April
-blue herringbone purse
-curtain fix(took em down. They'd block too much light no matter what.)
-draft pullover pattern
-messenger bag
-2 laundry bags for grads to fill with:
-fleece blankets(they got them for Christmas from Nana)
-a book about college
-notepad, envelopes, stamps
-smaller bags: tote for the girl, messenger for the boy

Pad and adjust dressform from Salvation Army... In really good shape just a bit small! Will be SO nice for hems and things...(The wheels still work so she won't need it as much as I thought.)

Scrapbooking:
-Order pictures for events this year
-organize paper stash-- figure that one out...
-Pages!
-update table of contents
-2-pg spread of childhood... need to see if pics to fill gaps exist! (started)
-Finish camp 05
-Finish Decathlon
-Finish Epworth 06
-Finish grad/prom 06
-camp 06
-last summer, look back
-Freshman year:
-Sorority fun times
-Friends and craziness, Rocky Horror
-Family
-Summer
-Nessie's wedding
-Sophomore Year
-Internship staff and fun times
-sorority fun times... family tree w/littles!
-Friends
-Tgiving/Christmas w/ family
-fun times
-Summer... first sermon!
-Junior Year
-Sorority fun times
-Friends
-Visit w.Grandma

Knitting:
Learn to purl


Yeah. No huge accomplishments... And I want to add stuff to the list!

I put my SWAP in italics, because it has evolved into the wardrobe for my trip to Turkey this summer... While some of those will still work, others are no longer practical... The nice warm thick fabrics can stay in the stash for a little longer. And I am making organizing a priority in all of this. No more not being able to access this stuff. Or not knowing what fabrics I have. I'll have to photograph the scrapbook stuff organized... Not gonna lie, I am definately a fan! I was able to take it with me to Michigan and scrapbook lots!

So before I conquer that list I'm gonna conquer this one:
-Catalog stash... No buying till I do!
-Help get Tartuffe up. Sew for the play as much as possible. MY stuff can wait, but we can't have naked actors!
-Finish table.
-Clean room. Keep it that way.

the pledge

I, Sarah, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!
Signed,
Sarah ...dun dun dun...

If you know me well, you know I LOVE shopping. Love it. Online, in stores... I just really like to shop. So, as a way to encourage myself to sew instead, I took the pledge. I have LOTS of material already, and tons of things that Mom pulled outta her closet before she packed me up and sent me off. I also have a trip to Turkey to save for, and to outfit myself for. So this really is for the best. But I am suffering from withdrawls... I almost bought gloves and 2 scarves today, but I put them back. It's tougher than I thought.

At least I am still allowed to buy fabric and thrift shop. Wish me luck!


Note: I am going to publish this, despite having already written about my pledge, for the sheer fact that I sat here and wrote it, and as a reminder to me...

I know, I know....

Bad Sarah.

No blog posts in quite a while, and Google Reader says I have 91 blogs to read! Shame on me!

But I have been spending some awesome times with Mom and my younger brother... and I was in the Christmas Eve service at church, which seems to be becoming a bit of a tradition...

On the crafting front, I have an awesome skirt in progress for a cousin... She got the pieces in a box for Christmas and before I did a 5 or 6-tiered gathered skirt, I wanted to know she'd like the colors.

I also have some other presents up my sleeve... more on them later.

Right now I have to go wash up after helping my mom in the calf barn feeding her 4-legged babies... She takes care of the milk cow's calves so that they can drink milk replacer and we can drink their milk. I bottle-fed 3 today, and did buckets and watered lots...

Pictures soon! Food now....

Done!!!!

I am interrupting my regularly-scheduled posting to inform you, dear reader, that I am DONE!!!

As in no more, that is all.... And I am oh-so-happy about it. And pulling out the sewing machine while I stay with Boy's family for a weekend or so and making a frenzy of Christmas presents and reclaiming some awesome garments.

So post with pictures to come. For now imagine me doing a giant happy dance in my pajamas because I slept WAY in after not sleeping for 40 hours... In my defense, I was up by noon...

Milestone!

Sometime Thursday, my little number of times people have seen this page count hit 1000!

I feel like that might just be a beginner's blog milestone...

And another possible milestone... I might start a mini series of posts... About making small spaces do big things... I live in a dorm room so I have kinda mastered the art in some ways. I have too much stuff and it has to fit somehow... I was thinking about that while putting my clothes away. Wouldn't that be fun??

But I have a crafty post, a theater post, and a camera with legs before that'll happen.

Happy weekend!

Craft Addict Christmas!!!

Mary at Confesssions of a Craft Addict is giving away this amazing package to any of you in the lower 48 who are all-around crafters.... check it out and hope I win!

Adventure time...

... into the world of Black Friday shopping.

Yesterday, after a full thanksgiving dinner for two, Grandma and I decided to have a little Black Friday trip to Ace Hardware for Amaryllis bulbs and a new scrapbooking store, if they were open. We will be looking for some fun double-sided 8.5-by-11 inch paper for the cutest little card I have ever seen that is made with just folds. Grandma stamps and makes cards, but doesn't really scrapbook... She's more than happy to indulge me though... She actually bought me my first scrapbook and all the stuff to go with it!

The drive up was L-O-N-G! Apparently I am prone to being stuck in traffic, and not supposed to have to drive thru Detroit! I will have a much easier trip back knowing that one. I made it, safe and sound, after 12 hours... one of which was me getting lost once off of the interstate! Grandma says finding it in daylight will make the trip home easier.

I'm off to enjoy our venture!

The List...

When this is posted, I will be somewhere between Kentucky and Michigan, but I did want to make sure there was something for every day of November... I have made it this far, not giving up now! I'll more than likely check comments, but will be spending much less time than usual online until I get back to school. But remember me today... first big drive ever!

Okay, got the challenge from C at Fuzzy Sheep Crafts. She is challenging everyone who reads to make THE list... you know, the ultimate crafty to-do that we should all keep running but don't want to because it seems like such a daunting task.
We are supposed to cross off as applicable, with the idea being to have a good chunk done by Christmas... I am giving myself to January 4, when school starts again to do it all, simply because I know me, and with finals little to no progress will have been made.

edit: The goal, for me at least, will be to make a big dent, not to finish everything on the list... wow, I wouldn't sleep if that were the case... And because I can't figure out how to strikethrough, "done" things will be in blue.



Sewing:

Fix-its
-hem 4+ pairs of pants(more?)
-do something w/ buttonholes on peacoat
-take in waists on 4+ pr pants, sew back pockets shut and cut out on some
-take in black cocktail dress

Making/Finishing
-red dress for formal in Jan.
-SWAP pieces (need to decide if I really have the time/resources to follow along...)
-sweater-knit dress
-chocolate dress
-Hello Sailor pants
-chocolate cord skirt
-tan linen skirt... need to find fun way to dress it up, it's a plain jane thing right now... maybe some kickpleats in a contrast w/ matching contrast waistband?
-red pants
-tops for Swap? I have sketches and I'd draft patterns or find them... no clue yet.
-silvery-gold Dupioni dress for formal in April
-blue herringbone purse
-curtain fix
-draft pullover pattern
-messenger bag
-2 laundry bags for grads to fill with:
-fleece blankets
-a book about college
-notepad, envelopes, stamps
-smaller bags: tote for the girl, messenger for the boy

Pad and adjust dressform from Salvation Army... In really good shape just a bit small! Will be SO nice for hems and things...

Scrapbooking:
-Order pictures for evets this year
-organize paper stash-- figure that one out...
-Pages!
-update table of contents
-2-pg spread of childhood... need to see if pics to fill gaps exist! (started)
-Finish camp 05
-Finish Decathlon
-Finish Epworth 06
-Finish grad/prom 06
-camp 06
-last summer, look back
-Freshman year:
-Sorority fun times
-Friends and craziness, Rocky Horror
-Family
-Summer
-Nessie's wedding
-Sophomore Year
-Internship staff and fun times
-sorority fun times... family tree w/littles!
-Friends
-Tgiving/Christmas w/ family
-fun times
-Summer... first sermon!
-Junior Year
-Sorority fun times
-Friends
-Visit w.Grandma

Knitting:
Learn to purl

portable crafts

Things that I can carry around and work on while sitting and carrying on a conversation or really doing nothing at all are really nice... I am pretty taken with knitting right now. It's fun in the car, I can do it while hanging out with friends, and because it's me they don't find it strange.

A friend was taking photos for a photography class and needed models... He was capturing personalitites, and had me, though I was ready to put my knitting down, keep going because I am just... me.
At rehearsals for many shows, I'll start making purses, some covered in appliqes, and call them rehearsal purses... It's something to occupy my hands whle I watch a show or sit in a car or do something else that is mundane and allows me to fit these little moments of craftiness into everydau life, a way to get away and connect with a creative side I do my best to nurture and develop.
Right now I am helping to facilitate at a conference for high school students in our denomination who are considering vocational ministry as a career, and while they are talking to people who have done it, I am going to knit. There may be papers to write, but knitting is it for me today... until later anyway. Right now I'm too sleepy.

Oh, and the Chanticleers.... AMAZING. Go see them if you ever get the chance. Birthday dinner went well, but I am going to write about it WITH recipes.

Pay it forward

I am gonna pay it forward... I love the ideas behind things like this. If you(yes you) are one of the first three to comment on this post, I will, in the next 365 days, send you a crafty wonderful something.

What's the catch you ask? Well.... There is one... You have to have a blog and be willing to do the same thing for three other people. That's just how it works. You can thank my Sew Craft Blog group buddy, Cody, who is at Death By Denim.

Ready set go!