Catalog

It's a beautiful labor of love, and how I spent a good chunk of my week last week.
9 tabs in a spreadsheet.
176 pieces.
223 yards.

We're going to ignore the fact that I have yet to count the linings or the interfacings or the net/tuelle/crinolines or the flannels and just marvel at all the pretty fabrics now.  They're lined up on a shelf where I can see them, wrapped around tiny bolts made from comic book boards.  It's been a 2 day process, but I think it'll be worth it if it means I can see my fabrics, I stop buying duplicates, and I want to sew more... which is what it's all about, right? If I can see my stash I can sew my stash.

This process is part of the complete re-organizing and un-cluttering of my sewing space in the guest room.  As I cataloged the fabrics, I folded them the width of the comic book boards, and stored winter fabrics that way until after we move.  Summer fabrics, knits, bag fabrics, and quilting cottons all went onto the shelf.  Decor fabrics were put away till it's time for curtains/slipcovers in our new house, folded in their own bin, and I have yet to find the solution for cuts of fabric under 1 yard(mostly quilty stuff) so it has its own bin, where everything is neatly folded and arranged vertically in rows so I can see it all.

Now I'm off to drool at fabrics and finish the rest of the room... Maybe I'll come up with some sort of grand reveal to do here on the blog.

Springtime

It's over 70 degrees! Easter is in 3 weeks!

My "sewjo" as phrased on Instagram is here with a punch-packing presence and so it's off to the machine for me... I have quite a bit I would like to get through before Easter, so it's a good thing I've gotten a kick in the pants from the unlikeliest of places- a bed for our dog, Winston.  He outgrew his puppy crate a while ago, and I was ASTOUNDED at how much people pay for pet beds... So I made one with Minky and canvas. It's stuffed with scraps and clothes too worn out to give to charity.  He's one happy customer. I'm one happy customer because I didn't have to buy a dog bed, AND everything was stash.
Plus I have an excuse to share a picture of my dog, since he would kind of growl and whine if I tried to take the bed out of his crate to get pictures of it.  Apparently it's a good one.

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.

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?

Getting to it

Home Dec sewing really isn’t as bad as I thought it would be… lots of getting things ready and measurements before I sew a bunch of straight lines.  The hardest part?  Getting to it.  I washed dishes to avoid it this afternoon.  Seriously.  And if you know me in real life, you know how much I ABHOR dishes. 

But you know what?  I bit the bullet.  Sitting cut out and pinned are the covers for both nightstands.  The old pillow covers have been dismantled, leaving me with 2 forms and piping, plus more of an idea as to how the construction is supposed to work.  Fabrics are chosen.  The last bit of piping is tracked down, measurements are taken… Crazy how simple it becomes when you stop griping and just do it.  Knock it out!  It’s been SO simple, friends.  I didn't have to go out and buy anything new, and I can't wait to see what my bed looks like.   I now wish I’d done it sooner, like a lot of things we put off and put off.

I should probably get back to it… This could be the return of Finish-it Friday!

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.

Saturday! What a day!

Groovin all week with you...

Well, the tours have come and gone, and then my pastor dropped in. Which worked out kinda nicely, as my apartment was all clean and wonderful. If I see some interest shown, I will give a virtual tour tomorrow, but right now we've got necklace 4. The model(myself) didn't do it justice. As it's spoken for- a bday gift for W's sister- I'm okay with that. If you'd like to see the colors, it's the necklace on the left in yesterday's post with the paper plate confession.

Today I'm thankful for a healthy mama... There have been 2 people my age to lose their dads this week- one a friend from college and one a friend here at Seminary. I don't know what I'd ever do if something happened to my mom, and I'm blessed- SO blessed- to not have found out.

Necklace Number 3: Pastel-ish Prettiness

We all need a touch of these colors in our lives every once in a while... And I have to confess, there was a person in the back of my head on this one. Although it took me a while to realize it. Anywho, I thought I'd share a secret of the way I do necklace making with you guys today... It's kinda silly, but I don't like to knock it too much because of how well it works.

You see, I have this stack of paper plates. Anyone that knows me in real life knows I am vehemently opposed to paper products as a rule- In my apartment we use cloth napkins and dishtowels for all of the things paper napkins and paper towels would be used for.

And I feel like I'm cheating on Mother Earth and the dishes all at once when the table is set with paper. But that's because I'm a strange person with odd quirks, and you'll have to forgive me. The point: This application of paper plates is one I can get behind. Those edges are replicated in very few instances, and I just don't like beadboards. And the best part? I can pull out a stack of paper plates for friends to play too. It's just more fun to play with friends.

Today I'm thankful for tours. I told y'all about how my apartment is being shown, and how that's given me motivation to get things put up on my walls and all... I'm just all-around glad I did it. Tomorrow's the big day, but spending time painting this week was just... awesome.

Countdown....

13 days.

WOW. What with an amazing hiking trip with my best friend W from camp and a sermon(which went really well... I thought about posting pieces but I dunno...) to fill up the last 2 weeks of my life, I didn't notice the last of my summer slipping by me as well! Oh, and the tutus. Which were an all-around hit.

In the next 2 weeks I have...

Alterations/sewing galore.
-I am conquering duplicates this week... The goal is 3 shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of eyelet pants, a pair of slinky knit pants, and an additional, non-duplicate shirt. A pretty full box to be sure, and about that much to do next week too.
-I'm hoping to do 3 hours a day in alterations, and hoping, REALLY hoping, that it'll knock out the pile and send off multiple boxes a week.
-I have alterations to do for me too... so I will fill up a box and take a day to sew for myself before filling up the next box.... I have curtains- lined silk- that I want to be able to knock out as one of my first tasks in my new apartment.
-Remember I worked on a skirt and a dress? I have to finish those too, and I found CUTE, wide elastic for some quick-and-easy transition dresses, for the times in August/September where I wanna dress like it's fall but it's just too hot.

Time with my boys.
-I've been soaking up babysitting time for two boys, 3 and almost 6, like no other this summer, and wow will I miss them!
-I hope to get some pictures and their mom's permission to share them in the next week. Today I'll spend the afternoon with them.

Packing. Planning around a floor plan.
-I did a box for my kitchen today. Triumph! The big task will be to start gathering the things I need- setting up an apartment is a more expensive endeavor than I thought it would be, but I've been blessed to have some help and the ability to spread out some of the big expenses.
-I need to figure out what's left in the category of big expenses... And how to prioritize that.
-I might have friends helping me UN-pack! Which would be amazing... I miss my girls soo much and we've talked a bit about them possibly visiting before too much time elapses, which means I might have help doing some of my unpacking, and I'd get to explore my city with them.

Baking and sending.
-Care packages go to those who are starting school or have started, and cookies for the first day will be delivered by my boys this afternoon... Which means a quick batch is in order before I leave. Bar cookies to the rescue!

So much to do! But SO much I've soaked If I were to look at the summer as a whole, it's taught me life is too short... To do things you hate, to be mean, to miss out on things and people you love. It's too short for me not to be thankful and loving and use these two hands to do great things for other people. Use my time and prayer and all of it because I'm blessed. And remember that few things are more precious and worth soaking up than the words of wisdom from an older generation.

What have YOU soaked up this summer?

I live on a farm.

I don't know if y'all knew that, but I do when I'm home. And this has been a pretty farm-life week in some ways... very country girl at times.
I am used to the quiet again, and adjusting to "town" being a minimum of 3 miles away nd not having more than 1 stoplight. And the big kitchen table my mom was raised sitting at... round, and easily seats 10. Trust me, it will hold more, especially small ones. And it makes for a GREAT cutting table... I cut out a dress, and will baste and fit and cut another before bedtime! From my very own pattern!
My mom also works at a dairy and I visited her one day last week to steal her away for lunch...
This calf I am petting in the photo is Dulce de Leche. I named her because she's caralmel-colored... She was born on Easter Sunday. Mom was working and I was on the phone with her. Seeing her, tiny by comparison to her friends, and getting to wear my cowboy boots, affectionately called sh*t-kickers as per their purpose in some settings, and having lunch with my mom made my day.
And celebrating birthdays made my weekend, and seeing a neighbor's foals will be making my afternoon! Off again.

Small Spaces....Bathroom

I am fortunate to have my own bathroom, which, in some dorms, could be considered a rarity. I always pack my bathroom things up last and unpack them first... Don't ask me why, that's just how it seems to happen. I like putting one little room in order when I get there. And this is my countertop, in order right now:

Well, not exactly countertop. See, while one DOES exist, it's not big enough to store much, and there's really no good way to store jewelry in an enclosed manner when one has my budget and amount of jewelry.

So, 2 packs of cork squares and a box of pushpins later, I had this system for necklaces and bracelets. It works like a charm! I love it, because it keeps my jewelry in the open.

And yes, those are martini, wine, and champagne glasses... the best kind to keep earrings around. The boxes are cigar boxes, which contain more jewelry, makeup, and memories. They worked so well color-wise I couldn't resist for the price (between thrift stores for glasses, free cigar boxes, and glasses I already had I spent maybe $12.00, including candles and cork.)

But what you really wanna see is what I did with my Saturday. Here is my craftiness for the weekend.I repaired the necklace at left which a sorority sister made for me 2 years ago. I used glass beads in combination with cloisonne beads to make the second necklace, and strung it on gold tigertail, closing with a gold clasp. Number three is cut crystal in a smoky gray, complienting blue-gray cultured pearls and purple glass beads. The clasp is an S-hook I bought to use for my Junior Prom jewelry... I wore a rope of knotted "pearls" instead. And the last necklace features more smoky crystal with hematite and red glass beads... The clasp is a loop made of seed beads and one of the crystals!

I was getting tired of jewelry, and I have made it almost to the 2-month mark without buying any new items... I'm gonna make it! All of the beads came from stash... Necessary to offset the cost of the fabric that should be here later this week! Pictures when it gets here.

Small Spaces....

Lots of STUFF to put in them!!!

I, as y'all have doubtless figured out, am a college student. And as such, I have learned that you have to squeeze everything you can out of your closet space...

My closet is about 3 feet wide, and goes floor to ceiling. The bar to hang things on has a shelf, but is on the low side...

And I know, I know, I should probably get rid of some of those clothes to make everything fit.... But I went through after I saw just how crowded things look in the pictures, and really, the only things I don't wear in all of that are the ones that are too big because what they say about someone who sews for themselves getting to stuff for themselves is SO true.

Some key things...

-Tap nails will hold scarves and have them ready to go
matching hangers are your friends.... BUT not if they are all wires... I am rid of all wire hangers! It was an accomplishment, trust me. The stick-ums with the Command stuff by 3M are also VERY friendly to all kinds of paint finishes. I put them in every graduation/housewarming present I give to people living in space that isn't permanently theirs. That's what's holding purses and stuff.

-A shoe rack is also your friend... and the best ones aren't always meant for shoes. It keeps all 10 pairs that are my favorites handy, and the rest go in an inexpensive bin on the floor. These organizers come in different widths, and it is SOOO worth it to buy the canvas ones for a few extra dollars. The one in the photo has held up through LOTS... 5 moves.

-A system that I follow EVERY time I put things away. Even if it looks crowded, I know where everything is, and what I have. My clothes are mostly organized by type of clothing: light jackets/blazers, then long-sleeve shirts, then medium-sleeves, then sleeveless, then skirts, skirt suits, pants, pant suits, formalwear, and winter-weight coats.

-A separate place for sweaters and sweatshirts. They are in bins, taking care of vertical space! Using the space above the rack where everything hangs is crucial. My closet was a mess before I got those bins. If my sweaters were on hangers, they would take up space AND get deformed! Sweaters are sorted by sleeve length and hoodies are on top. That vertical space also holds emergency supplies like a first aid kit and my asthma stuff. Laundry supplies also have a home. So do extra hangers.

Okay. That was this week's small space. There are a few to do... But it's finals week, so everything is SUCH a mess!