Lost Little Puppy

I’m still feeling the effects of internet overload so lately I’ve moped about the craft room like a lost little puppy although I am taking the opportunity to make some progress on a few unfinished projects.   But there is hope.  My husband presented me something that just might enliven my knitting spirit!

I got hooked up with a handmade yarn swift.    Let me tell you how much of a pain it is to try to wind yarn while having someone hold it on their arms.  There is always a tangle, it always falls off the person’s arms, and it almost always winds incorrectly.  As he grew tired of my frustrations (read: moaning, whining, complaining), he trudged through the snow and out to the shed to whip this up based on plans I found on the internet sometime ago.  I’m certainly thankful for it! 

Next stop, winding up the yarn for a lace project I’ve waited forever to start.

– Nizzy

T-shirt Revamp

So if I get nothing else done I can say I completed my Craft Stash Challenge for this month.

Some years ago I went nuts over t-shirts and purchased a heap of them with the idea to cut and redesign.  Before I even got started I lost interest in it.    Then I bought black tees in every size to make silk screened tees with the LOST logo.  I read up on how to do it and decided that I wasn’t ready to invest in the time and materials at that moment.  No matter because after seeing that finale I would be using that shirt to clean the toilet.

So they have sat, waiting for action or donation and I thought why not wing it and transform it into something different.  No measuring, just cut, pin fit, and sew.  I mean, it’s only a t-shirt.

This was not my first choice for color combo, but I had to work with what I had.   I was not to buy another shirt to add to the collection! These colors together totally remind me of the neon colored surf wear that was popular in the 80s and 90s:  Rude Dog, T and C.  I didn’t live anywhere near a beach, but I remember seeing some of that gear.

Overall, I wish I did something to stabilize the neckline to avoid stretching it out.  NOW, What am I going to do with the rest of those unsexy tees?

– Nizzy

Searching for Style

What is good style?

Is it copying what the celebrities/rich are wearing?  Is it doing your own thing based on exactly what you like?  Is it staying true to the current trends?  Is it all about confidence and fit no matter what you have on?  Whatever the definition, I’m trying to find my way one piece at a time.  Depending on just who you ask, there will be hits and misses with any wardrobe.  Not everyone likes the same type of clothing.  Some adopt the less is more attitude while others like to button up to the neck.

Is there possibly a wrong way to style?

I catch clips of these television shows like Fashion Police where they discuss celebrity fashion and how right or wrong they choose to style themselves.  I can’t help but to feel a bit annoyed about how harshly they get judged.  Let me tell you, if I had millions I would wear what I want no matter how crazy, different, odd it is.  And that is exactly the direction I want to head now.  If I wanna go head-to-toe hooch let me do my thing!  Maybe tone-on-tone is how I’m feeling today.

In the meantime, until I figure out what this ‘style’ thing is all about, I’m going to do me and try to have some fun educating myself on what works and what doesn’t!

Anyhoo…this month’s craft stash challenge is brought to you by Stitch and Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker.  I wanted a casual little cover up to wear over strappy tanks and dresses when I didn’t feel like showing my arms and back (especially at work).   In the stash I hated this yarn.  I didn’t like the crinkle, but felt guilty parting with it so I chose to turn all that hate into a great.  I’m digging the finished product!

With it, I’m wearing one of my finished jewelry pieces that was sitting around waiting for a photo-op.  I’m experimenting in the craft room with some different materials, but my current moment with sewing has taken away some of the one-on-one time with my jewelry stash.  Maybe that upcoming Philly Bead Fest will get my mojo rolling again.

– Nizzy

Have Dress, No Shoes

No, I didn’t actually go out without shoes on this day, but I wasn’t crazy about them with this dress so I left them out of the picture.  If there is one thing that sewing apparel makes you want to do is shop.  I’m not talking about shopping for fabric and patterns because that’s a given.  I’m talking about shopping for SHOES!  I thought I had enough pairs of shoes that I don’t really wear, but I see the “need” to get a few more to go with the new clothing I make.  Just where we store these new shoes is something that will have to be worked out.   A walk-in shoe room is not an option unless it comes with a brand new house that’s mortgage free.

Anyway, the dress of the month is Butterick 5601 View A.  I made this is a floral print stretch cotton in which the stretch was in the wrong direction.  Here’s to cheap fabric!  It had a little weight and a slight stiffness to it that sewing and smooshing out the darts wasn’t completely successful.  I did the best I could so that it was presentable enough.  I needed to minimize the handling and sewing of this white fabric.   Other adjustments I made were the FBA, lengthened the skirt, and added a little to the waist.

And the back?  Oh, that back gave me sooo many problems.   I removed fabric, repositioned the button and the pieces themselves so that I eliminated as much of the gap as possible before I lost my sanity.

Next stop, shoe store!

– Nizzy

Scrap Happy!

I mostly think of shopping for myself when looking for new for sewing patterns.  Many of the items I sew are garments and fitting myself is hard enough.  Once I can master pattern alterations and fit for myself I think fitting others might become a piece of cake.  For the moment I’m perfectly fine with sewing small accessories for friends.

I don’t always feel like carrying a bag, especially since I tend to stuff it full with everything I own.  It get’s heavy!  Gum?  Got it.  Hand Sanitizer?  Yep.  Camera?  All the time.  Floss? Of course.  Q-tips? Maybe.  I’m known to tear a handbag to shreds.  Why do I need to carry all that stuff?

When I don’t want to carry my life with me, one of these wrist wallets (Kwik Sew 112) will be perfect!

Now, where I carry everything, I have a friend who is the opposite.  No bag, no purse, no wallet, just keys, phone and card in the pocket.  How does she live without lip gloss or lotion at the tip of her fingers?  Her cards and ID are bent out of shape from sitting in her pocket and that is just unacceptable!  I knocked out one of these out (#4)  so that her cards (and mine with #6) could be protected without her getting a girly girl purse or a manly wallet.  Hopefully, I can convince her to carry it.

The best part was sewing these out using the scraps of fabric I already owned.  No washing or fitting.  Just cut and sew.  I went crazy and made 4 more.

-Nizzy

Challenge Accepted!: Baby Clothes

A coworker of mine just had a baby girl and that fits in perfectly with my personal challenge of seeing at least one baby in something I’ve hand-knit.  So far the last few items have been a bust: baby born bigger than the clothes, parents think the item is wool so they don’t put it on the baby because it was spring/summer, and I have no idea how the booties went over.  Don’t people dress their babies like kids do dolls and change their clothes several times a day? 

Since I like a challenge I went ahead and knitted another dress for baby.

I used felt buttons because they were different and I went big on size so baby can grow a bit into this one. 

Yarn used: Bernat Cotton-ish in Cotton Gin Colorway.  It’s a soft yarn with a nice drape and…affordable!

Please, oh please, let baby wear it for just a few hours if anything!

– Nizzy

What’s Better Than the 80s?

Image Source: dismagazine.com

Ok, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I’ve got a love affair going on with the 1990s!  Can we bring back some of those wild fashion trends again?

Again? I guess that’s putting my age out there,  but hey, I’m not hiding it.  I was just sitting back reminiscing over 90s music, movies, being care free in school, but most of all, those crazy fashion trends: inside out clothes, O.P.P jackets, skorts, party shirts, crop tops, body suits, baggy clothes, and jumpers.  Yes, I still have a pair of overalls that I couldn’t bear to part with buried deep in my bin of winter clothes.  Soon as that underground 90s resurgence goes live I’ll be prepared!

I’ve always said the 80s was all about an anything goes self-expression, but the 90s had a bold, rebellious look that can’t be compared to any other decade. Bad Fashion? Maybe if by bad you mean good! Clothing was certainly different and at times ridiculous when you look back, but different was cool. It was the rebelliousness of wearing that baseball cap backwards, that jumper half hooked, and ripped jeans that made the 90s cool. Unfortunately, I think both decades really set the precedence for “dressing down”. People rarely dress up for things these days.  And when you do dress up you are met with wide-eyed stares and questions of “Where are YOU going?”

If you love 90s, are curious about some out there trends, or want to take a trip down memory lane, check out this list.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3040200

In the following link, noted trends range from the late 80s to late 90s.

http://m.complex.com/style/2011/09/the-90-greatest-90s-fashion-trends/air-jordans

– Nizzy

Gardening 2013

I recently read a post over at thethingaboutjoan about her planting tulips and that inspired me to blog about my gardening experience so far.  I really don’t have the gift  but I’m trying really hard to slowly turn this brown thumb at least a light shade of green.  My first experience with growing anything was strawberry seeds from a kit. I forgot all about that plant and accidentally knocked it over.  I didn’t even realize it until a week later.  Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive in starting an edible garden of my own.

Ummmm, first off, Gardening is a lot of dang work!  And it’s taking away my precious crafting time!  It’s said that gardening is rewarding and I’ll get food out of this if everything goes well, but I’m not feeling the meditative and calming vibes just yet!

A friend and I decided to get into gardening together (me in my backyard, her on her apartment balcony) and we started early by planting the seeds indoors.  We planted oregano, cilantro, jalapeño, sweet pepper, broccoli, green pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and green onion.  Once it warmed up we built four raised beds for the veggies, waited for them to germinate, then put them outside.  It seems we put them out a little too early because the plants didn’t last through the last of the winter chill at the turn of the season.  Back to square one!

We planted/replanted garden beans, snap peas, red and green cabbage, okra, pak choy, sweet peppers, jalapeño, spinach, collards, four kinds of tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, green onions, broccoli, kale, swiss chard, cucumbers, lavender, carrots, parsnips, brussel sprouts, and some herbs.

Another friend gave me a strawberry plant this past fall which surprisingly kept some of its green leaves throughout the winter.  At the turn of spring , one fully ripened berry showed up.  I was at work thinking about this berry and I said to myself ‘When I get home I’m going to eat that berry in case I only get one from this plant ever’.  Well something was reading my mind!  When I got home that berry was gone and the one other half-ripened berry had signs that something had munched on it.  Rabbits are like stray cats in my neighborhood  so I knew they would be a problem, but I didn’t think they had a taste for berries.  And you can imagine my dismay when I found a nest of baby rabbits right beside the beds.  Although, I still had to swoon when I saw this little guy/gal.

I’ve learned gardening is about 75 percent pulling weeds, 20 percent watering, and 5 percent enjoying the fruits of your labor.  More watering = more weeds.  Yes, there is math even in gardening.  So, after days upon days of weeding I can now enjoy about 30 seconds of rest before I have to do it all over again.  There is a bit of excitement flowing through me at the idea that I’m growing food and flowers. Maybe once I have that first bite of tomato or broccoli I will begin to appreciate all the hard work, let the calm settle in, and then maybe it will feel a little less like work.

-Nizzy

Thursday’s Three Things

• So, I’ve figured out the secret to easing the pain of weaving in all of those yarn tails at the end.  Ya ready?   WEAVE IN AS YOU GO.  It’s that simple!  Why didn’t I figure that out sooner?  Somehow I guess weaving in as I go won’t work for this small afghan square.

• I finished another two Crafty BOM 2012 quilt blocks.  These two were all about cutting triangles using two different methods.  The first is the  Magic half-square triangle where you create the triangles by sewing around the edges of two layered squares and cutting them open.  In the second, more traditional method you create the triangles by drawing a line on the diagonal of each square, layering two together, sewing a seam on each side and finally cutting down the middle.  I prefered the first method, which seemed to go together much faster, but it was nice to be able to sew a chain of squares together without breaking the thread using the second method.  Anyhow, here are my two finished squares.

• I finally got around to purchasing a copy of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Kline.  I cannot wait to dive in!  First, I need to finish the two other books I’ve started and then I’ll let you know what I think!  Have any of you bloggers checked out this book?

Giving in to Wearing Dresses

I’m throwing in the towel for a while on trying to find ready-to-wear pants that fit.  A few months ago I went out shopping one day and tried on 17 pairs of jeans!  Different sizes, different brands, different styles, and NONE of them worked for me.  I left that store with my feelings hurt.  To stay positive about the wardrobe thing, I’m going to wear more dresses.  Now, if you don’t already know, dresses aren’t my go to thing.  I love they way they look on the rack and on other people, but I was never a HUGE fan.  Even as a little girl I rolled my eyes when I had to wear one, even though I still cut my eyes with a little envy at the girly girls with their cute dresses.   Funny how things don’t change much sometimes. 

Well, It’s 2013 and I’m going to EMBRACE the dress.  Partly out of necessity and partly because I want to change my look.

Burda Magazine 5-2007-131

I made a simple dress with shoulder knots (#131)  from Burda Magazine’s 5/2007 issue.   The fabric is knit, but the gold print on greatly reduces the fabric’s stretch.  I made pattern adjustments to account for that, but I ended up taking it all back in plus a little more because it still too large.  I was in love with this fabric when I purchased it years ago, but became lukewarm when I started to manipulate it.  It also has a little sheen to it that I’m not crazy about.

The pattern itself is easy.  The straps are long so you can adjust the fit and cut as you make the dress.  The wide fabric belt gives the dress a little shape at the waist.  I think it looks a little better when it’s bunched up a bit more.

I have to tighten up the straps a little more, maybe take in the belt just a hair, and then check this off as the first (or second) dress of the season.   

I’m all in! 

But, I still need shoes.

-Nizzy