Long time.... no blog

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't posted in 5 whole days! What was I thinking? What was I doing?
What is wrong with me! LOL   The answer is, to all of the questions, nothing much. LOL

I hemmed some skirts while watching a Star Trek movie marathon!!

 I couldn't trim off the fabric because they are theatre stock and they had trains......TRAINS!!! Blind hem, no less!! My little fingers are a tad sore after 200 plus inches of hemming. :-) but, as they say, the show must go on!


Cooked enough food to feed and army (6 teens is an army, right?), shopped, cleaned, planned projects, wondered why it isn't over 70ºf  this close to June and tried to get my cats to look at the camera while they were being bad (on the table) but cute:

That's all I got after 30 pics and 10 minutes of calling them. Brat cats, I tell ya!

I have several projects in the works, two of which I can't blog about or someone might smack me and a couple I can!!!

Today I am making a couple of "little girl" dresses. Simple pattern with fabrics that are adorable, well, to me anyway:

I am ''fer sure' doing the denim and bandana combo and I am leaning toward the purple check with a white underskirt with a bit of purple tulle to make it all fluffy. Whaddya think?

This is for me......... ME!!!!  

 

I am thinking jammies. Capri style pants with a sleeveless shirt ala the new Nick and Nora ones I saw at that fancy schmancy french store: Target.

This fabric is for a giftee.....well it was, now I am rethinking the whole project cuz I saw something totally awesome the other day and I just might do that instead. Yeppers, it looks more awesomer than what I had planned, but then, what do I do with this fabric? Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Hopefully, I will have some finished projects to share and maybe a tutorial. I really have a lot of fun with those.

Maybe an apron, start to finish??

Maybe the little girl dresses?

The jam jams?

Milky White the sock cow?

Tune in for more adventures......same distracted domestic, same distracted blog.....

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Sewing is:

Sewing is what? It's lots of things to lots of people. For some, it's life, others, a living. It's a hobby, a chore, a dream realized, a skill to master, a scary thought. 

It is all of that and more to me. It's also a way to connect with my past and my future and touch on my creativity and problem solving skills. 

Today, just today, sewing is:

Showy and glorious

It's a chore:

1

1

1

1

1

 It's all about the details

and buttons.....

 buttons......

 buttons.....

 buttons......

and more buttons...........

with a twist...buttonhole twist that is!!

It's about blood. (Not mine!!!)

It's about the dream and the planning:

And the aftermath of creativity

For today, just for today, what is sewing to you?

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*UPDATE**  All of the sewing and cleaning is D-O-N-E!!!!!
seeeee the table:

 

I can now hem skirts and go from planning to sew clothes to SEWING those patterns I featured!! wooo and hoooo

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Do you do this too?

I am a procrastinista! And this is a lovely pictorial of my planning skills.....too much of the time. LOL  Enjoy!

 Yes, I am avoiding stuff right now. LOL

Welcome aboard

My latest Trek Plushy, made by the one and only Karen of sewmuch2luv fame is:  Spocktopus!!

Ain't we cute together? I need a curio cabinet just for my trek stuff.......thanks Karen!! He's so soft and I just want to pet him constantly. That eye twinkle......to die for!!!

Up close and personal

Things in and around my home.........

.....................up close and personal

Craft it forward-progress

Another Craft-it-Forward Project is done and delivered. She likes it!!! Yeah!!!
Simple enough, a mug rug and a tissue holder. Of course I made the simplest of projects (tissue holder) overly complicated by fussy cutting the fabric, but the sewing was almost too easy. LOL  I will definitely be making a few more of these.

The front view featuring her favorite Disney Princess, Belle

The back view with a few other Disney princesses and all kinds of coffees.

There is even a princess when you look inside the tissue holder. I know, right.....insanity.

Now to figure out why I have sooooooo many different colors of small scale checks in my stash. 

Seriously, what was I thinking?

Only 3 more to go.....what shall I make? HHmmmmmmmmmm

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Friday Night Sew In...the finished files

Last night was my second FNSI. Last time I won a prize!!!

 

See the total funness!!

Now, I had high hopes for getting a lot done, I got two out of three, so that ain't bad!


First, I did a super minor alteration on a pair of pants I bought a year ago on clearance. They looked fab at waist level, but being a ''big chick'' size, the legs were cut way too curvy for my lack of hip and bootie.
This is now in the *done* pile!! and I can totally rock it in my low rise chinos!! Can you say Stylin'?

Second: I made an apron. It actually turned out pretty. It wasn't supposed to. It was supposed to be hideous and funny and spread joy throughout the crafting kingdom. Well, my little kingdom, anyway.

I am playing with making a TNT, tried and true, pattern; a ''go to'' pattern, if you will. I am getting closer. Soooooo I used one yard of fabric, unbelievably ugly fabric and made it almost work. The pattern was directional and had borders at both ends. If the fabric was just an all over pattern, I could've made it work....this needs another practice run.
I wonder who will get that practice apron??

Well, I think I am going to call this apron: Grandma, where do babies come from?
Private joke.
Pretty funny.
Had to be there.
The person getting stuck with this practice apron will certainly know who she is!!


Without further ado........May I present, for the finished files, Grandma, where do babies come from?

I know, right! It's actually cute....where did I go wrong???

Will she love it?? 

I just might find out in the comments section!! ;-)

Next up, a birthday gift for a great bloggy buddy. 

I'm doing something totally beyond me, but what the heck, she is one of the bravest people I know 

when it comes to sewing and mixing patterns!!

Hope I get it done on time!!

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To celebrate the rapture/judgement day!!

According to the nutjob Harold Camping, 6:00pm your time may 21, 2011...kiss your patootie goodbye. LOL

Enjoy!




Also, I can go on to the next life, or not, all happy like because I have seen the light!!
The light of the disco ball 7 up can!! AAAAAAhahhhahaha
This morning I saw the Celebrity Apprentice 7 up cans from their final challenge.....OMGosh, it's just too funny for words!!

Happy Rapture

Ruffle/Gather Tutorial

I know what you're saying......."Another one? Aren't there a million out there already?" Well, I can't say that I have seen this one out there and it is a fab-u-lous way to gather your fabric.
And it's ssooooooooooo stinkin' easy!!

Tools:
sewing machine with a zig zag stitch
narrow twine, pearl cotton or crochet thread, kite string, etc.
the fabric you want to ruffle
*if you happen to have a special foot that holds ribbon in place, that would be great, but totally unnecessary

Technique one:

My machine, my string and my fabric

My machine set on a wide zig zag....you need at least 4, I like 5 or 6

loosen your tension too so your fabric doesn't bunch

Line everything up and start sewing

Make sure you don't sew the string down, then it won't work. Ask me how I know. LOL

Should look something like this. FYI, this string was a little coarse, slicker is better.

Hold string and gather

EEeekkkkkkkk ,when did I get old lady hands????

Taaa-daaaaaaaa

As you can see, the string pulls out slicker than..........well, you get the idea.

Technique two:

Almost exactly the same but uses a little known trick of a lot of machines!!

See that little hole?????

Lift up your plate and thread the string through it. Trust me.....it'll be alllllll right, I promise.

See!! Replace your plate, nice and tight...you don't want to break any needles. Don't ask.

Now, just like before, lay your fabric down and start sewing

This is what it looks like on top

This is what happens underneath.....awesomeness!!!

 The machine guides the string for you...I went all wonky to show you that it stays in the middle of the stitching no matter how you move the fabric!!! 

HELLOOOOOOOOO

To quote my Friend Amy: AWESOME SAUCE!!!!

Just gather, attach and pull out the string. Heck, leave it in, I don't care!!
Yes, attach before you pull out the string...it really keeps your gathers all tight and in place.

If that isn't thee easiest way to gather (other than special feet) I don't know what is!!

Now, go out and ruffle something!!!!!!