Look at what I made

I admire people who can sew really well. My mom is one of those people. Actually, she's really good at all her hobbies, and she has quite a few (that is probably where I got my hobby collecting habit from). She toll paints beautifully, she's a great cook, and decorator. She scrapbooks, beads, cross stitches and she sews. Oh boy does she sew. As kids, she sewed clothing as well as dolls one year for Christmas. She also has made probably just about everything else you can sew. She not only sews, though, she quilts. And quilting is a whole other realm of sewing, in my opinion. Anyone can hem a curtain or sew a pillowcase. Not just anyone can quilt, however. There is a tediousness to it that makes it hard for those of us without a lot of attention to detail or patience to really do it well. I always wanted to be like my mom, and so one year I made a wall quilt. It was small, maybe 4'x4' and it had cats on it. I started it when I was in junior high I think. I didn't finish it until many years later when I found it in a box and thought, "I better finish this." Then I remembered why I hadn't finished it before. I didn't like quilting. It was too precise and too repetitive. Sewing a dress from a pattern is a little precise, too, but its not like you're making 30 identical pieces, so its a bit different. I finished that cat quilt but it wasn't very good and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a fun experience for either my mom or me.

Now that I have my sewing machine, I like going to the fabric store. I wander through the aisles looking at all the cool sewing and craft supplies for hours, hoping to find some inspiration amongst all the beads and ribbons and paper and tulle. Well, last month I went to get fabric to make Lindsay's Halloween costume. I sewed her a cape and a dress, but she only liked the cape, so the dress is downstairs in my fabric bin. I'm sure I can find a use for purple sparkly star fabric at some point or another. I'm not the best sewer, and I was grateful that at least the cape turned out! Anyways, while I was there, I saw the cutest fabric all bundled together as a kit to make a blanket for a baby. And since one of my dearest friends is having a baby this month, I had to get it. The feel of the fabric was perfect, some flannel, some silk and some fuzzy type fleece.

Oh wait, did I mention that it was a kit for a baby quilt?

Yes, a quilt. I was so swayed by the beauty of the fabric that I think I was operating under the rationalization that it was a small quilt, it would be easy. Once I opened the package and read the directions I realized I wasn't prepared. I don't own any of the cool quilter supplies like a roller cuter, or a cutting board in order to get the squares all the right uniform size. I immediately decided against measuring each piece with a tape measure and cutting with my scissors, so I had to wait til I had time to get to my mom's. A couple weeks later I had time and she happily got her cutting mat out for me to use. It only took a half-hour or so, and when I was done I had 30 little squares.

I was pleased that I had gotten that far without crying. I took them right home and started sewing them together. And, I was right, it was easy. Well, easier than I remember the cat quilt being. These were just squares I was sewing together, no weird angles or shapes. Can't get much easier than that, right?

Because I am not a great sewer and because I am not a quilter, I didn't pay attention to a few things. I don't think my squares were all perfectly uniform. And as I sewed it together, my seam allowances weren't all the same. So, when it came time to put it together, I realized some of the lines weren't meeting up straight. I sighed and just kept sewing. I was determined to finish this quilt for my friend. Then when I went to iron it, I realized I had the seams going every which way, which isnt' a big deal, but it made the quilt kinda bumpy. Then when I pinned the front to the backing I had almost 3" on one end of extra backing that shouldn't have been extra! I just trimmed it sewed the thing together. I figured my friend won't know how big it was suppose to have been (unless she reads this blog, but I don't think she does).  And then once I had it together, I loved how the colors and textures all go together, even if the seams aren't straight. I decided that I needed to use one of the cool stitches on my computerized sewing machine to quilt the two pieces together. And, even though I kind of just did whatever with that part, no real pattern, it was fun. I love that my sewing machine has all those different stitches! 

And so last night, I finished the quilt. It's not perfect, by any means, but it was crafted with love and I'm pretty sure it will stay together, so that's all that matters, right?

I hope that little baby gets some enjoyment out of it. :-)

And I can say that I quilted, and that I finished it without crying or whining! I probably won't attempt it again, for a while, at least.

(See, look, I do do more than just blog about food! hee hee)



Sewing

Not like I needed yet another hobby, but I have been wanting to learn to sew for a while now. Actually, I can "sew" if that means turning on the machine, figuring out how to wind the bobbin and sew a simple piece of fabric. Curtains? No problemo. Pillowcase? Easy peasy. Anything else? Um, what's an underseam and how in the heck do you make a ruffle? Or put in a zipper? So, I decided that I wanted to learn how to sew, and more specifically, be able to sew clothes for the girls. Of course I couldn't attempt this until I had a sewing machine, and since I got that one from my mother-in-law a few weeks back, I've been chomping at the bit to try it out.

The last time we were out and about, I had the girls each pick out a pattern for a dress that looked somewhat "easy". Not that I really had any clue what that meant. Then a week or so later, we made it to the fabric store where they picked out the fabric for their dresses and I picked up all the extras like ribbon, elastic, a zipper and some eye-hook button things. Then, finally, yesterday I had time to get down to it.

I started with Kera's because it looked easiest with no lining, zipper or buttons. I could pretty easily follow the pattern to cut out the fabric correctly and had no problem doing the basic stitches. But then it got to the part where you work the elastic into the back part. Talk about a pain in the rear!! I felt like throwing that particular piece of fabric across the room several times, but finally I got it, even if it wasn't exactly as they said. The rest of it came together pretty easily, though, so I was grateful for that. In the process I did realize that sewing terminology isn't always the same as English, and I did have to resort to searching for a few things on Youtube to get a visual on how to do it. So grateful for that! All in all, it probably took me a good day to do Kera's dress, but I think it turned out okay. It's a bit big on her, so she'll have to wear a tank/tshirt under it but it mostly fits her (she can get it on and its not too short or too tight) and she likes it, so I guess that means I did good.

A view from the front.

and the back.

She likes it!!

After I was done with Kera's I was excited to get going on Lindsay's. I felt even more confident cutting out her fabric after having done Kera's, so that part went fast. Even sewing on the sleeves wasnt' too difficult. Doing the skirt was another thing though. It consisted of two different rows of ruffles and the first one was okay but I didn't get the whole ruffle part very well, so it looks a little shabby. Then the second ruffle I had to pull out a whole long row of stitching and redo it because I didn't notice a setting on my machine had reset back to default. Once I got it redone, though, it was okay. I really dreaded putting in the zipper, but it wasn't that horrible, just took some time figuring out the correct foot for it and pinning it in. Had I to redo it, I would do it differently, but once it was done I didn't feel like re-doing it, so I left it. The end result? The dress mostly fits Lindsay, but it just doesn't hang super well and the neck kind of pulls on her when I hook the button at the top. I'm not sure she exactly likes it, either. In fact she's so picky in how clothes feel that I might have to bribe her to get her to even wear it once (besides the pictures below).

(See that flat area on the light blue that should be ruffley?)

So, I can say I've successfully sewed two dresses for my girls. Sure, they could've been better but I am sort of teaching myself here, so the learning curve could be steep. I'm proud of the fact that I didn't quit halfway and leave a half-sewn dress down stairs in my craft pile!  I think next I will dry something different. A long shirt/tunic, or pj's or something like that. We'll see!

Weigh-in Wednesday & Other Random Bits

Good news on the weight loss front. I lost 1 pound!!

 I haven't been super strict about counting every calorie, especially with spending the weekend at Erik's folks' place, but I have been more conscious about how much I'm eating and trying to make wise choices overall. Like not having ice cream the other night when the girls did, not taking seconds and trying to eat more fruits & vegetables as snacks.

I've also been working out like crazy. This is officially week #3 of the P90X Lean program and I can sure feel it. I'm always sore but also I am seeing a little more definition in some muscles. I am excited to share with you that I am back to running. I ran on Monday for the first time in 6 weeks, only did an easy 30 minute/2.4 mile run but it felt so good! No soreness in my legs and my lungs weren't totally burning. I never though I would say this but I was so happy to be back on my treadmill! Now that I can run & walk I'm sure that will only help me reach my goals. I plan on sticking with the P90X for as long as I can (i.e. until my mom takes the videos back) and supplement that with the running. I'm not going to train for anything, although I'd like to, I think it would be better for me to just take it easy and run for fun for a while.

I'd like to keep my weight loss entries separate, but I know that I probably won't make it a priority to do another entry today, or even tomorrow as I'll be packing for a camping trip. But I had some other things I wanted to share, so I'll just randomly add them here...

-I own a sewing machine!! My mother-in-law bought one at a garage sale this past weekend, then turned around and gave it to me. I was surprised and encouraged. I've been wanting a sewing machine for a while--every time I have to sew I've always either a) sewn by hand or b)gone over to use my Mom's machine. I'm so tickled to have my own. I hemmed up Kera's curtains yesterday that have been too long forever and I have a pillow to fix. I think I'd like to try my hand at sewing clothes for the girls. Or maybe implementing sewing on my scrapbook pages. I needed another hobby like I needed a hole in my head, but I'm still just tickled pink to be a sewing machine owner!

-I read "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan and have some insights to share, but that won't be today. Stay tuned for that one.

-I have found a new author/book that I've been devouring lately. It's a series about a female bounty hunter who usually gets her guy by pure luck. I love it when the main character is a woman, especially a woman who can get things done, and Stephanie Plum does but usually not without a few laughs. Not exactly literature and there are some steamy parts I could seriously do without, but she totally cracks me up. If you're looking for an easy & entertaining read, check out Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I have been frequenting the local book exchange to read through the entire series, fifteen books in all, and am up to number 12. Some are definitely better than others, but I almost always laugh several times through out. :-)

-We're going camping this weekend, hopefully I will have some beautiful pictures to share with you on Monday!

Variety

I was catching up on my blog reading this morning and I was struck by something. I am surrounded by variety and I want to experience that variety. Not in the actual writing of the blogs, (but even there I read some really well written ones that I'd love to be like, someday,) but I was thinking more along the lines of the subject matter. I was scrolling through a blog on sewing (I don't actually follow this blog but found it through one I do follow, you know those impulsive link clicks) and I was admiring this beautiful dress the woman had made for her daughter and I said, "I wish I knew how to sew."

And then I started this running tally in my mind of all the things I wish I knew how to do that other people can be really talented at....

Like, sewing. I can patch a hole and I have even made pillows, but the patience and attention to details it takes to make cute little girls' dresses, that is something I just don't have. Well, and I also don't have a sewing machine.

Or photography. I can take family pictures with my point and shoot up the wazoo, and sometimes I end up with a good picture, but I wish I knew how to take really good pictures more of the time. I've often thought about taking an adult ed class or getting some sort of Photography for dummies book, but then I think that I'd probably need a fancy camera, too.

Scrapbooking. Oh I know how to scrapbook and I do it quite a bit, but I'm not very talented--my aim is usually to get the pictures in the book and to do so quickly and effeciently. Sometimes I think it would be cool to be better at layouts and color schemes and all that, or even digital scrapbooking, which is something I don't really have a clue about.

Musical instruments, more specifically playing piano. I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, I just think its a really pretty sound, but we've never owned a piano, so it was kind of out of the question.

Gardening. I love a good, fresh out of the garden veggie as much as the next gal, but I don't really enjoy getting dirty or weeding or watering....nor do I know much about it. I don't even water our house plants, thats my green-thumbed husband's job.


So, as I was thinking about these talents and how people usually tend to blog about one or another, focusing on what they are really good at (i.e. the food blog, the portrait a day blog, the reader's blog, etc), I realized I don't do that. For one, I don't think I'm really very good at any one thing, I'm kind of more a "jill of all trades" and so I tend to blog about everything and anything, sharing little pieces of my "crafts" here and there. For me, I think its all about variety. I would get bored if all I ever blogged about was food or scrapbooking or running, because honestly I think that is why I have so many hobbies, for the variety. I'm not super talented at all of them but I sure enjoy each one. I guess that is all that matters, isn't it?

Now, if I could only figure out how to add a couple more in there...