heylucy

necessity/invention

I only have two pairs of shorts that fit anymore, a black pair and a white linen pair. The black ones are a kind of dressier fabric, so not really conducive to various weekend activities, like cleaning out the chicken coop. And white linen, well, also not the proper attire for that either. When I checked my clothing budget for the week, I only found about 56 cents, so I got creative. Despite the fact that I only have two pair of shorts, I have quite a few pair of khaki pants. I'm not sure how that happened. I wear khaki pants once, maybe twice a week, but I don't think I really need the 6 pairs in my closet. So, I took the ones I wear the least (pretty much never), and cut them off. My first thought was to just leave the raw edge. Then I considered tidying them up with a hem, but then I had the brilliant idea to bind the edges with some red calico. It might be kind of nerdy, but I think I like it.

The obligatory macro shot of the binding:

Oh, and while I have your attention, notice the birdcage in the top picture. I'm still on my spray paint kick, and I decided I didn't like the original color of my birdcage. I may have gone a little crazy. Is the blue too much? I had also considered white or yellow. I think I better have another poll.

finishing

Since the last post was about starting something new, I thought maybe I should try finishing some things for a change. All finished:

The pattern is Embossed Leaves, and this is the third pair I've made. I love this pattern, not only are they pretty and easy to knit, but they fit my big feet perfectly. This time I used some old Blue Sky Alpaca yarn that I had in my stash, and the gauge is probably a little big, but they're so very soft and cozy. I'll enjoy them a lot this Winter. As you can see, getting a picture outside without a dog in it is nearly impossible. Here's what most of my shots looked like:

Winston finally got tired of posing and went to lay on the doormat.

His fur is growing back quickly. I hope it cools down soon, for his sake.

Next project, nearly finished:

I'm not even going to link to the post where I described starting this sweater, it was so long ago that I'm completely embarrassed. The pieces have all been knit for ages, but I needed to seam it, and it turns out I don't really like seaming. Especially with this bulky cotton yarn. And then there was the crocheted edging. I want to like crochet, and I want to be good at it, but I think it's going to take awhile before that happens. My hands feel all claw-like tonight after working on this. It's just two rows, one of single crochet, and then one of crab stitch, which I didn't think I was ever going to get the hang of doing. It is nice though, so it was worth the struggle.

I just have to sew in a zipper, which I am going to attempt tonight. This pattern is Blue Sky Alpaca's Zip Cardigan (free!), and the yarn is Blue Sky Cotton. It's lovely and soft.

One last nearly finished project, another bluebird pillowcase:

The first one I made for my Christmas swap with Yvonne. I was really tempted to keep it for myself, but I resisted. I still have to stitch up the hem and seams. I may even make one more, so I have a pair.

something new

Three posts in three days! What's up with that? I just get chatty sometimes, I guess.

I have so many projects to finish that I did the only logical thing I could. Started another one, of course! I had to see how my sewing stool would work for containing a Television Watching Project (TWP), and nothing in the current to-do pile really fit the bill. I like to have some sort of hand-sewing for sitting in front of the TV, so I don't feel like I'm totally wasting my time. I've had this quilt pattern for awhile, and even have the background blocks all cut out, ready to go. I've never done needle-turned appliqué before, so it's slow going, and, as you will see, I need to work on my technique a little more, but I really like doing it. I need to get a few more fabrics for some of the other blocks, but I had everything I needed for the first one.

The pattern is Robyn Pandolph's Botanika, and I think it's usually done as a block of the month quilt. Maybe I'll try to make it that way too. I should be able to finish this block by the end of the month, although some of the others look a little more involved and might take longer. I really like the primitive style of it, but I'm doing it in fresher, brighter colors.

I'm using freezer paper, which works pretty well, but it doesn't stick as long as I would like. Especially on larger pieces, like the vase. I only made it about 2/3 of the way around before it was peeling up. I just took it off to do the sections within the handles. Any suggestions for making it stick better? Did I iron it too much? Or not enough? Can I re-iron in halfway through?

Oh, and everything fits quite nicely in my little stool, so I'm pretty happy with my $20 purchase.

six

Miss Mona tagged me to tell six random things about me (hers are here. I'm with you on the bathroom thing, Mona. I am regularly disgusted at work by people using the ladies room and leaving things behind when exiting the stall. Seriously, just check and at least make sure everything has flushed as it's supposed to, it's not that hard.). I recently re-watched one of my favorite movies ever, Amelie, and I had forgotten about the part (it starts at about 3:09) near the beginning, where several characters are introduced by noting several things they like and several things they don't. I love that part! Coincidentally, my brother did something similar recently too. So I'm going to copy them both.

Off on a tangent, I have recently realized that the measure of how much I like a movie can be determined by whether or not I own the DVD and Soundtrack. I don't generally buy DVD's or soundtrack CDs, so I must really like something to invest in both. Movies that fall into this category? A Room with a View, Amelie, and Strictly Ballroom. Yep, those are easily my three favorite movies. But then, I also have some soundtracks, but not DVDs. The movies in this category are Master and Commander, Howard's End, Sense and Sensibility, and Napoleon Dynamite. I would be happy to own any of the above on DVD, I just don't think about buying DVDs very often. I would say these movies fall into my top 10 or 20 list.

Okay, back on track. These are the rules:

Here are the rules ...
1. Link to the person who “tagged” you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up

I am going to break rules 4 and 5 because I am a rebel that way. Also because I have a hard time asking people to do things (bonus 7th random thing about me!). But, please play along if you'd like! Leave a comment and a link if you'd like to share six random things on your blog.

1. I like pedicures, and luckily, I've just had a new one, because I obviously needed one in that picture. I'm not much of a salon girl, and generally just go to Supercuts or the equivalent for my haircuts, and never get manicures, but my feet get terrible callouses and pedicures are practically a necessity. Especially because...

2. Comfortable brown sandals are a Summer necessity in my life. I wear them for as many months in the year as possible. These Born sandals are an acceptable replacement for the Simple sandals I've worn for the previous seven Summers. Those sandals went through a lot, including a few trips to the repair shop, once because Bear actually ate (not just chewed, but swallowed!) one of the straps off. At the end of last Summer, however, the sole actually broke in two. I still mourn those sandals.

3. I really like animals. There have been very few cats that I haven't been able to charm (one being my mother-in-law's cat. I just really don't like that cat and his big, bad attitude. Stupid cat). Every time I go to the zoo or Sea World, I remember how much I like animals and wonder why I didn't apply for the exotic animal training program at the local community college when I was growing up. I guess my cats, dogs, chickens and goose will have to suffice.

4. There are very few foods I don't like or won't at least try. Liver is one of them, unless, of course, it is in the form of pate. I do like a nice chicken liver pate.

5. I don't like people invading my personal space. I think my personal space perimeter is perhaps larger than average. I especially dislike people crowding me while waiting in line at the grocery store. I leave plenty of space for the person in front of me to unload their shopping cart and would appreciate the same courtesy from the person behind me. Thank you. These personal space issues don't really apply to animals. Winston, in particular, isn't happy unless he is laying right next to me, with as much physical contact as possible.

6. I am a technical writer by day, but seldom proofread my blog posts, so there are often typos and grammatical errors that would make me cringe if I saw them while editing a document at work.

So, in summary:

I like:

pedicures
comfortable (and somewhat stylish) brown sandals
animals

I dislike:

liver
people invading my personal space
proofreading outside of work hours

after

Just a quick little post to show the after version of my little footstool.

Spray paint sure is fun. I wish you could get custom mixed colors, like regular paint. I do like this yellow, though. I'm still going to try lining the inside and making an embroidered cover for the cushion.

t-shirt tutorial

UPDATE: Hi Whip up visitors! If you haven't been here before, there are a couple more posts about the t-shirt, here and here. Enjoy!

Okay, here it is, and there's lots of pictures, so I hope it doesn't take too long to load.

First, get a couple t-shirts, a needle and matching thread. I like the look of using the same color t-shirts, but it might be interesting to try a different color too. Cut out a heart shaped pattern piece, about 3 inches wide, by about 3 1/2 inches long.

Cut the t-shirt you're using for the flower pieces apart-back, front and sleeves. I used the whole front piece for my t-shirt, so if you wanted to make two shirts, you would only need three total.

Pin the paper pattern to the cut up t-shirt.

And cut it out:

You'll need six hearts for each flower, plus a few extra to scatter around like leaves.

Now, thread a needle, tie a knot in one end, and sew a running stitch down the middle of the heart, ending on the same side as the knot:

Pull up the stitches so that the heart is lightly gathered. It might make it easier to handle if you tie off the thread at this point, but don't cut it off. Place it on the t-shirt, and follow the gathering stitches, sew it in place, tie off and cut your thread:

As you add petals, lift up the adjacent petal so they overlap a little. Keep in mind that you'll be sewing six hearts in the a circle, like a pie, so space them accordingly.

Keep adding heart-petals until you like the result, or you get tired of cutting and sewing them.

Hold up your t-shirt, and where ever a petal droops down, tack it up with a tiny little stitch.

Now put it on and wear it proudly, and be ready for lots of compliments!

Thanks to my sister for doing all the hard work while I just snapped pictures.

Oh, and several people asked how it would stand up to washing. I washed mine in the hand wash cycle on my machine and hung it up to dry. The flowers were all bunched up, so I tried smoothing them out with my fingers. That didn't really work. When it was just barely damp I threw it in the dryer for few minutes. Still scrunched. So I laid it flat on my ironing board, and just pumped each petal full of steam from my iron and smoothed them out, and it looks great. The edges have a tiny bit of fraying, more from wearing than washing, I think. It gives them a nice, soft look that I, personally, like. It also hides any jagged cuts. That t-shirt fabric is a little tricky to cut smoothly, but just cut steadily, and you'll be fine.

Please let me know if anything is unclear! And I'd love to see finished shirts if anyone else makes one!

PS: Off topic, my brother has been posting a photo a day for the last week or so, you should go look and see how lovely his photographs are. There might also be a picture of moi over there. I'm just saying. We are thinking of inviting him to be an honorary member of Photoshop Sisters, since we need to start posting there again sometime soon, and he's pretty smart about that photography stuff.

15 minutes

Show of hands, who else watches Clean House? Is it just me, or does that show make you feel just a little bit better about your housekeeping abilities? Actually, the first time I watched it, the hosts all kind of bugged me, but now I just really like them and their goofy jokes make me laugh, and I love it when Niecy gives the homeowners a well deserved smackdown when they won't get rid of their stuff.

If you are a fan, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a sign for a Clean House yard sale in a nearby town this past Saturday. I had to run errands on Saturday anyway, so I decided to check it out. I didn't really plan on buying anything, but as soon as I walked up to the driveway, this little footstool caught my eye. There was a piece of tape on it that said "Antique", but no price. I only had $20 on me, so I wasn't sure if i had a shot, but I had to try. Aren't the legs cute? The cushion is faded and grungy looking, but otherwise in good shape.

I picked it up, and heard a rattling sound. I discovered that the top lifted off, and the inside was filled with some lovely treasures:

Look at all those scissors! The big ones are pinking shears. I love the small, black embroidery scissors. Now I just have to figure out how to clean them up a little. I think I will take them to the knife sharpener and see what his opinion is.

Anyway, back to the yard sale, I was quickly accosted by Trish, who is so stinking cute, and a camera man. She said the footstool belonged to the homeowners' mother and they were asking  $30. It  didn't take much convincing for her to agree to $20. I even showed her that it was all that was left in my wallet. She said my wallet was very organized, which was quite a compliment, considering the source, and also that is was very cute and fierce. I'm not sure if I want them to include the footage of me. I'll look like a gigantic Amazon next to Trish, and I'm not sure what all I said, but it's likely that I sounded a bit flustered and foolish. Oh well, it was fun, and although I didn't see Niecy, the others all looked like they were working really hard.

As exciting as my television debut was, I'm really happy with my lucky find. I've recovered the cushion with plain, natural linen. Eventually I'd like to do some crewel embroidery on linen to cover it, but I wanted to at least make it look a little more presentable in the meantime. I've also painted the wood with a coat of primer and a coat of glossy yellow. I think it's going to need a little sanding and a second coat, but you can be sure I'll take a picture when I'm done. I'd also like to line the inside somehow. with fabric or paper, I'm not sure which. 

I've also got pictures to share and a tutorial in the works for the t-shirt project, and I just caught up on the last two episodes of Project Runway, so maybe we can have another PR discussion too.Whew! So much to do!

wristlet

Does this happen to you? You get an idea, and you can't stop thinking about it, and you just have to try it out right then? That happened last weekend, when I was thinking about some vintage mother-of-pearl buckles I've been hoarding, and how pretty they are, and how I'm not quite ready for skinny belts just yet, but would like to wear one of those buckles anyway. So I dug around in my drawer of vintage lace and scraps and pulled out this bit of embroidered silk, and made a belt for my wrist.

Here's a better view of some of the embroidery:

I stitched the silk to some linen and attached one end to the buckle, wrapped it around my wrist and slipped the other end through the buckle,tightened it up, and wore it! I think it's kind of fun, and quite pretty.

Later today my sister and I are going to make a t-shirt, so come back soon for a step-by-step photo tutorial of the flower-y t-shirt!

hanging out

Hello lonely little blog. I have been doing lots of stuff and taking lots of pictures and right now I'm visiting my family in Idaho, which is so very fun. The above was taken in Idaho City at this crazy, strange, abandoned second hand store. I'll be back soon!