striped nightgown
In my continued quest to make things, I endeavored to sew a nightgown. I thought with the impending warmer months it would be nice to have something light to sleep in. I found a few patterns with modest designs, much like you would see from years ago, and thought they would make nice projects. I chose a bright striped fabric and got on with it.
The pattern was simple and a nice reintroduction to sewing complete garments. Following directions is simultaneously comforting and difficult for me; I like having the guidance but I rarely follow instructions completely. I often cut corners or do things out of order, which can often lead to problems, although not always.
Of course, as I finished it, the weather turned cold again, so I imagine it will be awhile until I wear it. There should be a button on the top, which I may or may not add later, and I sort of wish the waistline was a little lower, but at least I’ll know for next time. Mostly I think it’s fun, and being so simple to make, it gave me confidence in my sewing skills once again.
the one hour dress
Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time on the internet. Let me clarify that. I’ve been spending more time on the internet than usual, which was already a lot. It’s not good. I mean, hey, I love the internet as much as the next girl, but things have gone overboard and I can feel it. It’s a double edged sword for me, as I have a really difficult time connecting to people in real life (one day I will write something about this introversion and shyness…one day…), and the web gives me a way to have social interaction. Such a conundrum.
Lately though, I just feel drained. I feel as if it is literally sucking the life and creativity out of me. My motivation has been lost somewhere in the ether to twitter and instagram and it makes me feel like I am no longer myself.
I’m taking a step away from the computer as much as possible, and diving into other things, into making and creating and contemplating.
I came across this pattern for a one hour dress and I thought it would be ideal to get me on the path away from the virtual and back to the real. It was indeed, as this simple one hour dress turned into a much much larger project (I stopped keeping track of how long it took after hour 4). Working at my sewing machine, I felt energized, and even with my mistakes and missteps, I forged onward, until it was done, and I was happy. I found a certain level of gratification in making something utilitarian like a dress that can be worn regularly.
It’s nothing particularly fancy, but it’s exactly the style I like. It’s comfortable. It has pockets. Most importantly, I made it. That in itself brings me a lot of satisfaction.
This weekend I hope to step away from the allure of the internet and continue to make things or simply enjoy a quite walk outdoors. I hope you’ll join me.
*I thought I should add that I do clearly see how it might seem hypocritical to write about getting away from the web on a blog, but my trouble lays in the consumption rather than what I put out there. It’s easy to get sucked into social media and arguments and articles, whereas my blog is my own space.
Kindle cover
I am not a gadget girl. I’m just not. I am a book girl. When I first heard about the Kindle
It has a lot of perks. Mostly to do with the fact that you don’t have to hold a book open. You can eat a sandwich and read a book, no problem. Yeah I’m that person. Not to mention the screen really does look like paper so that’s awesome. Also, I was pleased to find out that you can get amazon credits when you cash in your coins at a coinstar machine and they don’t deduct the 10%. Loose change has now become my book fund.
Anyway, enough of me gushing (see, I told you I’m obsessed). I really needed a case for my kindle, so I don’t destroy it when I throw it in my purse…also known as the pit of despair.
In a flash I sewed up a simple bag made out of scrap fabric. I went with a medium weight fabric, instead of taking the time to do a lining. Yes a lining would be nicer, but honestly I was feeling pretty lazy. The end product did it’s job but was just plain boring.
I’ve been working on a lot of embroidery lately and thought a few stitches would make the whole thing a lot cuter. I used a pattern from sublime stitching, even though it was just a simple spool of thread. Sometimes it’s nice to use someone else’s creative power.
It’s perfect to protect my kindle from scratches. None of theses designer covers for $85 a pop. Also, why are the majority of the covers made from leather? Gross. This case was free, and took me less than an hour to make including all the embroidery. Ok, back to reading.
Coffee Cozy
In case I hadn’t made it clear in some previous post, I love coffee. Mostly I love the rich flavor of a good espresso, but I won’t lie, I can’t go without my daily caffeine boost. I don’t often get coffee to go, but when the occasion arises, I come prepared with my own coffee cozy. It’s not quite as earth friendly as bringing your own mug, but its much more convenient as I can carry one in my purse all the time. Not to mention, they’re damn cute. I made these one night after seeing some adorable ones on various craft blogs and knew I had to have one. I used some scrap fabric and some felt to line them. They came together in just a few minutes.
Lucky for you…I’m including a tutorial on how to make one of your own AND giving away a cozy to one lucky reader. Better than an infomercial!
Before I get to the tutorial though, just wanted to let you all know I’m now on formspring. So if there’s something you’re curious about or just bored, feel free to ask me! Ok back to the cozies…
1. First print out the template I’ve included. Use the template to cut two pieces of fabric for your cozy, one out of felt, and the other out of a fabric of your choice.
2. Next take a piece of velcro and sew onto one side of the felt, being careful to leave space for seam allowances. I should probably tell you now that I rarely pin things, mainly because I am lazy, but you might want to baste or pin pieces in place.
3. Put your two fabric pieces together with the right sides facing. The velcro will be on the inside. Pin if necessary and trim any areas where the fabrics do not line up.
4. Sew along the two long edges and the short edge near the velcro, following a 3/8 inch seam allowance. Make sure to double back and secure any open ends.
5. Turn the cozy inside out, using a chopstick to poke out corners. Fold the unfinished edge inside and press the whole thing.
6. Sew around the outside edge of the whole cozy starting on the unfinished side about 1/8 inch away from the edge. You can use a matching thread or something contrasting, depending on what you prefer.
7. Last, sew the other half of the velcro on the outside so that it will meet the velcro on the inside. That’s it! Good work, I think you deserve some coffee.
If you like the cozy you see made in the tutorial, you can win it. All you have to do is comment and a winner will be chosen at random on March 7th. Good luck!
Update: and the cozy goes to…Christy! Congratulations!
Hodge-podge
I have so much to tell you! I’ve been completely consumed with crafting for holiday presents. I’m attempting to wrap all my gifts in reusable gift bags this year. That means that even for the gifts I’m not making, there’s still a bit of work put in to each one. The worst part is, I can’t even show off the gifts I’ve made yet in case any of the recipients read this blog. Don’t worry though, I’ll have some recaps after the holidays with some reviews and such.
Besides the hours devoted to sewing and the like, I do have some exciting news. Cupcakes from Vegan Bake Sale are now available at Meet Market in Silverlake. I just delivered the first order of Cookies & Cream, Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Spice cupcakes. Go get some! It will probably be your last chance before the holidays.
This year is going to be my cats’ first Christmas living with us. They’re loving all the boxes they get to play with (and a few catnip treats). It’s like cardboard box heaven for them. We adopted Meeme and Mochi on January 3rd of this year and they make me happy every single day. Seriously. I love them so much. Part of the reason I want to bring this up is that LA animal services is offering 50% off adoption fees for the holidays. Not that the fees are even very high to begin with, but it’s just that much more incentive to open your home and heart to one of these animals in need. If you’re considering getting an animal this year, I urge you to turn to the public animal shelters as these are usually the animals at highest risk of being put down. Not to mention they make it extremely easy for you to adopt.
Oh there’s so much more to say, but it will have to wait a little while still. Till then…
