Lately

So I haven’t blogged in awhile. It has been a combination of a bad computer, bad project and some laziness. I had been working on the yellow shirt, but it went south when I tried sewing a no sew heat bond interfusing.  Dumb, I know, but how do we learn from our mistakes if we never make them? Yellow shirt is on the back burner, happily forgotten, for now.

What’s on the front burner then? Well, I decided the best way to learn to make a shirt, and find out what interfusing is, would be to take apart a store bought shirt and see how they did it. Luckily Joseph had a shirt that was the exact pattern I want and he wasn’t using it, so why not? Let me tell you, if you want to learn how to make something, take it apart! I have learned so much. Now I have gotten the majority of the original shirt ripped apart. I have started tracing some of the pattern. I hope to start sewing early this week. Sadly I forgot to get interfacing while in town today so I may get stalled a little but it will get made. You just wait and see.

Busy day!

Wow, I have had one productive day! It started out by seeing this blogger’s site. Now, from what I read she is the mom of five children and manages to keep a clean house and still do crafts and blog! If her picture isn’t under inspiration in the dictionary it should be. She did a 31 Days to an Organized Home segment so you will be seeing some of that here. Today was organize your hall closet, which I managed to do before the little man woke up. So, here is a before and after shot.

Before…

And after…

My husband likes to drive me crazy by coming home and emptying his pockets in random locations, then asking me where everything is. That is why there is a little table there. Out of the way of the baby. He hasn’t really started using it yet, but he will.

Husband has also been making tons of jerky lately so I have been busy washing gross, fat covered dishes, plus he brought home a deer this morning and gutted it, so there was all that. Yumm, thankfully he cleans most of that mess because he knows my feelings on dead animals. Joseph and I spent a bunch of time playing outside. Tonight I relaxed to some of my Grandma’s old country music and cutting that fabric I said I was going to cut for my shirt, here’s the proof!

All parts cut, just waiting for me to iron and sew tomorrow. I can hardly wait! I still have to buy the interfacing but am hoping to do that this weekend.

Broomstick Lace Bracelet

I finished my broomstick lace bracelet! See!

I saw THIS on pinterest and since she said it was a left hand tutorial I found this youtube tutorial. Since I didn’t have any hooks or needles big enough for the “broomstick” I used a sharpie instead. After the initial learning curve it got easier, especially after I got past the fear of having any yarn off the sharpie. Although I’m sure a hook or needle would be a lot easier the sharpie did the job. I used medium sized yarn but I think that I will try again with some really thin yarn to make it look more lacy and less bulky. 

Now that I am finished with this project I have no excuse not to start tracing the pattern to my first shirt.

A skirt, a braclet, and a booger boo

I have been one busy lady these last couple days. I have been working on my first ever pleated skirt. And, as you can see, taking bad pictures. I have been trying to follow THIS TUTORIALbut since I am the kind of person who needs very detailed, step by step instructions, and most of the time have to see something being done to do it I had a bit of trouble and kind of improvised my own thing. Of course after finishing for the day laying in bed I finally figured out what she was saying, but I am not one to undo my work if I can get by with it. I do look forward to getting some zig zag patterned fabric in the future and giving it another go. I am also a lousy planner and live 45 minutes from town so I don’t have a zipper to finish it and also haven’t hemmed as you can see. I think once I iron it a little better I will like it a lot. I have started working on the shirt to go with it and my yellow heels which I am super excited to wear since I never wear heels.

I took a break from sewing tonight and decided to crochet a bit. I saw a bracelet on pinterest and thought “I know how to crochet, I can do that… you will not intimidate me, complicated looking bracelet.” Well, it may not intimidate me, but it has made me cuss a couple times. It is a broomstick lace stitch and since I of course don’t have the correct materials I improvised. Instead of a 33 mm crochet hook I used a sharpie. Ha, my good ideas are equally horrendous, but I will preserver. When I am finished I do not care if it looks like a dog chewed on it, I will wear it proudly, because I will not let this bracelet win.

But enough with that. Lets end on a good note. My son, who I like to refer to as Mr. booger boo, has been walking for a while now, yet refuses to walk when outside. Whether on grass or cement, wearing shoes, socks or barefoot. Today however I brought out a little bike toy that has a handle and he walked all around the yard, and even up the ramp to our house. I was one proud momma. Then he cried because he wanted the bike inside, so in came the bike which is when he learned to do this…. Now, how do you put a stop to that kind of talent? Look at the future options. Stunt biker, circus performer.. okay I can’t actually think of anymore but you get the picture.

Awesome pleated skirt tutorial!

Awesome pleated skirt tutorial!

I haven’t blogged in a couple days. I have been working on a pleated skirt. It is kicking my butt. I have never done a pleat before and thought it looked simple enough. I found a tutorial that gave a vague over view of the process. Anyway I needed a LOT more information. Then I found the tutorial that I just posted. It is so straight forward and simple. I love it! I’m nearly finished with the skirt I am working on now but am very excited to start another one following this tutorial.

She has a lot more tutorials too, I suggest you check it out.

Get the Mad Hatter on the horn, I’m having a tea party!

Seriously who doesn’t love Sheldon Cooper? Smart, arrogant and at times oblivious. Up until this episode aired I had never tried a long island iced tea. I hate the taste of alcohol and had been sifting through different wines trying to find something I could enjoy. After seeing this I figured I love tea and Sheldon, there was no way I could go wrong on this one. Which brought me to Twisted Iced Tea and yummy-ness!
Now let me tell you about my day and the reason I post this. As you may have seen on my blog I have one heck of an adorable son, whom I love a ton. I also have an amazing husband who I have yet to post a picture of (He is camera-shy but it is coming) Anyway said husband drove the wresting team to a match today so adorable son and I got to spend all day together, just us two. Quality time, awesome. Until someone decides to cut nap time short and be a fussy butt.
After bed time tonight I go to the fridge to grab me some delicious tea to relax with and Sheldon’s voice pops into my head. “Get the Mad Hatter on the horn, I’m having a tea party.” And at once my spirits are lifted.
I’m sure every mother out there has those days where your kids drive you a little nuts. I am still at a loss to understand how he can be doing something irritating and still be unbearably cute at the same time. It should defy the laws of physics or something. I try not to get too frustrated with him on his bad days because I know that life can’t get much better than this, and one day I will long to live these days over. But for now I will just make it through one day at a time, hoping the terrible twos won’t come too quickly. But when they do you can bet I will look forward to relaxing at the end of the day with “A treat that’s hard to beat.”

Stupid fabric pencils

I hate you. You barely leave a mark after going over the same spot 20 times. Now I do admit that I have only tried one kind but I am afraid to spend money on anymore of them. Usually I just use markers, pins, or highlighters but I want this skirt to look nice. So I am trying to use the right things. Well, if anyone has any fabric pencils that they swear by PLEASE let me know. This things are driving me crazy! Now I must get back to it.

Dinosaur Hat

What is cuter than this guy? —-> 

How about this guy?—–>                 

That’s right, thanks to this blogger at The Boy Trifecta my little love is officially my little dinosaur. I started out with a basic hat pattern. Improvised some little ear flaps. Then added a layer of green single crochet. The above mentioned blogger is where I found the pattern for the little spikes. They were, in my limited crocheting experience, quite a bit of work but completely worth it.

And that is the beginning of the cute crocheted hats you can be sure you will find here in the future. In fact my cousin is expecting her first child this summer, and it is a little girl. I am already dreaming up all the cute, girly things I don’t get to make for Joseph. So stay tuned.