In Stitches

Day 7. Something new.

 

I recently bought an embroidery hoop on a whim while browsing at Michaels.  Embroidery is one of those crafts that I never really dabbled much in before, but I've got some idea of it.  Plus, I've got Wild Olive's basic tutorials to follow along with.

I did buy the hoop with a project in mind, so I'd better hop to it! 

Ten Tree Project

 This is something that has popped up recently nearby and I thought it was a fantastic concept.  My only real problem is that is just an installment and won't be remaining permanently.  Read more about the Ten Tree Project by the American Society of Landscape Architects here.

I love seeing hummingbirds come to rest.  I think it's really cool especially since I used to think that hummingbirds never stopped flapping their wings.

The Games of Life

 Day 6. Childhood memory.

 When my sister and I were kids (1.5 years apart in age, she was older), we played a lot of board games.  When I say a lot, I mean that was pretty much our entire source of entertainment.  My parents didn't think getting cable TV was worth it, so we had Sesame Street in the morning (during summer) and PBS programs until about 3 or 4pm.  Both parents worked full time jobs so our non-English speaking grandparents and great-grandma were our after school guardians.  Even though I love them, they weren't exactly the best playmates for little kids.  We played all the classics: Sorry, LIFE, Monopoly, you name it.  We'd play Monopoly for hours and hours, mortgaging properties and buying houses and hotels until we literally ran out of money to play with, then we'd count it up and see who won.

I'm kind of glad that my childhood wasn't spent glued to the TV.

I wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt with a stranger

I found this skirt while rummaging through my closet that seems to have been from several years ago, and I'm pretty sure it's child's sizing.  I've been itching to do a refashion, so here's what I came up with to make this skirt a lot more wearable for me.

Get Ready:

-elastic measured exactly the length of your waist + 2 inches extra

-fabric (or skirt) wider than your waist (the elastic needs some space to stretch)

-lots and lots of pins

 

I wanted to keep the ruffly edge of the bottom of the skirt, so I  cut the original thin elastic band off and trimmed a 3 inch band off so that enough was left to fold over for a new waistband and keep the skirt at the right length.

Pin, pin, pin! Since I cut off the elastic band, the gauzy overlay and the knit slip underneath were no longer connected. 

 I zig-zag stitched the two layers together to make it easier to fold over the new waistband.

I folded over the edge again inside and zig-zag stitched the edge to keep it from fraying further in place of a serger.

I used a 1 inch wide elastic, so I folded over to the inside enough for a 1 inch elastic plus a seam allowance of about 3/8"

Sew around the bottom of the waistband (straight stitch) and stop with about an inch gap.  Don't finish up the seam or else you won't be able to thread your elastic through!  I used a safety pin to scrunch it through the waistband, make sure that you don't lose the other end too.

 

Pull the elastic through and overlap the ends about 2 inches and pin together.

 

Sew the elastic together using a box stitch, try not to stretch the elastic while you are sewing it together.  The box stitch is a strong stitch and should hold even if with excessive stretching.  Distribute the fabric evenly around the waistband, push the elastic into the waistband, and stitch the gap closed in the waistband.  

Optional: Add a vertical straight stitch to the two side seams to hold the elastic in place better.

I would definitely recommend using a ton of pins, especially when trying to work with two layers at once. There's some slight bunching of the top layer near the waistband that would have looked nicer if it was laying flat, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it now.

 Side note: I spent a lot of time sitting around in my underwear trying on the skirt while making it to make sure it was falling at the right length :]

((Out Tonight by RENT))

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

This is my kitty.  Isn't she super adorable?  She's a total brat sometimes, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to smush my face into her soft fluffy fur.  (She hates that.)

Day 5. Someone I love.

(Oh yeah, and I might love this goofy kid. I think he's trying to say how much taller he is than me!)

((Come What May from Moulin Rouge))

The Real Teal

Day 4. Favorite Color.

As you can see there are actually multiple colors in this photo.  I like colors that are some variation of teal or turquoise.  The criterion is mainly that it be blue-green, not true blue and not true green; although I am a fan of both blue and green.

The Blustery Day

Day 3. Clouds.

The weather has been bipolar lately.  Yesterday, hot and humid.  Today, overcast with a breeze.  I don't know if this is a sign that autumn is here? Probably not.