Snow Day

It has been snowing for a few days and it's finally stopped so that everything can freeze up.  So for now, I'm enjoying the snow before everything freezes.  They are forecasting 10 below zero next week which means time to hunker down with some sewing or crafting.  Looking for some ideas but for the time being, pics from today.

 

Happy New Year!

It's always exciting when the new year rolls around.  As if you feel like things are fresh and new.  A sense of optimism is in the air and new year resolutions are being declared that this year things are really going to happen.  You make resolves and promises to yourself that you will be this way and you will do that way.  So much hope and promises. 

I think that no matter what happens, the intentions are always good and in the right direction.  After all, isn't always good to look at the bright side of things and have goals for yourself.

This is year is no different for me.  I have the same goals as I did last year.  I always try as hard as a can and I hope that some habits would stick with me as a normal activity.  Eventually, it becomes a regular routine.  However, like most things, I start losing sight of my goals by February but this year I will try to harder (maybe I'll last until March).

My 2014 new years resolutions are the following:

• I am going to sew more of my clothes and learn a new technique each time I sew.  This includes upcycling some clothes and doing crafts that involves sewing.  I will be happy to sew I outfit per month.
• I am going to eat healthier and try to maintain my blood sugar at a healthy level.  I will test more and make sure I am more accountable to what I eat.  I will go to a nutritionist and try to understand what I should be eating.  I am currently 108 lbs but what kills me about this is that how much less should I be eating to maintain my blood sugar.  It's very aggrevating so I will probably need the help of a nutritionist to get the right balance.
• I will exercise at least 20 minutues to an hour a day.
• I will study to get the ERPA designation.  I have until July so I need to get started on that now.  I will study about 1 to 2 hours a day.
• I will read more this year.  I will read about an hour a day.
• I will learn to use my DSLR and take more pictures.  I will learn a new feature of my camera each week.
• I will learn how to knit.  I will look for a class to do this.

As I think of other things I want to do, I will add on but for now that is it.

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On another note, I removed the Google+ because it was driving me crazy.  I'm not really sure how this affected this blog but I haven't had a chance to look at the difference.  I just couldn't understand the whole thing and most importantly, it really didn't add any value to the blog as far as I can see.  It was just making me look like a bigger loser than I already was so it was removed.

Completed Sewing Projects

A productive few months of sewing (from my standards).  I made 3 dresses, 1 jacket and 1 overcoat (unlined).  Very proud of myself for doing these article of clothing.  I hope to be doing more in the new year so that my skills improve.  I have a long way to go.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Plaques

I'm trying to get into Christmas but kind of hard right now.  I was laid off from my job of 10 years.  I've never been unemployed so I'm trying to get use to that but it's hard to get out of that funk.  Especially around Christmas when everywhere around you is bright twinkle lights, ornaments, good cheers and happy gift shopping.  But I'm determined to get over this funk and get my mind set in a different way.  After all it's going to be a new year soon and time for changing some things. So that's that.

On another note, I decided to make some of my Christmas presents and I finished some of them.  These are made out of the following:

• 12 x 12 scrap wooden boards with the edges painted in black
• 12 x 12 scrapbook paper
• Branches cut in log pieces (I got the branches from my tree in my front yard)
• Several embellishments from the Dollar Store
• Glue gun
• Decoupage finish

I'm happy with how they turned out.  They kind of remind me of Christmas cards.  Hopefully, my family will like them since these are all going out to family members.

I've got alot more that I'm working on so gotta get at it.  I want to use up all the branches I cut up so I think the next few that I do will fill up the board more.  So much work but well worth it and it feels good to finish them up.  Very therapeutic for me right now.

On another, another note...this is my tree on my front yard that my artwork is made from.

It's December and usually by that time, all of the leaves would be gone by now and off the tree but for some strange reason the leaves are still stuck on it.  Stubborn little suckers this year.

Gotta get back to work on my Christmas plaques (not quite sure what to call them).  I have a few more so if those turn out ok, I'll post.

Casual Jacket in Fleece - Simplicity 4032

This is my first jacket and just in time since the weather will be getting a little cooler soon enough.  Well all of my sewing projects are firsts since I'm a beginner sewer.  But doing a jacket has to be a milestone, in my book. 

Simplicity 4032 is a great pattern for beginners because it is unlined, the suggested materials are unraveling material like fleece, and very easy to do.  I decided to do Look A at size 8.

I decided to use a lime green fleece material.  Fleece is very easy to sew and very forgiving, it seems.  It also doesn't ravel so the finishing looks very good.  I may look for more projects to do with fleece.

I did have my normal rookie problems (as always).  I didn't realize that the collar was going to be left without seams so I should have been more careful when I cut the collar.  So the collar's edges looks jaggedy from my ever so not careful cutting technique.  The other problem I had was doing the buttonhole on my machine because it seems that the fabric was very thick and I could not place the material underneath my buttonhole foot.  It must be how my machine is built but that took me a long dang time to do but I got it done. 

 

 

 

I decided to skip the ribbon on the collar because I didn't really like how it looked on me.  It was a little fussy and I wanted to keep it simple. This is what the ribbon looks like, attached with a pin.  (It's suppose to be sewn on.) On my petite frame, the ribbon looks huge on me.  It would have hidden my ugly cutting work on the collar but the ribbon looks uglier than my handiwork.

I'll probably do the other jackets and vest one day since I whipped this up pretty fast (like in 5 hours which is fast for me).  Since the seams are princess seams, I may decide to do my next jacket with varying pattern designs to give some unique twist to the jacket.

Christmas in September

Since I have some extra leisure time, I decided to make some of my Christmas decor and gifts for my family now.  Always good to do this early because the holidays just creep up on you and all of the sudden, I find myself scrambling to get things done. 

This year, I would like to give some of my Xmas gifts early since some are Xmas decorations for my family.  That way, they can use them and put them up (if they like them that is). 

I mentioned earlier that I trimmed my tree and I'm still using the twigs on several craft projects.  For this, I decided to use the twigs which I cut in mini size log-like shape.  I sawed them off in different sizes.

Then I placed them on a wooden flat base which is just scrapped wood that I had lying around in my garage.  I decoupage scrapbook paper on top of the wood base.  Then glue gunned the log-like wood on the wood base...



...and shaped the logs in a shape of a Christmas tree.

Dr. Seuss Xmas Tree

 

Very easy! I'm making several of these to "gift" to my family and the cost was next to nothing! Super cool!