X-mas gifts given

Last post I said I would show off what I've made for others this Christmas... after posting it dawned upon me that I have not yet finished what I'm giving my family for Christmas yet. Its okay though, I have until the 9th when I see them to craft my little heart out. My work hours have also drastically been reduced which really frees up some time (I'm trying to be positive about this). Anyways here is a look at some pajama pants I made.

Wonderful, warm, snuggle-y, super easy to make pajama pants. That's what the boyfriend got. I used the same pattern as the first pair I made a while back, but added pockets as per his request. The first pair is made out of cotton flannel with a dartboard print and gray fleece stripes, which were added once I realized the cotton flannel fabric I had was not wide enough to fit the pattern on. Not too bad all in all, but I must say, the next pair my personal favorite.

This pair was made out of artic fleece fabric and has the the most AWESOME hand shaped pockets. Now The hand shapped pocket may be of no valuable use to the boyfriend, but for me they are the perfect place to put my hands whenever they're cold or just looking for attention.

Thanks for looking

Christmas Loot

I do have a few pictures of what I've made others for x-mas, but instead of posting those today I'm going to show off the recent donation to my ever growing fabric stash. My boyfriend's mother is a very crafty lady who was looking to narrow down her own craft stash in order to be more productive/less overwhelmed. I only made a slight dent in her fabric stash, but every little bit helps right? Now on to the pictures!

{Bias Tape and More}

{Fabrics}



The white fabric that everything is piled on top of has this great lace edging. I definitely want to make a spring/summer skirt out of it, possibly dye it. I'm picturing a gradient kind of effect... but I digress.

{Buttons}



A great assortment of old buttons that have been collected over many years. One particular set of buttons intrigued me to the point where I actually looked them up.

This is the best picture I could get of these buttons. They have the state shield of New Hampshire on the front, and have "Scoville MFG Co. Waterbury" imprinted on the back. After some research I found out that they are militia buttons, however I haven't been able to date them. At this point I'm pretty sure they're not from the civil war era like others that I saw in my search, but still its pretty cool. I'm going to hold off on using these until I know exactly what I have, and I let the BF's mom know as well.

That is all I have to share for now, I'll post x-mas gifts at some point in the nearby future. Until then, happy holidays

One more time

To be honest I wasn't completely satisfied with the card I made before hand, mainly because I had deviated from my general winter holiday theme. So last night I gave it another go and this is
what I came up with:

I'll most likely play around some more with the text placement, but for now this is the general idea I had in mind. Please, if your reading this, feel free to add constructive criticism.

Tis' the season pt.2

As promised, here is the finished(?) product...I think.



I'll take another look tomorrow and decide.

Tis' the season

Crap, it's December already and I have so much to do. This year I'm trying to give something handmade to family and close friends, sounds great and all but I've managed to wait until now to really figure out who is getting what. Bah, humbug.

One of the first projects I jumped on today was taking care of my holiday cards (it also gave me a chance to play around with my new drawing tablet).

This is what I have so far:

Once Ron the hamster gets up I'm hoping to get a decent picture and finish up the card so I can start mailing it out, as well as post the finished product.

Thats all for now.

Stash Busting and new project

A couple posts ago I made pajama pants using a pattern, a first for me. They weren't for me, but after finishing the project I had a hankering to use up some of my ever growing fabric stash. I actually made these the day after I posted the other ones, just haven't gotten around to posting them. So here I present to you my new purple paisley pajama pants. Only one pic to so as it is late and I was unable to take decent action pictures

So when I haven't been working, or sick due to work, I've been working on making my very fist pair of trouser pants from Newlook 6815. So far so good.

Below is a picture of the pattern pieces marked off on the dollar a yard fabric I procured not too long ago. I just began attaching the waistband today, hoping to have them finished possibly by next week.

Well, thats all for now. Goodnight.

Introspection

With my birthday fast approaching (and a chance stumbling across Abraham Maslow's idea of self actualization) I've been doing a great deal of introspection on my life. With my introspection came a number of things that I want to try, that I feel will help promote my own personal growth, and/or might just be fun. I was able to narrow my list down to a few things that I feel comfortable enough sharing with people I don't really know. So here it is, my short bullet format of things to try/accomplish eventually:

Things to Accomplish

• Join a roller derby team- I figured I'd post my most "outrageous" personal goal first. What can I say? I've never personally seen a roller derby match, but I feel that it would be a cathartic experience for myself.
• Write my own ZOMBIE movie/novel- I've had one in the works for a while now, my personal goal at the moment for this project is to be finished with writing and editing by December 2009.
  
• Continue to reduce, recycle, reuse my wardrobe- I'm definitely going to sign up for wardrobe refashion again...maybe go for four months this time around. I would like to take this opportunity to say that the shirts I got for work were purchased from Goodwill (yay!).
• Make my own tofu- enough said
• Try to be more active in my community- I've noticed in the area where I've recently moved that there seems to be a lot more social outreach and activism(probably due to all the colleges in the area). It seems like a no-brainer, volunteer my time to make my new home a better place over all, make some new friends.
  

That is all for now, I hope to add updates eventually as to the progress of some of my own personal goals. As always I will be updating with more crafty good-ness as well...just not now.

Toodles

YES WE CAN - a continuation

Not really anything new, I just got pictures from the rally so I figured I'd post one. Please ignore the silly look on my face...I have no idea what I was thinking at the time.

I also made the poster that I'm holding, no pictures of the back but it said "Yes We Can". After the rally I put the poster to good use, I trimmed it and put it in the window for all to see. Not that it would really sway anyone's opinion considering NY is a blue state, but maybe it will remind people to get out and vote on the 4th (tomorrow **squeals**).

YES WE CAN!

I'm going to try and keep this post to a strictly craft post because I know I can go on and on for days on the subject of the upcoming election.

With that being said I decided to make a t-shirt for the Obama rally I attended yesterday. I wanted something simple that showed my support but wouldn't offend others- especially after McCain's remark in the third debate that Obama supporters were wearing negative t-shirts at Obama rallies.
My quest began at the dollar store nearby which has a clothing rack full of factory reject t-shirts. I managed to find a shirt on the rack that did not have a mystery stain on it, just a faint dotted line going across the chest which I attemptedto cover up -unsuccessfully- with some white paint. I used a stencil I found online (type "Obama Stencil" into Google's image search and you'll find it) for the front part of the shirt, and the back image I just quickly made in photoshop. I used the mod podge screen method again, and the end result was great.

{Front}

{Back: Printed the black outlines, then hand painted the interior parts of the letters}

I got a whole bunch of compliments on the t-shirt, as well as a lot of questions about the dotted line across the chest (Is it symbolic?) I'm still waiting on getting some action shots of the rally from my friend so until then take care.

Pumpkin Time

For the past two Halloween seasons or so I've had this desire to make pumpkin-y goods using my own homemade pumpkin puree. Weird? maybe, but I've come to accept it.

The first year I chopped up my jack o' lantern, just to find out later that field pumpkins, such as the one I had, are not the right type of pumpkin to cook with. The second year I spent all of my pumpkin allowance on a whopping 20 pound pumpkin...again, not a tasty pumpkin.

This year however I was fortunate enough to have a sugar pumpkin given to me by the BF's mom. I know its not difficult to go out and get a sugar pumpkin, but when you're shopping on a tight budget its not really a necessity. Now onto the pumpkin puree!

First- wash pumpkin throughly then remove stem.

Cut pumpkin in half from top to bottom

Remove all seeds (set seeds aside for roasting) and stringy pumpkin guts

Place pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet and cover top with aluminum foil (not shown). Place in oven that has been preheated to 375 F and cook for about an hour and a half or until soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

Scoop out pumpkin flesh and place in blender

Blend pumpkin until it looks like this....Mmmm

Now what to do with all this pumpkin puree? After looking through a bunch of recipes online and seeing that I did not have a lot of the ingredients they were calling for I decided I'd wing it. So I present to you my own simple but very tasty basic pumpkin muffin recipe. I'd imagine it would be pretty easy to make some modifications to the recipe, I can't wait to try adding cranberries and chopped walnuts the next time around.

Basic Pumpkin Muffins- Makes 12 muffins
2 cups generic store brand bisquick
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
spices used to taste:
cinnamon
nutmeg
ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl- no particular order- and stir. Pour batter into greased muffin tins and bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for 13 to 18 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.


I don't have many pictures of the muffins afterwards since I kind of got distracted by eating them.

First timer

Now that I'm not stressing out over a lack of employment I decided it was time to do something new. The first challenge that came to mind was using a pattern. I had never really had any experience using a real pattern so I figured I would try something simple - pajama pants. I had the BF pick out some fabric (he picked out the gray fleece despite my best efforts to sway him towards the veggie tales print). I used simplicity 9871, read the directions a few times. Despite a few minor errors (not knowing what a particular marking meant, and deciding not to practice using my button hole setting before using it for the first time) I think they turned out pretty well.

{Modeled by Floor}

{Modeled by Boyfriend}

{Side View}

I think I may have possible found a use for some of my excess fabric stash...hmmm

Its curtains...

While on my mini job hunting breaks I managed to solve one of the major issues with the new apartment, the bedroom window. The first couple of days in the apartment we were greeted by blindingly bright, burn your retinas out, sunlight. It became apparent that this issue needed immediate attention. Thanks to the excellent public transit system I was able to go out and procure some fabric for the project (and much more).

{Curtain Fabric}

{Muslin Backing}

Just a simple set of curtains, but they make all the difference in the world.

In addition to my newly completed project it seems that my job hunt is OVER, I found a job. Of course it's only seasonal at this moment, but its better than nothing. I start the first week of November, which leads me to ponder "whats a crafty person like myself going to do with all this free time?"

Update

Well, its official, I've moved...YAY! I am loving the new apartment, there's so much more space for all of my crafting supplies. Not to mention its a quick 5 minute walk to the downtown area and the public transport is top notch.

{ Double Parlor Living Room}

I don't have much to show project wise, as much of my time has been spent searching for a job. So far I've had one real lead, but I'm still waiting for them to call back and schedule an interview. I was told by another potential employer that I'm overly qualified for the position and that they would love to have me, EXCEPT, for the fact that I'm under qualified in the sense that I don't have the specific degree needed (which was not mentioned in the ad) to fulfill the position. The person who I was talking to then went into a long speech about how they felt that it was unfair to require that specific degree, but its required by law. So for now I'll just be scouring job sites and the newspaper in hopes of finding some kind, pretty much ANY kind of employment, taking short breaks only when I feel my sanity depends on it.

Toodles for now

Project Manchild - conclusion

Well the shirts went over pretty well, just look at that happy recipient. It bothers me that "skateboards" curves upwards slightly, but for now I can live with it as long as I get it right next time.



For now I don't know when my next update will be as I'm moving upstate October 1st. I don't know how long it'll take to get an internet hookup once I get there. So I guess toodles, for now

Project Manchild part 4

So close I can taste it. Today I did the face image on the back of the shirts, they came out pretty well if I do say so myself. Now all thats left is to let them dry heat set and wrap it all up. What else can can I tell you?

Project Manchild part 3

Okay, so I managed to so something with my first printing mishap (see part 1). After getting the right black ink I printed the Manchild logo in the big gray blob. Then I filled in the letters using one of the shimmery jacquard fabric pants and added some white paint just because I can.


Its okay, I guess, but I personally feel its a little too "homemade" rather than "hand crafted"

I've managed to rebound from this mistake quite successfully though. I took my time, I had all my supplies at hand and I'm very happy with the result.

Time to get back to work

Project Manchild part 2

Last night I was able to accomplish making a new screen with smaller text that won't go off the shirt (yay!). This morning upon waking up and drinking my coffee I made a quick test print of the screen on a plain navy blue tank that I got for 3 bucks just a few days ago. Somehow I feel that by the end of this project I'm going to have an unofficial merchandise line due to the test prints I've been making. I know I could just do test prints on a piece of paper, but wheres the fun in that? now that I'm looking at it I'm thinking I should make another screen so I can do a nice semi-professional looking 2 color print.

New Screen


Test Print on a ribbed knit t-shirt

Thats all for now, I've got to start working on packing the apartment up.
Toodles.

Project Manchild part 1

Next weekend I'll be heading down to the city with the BF to see a friend of ours for his b-day. Our friend has recently started out his own business- Manchild Skateboards, and we figured he would appreciate some D.I.Y. shirts. As such it seemed only right to use this as an excuse to try out the mod podge/embroidery hoop method of "screen printing. I took his logo from the website, loaded it up and made a simple black and white image of the text and the face thing, then printed it out. Not really thinking at the moment I started to trace the text onto the screen (neon green fine mesh nylon given to me by the bf, formerly a green screen). Once I finished tracing "manchild" I realized skateboards was too long to fit horizontally. I thought I was pretty smart and started to trace the letters vertically, having the words intersect at the "A", but once again realized that it wouldn't fit. New solution...smaller text...heh.
{shown: screen of "Manchild" and part of "skateboard"


My impatience is most certainly my down fall. I had planned and planned to do a test print prior to printing on the actual shirt I tossed that plan right out the window. Curses!
My impatience led me to discover that I bought the wrong black ink. I picked up a fabric dye rather than a printing ink. It bleed, oh how it bleed through that knit cotton fabric (at least I printed with something in between the front and the back side of the shirt). The other colors I picked up will work just fine, but now I'm left with a little (big) mistake.

For the moment its hanging up, I'll take a look at it later and see if it could possibly be salvaged. I managed to get to the local art supply store and pick up the proper black ink.

First thing I did upon returning was make a test print on a ratty old t-shirt of mine. From the looks of it I just need to take my time and apply a nice even coat. Well, heres to seeing what tomorrow brings.

Brand spankin' "new"

So as promised previously here is my brand "new" sewing chair... but first a couple more process pictures


{during} After covering the new foam cushion



{during} Applied 3 coats of jade spray paint to my new chair on an absolutely beautiful afternoon


...
{After}
...



It really does brighten up the room, I just wish there wasn't so much STUFF out due to the upcoming move, it detracts from the wondrous-ness of my chair.

On a more personal note, yesterday was my last day at the hospital. I won't miss the paper work, the hours, the stress, the 4 hour round trip commute (public trans), but I do miss the people already. I can't help but wonder if I will ever find another job with as great co-workers and caring supervisors as I had there. Sounds cheesy I know, and after months of dreaming of this day, I'm left looking back fondly at everything I've done there and the overall impact its had on my outlook on life. I'm just going to leave it at that for now.

a quick peek at whats to come

{Before} 6 dollar chair from the salvation army, originally intended for craftster's "in the hot seat" contest, I kind of forgot about this chair until a few weeks ago.

{During} ripped off hideous fabric (apparently someone else tried to give this chair a makeover), and added new foam padding.

{During} Sanding down the chair for the next step....

::Stay tuned for the finished product::

whats new

Quick little update:
Haven't been able to post very much (or accomplish much of anything) due to the upcoming move. I'm hoping to be back and crafting in a few weeks.

preparing for winter

Well soon I'll be getting ready to move upstate, where the winters can be pretty brutal. Taking this into account I've decided to break out the knitting needles and start making myself some warm winter accessories. I used the pattern Foliage from Knitty.com and made the chunky weight version of the hat using Paton's rumors in Fern Heather. Its a really fuzzy, soft yarn, but it might not have been the best choice of yarn to show off the actual lace pattern. Oh well, anyways, here are some pics.

As modeled floor

Sort of side shot

Top View




Thats all for now