new year, new jacket

hey, i think i found a pattern that will work out for me!

it’s butterick 3595, kind of a standard denim jacket style, with a choice of several different lengths.

for my first try, i made it slightly larger than what would be my true size, since i tend to layer my clothing.

i tried view C. it’s about hip-length, and has side pockets. it’s also fully lined.

the fabric was something i found on sale at joann a few months ago. a fun cotton juvenile print.

all in all, i found the pattern a little challenging, as it included some elements i haven’t worked with before, but it wasn’t too hard for me to follow. i think i’ll try it again, maybe in my actual size so i can see what it’s like as a more “fitted” garment.

just waiting for 2012 to start

ohmygoodness, i am a slacker here. to be fair, the crafty juices haven’t been flowing especially strongly over the past couple of months, so i haven’t really had much to post. i’m really really hoping 2012 will fix that problem.

anyway!

a couple of years ago, i read The Happiness Project, and gathered a bit of inspiration from it. the big take-away for me was that i started taking a few minutes at the end of each day to reflect on the positive. and this came in the form of writing a few words or sentences about something good that happened during the day, or just about something i like or something positive in general. for the writing, i created a collage on a notebook i’d had in my stash:

it’s just about full, so i spent part of yesterday creating a new collage on a notebook i’d gotten from QPB many years ago:

happy new year, y’all!

skulltober: day 25

i think i got a little over-zealous when i came up with my skull-making goal for the month. i completely forgot that i still have a full-time job, housework to complete, social obligations, etc. IF ONLY i didn’t have this laundry list of other things to do, i could sit at my craft table all day and MAKE THINGS! yay!

in any case, i think this may be the final skull for the month.

i worked a strand of glow-in-the-dark floss in with the variegated colors:

it’s really hard to capture that glow in a digital photo, but you can sort of see it, right?

skulltober: day 16

holy heck, i only have two more weeks to make the rest of my skulls. *slaps forehead*

i need to go to joann’s today and pick up some more stuffing and a bottle of matte medium.

time to get crackin’!

this is supposed to be fun, right? so maybe i should ease up a little on stressing myself out over how many skulls i can finish.

yup, i’ll finish as many as i finish. there, that feels better.

skulltober: day 13

two down, thirteen to go.*

fun with acrylics! both were coated with matte medium before painting. i’m trying to keep it simple, especially since i made a goal of fifteen. i hope i can carve out some more time this weekend to work on more!

^{* technically, twelve, but i’m not super happy with one that i worked on over the weekend. not sure if it’ll make the final cut, unless i can somehow salvage it.}

skulltober: day 7

this is really more like “days 2 through 6″, but who am i to quibble?

six heads, stuffed and ready to be turned into skulls. at least one of them will be painted (i’ve already applied matte medium to it). not quite sure yet about the rest.

skulltober: day 1

it’s october again, which means it’s time for skulls! and pumpkins and monsters and all that stuff, too, but mainly skulls! hee. i’ve busted out the shoebox of skulls and dia de los muertos decorations, and i’ve assigned myself a new project. i’m going to make more skulls! if i had more free time, i’d set my goal for 31 skulls, but i cut that down to a more realistic goal of 15. i’m not quite sure yet whether i’ll continue with the smaller fits-in-the-palm-of-my-hand skulls, or whether i’ll change it up a little and go bigger… i’m leaning more towards the smaller, more quickly completed skulls.

ummm, i should probably get my act together and get started. anyone else want to play along?

fishin’

i sure do love me an aquarium.

yesterday, we took a little trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

i’d been once before, right after they first opened. it seems like there was a lot more to see this time around.

jellies, sharks, eels, otters, stingrays, seahorses…

now i just need a better camera, so i can capture some clearer images of all the interesting creatures…

.. because i sure can’t ask any of them to stay still while my nearly 10-year-old camera figures out what to focus on and how long to keep its shutter open.

which also explains why there are no pictures of the seals and sea lions.

and none of the adorable otters, either.

but i guess if i want to see the otters again, i can always go back to the aquarium. or take a trip to YouTube.

oh mccall’s, why must you taunt me so?

you’d think after decades of machine sewing experience, i would have learned my lesson by now about trusting the sizing listed on patterns. but for whatever reason, i apparently lost my brainpower when i picked out mccall’s 6110. i looked at the body measurements listed on the envelope and picked up the envelope for the size they said i would need, per the measurements listed. and i picked out some fabrics. and i didn’t work up a muslin beforehand, because i was feeling a little lazy and trusting, and blah blah blah. MY BAD for taking the seemingly easy path.

i like the dress style. but i tried the darn thing on and i was SWIMMING in it. dang it.

turns out i am NOT a mccall’s size 14, even though my measurements fir that size to a T. turns out i am actually several sizes smaller, at least for this particular pattern. what i wouldn’t give for some accurate standardized sizing in this country!

i’ve been sewing

mostly, i’ve been going through old patterns and seeing what to keep and what to toss. i pulled out butterick 3192 (purchased some time in the past 10 years), and sewed a quick muslin of the top part of the dress. i bought the fabric on clearance last year, so i was ready to go.

and then i discovered that the dress pattern was made for people who have no curves in the gluteal region. uhhh, that would not be me, so i had to add some extra fabric in back.

lesson learned: go a little further down with the muslin if the skirt portion of the pattern isn’t fuller.

since finishing the dress, i’ve added two small patch pockets to the front. i’m too lazy to go take another picture.

and with some of the leftover fabric, i sewed up a flower pin:

a couple of weeks ago i went sort of kookoo with the sale patterns and fabric at joann’s, so i have LOADS more sewing to do. um, d’oh.