I finally finished something(s)!

Remember when I moved about 6 weeks ago and I was like, "I'm going to be so productive and so crafty and make so many things in my new place!" Well...better late than never. I finally managed to finish two projects that were languishing half-done in the pre- and post-move weeks: the Baby Sophisticate sweater, and this mitered square baby blanket. I wanted to hide all the little woven-in ends on the back of the blanket, so I lined it with some scraps of chambray I pieced together, and then I tied it in a few places with contrasting yarn to keep the backing from bagging out too much. I'd have done a few things differently with the blanket, but at this point I'm just so glad it's done that I'll take it as it is. The sweater, I'm very happy with. It was a really easy pattern and it's so darn cute.

With those projects finished, I was able to tackle the first thing on my long list of other projects: a slipcover for our white Ikea loveseat. The fabric is actually a few curtains from Target that I bought on clearance; it's a cotton-linen blend and was really easy to work with. It's the first major sewing project I've ever done, and I'm pretty happy with the result. I have plans to make two others in different colors, and should have enough fabric left over for pillow covers too. By finishing this project my to-make list has actually grown: in the process of all that sewing & pinning I realized I *really* need a good pincushion, and I also noticed my sewing machine is getting rather dusty, so I'll want to make a cover for it sooner rather than later.

Hopefully now that I've broken out of my creative rut I'll manage to retain some momentum. The next big priority on my list is an afghan I want to give as a gift for an August wedding...it's about half done already, but even with air conditioning the idea of knitting a queen-size blanket in a heat wave makes me squirm. Time to put my head down & power through!

Cage comforters

Here are three of the 11 Cage Comforters I have just finished. They are going to New York Animal Care & Control, where I hope a few little critters will get a bit of comfort from them. I'd saved some clothing and sheets from a big closet purge to reclaim their fabric for this project, so all I had to buy was batting. Each cushion is 12" x 18" and about an inch thick, tacked together with some bright yarn. I hope to be able to make a bigger batch next year, but as this was a new project in my charity crafting repertoire I figured I should start small.

Been a while since I rapped at ya

As always, I have not been crafting as much as I'd like to be, but I haven't been a total slacker. The Tree of Life blankie is coming along; above left you can see I've started the second (& final!) Flower Garden section. It's coming out bigger than I'd anticipated but that's OK; I still think it's about right for a crib or for laying on the floor for the baby to squirm on.

On the right are some napkins I made yesterday, finally breaking in my new sewing machine (frakking awesome!). The fabric actually used to be a light cotton twin bedspread from Urban Outfitters which I bought a few years ago. When I got a bigger bed and I cut it down to be a tablecloth, but when I got a new table I put the fabric away for whatever. I used a blue thread to match the little blue accents in the print.

Inspiration!

I was hit with the design bug the other day. I just happened to be online window shopping at this store called Forever 21. I found 60% of the tops to be completely great (if not reeking of "Hi, I'm made in a sweatshop overseas"), but quickly realized that the name of the store, while sounding like it would be for anyone over 21 wishing to remain young and hip, is really one of those Seventeen magazine deals, where it's really appealing to 15 year olds wanting to look 21.

I forged on though because the tops were so cute.

Like this one:

And these...the yellow is so great. I think the one on the left is linen. If it had a wide collar-band, I'd really love it. I started sketching out pattern pieces instantly.





Then, I saw this shirt:...and fell in love! I knew it was well out of my design skills, but the nearest store is 3 hours away. Can I really drive there? Buying these clothes from the online store is just asking for a return hassle. But trying to make them could be even more soul crushing.

In any event, I think the whole point of this post is to show this video:

A Shirt Story

Because, this is what I'm afraid my sewing skills will result in! (Sorry, I wanted to embed the video but it was a no go)

Refashioned top

This is a bit of a stretch in terms of post worthiness, but here it goes anyway. I bought this top months ago at H&M - tried on one size, it was too small, so I bought the next size up without trying it on...and the sleeves were still too tight. So it sat in my closet until I finally cut off the sleeves and hemmed the armholes. I did the sewing by hand because the fabric is very light and I'm not confident enough with my sewing machine on delicate material. I still love this top, I'm excited to finally be able to wear it, and now I have these awesome sleeve pieces, which I think will make adorable pockets on some future project of undetermined nature.