paint!

I'm researching sewing machines (as I have been for several months) but still can't narrow in on a particular model. The little travel one isn't really cutting it anymore, so I've put sewing on hold except when I'm at my parents house. In the mean time, I've been painting some more (though this too will be put on hold until the weather is better so I can open the doors... the house is pretty potent now).

I finally realized why my hubby-to-be is not so big into painting, when, yesterday I came home with two new cans of paint. I went to get supplies from our basement and decided to count the cans we have used (bare in mind, all since October). I held in my hand the 15th and 16th cans of paint. He can't complain too much though since I've been doing most of the painting lately while he's temporarily on a crazy over-time intense schedule at work.

We're thinking about texture painting over some funny looking wall paneling in our basement, but I've read some real mixed things on this. So, more research is to be done, but I'm pretty excited about this possibility.

paint can
This is the unmixed can of paint for the master bed room. One of the walls needed a second coat of paint and some texture added to disguise some patched holes left behind by the sellers furniture. I love the names of paint, I believe this one is called "East Coast"

that bikini top...

It's been hard to find nice fabric lately at the store (at least in a price range I can justify spending) so I pulled out this gem from my mountain of fabric remnants.

Back in college, I made this beauty into a stocking for my "Pippi Longstocking" halloween costume. Surprisingly there was quite a bit of fabric left, but given the fact the travel sewing machine I've been using lately is very temperamental, I decided to make something basic.

Here's an attempt to make the top of a swimming suit. If it turns out, I think I'll pair it with a brown swimming suit separate, and maybe make a small skirt/wrap in the stripes for over top? We'll see... its a work in progress.

bikini top front

bikini top back

ten minute top...

"Ten minute top" may be a stretch for this particular shirt due to technical difficulties with the portable sewing machine. But, on a good day these shirts are done before you know it. I temporarily am venturing away from using patterns again, since I convieniently left my new ones at my parents house.

make shift sewing space

teal top

that blue dress...

I really dislike sewing with patterns but recently decided to give them another shot. Luckily, the fabric store was having a huge sale on them, so I had no excuse but to stock up. I chose a variety of patterns ranging from dresses and skirts to home decor and stuffed animals. Slowly, I hope to work my way through them and become better at construction and design of patterns so I can have better results when I am too stubborn to use them again in the future.

When I bought all of my patterns, unfortunately I did not have such luck finding nice material. So, I had 2 yards of this navy fabric laying around, and this was the only pattern I could use with it. It's McCalls pattern M6031.

I had high hopes for this one... thinking it'd be simple yet cute. First of all, my pattern was way too large. (I knew this going into it, whenever I'm right between sizes on the pattern, I err for the larger one knowing it's easier to take in a seam than to magically add fabric) Of course I had good intentions to cut the pattern smaller, but when the time came to do so, I completely forgot.

McCalls pattern M6031 blue dress
Overall, this pattern was helpful and very easy to follow. The bodice is lined and it only took a few hours to make. However, the chances of me wearing this dress are pretty slim... it may be taken apart and made into something else. But, for now, it will probably join the dark hole in the back of my closet near all of the other "home sewn" goods that also needs a little re-working or final touch ups. Some day, I will conquer that closet!

where to start

I've been meaning to start a blog for quite some time. But due to my lack of creativity in creating a clever user name, I have always closed the browser window before completing my registration. After my computer cord fried, leaving all of my treasured photos on its hard drive (which hopefully can be recovered), I decided, "who cares what you name it" and made this to document the projects I've been working on. I think it's kind of fun to look back and remember the good, the bad, and the ugly project attempts with an emphasis on the latter two :)