Blue Dots Flannel Quilt

I had originally pulled the fabric out for another quilt that I was taking a class for because I'd lost the instructions for this one. Unfortunately after I'd ironed everything I discovered I didn't have the correct amount of fabric. However I did find the instructions for the quilt! Yeah! Since I had everything ironed out I just went ahead & cut the fabric in prep for making the quilt. Well, about a week later I finished up my project & needed another one to work on. I actually finished the quilt top in about a day. A day very filled with sewing! It's all soft & cuddly since it's made entirely of flannel & the backing is going to be flannel as well.

I still have not put backing or quilted any of my quilts (I know have 3 quilt tops). I know I'll get them done soon. I busted my knee at a knitting class (which was a very fun class, I'll tell you about that later...promise!) so I'm hobbling around trying not to agitate it. Because it's my driving knee it means I'm not driving or operating sewing machines. Hopefully I'll get my cupcakes made for my cake decorating class.

Block #1

Block #2

 Completed quilt top

Right now I'm working mostly on a super secret project for my 7 year anniversary. It's absolutely silly but it's perfect. I'll reveal it after I've given it to Calvin so you can giggle at it too. I have my next knitting project decided as well. I just need to visit Knitique to purchase the supplies. It's gonna be puuuuuuuuuuuuurdy.

Challah Infinity Scarf

Sorry I missed Wednesdays post, my pop got his toes squished on Tuesday so we got to spend waaaaaaaay too many hours in the ER. They took good care of him though. I set my posts up the day before they post...so...well...the ER visit threw THAT off track! Oh well.

I know, I haven't shown you my cake decorating class stuff yet! I'm thinking I'm just going to do a montage of all the classes that way you won't get all bored at badly frosted items (I was informed the star I tried to make on a cookie looked like it was walking....apparently stars are not my frosting fortay)

Last week I finished up my Challah Infinity Scarf. I got the pattern at Knit Purl when I went on a trip with my mom & aunt. The store btw, is gorgeous & packed full of goodies. The pattern looks like it might be complicated, but it wasn't, I was able to work on it easily while at Stitch N Bitch. It took me a couple weeks to finish it mostly because I didn't work on it every night or for very long periods of time (I think Stitch N Bitch was the longest I did weekly). There is a lot of end weaving as almost every strip is almost a separate entity. I really do recommend the pattern though, sooooooo pretty & really easy. You just need to know how to add yarn, secure yarn, knit, & purl. The yarn I got at Knitique & is the Cash Vero #28. It's cashmere, merino wool, & acrylic. Soooooo soft....

Not the greatest picture, but I'd just completed it & it was late, you'll excuse me I'm sure. :P

I'm actually not sure what to take with my to Stitch N Bitch, I don't start officially a new project till Saturday during a class. Maybe I'll start the 1 skein shawl I also got at Knit & Purl...we'll see!

Comic Con Bags

So is everyone else dragging this Monday or is it just lucky me? I think it's just something about Mondays really...Last Friday I had my first cake decorating class & I had a ton of fun, I'd tell you all about it but that's for a later post...Wednesday's in fact!

Now, if you're late in the game of catching my posts here's number 1 & number 2 in the series.

So, the final touches to costumes were the bags. I wanted something that was cool looking, was NOT a shoulder bag of any sort, the bags you get from Comic Con are giant enough (they fit our lunch pails & enough paperwork to kill a forest everyday). I figured since I was going to be wearing a belt & so was Cal, that the best choice would be hip pouches. They wouldn't need watching as much & certainly hard to snatch & grab unless they want the whole body. ...Plus they look awesome. I ended up using the hip pouches throughout the con & not just on the day that I was in costume. Just made life so much easier to have hands free! I always seem to get the bags that slid off my shoulder. Who wants that in a crowded place?

From the outside (please let me know if it's still sideways. I'm going to fix it after I finish the post), the bags looked like this (why yes! I DID make a matching wallet, doesn't it rock?) The green bag was actually bought, but I made the Apothecary patch & put it on to make it fit the rest of them.

 & showing the lining of the bags & wallet. Super duper cute, I know. I know....

Alright, so that completes this 3 part series. Next series will likely be my cake decorating class since that's my September class. Actually I think I have a class every month till December. Awesome.

SDCC Accessories

I hope this post catches everyone well! By the time this posts I'll be at the first day of my cake decorating class! No worries, I show you my sad mis-shapen frosting job next week. No need to cry yourselves to sleep over missing out on my creations.

This is the 2nd of 3 posts in this series (we're getting close! Can you feeeeeeeeeeeel the excitement? If you need to catch up post 1 is here). I made accessories to go with the costumes I helped put together for SDCC. This is not all of them, I didn't think to take a picture of Cal's mallet holder or really, even him IN costume. Ah, well...

For some reason I don't have a picture of it completed...The step after this one was to add a blue ribbon that matched the corset (as seen in post 1). All peacock feathers were donated by my aunt who has a ton of peacocks running around her place.

Yup, peacock feathers from the same location! The keys are actually charms I found in the scrapbooking section of Joann's. They were surprisingly light. The chain was what I had & the design came from who knows where.

Key charm came from the scrapbook section as well (they came in a pack of 6 I think? But I had to buy 2 packs since you only got 1 of each key) & the peacock feather from my aunt as well.

Monday is the last & final post for this series & then on Wednesday is my adventures from the first day of cake decorating class!

Comic Con Coat

This is the first in a series of 3 posts of my craftiness that I did for SDCC just because I don't want to overwhelm you with pictures all in one go! I won't be posting any photos from the con because...well...my camera wasn't working that weekend much to my dismay. But! On to the awesomeness!

 Testing my costume. It isn't complete since it's missing the top hat & jewelry I made as well the coat being unfinished.

 The entire front where you can see the lapel & part of the pocket designs.

 Close up of the right pocket detailings.

The back of the coat

All of the machine embroideries came from Urban Threads one of my ALL TIME favorites. You'll notice this very much as more posts appear that contain machine embroidery. The embroideries were done on tulle, then the edges CAREFULLY melted & sewn onto the coat.

Friday is the next post in this series! I swear it'll be up (I have it scheduled to post!) so no worries there. I'm so sorry my pretties that I've been so remiss. I got so busy getting ready for SDCC that I abandoned you! Then when I got back it took me awhile to put everything away (I um...actually just finished doing that yesterday...) as well as visiting my Grammie & dealing with some personal stuff. So please forgive me, I still love you all!

Road Trip Quilt

I took a class with my mom more for the scheduled time together. It was a quilt I had admired in the shop, it was much subtler than mine. What I found throughout the 3 classes was that regardless of the fact that it was the same pattern every single quilt came out vastly different looking. It was quite cool.

The quilt is actually my second quilt I've made....I just haven't finished either of them entirely.

The blocks before they were put together.

The quilt top put together without the borders (which I haven't finished constructing)

There is 1 difference I am doing to the quilt. The quilt calls for a wavy border that runs off the ends. I don't care for it myself, so I'm putting cornerstones in. My mom is making the same decision with hers I think. On my next update I'll try to include a photo of my mother's quilt as well.

Beaded Raven's Call Bag

Back in February (I think at least) my mom and I went to the big craft and sewing and all other goodies in the area. The main thing we came back with were these AWESOME beading kits. The owner of i-bead.com Sue was there and the deal was that you could buy any kit (we bought several.....bracelets and bags) and she would show you how to get started on it. Besides the usual suspects of bracelets and such things Mom and I decided to get beaded bags. I got Raven's Call and my mom got the one directly above it Peacock.

Sue was INCREDIBLY awesome and patient, I had thrown my shoulder out the day before so I was a little challenged on the holding and beading part. But she explained everything wonderfully and the directions are fantastic, I kid you not. I have run across more crappy instructions than good ones. These are illustrated, large enough print you aren't second guessing what it says, and the directions are clear. The system uses beading in the round so that you can keep tension on it the entire way through. It's like...bead by numbers.

When I got home and repulled everything out to start working on it again I discovered that one of my bags wasn't there, it had probably gotten left at the table. I sent her an email and the next day, regardless of her still traveling and at shows she responded letting me know that she would send it as soon as she got home and what day that was. I got it the next week about the time she predicted I would, which made me ecstatic as I wanted to WORK ON IT ALREADY.

The kits are a bit pricey ($56 for mine) but well worth it as you get all the beads (and a little extra in case you're like me and fling your beads around by accident) and the directions. If you just buy the pattern its $12 and for just the beads (using mine for an example) is $57. So you're getting a discount on the beads AND the pattern thrown in basically for free. The picture on her websites really don't do justice to how multifaceted and gorgeous the bags are. Both mom and I are excitedly waiting for the next show she'll be at so we can buy more of them! ...Granted I should probably finish mine first, but my costume for Comic Con is distracting me. not to mention all the other goodies.

All in all, I have to say I wish we'd found her sooner! I will certainly post when I finish the bag as well.

 A couple sessions in (I'm now up at its wings)

 The other side of the bag

Close up so you can see the detailing and how its done.

Gorgeousness: 5/5

Difficulty: 3/5 <-the tiny tiny beads and having to remember to push it up as well as all the very similar colors can make it confusing. The technique itself was EASY

Clarity of instruction: 5/5

Customer Service: 5/5

I Have Discovered The Repurposement!

Alright, so I think I figured out what I'm going to revamp this blog into. I have a lot of creative projects going on right now. So, I'm going to use this as a showcase as well as a way to review some of the products I use. When I finish downloading the photos from my phone (yeah...I know, I used my phone for photos, it was to show off to friends via text, so :P). First up will either be my beaded bag, my in progress quilts, or my Comic Con jacket. Let's see what appears first! Thank you to anyone who is still following my blog, I really do appreciate it.

I Value Your Input

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as of late (yet again...I know). Some family stuff came up that really need more of my focus than this blog. Plus, to be honest, because of it's scatterbrain nature, I'm thinking of closing this blog down. At least until I find a theme, or cohesiveness. I have a couple of ideas but I'm also not sure if I want to put the effort into working on the blog. I'm selfish in a way. I want to blog to an audience and I seem to lack one. Which is because of the fact that I lack a cohesive nature and I am a scaredy pants of epic proportions. I don't comment on the blogs I follow, I don't strike up conversations with them through Twitter. I don't mention it to friends (well...I kinda do, but kinda don't) I don't make the effort to build my audience. I fear the falling on its face I think. So, to anyone who actually does read this, pay attention to this, and everything else, I have a question for you!

Here is the question: Should I continue writing this blog as it is which is scatter or should I just close it permanently, or should I figure out what cohesiveness I can muster up (which at this point is baking/cooking and make up. There's some strange bed fellows!)?


I value your input!

Rough Patches Suck

I'm having a rough patch. Lots of things bubbling around and tumbling around in my head. So, I haven't really been that interested in blogging or doing much besides panicking. Wheeeeeeeeee.... Sigh. But, I dunno, today is a bit of a breakthrough. I got another of my 101 Things list checked off. I went for a bike ride with no prompting or anything! Plus, I have plans in place to sit down and maybe resolve some stuff or get a plan in place. I'm really in the mood to play with make up tonight as well...so perhaps I will. Even though I'm going nowhere. :( Though, I'm not sure if I will since my face is not liking me and I'm recovering from upset skin and zits (I thought I was supposed to grow *out* of those damn things).

So, I suppose I'm asking for your forgiveness (to those who actually read this...). I'm dealing with a bunch of things right now.

I wasn't able to attend school this semester. While CRC has been fucking me over I really wanted to at least take one class. It was intermediate photography, which would've been great because a) it would've taught me color photo developing as well as reinforcing my black and white developing skills. b) it would've taught me about studio lighting. That second one is most important (as I mainly shoot digital now, though I do have a love for black and white) seeing as I would like to open my own studio, mainly just for fun and perhaps a bit of extra play money.

My plans to be the model in photography (I'm forcing myself to push my boundaries and be comfortable in front of the camera as well as behind) keep kinda falling through. Especially the one I want to do in the bay area, great excuse to go to East West Bookstore at the same time. >.>

I'm being incredibly frustrated at my lack of success finding work. It's been over a year with no luck. It's a key element to moving upwards and onwards. I have so many plans and struggling to find ways to get them to work out.

Cal and I made a list of goals for this year, we have the list (& I even managed to get a goal achieved already! Go me!) but haven't made the plans of how to achieve them yet. That is bugging me to no end.

Other personal matters and stress are making me even more agitated and sleep less.

I'm hoping to be able to get things resolved enough that I can try to get back on track with things. Wish me luck!