Progress

I stumbled across a website with cute patterns for beginning sewing, and I fell in love with this pattern:

Really Cute Pattern

For $6.00, I thought - heck, I will give it a try.  So I gave it a try.  And I'm sort of proud of it.  I'm afraid that Lucy was not as willing a model as the little girl in the photo.  I asked her to pose for me, and this is what I got:

Apparently asking Lucy to take a photo is a HUGE punishment.  

It turned out amazingly well.  The pattern was so easy to follow - so much better than buying those flimsy tissue paper patterns at JoAnn's.  You know, the one's where you accidentally cut on the wrong line and end up with a really cute skirt that really doesn't fit?  Yeah, those.

I'm not crazy about the pink fabric, but it was the only fabric I had on hand that I had enough of.  I didn't want to buy something until I knew I would end up with a decent finished product.  I love the little ruffle sleeves.

The back is really cute too - no zipper (thank goodness!).  Just some loops and buttons.

It's a little big on her right now, but by summer it should fit great and look cute with little sandals.  I bought some blue fabric that I like so much more today for Round #2.  We will see how that goes!

Sew Tired

I decided to give sewing from a pattern another try - but this time I was determined I would be a good girl and actually do what the pattern told me to do instead of taking short cuts.  Two evenings later, I have completed a skirt.

First, let's recap all of the mistakes I made:

1.  Using chevron stripes.  How the hell are you supposed to match up chevron stripes??  If anyone out there knows how to do this, you are a wizard.

2.  Cutting the fabric in a size that is too small to fit yo' lard ass.  In my defense, I did what was proper - I measured around myself in all the places the pattern told me to.  I looked at the incredibly tiny and confusing chart and determined the correct size.  I pinned all of the pattern pieces to the fabric in the proper way.  And then I started cutting.  The biggest, most visible piece.  The piece that consumed approximately 50% of my fabric.  And I started cutting it a size smaller than I needed.

At that point, I decided I could either start crying or just go with it and hope I measured wrong.  (I didn't measure wrong.)

3.  Zipper installation.  I tried going by the directions in the pattern, but I could not figure out what the heck they were trying to get me to do.  After ripping out a bunch of thread, I decided to go with the technique I use for pillows.  It never looks good on the pillows (and it doesn't look good on my skirt).

4.  Stretching the fabric too much while sewing the waistband.  Yeah, when you do that you end up with too much fabric.  And then you have to figure out what to do with that fabric.  In the above photo, to the left of the zipper, you can see where I just said screw it and sewed over the extra fabric, creating an ugly bubbly mess.


However, I did make my first item with pockets, and it is just adorable with them.  I also made a yoke for the first time, and learned a way to finish my edges without a serger.  I also successfully gathered for the first time.  So the experience wasn't a total loss.

So there you have it.  I am now the proud owner of a decently cute gray and white chevron striped skirt that I am too fat to wear.

Out With The Old

I felt like sewing tonight. I really want to try a jersey knit skirt but I'm too scared of the disaster that will inevitably ensue (apparently sewing stretch fabric is really hard). So I decided to experiment. I had this old blouse that I LOVED once upon a time. But because of my love, the shirt aged pretty quickly.  RIP dear Target blouse.

It was destined for the trash, so I figured I had nothing to lose. I grabbed one of Lulu's tank tops to use as a reference and just started cutting. And pinning. And sewing. And cutting some more. A few hours later, I was done.

Considering the knowledge and equipment that I currently possess, I think it turned out pretty good. No, my ends aren't serged and despite being pinked they will fray.  The hemming around the sleeves is a big mess.  The upper back piece was sewn on the wrong way (luckily it is really hard to tell).  But despite these things, I think it is adorable and will look darling on my Lu.

The true test will be tomorrow morning when I try it on her!  If it fits, I might just be brave enough to try my hand at that knit fabric.

Balancing Act

I'm not willing to accept that I can't do it all - and it really bothers me.  The fact that I can't do it all really bothers me.  Am I the only mother who works full time, has a ridiculously messy house, never fixes her hair or puts on makeup, and has a child who would starve without a microwave?  Probably not.  Definitely not.  But it still really bothers me.

I feel like if just one aspect of my life didn't exist, then I would be able to get everything done.  No job - easy!  No children - easy!  Someone else to clean the house - easy!  Personal chef (or a husband who loved cooking) - easy!  No hobbies or friends - easy! 

But I like my job, worship my child, and would go NUTS without friends and hobbies.  If only I could have a housekeeper and personal chef.  If. Only.

So what is the secret to balancing everything?  I want a beautiful home.  I want to be a good mother.  I want to feed my family healthy meals.  I want to look presentable when I go to work every day.  I want to spend time with my friends and make pretty things.  There has to be a way to get it all done and still retain my sanity.  And to top it all off, I only have ONE child.  Just one wee little toddler (who has the energy and destructive power of a herd of elephants). 

I know that no one's life is perfect.  Life is always tidier from the outside looking in.  I just wish I was better at balancing everything. 

Graphically Challenged

Well, I can now say that I've been really thrown up on.  Not just "sort of" thrown up on (or baby spit up thrown up on) but projectile-it-isn't-stopping-anytime-soon thrown up on.  Out of nowhere.  I didn't even have the luxury of being able to see it coming.

But she survived.  And I survived.  The carpet may not survive and I will now always associate the smell of Febreeze with the smell of vomit, but thankfully Alysha is going to lend me her carpet cleaner this weekend.

To top off the craziness of last night's vomit fest, I realized that I had left my flash drive at work.  The flash drive that contained my entire graphic design project.  The graphic design project that was due tonight.  Being a "temporary" employee, I do not have a key or keycard to get into Calvin Hall, so I was SOL.  After my massive Facebook meltdown (see, I shouldn't be allowed to post on Facebook!) I just went to bed.  I figured that whatever would happen today would happen.  A special thank you goes out to Eryn for her confidence in my ability to produce last minute results!

And today happened.  Thanks in part to the awesomeness of my supervisor who let me work on my project while at work, I managed to finish it on time.  At some point in the next few weeks I will be mailed my Certificate of Graphic Design.  Don't all cheer at once.

Actually, everything I learned in class will be great.  I think I will be more confident with any future invitations I make (for, ahem, maybe Lindsey Eis?).  At any rate, I should be able to make something far more impressive than some ribbon and paper glued together.

For our final project, we had to take a business - real or fictional - and create a logo and three projects for it.  One of my very best friends makes the loveliest crocheted hats and sells them at the Iowa City Farmer's Market in the summer.  She was kind enough to let me use her and her business as a guinea pig, and below is what I came up with.  Some aspects I love, and some aspects I hate.  I will let you decide for yourself.  Also, if you are in the market for some crocheted cuteness, check out Alysha's website!

Business Card Front and Back

Letterhead and Envelope (the straight line on the envelope indicates the flap - and the color is off)

Girl Sock Monkey Hat Brochure Page

Owl Hat Brochure Page (the color looks really off)

So glad it is done!

My Perfect Baby

Cory's latest adventure is trying to teach Lucy to say how old she is. He will hold up two fingers and say, "You are two Lucy. How old are you?" And she will usually reply with something random and completely unrelated.  I think she moo'ed at him once.

And this makes me so happy. Because I am not ready. When he tells her she is two, I just want to shout "No! NO! My baby is only one!"  Please don't take away these last two weeks of my having a baby. January 25th is both a blessing and a curse.  Two years and nine months have gone by far too quickly.  Lucy turning two is going to be harder on me than me turning 30.

I really hope Happy Joe's serves beer.

I'm not sure why this is hitting me so hard.  She is healthy and strong and beautiful.  I can already see her wit and sense of humor.  I can feel her empathy and caring.  She is the perfect little girl.  Maybe I'm scared that each minute that ticks away is one minute closer to the time when she realizes how uncool I am and no longer wants to be close to me (I am really really uncool).  Maybe it has more to do with that the older she gets, the sooner I will have to make an actual decision about having another baby (uhh....).

I am being melodramatic here, but I know I am not the only one who has felt this way.

I am not looking forward to the day she actually fits in my shoes.

I've noticed, since Cory started trying to teach Lucy her age, that Lucy is obsessed with the number 2.  She won't tell us how old she is, but she will bring me things - two of them - and gleefully declare "two!"  Genius.

Owl Obsession

Alysha and I are a little obsessed with these guys lately.  She and I both started making them yesterday.  How can you resist her adorable owl-face?  Lucy was so incredibly excited when she saw it this morning. 

"Oww!  Oww!  Hoo Hoo!"  (translation: Owl! Owl!  Hoot Hoot!)

The pattern is crazy easy, and they are a great way to use scrap yarn, but safety eyes are a b-word to attach.  Considering I almost ripped my finger nail off, I'm not sure how "safe" they really are.

Here is the pattern:  Baby Owl Ornaments

I gave this little guy to my coworker Jody.  I plan on making tons more this weekend.

Happy New Year!

2013 officially began.

My resolutions, thus far:

1.  Figure out this depression/anxiety/seasonal affective disorder/out and out craziness.  I made a doctor's appointment to re-evaluate.
2.  Be more patient with my ever growing toddler.  I hope that #1 will help aid in this.
3.  Take better care of my skin.
4.  Spend less.  Create more.

Speaking of ever growing toddlers, Lulu is a talking machine lately.  I'm amazed at the things that have come out of her mouth in just the last few weeks.  Actual full sentences.  Responses that make sense to my questions.  Hilarious things that come out of nowhere.  Did you know that Elmo is so big?  If you didn't, I'm sure Lu would love to tell you. 

"Emmo so big!" "Yeah baby!"  "Oh noes!"

And my personal favorite, "Hi Mommies!"

Mommies is so tired, so this is going to have to be a good enough start.

Happy New Year!