Thursday, February 27, 2014

8 months in the making, but it's finally done!

This has taken an EMBARRASSINGLY long time to finish, but I'm really happy with the final result! Without further ado...


(My mom is under strict orders not to read this blog before I give this to her...) She always used to sing me this song when I was little, and we still reference it from time to time. It brings back great memories, and I know she's going to love it. I've made her plenty of things before, and it's always the ones with the most sentimental meaning that really get to her. 


I used an old pillow I had lying around for the form, and had to double-line the linen so the pattern wouldn't show through. I had 2 remnants, both of which cost about $1, and 1 remnant was enough to make this one, so there's still enough left for another! :)



I originally had a different plant for the back, but found this other fabric in my stash that went so well with the front! About $2.50 for a half a yard (more than I usually pay!), but something I've had for probably 5 years now...So fulfilling to finally cut into it!

Stash busted:

-2 pieces of stashed fabric
-Old pillow that I don't use anymore because it doesn't match my decor and is stained. :)

Bought new: 

-Stencils (about $2)

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Easter (?) cake

As you guys might've noticed, I kind of have a thing for rainbows. I've been wanting to make this cake forEVER, but don't typically like to have cakes lying around for no reason: 

[Source: IAmBaker]

So, last week we had a potluck for work. I was actually planning to make croquetas, but the weather was HORRIBLE and I barely made it home as it was, let alone if I had made a stop at the grocery store. Thus, I had to work with what I already had in my apartment. I had a million other things to do, so I decided to be lazy and use boxed cake mix and canned frosting, with the hopes of at least making it pretty, if not over-the-top delicious. 

I ended up not having a grass tip, but used another (no clue what it's called) that I thought would provide a similar look. I mixed up some random colors, which all ended up being pastels, hence the "Easter" title. I also ran out of icing and couldn't fill in all of the holes as above, so I had to get creative with a knife and fill in the empty spaces.


Yeah, it really looks NOTHING like the cake above, but...I still kinda like it! It's kind of abstract and just very colorful. I do want to make another attempt at some point, though...I'll just have to make sure to have enough icing on hand next time!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

2 pledges in one

As I've discussed ad nauseum, I have a ridiculous amount of sewing crap (okay, treasures). Among these treasures are some awesome vintage patterns...which I am deathly afraid to cut into (/I'm afraid they're so far away from my size that I'll have to do a lot of alterations). (Side note - I finally took some time last week to document all of my patterns in Evernote - check it out if you'd like to see what I have and share advice and ideas!) But, as I've also discussed repeatedly, I just need to get over these fears and get to work. 

In that vein, I'm pledging myself to 2 new endeavors: the Vintage Sewing Pattern pledge and The Monthly Stitch's March theme: Miss Bossy Patterns.

http://www.astitchingodyssey.com/2014/02/vintage-sewing-pattern-pledge-will-you.html

http://themonthlystitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/announcing-the-march-challenge/

I'm not going to get overly ambitious here: I pledge that I will sew 1 vintage sewing pattern in 2014, and that my "monthly stitch" project will be completed...sometime in 2014. So, not exactly on time, but better late than never. 

Here's where I need your help: Tell me what to sew!

Option 1: Would this border on the bottom be too much?

Option 2: Could be cute as shorts, no?


Option 3: I like the dress on the right better, but there's not enough of the red to make that one. So really:
Option 3: right view with the green and white, or 
Option 4: left view with the red

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think I should make (let's be real, it's way past my bedtime and I am WAY too lazy to figure out how to post a poll here). Looking forward to hearing what you think!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Progress!

No new finished projects to show you yet, but I have been making progress, slowly but surely.

First up, the t-shirt quilt:


Yep, second row from the bottom definitely needs to be re-done, as well as a couple of other spots, but...I just want to get this thing off of my floor, ha. Also, please disregard the messy cables in the corner. 

Also, I've been working like a best on finishing the leftover rainbow blanket I showed you guys. Progress so far: 


So many fewer colors means that this is coming together much more quickly. I'll usually knit at least 2 rows at a time, in between...whatever else I might be doing. Dinner, phone calls, etc. I feel like I'm flying through this, which is good because it gives me a sense of accomplishment, but I have no idea what I'm going to knit once this is done!


This is not really a true color...and it makes more sense in my head than it does in this picture. I figure the big red swatch is opposite of the red end of the rainbow, and likewise with the purple - it'll be kind of a mirror image so the different reds and purples won't clash. I dunno what I'm saying. Hopefully it'll look good when it's finished, and then I'll be able to show it off to all of you. :)

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Finished project (finally!)

Wow, it's been a while, but I have been busy(ish), I promise! It's just that, working on 3-4 projects at a time, none of them ever really get finished to be able to show you. 

But finally, FINALLY, my boyfriend/Dexter cowl is done!

It's based on the Brioche Infinity Scarf pattern, found here.

So, without any further ado, I present my finished cowl!


This was a true stash-buster! I was originally planning to use a light tan and a beige that I had left over from a sock monkey I made for my mom, but as usual, I realized I was going to run out of those 2 colors long before it was done! I somehow always think my yarn's going to stretch further than it does. 


I dug through my stash some more and found a gray that went with the overall color scheme (also from a sock monkey I made!). I added that in random rows, as I did with the tan. 

Finally, I ran out of all three of those colors, and was forced to grab ANOTHER yarn from the stash, only I didn't really have anything that went with the color scheme...


So I added red! I don't think I can call this the boyfriend/Dexter cowl anymore...it's now the sock monkey scarf!

I prefer to wear it with the red at the back, but it is super warm and cozy, perfect for this crazy Chicago weather!


I love how versatile this is! It's a scarf/hat/hood/anything I need it to be, and it's great! It's a bit shorter than the other ones out there, but I was SO TIRED of working on this and just wanted/needed it to be done. I didn't quite use up all of the red, but almost, and I think I actually like it shorter like this. Any longer and it wouldn't keep out the cold so well.

Stash busted: 3.5 skeins of stashed yarn, yay!