Quilt progress!

The quilt top is now done!

 

It's not perfect by any means (but is also not nearly as wrinkled and crooked as this photo makes it seem), but I still think my friend will love it!

For the gray border, I used this random piece of fabric from my stash:

I think I picked it up for $1 or so at a garage sale, and there were probably 3 yards of it...but I didn't realize until I unrolled it that it's a tube of fabric!  So strange, I've never seen anything like it.

I still need to figure out what material to use for the back. My friend has been very specific about the color that she wants, but I don't think she realizes how expensive fabric can be, and I'm trying to use up my stash, so...I might just pick up some dye from JoAnn and have a go at fabric dyeing for the first time! I've been wanting to try it for a while. Does anyone have any tips to offer?

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)

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!

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.

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!

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. :)

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!

Good enough for who it's for

Over the years, this has kind of become a family motto for us. My parents built their house about 20 years ago, and while they did an excellent job, there were a few things here and there that weren't perfect, but hey, "Good enough for who it's for!" I've certainly carried on with this motto. Although I'm very type A, and often demand excellence, I'm also incredibly impatient, so if getting something finished RIGHT NOW means that it won't be perfect, the impatience usually wins out. 

Cases in point:

 

Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is what was covering the window of my front door for an embarrassingly large number of months. I'd intended to make a real curtain for quite a while, but couldn't figure out what fabric I wanted to use. I finally picked out some stash fabric and got to work without a clear idea of how I wanted the curtain to come together. The fabric, which I picked up at a local fabric store warehouse sale as part of a $6/pound special, probably cost me no more than a dollar, so, while I liked it, I wasn't too afraid of screwing it up. It was slippery and very difficult to work with, so I thought fusible interfacing might be easier to work with than the sewing machine. Well, after 2 seams, I'd had enough, and set this project aside for months.

Eventually (as in, the day before my housewarming party - which I held 4 months after I actually moved in), I decided that, come hell or high water, this curtain was going to get done! I realized the way I'd originally envisioned the curtain was pretty stupid and impractical, so I decided on a much simpler version and started over (luckily there was enough fabric left!).

So...it's finished, but the edges aren't quite straight, and the back looks terrible, but...good enough for who it's for! It's neutral, it still lets in some light (a must in my basement apartment!), but is thick enough to provide some privacy. All in all, a job decently done. 

This next project was actually finished the day OF my housewarming party. Back story: I bought these two footstools at an auction 6 years ago for $10. My cat practically tore the "leather" to shreds, but the footstools were incredibly useful and, since I didn't want to shell out for new, store-priced ones, I couldn't bear to throw them away. When I moved into my last apartment, I decided to recover them:

I cut out 6 squares and sewed them into a cube shape. You can't see it in this picture, but I didn't have quite enough fabric to reach the bottom of the stools. Still, it was better than what I had and, you guessed it, good enough for who it was for.

Well, with my new apartment, it was time for a new theme. I decided to use one of the footstools as a sewing "chair" (still needs to be recovered!) and put the other in the bathroom as a good catch-all, since my vanity is so small.

At first, I was planning to use some stash fabric, but then my friend and I bought Groupons to the Chicago Textile Discount Outlet and I found some remnant fabric that matched my shower curtain almost perfectly!

 

I definitely rushed this one, hence the less-than perfect seams and the fabric dragging the ground a bit. Instead of the 6 squares this time, I figured I'd save myself some seams and cut out an X-shape to start with. It's really handy having this in the bathroom, and I really like that it matches! Now, if I could just whip the rest of my apartment into shape...

Are you guys perfectionists? Or would you rather just get a project done?