A Tale of Two Bags

The little girl next door wanted a bag like her friend's. They are sold at this ridiculously expensive boutique in my little hick town. I see her friend's bag and say, "Oh I bet I can make you one of those!" I open my mouth and these lies just start spewing out. What is up with that?

Anyway, I ponder the bag for over three weeks hoping neighbor girl will forget or her mom will give in and buy her one(like that's going to happen). Anyway, I finally let neighbor girl go through my fabric stash and choose what she likes. I take another day or two searching for the rotary cutter and looking for anything that might resemble instructions online. It's a simple patchwork bag, seams sewn to the outside, if anyone can sew something "wrong" it should be me.

One night I suck it up, I start cutting six inch squares, I apparently don't have a five inch square and since precision is not my strong point, I opt to make the squares a little larger than necessary, because I'm like, totally lazy. Anyway, I cut, I lay them out, I rearrange, I find my sewing machine guide, I fill a bobbin, I thread the machine. I rethread the machine four times before I get it right. I attach my patchwork foot. I start to sew. In less than an hour I have the bag put together. I hand it off to my friend Pam who is going to do the lining and the handles because that is beyond my level of skill. I started to right "skilty". Isn't that what Aragon says when he tries to heal Frodo from the Ring Wraith's blade? I'm still not sure it's a real word.

Anyway, Pam came through big time for me and neighbor girl. Here's a close up the button, Pam had it in her stash. Friends with eclectic stash collections are just the best aren't they?


Here's the lining--Pam you totally rock:

Whoops! I'm missing a pic of the finished bag! Blogger is not cooperating when I try to add it, I'll keep you guessing and you can see it tomorrow!

But I did make another bag because I'm like this master sewer now. I had some five inch charm squares in the stash. These are from the Nell's Flower Shop collection by Blackbird Designs for Moda. I love these fabrics. This bag is for my friend Pam because she deserves it, not that anyone should necessarily be deserving of my sewing skills, but I did my best, pressed my work. I found the iron, under a pile of Rolling Stone and Martha Stewart magazines, isn't that where everyone keeps their iron?

After spending a good bit of time checking out the instructions for lining a bag in my Sew Easy, Sew Fast book, and looking for more directions online, and getting really frustrated last night, this morning I called Pam and asked if she could walk me through that whole lining a bag thing. She said "Sure bring it over, I'll help." I said, "I can't really do that, this is something for you! Surprise!" She said, "Bring it over, I'LL HELP!" I did and she made the lining for her own gift. I know I totally suck, but on the positive side, she loves the fabrics and they were a surprise to her, I never showed her my little collection of charm squares so it was a surprise.

Tune in tomorrow for a picture of neighbor girl's bag!

Thanks Y'all!

Thank you for all the notes and emails about my dad. They were all appreciated more than you know.



If you read my friend Sharon's Blog this little biscornu will look familiar. I went to my mailbox one day last week and found the frogs. I am deeply in love with these guys. They have beads on their toes. Frogs with bling. Sharon ROCKS! I am so honored to be the recipient of these guys. Thanks Sharon--for so many things but most of all for being my friend.



Here's the back:

It's overcast here, of course I post no pictures for ages and the first day we get rain I decide it's the perfect time for a photo shoot. The spousal unit is probably correct that I really don't need a Hasselblad camera. I'm kind of obsessing over one right now. Ashton Kutchner humping Nikon has really put me off wanting a D80 Nikon now. I know I'm weird.

Some stitching has been going on:

Above you see part of page 10 and part of page 11 of HAED Dark Waters based on the artwork of Selena Fenech. And below you see how the table looked right behind the stitching. Crystal will not move and she hisses when you try to move her yourself. I left her alone and just propped the Q-snaps on the cat. Whatever works right?

Chick With No Skilz

That would be me. I thought zigzaging around some wave borders for my Just Beachy quilt would be easy. Wrong. Even going S-L-O-W I messed it up in some spots. I need a little bit more control and some practice.

My library has started getting in books on Playaway. They are so freakin' cool. It's the convenience of an iPod without spending time loading the material on the computer and then loading it up on the iPod. I price checked these on Amazon and they are only a little more than a book on CD.

Haven't had a picture of my guys on here lately. Here they are at the hotel where my SILS were staying a few weeks ago. The youngest is refusing to cut his hair. I'm letting it go. Picking my battles. He keeps it clean so we'll see how long he can suffer with the Fabio look.

BTW-I conducted a taste test, McD's iced coffees vs. Burger King. If a Starbucks Frappe is no longer in the budget go with the Mocha Joe at Burger King. The McD's are awful. JMHO of course. But the Mocha Joe has a really rich taste and I've tried several at McD's different times of the day, different McD's and they all taste watery and why don't they have a mocha flavor? Vanilla, Hazelnut and Coffee are the choices around here. Don't they know people love mocha?

Time Flies

It's been a while since my last post. On the date of my last entry my dad passed away. I really don't know what to say or write about it at this time. I kept thinking there were things to say but for time being, I'll just keep the thoughts as my own.

Other things have been going on these past few weeks. The boys last day of school was yesterday and so begins the long summer of "I'm bored, why don't we ever do anything, can't we go somewhere" blah, blah, blah. If they don't watch out I'll send them to my mother for a few weeks and they'll be very happy to come home and sit around our boring house.

I finished my part of a sewing project and when my friend finishes her part I'll post a picture. It's one of those things where I said, "Oh I can make on of those" forgetting that I have no skilz to speak of. This is a thing for the little girl next door. I wasn't sure she'd be happy with it until I showed her the inprogress item and she was thrilled. So pictures to come in the not too distant future. My success with that item has me finally getting up the courage to sew the flipping skirts I've been wanting to make. So maybe this afternoon I'll suck it up and get those done. The patterns are fairly straightforward. I also need some new "lounge pants" in summer fabric instead of my winter flannel so maybe I'll make a pair or two of those, need to get some fabric.

So life goes on, crafting continues, the sun still shines, and the children still whine........

Naked

Or nekkid....I have determined that I have no clothes. You know Sunday Go To Meeting clothes? I live in Nike tshirts, faded denim shorts that are raveling pretty bad right now, and the odd pair of capris which would make Tim Gunn pass out because baby my butt is too big and my legs too short for the capri style but they are cheap, readily available, and I can wear them all year round. They just aren't flattering.

This morning I was doing my five a.m. walk with my friend Pam and we were discussing who were are. Pam told a story about a shoe she took to a women's group that was supposed to represent who she was, I said, hmmm, shoes that represent me? It would be either my red Laredo cowboy boots or my red four inch heel pumps. Now anyone that sees me on a daily basis would know that I never wear those shoes any more or even come close to wearing clothes that go with them but they are very representative of the inner me. I love my cowboy boots, always have, always will. My pumps, my Lord, I love high heels. I never wear them any more but I used to wear them every single day and loved them. No my feet never hurt and I wore them because I liked them, not because the fashion magazines told me to, I am short, heels kind of put me on an even playing field, sorta.

I'm not sure what the red says about my personality, other than my red pumps and my red boots hold a special place in my heart and I wore them with everything.

So why am I naked? Well, since I've gained weight and I've been, how do I put this, FAT, for a few years, I refuse to buy clothes. I'm portion controlling, I'm trying hard to walk my ass off, but no matter what I do, it's not enough. Sure my heart is stronger, my cholesterol is probably at a better level but the fact is my butt is still big, my boobs still sag, and it's frustrating as all get out. On a daily basis I don't obsess over my weight, I know that the loss of 60 lbs would change my world, I'm trying, but I don't obsess. I try to eat healthy and make better choices, going back to the whole foods lifestyle gradually, but while I don't obsess I also am making changes so I know that this state I am in is not permanent. So we're back to being nekkid....here's the deal, I'm in serious need of some clothes but I can't bring myself to go to the store and try them on. It's easier to live in the old clothes, until, that moment happens when you have to go somewhere, you have to go out with people, you have to LOOK NICE.

Then I can be found in the floor of the dressing room in Target sobbing, because news flash, I'M FAT. Yeah, you would think I would know this, I would know it everyday when I get out of the tub and see my round stomach in the mirror, but I don't because the clothes I put on fit. They don't hide the fat but they cover it. It's ok. It's when I'm forced to go to the store, find clothes on the rack in what I presume to be my size, take them to the dressing room thinking, ok, I might just look hot in this, only to discover that my butt doesn't quite fit in the pants or maybe the butt slips right in but the button on the waist band is in the wrong place or wait, maybe, they didn't make the waist band long enough? Does that happen? You know the butt fits fine, but you still have three inches in the waist that aren't going to ever come together, under any circumstances.

Clothes shopping is the most traumatic experience in my life and it's not because I'm vain, it's because I'm fat, and while I think I live in the real world regarding my ample behind it's only in the harsh light of the department store dressing room that reality seems to smack me up side the head. I can't bring myself to clothes shop. I just can't do it. It's one of those things that just hurts too much. Are my expectations too high? I don't expect the clothes to make me look thin, I so completely get that, but I do expect them to look better than what I wear everyday, but somehow they seem to look worse.

That is just not right.

Right now, laying on the table in front of me, are the bits and pieces of a sundress I have cut out and am going to sew together. I decided that maybe I should try making a few pieces of clothing. If they don't fit I can use the fabric in a quilt or something right?

We won't discuss how I don't know how to sew. I won't mention how one pattern piece was supposed to be turned over on the wrong side before I cut it out but I didn't notice that until it was too late. I checked and double checked before cutting and still missed that important little fact.

I can't shop for clothes, I can't sew, if one or the other of these issues isn't resolved soon, I may not be able to ever leave the house because naked will be really, truly, NEKKID and there's nothing about that that sounds appealing at all. To anyone......

"We're in a slow down"

The title of this post is courtesy of President Bush. I reckon "slow down" is a technical economic term.

Here's what I know: milk and gas are now almost the same price. My grocery bill has tripled and I'm buying less. Sam's Club and Costco are rationing rice. But the other day I ran across an even bigger concern:

http://www.dmc.fr/mjRS/3/doc/Communiques/en/press_release_24_april_2008.pdf

I can only hope that DMC is just taking a moment and restructuring their company and not going completely out of business. A friend pointed out that the store that shall not be named's no longer stocking of DMC might possibly have had a huge impact on the sales of DMC in the USA.

I don't know anyone that has stopped buying DMC because it's no longer available at the store who shall not be named but I do know that for me, instead of buying 10-20 skeins every time I walked in the door, because I always have a list in my purse, my purchases of DMC are now limited to trips to AC Moore or JoAnn's and those occur less frequently than my trips to the store who shall not be named and I still only spend my allotted DMC amount on each trip which is usually $5. So where at one time I was spending $5-10 a week on DMC(because it's really easy to sneak in a few extra dollars of DMC in with the groceries) because really I'm always kitting something up, I'm down to about $5 a week, if that, because DMC is 35¢ a skein at AC Moore and JoAnn's. So if I stay within my DMC budget I'm not only spending less per month on DMC but I'm also buying fewer skeins of floss. So even as dedicated a DMC user as me, someone who sees it as a weekly purchase if possible, my purchases are down. Not so much from a financial aspect but as an accessibility issue.

I do know that I am going to start stocking up on DMC like never before. I have several projects that I want to kit up so instead of waiting until I'm almost ready to start them, I will be hoarding up DMC just in case.

DMC is one of those constants in my life. It has never once crossed my mind that there might be a world without DMC. Are we going to be stuck using off brand floss, purchased in those multiskein packages? Talk about worst nightmare. If I can't afford gas or groceries, I always thought I'd at least be able to stitch-it's also one of the reasons I have never let go of aida, it's affordable, I don't want to be miserable stitching so the luxury of being a fabric snob is one I have never allowed myself, I can always afford aida(yes, I love linen, really good linen but aida, it's my friend). But the idea that stitching would always be an affordable hobby even in hard times, that's looking bleak now. My blame may be misplaced but now as I see it there's another reason to dislike the store who shall not be named. Will my town ever get their own Target so it's not the only game in town?

Let the DMC hoarding begin......

Rockin' the Needle

Sometimes when a BAP just never seems to get finished it's good to put the stitchin' in perspective by thinking small. The other day I was browsing a group on flickr.com and ran across Minipop Cross Stitch - a photoset on Flickr--then I found--Mötley Crüe on Flickr - Photo Sharing! So then I wandered over to Rubykhan's inspiration: Flip Flop Flyin' I decided that I needed a bit of small in my life right now. Below you see my version of the Crüe in cross stitch. You can click on the picture for a larger view, the tats might show up a little better. Yeah, I know they are only Xs but still.



Decade of Decadence and Dr. Feelgood are always in rotation on my CD player, The Heroin Diaries, read cover to cover of course.


I decided I don't like charting things out, even things this small. I did have fun trying to personalize the guys. I used DMC Rayon in blue for Nikki's headband, purple for Mick's headband and jacket trim, red for Vince's pants, and used DMC Metallic E130 Jewel Effects for the tattoos and silver metallic for Nikki's belt. I also used DMC Color Variations 90, to try to give Vince some highlights(yeah, it doesn't really have much effect when you are using maybe ten stitches total--but I tried). Trying to personalize something this small wasn't easy but I think I did alright. Below, my feeble attempt at charting.

Things have been a bit stressful so it was kind of fun to sit down, chart out something and then actually stitch it in a day. I really needed this tiny little finish. Not sure what I will do with them. Probably make them into a shelf pillow, it can hang out with The Heroin Diaries. I do need to find some seriously rockin' fabric though. Another thought is making it into a journal cover.

Major thanks to rubykhan for the inspiration.

It Didn't Happen

But I'm going to post anyway. What didn't happen you ask? I have yet to finish 13th Colony Bay. I made a promise to myself not to post until I finished that honkin' big piece of needlework and well, let's just say, my promise went the way of my New Year's resolutions. So here I am blogging because I missed it. A LOT.



So what's been going on other than not completing 13th Colony Bay? I'm driving a lot. A whole frakkin' lot. And yeah, I overdosed on BSG while the family was all home on Spring Break. The final season premiered last Friday. I'm so glad Sci-Fi put BSG back on Friday nights. The spousal unit did not care for BSG when it was revitalized a few years ago. He liked the campy 1970s version, so did I, but when BSG is on for 10 hours a day, there's a wife in control of the remote as it's the four days of the month that you really don't want to mess with her, well one learns to feel the love for BSG. He's a fan now.



Back to the driving, two sons have jobs, one son has two jobs. We aren't buying him a car, I'm not giving him mine as there are other people in the house, the aforementioned other brother with a job and a younger brother who has an active social life and running club, who depend on me to get them where they need to be so I am a taxi without the benefits of a paycheck. Also, I did my time as a one car family, being stuck in the house with kids, 12 hours a day. I've earned the right to my car. It sucks beyond belief but the goal is to keep the 20 yr employed so he can save for a car. The other son, the middle son will have the money saved to purchase a car in about two months, the older son has been employed for over a year and doesn't have a dime. It's going to really suck to be him when DS#2 has a car. He justifies not having the money saved because he can't sit at home and be antisocial, it's just not who he is. Well he's going to be someone who is 30 and still doesn't have a car while his younger brother is driving all over the place whenever he wants to.



So far this week I have walked four miles a day everyday since Saturday afternoon. My friends Andrea and Pam have been walking with me at 5:15 a.m.(a.k.a. butt crack of dawn). When Andrea gets home from work we do another mile or two. Andrea told me this morning she was really proud of how I have stuck to this and I very honestly told her that how can I stay in bed when I know she and Pam are walking and talking about me and I miss all the local gossip. So I have no choice, if they are walking so am I. Period. Sometimes being nosey can be good for one big behind. At least I hope it pays off in the next few months.



Another perk of walking every morning being able to pass out on the couch when I come in the door at 6:10. I can then do You Tube searches guilt free. One that never fails to amuse me is:



YouTube - 1-900-NERD-GIRL



I can't remember what search term I typed in that led to the discovery of Nerd Girl but it cracks me up especially when my feet and calves are throbbing because Andrea thinks it's important to sprint occaisionally.



Thanks to this blog:





things I've made



I've become obsessed with embroidery. I find myself browsing flickr searching for really cool embroidered whatevers and this is currently my favorite(see link below) and I can't seem to find the vintage pattern anywhere. I love the idea of embroidery, I don't mind stitching it, but my whole indecisive Libra personality kicks in when it's time to choose colors on my own, to decide what stitches to use. A piece of embroidery pretty much takes me as long as a cross stitch piece, just because I can't decide if I'm using the right shade of pink or green or blue. But I love embroidery and want embroidery every fabric covered surface.



His & Hers on Flickr - Photo Sharing!



This song makes me cry, I love it so much:



YouTube - Sara Evans-No Place That Far



This song reminds me why I had a crush on Glenn Frey when I was in high school:

YouTube - Glenn Frey - Part of Me, Part of You * fixed it....now you get some Glenn Frey......

And this, this was the spousal unit and my song when we were dating:

YouTube - Dan Hartman - I Can Dream About You: Relaid Audio

Maybe some pictures tomorrow if the sun will shine, not that that in any way improves my picture quality, but it does seem to help.

** I know Anna is horrified at the horrible grammar in this post. I wrote it fast and just now caught the wrong link issue.....I need to learn to proofread......