j'ai fini

(By the end of it I was almost je suis fini.)

I finally finished this skirt. I had to adjust the pattern so that it was one size smaller. I made the tab approximately the width of the waistband (just because). And I decided to go with the machine embroidery detail rather than a button (I was going to make a fabric covered button out of the lining fabric, but I love x's. Although, it was hard to line up those two rows of dense zig zag stitching...) I used an invisible zipper instead of a regular zipper (would've had to make it a concealed zipper and that's just too much work - not to mention bulky-ish.) Check out the middle pocket! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle all the under stitching and edge stitching and tailor's tape (since it's like two side seam pockets in one. And like a tube), but it worked. The pocket lining and tab details are my favourite parts.




Yeah!

it's frakking over. and bsg inspired crafts.

So, I was totally having a one person crafting frak party all weekend. It involved watching both parts of the BSG finale and BSG inspired crafting. (The finale was simultaneously satisfying and unsatisfying. Is that possible? I don't like it when anything ends, so maybe that's part of why it was unsatisfying (Hey, I've held off watching the last couple of Six Feet Under episodes for almost a year now! I know how it ends though. Heh.), and space battles aren't really my thing (I like them well enough, but I don't need an hour of it!) Some of the character arc resolutions were a bit too brief (It felt like everything happened too quickly.) I'll probably like it better on re-watch. I was reading some comments/reviews about the finale and I laughed when some people compared the second half of the finale to The Return of the King because just when you think it's going to end it. Just. Keeps. Going. I laughed because it's true. I'm like, "Aw, it's over. Wait, there's more. Oh, now it's over. No, it's not! Godsdammit! Stop toying with my emotions!" The last three minutes, however, had shades of Steven Spielberg, which is unfortunate. You can't win them all.

Anyway! Back to crafting. This BSG inspired crafting project had been eating away at my brain for the past couple of months. The original idea was slightly different (less functional and involved more hand embroidery than I probably could have managed - I'll try it eventually), but then I discovered machine letter embroidery! (Thanks, the workroom!) The outcome of my painstaking effort is below. I originally wanted to make it dark/navy blue so it was more BSG-y, but I didn't have enough blue wool fabric. I had lots of brown though. So I decided this would be my New Caprica version (since it was all muddy and dirty there.) Although, it works perfectly as we wait for The Plan to air - commemorates the ending of BSG and reminds me that I have the movie to look forward to. Yes.

Okay, longest, rambling entry ever, sorry (I'm trying to learn how to edit the html template to insert cuts on here, but it's killing me. Maybe next time.) On to photos.


Sometimes you have to roll the hard...


Six (French knots! I was going to sew some dots on, but it didn't really match the font of the text, so I ended up doing some hand embroidery after all, which ends up being classier. This combines BSG and gambling - which, I guess, would have more to do with the original series, what with the casino planet and all. I've never watched it, I'm just saying. The quote is all New Version Adama (as far as I know.))


Yes, there are robots inside. (Is there anything this fabric can't do? It automatically makes everything classy.)

Too bad it's slightly wonky - it'll be better next time!

I have other BSG inspired crafts. But it involves books, so you can guess what that is. (I'm too lazy to take photos now...)

furoshiki

If there was one thing I was going to make this weekend it was this furoshiki.

Although, technically speaking, I didn't actually "make" it. All I did was finish a fat quarter (which I didn't even cut since I bought it that way - yes, I'm that lazy!) with a rolled hem (which wasn't done very well, because I'm extremely impatient and I wanted to have something done after weeks of dicking around with ideas and having nothing to show for it.)

So, furoshiki it is!

interfacing

I didn't know interfacing came in black. I feel so ignorant!

Anyway, I used it (and this fabulous fabric) to make a patch to fix up my sister's coat.


In other news, I'm (still) feeling a little sore (physically and emotionally) from playing wii sports. I can't believe it thinks I'm 50. Fifty!

killer icicles and deflated logs

So... this is what I did all weekend. I watched the crazy enormous icicles at my parents' house melt (my mom was glad they were melting because she was afraid that if we went outside they would fall down on us...! I told her they would be a good booby trap for trespassers... She did not appreciate my defense of the killer icicles. I liked them!)


And then I worked on this fabric log. It's sort of a bag to hide stuff in. I think I'll make an actual cushion like this as well. I learned that I'm not very good at sewing circles when there are five layers of fabric. It's really hard. (And I may or may not have broken a needle while sewing near the zipper because I was impatient.) Anyway, it looks deflated in the photo because there's nothing in it yet. Maybe I'll get a better photo when it's actually in use. I don't know what's up with this computer screen, but my log looks like it's the same colour all over! (I'm not using my own computer at the moment, so everything looks off. Or, maybe I should just take photos in better light.) It's supposed to be darker on the "outside" (the bark part) and lighter on the "inside" (the end parts.) Well, just imagine that it looks like a real log. Except made out of fabric.

I also drilled holes in a bunch of boards for more book making good-times. I couldn't take a photo because I was using a drill. Safety first and such.

All in all, a productive weekend was had by everyone.

No more! I promise.

Yeah. I'm like the crazy cat lady, but with fabric. I received an email from the workroom letting me know the robot fabric had arrived and was further tempted by this link: Erin Michael's Lush collection (the deer paint-by-numbers fabric is seen peeking out of the top and the laser engraved workroom logo on the bag. The paint palette pattern fabric is at the back of the bag; not sure if it's the matching one, but I'm going to pretend it is). I was only 20% joking when I said I would put it up on my wall. Why do I have such weak self-control?

Speaking of robots, I wish I had the Space channel right now. Boh. (I may be weak with fabric, but I will not read spoilers this time!)

Pack Rat Death Wish

At the rate I'm buying fabric now, in ten years, there will be stacks of floor to ceiling fabric that will threaten to trap me in my place. I will be reaching to pull out some fabric I bought 7 years ago that I only recently found a use for and the whole stack will come tumbling down and pin me to the ground. Weeks later, my neighbours will notice a strange odour and find me buried under all my awesome fabric. Maybe Scully will adopt my dog and name it Queequeg.


One of my new favourites. It has various talking sewing equipment. I think the scissors are telling us to cut cloth of cotton 100%. Awesome! We all need more Engrish on our fabric.

It's a new tissue case for 2009!

I really wanted to use this new fabric (bought at the same time as the robot fabric) for a larger project, but I've been thinking about making a tissue case for a few days now, so I just went ahead and used the fabric for it (I'm so ADD about larger projects these days; I keep making smaller things for instant gratification). I thought the print might've been too big for something so small, but it worked out. I ended up using a golden rod contrasting thread for the top, but now I'm thinking I should've tried to find some gold thread instead. Oh well. Better luck next time.

As is my New Year's Eve tradition, I watched the X-Files a few hours before midnight. I don't know why I do that (I wasn't even planning on watching the X-Files; It always just happens that way - is it still a tradition then?) because I always get really freaked out (I can't watch this show alone, even in broad daylight) and can't do things like go into the basement without thinking that Tooms is going to crawl out of the fucking ducts and eat my liver. Anyway, All Souls was the episode that freaked me out that night and all I could think of was Cartman was right about gingers being evil and having no souls. I think I need a new favourite TV show. No, that's a lie. I love the X-Files. The best seasons (1-5) are still better than 90% of the crap on TV today.

Robot coin purse

I sewed a coin purse the other day because my new wallet is pretty flat and doesn't really hold as much change as I would like (I should probably be less lazy and use my change so this wouldn't be a problem.) Plus, this was an excuse to use some awesome fabric I made a treacherous trip (it was snowing!) to buy right before the holidays (at my new favourite store, the workroom.) Unfortunately, I didn't finish the tiny inside pocket the way I would have liked (because I was lazy) and now it's really bothering me (I had already taken the coin purse apart once because part of it was uneven - off by 3 millimeters - but I couldn't justify taking it apart again. OCD!)

The coin purse is drawstring style so that it looks like I'm carrying a small sack of gold nuggets.