I saw the beginning but then it got cloudy. My brother was able to get some pictures.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Eclipse
Did you see the eclipse tonight?
I saw the beginning but then it got cloudy. My brother was able to get some pictures.
I saw the beginning but then it got cloudy. My brother was able to get some pictures.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Black Dress
Tonight I decided to finish up the black dress, same idea and plan as the pink one.
If you hadn't noticed I have had a lot of time lately...yes Mike is gone training in China Lake, this means I have some spare time to work on a few projects.
I also realize that taking pictures after dark in side does not give the best result color wise, the dress looks much better in person. I can't wait for the weather to warm up and finally get to wear these!
If you hadn't noticed I have had a lot of time lately...yes Mike is gone training in China Lake, this means I have some spare time to work on a few projects.
I also realize that taking pictures after dark in side does not give the best result color wise, the dress looks much better in person. I can't wait for the weather to warm up and finally get to wear these!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Summer Dress
I found this fabric this weekend at Jo-Ann's and loved it.
The fabric comes with this elastic ribbing type stuff at the top. It reminded me of the jumper type things I wore when I was about six years old.
Basically all that needed to be done was sew a seam up the back to join the raw edges and voila, you have an almost instant dress. I also got some ribbon that was part of the excellent clearance and sale at Jo-Ann's for President's Day. I attached it to the top and now I have a dress. I got some more coupons from my Mom today and went back to get another pattern of fabric to make a second dress. I will post some pictures when I get it finished.
The fabric comes with this elastic ribbing type stuff at the top. It reminded me of the jumper type things I wore when I was about six years old.
Basically all that needed to be done was sew a seam up the back to join the raw edges and voila, you have an almost instant dress. I also got some ribbon that was part of the excellent clearance and sale at Jo-Ann's for President's Day. I attached it to the top and now I have a dress. I got some more coupons from my Mom today and went back to get another pattern of fabric to make a second dress. I will post some pictures when I get it finished.
Shopping Bag
In the effort to cut back on the plastic bag brought home I decided that it was time to make some bags. There are many patterns available on the internet, I used this one. Next I searched for fabric on eBay and have gotten some red and turquoise canvas type fabric. I also picked up some web straps for handles. I did not use piping, I just didn't want to figure out how to use it. I am still making this sewing thing up as I go along. So first I cut up the fabric using the measurements on my cutting board. (You can see the fancy scissors I got for my birthday last month too!)
Then I marked the center of the side and main piece, aligned them and started pinning.
Here is the first side pinned and ready to sew.
Sewing the corners was a little tricky and I can't really explain how it came together, needless to say I was impressed that they actually turned out decent.
After adding the straps I have a finished product! Not the greatest picture but you get the idea. Had I used the piping the bag would have had more structure and stood on its own, also the fabric was not a very heavy canvas to that might be part of it too.
Then I marked the center of the side and main piece, aligned them and started pinning.
Here is the first side pinned and ready to sew.
Sewing the corners was a little tricky and I can't really explain how it came together, needless to say I was impressed that they actually turned out decent.
After adding the straps I have a finished product! Not the greatest picture but you get the idea. Had I used the piping the bag would have had more structure and stood on its own, also the fabric was not a very heavy canvas to that might be part of it too.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Joel Dewberry Quilt
For my second quilt project I wanted to use prints from Joel Dewberry, I really like his prints and saw today that he has a new collection coming out soon! I started by laying all the prints out in the pattern I wanted on my living room floor. On the Amy Butler one I just did it random. For this I had gotten squares (4 inches) in two color schemes, one was red and black the second was a brown and yellow. I wanted to alternate the colors and not repeat too much in each row. There were a total of twelve rows. Once I had sewn the squares into rows it was time to sew the rows together.
Next the seams need to be pressed down.
After the top was ready (yesterday) I went to JoAnn's again to find some batting and fabric for the back. I selected a red of course. The technique I use to put them together is to lay out the batting, then the backing and the top on top with the wrong side up. I had to use a 20/80 batting this time ans am not a fan of working with it, previously I used all cotton batting and it was preferable. It is all pinned together and trimmed then I sew the edges, leaving a space big enough to turn out right side out.
Once the seam is sewn and its turned I like to press the edges to make sure it is flat. I then sew a seam around the edge to keep it all together, this also closes the opening I used to turn it out.
After the edge seam is done its time to "quilt" it. I made a line of stitches down every two rows. This Time I wanted to try something new (to me at least) and I put a red thread in the bobbin and kept the off white on top. The result was the stitches on the bottom were red and the top the off white. I think it looks good like that. Here is a close-up of the prints.
A look from the top. This one is actually long enough to totally cover my legs and feet!
A look at a bit of the back. You can see the off white stitches around the edge and the red blend right in.
I one other project I worked on the last few days too, but wont be putting any pictures up for awhile since it is a gift for a new arrival coming soon. Since this is a long weekend I expect to be able to get a few other things completed so keep an eye out for more posts soon!
Next the seams need to be pressed down.
After the top was ready (yesterday) I went to JoAnn's again to find some batting and fabric for the back. I selected a red of course. The technique I use to put them together is to lay out the batting, then the backing and the top on top with the wrong side up. I had to use a 20/80 batting this time ans am not a fan of working with it, previously I used all cotton batting and it was preferable. It is all pinned together and trimmed then I sew the edges, leaving a space big enough to turn out right side out.
Once the seam is sewn and its turned I like to press the edges to make sure it is flat. I then sew a seam around the edge to keep it all together, this also closes the opening I used to turn it out.
After the edge seam is done its time to "quilt" it. I made a line of stitches down every two rows. This Time I wanted to try something new (to me at least) and I put a red thread in the bobbin and kept the off white on top. The result was the stitches on the bottom were red and the top the off white. I think it looks good like that. Here is a close-up of the prints.
A look from the top. This one is actually long enough to totally cover my legs and feet!
A look at a bit of the back. You can see the off white stitches around the edge and the red blend right in.
I one other project I worked on the last few days too, but wont be putting any pictures up for awhile since it is a gift for a new arrival coming soon. Since this is a long weekend I expect to be able to get a few other things completed so keep an eye out for more posts soon!
January Reads
Its just past the middle of February but I am finally getting around to posting my January books.
- Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Airhead by Meg Cabot
- Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
- Horatio's Drive by Ken Burns
- Prison Ship by Paul Dowswell
- 1776 by David McCullough
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Star Trek The Tour
Last Sunday I took my brother to Long Beach to see Star Trek the Tour at the Queen Mary Dome.
When we walked in they had a lot of the models that were used in the shows and movies before they started making them with cgi. These models were really detailed and just impressive.
Another part of the exhibit was costumes. Again they spanned all of the movies and tv series. This one is Spock's uniform from on of the original series.
Then there were props, this picture is of weapons from the various shows. The had all sorts of props and sets, some of the sets you could actually walk onto and get your picture taken.
There were also many interactive elements. Here you could be beamed away and back, afterwards you could get a dvd of it, there were several things like this that could be done. There were also a few ride type machines you could do (for free!) that were really fun.
And here I am afterward, it was a lot of fun and not too trekkie. The exhibit has been extended till March so I recommend heading over and taking a look. If you want to see more you can check out my youtube videos.
When we walked in they had a lot of the models that were used in the shows and movies before they started making them with cgi. These models were really detailed and just impressive.
Another part of the exhibit was costumes. Again they spanned all of the movies and tv series. This one is Spock's uniform from on of the original series.
Then there were props, this picture is of weapons from the various shows. The had all sorts of props and sets, some of the sets you could actually walk onto and get your picture taken.
There were also many interactive elements. Here you could be beamed away and back, afterwards you could get a dvd of it, there were several things like this that could be done. There were also a few ride type machines you could do (for free!) that were really fun.
And here I am afterward, it was a lot of fun and not too trekkie. The exhibit has been extended till March so I recommend heading over and taking a look. If you want to see more you can check out my youtube videos.
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