Little Love Muffin

Kitten helps me with all my tough jobs… like getting all the ribbon together for our projects!

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Needlepoint is for Grandma… or a 28 Year Old Crafter!

So as I mentioned before, I have been Canadian smocking like it was my job… well smocking and also doing some needlepoint. Yes, needlepoint but not like granny needlepoint… Prim and Propah needlepoint.

Man friend and I went to a used bookstore on Saturday to toddle around and I found some great old sewing books and a needlpoint book from the 70’s. Since I do find some inspiration in vintage feeling things, I thought it was only fitting to try out some of the patterns that most definitely felt dated and put my spin on ’em. I worked on a “P” for the greater part of my Saturday evening… and before you think I am a loser for being in on a Saturday night, we had spent the entire day out and about, it was friggin’ hot and we were tired. Ratatoulle, ice cream and needlepoint seemed like a perfect night in.

I am pretty excited to take some more old fashioned techniques and try them out, see if they fit into what I am cookin’ up. I am pretty sure they haven’t changed all that much but it’s still cool to see things styled a little differently. Mmmmhmmmm. 

Pop N’ Locking Smocking!

So I have been raving to anyone who will listen about ma smockin’! Love it…. This tutorial definitely was super easy to follow and made me love Patchwork Underground.

I only needed a couple of things to get going: Fabric that isn’t too stiff, matching thread, a needle, ruler, and some tailor’s chalk. Voila!

IN PROGRESS:

Finished Product! I am so proud!!

So many more things to teach myself and to learn from others but I am pretty durn excited let me tell you!!

Canadian Smocking

I totally need to try this… People have raved about this tutorial. I have some perfect white gauze like fabric to play with tonight although… my tailor’s chalk is white…Hmmmmm

Struggling for Creativity Time…

Man friend and I slept through our alarms this morning. I thought I heard a vibration at 6:45am and said something to him along the lines of “do you hear something vibrating?” to which I received no response and went back to sleep. That, of course, was our alarm. We woke up, bright and chipper at 8:06 am Ha! I rushed to get ready (and still look darn good I think) but right now, I can feel how tired my body is. It could be partially to the Kayem cookout they had here at work where I took my fair share but I am also feeling a little Blah from the work and blah from the sleep or lack thereof.
The trouble I am encountering these days is that I am not as young as I used to be. I used to get my motivation around 9pm and be up until the wee hours of the morning working on a painting or some craft I just had to finish. I would get up when I needed to and be fine the whole day. I might have crashed when I got home but I always made it through the day. Not the case anymore. I get freakin’ tired!

I do most of my work on my “hobby” after my 9-5 job as a project manager. It’s a good job. It pays well. I am able to work on my hobby because I make enough to pay for supplies to an extent…. but I am left unfulfilled, everyday. I am bored with the lack of creativity that I have in my 9-5 job. I do what I do and I do it well but it doesn’t make me happy. I don’t hate it but like a tire with a slow leak, I think I am losing a bit of my soul everyday that I come to work and feel unfullfilled. I know, I know… a little dramatic but it’s kind of how I feel.

I am struggling to find my creative voice and fine tune it. If only I had more time, or more sleep, or a funner job, or more time in the day, or a bigger alarm clock. If only.

Less than $20 Worth of Materials… Mega Value!

Well man friend and I have too much “stuff”… tons of clothes, tons of games, tons of movies, tons on “junk” so I am always thinking about what I can give to charity, which would benefit us two fold… we could be getting rid of some of the crap we don’t use but also giving to a local and worthy charity. Wellp on my most recent escapade to drop our donations off, I decided to peruse around to see if there was any cool old shirts or dresses or curtains that I could repurpose into something quirky and cool; something “me”. I have been reading Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials and was pretty motivated to try and create not only on a budget but Eco-Friendly as well. Why go out and buy new when I can re-use something that has a history that I can perhaps extend?

Once in my local Salvation Army, I made a beeline to the curtains/drapery/sheets area to see what kind of deals I could get there. Admittedly, I was rather surprised at how much they wanted for a used bed sheet but did manage to find a queen sizes flat sheet (as good as multiple yardage $4.99) with an interesting white and taupe design, some really RAD curtains with a very 70’s feel but not totally outdated (two panels for $5.99) and oddly enough actual fabric (cute nursery rhyme toile about 6 yards for $4.99). They also had random bins of odds and ends that I picked through and found multiple zippers at .29 a pop, some girls tights. I don’t know what I’ll do with them but I grabbed them at .50 a pair and thought they may be useful in the future. Grabbed some twine for my when I use my dye and was on my way. I could not believe how much I snagged for less than $20.00. I ran home to pop my finds in the washing machine so I could start using them!

I have already toiled away on a newest creation, using some of the nursery rhyme fabric. While watching some TV with my man and his parents, I crafted a simple apron for around the kitchen. I know, how very domesticated of me ;). I can’t wait to use the rest of my stuff when the need/time/inspiration arises. I might not discount a “previously loved” item because who knows what “new for me to love” item could come from it?

Fabric I am EXCITED About!!!!

Have the need for some pretty unique fabrics that you won’t find just anywhere? Then you should take a gander at my new favorite fabric shop online, Pink Chalk Fabrics out of Washington State. They tout fabrics for the modern sewing enthusiast and I would have to agree.

Check out the 9 fabrics that just HAD to be a part of my life.