i shall fear knit no more!

thanks yet again to pinterest, i am officially obsessed with t-shirt refashions & working with knit fabric! and i fear knit no more! my serger is another story though...still haven't built up the courage to tackle that 4 thread monster, but this is the year that i will do more than just look longingly at it & wish that it would thread itself!

so here's what i've been up to for the last 2 days & what will more than likely occupy my time over the next few days, possibly weeks!

michael's had their t-shirts on sale 2/$6 this week so i stocked up so that i could get crafty & experimental without breaking the bank! 

shirred waist skirt

i bought 2 of the color pictured & turned one into a skirt & one into a top. the skirt was made using tips from a pin i found about turning a men's shirt into a skirt. the shirt i made turned out to be my own design...it's not bad, but i still need to re-work the sleeves/arm holes.

 

 

my own creation

 i've turned a couple size large shirts into more of a peasant style and they are super roomy & comfortable, and quick to make so i plan on making tons more!

peasant blouse

having luck with those i moved onto trying a couple other pinners tuts for tee refashioning, unfortunately those didn't turn out as well as i was hoping, but not a total loss since it did give me the chance to experiment & helped me realize that some styles don't look as good on me as i want them to!


the first i tried was reworking an old sport tee into something cuter. i did not take pics of that since the end results were less than stellar & that tee will now be used for workout & yardwork purposes only!

then i moved onto turning a long sleeve tee into a ruffle collar tank. i really wanted this one to work out because the pics on the tutorial looked super cute! unfortunately, ruffle collars tend to look rather clown collar like on me so no ruffle neck tops for me...didn't realize this til after i completed the top! even after cutting the ruffle open i still wasn't happy with how it looked. oh well, lesson learned!

ruffle collar tank from long sleeve tee

close up after i cut ruffle open

i also made a "from scratch" top using a pattern & knit fabric. that turned out better than i expected and really made me feel less afraid to tackle more patterns using knit! 

up next will be more skirts & peasant tops from oversized tees and i plan on trying some dress patterns & tutorials as well. i'm in desperate need of maxi skirts & dresses for those days when i want to look girly and hide my unshaven legs at the same time! 


some day i will tackle all my sewing fears...for now, i'm thrilled that i have taken the plunge into knits and can't wait to keep creating new clothes!

rollin' right along

i'm on day 21 of my pinterest challenge and so far, so good. 

i really wanted this to be a great entry about all the wonderful things i've tried, but it's late and i'm tired so it's short & sweet this time.

today i made a meatloaf from a recipe i found...altered it a bit to fit our tastes & it turned out wonderfully, a definite keeper; which led me to find recipe card printables so that i could remember exactly what i did for the next time.

also, printed out some budgeting worksheets (so i can get myself back on track) and some mickey mouse templates so that i can make a couple cute bags for our upcoming orlando trip...which we'll be leaving for 3 weeks from tomorrow (yikes & yippee)!

 and finally, i'm also working on a quilt for jordan's best friend kylee since they will be moving. it caused me more trouble than i expected when i started working on it today, but in the end i got it all quilted & will begin the binding & finishing process tomorrow. 

so, i keep rolling right along with my challenge & am really enjoying it! more pics & better entries next time! 

pinterest challange

i'm in love with pinterest! 
really, i have been for a few months now. 
and that love has now turned into a challenge (thanks to another pinner for giving me the idea) to make, cook, bake, start, or finish something that i've either pinned in the past or pin on that particular day.

so far, so good...but i'm only 3 days in! i made a fabric book cover for jordan on day 1, finished building the doll bed for jordan's american girl on day 2, and wrapped an empty wine bottle with twine on day 3 (today). my guess is most things will be craft related since that is what i'm more inclined to do, but i've also found lots of recipes & tips that i need to try as well. 


it's gonna be a fun challenge & one that i'm pretty confident i can stick with for at least a few weeks...hopefully longer though.




this is the twine wrapped bottle with green twine circle accents that i made today. it was more time consuming than i had expected, but turned out pretty well. i'm happy with it and in the end that's all that matters to me! 

i'm looking forward to the days & weeks ahead...my challenge awaits!

A little vapo-rub & a scrub brush will get that right off

Lessons I learned today:

1. Never use an oil based paint or primer.

2. The google-verse is a great place to find helpful (and not so helpful) options for removing oil based paint/primer from skin.

3. I'm a messy painter.

4. Paint rollers splatter...a lot.

5. One of the ingredients in vick's vapo-rub works with (or is it against?) the oil primer to loosen it from skin.

6. Scrub brushes hurt when scrubbing skin.

7. The top layer of skin on my arms & legs is now gone, along with most of the primer that ended up on me.

8. Never paint with oil-based anything!

i'm back!

ok, so maybe i'm not the most consistent blogger, but i am gonna give it yet another try! 

and this is just a quick little note to say that, yes, i am still crafting & avoiding a perfect house and i have new plans for this year! i decided to forgo resolutions, given that i'm horrible at keeping them, instead i am making plans & coming up with new ideas...so far, so good but it is only 6 days into the new year! 

first up for the month of january is $0 crafting, meaning that i make do with what i have here on hand & start on my task of cleaning out some of the yarn, ribbon, & fabric that i already own, as well as finishing up projects that should have been done long ago! i'm also reorganizing & decorating my craft/sewing/guest room...i'm super excited about that & should be starting next week, i've already gotten the primer & paint!

beyond that, i plan on painting & organizing the laundry room, crafting like a crazy person, & generally enjoying life! we've got a big family trip down to orlando planned for easter break & i'm sure all the things leading up to & following will be perfect for blogging...even if it's only for my venting benefit!

so come on back in the coming days & weeks, months even...i'll be posting pics of all the crafty-ness so far & i know that pics are the favorite part of blogs (at least they are for me :))!

i want...i want...i want...

i want to sleep away this migraine...
i want to sew all day...
i want to stop being lazy...sometimes
i want to read all day...when i'm not sewing, that is
i want to keep up with my blog...at least every other day, not every other month
i want to find cleo so i can give her her insulin shot...she's always hiding when it's shot time!
i want to stop buying fabric for the next few months...i already have way more than i will ever use!
i want to get started on making christmas gifts...or at least start a list for making those gifts.
i want a new van...i'm (not so) patiently waiting until next year to get one.
i want to remodel our bathroom...the shower is way too small & the tub is way too big!
i want to re-do my craft room...just not sure where to start!

but right now, what i really want is a big cup of hot chai tea...and that is so doable that i'm gonna head downstairs & make at least that one thing happen!

chronic laziness...

i am lazy...i will be the first to fully admit it. i'm not proud, i'm just not gonna deny it. i've tried to change, but change like that is hard & requires commitment that i, quite frankly, can't seem to muster. 


i'd like to be less lazy & i'm trying...i've been able to commit myself to exercise on a regular, near daily basis for the last 3 weeks...although the lack of weight loss is starting to irritate me, but that's a story for another blog, another day!

my laziness seems to have more to do with cleaning & finishing things...although the non-finishing of things may be more procrastination, less laziness. or they could be the same thing...who knows?! either way, that's who i am & i just wanted to share...it's one less thing to have rolling around in my head.


and so now, i'll try to be less lazy...well, probably not...at least i'm being honest with myself & that's a step towards positive change!