I'm official...

See, on the right there? I have the button to prove it and everything. :)

Season 12 has started and the polls are now open. So head on over and check it out. There are some pretty crafty ladies putting up some pretty neat ideas for your consideration. My hope for this week is not to be the first person voted off! Mostly because I have something very cool in the works for week two that I really want to share... 

I hope you pick me! 

A serious case of awesome!

So a couple of weeks ago I saw this post over at Sewing in No Man's Land and I immediate stuck it on my Pinterest board of projects I want to make. We are hard core Lego fans around here and all three of my kids will spend hours playing with them. I even ran right out and got all the supplies we would need. But then I ran into a bit of a snafu. There are no ready to download and print out easy Lego head templates out there. At least none that I could find. I hemmed and hawed and tried to find someone I knew with a Cricut and more computer savvy than myself to help me design one. And everyday for the past two weeks my kids have begged and pleaded with me to make the shirts. Finally today I said, "Okay." I figured the worst that could happen is that I waste an entire roll of freezer paper trying to draw a stinking Lego head....

First things first, I had the kids round up all our Lego heads for inspiration. 

Then I started sketching. 

Here's the part when I pat myself on the back for free handing these suckers!

 That's right. I looked at the tiny Lego heads and drew the faces onto the freezer paper and then cut them out. No tracing, no time saving machines, no down loads. Not too shabby if I say so myself. :)

The kids were eager to start painting.

P.S. I totally underestimated how much paint these would suck up. Fortunately I just happened to have an extra tube of the same yellow paint in a kit. But if you want to make more than one, buy the big bottle!

The hardest part was waiting for them to dry.

Jake's two shirts.

(Why does he get two? Because the shirts were 4/$10 and he gets far less things made for him than the girls do.)

The girly version. 

(I'm seriously considering making one for myself...)

Quick! Photo shoot before the sun goes down!

These were really fun to make and even though they aren't perfect I am pretty darn pleased with how they turned out!

I made it!

My audition piece was the Sweet Little Sun-Dress 

Now I can show off how cute my darling girl looks in it!

Vintage embroidered pillowcase and silk ribbon.

I didn't take pictures for a step by step tutorial, but it is pretty straight forward and uses pretty basic sewing techniques.

I cut the skirt to the length I wanted, then cut the rest of the pieces from the left over fabric.

(I always add 1/2" seam allowance to each side, so doubled it's 1". It makes the math easier, and I am all about making the math easier...) 

The finished band is 2" wide so my strip was 5" x (chest measurement + 1"). I folded it half and then realized that I needed an opening in the skirt since I wanted the top to be fitted. 

I cut a small slit about 4" down the center back, then finished the edge with a small piece of bias cut from the same cloth. 

I added a  3" placket to one side of the band to sew the buttons to, and the buttons can moved to allow her to wear the piece longer as she grows.

The 1 1/2" shoulder straps were 3 1/2" x 18". (I only take a 1/4' seam allowance when sewing a tube so the seam won't be too bulky.)

I pressed the seam to the center of the strap so it would be hidden against her skin when worn. 

I gathered the skirt to fit the band and pinned the shoulder straps into the seam in the front before sewing it in place. 

When they were tacked into place along the top of the band it makes a fun detail along the front of the dress, and a convenient place to hook my finger and keep her from running away during church. :)

I added the ruched ribbon trim and the buttons and we were ready for her to model it!

So... now for my story about timing. 

Last year when I tried out for this contest I was so bummed when I didn't make it. Then Missy emailed and asked if I was interested in trying out for later season, in the fall. I said "For sure!" and went about my life.  Which included some craziness like this, this and this. When Missy contacted me and told me that it was time, I asked to be put back on the waiting list as we were getting ready for a major remodeling project. But I underestimated just how slow government red tape can be. Fast forward another six months and we finally have been approved for the funding and are starting our major remodeling project, which entails packing up and moving out for the next 3-4 months, in the next few weeks. At the same time Missy emailed me about auditions. I wasn't about to put this off again, so I said, "Why not?" 

It's do-able. Crazy, but do-able. It actually made for a nice difference, last year I was a nervous wreck the entire week the auditions were posted. This time around I've been much more relaxed and had an attitude of "If I make it... awesome. If I don't... it wasn't meant to be." (Don't get me wrong. Now that I'm in, I'm super excited and my brain is going overtime thinking up crafty ideas!) In one way it's really good for me because the situation (packing up and being away from my sewing room for months) means that I have to be very organized and prepared. No last minute procrastination for me, I have to decide on my projects and get them done. So even if I get voted off I will still post them over here and play along at home. 

Long story short, life is what happens when you're busy making plans and if you wait for conditions to be perfect before you craft you'll never make anything but plans!

Auditioning is really scary...

So.... because I am a very particular type of crazy I am auditioning for a crafting contest again. Auditioning for anything is always nerve wracking. Putting yourself out there to be judged... kind of scary. But I am feeling good about what I created and whether or not I make it into the contest. 

You can go here to vote.

So You Think You're Crafty?

There is whole long story attached to the timing of all this, but I'll save that for another time. If you felt like popping over and voting that would be great! Maybe you'll even be able to guess which one is mine...

Sock it to me...

I am trying to be good and finish up the five pairs of socks I have on the needles before I bust out the really cool sock yarn I got this last weekend.  (Mostly I'm just trying to free up some needles rather than buy another set of size 2 dpns.)

First off the needles, this fun pink and grey colorway. 

I went for a simple pattern of 2x2 ribbing to let the stripes steal the show. 

These were the pair furthest along in the basket, so they were up next. I call them my "Sour Patch" socks because the colors remind me of sour candies. The pattern is Esther and while I love the look of them I'm not crazy about the fit. 

I tried the picot edge cuff just to try something different. I like the technique but it makes it a real struggle to pull the sock over the heel because there isn't enough give to the cuff. I will probably knit this pattern again, but with a regular ribbed cuff.

Only three more socks to go and then I can cast on my sparkly new yarn... it literally has sparkles in it!

Isn't it pretty? It's called Vampire and I am trying to find the perfect lace pattern to make with it. 

I also got this skein called Sunshine. I didn't have any idea of what I wanted to make out of it until I was winding it. I realized I was so strongly drawn to this color because it reminded me of my mom. I am going to find a floral lace pattern and make a scarf. Seriously, how could you not be cheerful when wearing an accessory like that?

Shopping the stash

I haven't sewn anything since December. I got burned out trying to get Christmas churned out, then it turned into my wrapping station. And ever since I just haven't wanted to sew. Mostly I think that I didn't want to dig out the sewing cubical. But today there was no more putting off because I need to sew some costumes for my son's school play. It took a lot less time than I thought it would. Most of the mess was just putting away all the wrapping supplies (yes, they've been there since Christmas...) and putting the fabric back on the shelves. My girls had knocked them through the cubbies and onto the floor. I was pretty irked with them when I started refolding it all, but soon I was caught up in shopping my stash and picking out fabrics I wanted to sew up. First items on the cutting table, new skirts! My girls love to wear skirts and our selection of everyday playing in skirts are getting a little ragged. 

In an excess of creative good-will I let my three year old pick out fabric for a skirt.

She immediately pounced on this purple cotton that is printed all over with ballerina princesses in sparkly skirts... awesome. 

It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I said she could pick. 

I found the lace in my embellishments box and it worked perfectly with the fabric, because the hearts have an iridescent sparkle as well.

She loves her new "fanciest skirt!"

 Having learned my lesson I decided that the five year old would just get to be surprised by what I chose for her skirt. I hopped on to Pinterest for some inspiration,

found a yard of fabric and started cutting!

I love it! It turned out exactly as I had envisioned in my head. I always get a little thrill when I make something without a pattern and it actually works. :)

This is a very thin, silky feeling cotton. It's probably a blend, but it's been in the stash so long I can't remember where or when I got it. I love the summery color and the vintage look of the floral print.

I added side pockets which thrilled Evie. 

I believe her exact words were, " Ooh! They are big ones so I can put lots of stuff in them!"

 I considered shortening it a bit, more to the knee, but she insisted on keeping the length. I don't mind really, she'll be able to get more wear out of it at the rate she's growing!

The sash is probably my favorite detail, especially as it is just for show. The skirt is pulled on with an elastic back waist and no fastenings to slow down my busy girl. The sash could be tied in the front or back, in the middle or more to one side depending on the look you want.

Two projects done and the sewing room is still clean!

Now that's a good day...

Yarn Binge

Last Saturday I spring cleaned my yarn stash.

 And by cleaned I mean more along the lines of rearranged. 

I had every intention of being incredibly harsh and pulling out yarns that I don't love and know that I will never knit up. I really tried to be critical and honest with myself about what I would and wouldn't use. When all was said and done, I had about five skeins in the discard pile. Hmmm...

I moved some stuff around and found a little more room for the yarn I was keeping. 

I also found that I have six socks that are waiting for their mate. I tossed one that was the wrong size and I knew I would never finish, but still... that's five socks that need to be knit and soon. I'm thinking that I need to do a sock of the month thing for a while...

I did cull out two grocery sacks of odds and ends to send to some friends who are undertaking blankets made up of leftovers, so I felt good about that. 

 I realized that I have lots of great yarns and many, many projects in various stages. 

I got all excited about working through some of my great stash.

Then my friend texted me today to brag about the amazing deals she'd just gotten at our local JoAnn's. They are moving locations in the next week and so they are liquidating everything. I've picked up a few things over the past couple of weeks at 50 and 75% off and thought I got great deals then. But with two days left they've marked the entire store down to 90% off!

What?!

That's right. Ten cents on the dollar. Um... at that price it would be irresponsible not to stock up!

Let me explain.

I usually pay between $12-24 for a skein of sock yarn. I try to wait for it to go on sale, but sometimes you find a colorway that speaks to you and says, "take me home... you know you want me... I need to be yours!" (In my world sock yarn whispers.)

This is a hand-dyed skein that I paid $24 for.

 (I think it wants to be a pair of gloves... but that's a different post.)

This is what I bought today:

22 skeins of sock yarn

3 skeins of crazy pom-pom yarn 

(Lila has been begging me to buy her this yarn for months, and for 50 cents each she finally wore me down. I have no idea what I am going to do with it. I might just end up letting her lug the skeins around and snuggle with them...)

3 rolls of ribbon

4 button cards

(I would have gotten more, but I think my friend Myra cleaned them out before she called me.)

3 sets of knitting needles

Total before discount = $240

Total I paid = $24! 

So just to recap...

And yes, I was so giddy by this purchase I rushed right home and set up a photo shoot with my new yarn. That's more fun then figuring out how to rearrange the stash again...