Moving Anxieties

November has been chock-full of anxiety, hasn't it?  Sandy was here right before Halloween, so I started stitching my feelings during the storm.  The election followed, and though I didn't have any embroidery to work on, I wish I had because watching the returns surely gave me an ulcer.  At one point, Florida had a difference of 193 votes between the two candidates, which blew my mind.

We've also been in the process of moving, which means we've traveled to Charlotte and back in one weekend, finding a house (!!!) to rent, as well as coordinating movers, buying assloads of boxes, and packing, packing, packing.  In times like these, my focus can't be disturbed.  So I packed up my fabric and patterns first, before ever even considering another route.  I didn't--couldn't--be distracted by the sudden need to make a dress.  We also designated our dining room as the holding spot for all boxes, so the logistics of space disappeared quickly.  At this point, we're five-high in boxes, waiting for Friday.

I thought I could do it.  I really did.  I thought, as long as I keep my eye on the prize, I can get through this rough spot and get to Charlotte.  I decided my sewing room would be top priority, as Nicholas could unpack the kitchen easily.  That way, I would be able to work on a few things in between unpacking, getting new licenses and registrations, and just generally getting things back in order.

Well.

It didn't happen that way.

I think the breaking point came over the weekend.  I realized moving before Thanksgiving, so I could go to my parents' house for the holiday, just wasn't going to happen.  Nick's dad is graciously driving our U-Haul, and he couldn't get here until Thanksgiving day.  I had to cook a Thanksgiving dinner and dessert and then pack to leave the next day.  My plans were falling apart.  Dramatic?  Yes, but the holidays are of great importance to me, and not spending them with my family for the second year in a row was too much for me to deal with.  I looked around at our boxes of crap, of the dust piling up in the corners, and realized I had to do something.  I had to get my mind off of our depressing holiday plans.

So I started stitching.

Hand embroidery is great, at least for me, because it requires very few tools.  Even though my hoops, needles and floss were somewhere in a taped-up box, I knew I could go to Michael's at any time to buy a few things.  For under $10 I left the next morning with a seven-inch wooden hoop, about 15 colors of floss, and a pack of needles.  I spent Saturday night buying a handful of PDF patterns so I could stitch as much as I wanted.  Sunday morning I bought the supplies, and after we had run our errands and packed a few more boxes, I started embroidering.

I started with the Erin Paisley collection for Sublime Stitching.  I had been eyeing these since they debuted and, because the PDF was extremely affordable ($3.50!  For eight patterns and the reverse!), I finally bit the bullet.  I don't own a printer, so I used my iMac as a lightbox and traced the pattern on some Moda Bella solid white with a water-soluable pen.  Super easy.  

 In three days, I traced and embroidered all four animals.

I used similar methods for all four.  For example, the wreaths or frames around each are stitched using satin and stem stitches.  All four names are stitched with split stitches.  The animals themselves have two colors in their outlines: I used two lengths of two different colors for each, and stitched them with stem stitches as well.  All have pink noses, except the owl.

My problem is, I don't know what I'm going to do with them.  My mom pointed out they'd be good for a nursery, but I'm not having a baby anytime soon, and anyway, they're a little creepy (in my opinion) for kids.  I like them for adults, but the rabbit might be the only suitable one for children.

So I have two more days (we move Friday morning as soon as everything is loaded), and while I do need to bake brownies, roast a chicken and some root vegetables, mash potatoes and simmer some cranberries, I'm sure I'll have more time to stitch.  The closet and the kitchen are the last rooms to pack, and neither are bigger than my Yaris, so I think I can handle it.

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!  I wish I could spend it with my family.  Next year, I suppose!

French Knots and Sandy Stitching

As of Friday night, all my fabric is packed away.  I think I'm clinically depressed now.  No projects, no plans, nothing!  I like to keep busy and I like to have something to work on at all times, and while I'm technically working on setting up a whole new life in a different city, there's nothing to distract me.  That was my plan, after all; if my fabric was away, I could focus more on the task at hand.  But that task kind of sucks and I wish I was making a dress instead.

While Sandy was blowing through early last week, I started on a couple hand-sewing projects, as I didn't know if/when the power would go out.  I didn't want to rely on my machine if we wouldn't have electricity for days.  Thankfully, D.C. was lucky and we didn't lose power for even a minute.  But I still had plenty to keep me busy while I watched the news coverage of the storm.

I'll have a mini quilt up on Squaring Up tomorrow, but this was the embroidery project.  My cousin Jesse graciously let me sleep in her bed while I was in Charlotte a couple weeks ago, so I made this as a thank you.  I'll give it to her whenever I see her next, which could be very soon!

Jesse had a lot of blues and greens in her apartment (minus Grace's room, which is all pink, all the time), and I remember she picked up something chartreuse while we were out and mentioned she liked that color.  I chose four blues and a bright green I had in my floss stash.

French knots are...tedious, and for a long time, I didn't think this would ever come together.  Because I'm dramatic.  The knots are three-ply, if anyone was wondering.  To get the "j," I cut out a piece of stabilizer in the shape of the letter, ironed it on, and started knotting.  Once I had the basic idea of the letter's boundaries, I removed it and just went with what felt right.

My original plan was to do the entire hoop.  I now realize I was crazy.  This many knots took me two days.

But, I do like it, and it certainly kept me busy while I was worrying about the storm, and then the job, and then the move.  I'm still worrying, but now I have nothing in my hands.

On a different note, we've had a bit of trouble finding somewhere to live that fits our living criteria and is affordable and is in a safe neighborhood.  We wrote out everything we wanted today and we're hoping the universe takes note, because we'd like to move!  Please!

Little Fall Projects

I've officially given up on my Minoru.  The fabric and pattern never magically arrived at my door, so I took it as a sign.  I'm two for three (is that the saying?) on my fall projects.  Sigh.

I've been doing a few other stitchings lately, though.  Nothing too exciting.

My mom's been helping me out a lot lately, quilting and now she's knitting an infinity scarf, so I'm working on a few things for her.  First is this little owl scene.  The close-up of that owl makes me think it's making this face: O___o, probably because I gave it a crew cut.  Sorry, little buddy.

These might turn into another gift for my mom.  At first I thought I'd make her a mini Modern Maples quilt, but now I'm considering making one of the Barn Bats blocks from Elizabeth Hartman.  Opinions?  

I was boo'ed this week at work (before you think I'm being bullied) and my job, in exchange, was to boo two more co-workers.  I don't have a ton of money to go out and buy fun things this week, so I used what I had and sewed up two Perfect Zip Pouches and stuck a Cadbury Dairy Milk in each.  The whole aim is to remain anonymous--like a ghost?--but, because I'm an idiot, I wore my Flea Market Fancy shirt today, not even connecting the two.  I don't know that my co-worker saw me, but lord, I really wonder about myself sometimes.

Proof:

Duh.

I'm heading to Charlotte for a quick trip Thursday and Friday, so I guess it's a good thing I'm no longer making a jacket before Halloween!  Speaking of Halloween, does anyone else think it's awesome ABC is showing It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on the 31st, instead of weeks before?  For those of us who don't get trick-or-treaters, it's a blessing.

See you soon!

Me, In Other Words

There hasn't been much going on to post lately.  I've been kinda sewing, we have a houseguest, and I've been working.  Boring!

So, here are a few places you can find me in the meantime:

Squaring Up, my blog with the great Ariel.  We're tackling our beginning adventures in quilting and I made a quilt top!  Go check it out!

Wild Olive, run by Mollie, who needed some stitching help this week!  I embroidered the lyrics (from a Disney ride, perfect for me) on a cotton towel and she provided a free pattern--available to everyone!  So go take a look already!

Pinterest!  I pinned so many things last Friday that Pinterest asked me if I was a bot.  Um, no, just highly organized.

Okay, I promise I'll be back soon with something interesting.  Hopefully.

Gift Frenzy

I've been on a gift spree lately!  Nothing too big, but I've stitched up a few small things in the past week:

My friend Kelby moved to Chicago last month and I thought she needed a little housewarming present.  I traced a "k" onto some Washi (I swear, I've gotten more out of those half-yards than anything else...) and just did a quick satin stitch.  As you can see, my framing work could be better, but it was the first time I've ever framed an embroidered piece.  Also, I'm not sure it needs two rows of stitches, but I guess that's the seamstress in me.

Speaking of Washi, my good friend Dawn recently got promoted (we worked together at Bath and Body Works while I was in college and she's been with me through thick and thin).  She's also taking her first mini-vacation in ages (to Savannah!  Lucky gal) and I thought she needed to celebrate!  I made her the large style A Perfect Zip Bag.  I also stitched a small initial on the inside.

I cannot tell you how much I love these bags.  Such good presents.

Finally, my friend Rhonda sent me a fun rainbow metal zipper, and to thank her, I stitched up a sign for her store. I ended up freehanding the type, which is pretty obvious, but it just wasn't working with the marker or a pencil.  I need to pick up a hoop to frame this and then it'll be on its way.

I finally sent out these gifts on Tuesday, so hopefully no one peeked and spoiled the surprise!

I've also decided to make my brother a t-shirt quilt for Christmas.  Has anyone tried this before?  I have a basic idea of what I need to do, but I've never sewn knits before and don't have a serger.  Help would be awesome.

Two More 2209s

Remember back in January when I said I probably wouldn't make the Lisette Passport dress (Simplicity 2209) again, because I don't like to repeat patterns?  So much for that.

I made two more dresses, one from an Anna Maria Horner print and the other from a Denyse Schmidt print.  The AMH version really had me worried--was the print too busy?  Would I look like a crazy person?  Would it scream "homemade"?  In the end, I think it turned out well.  It's really nice for summer.

The Denyse Schmidt version was actually the first one I cut out, but I had some issues along the way.  First, it should have been done last week, but I melted a zipper (yeah, yikes) and G Street was closed all weekend due to the storm.  I also had problems with the zipper, once I got one in (found a white one in my stash--it worked!).  Apparently I measured the seam allowance wrong, because I put it on yesterday to make sure it fit and it was a royal effing mess.  It was so tight I could feel my ribs through the fabric!  It was a mess.  So this morning I ripped it out, basted it back in at a different seam allowance, and finished it up.  I'm more excited to wear this dress in the fall, with a cardigan, tights and boots.  It's 102 degrees here today, so fall is on my mind.

Now I'm at a standstill with my sewing.  I'd like to sew a pair of Iris shorts (a wearable muslin, hopefully), but I need interfacing.  I also wanted to sew Simplicity 1801, but I need interfacing and a zipper for that as well.  There are a bunch of random projects that need just one more thing--a hoop to frame an embroidery gift, a zipper to finish a bag, what have you.  And I have no money, which makes buying these items difficult!  Hopefully this weekend things will change and I'll be ultra-productive.

Also, we have some new puppies at the house:

Until we're out of this dumpy little apartment, these will be the only dogs allowed.  Wah wah.  Oh well, Eleanor is happy about that, I'm sure!

Colette Patterns Embroidery Project

I woke up yesterday completely INSPIRED.  Yes, in all caps.  It had been a rough week at work followed by a rougher Friday night at home and I had gone to bed completely exhausted and over it.  I woke up before 8:00 on Saturday morning with sewing on my mind--I had to get going.  It was one of those forceful, you must do this now feelings, and I had to give in.

I've really been exploring hand embroidery lately (by "exploring," I mean, doing what I want and not always doing it correctly, because I'm too lazy to learn) and, despite the two dresses I have cut out and ready to sew, I've been focused on hand embroidery.  I can do it while watching TV and I'm not all bent over my sewing machine until 1 AM because of it.  It's relaxing.  Even though I love love love to sew, sometimes you need a change of pace!

Anyway, so I woke up yesterday knowing what my next project would be: embroidered versions of all the Colette patterns I own.  I think I own eight, plus the book, and most have line drawings on the front cover (except Chantilly, which is still the old watercolor version).  Line drawings are perfect for embroidery.  Why hadn't I considered this before?

Weekend Crafting

There are some weekends I feel super productive, and some weekends I don't.  Sometimes I can make a dress or two, sew and upload a few things for my Etsy shop, and bake a really good cake.  And then sometimes I'm all over the damn place and I wake up on Monday morning with just a couple small projects and nothing really to show for my weekend.

This was an unproductive weekend.

I'm at the point with sewing and embroidering where I want to make and do everything.  My walls would be embroidered over a French seam if it were possible.  But this point is really overwhelming because I can't pick just one thing to make.  I have a lot of different projects cut out--a Cambie dress, a dress for the shop, lots of little bags--but why work on those when I can do something new?  I have to really force myself to sit down, take a second and finish up a WIP before they take over my sewing space.

I did do a few good things this weekend, such as:

More Elizabeth Hartman Perfect Zip Bags!  I started embroidering these while I was in Beaufort, and I bought all the fabric at Tabby. The scissor bag uses two Momo Half Moon Modern prints (the inside is orange polka dots) and a stitched design from Sublime Stitching's Craftopia pattern.  That's my new embroidery bag, which works out really well; for example, I wasn't quite finished with a project last night, so I put it (in the hoop), the floss and the needle all in the bag and zipped it up!  No little Eleanor paws will find that project!

The other bag uses two Stof prints and a Craftopia pattern as well.  This isn't a great picture, but you can kinda see the yarn ball in the bottom corner, which I thought was too cute with the sheep.  This is a knitting bag for my mom, which means that, officially, the holiday season has begun--this is the first Christmas gift of 2012.  Holy moly.  I want to make her an embroidery bag as well, but I think I'm going to wait for the new Aneela Hoey line Sew Stitchy, which you can see here.

  

I also got some embroidery done!  Are these macarons cute or what?  Even if Nick kept calling them hamburgers.  What a jerk.  Anyway, this is the Sweet Treats pattern package from Wild Olive, which can be found here.  This was incredibly easy to stitch; I used a backstitch for the macarons and the faces are cheater knots--I kind of just little little stitches to make them look like circles and knots.

These definitely aren't perfect, but I don't even care.  They're so cheery!

Hey guy!

What'd you make this weekend?

Hand Embroidery Wish List

Man, I have been so into hand embroidery lately.  I've never taken a class, but I owned Sublime Stitching once upon a time (like...ten years ago?  Eight years ago?  Whatever) and taught myself from there.  My mom even had the tea towels I made her on display when we were in Beaufort last month!  Moms are the best.

But, I gave it up once I started my last two years at Flagler, because I was a full-time student and working full-time.  Busy schedules just don't allow for crafting!  I actually didn't become interested again until last year.  I don't know what sparked it in me--boredom, maybe, or the need to spend more money--but I picked up some floss and a hoop and some patterns and just went to town.  And by "went to town," I mean, "started an apron and never finished."  Oh well.  Maybe I'll finish it in time for this fall?  Probably not.

Baby Gifts

Can I just say that, despite my ramblings, I'm not a child-friendly person.  Yes, it has crossed my mind a dozen times.  Yes, Nicholas and I talk of children in hypotheticals.  But, if it were to come right down to it, neither of us like, want, or need to have children.  We like pets.  Pets like us.

However, baby gifts are a whole different story.

Life-long To-Do List

Source

Here are some things I'd like to do in the next year, two years, three years, five years, hundred years:

• Embroidery, such as the above Sarah Jane Studios pattern.  I used to do Sublime Stitching a million years ago, but I didn't really have anything to do with it.  I made a couple tea towels and called it a day.  Now I'd like to actually make things.  It'd be easier if I had a kid, but I don't, nor do I want one anytime soon, so it looks like I'm at Gracie's will.  Hopefully she won't be too much of a tomboy.
• Be successful.  At something.  Something I enjoy.  I'm still fleshing this one out, but everyday I sit in an office is another day I wish I had the money to open my own business.
• Open my own fabric store.  And make it awesome, not dowdy or weird.  If I could be surrounded by creativity everyday, and creativity of my own making, I think I'd be happy.
• Bake bread.  I eat enough of it; I should contribute some to the world.
• See the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I want to do this before I have kids.  I want it to just be me and Nick, and I want to watch it from a hotel window so I don't actually have to deal with any crowds.  I thought about doing that this year, but the prices are ridiculous.
• Pay off all my credit cards.  This is boring but true.  I'm getting closer, but I'll still have a couple big ones for a while.
• Live far, far away.  Further away even than now.  This move has taught me that I did not die by moving far away, and neither did anyone else.  We can do it.  It's crazy hard and sometimes you just wanna cry, but you do it anyway, because someone still has to make dinner and pay bills.
• Have good hair.  I constantly look in the mirror and think, "Now, if only my hair would cooperate..."  However, I'm sure that once my hair is under control, I'll have something to say about my skin or, eyebrows, or something.  Whatever.
• Grow tomatoes.  See: bake bread.
• Manage my stress.  A personal one, but still relevant.  Whether it's anxiety or panic attacks, I tend to have stress issues frequently and always have.  I don't like to resort to medications (bad experiences / I tend to think things aren't as bad as they really are) but I would like to have the time to go to yoga or something, as a way to manage it.
• Live close to my family.  After living far away, if we could all come back together, that'd be great.

I kinda just want to figure out who I am, I guess.  Do you know who you are yet?  Do you have any tips for someone like me?