Sewing Frenzy

Last Friday, I decided I wanted to sew something for C. To help with my decision, Joann's was having a sale on all of their McCall patterns - $.99 each. I totally stocked up. I fell in love with this Oliver and S Brunch Coat that Purl Bee made. I loved the simple orange fabric with elephants, but with my need-to-craft-now mentality, I bought the closest fabric that Joann's had (which really isn't that close at all) and managed to find a similar McCall pattern, although I think I like the sleeves better on my pattern.

First, let me say, that I've never managed to finish sewing a garment without getting frustrated or ditching it halfway through. I've made a quilt and found it easy, but I'm just not good at sewing clothes. Well, at least clothes for me. Let's face it, I can barely find clothes that fit me well from the stores; there's no way I have the sewing ability to sew my own and have them look decent enough to wear in public. Since C is only 2, she's much easier to fit, no hips help. This is my first time sewing pockets, my first collar, my first sleeve, and my first gathering attempt.

This pattern was a little advanced for someone with my sewing ability, but I was not giving up. I just stayed calm, took my time and worked on it pretty late. I was able to finish it Saturday night. It looks pretty good, like a real little coat with a few wonky areas as expected, but the sleeves look pretty even. I just need to find some cute buttons for it. Oh, and I need to find a 2 year old who is cooperative enough to try it on. After all that work, I'm getting "No like! No like!". Pfft.

Redecorating

I've been redecorating my office/studio for about a year. It took me about 4 months to decide if I was going to purchase a new desk. The deciding factor to not purchase a new desk was based on availability and price. I couldn't get what I wanted/needed for less than $2k, and even then, I wasn't totally sure that piece would work. I just repurposed the desks I had, and I like what I've come up with. I don't like the dark wood, but I'm not sure painting them is the right thing. So, for now, I'm content with my desk space. Sort of.

DH made me this fabulous Island workspace a while back. It's got lots of storage and is exactly the look that I love for my studio.


Excuse the mess on top and unfortunately, this photo does not do justice to the great job DH did on this island. The island used to be in the middle of the room, because of this:

but it really made the small room just unfunctional. So, this past weekend, I finally took the plunge and moved the island. DH was against the move because he'll hit his head on the chandelier if he doesn't pay attention, but what are you gonna do, right? Beauty vs. Function, I guess. Plus, I'm short so it doesn't affect me. :)

I'm still organizing a bunch of stuff and need to figure out a few more things. I've moved my antique sewing table and sewing machine into the room. I'm excited to have a dedicated and permanent space. You don't know how many times I've passed on a project because it was such a pain to set up a sewing space at my dining room table.

I need to find a desk for C. Currently she has this totally functional but completely horrid red, yellow and blue Little Tikes desk in my studio. And where it is, it's the first thing you see when you walk in my front door. So, I'm trying to think of an inexpensive way to satisfy her art center. I'm thinking of getting two of those unfinished wood cubes (the ones with two open spaces for bins) and adding a top to them. Maybe paint it a nice color and making one side a magnetic board - since we have a stainless steel fridge, we really have no magnetic space to hang artwork. That's the idea anyways. I would love to tackle that project this weekend. We'll see.

And then there's the Toy Bin with all the cubbies that has no place in this room and blocks the closet door from opening completely! I'm having a very tough time ditching/storing these baby toys, but every time I resolve to do it, C starts playing with them again!

Real work is calling me. If you have any ideas for kids' desks, I'd love to hear them. Once the studio is nearing completion, I'll be sure to post some photos.

Things to Accomplish in 2009

Yes, I'm quite aware that 2008 is not over yet, but if I don't write down the things I want to accomplish in 2009 as I think of them, they will be lost forever.

1. Make 2 quilts
2. Take one picture each day = 365 photos
3. Finish the crochet block quilt I started in 2007
4. Learn some embroidery/stitching and complete at least one project
5. Create 1 Scrapbooking layout each week
6. Finish Cecilia's Year One of scrapbooks