thimbly things

*Reminder- The Giveaway I posted about last week will be over tomorrow night, so please enter if you want to inherit some hand-embroidered napkins.  You still have a pretty good chance of winning!*

Happy Monday, everyone!  You know you must be growing up when you actually enjoy the start of a new week instead of dreading it with your life.   [Edit: Having been interrupted about 50 times while trying to get this post up, my attitude has changed.  But being aware of said change, I’m determined to make this a joyful Monday, dadgumit.]

The coasters above were a birthday gift for Heather that I made on Friday.  They were quick to whip-up, and I used felt as interfacing.  I got the idea from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.  Fabulous book.  I didn’t really follow the pattern- just guessed at the directions.

So Eric, a good friend of ours here in Tulsa, has decided to make his own cleaning products as he runs out of his old ones.  This is not only environmentally conscious, but incredibly economical.  Here’s an excerpt from an email he sent me:

“The advantages are HUGE: MAJOR cost savings; a healthier, toxic and chemical-free  home; and the stuff actually works. (Did I mention it was WAY cheaper than regular household cleaning products?!)… It’s a great way to get rid of everyday carcinogens and harmful chemicals. So far, I’ve tried the glass cleaner, bathroom/toilet cleaner, and laundry detergent. Once you try the laundry stuff, you’ll never go back. I also can’t get over how cheap all of it is.”

Here’s a site he linked to that has lots of great recipes for cleaning up your act.  I’m going to make the laundry detergent today since I just ran out.

And if you live in Tulsa, you can find the rather obscure Washing Soda at Reasor’s for about $2.50.

Finally, my husband is also having a giveaway at Movie Zeal.  Seriously.  If you like movies, check it out.

Here’s a glimpse of my current project.  Truly, I have about 10 things in the works right now, but this is the most involved.

Sorry for the wrinkly faces.

I did it!  And I posted over at Wardrobe Refashion for the first time tonight.  Here are the two shirts I shared, both from Simplicity 3835.

(In that first picture, I’ve gotta tell you that I’m laughing at Emily who was dancing around with her jeans tucked into her socks to keep the mosquitoes off her ankles.  Now there’s some sartorial awesomeness!)

Mind you, neither of these are “refashioned.”  They are made from scratch.  The first is from a yard of fabric I bought about 2 years ago at Hancock’s.  The second is from shirting material I recently bought at Joann’s.  Yeah, and it was about $5 for 2.5 yards.  Yeah.  When I realized that all I need is One Yard of fabric to make a shirt (the first style), well… you can imagine my joy.  Now my issue is narrowing the field.

I wore the plaid get-up to church today.  So that’s a good sign, right?  Though you never can be sure what folks are thinking.  I mean, they’re not going to tell you, “Gee, Kristena, you look sort of frumpy and homemade today.”  But please, tell me if it looks silly.  Otherwise, I might end up with a closet filled with this same shirt.  Because I think it’s awesome.  And that first one.  Because it’s one yard of fabric.

By the way, I forgot to share this one with you in a timely manner:

It’s the shirt I posted about a while ago.  Looks much better on a person than on a hanger.

So I made some clothes!   There ya go.

First off, thank you for all the encouraging words on my last post!  You folks are so kind.  I hope these next 6 months are thoroughly enjoyable on my end and on yours.  And thanks for stopping by!

On my desk today is an almost-finished tunic from the Built By Wendy Simplicity pattern 3835, fabric I’m considering, and the book In Print by Cath Kidston, a gift from Jillian (my sweet sister-in-law).  I had a little trouble with the back of the yoke on my shirt and have been putting it off for a couple of days.  It’s a funny garment–sometimes I look at it and think I could never pull that off.   But when I put it on, it seems to work.  I guess I just need some feedback from The Ladies.  Husband appears to like it…

Wardrobe Refashion doesn’t officially begin until July 1st.  Anticipating this (and ever determined not to break my commitment), I bought some jeans from Old Navy today.  I figured that would be wise since I doubt I can make jeans, and even if I could, they probably wouldn’t fit.  And I don’t want to depend on the thrift store (as awesome as it is) to have my petite size.  It’s hard enough to find any that fit from major retailers.  I chose “skinny” jeans to be trendy and trouser jeans that need some alterations but should look nice.

So now I’m game to make all manner of garment for the top half of my body.  As long as I have a pair of jeans to go with.

Today I signed up for it.  We’re talking 6 months of making new stuff from old stuff.  I’m game!  I got a head start this month as I tried my hand at sewing my own clothes for the first time.  Here’s one shirt I made from an old skirt I bought at the Gap several years ago.  I wore the skirt on my graduation weekend.  It was a size ZERO!!!

I can’t believe I ever fit into it…although, I’m remembering, it smooshed my internal organs quite a bit.  I must have found it on sale.  Anyway, I used Simplicity 4589 for the yoke and kept a lot of the fullness of the skirt.  I suppose it can double as a maternity shirt at some point (but not yet, for goodness’ sake!).

So I may be dressing like a dork for the rest of the year, but I will be a handmade dork!  Somewhere along the way, I hope to acquire a sense of style.  I can tell what’s fashionable when the clothing stores put it on the racks, but I’m not sure that I can make it from scratch.  We’ll see.  Everything I’ve made so far smacks of the country side of “Town & Country.”  I’ll attempt to make more “town” looks in the future, since I don’t actually live on a prairie.

Oh, and expect to see more pictures of me gazing awkwardly out of this window.

The Pledge

I, Kristena Derrick, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of “new” manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings! Signed Kristena Derrick.

I missed this last week, but on my desk today are pattern pieces, elastic, woven fabric in navy and green, and some shirts than need to be spiffied-up.  I love this Built By Wendy pattern.  Over the weekend, I finally tried it out (a year after purchasing it), and the results were not too shabby.

I shortened the sleeves from what you see here because I looked very much like a yellow triangle.  Then I wore it out last night, and it got stinky from a bonfire–so no pictures.  But I really like it!  Now I want to make another one in a more flattering color and a thinner fabric.  Meanwhile, I plan to use the pattern pieces to add new yokes to old shirts.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

Our friend Catcher turned 1 yesterday, and I made him this owl.  I got a few pictures of the finished (stuffed) product later in the evening when the light wasn’t so great.  But maybe I’ll share them once they’re uploaded.

As a jumping-off point, I used the image from a Cutting Edge magazine that was on my desk in yesterday’s post.  (I didn’t have much time for creative embellishments.)  I just cut out all the fabric freehand (except for the circles) and then stitched the applique on using the zigzag stitch.  It took a few hours, but it was very simple.   And I believe it was genuinely appreciated.  We have such sweet friends.

Next on my sewing agenda is to knock out some utilitarian items we’ve been needing for a while.  I’ve been making a lot of toys lately and feel a little guilty.  I saw this, and it reminded me that Evan has been asking me to make a case for our camera for the last 2 1/2 years that we’ve owned it.  Hmmm.  So my priorities are a little askew.  I’m not gonna lie.

He’s also been asking for some storage solution for our “medicine cabinet.”  Right now, we have a Reasor’s grocery bag under our sink with all our cough syrups, bandages, gas drops, etc. in it.  And it is rather annoying since every time one digs through said grocery bag, one does not feel well or has child in tow who does not feel well.  I haven’t decided what the best solution for this will be.  If you have any suggestions or links, please share!  I’m all eyes.

Due to some forgetfulness on our part, I had the hour between church and birthday party to whip up a gift for sweet little Elena, who turned 1 on Thursday.  Here’s the Lady of the Hour in all her birthday glee.

“It’s my party, and I’ll play with my toes if I want to!”  Happy Birthday, Elena!!!

Here’s the whale I made.  Seriously.  We’re talking 30 minutes start to finish.  I didn’t even know what I was making until I started rummaging through my fabric.  Whew!  I don’t recommend doing this if you love your family and want to maintain the Fruits of Kindness and Patience (and Love and Joy and Peace and…).

Buttons are a major no-no when making toys for babies.  So Elena’s Mommy might be gluing the sucker (or putting him on a shelf?).  I actually tried to embroider eyes, but with 5 minutes, things were looking disastrous.  Out came all my buttons in a frenzy, and then I breathed very deeply and sewed this one on as securely as possible.

[One good thing about this experience is that I now want to make a stash of baby gifts like the whale to have on hand for parties.  This may be wishful thinking, but it would certainly be convenient!]

All the kiddies got to play in a ballpit at the party.  That was pretty great.  Emily was even more interested in the balls than she was in the puppy, and that’s really saying something!

My friend Leah and I compared our newborns.  This is Jacob and his buddy Augustine.  Jacob is the older of the two by about 20 hours.

BFF

Through Pink Paper Peppermints, I found the cutest tutorial today at joybucket.  These little hairpins took about 30 minutes to make (if that long).  I decided to do French knots instead of seed beads in the center of the flowers, but the possibilities for these are endless.

I’ve also been surprised again by the bounty at our library.  I found Uncommon Crochet there, and I love it.  This little clutch really appeals to me, and I think it’s the diagonal lines with lace and fabric added.  I certainly don’t need a clutch.  It seems these days that any bag with less than 2 cubic feet of space is pretty much useless to me.  But I like it anyway.

This is making me feel sad today.

On that note, I’ll see you tomorrow.  I’m going to play with Emily now.

I love seeing what Jhoanna has on her desk each week, and I know there are many other bloggers who do this too.  It must have come from kootoyoo, because that’s the link Jhoanna shares.  Anyway, I’m in.

On my desk today you’ll find:

• an apron that needs mending (I made this for a friend 1 1/2 years ago when I was just starting to sew.  I used fusible webbing to put on the pocket, and it has just started to fall off after several washings!  Now that’s a testament to fusible webbing if ever there was one.  What’s really funny is looking at just how awkward my sewing was.  It warms my heart to know that she really does wear the thing!)
• a quilt that needs mending (And I need advice on this one!  Please, if you know anything about fixing quilts, tell me!)
• a sheet that wants to be something
• the “home sweet home” embroidery I’ve been putting off
• cute teacup stickers

Also, I finally started painting the charging station I mentioned here.