Buttercup Bag!

It's done! I made it and it's pretty and I like it.

It's a little small for an everyday purse, but as a concert purse? Win.

Break's Done

My spring break is now effectively over. Well, I have today. But that's it. I think I did pretty well on my list.

1. The two curtains for G are all done, AND I even made him another one for the other side of the basement. They fit perfectly, and I think he is really happy with them.
2. I got my dress all finished up. I can't wait for summertime when I can wear it!
3. I have everything I need for the Buttercup Bag. Even though I didn't get it finished, I can blame that on not being able to print out the pattern, and at least now that I'm at school, I'm capable of having it done.
4. I planned out entirely the California Dreamin quilt. Mostly I'll be using the Morning colors, but there will be some Afternoon colors (confession: Afternoon is my favorite of the two, and I can't bear to part with 2 of the quarters). Since it'll be mostly pink, it's going to be a little girl's quilt. Now all I need to find is someone with a little girl.
5. I have rethought and reworked P&K's quilt. More on that to come.
   

Curtains!!

So, some of you may be wondering why exactly my step-dad would want curtains for his birthday. Let me explain.

My step-dad LOVES Corvettes. He owns a cherry red '77 that he has been restoring, little by little, for 8 years now. He works as a carpenter. He redid our entire basement, covered the ugly concrete walls in refinished, stained wood. We have a pool table, a foosball table, a mini bar, and a gym. And this basement is COVERED in Corvettes.

He mentioned to me earlier this week that he'd really like some black curtains for the basement. His 50th birthday is on March 15th, and I won't be there to celebrate with him. So it was only fair that he get his present early. He's very particular about what he wants, especially in the basement, so I told him ahead of time that this would be his present, and got his feedback at every step of the process. Here is the result:











Did I mention that he REALLY REALLY likes Corvettes? And that's only one wall.

I used black duck cloth from Joann's (G specified that the curtains shouldn't be able to let light in). They measure roughly 20" by 53".

Happy 50th birthday G!!!

Refinished Old Navy Dress

I bought this Old Navy dress at Goodwill for 3 bucks. It fit me pretty well, but the spaghetti straps do NOT work on a DD girl like me.


Also, the (absurdly long) straps that tied around the back seemed to only accentuate the fact that I'm not terribly skinny. They had to go. Here's what the dress started like (the bottom ruffle is my favorite part):


I decided that my first clothing attempt should be for me, but that I should use a 3 dollar article of clothing (you know, just in case). So, I cut off the ties, doubled them for support in lieu of interfacing, and turned them into straps. Result: much thicker, more appropriate straps.

Ahhhh. That's better.

And now I have a cute summer dress for days off at Wo. :)

Spring Break, Update

1. Half done refurbishing that dress. I'm pretty happy with the first side. There's a lot of by hand work, but if Mom's Christmas Quilt has shown me anything, it's that I know how to hand-sew well.

2. I have one curtain done for step-dad's birthday present. I cannot start the other until I know if the measurements for the first are correct, so I'm waiting on him.

3. California Dreamin' quilt is all planned. I think I'm going to start the cutting as soon as I have a proper mat on which to cut them. And a new rotary blade.

4. I have bought all I need for the Buttercup bag. All I need is to print out the pattern, then I can get started with cutting, piecing and sewing.

5. I started a little book for L. More on that later.