My Outfit: Ouch!

I ran into my friend Nate after suffering a vicious bicycle crash. He snapped some photos of me in my post-accident shock....Ok, luckily I wasn't injured very badly, but I did get some scrapes and bruises and a little shook up.

Outfit details: Tanktop/borrowed from roommate (What am I going to do when I move out?), Skirt/thrifted Peruvian Connection $7, Sandals/GoMax via Eccentricity $30, Necklace/gift from my mother, Belt/gift from my sister, Scrape/dumb $free!

Today's maxim: Don't bike in long flowy skirts without securing them out of the way of moving parts!

A Handmade Valentine

I covered a cardboard packaging box with magazine cut-outs to create a valentine present for my dear Mommy this year (in February). The box was originally for Laughing Cow cheese wedges. I gave it to her with little chocolates and bon-bons inside. I wrapped it all up with a piece of vintage lace tied in a bow.

Goal Update: #9 Organize my pattern collection

Out with the old...

Well, with only 4 more months in my 25th year, I suppose it is time to start documenting my progress, successes and room for improvement on my 25 Things To Do Before I Turn 26 goal list.

We will start with goal number 9: Organize my pattern collection

This goal really only took one morning. The first step was to weed out all of the patterns that I have never used and honestly will never use. This is important because it allows me to more easily find the patterns that I would like to actually use.





For example, I bought some patterns because I liked the design lines, but produced in sizes 14-16, I won't ever be inspired to grade that pattern. Yes, I suppose if I wanted to start designing my own patterns, I could use it as inspiration, but I prefer to just use well crafted patterns in my own size range so that I don't have to deal with a whole array of problems of drafting and fitting.

Another area of mass weeding was patterns that essentially all had the same design lines. How many patterns do you need of a seventies power suit or a sixties jumper, when really the only major difference is the illustration on the front? I chose the best out of the selection and discarded the rest.

The second step was to sort them into different sizing and genres. My categories are: children's, men's, household, accessories, lingerie/swimwear, outerwear, women's pants, women's skirts, women's blouses, multi-garment patterns, and women's dresses (split into size range).

I am now housing my patterns in a filing cabinet which is attached to my sewing/work desk. Each category of pattern has it's own hanging file folder. In spite of weeding out close to 100 patterns, the patterns still take up two drawers total.

I had originally thought maybe I could sell them on Etsy, but I don't see a whole lot of value in the ones I am getting rid of. There really isn't much money to be made there since they are probably worth 25-50 cents a piece. I'd be better off asking a price for the whole lot of them to get them out of my hair or just taking them to the thrift store.

I could keep going with the goal and preserve each one with cardboard backing and plastic protector sheets, with a catalogue binder for pattern searches, but we'll save that for another year...

Pie Party IV

This was the fourth year of my friend's pie party, but my first year in attendance. All the guests bring a pie to the potluck, and at the end everyone votes for their 3 favorite pies. Special attention is given to presentation and sourcing of local ingredients, but ultimately the tastebuds are what matter most!

The Spread

My pie: Spicy Savory Artichoke Pie (Gluten Free!)

I got my pie recipe from the Gluten-Free Goddess Blog. It was a big hit at the party!

Mmm! Strawberry Tapioca

Friends, hamming it up

I got a stomach ache trying to taste a bit of each pie.

My artichoke pie took 3rd place! Wearing my prize: a 2nd hand apron :-)

The winners: I was going up against a Sweet Corn Pie and a Blackberry Mint Pie

My Outfit: Peekaboo Lace

I can only imagine the original undergarments this dress was worn with. It has three layers of see-through lace inserts. I just wore a simple white slip under it, but some sort of petticoat would fill out the shape more. Petticoats would certainly be inappropriate on a day as hot as this one!

I wore this dress to the pie-making contest/potluck (details and pictures to come), but it was way too heavy for this 100 degree heat. Never-the-less, when I got home I took the time to get some photos of the outfit, before switching it out with a loose, jersey cotton dress to cool down and watch the local kick-ball league Sunday-night game.

 Outfit details: Vintage Dress/Gift, Belt/Thrifted, Sandals/GoMax (barely visible!)

The Life of a Rag Curl

Inspiration: D.I.Y. Curls: How to Rag Roll Your Hair by Katie via A Beautiful Mess.

Revitalization, not regret

My whole life I have loved to create. I used scrap remnants to sew odd shaped teddy bears and doll clothes as a child. I created flyers and posters with paper, scissors and glue for yearbook and club events in junior high school. My high school career revolved around the dark room and the digital media lab. In college I got back into knitting, crocheting and sewing, this time learning to follow and adapt pattern.

What I had in creative talent, I lacked in self-confidence in my work. My biggest dream in high school was to go to art college, but I didn't think I was like my peers in high school that studied art. They painted oil paintings, and completed life drawings, and were on their way to scholarships from prestigious art colleges, and they knew it. We weren't so totally different - we all thrived on creating.

I wish I could tell my high school self that my artwork was worthy of a portfolio, a scholarship, and further development. I wish I had been more open about my interest in attending art school, so that I wouldn't have felt so isolated. But I took a different path - one that took a slow climb up the hill of confidence, with some falls along the way. I learned that you have to take the ball and roll with it, put yourself out there and some people will like your work and some people won't, but its still worth it! I am in the process of revitalizing my life and career goals to incorporate creative design again.