Happy Belated New Year!

Happy New Year all!

I’ve been incredibly busy these past few months. The past few weeks I was up North visiting family and friends. I haven't done much sewing in the past while. School ate up my time (as per usual) and I didn’t touch my sewing machine for the past 6 weeks. It’s been tempting me horribly. Unfortunately the sewing machine cannot write my paper for me. I’ve asked the machine nicely, bribed it with nice thread, offered it wine, and threatened it, no such luck with. Apparently I’m going to have to write my papers, so not fair.

I hope that will greatly change over this quarter, but I highly doubt that. This quarter I have a drawing class, I’m TA-ing, and I am working on my thesis. Add in two jobs (part time, thankfully) and balancing my social life, things are going to be super busy. So, I believe these next few weeks will be spent in a stress induced haze complete with rum, lots of rum. I may get some sewing done in correlation with my drawing class. 

For my drawing class I have to do 50 one-hour drawings. This will prove to be an interesting exercise. I all ready have one of my drawings completed. I had chosen to go the traditional route with a subject matter that relates to my major, then I got bored. Me bored is never good it leads to things like trying to take over small countries in my quest for world domination. 

This was a bit of challenge for me. I hate sitting still for long periods of time. The time dragged on a bit, but once I got into my drawing time passed too quickly! I found that I went from area to area randomly. Maybe I should have laid off the permanent marker? Hm... Likely.

I then cut up some of my remnant fabric (where the white came from I'll never know) and pulled out some thread I was hoping to use up. These are supposed to be lily-of-the-valley, in red of course! I hadn't embroidered for months before this, so I was doing this from memory. While I don't think it's all that great, it was much better than drawing!

So, it looks like I'll be working on small embroidery for a few days or other drawing related things. I'll be sure to share them so it doesn't look like I'm falling off the face of the earth. Once my thesis is complete (only roughly 40 pages to go...) I hope to get some garments out, but we shall see.

Granny Blanket

If anyone was wondering where I was, I have one simple explanation for falling off the face of the Earth: school. I have three classes and one is an independent study. That means I am writing papers, researching, and working on presentations constantly. Mind you I only have class four days a week. In theory I should have time a plenty to sew on the weekends, not the case. I work two jobs. If I’m not in class then I’m doing work study for my department. And if I work 10-4 on the weekends, add in a half our commute each way and there goes my day!

I had to put my sewing machine away because my library books consumed the table where I sew. That was a sad day. I nearly shed a tear. I’m preparing to work on my thesis so things are getting hectic and I’m trying to apply for phd programs, as if things weren’t complicated enough! Sewing has sadly been pushed to the back burner. 

My Winter Break is coming up and I’ll be down South for a few weeks before I head home, without my sewing machine. Somehow I don’t think that would work too well as a carry on...

I have been crocheting though. That is easily pushed out of my way and I’ve been working on a granny square blanket for about two years. Yeah, that sucker needs to get finished. It’s currently on my floor baiting me to finish it before my three papers and two presentations. 

This blanket was started to use up some of my accumulated yarn. It kinda, maybe, sorta just took over. I have had to buy a few more skeins of yarn than I expected.  I’m not quite finished with this either. I would like this to be a bit longer. It needs to fit on my bed and keep my warm. My comforter is rather thin and I pile on the blankets during the winter months. Yes, even in the South I pile on the blankets. It doesn’t matter where I am, I can’t stay warm!

If anyone wishes to estimate how much time this has taken, it takes me 15 minutes to crochet one hexagon. And this is rectangular for the most part. The top corner tried to trip me so it's staying as is!

Also, good luck to anyone who is running Savannah's Rock and Roll Marathon! 

Ya’ll are probably wondering why I haven’t posted in so long. Well, I was back in Ohio for my summer, this meant I had an internship, online class, and a job. Not to mention I was trying to visit with friends who I hadn’t seen in months. I did get around to some sewing, but it was hard to get pictures of things and create posts when my mom was trying to make sure I wasn’t posting anything inappropriate on the internet... Such faith.

I do have a few items I sewed over the summer to share, although two of my dresses stayed in Ohio. Those might get shared over my winter break, possibly. And as for these next few months, I have no clue if you’ll see more posts or not. I’m taking three classes and working two jobs. Will I be able to fit time in to sew? I haven’t the foggiest idea.

Anyway, enough with my sorry excuses!

I had been thinking about making some sort of belt for a few months. Like most of my sewing projects it takes me a while to get idea from my head to an actual product. I had my eye on an obi belt, but I couldn’t find a pattern for one. After looking at a few tutorials on how to draft a pattern, I drafted my own.

I found some more fabric on clearance a while ago, this stuff is brocade. I’m not too sure why I bought this fabric, aside from it was pretty and shiny. Obviously, I don’t always put much thought into some of the fabrics I buy.

I whipped this sucker out in about an hour, along with drafting the pattern. I didn’t have any problems with it, although I might add length to the ties the next time I make this pattern. I’m getting low on medium weight interfacing, so it might be a while before I make another obi belt.

Another quarter...

I realized that I have not posted anything in quite some time! My apologies, I've been super busy. Over my winter break I was back home, in Ohio, interning 30 hours a week AND working another 20 hours a week. I didn't have too much time to sew. Oh, and then I got sick and had some fungus toe issues to be taken care of. Such a fun holiday break. I did get some sewing done, once it gets warm enough I'll get some pictures of my piece. Hopefully tomorrow, it's 60 down here in Georgia. Personally, not my cup of tea. I'm thinking it's April or September, not January/February. Yes, I'm one of those people who likes the cold and snow.

This quarter in grad school is also my busy quarter. I have 3 classes, but a lot of reading. A lot of reading that involves philosophers. See this link for my thoughts on them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1MgCV6uGuc

On top of my reading I have 3, 12-15 page papers to complete by the first week in March. I haven't taken my sewing machine out of it's carrying case yet! I won't be doing much sewing in the next few weeks, but I'm hoping that'll change during my Spring semester.

Dizzy

Whew...

These past few days have been slightly hectic. I have a sibling graduating from high school tomorrow so I've been helping the parents get ready for things. As well as attempting to organize my room, which has not gone well... There's too much "college stuff" in my room for it to be clean and me to be happy being in there for an extended periods of time. I like my things clean and organized, which hasn't been happening.

My sewing machine will be migrating upstairs tomorrow, ugh... I have things I want to sew... And I have plenty of pictures to put up here, when I'm not distracted. I have to work today or else there would be a better post and pictures. I had something for where I volunteer this morning and am going into work soon. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to put up pictures of the new fabric I have as well as a pattern that I hope to work on soon!