spring fashion show

I really, really, really love clothes.  I like especially new clothes.  They are always more exciting.  I also like finding clothes in the back of my closet that I haven't worn in a long time.  They are kind of like new clothes since I forgot about them.  I marvel how I can go on vacation for 3 weeks with 9 articles of clothing but somehow feel that is not enough clothing for my everyday life.  

This love of clothes can be expensive.  That on top of my love of knitting and sewing makes it even more so.  Kitchens are also expensive and we really need a new one (the dishwasher and table are dying and replacing those starts a dangerous domino effect of remodeling).  My solution?  Make my clothes myself.  Not only am I a big fan of the clothes since the style and fabric are perfect, it has the added benefit of slowing down my consumeristic desires since it takes 8-50 hours to actually make something.  Since finishing my sewing closet and being on break again I have been so inspired to sew and knit of late.  Maybe it is the turn in the weather.

Without further ado, my new spring wardrobe:

A knit top made of cotton and angora (warm and cool at the same time!).  I like the lace stripe.  It was the most expensive part of everything I've made but still 36.00 for a top is the same if not cheaper than buying it in the store (and it is custom fit).

Pants!  The first time I have ever made trouser like pants with a fly.  I love them.  I am so excited that they fit well because now I never ever have to go pants shopping again.  I want to make a pair that are jeans (though for that I have to learn pockets) and a pair that are capri pants.  $15.00 for perfectly fitting pants is way cheaper than, well, any pants.

A halter top made from an old sheet someone gave me..  It needs some more layers for work but will be soooo great in the hot summer.  Free is also cheaper than buying things.  Well 10.00 including the pattern and zipper.  Still cheap.

A tunic-y dress.  I found this fabric at the fabric store for 5.00.  It made a great dress to wear over leggings and also to wear over pants.  I'm not the biggest fan of the way the elastic makes the neck gather, maybe I'll fix it.   Unfortunately the fabric was cheap because it is polyester and has some major static problems.  I need to buy some static guard.

Now I am obsessed.  I want to sew everything, (not just because I have 4 new pieces of clothing for 65 dollars and a really beautiful great sewing closet, though both of those things help).    I wonder if I could make enough stuff that I could only wear homemade stuff for a week?

a perfect vacation day

So, I really really really love vacation.  But some vacations are better than others. As are some vacation days.  Today was perfect.

Perfect thing #1  We woke up to snow.  Surprising lovely snow. Here is what it looked like.  Except it was morning so it wasn't dark.

Perfect thing #2--Inspired by the snow, we decided to go buy a toboggan and go tobogganing or whatever adjective describes hurtling your body down a slick hill on a circular piece of plastic.  We ended up buying not one but 3 toboggans as they were a "caterpillar" set so, theoretically you can link them together for 3 times the fun.  They were supposed to be 15.00 which seemed like a good deal for 3 toboggans but then they were 8 dollars which seems like a steal.  Especially since they are fairly sturdy ones that seem like they will last a while.  The "caterpillar" action does not work for grownups but we still had a great deal of fun hurtling ourselves down hills.  We got very, very wet and are happy to have a bathroom big enough for all our wet things:

Perfect thing #3--I organized the mountain of craft crap and installed it in the sewing closet.  Then I put it to the true test, actually using the sewing machine:

Look!  Contrary to popular opinions girls CAN use glue and screws and saws and make things that don't collapse.  Amazing.  I found strawberry printed fabric at work and took two strawberries to sew together into a pincushion.  It is very cute.  Particularly in my ultra handy girly sewing closet.

(see the shelves below?  one is for buttons and knitted swatches, another for stuffing, small scraps of fabric, and crafty things like googly eyes, and the bottom is for making dolls--something I did years ago but can't get rid of the supplies) Luckily our bed will have drawers to hold the 4 cubic feet of fabric that no longer fits in the sewing closet.  I can't even explain how happy this closet makes me.  It is something about the pink and the fake fur and the sewing machine all interacting to create ecstatic joy.

Perfect thing #4--Eating a delicious dinner and playing chess in our newly arranged kitchen.  We are getting ready to re-do the kitchen and wanted to see what it would feel like to have an island/table in it.  So we moved the fridge and put the dining table in there:

Wow!  Suddenly it is like we got a whole extra room (and didn't even have to pay 100,000 dollars for it!) I seriously have spent the last 3 days sitting in the kitchen.  I think today is the first day I went into the living room for any amount of time.  I cook James sits and talks to me, James does the dishes, I talk to him.  The table is also perfect for getting out leftovers, making drinks, playing with the birdy, and on and on and on.  

Two more days left of vacation.  Lets hope the universe doesn't decide to balance out today by making lots of crappy things happening (you never know dad, the hardware dude might still be right--watch out for crying phone calls.............)