Yearly Archive: 2008

i just like to make things.

hanging make-up organizer with pocketsAs 2008 is drawing to a close, I have been quite reflective, reminiscing but also planning for the future. Today was a self-proclaimed Sewing Day, and I continued working on all the presents for my friends at school. makeup organizer pocket close-upI still have miscellaneous WIPs scattered throughout the sewing room, and as I worked I found many of these projects, half finished and rather wrinkled. I finished a bathroom organizer that I had started awhile back; it’s just a basic strip of fabric with pockets for my makeup accessories and such, so that I could hang them on the wall. It just needed a backing, and I added some ribbon strips so it can hold bobby pins. I’m an expert at finishing things much later than I would actually have use for them. But still, I think it’s cute.

I’ve also been working to deplete some of my flannel stash; after making many pairs of pajama pants, I have lots of oddly shaped, but rather large, scraps that I’ve been saving. I intend to make baby blankets out of them that I can donate to organizations that will put them to good use… there’s nobody I’d rather help more than poor little babies. So it’s a double good; not only do I get to drain bits of my stash, but I get to use it to help others. The first two have gone well and they’re fun little projects; simple, flat things without many pieces, but they require thinking since I have limited supply of each fabric and they’re in such odd shapes. I hope to get a few more done before I head back to school next week.

flannel baby blankets, made from scrap pieces and ready to be donated

I finished Ben’s plushie on Christmas Eve, and now that it’s unwrapped, I can share it with you as well! It’s a Sackboy from the PS3 game LittleBigPlanet. handmade plush sackboy from the game littlebigplanet, sitting and ready for a hugThe game is one of Ben and Andy’s favorites, and the little Sackboy is just adorable. In the game, you can dress him up in all sorts of different costume pieces, which can be collected throughout the different levels. He was hard to make, harder than those before him in the “Christmas plush” series, but he turned out all right.

But throughout this day, as I fluttered between projects, I realized just how much I simply like to “make things”. I scoured the internet for inspiration for new projects while I sat pinning the Christmas presents; I have unfinished projects of every type but I still don’t feel like I’ve got enough to busy my hands. My next project? Some sort of paper punch collage. I’m going to try and find a good shaped punch on sale… my first thought was hearts, but I have a tiny hope that a whale punch would exist? It’s a brilliant idea, simply beautiful, and I am quite excited.

The usual sewing, plus papercrafting, collage-ing, jewelry making, and a poetry project in the works… perhaps this slew of projects will help to quell my neverending desire to create things.

no place like home for the holidays.

It’s that time again… The season of warm hearts, abundant smiles, and cozy fireplaces. And it’s extra special for me this year, since I get to be home for a whole month after being gone for so long. Granted, when I’m away at school I’m not homesick at all, but when I come back I remember how much I’ve missed everything without realizing it. I’ve missed goofing off with my brothers the most, but I’ve also missed my dad’s cooking, my mom’s baking, and having time to myself. It’s also really, really nice to be able to drive to the store whenever I need something.

surprises?And of course, there’s the usual holiday air of suspense; I’ve been sneaking off to the sewing room every chance I get to add a few stitches to what should be the next greatest plush in the brother Christmas plush series (it started with Goomba and then Bloo) – it should be a great surprise! Plus I’ve been working on presents for all my friends, at school and at home, which has turned itself into quite a large task.

my pins

But it’s wonderful to be home, and it will be just as wonderful to go back, since my friends and I miss each other already. Having lots of sets of people to miss but also to enjoy makes life interesting. I love being at home, but I love being at school; the contrasts between the two help me appreciate everything that makes life what it is.

I hope you all have a delightful, happy, and safe Christmas filled with many blessings.

abuzz with activity

alyssa’s sock monkey! Obligations have been keeping me from what I love. I mean sure, physics homework and calculus tests are lots of fun, but I would so much rather be sewing… the creative side of my brain has started breaking through a bit, though, and I’m expecting a huge burst of inspiration to barrel its way into my life sometime soon. One of those ideas you can’t get away from, can’t stop working on. I haven’t been my usual creative spastic self, but I hope that will be changing soon.

A friend of mine is commissioning me to screenprint t-shirts for his band. I’m ridiculously excited about this enormous project; I’ve never done something on such a large scale before. Granted, it’s only 100 shirts, which may not seem like bulk for those who are used to this sort of thing, but it’s an intimidating number to me. I’ve screenprinted a few pieces of fabric before (whales of course) but I’ve never done the fancy schmancy photo emulsion method. But as always, I enjoy a good crafty experiment and a challenge.

The real challenge, as always, is time. I’ve got plenty of work, and plenty of procrastination accompanies that work. So it’s not really the work that keeps me from my crafting, but the procrastination that keeps me from my work. It’s a terrible pattern.

I did manage to crank out this sock monkey for my friend Alyssa’s birthday a few weeks ago. Sock monkeys take plenty of love, with all their hand sewing and such, but he’s so adorable and it was so worth it. Don’t you love the elegant photo setups I can create in my dorm room?

I have Christmas ideas all set, and plenty lined up to keep me busy. I’ve got two tests, a paper, and a lab report due this week, but my creative spark is coming back. And I will make something awesome very soon.