Sewing detour - apron

So tonight I didn't paint but I spent a lot of q.t. in my art room...sewing.  I had on every light, the tv, the sewing machine, and you will see I carried in my iron/ironing board.  I was seriously close to blowing a fuse.  The lights would flicker when the iron would switch to sleep mode.  (Mom can tell you I've always been an electricity hog.  Even paying the electric bill on my own now makes little difference. :))

This week I decided to take on an apron sewing project after visiting a couple stores.  I examined the aprons in the stores and thought "I could do that."  So off to Joanns I went.  The ladies in there talked me through a 50,000,000,000 foot overview but I REALLY relied on the girls in the office.  Julie is a sewer and Emily has sewn some as well.  Katharyn learned with me (she has sewn more than I have as well). I would work a little each night and, the next morning, bring in my list of questions.  A BIG "thank you" to them...Julie especially.  I seriously couldn't have done it without y'all.  I never would have guessed we would use the term 'interfacing' outside the technology world we live in. 



So this is what I decided on Tuesday night (I would have to go back and get interfacing once I learned that is not a technique but a product to make the waist band stiffer):

The next two pictures are my 'scrap bins.'  The girls were saying how it is a great idea to have a material scrap bin.  Well, I have PLENTY of material left over so I a bin to contribute scraps.  I've kept a bin for the random pictures I like and tear out of magazines for some time now (to the right).  Pictures I want to paint, for decorating, and even some clothes...

In case you are interested in the fabric I selected....

When I told Julie about my project she hinted (in a very tactful way) that I may need some major time to get this accomplished.  I, of course, was initially thinking I would knock it out in one night.  The first night I learned why Emily hates the patterns.  They don't come pre-cut.  Good thing I aced cutting in kindergarten....this picture is after 2 nights of work.  Not ONE stitch done.  (end of Thurs night)

Below is my workstation. I'm going to be finding string and pins for weeks....Efox, this table is WELL used now!

All this while watching....name that movie...

This is my view and you can tell I am actually READING the instructions.  UNBELIEVABLE...

I quickly learned that the iron is my best friend.  I can seriously say I got this iron for high school graduation and it hasn't been used too too many times since.  Tonight it earned its keep...

Everything became a little easier when it began to take shape tonight!

And it's DONE!!! Next time I would make the ruffle on the bottom smaller and the body of it larger.  I might add a cute white button something on the pocket... but not now.  Alison has a shower tomorrow and I am going to surprise her.  (Good thing you have been gone all week, Alison, so I didn't spoil the surprise!) The theme of the gift is baking because....well.  It fits.

New art

I might or might not have read the manual of my digital camera for 2 hours this weekend.  Is that really surprising, though?  I had figured out how to make the photographs look more natural and less dark by playing with white balance and appeture.  Then I go to take pictures this Sunday night and I completely forgot everything I learned.  It's going to take some practice.  In the meantime, here is a peak at what I started to paint.  I am going to tackle a big painting here soon.  More on that later...

In good company...my partners in crime...

My camera arrived JUST IN TIME for the girls reunion weekend. It arrived Thursday night. I knew it was 'out for delivery' at 3:45 AM due my UPS.com stalking. Of course I had to wait around for a 6:50 PM delivery (I am sure the UPS man laughed when the door magically opened the the second he walked up). 4/6 of us have new Canon DSLRs. 3 made the trip. 300 pictures later I think we made some advances. I was in good company this weekend....we had an AMAZING weekend (and best of all pictures to document it ALL). 

Note: The best part about the pictures above is the fact they were not staged.  We are cool like that.

Rebel (No, not the Ole Miss kind...)

Meet my newest toy. 

Between my new art easel, sewing machine, and this, I doubt I will have time to sleep.  The camera is scheduled to get here on Thursday (just in time for my friends and their cameras to come in town).  I can't contain my excitement.  I bought it on a whim from B&H photo.  Ok, I say 'whim' but I have been stalking cameras since April as I mentioned here.  When I saw this Canon EOS Rebel XT, at a price less than my current point-and-shoot elf, I bought it.  (I did make myself wait a few hours before so it wasn't completely an impulse decision.) 

Keep your fingers crossed that it's what I expect.  I need to review what I learned in photography class in college.  Matt and Carol, I am going to need to borrow Toby for action shots.  Thanks.

One minor and one major update

Major update first:

It appears I might be able to actually sew a thing or two.  I made the pillow to the right yesterday.  It's made of cream fleece. I have a throw LP(G) gave me in the same fabric monogrammed in brown so when I found this fleece on sale at Joann's, I knew it was meant to be.  I literally sat at my table and followed along with the instructional DVD on how to thread my bobbin and etc.  This pillow is the result.  Is it 100% quality? No.  But it's a start (especially at $11 total...fleece and 20 inch pillow insert)

Here is a view of the pillow on the couch. I am debating doing one for the other side....it's just more usable than my other pottery barn pillows which are starting to look rough.

AND here is what I worked on until I started the sewing project....yep, still intimidating.  But like I've said, my favorite ones start out that way.  The easel makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE in the world.  ALL the difference!