Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What if...

What if I made wool felt hoods and my own hat blocks and proceeded to form my own miniature hats in various colors? And then proceeded to sell the undecorated hats on Etsy or eBay for others to decorate?

Would that make me insane or brilliant?

I have no idea (I'd probably vote "insane"), but I really really enjoy doing stuff like that so I might as well give it a shot, right? Granted, finding colored fiber for the felt could be a little tricky, but it's really so much easier to shape a hat on a hat block if it's already sort of in hat form instead of a flat piece of felt. This I have learned from my very limited experience.

What about TINY hats? Like 1:12 scale? PURE INSANITY. But wouldn't it be fun to curl tiny feathers for tiny hats? Yes. Yes it would. If you're insane like I apparently am.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Motivation, where art thou?

So I finished that stupid dress and the waistline is too high. Bleh. I mean, it's a cute dress (I love the print) but if I'm constantly tugging it down so it doesn't scream "LOOK AT MY BOSOMS", it needs to be something else. Am I in the mood to remake the bodice? No. I spent WAY too much time doing it the first time. Would it be a cute summer skirt? Sure. I'd just have to add a basic waistband and cut a few inches off the hem. Maybe add some strategically placed beads or sequins to the butterfly wings just for fun, maybe in different colors so I could actually wear different colored tops with it. It's a thought...

Either way, I'm disappointed in the pattern, and with the high empire waist (not to mention the bow in back) it ends up looking a little twee on me. Oh well. Lesson learned, I suppose. :) If I keep the pattern, I'm making notes on it to remind myself not to make the same mistakes again.

I've been crocheting and knitting whenever I sit down in front of the TV. I started this habit well over a year ago and now it feels weird to sit down empty-handed. Right now I have about 7 projects on hooks or needles, most of them very simple (washcloths, potholders, afghans), so I don't get too bored with any one thing. I can switch off when my hands get tired.

I blame Internet-induced ADD for my lack of motivation to sew. Or the fact that I can't find a zipper to match this lovely rose-colored damask that is now mostly-a-dress. I get frustrated and stop sewing when things don't match or a pattern just isn't working out, and that leads to piles and piles of fabric, cut out or whole, all over the sewing room. Not pretty.

Maybe if the cable on the sewing room TV wasn't so screwy...

In any case, it's been hard to tackle even simple mending/altering chores lately and that is frustrating and makes me want to not do anything at all, and then I realize that I don't have pants, and I get frustrated and overwhelmed looking at the Pile o' Pants that need altering. HOWEVER. I did successfully alter my first pair of pants last week! I unpicked three layers of waistband (Gap isn't kidding around about waistbands) and took them in at the back waist by about 2 inches, not breaking my needle (barely) when sewing the back belt loop back on. If you didn't know, you probably couldn't tell. Altering is still my least favorite, but once I get going, I'm pretty good at it--I just have to think of it as a puzzle and my brain actually enjoys itself.

So. One pair of pants down, 5 more to go. 4 to be taken in in the same method, 1 to be hemmed. Maybe it's 2. Something like that. Like I said, once I get going...

Maybe I won't look in despair at the pile of flannel, wool, and corduroy in another month.