Weel 33 Project

I'm a little embarrassed that I'm still working on last year's year long resolution, but I'm gonna power through this and own it. I will finish. Si Puedo! In my defense, the last three months have been fairly crazy. I quite my job the same week this happened in my basement. 

Yeah, that is about four inches of water. It was the fourth of July weekend. So, everything was closed and everybody was flooded, pun intended, with calls from distressed homeowners like myself. My ever resourceful mother figure out a pump rental situation and I had four family members over at my house within hours making quick work of it. Then the bulldozer came and I became the proud new owner of a very expensive dirt pile, which covers the new main sewer line that had to be put in under my front porch.  See how much fun I've been having! Needless to say inspiration has not been forthcoming. However,  it was really great to work on my tan this summer!

So this" week's" project was simple, cheep and not very creative. After spending all that time outside looking at my lovely new dirt pile, I noticed my four year old railing needed some sprucing up. Enter a can of spray rustoleum.

Railing spruce-up, Done.


More creativity to come, I promise.

Week 11 Project

Return to a barter system. Lose the cash.
Everyone needs a skill. When the computers take over, I think they'll eventually mess things up and we'll end up back in charge. So, when that happens, how are you going to obtain the things you'll need? So many of us don't earn our living "making" anything tangible. Just to be prepared, start thinking about what your skill will be. I'm not here to judge. Just think. Will you make cheese? Will you be an iron smith and make horseshoes? Will you be a carpenter? Will you grow turnips? Will you raise llamas? Me? Me, I'm gonna craft stuff. Anything you want, I'll try it and make it.

I did not want to do my taxes. I've never wanted to do my taxes. My mom mentioned she was doing her taxes soon. She also mentioned she wants new curtains for the spare room. Light bulb!
I traded her curtains for tax services.

Have you ever bought fabric by the bolt? I hadn't, but we needed two bolts for this project.




I also made pillow cases for a mini lumbar pillow and a body pillow. Mom doesn't want a headboard on the bed, but thought the bed still needed something. I added some pleats to one side of the body pillow. I wanted to try it before and I generally like the asymmetrical look. 

My mom often told me that she did this or that B.C., which in our house stands for Before Children. She took cake decorating classes. I think I remember hearing about some belly dancing classes. She did a lot of quilting. The quilt on the bed was completed by her in 1980. It was all done by hand. BY HAND. She didn't use a machine. At the beginning of her teaching career she spent three summers stitching this baby. I don't have the attention span. What were we talking about?

Oh, yeah, It's an amazing quilt!

Curtains for Tax Trade. Done.

Week 7 Project

            A few weeks before Christmas my mom hands me a newspaper clipping. Its a picture of the Obamas sitting around a table. Barak, Sasha, Malia and Grandma are sitting and Michelle is serving a turkey. My mom says "You know Laura, if you wanted to you could make me an apron for Christmas like the one Michelle is wearing in this picture." You know, if I wanted to.

  Now, this says nothing about my mother's political views, but it does say two things about her personality. 1. I wouldn't say my mom is trendy, but she is very much always on trend, if that makes any sense. Aprons are very much on trend these days. 2. For as long as I can remember (probably since grade school when I had to bring in a weekly newspaper clipping to school) mom has been notorious for clipping articles. She sent them to me in college and every time I go to her house she has some waiting for me.

                  So, I set out to make her an apron. I wanted a fabric that had a vintage feel. I was even thinking something with a very tiny pattern, maybe of strawberries. I thought and I planned. I schemed of things to try on the apron I haven't done. I started shopping. My vision of the fabric I wanted never came to fruition. I regrouped.  (Side note, my dad has always liked his girls (mom, my sister and I) in bright colors)  I found two different fabrics at a non chain fabric store that I love! The store and the fabrics.

 

The belt I made by lightly gathering the fabric and attaching to the body of the apron.

I added a ruffle to the bottom and trimmed almost the entire apron an moss green double bias tape. I have never used bias tape for anything. I think i did fairly well, except for the ends.

I watched YouTube videos of this and still didn't quite get it right.

 

                        I liked the way the apron turned out even though I didn't use a pattern. I'll change a few things with the next apron I make. Honestly the hardest part of the whole project was the neck ties. When I sewed the fabric good sides together in long narrow strips, I didn't even think about the process of turning them right side out. Poor planning.

Mom on Christmas morning and at my brother's birthday party this past weekend.

Newspaper clipping inspired apron for mom "if I want to" Done.