Sew little time...

Simple

2011-02-25T09:23:00.001-08:00

Simple doesn't always mean quick. At least not for me. It took me about 3 weeks to finish this simple and easy baby blanket for a co-worker and only because I realized that the shower was sooner than I expected! I had to put a rush on it. I think I'm realizing that I'm a loose hooker (HA!). This was made using 2 strands throughout and you should see how wobbly it is. I used some acrylic baby soft yarn from Michael's.

Here's something else I crocheted that I really like but too holey for actual cold weather. It looked great right after I made it. After a few uses it got a bit wobbly and after washing it's ALL wobbly. I used Chunky Biernat on this one. Less than 1 skein. I would like to make it again in double crochet instead of triple.

This next project really was quick and easy. It was a scarf kit I purchased from Anna Maria Horner. Loved the color combo and knew exactly who to make it for when I saw it. The only thing I didn't like was that the 2 fabrics were not cut in the exact same width so I had to do that. I really wanted to just take it out of the bag and start sewing, so that was annoying. My friend Renate loved it. Yay!

Hooray for simple things!

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Crochet to end and begin the year.

2011-01-13T09:18:00.001-08:00

Ah, a new year! Love that fresh start feeling. I get it every Monday too. We started the year with a child with a broken ankle, acquired during vacation at a local skate arena. She just had surgery and is recovering at home. I have worked exactly 1 day this year. I always take a week off and I ended up needing it for a myriad of doctor's appointments. Went to work for 1 day and am now off for the rest of the week with my recovering child. She gets depressed but physically appears to be doing well.

I ended the year crocheting a poncho for my sister as a Christmas gift. In this picture I had her try it on. I just needed 4 more rows on the cowl and wanted to see if I could just stop here. We both decided it needed the rest. My sister is always cold. I finshed it in the new year. I was still working when they were visiting and then my kid broke her foot. The pattern was from a special edition of Woman's Day from 2005. It was an ad that included the pattern. It was easy enough to follow, but you can tell that my counting went off somewhere. I don't think you'll be able to tell when worn. I'll update with a picture next time I see my sister.

And tell me, did I crochet the bottom of the portion of the poncho, backwards?

This is my first project of the year. The girls received scarf kits for Christmas to make matching pom pom scarves for themselves and their doll. With the leftover yarn i made this hat that i purchased. You can get it on Ravelry or on Etsy.
I made the pink hat first following the instructions completely. But I could NOT get that sucker on the doll's head! It was way too small. So I started over, adding an additional 10 chains and that resulted in the teal hat. It fit perfectly. I'm already working on a third. Hey, I have lots of yarn remnants hanging around and lots of little girls with dolls!

This is Naiobi's doll, Emily. She is sporting her new pom pom scarf and her new hat.

Believe

2010-12-16T10:01:00.001-08:00

I am one of "those" people that leaves their Christmas decorations up all year. I only left the Santa up and it faded badly. I went out and got a small bottle of acrylic paint at Michael's and painted it. It looks new! Now I want to go get some blue to paint the sack.

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Cuffs

2010-12-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Naiobi is particular. Clothes have to fit a certain way. She will stop wearing a jacket because the sleeves go up to far when she crosses her arms or raises her hand. That was the case with a very nice, warm Land's End jacket that is also very new. I got it earlier this year on super sale. I remembered that a while back I had purchased some cuff material. This is heavy duty stuff. It does not feel like polyester. I know I bought it in the garment district and I just happened upon it. I like to shop at those big fabric "dumps" where they sell everything for a quarter. Okay, not really a quarter, but dirt cheap. There were a few color combinations and I bought a good size piece of each. Did a quick search online but can't find anything like this. Dritz carries some though in case you are ever in need of replacements.

I pinned the cuff on after sewing it in a circle and then hand basted. I wanted to follow the stitching that was already there but I could only see from the right side.

The cuff was way too small for my free arm so I had to sew very slowly while the cuff went up into a cup shape.

And now I have a happy girl with sleeve lengths that are just right. You can see that her wrist is covered now when she crosses her arms. (Whenever she smiles hard like this I am astounded at how much she looks like her father. People overlook it only because she's light. They comment that her sister looks most like him, but it's untrue.)

Yet, they're not too long when her arms are down.

Fun Girls

2010-11-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

Snowing Joy Christmas

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I've ordered my holiday cards! I was hoping to get a cute picture of the girls and I when we were at Disneyland the day after Thanksgiving, but alas, the pictures were blurry, I'm not wearing lipstick and I look fat. There's always next year.

Hello there!

2010-11-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

Oh my it has been a long time! My friend Carlita says that "Facebook killed the blogging stars." Not that I was one of them, but it sure has pulled me away from here. But that's not all, I've not made anything to post about. You can see she hasn't posted anything in a while either. So what have I been up to?

Well, I sent my kids off to my sister's for 3 weeks and decided 3 weeks just wasn't enough time to get anything done. So I didn't.

I sent my kids off to school to start 1st and 5th grades.

I celebrated my daughter's 6th birthday. I decorated the store bought cake and it was a big hit with all the kids. Fortunately, i brought the bag of skittles and marshmallows so they all could have a bit of both on their piece.

I trained and ran in the Los Angeles Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. I was not, and still do not consider myself, a runner. It took me 2 hours and 54 minutes to complete it and I would do it again.

I went to 2 high school reunions for the same high school and the same class (Not mine) because I had friends in that class and because their reunion committee could not get along well enough to hold 1 reunion. So high school!

I won a prize at my kids' adult costume contest. I went all out with the yellow contacts.

And most recently, I completed Columbia's Muddy Buddy held in San Dimas. I won't be doing that again! Seriously, meant only for athletes, and I'm not one of them. Very difficult for both of us.

And that's it! No scrapbooking. No sewing. No crocheting. No attempts at knitting. Just living! I am starting to feel both the yarn and fabric itch, so maybe before the end of the year I will produce something. I hope my old blog friends are well.

T-shirt Undies and comparison to RTW

2010-07-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

My sister turns her old t-shirts into rags. I turn mine into undies, shorts and bras for the girls. They don't turn out cute because I don't have cutsie t-shirts. But I'm going after function anyway. I did consider letting Naiobi draw on them with fabric markers but she wore them before I got a chance to offer that to her.

The pattern above is That Darn Kat's Children's Undies pdf pattern. I don't see the pattern on her blog but you can get it from Pink Chalk Fabrics. This is the first time I make these although I've had the pattern for at least a year now. I would say these did not sew up quickly for me. Keeping the cotton/lycra bands folded in half, even after I ironed them so, was too fidgety for me. I sew elastic on much faster. One thing I didn't quite get, were the curved seams in the front where the panty is joined. I could not get them to fit well together. I had to stretch the front piece a LOT to get it to reach the side piece. I don't understand why it's not just 2 straight lines. I started out using just a straight stitch, but when she put them on, the stitching busted. I had to go back and use the straight stretch stitch. Of course, that won't be a problem if you use a serger. The dark green pair is topstitched as suggested, but I found it to be unnecessary.

Naiobi made a face when she first saw them but she didn't give me one complaint about them once she wore them. She says they're comfortable and she likes that they cover her crotch. I'll compare them below. Here's how they look on. Ignore the little hole. These were made without a serger.

You can tell how the fit is affected by the type of fabric used. The dark green ones are cotton/lycra and they fit more snugly. The light green ones are just a cotton ribbing, looser. I think she likes those better.

Next up, my staple undie pattern: Ottobre, Winter 2004. I've placed them next to the other one's for comparison. The crotch width is comparable. You can see here what I'm talking about where the seams are joined in the front. The Ottobre pattern is has the straight seam. In terms of wearability, I don't think adding the curved seam makes any difference.

And here is why Naiobi prefers the undies I make her. Granted, not all panties are made this way. The Fruit of the Loom and Hanes girls' panties both have a very good fit in the crotch area. I can't remember where I got these particular RTW ones. I think it was either at Macy's or JC Penney's. She HATES these underwear. The crotch is just too narrow and they don't feel comfortable to her. She never wears dresses or skirts without shorts underneath, but these would not provide much coverage for those little girls who do. You can see in the pictures above that the ones I made fit well below the belly button. The RTW ones are even lower than that! Mommy likes handmade better for that reason too.

Omari didn't want her face in the picture. The bra is from Jalie 2564. These are super easy to make. I didn't use any pattern for the shorts. Just used something she already had to cut them out. These were from an extra large t-shirt. I used to use all her dad's old t-shirts to make her shorts but he's not extra large anymore. I guess I'll have to start buying fabric for this purpose.

The one on the right is awaiting the purchase of more bra slides.

First Muslin

2010-07-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

Oh I'm so glad I muslined this top. It's waaaay too small. There's no way it can slide over my hips. But overall I like how it makes my boobs look bigger. I will work on making this fit better.

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GI Joe

2010-07-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

David and I met when I was 14 and he was 16. I remember him, Tall, Bright, Eager, Confident, Nice smile. The following year we had Trigonometry together. I was a smart girl. :) In this picture we are 20 and 22. We had lunch this day because he'd enlisted in the Army and was leaving for training camp. I was liberally angry with him for this choice. He had a college degree after all and to me this was a path taken by those with no other options.

I was enamored with him my entire adolescence. He was a good looking, confident man-boy with a chiding manner, curiously driven and focused. This boy had a plan! I looked up to him and he was a good "big brother." When I was in college we became pen pals and good friends. I was still in college when he graduated and started his life as a military man. We remained pen pals. I could turn to him with any problem and he was always patient, motivating, understanding, comforting, pushing me. We were devout writers. I kept every picture and postcard he sent.

Here we are during one of his visits to California from wherever he was. I am in graduate school and he's on his way to becoming a pilot. We are 23 and 25 now.

I saw him one more time after this, the following year. Then I turned 25 and later that year got engaged. His response to that letter was to tell me he himself had gotten married and I was crushed! He'd concealed it for 4 months! I felt betrayed. Discarded. Unimportant. And that was the last exchange we had.

8 years later I received a postcard with no return address that enraged me!!! I wrote him letters, full of reproach, for which I had no mailing address. I'm a pretty good private investigator and tracked him down a couple of months later. I nervously dialed his number. I wanted an explanation. We met and talked for 3 hours and I was satisfied. And my heart was joyful. Here was my friend again! The one that I crushed on forever, through all boyfriends, through his deployment, through his silence. I wish he'd been around for my marriage. He would have told me a thing or two. Here was the boy I'd admired, that loved me as a girl, that listened and counseled. The boy with the lovely lips (you see them right?) who quickened my heart and put butterflies in my stomach. Puppy love. Unchanging.

And here we are now, 37 and 39. We had a helluva time trying to take a picture together. How did we do it before digital cameras?! I suppose we are a tad more vain now. I had to piece this one together from 2 different pictures (all on my iPhone thankyouverymuch).

I do not know his religious beliefs. His politics are a mystery to me. I don't know of his loves or relationships after his divorce. Of his family I know little. I don't know what he has for breakfast or if he drinks coffee. I unconditionally adore him. He is a single father of 4 children. A good father. Dedicated, committed, involved and his children are lovely people for it. He lives close by yet I've seen him only a few times since he came back into my life. A random phone call to him this weekend revealed that he is leaving for Iraq. For a year. And my response was grief. I am so, so sad. I am sad for his children. For his parents and selfishly, for me. I had to see him. Being in his busy home, with the kids, and talking and laughing, just made me miss him more. For him, leaving again is just an inconvenience.

Why is it that knowing that someone is not close by anymore makes you miss them more? Is that just me? I mean, I haven't been missing him. I am suddenly aware of the time I've taken for granted. When he came back into my life I suddenly felt at ease. I was relieved of an anxiety I hadn't realized I held over his safety. My heart feels tight and heavy. A little worm of worry has already started to invade.

And so I look forward to his return that we may continue taking pictures until we are 100 and 102.

Be safe my friend.

Unplanned Project

2010-07-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend dusting and organize one corner of my house. Just one corner! It's the corner with the bookshelf and the game box. Both were things that I"ve been meaning to get to because they just looked horrible. Here's a before shot:

Eeewww. So dusty! Every time I looked at it I would just feel disgust but would also get overwhelmed. So, I ignored it. I suffer from allergies to rabbits, cats, dust and pollen. I have different reactions to all of them. I hate dusting because that one gets everything going! I start itching in my throat, nose and eyes. My nose starts running and eyes start tearing and then it makes my asthma act up. I made sure to take an allergy pill before I started and wrapped by nose and mouth in a bandana. Here's the after shot:

Aahhhh! It's amazing how much tranquility and relaxation a little organization and cleanliness brings. What's that saying? Cleanliness is next to godliness? I need to try that more often. I got rid of books that will be headed to the library for donation and vowed to reread the ones I decided to keep. I moved the scrapbooks down to where Naiobi could reach them because she loves looking at them. I raided the girls' bookshelf in their room and brought all the books that I love over.

The problem with the game box is, as you can see, it's full of holes. Those little holes let in all kinds of dust so that when we go in to retrieve a game (after we've removed everything that has accumulated on the lid) dust flies all over the place.

I'd had the idea to make a sack for it for a long time but never got around to it. So, with the girls being gone and already starting the mass dusting, I decided to just go for it then and there. And here's how it turned out:

It didn't fit perfectly and I could have used a couple more inches to go over it but it will certainly do. The top is unfinished. It needs to be quilted and backed. Hopefully it won't take me an eternity to get to it.

No fourth of July show for me this year because, like movies, I enjoy them better with company and I had none. I could hear all the fireworks going off as I relaxed with a book in my bathtub.

Ugly Baby

2010-06-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

I know I'd seen these dolls kind of in viewing of some blog or another. But I hadn't ever really paid attention until I was told a co-worker was decorating her first baby's room in that theme. You can see the dolls here. Meh, not a big fan. But that's what she wanted so I made her these. This one's embroidered. I had initially planned to embroidered the bib as well as a burp cloth, but the embroidery took me longer than I expected it to.

This one has an embroidered face and the black stitching all the way around. Can you see his little fangs?

Because I felt that 2 items were not enough, I made this one the morning of the lunchtime shower. I was working from home that day. This one's on baby cord and I applied it to the onesie with stitch witchery. But I wasn't confident that it would make it through several washings, so I went ahead and stitched it all the way around anyway.

The eyes are cut out of this baby cord fabric. Clever, huh?

I drew the first monster, the one on the bib, freehand. For the other 2 I used white tissue paper and placed it over my computer monitor and traced them from the Ugly Doll website. The mama to be loved them.

Gift in the mail

2010-06-10T23:07:00.001-07:00

How sweet are these! They are washable makeup remover pads. They came from Carla over at: purlyvictorious.blogspot.com (can't link via my phone). The girls were trying to jak them from me! The nerve.

She sent them in a cute little bag along with make up remover and a little mesh bag filled with delicious smelling lavender. Glorious! Good night! Off to wash my face. :)

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Belated Birthday Post

2010-06-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, pity party over! It's morning, it's beautiful and I've got to get the most out of the day because tomorrow I head back to the office.

This year I had a birthday party (2 weeks ago) at the roller skating rink. It was fun! I invited a few girlfriends and their kids (1 husband joined in the fun) and we skated for 2.5 hours. I made party favors too! Everyone loved my Cowboy Cookie Mix jars and the feedback has been positive. Everyone's loved them!

On my wish list were: itunes gift cards, amazon gift card, hand made gifts, a label maker, dvd movies and a cupcake carrier that would hold 24+ cupcakes. I got great gifts: a purse, $45 in itunes gift cards, $55 in Target gift cards, the movie 300, the movie El Cantante, a label maker, and 2 handmade gifts. The Jewelry Box was made by Naiobi, 2 full weeks before my birthday! Omari tells me her little sister poured her heart and soul into it and all the pictures she drew for me.

And this was made by my friend Monique. I love it!!!

It has a sweet note on the back.

I hate to admit it, but every now and then I get a little, teensy bit lonely. I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. But it makes me sad and I don't like it and I want to do something about it. But the problem with loneliness is that it's totally deflating and unmotivating. Seriously, when this happens I just sit around. I don't take care of the things that need to be taken care of in my home. I don't work on my UFOs. I don't do anything. I remember when I was first separated, how exhilarating it was to be alone! I relished it, loved it, looked forward to it. I think I'm getting tired of it now.

The several times that this has happened, it's been because I've already been out and don't want to come home to be alone. And realizing that this is exactly what's going to happen makes me want to cry. For example, tonight I had a busy day. I came home, exercised, took a nap, played a few rounds of Sudoku on my phone and then checked the movie times and ran out just in time to catch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Movie was great, I leave the theater and.....Now What? Balloon deflating. Called a couple of boys and no one's around. Grabbed myself some frozen yogurt at Yogurtland, sat outside to enjoy the breeze, and then just wanted to cry. So I came home. And didn't cry.

When I'm completely honest with myself, I realize that specifically, I'm lonely for male company. I love, love LOVE my girlfriends, but I need a little testosterone once in a while. And it's not all about THAT either! Boys are different. My girlfriends are like my sisters. Family. i want to hang out with someone else now and then. My options are limited in this area as I don't have many single, male friends. A couple of them are single dads and they've got their kids on the same weekends that I don't. I've looked at a couple of online dating sites but I don't want to date. I just want a guy friend. And really, I'm a little scared. More relaxing to go out with someone I already know. Anyway, just venting a little. It's difficult to admit this little problem. I'm going to watch The Dark Knight on dvd and sort some laundry. Deep breath. Drink water. Did you know that if you sip water when you feel like crying, it stops you from doing so?

Twenty-Two

2010-05-22T00:54:00.001-07:00

At least, that's what the candles say. Actually, I turned 37 this Thursday. I spent the morning shopping (did laundry first) and then decided I'd have a picnic with the girls. I swear, if it wasn't for them, I would probably live in a hermity little whole most of the time. Really I did it for Naiobi who is still at an age where birthdays should be marked by some kind of celebration. Morning cake was not enough for her. So I picked them up from school and we had a picnic at the Rose Gardens in L.A. Boner Purchase? Martha Stewart Storage Containers for my flour, white sugar, brown sugar and chocolate chips. I think I will get a couple more. They look so neat and they stack up nicely on top of one another. One shelf in my pantry is dedicated entirely to baking items. I am not a neat nor organized person. But i LOVE containers. Even if they end up not containing anything.

I was thinking back on my birthday last year and what I was feeling like then. I'm in a much better place emotionally and mentally. I feel happy, calm and at peace. I'm in a place where I feel like giving more than taking. My soul is rested. I enjoy my kids more, and gasp, Miss Them when they aren't with me! My closest friends say I have crocodile skin. Some friends. My hopes for my thirty seventh year are to keep taking care of myself. To step up that care so that I am in the best health I can be so I can stay around awhile with my girls. I have longevity on my side. My grandmother is in her 90s. I just want to focus on that for now.

Peace.

Nightgown2

2010-05-19T21:05:00.001-07:00

Here's the pink nightgown. This one is a very clingy jersey. It was not fun to work with so I didn't add the ruffle on the bottom. The instructions have you add lace at the neck and armholes. I used lingerie elastic since I didn't have any lace. I think that because it's folded over on this one, it doesn't look as tight as the other one. She was a little self conscious about her buds showing through which is why she's standing so awkwardly.
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Nightgown1

2010-05-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

So my post the other day about these nightgowns sitting on my sewing table got me moving. I sewed up both of them and Omari loves them.

This one is some poly sleepwear fabric I got on clearance at Joanne's a couple of years ago. Back then the amount I got was enough to make both girls a gown. Now there was only enough for one. On this one I used FOE for the neck and armholes. I will have her wear the other tonight so I can take a picture.

This is a kwik sew kids' pattern and I believe it's the largest size they have. I will have to buy an adult pattern for subsequent nightgowns. Mind you, she's only 10.

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May day! May day!

2010-05-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hello blog world! I'm still alive. I've disappeared I just haven't been very crafty this year. So updates.

1. My 5 year old is reading! Not perfectly and not up to the teacher's standards, but well enough to make me smile ear to ear whenever I hear her. She says, "I'm so excited to read chapter books." So cute.

2. I am legally divorced now! The ex and I continue to be on good terms. He even stays for dinner sometimes.

On the crafty side, because scrapbooking is more contained and easier to clean up, I have been doing some of that. I have some things cut out for the girls but have left them sitting on my sewing desk for 2 months now.

A big deterrent is that the girls have been sleeping in my bed. I sew in my room. At night. My little one finally has had it with her toddler bed. She does not fit in it. "Mom, my bed is killing my feet." And of course, it wouldn't be fair for one to sleep with mommy and not the other. Twin Bed is on order this weekend! That means, we gotta clean their room. Ugh!

I started a crochet project in January and put it down when the first skein was finished. Although I bought enough skeins to complete the project, it's been sitting on the armrest of my couch since January. I did take picture of my pages but i don't know where the computer hid them!

My birthday is next week and summer is almost here! It's my favorite time of year.

School is ending 1 week early due to budget cuts. And that is why folks I can't ever take a real vacation. I've got to keep my time available for when the kids are off from school. So I will be taking a week off in June. I've already enrolled them in summer camps for 6 weeks and then they'll spend 3 weeks with my sister and one week with their dad. Maybe. If not, well there goes another week for me. Last year they were at my sister's all summer and I missed out on doing summer things with them, like going to the beach every weekend, summer concerts, pool parties. So although it's costing me and arm and both legs, I'm happy they'll be staying around. They are the reason I get out of the house. Otherwise, I'd happily hermit my life away.

UFOs done!

2010-02-28T18:06:00.001-08:00

Now that they're off my sewing table I realize that I didn't have that many. Yet knowing they were waiting for me kept eating at me. PR had an Unfinished Object (UFO) contest. I didn't join but it motivated me. The deadline is tomorrow. So I started in on mine at 10pm last night.

I made these around October. The big one just needed the strap! That's it! The little one needed to be sewn and turned and then add the hook and loop. It was already put together for sewing.

These top needed to be mended at the neck and the pants needed to have the waist shortened.

And these shorts have been sitting around since summer. Waiting for the waist elastic.

So, nothing quite crafty for the month of February but it did involve my sewing machine. :)

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See Jane Run

2010-02-06T22:08:00.001-08:00

Naiobi's progress report indicates that halfway thru her kindergarten year, she is performing below grade level. I admit, I have not been the most involved parent when it comes to reviewing homework. We get home just before 6pm and she goes to bed 7:30pm. Doesn't leave much time for anything. She does it in the after school program and I've been confident that a responsible adult has reviewed it with her. Now, I wonder if they are helping her do it, or just telling her what to write down. You know, rather than help her figure it out.

Omari was reading proficiently by the time she got to kindergarten. I did not push her at all. She was, and continues to be, a self motivated learner. She loves learning and she absorbs in every way one can do so: reading, doing, mimicking, auditorally. She reads all day long and she is excelling in school. Naiobi, on the other hand, was just barely writing her name when she got to kindergarten. Her preschool didn't push academics all that much but she had a lot of fun and I liked that. However, Naiobi potty trained herself before she was 2 and she is an excellent athlete. She's the kind of person who could become a millionaire without having finished high school. She learns by watching and doing. So how do I teach her to read?

All week long we have been working on the same little book. Every single day she has had trouble with the same 5 words. These are words that are being reviewed in class and now, at home with me. It's really frustrating. She knows all the letter sounds, but can't put them together to read the word. When I point to a word, she looks at it briefly then looks away trying to go through her word repertoire to figure out what it could possibly be. She throws out words that begin with that letter, or contain similar letters. For example, one of the words this week was Vamos. She would say: Venemos, Tenemos, Voy, Somos, etc. I'd bring her back to look at the word and start with the v sound and head to the a sound. Once I got to the M, she'd shout VAMOS! But we had to go through this every single day with the same word. I'd have thought that by the end of the week she would know it automatically. I don't know what to do. Her dad was working with her also this weekend and he is also concerned. We don't know what to do.

She does enjoy being read to. And when she's in bed at night, she likes to look at books. I just need to figure out how to get her interested in reading them herself.

Delicious Meal of the month

2010-01-31T22:26:00.001-08:00

I got it in! Today I made pasta with spicy shrimp. Both girls loved it! I had already set in my mind that Naiobi wasn't going to eat it because she doesn't like anything but boxed mac n cheese, sandwiches, green burritos and chicken nuggets right now. She doesn't like shrimp and she doesn't like red pasta sauce. This worked out perfect because I only had to remove the shrimp. She asked for thirds!

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January (resolution re-cap)

2010-01-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

3) I took 1 yoga class but don't count that as "starting yoga again." 4) I have lost my holiday weight and am exercising regularly. 6)My feelings about the ex are floating away from me. 8) I have not used my credit card. 10)I have made 3 journal entries this month.

2) I ended up making 3 curly scarves.

7) Nurtured Omari's love for the outdoors by taking her to the snow. She had a blast but started complaining when her pants didn't hold up and she ended up getting her butt soaked thru. They need to get Nik Waxed. Fortunately, I have some. It's a bit old as I used to use it on the cloth diaper covers when Naiobi was a baby, but it should work.

5?) I baked. A lot. Doesn't really fall into delicious cooking. But it was delicious baking! I tried a few new dinner recipes that were good but not fantastic. My kids like my soups a lot and the recipe I use for Bolognese Sauce. I also tried this recipe for Chai Concentrate that's just perfect. I have found a replacement for my evening cup of coffee. Here are some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies with the Chai in a jar.

This is the giant cupcake I made for Omari's 10th birthday. That little girl got LUCKY! I took her bowling with a couple of friends.

And she got the Josefina Montoya doll she's been coveting (ebay purchase).
She was blown away as you can see. She never expected it. For Christmas I gave her a mini version; the card read "Since I can't afford to get you the real thing."

Then I made the giant cupcake again for the twins.

It's Curly!

2010-01-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

First crafty item of the year! This curly scarf is going to be a gift. I'm making another as soon as I get more yarn. It used just about 1 1/2 balls of Lion Brand Jiffy yarn. It was also their pattern which is free. It's the North Pole Ruffle crochet Scarf. It's hard to link to the pattern. I think it's because they want you to create an account. Anyway, very quick project. It might have taken an hour and half. Maybe two dispersed over a couple of days.

And what's with pattens not telling you how many ounces of yarn you need? I was looking at patterns at Michael's craft store and they would just say how many balls you needed. But what if I don't want to buy that yarn?

ETA: Okay, looking at the picture looks like it's cold. It's not. I live in LA. It's about 75 or so. You can notice that I am wearing a sleeveless top underneath. And the boots I just wear for minutes at a time, just long enough to warm my toes and then I kick them off.

Resolutions 2010

2010-01-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

I didn't make any resolutions last year and therefore feel like I didn't really accomplish much. I did keep us housed, clothed and fed (using lots of credit unfortunately) and I did some soul searching, which didn't get me very far. Maybe I don't have a soul. Do you need to believe in God to have one? I'm not distressed over this though.

This year, unlike the last, I'm making resolutions.

1. Delete the number of blogs on my blog reader. Done.

2. Make 1 crafty item per month. Does not need to be a large item. Anything qualifies.

3. Start practicing yoga again. It's been many, many years and I have lost all flexibility. I have trouble touching my toes.

4. Lose weight/get in shape. A standard resolution for most of us. Starting off with weight loss challenge among friends.

5. Cook more delicious meals, even if simple and hope that it doesn't interfere with Resolution #4 too much. I tend to make the same things over and over and get scared off if there are too many ingredients in a recipe. I'd like to make things that I grew up loving, like Chiles Rellenos, Salsas and Enchiladas. Salsas are not difficult to make so I don't understand what's off putting about making them.

6. Let go of my negative feelings/views of my ex-husband. We're not officially divorced yet, but he's been my ex since the separation. A lot of things were left unsaid that I'm still carrying around. I need to let that go.

7. Encourage my oldest daughter's interests. She loves the outdoors. I don't. I consider myself an impatient person and I prefer my children stay out of my way so that I may accomplish things more easily and timely. She has been expressing an interest in sewing for about a year which I've just swept under the rug. Same thing with cooking. And gardening, which I don't do at all. I just need to keep in mind my goal of turning them into good, responsible citizens, take a deep breath and let her dive in.

8. Put away the credit card. In my defense, I did begin to use it when the ex stopped giving me any money at all for OUR bills and I'd exhausted my savings. (Breath, Let it go, let it go). So it was used often for groceries and gas during the second trimester of the year. Then there was a couple of trips I shouldn't have gone on, summer clothes we could have survived without and other such nonsense. BUT I also got my car fixed! And now I don't have much credit left anyway.

9. Visit another state (without using the credit card). Specifically, New York and/or Virginia. NY bc I've been wanting to go to the Mermaid Parade for a few years (husbands can be so limiting) and Virginia because my daughter is interested in colonial times. I'd like to go to Williamsburg, VA and check all that out. I'd also be happy visiting Hawaii.

10. Journal more. I used to write a whole lot. But my last journal I've had for FIVE years and have been unable to fill. So, I bought myself a new one for inspiration and wrote my first entry yesterday. My absolute minimum requirement is to write one entry per month.

And that rounds it out! I think 2010 is going to be a positive and happy year. My friend Carla has inspired me to do more so that at the end of the year I can share what one thing I did this year that was my favorite. I had a hard time coming up with last year's favorite thing. It was dancing. I need to dance more.

Hello 2010!!

2010-01-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Got back from my road trip to Texas last night. My babes and I left on Christmas Day and got to Dallas 2 days later. My dad was so cute. He called me every couple of hours to check in on me. He lives in Brownsville which is way down at the bottom of Texas. We visited with my momma for 2 days and I met her partner for the first time. Then we drove down to Spring to stay with my little sister Suzie. Before Spring, we went to Houston to visit with my friend Carla. She moved there over a year ago and I couldn't not stop in for a quick hug and hello (and martini for her) since I was so close.
I had a very nice, relaxing time with my sister. Her little girls are WILD but very sweet. Naiobi and her oldest, Reyna, didn't get on too well but they worked it out most times. Omari seemed to have a good time being the big cousin. Her youngest, Brianna, is 3 and she kept calling the other three, the Big Girls. Reyna had asked for a Snuggie for Christmas. When she didn't get one, she told my sister, "I really wish I would have gotten one of those." So needless to say, she was ecstatic when I showed up with one, lovingly made by my sister Gazel for all the kids! She was so cute about it. It rained in Houston and so the backyard was a bit muddy and they didn't get to play outside much. It was also cold. We did go to the Butterfly exhibit at the Science Museum in Houston and we also took them to Chuck E Cheese.
On New Year's Eve, my sister's partner brought home tons of fireworks. That's legal in Texas. And I was appreciative of it. It would have been a very uneventful evening without them. The girls were enthralled for the most part. Once the big guns came out (not literally!), Naiobi and Reyna got frightened and ended up watching them out the bedroom window. Suddenly, they had something in common. They kept discussing how scary they were. All in all, I had a great time.

I really enjoyed myself. I am not opposed to doing a road trip again. But it will be some time. My trip back home ended up being one day shorter with the help of Carla, who decided, quite spontaneously, that she had the time an inclination to come to LA for a visit!

I have to say that my girls were absolutely FABULOUS on the trip! There was only a teeny tiny bit of fighting and almost zero "Are we there yets." I have great kids.

I made resolutions this year. I will post later.

Third one's a charm

2009-12-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

So here's the finished product. I brought it to work to test it out (ahem, show it off). Naiobi was at her dad's so she didn't get to use it today anyway. The first one I made teeny tiny. It'll be good for those days when she or I are only taking snacks. Sometimes she wants the school lunch. The second was enormous and I'll end up using it for myself. It just needs straps. And the third was "just right."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Promises, Promises

2009-12-06T12:09:00.001-08:00

So I have promised, PROMISED, Naiobi a new lunchbag almost every weekend for the past month. Who promises anything nowadays? I always tell my girls, MAYBE and this time I PROMISED and haven't come through. And she does not let me forget it either. She wants one like the one Omari is wearing on her shoulder in this picture. Naiobi has a store bought bag that she hates because it doesn't have a shoulder strap and she has to carry it in her hand. So if there is anything that must be done today, it is a lunchbag.

It's almost over.

2009-12-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

I really do like this time of year. People are different. More friendly. Kinder. I wish it wasn't just 2 months of this. Because people need kindness all year long. I volunteered again at the same place I did last year but this year I was solo. My girls spent Thanksgiving with their dad in Arizona with his girlfriend's family. I know, right? Anyway, I've met her and what can I say? It's just like meeting anyone else. She's nice. I like her. My girls like her although they wish she wasn't daddy's girlfriend. And by they, I mean Omari.

This year I took pictures of the services they offer at this Westside Thanksgiving Celebration. People start lining up for food and services before 8am. While they wait, they get offered coffee, hot chocolate and pastries.
This year I made a turkey. People show up with cars FULL of cooked food. It's pretty awesome. I was there the night before setting up and they didn't have enough Turkey Cookers. So I took one home, seasoned it, baked it at 250 all night long, waking up every 2 hours to baste.
I love this. I know it has some reference to the Bible and Jesus which I don't know much about. Inside the auditorium they also have a barbershop and make-up station. Cuz we all like to look extra special sometimes.
And even the downtrodden have issues other than their financial situation. Maybe even more than the rest of us.

After I dropped off my turkey I drove over to Fontana and spent the day with my girfriend Monique where she put me to work mashing a huge pot of potatoes.
And because my sister and I have had bad experiences with other people making bad turkey, we vowed to make our own whenever we aren't the ones hosting. She spent Thanksgiving with her mother in law. So Saturday, brined this turkey for 4 hours (2 cups of salt instead of 1 for overnight brining) and had DELICIOUS turkey! I'm so sad it's gone that I'm considering making myself another.

A Fairy, a Witch and a Princess (+ iPhone)

2009-11-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's November! Wow. This year has gone by so quickly. A year ago, the idea of my life changed. I became intellectually separated from my husband and started counting the days until he moved out. We are getting along quite well. And I feel like he's way more involved with the girls than he was when he was here. I don't reject his offers for assistance with them and I feel like I can rely on him way more now than before. Maybe because I don't let him off the hook now. I have more expectations. Funny, huh?

So let's get to the good stuff! Halloween! This year Omari wanted to win a prize at school. Every year she'd been disappointed and I told her she needed to be something that would stand out. We had initially thought up an iPod and then I changed it to an iPhone. She got an Honorable Mention because the judge for Most Original costume was a dork. Seriously! The girl who won that category was wearing a store bought bee costume. The only thing original about it were the long stemmed flowers she taped around her ankles.

My girlfriend liked it so much she bought it off of us and wore it on Halloween night. You can't tell that much from the pictures, but the icons are covered with vinyl to give it the look of a screen. The ear phones were made using lightweight clay and they're attached to cording. I taped the ends of the cording to make it stiff, added hot glue on top off that and stuck it into the clay. Then added more hot glue at the base. The sides are made out of felt that Omari and I hot glued on. It held up way better than I expected. I used foam board (expensive! $5.99) for the front and back. It was fun to make.

On Halloween night, Omari was a fairy. I made the dress. She wore it all of 10 minutes because it was so damn hot! We were at a birthday party and they had a bouncer. Once the bouncing started, the dress TORE! Right at the shoulder seams. I had to go out and buy the long sleeved shirt because that see through, glimmery fabric feels like powdered glass against your skin! Also, the dress was extremely low cut.

Naiobi's got the witch look down!

And since nobody wanted to be the princess, I ended up with that costume. I try to go with some theme every year. Naiobi says she wants to be a vampire next year. She's got a thing for the dark side.

And best wishes for a happy marriage and fertility to my darling friend Dionne who got married in Palo Alto last weekend.

What's cookin?

2009-10-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

Okay Seriously? Who would make these pajamas for a GUY? Puh-lease! I was just checking out Simplicity's new patterns when I came across this. I do not like their new website. I can't figure out how to copy the picture which is why I could only post a link.

So what's cooking folks? I'm trying to work on Omari's fairy costume but had my laser eye surgery on Friday and my eyes have not been that great this weekend. Healthy but a bit blurry. They've also been getting very tired, forcing me to get to bed by about 10:30 the past couple of nights. I've been wearing contacts since I was 14. It's funny, because when my vision blurred before, I'd wiggle my contacts around. I keep catching myself about to do that now! I've had to increase my computers font significantly. I understand my vision will keep getting better and better.

Here I am during the torturous week before the surgery when I had to wear glasses.

And here I am the day of the surgery when I had to wear these all day, not read, or watch tv or use the computer, keep my eyes closed as much as possible but DON'T FALL ASLEEP for the first 5 hours! Huh? Eyes closed absolutely equals sleep!

So audiobook it was. I'm listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Sweet, beautiful and hilarious! I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this book. And I'm not even a dog lover. It's written from the dog's point of view. Makes me see dogs in a completely different way. You'll notice the paperback is less than $5. I paid $20 for the audio. Wasn't aware audiobooks are so expensive since I typically borrow them from the library. But these were desperate times! And it's turning out to be quite enjoyable. I can picture myself listening to it again. I don't appreciate the musical interludes however as I never compose a concerto between chapters when I'm reading the book myself.

Oh, remember that scene in Bridget Jones' Diary (I didn't read the book), when she's making dinner and she uses some blue string to tie some herbs together and the soup turns blue? Um, yeah. That's true. In my case I used a trouser sock because I ran out of soup socks. And as I was doing it, I played back that part of the movie and laughed. I was more concerned about soapy residue than actual coloring.

Here's the sock holding garlic and gloves inside and holding the dill and parsley together.

And the colored chicken. Maybe you can't tell that much, but it is black. See how it kind of looks like maybe the liver or something? Lesson learned. Next time use a white sock.

Halloweeny T-shirt Dresses

2009-10-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

The girls were having some difficulty getting along. They didn't want to take pictures together. So I threatened not to take them inside the American Girl doll store to window shop.

The t-shirts are from Target. Naiobi had a FIT at home because her dress was not like her sisters and I made a dress for the wrong doll! Little Witch!!! She said she was NOT going to have a good time! Omari, Omari is just a sweet girl, happy with anything. That's why her t-shirt says Sweet.

I wasn't able to get a shot of Naiobi's shirt, but it says Wickedly Cute. She is.

Here she is in her sister's dress.

And this little thing was made for a little munchkin born just last week. Just for reference, this is a doll clothes hanger. I actually made it last month, before my kids came home from Berkeley. I shipped it off and it got returned recently. Wrong zip code. The little family is home from the hospital and will have a little gift in the mail on Monday. The momma also got a Hooter Hider and the poppa got some books to read to the baby.

Little bits

2009-10-09T10:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a while hasn't it? I was scared about readjusting to having children again, but it's mostly gone smoothly. You do what you have to right? My baby turned 5 last week and we went to Disneyland.

We had a blast. Here she is trying a princess crown.

I've been fortunate in that I have "easy" children. But I must say that going to an amusement park without worrying about diaper changes, feeding, or peepee accidents just makes the experience wa more pleasurable.

I did sew something last month and I'll show you in an upcoming Halloween post. Last night I whipped up some Burrito Cozies.

I typically wrap the burritos in foil then wrap a potholder around and secure it with an elastic. These are cut at 8.5 x 8.5, two fashion fabrics and 1 of that insulated lining (can't remember what it's called right now). I sewed the outer and the lining together then turned it inside out. Sewed the lining right sides together and then slipped into the other piece. Then bound with Double Fold Bias Tape. Easy. This is their Friday lung. It's only lukewarm at lunchtime but they don't mind.

-- Posted from my iPhone

A cute apron and pondering Facebook

2009-08-23T23:42:00.001-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

I made this up yesterday for a friend who was having a housewarming party. I ended up not going because I was tired and had another event to go to that evening. Cute, yes? Hope she likes it. I overheard her saying she liked brown, not sure about the pink though. I used this pattern and all I did was shorten it by 2 inches.

Facebook has been a very fun social network, connecting me to people I had not known about in 20+ years. It's interesting to see how people turned out. There's a boy I dated briefly when I was 16 that I had pegged as a total playa. He seemed to be a road to nowhere but he seems to be quite a nice, balanced man. His Facebook friends all seem to have very high regard for him. He's a probation officer. A junior high friend was sorta a nerdy, skater boy (oxymoron?). And now he's all into guns and cars. He has a government job.

So, what I'm pondering is this: Do I remain Facebook friends with my ex? We don't chit chat anymore. All contact is as needed only. We always prided ourselves in the fact that we never argued. But I've had so many verbally aggressive fights with him in my head over the years that I'm surprised I'm sane. What we shouldn't be so proud of is the fact that we didn't communicate period.

Our Facebook friendship is something I've wondered about in the past couple of months. He posts pictures of him with the chick and for some reason, it irritates the hell out of me and that irritation in itself pisses me off. Why does it even matter?? Why do I even care?? And he comments on her pictures and it's obvious he's head over heels. He's met her family and hangs out with her nieces and all that gets my goat. WHY? And why do I torture myself by looking? And again, why do i care? I think my curiosity gets the better of me. I've sorta pieced together that relationship. He told me they'd met in January. But the pictures he posted today were from January first. I don't know when, how or where he met her. But she starts showing up on the phone bill in October, when we were pondering our future together but before we had decided to call it quits. That was a shock when I discovered that. So much so that I got a call from a good friend just as I was looking over the bill why my jaw on the floor and could I not even answer verbally. Some guttural sounded came out of my throat and friend went into panic and I still couldn't talk. I just started crying. Ugh! You think you know someone. But I digress.

I hadn't dropped him because I'm a curious girl and wanted to know his business. But I think I'm done. My irritation with his posts is just too much. He just irritates me I guess. Do I tell him I'm unfriending him or just unfriend him? I suppose that means I unfriend his friends too. They're all on a list together where they can't see my business anyway.

Breaking up is hard to do. In 8 more days I can ask for a judgement on the divorce if he doesn't file a response.

A Month of Freedom

2009-08-11T13:05:00.001-07:00

I feel like I've been gone from here for a while. So much is going on in my life right now. I have not been all that crafty and don't really feel like it. My girls are still with my sister for 3 more weeks. This month really feels like I am on vacation. I have been going out a lot, enjoying drinks (responsibly) and dinner with my girlfriends, hanging pool side with no worries of children drowning or slipping and cracking their heads open. I enjoy my drive home, unrushed. I love walking into my home, knowing exactly what will be waiting for me. I even went dancing recently. I'm having a really good time. I started a boot camp at 6am, 3 days a week and am seeing results. I've lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks so far. It motivates me to keep going.

I finally filed for divorce and am counting down to the 31st day so I can go fill out more forms and get a judgement. I finally realized, or admitted, that I am really angry, bitter and resentful towards my ex and that I can not keep pretending to be his friend. I seriously thought and bragged, that he and I would be like Bruce & Demi. So I told him that I would remain civil but I could not be his friend. Both of those things were liberating. I feel lighter. Not only that, this past weekend I took out everything of his that still remained in my house. It's all boxed and bagged in the little room under the stairs. Outside.

I think I still held on to the hope that he would step up. But I've resolved and accepted that I can't count on him. I don't know why I had that little hope, if counting on him wasn't even possible when we were together. I am coming to accept that I am the only one that I can rely on, and starting to plan my life accordingly. I am thankful for my sister and her availability and willingness to keep my kids. I really needed this respite. I think I love my kids more now that I can let go of all the negative feelings I had. Any book suggestions on freeing one's soul would be appreciated.

I go to work and enjoy it. The new job coincided with my separation. It's been good for me. I like being involved directly with families again and I love the people in my unit. They are a fun, funny and loving bunch. I also started telecommuting on Tuesdays. No coincidence that I'm blogging today. I have the rest of the month planned out: a trip to New Mexico, housewarming parties, birthday parties, dancing, and going to try and see a comedy show at the beginning of September. Hope whomever is reading is also enjoying their summer. Oh, I never did figure out the boob issue with the swim top. Boning did not make one lick of difference. I did find out that I need to make it a teeny bit smaller or use less elastic at the top edge of the top and the bottom. Ask me how I know. LOL

Childless and Boob issues

2009-07-21T23:02:00.001-07:00

So I'm computerless again. Same problem with the logic board. I'm childless this summer. Three weeks ago I spent a week up on Berkeley with my sister and left the girls. They stayed for a week, came down for a week and now they're back in Berkeley. There's lots of potential in a childless summer. Will tell you more later. So I'm working on this Kwik Sew 3608 swimsuit.
This is my muslin. Going well but I don't like how it makes my boobs look.

I'd written in all the bubbles before I found this application for the phone called Blogpress. I think I'm going to like it. Only draw back is apparently you can't move the pictures around. So their not in the sequence I would have liked.

This is the side view that really shows the sag/droop/side flop Do you think using those bra liner cups would help? I don't think making the shelf bra in a smaller size would help. This is a medium at the top tapering out to large.

-- Post From My iPhone

How I make Booty Shorts

2009-07-06T10:52:00.001-07:00

I've had a few emails recently about the booty shorts I make for the girls. I wasn't able to contact those people directly so I'm hoping they check back.

The first time I made the booty shorts I traced a pair they already had. These were pajama shorts. The white that you see at the top is foldover elastic which I use because I have a lot of it. You can see how I did that on this post here

For the more recent ones I used Jalie 2445 as a base but didn't make them exactly the same as the pattern has a separate waistband. I think I combined the waistband and bottom portion of the shorts when I was tracing the pattern out.

I'm currently making booty shorts from the Ottobre 4/2004 issue. This issue has underwear, camisoles, leggings and shorts. The shorts and leggings are the same pattern. The shorts are very short, too much like underwear for my daughter, so I just extended the cutting line a bit. I will finish them up this week and post a picture next week with the older girl wearing them. She's at my sister's in Berkeley right now.

Yeah, those booty shorts are expensive! My girls take gymnastics and they sell them for $20!

Mail Sack from Pink Chalk Studios

2009-06-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this bag! It is very easy to make. I made it as a gift for my friend Monique who kept my daughter for a whole week. She wouldn't let me give her any money for her keep. She'd eyed a similar looking bag at a scrapbook convention we went to. She even saw this pattern with me when we went to the Urban Craft Center and commented on how she could fit some scrapbooking stuff in there. I placed my order late Tuesday night and got it 2 days later. I went about cutting out the pattern pieces right away. Cut out the fabric and then had to go to Joann for the interfacing. They didn't have medium weight so I used heavy weight which seems fine to me. The bag is EASY people and very roomy. It easily fits a 12x12 album. The inside pockets are deep and large.
Because it was all looking a little too relevant, I used the Caramel Town Happy Chihuahua Blue for the inside pockets. For a little surprise and a little bit of happy. The outside fabrics are both County Fair Dottie by Denise Schmidt.

The bag is too long if worn over the shoulder. But once placed across the chest, I think the length is just right. Monique isn't very tall either, about 5'3". I'm 5'7" and it felt fine on me too.

Changes for next one: Make some kind of closure. It's very gapey. Make another, smaller pocket for easy and quick access to cell phone OR make an outside pocket. I don't really like digging around my bag to find my phone. They keys are no problem because I have a Purse Key Finder. Love that thing. This would be a great bag for being out all day too. Fit in a water bottle and a light sweater. Good for park days with the kids. Anything. Gotta start looking at fabrics for mine.

Been Busy

2009-06-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

I've been busy baking and sewing. Baking just for fun. Had lots of overripe bananas to get rid of resulting in a few banana loaves, banana muffins, and my favorite, banana chocolate chip cookies. Here's some going to my sister and nieces in Texas.

Also made a new lunch bag for Omari. This is my own making. She doesn't like the bulky, store bought lunch bags and she's hard on her bags. This one finished out the school year. It's a decorator weight on the outside, fine corduroy on the inside and the thermo batting in between. I used webbing for this handle although previous versions were made with the same fabric. And a little velcro tab. You'd be pretty surprised at how much fits in here. Because it's not rigid, it holds any shape and size.

My little sister in Texas asked for a grocery bag holder for her birthday. She doesn't ask for much. From my other sister she requested a bedside holder. You know, the kind that hangs down from between your mattresses and holds your stuff.

I made this little pouch for Omari's cell phone. The top is the 2nd version. The bottom shows how the rectangle on the far left ended up once sewn. It came out way too small. Even the second version barely fits the phone. I'll have to attempt a new one.

And finally, steno pad covers. I purchased the pattern from Skip to My Lou. Yes, I could have figured this out on my own. But I'll gladly pay 2 bucks for someone else to figure it out for me. I made them for teacher gifts. You have to sew a very scan 1/4" seam on the sides and I'd say more like a 1/2" for the top and bottom seams. I had some empty space there.

I discovered with this pattern, that I hate rotary cutting. I use my rotary cutter to cut out all my fabric now when using a pattern. But using it to cut out a specified measurement was a PITA. I'd much rather make a pattern piece and THEN use the rotary cutter. Lining up the ruler and all that is just too much work. I made one more thing but that will get its own post.

Another Ottobre Tank Top

2009-06-09T22:46:00.001-07:00

I used the same pattern as for the black one. This time I did the bindings as called for in the pattern. They were a PITB because that gold material kept curling out instead of in. But I managed. This one is also sheer and will be worn over a tee. I layered the black one over a white top to show the back and I really like it. This is the back. I think I'll make another one completely sheer to layer it.

And here's a picture of the front. I thought that the grew underlining would show through better but it just looks dark.

Some sewing and some fun

2009-06-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

I surprisingly got some sewing done this weekend. The machine is still set up on the kitchen table. You're probably wondering why I'm in the kitchen again since I happen to already have a sewing area. That's because I have no tv in there and my portable dvd player stopped working. I have listened to my podcasts, books and music on my ipod, but I much prefer to have a movie on. So, I shipped out to the kitchen again and started watching the first season of Dexter. Very good show. I don't have cable anymore so I can't watch the new season.
Anyway, I made a few pairs of panties and a tank top using Ottobre #1 from the 2/2009 issue. I found this stretchy lacey fabric at Sally's at the mall and wanted to make something slinky. It has a bit of metallic thread in it. The front is lined with grey jersey. The back is left unlined. I used this ruffled edge elastic trim for the straps and front and back bindings. I made matching hipster panties, unlined and using the same elastic trim for the leg and waist treatment. Very sexy. I love it!

I used Jalie 2568, version C to make 3 of the 5 pairs and found that this pattern, in that version is a little small on me. I'll have to try sizing up next time.

I also had a fun Girls' Night on Saturday. Had dinner and drinks then went bowling with some of my best girls. 3 of us retreated to the hotel at 3am, 1 decided to go home, and the 2 of us that were left woke up at 9am. We lounged, took our time getting ready and then went our separate ways. My friends are loads of fun. We've been friends since high school. We are in touch almost daily via email, text or FB and I still can't get enough of them!

Birthday Fun and sewing again

2009-06-02T22:43:00.001-07:00

So I've been on a bit of a sewing hiatus. I have left my fabric, rotary cutter, pattern weights, scissors and cutting board, laying out on my dining table. For 2 months. Thinking that having it there so readily available would move me to quickly cut something out. Trace something. Nah.

The bug came back this weekend. I cut out a few pairs of undies for me, some tank tops and 1 knit shirt. Still to be sewn but at least I have something ready to go. Today I made some emergency bralettes for Omari. She has started to "bud" and is experiencing some tenderness. I thought wearing the bralette might help with clothing chafing against her chest.

Last month I celebrated my 36th birthday. Every year I think I'm going to sew myself up something special. I haven't gotten there yet. I can't actually believe how a year has already passed since I had my 35th birthday. It doesn't feel like it was so long ago. This year I had a birthday dinner at a very fun sushi bar in N. Hollywood. I had a BLAST!!! Won a cheap t-shirt in the bday person dance-off! We couldn't stop talking about it for days! This place is like a club. There were mini table kegs, sake bombs, loud dance music, a show put on by the waiters. All in 2 hours. Too much fun was had. The boy I invited never called. How Rude! He missed out. Scroll down for a slideshow.

Boys

2009-05-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

A boy should at least call a girl and tell her he doesn't want to go out, right? Asked a boy, okay, a man, out to lunch on Monday for Friday. Left a message on his cell phone and he hasn't responded. Hope this means he's just inconsiderate and not injured or hospitalized or something dramatic like that. He's a friend from 20 years ago. Reconnected on Facebook (that thing is fun)! Not looking for a love connection and I told him that. I'm just really curious about people that I knew in my past. I like to find out what's become of their lives, what they're like as adults. He's not the first person this has happened with either. Seems people reconnecting on Facebook like to say things like, "Let's hook up" or "We should get together sometime" but don't know what to do with that once the other person says "Okay." Oh well. I asked him to join me for my birthday celebration too in a couple of weeks. I think I will tell him he's off the hook and celebrate with my awesome girlfriends only.

No Sewing since the great Panty Making a few weeks ago. I'm missing it.

I'm sticking to Panty Making

2009-04-26T21:31:00.001-07:00

This is Vogue 1046. I used a slinky dot fabric from Joann. I thought that using the slinky fabric would make it flow nicely. It does flow nicely. But there is just too much fabric. This needs to be redrafted so that the fullness is concentrated in the center of the dress, with no gathers going beyond the breasts and into the armpits. No No No. The other 2 reviewers of this dress on PR had no more success than I did in making this look cute.

At first I was thinking that it just doesn't look good cuz I'm a little on the Large side. But the other 2 reviewers were both thin. So that's not it. The problem is, the model on the pattern envelope is holding her hand on her hip in a way the pushes all the extra fabric back behind her so that one has no idea how much dress there really is. This was very disappointing. I thought it was going to be so cute!

Here's my attempt at trying to make it wearable. Might have worked if it weren't for how thrown together it looks in the back.

And Natalie, this is not a good muumuu pattern because of the amount of work involved: the gathers, slip stitching the facing together at the shoulders, then slipstitching the facings down. Oh, and it's lined too. But it shouldn't be hard to find one. Any of the dress patterns out now that don't have any waist detail would work. How 'bout this one?

OH! This one would DEFINITELY work!

Do you twitter?

2009-04-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I think I'm liking this twitter thing. But I need more people to "follow." Following CNN, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's is a little, um, boring. I'd like to follow the daily ramblings of other crafty people. Let me know. On twitter I am Liliajams.

Another Muumuu dress coming soon. Different pattern, worse result.

Are you Dating?

2009-04-23T20:13:00.001-07:00

So the ex and I met at the girls' gym tonight. To talk about bills, and filing for divorce, custody and such. It was fine. The custody issue is to be further discussed. I want sole custody with him having visitation. Pretty much, the way it is now. All was fine. He told me he was dating someone which I'd already figured from something that Omari said but Omari doesn't know yet which is good. He then asks me if I'm seeing anybody. And it was a total Ally McBeal moment for me. I saw myself blow my top, eyes bug out and all that. I was thinking: WHEN? When would I have TIME to date anybody? I get EXACTLY 4 WHOLE evenings a month to myself. FOUR. You get THIRTEEN evenings in between your visits with them. and FULL days! I get 2 full days a month. The Saturdays that they're with him. Because they come back on Sunday. And on Sunday I am planning meals, grocery shopping, ironing uniforms. So I'm not at all pissed because he's dating. I'm pissed because I CAN'T even if I WANTED to. Which I don't. But if I wanted to, it would be nice if I could.

Ugh.

(It actually helped to get that off my chest).

Underwear Month: Complete

2009-04-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

(ETA: That yellow ruffled lace did not hold up well at all in the wash. Came out of the washer torn off in places.)
Turns out I had a total of 7 panties left to do. I finished the 3 last night and the the other 4 that were hiding in the pile, this morning. Last night I was feeling grumpy about it but today I am quite satisfied and feel very accomplished. I can't wait to show the girls. You can tell which ones are going to be the favorites right? It's going to be those polka dot ones.

These are from Ottobre 4/2004. I've made these for them before. Dislikes: on the big girl panties there is no lining in the crotch. But daughter says it doesn't bother her. On the little girl panties, connecting the crotch to the back piece requires some finagling. They have to be eased together which is something I haven't had to do with any other pattern. Big Likes: NO SIDE SEAMS. This is obvious on the big girl panty, but also true on the little girl ones. Aren't the big girl ones just TOO CUTE? I need to enlarge this pattern and make some for me!
Fabric used: yellow rayon with ruffled elastic; purple bamboo/cotton with scalloped elastic

These are the easiest to make because the crotch is included in the front piece and the lining is only attached at the seam where the front and the back piece meet. No need to sandwich the seams so that they end up on the inside of the crotch and crotch lining.
Fabric used: polka dot tissue weight 100% cotton jersey with ruffled elastic; White bamboo/cotton with butterfly printed foldover elastic.

In comparison to the others, this pattern is very high cut. I didn't alter this, but remembered that when I first made these for Omari I had to add to the back to get more butt coverage. I imagine these won't be her favorite. I'm interested to see how they fit Naiobi.
Fabric used: Purple and Pink Bamboo/Cotton Jersey with two-tone elastic and with pink/metallic foldover elastic

For my pair I used up the rest of my burnout lace fabric and used scalloped elastic on one pair and foldover elastic on the other. They actually fit me fine and I don't have butt coverage issues. But my butt is shaped different than Omari's. It's large, but hers sits high up (bubble butt shape) and mine is distributed more evenly. I've just got more all around as opposed to it all being concentrated in one area.

One of Naiobi's biggest complaints, and that actually brings on tears, are the side seams on her store-bought underwear. When she wakes up in the morning, the seams have left deep, hurtful impressions on her. She HATES this. COMPLAINS and CRIES about this almost every morning. I've tried to get her to just not wear any underwear to bed, but she feels naked. She sometimes wears shorts instead. The reason the seams are so large is because they don't sew the binding on in the round. It is sewn in flat, then the side seams are sewn. You can see how bulky it is and how much flatter the ones I made are in comparison. After making them, I also thought it would be best when making hers, to not use the serger. Just the visual of the side seam is too much for her to handle. She's a bit, um, sensitive.

These will do for a while. Now that there isn't such a need for making them, I'll make them now and then to have more choices. So now that this is done, the rest of my day is free. To do chores and run errands and try and find a dress for Naiobi for Easter. All her dresses are in a box here somewhere....

Sneaky April

2009-04-10T22:46:00.001-07:00

Had I known April was going to sneak up on me like this, I would have finished up Underwear Month 2 weeks ago, when all the panties needed was elastic. So I was working on that today, all mad at myself for putting it off. Got 3 more left to finish. But now I've lost my mojo. Panties don't sew up as quickly as I imagined.

I sat on the couch for a bit and anytime I do that my eyes close on me. Made myself get up and wash the dishes in an effort to get some energy back. But got onto Bloglines after that and got sucked into someone else's sad story and now I'm crying. I feel sad when my girls are gone.

It was fun at first. A WHOLE weekend to myself! I was just itching!!! So many things I could do! I could go out! I could sew! I could make a mess and leave it! I went to the movies. Spent hours in bookstores. Saw friends for all kinds of meals as well as coffee. But the fun seems to be wearing out now. Fridays are the hardest. It breaks my routine of coming home with my children in tow. Every other Friday I come home alone and that's rough. I don't know what to do with myself. I had planned to make plans on those Fridays. But I don't want to bother anyone. That includes me LOL. I don't want to bother myself. Funny, ha? I'm okay when I wake up on Saturday morning until they return Sunday night. It's just Friday that's hard.

Okay, pity party's over. Got 3 more undies to make.

Sewing Themed Limericks

2009-03-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Some people are so clever! Click Here

Interlude: Leg warmers and leotards

2009-03-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Girls' undies will be cut and sewn this weekend when they're away at
their dads. Good for sewing but bad for making adjustments. In the
meantime, here are some legwarmers I made for Naiobi. They're made from some
knee highs I was gifted. I knew I wasn't going to get much use out of
them and she loves them. She has suddenly refused to wear tights so
these work out perfect. I've made 3 pairs.

I came across this Lycra? Spandex? material at a Sally's Fabrics in my mall. They're going out of business so everything is 40% off right now. I had no intention of going there to buy leotard fabric. But what little girl wouldn't just love this? They are finished. This picture was taken last night to show how tight the armscyce is once you add the elastic. I was suspicious of it when making it up, because the same pattern piece is used whether or not you add sleeves. When you add sleeves, there is not elastic there and so I suspected that this was going to happen. They both complained about it. So there I was last night, picking out the stitches and taking out the elastic. I was tempted to just turn under and stitch but I was afraid the stitches would look wonky. So I added clear elastic without stretching. I'll find out on Thursday.

Birdie Bag

2009-03-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

I took a new position at my job at the beginning of December. I am no longer isolated in a dull, corner office by myself. I am in a mobile unit, meaning most of them work from home (but not me) and it's surprisingly full on most days. It's fun having people to interact with face to face again. There is actually another sewer in there! It was so fun to find that out. I clued her into Sewing Pattern Review but Lucy hasn't gotten the courage up to post yet. Anyway, another co-worker Renate, immediately asked if I'd make her something. She wasn't pushy at all and just sorta said it in a joking way, pouting that the Lucy hadn't yet made her something. I've known Renate the whole time I've been with my agency (almost 12 years). She's a fun and vibrant girl-woman. She loved my Green Pepper bag and I'd told her I'd make her one. She brought me the fabric, an Ikea bedspread, and I finished it last week. She's quite pleased with it as you can tell.

Again my biggest complaint is that it has no outside pocket. Will add one next time. But otherwise, this bag is a breeze to construct. I did notice that once I added the zipper, the sides were no longer the same length. I think it's because I sewed the fabric too close to the zipper teeth. So, I just cut off the tops of the sides so they'd match up.

Because I had not liked how floppy the bag was, I went ahead an interfaced the outer material with medium weight fusible Pelon. This gave the bag the structure I wanted BUT there are some air bubbles I could not get out! I ironed and ironed and it would stay for a while,but in the end they came back. I've heard others complain about Pelon so I don't know if that's all it is. I've never used Sew-In interfacing and I wonder if that would work just as well. Do you know?

I ordered the straps and hardware from Strapworks this time and I like the webbing a LOT better. It's way thicker than the one I used previoiusly. It holds the hardware much better.

Some more pics, all taken on my iPhone.

Underwear Month: Part 2

2009-03-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

These were made from Jalie 2564. I used the same burnout knit as before. I got 4 panties out of that 1 yard! Quite a deal at about $6. This pattern is confusing when you're tracing it out. It looks like they have 2 patterns for the same panty so at first it doesn't make sense. But if you look closely, there is a little box inside each pattern identifying which one is to be used with foldover elastic and which one is for picot edge elastic or enclosed elastic.

I've had a love affair with FOE since I made diapers for my youngest, 4 years ago. So much so, that I still have some left from hundred yard roll I ordered back then! LOL Many people find it tricky, but I think it's the easiest thing to use. It finishes off so neatly and you can find it in so many colors. You can also dye it. I find it much easier to use FOE than say, folding under and then sewing. I use FOE almost exclusively to finish off elastic waists for my kids' garments. Needless to say, my favorite pair is the one with the FOE. I would have used white if I'd had it. But the waist on the other pair was not as comfortable. May have something to do with using 1/2" elastic instead of the 3/8" called for. I should say that these go a little higher up on the leg than the previous ones I made. I do like that better. But the other ones don't bother me either.

This weekend I'll pre-wash the fabric to start on the girls. Part 3 to come before 3/31/09! Let's see if setting a deadline actually gets me to finish them.

Underwear Month

2009-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

So I had declared (to myself) that February would be Underwear Month. My kids are outgrowing what they have and I was going to dedicate last month to whipping up a few pairs for them. Well, I don't know what happened. February just flew by and I didn't get to it. So, now March is underwear month. So, 2 weekends ago I was all ready to go but I had no kid friendly prints! No pastels and the white I had was too thick. So I got on Fabric.com (order arrived today) and ordered some basic colors and a few prints. I also ordered lots of stretch trims from Kathy's Lace and Elastic Outlet. In the meantime, I thought I'd give making my own underwear a shot.

I used Jalie 2568 and made all 3 styles. I didn't have the same kind of elastic to use on the waist and since I hadn't planned on making undies for me, all the elastic I ordered was girly. So I used what I had.

I used stretch lace for the Brazilian Hipster (style C) and a stretchy burnout knit for the white ones. I LOVE the fabric. It's very stretchy and very comfy. The granny looking ones are supposed to be the Hipster (Style A) and the other pair is the Bikini (Style B). I've made the Brazilian Hipster before and honestly don't use that pair a whole lot. But I had the lace so I might as well make them up. I'm sure they'll sit around for a while.

Here's a close up of Styles A and B for comparison. These were both made with the High Waist. There is also a cutting line for a low-waisted version. On the model, the high waist fits very close to the belly button. On me, they are mid-waisted. In between the low and high. I wish there was a pleasant way to show you but the white is very sheer. The Hipster has you just turn and sew the leg seam. There is no elastic there although you can add it if you want. I wanted to try it without. It doesn't work well with the burnout knit bc it looks messy AND I should have thought this out and used a stretch stitch on the leg seam. I used a straight stitch and well, it doesn't stretch LOL.

(Edited to add: I just realized why they aren't high waisted on me. I didn't use the wide elastic at the waist!)

I really, really like the bikini style. It fits well and it's comfy. I wonder how much of that has to do exclusively with the fabric. Note that the leg is low. So if you find that uncomfortable these aren't for you.

This was waiting for me today. The solids, except for the pale yellow are all bamboo/cotton jersey. All the solids will be covering bottoms. I might make some out of the tissue weight polka dot jersey (isn't it cute?) and the little skulls too. How cool is it that the fabric comes with a little sticker telling the fiber content and the yardage? Love that!

And here's the elastic trims I got for the girls' undies. Glitter and ruffles and hearts.

More to come. I made a couple more from another Jalie pattern and I finished another Green Pepper bag for a co-worker. Will post in the next couple of days.

Cuts

2009-03-07T10:12:00.003-08:00

This is how my nail fell off. My finger didn't actually start hurting until this happened and there was raw meat exposed. Now it just looks like I'm a really bad nail biter. (I am a nail biter, (see other nails for proof) but I know where to draw the line.) And just so I could take full advantage of my Tetanus shot, I went ahead and sliced my thumb with my food processor. It was NOT fun washing dishes last week and seriously considered going out to by all paper products that would end up in a landfill. But I didn't.

Like how the background is more in focus than the object of the picture? LOL That's my camera phone for you. We are ALWAYS well stocked up on marshmallows.

The Stock Pot

2009-03-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

So I got this 10 quart stock pot from Overstock. It's a great size. I was a little weary of it when I pulled it out the box because it was really light. My pots are not heavy, but they certainly aren't light. The steel is very thin. The pot feels like it's going to dent at any minute. Especially when I'm washing it. To wash it I place it on it's size, place my left hand on the top and apply a little pressure to hold it in place while I scrub the inside. I actually make myself NOT add too much pressure, cuz I SWEAR, I am going to dent that thing! I don't recommend you buy it. I was going to return but, nah! Too much trouble so I'm keeping it. I've used it about once a week for the past four weeks. Always for this Chicken Soup Recipe as we keep passing viruses back and forth. I found that I had to increase the amount of herbs I used. I followed the portions when I was using my 5qt pot and the flavors were OVERPOWERING and we loved it! When using the same amounts in the 10 qt pot the flavor was more bland. My fault for sure because I also added more water. The last time I made it, I followed all the steps and portions CORRECTLY and it was great. I did add Thyme of my own accord bc I did that very first time and I like it better that way. Anyway, we all love it and seems that we won't be needed Chicken Soup this week. YAY!

Quick Update

2009-03-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

I am fine. I got the tetanus shot, part of my nail fell off, just a sliver and it didn't even turn black. I got a big pot for my chicken soup but I don't like it. I will post pictures in a couple of days. I made another messenger style bag for a friend and didn't order enough webbing. So it's sitting on my table waiting for some more to come. Not much other sewing. Be back soon.

Ouch

2009-02-17T00:05:00.001-08:00

I'm wondering if I need a tetanus shot after this little mishap. Yes. I punctured my finger with my sewing machine needle. I NEVER imagined this would happen to me. Mostly because I always imagine it happening and so I sew carefully. But there you have it. It actually didn't hurt as much as I'd imagined it would. It's throbbing a little now hut not bad. It's probably going to hurt like hell tomorrow. (Funny, but the word hell is not in my iPhone's dictionary. It autocorrects to: he'll.) Anyway, it was surprising that blood actually spattered. I didn't expect that. I don't know how my top joint got caught in all this but it's now a little bit swollen. I was making leg warmers for Naiobi since she's decided that 1) she doesn't like tights anymore, 2) she refuses to wear jeans and 3) all her other non-jean pants are too short. That girl is so particular. We FIGHT in the morning over her clothes AND SHE WEARS A UNIFORM!!! I am not looking forward to teenagehood.

Sent from my iPhone

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-02-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

So a little while ago, Jacqui very sweetly nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award. I'm supposed to nominate 7 other blogs. I don't know the origins of the award or what the "requirements" are. I am nominating the blogs I most enjoy reading:

1. Purly Victorious I started a love affair with this author as soon as I came across her blog. I don't even remember how. I quickly devoured every single post and then made crazy Carla my friend! Her writing is awesome, she makes stuff, she takes cool pictures and, did I mention, her writing is awesome!

2. Green Room Thoughts Mrs. Peevie very rarely posts a picture but her writing is so awesome you don't need one!!! I came across this blog when I learned about some blog awards somewhere. Mrs. Peevie, do you have a book? You need to write one.

3. Katie Alender Okay, well Katie used to have a really cool name for her blog but now I can't remember what it was. Her writing is also awesome!! (hmm, I'm sensing a theme here). She's got a book coming out soon and I can't wait. Oh and she makes stuff too, once in a while. OH, I remember the name. It was "Maybe I'm Biased."

4. c jane enjoy it Although I don't like the current banner on this blog, I really enjoy reading. The banner doesn't matter much anyway since I read blogs via bloglines most of the time and the banner doesn't show. This family had quite a tragedy last summer and they are now in recovery. This girl's writing is quite fun and she has really cute nieces and nephew and son and she posts pics of them daily.

5. Woolanthropy This one I like bc Natalie is just so sweet and she's just the kind of girl that makes you smile. Her hubby makes great food for her which she shares with us (via pics and recipes) and the girl knits and sews creatively and is just generous. I just like her.

6. The True Life Adventures of Violence Girl Alice Bag's autobiographical blog. Well, I guess they are all autobiographies in a way, right? But this is really a documentation of her life. I knew Alice a long time ago when I was running around in the music world. She says she's not a writer, but she is a good one too.

7. All Buttoned UpA young family of 5. Busy. Crazy and interracial. Lots to deal with and lots to share. The mama is creative and her boys are Gorgeous! I enjoy reading about their adventures, the help they get from their friends and the rides they take in their Bakfiets.

8. African KelliOH, I just have to nominate one more. I really, really enjoy reading about Kelli's adventures. She's a tri-athlete who wants to make the world a better place and does something about it, not just lament about it. She also sews, and makes journals and cards with stamps and fabric and Jars of Renewal. She's just a good chick.

And their you have it. The 8 blogs I most look forward to reading when I open up Bloglines. But they are not the first I read as I like to have time to actually sit and enjoy them. They are not blogs that I skim. I read a lot of blogs. Lots of sewing blogs. Those I can skim through. See the nice pics and move on. Not so with these. So, when you click on the links, ensure it's a time when you actually have time. I'd hate for you to be interrupted mid-read.

The Dorm Room

2009-02-01T22:39:00.001-08:00

For a long time, I wanted to switch rooms with the girls. This Christmas, BIL and my sister helped me do that. I never had much in my bedroom. Just my bed and 2 dressers. The girls have infinitely more stuff than I do and they needed the bigger space. When my sister came out a couple of weeks ago, she said it looked like a dorm room. Doesn't it? It does have that I-must-fit-everything-I-own-into-this-space-kind of look.

Half of my new bedroom is now my sewing area. Only 1 box of fabric is left in the kitchen and it's a nice box so no one knows what's in it. There's still work to do. Like removing the big vinyl flower stickers on the walls and the flowery curtains.

My tv has been my companion on all my late night sewing sessions and it feels lonely in my bedroom without one. Considering putting one in there. I don't dig listening to books on tape when I'm sewing. I can't concentrate on both sewing and books at the same time! When I watch tv it's always something that isn't too deep or that I've seen before.

I got the table at Idea for $40 I think. Under it I have my Ottobres, Jalies, and other pattern books, a binder with tutorials and patterns I've printed out and a box with patterns. I also put my crafty books there for now.

These green boxes have interfacing and ribbon, UFOs and stuff.

This is my closet. All that in the bottom is fabric. In the big blue Ikea bag are full pieces of fabric. The box with orange lid has SCRAPS people! SCRAPS! The one on top has pieces that have been cut into but still more than 1/2 yard left.

And here is an unfilled space. I think I should probably get a dresser, but would like to get another table. Don't know yet. The thing is, I haven't been able to bring myself to actually cut out fabric in here. Sewing is fine eventhough the lighting isn't that great. When I want to trace or cut, I clear off my kitchen table and do it out there. Bring out the cutting mat, rotary cutter, etc. I guess some habits are hard to break. One big downside is that there's carpet in there. You can imagine all the threads and scraps that get stuck on there right? In the kitchen it was easy to sweep up.

The best thing is, being able to leave my project out. I still put most things away before going to sleep, but I can leave the machines out, the project on the table, etc and that's nice. I was thinking last night that I could even just hop on over to my bed if I really wanted to.

Hearts and Denim bag

2009-02-01T16:59:00.001-08:00

Omari's been asking for a bag that she can carry around. We went to Joann Fabrics and she picked out the fabrics to be used. She was very excited about me making it and was very happy with it this morning. She's pretty easy to please unlike someone else I know. I digress.

The bag was going along just fine. I made the outside and it went smoothly. I made the lining and that was fine too. But attaching the two together was a pain in the ass. The lining just doesn't seem like it was made for the outside of the bag. The pattern pieces are not the same. The outer bag end up having a U shaped bottom with a V shaped top (flares out at the top) but the lining is completely straight. So attaching the flared top to a straight lining top was not happening. I ended up pleating it a little bit in the back. Also the inner pocket is kind of weird in that it attaches into the seam allowance on the bottom. This means the pocket curves into the bottom. Just seems odd. If I made it again, I'd use the same pattern pieces as the outside to make the lining.

I wasn't able to use the loop or slider for the strap bc it was just too thick. Probably would have worked without interfacing. I also interfaced the lining pieces which was not called for. But I don't like really floppy bags. I just feel kind of "meh" about this bag but Omari likes it and finds it useful. My favorite part is the outer fabric and the 2 ribbons sewn onto the top of the front pocket.

UCLA Sweatshirt Shrink

2009-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Omari needed some college attire for Spirit Day at her school. This was the ONLY thing I had. Nothing from undergrad and I'd recently gotten rid of a grad school t-shirt. I used an Ottobre pattern from the recent 1/09 issue. It doesn't look like the pattern bc it was long sleeved and a soft jersey was used. I had to make 3/4 length sleeves bc of the holes and I liked it better this way, but she said they were too tight when she tried it on that morning. So I ran back to the machine to make them short.

Here's what the sweatshirt looked like on me. This was and OLD sweatshirt that I kept from a boy I was dating in college. Not at UCLA. It was tattered almost to bits as you can see. The fabric was actually quite fragile and at one point tore it where I was sewing on the FOE (fold over elastic). GRRRR.

Omari LOVED the sweatshirt top. It was washed the next day and she wore it again. She was actually verbally attacked at school bc her school is right next door to USC and so most of the kids are loyal to it. I thought my girlfriend's kids would certainly be wearing UCLA attire as they are big fans, but instead they wore Chinese garments in celebration of the new year. No Worries, all attacks were quickly put to an end by school staff.

Jalie 2449, Crossover Top

2009-01-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

This turned out to be the best shot of the top. Me with the "sleepy eyes" as Naiobi said.

I like the style of this blouse. I really like the fabric, Rayon/Spandex jersey. But I HATED sewing it. It is SO stretchy. Not only that, my serger really needs a tune up. I'm going to clean it tonight since that seemed to help it run smoothly for awhile. No, I do not clean my serger after each use even though I've read that I should.

I'm certain I've mentioned before how I can't ever make anything without at least having to tear out 1 seam? Yes, even on the simplest of things, like a pillowcase, I will do something wrong. I think I just jinx myself. This time it was the crossover. It looked fine when I was pinning it. Wrong side out. Yes, I should be able to see the full panel I thought. I serged it together, and once it was right side out, well. Take a look.

Grrrrr. Anyway, the top is REALLY comfy. And I discovered that if I wear a tank top underneath I don't look so lumpy. Good solution until I get in shape.

And I need a big pot. Where does one find a good one that doesn't cost $100? The only place I thought to look was Macy's and they only had 1 and it was $100 and I didn't like it all that much. II headed to Marshall's where they only had small ones. This is what it looks like when I make Chicken Soup. (By the way, I followed this recipe from Rosy Little Things and it's fantastic! First time ever using/trying/tasting parsnips. They're like an offspring of a carrot and a potato.) See how nothing fits? So I cook it for a while, then I have to go back and flip the bird (ha!) and mix the veggies around so that everything gets cooked. I used to make it in 2 pots but the ex took the other pot.

I think I need about a 12 qt one, maybe even a little bigger for when my sister comes over. And I don't like non-stick pots. And I don't like the cheap aluminum ones they sell at the market to steam your tamales either. I want a good one, but don't want to pay $100. Maybe not possible. Suggestions?

A Sewing Start

2009-01-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

Finally! I have worked on something in the new year! I have to admit it is cheating a little since I started it last year. I hadn't finished it bc I'd sewn the lining in backwards and was resigned to spend eternity ripping out the 4 lines of stitching. 2 straight and 2 zigzag on black. I'm just about blind and this would have certainly done me in.

I decided that I was just going to cut off the seams I'd sewn and the bag would just end up a tiny bit smaller. It worked for the most part. The only part where there's a slight problem is with the inner pocket. You can see here how it sorta catches the corner. It makes it a little difficult to fit my planner in there, so I've had to slip it into the main compartment.

I'd been wanting this pattern (Green Pepper F875) for a long time and got it sometime last year with a 40% off Joann coupon. I like it but it's not what I expected. First of all, it's WAY too floppy. I like bags to have some structure. At least a little. Floppy bags just make the content all sink towards the middle. I keep a book in here just to keep some of the shape. And secondly, this is the "Big Size." I could have checked dimensions, yada, yada. But I assumed it would be the size of a typical messenger bag. This was originally for the ex. But it's way too small. It's a good size for a purse. I can fit everything from my purse plus a good size book. I really like the divided pocket inside and the zippered pocket in front. An outside back pocket would be good too. Another thing I'm not happy about is that the webbing in the front buckles doesn't catch so that I am forever re-tightening.

9 Years Ago

2009-01-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

My first baby was born. She came out with her arm tucked tightly against her head. You can imagine the pain no? And the damage. No drugs. My choice. Yeah, I'm so tough.

Today is her 9th birthday and she is away at camp. I hope she got the card I mailed and that they acknowledged her special day somehow. We had an early celebration last Friday at the American Girl Place at The Grove. She was ecstatic when she found out. Her friends and I had managed to keep it a secret. It was easy for them as they are still on school break and so there was no temptation to tell her. She went almost wild buying things for the doll using gift money.

We had lunch at the cafe where they provided chairs, cups and saucers for the dolls. In the middle of the table were little containers filled with little strips of questions such as, "When I grow up I want to be..." etc. Omari got the question: What's the hardest thing you've ever been through? Her answer: Finding out my parents were separating. At least she can talk about it openly.

The cake was ENORMOUS and DELICIOUS! We brought a lot home. They served it with peppermint ice cream which nobody liked but looked pretty and went with their theme colors. Everyone had a great time. It was really fun. Naiobi ended up buying a Bitty Twin with Christmas gift money. SO CUTE! She named her Christina. She was so taken with the fact she comes with underwear, hence her lifting up her skirt in that bottom picture.

They even have a doll holder for when the girls go to the bathroom. (ETA 1/3/09- my 5 yo just saw this pic of her on the toilet and said, "Mom that's embarassing!" so I've removed the picture.)

And when she returns from camp, this suitcase is waiting for her. She's been coveting it since she got the doll. Can I tell you that I just SCORED!! The thing costs $92. I got it for $47 shipped and taxed!!!! NEW!!! From them!! Total coincidence I was on the website and there was some kind of kooky sale. She is going to be SO happy and Obi is going to be SO upset.

OH, she was going on and on about how Omari got to buy everything she wanted and that when it was her bday she was going to buy everything she wants Yada, Yada. That girl is just drama!

Homeworks

2008-12-31T23:47:00.000-08:00

What were you doing on New Year's Eve?

Jalie 2806 again

2008-12-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

This one was for my sister. She is the stereotypical stay at home mom. Does everything for her kids and nothing for herself. She is forever freezing to death but is drawn to sleeveless tops. Maybe because she's always wishing for the warmth that summer brings. She really needs long sleeved tops, amongst other things. I made this one based on the measurements (wrong) that she sent me. She is 2 sizes smaller than she measured. So this top is a tiny bit big. You can't tell too much here because she's wearing a tank top underneath. This is a size 4 which is the smallest women's size on the Jalie pattern. Next time I'll make her the biggest girl size. I left the bottom band off. I can't remember what kind of fabric this is. It's a knit from Joann's but not ponte roma. The things I really like about this pattern are that they are really easy to make and they are a good length.

Doll Clothes

2008-12-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

Almost everything on Omari's Christmas list this year had to do with her doll. She wanted doll clothes and so I set out to make some. I'd actually been wanting to make them for some time, but you know how it goes. I used Simplicity 7083 for the Jacket, Shorts and Unicorn dress and 4364 for the Christmas dress.
This outfit is my favorite. Made from a cut up dress of Omari's and some leftover skulls fabric.

Hood lining

Without the hood

Unicorn Dress

Christmas dress. Made to sorta match Omari's dress.

Christmas is almost over

2008-12-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

Almost over because my sister leaves today. Unlike me, my sister is one of those people who likes to be around other people. The more the merrier. Which I'm grateful for because otherwise I'd be a total Grinch. And what about my poor kids? My girls had a fabulous Christmas because of the awesome gifts they got off their wish list and because they got to have tons of fun with their cousins.

Omari got items for her doll: a trundle bed, a wardrobe with vanity that she quickly filled up with clothes and mommy made clothes. Olivia's wearing her Christmas dress in this picture. And daddy got her walkie talkies.

Naiobi got an electronic guitar, a microphone and a dolly. Oh, and daddy got her a really cute pink scooter. Apparently I was all about the doll stuff because I didn't get any pics of Naiobi with her new stuff. Whoops. In the picture above, you can see her new dolly on the couch.

My sister made chicken posole on Christmas Eve. Grandma Lyn and Kiloh (my sister's in-laws) and Margie (Lyn's mom) came over with some Natalee Thai for appetizers. They left around 10 bc Lyn was tired. My BIL and I attempted to watch Tropic Thunder but slept through the entire thing. What I really wanted to watch were the outtakes. I'll have to do that before they go today.

Christmas morning the kids got up around 7:30. Not too bad. And went to town. We went over to Grandma Lyn's around 3pm for Christmas dinner. A delicious buffet of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, gravy and stuffing. And desserts of course.

I have eaten and eaten and eaten. My stomach feels expanded to its maximum proportion. There is a max right? I've thrown in some apples and oranges here and there. A couple of glasses of water but have concentrated on eating brownies, gingerbread and Grandma Lyn's handmade chocolates, of which she gave me a big box.

Here they are this morning on Omari's bed. The girls are always really sad when they leave because they've had such a good time together.

Quiz Show

2008-12-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

Got this from Natalie at Woolanthropy and decided to play along.

Here's the rule: Bold the things you've done & post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - backpacking
3. Played in a band, well I sang but I did play the guitar a couple of times.
4. Visited Hawaii and danced on a lava cliff with the roar of the Pacific below.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - Does my sister count?
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch -Taught myself to crochet.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty -in the middle of winter. My eyeballs were freezing!
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - All. The. Time.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon- a Half marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset -Who hasn't?
31. Hit a home run- I am not sports inclined
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors -This IS the birthplace of my ancestors!
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke -First time was at my 35th bday party
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant -It was McDonald's and it was a homeless guy outside
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight -Well, we weren't exactly walking
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie -The Three Amigos with Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short. I was 12. They needed some Indian looking kids. My sister's in it too.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching- on my To Do list
63. Got flowers for no reason -from my kids, but anyone who knows me knows I don't like flowers.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve
86. Visited the White House -Just the outside. No tour or anything like that.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating -Helped with a Chicken: twisted it's neck, boiled it and plucked the feathers then my grandma cooked it. I was 9.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous -Chevy Chase, Steven Martin & Martin Short.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one- not yet fortunately
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee- ouch!

Aunt Flo Emergency Kits

2008-12-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

These are my Christmas gifts this year. The one I carry in my purse holds 3 OB tampons, 2 panty liners and 2 wipes. They hold alot if you know how to work it. However, I was out of OBs and ended up using these candy wrapper tampons. Don't they look like they might be candy? I did actually go to Target to buy OBs but the ones I got were UNIMAGINABLY ENORMOUS! Okay, did you know there is a size after Super Plus?!! Yeah. I could not fathom using one of those much less subject my girlfriends to them. I also don't know if they still make this individual wipes bc Target didn't have any but did carry them in a pack, like baby wipes packs. I'm out of the feminine products loop because I've been using a Diva Cup for a few years now. Those Ultra 'pons were scary. I carefully glue sticked the box shut and will be returning them ASAP.

Fudge It.

2008-12-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Me and chocolate baking have been having some issues. I have had to throw away every single batch of brownies I've made. Five times. I even used a box mix the last time because nothing was working. That didn't work either. When I told Omari my plans of making brownies as gifts for her teachers, she gave me a look that said, "Please don't."

So I decided I'd make fudge. Afterall, I'd made this recipe successfully before. Well, it was a sticky mess. They look like big wet turds. And you know what? I gave it to them anyway. I put them on wax paper, piled them on top of each other in a Christmas bucket and wrote on a label on the top: Lumps of Coal for Mrs. So and So. Oh well.

Last night my girlfriend Irene had her annual Christmas party. I've been wanting to make this cake since I first saw it 2 years ago in Family Fun magazine. So I made it. In order to take it to the party, I inserted toothpicks all over it and covered it with plastic wrap. It worked great. Cute, yes?

Prior to it being cute, it took a little plunge! Shhh, the party goers don't know. I just got a little excited in my frosting and pushed the plate a little too far off the edge and well, it splattered all over the floor. I was ready to give up until I lifted it up off the floor and it was still intact! I inserted 2 wooden skewers down the middle and it worked. Continue frosting.

Of course I needed a new dress for the party and of course, I waited until the last night to actually start working on it. I was up until 3am and was woken up at 6:45 by the girls. Ugh. The dress will look great once I lose like 15 pounds. The arms are SO Freakin' TIGHT! You can't tell from the picture though. It was hard taking it off because the sleeves just suctioned themselves onto me! I used some silky print from Joann. I'm calling it my Key to my Heart dress. Because it has Keys. And Hearts. See?

I've made this dress before and new the armhole was too small. On this one I scooped out about a 1/2" and attempted to compensate on the sleeve but have no idea how to do that and so maybe that's why the sleeve ended up being so tight. I WILL work on this and try to get it right. I also decreased the width of the ruffle by half. It may have been too much. I just new that it was too much ruffle for me and I wouldn't have liked to have it flopping around. Anyway, this fabric worked MUCH better than the linen I used the first time. Now I just need to get the sizing right.

Plans for the next couple of days: CLEAN! My place is a disaster. Crafty stuff all over- (tomorrow I'll post my Christmas gifts for the party_. Laundry, shipping boxes, ANTS ANTS ANTS. I am pretty sure the walls of my home would collapse if it were tented to get rid of the ants. They DO hold the walls up. I am Certain of it. They come in from anywhere and for anything and nothing. Sometimes they are just crawling around, just going back and forth for nothing. Sometimes they decide they want cereal and crawl all up into my boxes. WHY? And why not all the time? Why once every few years do they crawl into my cereal boxes? If they wanted it all the time, then I'd move the cereal into plastic containers permanently. But most of the time they leave it alone. Had to throw my Pops into the trash. The man was the one who always dealt with the ants and he HATED them. I was always pretty chill about it. "Let them be." "Just remove whatever they're after and they'll go away eventually." Okay, but what if they're not after anything? Then what? I'm starting to hate them too. As are the girls. Omari asked if we could move. Seriously.

Greeting Cards and Stuff (picture heavy)

2008-12-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

The weekend following Thanksgiving, the girls and I headed down to San Diego specifically to take pictures for our holiday greeting cards. I always make sure my cards do not say Merry Christmas so as to be most inclusive. I figured, that this would be the easiest way to let everyone in my life know of our current family status. Of course, my immediate girlfriends and family new right away. But for those folks that I don't keep in touch with on a regular basis, this would do it and it avoids repeating the story over and over. Everyone should have received their greetings by now and no one has emailed or called so it's all settled.

I mentioned in a previous post that the photography was done by Kate James Photography. Kate is a good friend of a good friend of mine. I absolutely loved the photographs. She's just starting out but I appreciated that she was calm and relaxed and didn't rush at all. She went so far as getting herself all wet and sandy to take a picture. She made some of the pictures in black and white, but I do prefer pictures in color. The first one is the one I used for our cards followed by a few of my favorites, and I had LOTS of favorites!

Here's a picture of our little tree a la Charlie Brown Christmas with a towel wrapped on the bottom. Apparently I need a weighted tree skirt cuz thing topples over when someone just coughs. I haven't but up a tree since Naiobi was an infant, mostly b/c we've spent every year up north and I got kind of Grinchy about dealing with a dry, brittle tree upon our return from the holiday. Omari begged this year and since we're staying put, I decided to indulge her. I got this cheapy little tinsel tree b/c, TREES ARE EXPENSIVE! I'm sure I could have found a deal if I'd waited a little longer. But whatever. It works. Omari was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a real tree but when I told her it was better for the environment she was appeased. I had to buy the little balls too b/c I didn't have any.

My 2 most treasured ornaments were made by friends in college. This little pasta angel was made by my friend Margot. Isn't it just precious?! One year I recreated it and gave them as gifts myself. Very sweet.

And this one was made by a boy named Tony, also in college. I was so surprised by this gift. The fact that he'd taken the time to make it. I don't know. It caught me off guard. I am highly protective of these two, keeping them nicely wrapped and not letting the girls handle them.

And this little lacey angel was made by an adoptive mother I worked with a long time ago. She adopted 2 little girls that I absolutely adored and that I seriously considered keeping as my own despite being only 25 at the time. Don't think my roommate would have appreciated me showing up with 2 kids in tow. Oh, but I wanted to. Every year they send me a Holiday card and these little angel makes me think of them.

And the holidays can't get underway without some kind of baking going on. One level for each of us. My chocolate chip cookies are on the top and have PECANS!!! The girls don't like nuts so we make their sheets first and what's leftover is ALL MINE!

Preschool Assignments

2008-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

I was informed that there would be a Stocking Decoration Night at my daughter's preschool. After school. No kids. Hmmm.

So I had to bring the stocking home. I didn't get it until the night before the deco night which was a little irritating. I was going to use just glitter glue but those little tubes they sell now are just bogus. They are hard to squeeze and they don't show up very much. At least, not the way I wanted them too.

Costco, many years ago, used to sell a 6 or 8 pack of huge glitter glue bottles that were awesome. Well, the bottles broke last year. They were plastic. But I guess it wasn't the right kind because they just shattered. Granted, the bottles were more than 10 years old.

Anyway, since I have a lot of fabric around, I decided to put it to use and this is what I came up with. The gifts are wrapped with glitter puffy paint. It's the only one I had. I used fabric glue to glue the fabric down. Glued sequins to the tree for decorations. I ended up adding glitter glue all over but forgot to take a picture.

December 1st

2008-12-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

(Photo by Kate James Photography).
I found myself being thankful for the same things over and over last month. My health and my girls' health. My job. Housing. All kinds of insurance. The sun. The wind. I am fortunate.

I'm also thankful for new things.

I'm thankful my girls know that their daddy and I loved each other. I'm thankful my girls will learn from this experience, that life isn't a fairytale. I'm thankful their daddy and I aren't the type of people that had fits, rages or tantrums with one another and that my girls had a "happy family life" while we were all together. I'm thankful he and I still care about one another and want each other to succeed and be happy.

I'm thankful, that sometime in the foreseeable future I will have days off.

It was good.

2008-11-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

I wasn't much looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. My husband and I decided we aren't up for playing the marriage game anymore (downswing), and my mother-in-law was already slated to join us. What to do? I was feeling mean and sad and negative. I most certainly was not going to cook for ANYBODY! So, I ordered our entire Thanksgiving dinner from the closest market. Although past years have yielded juicy, moist turkeys at my hands, I couldn't be pouring all this sad and negative energy into the meal this year and so premade it was. And let me tell you, it was good! One word of caution if you're considering this for the future. The meal is COMPLETELY FROZEN! I didn't know this. But fortunately, we picked it up a few hours before we'd planned too and had dinner ready by 5pm.

The best part of the day was going to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to volunteer to feed the community. We'd been there the night before as well helping to set up. The girls decorated the table covers along with tons of other kids and teens and adults too. And then we all helped to prepared toiletry kits filled with shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotions, socks, and washcloths. Attendees also received blankets, medical care, and haircuts. They could also shop for coats, shoes and all other articles of clothing. All for free. There was a petting zoo for the kids, a bouncer, arts and crafts, face painting. I'm telling you. It was great.

I have volunteered in the past both at the Midnight Mission and at the Fred Jordan Mission. This has been The BEST experience so far. The other 2 places have more volunteers than attendees. They are very, very well organized but all you can give is 15 minutes b/c they try so hard to accommodate all the people who want to help. The Santa Monica event was put together by the Vineyard Christian Fellowship on the Westside and they really needed help. On Wednesday night we were there for 2 hours and there had been people there before us and I'm sure there were people there through the night. On Thursday we were there for an hour. They had music and it was very festive. And unlike the missions' event, the focus was really on the people. Nobody cared about the mayor (although he is a juicy morsel) and I didn't see a single news camera. There were no sermons and therefore no hungry people having to wait for everyone to get their word and agenda out. The band was Christian and maybe they figured that's all the word they had to get out. It was a little disorganized and crazy, but such a great vibe. I'm looking forward to working this event again. My kids enjoyed themselves. My mother in law had a blast and this was her first time volunteering. She says she's going to look for something to do in NY now.

So although at first it seemed it was going to be sad holiday, it turned out great. My spirit felt good. We enjoyed doing this as a family. We ate and watched movies and had hot chocolate with marshmallows. It was good.

A few more pages

2008-11-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

How cool is this? I bought this kit at one of the conventions I went to about 2 years ago.

Opens up into this. A little awkward to open and close at first.

And some extras.

A bit of scrapping

2008-11-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

All year long has gone by without scrapping and now I've gotten together twice for some girl scrap time. I scrapped what I wanted and in no particular order. The Halloween pictures are from last year and the Naiobi pictures well, from 3 years ago. I have one other quick project I made that I still have to take pictures of. It's a treat!

Warm Leggers

2008-11-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

(no elastic, lingerie elastic at top, 3/8" elastic at top, 1/4" elastic at top)

Naiobi keeps calling these Warm Leggers. She was quite thrilled with them. They're long enough to reach just over her knee if she wants. The longer pair were for Omari but she declined. They look cute as arm warmers too though. These wear all tights that didn't fit them anymore. I cut off the foot and and then straight across at the crotch. For Omari, I should have left the foot so she could wear them as knee highs. Oh well. All other pairs have been handed down to niece #2.

I purposefully buy colorful tights and socks for them b/c they wear a uniform to school and that's boring. Naiobi has outgrown all her colorful pairs and now only has boring ones. So this was a fun alternative today.

Take Along Patterns

2008-11-21T12:24:00.001-08:00

Don't you hate when you get to the fabric store and either you don't know how much fabric you need or you see a fabric but can't really think what pattern it would go with? Here's my solution.

I bought a couple of 99 cent, plastic photo albums. I went online to each pattern website and copied the pattern photos into my photo software then printed them out on 4x6 photo paper. On the front I wrote the size range that I have and identified the different views.

I also printed out the pattern backs. Simplicity and New Look patterns are the best b/c you can cut them down to almost exactly 4x6. There is a little bit of maneuvering and the very edges might get cut off, but no more extra work is needed. Then I just glue sticked them onto the back of the pattern photos.

All the others need some work. For Butterick, McCall and Vogue I copied and pasted into a 2 column word document and eliminated as much of the info as I could. This took a lot of work. For the Jalie patterns, I just printed it out as it is, cut it down as small as possible and folded it and stuck it in behind the photo.

This is handy ya'll! I have one photo album for the girls and one for me. Now I just need some ideas on how to do this for the Ottobre patterns. I did think of printing out the pdf of all the patterns in each issue, and cutting them out and pasting them onto cardstock. But how do I get all the yardage info on? I'd have to hand write it or re-type it. If you have any ideas, let me know. And yes, I do need to know all the yardage requirements for all the range of sizes b/c I might feel like making something for some child other than my own.

The $6 Doll BunkSofa

2008-11-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Didn't do much this weekend and that felt nice. We hung out at a friend's yardsale on Saturday where we picked up a little shelf for a dollar and some free paint. Before we returned home we stopped at Home Depot and bought some sandpaper and paint brushes. The girls started in right away. Eager to sand and then start painting.

I'd seen the potential of this becoming a BunkBed. I had planned to make little mattresses and bed sheets. But they just couldn't leave all the other babies out. So it became a Bunk Sofa. And that is only the ones they could fit. A couple of larger babies had to find another spot to rest.

I thought I might sew this weekend but didn't. I made these arm warmers out of some toddler size Tights that are now to small for Naiobi. These are for Omari. I also made some leg warmers for Naiobi, also from a don't fit anymore pair of tights and they look kind of funky close up, but you can't tell the problems when they're worn. Gotta work on those. Will show pictures once I get a better pair. Meanwhile, Naiobi's pining for some arm warmers like her sister's.

And here's a picture of the salad Omari and I invented ourselves tonight. My kids love noodles (who doesn't) and I've gotten tired of eating plain udon noodles with broth (although they can eat it everyday), so I thought I'd use the noodles kind of like a pasta salad. We cut up some chicken tenders leftover from yesterday, sliced some purple onion, added Persian cucumbers at Omari's request, and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower along with the noodles. My original idea was to add Italian dressing to which Omari made a horrified face. She requested lemon, salt and pepper. But I wasn't feeling the lemon. I suggested the Olive Oil and told her that Adobo has salt and pepper and that's all we added. It was fabulous! She loved it and Naiobi ate, of course, just the noodles.

And here's a picture of Naiobi in her FAVORITE top. She wears it at LEAST once a week, usually twice and once as pajamas. If it's cold she wears it over something. And her new favorite shoes. A gift from my friend Elena.

Gymnastics Leotard: I. Made. This!

2008-11-06T21:11:00.001-08:00

First let me start off with my thankful things:
4. Thankful for my right to vote (Yeah, Obama!)
5. For Happy Faces, those silly little things that make your kids straighten up at the threat of not earning one that day.
6. Thankful for Friends. Old Friends. New Friends. Those people who listen and sometimes just listen and sometimes let you have it. Those people. Thanks for your ears and eyes (cuz you know, some friends READ my problems via email).

Leotard Pattern is Jalie 2792
Just Look At THIS! I MADE THIS! Isn't it CRAZY that just an ordinary person can make a leotard? I was so intimidated by this and it was SO EASY! I swear! If you aren't constantly getting up from your sewing table to go see if there are any new bloglines or reviews up on PR, you can whip this out in an hour. No Joke! You would think it would take some high level of skill or some special machine to make one since you can't find one for under $20 and typically run closer to $40.

My girl was thrilled with it and proudly told everyone in class that her mama made it. Once the staff heard that, they were all checking it out incredulously. I mean, they were checking out the STITCHING! Not sure it was going to holdup to such close inspection, but they thought it was perfect.

I used only the girth measurement to cut out the size O because she fits into 4 different size categories if I take her measurements individually. She also didn't like the 3/4 length sleeve and she rolled it up, over the crook of her arm where it would rumple. My favorite: great butt coverage and very minimal pulling by her and, including the cost of the pattern, this cost me $20 and I have enough fabric left over to make 2 more.

Crafty things in L.A.

2008-11-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of crafty things happening around here. I hardly ever hear of any cool crafty events nearby, so I thought I'd post.

First, The Urban Craft Center is up and running again. They're website in not quite up yet and this is from an email I received today. I'll have to check that out soon. (Katie A., this is your hood!)

And there's something called the Felt Club Expo at the Shrine going on on 11/16/08. This sounds really cool but surprising that it only happens 1 day. It doesn't say if there's a cover charge.

Messing Around in the Kitchen.

2008-11-03T20:55:00.001-08:00

3. Today and everyday, I am Thankful for good health.

I am not a good cook. Sure there are some things I can make well, but they are limited and they are all recipes I've gotten from other folks. I can make Green Enchiladas with Flour Tortillas. A recipe I learned from my crazy friend Maria H. I can make Prisoner Pasta and Poached Salmon- both recipes from an ex-boyfriend, Max. And I can make this other salmon with this Cajun Seasoning and fresh Garlic and that's from an old friend, Quetzal. Oh and I'm pretty good at making soups. Maybe because I really, really love soup. I can also bake.

The most adventurous I get in the kitchen is eliminating an ingredient on the list, only because I don't have it. I almost never try and make something without first looking up a recipe for it. Before I got married, all I ate for dinner was 2 bowls of cereal. While I ate I prepared my lunch for the next day: Gorton's Frozen Grilled Fish Fillets, boil in a bag rice, and some frozen broccoli. It was good. Really. And I ate out on the weekends.

After marriage, I tried a little harder but basically stuck to those things I've listed above. Kevin is a way better cook, although he doesn't do it very often. Hmmph. And he is now starting to stick to the same things. No more stuffed bell peppers or turkey taco salads or grilled chicken on skewers... So what happened tonight was extremely rare. We eat frozen vegetables. At Costco they have this big bag of Normandy veggies but the girls only eat the broccoli and the cauliflower, leaving all the carrots and squash to me. I thought that I could probably make a soup with those. So I scooped out almost all the carrots and squash from the bag, went online to see what people put in carrot soup and made some soup! It's delish!

Here's the recipe. Sorta.

Carrots and Squash from frozen veggies bag
1/2 Stick butter
1/4 onion
1 clove garlic
2 celery stalks chopped
Sprinkle of cumin
4 cups water
2 1/2 T Chicken bouillon
1/2 cup half and half

Melt butter in a soup pot. add garlic, onion and celery. Saute for 3 minutes. Add Carrots and Squash and cook until no longer frozen. Sprinkle some cumin to taste. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add bouillon and stir. Add half and half and bring to a boil again then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes til veggies are soft. Transfer veggies to blender and process then add back to pot and mix well. DA-licious!
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On the sewing front, I received a Jalie leotard pattern in the mail today and traced one out for Omari. I also traced out different panty patterns for the girls, to see which I like best. I think I'm going to be taking 2 hour lunch breaks this week to come home and get some sewing done.

Thankful for the Breeze

2008-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not having as hard a time coming up with things I'm Thankful for. There is a lot of small things I appreciate.

On day 2, I am thankful for cool fall breezes.

I keep my bedroom windows open all year long until I can't stand the cold. This is more of a problem when I'm getting up than when I'm sleeping as I tend to run a little hot. I was laying in bed last night around midnight, under my down comforter and feeling the cool breeze roll in over my head. LOVE THAT! I learned to love this from my freshman roommate, Amy from Bellevue, Washington. I also learned about down comforters from her. Amy was such a trip to me. She was white as white could be. She was funny and oh so sweet! She encouraged me to tell my mother "I love you" for the first time that I could remember ever saying it, to which she was incredulous. She also nourished a love for James Taylor. I'm sure I was a trip to her too. She spent a couple of days with me over Spring Break that year. My friends and I took her out to a house party, whereupon she witnessed her first shooting. I can't remember if it was a drive by or the kind where the guy's (cuz it's always a guy) just running and shooting, or in his car then pause and shoot. Nobody got shot.

Thanks Amy! Cool Breezes and down comforters remind me of you.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T09:49:00.001-07:00

Naiobi and I
Omari and best friend Mary Poppins (her mama MADE that!)
Our PTA President. We were college roommates and roommates in grad school too.

And check out how much pull she has. One of our Costume Parade Judges was Assemblymember Mike Davis and a State Trooper
And another judge was Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas,(maybe our next LA County Board Supervisor. We'll find out on Tuesday

Omari and Olivia (I ended up finding a tiny poodle for her skirt too)
The girls and Uncle Sekou
Kevin's wearing a Greaser wig

The girls want to be witches next year. YAY!

Thankful for 30

2008-11-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

So this post was going to be all about Halloween but when I read my blogs this morning, Mary was posting about how she was going to reflect on 30 things she's thankful for this month. I'm going to do the same. I think it's going to be hard! Mostly b/c I've been a little down lately and so when you're down, everything seems bad, even when they're not.

1. I am thankful for creative children. Who can come up with fun and entertaining ways to make their day interesting without involving me.

My girls get along very well together most of the time. The few times that they don't I tend to blow my top. I need to cool it. I also need to watch my tone of voice. I sound irritated a lot.

Halloween post to follow.

Gathering Tutorial: How to Gather Fabric

2008-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

So the typical instructions for making gathers are to sew 2 lines of basting stitches and then gently pull until the fabric gathers. PITB if you ask me. Especially when there's a lot to gather. Here's an easier, faster, no stress way.

You will need:
*Crochet thread or thin yarn
*Zig Zag foot -or even better some kind of foot that you can feed the yarn into, I used my Satin Stitch Foot (it's the clear one)

Set your zig zag stitch on it's widest and longest setting. Lay your fabric down. Position the yarn in the middle of the zig zag foot. This is where one of those other feet come in handy. It eliminates all the guess work.

Start zig zagging over the yarn, without catching it in the stitch. This what it will look like when you are done. (click to enlarge) Pin the edges of the yarn down. I had 2 yards of material to gather, so I split it in two, sewing the yarn onto each separate yard, that's why there's 2 pins.

Start pulling the yarn on the other end, until the fabric reaches the width that you need and pin the other end of the yarn down.

Now pin the gathered fabric onto whatever you're sewing it onto, right sides together. In my case, it was a t-shirt. Make sure the top of the fabric is pulled neatly up, so that it doesn't get caught and peek out at you from the right side.

Side note: If you want to sew this onto a t-shirt to make a dress, the neck of the shirt will be at the hem of the skirt when you're pinning.

Position the needle to the left of the zig zag stiches. This is important! If you position it on the right of the stitches, the right side of the garment will look like this (click to see the riff raff) and then you'll have to spend time pulling out the zig zags. Which will defeat the purpose of trying to do this thing faster.

Now just sew the gathered fabric onto your other fabric using a straight stitch. In this picture you'll see my original sewing line (on the no-no right side of the zig zags). Again, make sure the gathered fabric is laying straight up.

In my house, it's best to use the Straight Stretch Stitch (marked with an S.S. on my machine). It keeps better for active little girls. When that's done, pull out the yarn. It comes out quite easily.

Viola! Easy Gathers.

Hope this was helpful and easy to understand. If you need anything clarified, let me know.

Crafty Sunday

2008-10-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

We had bit of a crafty day this Sunday. I'd been in quite a funk all week and then this post over at Carla's blog just cracked me up! Funny how laughter works, huh? It totally lifted my mood and I just started feeling better.

So, I finally made this Halloween dress for my niece Marley in NY. She's 6 months old. The dress looks like it might fit a 2 year old. But the little tee does say 3-6 months. Oh well, she can save it for next year. My girls aren't getting Halloween dresses this year because Omari still fits into hers and I have Omari's dress from 2004 for Naiobi to wear. Unfortunately, she refuses to even try it on. Oh well. Her loss. I bought the little tee about a month ago, got the fabric at Joann's about 2 weeks ago and I waited until the last week in October to make it!

Then late Saturday night, I was on the net and I re-discovered Cindy's blog. She had so many Halloween ideas up! We made the ghostly candle holders out of yogurt jars. I like how the girls' jars look way scarier than mine.

And then also on Cindy's blog you can find this Halloween Garland. You just print it out on cardstock and string it together. I didn't have any cardstock so I printed it on scrapbook paper and we then pasted then onto construction paper. It prolonged the process, killing some time. This the blog with the tutorial on how to make the crayon rolls. I've gotten so much use out of that pattern that I made a donation.

And then we made brownies. Those are all gone now.

2008-10-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Check this out! This is what I decided to do at 1am last Saturday. Isn't that gross?! I have owned this machine for 9 years and I have NEVER opened it to clean it. Don't know what possessed me, especially at that hour. But no wonder I'd been having such a hard time with the feed dogs pulling the fabric! I haven't used the machine since then, so I don't know if it will feel any different, but I should think so.

Slippery fabric fix

2008-10-25T21:48:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I had to go back and fix that little baby blanket I made. It was just embarrassingly wrinkled. This idea popped into my head, and although not perfect, it worked nicely. I had this roll of double sided, 1/4" tape. I don't know what it is. It came as a thank you in something that I bought. Well, that stuff didn't work. It wasn't strong enough.

Out popped the photo squares. I use these when I'm scrapbooking. Which I haven't done in forever. Living in a small space sure can get unmotivating. Gotta drag everything out of it's hiding place then put everything away at 2am and put it back in it's place before the chilrens gets up. Anyway... I put the photo squares around the whole blanket, topped it with the other fabric and stitched along fixing the fabrics as I went. WAY less wrinkles this way and I am much happier. I turned and top stitched and removed all the photo squares.

Here are the little blankets. One side flannel the other is Soft and Comfy from Joann Fabrics. I don't like pastels much and I knew the mom would be getting lots and lots of pink. I like to add some bright colors to the mix.

Making progress (circular needles, chunkier thread)

2008-10-17T06:30:00.001-07:00

Allright, so it's not such a great picture. But it still looks way better than what I was working on. Thanks Carmell and Carlita for your suggestions. I actually had these ciruclar needles in my stash but had never used them. I bought them for my mom a few yeas ago when she was visiting. She made Omari a poncho in a weekend drive to Mexico. I have no idea what size they are. The yarn is Bernat Cottontots. You guys! These was SO MUCH easier! Hard to believe really. Don't know which of the two (needle, yarn) it was, or the combination of them both, but I LIKE IT! I'm just knitting row after row until I finish the yarn. It IS kind of relaxing. I've done it the past 2 nights for about an hour as I watch tv until 9pm. I got a tiny bit upset as my time was nearing cuz it meant 2 things. Gotta put the knitting away and gotta get to work making lunches, cleaning up etc, etc.

No knitting tonight. Tonight I will be trying to fix that baby blanket I made and making another. What I really want to do is go see The Secret Life of Bees. I loved the book. I will have to wait.

This knitting thing

2008-10-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I taught myself to crochet when I was pregnant with Omari. I bought a book at Joann's and went from there. I ended up making a not so easy pattern that came out beautifully. And everything after that has been a piece of cake. This knitting thing, not so easy. I have gotten the gist of it from Knitting Help. It's awesome! But I get so tense when I'm trying to do this. My shoulders are all squinched up and my hands get tired. I have no idea how to position the needles and I feel awkward and I can't tell until after that I've made a mistake. AND I have no idea how to correct it.

Mostly I want to learn so I can make fingerless gloves and legwarmers for the girls. They just don't look as nice in crochet. This was on it's way to being fingerless gloves for me, but I think that these needles are too fat for this thin yarn. Am I right? It's sock yard and the needles are size 8 (5 mm).

Wrinkles

2008-10-13T09:38:00.001-07:00

So I'm a little pissed about this wrinkled blanket. Because I spent TIME on getting it lined up just so, so that no wrinkles would come out. But that damn Soft and Comfy kept moving ever so slightly as I sewed. I even ripped out some stitches, twice, to try and get it to smooth out. Obviously it didn't work. The printed side is flannel. I have to fix this. Because it's a gift and even if it wasn't, it would bother the heck out of me. So I'm not quite sure what to do. I've seen that quilters tape their quilts down on the floor and pin every few inches. Grrr. What a PITB for a simple thing, no?

Well, I was a bit more sucessful making Omari's poodle skirt out of craft felt. Man that was easy! No hem and no casing for the elastic. And of course, I wasn't about to put in a zipper either. I just sewed the elastic onto the inside of the waist line, so it is exposed. But I don't care much for making perfect costumes. And there's Olivia peeking over the top and showing off her matching skirt. I had to make the t-shir too. Now I've just got to find a tiny poodle applique.

Comfy Shoes

2008-10-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Damn! It's been forever since I posted.

I am forever on the search for comfy shoes. I suffer from Plantar Fascittis. According to my doctor this will be cured once I buy orthotics for my shoes. I just haven't wanted to fork over $400. And so a year has passed buy and I've instead spent more than that trying to find the right shoes. I have it bad enough that the pain from stepping out of bed doesn't subside until about 9am. So when I get out of bed, when I get out of my car to drop of kid #1, then out of the car again to drop off kid #2 and when I get of my car to come into work, I step out lightly and cautiously. Sucks.

I have spent the past year living in Dansko Professional Clogs. Black ones that are now all scuffed up. They work, but they just don't work for professional work attire (don't care, still wear them) or when wearing dresses. So I went out and bought 2 pairs of Dansko Clog Sandals. A red pair and a lime green pair. Not so practical Lilia! And to be honest, I'm TIRED of wearing them. I don't know a single girl that doesn't just love shoes and so this past year has left me pining over what I can't have. I've gotten rid of most of my pre-foot problems shoes.

I am not supposed to wear heels or flip flops so those are all gone. And so is every other pair that made the pain worse. But I do have to say, that those clogs do the trick. Even sneakers hurt. Even the ones that I spent $175 on that were supposed to be specifically for this problem hurt. My feet never hurt with the clogs. The doctor said he doesn't like them much because they are stiff. I didn't ask for more of an explanation. They work for me.

Anyway, tired of wearing clogs, wanting to wear dresses and having no other shoes to wear, I walked in to the Clark's outlet at the Citadel in City of Commerce. I hadn't been there in years and they didn't have this store before. I tried on lots of shoes. Fortunately, I can tell right away if a shoe is going to work for me or not. This pair was the 'practical' pair. They are amazing! They don't have much of an arch support and I was surprised that they weren't painful. But the heel of the shoe is like rubber. It just bounces! The other pair I tried was less practical, brown and red and a maryjane (I LOVE maryjanes!), and so they were left behind. But I think I'm going to go back for them. These shoes are not that cute (but cuter than what I own) and they are what I would consider old lady-ish, but still better than what I've been wearing.

So maybe, it's the rubber heel that is helping? I don't know. Maybe I should go back to wearing Dr. Marten's? I wore the lace up, 8 hole boots in high school and college, but look at all the cute styles they have now! I want SHOES!

The girl turns 4.

2008-09-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

And this is what she wore. Folks, she HATED the unicorn dress! Can you believe that? I was mad and disappointed. She had seen it, declared it beautiful, tried it on. Never saying anything about it. See for yourself.

See, she's already holding the t-shirt in her hand.

Nonetheless, a good time was had by all. The dress hung in the background as a decoration. I tried my hand at making a nice looking cake and think I may have found a new hobby! This was so much fun. It's just a vanilla cake mix and I used both Pastry Pride and Frosting Pride for the filling and icing. I didn't know which would work better so I tried both. I have to say, I still don't know which one is better LOL. My sister helped me. We used fresh strawberries mixed with the Frosting Pride in the middle of the 2 cakes. We used the Pastry Pride for the icing. It worked out, But know that if you are planning to decorate the cake, the Pastry Pride has to set. So it would be best to frost the cake the night before. I thought the cake came out a bit dry but everyone loved it. Next time I'll stick to Mayo in the cake mix. I used sour cream this time and I think that's why it wasn't as moist as usual.

Making these white chocolate unicorn pops was a PITB and not something I will be doing again. First, I burned the chocolate. Twice. In the microwave. So had to try a dutch oven method in order to get it melted. And it was messy. I stamped "Many Thanks" on some white mailing labels and stuck those on the lollipop cellophane bags. I bought Gourmet Writers and the kids colored their own lollipops.

Her celebration at preschool consisted of Strawberry Cupcakes made my moi and my sister. I got the recipe from here. There are some FABULOUS sounding recipes over there and I'm sure I'll be consulting there again. I didn't make the buttercream frosing b/c I had tons of whip leftover. These cupcakes also feature fresh strawberries in the batter and strawberry preserves in the topping. Those are stickers on toothpicks.