Another lace dress!

In keeping with all the refashioning that is happening on the interwebs, here is my latest dress- a white/ ivory lace number I whipped up yesterday from a lace tablecloth that I've owned for a gazillion years, and was probably sourced from a garage sale for a quarter......or if I was in a really generous mood, maybe 50 cents! This dress took me an hour max to do, I used an existing lace dress as my template, the only difference being that I left a side slit opening on this one. 

Next in line is this flamboyant satin I purchased in LA......I'm super excited about the possibilities for that fabric!

!Do leave me a comment if you liked my refashioning/ upcycling creation :)

Pusheen amigurumi!

I'm always posting Pusheen emojis on my FB responses, so when I saw Pusheen stuffies at Claire's, I was struck by a severe case of "crafter's syndrome"...."Oh, I can make this myself ". And so, I did. My Pusheen is adventurous and silly..... He sits in the pot, thinks he is a lily, and knows Mommy has a severe case of "OCD" :D

I hope to list one on my EBay, but this one is mine mine mine 

Blue lace dress- done!!

One more finish from my LA Fashion District fabric haul! I stitched up this blue lace dress, fabric purchased for $1.99/ yd, pattern just worked off of an existing dress, plus the additional luxury of stitching it as per your own comfort. In my case, it meant a loose comfortable fit :) I am happy with how it turned out, and also happy that I'm paring down my fabric stash :)
On another note, my summer break started, which might mean a lot more crafting time, except I have lots of other plans to juggle, so keeping my fingers crossed!!
Hope you like my dress, I would love to read your comment!

SHARING FINISHES FROM MY LA FABRIC HAUL!

In April 2016, I went to the Los Angeles Fashion District and purchased quite a bit of fabric for $20, the video is posted here. My goal being to use up all my fabric by December 2016, which is when I go back to the Fashion District, I hurried up and got sewing!! 

I tackled the equations fabric first. I had purchased a half-yard of this drapery weight fabric (for the princely sum of $3), and ended up making 5 things from it!! I used up every tiny bit of that fabric! I made a lined tote bag, an envelope pillow, a zipper pouch, a boxy pouch and a coin purse. I think my daughter will be able to use all 5 items. And then I thought, why didn’t I buy more of this fabric?? I’m sure nerdy science-y type people would have loved to buy these items if I’d offered them in my Ebay store. Why oh why is hindsight always better than foresight :((

P.S. The boxy pouch tutorial is THE BEST! However, I made it with a 9" zipper, and not the best choice for this pouch...I think it looks better with the 12" one.

My second finish was this top made from a 50 cent remnant piece- all I did was cut out a neck, put bias tape around, sew the sides and hem- done in about 35 minutes! I love how it turned out!

I have also used up y blue lace fabric- I was able to get a dress for myself, and a t-shirt for my daughter – out of it. Not bad for $8 worth of fabric. Pics to follow later on!

What kinds of sewing projects are you working on?? Please share in the comments :)

Some new pin cushions!

A quick post to share some pin cushions I stuffed up :) Some with embroidered felt patches, and other simple ones with fun owl printed fabric, just a great way to use up scrap fabric. These will be making their way to my store eventually.....
6 more school days, peeps :)

My first GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment to win a FIREWORKS mandala!

When the scrap yarn vase runneth over, time to make mandalas!!! And that's what I did. My pattern of choice being the "Fireworks" mandala by ZootyOwlcards!

I was on a roll, have made about 6-7 of them so far, and decided to have one of them be the prize for a giveaway! 

 Each mandala is fairly large, roughly 19" diameter, made with all acrylic yarns, ends securely weaved in :) I will be listing them on Ebay pretty soon. In case you don't win the giveaway, and still want one, swing by my store to snag one!

 This is the one you will win, leave a comment and I will contact the winner by email to get your mailing address. Rafflecopter will pick a winner randomly for me :) Giveaway is limited to USA residents only, since I do not wish to ship internationally! Good luck, and keep on crafting, World!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finishing up my first year as an empty nester!!

I made it through my first year as an empty nester, and I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as it’s sometimes made out to be :) I sure had my fair share of trepidation before my younger one was about to leave, but I’m pleasantly surprised that I did not have too many days of melting into tears or feeling sadness. Here are some things I made an active effort to incorporate/ change during this past year…

1.     Grew my hair! After 15+ years of having “chicken feathers” 2” hair, I decided to let it grow because now I can actually have time to wash it, tie it, style it (??)….going great so far, but maybe one day, I will just get fed up and go back to chicken feathers. My older one was like “Mom, do you realize that this is the first time in our lives that you actually have longer hair than either of us!!”

2.     Started wearing dresses! I realized that I never took time to try on dresses, and just ended up wearing tops over capris all through the summer for so many years. That needed to change, and I’m glad that I’m trying out new things. My goal of sewing more for myself also helped contribute to this cause.

3.     Did more sewing for myself, and my daughters! Made 2 velvet dresses for myself this winter, and a fit-and-flare dress for my younger daughter, shared here. My new goal is to use up all the fabric I purchased at the LA Fashion District in April 2016 by December (which is when I go back to LA). You can see my haul video here!

4.     Attended more events at the Teachers Union, and participated in Teacher Forums. Got an article published!

5.     Went to my school’s Prom. I used to chaperone Prom all the time when it was part of the teacher contract, but 7 years ago, the Union negotiated to make it optional (and paid), and since then I never found time to go do it. So it was an empty nester goal, and now I feel that it might become an annual event!

6.     Became part of a knitting group, and attended a weekly session almost every week. I don’t knit, I normally crochet, and they’re OK with that. I might actually attend my first ever knitting/ crochet retreat with them Jan 2017!! Yay for that, since I might have to wait till I retire to attend one of the Crochet cruises, hosted by The Crochet Crowd (they are all scheduled during the school year).

7.     Went back to my Saturday yoga group.

8.     Cleaned out my kitchen pantry, and also my linen closet. Cleaning/ organizing is not my forte. /my kitchen pantry probs got claned out after 11 years (which when we moved into the house)….nuff said!

9.     Blogged fairly regularly (???)…questionable much?

And finishing up today's post with my latest completed project, a blanket with nice flower appliques sewn on :)

The pattern is a variation of this, and my blanket is listed for sale here!
Looking forward to summer vacation now!
Keep on crafting, world :)