So, here’s my life lately:

[adult swim] swap: Rocking my world! I’m done with 1 item, half way on another and just need to settle down and get started on the rest. I plan on mailing my taxes and my swap items on the same day. My Partner? She’s awesome! She loves the Monarch too. Match made in heaven.

Sock Wars III: like a rolling stone! It all starts May 2nd, the build up is killing me! If that doesn’t the socks I get in the mail will. I’m signed up and SUPER excited. I hope I remember how to knit a sock, it’s been years since I’ve turned a heel…

Carly Smithson: is a stone fox! Normally, I avoid American Idol like the plague.. but I managed to catch Carly singing and fell in love with her. She’s so talented, cute, and different. Maybe it’s because she’s like my alter ego, but she seems like someone I would want to be friends with… she seems so sweet and nice. And she sang Total Eclipse of the Heart.

Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls: is the most rockin’ thing ever! I know… Rock camp?! Some say true musicians don’t go to rock camp. Well, I’m not a true musician! I fell in love with a $60 guitar because it’s robin egg blue, and the first song I’ve learned to play on it is Rod Stewart’s “Reason to Believe”(which is quite simple, by the way). But Rock Camp isn’t just for 18 and under girls, the camp does a fundraising Rock Camp for Ladies. For $350 you can learn or get advanced instruction for Voice, Guitar, Keyboard, Bass, or Drums. I’m thinking of signing up for the October session. My choice is voice. I’m a bit rhythm dyslexic, I do fine for awhile then accidently switch it. And trust me, just because you’re good at Guitar Hero doesn’t mean you can play guitar (See the Rod Stewart bit above for proof) I’ve always wanted to ROCK! And at the camp you even learn songwriting, promotional stuff, and you perform a song at the end. Sign me up! I’m totally gonna rock!

Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls has been featured a ton of times on NPR now, but it is totally something I wish they had when I was younger. They have a documentary out and about. You can learn more about the movie here.

Rock and Roll, Chickadees!

Ok, so this Christmas I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to. I’ll blame that on the people who broke into my car and stole all the presents that were in there (A record player and microphone stand for Todd) and the fabric I bought (I still don’t understand why they stole my fabric and two bags of polyfill) to make toys for the Salvation army. I wanted to craft to change the world! I wanted to make everybody a little something to make their world a little better. Sadly, that didn’t happen. (Note to self: Next year start working on Christmas presents in March). However, I have finally gotten the majority of photos together of things I did finish. Bunches of photos to prove it!

First though, this is my Hunny, Todd. This is our 12 foot tall BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree. Our ceiling, however, is like 8 feet tall. Why such a big tree? We went Christmas Tree shopping on Christmas Eve morning. We had planned to go earlier, but it just didn’t work out that way. So we’re driving to Home Depot to look for “The Perfect Tree.” The prefect tree is not at Home Depot. I actually wanted a 4 foot tree for our living space. You know, a little Charlie Brown tree, but with more foliage. So, Barb, our bookkeeper told me about this nursery that I’ve always passed by a million times, and they have trees outside, but BIG trees! So we think maybe they’ve got some smaller ones behind the fence inside? They didn’t. But apparently, these big beautiful trees were free for the taking. So Merry Christmas to Us! We went and bought a little hack saw, and our perfect little tree was born (We ended up making 7 feet tall or something…)! It’s a Christmas Miracle, and our tree got to fulfill It’s Christmas Destiny.

Now on to the hemp! Now, before I start, let me tell you, I just adore sewing with hemp! It is a beautiful fabric to work with! I would suggest finding a project, even if it’s bags like these, and make something with it.

The assignment: 35 hemp tote bags with our Design Firm’s logo on the pockets. I designed the size ahead of time after looking at everyone else’s tote bags our there. The seams are all french seams, a little strange I know! But I wanted the seams to be strong and not fray like the Dickens (If the dickens do, in fact, fray)! Also, I used heavy duty thread (8 spools to be exact) and my Janome. The Sewing room was a total mess! My Hunny would come in and call me his little sweatshop worker. Everyday I would sew more. Transferring each bag from one side to the other after finishing sewing the next step. Left to right. Pile 1 to pile 2, then back to pile 1 again. The last week I was working on them, I was buzzing on Red Bull until 2:30 in the morning working on them. But they are lovely!

Now I know I look a little crazy in the middle picture, but it was 2:30 in the morning, and I’d been drinking a lot of Red Bull. And yes, I’m holding all 35 bags! Those suckers are heavy!

Next, Let me introduce you to Dave. Dave is our Web Designer at work. I got his name in the work Secret Santa. He had addressed ahead of time that if I drew his name to make him something. So I Did! So, without further ado, meet Dave!

He’s felt, he’s adorable, and he’s single (Ladies?!?!) He loved it! First thing Todd said when he saw him, “He really does look like Dave doesn’t he?!” I based this off of the Wee Wonderfuls’ make-a-long doll Archie. I adjusted the hair (obviously) and adjusted the clothing a bit, for a more modern flair. It is a great pattern, by the way. I plan on making my nieces dolls from the patterns since they are so girlie! Maybe with a cute tote bag for them, with pockets they can sit in on the outside and fun clothing for them on the inside….

For more information on Dave (The Man, the Legend) Check him out here

This is the Gift du’jour! I worked so hard on this quilt for my mom for Christmas! Easily as much time as I spent on the tote bags. My previous post about hating to iron? Was because of this quilt. I came across this quilt while blog surfing. I used the tutorial from Hyena in Petticoats. She really makes the quilt seem do-able. And it is, just time consuming. I wanted to make the quilt in colors that would go with my parent’s house now that they are redoing the whole thing. Hopefully, I’ll get an updated photo of the quilt in it’s own setting, versus laying out on the bed at home.

Now when I was finishing up the last few rows, I managed to sew into my finger. A first for me. I don’t even know how it happened! It all happened so fast! All I remember is pain in my finger, I clear thing had popped off my machine, and all that was running through my head was “I better not have broken my bobbin shield! Please! I have to finish this, and I can;t finish it if I broke my machine!” Luckily, it was part of the presser foot which I could snap right back on again, and everything was groovy. And, I was lucky the needle didn’t break off in my finger. It hit the fingernail and broke. Thank you strong fingernails! It did break the nail, but the bad part is, now every time I sew my finger seems to get almost stuck in the machine. *Warning: it’s been almost 3 weeks since the sewn finger incident, below is a nice finger show of how it is healing. And that fingernail polish was really nice looking, but all the band-aids seemed to have peeled a lot off, so it kinda makes the finger look worse than it really is.*

I hope everyone had a Happy and Healthy holiday season. I have one more gift I created to post pictures of, but I’m waiting to receive some photos of the placemats I made my boss, Diane in action! Here’s a sneak peak:

Cheers! To a happy, health, and productive New Year!

Things have been a little busy here at the Casa de Hot Stitch! However, I have officially jumped back onto the sewing wagon! Want proof? I know you do!

We all know that sometimes its a little project that gets you jump started again, well mine came in the way of cute seat cushions! Yippie! Now, originally, the fabric for these was going to be wall art for the living space (Thank you Ikea!).

Well, after the wall became painted, they just didn’t seem right, so away they went. Come to realize, they would look perfect on the chairs I have! (The chairs were already green)

It feels so good to be productive again! I have so much more to show you!

Mucho Love-o!

Ok, I know it’s been like forever since I wrote an update…

I’ve been out sick the past few days. It must be from all the people and excitement from the Chris Howard Seminar. So, if you decide to go to one, be sure and stock up on Emergen-C before you go. It’ll save your life afterward!

I finished the India Bag for my boss, but like a loser, I forgot to take a picture of it. So, that picture will show up after she gets back in a month. I’m planning on putting up a tutorial for the bag in the next few weeks… so look for that!

To tide you over until I get sewing again, here’s the costume I made for my niece’s birthday/ Halloween.

I used Simplicity 9919 for the skirt, but wasn’t too happy with top. It just didn’t look real Mermaid shell like enough for me (did that make sense?). So I bought a flesh colored leotard from the dance studio two blocks away from my apartment. Then I drew my own shells, cut them out of a thin foam, covered them in purple fabric, and sewed them onto the leotard. Like magic, a Mermaid costume! The best part was seeing her face when I gave it to her. She was so excited! My little mermaid….

According to PatternReview.com, they said the instructions were poorly written, and wouldn’t recommend the pattern. I agree to a point. They want you to sew the skirt in a strange order. I, of course, didn’t. Instead, I attached the pieces the way it made sense to me. I’ve been sewing enough to know sometimes patterns are wacky, and you need to go at it your own way. I made a size 4 for my niece, and it was a bit large and longer than I expected. So, keep that in mind when you make the skirt. I would shorten it, and bring in the sides a bit. I decided it would be fine, mainly because kids grow so fast, and I want her to be able to play with this costume as much as she can.

Well, back to the sewing room… after I blow my nose.

Happy Days!

So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about SWAPs (Sewing with a plan). I think the benefits of a pulled together look really make a statement! One of my goals with sewing has been to have a wardrobe that is both comfortable, looks nice, and fit my personality (which is sweet, fun, and very wacky).

First off, I’m not a high maintenance dresser. Most of the time, I forget to put on makeup. And for jewelry, I own a bunch, but most necklaces don’t exactly match t-shirt and jeans. I want a wardrobe that pulls together my casual nature and looking polished. So, here comes the difficult part:

Back in September, Gala at galadarling.com did an 8-day wardrobe boot camp. The first day starts here. Such a great idea! Usually I go through my clothes once each season to see if I can part with anything. This time, I did it with a plan! I’m at the point now where I have really cute clothes I refuse to get rid of. However, I either don’t wear them (”I love this top, but have nothing to go with it!”, or overly wear them (as in my shirts and jeans). I love the comfort of my everyday clothes, but am sick of looking like a slob!

So, this is where sewing with a plan comes in. After sifting through my clothing again, and taking notes on what I need, I realized I need comfortable basic items to pair my items with. I found this great article on wardrobe planning done by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. This article can help you identify your style and basics every woman should have in her closet! I’m a mix between sporty and dramatic fashion types. What fashion type are you?

I encourage anyone to start on their own wardrobe planning with me! I could be fun. I’m working on my own wardrobe storyboards tonight. So far, I’ve finished my Comfortable Essentials (shown below), and started my fall/winter look.

Much Love!

For more information to help define your own wardrobe, check these out:

• Build Your Fall Wardrobe
• Build a Wardrobe for $1000
• Building a Perfect Wardrobe
• “Sewing With A Plan”
• and if you’re interested: Timmel Fabrics SWAP 2008 contest

First off, Happy Birthday Larry!

Ok, so I worked my tiny fingers to the bone last night. I was up until 1:30 am finishing Mr. Oso for Larry’s birthday today. It turned out WAY cute! (Please excuse the bad lighting, I was taking this picture at 1:30 in the AM after all!)

Now, this bear was a lot more difficult than I expected. Moderate difficulty? Nevermind I’ve never made a Softie before, it should be a piece of cake, right? Well, I made the ears the wrong way in the beginning.I did find, however, that zipping up the sides with a zig-zag stitch saved lost of trimming and clipping time! (Yay Time Saver!) However, it turned out really nice. Part of me really wanted to keep it. Todd, my hunny, kinda wanted to keep it too.

Well, In conclusion, he’s adorable. A side note, making an embroidered Dia de los Muertos skull on felt takes a lot longer than it looks. I want to make a bunch of these. Decorate my apartment with them for November 1st. I encourge other to make one! Not as tasty, as say a sugar skull, but very fun. I loved embroidering the skull… it just took a long time. If you want Dia De Los Muertos embroidery patterns, check out Sublime Stitching here. Get some other patterns while you’re at it. They are fab! I’ve had my eye on the Mitch O’Connell pattern for awhile.

Well, I’m off to spend the night with my hunny. I’m going to be in San Jose all weekend for a Chris Howard Seminar, so it’s our only night together this week.

Sweet Dreams and Happy Tomorrows!

I’m Making a “Day of the Dead” bear for my boss’ husband, Larry’s birthday tomorrow. Now, Larry is kinda crazy, but in a good way. He likes kinda off-kilter things.

It all started with a brainstorming session on what to do for his birthday. I wanted to make something for him (because I’m crafty like that), and I wanted it to unique and kinda wacky. Not to mention, I’ve been wanting an excuse to make a softie. For great softie inspiration, check out Future Girl. Her softies are adorable! The cutest I have EVER seen! So, I skipped over to my local book store, picked up the book, fliped through the book and landed on the Tramp Heart Bear.

However, when I saw this adorable bear, I could only think of Dia de los Muertos. So, with my inspiration in mind, headed over to Joann’s for some felt and embroidery floss. I ended up with some much need rib knit, some McCalls patterns, and buttons for my next project.

I’ll post the finished project at some point tomorrow for your viewing pleasure! I hope to also get a Larry with the Bear photo op.

Have a great evening!

I have so many projects to work on at home! It’s driving me crazy! For example, I laid out all the patters I plan on making on my ironing board. See:

Not to mention, I’m making a bag for my boss for her trip to India. I took a picture of the one she bought, my job is to make bigger… and red. A basic monk bag. Once I get the whole bag made, I’ll try and post a free pattern/ tutorial when the bag is made.

The most important to-do on my list, is to make this blog look un-generic! I’ve been working on figuring out this PHP thing.. I bought a book, but this is WAY more confusing than learning HTML. So, there’s going to be some bugs on the site for awhile. Thanks for being patient!