Sewing UFO

Months ago, when it was still warm outside, I decided to make Simplicity 2964. It's not a particularly complicated top, and it should have gone quickly. I was planning to do View A (the one the model is actually wearing) in the fabric shown with my pattern.



I cut it out, then started putting it together. One of the first steps was adding the elastic across the top of the neckline, then attaching the front bodice to the front yokes. Easy enough. Just to be sure, I pinned this assembly to my dress form after sewing the three pieces together. Good thing I checked!

See that seam that sits right under the bust? Well, on me, it was going to hit... um... right across the middle of my bust. NOT a good look! The bust seam thing is something that really irritates me on tops, and it's one of the reasons that I have so much trouble finding RTW tops that fit properly. Nearly every one of them has an under bust seam that is nowhere near being under my bustline. *Sigh*

Once I found this problem, there was no choice but to re-cut the bodice. Not really a problem, since I had plenty of extra fabric. It was a nuisance, nonetheless. The end result was that I put it aside, intending to go back to it later. Well, "later" never came, and here I am.

Today, I finally dragged it all back out and re-cut the front bodice. Tomorrow, I'll start putting it together. With a bit of luck, and a little persistence, I should have a new top to wear by the time the weather turns warm again. LOL

Glass is tough to photograph!

But that didn't stop me from trying. I took a stained glass course a couple of months ago, and today I realized I never got any photos of my projects. We did two projects in class-- one in copper foil (the method Tiffany used), and one in lead came. Both were pretty simple, as stained glass projects go, but it was a wonderful introduction to both techniques.

We did the copper foil project first. I have to say that choosing the colors was the hardest part. It felt like such a huge decision, probably because most people take a class like this, and then never do another project again. I didn't know if I would or wouldn't do any more stained glass. It really depended on how much I enjoyed it. (Turns out, I LOVE it!)



The lead came project was a geometric piece, which is the easiest thing to do with lead came.



After the class ended, I decided to buy a glass grinder and try something a little more intricate. It's not quite finished, but I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far. I still need to finish the outside edge-- I need to do that in the garage and will have to wait until the weather warms up a bit. Once the outside edge is done, I'll be able to add the patina and enjoy my creation.



It's hard to see in the picture, but the clear glass actually has a raindrop pattern on it. I thought it was a nice choice for the spring floral theme. If I had it to do again, I wouldn't have chosen such an irregularly shaped piece as my second project. Other than that, it really wasn't too difficult. There were quite a few pieces, some of them tiny, and more intricate soldering, but overall, I really enjoyed putting this one together. I haven't decided what I'll do next, but I've been steadily building a stained glass "stash" for future projects. ;)

New Year, New Look

Happy New Year! Okay, so I'm nearly a month late, but better late than never, right? I've been horribly delinquent in blogging-- both in updating my own and in reading others. I am trying to catch up, really I am, but it is not going to be easy. I'm a creature of habit. As long as I keep up, things go quite smoothly. But the minute I stop doing something, whether it's blogging, stitching, or whatever, I have a very difficult time getting back to it.

That's where I am with practically everything in my life at the moment. Stalled. Being that it is the middle of winter doesn't help, either. I hate winter. It's cold, it's dark, and I don't want to leave the house. Great thing about not working-- I don't have to leave the house. It's also the bad thing about not working. LOL Because I don't HAVE to go anywhere, I usually don't. Anybody see a nasty pattern developing here? LOL

While trying to catch up on some of my blog reading, I discovered a fun site with free backgrounds and gadgets for blogs-- The Cutest Blog on the Block. It probably isn't new, but it is certainly new to me. I had lots of fun playing with backgrounds before finally settling on this one. It's bright and cheerful... everything that winter isn't.

Since it's a new year, I decided to start a new project. It seemed like as good an excuse as any to start something new, and I thought it might be just the kick that I needed to get me out of my stitching slump. I'm delighted to report that I actually FINISHED it as well. The design is L*K's Autumn Boxer. I picked the chartpack up a couple of years ago and have had it sitting in my stash ever since. I'm a sucker for anything with pumpkins, so of course I just had to have this. Isn't it cute?



I haven't decided how I will finish this one. It's a regular size-- about 5" x 5"-- so it would probably work in a standard 6" square frame. But it would also make a cute pillow. Decisions, desicions!