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Completed projects (whoa)

Emily — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:37:34 +0000

I like recording projects that I’ve finished so that I remember that I have actually completed things (it’s that whole “getting ahead in life” thing). So here are a few recent ones:

I found this fabric and at first wasn’t too sure about it, then decided I loved it and wanted to see it all the time. So I made pillow covers for the couch with it. I knew I’d have to carefully ration the scraps, since I bought the last of it at the store. I decided to make a fabric basket that could replace the wicker-y one that sits on the couch and holds Morgan’s toys. Sometimes little bits fall off, which isn’t really optimal for a basket that she plays with. So I used this tutorial from Sew Mama Sew and went from there. It was a challenge because it used different types of interfacing and fusible fleece than I’d used before. Plus, because I can never do anything simply, I altered the dimensions. Because I made it bigger the sides weren’t as strong, so I added in a layer of thin cardboard I pulled out of our recycle pile. It didn’t come out perfectly because the lining didn’t quite fit as I was hoping, but it’s good enough. I cut the fabric carefully and calculated I could make four of these (though I’d have to buy more of the Essex linen for the lining and base), so we’ll see if I ever get to that.

I might also add more layers between the lining and outer box because as you can see it’s not too stiff. But hey, it works. It holds toys. And it makes an excellent hat.

The back of the pillows are button closed because I think it’s cute and it makes the cover removable without having to deal with sewing zippers. Morgan here is demonstrating both her fascination with everything around her and her finger skills. I had a vision for what I wanted in the button itself and couldn’t seem to find quite what I was looking for at the store. Then while ordering things from this site of wood products I realized that a wooden button was exactly what I was going for. Voila!

So, um, remember how when I was pregnant I started knitting this blanket? It wound up sitting for a very very long time because I wasn’t really happy with how it was turning out (like oh so many projects…). But I finally finished it and then took another month or two to weave all the little tails in. At least it’s done. I still don’t envision her snuggling up with it because it sheds like mad and isn’t as soft as I wanted (hence the frustration with the results of my work), but at least I finished. And it can now sit in a box forever.

Okay, now this one is funnier. I started this when I was somewhere around the age of 14 or 15, I believe, which means it has been sitting around, incomplete, for over ten years. It’s another one that I wasn’t entirely happy with how it came out, and frankly I didn’t really have a use for it anyway. Well, I’ve been wanting a rug and one day that bag it sat in finally made me insane enough that I finished crocheting it and threw it on the kitchen floor, bumps and all. Adrian’s not wild about the dirty factor with a rug that is near so much food, which I understand, so this is great because it’s washable but if it falls apart and we throw it away I don’t care at all. At least it’s not sitting in my craft stuff anymore, slowly eating at my sanity. Hehehe.

Handmade goodness

Emily — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:26:10 +0000

I’ve been all bummed out that a few blogs I read haven’t been updating much, and then I realized the irony of this since it’s been so long since I blogged. What is it about summer? Since I last wrote,we’ve been to Hawaii and back, had visitors, and survived the highest recorded temperature ever for Seattle. It hit 103 or 106 or something downtown. The whole no AC situation got rather comical at that point. It was so hot inside the house that my shea butter scrubby bar melted into a puddle on the floor of the shower. It survived many a steamy shower but not room temperature. Then about two weeks later the highs were 40 degrees lower. V weird. We’re back up to warm again, though thank goodness not quite like it was. Anyway, I’ll try to catch up on stuff. Maybe.

I’ve been thinking a lot about handmade things. The explanation I happened to read from Sugar City Journal sums it up really well for me:

“The women’s organization at church – the Relief Society – was hand-knitting bandages for lepers. Wanting to learn how to knit, I signed up for the project. And what a project it was! The bandages were knitted on teensy needles with the finest crochet thread. It took hours to knit only a few tedious inches. Perplexed, I questioned the ring-leader of the bandage-knitting crew on why we were knitting these instead of buying some gauze at the pharmacy. “Because,” she told me, “the lepers believe that a handmade bandage has the karma of the maker in it. That energy can help heal their wounds.” “

That idea has clicked for me as well, and it helped me to put into words why I enjoy things that are handmade. Things I’ve made for us don’t always look perfect, but, for example, I enjoy having napkins and placemats on the table that I made. Imperfections are the mark of something being created by a person, not a machine, and I like it that way (and remind myself of that when I stress out about my own errors).

A recent perfect example of this are these hair flowers we bought in Hawaii. Tawnya had bought some and I thought they were really pretty, much nicer and more realistic looking than a lot of the plastic ones you see in every tourist shop. So later we went back so I could buy some, and both the husband and wife were manning the little stand. The petals are made out of clay, and she showed us how the back of the petals have imprints of the lines of her hands and the tops have her thumbprints. If you look closely in the above picture, you can see them there. Now THAT is handmade. I loved it when she showed us that. We talked a bit and after buying the flowers, they gave me a fresh lei, too. These are memories and touches that you simply can’t have had we bought something that was factory made.

In a broader sense, this is really about all the things we choose to have around us. Because it’s much easier to upload a few select pictures than sort through everything from Hawaii, the next few blog posts I’m working on will all be about things that have recently given me that good karma feeling. Be excited!

AC and machine update

Emily — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:56:23 +0000

Adrian did a good job explaining the whole air conditioner situation. My question is: did the owners think there was air conditioning? I am absolutely positive it was in the Craig’s List ad, and I actually even remember talking about it. Now, on the control panel thingy you CAN select “cool”, which one would assume means air conditioning, but there is no unit outside. I even walked around the house to double check just to make sure (I couldn’t remember seeing one, once it occurred to me, but that is one of those things that just gets absorbed into the background normally). As far as I know, you can’t actually have air conditioning without one of those big things outside. Anyway, kind of a bummer, since the AC and the gas stove were two of the big reasons we chose this house. I’m sure we’ll survive, it’s just kind of annoying to be sweating inside your own home… even with the fans going. I was really wondering what was wrong with the AC for it to be so ineffective after running it all day long. Hahaha.

Since I got so many comments from helpful people on the sewing machine deal, here’s a quick update on that, too: I’m going to wait a little while. I’ve realized that in order to make a big enough step up from what I already have, it would be a lot of money. Sewing machines are expensive! It seems silly to buy something that’s just a little nicer or a little heartier than my machine, because if I’m going to spend a good amount of money it might as well be really worth it. So then the question is should get a machine that is about where I’m at now, or one that I would grow into? My ideas are always a little bigger than the realm of possibility (Adrian and I definitely have that in common, though his are about vacations we could take and things like that and mine are about things I’m capable of doing… and in this particular case what my machine can help me do). So do I reach up high enough that it would be capable of everything I envision myself wanting to do? You know, I don’t do a lot of quilting now (I did try… but it was puckered on the back after I tried to quilt it and not so good and I got frustrated… perhaps my own fault for thinking it was a good idea to jump into the world of quilting with one that could fit a full bed?), but I would like to. So do I need a machine big enough for that? Etc. I don’t want to spend tons of money on something that I think I’d then want something else after a little while, even if that little while is five years.

Also, in all my reading and research about machines I’ve realized that mine is actually pretty good, relatively speaking. The things that people complain about in reviews it either doesn’t do at all or only slightly. So for a lower-end machine, it really does do what it needs to do. Also, I figured out that tension issue–not why it’s happening but at least I can feel it while I’m threading the machine now so I can fix it immediately, rather than doing test stitches every time I sew. So that has removed a lot of my headache. Of course, then last weekend we went to this quilt shop and I tried out some of the machines there and they were SO smooth and quiet. It was pretty crazy. I’ll leave it at that before I sound nutso and completely bore anyone who doesn’t sew.

So. That means I’m trying to figure out how to earn some extra money specifically for a sewing machine so that I don’t feel SO wasteful or insane in wanting a really crazy nice one. Well, I still do, but I feel like if I can also prove that I’ll really use it, then it’s more justified. We’ll see how that turns out. Maybe in a few years I’ll get there… by which time, of course, I’ll perhaps have another kiddo and have even less time for my own creative endeavors.

Me vs. the machine

Emily — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:24:36 +0000

I think I’ve outgrown my sewing machine. My parents bought it for me when I was in college (I think–or was it in high school, Mom?), and I’m very grateful to have it, but I just can’t quite do all the things on it that I want to. I will be honest and admit that half of that is probably my lack of skill. It’s like the idea that if you’re a good enough cook your cookware and equipment doesn’t matter. Regardless, I get these big ideas and I can’t really accomplish it all.

I always have a backlog of projects, but there is a certain one that has been sitting around for months and months… which is embarrassing because they are supposed to be gifts. Going through thick layers is one of the issues I’m facing with my machine, so even when I get it all working right (it has had an issue with tension and threading since day 1) I sometimes have problems. A couple weeks ago I sat down to work on it again, but the tension was all off. I rethreaded it and retested it about five times and it finally worked. Yay! So then I sewed a few stitches… and broke the needle. It took me a few days to even look at it again.

Well, I finally got at least one thing finished, which only opened the floodgate of things I’ve been wanting to make in my head. It also made me admit to myself, finally, that I think I probably should be thinking about getting another sewing machine. My two partially-finished quilts have been cast aside because I was so frustrated with how they were coming out. Again, that is partially due my lack of skill, but partially due to the machine, too. It wasn’t meant to quilt, and certainly not to do free motion terribly well. So the ideas I have in my mind simply can’t come out right. So the top pieced together nicely, because it’s a great machine for that sort of thing, but as soon as you start doing layers (which I can barely even fit between the base and the pressure foot sometimes) it’s not so smooth.

Enough whining. I’m writing this to ask if anyone has thoughts on sewing machines. I asked Erin about it and she wrote a great post about finding her machine, so I’m just wondering if anyone else has some advice for me. The trouble is that sewing machines get so expensive very quickly. Plus I don’t want a lot of extra embroidery stuff because that simply isn’t my style. But I want it to be nice enough that I can do what I want and it’ll last well. I guess mostly this question goes to Lesley, since I’m not sure if anyone else who ever reads our blog sews much. I guess I could have just asked her directly. But just in case I can happen upon someone else who likes to sew, it’s worth asking publicly. What do you use? Do you like it? Etc.

I probably won’t be getting a new machine any time soon, incidentally, because I do HAVE one that works well. I don’t mean to come off as ungrateful for it. But… it’s tempting to think about. Hehe. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a serger, too? Oh my, the possibilities are endless.

Welcome changes

Emily — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:04:48 +0000

“And the seasons, they go round and round…” (Name that tune!)

March

Early April

Mid April

Same tree, and I continue to be obsessed with taking pictures of it, apparently. I do enjoy something about the rythm of the seasons, and its true that after living through winter, spring feels all the more amazing. If I hadn’t felt stuck inside for so long, these days with sunshine wouldn’t feel so wonderful. I’ll try to remember about the necessity for opposition in all things next time I’m whining about being cold.

Yesterday

Emily — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:52:07 +0000

Here’s the story of our yesterday…

Morgan and I took Adrian’s parents to the airport. They’ve been with us since we got back from California and I finally took a picture of all of them. I excused myself due to lack of shower. We had a nice and pretty relaxed week. They went to visit Adrian’s grandma in Idaho one day, and on Saturday we went to Sam’s Club and then dinner at Cheesecake Factory. But other than that, I didn’t leave the house all week (which is exactly what I wanted… I was exhausted after the weekend in CA!) and we mostly hung out and they cooked and cleaned for us. This is good because I still don’t feel any inspiration to cook anything.

Anyway, Morgan slept on the way to the airport and part of the way back, thank goodness. Poor kid really doesn’t like the car. Sometimes it’ll lull her to sleep, but if she wakes up she’s very unhappy. Well, the car or the car seat I don’t know, but anyway. So we only had a few minutes of sadness when I was already back close to home. I feel like she’s six weeks now and I feel up for going out more now, generally, but it’s just not worth it when she gets so upset. Plus it’s hard to feed her when we’re out, etc. So it’s simpler to just stay home it seems.

When we got back home, the snow really kicked up. It was good that we got home when we did.

Sleepy girl! I love it. I left her snuggled on the couch and told Toby to watch her so I could run outside to take some pictures…

That’s our driveway and street. I thought this was supposed to be March, and I thought we lived somewhere it doesn’t snow! HMM. Actually, I like snow because it’s so pretty, but winter does sort of start weighing on you around this time. The time change has infinitely improved my feelings about it all, though. That extra hour of light at the end of the day is really really refreshing.

I love how branches look with snow on them. These have evidence of spring’s impending approach, though, because you can see the buds. Come on, spring!

Later the sun came out and the snow started melting. I put Morgan in the wrap so we could go take more pictures outside, but then got distracted by her cuteness with the hat on. She, in turn, was adorably distracted by staring out the window at the light and snow.

She was a little less sure about being out in all that coldness, though. Hehe. She was still patient and let me take lots of pictures.

Ice and water droplet! I was exploring playing with my camera, and was pleased with myself.

This one is probably my favorite because of the contrast with the blue sky. There was just a little patch of it, so I had to line up the shot just right.

I was feeling all snazzy and pleased with myself for taking such fun pictures, so I came inside to upload them and was super excited to show Adrian. I brought myself back down by spilling nail polish remover, which I was using to clean the keyboard, over the top of the desk, which of course took off the top layer of seal and paint underneath. Yeah, I felt great, and it was hard to move these giant pieces to make sure I dried it all while Morgan was asleep in the wrap on my chest. But I did it, at least, though it was much too late to save much on the desk. So instead of getting to show off my pictures, I got to show Adrian all the damage I’d done to our lovely new desk when he got home.

Alas. I AM still pleased with the pictures.

Outings

Emily — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:53:00 +0000

On Monday we went out for the first time. (Actually, Saturday, in honor of Morgan being a week old and in an attempt to keep some sanity, we went down the street for a walk. The fresh air and sunshine peeking through did us good, even though it was way too cold.) We had our appointment at the birth center, and I was very good and followed their advice that the appointment be the first time I went out. (We had had a home visit from one of the midwives earlier in the week to make sure things were good.)

Morgan was not happy at first to be stuck in a car seat, but then eventually the car lulled her off to sleep, and I took advantage of the natural light to get some pictures of her snuggled up. I tried to comfort her with the blanket tucked around her but I think the real solution was just the car movement. Go figure.

This is our little sign on the birth center wall of all the babies born there.

Morgan was already up to her birth weight on Monday, which was a big relief for me, of course. I was worried she wasn’t getting enough to eat. Apparently we must be doing things well enough, though.

Tuesday was a big day because we went to a photo session in the morning. There’s a lady doing photos of babies born at the birth center to display there, and so just for participating we got the free session and a few prints. I’m super excited to see them, and I was really happy that it worked for us to do it because otherwise I doubt we would have done real newborn pictures. Plus, it’d be cool if Morgan got to be up on the wall of the birth center. Anyway, our easy-going baby was very cooperative and it went pretty fast, relatively speaking.

Then in the afternoon we went to the pediatrician, whose office luckily is about three minutes from our house. She’d gained exactly an ounce from the day before–again, good signs that feeding is going well. Our doctor kept commenting on how alert she was and how she moves her arms and legs smoothly, not jerkily like I guess a newborn often does. Of course as her parents that’s what we like to hear. Oh, and she impressed everyone by not crying when she had to be naked to be weighed and then sit in her diaper for the rest of the appointment. She really is just incredibly mellow.

Morgan’s pretty strong already. She has been since birth, but now she’ll push herself up when she’s laying against my chest and look at me. It’s kind of scary how quickly she’s already changing and growing.