New Purse

Ok, so I have to say that this was one of the toughest weeks for me. Matt was working the night shift, from 11pm to 7am, and I switched my sleep schedule to stay with him. It was so much easier 8 years ago when I was in prototype and had to work rotating shift work. Maybe it was because I was kept busy....there's not much on tv at 3 am, let me tell you! So, anyways, now that the week is over, I'm a bit relieved. We're switching back to days (Matt goes to work on Monday) and it will be nice to sleep when the sun is down and wake when it comes up :) So, with all my free time, you would think I would have been really creative and got tons of projects done. Well, not really. I was really just too tired to do much of anything for practically the whole week. Until Thursday/Friday, that is. I decided to use up some of my scraps and make myself a new purse. The one I've been using was the first one I made, and I've gotten a bit better at making them. So the quality of the stitching is a little bit higher. I used the same tutorial as last time, from Flamingo Toes. So super easy! And, here's the finished project:

Here's the front. I used a green scrap to break up the black floral pattern.

The back.

And the inside.

And I was going to leave it at that, but I decided that I needed something more on the back. So, I searched the web for a flower tutorial, and decided on this one from Sew Ritzy~Titzy. I think it turned out quite nicely!

AND, I got rid of some of my scraps :) Always a good thing! BTW, the black fabric is t-shirt fabric left over from my t-shirt dress. And, the floral fabric is what I used to make Mom's Christmas present. The green is left over from my VERY first purse that I made. Remember that? :)

Ok, well, it is 8pm, and tomorrow it is our plan to go to the Long Beach Grand Prix. My future niece-in-law Sam has tickets that she can't use, and we're more than happy to take them off her hands. Last year we happened to be in Long Beach a couple days before the race, and we drove the race path for a ways. Didn't think we'd be going to see the race just one year later, that's for sure. Thanks, Sam!!

~Pam

Inspired

Ok, so, of course, I was blog hopping the other day. I mean, what else do I have to do? Right? Just kidding. But, I was checking one of my favorite sites, One Pretty Thing, and I saw a project by a girl named Natalie, and I thought, "I can do that!" {Watch her video. She tells exactly how she made the dress, and that's pretty much what I did as well :}

So, anyways, I went to the thrift store, picked up three t-shirts from the men's section, just to make sure they would be big enough. I picked out shirts that were on sale, so I spent a little over $2 for all three.

Like Natalie, I got one black, one orange, and one red. I turned all the shirts inside out, since there was some writing on the fronts.

Next, I cut the sleeves off the black shirt, and sliced off the arms.

I cut it into various sized strips. I also did this with the orange and red shirts.

Then, I laid them out, in a semi-random pattern, mixing color and size of strips.

I also cut up the side of each strip on both sides to make two strips.

Finally, I was ready to start sewing. Just a straight stitch to attach the pieces together. Since the top piece (with the neck hole) is together, it gave me a good top piece. I sewed a front strip and then a back strip, that way the color/size strips would match up when I sewed together.

It was a LOT of sewing!

Once it was all sewed together, and it was as long as I wanted it, I had to press all those seams. I didn't count them, but that's a WHOLE lot of seams! Whew!

Next, I laid it out and folded in half. This was tricky, because I needed four layers to line up. Once it was nearly lined up perfectly, I laid a tank top on top and used it to trace the outline I wanted. I wish I would have given myself a larger seam allowance--I always underestimate. I thought I was giving a 1/4 inch, but it was probably more like 1/8, so the dress ended up a little tight.

The fun part was cutting away the extra fabric.

Now, it was just a matter of sewing a straight stitch up the sides...after I had to use my seam ripper to undo the seam I had accidentally sewn on the arm hole....don't sew up the arm hole! Just sew the sides!

I decided that I liked the length of the dress, and I didn't need the extra flair that Natalie's dress had, so I just hemmed the bottom, as well as the neck/back and straps.  Finally, I put the dress on:

Add some heels, and viola'! A cute dress, made out of old t-shirts. Who would have thought? :)
I must say, that's the most sewing I've done at one time. By the time I got through those seams, my back was sore, and my eyes were strained. I think I sewed pretty much continuously from 3 pm to 8 pm, with a short dinner break. Oh, and a break for when I was pressing those seams, but that's a whole different kind of torture, you know what I mean? :)

Well, as I'm writing this, it is after 11pm on Saturday night. Matt has to work the AM shift (11pm to 7am) starting tomorrow night, and so we're trying to rearrange our sleep schedule. I'm trying to stay up as late as humanly possible, but my body is already telling me that it is time to go to bed. So... wish me luck! I'll need it :) Maybe I'll get inspired again and start a new project tonight...hmm...we'll see!

~Pam

Second Attempt

Ok, so remember yesterday, when I said I bought two sweaters with the intention of turning them into sweater dresses? Well, I would have to say that my first attempt turned out OK, but my second attempt turned out fabulous! I'm so excited. The first one isn't that comfortable. I made it too form-fitting. This one, today... well, there's a bit more wiggle room. I started out with an XL sweater that I picked up at the thrift store. It still had the tags on it, so, score! Never been worn! :)

 See how baggy it is? Yep, that's what an XL will do for you. But I got it b/c I knew it was going to be long enough, and it was so soft!


Well, this is the finished product!

  I went a little different on the sleeves, because I had a hard time with them yesterday, so I basically just cut these ones off. I kind of like them. I think they are called "cap sleeves." Or something...

And, here's what happens to your floor when you decide to cut up a sweater. Sweater fuzz all over the place!!!

OK, so I was reading another blog and there were these adorable origami bunnies, and I just had to make one. Or two. Or three. Well, as you can see, these little guys multiply just about the same as the live ones! :P

Well, what do you think?  Like my sweater? Seriously, if I can do it, anyone can! It's just a matter of not being afraid to cut up the sweater. I mean, I spent a grand total of $6 on this sweater. So if I mess it up, who cares, right? One thing I didn't mention yesterday and I'll mention today is finishing off the seams. I'm a little afraid that the seams are going to come unraveled over time. I would HATE to have my dress fall apart, especially if I'm wearing it at the time. So...I came up with an ingenious idea. I'm going to take yarn, in approximately the same color as the sweater, and run a ....blanket stitch?...is that what it is called?....Anyways, I'm going to basically wrap the seam in yarn. That way it should hold up a little better. Unfortunately, I have every color of yarn imaginable except gray, so I'm going to have to get some tomorrow to finish this latest sweater's seams. :) I'm in the process of working on the first sweater's seams. I have about 50% done. It is pretty tedious, so I took a break and whipped up this sweater-dress instead!

~Pam

Two for Two

Ok, I don't really know what has gotten into me. I guess I've been feeling a little creative or something. But, today I want to share a project that I started and finished today. Once again, I was browsing Totally Tutorials and saw this awesome sweater dress tutorial. I wanted to try it, and Matt and I stopped by the thrift store this morning. I bought two sweaters, and I spent a few hours transforming the first one from this:

Seriously? This was a SMALL sweater, too! It cracked me up reading the tag: 50% wool, 20% Mohair, 10% Acrylic, 10% Nylon. I don't think I've ever owned a piece of clothing with such a mixture... But, how ugly is the sweater? It's so baggy, it just hangs. I can't believe it is a small...what, for a small giant? ;)

Anyways, after a few hours, and some painstaking sewing, I came up with....











This:

I mean, seriously. can you believe I made this? I'm amazed. I need some leggings, though. I have tights on, but I feel kind of naked :)

I got this sweater for $2.50, and used some thread that I already had. So...total cost was $2.50! :) Incredible!


Well, thanks for reading, and check back tomorrow. I'm hoping to work on the second sweater and make a beautiful dress out of it as well!

~Pam

Latest sewing project

Ok, so, I was reading a new blog I found called Totally Tutorials, and got this great idea for turning a pair of pants into a skirt. Today, I decided to try it. The girl on the post used a pair of her husband's jeans, but I had a pair of capris that I thought might work out.

 Beth, do these look familiar? :) Yep, these are a pair of pants I got from my sister.  I followed the directions from the blog, and viola'! A skirt!

And, here's what it looks like on: 

Sorry that the pictures aren't the greatest, but my husband is at work, so I had to take them myself. In all, I think this project took me 2 hours, start to finish. I'm really happy with it. It makes me think of many more possibilities for making new clothes from old. Matt has a pair of slacks that I might turn into a skirt....maybe a little shorter :)

What do you guys think?

~Pam

I've been thinking...

...about my father a lot lately. It's probably just the time of year, but I just keep thinking of all the fun memories I have of him. So, this post goes out to all my family members, and friends, who have memories of my dad. What is your favorite memory? And, it can't be something you heard, it has to actually be a memory of your own. Ok, I'm going to start:

One time, Dad and I went bird hunting with Mr. Dean, our Principal/Superintendent. I don't think we were very successful, but we had a good time. At one point, Mr. Dean decided to show his birding expertise. We were looking at some small birds, which had landed in a group of rocks. Mr. Dean informed us that those were "rock wrens." With a completely straight face. Dad and I looked at each other, but didn't say anything. After we parted, we had a good laugh. Rock wrens? Seriously? I mean, if they had landed in a tree, would they have been "tree wrens"? After that, whenever we saw an unknown small bird on a rock, it was a rock wren. Or if it was in a tree, a tree wren. Or on a bush, a bush wren. No one else thinks that's funny, but to this day, when I see a small bird, I call it a _____ wren.


Ok, your turn. Tell me your favorite memory. :)

Love,
Pam

Belize, Part 6 {Snorkeling!}

Ok, so anyone who knows me well knows that I'm more than a little scared of swimming in the ocean. I can usually do it for a little bit, and then I get freaked out by the thought of fish and {gulp} sharks swimming in the water with me where I can't see them. So, it was with much trepidation that I told Matt I would go snorkeling with him when we went to Belize. It was stormy our first 5 days there, so I had plenty of time to get used to the idea. By the time Sunday came, the water was so calm, and I was a little excited to go. I mean, what the heck! When was I going to get a chance to go snorkeling off the world's second largest barrier reef (second only to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's coast)? This was a time for me to do things I never thought I could/would do in my life. So...I gave it a shot. We decided that even though the water was around 86 degrees, it would be a good idea to wear wetsuits. So, we got fitted the afternoon before, and the morning of the swim was beautiful! I can't even describe in words what it was like. I mean, it was like looking on another world. Like we were at an aquarium looking down at all the fish. I don't know...it was incredible. The water was so clear! And there were so many different types of fish! We went to two different sites; the first was on the bay side of the reef, the second on the ocean side. They were both awesome, but I have to admit that once I got the courage up to get into the water again that second time, it almost took my breath away. We really put the underwater camera to good use, and here's a sampling of our pictures:

Waiting on the dock for the boat. Isn't the water so calm? It was so clear, and we could see all the fish that hung out near the pier. :) Look at me, so responsible. Wearing a hat to shade my head!

 Oh, yeah, I forgot about the dolphins that swam right up to the boat on the way to our first site. I've never been so close to dolphins, before!

That was the end of our first "dive". Then we headed out to the ocean side for a second swim. 

 :) Matt and I finally got a decent picture of us snorkeling together. It is much more difficult than you would imagine. This is the best we could do! :)

Ok, look closely, and you'll see the nurse shark down there....yeah, I went snorkeling, and saw a shark. I'm glad it wasn't swimming around...not sure what I would have done...

 There were so many fish, they were everywhere we looked!

 And, also, more kinds of coral than I could ever identify.

 There were schools of really huge fish that we were swimming with, as well!

 This was an awesome Eagle Ray that we saw. We swam with it for quite a while.

 There's me, climbing into the boat. Whew! What an experience!

After that trip, we were so exhausted. We got back, ate lunch, relaxed all afternoon, ate dinner, and went straight to sleep. We even took the whole next day off, relaxing in the sun and the room all day. It was nice to have that option, kind of to totally unwind after so much activity the days before.

Well, who would have thought it. Pam went snorkeling. And liked it!


:)

~Pam