Following the crowd

Last week Oona posted some croquis that she made of herself.  Apparently, animated nudity has been all the rage lately.  Of course, I had to give it a shot.  I used the tutorial that the lovely Oona linked to, from Lladybird.  I was surprised by how easy this was.  See, here I am!

 Here's my anticipated HRC suit.  I have yet to construct the shorts, but I can imagine them very clearly, thanks to my little croquis!  I also did a side and back view, but didn't feel like dressing all sides of them. I'm not as confident as Oona and didn't want to post a naked version of myself on the internet, even if it wasn't a real photo.

Last night I spent an hour or so "shopping" with my croquis.  I drew a few modcloth dresses on to my croquis.  I'm assembling some sewing ideas, thanks to this easy way to mix and match different elements of dress on a me-like figure.  Wow, have I been blessed by the grammar gods.

Following along with yesterday's post, here's a version of the HRC suit with bow-pockets.  I think yes.

Inspirtation yadda yadda

                  

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Often, when I'm sewing, I start a project out with an image in my head of a completed project.  That image usually has three components: color/pattern, silhouette, and details.  The issue of color and pattern is decided on when I buy the fabric.  Usually, I buy fabric with a sillouete and color in mind already.  Or, I find fabric and dream up a silhouette from there.  The only thing missing, then, are the details.  I have a problem with details.  Details are usually finishing touches.  As such, I save then for last.  However, by the time a project is finished enough to consider adding details, I'm either tired of working, or worried that I'll mess something up if I add anything more.  So I stop.  As a result of that, nearly all of my sewn garments are...boring.  I'm making a deal with myself.  From now on, no more completely basic projects.  Everything has to have some interesting detail, somewhere.  Otherwise, what's the point in sewing, if the product makes you yawn?

                      

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Feeling official

 In case you haven't noticed, I love blazers.  Adding a blazer to anything instantly makes me feel put together.  It certainly made me feel better about wearing this shirt out in public.  This was a disaster project if there ever was one.  I made this before I learned about french seams, so the whole inside of this is a ticking mess of loose threads.  Instead of making me never want to work with chiffon again, it just makes me want to try again, so I can do it right this time.  I'm plotting something, for this summer.  

 Anyway, I got a little dressed up today because I had a few errands to run, and looking professional never hurts anyone.  I turned in my research project, signed up to take the writing proficiency exam, and met with a study abroad advisor.  Now, for the first time in weeks I don't have anything going on tonight, so I can sit at my desk and get things done without worrying about having enough time to eat before I have to be somewhere.  I love having time to do homework! (and tumble...)

This week starts the serious countdown to spring break.  I'll be home in less than a week!

Outfit Details

Blazer: thrifted

Shirt: self made

Pants: Delia's

Belt: Carson's

Shoes: Wanted

Watch: walmart

Rings: gifts

Fall back down

I'll say it again: I love my friends.  That's all.

I redid my blog layout again.  Now, instead of feeling like a 9 year old designed it, it looks like a twelve year old did.  Someday I'll learn enough to have a grown-up blog.  Not now, though.

shirt, tank, skirt, shoes,  jewelry

Dorm room tour: Posters

My roommate last year had tons and tons of posters.  I never really understood why.  Then I got some for myself, and I got it.  Posters are an easy way to brighten up a space, especially in a dorm setting where our decorations are really limited.  Mine are hung with sticky tack, although technically we are allowed to nail things to the wall this year.  I don't want to ruin my posters!  

I bought the Van Gogh print and the mini Picasso poster at a poster sale on campus at the beginning of the year.  I've wanted a copy of the Old Guitarist for ages; it's one of my favorite paintings ever.  The Van Gogh was bought on a whim, because it was pretty and matched my blankets.  I think it was worth it.  

My boyfriend bought me the Neon Trees poster for Christmas last year.  The summer before we had gone to see them at a free show downtown.  If you ever get a chance to see them live, do it.  They're one of the few bands that are even better live than they are on cd.  Here's a cool story: the poster is fuzzy.  I pet it a lot.  

Happy Thoughts for Thursday: Molemorial Day!

Happy Molemorial day!  Did anyone else celebrate this in school?  We had a party for it in high school chemistry.  Even though I can't remember what a mole is used for anymore, I'll always know what the number is!

Warmish weather.  Not wearing a puffy coat everywhere is nice.

Politics!  Rick Santorum is just digging himself in a deeper hole every time he speaks.  I love talking politics, but none of my friends are as amused as I am by presidential hopefuls.  So, if I ramble here, please excuse me.  

Spring break is coming soon!  I"ll be home in 9 days!  I get to see my family, boyfriend, and sewing machine.  What could be better?

Hot showers.

Freshly painted nails.  I think I've painted my nails black once or twice in my life before this year.  Now, it's becoming my go-to color.  When I've just painted them and there aren't any chips, they just look so nice!  It makes me happy.  

Not-stale bagels.  Some days I appreciate this more than others.  

Making time to read.  I finished a good book yesterday, and have resolved to finish another one by friday.  I need to finish them up so I can take things home over break, so that I have less to bring home at the end of the semester.  Moving out is hard enough as it is...

Vibrant colors on a grey day

This morning started out warm and sunny, and as the day has gone on the temperature has dropped; the sun's gone in to hiding.  He's take three of my outdoor picture taking adventure.  This time I'm outside of the old gymnasium, which is now used mostly for theater classes.  This place has a lot of potential, too, I think.  We'll see in the coming weeks what else can be eked out of this corner.  

When I got back from class today I tried to check Bloglovin, as is my habit, and found disaster!  Something went wrong, and instead of 18 posts to read there were 80, and they were all in Swedish and Portuguese; in other words, they were not what I'm subscribed too.  Um, problem.  I emailed the support team, and twenty minutes I got an email that they're working on it.  Just in case something terrible happens, I wrote down all the blogs that I follow.  There's 75 of them!  Maybe I need to do a little cleaning.  

Outfit Details

Shirt: Forever 21

Blazer: thrifted

Scarf: Charming Charlie

Shorts: Forever 21

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Wanted

HRC: Jacket

This has been a long time coming.  I finished this jacket over winter break, nearly two months ago.  I chronicled the whole process, if you want to see it.  

To be quite honest, I don't feel like this is done.  All my seams are sewn, and the collar is pressed in place, but it still feels unfinished.  I purposefully left off the button and buttonhole, since i never close my jackets.  When I got home for spring break and begin to work on the shorts, I think I may add pockets to this.  That may be what is missing.  

I like this jacket, and i have worn it a lot since I finished it.  However, there are a few things that I would do differently if I were to redo this.  For one, the collar and lapel are kind of small, and the shoulders are a little wide.  I may be able to press the collar open more to fix that, but I doubt it.  The jacket ended up being a little boxy, but it's not intolerable.  Also, the type of interfacing that I chose was a little too stiff for my liking.  I'm worried that the jacket will get creases just from being folded, that can't be ironed out because it's a crease in the interfacing, not the jacket.  

Overall, I was really surprised by how easy this project was.  The interfacing took forever to finish, but the actual sewing together of the parts went relatively quickly.  So, there may be a remake in my future.  

Now I need to decide what type of shorts I want to make to go with this.  I don't have an exact idea in my head yet.  I also don't have enough fabric left over for mistakes, so there will be some muslining going on over here in the next few weeks.  I can't wait to get back home to my sewing machine!

Roommate bonding time

My roommate and I took these photos over the weekend while out on a walk.  She's an architecture major, so we were out looking at the pretty buildings on campus.  We might now have the most beautiful campus in the world, but it's not too bad, if you really look at it.  I think that idea applies to a lot, though; you might not think something's beautiful, but when you look closer you find that it is.

I feel like I say this a lot, but I'm so fortunate to have the roommate that I do.  She's really fantastic, and I'm glad we live together!  Life is so much better when you wake up on weekends exited to spend time with a friend.

Dots and tweed

Here's attempt number two of taking outfit pictures out in public.  This is the far corner of the Art Museum, where a few of my classes are.  It's a really pretty spot, and I think it has some more potential for picture taking.  It was supposed to be really cold today, but after taking these pictures I didn't put my heavy coat back on; it has really warmed up!  I would say that spring is on it's way, except according to today's weather report it's supposed to snow again later this week.  

Today started out a bit rough, but it's been improving.  The sun helps, and the nice leisurely walk I took around campus looking for a suitable spot for photos.  It also feels really nice to be out of pants again.  This is one of the few skirts I have that I almost never have trouble with.  It doesn't ride up, and it's lined, so it doesn't stick to my tights, and you can't see through it.  Clothes that are pretty as well as functional make me happy.   

Outfit Details

Blazer: thrifted

Shirt: Old Navy

Scarf: Charming Charlie

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: Hue

Boots: Wanted

Watch: Walmart

Rings: gifts

Vous le vous

If you're parents listened to music in the 70's, there's a chance that you grew up listening to Abba.  If you were a child in the 90's, you may have listened to A*teens.  In middle school, we used to debate which group was better.  They were both Swedish quartets, and they sang the same songs.  Personally, I was an A*teens kid.  They were the first band I ever loved, the first cd I ever bought on my own.

I watched Mamma Mia with my roommate this weekend.  It was good!  Some people complained about the ridiculousness of all of it, but that's half the fun of Abba/A*teens.  Yes, it's unrealistic.  But that doesn't make it no good.  In the spirit of A*teens, here's something colorful and a little obnoxious.  Who's ready for spring?

top, shorts, tight, shoes, bag, earrings

Sunday links; a bit of politics

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This cool video goes over the history of the calendar, if you're interested in some learning.

DIY magnetic polaroid frames? Yes please.

I want to go to this!  Don't tell me this doesn't look fantastic.

Free Obama bumperstickers!

Oona shares some smarts.

Make a cowl from an old sweater at True Bias (my new crafty-blog love)

Cooking tips for noobs.  Fantastic.

I don't know what this is or why, but it's really entertaining.

This is a little hard to read, but seems like a good resource: emotional vocabulary for writers.  Cool!

This is funny.

For anyone who lives in the US Midwest, I seriously recommend reading this book.  It's about globalization and it's effect on the midwest, what's happening, why, and how we can fix it.  It's written in a way that is easy to follow, and is very informative.  Maybe I was just particularly interested because I'm also in a class on globalization now, but I could not put this book down.  Go find one!   Those of you outside of the midwest, the author has written some other books too, that might be more relevant to a wider range of people.  Look here!

Calla SS12

I just discovered Calla, a Canadian designer working in France.  Aren't these lovely?  Despite loving clothing and its construction, I don't really pay a whole lot of attention to those who do it professionally.  However, I like this a lot.  Maybe it's time that I start to keep these people on my radar.  Anyway, look, and enjoy!  All pictures are from her website.

Happy Thoughts for Thursday

Bright colors!

I got my Yes and Yes calendar!  Now that a month and a half is gone, I finally got around to ordering it, and it came in on Valentine's Day!  This is the third year that I've bought this calendar, and every year I'm amazed by how beautiful and cheerful it is.  Thanks, Sarah!

Squats.  Wow, that is a funny looking word.  Squats feel really good.  It has been a while since I've done any, and I'm trying to build them back in to my workout.

Coffee at night.  On Tuesdays I have class from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm straight.  I'm a morning person, and always struggle to stay awake and pay attention in my last two classes.  This week I did something that I should have thought of doing ages ago.  When we did our dinner run in between classes, I bought coffee.  Normally when I drink my coffee I drink it because it tastes good.  This was a pure need for caffeine.  Who knows how long that coffee had been sitting there.  Frankly, it was disgusting, and I drank it all in ten minutes.  I felt so much better afterwards, though!  Worth it.

Valentines.  My Valentine's day was really good.  I got a package from my grandparents and from my mother, and I talked to my grandparents on skype and also got calls from both parents.  My boyfriend and I skyped for two hours, and, while it was really hard to celebrate love day from behind a computer screen, it was really nice to talk to him.  He is fantastic!

Speaking of grandparents and skype, my grandparents are so adorable.  They bought a webcam and downloaded skype, and have been very excited to give it a shot.  It was so nice to see them, and I can't wait to see them in person in a little over 2 weeks!

Clean trombones.  I spent half an hour yesterday trying to clean my tuning slide enough that it would move.  It's getting there.  While I was at it I greased my slide and washed my mouthpiece, so now I have a fully functioning (almost) instrument!  Taking care of my darling makes me feel like a good human being.

Free books.  All this week at work, there has been a book on my desk.  Someone was giving them out for free, and this copy was being saved for someone; my desk is in the middle of the office, where they would most likely see it when they came to get it.  Well, it looked like a really interesting book, so I started reading it.  I figured if it was good, I could go get one from the people who were giving them out.  After work that day, I went to get one and there were none left!  Sadness.  So the next two days at work I keep reading, and hoping that this kid never comes to pick up his book.  Yesterday I come in and it's gone.  Not there.  I spent three hours fighting off disappointment.  There's nothing quite like getting a good book taken away from you a hundred pages from the end.  I spent two and half hours moping, and as I was getting ready to leave, I mentioned to my boss that the book was gone.  She makes me wait, and asks another coworker if she knows where I could find another copy.  It turns out that the kid never came for his book, and she had just taken it off my desk because she thought it was in my way!  And she was going to try to give it away or throw it out.   There is no excuse for throwing books out.  But.  Instead she gave it to me.  So now it is mine, and I can finish reading it, and then give it to my grandpa to read, and I am so happy!

Being told in real life that your tumblr is cool.  

Road Trip Blanket

The other day when it was all nice and sunny I took a bunch of pictures of projects that I finished but never got around to writing about.  This blanket was one of them.  

Every year for my birthday, my aunt buys me three skeins of red heart yarn.  I know that she means well, but red heart is kind of...disgusting, for lack of a better term.  As I've slowly stockpiled this yarn up, I've become more and more pressed for space, especially as the monster pile competes with the yarn that I buy to actually use.  One day last summer I was in one of those weird moods where you just want to make something, now.  I eyed my red heart stockpile, and realized that I had more than enough yarn for a blanket.  Thus, the road trip blanket was born.  

During the first week I think I crocheted the first 4 stripes or so.  However, as blankets get bigger, they take longer to complete rows, and they also get warmer, which in the summer is an issue.  So I tucked it away.  A few weeks later I had to make a decision on whether or not to take it to college with me.  I decided yes, it would be a good project to work on at school.  I worked on it for the whole 4.5 hour ride down to school, then accidentally left it in my mom's car when we were unloading.  Oops.  When she came back to pick me up for Thanksgiving break, I found that no one had moved it.  So I worked on it for the whole ride home, and again for the ride back to school.  Repeat this sequence a few more times for a few more breaks, and you have a blanket!  Making blankets in the car is actually kind of a genius idea, if I can say that.  It keeps you occupied, and more importantly, as the air conditioning builds up through the trip, it keeps you warm!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Grammy mailed me cookies!

Out there

Today I took my first foray in to taking outfit pictures out in public.  I found the experience to be both frightening and a little thrilling.  I would definitely classify myself as a shy person, so the idea of taking pictures in public is terrifying.  Wandering around campus looking for a suitable location made me feel a bit like a spy- quickening my pace, pausing to rummage around in my backpack, glancing around to check for people- can taking pictures of oneself turn in to job skills for a career in the FBI?  

I think that living on campus has some benefits and some drawbacks when it comes to trying to take photos.  For one thing, there are 15,000 people living here, so there are always people.  At the same time, they tend to all run around for ten minutes, and then campus is relatively quiet, once they're in class.  So maybe the secret to taking pictures without causing a scene is to time it to when people are most likely to be in class.  

I took these photos in a deserted little corner, in a space that's hidden by benches and bushes, where I felt relatively safe from prying eyes.  Anyone who was paying attention as they walked past would be able to see through, but not many people pay attention.  As I walked back to my room from there, I spotted a few more locations that might work; some of them were more open than others.  Hopefully my confidence will grow as if I continue to attempt outdoor pictures.  

Outfit Details

Dress: self made

Tights: gift

Belt: H&M

Necklace: Forever 21

Shoes: Wanted

Hat: self made

A minute without you

I thought I'd throw in a little pre-Valentines day post, with the usual Music Monday post.  I was a little too young to appreciate Hanson when they were the big thing, but I like them well enough now.  This is my favorite song of their's.  Is their biggest pull that they sound like a group of boys?  I guess they did come in to being in the age of the boy band.  Anyway, I made a couple cute Hanson-inspired Valentine's day date outfits.  Enjoy!  

shirt, jacket, shorts, tights, flats, bag

When I go home for spring break, I'll have my sewing machine all to myself.  I'm really tempted to try to make something like this top, with a matching skirt.  I don't know if I would ever wear it, but it seems to daring, and fun to make.  Is it worth it to sew things that you won't actually wear, just for the challenge of making?

I love everything about the outfit below.  I want those shoes, especially.  

shirt, skirt, tights, shoes, Clutch, ring

As close to geometric as I get

 I'm throwing in a quick outfit post for today.  This whole weekend has been really weird.  Normally I'm an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl, but not this weekend.  Saturday I got up really early, then crashed after dinner and slept for 3 hours.  Then I was up until 3 am working on a scholarship packet that isn't due for another two weeks.  It's done, though, and I can turn it in this week!  Today I woke up at 11 am and have been working on more scholarships and a research project all day long.  In other words, I haven't done any technical homework, so I feel a little like I haven't actually done anything, even though I know that isn't true.  

Last year, one of my best friends came to visit me, and while she was here she broke the only shoes that she brought with her.  We made an emergency visit to Payless, and I bought these beauties.  I love these shoes.  They are so pretty, and they're relatively comfortable, too.  Unfortunately, they don't match a lot, which means that this is the first time that I've worn them outside of my bedroom.  They're too dark to wear without tights, and too pale to wear with black tights.  Colored tights saved the day!  

I loved my outfit today.  This dress isn't the most flattering style for me, but it's so soft and comfortable that it's worth wearing.  The shoes make up for it, I think.  

Outfit Details

Shirt: Forever 21

Dress: hand-me-down

Tights: Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Happy Thoughts for Thursday

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Good coffee

Seeing friends.  I got to see one of my favorite people yesterday for the first time in a while.

My own stupidity:
     "Puffy cheetos are delicious!"
     "Puffy cheetos make me feel sick.  Friends, please help me eat them so that I don't eat the entire bag."
     "Too late.  I ate the whole bag."

Chocolate chip cookies.


Being busy.  Today I have 4 hours of class, 3 hours of work, spanish conversation hour, a committee meeting, then chapter!  Except for the classes part, I'm really excited about all of this.  Then, I get to stay up late writing the paper that I've been putting off all week.

Good hair days.  I haven't had to many of those lately, so I appreciate them when they happen.

Reading Frank O'Hara.  He's still my favorite poet.  I dug out my big beautiful book of his, and I've been flipping through it all week.

Letting myself veg out.  Lately I've been doing a lot of reading for fun and anime watching.  I started re-watching Fruits Basket.  Nostalgia!!  Anyway, it's nice to sit and not think for half an hour at the end of the night.

Writing letters to people.  


Practicing cursive.  I'm terrible at it, but maybe someday I'll get better.

Good news

 I had my interview today for admission into the social work program.  I'm officially a social work major! This doesn't really mean anything other than that I am allowed to take upper level classes, but it's still a good thing.  I couldn't get my degree if I didn't get in.  There's more good news, too!  Last semester I took a class from the head of the department (who I interviewed with), and there was an issue with my final paper, where the conclusion somehow got cut off.  So after all the work I put in to the class, I ended up with a B because the final went so poorly.  However, the head of the department told me today that he put in a grade change request, since we were able to locate the missing paragraph and prove that we actually did write it, it just...disappeared.  So my GPA is back!   

This is week 5 of the semester, and boy, am I counting down the days!  I cannot wait to go home!  I mean, I love school and learning, but I miss my boyfriend and my family.  In 3 weeks plus 2.5 days I get to see them!  Now that we're this close to spring break, I'm starting to plot out what I want to do while I'm home.  Lots of sewing, lots of people-seeing.  My checklist of things that need to get done before break is long, but it's getting shorter.  I can't wait! 

Outfit Details:

Dress: self made

Shirt: Forever 21

Belt: H&M

Tights: Hanes

Boots: Wanted

Bracelet: thrifted

Necklace: Forever 21

Granny Blanket

I realized the other day that I have a couple crocheted projects that I never got around to sharing.  I'll take care of that in the next couple of days.  This is my granny square blanket that I started in high school, and finally finished this fall.  I wrote about the beginning of the project here.  The hardest part of this project was getting all of my squares to look like squares.  They were all too round to fit together, and took quite a bit of finageling to get in to a non-lumpy blanket.  I'm learning, though.  Now I know that general shape is not something to be worried about later, but an issue for then and there.  

I'm definitely glad that I finally finished this.  I actually use it for warmth!  Go figure.