10 & Again

Ten of what?

Again? What again?

You see, there was this girl who liked to sew. One day she realized she had been buying fabric exponentially quicker than she can sew things.

A sewing fairy came to her and suggested she stop buying fabric until she had sewn all the fabric she already had/

A sewing gnome sprang up and laughed in the face of the sewing fairy. Claiming her suggestion was ludicrous and totally impossible! The sewing gnome suggested the girl  not even entertain the idea of such impracticality. She can buy fabric if she so pleases!!


Then along comes Persephone the Sewing Cat. With her small mew she suggests a path of compromise and logic.

She suggests I sew 10 things before I buy more fabric again.
 This sounds reasonable and doable.

She reminds me I can't just play the system, I have to sew 10 legit things. Sewing 10 placemats doesn't count. but a dress, a blouse, PJs,  a set of 6 placemats, etc. 3 tops count as 1 legit item.

She's bossy.

So. here I am on my journey. "Sewing 10 to buy fabric again"

BONES and a new cropped cardigan.

A full point for this project!

Loving draped necklines! 1/3 a point

Trial top, new pattern- needs adjustments next go around. 1/3 point

All 3- skirt, camisole, cardigan (pictures above as well)

another FULL point here!

Top for Neeley & Hat for Macie. giving myself a full point for the 2.

Persephone approved it.

Shirt for my son 1/3 point,

all 3- tights, skirt, top

1 whole point!

Just the striped top here, so just 1/3 point. I like  side bust darts, dart give good shaping.  But darts with stripes makes like arrows pointing to, well.... yep. I'll wear the cute cardigan with this, too.

I made 2 tops, not pictures. 2/3 points...

I think the total is 6 points!

And I have some new things for NO PANTS APRIL!!

Bones & Pirates

Last week's Femsical Dress brings me 1 step closer to being ready for NO PANTS APRIL!

The patters is Sunshine Dress from Patterns For Pirates

The pattern has 3 different bodice styles. The one pictures, the halter top, is what I made. I made a long version, and I made the skirt be more A-line, with less gathers. So I measures the circumference of the lower bodice edge (front and back separately -they are different numbers)). Used those numbers as how wide to cut my skirts at the waist (plus 1" each piece)- but angles out the entire length of the skirt.

I was able to match up the skirt pieces to have hands sticking out of my pockets!

Be Careful not to have hands or mouth bones on 'the girls', though!

AWKWARD!

I use this see-through-grid patterns tracing fabric from JoAnns. I can see where the bones will be on the pieces,

I got rib placement on my back and pelvic bone placement close to my pelvis....

... but ended up with a hand on my bum, still.
The cute cropped cardigan? Also from Patterns 4 Pirates . The Cocoon Cardigan.

The fabric for both dress and bolero-style cardigan are from SO SEW ENGLISH


If you haven't heard yet...
Next Months is NO PANTS APRIL!
Join Us!

"FEMSICAL"

I've been doing the Adore Your Wardrobe challenge. It helped me figure out what to ask when I'm planning my wardrobe- which I do adore- but it is sometimes overwhelming

.

So here are today's  questions: and My Answers:

1.) Does your current wardrobe support your lifestyle?

• Yes. I think so. It is mostly  Dressy (business) Casual (often Made-By-Me), with a spattering of athleisure and a fancy dress for fancy stuff. So, what does NOT fit my lifestyle?  Hmmmm... something to think about.

2.) What impression are you making with your wardrobe?

• well, I like to pretend the impression I make is "femsical"- feminine, yet whimsical. With my friends this is true. With strangers, the impressions is, well a bit stranger.
• Here is my Femsical definition-dress: 

Feminine Vintage 1960's pattern with whimsical FLAMINGOS!!!

• My fantasy self is full of fantasy and I'm happier when I wear my fantasy. But, dressing LIKE a dinosaur is probably frowned upon too much, and would, frankly, be uncomfortable, but wearing a DINOSAUR skirt is comfy and happy!

• This challenge made me ask: Why do I not like the clothes I don't like? I tried them on. I tried on the clothes I do like.  Most of the clothes I don't like are usually because they feel funny some days. I have a touch of Sensory Integration Disorder. 50% of the time the feel of the fabric drives me INSANE- like- I want to claw out my eyes and rip off my flesh insane. I used to just put up with it. Wear the comfy stuff on 'bad days' and wear the "I like the way it looks and the way I'm completes this out fit- but it makes my skin scream" clothes on 'good days'. Thanks to the prompting here, I have decided I don't have to put up with "Half-The-Time- Fashions". On those bad days I go through every thing in my closet, nothing feels OK, the 2 things that do feel OK and can be worn in 15 degree weather don't even match enough for me!
• So I am getting rid of my 'Half-Time' clothes and replacing them with clothes I can wear 9 out of 10 days. So I don't have those Closet Hating Days (and the clothes all the floor to clean).
• What do I love? when I design something. When I get an idea for a skirt/dress/top. Can't find a pattern so I make my own and spend a week planning how to make it work. Then that skirt/dress/top is not only a color/design I love, it fits, and has my time invested it. I need to sew more clothes!

3.) Who is your fantasy self?

I think my fantasy self might be a dragon overlord. Is that a thing?

This challenge has been super motivating! I have to get sewing and creating and getting rid of 'boring scratchy' clothes!

January 1 Merry Christmas!

I am sitting at the kitchen table with a homemade chai latte and plate of cookies. I need to get all the cookies and Swedish Fish eaten by Monday, so I can get back to logging calories and nutrients.

We celebrated Christmas with my parents and brothers family yesterday. We did the same last year (different reason,though)
I think I like having Christmas spaced out like that. It's less overwhelming.
I had made sock puppets for my 2 yr old nephew. Whenever I watch him, we always wear socks on our hands and make them talk, so I thought he'd like some sock puppets.

And for his mom... A box with easy lid for storage of the puppets on his toy shelf.
In addition to hot glueing the embellishments, I tacked them in place with needle and thread. It seemed for "Toddler Friendly" that way.
Here is a quite visual guide:

I spent News Years Day (morning) charting out my revolving garden. Those parts of the garden I plant to rotate crops for a more year round harvest. I have 5 garden areas for this,  my 3 boxes to the left of the back porch, a box on the right side of the back porch, and a section in the ground I will rotate winter carrots and summer bell peppers. I have sowing dates for all 10 crops, along with dates to prep the soil between plantings. I put all pf the dates into my smartphone calendar with a reminder set for a few days before. 

I felt Quite Accomplished. Too bad I can't devote this much effort to cleaning the kitchen.

HEALTH NOTE: on the first day of the year, I took my vitamins, drank my 2L of water, and met my Fitbit goal! 

my 21 yr old son found an app for my smart phone called HABITRPG. I earn gold by meeting daily goals and tasks (that I list) and can go on quests and buy new armor and swords with my earned coins!

Duck, Duck, Square!

It looks like a duck. This makes me smile. So, I keep the garden area as-is after we move to this house.  Here is my vision for the main garden 2015. (I think the original owners may have had a small tree in the middle of the circle part )

This duck head garden is off the right side of the back porch. The back porch is approx 12'x24'.  The duckbill (carrots and radishes) extends across 1/3 of the porche front edge. I grew some basil off the front edge of the porch last year. Last year I had potato bags off the left side. I now have garden boxes on the left side. I have 2 (Orange), but plan for 2 more (green). I will be increasing th size of th basil garden and moving my potato bags to the left front edge.

On viewing the area today, there may not be room for a Leek Box. And I may put the beans off the side of the blacktop. We have a square of blacktop; the original owners had it as a basketball court. We use it to set off smoke bombs and other science demonstrations. I have other options for the leek box. ... We also have an area that is approximately 35'x10'. It is home to the asparagus and compost pile. I keep trying to get squash back there. I get a few small unimpressive squash, I think the soil is poor.

Morning Mathy-ness

7:28 AM - Ki completed 29 minutes at Khan Academy. I was still asleep. (Ki plans to earn his Ludicrous Listener Badge today)
8:42AM- I read a few current news articles. School Shooting in Rio De Janeiro. SuperBug Gene found in Delhi Drinking Water. More earthquakes/Tsunamis in Japan.
9:07AM- Connor does 2 minutes of math exercises at Khan in 3 different areas? FOCUS!! What can you accomplish in about 45 seconds in Logarithms?? (he ended up spending 80 minutes there. 45 is the required amount. he'll probably just do 10 minutes tomorrow to make up the difference-in reverse)
9:19AM- I am in my PJs in my bed, enjoying new bedsheets. They are so pretty. It is overcast today. I have tea........... I may not leave this spot today.
9:37AM- I Finally achieved Proficiency in Division level 3!!
Ki seems to like the little badges he can earn at Khan Academy. He likes that there are videos to watch. I challenged him to earn some of the Listener Badges this week- for listening to/watching certain videos. I have never seen him just get up and do math. Also- he has been riding his bike everyday. Physical exercises always helps him school. I wonder if the 2 things are related.....
My math abilities are pretty non existent. I'm plan of kinda sticking to doing the stuff Ki does. Ki's other challenge this week is for a badge for reaching level 4 in add., sub., mult., and division. I am working on that badge, too. I have 2 level 4s and 2 level 3s.
My goal is to avoid Alzheimers and Dementia by keeping my brain learning new things. At least I have a goal.

The men in the house are going to a Gun Shooting Church Function Saturday.

My friend andher daughter might spend the night Friday, because they have somepleace to be in the area at

9AM and will be down here friday night anyway.

So I plan to make a yummy breakfast Saturday Morning

Caribbean French Toast

(3 servings)

• For The French Toast:
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 dash of ground nutmeg
• 6 slices French bread - about 1-inch thick
• butter or margarine for frying

• For The Coconut Syrup:
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3 Tablespoons white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons shredded sweetened coconut

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