Saturday, March 19, 2011

Winter projects


This winter I had plenty of time for indoor projects. I have had a sewing machine for a few years now, which was forced upon me from my mother. My mother is an avid crafter and borderline craft/fabric hoarder. She made a bunch of my clothes when I was a child. That went over well with my catty classmates in elementary school. By junior high, we had to take home economics which included sewing. I excelled at the projects like draw-string bag and was usually done a million hours earlier than others. In high school, I would ghetto alter my skirts and pants behind my mother's back. Prior to me obtaining the sewing machine, I made a bunch of things just hand sewing and of course I patched a bunch of my field pants and vests.

I found myself at a fabric store and fancied this teal wool which was on clearance. So I bought myself a yard or so and went about making a mini skirt out of it with my mother's guidance. Unfortunately, the junior high home ec never taught things like different sewing techniques. I'm not good at interpreting pattern directions but once I understand what to do, it's pretty easy. So teal skirt was done and I set about making a black version. The black wool that I coveted was camel and pricey. It went on sale and I bought what I thought was the minimum amount I needed. Of course I had ample left overs of the teal wool, teal lining, black wool, and black lining. It wasn't enough to make anything big, but I figured it's too bad to throw out or get lost in my mother's. I decided to make headbands with the remains and add some random colorful buttons from my mother's ample supplies. I then would have my mother sell them at her craft shows. So here they are. The black ones will have to wait until probably summer. Spring is just too busy for me.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Little bit of everything

For President's day weekend, we headed to Vermont for some much needed R&R. We got lucky and didn't encounter any epic blizzards or crazy driving conditions. So it was relaxation all around. For a day or two, we had very warm conditions that approached 50 degrees. Then moments of cold and snow showers. The dogs certainly seemed to enjoy the snow even though there was plenty back home.
I ate a ton of amazing food this trip that is beyond words and description. I certainly came home weighing more then when I came in. I wish I spent time showshoeing rather than plain walking in the 2 feet of snow. It was a crap shoot every step you took. Sometimes you stayed on the surface and other times you fell through. Nevermind the drifts that were thigh high.

We didn't do any sledding, which was probably for the best. Last winter, I went partially down the ice ramp, caught air and landed on my head. Thankfully I wasn't really hurt although my neck was a bit sore. Others had the same fate as I did.
The best thing of all is seeing the plentiful stars at night. We had full moon or nearly full moon the entire trip so you could see everything without a flashlight. We were eagerly anticipating seeing some northern lights but once again we got skunked.