Kite Building

As mentioned in my last post, I made a kite for the Zilker Kite Festival, in hopes of flying it with the 100 bazillion other people in Zilker. However, the festival was cancelled. And this was AFTER it was moved back a weekend. Whatever. I got to fly my baby at the beach and it was awesome.

Making a kite is actually really easy, if you have a sewing machine. If you don't I'm sure some amount of tape would work. You just need fabric, thread, dowel rods, two bic pen caps, and one metal grommet. I used ripstop nylon fabric, in hot pink with neon green accents. Because, the 80's. A year or so ago I picked up this home sewing craft book from like 1993 at Goodwill that is mostly all a waste of paper, but there were instructions for a kite in there! And it worked out really well! I wouldn't say the instructions were easy to follow, but once I deciphered them throwing the thing together was cake.

Look at me all about to sew that pin!

So after some measurements, some cutting, and a few stitches, BOOM, you've got a kite! The form is made with dowel rods, and the center removable rod is held in place with BIC PEN CAPS! I was like what the heck when I read the instructions, but it works perfectly. Who knew!

I made the delta kite, but there's also instructions for a rounded kite. That required soaking a dowel rod in water and then bending it to your required curve, and I was like, NOPE. But it might be worth trying someday when I have... more patience.

And the winner of the most awkward kite flying stance goes to... So I definitely used some string meant for crocheting, because where do you get kite string? It worked just fine. That kite flew like a champion. I had so much string, it flew so high! And didn't fall once! That might have been from the perfect kite flying wind at the beach, but whatever. It was successful! I want to take it out to Zilker soon so I can show it off here in Austin.

Yay for kite building! Such a fun and quick project, with such awesome and usable results! I mean that kite is SOLID. So much better than the plastic business you get at the store. Perfect craft if you've got (older) kids. I'm thinking of making another for next year, but getting creative with the colors! Maybe a manly one for Mr. Hogan.

Cape in progress

Somehow I forgot we live in Texas and decided to make a cape. My first adventure in outerwear! I will probably get to wear it twice, because apparently seasons don't exist here. It's still hot outside and it's November. You'd think being a Texan my whole life I'd be used to it, but nope. I still have dreams of winter wonderlands where you wear scarves and sweaters and capes.

I am using this Burda Style Magazine pattern. And when I say "in progress", I mean seriously in progress. That hood is definitely not attached to the rest of the cape in that picture. It's just hanging out on my head. And it's held together by pins, not stitches. It took me a good half hour to figure out how those hood pieces went together. The pattern is very.... simple. As in no pictures and very minimal instructions. Luckily I have something that might resemble a brain in my skull and a decent amount of sewing experience. But it has still been a challenge. Once I figure out where things go I'm like, "duh, that makes absolute sense!" but getting there is the rough part.

But I have high hopes, it's a simple and classic design and it seems to be coming together beautifully, although slowly. I'm using the softest charcoal grey wool/poly blend. It's a dream to sew. And although there are no instructions for it, I'm fully lining it with some pretty maroon lining. Flying by the seat of my pants with that lining nonsense, so wish me luck.

I have roughly 100 projects lined up. Holidays, y'all. I'm interested to see how many get finished and how many get pushed onto the giant pile of would-be-but-Marie-doesn't-have-the-time-or-the-attention-span-to-see-through projects. It's like the Island of Misfit Toys. All my almost and unfinished projects hang out together and talk about how ridiculous I am. One day I will rescue (finish) them all. Maybe.

Art and aquiring a studio space

Remember when I went to school for art? Remember when I got my BFA in painting? Sometimes I forget too, it's okay.

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

Two of my favorite paintings featuring two of my favorite people. Those were the days y'all.

I haven't painted in a good year and a half, since I graduated college. I was burnt out and needed a break, plus I lost my studio space. I've filled that creative void in my life with cooking, sewing, and just making anything and everything I can. For the post part, as long as I am making something, I'm in my happy place.

However, I do love painting and the need to do so again began itching in the back of my mind a while back. I mean shoot, I have a degree in this nonsense! But I had no place to paint and was broke (still am). BUT, I had hope and was determined to figure out a way to paint, slowly but surely. And it only took about a year, but PROBLEM SOLVED Y'ALL:

Check out my studio/the ugliest corner of our living room. Ready to roll. It started with the bad ass easel my dad and I built together. Then we got a tarp and some all weather carpet to lay down (because painting is messy, especially when you're me), scrounged up some old furniture in my dad's barn (chair and a couple tables), and then this week I got the last and most crucial piece, a miter saw. Because you can't paint without a canvas and I refuse to paint on those things they sell at Hobby Lobby. Building your own is the only way to go in my book.

Pretty much my favorite thing ever. I love it. I've wanted one for years, but always though it was too crazy or I wouldn't have the space. NOPE! We made it work and now I have my very own miter saw. And it has laser sight. It's amazing.

I also reupholstered the chair we got at my dads. It was a little real funky from being in the barn for who knows how long so my dad pressure washed it for me and it was like new again! Almost. It still had a musty smell and I knew I was going to get paint all over it, so I covered it in this green pleathery material. That way when I spill paint on it I can just wipe it off!

It went from this:

To this:

Exciting stuff huh? Seriously though I am EXTRA excited to get to work. All I need is to stretch some canvas over my newly built stretcher and I'm ready to roll. By the way, check this baby out:

2.5 feet x 5 feet, she's a beaut. I've never built a stretcher this way (long story short, I've never used the cross bars for support, but since my wood shop access is limited I had to get creative), but it was fairly easy once I figured the math out. Man, I love building stuff. Just because you don't see this part of the canvas doesn't mean it's not and shouldn't be beautiful!

So be prepared y'all. Hopefully in the very near future I will have in progress painting shots to share!

Skirt and shirt shenanigans

My most recent sewing creation is a shirt and skirt combo! Made from the same set of patterns I made my last dress from. I know I always say that whatever I happen to be talking about is my favorite thing I've made, but this really is! I love this skirt and shirt, they've got a retro 50's feel. And I love the fabric. That fabric I made the skirt with was $2 y'all, for 2 very wide yards of awesome fabric. On clearance. TWO DOLLARS!!! It is plaid and gold and shiny and perfect. And I have a bunch left over still. The fabric for the shirt was a little pricier, but it's good soft stuff that is super comfy. And pretty! It's lacy! And both of these things fit me perfectly. Which is a nice change from things always being a bit big (I suck at sizing myself).

This beautiful fabric came with an extra set of challenges however. It was pretty dang see through! No bueno for a skirt unless you're into showing off your panties (I am not). So I had to improvise and whip up a lining. It was a fun problem to solve. I basically made another shorter mirrored version of the skirt and sewed it into the waistband and around the zipper. It's kind of nice because not only is it no longer see through, but it hides all the seams and makes it look pretty from the inside as well! It also adds a little bulk to it to make it a little... fluffier?

Now here are some wonky pictures Brendon took of me wearing this little ensemble. I apologize for the flash. I know that's like a blogging (and photography?) no-no, but we ran out of daylight and I ran out of energy for creative pictures.

Ignore the creases on the skirt from where I sat on it. That fabric is super weird (it's acetate? I need to google it) and likes to hold creases and folds. Forever. I haven't figured out how I'm going to wash it.

I am very happy with how it all turned out. The skirt and shirt were both a lot of fun to make. It felt good to get my hands working on something constructive after a week of laziness. And I already have my pattern and fabric for my next project picked out! Purple linen y'all, get ready.

And just for the hell of it, I'll leave you with some borderline ridiculous pictures:

Sophie. Seriously. That cat is FAT.

And this is what 9pm after getting up at 4am looks like. Tired, tired, tired.

Weekend wrap up, a couple days late

The past two days I have felt like crap. Literally sick. I'm not sure if I got a stomach bug or if my tummy is just being unusually horrid to me, but it has sucked. I'm leaning towards the latter of the two. As if my stomach problems didn't interfere with my life enough; this was seriously over the line. So I guess it is time for another trip to the doctor. HURRAY. Can they just trade out my insides for someone else's? Please?

But on the bright side, while I was feeling real lame there was something on TV to entertain me. The Superbowl! Can I type that legally? We watched it mostly for the commercials, I didn't even know who was playing until the day before. Football is not our thing. The commercials were okay and the game was pretty good I guess. But I thought half time was wonderful. People are giving Madonna a lot of flack for supposedly "lip-synching" but I couldn't tell if she was and that woman knocked it out of the park. She looked great and was highly entertaining. After last years truly terrible performance by the Black Eyed Pea's (how embarrassing that it was in Dallas too!), I was really impressed. Plus apparently M.I.A. flicked the camera off and we thought we heard her say "shit" so yay for stickin' it to the man. HA. I love me some M.I.A., have you seen her new video? I think it's amazing.

Obviously that's how I drive the Xterra down 35 everyday. Two wheels y'all. Really though, can someone teach me how to drive a car like that? I'm intrigued. Also, I'm not 100% sure what swag is, but I think she has it.

Before I started feeling sick this weekend, I squeezed in some good times. Friday night my momma-in-law and my little bro-in-law came up for a wild night at Gatti Land. Even though the place was packed, we had a blast playing games and winning tickets. Deb got really good at the motorcycle racing game. Like 1st place good. I was seriously impressed. Brendon tried it, got like 7th, then declared that the game was broken. Of course.

Excuse the plethora of phone pics. It's just so handy!

How cute is this? Mother and son, racing the night away.

Mr. H and I played big game hunter a few times. I'm terrible at it and he's great. He kept wanting to play games with me that he knew he'd win. Someone is just a tad competitive I think.

And remember over the summer when I said I was going to build an easel?

 

CHECK THIS PUPPY OUT. So legit. With lots of help from my daddio (who is the grand master of projects, I get it from him you guys), we finally made it happen. We put this beauty together Saturday. This thing is a monster. It's huge. So huge it is still at my dad's house because it wouldn't fit in my car. And everything fits in my car. It is so seriously awesome you guys. Hands down the coolest easel ever. Bask in it's radiance.

For some size comparison, here I am standing next to it. It dwarfs me and I'm a fairly tall girl. I'm about 5'8", so that things gotta be 7+ feet tall. It's beautiful. More details to come when it actually makes it to my apartment. NO idea where it's going to go. Probably the living room. So feng shui (is that still a thing?).

And while I was down in NB building the easel, I got to see my momma as well for a little bit (although at that point I was a sleepy zombie). Family time is so good! If I had seen my sister I would have gotten the whole family into the weekend! 

 

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty dang good weekend. The good parts definitely outweighed the bad.

the Woman in Black

Do you guys want to see the Woman in Black? I do. Although it looks spooky as all get out and I am a HUGE baby, my man Daniel Radcliffe is in it and I have to support my Harry Potter alumni. So much love for all the cast. I wish them nothing but great success in their post-hp careers. The movie comes out today so go see it if you feel like getting scared or seeing HP without glasses.

And on that note, guess who finished her recent sewing project that just so happens to coordinate perfectly with today's movie release? Me, obviously.

BOOM, favorite outfit ever. Seriously. I love this outfit. I have wanted a good pencil skirt for SO LONG, but have had the hardest time finding one that fit/wasn't $100+. This skirt cost me $9 (NINE BONE$ Y'ALL, sooo cheap) to make and it fits perfectly. It's black corduroy and so comfy. It was a breeze to make, aside from the fact that I somehow sewed the zipper on the wrong side. Rules about zippers are dumb anyways. I plan on making more of these skirts. It was so easy! I knocked it out last night after work, fabric cutting and everything. I am thinking something like this next.

That shirt on the other hand, was a pain in the ass to make.

This picture is lame, but you can see the detail of the shirt a little better. You can also see Greg coming in from the great bright beyond that is behind our blinds. Obviously it's an entrance to a parallel universe.

Chiffon is easily the most irritating and frustrating fabric I have ever sewn on. Ever. I almost gave up and ripped that shirt to pieces so many times. Cutting the fabric was ridiculous. I had to cut the collars twice because the fabric shifted the first time and the pieces did not match up at all. Chiffon also does not like be pressed. It wouldn't hold a crease for anything (on the bright side, it's pretty much wrinkle free) which made sewing the hems and facings a pain. This shirt took me forever, simply because it was constantly sliding around everywhere and being really stupid.

But I LOVE the finished product. I had to alter the original pattern to take out the bow and switch the button closure from the back to the front. I lengthened the key hole opening in the front to make it a bit... sexier. HA. It is cute wearing unbuttoned as well, it makes it a lot more casual. I also didn't use any interfacing to stiffen up the collar as obviously I was going for something sheer. And sheer it is! It definitely requires wearing a little something underneath. Unless you're going for that whole show off your bra look, which I am not.

As always, a sewing post is not complete without a cat. Or a giant picture of my face.

And this might have happened...

Not sure at all what's going on there. I'm sure my cats found it amusing. Someone needs to take those sunglasses away from me.

Next up on the project list: BUILDING AN EASEL. That's right. It's finally happening. I'm going down to my dads tomorrow after work to hopefully knock it out. Wish me luck and safety near power tools, I would love to come back with all my fingers and limbs intact.