June 2, 2009
Cultivating joy, a mid year check-up
Late May Garden
Originally uploaded by kerner
Around New Year's, I wrote a post about how I was not going to make resolutions this year. Instead, I was going to pick a theme for the year and try to live it out to the fullest. My theme is also my Style Statement, Cultivating Joy.
I also chose this snippet of Kerouac that encapsulated the theme: "to be in a state of beatitude, like st. francis, trying to love all life, trying to be utterly sincere with everyone, practicing endurance, kindness, cultivating joy of heart."
So, now that we're well into the year, how am I doing? I made a list of small steps that I thought would go along with the theme for the year.
Read more fiction. I discovered the local used book store and I am having great fun selling old books for store credit and discovering what they have on the shelves that day. Very rarely is there a new book I just "have to have," and I've been a real slacker in the reading department for about 5 years, so there are lots of older books that are still new to me. I have learned by lesson though - if you see a book and you want it, don't assume it will be there when you come back!
Take better care of my veggie garden and our native plant gardens. I'd say I'm doing pretty well at this if I do say so myself. My peas and lettuce, which I'm growing for the first time, are doing great. I need to weed the flower gardens and put new mulch down, but hey, I'm still a work in progress, right?
Spend more time studying the Bible and in prayer. I always have room for improvement in this area, but I have joined a weekly study with some other people by age at church, so that helps keep me on track, at least on a weekly basis. We're getting ready to take a hiatus for the summer though, so I need to find a daily devotional or something to read. I don't do very well just winging it on my own.
Knit more gifts for others; less for myself. I've been doing pretty well with crafting for others at least as much as myself. I even made an embellished tee for my sister to wear this summer after she's no longer "great" with child.
I have a couple more Russian dolls left to cut out of the fabric, so I will reward those of you who managed to read this far into this ridiculously navel-gazing post. If you would like a tank top with a Russian doll on it, leave me a comment saying so, and what shirt size you wear at Old Navy (S, M, L, XL etc.) First three commenters get shirts!
Third Time's a Charm
Originally uploaded by kerner
Posted by zarah at 5:09 AM | Comments (7)
May 29, 2009
CRAFT-Along: May
Kokka Russian Dolls 2
Originally uploaded by kerner
Okay, give me your honest opinion... are we veering dangerously close to embellished-sweatshirt-land here? (And no snarky comments about my awkward self-portrait skillz!)
This is my Embellished Tee entry for May's CRAFT:Along. I love the idea, and it literally took about 7 minutes to complete, but I'm not sure if it looks as good in person as it did in my head. I might go buy a couple shirts at Old Navy and give this another try.
Posted by zarah at 4:40 PM | Comments (3)
May 18, 2009
Nobody's Perfect
Summer blouse
Originally uploaded by kerner
At a going-away party for my friends Carrie and Mick last night (so sad!), I was checking out Carrie's progress on her Cabo Halter and she remarked that everything I make turns out so well. Well... this post is for her.
This is my attempt at the Summer Blouse from Weekend Sewing. The sleeves are short because I didn't have enough fabric (despite buying 1/2 yd. more than the pattern called for -- ??). I did a v-neck because the original split crewneck hit me half-way up my neck in a very odd way. I originally made the medium size, which hung on me like a bag, so I took in the sides substantially.
Even with all those changes, the best thing I can say about this top is that it looks like a scrubs top. I doubt I will ever wear it - I will probably cut it up and sew it into a quilt or toy or something.
I know, it doesn't look terrible in this picture, but the minute I move it starts looking weird - too short, boxy, etc.
I'm going to try something a little easier next time - maybe one of the tops for the May CRAFT:Along?
(By the way, the title of this post in no way means that I think most of my craftyendeavors are perfect - far from it! But sometimes when you only share your successes, people can get the idea that eveything you make turns out wonderfully. Not even close!)
Posted by zarah at 5:39 PM | Comments (3)
May 3, 2009
Clown Pants
Clown Pants
Originally uploaded by kerner
I will try to do a full run-down of my weekend triathlon extravaganza tomorrow, but in the meantime I'll distract you with some cute baby clothes that I finished a few days ago. The pants are the bloomers out of Weekend Sewing and the top is just a plain white onesie with a heart (cut with pinking shears) sewn on. I didn't realize when I started this project how clown-y the poofy polka-dotted pants would be. I'm hoping they will also be worn with the red knitted dress I'm furiously working on.
A note about Weekend Sewing - absolutely gorgeous book, but am I the only one that has been driven mad with the way the patterns are laid out? All the patterns in the book are printed on two oversized sheets of heavy paper, and the patterns say to use a tracing wheel and tracing paper to copy the patterns onto the fabric. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, or I bought the wrong paper or wheel, but they didn't work for me AT ALL. I ended tracing the pattern onto a piece of tissue paper from my gift wrap stash, then using it like a normal paper pattern.
Okay, enough ranting. This is the first pattern I've made from this book, and it was really easy. I'd say you could make these bloomers in less than 2 hours (assuming you skipped the multiple trips to the craft store for tracing paper, etc.)
I've got a rockin' headache tonight (I'm assuming dehydration from my race) so I think I'm going to drink some water and hit the sack. Hope you all had a great weekend!
Posted by zarah at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2009
CRAFT-Alonging again so soon?
Crooked coaster with morning joe
Originally uploaded by kerner
I am breaking personal records left and right around here. After following Kelli & Finny's sew-alongs for over 2 years, I finally jump in with both feet and do 2 projects in the same month! Frikkin amazing. This project, Crooked Coasters, looked so simple that I couldn't not do it. Plus, it's a great way to use up leftover scraps of fabrics. All I had to buy for this project was thread (so we won't discuss why it took 2 trips to Jo-Ann's before I could finish...).
The other thing I love about these fabric coasters is (hopefully) my dog won't be able to destroy them quite as easily as the cork coasters we currently have in the living room. I think almost all of them have teeth marks at this point.
Crooked coasters
Originally uploaded by kerner
Here is a picture of all 6 coasters - I used a fairly large-scale print for the front, and I really like how each one is different, but they all coordinate.
Posted by zarah at 4:46 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2009
Birthday gifties...
IMG_0014
Originally uploaded by kerner
I got this cool set of kitchen-y fabrics (6 quilting cotton fat quarters) from my mom for my birthday. What should I make? I'm thinking potholders, but I made a ton of those a few months ago and I'm a little burned out on them.
Posted by zarah at 6:36 PM | Comments (4)
March 9, 2009
A Real Live Cactus
IMG_3594
Originally uploaded by kerner
Look! A cactus! Isn't it cool?
Sadly, this is one of only 2 pictures I took during my entire 3-day weekend in Arizona, visiting my new "real life" friend Kelli. Luckily she is much better at remembering to take picture than I am, so I'm fully planning on stealing all of her pictures. (Including some really fantastic ones of me as a taggy blanket superhero - dontcha know my superhero name is Zarah?)
Posted by zarah at 8:18 PM | Comments (1)
February 21, 2009
Quilt layout options
Quilt layout options
Originally uploaded by kerner
I am almost finished sewing together the 42 (!) squares that will make up the king-size quilt I've been working on since the beginning of the year. Now I have to decide how I want to lay out the squares - the left side is the more traditional courthouse steps layout and the right side turns every other square 90 degrees. Which do you prefer? (I think I know which one I like best, but I want to get some input from the wisdom of the internet.)
Posted by zarah at 11:12 AM | Comments (3)
January 7, 2008
Odds & Ends
A random assortment of stuff to start the week:
1. (No, it's not a knitted thong!) I started a new Clapotis last Thursday at Knit Together. Tammy, Kate, and I are doing a knitalong of this pattern. I wasn't sure at first - I kept worrying about the curling, but I think it will be fine once I drop the stitches.
2. I found a new podcast - Sticks & String. The bad news is that he's taking a break. The good news is he has 50 episodes to keep me in podcasts until Nicole & Jenny come back!
3. New Year's stuff - January 1 is an arbitrary date, but I can also use a bit a self-improvement. I'm using Joe's Goals to track how much I'm: eating my veggies, working out, reading, and not drinking Diet Coke (my carbonated beverage of choice).
4. The Firestarter sock is coming right along. I think it's going to be the project that travels around in the car with me. No, I don't knit while driving, but sometimes I get stuck waiting when I'm out adn about, and I am always glad if I happen to have a knitting project in my car.
5. Exercise. I know I've said it before, but I really am going to try to start posting regularly about my running and triathlon training. I'm planning to compete in another sprint triathlon this May, so I've got to get back in shape.
6. Sewing! My mom got me Joelle Hoverson's "Last Minute Patchwork & Quilting" book for Christmas. Lookee! I made a pincushion! It really was a quick little project. I think I'm going to try a tied quilt next.
Posted by zarah at 6:51 AM | Comments (3)