Sewing Adventures

You know what’s awful? Synthetic fabric. I’ve decided to plunge headfirst into making skirts and dresses, but as I am a complete novice where sewing is concerned, I thought I’d do a practice round or two. I have this box full of fabric that my mom gave to me, and an instructional book that came with patterns that are all a bit too small for me, so I figured, what better to mangle?

The first bit of fabric I pulled from the box was too hideous even to practice with. Putty coloured, shiny on one side but fuzzy on the other… I shuddered every time it grazed my skin. No dice. Next was this weird, fake-denim looking stuff. I can’t tell the right side from the wrong side. It’s lightweight, and yet too heavy to tear. Cutting it is hell. I really want new shears.

Anyway… I’m wondering if I should just chuck all of my mom’s castoffs, and practice instead on pieces of broadcloth and t-shirts salvaged from Value Village.

Does anyone know how to make patterns more permanent, incidentally? I need tips!

Projects Projects Projects

Lately I’m trying to get started on completing some projects I’ve been wanting to do.

Hands up, who else does this: You spend hours and hours learning about new things to try or gathering inspiration, and perhaps even investing money in pursuit of the great Whatever It Is you intend to do, but you never actually begin anything. Every day, I see something in a blog or magazine that I want to try out for myself, whether it’s a step-by-step diy project or an image of something that I want to copy somehow (see: butterfly hair clips). I’m finally getting started.

The four major areas of focus are as follows: Yoga, writing, guitar, crafts. And so far, so good. I’ve found a quick stretching routine that I do before bed more often than not, I’ve been trying to write in some form or another every day for the past three days (with intentions to carry on for the rest of my life, no word of a lie), I’m harnessing the powers of YouTube to learn Michael Jackson’s Human Nature (YES) on guitar, and today I got started on a set of simple curtains for the bedroom. Here are some discouraging factors: I’m not flexible in the least, I never seem to have anything to say, and I’m not a terribly dexterous guitar player. Thankfully, the pattern for the curtains is pretty simple (I’m literally using fusible webbing to create a square of fabric, which I shall affix to my curtain rod with clip rings), so at least the payoff there should be satisfying.

I’m kind of a sucker for instant gratification, so projects like this are frequently frustrating for me. It’s not like you go from having the flexibility of an octogenarian to that of a lithe 20 something in the span of a week, and the first few sewing projects are bound to come out a little wonky. Steve’s very encouraging, though, so hopefully that will keep me chugging along.

In other news, is there a simple way to paint one’s bicycle? I have an inexpensive, boring bike from Canadian Tire that is a couple years old and in dire need of some sprucing. I want to paint it mint green or light turquoise, and invest in some streamers and a new seat. Can it be done??