Shark Costume

I had a very specific idea in my head with the shark costume, but it didn't come out the way I expected. Sigh. Ah well. I have an awesome tutu out of the deal.

Winter Stitch Club

I signed up for the winter stitch club maybe 2 or 3 years ago. I bought the fabric and then it languished. Part of the problem was I bought this cute white fabric embossed with snowflakes. Big mistake. I couldn't easily transfer the design using my water soluble pen because the snowflakes resisted the pen. I finally used water soluble Solvvy paper. I didn't really like the kind I got, so it took forever to finally get it all embroidered. Now I have a cute table runner to show for my hard work.

Be Kind Cross Stitch

It took me about 4 months to finish this lovely piece. It's about 8". I modified the original pattern to include the to yourself. It's my first big cross stitch piece. I really enjoyed it.

Craft Room

Did some tidying up and got things more organized at least for the moment. It won't last long, but it's starting to feel pretty cozy in here finally!

Simple, shell top

I'm on a quest to find a top pattern I like. So I decided to try Simplicity 1316. It has princess seams and no set in sleeves so it was easy to put together. I'm not thrilled with the fit, but it's wearable, and fun fabric. And I used Sergio for the first time.

New Machines

I've been thinking about a serger for a long time. My trusty Janome Magnolia 7330 struggled a bit with my shark skirt. I then tried to make a knit top with a silky jersey knit. My machine ate the fabric a couple of times, and really couldn't handle it. I decided to finally get a serger--a Brother 1034D. It sat in it's box of for almost 2 weeks. I was intimidated. Fortunately my favorite place, Stitch Lab, offered a serger class this week. It wasn't hard to thread and really easy to use. Yay.

During all the debacle with this knit top, I decided I also needed a new sewing machine. I finally outgrew my Magnolia. It has always done buttonholes erratically, and having more trouble with some of the various fabrics I wanted to use. I visited 4 different shops in town, and decided on a Viking Opal. She's a computerized machine packed with features and lots of stitches that I probably don't need. I've made one buttonhole and it was so easy. You tell Opal what kind of fabric and she automatically adjusts settings. I love that!

Meet Sergio and Opal.

Tutu Skirt

For three years I've been wanting to make a shark costume for Halloween. A tutu skirt would represent the water, and then out of felt make a shark to come out of the water. I was intimidated by working with tule. I basted the the tule to gather it into a skirt and it's been sitting this whole time. It didn't really take that long to sewing into the waistband.

Akita top

I decided to try printing the pattern for Akita at home. It was a little tedious, but not as difficult a I thought it would be. This was 21 pages, and doable, but I don't know that I'd do it again or not.

This was an easy project. I wasn't happy with how much the sleeves stick out, so I laid another shirt on top and realized if the shoulders were at an angle instead of straight it would probably lay better. I was pleased I figured it out.

Shark Skirt

I follow a couple of local sewing stores on social media, which is probably a mistake. The Cloth Pocket posted a picture of a new knit they had in of SHARKS! I fell in love. It took me awhile to get in, but I had to have it.

I made up a quick knit skirt using Kwik Sew K3513, which I've made a few times, and now I have a cute shark skirt.

Things I learned: stabilizer for the hem is awesome. When trying a new stitch check both sides to make sure it looks okay. My machine had some issues with the overcast stitch I used. :-(

Sewing machine cover

I've been meaning to make a sewing machine cover for ages. Last weekend I learned how to take care of my machine, and felt inspired to finally protect it more from dust. I found one liked, http://patches.typepad.com/notes_from_the_patch/2010/11/tutorial-tuesday-32-sewing-machine-cozy.html, and then even did the math on the pattern worksheet to plan it out. I found some instructions to help me cut a hole for the handle, http://thepatchsmith.blogspot.com/2015/01/across-pond-sewing-machine-cover.html. It has pockets for my foot and cords, which is awesome.

Things I learned on this project: I do not like quilting. This was a hot mess of nothing being lined up, but for the most part I'm the only one who will ever know. :-) Also bias tape hems are awesome.

Towel Pants

Years ago a friend posted on Facebook that her mother/MIL made her daughters towel pants. I thought this was brilliant and have wanted a pair ever since. I bought terry cloth fabric, and have had it stashed away for a couple of years. Months ago I finally cut it out using a pajama bottom pattern. Still it languished. The other night I was feeling kind of blue after work, and thought I'm going to sew. And since the fabric was all cut out, I put them together pretty quickly. I hemmed them with bias tape the next night, and now have a nifty pair of towel capris!

Belize Trip

Vacation at a glance

• Snorkel trips - 4
• Time spent snorkeling ~ 7 hours
• Time out on the water in a boat ~ 21 hours
• Number of drinks - 2
• Books read - 1.6
• Spiny lobster eaten - 2
• Offered "seaweed" - 1
• Asked to buy trinkets from children - 7
• Bruises from boating -- 10
• Mosquito bites - 29!!!
• Sunburn - 2 (backs of legs)
• Number of people marveling at solo travel - 5
• Time spent traveling--including waiting in airports -- 25
• Marine life viewed:
• Turtles--Green, Hawksbill, and Loggerhead
• Rays--Spotted Eagle, Yellow, Horseshoe, Manta and Southern
• Green moray eels
• Nurse sharks
• Fish -- Lots! including Lionfish -- ID card: http://ambergriscaye.com/fieldguide/franko-Belize_Fish_ID_Cards.html
• Sea cucumber
• Basket starfish
• Coral - Lots

Day 1

Arrived in Belize City about 4pm, and took a puddle jumper to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. I arrived at my hotel a little after 5 pm. I stayed at the Ocean Tides Beach Resort, which is about a 5 minute walk from the heart of town. There are 9 rooms, and it has a pool and a bar. The bartender, Raymond, was so friendly and helpful. Every recommendation he made was spot on. After I got settled in my room, I enjoyed a complimentary rum punch, and Raymond pointed out a little convenience store a block away and that there were two restaurant/bars serving local food about a block away.
I had dinner (fish burger and fries) at a one of the bars that night and enjoyed a walk along the beach around the hotel.

Day 2

I booked an all day trip with Island Dream Tours that included snorkeling at Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley, and a stop at Caye Caulker. This was on a catamaran and there were 9 of us so it was really comfortable.
While this was a pleasant trip, I wasn't impressed with the snorkeling. Hol Chan was extremely crowded with probably 15 or more boats moored there. I didn't realize that because it's a marine reserve you have to snorkel there with a group. I felt like our guide was fairly aggressive luring out fish, and at one point he used some chum to lure a moray eel out of its hole, and then there was a bit of a scuffle with a nurse shark over the chum. It was really hard not bumping into people as well. I honestly didn't see the attraction of the place. The second stop Shark Ray Alley was short. They threw chum in the water and probably over a dozen nurse sharks and a lot of rays came out to enjoy. It's sort of a frenzy of activity for 15 minutes and then they all go away. The spot is where fisherman would clean their fish and so it's a spot the sharks know to come for food. It was still cool to see the sharks.
Next we headed out to Caye Caulker and spent about 90 minutes on our own at the island. It's smaller than Ambergris Caye, and also a lot quieter. I hung out at the Lazy Lizard bar which sits at the split where the island is divided in two. They have a dock/area for swimming and hanging out, and also some tables in the water. There was about a 5 minute downpour of rain right before we headed back to San Pedro. It really poured, and then was done.
That evening I went to the Reef restaurant for dinner and had a mixed seafood platter with grilled spiny lobster, fish, shrimp and octopus with a salad and rice and beans. The fish and lobster were amazing. I got caught in the rain coming back to the hotel that night, and it rained for a while that night.

Day 3

In the morning I walked around San Pedro. I enjoyed seeing the murals painted everywhere, and got a bit acclimated to the 2 streets. The streets are narrow and crowded with golf carts and cars, so I found it more pleasant to walk along the beach instead. I made my way just past town center and had breakfast at Estel's by the Sea. I had a great breakfast and got to try fry jack, which is fry bread...like a savory donut. It was delicious. I sat at the bar and eavesdropped on some locals chatting while they ate.
I hung out and relaxed for a bit before heading to my afternoon snorkel trip to Mexico Rocks with Ecologic Divers. Pablo and his two sons took 8 of us out in a motorboat. He was an excellent guide, and explained more about the whole guided snorkel trip than the Island Dreams guys did. The site was less crowded and it didn't feel like we were swimming on top of each other. Pablo didn't rush us, and pointed out the marine life. We stopped at two different places in Mexico Rocks, and I really enjoyed it. They served us fresh fruit in between the stops, and made sure we had plenty of water. Pablo's sons even took your fins off for you before you got back in the boat.
After getting back, I rushed back to my room to have a quick snack and then meet a boat at the dock by my hotel for a night snorkel trip. This trip was with Ambergris Divers for night snorkeling at Hol Chan. I was a little nervous since I didn't really enjoy Hol Chan the day before, but was curious about night snorkeling. There were 5 snorkelers and they must have had about 15 divers. Again, the guide was great about explaining how it all worked with the guided snorkel, and explained how to use your lights and what to expect to see. It was such a surreal experience. It really is dark except for where your light is so you have limited visibility, and the second you shine your light on fish they scatter. It's this weird alien world. At times you could see the lights in the distance from the divers, but not see them. The coral and sponges open up and feed at night so it was interesting to see them compared to the daytime. The more colorful fish are hiding and you see the bigger predators out like grouper and barracuda. I got to see a basket starfish with was cool looking. I also got to see a lion fish, as well as other fish I had seen during the day. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend trying it. On the way back it was amazing watching the captain dock the boat in almost near darkness. The docks aren't really lit up at night but I suspect he knows the coastline so well he could get where he's going blindfolded!
I was starving when we got back so I quickly changed and walked down the beach to a Sandy Toes bar for food. I had wonderful grilled fish with rice and salad.

Day 4

I was up early the next day for another all day trip. I had hesitated booking this trip because I really didn't want to go back to Hol Chan, but this turned out to be the best day. I booked this through Caribbean Adventures, and it's a local boat, La Graviota, that uses a couple of companies to sell for them. The crew were very friendly and also very respectful of the marine life, and were great guides for the snorkeling.
Our first stop was north Caye Caulker for possible manatee sightings. This was the reason I booked the tour. Sadly no manatees made an appearance. It was a nice snorkel spot though. We then went to the conch graveyard where fishermen discard the conch shells. It was cool to see, and we swam from there to shark ray alley where the crew chummed the water to attract the nurse sharks.
The captain prepared lunch, which was absolutely amazing. We had both a fish stew and chicken stew that were curries, rice and beans, plantains, tortillas and a cucumber salad.
We finished the day at Hol Chan. It was less crowded, and so much more enjoyable. Again the guide did a great job of pointing out marine life. I saw three species of turtles -- green, loggerhead and hawksbill. We saw a lot of rays -- manta, southern, horseshoe, spotted eagle and yellow. After Hol Chan, we made our way back to San Pedro.
After cleaning up, I headed out to Lily's Treasure Chest for more spiny lobster. It was served with rice and bean and some steamed vegetables. It was very tasty. I enjoyed the walk along the beach at night. It was a pleasant night, and so I stopped at the hotel bar. A couple locals were there, and then a couple who had been on the sailing trip stopped for a drink as well. I enjoyed chatting with everyone for a bit.

Day 5

I lounged most of the morning. I went to sit outside for a bit but a quick thunderstorm made an appearance, and we lost power a couple times that morning. At 11, I checked out, and walked to town to get some lunch before leaving. I went to Elvi's Kitchen, and had some grilled fish with rice and beans (are you noticing a theme in my eating habits? :-)) It was a good lunch, and then it was time to start my journey home.
I was pleasantly surprised by San Pedro. I felt safe by myself, and while there were children and adults selling things along the beach they weren't as pushy as other places in the Caribbean I've been. I found it to be laid back and had a nice, friendly vibe. I think the only cons were there wasn't a lot of shade at my hotel to hang out and just relax by the pool. While I did a lot, it was a relaxing trip.

Alchemy

A month ago, Studio MME posted a blog about why you embroider, see here for her answer. I thought that was an interesting question. It took me a while to think of a response, but when I did, I sent this to her. 

I think embroidering (and really knitting too) are alchemy. You start with some string, and with a little patience you create something out of nothing. I think the other part of the alchemy is that with every stitch I work out a problem, or a let go of a worry. Every stitch that makes something, I let go of something. Maybe thoughts of the day. Or maybe I let go of the critical voices in my head. It’s meditative. At some point my brain shuts up, everything else melts away, and I’m left with the gold of my work.

Today I made some strawberry jam, and I thought about alchemy again. Alchemy doesn't have to be turning something into gold but rather as good ole Merriam-Webster says: "a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way."

I don't think any of my hobbies/crafts/interests are necessarily mysterious, but they can certainly be impressive. There's something about starting with one thing and it turning into some something else that I really enjoy, and am fascinated with. Little stitches with thread become a word or image in cross stitch or embroidery. Yarn becomes a cozy scarf or shawl. Paint and a brush transform a surface into a landscape. Fabric and thread are shaped into clothes. Food is morphed into something even more delicious that what it started as.

I like the process of watching something become something else. I enjoy a finished product, but it's more about the process for me. And the finished product is really getting to see the final result of my alchemy.

I struggle with terms like crafter and artist. They never seem to really fit me, or I'm reluctant to take on what either of those terms mean. Sometimes even admitting I'm creative is hard. It doesn't seem difficult to call myself an alchemist though. And maybe my make stuff room should really be my laboratory.

The January Cure

I decided to sign up for the emails from the January Cure from Apartment Therapy. There were about 20 tasks, with big projects happening on the weekend.

1. Floors -- I didn't do this completely. I did do a pretty thorough vacuum in the living room, even behind the couch as I laid out my new rug.
2. Make a list of projects -- I had that done already as I had made a long list of tasks to declutter my home.
3. Clean the pantry -- I groaned at this one. It was a weeknight task and I thought it was impossible to tackle since it meant taking everything out of the pantry to wipe it down. Turns out it took about an hour. No more random lentils from a disastrous spill in 2014!

4. Set up an outbox -- I wasn't clear on this one, but later found out that it's a place to put things and then come back and decide if you are keeping them or getting rid of them. Interesting idea, but not sure if I'll always utilize. Right now I just pile things by the door.
5. Declutter a drawer --  I decluttered the baking supplies instead.
6. Deep clean the kitchen -- I shuddered at the work involved on this. Wipe everything down and clean all the appliances. I decided to throw some bacon in the oven to cook, and then see how far I got. It's amazing what happens in 30 minutes. I cleaned all the small appliances, and did the door shelves in the fridge. All in all it was about 2 hours of work to clean everything. Felt good to get it done.

7. 10 minute observation and pick a project from the list -- I didn't do this. I do like the idea of sitting for 10 minutes in a seldom used spot and seeing what comes to mind.
8. Clear a closet -- Ugh, time for yet another freak out. The hall closet desperately needed attention. I had to work a split shift and wasn't sure I'd have the time. The assignment was to just spend 30 minutes and not worry if you got done. Well, I spent 30 minutes before going back to work and made huge progress and when I got back home, I completely finished the task. It felt so good.

9. Work on your project -- I decided to rest on my laurels since tackling the hall closet was one thing I'd really wanted to accomplish from my project list.
10. Plan a get together-- Plan to have people over at the end of the month to celebrate your hard work. I didn't do this. I have folks over when my place is a mess. :-)
11. Deep clean the bedroom -- The assignment was to move all the furniture to vacuum in addition to regular cleaning. I did all that, and finished decluttering the closet, nightstands, and knitting/crochet supplies I keep in the bedroom. It was about a 3 hour task, and Elsie was exhausted afterwards.

12. Media fast -- I had done that over the weekend. I needed a rest. :-)
13. Lighten up a room -- Remove one or more things from the living room to be reevaluated at the end. I mentally did this, but didn't do it until this weekend. I'm actually pleased to be rid of some knick knacks.
14. Cabinet clean up -- Clean out the medicine cabinet. I started on it, and finished it up the following weekend after finding some storage to help corral the stuff under the sink.
15. Look through the linens -- I had done this in December.
16. Deep clean the bathroom -- I read a tip to make a baking soda paste and let it sit for a few minutes on the grout and then use a magic eraser to clean it off. Worked pretty well for the stains on my grout. After cleaning the bathroom, I decided to treat myself to some new towels and rugs.

17. Catch up day -- Tackle office supplies which was on my project list. Again what seemed like an overwhelming about of stuff really only took about 30 minutes to go through and clean up.

18.  Landing strip -- I already have a system for where to put stuff when I come home, so I spent about 30 minutes just putting stuff away in the craft room. Again 30 minutes people!!

19. Surface sweep -- 3 minutes to just do a tidy up. I need to start doing this daily.
20. Empty the outbox -- Since I didn't do an outbox, I have a pile by the door that needs to go to charity. And that was the last task!!!

Holy cow can you believe it?! I barely can. I feel so accomplished. I dusted the bookcase and decluttered it today and also dusted the TV stand. I hope I can keep the momentum going and finish the rest of the tasks on my declutter list.

Finish it or forget it list

I don't feel like I made huge progress on my finish it or forget it list in 2016. I did rediscover knitting, and have enjoyed working on the lace scarves. I didn't tackle a single painting project. I'm hoping I get back into the swing of making things this year. I was in a bit of a funk for 2015.

Knitting

• In Progress--Hedgerow mitts. I finished one. Hopefully I can get the 2nd one done a bit faster.
• Ilse skirt. I would like to finish this one. It just languished after a bit of drama with the yarn)
• In progress--A week in the life of a knitter's cat--7 lace scarves. I haven't made any of these, but I happen to have 7 skeins of lace year. I'll use this to see if I still like lace knitting.
• Deco ribbon jacket--I think I need to let this one go. I tried two or three times and can't get the gauge right, which means it won't turn out the right size. My mom gave me the yarn as a present one year, and that makes it harder to give up. Plus it is a cool project.
• In progress--Felted rose trellis bag. I've had the yarn to make this for ages.
• Hemlock Ring Blanket. I've had the yarn to make this for ages.

Painting

• Finish santa
• Finish Mary Wiseman landscapes
• Paint the stool
• Paint the chest
• Paint landscape for over the bed

Embroidery

• In progress--Make winter stitch club placemats

Misc

• Finish calligraphy for flower pirate piece
• Make holiday ornaments
• Make snowman decorations

Sewing

• In progress---Finish shark costume
• Make Washi dress
• Make skirts you have fabric for
• Make Dahlia dress
• Make towel cover up

2015 Craft Update

I seem to have been some what remiss in posting updates on what I've been making.

It wasn't an overly productive year. I picked up cross stitching, because you can never have too many hobbies!


I wanted to learn cross stitch so I could make this:


I also made some cross stitch presents this year. A keychain for my mom, and a bookmark for my dad.




I did a little sewing. I made an a line skirt, which I did write a post about, and made a pair of linen pants. I also made some shower caps for myself and friends out of laminated cotton.

I painted a snowman ornament which I taught at a program at work.