one month (and three days) in

 i've officially made it one month as a full time employee.

can you believe it?
one thing i have already noticed is that it has REALLY helped my eating out habits.
when i did the split shift, i worked in the morning from 7-12:30, and after eating something for lunch, worked from 1-5:30 or so, which left me hungry and lazy once i got off work.
but now, i work from 7-3:30, bring my lunch with me each day, and then remind myself it is WAY too early for dinner.
so now, i maybe eat out once or twice a week if i'm out running errands or something?

moral of the story: more money for fabric.  

oh, and i did a thing last week too :)

being that blonde for a hot second was weird, but the end result was exactly what i was hoping for.
still getting used to seeing the teal hair i've been wanting for years (but couldn't because of my teaching job) and the fact that it isn't just going to wash out after one rinse... ha.
but do i anticipate this being a long time thing?  absolutely!

otherwise, this week has been mildly productive quilty wise.
purchased some black on black fabric for my first project planned for 2021, so with that started (i already printed the pattern as well) then it relieves a little bit of the chaos of kicking off the year with something new.  plus, i usually marathon sew on new year's eve, and since i don't anticipate any parties happening, i'll for sure be sewing away to get things going.

speaking of "parties"...

i saw my friends for the first time this weekend since april, if not longer.  the last time we "gathered" was for jared's drive by birthday, and that was all of 15 minutes tops.
it was a well missed experience.
clearly, i had no costume plans for this, and when it was planned to be outside, i borrowed my dad's rosco onesie, made a mask and called it a day.

no major projects or quilt tops completed this week, but i finally convinced myself to start working more on my big sister/little sister quilt combo.
i'm super stoked with the projects i chose, but making over a thousand HSTs is daunting!
sunday night i got 4 sets of colors sewn and trimmed while marathoning episodes of new girl on my phone.  yesterday, i got those pressed, and i had hoped to trim them as well... but man that was a chore just to press them.  now it is back to drawing guide likes on the next set of while squares to line up my 

i bought the planner i was debating about last week, and i think it is really going to help keep me on track for all of my 2021 personal quilting plans as well as work tasks and such.  
sure, i plan to still use my bullet journal tracker and such as well, but having a calendar i don't have to draw myself will also be nice.

what's on the agenda for this week?
sewing
sewing
birthday dinner
birthday pizza
more sewing

that's right, everyone.
november is officially birthday month.  well, it is easy to make it last when you're used to celebrating your birthday either in october or thanksgiving at grandma's house.
it's a hard tradition to break, especially when grandma's furniture is in my living room now ;)

not a girl. not a robot.

Jason: And to Janet, the best robot. 

Janet: Not a robot. 

Jason: Girl. 

Janet: Not a girl. 

Jason: And straight-up hottie. 

Janet: I am attractive, yes.

2020 is SUPER WEIRD guys!
i didn't even think about making a costume this year, but who really has anyways?

though i did realize that i never did the post i promised from last year's halloween costume.  so, 365 days later... here we are!

disclaimer: if you have not watched the good place, please note that i'm not a flight attendant.  also, if you haven't watched the good place... go do so now.  4 seasons of delightful mike schur feel good fun.

watching the series, janet was pretty much my favorite character.

seeing her evolve and grow from being not a robot and not a girl to a straight up awesome individual was so much fun to watch.  when the series was ending, i knew i needed to be janet for halloween, while she was still "relevant" as a tv character.  
granted, she'll always be relevant to me... but that's neither here nor there.
so since we're a year behind, here's some photos i made my dad take this past weekend so that i'd have something beyond dark phone photos for y'all

i was so determined to find the actual fabric for janet's shirt somehow, some way... and after searching for a good long while... i did!

and of all places, it was project runway's favorite fabric shop, mood (thank you, mood!)  now finding a pattern for all the pieces though... THAT was an adventure.  the vest pattern was sized down from something else we already had (because apparently finding vest patterns are quite difficult these days, and the skirt came from a few rounds of buying patterns that i thought were the right style but then i'd compare and go "nope"

since i'm a quilter by nature, i absolutely did a test run on this shirt pattern before cutting up my fancy mood fabrics.  so somewhere around this apartment is a very harry belafonte blue and yellow ruffle front shirt, because i ran out of fabric to do a practice one in a solid color.  it's SUPER attractive, really.  the worst part of this was the zipper, because i just couldn't quite do it right.  i know i pulled it apart at least twice, and left it for my mom to do.  two thumbs up for having a costumer mom who is WAY more familiar with stretchy fabrics and such than i am.  i also sized down the vest a little too much, so i'm quite surprised i didn't hulk out of that thing at any point. i am still super stoked with how this all came together, even if people thought i was a flippin' retro flight attendant.  maybe at some point we'll still get to throw together the good janet/bad janet/michael combo with my sister and my dad like we had planned for our dance recital... unless we come up with some other crazy idea to go with instead!
and for good times sake, here's some halloween throwbacks from 2019 in the costume.

ghouls and goodies tote bag

for the first time in forever, i did a swap!

there was awhile back where i did a LOT of swaps (primarily in my craftster days) but it also seems like the swapping concept totally died out on instagram.  it is weird how these things come in waves.  anywho, my friend angelina added me to her online crew of sewing/quilting type and at some point during one of the saturday night hangouts, they suggested a halloween themed swap.

simple small item, sounded easy enough, so why not put off all other things and jump on in?
sounds like my style.

once the wait was over, i was given angelina's name to create something for.  i decided that i would create a tote bag using one of the fussy cut sampler blocks from the class she did in 2018, but make it "spooky."  i switched between a handful of fabric ideas before settling on using a bunch of the fabrics from moda's ghouls and goodies.  this line was just TOO CUTE to pass up, and PERFECT for fussy cutting.

i used one of the blocks from chapter 6 (see the catasaurus version here) and the majority of it all is the ghouls and goodies line.  the black squares are moda grunge (holla!) and the witch boots i believe are riley blake.  those teeny tiny kitties were just too cute to not arrange this way!when crating the front of the back itself, i used this star print i picked up locally from swifty stitches.  i didn't use a specific tutorial for the bag/block placement, but instead just doodled up some measurements in my bullet journal and went for it.  the bottom strip is probably an inch bigger than the top one, just to give it a little more weight visually.  things i learned in photography classes do in fact pay off with quilting!for the back of the bag, i considered just doing a solid... but i kind of went on an impulse buying spree and had so many cure prints leftover that i hadn't used yet!  i made 3 strips of fabrics of varying colorways and prints, pieced them together and wha laa!  one fabulous bag back.  as far as the quilting goes, i primarily did a stitch in the ditch on both the front and the back of the bag, and then did a skinny straight line stitch on all the black.  on the front, the vertical and horizontal lines intersect in the corners.  keeping it simple sure helped my sanity!  i probably should have layered the batting with some muslin to stabilize it a little bit better when quilting, but i still think it turned out great.

the purple clothesline from the collection was something that i instantly knew would be the lining.  i couldn't bring myself to cut it up and loose bits of it because of how insanely cute it was.  i sewed up the sides, squared up the bottom and then attached at the top.  i should have left a hole in the side to flip it right side out, but instead i left the hole in the top and closed it up when top stitching.  if i made a tote again, which could easily happen, that is what i'd do instead.  

fot the straps i started off a little bit wider, but once i got the inner witch boot strips cut, they needed to come down a smidge, so the focal could be on the boots in the center of the lining.  i kept the star black consistent on top and sewed the 3 layers together before flipping right side out.  top stitched the edge and about a quarter of an inch away and they were perfect!  i also wanted to include one of my new quilt tags on to my bag, so after realizing i could have sewn it in the seam of the lining (fail) i cut it down to size and sewed it on to the inside of the strap.  i love how it turned out there, and i might just need to order some square tags now specifically for these kinds of projects!while i might tweak the creation process of this bag, i have no regrets in the final result!
i'm so glad i went with this one line of fabric... and it honestly made me want to keep making fussy cut sampler blocks for a halloween quilt.  but then i swiftly reminded myself i have a list a mile long to deal with, and that fleeting idea will have to wait for another day (or year).

happy spooky season!

book:  the fussy cut sampler by elisabeth woods and nichole ramirez

patchwork pumpkin quilt

when i first saw this quilt pattern pop up on instagram, i knew it was one that i would want to do someday.  it got put in to the back of my brain just as that, a "someday" quilt.  some point in the fall, while wandering the aisles of joann's, i found this perfectly perfect grumpy cat halloween fabric and i instantly knew something had to happen with that. i bought a LOT of it, knowing it would make a perfect quilt back, but the perfect pattern had left my brain.  then, after scrolling around the internet, the pumpkin quilt crossed my feed again, and in an instant i knew this was the quilt to make!
i hopped around the local quilt shops to find the perfect oranges for this project.  i didn't want any "wimpy" oranges so to speak, so it took a good amount of hunting around.  it required 10, but my first hunt left me with 9 good oranges and one odd one out.  so back to the hunt i went!  i was shopping for this quilt while beverley's was in it's "summer liquidation" sale (aka we're going out of business but not telling anyone.  insert heartbreak here) which was when i found this fantastic gray background.  it is hard to tell here, but in person it has some metallic lines in it, which makes it feel oh so fancy!
this binding definitely made my heart happy as well.  little gray stars seemed oh so cute.  initially, i wanted to quilt to be more "fall-ish" but i gave that up real quick when i put a halloween print fabric on the back.  don't get me wrong, it is very likely going to come out the first day it feels like fall weather outside and stay out until i feel ready to switch to a christmas quilt.
i took the plunge on this quilt as well, making it my first free motion quilted project!  i didn't go in to it planning to quilt it as densely as i did, but i am so happy with how it turned out.  i picked a motif i felt very comfortable with and that i knew it would be easy to fill in any bigger gaps with if i needed to go back in.  i used a gray thread on the front, and a coordinating purple for the back.
this quilt started as an october project, rolled in to a november finish, and then became completely finished in december.  even though it was done past it's seasonal time frame, i'm so glad to say it is done and that it is mine all mine!  i can't wait to pull it out next fall to display in our apartment.  and i still have a lot of this backing to make matching things!  halloween grumpy cat pillowcases might just happen!
quilt number: 105
pattern: pumpkins by cluck cluck sew

in the past month(ish)...

hey there, blog land.
yeah, it's been awhile.  yes, i'm still alive.
i haven't really been crafty (sad face) since school kind of took over my life for awhile.
so here's a little update from october through now.
(some photos swiped from friends...  thanks friends!)
sarah & raymond got married
i've known these two since high school, and it was so much fun to celebrate their wedding day with them and some of my favorite peeps.  they were married in sarah's parent's backyard, and then a reception at a local winery in loomis.  there was some crazy dancing, delicious food, and all around good time.  table 13 was a pretty groovy collection of people.
and then there was also this fine musical piece...

halloween 2014
on halloween i ended up working 3 of my 4 regularly scheduled dance classes, and then headed off to melissa's halloween murder mystery party.  i wore my minnie mouse costume on thursday to the pre-k party, and cat ears to the dance classes, and so i was finally able to bust out my halloween costume (that was intended for two years ago) and attempt to not die (in the game). yep. i totally went as big bird.
this year's party was a much smaller collection than last year, but still fun in the same.  after trying to get someone killed off - which ended up being me in the last round - we played cards against humanity.  oh, and since jenny showed up late, she followed me around like she was navi... hey.  listen!
i headed home around 12:45, and it was POURING. so crazy to finally see so much rain.  and then it all be gone the next day.  boo.  and that brings us on to our third and final section....
birthday!
yep.  this past wednesday i turned 26.  and since it was on a weekday, i partied hard the saturday before with some of my favorite peeps.  erika, jenny, melissa, jared, chris, myself and the boyfriend went for dinner at lorenzo's in town.  after dinner, we had a quick stop at wal mart & starbucks before heading to rocklin lanes for some good ol' bowling.  it took awhile for the glow bowling to kick in, but we still had some fun.
on my actual birthday, i worked at the pre-k in the morning, and then taught my dance class kiddos that night.  two of them brought in a whole bunch of cupcakes, and my boss also brought me more cookies... they were pretty much set for life.  usually, i would have been going to class afterwards, but my professor had a speaking engagement at NAEYC in texas, so class was cancelled that night.  instead, i went to hang out with my dance class peeps that i haven't been with on a wednesday since before i went to colorado.  i'm a little bummed that my next semester's schedule messes with that as well... ugh!  i'm hoping to make things work somehow, especially with the 30th anniversary recital happening and all...  well, here are my party people from wednesday!
and here's to hoping i can better update in the next few weeks.
i have my quilt block swap done, as well as a quilt or two that i still haven't posted.... oy.
about a month until the semester is over... so close... yet so far away...

halloween costume - 2011

i can't really title this one a flashback, since today is halloween and i wore this two days ago! so here it is, the long awaited "secret" costume! i originally had NO CLUE what to be this year for our now 2nd annual bowling night, and when ariana threw out the suggestions of "jessie or mrs. buzz lightyear" the idea wheels started turning. pieces were slowly purchased one by one and the designing began.
lots of blue tape and paint helped get the right shape of the front piece. i painted all the main parts first, and then added on the button and "lights" detailing. the skirt was made from the pirate costume pattern, and i found some awesome rick rac to go along the seam line to create the "belt" part. i wish i was cool enough to say that i made the bow, but i didn't. not yet at least! i'm sure i could crank some of those puppies out easy peasy!
my shoes were fun :) i found a tiny can of spray paint at the craft store and painted the bottom of the shoes. the green is the same that was used on the top to create the "toe" part of the boot look. since we went bowling, i didn't get to wear the shoes TOO long - which may have been a good thing. they were a 10 wide... i wear size 11 normal.
and in true "toy story" fashion, the bottom was painted to mark ownership :)
the gloves were going to be true gloves... but i can't ask too much of gloves on clearance. my fingers were too long, so i cut off the finger tips and seam ripped out the thumb. probably a good idea, since i couldn't imaging trying to bowl with satiny fingers.here was my "model" that hung around the living room as i painted and watched friends. yes, costume making and nick at night do go hand in hand.now for the action photos! i realized most were NOT full length shots, so here is the best i could do.the ladies! what we have is a clown, 80's prom, a devil, mrs. buzz lightyear, and a pink lady from grease.everyone that came! definetly another good turn out with lot's of costume variety. and don't mind me. i'm "shooting my lazer" like chris (the "chimney sweep") told me to.
happy halloween everyone!

halloween flashback - 2010

this costume could easily be noted as my favorite costume to date. it was super easy to make, super fun to wear, and people knew what it was too! the year before i was in k-mart with my mom and sister and found a green striped tennis dress and tried to convince her to be "stevette" for halloween that year. she didn't go for it at the time, so the next year, i swooped in and made it my own!
i asked kasey to draw me a "handy dandy notebook" since everywhere online wanted 20+ dollars for one. i used a plain ringed album i bought from joanns.com and "borrowed" my sister's crayon that she still had for some reason.
blue of course HAD to be part of the costume, and i found this adorable one at goodwill for $1. we went bowling the saturday before halloween, and she went ahead and hung out with everyone there. best purse dog ever!
the shirt was the most time consuming part. lots of blue tape and lots of fabric paint. the polo shirt came from goodwill, and the fabric paint from joanns. lots of measuring to make sure the lines were even and straight. i did all of the front first, and then all of the back. it was a very happy day when it was all complete, that's for sure!
just for kicks, here are some of the "in action" photos from our halloween bowling night! the event will be repeated this year, but just WAIT to see what costumes we have in store for you :) but you'll have to wait another week for that!
and this would be chris. he also made his own costume. the wig was cut and done by his sister, and his cape is made from a tablecloth and rhinestones. he's pretty legit! (and if you don't "get"who he is supposed to be, click here!)