hey everyone, I wanted to post today, but my computer is having some issues. Sorry! too bad mr. muscles up there can’t fix it. I’ll try to be back tomorrow with some awesome things on the internet.
It seems that all anthropology and jcrew are doing these days is slapping things on t-shirts and calling it couture, then charging 60 bucks for it (see here and here if you don’t know what I’m taking about). I mean come on people, we can make this stuff. Look! I just turned into my mother before your very eyes! Shopping with her was awful (sorry mom) because no matter what I picked out she would say, “oh, you could make that.” Not necessarily me, I was 12 years old, but “one” could make it. No “one” ever did, of course. Until 20 years later.
So anyway, a while back a friend invited me over to slap some things on t-shirts and call it couture. I came up with this braided number. I think it actually was inspired by an anthropology shirt, but I can’t remember which one. I bought two 5 dollar shirts from Target and washed them both, one shrunk up really weird (only on one side–that’s what 5 bucks will get you) so I cut that one up. I started at the bottom and cut spiraling up to the armpits. The strip was super long and was about an inch wide. Then I cut it into three equal pieces and braided it.
Then I pinned it on, starting from the bottom and going up around the neckline, then back down the front and then I hand sewed that sucker on. I was watching a movie while I did it, so it’s a little uneven, but you can’t really tell when I wear it. I’ve got more anthrocopies (awesome word coined by the angry chicken!) planned, but that baby up there? he is just all over the place these days. So maybe you look to these people for inspiration while I go chase him down:
This year I am determined to cut into the ridiculous amount of fabric I have amassed in my basement. It’s not there just to look at, right? It’s there so I can make the clothes and quilts and toys that my family needs instead of buying all that crap. So this is probably going to be the first of many matching family ensembles.
I don’t know how all those bloggers out there take beautiful pictures of their kids while showing off the beautiful clothes they have on at the same time. This is the best photo I got and it was the last of about a hundred, and really it’s not that great. But you get the drift: one long sleeve shirt, one short sleeve, and one pair of leggings.
all made out of this geek chic fabric I found at the thrift store a loooong while back. It is so perfectly seventies: the stripes are brown and this sort of rainbow confetti, meshy stuff (my daughter calls them her sprinkles pants). It’s a knit that has sat on the shelves waiting for me to learn how to use my serger. And guess what? I learned how to use my serger! A gracious friend taught me how while we made the 90 minute shirt together.
She made the long sleeve version and I made the short sleeve, but hers was so cute I ran home and made the long sleeve one. Of course I didn’t read the directions, screwed it up and the sleeves are too long, but that drooly baby really couldn’t care less.
Now my daughter wants to know where daddy and mama’s matching shirts are. Sound of music here we come!
Yesterday morning was rainy and crummy. My daughter wanted to do a project, “I’ll go in my room and when you think of a project for me say ding-a-ling-a-ling.” so I came up with this (rain on a rainy day: my creativity knows no bounds). I cut out a raindrop shape for her to trace and my son was in charge of the tape. She wanted to make a rainbow, because where there is rain there are rainbows, and my son made a sort of deconstructed rainbow (up there on the right). He also wanted to know where the umbrella was, so we made one of those too. Now that it’s sunny, my daughter wants to know when we are going to make the sun.
That there is some 100 percent of the finest acrylic crocheted up into one spiffy pillow. It’s scratchy as hell, but it’s this fantastic neony pink so it came home with me. I love the old lady thrift store. I also went to the dig and save the other day, but the light these days is crap so I’ll show you some other time. I get sort of paralyzed by the craziness of the dig and save, so never feel like I’m really taking advantage of it’s awesomeness. People have hooks and plastic gloves and determination to Get Shit! for $1/lb, so I mostly just get out of their way.
