Unfinished

 

I bought this pretty stack of fabrics in the summer of 2011, with grand plans for beanbag chairs and poufs. They showed up on my doorstep my first day of morning sickness with Andrew. Not only was I not in the mood to sew, but just looking at them made me feel nauseous for months after, even when most of the pregnancy nausea had passed (craaaazy, right? guilt by association?) I have come across them in my box a few times since then but haven't done anything with them. 

We painted Ellie's room and are in the process of cleaning out all the stuff that got dumped there during our move 5 months ago. I have spent several hours in there, twice now, cleaning up, and then suddenly more things appear. But it's for real this time (I think?). The boys are getting big beds soon, and the second crib will move from their room into hers. The dresser is already there. She won't actually move in there for a while yet because it's just too convenient to have her in a bassinet next to our bed! But the room needs to be done. Decluttering on my mind.

I unpack a box labeled "fabric". I survey several baskets filled with skeins of yarn, some half-used, some still unwrapped. I see stacks of felt in a corner. I open a plastic tub filled with embroidery floss, thread, bobbins, yards and yards of elastic. I sigh as I pull out bag after Joann's bag with items for various projects that I purchased and never completed. Quilts, fabrics for half a dozen skirts, Jesse Tree ornaments (begun four years ago), crocheted blankets and hats, a playmat for cars. The state of my crafting life can only be described as unfinished.

 

Very early stages of car playmat with all our favorite places

 

This fabric? Not photographing great, but a gorgeous, silky, silvery-gray swimsuit fabric. Because I couldn't find a maternity swimsuit top I liked, I was either going to make my own with a pattern drafted from a shirt I have, or have my more-talented sister make it for me. It never materialized. This stuff is expensive, ya know!?

It hasn't all been a flop; I HAVE done a lot of projects over the past couple years. And I was completely caught up on all scrapbooking over the summer (now I'm 6 months behind, but that's the way it goes?) I just can't stand the thought of all the precious time and money I've poured into starting these projects, only to have them sit in the closet for another 4 years. Or 14.

 

I emptied the bins and bags and put it all in this box. At least it's all organized and folded now, and it will sit in Ellie's closet for the time being - easy access. All the notions and threads went into the plastic 3-drawer bin.

I have never really had my own dedicated craft space, and I still don't. We have enough storage space in this house that storing these supplies really isn't a burden, but I'm tired of storing them. I need to use them. 2014 is going to be the Year of Finished Projects. And oh, we have a lot of them around here. Before the crafts will come the upstairs bathroom, nursery, and basement clean-and-clear-out - but the crafts will happen, too.

Sewing Fail

Does this ever happen to you?

Find inspiration for something cute on Pinterest. Think, "I HAVE to make this!" Click through to the tutorial. Super, super easy! Go to the store and buy fabric. Promise yourself you won't start til later in the week once you are caught up on _____. Pull out your scissors as soon as you get home, hoping to have a new shirt/skirt/dress to wear by the end of the afternoon.

And then.

Your sewing machine does crazy things like pucker the fabric, making it appear that your tension is WAY too tight, even though it is on the lowest setting, you have changed the needle and are indeed using the correct one, and re-threaded the top thread and the bobbin numerous times. With a normal cotton broadcloth - it's not like we're sewing taffeta here or something! You curse at the machine (in your head) and vow to move your "new treadmill" money into a "new sewing machine" account.

And then the puckering magically stops long enough for you to get a few stitches in. You look at the tutorial you found on Pinterest again to make sure you are doing the "ruffling/gathering" thing right. She makes it look so easy. "Now, sew two rows of basting stitches and gather!" She didn't mention that it might take 15 minutes, and that you will worry the whole time that you will break the thread because you are pulling SO HARD.

They you pin the "gathered fabric" to the waistband. You pat yourself on the back and even take a picture because this is the FIRST project you have ever pinned, because you are so incredibly lazy. But because you are actually pinning, the sewing angels must descend upon your project and make it turn out fabulously. You deserve it.

 

And then you sew it. And it just does. not. turn. out. Gold star for effort! But no gold star for getting other fabric stitched up in it accidentally. You rip out your work and try again, rolling your eyes and grumbling about how you knew pinning was a waste of time. You flip it inside out. It looks GREAT! Except that you didn't match the fabric up correctly that time, so the waistband is right-side-out and the rest of the skirt is inside-out.

You tear it out again and give up the idea of a different-colored waistband. A simple piece of elastic will do, you just need this skirt DONE, dang it! And then, your machine stops catching the bobbin thread again, and no amount of re-threading will fix it.

You come to the sad realization that you wasted your entire afternoon and got about 15 minutes worth of actual sewing done. And you still have to do that homework you ignored. You could cry, or eat too much chocolate, and you are thinking about how satisfying beating the sewing machine with a metal baseball bat would be right about now...

And then you see this Hey Girl meme.

 

And feel completely justified in your righteous anger. So glad he understands.

So, this happened to me yesterday.