The Hobbit

I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan and am very excited about The Hobbit coming out this December.  The LotR trilogy has some of the most stunning fantasy clothing ever, and The Hobbit promises to have an incredible wardrobe as well.

I just love Biblo's vests that we've glimpsed so far.  Hobbits wear such earthy yet cheery clothes.

With plans in the works for a trilogy party to celebrate the new LotR movie, I need to remedy the fact that I don't currently own a LotR costume!  Knowing me, I need to start soon if I want it to be done for December...

There are so many gorgeous gown to choose from!  Right now I’m considering Eowyn’s shield maiden gown (even though she’s not in The Hobbit, it’s still LotR, right?), but I haven't made a final decision.  I don't think I will until I'm at the fabric store and see my fabric options.  :o)

I can't wait to see this movie!

Quilt and Quilt Again

With 12-out-of-16 of our quilt blocks completed, I'm very eager to finish the piecing and move on to the next step in the quilting process.  With this renewed spirit I'm hoping to have the rest of the blocks finished in the next week, and then we can move on to making the strips that go between the blocks.  Soon we may be able to see the star pattern!

I’m really looking forward to redecorating my room; it’s going to look so amazing!  Having a nautical bedroom is going to be so much fun.  :o)

Hat Inspiration

I tend to be a sucker for hats and right now am feeling inspired to wear them more often.  They can add such a cute touch to an outfit, instantly transforming it from basic to adorable.

Some of my main inspiration has been MJ in Spiderman 2, Sarah in I Am Number Four, Claire in Elizabethtown, and recently Gwen from The Amazing Spiderman.  (I’m not necessarily recommending any of these movies, you can find reviews here)  They all manage to look so sweet and trendy, pairing them with everything from graphic tees to cardigans to dresses.  They really add something to an outfit!

Looking at these and other photos have really put me in the mood to knit, hence the hat I started a couple days ago.  I'm planning to do a fair amount of knitting in the near future so as to improve my skills to the point of fulfilling my dream to knit myself a long sweater...  :o)

Photos from kinopoisk.ru

Casting On

Recently I've been very inspired by lots of adorable hats - so even though I should be working on my quilt or cross stitch, I began a hat last night.  :o)

I'm basing this hat off one of Sarah's in I Am Number Four (review here).  I didn't love the movie, but Sarah always looked very cute and I completely fell for her slouchy hat.

So I started a search for a pattern like hers.  Surely someone on Ravelry would recreate it, right?  But alas, I have been unable to find one, so I'm attempting to make it up.  I'm borrowing the shaping from the All Day Beret (the pattern I used for the last hat I made), and am really hoping it turns out well!

Tomorrow I'll be back with some more hat inspiration!  :o)

Nothing Inspires Progress...

…like a trip to the fabric store!  There were several things I wanted to buy very much, but I controlled myself because I have lots of things to work on here at home.  I did purchase a few items, though, like a couple fabrics that should finish off my current quilting project.

I've been dreaming of knitting, so I also picked up two skeins of bright pink yarn on sale.  The color coordinates perfectly with the toddler dress I made earlier this year, so I'll be searching through my knitting patterns in the upcoming weeks!  I'm really eager to try something bigger (than my usual small things like hats or baby projects), but I'm taking it one step at a time; dishcloths to toddler clothes to me-sized sweaters!  At least, that's what I'm hoping will happen.

And with Butterick patterns on sale for $0.99, I looked through their vintage reprints while my friends finished shopping.  They've reprinted some new ones since I last checked and some are super cute.  I tend to be more of a 50s girl, but I loved this 1960 reprint pattern 5748.  (If you click on the link, I love the red flowered version the model is wearing!  So cute!)  It's similar in style to my favorite dress pattern so I had to buy it!


I came home inspired and excited to do some crafting!  So I washed and pressed the new fabrics, and finished ripping the problematic bias tape off my apron.  Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to re-sew all the stitches I ripped out and make some real headway!

Oh, the Trials of My Life

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike making bias tape?  How much I detest sewing on bias tape?  I haven't?  Oh, well I absolutely hate doing anything with bias tape when it comes to crafting.  But I happen to be very drawn to the look of the finished product.  So I tend to chose patterns - particularly apron patterns - that are covered in bias tape.

I do it to myself so I shouldn't complain.  But here I am whining on my blog that is published onto the internet.  Oh, well.  I'll get through this just like I have every other time I've done bias tape.  And once I finish it will have been worth it.  :o)

I do love the bright colors of the project.  They make me feel happier.

Teddy Bear

Wow, it's been a long time! I've missed all my blogging friends! But now that I've graduated and spent a week at the beach I'm ready to get back in the swing of life, and part of that involves my blog. :o)

Growing up I had a beloved stuffed bear as my sleeping friend. So when I saw this pattern on Ravelry I thought I would try to make one, because I tend to like stuffed bears. Though since I really have no use for stuffed animals I don't know what on earth I'm going to do with it...  but it was still fun to make.  :o)

I ended up using buttons for the eyes and a circle of felted wool for the nose.  When I tried the felted wool for the eyes he looked extremely scary, but the buttons worked well.

I'm trying to decide if his bow tie is too small...  but it was the first one I tried, and it will work for now.  I can always change it later if I want.

 

 It's so nice to be back!