dang you, wall mural!!!

Nov 30, 2011 by hannah

remember that stair ledge wall mural i was working on about 1.5 years ago? yeah… it’s still unfinished. in fact, i didn’t even attempt to touch it again since that post. i’m plagued with the guilt of procrastination but tormented with the dread of having to finish it.

i don’t know why!!!

but now i REALLY need to finish it. bach and i decided to move and rent out our condo, so before that happens, the freakin mural needs to be completed. i’m just going to have to hitch up my britches and get that sucker done.

ok! i’ll do it!

i better get to it before my brain realizes i’m being productive. and that i’m actually really scared of heights. and… that i hate the mural.

……….

BREAKING NEWS

**the mural… is… FINISHED**

i had to pep talk myself before getting to it though. MooMoo was a big help.

i swear that wall was mocking me…

and then… as i opened the paint can, i realized that the paint had gotten really thick over the past 1.5 years! and i didn’t have any paint thinner. gar… so, i used the paint anyways. i improvised! the mural gets more and more grainy. uumm, that was my plan all along…

it worked out anyways.

climbing down from the ledge was a little scary, but i made it without breaking any bones!

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“finished” sewing projects?

Oct 31, 2011 by hannah

the use of the word finished is a bit ambiguous in relation to how it’s being used to describe the results of my sewing projects. i’m not 100% sure that they’re really done. there’s always some crooked stitching, a little mishap, a pucker in the fabric that should’ve been fixed but i was too lazy to go back and redo. thus, the ? at the end of the post title.

but, this is what i’ve done so far… sewing projects that i’ve more or less “finished”. if practice makes perfect, well… i’ve still got a lot of practicing to do!

1. this tank top first started out as a long sleeve, then a 3/4 length sleeve, then a short sleeve, and finally a spaghetti strap. i was so excited to use my new sewing machine that i didn’t care to consider the actual pattern and fabric of the shirt i was trying to make. i learned through a lot of mistakes…

2. with this project, i realized i really need to follow a pattern… i’m not quite at a skill level where i can eyeball a pattern straight onto fabric and come out with a garment that fits well. i got somewhat lucky with this skirt however. the only problem is that the back is a little short.

3. this was my final project for apparel construction 1 class. *note: vogue patterns are hard… even the “easy” or “average” leveled ones.

4. my friend julius and i worked on this pattern together because we were bored he made a blue dress while i made this black and white floral print one.

5. really basic tunic pattern which i added some more design elements to, like gathering the front and tops of the sleeves. it looked like a big sack before…

6. definitely needed to use a knit fabric for this one. it fits well once i get it on, but i can barely squeeze it over my shoulders because the fabric has no give. oops! lesson learned.

7. this skirt came out pretty well except that the front keeps sagging down. not bad though!

8. dang it… i just realized i numbered the last two pictures wrong! this is supposed to be #9. oh well… anyways, this knit dress was the second project for apparel construction 2 class. it looks really cute with a belt

9. (actually #8) this button up shirt was the first project for apparel construction 2. i haven’t yet forgiven it for being such a pain in the butt to make…

phew! so that’s what i’ve made so far. i’m surprised that i’ve made as much as i did. there are times when i want to just knock my head on the sewing machine, but more often than not, it feels great once a project is completed and you have an actual garment you can wear and say you made it yourself!

next project for class is a pair of fitted pants. i chose a bright red/orange fabric! daring, i know. but i’ll rock those pants in a future post

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hi there! long time no see…

Oct 12, 2011 by hannah

alright, so i’ve been quite the bum as of late and have long neglected this poor blog. i shall make a renewed effort to keep things up to date!

i have big, BIG news.

i’ve been given an amazing opportunity to open my own boutique with a fantastic, fabulous, awesome, business partner!!!

opening up my own boutique was a dream i’ve had for a long time, but didn’t think i’d have a chance to fulfill so soon. it’s so much better than i could have ever imagined. for reals! i’m so excited about working with my business partner, about the location, about the possibilities, just about everything!

we haven’t settled on a name yet, but that’s always the hardest part of starting a business, i think… when i was trying to come up with a name for my accessories business, it took days and many sleepless nights before i came up with 1stitch2stitch.

anyways, here are some “before” pictures of the store! it’s not much yet, but “during” and “after” pictures will be posted as the process of renovating the store moves along!

~store front~

~welcome!~

~come on in!~

~back view~

~office~

~work space~

~front view~

it really doesn’t look like much now, but i’m confident that the finished product is going to look AMAZING! we just got a new a/c system installed, so next order of business is to get an electrician to hook it all up so we don’t get cooked alive during the summer, then paint the walls and ceiling. the molding needs to put in, floor needs to be done, lighting, furniture… so much to do!

i promise to post updates on the store progress in a timely fashion

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blackout!

Sep 9, 2011 by hannah

starting at 3:30 pm yesterday, san diego county and much of southern california, arizona, and all the way to new mexico experienced a major blackout!

it was a bit creepy going outside and everything being pitch black besides light from the moon…

thankfully, after lunch with my friend james, we decided that he should come back to my place for a while to wait for a ride home. he could’ve been stranded at the mall, or even worse, stranded at the trolley station!

lights didn’t turn on in my area until 3:00 am, but it was kinda fun waiting it out. it was like camping! we had leftover steak which we grilled up downstairs so we ended up having a pretty good dinner despite the lack of electricity. we know how to do it right

and i took a shower in record time. 2 minutes flat. that’s pretty impressive if you know how much i love to shower.

since i’ve been really bad about taking pictures to record events, i’m putting up a video i recorded of bach and chowder just for the funnies

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a dress, a skirt, and wine bottles

Aug 22, 2011 by hannah

newest sewing projects!

i’m going to attempt to make a dress and a skirt. the dress is rated as “easy” and the skirt is rated “very easy” so as long as i follow the directions correctly, i hope everything turns out well!

dress A

skirt A

it’s fun to mix and max fabrics and different parts of the pattern to create a unique garment.

for this dress, i’m using the overall body of dress A, but adding the sleeves from dress B. and then i thought it’d be fun to make the ruffles from contrasting fabric!

……….

diy wine bottle candle holders

bach and i are big wine drinkers, so i have all these bottles stacked up waiting to be repurposed into something cool!

a while ago, i tried… and failed… after spending an hour drilling a hole into the glass to make a bottle into a lamp, the hole turned out to be too small! darn it…

so, i’m just going to turn the bottles into candle holders!

here are the wine bottles ready to go.

i want to give the bottles a more of a romantic look, so i plan on having dripped wax on the outside.

tutorial coming soon!

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sewing projects

Aug 9, 2011 by hannah

this summer did not result in as much sewing as i had originally planned on… but, i still got a dress and 3 blouses done!

the dress and 2 out of 3 of the blouses are wearable. 1 of the blouses suffered an unfortunate washing mishap due to the poor quality of the fabric. it’s alright though, at least i still have some clothes that made it out ok!

*by the way, Joann’s has sales on their patterns about once to twice a month! last time, all their Butterick patterns were on sale for 99 cents so i stocked up.

these are the patterns that i’ve finished. the first pattern was the one i messed up on…

each of these patterns came with several versions. the nice thing about these types of patterns is that you can pick and choose different parts of the designs! however, i made other modifications as well, like gathering the front and sleeves of the tunic, and gathering just the sleeves of the blouse.

next, i’ll be working on these!

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oh my lovely treadmill

Aug 9, 2011 by hannah

the treadmill finally came…

it’s here! in my garage! to help me get fit for hawaii!!!

the brand that i decided on after much research was the Yowza Juno. at the time that i ordered it, it was on sale! they must’ve sold out because it’s not listed on their website anymore… but if you’re in the market to buy a treadmill, i would definitely recommend this one. for the quality, price, and warranty terms, the Yowza Juno seemed to best fit my needs for a treadmill.

i’m loving it so far! it’s so much more convenient to exercise at home and on my own machine, rather than driving to the gym and then feeling paranoid about other people’s germs and sweat that i’d have to touch…