What I Did Today

Technically, yesterday, since it's past midnight.

Current Location: Mom's house, Diamond Springs

  Yesterday I wore a pair of jeans with a small hole in the knee, which quickly became a HUGE hole in the knee due to my habit of kneeling. Knowing I never get around to mending if it's put off, but being far too tired to do it last night, I laid out the jeans and the appropriate thread where I would be sure to stumble over them and promised myself I'd do it first thing in the morning. Lo and behold, it worked! Sewing it up took far too much time, but I like the result (hopefully it will hold for a while). I chose a thread color that matched the paint splotches already there (many of my clothes have similar marks, all of them genuine proof of painting, etc., not merely decorative). This way it all looks deliberate! It's a fashion statement! Right?

  That done, I began working on my mom's little red hat.  I began by peeling off the band, which took far longer than it should (I think I'll be less careful next time and let the Goo Gone do my work for me). Then I cleaned off the residue with Goo Gone. Meanwhile, I started pleating the ribbon for the new band. I tried spray basting but it didn't work so I had to use pins. The pinholes are visible in some places, but it was easier than applying the glue, folding a few pleats, and then trying to hold then in place until it dried. I used Elmer's Craft Bond to glue the ribbon to the hat. I haven't successfully used this kind of glue before, so I hope it holds because I would hate to have to re-pleat the whole thing.  I actually used two ribbons (favors from a Quilt Shop Hop) end to end.  Luckily they we just the right length; I don't have any more in that color.  The pleating took a lot longer than I thought too, so between that and the sewing and peeling (all of which were done multi-tasking style while browsing the internet), by the time the glue was dry and I got the last of the pins out it was 9:30 - time to blog!  At least, it is my intention to attempt to form that habit.  We will see how it goes.

  Speaking of which, the other thing I did today was start a new blog.  You like?  I was thinking about my new patterns and how I can't wait to use them (I have other obligations this week which take precedence, and I really shouldn't have spent so much time on that hat today either), and about all the patterns I already have, which have been languishing unused in a drawer, and which I am in the middle of sorting into "keep" and "sell".  And I thought, I should institute a "use it or lose it" policy (those are the exact words I thought to myself because I am a crazy person) [actually it might have been "ought to"; I'm not sure (yes, I edit my posts for grammatical precision days later (because I am a crazy person))].  It would work like this: I pick a pattern, I make one of the things it has instructions for (this will take as long as it takes.  I know better than to set myself deadlines for large projects), repeat.  If I can't figure out how to make something I like with a pattern, it goes in the "sell" pile and I move on to the next one.  Completing the pattern I am currently working on is to be a high priority at all times.  I figure I should start with this one because I have a corset almost finished with the instructions (although I intend to add some extra pieces of my own design).  Conveniently, since I can't start this week - corset, pattern, and materials being at my dad's house - I have time for the ambitious Steampunk Thing of the Week I have planned.  Back to the stated topic of this paragraph, I wanted to blog my progress with this process, but I didn't want to start a whole new blog just for that.  However, I often find myself wanting to talk about ideas or show off things with no venue to do so.  So, here it is.  Whatever I want to post somewhere but don't have anywhere else to post is likely to end up here.

  Incidentally, as I was typing my previous post wherein I mention the Nova Albion convention, I went to the convention's site and found a photo of myself on the front page.  In the top post.  Mind you, it was there to show off the books in the vendor room and my presence was incidental, but it's still a bit startling.