Saturday, April 15, 2006

Long Weekend

I have been all over the place for the past few days. I've marked the ID sections of forty-five exams (did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt fought in the Spanish Civil War in 1848? I just found this out from one of the exam answers). I've also been down to the Inner Harbour a couple of times (once for supper, and once while shopping). We spent several hours in my new favourite store. (Ignore the cheesiness of the website, or the fact that they only really mention that they sell antiques and collectibles. That's just the basement part of the store. They also have entire sections of housewares, hardware, camping and fishing, furniture, gardening, and fabric -- it's like a bazillion different stores all connected to each other.)

When we were at Capital Iron, we bought a tent! It's really stormproof (important when camping with my family, because we bring the rain wherever we go) and it was on sale for $150. The regular price there was nearly $200, and I've seen it listed for up to $280. So, I think we got a good deal. And I love me some good deals. (Chris was beside himself when he found the tent sale, and when I said that we should just buy one.)

I also bought some pretty material that's pink and silky and covered with butterflies. I'm not sure what I'm going to make of it yet. As soon as my last final's handed in, I'm taking out the sewing maching and setting it up on my desk. I have so many sewing projects in my head. (Not big ones; many of them just involve hemming and mending.) What should I make with a meter of pink, silky, butterfly-y fabric? I've considered making a bag and matching scarf, or cushions, or a boatneck tanktop. The last one is what I'm most leaning toward, but I need to find a pattern. What do you think? Any other ideas?

Okay. I'd better get essay-writing now. I'm actually glad that I had a couple of days' break of marking exams, to clear my head out from the last essay. Now, if only I can write this one quickly, and get to the next one...

Update: What about this tank top? (The one in the actual photo, and not the drawings.) I like the fact that it's specifically a "very easy" pattern, which means I could handle it.

6 comments:

krisluvswool said...

Ah, without a picture of the fabric it's hard to say, but what about a skirt? I always need more skirts!

krisluvswool said...

I'm thinking-- since the pattern you have isn't really a boatneck. A true boatneck would be really simple to do without a pattern. It's essentially two rectangles sewn together with a slighly curved opening at the neck and two slightly curved holes on each side. You could easily draw a pattern using paper bags if you wanted something to work with, though.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

That's what I'd figured, but I'm nervous about going without a pattern. Maybe I'll do a trial one with some cheap fabric, first.

arimich said...

A tank top sounds awesome! You could match it with different coloured skirts, or even with jeans if you wanted to dress them up. Is this Chinese silk stuff, or just all of those elements together?

Queen of West Procrastination said...

It's pretend Chinese silk (it's actually polyester).

krisluvswool said...

yeah, you might just pick up some plain white muslin and give it a shot. Or, if you have a top that's very similar in shape, you can trace out that one, then add the seam allowances outside of it.

But, I think that if you're going to branch out on making a pattern of your own, this is the perfect opportunity to do it. Be bold!