finished: basic-but-not-boring tee

Confession: I really like hand-sewing. I love it, in fact. This doesn't really ever seem to help my mending pile, unfortunately, but sometimes it leads to me making clothes or storage to hold all my medicine.

I finally finished my Plantain recently, despite the fact that it's not winter. Spring is here, and I'm yearning for short-sleeves and bare legs and running around in the sunshine like a tiny little toddler. Yet here I am, willingly wearing a long-sleeved, winter colored shirt. Then again, I don't really wear spring pastels. So there's that.

Pattern: Deer and Doe's Plantain
Fabric: mystery Amazon jersey, used earlier in my magic switch-y dress
Size: 36 (no alterations)

The pattern itself was a bit of a challenge. Not because the actual construction was difficult--I didn't even need the instruction. But wow, PDF patterns can be tricky. The taping together, the trying to match sides up correctly, it made the cutting-out-part of the pattern much tougher. Add to that a slippery jersey that folded and scrunched and stretched under the paper and my carpet floor turned into a cutting surface, that was very much not my favorite part of the pattern.

But the pattern is also beautifully designed. The scoop neck is graceful, the sizing is accurate, and the A-line, hip-skimming cut is really elegant. I even liked the fabric, which for a dirt-cheap Amazon buy holds up pretty well and is super soft. Sure, it's probably 130% polyester, but it's still cozy and comfy, while still looking pretty nice. The look in general suffers a bit on close inspection from the typical pulling I always find with my hand stretch stitching, but I think that's because my stitches are a little too big still.

I did piece the neckband, because I didn't have enough fabric in the right direction to cut it in one long piece. But I don't think it's too noticeable. And the biggest secret of all the secrets: despite taking the time to hand-finish every single inside seam, I have not hemmed it. Sleeves or the bottom.

All in all, I know the product is an extremely wearable tee (proof: these pictures were taken on three days when I actually, in fact, did wear it). Also, several of these pictures are super out of focus, but three. times. taking. pictures. I got bored of putting on a shirt that was too warm for the day just to take pictures.

sewing fo: a (kind of) practical bag

Oh, what a gloriously unproductive summer. To think, at this time last year, I had a couple of projects in the air. This year, I've barely finished a make-up bag thus far. To be fair, I do have a part-time job working with kids. High energy, never-not-moving, 3-12 years old kids.

I've been wanting to make a make-up bag, 'cos until now my make-up has resided in a quart-size plastic bag. Super convenient for TSA, except for the fact that it's ugly and falling apart. I made this with some inspiration from The Dancer's Book of Ballet Crafts, but I drafted the pattern myself, if you can call 6 rectangles of differing size a pattern.

The outer fabric is left over swiss dot cotton print from this dress-ish tunic thing. I had to piece a lot because I didn't have very much left over, but I'm telling myself that the extra seams add structure and shape to a fairly simple pile of rectangles. The lining is that pretty cobalt blue poly-satin leftover most recently from this unnecessary semi-formal, that was fashioned from leftovers from my senior prom dress. The fabric that won't just disappear. Do you have one of those in your stash?

The inside corners are a little funky and the lining turned out bigger than the exterior, but some odd little pleats later and you can't really tell. It's just our little secret.

It's pretty small, but I don't have a lot of makeup (most of my makeup was acquired for the stage and therefore never gets worn except for performances), so it's perfect for me. And even something small and creative counts as being creative!

dorm room diy: des oeufs gastronomes

*title in French to be all fancy pants*

There are many ways to do microwave scrambled eggs. But I've come to realize, there's a barely acceptable, get-food-in-my-tummy-now way (which I, on my dorm room gourmet pedestal, will call the wrong way) and there's a delicious, deluxe, I-feel-like-a-fancy-pants-chef-person way (a.k.a. the right way).

Wrong way:

Right way:

(We might also note that, while still nothing special, my food photography skills have increased minimally.)

Assignment: The Incredible, Edible Microwave Egg Project

Every college student with a microwave, a coffee cup, and a Pinterest knows about the basic egg-in-a-cup. It's fast, easy, and actually tastes like what it's supposed to. But. This is the boring, unreliable method. We want to step this up a little because we're fancy. In making a couple dozen microwave eggs, I've figured out how to finesse the basics into something a little shnazzier.

Hint 1: use a bowl, not a mug.

Yeah, I know all the recipes say you can make it in a mug. But the thicker something is, the longer it takes to cook in the microwave, just based on how microwaves work. I use a fairly flat bottomed bowl and my eggs cook a lot faster than they ever did in the coffee mug. Plus, you can get fancy like I did and call it a frittata.

Hint 2: spice up your ingredient list.

Basic recipes (if you can call them those) call for an egg, some milk or water, and some salt. If you keep some simple spices on hand, like oregano and basil or cayenne or cumin, you can turn your egg from basic to awesome in about two dashes. Plus, you'll have spices on hand for all kinds of awesome cooking activities. And you know you want that.

Hint 3: shop the salad bar. 

Does your dining hall have a salad bar? Good. Go there and fill up a box with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, shredded cheese whatever you like in your omelettes. Throw them on top of your eggs to really jazz up your eggs, while upping the healthiness too! Look at all those fresh veggies just sitting there smiling at you.

With all my acquired knowledge, I made some eggs today. And you know what? Instead of merely "interesting", they were delicious.

a suspiciously similar picture...wonder why?

Eggs Florentine Frittata*

1 egg
1-1/2 tbs cream cheese (I got mine at the dining hall convenience store)
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried basil
4-5 leaves baby spinach
4-5 cherry tomatoes
1 tbs sliced mushroom (very much estimated)

Whisk the egg and cream cheese together until fluffy and uniformly colored. Stir in the oregano and basil. On top, place the spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Microzap for 1 minute and 15 seconds, then let cool before eating. Enjoy!

Grade: C for the regular way. A for the jazzed up way! 

Have you tried microwave eggs? Do you like/hate/eat them? Do you have any tricks to turn the ordinary into the fantastically yummy?

*Florentine just means with spinach. But it sounds super fancy, right?

dorm room diy: the syllabus

Call me crazy, but a month into the semester after enrolling in 18 hours and setting up the groundwork for a busy extracurricular schedule, I decided to pick up another class, just for the heck of it. I call it Dorm Room DIY. It's entirely self-taught, with my dorm as my classroom, and the Internet is my textbook (I'm looking at you, Pinterest). In other words, I will not be getting credit for this class, and the university doesn't acknowledge its existence. 'Cos it may or may not be entirely a challenge I'm setting out for myself.

Frankly, I'm tired of spending endless amounts of time on the Internet, much of which I spend on either Pinterest, looking at crafts and recipes, or sewing/knitting/cooking/crafting blogs. I daydream about the day when I have disposable income to spend on fabric and whole wheat flour and wood. But that's not nearly as much as actually doing.

last year's dorm room experiment: the famed nutella brownies

Objectives: learning how to use what's available to me in my suite ('cos I'm a big girl now and I get a suite) as my creative playground. I mean, more than just moving all the furniture in the common room to one side so I can use it as a dance studio (the perks of being a dance major!). Also, recording what works and what doesn't and in what ways things can be improved, if only for me.

Assignments: I'll try to complete a project (craft, sewing/knitting, or food) every two weeks, with the possibility of extra credit assignments in the middle. Barring unforeseen circumstances (and finals), I want this schedule to keep my creative juices flowing in way that the world of academia, even my artsier academia, doesn't ask me too.

Class Materials: Pinterest is going to be my text, 'cos you know, textbooks are just too boring. My crafts and inspirations will likely come from my pinboards, but sometimes I might just get a whim and do something that I haven't pinned. (gasp! creativity! 'cos that's what this is all about. :)

In the more sew-y/craft-y area, I'll be sticking to handsewing, because this college student does not have access to a sewing machine. Much as I may wish I did.

one of my first projects will be making one of these puppies (source)

In the kitchen corner of the common room, I'll be focusing on three appliances: refrigerator, microwave, and kettle/hot pot because those are actually present in my common room. I might get adventurous and borrow a toaster oven that I may have seen somewhere (shh, don't tell the RA!). But mainly, I want to stick to things you can legally make in college.

I'd love to have you join in with me--we can definitely make this a group project! Also, if you have any ideas for assignments I should try I'd love to hear them.

diy luggage creativity

According to my mother, my sister, and Little Town on the Prairie, one of the biggest purchases before college is luggage. And a computer and sheets and a ridiculous amount of food to have in your dorm room at any given time. So when I got my boring, black luggage, I had one obvious task: this needed to be decorated so I could spot it from the sea of boring, black luggage.

My artistic ability falls right about at stick people, so I decided to write quotes all over my bag. Easy, and a great way to personalize things that lack originality.

My books of choice

This is an easy job. Grab a stack of your favorite books or movies or internet videos (though those can't quite be grabbed), and pick your favorite quotes. Then just write them on your luggage with a black or silver sharpie (black for things like red and green bags, silver for things like black and navy blue bags).

You could do this on luggage like I did, or on a notebook, a mug, or even a piece of paper for a kind of quirky poster. Basically, a blank surface that needs more creativity.  I'm even thinking about doing this on the very basic grey curtain in my dorm.