oatmeal

Sorry I’ve been MIA.  I knew it would happen.

I’m about to go to work and I made some oatmeal for a quick lunch.  I wanted to share my “recipe” for any of you oatmeal lovers out there.  (mainly for tara though =)

boil 1 cup of water

add 1/2 cup old fashion oatmeal

let it get thick while stirring occasionally – about 10 minutes

add a nice scoopful of butter to a bowl/mug, two scoops of brown sugar (i love sugar), craisins or whatever dried fruit you like, and chopped pecans or whatever nut you have on hand.

I realize I use way too much butter and brown sugar, but I like to think the craisins and pecans offset the unhealthy calories.  And I’m pretty much a dietitian so I can say that and it be true.

 

sewing-city

I like the word city behind anything with importance.  Ice cream CITY!!!  Anyway, I’ve been sewing a lot lately.  A lot for me at least.  Here are some of the things I’ve made:  (Don’t hate on the pitiful pictures, please.  I don’t know how to work the bigbad camera’s self timer and I’m home alone.)

This is Simplicity 2646.  I wanted to make a fallish shirt, so I went with the longer sleeved version.  I should’ve seen the freaky sleeve coming when the sleeve pattern piece was as big as the front & back pattern pieces!  I took at least 2 inches off and did some extra pleating down the side so it doesn’t poof as much.  Also, Tara tells me I am a size 12 in sewing, but I should’ve gone with a 10 in this case.  Noted…

I didn’t use a pattern for this shirt, just kind of made it up as I went along.  I’ve been trying to make a pajama top for about a week, but keep failing big time.  I have no business trying to make a fitted pajama top.  None at all.  So I went with a pillowcase look – ha!  Had to use a little math to figure out the top with pleating and all, but everything went well!  I guess sewing and (simple)math go hand in hand which has been and will continue to be a problem.  Me no likey math.  I can wear this under cardigans too.  And I can wear it around the apt. and feel cute because I’m wearing something I made!

(disregard the wrinkles..)

I made this today in about 30 minutes.  This is one of Nate’s old YMCA shirts that was headed to the Goodwill.  Instead it will now be a pajama top/under cardigan shirt.  I cut across right under the arm pits, turned the shirt upside-down and rounded the sides up (kind of like a baseball shirt), pleated the top, added straps from the leftover fabric from the back of the shirt, and zig-zag hemmed the bottom.  I think I like pleats.  Have you noticed all of these shirts have pleating?  Maybe I’m just not ready to make a fitted shirt.

(don’t look at the wrinkles again..)

Thats about it on the sewing front.  My quilt is on hold for no reason at all except I’m lazy.  Tara is coming this weekend – I think I’ll have her help me put it together.

Here are some pictures of the Zinnia Nathan brought home this week.  (Thanks to Ms. Cindy at his work..)Little did Ms. Cindy know, Zinnia are my very favorite flowers.

I just killed a spider with a flip flop and let it fall on the ground.  I have no intent on picking it up.  Is that bad?

Anna thinks she owns my fabric.

Also:

-Will be making these soon.  I need more baking in my life.

-Listening to A Fine Frenzy’s new CD non-stop.

-Learning important things at my job.  Gaining patience.

This just in

 

don't hate on my hair - i've been chillin on the couch.

I just made this little necklace.  The fabric is from Nana who is my cousin Jen’s grandma.  I just sewed little petal like thingys and then attached a few buttons, crocheted a long chain and connected it!!  YAY for quick little random projects!  I like quick projects.  Which is why I pre-ordered “One Yard Wonders” in hopes to find some fun quick patterns!  I’ve got my eye on a cute pajama top.  Christmas presents?!

 

Quilt Update #2

 

sorry the picture is blurry, but you get the drift. if it seems the quilt is getting skinnier as it goes up, it is. stupid math skills.

Somewhere in my calculations, I didn’t add one of the seam allowances for the solid colored squares. They are all 1/4 inch too small. So halfway through sewing today I decided to just cut the patterned pieces to the same size as the solids – which resulted in the quilt getting skinnier. HA!! This is proof that I don’t think through things. I want stuff done asap. (Better example of my impatience: Tara and I were home for college one summer and wanted to buy bikes. So we immediately drove to Target, purchased two $50 bikes, rode them out to our 1991 Honda Civic and THEN realized we had no way to get the bikes home. Thanks to Uncle Kevin & his truck, the bikes made it home.)

Here are a few of the seams. I am not fixing the seams because it would ruin all the work I’ve already done. And again, I want to finish this thing asap. Unfortunately, I am always this lazy.

 

this seem looks okay…

this poor seem is messed up & i’m not fixing it

Oops again!!