Inventory of the craft store...

My husband tells me my stockpile of craft supplies could be used to open a profitable store. I think you can never have too many supplies. You never know when you might need neon green zebra print ribbon, or hot pink Hawaiian print satin, or ten measure tapes! I gave him my word a few months ago that I would use up some of my stockpile before purchasing new supplies, but I kinda slipped up...


The first offense was at Joann Fabrics. I was out without the kids (that never happens!) and stopped in to take a look see. I proceeded to purchase 2.5 yards of white cotton with embroidery, 2.5 yards of blue Hawaiian print cotton, 10 yards of unbleached muslin, and 6 yards of bleached muslin. OH, and two economy sized spools of Gutterman thread for the sewing machine. I have plans for the white cotton and the Hawaiian print- they will be summer dresses. I'll use the white muslin for lining (it gets really hot here in the summer, and it'll be lightweight). The unbleached muslin will be curtains for my kitchen, and draping material for making my own patterns. See? All valid purchases! Husband chuckled and I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes. I am quick to tell him he will be thankful of my craft supply stockpile when the zombpocalypse happens and I need to make clothes. He just chuckles and shakes his head.


The second offense happened yesterday. I was at Walmart, and the kids were sleeping in the stroller (also never happens!). SO, I stopped in the craft section, just to look around... Somehow, I ended up bringing home 6 yards of blue shirting material, 6 yards of sheer peacock blue material, and 1/2 a yard of multi-colored blue stripe cotton with silver stripes. I have thoughts for the first two items, but no idea what I'm going to do with the last one. My husband just smirked and walked off when I told him the 1/2 yard of blue fabric looked lonely. I had better start making some pretty fantastic stuff soon to justify my purchases!

As it stands, my current inventory is something like this....
 
Approximately 20 yards of assorted flannel
Approximately 25 yards of assorted cotton
Roughly 10 yards of fleece
Approximately 20 yards of other misc. fabrics  
Some sewing patterns
30 different colors of embroidery floss
About 50 different colors of sewing thread
12 spools of ribbon
1 large cross stitch (30% finished)
3 cross stitch kits I have not started
3 file boxes full of yarn
1 file box full of crochet squares and unfinished blankets
1 file box full of scrapbooking paper, stickers, and ribbon
Assorted beads, sequins, trim, patches, buttons and other notions
Box of acrylic paints, brushes and 2 unpainted Christmas houses. 
1 finished quilt front (no back yet)
1 complete quilt (still need to tie off half of it)
1 king size quilt that is cut out and needs sewn together
All my various drawing supplies, which take up an entire cupboard. 

I better not tell a shrink about this....

DIY Dress Form!

I have always wanted a dress form, but I am not A.) Paying close to $200 for a dummy (I married one for free...j/k lol) or B.) Going to find one in my size (Size: Worlds tallest toothpick.). So, I found some really cool tutorials on Youtube for making a dress form out of duct tape. Yes, I know duct tape is pretty redneck, but that's how I roll. Here is how it went:

1. Made a muslin slip to wear for the tape to stick to.
2. Had my husband wrap me in duct tape (he liked it haha). I told him it will never happen again unless he decides to off me, and he had better not because I'll haunt him forever hahaha.
3. Had a panic attack. I'm claustrophobic. Being wrapped in duct tape is not for me. However, it was worth the saved money.
4. Had husband cut me out of duct tape before passing out. Proceeded to down several glasses of ice water while I sat on the floor calming down. Duct tape not only induced panic attacks in the claustrophobic, it is also very warm. If there was another ice age, I would rob the hardware store of duct tape for garment construction.
5. Taped form back together while my fantastic husband ran to Lowes for some supplies.
6. Husband came back with supplies and constructed a stand for my form. We hung it on the stand and filled it with paper. Then he drilled holes in it and filled in crucial areas with expanding foam. Expanding foam is great, as long as you don't get it on you. It is stickier than hell and only comes off with a lot of acetone.
7. Wait for foam to dry.....wait some more....still not dry....THIS SHIT TAKES FOREVER TO DRY!!!
8. Now that the foam is dry (took long enough, geez...) scraped the extra foam off.

...and now....I have a dress form...but it's still not finished. I found a couple of spots where there isn't enough foam, so, we will have to foam fill some more. After the darn thing is full of foam, I have plans to smooth out the few minor bumps and cover her in fabric so I don't have to stare at duct tape every day (she lives in my living room due to the absence of a craft room (darn kids, taking up all the space!)).

Obsessed.

My fantastic husband recently got me a new sewing machine. Mine was broken during our last move and I have been missing having one around greatly. I chose the Brother SE400 Embroidery/Sewing machine. I have only used it to sew regular stitches so far, but when I get used to all of the computerized settings, I'm eager to try out the embroidery functions. Since I got the new machine, all I think about is sewing. I think about sewing when I wake up at night, while I eat meals, while I shower...it's a little crazy. My husband was hinting at some alone time when the kids went to bed the other night, but I wasn't catching on until he spelled it out....because I was planning out curtains for my kitchen and a new dress idea. Maybe I need some help...but then again...I'd rather sew and have a glass of wine.

Let the therapy begin!

This is my therapy. I have always turned to crafting when I feel like everything else in life is out of my control. When everything else is crazy, if I can create something beautiful, I feel much better. So, I have decided to create this blog to document my progress and share crafting ideas with friends who may also need a little "therapy".