Stashy Saturday

My sister and I have big dreams when it comes to sewing - we're both at beginner level, mostly, but someday! Someday! We will make the most awesome of things :D

So whenever we happen to be at Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's and the patterns are on sale, we grab what we can, almost always costumes.

This time, when I went to Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, the McCalls patterns were on sale for $1.99, limit 10.  I got 11, because my brother was with me and paid for one :D

Here's the loot:

Had to get two of the uniform to get both sizes - I would have gotten both sizes of the women's patterns if I had enough money.  Some of them have all the sizes, though.  I wish all patterns were like that!

This summer we are hoping to take sewing lessons at a community center that is opening!  So excited!  Maybe we'll get to make some of these lovely complicated things!  We've made some easy patterns before, but like I said - we have big dreams...

Next Saturday's Stashy-Post will have my HAED layaway patterns - I'm getting them paid off this week.  Some I have already shown, but there are more! Also I had bought some last year during my posting hiatus that I have never shown, so next week will be lots of pictures :D

First 'Thrifty Thursday'

I decided to combine actually going thrifting - at flea-markets, estate and yard sales, and thrift stores - with doing something thrifty, as in to save money, for these posts.

Recently, my neighbors' grandchildren came to stay with them for a while - they go through my backyard all the time, which I don't mind.  What I do mind is that several times I have caught them peering in my windows.  They are girls, and preteens, so I'm sure they're just curious, and I never see them at night - but still!

I decided that my blinds aren't going to cut it, so I needed curtains. I'm on a pretty strict budget, so a-thrifting I went!  We have a nice little community thrift shop about ten minutes down the road, so I went and asked for blue curtains - any kind.  I have two sets of two windows that are right beside each other, but the way my house is set up, they are in two different rooms.  You can't really see the other set of windows unless you are almost right beside the little archway, so they didn't have to match.  The lady that owns the store found me one set of blue with white flowers - they are kind of angled, so they don't fully cover the window, but they are better than nothing!  The other set was off-white, in a sort of solid net (that sounds so stupid!) with blue stripes.

They totally worked for me!  And I hung a treasure between them, that I found at a Goodwill a month or so ago!  It's dated 1976 and I love it!  Total for the curtains was $2 a set, and I got the picture for a dollar.



That left the kitchen window as the last one that had to have a curtain - my other windows had curtains, except the living room, and it's too high for them to see in.  Still looking for curtains, though.  Anyway, all she had left was one panel of a very long, very narrow, heavily lined blue curtain with a shiny floral pattern.  I said I could make it work, and she sold it to me for $1.  So I came home, measured it and the window, did some cutting, sewing, and ripped out the tall, folded casing at the top.  I couldn't quite get the creases out of the bottom of the left curtain, from the ripped out casing, but I can live with that!



Two short, lined curtains to keep the peepers out and the heat in!  Love it! Now I just need some fabric to make some curtain ties.

Three Done!

I finished my sibling's Green afghan on, hmm... I think it was Saturday!  and then on Tuesday my Mum and I sat down and did the fringe.

And today I got around to taking a picture.  I'm so very fast, lol!



It's on the same King-size bed as the others.  I'm not really happy with the fringe, although we did it just like the instructions say and it looks like the picture in the book, but to me it looks like it has gaps in it.  Mum says it's fine, so I will probably leave it as it is.



Very pretty stitch pattern!

Here is the start of the other afghan that has to be done for Christmas - Rainbow Stripes, for my 11-year-old nephew.  Super simple pattern but I'm having trouble with the yarn twisting.  Must figure out why!  It's two strands held together, but so was the green one and I didn't have any trouble.  I assume it's the different stitch pattern, but I don't know.



I haven't been cross-stitching much, since I've been focusing on these afghans, but the other day I cut a big curtain down into two small curtains for my kitchen window, and while I was sewing I though I would try making myself a q-snap cover.  So I got out some fabric from when I used to make custom nursing scrubs, and here is my first attempt!



It came out pretty good but the next ones I make, I will make wider.  I followed the instructions given but it's too narrow for my taste.  And there's not really any room to fold the extra fabric into, which was the main reason I wanted one.  But this one is cute!  I like smiley faces.  That's my Bothy Princess Palace in it - I picked it back up the other day and I'm nearly done with the wallpaper.

Updates - Finish and Stash! (lotsa pics)

I finished the PM Brave... hmm, either Saturday night or Sunday night.  I forget which!  But I've been too busy to post until today.

Isn't he cute?


Here he is with the girl - they need the names added under them, then they'll be cut apart (poor things!) because I want the canoe between them and also I want them to turn toward each other instead of having their backs to each other.


I'm back to working on the eagle, but there isn't a lot of the next shade I chose, so I'll be starting the two in the canoe (ooooo, rhyming!) soon.

I've also started the next Stocking, and since I'm posting today, I'll give you a shot of where it's at right now. I just started it yesterday at work and it's going really fast!


No, I started it Monday at work because yesterday I went to JoAnn's for the big sale!  I had the day off, and it's far enough away that it is a day-long trip.  We also went grocery shopping to save a trip, but more about that in a few.

Here's one thing I got - I wanted kits but since I couldn't use my coupons on them (they were on sale at a whole 10% off - I think they were cheating so I couldn't buy them with coupons!), I directed my attention to the McCall's patterns that were 10 for $10.  There was a limit of 10 per customer, but Mum was with me and she got some for me.  They didn't have all 20 of the ones I wanted in stock, so here's the 16 I did get.


I love making costumes.  Most of these will challenge my skills but I don't care :D  I've got a detailed sewing plan that starts in January, when it's so cold and the roads are so icy that I have to turn down the offer of extra work because I don't have a four-wheel drive to get over the mountain.  I'll show pics when I start!

Since the kits were a bust, I focused on floss and got all of Night Hunter and Mosslord kitted up.  I won't bother with a pic - it was a big pile of mostly greys, black, dark browns and dark blues. I did spend enough for the 30% off card and I plan to go back on the 25th or 26th to kit up some more HAEDs!

We stopped at WalMart to get some grocery shopping done - and I nearly fell over!  It was 2002 the last time I saw any cross stitch stuff at our WalMart - yet, lo and behold! - a whole quarter aisle!  With DMC!!! Not every color, of course, but I got some greys that had empty bins at JoAnn's, and next time I'll know to stop off at WalMart first!

Also, I do like to take tiny kits along in my purse - I was out of them and right now the stockings are taking their place, but eventually those will be done.  I couldn't bring myself to buy them for $3 like at Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's, but I grabbed five at WalMart for 99cents each! Yay!




I got my UFO kit in the mail really fast, but I'll bore you guys with a pic of that next time :D  Also, there was a payday!  That meant more Random Generator picks of WS-n-B patterns!

This time's winners:

Hunting


Candle Light


Lastly - no update of the afghan.  I've left it alone all week, but I plan to work on it tomorrow evening after I get back from the dentist, and hopefully my hands will be fine!