Black and white gingham and pink flowers...

Okay, I've got some pictures of things I've sewn over the past week. First up is this very simple scarf. I've been needing a new scarf, and I was really inspired by this. I had some black and white gingham that someone had given me, so I cut two long rectangles (about 8 inches x 75 inches) and sewed them together along the long edges. Then I turned it inside out and plopped down in front of "The Harvey Girls" and started picking out the crosswise threads to make the edges fray. After about two hours, I gave up, so they're not as fringed as I wanted, but maybe they'll fray some more on their own. So here it is:

I really love it, and it matches with just about anything I wear (and yes, I do wear other colors besides black). Next is my new skirt:

It's McCall pattern 5431. I absolutely love this pattern. Okay, so it's the only skirt pattern I've ever used, but it's awesome. The skirt is really full and flowy, it's the perfect length, it's simple, and it comes with options like pockets or a contrasting band across the bottom. I've made three skirts from this pattern, and I love them! And this one is the best of all three. Everything just went perfectly, and the hemming and zipper was the easiest and best I've done.

You can't tell from this picture, but the background is a pale pink. I love the fabric...it reminds me of candy or Valentine's Day or something. Forgive the crummy picture. It's really hard to take a picture of yourself wearing a skirt. I'll try to get Mom to take a picture later.

And now, my new suitcase...er, bag. But it's roughly the size of a suitcase. It was so cute in the picture, and it is incredibly cute when it's made. And I'm in love with the fabric. But it's so huge! It's view D of Simplicity pattern 2685.

Close-up of the fabric and pleats. It has about 6 pleats on each side.

It only called for one button, but these adorable little flowers came in a two pack, so I couldn't resist using both.

You can't see it too well, but it has a band around the top, and a little pointed overlay thing where the buttons are:

The inside. Forgive the junk, but when you have a new bag this enormous, you can't help but putting anything you could possibly ever need in it (camera, iPod, umbrella, poncho, ice scraper, first aid kit...). I'm not a pink person, but I love the hot pink lining that matches the main fabric.

At the last minute, I decided to leave out the zipper pocket (you can still see the fading markings). I made this sort of pocket, which I do in most of my bags, because I use it more often. You can drop lip gloss and pens and stuff down in it without having to worry about unzipping anything. I meant to add a magnetic closure, but I completely forgot and then it was too late.

This would be much easier if I had a big mirror...

You really can't tell how big it is.

My goal today was to completely clean my room, even my closet. I told my parents that if they hadn't seen me by tonight, to please come looking. You see, this is what I faced (besides bags and piles of fabric stuffed under my bed):

But I did it! I cleaned everything. That means that I even took the books out of the bookcase instead of merely dusting around them. I even dusted the ceiling fan blades, which is a nightmare because it makes dust bunnies fall from the sky. I organized all of my sewing stuff last night, which was quite a job. And even though it's organized, it still takes up a ton of space. One day (preferably in the not so distant future) I would love to have a sewing room.

So, on this first day of 2010, I accomplished everything I wanted to. Except for walking on the treadmill, and that wasn't exactly too high on the priority list. In fact, I probably burned so many calories cleaning my room this morning that I feel completely justified in going and getting that piece of turtle cheesecake. And possibly watching an episode of "Gilmore Girls."

Until next time,
Kristin (missvintagegirl)