Sewlseeker

You can't be serious!

2010-05-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

My idiotic neighbors apparently felt the dryer wasn't getting hot enough to dry a week's worth of clothing at a time, so they added a dryer with no vent. Needless to say, I called the landlord to report this fire hazard and if I don't hear from him or see some action by tomorrow, my next call will be to the fire marshall. How stupid can you be? Let the neighbors cram the dryer into their living space and endanger themselves. ARRRGGGHHH!

Fujitsu Uncover the Possibilities

2009-11-20T16:39:00.001-08:00

Why post this? Well, I've been a Fujitsu fan for years, starting with the P2040 and temporarily ending with the T4215. I say temporarily because my husband knocked tea into it, killing the machine. Sadly, it's not paid off! And the replacement machine, an HP TouchSmart tx2 is just not the same... :(

Birthday Resolutions 2009

2009-09-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and rather than having new year's resolutions, I thought this year I'd set birthday resolutions. Here we go!

1. Surroundings: By next year - have apartment decluttered and MOVE OUT ready!
Why? Our place may be small and falling apart (landlord doesn't believe in maintenance), but that doesn't mean we have to live in squalor. The other day, DH said he did everything possible to keep the Animal Control person from entering the apartment because he was embarrassed, and I completely understand.
I have a vision of owning a home with a garden. A home where DH can cook, I can knit and sew with room to work and we have a garden to enjoy. Room to breathe!

2. Finances: Set up rapid debt repayment program (RDRP) and buy LESS
Why? After I was laid off, I lived off of the severance pay, tax returns, inheritance from MIL and cash advances on my credit cards. I had been paying down the cards before the layoff, but once I was no longer working I felt like all my efforts had been in vain and I foolishly racked up even more debt than I previously had. WTF?
As for buying less, I have all the tools and supplies I could possible want. I need to use them up or purge. There's no reason for me to own everything that catches my eye.

3. Learning: My time - listen to Japanese tapes,listen to Russian podcasts
On the job: 30 minutes every day for various software/hardware (Sharepoint, Indesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, Blackberry) and 15 minutes every day to read executive/administrative assisting blogs

4. Create: Knit, sew, cross stitch, crochet! Do something every day.

5. Relationships: Take advantage of 9/80 Fridays and go on a day trip with DH (every other Friday). Return calls/emails/text messages - make the effort to stay in touch with friends and family.

The Worst Job I Ever Had

2009-03-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

On the heels of reading other people's tales of woe, I thought I'd write up "my worst job." I believe it would be the week I spent staring at a blank wall cold calling people to subscribe to the LA Times. Occasionally I would hook a live one, and inevitably they lived in a rural area, where delivery wasn't available...and never would be. Excitedly they'd ask if delivery was now possible to their address in bum f*ck Egypt and dejectedly I'd answer, "No." Others would stay on the line long enough for me to pitch them from my long list of "reasons why one should subscribe." Way at the end of that list was the question, "Do you own a bird? Use the paper to line the birdcage." I'm certain I didn't sell a single subscription and picking up the phone to make those calls got harder and harder until I quit at the end of one week.

Could this be why I hate using the phone?

Destashing - Yarn and My Life!

2009-02-21T21:01:00.002-08:00

Recently I took the plunge and decided which yarns I could part with. Yesterday I sent off the first two boxes. I was having second thoughts about one, the Boysenberry London Tweed, after seeing one of Svetlana's latest creations. There, was, however, no way I would knit up all the London Tweed in my stash. And certainly no way I could tackle the sweater that Svetlana knit (Forestry - last sweater in the post linked to above). I'm a self-taught knitter (books and magazines) who, so far, has been able to knit the patterns I've taken a fancy to, but who also realizes when a pattern is above my current skill level (or beyond my patience and sustained attention). I consciously choose to work on patterns that I know I can knit now, while queuing up others that I will be able to knit at a later date. E.g. the latest IK cover sweater (Spring 2009) - I read through the instructions and couldn't quite envision what one needs to do to knit this sweater, so as much as I like the sweater, it has to wait.

So, rather than overwhelming myself with yarns I MUST knit up, I decided to let go of a few. It's rather strange to package up these yarns - yarns I couldn't wait to order, couldn't wait to swatch as soon as they arrived - and send them on to their new homes, new dreams, new projects. But OTOH I can't wait to see what they end up becoming...

The destashing of yarn will soon extend to my stuff. Stuff that fills every corner of this 450 square foot apartment and the garage below. Starting small...with some magazines and books on eBay. Then branching out into Craigslist, Freecycle, the library and then onto the Goodwill/Salvation Army. I did it once before (from the same apartment). Back at the end of 2002, I got the contents of the full garage down to a 6 foot by 3 foot stack of boxes. I vow this time NOT to let so much stuff* back into my life.

*Stuff: Clothing I no longer wear, books I read and never let go of, multiples (several bluetooth headsets, several cell phones), Elliptical trainer (used for one week...at most), half-used toiletries, old linen, old files, miscellaneous doo-dads and knick-knacks...and on and on...ugh! =:P

Apartment 2.0

2009-01-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

My (our) ideal apartment will have:
1. Separate mailbox
2. Off-street, covered parking
3. Address properly marked
4. Utilities included or separate meter
5. Insulation
6. Real windows that DON'T LEAK!
7. Intact roof - no leaking
8. No vermin burrowing around in the walls
9. Gutters and/or canopy over the door
10. Real door - i.e. can't open it with a swift, well-placed kick
11. Laundry
12. Range hood
13. Bedroom closet
14. Linen closet
15. Hallway closet
16. Stable floors - i.e. whole apartment doesn't sway when stepping on certain spots
17. Balcony, space to garden in or BOTH!! =:)
18. Place to air dry clothing (should I so desire)
19. No a$$hole neighbors

As I think of more, I'll update the list above. Want to seize our ideal apartment when it presents itself, so I want to know what we're looking for!

The Typhoid Mary Touch...with Magazines

2009-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Let me tally up the magazines I once subscribed to that went belly up (and some never returned my money!) - updated 2.22.09

Craft Magazine -> not officially belly up, but going to digital only. Bummer. I like having an actual magazine. =:(
Organize -> nice, but mostly a vehicle to sell more product. (Aren't all magazines about the ads?)
Domino -> who knew that one of the few I decided NOT to renew would go belly up shortly afterward? (One could argue that my not renewing contributed to the downfall, but I will not take the blame. Domino had become nothing but another, "Let's let at the lifestyles of pretty, Hollywood people!!" Uh, no thanks.)
Yahoo! Internet Life -> (believe I never saw my money again)
Motto -> remaining issues converted to Ode, haven't read a single issue since I started receiving. They're now imploring me to renew.
Blueprint -> remaining issues converted to Martha Stewart Living. I enjoyed MSL, but ended up not subscribing. Felt too inferior. Have saved some recipes and ideas from the mag though.
O at Home -> come on, Oprah, are you going to roll over my $ to extend my sub to Oprah mag? (Also just re-upped my subscription literally the day AFTER the internets were abuzz that the magazine was to cease publication. I have great timing!!)
Got an offer...to roll my remaining issues over to Oprah mag (as if I don't subscribe already). Obviously, the subscription department hasn't figured out who was subscribing to both or they simply sent the same card to everyone. Must ensure that the credit will be rolled over so I don't end up with two copies of Oprah for the next however many months.
Adorn -> according to the rumours on the internets this was to be converted to a Knit.1 subscription, but didn't hear anything. Going to check in on this one. I certainly got ripped off, since I had just started the subscription, only to hear that the magazine was DOA.
PC Magazine-> they've gone digital and I let my subscription lapse. The only case where the end of the printed publication coincided with my payment (or lack thereof). I'm not a fan of digital magazines. I've tried many of them; none compare to the dead tree version. And I want to save the planet as much as the next guy...
Quick & Easy Stitch & Craft (a British Cross Stitch mag) -> converted to You Can Craft! Sad. I let that subscription limp to an end. You Can Craft! is for cardmaking with no cross stitch to speak of. I'm not interested in cardmaking, unless it's to mount a small cross stitch project. *sigh*

I'm sure there are others...this list is by no means complete.

Dharma and lots of glue

2009-01-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm making this, which requires the patience of a saint, 10 hands and slatherings of glue. Pic to follow. (It's taking several days, since it needs to set between glueings.) When it's done, I will officially dedicate it to my search for a shiny new job.

Rediscovering old hardware...oh the joy!

2009-01-02T23:27:00.000-08:00

The fan on my newer Fujitsu, a T4215, purchased March 2007 has a problem - it runs nonstop and sounds like the computer is about to take flight. Of course, it's out of warranty and I don't want to keep running it, potentially causing the harddrive to melt down, so I've backed up my files and am getting ready to open it up to clean it out (in case there's an easily solved issue). If the diy route doesn't pan out, I'll have to take it in to an authorized Fujitsu repair center. Now is not the time to spend money on keeping my faster laptop going...so..I've pulled out...

...my older Fujitsu, my first Fujitsu, a P2040. Its harddrive is tiny (just under 20G) and its processor is equally underpowered - a Transmeta Crusoe TM5800, running at 793 MHz with a grand total of 240 MB of RAM. Quite a step down... Only issue with this cute little machine are the two lines of green and blue pixels on the left of the screen, but other than that, it chugs along like a champ. Believe it was purchased in March 2002.

Open Hearts?

2008-12-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

I can't be the only one who things that Jane Seymour's Open Heart design for Kay Jewelers looks like an ample bosom connected to an even bigger bottom...

Free?!?

2008-12-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Since I started ahem collecting sewing, knitting and crochet patterns, I am constantly surprised by the quality of patterns offered for free. What motivates someone to release a pattern into the wild versus only offering it for money? And vice versa... I want all designers to make a buck. In fact, perhaps paying to use a design should be done via an honor system royalty fee paid directly to the designer. I.e. once you've made the item, you pay the designer. On the other hand, I've been occasionally disappointed when I pay for a pattern up front, only to find that it's not to my liking.

Just rambling...

No Snow for me

2008-12-18T22:23:00.001-08:00

I miss living in Germany =:(. I actually LIKE snow! What I'd give for a Fackelwanderung in winter with Gluehwein offered at the checkpoints...

eHarmony - Clones?

2008-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or do all the people featured in eHarmony's TV ads look like clones? Even the women look like the men...(or is it the other way around?!?) Downright creepy.

Stash Management

2008-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the stash management tools on Ravelry. As I update and tweak my stash, I'm noticing that the first yarns I listed are missing a lot of details (i.e. I didn't enter the info). I'm slowly but surely adding tags, etc. to get a better grip on what I have and moreover, what I can make from it! Back to managing the stash...

Body dysmorphia and knitting

2008-11-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

I don't buy clothes without trying them on. I swatch. I have taken measurements from a favorite, similar-fitting garment, to determine which size to knit. Sure I substitute yarns, and maybe my gauge isn't spot on, but it's "close enough." So why do I now have two sweaters that are too tight, and one that's probably too loose? I attribute it all to a mild case of body dysmorphia (and an aversion to the math that is most likely required to successfully reknit the sweaters in question).

And yes, I do crave the result enough to figure it out. (Eventually.) =;)

The Unattainable

2008-11-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Why is it that the minute I decide to buy the yarn for a pattern I just discovered, that one of the "required" yarns is nowhere to be ordered? To add insult to injury, the pattern was just published! Arrgggh...

Any moment now

2008-11-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Yarn from Little Knits will be here!
I wish packages were equipped with RFID tags and they could be tracked via GPS, so instead of: on FedEx vehicle for delivery, left Benicia, CA 0734 am, you'd see: making left turn onto Water Street, 5.8 miles away from destination...at stop light on Fair Aisle Ave, 2.4 miles away from destination. And for the ultimate in package tracking, you'd be able to watch the package on a real time, clickable map. I can't be the only one who would LOVE this!

D.I.Y. (Dye - and spin - It Yourself)

2008-11-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Somehow I don't see myself dyeing my own yarn (although it's tempting). What I REALLY don't see myself doing is: shearing the sheep, washing and carding the fleece, spinning, plying, and then finally dyeing the handspun yarn.

Wow! I'm saving a lot of time already...

Laundry

2008-11-09T23:48:00.000-08:00

So nice to have clean sheets. (Every Sunday is laundry day.)

S.A.B.L.E.

2008-11-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

SABLE = Stash Acquired Beyond Lifetime Expectancy. Is it possible? Have I hit the limit? (Come pet my yarn...)

Jeans

2008-11-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

Will I ever find jeans that fit? *sigh*

That nagging feeling

2008-11-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

While chugging along on the front of the Louisa Harding Sloppy Joe sweater, shaping the armscyes, it occurred to me that something is off with the armscyes on the back of the sweater. I'm (not so) secretly hoping that I can simply sew up the sweater and the difference won't matter, but the closer I get to binding off the front of the sweater, the greater that nagging feeling grows...

Priceless

2008-11-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

Tuesday November 4 2008, originally uploaded by firesheep67.

Leveraged to the hilt...

2008-11-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Euphemism for "being up to your eyeballs in debt." Gotta <3 it.

Post (or improvement) a day!

2008-11-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

Just added the virtual pet...pledge to post and/or improve the blog daily for the month of November (with the exception of the first, since it's water under the bridge).

Where I've been - worldwide edition

2008-08-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Amazing for a couch potato. I keep wondering if there's more...

Bind-off analysis paralysis

2008-08-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've almost finished the back of a sweater from Vogue Knitting, S/S 2007, model 3, "cabeled tank." But I'm stuck on binding off to shape the armsyces. I ripped back the first attempt, threaded a "lifeline" through the live stitches and started again. I don't like how it looks. The pattern requires binding off at the beginning of one row, then the beginning of the next, etc. Unfortunately this means binding off in knit stitch, then purl, etc. and I think it looks sloppy. So I'm now in search of a better way, a more polished appearance to the bound-off stitches. Which, I think will necessitate more ripping. *sigh*

Seeking via knitting

2008-08-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sewing is in hibernation while I cast on and rip out many different swatches, sweaters and a few smaller projects (washcloth and a crocheted bunny). Photos to follow!

Sewlseeking...not just via the sewing machine...

2008-06-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

The sewing empire has grown by leaps and bounds. In fact, it's burst out of the small, unconfigured space (i.e. the livingroom and "dining bridge," to be explained some other time), requiring that I declare a state of emergency in my little sewing empire.

Once I finish updating my Flash interface (final project for advanced Flash class) at http://www.sewrealistic.com/final52b.html, I might just need to call out the National Guard to help me dig out from under the avalanche of tools and materials. (Ok, bad joke. No offense intended.)

The sewing empire now includes: cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and not only sewing with my (not so trusty) Mickey Mouse machine, but also with my (possibly more reliable?) used Elna Lock L2 serger. (An eBay score.) Strangely enough, no sewing has ever taken place IN the empire. Could be the fact that I can no longer move through the living room without turning sideways in spots... =;p

Can't say the same for knitting, crochet or cross stitch though...in fact, those stitchy activities seem to spontaneously happen, whether I want them to or not. Hmmm.

My sewing machine and I

2008-02-18T21:01:00.001-08:00

We really don't know each other that well. I've taken my machine out for a spin, in class only, twice now. I bought my machine after I was laid off...sometime last summer (2007), after I did a *bit* of research. I know that I used the "billmelater" option and my machine was reconditioned. It's a Brother SE-270D. The "D" stands for "Disney." Now, I'm not into Disney. Although I have nothing against Mickey Mouse and his ilk, I'm not a fan either. So my machine has Disney characters built in and I'll have to live with that.

I went with a combination sewing and embroidery machine because I could see myself, a year after I'd start sewing my own clothing, wanting to embellish my creations without wanting to do the work. My machine can embroider an area up to 4" x 6". Not shabby, but not the largest area possible. Without even having embroidered a single thing with my machine, I already feel inadequate. I see designs that I'd like to embroider, and of course, they're for 5" x 7" hoops. It all comes down to using what I have. Appreciating what I have, before coveting the next, new thing. I'm such a marketing pawn.

Next post: my first (and second) pair of pajamas

peace & karma points! =;)

Laying the foundation of my sewing empire

2008-02-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

I've been crafting - cross stitching, crocheting, knitting, embroidering, oil painting, drawing, etc. now and again from an early age (five or so?). Sometimes I had a lot going on and other times, I had all but abandoned creating things. Eventually I always circle back. According to my grandma, I used her portable Singer (model unknown) around the age of seven to make doll's clothes. She claims I had helped myself to the machine, taking it out of the closet where it lived. When she asked me how I had learned to operate the sewing machine, I replied that I had read the instruction booklet. The funny thing is, I have virtually no memory of using that machine. No recollection of any doll's clothes I supposedly sewed. I do recall the glass-topped black desk with white porcelain knobs and the sewing stand which was painted black to match. The right hand desk drawers were full of sewing goodies, as was the sewing stand. I freely used whatever I found stuffed in these spots; no one was using any of these goodies.

Around the time I was twelve, my aunt and I sewed a dress with reversible vest for me. She let me pick out the pattern and the fabric. I thought I was a designer! Of course, in retrospect, the color combination was awful. One of the fabrics was chocolate brown with small cream flowers sprinkled randomly all over, the other was the same colorway - reversed, and the third was a fine pinwhale corduroy in cream. I'd love to find a photo of me wearing this dress, but I'm afraid none exist. (At least, none that I'm aware of.)

I also tried my hand at sewing small plush animals. Did I sew more than one? I don't know.

This time around, I was inspired to start sewing for a variety of reasons: 1. to cover my couch, 2. to hem my own pants, 3. to finally escape the frustration of shopping for ill-fitting rtw clothing that falls apart right after the first wearing.

Next post: me and my sewing machine

peace & karma points =:)

Official first post

2008-02-17T00:02:00.000-08:00

For a loooong time now, I've wanted to write a blog. If I'm not mistaken, this blog will be my third attempt. First it was, "walls2windows.com" - back before blogging was hip and back before everyone and their brother had a blog. But I didn't know what I wanted to post. I thought I'd showcase my photoshopped photos, share my list of recommended Palm OS apps... I still own the domain, but the site no longer functions, and I haven't decided what to do with it.

Second attempt was, "quotidian bits" on blogger. But, I wasn't posting on a quotidian basis. Post layoff, my life had not expanded to fill the freedom that being unemployed afforded me.

Which brings me to this, my third attempt, at blogging. Over the years I've come to conclusion that the best blogs focus on a passion with daily life served up as a sidebar to that passion. So, what is/are my passions?

Many! So many, that I've struggled with naming my blog and narrowing the focus. Therefore, I'm going to start blogging about learning to sew, which is my *latest* passion. From there, I'll get to the other passions.

Next post: building my sewing empire. (I'm someone who buys ALL the tools long before I've stitched a single thing. Which is why I'm amazed when I read in someone's blog that after 15 or 20 years of sewing, they've just now discovered the joys of using tailor's hams. Wow.)

peace & karma points =;)