Horse Stuff

I started taking riding lessons again about a year and a half ago.  I ride English - hunt seat (like the British, only I have never gone foxhunting), and I am a bit perfectionistic about it, although I am about as far from a perfect rider as you can get, but I am improving.

I bought a saddle sometime last year, and looking at commercial saddle pads to go with it, I found that there weren't very many variations out there.  I have this idea that I should be a little unique, even if I fail at it, so I didn't want the same ol' same ol' plain white saddle pad, or even the more daring pastels that girls tend to favor.  So I pondered, and pondered, and googled, and realized that the construction on a saddle pad is not that complicated.  It's essentially a padding of some sort between layers of cloth.  "Well, I can make that!" I thought, "And probably CHEAP, too!!"  That's always a selling point in my internal monologues... and for some reason I always think if I can convince my husband that I can make the thing cheaper than I can buy it, he will just lean back in his computer chair and say, "Well, why don't you just go on a guilt-free shopping spree, oh my dearest one!"

That never happens.  He doesn't ever say that, but I mean... It's never as cheap as I could buy one, at least not when it comes to a little-thin-chintzy-factory-made-in-indonesia saddle pad.  You can buy those things for like... ten bucks, if you find a sale!  It's unreal.

I went ahead in my mad schemes though, cuz once I get started, I can't stop until I've made or bungled the thing at least once.  I found a pattern, which my kind sister purchased for me (she wanted one too! and HEY, Maybe we could SELL them, we thought!!).

So here are some of the more recent (aka the ones I have pictures of) fruits of my labors:

This first one is my sister, and goes with her dressage saddle.  It doesn't quite fit my jumping saddle (left).  Dressage saddles have longer panels, which is why it hangs so far below the ends of my saddle.  Also, these photos are really bad.  I used to have a nice camera, but it broke.  Old iPhones just don't take very good pictures.

Not sure why there is that pinkish cast to the photo.  OH, yeah, because iPhone photos suck!

And here she is with her spanky new saddle pad, *cough* last summer *cough.  The dressage saddle fits it much better, see?  And it is very pretty.  We picked the colors for a grey horse, but here it is on a chestnut instead.

 Here's one I made for myself, in progress.  It's finished now, and works very well.

And below, you can see another in-progress shot, a little further along.  In the background is my first completed saddle pad ever, a little plainer, but still lovely.  It is a bit small for my saddle.

 





So what do you think?!

Where Have I Been? If You Find Out, Please Let Me Know!

I log on, and lo and behold it has been over a year since my last post about getting a new sewing machine.  Now that may lead one to the pleasant conclusion that I was so enraptured with my new toy that I have been mass-producing items of amazing quality and construction.  Alas... I've just been too... scatterbrained, inattentive... busy... sick... lazy...?  Pick one. 

I haven't been entirely inactive though, crafty-wise.  So, what have I been up to?  I'll post some pictures of my various projects.

In a minute.

Sewing News for March

1.  I got a new sewing machine, and it is AWESOME.  Image courtesy of Sears.com.  Go here to check 'er out.  I have to come up with a good name for her... yes, i know that's weird, but I'm already referring to it as a "she", so why not go one more step in the weirdness direction?  Besides, other people do it.


2.  With my new machine, I have sewn 2 shirts.  One I gave to my mum, and haven't heard back on it yet.  BUT, it was a little strange and baggy anyway, so....?  The other shirt came out just peachy, and I even wore it in public twice.  I also made a shrug, which I need feedback on, so I should take a photo of it.  I would, if I were more organized and didn't have the memory of a goldfish...

Goldfish: "Just because I have a three-second memory, they don't think I'll mind eating the same fish flakes ...  Oh boy!  Fish flakes!"


3.  My next project is this cutesy lil dress - 

 Cutesy, no?  I thought so too.  Image courtesy of Voguepatterns.com.

4.  I also bought this pants pattern from hotpatterns.com.  I know, what a name.  They are made by some saucy British folk, and supposedly are very good.  We'll see.........  What do you think?  White linen... would it look too colombian drug-lord?  haha!  Good for summer, I think.


5.  I've been aspiring to check out some vintage 50s patterns, too.  Like the blouse that is shown here.  I think it is adorbs.  What say you?  The problem with vintage patterns is that most of the remaining patterns are for teeeeeeeeny tiny sizes... and while I do occasionally delude myself into thinking that I am not super gigantic, I am not teeeeeeeeeeeny tiny.  At All.  So you have to grade the patterns up... and what with my notorious lazy streak, I am not sure it would ever get done.  Maybe I will work up to it.


Anyway, I think that is all for now... Hope you are all enjoying the lovely springy weather.

That Darn Couch

There hasn't been anything new for me to talk about in awhile... but I am excited to announce that the crazy couches are finally partially finished!!!   I know, I know, it's not really a proper update when things are only "PARTIALLY" finished... but that is a pretty big step for me!

I finally made it down to St Looey last weekend, sewing machine and two finished cushion covers in tow.  Me and the girls had a great time, staying up til 3:30 or so in the morning (and that darn daylight savings time adjustment didn't help us), sewing random pillows for the back of the large couch.  The Loveseat is still untouched... but the bigger one, which was much more difficult and time consuming... is done!  YAAAYYY US!!!!!  Those little cushions on the loveseat will be nothing after being swaddled in 50 pounds of giant cushion every time I tried to work on them... that fabric is pretty darn weighty, let me tell you.  And it gets HOT when you are swaddled in it.

We were kinda zombiefied the next morning, but we were both pretty proud of our couch... We stood back and ooohed and aaahed for quite some time.  :)  Matt's opinion was that it looks like the result of a crack-addled brain... but really, he's the only one of us that would know how it feels to have a crack-addled brain.  I kid, I kid!!!

Here are some partially finished photos for your viewing pleasure.  My apologies on the quality... they came from my phone, which is now the only camera I have.  BLEH!  One of these days I will take better pics.  Maybe.  For now, I am just glad to have made some progress on this project!!!!

Darnit Jim, I'm a potato sack, not a cute shirt

I started on my shirt/dress jumper thingamabobby (you remember, this one)  last night, and almost completely finished it.  I'm making it out of a dark grey fleece, which is pretty easy to sew, although when you screw up, it's not at all easy to rip a seam out of it, thanks to the fluffiness of the material. 

I discovered a few things in my endeavors - which, truth be told, I probably knew these things before... but here we go anyway:

1:  I suck really bad at putting zippers in... or else my machine does... because it doesn't like to sew straight near that zipper at all... especially on lumpy fleece.  Even with the zipper foot on... either I am doing something wrong, or that machine just hates zippers.  It wants to jump all over the place.  Very annoying.  And not at all attractive when your zipper is in the FRONT of your garment.

2: Patterns LIE about sizes like big smelly dogs.  My shirtdress thinger (which really needs clever-er name) is a big ol SACK.  Mind you, at the moment, it's a one-sleeved, zipperless sack, but STILL.... it is HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE.  "Go by the bust measurement" the pattern said.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.  Why'd I listen to that?!  I could fit two of me in there from the waist down.  So now i have to figure out how to take it in.  Which I think will be mostly from the back seam, since apparently I am abnormally long in the back and it doesn't lay right back there anyway.  And yes, I have had this pattern sizing problem previously... but this particular pattern is in Euro sizes, so I thought, perhaps, the size SIXTEEN that it recommended for me was like... a US 10.  NOPE.  Liars.

I'll have to post some pictures later... befores and afters, hopefully!  Then you can see the horrible potato-sacky terror that this thing really is!

Afterthoughts:  Hmm... I really thought I had more than two discoveries.  Oh well... more later, I suppose, if I think of it.  My brain really isn't organized at all.... get used to it!

A new obsession? Or an old one revisited...

I think I am about to embark on a clothes sewing rampage... I keep seeing really cute patterns that I want to try.  So far I only have one, this: (cute shirty thing, right?  but man, lookit that poor girl's wonk hair!)

(image courtesy of Burda)

But there are also craploads boatloads (I should work on my internet politeness!) here:  http://www.hotpatterns.com

Let's see, I want this one,

this, any number of these (excluding that horrid wonky fringey thing.... what?) But OH, that ruffley one at the bottom, ahhh, for the love!  I also quite like this dress.
Also, in the latest issue of Burda's World of Fashion, which I am really coveting a subscription to, there is another boatload of cute, simple, and sleek patterns... marred only by the occasional uggo!

Also, I really love this one, for the white hat- it MIGHT look good on my misshaped head!!!

 

(obviously courtesy of Simplicity!)

Well, I suppose that concludes your mad pattern ravings for the day. I'm off, I must find a money tree.  And no, still no pictures of anything I've done lately!  Not that it matters, because you've all seen it all by now anyhow, and for now, this is still my super sekrit blog!  mwahahahahahahahaha............

craftypants

Well, I started working on my bathroom counters last night; as soon as I remember, I will add a photo. I'm decoupaging it... some really cool scrapbook paper + some stuff called modge podge (basically thick elmer's glue, I think, but maybe with a bit more sticky and elasticity to it...) Apparently once I get it done and sand it down it will be smooth and shiny, like my own custom laminate. And then I'll cover it in some protective varnish of some sort.

I've been so crafty lately... of course, not getting anything done that actually needs to be done, like those renegade couch cushions that need to be finished... I am satisfied now that they will look absolutely awesome on the couch, though. I'll have to take photos of that too. You know, when I decide to stop working on NEW things........ I just found another bag to make, too. It would be cute in my zebra print that I have loads of... with a little bit of red piping. :)

The crazy people at work are debating ryan seacrests sexual orientation now. Ohhhhhhhhhhh good. And we care because?!