'Cause there's not much, here's one of my favorite Wondermarks ! Visit more at wondermark.com, of course.

Don’t know what’s goin’ down with Chez Insanity, but all of us had to fight to stay awake all day. Beloved Hubby had to quite literally drag his anatomy to work, I had to make m’self coffee at 11am, and I still had to wake Dearest Son for a late lunch, after he fell asleep twice beforehand. Must be this amazingly beautiful weather. Junior-kitty loves it, as I can just prop open a window to the backyard for him to come and go as he pleases, without yowling at the front door.

Embroidery designers are really feeling the love – I scored six new freebies today, and spent a big $2.75 on four I liked on sale, only minor freebie guilt engaged. Trying to decide what next to create, as there’s so much new and so much ‘old’ from which to choose. 

Odyssey's new cover ! It's sparkly, a little...

Hmpft. Kinda got socked early today, when I went looking for tips on how to convert Crock Pot / Slow Cooker recipes to regular ole stove top / oven ones, and the first site I found opined that not having a Crock Pot was ‘just sad’. Another direct quote, “You’re a weirdo. Ha, just kidding…sorta. :) ” . Yet she’s the one who admits to loading hers up in the morning and forgetting to plug it in or turn it on. Sure, I can get a $20. appliance, and there’s a good chance I’ll use it. I’m still amazed how much play that electric griddle gets. I love that thing ! I figured our toaster oven would gather dust once we had a working oven, but it’s still quite active. But a slow cooker, even if I do use it frequently, will still take up space, and the past times I attempted to use one resulted in dismal, barely edible failures. I know my family and our lifestyle well enough to know I can attend our recipe of choice, so we don’t really need another one-trick appliance. Yet in her opinion, I’m worthy of pity and mentally unbalanced. (sigh) Sometimes I hate the internet… Wonder if she did machine embroidery back in ‘09.

Anyway, I shook it off because I really like what I made yesterday – Odyssey’s new cover ! I decided to make one like KJ’s, a real amateur effort, but it’s worked these many years, and didn’t require a pattern or even a lot of work. Brody’s however, I made a paper-and-tape cover (because the one pattern I could buy that would include the embroidery platform was $20., ridiculous for something I’d sew maybe twice), then took it apart and used the pieces as a pattern, and it’s worked out well, too. There’s something uniquely satisfying about sewing a cover for your sewing machine.

It was fun from the get-go. The fabric I wanted to use I didn’t have enough of, but there was no way I could justify a shopping run with the parsecs of textiles I got sitting around here. Plus, it was already after 9pm before I got started. Took a few measurements, located a nice print that would coordinate, and allow me to use the first fabric for the sides and maybe an accent piece on the front. What kind of accent ? Hmm… well, maybe a machine embroidery applique, I’ve not had a lot of luck with those in the past, but I could try again with what I’ve learned since…

I knew which design I wanted to use. Years ago, several sites did ‘free design every 8 minutes’ rotations, and there were a couple I really wanted but always just missed. I took down numbers and checked occasionally until it was about time for them to come around again. Took a couple weeks – and I snagged several others in the process – but with no way to buy them, I had to be patient. My hunting / gathering skills paid off… and I never used the designs. The one I most wanted was an applique heart with a ring around it, like a Venusian Saturn. I could make the heart with scraps of the first fabric, and use the Sulky Holoshimmer iridescent ‘thread’ for the ring. Sure, there were only three colors, and I already selected the silver Holo for one, but it still took me a while to choose the other two ! I’m second-guessing m’self (as usual), but if I were to stitch it again, I’d probably go with a nice orange instead of pink.

Decided I wanted to embroider before I sewed, so I cut and ironed the fabrics, did a pin test for fit, and shuffled sewing machines around. Ironically, I used two machines to make the cover, neither of which was the machine I was making the cover for ! And yes, my hooping is improving, but I didn’t get the applique fabric centered correctly on the first try. That error got buried under the second effort, which went much better. Thank Everything I can repeat any steps I need to ! Had a few breaks in the Holo thread – typical, but I think I’ve come up with a way to slack the tension a bit more next time I use the stuff – but I was very pleased with the end result.

So pleased, in fact, that I intended to leave the actual cover crafting ‘til today, but I liked the applique so much, I couldn’t wait to see how it looked on the finished item ! Cheap-serged all the raw edges – something I really should have done with KJ’s cover, sewn over a decade ago – emptied and replaced a spool of thread, and voila ! Odyssey has a cover that I didn’t buy fabric or an embroidery design for, and I’m very happy with it. And proud of me ! It may be hard to see in the photo, but it’s not a camouflage fabric, they’re actually shades of green stars with a touch of gold trim outlining them. Probably Christmas fabric, but I liked it, and I have enough for a small doll dress or a larger doll separate. And a small doll only piece from the bits left of that most-wanted fabric, which was just dark green cotton broadcloth.

Rest of the day was tidying up, making plans, plotting and deciding what’s next on the cutting boards. I’ve got an idea for pants…

I think this image was 'shopped.. I can tell. Originally, it probably said 'sewing' instead of 'crafting'.

Today was a total wash. I only managed to keep my promise to Dearest Son, who wanted to go to Dollar Tree. I got some beads for an upcoming project and another Elmer Chocolate five-piece Valentine heart – yum ! Same tasty candies both times, including the awesome ‘liqueur’-like round ones – but I just flopped once we were back home. I have no idea why I had zero interest or motivation today, but there it was.

Well, maybe I do know. I remembered the lynchpin that put me off machine embroidery for two years – I thought I was just gonna take a time-out for a couple weeks – and while it wasn’t a huge deal then, much less now, I still had to finish processing it. I didn’t want a bunch of bully-trolls to ruin Brody for me, and still don’t know why they targeted me, but I did the right thing by leaving what I thought was a great and kind forum quietly and letting things fall however they did. That particular forum is pretty much a shell now, I checked today to satisfy my own curiosity, but in truth, I just don’t care. Happened again with an MH forum, but the trolls had the good grace to go after everyone who didn’t agree with them, not just me, but otherwise, same sitch. I’m not much on forums these days… and I still don’t really open up to people, especially online. Ranks, but I think we’re all a bit shy sometimes, especially when we’ve been personally insulted for daring to have a different opinion on an inconsequential hobby-type choice.  

Or maybe it was the nail polish fumes. Yeah, I bought a new bottle at DTree – clear, but with tiny white and shades of pink dots in it. Kind of springlike, and almost Pinkie Pie random. Had to have it. Found it stuck in with some other wild, almost impossible colors, but it was the only one of its kind in the whole display. Who knows, I may go over this manicure with a coat of that glitter stuff I bought at another DT a few months ago.

It’s starting to get late, and I feel bad about not making anything. Think I’ll knock out a simple cover for Odyssey tonight… where’s my MH ruler…?

Fun stuff !

After yesterday’s little spending spree, I was glad to stay home and just watch guilty-pleasure cable, roll around a little on all the new stuff, and clean the mess of duct tape and fabric off the Arena. I started to want a new embroidery design to cover some stains from sticker residue on KJ’s cover, but that entailed spending funds I don’t really got. Oh, Beloved Hubby wouldn’t mind if I did, it’s just a couple bucks, but I don’t want to get into bad habits or entitled attitudes.

So I dug into the thousands -  possibly anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand, it’s hard to tell by file count when most designs consist of the design file itself, plus chart files, direction files, image files, and often the same design (and all its files) are stored in several different folders – of embroidery designs I have and decided to use my new glitter-green iridescent ‘thread’ to stipple a star on the stain. It wouldn’t really cover it, but it would camouflage it enough so that I didn’t mentally groan every time I saw it. I’m getting better at hooping, and the star stitched in less than three minutes – so I ran it twice. Minimal puckering, too. I’m kind of proud of me for using what I have and just making it happen, without kvetching about it for three days first !

Baked Potato Feet !

Okay. I think I know where I’m going wrong on these shoes. Sides are too long, and the way they tuck under the toe cap makes the whole shoe look like it’s a baked potato awaiting a buffet customer. It also disrupts the fit, and is really hard to get to match. They might actually look better if I used something other than silver, but until I get it right – or give up, it’s about 50 / 50 right now – I don’t wanna use the good stuff. Heck, I might be able to take it back if I don’t open it ! But I wanna give it one more chance before I decide not to mess with it again. It’d be great if I could just get them to look as good as the ones eight-year-olds make on YouTube.

Still, trimming them down a bit helped a lot, so I’ve adapted the pattern. Hopefully Version 4.0 will be an improvement – or at least, something closer to a pair I’ll actually wanna keep. A good part of the problem is that the tape sticks in the wrong places so easily, but maybe I’ll get better at handling it the more pairs I attempt.

Anyway. I got to go to Hancock Fabrics without Dearest Son – Beloved Hubby only  had a half-day at work – and promptly spent too much. Arrrgh. But it would have been worse if I hadn’t taken my ‘skin’ embroidery thread spools with me. I was immediately drawn to pretty much the exact colors I already had ! But after intense comparisons, I found two that were different enough to give me a variety, one Sulky, one Mettler, both on sale. I also fell in love with another spool of Sulky Holoshimmer, much like the silver iridescent I already have… but this one was blue-green ! Like the ocean in moonlight. At less than two bucks, it was soooo mine.

I also took a dip in the remnant bins, and came up with a nice springlike pink knit and 1/3 of a yard of Heat N Bond Lite – pocket-change cheap, on sale at half the marked prices, and those prices were well-marked this time ! (grin)

Ya’ll know me, pretty much everything I bought was on sale. I got the pattern I wanted – Simplicity 1219 – on sale for a dollar, and dug through the button bin when I learned that all of ‘em were a quarter a card ! Spent $2.50, saved $25. – and that was the sale prices. Full price would have been well over $30. ! Not that I’d have bought ‘em at either full or original sale price… I also went through the 80% off holiday remnants and snagged a spool of gold/silver flat cording and green glitter rick-rack at 29¢ each.

It’s also their ongoing ‘Spot The Dot’ sale, where various fabrics are discounted on the fly according to the color of the sticker on the bolt end. The silky, starry fabric snagged me when I noticed one side was a darker blue than the other, but both sides could easily be used as the right one. Then a glorious small-scale brocade of all metallic colors ambushed me with dreams of foreign climes, so I left with a yard each, for less than four bucks.

So, yeah, I overspent, but Beloved was fine with it. And that concludes the February ‘First of the Month Fling’ – and then some – but, wow, what I have to show for it will last me for weeks, if not months ! Still can’t believe I bought more fabric, but I got no regrets. I think I’ll use the brocade for accent pieces with jewel tone solid fabrics, it’ll make an incredible Jasmine harem outfit ! Well, off to daydream a while before bedtime…

Platypus Shoes !

Well, that’s sort of what they look like, to me. Kind of like those classic Duck Shoes from the 80s (yes, in high school, I had a pair in red and a pair in blue, why do you ask ?), without the ‘vein’ rows in ‘em. You can tell I made the one facing your right first. The left one is almost too tight, yet still looks all flappy. Not sure why the ones made for AG dolls look so much better, could be their round feet just lend themselves more easily to the dictates of the tape, but let’s just say it, these need work.

Lucky for me, this is an old roll of regular ole duct tape that Beloved Hubby has deemed only good enough for crafts and household projects. And there’s plenty of it ! So I’ll try making platypus shoes again, hopefully I’ll get it right soon. I’m still on the sheet of cardboard that came in that thrift-shop tin of cookie cutters, too.

Not much else going on today. I didn’t even buy anything ! It’s getting colder by the hour. Darn you, weather, for reminding me it’s still winter !

It'll look better with soles...

Go me ! I got the wireless and the Wii to work together – now I got Netflix and cable. If I find a cheap enough DVD player, I’ll be livin’ large !

Today was kind of a lazy one. I enjoyed a nice long nap when Dearest Son did, and downloaded several new Valentine’s Day themed embroidery designs. All free ! A ‘Love Monster’ in-the-hoop stuffie (another chance to see if I want that $10. cat design later), a heart-shaped zippered change purse, some other cute designs I didn’t really want. Lemme know if you want links, they’re mostly on Facebook and some require you to ‘join’ the fan page. I already was a member, no big whoop.

I also tumbled onto a  good sale, and spent another $5. on $12. worth of designs. Evidently snowglobe ornaments were big this year, I mostly missed it, coming back to machine embroidery after Christmas. But I found a sewing machine snowglobe ornament I really liked, and with the sale, snagged it, a cute butterfly pencil topper, two heart ‘felties’ (small felt designs, often applique, mostly used for hair ornaments, but great for doll clothes), and a heart-shaped photo frame. Not bad, five designs for $5., especially considering the snowglobe ornament itself was $5. without the sale !

At least these little sprees will end soon – the last of my funds will probably vanish into the Hancock Fabrics cash register Thursday ! In the meanwhile, I made a paper shoe today, espadrille style, so I’d have a working pattern to use with the duct tape I bought yesterday. It’s not my idea, I saw it on YouTube, but as usual, the directions are for too-large AG shoes. Since I still had Merrie on my desk from her new shirt photo shoot, I borrowed her foot. Later tonight (I’ll be up late, between caffeine and my nap), I’ll give it a try, and if it works, scan my pattern to make more later. Good thing I save that cardboard from fat quarters, it’ll come in handy for this project !